The staff were amazing! Especially our servers Bonnie, Jedi (nickname), and Sammy, Jackie, our bartender Sharmaine & our cruise director Monya! The staff really made the cruise!!! The food was delicious & presentation fantastic! Also, if you didn't want what was on the menu for the evening, there was always a pasta dish and steak that you could order anytime. There was an excellent variety of options, including the desserts!! The ship and our cabin was gorgeous! Our cabin steward worked very hard to keep the cabin fresh & clean each time we went out! The other passengers were also lovely! It's always nice meeting new friends! The couple who were in charge of musical entertainment did a terrific job day & night! The spa staff were AMAZING! Especially Miss D.! The ship was rocking and rolling quite a bit at times, but never once did I feel seasick! The excursions and ports of call were so-so. Additionally, the ship had been in dry dock for 45 days. There seemed to be a few things that either 1) we should have been informed about in advance or 2) should have been resolved before the ship left. The (3) three pools on the ship were non-operational until the last day I believe. Also, the marine net (in front) was never opened for use. That and the pools were the reason we chose this cruise, so we were quite disappointed needless to say. I definitely would cruise with the Star Clipper line again though I would prefer to go when the weather is a little warmer! read more

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For months, I was worried about being able to enter the EU and back to the U.S. I got daily informational emails from Schengen Visa, Never did he imagine it would be Star Clippers, not France, Spain, U.S., Portugal, that refused entry. He got to within 200 yards of the cruise ship. Taking advantage of Covid 19 to bilk their passengers is very wrong. ***** I thought I would commemorate my having survived a double heart surgery, prostate cancer radiation, and Covid-19 by going on a cruise with this sailing vessel company which promised a luxury experience in the Western Mediterranean in the fall of 2021. ***** In fact, I paid over $4,000 for a cruise from Cannes to Lisbon. The company refused to answer my email in which I questioned why the trip director flatly refused to let me board because I couldn't furnish proof a PCR test. Days before the trip began, I had emailed the requested documents (CDC card, travel insurance, etc.) to them. Thereupon I was given clearance. "The documents you have submitted are acceptable for boarding," they said. No one bothered to mention a PCR test. In the first hour of embarkation they had already refused boarding to 6passengers. Why was the PCR test requirement BURIED in a long email attachment a month before sailing and NEVER mentioned in the body of an email or in a telephone conversation with staff? Why was there no printed material ever sent, no letter expressly stating the absolute requirement on their part and the reasons for their divergence from EU protocol? Passengers from North America have a gazillion things on their mind as they prepare for an almost 2 week cruise on another continent. Surely one email several days before the start of the cruise would have saved stranded passengers like myself much heartache and not squandered months of planning and packing, as well as life savings! In fact, going to France required only a EU digital Covid certificate and double Covid vaccination. Why the company is not in alignment with EU protocol is baffling. In fact, the United States, France, Portugal do not require the PCR. An antigenic test suffices. On the Star Clippers ships, everyone, anyway, was to be wearing masks on board except on the decks, just as is the case in the US or France. In fact, he didn't even suggest an alternative, how I could meet up in the next port, etc. All he insisted on was that "since I [he] had turned away 6 passengers before me, why should he let me on board?" Obviously, he had the discretion to let me board if he had really wanted to. The two Filipino workers were just putting check-mar next to the names of passengers who had just taken the antigenic PCR test, had documentation of a double vaccination, etc. Ten minutes later, another employee, a nurse advised to meet the cruise ship the next day in Corsica and wrote instructions down on what to do. I rushed in a taxi to the airport to do the PCR, went back into Nice to find a hotel to stay overnight ($160) made air reservation ($500) to fly the next day to the port (Calvi) she said the ship would dock at during the day. I shelled out an additional $1,600 to stay in Nice and Corsica when my lodgings had already been covered by Star Clippers. The port she told me to fly to was NOT the one listed on the latest itinerary. I went straight to the dock the next day after flying to Corsica. The taxi driver said he hadn't seen any such sailing vessel all day. That same morning I had hours trying to figure out how to SMS, telephone, email, leave a message on their site in order to ascertain which city in Corsica the ship would stop at and for how long. There was no way to do this. I trusted what the nurse (standing 10 yards from the trip director) told me. She at least showed compassion. The trip director was totally indifferent to my plight and was of no help whatsoever. He was dismissive and acted as if I were asking for a refund on a $5 trinket. "No way. Now scram. I'm not interested in your problem. Do whatever you want. Why should I be concerned?" I feel totally ripped off and treated with near total indifference by star Clippers. "We got your money, now we don't owe you a thing. Go hang yourself" is their attitude. DO NOT TRUST STAR CLIPPERS OR GO ON ANY OF THEIR CRUISES. My hunch is that they overbooked the cruise intentionally, knowing and even hoping that the insistence on the PCR would throw some passengers off. Thus, they counted on turning away a certain percentage of already paid up passengers so they could overbook, including passengers whose cruises had been postponed since the shutdown. In any case, they are completely indifferent to the (plight of the) very people whose existence they financially depend on. "I've taken your money, I no longer need you." The owners threw in the extra requirement to make for lost profits from the 18 months or so there were no sailings due to the Covid shutdown. THEY'RE UNSCRUPUL read more

In 2019 we took our first trip with Star Clipper, it left from Athens and cruised to several Greek islands. The food on the ship was not very good and what little entertainment they had was terrible. However, the weather was great, and we spent most of our time off the ship enjoying the islands. We ate most of our meals off the ship and just use the ship to transport us from place to place. We were supposed to go to the island of Mikonos however the weather was not good, so the captain rerouted the ship to another island. That made plenty of sense. In 2022 we took our second trip with Star Clipper, it left from Rome Italy and cruised along the Italian cost. Oh my God what a horrible experience our captain decided to sail us to our first location which was 30 hours away through a horrible sea storm Thunder lightning the ship was bouncing all over the place for 30 hours. Lots of people got sick they were taking dramamine but still had problems. One woman fell down the stairs and cut her head and had to be taken for an MRI when we eventually reached our destination. Fifteen of the crew members we're also sick and could not work. We only left the cabin to try and eat something for dinner. By the way the food this trip was worse than the 2019 trip. The food was of low quality and prepared terribly and because we were stuck on the ship, we were forced to try to find something. We were supposed to stop at 5 locations of which the best stop was Amalfi and you guessed it we couldn't get off the ship in Amalfi because of rough seas and the tenders were undermanned. We also didn't make it to Ponza or Sorrento. So what was Star Clippers Plan B there was nothing to do aboard the ship we could only hang around in the piano bar. The ship is in need of a major upgrade it is old and has none of the modern conveniences. No working Wi-Fi, no cable, no Internet. They have a coffee station that is old and antiquated its worthless. Why the captain didn't go to a better location is a mystery. If you're interested in taking this trip for the experience of a sailing ship Forget it, they didn't even open all the sails because of the weather. It was a real waste of time. We had a deposit for another trip with Star clipper next year, we have cancelled it. I don't recommend star Clippers its a wast of time and money. read more

Easily one the best experiences of my life was my time aboard the star clipper vessel star flyer. We sailed a two week cruise from Portugal to Malta. Service 5 stars Food 5 stars Rooms 4 stars Ship 5 stars Excursions 5 stars The rooms although cramped, even after an upgrade, were small, but we were on a small ship. They had a tv with a DVD player, but could only get about one channel. We rented movies for free from the pursers office. There was enough storage in the room for clothes, belongings, and stuff we bought. The bed was small and you had to climb up into it about 5 ft off the floor. Room had its own bathroom with shower. Service aboard the boat was nothing short of spectacular. From the daily room service and dining service, it was a service I have never encountered in my life since. The food aboard the boat was simply amazing! From the all you can eat breakfast and lunch, to the elegant dinners, it was something definitely worth writing home about. The ship itself was legendary! A fully functioning sail ship with crew that is constantly maintaining the boat. For the excursions you pick the ones you want and put your name and room number and your credit card is charged at the end of your journey. It's best to pick your excursions as soon as you can because space is limited. Life aboard the ship is very relaxing. You can do whatever you want. Most people spent their time just watching the water. You get a key to your room( do not lose it or you will be charged) and you just come and go whenever you want. They have a full bar adjacent to the library where they have computers with Internet access. You buy Internet time in the pursers office. You do not have to tip the bartenders, but they will greatly except any form of currency for an extra tip. All coffee and tea is free, except soda and alcohol. The tip is included in the drink price. You do not tip your room service or waiters until the end. Bring earplugs and motion sickness pills or the patch. The boat does sway and rock a lot and you will get sick. Our room was loud with engine noise and it was irritating at times. Overall, it was the best experience of my life and I cannot wait to go again. read more

Star Clippers - Tours Near Me - Miami, Florida

Star Clipper lies, cheats, and has not refunded our $800 deposit even though we cancelled our booking 135 days before sailing. Star Clipper has not refunded our $800 deposit even though we cancelled our booking 135 days before sailing. Their requirement: "Deposit is FULLY REFUNDABLE up to four-months (120-days) prior to sailing. Final payment is required three-months (90-days) prior to departure. " We booked cabin #118 on March 24, 2021, on S/V STAR FLYER' recap - sailing round-trip from St. Maarten on January 8, 2022 to January 15, 2022. Booking No / Status: 5XXXXX9 Confirmation Date: 24-Mar-2021 Here is Marc Brouillard's message about our cancellation emailed to my husband who paid the deposit for both himself and me (his wife, Carol Williamson) with his credit card.: August 26, 2021 Good morning Mr. Kelly (my husband). , Thank you for your note. Your reservation (5XXXXX9) is now cancelled and the refund ($800) request was submitted to accounting. As we have a high volume of refunds to process, the refund will take longer than usual due to the volume of requests. From 8 to 12 weeks. Our sincerest apologies for the delay ... you will be refunded, just taking well beyond the normal timeline due to the Covid-19 situation and over cancellation volume. Thanks again and best regards, Marc Brouillard STAR CLIPPERS Americas marcb@starclippers.com, 800-442-0551 x 9810 Star Clippers Americas 760 NW 107th Ave., Suite 100, Miami, Florida 33172 Reservations: 800-442-0551 Telephone: 305-442-0550 Fax: 305-442-1611 www.starclippers.com DO NOT TRUST OR BOOK THIS CRUISE COMPANY. read more

In October we sailed on the Star Flyer from Barcelona to Malaga, sailing to the Balearic Islands and along the Costa del Sol. This was our second Star Clipper Cruise and we expected the same level that we had experienced earlier. The disappointing thing that I really noticed on this trip was the lack of information, maps, etc. furnished to those passengers going ashore, especially if we chose to not sign up for an optional excursion. We were in a half-dozen new ports, and in several cases we had to find our own tourist information center to get collateral. On one of our optional excursions, we were also told that we would not be touring the Mallorca Cathedral due to its closing that day. We paid for that portion, but did not (a) receive a partial refund, nor (b) offered something else to do to 'kill the 2 1/2 hours we still had left on this trip (they just left us in a small town to await the bus). It turns out that the cathedral was open and several passengers went there on their own. I've been in the customer service business for 35 years, and the customer is always right, or at least thinks he is. But one never argues with the person who basically pays your salary. This occurred within 3 hours after we boarded and tried to sign up for an excursion for the next day. There was some confusion about signing up (we had just boarded the ship a couple of hours earlier, and my husband had been injured as we were boarding which could account for some of this confusion). I approached the cruise director, in front of passengers, and she proceeded to chastise me, raise her voice and demand that I not walk away (which I felt was the best way to diffuse this 'scene.'). That set a tone for this trip that never abated. read more