I make it my business as a career research analyst and now a travel researcher to give as balanced, fair and objective review of a trip as I can. It is my responsibility for fellow travellers, to make sure Star Clippers take off the borneo itinerary and to give factual information to make sure passengers select suitable excursions. This particular cruise was plagued by lack of and contradictory information about excursions and port visits by the most incompetent cruise director I have experienced in 10 years and 20 cruises. Borneo should not be visited by cruises, for what its focus is, it should only be done by an overland tour. Our cruise ship docked at container ports, main towns were long distances away and our cruise director had no information about alternative transport , gave conflicting and confused information about cruise excursions. Crucially we booked a jungle walk which was supposed to be easy, which turned out to be an extreme jungle trek, most of which had no proper path because no-one had used it for a long time, extreme gradients , slippery leaf strewn paths, ex[posed tree roots at every step.. the most dangerous walk I've ever done.... many fell, including my wife who hurt her back and had to walk back for 90 minutes because it was the only way out... Only on our return did the cruise director admit it was an extreme jungle trek only suitable for the very fit or those like her with military training. She admitted the ship was only in Borneo waters to promote the excursions. The jungle excursion blurb majored on wildlife opportunities but these treks were at altitude where there wasn't any. My wife sinc eher fall on 19 October is in constant pain and needs specialist treatment at her own expense.. Star Clippers accept at present no responsibility ,,,, appalling appalling appalling.... !!!!!!!!!!!!! Draw your own conclusions whether you would trust your safety to this company..... !!!???!!!

Marketed as ' the best a modern cruise ship has to offer..' we strongly recommend that you steer well clear of this vesseel and the travel company.
Ship Food - advertised as ' the finest cuisine' in reality middle of the road buffet style for some courses and no where near the quality served on other cruise ships.
Ship staff - If you like to be ignored by all senior members of the crew for an entire cruise then this is the ship for you.No information given out as to sailing conditions causing injury to some passengers.
On Board entertainment - if you think pulling wooden cut outs of frogs across the deck in a race against other guests qualifies as quality entertainment then again this is the place for you.
Cabins - effluent backing up into some cabins and the crew proving obstructive in moving guests to other accomodation does not really create a relaxing atmosphere on the ship.We booked the Owners Cabin - could not stand up in the bath due to limited head height and had to use the toilet seat as a step to get into and out of the bath safely - real quality !
Tours on Shore - some guides employed who were barely coherent and unaware that so called places of interest were always closed on the days we visited.

Save your money and do not expect ABTA to assist in securing compensation.

We were extremely fortunate to spend our honeymoon on the Star Flyer. We were on a charter by an Australian Liquor Chain. The ship can be chartered for conference groups etc.

Our sailing was from Istanbul. Just like the other review I read on this site, at first I had some concerns about going on a sailing ship. It was the most wonderful thing I think I have ever done. The ship is extremely beautiful. First of its class built in 75 years. It is only around 15 years old, so very modern, clean and efficient.

As we sailed out of Istanbul, past the Golden Horn, Haghia Sophia, Topkapi Palace and into the Marmara Sea, they played Vangelis. It was magic.

The next morning we stopped at the Gallipoli battlefields (Anzac) at Kabatepe. This was really only of interest if you were an Aussie/Kiwi or a military history buff. Very moving for us Australians.

The second day was at sail. I wondered what one would do on board for a whole day, but as was mentioned there are sea activities (kayaking, etc.), but lazing on the deck and in the tiny pools with Lesbos and other Greek isles passing by under sail was magical, romantic and relaxing.

What I also have to say is that the food was first class. One could have steak every night, if that is what one wanted. My wife had lobster one night. All was included.

The entertainment in the evenings is a little ordinary. The crew do amateur acts and they get the passengers involved, which is a bit of fun. This is actually really quite pleasant, as there is nothing worse then those "tin cans" with their tacky Las Vegas (sic) floor shows and casinos. The Star Flyer offers good basic fun. Laszlo gets out on the ivories and has a bit of fun too.

Every day was a highlight. We stopped at Kusadasi, where they first made a stop at a resort, where we got to use the facilities and swim in the Aegean. Then off to Ephesus. The next day was Patmos (the highlight for me... a genuine Greek island, not overrun with tourists). Then came Santorini (spectacular, but a disaster in terms of being overrun by foreigners). Mykonos was disappointing... expensive and not particularly exciting.

One small negative is that the boat in the Aegean follows the same sort of schedule as all the other cruise ships.... ie.: in and out of Pireaus or Istanbul on the Saturday. This means that all the cruise boats arrive in Santorini on Thursday and Mykonos on Friday, which causes them to be absolutely overrun. Try and avoid this if you can.. though chances are slim

Other than that a perfect holiday! Fully recommend it.

Ligurian Itinerary.

A chaotic check in on Saturday morning as Easy Jet’s luggage carousel broke down. Then on to Nice, the flight was ok, a 737-700 with plenty of legroom.
On arrival we were met by our transfer rep and taken over to Cannes. This is when we got our first glimpse of the Star Clipper, and what a stunning ship.
After checking in we were transferred to the ship via tender, which was the ships own lifeboats.
After welcome cocktails and snacks we were shown to our cabins. Our’s was on Commodore Deck number 105. It was port side and fairly near the front. I thought that maybe we were too near to the front, however, once under way my first doubts were soon dismissed. The cabins were quite well equipped with TV, hairdryer, ice bucket and a good choice of toiletries. The bathrooms however, were very small with a sink, loo and shower.
We were able to see all available grades whilst on board. The owner’s suite was right at the stern of the ship, with a double bed, mini bar, small seating area and Jacuzzi bath.
Category 1’s were very similar to the owner’s suite but were slightly smaller. They also had a slight disadvantage as they were on the main deck, so if you were staying in one of these you would hear people walking past on their way to the restaurant and bar.
Category 2’s were the same square footage as category 1’s but appeared smaller due to the layout.
Category 3 & 4. These are the same, except for the position on the ship. Category 3 is Commodore deck bough and Category 4 are Commodore deck stern.
Category 5. These are very similar to 3’s and 4’s except for the beds, which are risen approximately 1 meter off of the floor. There are 2 at the bough, 4 at the stern and 2 inside cabins.
Category 6’s were inside cabins on commodore deck there are only 6 inside cabins in total aboard the ship.
Dinner in the dining room was a large affair with a choice of 6 courses. The dress code for this was relaxed but it was asked that no shorts or t-shirts were worn. When dining most evenings we opted to sit at the same tables, but this is not compulsory. One can sit anywhere and anytime between 7.30 and 10.00.
Breakfast and lunch were also served in the restaurant, continental breakfasts from 6 – 7 served in the piano bar, then full breakfast in the restaurant. The choice was immense, fruit, cereal, pastries, ham, cheese, cooked breakfast and the chef was always in there cooking omelettes to order. Lunch, there was 2 options available here, either a snack buffet served on deck or a full buffet in the dining room, Every day was a theme, such as Mediterranean, Italian, Mariners etc, and there was also a grand barbeque on deck on the last day.

The entertainment on board was very limited but I felt that this was just right for the style of the ship. The crew nearly always does it; they are a very talented bunch. Sometimes they bring on local folk groups as well. I only heard 1 local group in Bonafacio, and didn't think very much of them...
Facilities on board consisted of the restaurant, a piano bar, tropical bar and 2 swimming pools, both of which are salt water and this is changed daily. When the ship is docked there is also quite a few water sports to choose from, water skiing, sailing, banana boat, snorkelling wind surfing and scuba diving. There is a chance to become PADI qualified whilst on board also (Which I did). Finally there is the library, this has a large selection of books and is fully air-conditioned.

The décor on the ship is very much Olde Worlde. The decks are made of teak, all the way through. The library is styled with quite a dark wood, almost masculine. The restaurant is very light and fully air conditioned, however, it can get very warm in there when all the guests are dining at the same time. The cabins are half dark wood and half painted, and could maybe be slightly lighter.


In the evenings Sail away occurs. This is a very majestic affair, while the sails are being raised there is classical music playing, and you are immediately transported back about 150 years to the days when sailing ships ruled the ocean. There are 11 miles of rope used on the sails and they are all raised manually, the experience has to be seen to be believed!

There is an access all areas policy on board. Except due to health reasons one cannot enter the galley. One can also steer the ship on the bridge.

The crew were all really friendly and always had a smile. Towards the end of the week, most of them knew our names and would stop and have a chat. Some would also join us in the evenings for dancing on deck.

Overall, I loved the Star Clipper and will defiantly travel on her again. This style of cruising is not for everybody, but those who have an interest in sailing would love it.
I didn’t meet anyone on board who had any cause to complain.


Ports....

Sunday.... Porquerolles Hyreres Islands France. This was a beach stop, there is a small town, but nothing very much was open so I didn't bother going to visit. The island itself is beautiful, no traffic as its a nature reserve.

Monday.... Day at Sea

Tuesday...Costa Smeralda, Sardinia. I didn't bother with this town as its entierly man made, built about 15 years ago and extremely expensive.

Wednesday...Bonifacio, Corsica. This was awesome. As you sail towards it, you think that the ship is going to hit the cliff, but then you see the opening in the cliff face, as the ship sails through there are high cliffs on both sides. All of a sudden it all opens out into the most stunning marina. There are a lot of shops along the front, most have been built into the cliff face, and you can see the original rocks in the walls.
The most stunning part was at sailaway, the ship literally turned 180 degrees in the marina.... It attracted an awful lot of interest......

Thursday.... Calvi, Corsica, This town was a really pretty site, I didn't do any tours at all so can't comment on too much of it, but the shops are all in little "Back streets", which are very quaint.

Friday... St Tropez... This speaks for its self, I personally thought it was far too overated and too expensive... The marina was gorgeous, but other than that it did nothing for me.....

Saturday... Back to Cannes and home....