Star Clippers

Star Clippers Ltd Corp (starclippers.com) is a Swedish/Miami, Florida, USA-headquartered company and "tall sailing ship cruise" brand with a fleet of three luxury motorized sailing yachts. All vessels are equipped with computer-controlled sails in addition to their diesel engines.

The company's current fleet includes Star Clipper (4-masted barquentine, built in 1992), Star Flyer (4-masted barquentine, built in 1991), and Royal Clipper (5-masted ship, built in 2000). The brand's newest vessel (under charter) was planned to be Flying Clipper (now Golden Horizon). However, the 5-masted sailship (built in 2019) was instead chartered to Tradewind Voyages UK.

The company's owner and President is Mikael Krafft (born in 1947 in Stockholm, Sweden).

The "tall ship cruise" company officially began operations in 1991, offering 5-star luxury (private yacht-like) vacation travel products and services to its sophisticated clientele, with a customer repeat rate of around 60%.

Founded by Mikael Krafft, Star Clippers Ltd Corp now owns and operates the world's largest full-rigged sail ships. Star Clippers' flag states are Malta (registered in Valletta) or Luxembourg — unlike large cruise liners which are typically flagged in Panama or the Bahamas.

Each of the Star Clippers ships has an aft-located marina platform that is lowered (when the ship is anchored) to support the company's complimentary scuba diving and water sports activity program. The marina also facilitates passenger tendering operations in areas without port infrastructure and facilities (such as piers, quays, wharves, or terminals). When the ship is anchored (at sea), passengers are disembarked via tender boats or Zodiacs (inflatable high-speed boats also used for landings). Each ship has 2-3 outdoor swimming pools (on the Sun Deck), which are filled with seawater and are open only when weather permits. All the clippers are fully stabilized and feature two bilge keels (on both sides of the vessel) to reduce rolling.

The dedicated Water Sports staff assists and guides passengers in activities like snorkeling, scuba diving, deep-sea fishing, banana boating, sunfish/dinghy (sailboat) sailing, kayaking, water skiing, and windsurfing. Onboard, pre-scheduled activities (also provided complimentary to all cabin category passengers) include outdoor aerobics and yoga classes, swimming pool use (on the sundeck), deck BBQ parties, talent nights, crew shows, fashion shows, and local (itinerary/port-based) entertainment, such as live folkloric performances by local artists boarding the yacht.

Above-deck lookout stations (mounted on each mast) are equipped with safety rails and comfortable lounge seats, allowing passengers 360-degree views. Access to these stations is via climbing the masts, with supplied safety vests and dedicated deck crew supervision and assistance.

Shore excursions are optional and cost extra (not included in the cruise fare). Pre-cruise and post-cruise tours in both homeports (departure ports) and non-port cities can also be booked. The vessels can also be privately chartered, with customized itineraries and tailor-made activities both onboard and ashore.

Onboard purchases can be made in cash, with travelers' checks, or via international credit cards (Visa, American Express, Mastercard) and will be added to the passenger's invoice (debited in EUR). Cash or travel check payments require a EUR 300 deposit. Gratuities (onboard tipping) are not included in the fares (a suggested EUR 8 per person per day).

The company's provided cruise documents also include luggage tags, which must be filled out with the passenger's name and attached to their bags before checking in. Bringing alcoholic beverages on board is prohibited. Alcohol purchased ashore (in port cities) will be taken at the gangway (upon reboarding the ship), stored, and returned upon debarkation.

All staterooms are equipped with twin beds (convertible to a double Queen bed), a smart HDTV (with DVD player), satellite phone, electronic safe box, dressing table with an armchair, en-suite bathroom (WC, washbasin, shower, hairdryer), 110V flat plugs (for a deposit, adapters can be borrowed from the Reception Desk), and 220V European plugs (on the 5-masted ships).

During the summer, Star Clippers cruises visit some of the best-known coastal destinations in Europe's Mediterranean, including the Italian and French rivieras, the Balearic Islands (Spain), the Dalmatian Coast (Croatia) on the Adriatic Sea, Greece, and Turkey. European homeports include Civitavecchia-Rome, Venice, Cannes, and Piraeus-Athens,

During the winter, the fleet is deployed in regions such as the Caribbean (Central America) and Southeast Asia. Star Clippers Caribbean homeports are Bridgetown/Barbados and Philipsburg/St Maarten. In Asia, the company homeports in Phuket/Thailand, Singapore, and Benoa/Bali-Indonesia.

In mid-June 2024, the company completed the fleetwide installation of high-speed Starlink WiFi connectivity. The onboard WiFi packages available for purchase include a 1GB plan (EUR 18 per person, valid for 7 days), a 3GB plan (EUR 50 per person, valid for 14 days), and a 5GB plan (EUR 80 per person, valid for 21 days).

(Coronavirus crisis) passenger shipping pause 2020-2021

Due to the COVID pandemic, Star Clippers canceled all Asian cruises with pre-scheduled departures from March 21, 2020, through August 2021.

Operations restarted in 2021 on August 3 (Royal Clipper/Mediterranean from Piraeus-Athens), August 7 (Star Flyer/Mediterranean from Athens), and November 20 (Star Clipper/Southeast Asia).

All affected bookings received full refunds in FCC (future cruise credit), available for rebooking.

During the summer, Star Clippers cruises visit some of the best-known coastal destinations in Europe's Mediterranean, including the Italian and French rivieras, the Balearic Islands (Spain), the Dalmatian Coast on the Adriatic Sea (Croatia), Greece, and Turkey. European homeports include Civitavecchia-Rome, Venice, Cannes, and Piraeus-Athens.

During the winter, the fleet is deployed in regions such as the Caribbean (Central America) and Southeast Asia. Star Clippers' Caribbean homeports include Bridgetown, Barbados and Philipsburg, St Maarten Island. In Asia, Star Clippers' homeports include Phuket, Thailand, Singapore, and Benoa, Bali, Indonesia.

When seasonally changing regions, Star Clippers schedules ship relocation voyages, including Transatlantic crossings and Suez Canal transits on longer, lower-priced voyages (RepositionCruises.com).

For over two decades, Star Clippers has been an ambassador of modern tall ship sailing, offering travelers access to remote ports across the Caribbean, Mediterranean, Indonesia, and the Far East. The company operates three of the world's largest and tallest sailing vessels: Star Clipper and Star Flyer, traditional clipper ships equipped with modern comforts and accommodating 170 guests; and the Royal Clipper, an awe-inspiring five-masted, full-rigged sailing ship that can host up to 227 guests, holding the prestigious Guinness World Record for its unique stature. All three vessels feature extensive teak decks, swimming pools, relaxed dining venues, convivial tropical bars on deck, and inviting piano lounges.