|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
If one gets hungry outside the meal hours, there is 24-hour coffee, tea, and hot chocolate and a fruit bowl up by the piano bar. An early bird Continental breakfast is also available there before the scheduled breakfast. Late afternoon is "snack" time at the Tropical bar: little sandwiches, egg rolls, cut up fruit, cookies, etc. The 11:30 p.m. Midnight Buffet is yet another opportunity to eat. Luckily this Midnight Buffet isn't the huge spread that some cruises put on. It is just a little something to graze on while chatting with new friends and having a drink before retiring for the evening. |
|
|
|
A Star Clippers' cruise is the perfect way to celebrate a birthday or an anniversary. I celebrated my birthday on board, and I will remember this birthday forever! It's a great way to just get away and pamper yourself on a nice vacation also. Everything about this cruise was first class.
|
The
Royal Clipper is a magnificent sailing vessel! Built in the
style of the 1902 Preussen, the largest, fastest sailing ship
in the world, the Royal Clipper is the only five-masted full-rigged
sailing ship built since then. It is filled with lovely dark
teak throughout from cabin furniture to stairways to sundeck
benches. I had the opportunity to sail on her from May 17-24,
2003. I boarded in Civitavecchia, Italy and sailed along the
Western Italian coast to the ports of Ponza (Pontine Islands),
Sorrento, Capri, Amalfi, Giardini Naxos (Sicily), and Lipari
(Aeolian Islands), before returning to Civitavecchia. I met one
couple from the East Coast who have sailed on the Royal Clipper
4 times, on different itineraries. I can certainly understand
why this 439 feet sailing ship, completed in 2000, is developing
a following.
The
international crew and ambience attracts international passengers.
We had passengers from the USA, Canada, Australia, Germany, Italy,
Norway, Poland, Brazil, France, Belgium, and other countries.
Many vacationers were 50-something, with some younger, some older.
Reportedly our cruise director, Fred, spoke 8 languages and was
learning 3 more. However on the cruise English, German, and Italian
were the languages used. Our captain, Captain Klaus, was German,
but he lives in Scotland when not sailing and has taken up bagpiping.
We enjoyed a spontaneous bagpipe concert one afternoon. By the
way, his identical twin is Captain of one of the other Star Clippers'
vessels.
We
choose to take the Line's transfers from the Rome Airport
Hilton to the port of Civitavecchia and were well pleased with
the convenience of being shuttled directly to the ship. We were
greeted by a smiling international crew and with rum punch drinks
and appetizers as we set off to settle into our cabin before
dinner.
The cabin categories are: Owner's
Suites, Deluxe Suites, and Categories 1-6. We had a Category
2 cabin and were very impressed with how well designed the cabin
was. There was much beautiful teak wood in this cabin with 2
portholes. The twin beds were bolted together to make a double
bed and a large open space with 12" clearance under the
bed to store empty suitcases. There was an immense amount of
storage space: 3 drawer chest of drawers, end table with 3 drawers,
one drawer under the bed, shelves in the closet and hangers on
the rod, 2 large shelves in the bathroom as well as a medicine
cabinet, and a cupboard to store the life jackets. There were
mirrors over the desk, over the chest of drawers, well lighted
mirrors over the bathroom sink and full length mirrors on the
closet door and inside the bathroom door. The beautiful marble
bathroom included a shower with a pullout clothesline, a hairdryer,
and a basket of all the "hotel amenities" such as shampoo
and lotion. Both a converter and adapter was needed for electrical
outlets. The room had a good variety of lighting choices, a safe
in the desk, telephone, and television. The TV broadcasted CNN
news and 5 movies daily. A quick call back to California from
our room cost Euros 6.21 on our cabin tab. Emails and faxes were
also available for a charge. There was even a privacy curtain
that could be pulled between the hallway door and the sleeping
area. As this was a cruise ship cabin, it was not as large as
most freighter ship cabins, but extremely comfortable and homey
nevertheless.
I
had the chance to tour some of the other cabin categories
and can offer a few insights as to the differences. Most cabins
have twin beds bolted together as double beds. There are a very
limited number of twin bedded cabins in Categories 2-4. The only
outside cabins with large windows instead of portholes are the
Deluxe Suites. All cabins have safes, telephones, televisions,
and hairdryers. All cabins category 4 and above have desks (except
one category 4 cabin). There are two Owner's Suites that can
be connected. Each includes 2 double beds and 2 bathrooms. Room
service and a full bar en suite is included in the fare of the
Owner's Suite. The 14 Deluxe Suites are very nice, having balconies
with 2 chairs and a small table. The Deluxe Suites have double
beds, a larger sitting area, and a marble tub in the bathroom.
Categories 2-4 are pretty much the same except different locations.
Category 5 cabins are narrower since they are in the bow of the
ship. Category 6 cabins are smaller and inside. Since there are
only 4 public decks on this ship (5 if you include the gym which
is below the Commodore Deck), everything is conveniently located
and there is no need for an elevator.
Both
breakfast and lunch are served at a large buffet station
with 2 hours of open seating. Most tables seat 6 people, some
4 or 8. Dinner is sit-down with a menu, but again open seating
and the ability to come to dinner anytime between 7:30 and 10:00
p.m. One will never go away hungry with the large amount of offerings!
Breakfast included: lots of fruits, cold cuts, cheeses, breads,
bacon and sausage, 6 other hot entrees daily, cold cereal, hot
cereal, yogurt, omelets to order, several juices, tea, and coffee.
Lunch was somewhat thematic and included "Italian,"
"American Barbecue," and "Japanese" day.
Besides a large salad bar, breads, and cheeses, there were several
hot entrees each day such as lasagna (Italian day), BBQ chicken
(American day), and chow mein (Japanese day). The outstanding
lunchtime feature (that I had been warned about) was the dessert
table which contained 6 or 7 attractive and delicious delights
each day - serve yourself cheesecake, bread pudding, chocolate
cake, flan, and more! The dinner menu consisted of 2 appeti
zers,
2 soups, one salad, one pasta, one vegetarian entree, 3 meat/fish
entrees, fruit and cheese, and 3 desserts to pick and choose
from. Everything was attractively presented, and all the food
I tried tasted great. Coffee, tea, and water are included. Wine
can be purchased by the glass or by the bottle. The official
dress code states: "Generally sports and leisurewear are
worn on board. In the evenings, however, shorts are not accepted
in the Dining room. Gentlemen are requested to wear shirts with
collar and sleeves." For the Captain's Dinner some men wore
sports jackets, but ties are definitely optional. There were
no sequins or evening gowns such as a traditional cruise might
encourage.
Sometimes
it is the destination that determines which cruise line to
travel on. Sometimes it is the vessel that draws passengers to
it. I think this trip was more the latter. Although some of the
ports were spectacular such as the legendary beauty of Amalfi
and the Amalfi coast and the fascinating shore excursion to tragic,
ancient Pompeii, it was the ship itself which makes me want to
go again. There were numerous "sailor" activities which
made this cruise unique. The most outstanding one was seeing
the 42 sails on the 5 masts unfurled for the first time. For
those who wished a photo opportunity, we were loaded in the ship's
tenders and idled at a distance from the ship. Once the sails
were fully out, the wind caught them, and away the ship sailed
with us motoring along side and behind for photographing from
all angles. Of course the sails had to be lowered to stop the
ship so that we could reboard eventually! If the weather (wind
in particular) was right, we sailed; if not, the ship had engines
to get us to the next destination. All the private yachters by
Capri looked at us through binoculars and took pictu 
res
of our ship. The blue and white Royal Clipper with all the sails
up, against a brilliant blue sky is truly an impressive sight
to behold! Twice we were given the opportunity to don a safety
harness and under crew supervision climb a rope ladder up to
the first level of the second mast about 50¢ up. It was
a great view from up there. The bow net was usually available
to climb out onto and lay in like a giant hammock over the ocean.
It was both relaxing and exhilarating. There were 3 small saltwater
swimming pools on the sundeck. One had a glass bottom and portholes
along the sides, which was the sunroof for the atrium above the
dining room. It was an interesting view from both sides of the
glass! The cruise also offered free water sports such as windsailing,
water skiing, and banana boating while we were at anchor. Beach
towels were provided.
With
only a capacity of 227 passengers (165 on our cruise) the
public areas were never crowded. There were always areas for
time alone whether it be a plush chair in the library or on deck
in the shade or sun on a deck lounger. As well as an eclectic
assortment of books, the library also had a daily faxed USA Today,
"newspaper in brief." The Tropical Bar was in a sheltered
outdoor area. The Piano Bar was indoors. 
A
full bar was served at reasonable prices: Euro 5-6 for an alcoholic
drink and Euro 1.50 for a soda. Captain Nemo's Gym and Lounge
was below sea level and had portholes to view the sea. I didn't
see any fish, but I suppose if one sat in the lounge long enough,
fish could swim by! The gym had treadmills, bicycles, and weight
machines. There was also a beauty salon and massage services
on board. Both a laundry and drycleaning service was available
for a charge.
Star
Clipper purposely sails their vessels on a variety of itineraries,
and are constantly adding more. My sailing was the first time
on this particular itinerary, and I admire the Line's smooth
handling of new territory and shore excursions. Adding new itineraries
and ports enables people who fall in love with the Star Clipper
vessels to see different parts of the world while once again
enjoying their favorite ship.