Last Updated on 02/14/26 by Rose Palmer
“On a day when the wind is perfect, the sail just needs to open, and the world is full of beauty,” Rumi
I have always wished that I had learned to sail a boat. But since I never did, a Star Clipper cruise indulged my inner sailor without all the hard work that goes into sailing a masted ship.
I love cruising in all its forms, particularly when it’s a boutique, small ship experience. My Star Clipper cruise gave me a true sense of what it’s like to sail on a real Tall Ship.
Clipper ships had their heyday in the mid-19th century. They were designed to be sleek and fast so that they could transport cargo quickly across vast oceans.
By the late 19th century, they were being replaced by steamships. Those coal-guzzling metal behemoths may have been more efficient, but they certainly did not replicate the beauty of a masted clipper. Today, the only remaining intact original clipper ship is the Cutty Sark in London, which is worth a visit.
Longtime sailor and successful Swedish businessman Mikael Krafft had a dream to bring back the clipper ships for recreational use. In 1991, he built the Star Flyer. In 1992, her sister ship Star Clipper also set sail. In 2000, the Star Clipper company created the largest five-masted sailing ship in the world, the Royal Clipper.
From the outside, the Star Clipper ships look very much like the sailing vessels built 150 years ago. But inside, they have all the modern amenities and comforts that today’s travelers desire on a cruising holiday.
The Star Clipper experience
I quickly learned that joining a Star Clipper cruise was a lot like entering the bar in the TV show Cheers – everyone knows your name. Out of the 127 passengers on board, 92 (or 72%) were repeat guests. As we boarded the ship, the crew greeted many of them by name, and the guests clearly knew many of the crew as well.
Guests were a global mix representing Germany, Austria, Switzerland, France, England, Scotland, Spain, Australia, Canada, and the US. Catering to this international audience, all announcements were delivered in English, French, and German by the talented cruise director who spoke 9 languages.
The crew was also very engaging and happy to please, and extremely hardworking. They were also a global mix, representing the Philippines, India, Ukraine, Spain, the Netherlands, and Belgium, just to name a few.
The ship’s atmosphere was informal and social. With such a small number of guests, it was easy to strike up a conversation at the bar or during a meal. Since dining tables were shared, it was always easy to get to know new people.
This ship is ideal for those who want a more intimate environment and don’t need all the glitz of casinos or professional entertainment. It is a cruise for those who prefer a laid-back, convivial atmosphere that promotes conversation and interactions between international guests.
My Star Clipper Review
Even though the Star Clipper was not a big ship, it provided all the necessary public spaces for a comfortable trip. With lots of gleaming mahogany and teak wood accented with shiny brass details, the decor hearkened back to the elegance of a bygone era.
The stats:
Launched: 1992
Length: 115 meters
Number of sails: 16
Max number of passengers: 166
Number of crew: 75
With only four decks, learning my way around the ship was quick and easy. All four decks had cabins. Three of the decks (Sun, Main, and Clipper) had public spaces. The lowest Commodore deck held only cabins.
Since the Star Clipper and Star Flyer are sister ships, I expect that the Star Flyer looks very similar.
These were the public spaces on the ship:
Sun Deck
The uppermost deck on the Star Clipper was where all the sailing action could be viewed. There really is nothing like relaxing in a lounger on a sunny day with the wind in your face and watching the huge sails billow in the wind.
It was fascinating to observe the crew as they handled the sails. There was a lot of tying, untying, retying, putting sails up, taking sails down, or moving the sails as the wind shifted. With 16 sails to manage, it was a lot of work. And with so many ropes, I don’t know how they knew which ones did what.
I was surprised to find two small pools on the Sun Deck, surrounded by loungers. Part of the lounging space was covered with a sunshade, allowing me to sit there without getting sunburned. There were also two deluxe deck cabins here.
Main Deck
The Main Deck was below the Sun Deck and was where we boarded the ship, either via a ramp or by using a set of metal stairs leading to the tender boat.
Library – This was a quiet spot with gaming tables and reading chairs. The shelves were filled with a selection of books in English, German, French, and Swedish. There was also a collectionof board games and card games in the cabinets under the books.
Tropical Bar – This outdoor bar was a popular spot for drinks throughout the day.
Piano Bar and Lounge – The indoor bar area was also available for drinks, especially in the evenings or on rainy days at sea. The lounge space offered a comfortable indoor spot to relax. I enjoyed sitting here before dinner and listening to the piano player.
The Piano Bar also had a self-serve tea and coffee station that was available all day. The bar staff prepared espresso and cappuccinos behind the bar (for a minimal fee).
Clipper Deck
Dining Room -breakfast, lunch, and dinner were served here. The room was large enough to seat all guests in one sitting.
Sloop Shop – a small store selling Star Clipper-branded merchandise.
Pursers Office – the spot to go to with questions.
My cabin on the Star Clipper
All four Star Clipper decks have cabins. My cabin was on the Commodore deck, which was the deck below the Clipper deck. I had a category 3 outside cabin, which came with a porthole at water level that let in natural light.
My cabin provided everything I needed for a comfortable stay. The room was efficiently laid out with plenty of storage closets for my clothes and space under the bed for my luggage. A mirrored credenza provided additional shelves for smaller items, along with a hair dryer.
The bathroom was small but adequate for one person. There was a toilet, a shower, and a small sink with a medicine cabinet above the sink, and hooks on the door.
I was cruising in the Mediterranean in October, and even though it wasn’t super warm, I appreciated the air conditioning as I like it colder when I sleep. For charging my electronics, I had one American and one European plug under the credenza. The universal adapter with USB ports that I always carry was very useful.
My room also had a TV and a DVD player. I watched the muster video on the TV. I brought along some of my favorite DVDs to watch in the evenings, but there were also many available to borrow on board.
A Star Clipper cruise is not for everyone
Note that this ship is not ideal for anyone with mobility issues. There were no elevators. All four decks were only accessible via steep stairs. Some door sills were also very high and needed to be stepped over.
Getting on and off the ship also required a decent amount of mobility. My itinerary had many tender ports. Accessing the tender required going down a steep metal stairway attached to the side of the ship onto a platform, then I had to step onto the bobbing tender as the ship and the platform also moved with the waves.
This is also nothing like cruising on a bigger ship. There are no theaters with big production shows, no casinos, and no specialty restaurants. Clearly, the many repeat guests like this aspect of a Star Clipper cruise.
Star Clipper food and drinks
All the food was part of the base fare and was served in the large dining room. Each meal had a set time, but it was open seating, and I could eat at any time during the scheduled mealtime.
In general, mealtimes were:
- 6:30 – 10:10 Early Bird breakfast served in front of the Piano Bar
- 8:00 – 10:00 Breakfast buffet served in the Clipper Dining Room
- 13:00 – 15:00 Lunch buffet served in the Clipper Dining Room
- 17:00 – 18:00 cocktail hour with snacks by the Tropical Bar
- 19:30 – 22:00 a la carte dinner served in the Clipper Dining Room
- 23:45 – 1:00 Midnight snack in the Piano Bar
Breakfast and lunchtime buffets were plentiful with a lot of options for all dietary needs and international tastes.
Breakfast offered a selection of prepared hot dishes, fruits, a variety of breads, cereals, pastries, jams, and juices. There was also a made-to-order omelet and egg station. The wait staff served coffee and tea at the table.
I am not normally a big breakfast eater and preferred to have a continental breakfast and a cup of tea from the Early Bird spread by the Piano Bar.
The lunch spread also offered an abundance of choices. A different selection of hot dishes was laid out each day. There was also a variety of salads, cheeses, breads, lunch meats, and of course, desserts. I never had any trouble finding something to eat that appealed to me.
Dinner was an à la carte menu, also with a wide variety of options. I could choose as much as I wanted from starters, soup, salad, sorbet, entrees, cheese course, and dessert. The entrees offered meat, fish, and vegetarian dishes.
Dinner was a long and leisurely affair with lots of good conversations accompanying the food. I know Europeans like eating later in the evening, but I would have preferred having the option for an earlier seating.
Star Clipper does not offer any type of drink packages. There is a charge for all drinks (including sodas), but the cost is very reasonable. An espresso or cappuccino was 2.5 euros, and a glass of house wine was 4 euros.
My Star Clipper Mediterranean itinerary
Due to their small size, Star Clipper ships can sail into ports where the big ships can’t. When I spoke to guests who had done many Star Clipper cruises, their number one reason was the unique itineraries. That was certainly why I chose this particular sailing.
My cruise was part of an extended repositioning that took the Star Clipper from the eastern Mediterranean to the Caribbean.
- Day 1 – embark the Star Clipper at Piraeus, Athens port
- Day 2 – Nafplio, Greece
- Day 3 – Monemvasia, Greece
- Day 4 – Pilos, Greece
- Day 5 – Taormina, Sicily
- Day 6 – Siracusa, Sicily
- Day 7 – Gozo, Malta
- Day 8 – disembark in Valetta, Malta
Star Clipper excursions
The website listed the Star Clipper excursions available in each port, but they could not be booked in advance. The itinerary also does not provide exact arrival times and departure times for each port before the cruise, which makes it difficult to schedule any private tours ahead of time.
Once I was on board, each day’s newsletter listed the times and schedule for each day. In the library, each excursion had a binder with sign-up sheets. The excursion descriptions indicate the lengths of the experience, the level of difficulty, and the min and max number of participants.
The cruise director encouraged guests to sign up for excursions early since some of the very popular ones filled up quickly. If the minimum number of participants was not reached, then the excursion was cancelled. Signing up for excursions was very informal and low-tech: I just wrote my name on the list in the appropriate binder.
The cruise line also offered transfers to and from the ship before and after the cruise.
I chose to do some of the excursions the ship offered, and in general, I thought they were good and reasonably priced.
Nafplio, Greece
I took the tender boat and explored this photogenic town on my own. The waterfront was lined with restaurants and cafes, with the Palamidi Fortress standing watch on the hilltops above.
A quick boat ride took me to the Bourtzi Fortress in the harbor, which is now a museum. In town, many of the streets around the harbor were pedestrian-only and lined with many lovely boutique shops.
Monemvasia, Greece
It was a very rainy and windy day, and I chose to stay on the ship rather than struggle to board the tender in the rough seas. This was unfortunate as I was really looking forward to seeing this historic fortified town.
Pilos, Greece
I took the ship’s tour to the archeological ruins of King Nestor’s Palace and the Methoni Fortress. King Nestor’s Palace was built in the 13th century BC and is the best-preserved Mycenaean palace in Greece. A half hour away, the large Moethoni fortress sat on a promontory surrounded by the sparkling sea.
Taormina, Sicily
I managed to sign up for the most popular excursion of the cruise, a tour to Gambino Estate, one of the Mount Etna wineries. We had a great food and wine pairing as we tasted six of their vintages. I ended up purchasing 6 bottles and had them shipped home.
After the winery, the tour took us through the main sights in historic Taormina, after which we had some free time to walk around town on our own (and get some gelato).
Siracusa, Sicily
In Siracusa, I took another tour that started with Parco Archeologico della Neapolis, one of Sicily’s greatest archaeological sites. The site had a Greek theater, a Roman theater, a very old and very large sacrificial altar, a quarry that is now a garden, and a large cave.
After the tour, I had plenty of time to explore Ortygia, the original historic core of Siracusa. It was a pleasure to stroll the charming, atmospheric narrow lanes. The waterfront was lined with restaurants where I enjoyed a real Italian pizza. And since the afternoon turned very warm, I also indulged in a lemon granita and later more gelato.
Gozo, Malta
I was happy to see that the Star Clippere offere an excursion to the site I wanted to see most on the island of Gozo. The Ġgantija Archaeological Park preserved the oldest Neolithic site in Malta. At 5500 years old, these temple remains are older than the pyramids.
After my cruise, I spent a few more days on my own in Malta and was able to see some of the other preserved ancient Neolithic sites on the island.
My Star Clipper cruise certainly gave me the unique sailing experience I was hoping for. Between watching the billowing sails and visiting out-of-the-way ports, this was indeed a memorable trip.
Please note that I was hosted by Star Clipper. All Content and opinions are mine.
Links to stories about all my cruises can be found on my Experience Cruising page.
Other cruising stories:
Small ship sailing in Greece: Release Your Inner Jackie O On a Luxury Sailing Holiday in Greece
Luxury river cruising on the Rhine River: A Complete Riverside Debussy Review – Cruising Europe’s Rhine River in Total Luxury
A luxury barge cruise in Italy: European Waterways La Bella Vita Cruise Review – Discovering Italy On a Luxury Barge Cruise
Thanks for visiting.
Rose
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