Dec 5th Star Clipper

[RMS Olympic]

Looking for FOD to sail on the Star Clipper this December.....need dining companions, and new friends to island explore....anyone interested in going......She sails out of St. Maarten.....

[Hobie]

Tom,

Looking forward to hearing about the Star Clipper and about your pre-cruise stay on St. Maarten.

When you get a chance can you please send me some e-mail. I have a couple of questions for you.

hobie99@hotmail.com

Hope that you had a great time.

Hobie

[RMS Olympic]

Here is the story.

Pre cruise stay at the Delfina Hotel: The hotel is small and very cottage like in atmosphere. It is in walking distance to Cupecoy beach…perhaps a mile away. Down the street there is a Chinese restaurant with great food…meals are in the 12 dollar range. A little further down the road to the beach is a up scale restaurant called Citrus. It has a small delicatessen next door that has a great selection of food in plastic containers that are great for the beach. The beach is clothing optional and mixed…some interesting sights.

Back to the hotel. The owners Boris and Michael are wonderful….charming and very funny. Boris is very animated in his expressing opinions and makes everyone laugh. The rooms are beach cottage type, with air conditioning and ceiling fans. The bathrooms have nice big showers with plenty of hot water. Rooms are very very clean, the cleaning ladies mope everything down daily. The pool is a nice size, and is clothing optional. The Germans that were there never wore bathing suits and were an eye full so to speak. The place is cozy, but not fancy. Atmosphere is warm and friendly…..for the money, a great buy.

Breakfast was juice, coffee, French breads, jams, cheeses and meats (no eggs). There is happy hour at about 5 pm…….would I stay there again…yes. Did I need a car…no. In fact I walked down to Maho , a nearby town that took about 30 minutes of walking to shop for sun tan lotion and even found a subway sandwich store…brought back a sandwich before I found the deli next to the Citrus restaurant.

 

Star clipper………different from my memories of the sister ship Star Flyer with RSVP.

The embarkation was not till 4 pm, so don’t expect to board early. We were tied up with the Crystal Harmony in front, the Celebrity Horizon and the Empress of the seas on the other side of the dock……the Clipper looked like a toy.

The ship was in good repair, clean and welcoming.

Food was OK considering the size of the ship and the galley. Breakfast and lunch were buffet style in the dining room. Every afternoon there were snacks (hot and cold) on deck by the outdoor bar.

Dinner normally had 2 or 3 appetizers, 2 soups, 3 entrees, 2 or 3 dessert choices. There were midnight snacks, but I was usually asleep by then.

Water sports were great…….water skiing and banana boat rides were fun. Snorkeling gear is available at no charge. The certified scuba passengers seemed to have a great time diving during the week.

Entertainment consisted of a piano player, talent shows and crew singing…….then there was the sitting on deck under the sails at night looking at the stars and having a nice drink. This ship uses the sails a lot…..

Note: if you are affected by motion…this is not the ship for you. Windstar is smoother but not a true sailing ship. This baby moves especially if the swells are high. Sailing is at night and can be a real roller coaster ride compared to the big ships. The sports team…Swedes….gorgeous.

For people that want a true sailing experience….this is fabulous…..but is more windy that what is found in the med or in Thailand which was my past experience with this line.

Crew….mixed staff…seems that most of the guys have a relationship with another crew member….but is not spoken about. Gay friendly…yes.

I met two guys from the West Coast (good friends) and guys from Connecticut (a married couple)….fab guys. We had American, French and German passengers on board…..all friendly.

If there are any other things you would like to know, please ask.

In the mean time I must get ready for RSVP in Feb……….cant wait.

[Hobie]

Tom,

Thanks for the great review. Sounds like a wonderful vacation. Please send me some e-mail when you get a chance.

Hobie

[bepsf]

Capt Tom!

 

Haven heard from the likes of you in a while!

Now we know what you've been up to!!!

[LayGoAdventures]

H. We are sailing on the Star Clipper on Dec 5th! Will you be there?

 

John and Alberto