This is a cruise where the experience of the ship is at least as important as the destination. My initial impression, from the brochure, was that it would be crowded and cramped. In fact, although everything is compact, the ship, in estate-agent terms is "deceptively spacious". The companionways are steep, there are sills to step over, fiendish doors that take your fingers off and are difficult to negotiate with two cups of coffee in your hands, but that's what you expect on a sailing ship. The decor is smart and nautical - plenty of brass, constantly being polished by the attentive and friendly crew. You need to be tidy in your cabin, but the space is adequate. Our double bed was up against a wall so my partner had either to climb over me or exit the bed over the foot. Again, it's a sailing ship, not a cruise liner. We were on the lowest deck, and when the ship heeled to port, the porthole was partially submerged. Exciting! Being aft, we were right over the engine (even if under sail, there is always a generator), so the noise of that, the aircon, and the sea sloshing at the porthole was quite intrusive. A higher, and/or more foreward cabin would be quieter.
The food was excellent, plentiful and varied. Drinks prices not unreasonable with €8 for a cocktail and €16 for a bottle of house wine. Standard buffet breakfast to suit European tastes. Freshly baked croissants and pastries. Can't comment on lunch as too full after breakfast. Tea, served on deck in the open-air tropical bar was sandwiches, savoury snack, cakes and biscuits. Nothing exceptional but filled a gap. Dinner came with choice of 2 starters, soup, salad, 4 mains, cheese and 2 desserts. There was always an Asian dish among the mains. Vegetables rather tired (frozen, obviously), but the meat and fish were good and portions generous. The menu, together with samples of the dishes were displayed in the Piano Bar before dinner which made the choice more difficult as they all looked so good.
The ship proceeded under sail most of the time, and that for me made this cruise so special. The crew constantly busied themselves with the sails, despite passengers under foot, and only when dropping or weighing anchor were we excluded from the foredeck. The bridge was too tiny to allow passengers in, but the GPS chart and associated data was relayed to a large screen under an awning, just aft of the bridge so we could always see what was happening. Captain Sergei was absolutely charming, very informal and always ready to engage in conversation. The sailaway each day was a highlight, as sails are hoisted to stirring music and the ship gets under way again. On one occasion we hauled the sails up by hand. Volunteers are called for to take the helm. Couldn't be happier holding the wheel, looking ahead, at the compass and the rudder angle simultaneously under the watchful eye of one of the crew. Climbing the rigging to the crow's nest was not for me, but lying in the hammock under the bowsprit was exhilarating. Despite the small size of the ship and the low passsenger/space ratio, there was always somewhere to sunbathe, sit on deck, read or simply gaze out to sea.
This particular itinerary was, apart from the visit to the Komodo dragons , for beach and watersports enthusiasts.There were no tours inland (at eye-watering prices). If you want to see the interior, meet the villagers etc, then you need to choose the Westbound itinerary or the 10 or 11 night cruises. The only excursion offered was a €95 tour to the Bali highlands on the day of disembarkation, to suit those on a back-to-back cruise, or departing Bali on an evening flight. In the event, it was cancelled due to poor uptake, but we arranged a similar tour a few days later for £15!
We were at the mercy of low tides at a couple of stops, meaning that pax had to transfer to the tender and then to a Zodiac to reach the beach. Some of the promised watersports were not available because of the exposed coral. Nevertheless, kayaking, SUP, windsurfing, waterskiing and sailing the Laser Pico were possible on at least one occasion. Snorkelling off the beach was easy and for the most part in good visibility. The Pink Beach on Komodo was congested with tourists from elsewhere in Indonesia and with the coming and going of small craft made snorkelling somewhat hazardous for those with less than visible snorkels, or who chose to duck-dive.
On the last sailaway, all 16 sails were hoisted, and a tender launched for those who wanted to take photos of the ship from the water. It doesn't always happen if weather or sea conditions are unfavourable. Seeing Star Clipper sail off into the setting sun was a magical moment!
I have taken cruises in vessels of various sizes and styles, from the floating blocks of flats in the Med and Caribbean, to more intimate expedition cruises in the polar regions on converted Russian hydrographic ships, but without doubt, Star Clipper is my favourite.