Star Clipper and Windstar

[JOHN 57]

Hello we are considering a sailing ship in the Mediterrean for our next cruise. Could anyone tell us the difference between Windstar and Star Clipper. This would be our first adventure on a sailing ship. Thank you, John

[SailorJM]

I haven't sailed in a Med cruise on either, but I have sailed the two lines.

Both are excellent.

Windstar: a step above as far as being pampered. More luxurious. Billed as "resort casual," and I'd agree. Beautiful ships. Excellent crew and amenities. More like a luxury yacht. Large, formal dining room. I prefer the smaller Wind Star (same as Wind Spirit) and to the larger Wind Surf because I prefer more passenger/crew interaction. Wind Surf is too big for me, but I'm happiest with 100 or fewer passengers. Land excursions are pretty pricey.

 

Star Clipper: has a more European clientele and crew. Lots of fun getting to meet people from many countries. Beautiful ships, outstanding crew and very good amenities. A little more casual. I live the smaller Star Clipper (same as Star Flyer); haven't tried the larger Royal Clipper. My one negative about SC ships: all shipboard/excursion billing is done in euros. Also, its interesting the way the Star Clipper (and Star Flyer) are set up: more like a working ship, and therefore, you sometimes have to go out to get up, around to get down, in to go out! Still, wonderful ambiance!

 

In my personal "star" rating, Windstar gets a 5, Star Clipper gets a 4. and in my system, the now-defunct totally casual Windjammer Barefoot Cruises got a 3 when compared to WS and SC, but those (along with the schooner Arabella) were my most favorite cruises.

 

Note: Windstar Cruises is under new ownership, which has just announced an $18-million renovation of the ships to be done during 2012, a ship at a time, I believe. Seem to be a lot of positive chatter about this.

[JOHN 57]

Hello, thank you for responding in answer to my questions. Still exploring, alot to learn. Entirely different from a cruise ship. Thank you, agaiin.

John

[lrowe70]

Our first cruise was on Royal Clipper fromVenice to Rome.

LOVED every second of this cruise, found it far superior to our Windstar cruise we took about 6 months later(though we did like Windstar).

 

It depends on what you are looking for. Royal Clipper had only a handful of Americans which we were happy about. Wind Surf was almost all Americans which we found to be a problem. Just our personal preference, many feel different.

 

We found the Royal Clipper to be a beautiful ship while parts of Wind Surf were rather shabby and in need of repair. However our cabin on Wind Surf was much nicer and larger, also it came with fruit and flowers.

 

There's a saying, "Star Clippers is a sailboat that cruises, while Windstar is a cruise ship with sails." We liked the sailing aspect of Starclippers including being able to climb the mast and sit up in the bow nets. Some people don't like all the "sailing stuff" lying around.

 

While we liked both lines and will do another Windstar cruise someday, all things being equal, we'd pick Star Clippers over Windstar.

[6rugrats]

It depends on what you are looking for. Royal Clipper had only a handful of Americans which we were happy about. Wind Surf was almost all Americans which we found to be a problem. Just our personal preference, many feel different.

 

 

Why did you find it a problem to have many Americans?