Royal Clipper Reviews

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Hello every one, We are a couple of 33 and 34years and we've done our first cruise on the Royal Clipper, the 26th January to 2nd february in the Grenadines islands. We do not regret the expensive ticket because the cruise has been wonderfull. FOOD : ++ The food quality is excellent and various. You will find something new for every breakfast first example. We can tell that the food is a concern for Star Clipper by the number of time that you can eat on board : 6 time per day!! * Early breakfast on the piano bar * Breakfast buffet on the dinning room (fruit, sweets, eggs, bacon, pancakes, vegetable,... and a egg bar where the chef will make for you the eggs you want) * Lunch buffet at the dinning room with one thematic per day. Wonderful desserts and a meal "a la decoupe" (a full salmon, sucking pig, ...) * Cocktail and Collation at Tropical Bar around 5PM. Again sweets and salty thing, different every day. * Dinner at the dinning room. You are placed by the "Maitre d'hotel" and you can change your table every night if you want. The menu have 2 appetisers and 1 soup; 2 main dishes (one fish one meat) and a vege dish and a more local suggestion; salad and cheese and 2 dessert. * Midnight lunch at the Piano Bar Food are more european/french style than really local. Very good and nice presentation but I would like the local suggestion to be more "local". You will not really taste the local products like grilled fishes, sweet potatoes, yam, colombo, plantain and all the wonderful fruits of the Caribbean. If you want to taste local food you will have to go in ports but, for dinner, you will have time only at Grenada. Wines and cocktails are at reasonable price, count 5.50euro for a cocktail. The cocktail of the day is a little bit cheaper. EXCURSIONS : + One of my biggest fear was the excursions. Previous review were pretty bad about the cruise director. I have to say that the new one, Renata, is more than efficient and friendly. Inside documentation we get by mail before the cruise we've found all the excursions proposed with hours, description, prices, ... And during the week Renata stick to the programm. she even add one more trips due to passenger demand as snorkeling in Santa Lucia. She's speaking English, German, french and also Spanish. You will see her everywhere, at the boat tender to check departure of people for excursions, at evening to animation the shows, explaining the disembarkation or giving more information about the excursions, ... When is she sleeping?? So she's doing a very good job. Excursion themselves are more oriented to 60s people with 4x4 travel. No big hiking or physical activities. Also on many island we stay 4 hours (morning or afternoon). that is a small amount of time if you want to do something by yourself except beach or shopping on the touristic front beach. SHIP : +++ It is a real sailing ship and the captain does not miss any occasion to remind you that. So yes, the boat is rocking (and yes I can confirm that I'm seasick). The Royal Clipper is a pretty lady and you will always seen crew member painting, cleaning, repairing,... every beat of it. It is really something to sail in this ship and to see other cruise ship passenger looking at the Royal Clipper! The dinner room is just amazing. Look at the Titanic, shrink it a little bit and you get it. For a ship of this size it is really impressive To be honest it has been one of our criteria to select the royal Clipper over Star Flyer. *Sun Deck, you will find 2 small pools (hot-tub size) and one big enough for 5 people. A lot of sun chair and roof for the shadow. There are also 2 steering wheel (real ones, you can drive the ship with them if the bridge decide so) and all the sails and rope. Note that thanks to electrical helping plots one sailor is able to rise a sail (he wind the rope around it at that help him to pull). There is also the bridge and the forward nest where you can go, except the night. Very good place to see the sunshine! * Main Deck, the heart of the ship : the Tropical Bar, open both side to the sea in the middle of the ship. It is the real meeting point for everyone. Inside you have also the Piano Bar and the impressive light shaft to the dinning room. There is also the library, the cabins with balcony and the forward lounge used for conferences. * clipper Deck is the cabin deck with the continuation of the light shaft, the reception and sloo shop. * Commodore Deck is again the cabins and the luxurious Dinning room. There is also a well equipped gym room and the spa (used none of them as we were to busy!!) PASSANGERS : ++ We were the youngest. 2 or 3 other couples in the 30s-40s but majority of passenger are couples of 50s and more. A lot of american, german, some canadien also. Usually people are repeaters of the Star Clipper and are seasoned travelers. English is the main language. However all official communication were made in english, german and french. Don't except to have party every night with dance after midnight! In the other hand, if you prefer to enjoy the stars/moon at the sun deck and discuss with crew members it is perfect. SATURDAY, Embarkation at Barbados arrived at 1pm, it is a little bit too early but we've been part of the first to get inside the boat. 1 or 2 hours to explore the ship and wonder if we are inside a dream or not. Followed by the drill exercise then the diner. We skipped the desert to assist to the sail and departure at 10PM. SUNDAY, Captain's choice Union Island Quiet day at the beach, a little bit raining. It was one of my favorite place for the beach background : forest, not to many people, 1 or 2 bars made from wood and really local. MONDAY, Grenada Muddy and slippery hiking to the Seven sister falls. It is not very difficult or long... for young people. The waterfalls are very nice and it stay as one of my favorite place of the cruise. Imagine to swim in the water-pool in the middle of the rain forest... Never think I will be able to do that one day! We've also see some monkeys very quickly. If you want to eat local that's the day because the boat leave at 11PM. TUESDAY, Tobago Cay An other post card place. Very nice beach and good snorkeling place. For the lunch it a a BBQ on the beach. The only problem : maybe too many people (almost all the boat) on the beach... WEDNESDAY, St Vincent The morning at Kingston, the capital. It is a NOT touristic place. Then I will not say beautiful but interesting to see what can be the real world behind the post card of touristic pace. Afternoon at Bequia, this one is a real touristic place in front of the beach. Lot of gift shops (twice the price compare to Kingston). The boat tender can also bring you to the beach, seem to be nice. THIRSDAY, MARTINIQUE Morning at Fort de France. It is a little bit of France in the middle of Caribbean, very surprising. Bring euros here to buy something! The rum is excellent and cheap. :-) Afternon at Anse d'Arlet. Many people love this place but it was my less favorite one. First there is no shadow at all and we've already get sun burned from the previous days, second the beach is narrow and full of constructions. The worse of "Cote d'Azur"! FRIDAY, St Lucia Again, one place in the morning (Marigo Bay) and one the afternoon (Soufriere). The bay is funny to see all the expensive yachts. The Soufriere is a beautiful place. The zip-line excursion is good but the highlight of the day is the photo-tender : at the sunset the 2 boat tender will turn around the ship, all sails out, and you can do amazing picture of the Royal Clipper. SATURDAY, Barbados The end of the cruise, sadly. You can have some excursion (beach or island tour) that will bring you at the airport. As usual the organization is serious and efficient!

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We absolutely loved the ship - having sailed on big ones before. The atmosphere is very en famille, no silly entertainment or slot machines and you get to places the other big ships cannot get to. Sail Away is totally fabulous with all those sails unfolding and Captain Sergey is a star, he really loves to use the sails as much as possible, for turning the ship or to sail shorter distances. And he talks to people, explains patiently - very much appreciated. The problem sometimes is the wind - if you are going North and the wind comes from there you cannot sail but they do what they can and it worked for us. We had a cat 2 cabin midships right down which was good in terms of stability - but the waves kept banging against it so it was a bit noisy when there was water action. Which there is a lot of - you DO notice that you are on a ship, it moves all the time and even if you do not get seasick which we did not it is unusual if you are not a sailor. There were lots of those on boards who just laughed at our worries. Having said that it really was not too bad but when the ship sails from and to Barbados you notice that you are out at sea and not under land any more. Cabin is small but well appointed but I would not like one of the others which have two sqm less. Already with this you have to be very organised if you are sharing a cabin. Food was the only downside - really not in line with expectations and partially re-heated potatoes, same salad every day, meat overdone and the bbq on the beach which is a good idea in theory turned out to be lukewarm overcooked stuff in reality. Not nice. And they use far too much butter. The ship is not really appropriate for persons with handicaps - lots of stairs and getting from the ship to a tenderboat is not easy especially when there are waves. Having said that we had a blind person on board who we all admired greatly - he did not miss a single trip - and the staff went out of their way to help. Also there were some elderly people who also made it. Great excursions, lots of beach and snorkeling - we enjoyed it, would come again - but get some seasickness plasters instead of just having tablets after the fact! And please note - this ship is also not good for kids either. There is nothing for them and with all the cables going around and open spaces it would be downright dangerous.

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My online search last fall happen upon Star Clipper and everything about it fit what my wife and I wanted: size, region, ports and accommodations. After all is said and none we feel like we achieved our goal of "adventure in smaller ports of call without having to do it with 3,000 of our closest friends". ON A REAL SAILING SHIP! PROS: * The Ship and Officers - All first class. Clean, well taken care of (almost to an extreme). Thank you Julian (First Mate) for having dinner at our table one evening. * Ports of Call - At every port we were the ONLY ship to be actually docked in the port, no mega liner in site. Each port an adventure for us and loved the people. Limited shore excursions which suited us just find. * Staff - All well trained and friendly (minus one or two that had not got the memo, more later). * Meals/Food - The Dinner menu and for the most part the Lunch menu were always different with new options and themes each day. Dinner presentation was always a highlight. Open seating which we love; did I say we love open seating?? * Drinks - Wine selections was very good; of course one would expect this while touring Italy! Thanks to Peter and Rachel for keeping our glasses full. * Rooms - We stayed in the Deluxe Suites (do this no matter what) where we had room service and a room attendant (One Million Shout Outs goes to Jun; thank you for every thing and all your work to keep ice and drinks in the suite). * Fellow Passengers - What a wide difference in nationalities. We met some great people from many different places. The ship at full passenger capacity is 225-227. We were told by one of the officers that the ship was only about 65% full.......What a deal. I could go on and on; but you get the idea. However, I must point a a few of the CONS that the line should address and could. CONS: * If you spend anytime on the company web site you will see that in very professional terms they communicate that if one has a "transferring issue and needs handicap support" that this ship is not equipped to handle this need. Additionally, they clearly state none of ships have "children program". PEOPLE! Do yourself a favor do not bring your children under the age of 15 or so on this ship. They will be bored out their mind by the second day.....no inter-net, no game boys, no TV and no else to play with. We had 3 or 4 couples that did not get the message and had 6 & 7 year old little girls with nothing to do but run wild through out the ship........and one couple that had a 2 year, OMG!!! Choose RCCL;you will be happier and so will all the other passengers on Clipper ships. * Breakfast - You got to improve this area. The same selection 7 days in a row; not good. If you can do it at lunch and dinner????? * Cruise Director - A Staff of ONE. Monja needs help in many areas first would be her "professional appearance, it simply does not match with other officers board ship.But she can speak 3 or 4 languages, fluently. Come on Mr/Ms Head of Marketing and PR for Star Clipper give it a look into. We thought it was just us; but one day we met a couple on Capri from the ship and we shared a bottle wine at an outside Cafe. Seems they were Star Clipper "repeaters" and were able to give us insight from other voyages. When I inquired as to the biggest difference (good or bad) about this ship and others the reply was the "Cruise Director" was a disappointment. My second point on this subject: Monja main concern was making the shore excursions (very limited number) happen each morning. If you were just going a shore on your on the ability to get good quality data from her on transportation, taxis, places to see was very limited or simply wrong. My wife and several other ladies inquired about transportation to the center city, at one port to be told " taxis will meet tenders or you can walk 800 meters to the first bus stop"....OMG. Not good! * And the Tenders - Please do not attempt this ship if you have "Transferring" issues. Going up and down the small stairs to a waiting tender in water that is bobbing up and down while being secured by one or two deck hands (not to mention that everything is wet)........if an accident has not happen I will be very surprised or will in the near future. My wife and I are in very good physical shape (not overweight) and we found it a challenge at times; with my wife getting one big large bruise on her leg from one session coming on board. Its a trade off- smaller ports and no mega ships. In the end I will take the tenders; but many older travelers need to know this "speed bump". * Entertainment on Ship- While not a big deal to us we found many of our fellow passengers voicing concern over the weak duo that was the sole option the entire 7 days. It did catch my ear as we initially boarded a Bee Gees disco tune would be being throw out at the welcome reception......I thought this was an Italian cruise; you can do better. If nothing else get the soundtrack from Moonstruck! In the end it gets our 4 STARS+ and we would go again; but the next time we would throw the kids overboard, DAY 1. Happy Sailing!

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After reading some great reviews (especially from Budaman) for Royal Clipper nearly 12 months ago we decided to book the 10 day Christmas cruise from Barbados to the BVI's. Thanks to all for the advice given in the forums, the best of which was to go with the flow. This was our first cruise and while a little apprehensive we were really looking forward to it. Sorry if this is a little long winded but we have tried to answer the questions we wanted to know. Overall the cruise exceeded high expectations. Pre-cruise We were concerned that weather could delay us so we headed off from Dublin via Gatwick on the 15th December. After a pleasant flight with BA we arrived in Barbados and within an hour, we had our bags and were on our way to Bougainvillea Resort near St. Laurence Gap for 2 nights. We had never been to the Caribbean before and were very pleasantly surprised by the welcome and particularly the beach. 2 very relaxing and quite reasonable nights followed (???130 a night) and can definitely recommend. Friday night in Oistins was great fun and memorable. Best fish I have ever had. First Day - 17th Dec On advice from others, we arrived for check in at about 3.30 or so. The check in was done inside the terminal building by the sports team and was quite efficient as we were on the ship at about 4.30pm where we were welcomed by a drink and some bites. After a while we were brought down to our cabin with our bags arriving soon afterwards. We then took a tour of the boat (library, gym, restaurant, deck etc..) and then went to the tropical bar for a drink where we got talking to a few of our fellow travelers. At this stage there was an orientation done by the cruise director who warned us of heavy seas that night (in the end they were ok) and the offer of seasick tablets at the pursers desk). We had dinner at 7.30 and then went on deck for sailaway which was memorable we recommend to go on deck for all of these . Day 2 -- At sea Relaxing and pleasant day at sea. Great to get to explore the ship a bit more, enjoy the great food and get to know some of our fellow guests. Did the compulsory lifeboat drill in the morning. Climbing the mast was offered in the afternoon and snorkelling gear was given out before dinner. Would recommend taking your own mask and snorkel but use their fins Entertainment was a fashion show from the sports team which highlighted what was on offer in the shop. Light hearted fun. After a few after dinner drinks, had a good night's sleep as had got my sea legs at that stage. Day 3 -- St. Barth After a pleasant breakfast the ship arrived in St.Barth at about 11am. We had lunch on board and then went into town for a wander around and buying a few souvenirs. Gustavia is a pretty town but a lot of the shops were closed. Also had to deal with our first experience of feeling nauseous on land -- weird experience. We came back and did the organised snorkelling safari. Saw a few nice fish but the compulsory life jacket was awkward. The ship should invest in better buoyancy aids given the prices paid -- one of very few criticisms. We did not do any of the organised excursions. If we were back we would recommend renting a car and seeing some of the island -- there are some notable beaches on the other side. That night, there was bingo in the bar which was a good laugh although the cruise director should learn some of the bingo sayings to make it a bit more fun. As on other nights we enjoyed the company of our fellow guests with a few drinks in the Tropical Bar. Day 4 -- BVIs -- Norman Island and Sopers Hole (Tortola) Sailing up to the BVIs is memorable and can highly recommending as much time on deck as you can. It is incredible scenery with all those little islands. We went over to the beach on Norman Island as early as we could. It was a fun place to snorkel and we had a few beers over in Pirates before making our way back to the ship for lunch. This was one of our favourite beaches -- had a real isolated feel about the place and one you will never experience on a big cruise ship. After arriving back for lunch, we had a relaxing afternoon as we set sail for Sopers hole where we would be docked for the night. After another pleasant dinner we got the tender into Sopers Hole to go to a local bar. A lot of the crew were there, and after dancing and drinking we got back to the ship about 2am (even the midnight snack was gone) Day 5 -- Jost Van Dyke and Virgin Gorda Similar to the previous day, we (tenderly) went over to the beach which was pretty cool with the soggy dollar bar and one love. We did some snorkelling, walked the beach, bought a t shirt and headed back for lunch...perfect!! It is hard to describe these places but paradise comes to mind. Afternoon was again similar, reading on deck, having a beer, and enjoying the scenery as we sailed the short but very scenic distance to Virgin Gorda where we arrived at about 6.30. We did not go over to Virgin Gorda (Bitter end) as we would be there the next morning -- we were told it was pretty quiet so no regrets. After dinner the music quiz was held which was surprisingly competitive for some -- men v women. Might have been better to have teams but so be it. Day 6 -- Virgin gorda Had an early start for breakfast as we wanted to do the mast climb which was good fun, and is for all ages. We are in our 30's but a fellow guest in his mid 80's went up in about half the time I did. After that we went over to the Bitter End yacht club in Virgin Gorda. Unfortunately due to rough seas the trip to the baths was cancelled but this was a pleasant place to spend a few hours, and an excuse to come back. We walked some of the trails and got t shirts and Christmas decorations plus some props for the Pirate evening. Came back to the ship for lunch on the deck and then chilled for the afternoon particularly as we sailed off from the BVIs on our way to St. Kitts. Unfortunately we soon hot some very rough weather. While I did get a little ill, with the help of a sea sick tablet and plenty of bread I was ok for dinner but at least half the guests did not make it. Unfortunately Pirates night was cancelled but still had a very memorable meal and a good laugh. Surprisingly I slept very well -- was getting used to this living on a ship!!. Day 7 -- St Kitts We arrived at breakfast time in Basseterre but only the people for excursions got off the boat here. We then sailed to South friar's Bay and tenders went off at 11am. We (and our crew) decided that we would visit the ship wreak bar which is a ten minutes walk up from where the tender lets you off where we would sunbathe, snorkel and have lunch. Had a really enjoyable day with a few Caribs and a burger before heading back to the ship. That night was Captains Dinner so as all the women got dolled up for dinner, we had a nice pre dinner drink and a very enjoyable meal, followed by the excellent talent show. Who knew there was so much talent on the ship, especially the captain!! Day 8 -- Antigua -- Christmas Eve Arrived fairly early in Falmouth Harbour with tenders to the beach and the marina. We walked over to Normans dockyard which is very dinky. Admired the buildings and the boats, before having a nice beer and then heading over (15 mins walk) to the beach for the beach BBQ. Went back to the ship early afternoon as we had an unscheduled stop in St. Johns to pick up water supplies. While unscheduled the ship arranged for taxis to bring guests to Christmas eve mass in the local church. This was a welcome surprise for many, there was also a special afternoon tea with nice Christmas treats on board. Another nice dinner was followed by the excellent steel band in the tropical bar. This was a great experience to see local culture and everyone enjoyed themselves immensely. We had a very special sail away at 12.30 which followed stories by the captain on deck. We were led out by the pilot and bonfires were burning in St john to mark Christmas. A very special experience. Day 9 -- Ils des Saintes -- Christmas Day Unfortunately it was raining in les Saintes when we got over there but it was a pleasant wander around the town, visited the nice little church, bought a few bits in the shops and then went back to the ship for lunch. After lunch we took the tender over to the beach, which was on a small island. Did some snorkelling and kayaking and then back to the ship. Very pleasant time on deck watching the kite surfers and the boats. Christmas evening was great fun. Started off with Irish Coffees in the bar, followed by a lovely meal and then adjourned to the bar with our friends for what ended up being a late night. I was also talking to the owner's daughter who works for the company and was on board for her holidays. She was interested in the guests and their experiences, was down to earth and showed exactly why this ship differentiates itself from the floating vegas ships. Certainly very different to normal Christmas days!! Day 10 -- St Lucia Unfortunately our last day and the atmosphere was changing a little as people realised that we would have to start packing. The morning stop was in Marigot Bay -- it was not the most exciting but one thing to note is that there is free wifi if you want to email/skype home. Over lunch we sailed to Soufriere where were to do the zip lining excursion. This was good fun and suits all ages. Only regret was that it clashed with what we were told was the best snorkelling of the trip. After getting back to the ship, we were back on a tender within 15 mins while we got the opportunity to see the ship in full sail. All I can say is wow. Back on board, we did our packing and then went to dinner where everyone was a little sad to see the trip coming to an end. One of our friends had her birthday so we had a nice cake and sang happy birthday. A few post dinner drinks was followed by star gazing on deck and then an earlyish night. Day 11 -- Barbados The ship arrived into Barbados early. We spent the morning saying our goodbyes, had our breakfast, settled the bill and were off the ship at 9.30. there are excursions for those who have late flights (a tour or a beach day). We were staying 2 more nights in barbados so we headed off to get a taxi. After messing from a driver at the rank where he wanted to stick 2 more people into the taxi when we clearly would not fit we decided get our bags and walked outside the port. Here we got a taxi for less and no messing. While the next 2 days were pleasant it was a little bit of an anti-climax so next time we will just leave for home that day. Food Generally the food was excellent, with Early bird Breakfast from 6 -- 1030 in the paino bar Main breakfast from 8 -- 10 Lunch from 12 -- 2pm Afternoon snack from 5 -- 6pm in the tropical bar Dinner from 7.30pm to 10pm Midnight snack from 11.45 pm to 1am n the piano bar Early breakfast was usually fruit and some pastries. Main breakfast was buffet style in the dining room. There was a good choice of cooked breakfast, cheeses, omelette station and fruits. Lunch was also a buffet and had different selections everyday and sometimes themes like seafood, international, Italian etc. The desserts at lunchtime were generally better than at dinner as you could try more than one. Afternoon tea involved fruit and snacks such as chicken wings, goujons etc.. We tried to stick to the fruit to save our appetite for dinner. Dinner was a la carte and the food was generally of an excellent standard with soup, starter, sorbet, main, salad, cheese, dessert. There was also the option to have Steak and Chips every night. This sometimes made a change from the richer foods served. Overall very happy with the food, and dinner was usually a 2 hour affair. Midnight snack was fruit and something hot like chicken goujons, tacos, spring rolls etc. Tea (good selection) and coffee was always available in the Piano Room. This was great although sometimes the bar staff had to be reminded to top up the kettle. No big deal. Drinks Beers started at 3 euros including service. Cocktail of the day is 4.50. Others are 5.50. Wines ranged from 13.50 for the house wines (white was wine, red was not), to 18 for a bottle of prosecco to early 20's for decent wines to 30 for very decent wines. If you don't finish your wine, it can be stored or they will bring it up to the bar for you. Staff All the staff were great from the captain to the bar staff to the rigger. Special mention to Vira, Sylbert and Peter in the Bar, Manny and the omelette chef in the restaurant, and to Sunny the chief engineer who we hope to see again. Excursions We only did ziplining as the baths were cancelled. Others mentioned the swimming with rays as a highlight. Highlights The Sailaways Looking at the stars as we sailed Fun dinners Nice beach stops Interesting people Great staff You can do as little or as much as you want The Ship itself Things to improve Better instruction from the watersports team. Some also said the snorkelling was not as good as before. We will definitely do this again and don't think that a regular cruise ship would suit us. The people on board are very interesting with a mix of backgrounds and ages.

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My husband and I are in our mid 30s and decided on Royal Clipper for our Honeymoon cruise. The ship was under capacity with only about 130 on board mostly Germans and Brits. Only about 20 Americans(which we are). Announcements were done in French, German and English. Other travelers were well traveled and business 'white collar' types. We enjoyed their company greatly. The average age range was 40-60 year olds. We opted to stay at the Clipper's hotel in Venice two days before boarding. The hotel was in a good part of the city away from too much touristy stuff, but still close enough to get around. Also they served free breakfast which was a nice surprise. Getting to the port was simple and check in was fine. There was quite a line, but by the time we had all forms filled out we easily did the passport check and photo. On board we were treated to music, drinks and light snacks and our bags were in the room waiting for us. Royal Clipper is BEAUTIFUL. We were shocked at the care being given to the ship. It looked and smelled brand new. Every day we would see the friendly crew scrubbing, polishing, or painting something. The decor is tastefully done and all rooms compliment each other. On board each evening there was a different type of entertainment. From the first night introductions and fashion show, to crab races, to Greek dancers and finally the crew talent show. We went to and enjoyed each event especially the Mr. and Mrs. Royal Clipper game which we won. These all took place in the bar which was the usual evening hang out spot. We also watched the sail raising when departing each port, listened to all the port information as we arrived(got some great information and tips on what to do and see), climbed the mast( a MUST do), lied in the front netting, swam off the back dock, listened to music in the piano bar, read in the library, and relaxed in the 3 pools. We also checked out a few dvds from their rental. Not a huge selection, but enough. For such a small ship, we never ran out of things to do. We also enjoyed pirate night though wish we had known about it ahead of time so we could have brought costumes. The service was wonderful. We were so spoiled and felt we had our own personal butlers for the 11 days. Crew members always had smiles on their faces and knew our names, who we hung out with and which wine we drank. We also loved the laundry service, reasonably priced and we got the joy of seeing our undies and swimsuits ironed! We did an excursion at each port and though they are slightly overpriced(as is expected on all cruise lines) none were a disappointment. All the guides were well traveled and bilingual, plus we were usually served food and drink. Our budget would only allow us the cheapest room. It was small, but nice. All we do in the room is sleep and shower anyway, so it wasn't a big deal. Compared to the room size, the bathroom was quite large which was a plus. We had been told that small ships feel the movement of the ocean a lot, but did not find this to be the case. It was a smooth ride the entire time. The dining room had a great menu that changed each day. Breakfast and lunch were buffet style with a theme each day. Every breakfast had a different smoothie which I looked forward to trying. There was also an omelette bar which was my husband's favorite. Lunch included a dessert bar which was wonderful. Dinner was the only meal that required dressing up. I wore a skirt while my husband went in khakis and a Polo shirt. Most people dressed slightly more for the captains dinner. However ties, gowns and all that nonsense are not expected(thank goodness). There was no assigned seating or times which is exactly what we enjoy. The meals were wonderfully made and presented well. About an hour before dinner began there would be a menu and sample dissed placed outside the dining entrance so you knew exactly what you were ordering ahead of time. If nothing on the menu met your needs steak and fries were always an option. One of our favorite things about this ship: no kids! We love kids, but the purpose of our holiday was our honeymoon. We wanted an adult only vacation. There was a 5 year old with his nanny that we saw about 3 times. An out of control 11 year old who someone complained to the crew about and 3 teenagers that easily blended in with the adults. My husband and I have a child now, but would not bring him on this cruise until he is at least 10 if not 15. They have a small fitness room and spa which we used a bit. I got a massage and facial at the spa which was great. On the daily schedule there were several specials for treatments. Each day they'd feature a drink special as well which was always cheaper and usually quite good. You are not supposed to bring alcohol on board, but they do not make a big deal out of this. The ship does not have a party/drunk type atmosphere so anyone getting wasted in their own room would look rather foolish. Leaving was also simple, the procedures were explained to us in a meeting the day before and we were able to quickly get our things and leave to our next destination(Rome). We were very sad to say good bye to Royal Clipper and are planning a return in the near future.

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