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Star Clippers

Star Flyer

Your Rating:
Reviewed by: Jonathan Warburton
# previous cruises: 10+
Date of Trip: April 4, 2001
Itinerary: Repositioning

Star Flyer is a beautiful looking ship from the distance. Up close, she's rust-stained and the furnishings are tatty which means she's long overdue for a refit.

The greed of the owners means that 'maintenance' is done during the twive-yearly 5-week repositioning cruises and you may be alternately annoyed by the smell of varnish from the deck, or the noise of carpentry.

During our voyage, the food was dreadful. The fridges were not functioning and everything came at either ambient temperature or, like most of the 'fresh' desserts, with frozen centers. Bar prices are outrageously high, and the choice severely limited. Bar staff hustle constantly for tips - and the crew's 'auction night' for contributions to their social fund is vulgar.

Cabins were the best thing about the ship: storage is well planned, bathrooms are big enough and neatly laid out and they were well cleaned and regularly supplied with new soap and towels. In five weeks, we did not feel cramped.

However, when the ship lists - and it does, a lot, being a sailing vessel - you may find that the plumbing on your side of the ship does not work and you have to go elsewhere for your ablutions!

There is NO entertainment except for what you make yourself, and the on board facilities for cards, chess, board games never extended to a complete set of anything. Prepare to whittle your own pawns for a chess game !!!

Port calls are short, and shore excursions expensive. For some reason, Star Flyer seemed to dock at places too far from the actual port of call to make independent sightseeing viable.

On the repositioning cruise, because of poor winds, several ports were completely omitted without apology or refund (until a class action was instituted)

Forty-to-sixty somethings with time on their hands - mostly nice, educated people with lots of interests (which some of them shared in lectures to the group which were hugely enjoyable)

On the shorter cruises, expect younger couples for the more romantic atmosphere of a one week jaunt round the Med.