My wife and I have cruised four times previously, three times with Celebrity, which we really enjoyed and once with Princess on the Grand, which we also enjoyed but found the ship to be too large and impersonal. So, we were looking for something different and smaller and, after much research, decided on the Royal Clipper with its maximum complement of 228 passengers and an interesting itinerary. We chose the February 15th , 2003 Windward Islands itinerary, leaving from Barbados and visiting five islands which we had never before visited. From the time we embarked in Barbados to the time we disembarked back in Barbados a week later, we had the best cruise and vacation of our lives. There were only 125 passengers on this cruise, which I am sure contributed somewhat to the feeling of never feeling crowded.

We were the only two Canadians on board as the main mix of passengers was British, German, American and French. Age mix was probably on average, between forty and sixty-five, with some passengers being below or above both ends of this scale. The ship is amazing and its officers and crew were outstanding, all being very approachable with a positive, can-do attitude. Following are various points of reference concerning the ship and our overall cruise experience on the Royal Clipper.

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