For many, spending the winter holidays relaxing in a tropical destination has become a popular option, particularly after more than a year spent largely at home.
The hustle and bustle of cooking, shopping and hosting guests is replaced by time spent in lounging on the beach, exploring local culture and spending quiet time with family and friends. Star Clippers offers an assortment of week-long sailings over the Christmas and New Year holidays that transform this time of year into something entirely unique with plenty of opportunities to create new memories and lasting traditions.
To sweeten the deal, guests who book their 2021 or 2022 Christmas or New Year’s sailings by July 31, 2021 will receive a complimentary bottle of champagne and sweet treats in their cabin upon check in, and a holiday bonus of $300 in onboard credit per cabin ($150 for single cabins). Offer is valid for residents of North, Central and South America only.
The 2021 and 2022 holiday season offers the following tall ship sailing adventures for families, couples, and solo travelers alike:
A Very Caribbean Christmas
Sailing from island to island in the turquoise waters of the Caribbean is perhaps one of the most relaxing ways to spend the Christmas holiday. Star Clippers offers multiple ways to make this dream come true. In 2021, Royal Clipper’s eight-day Grenadine Island Christmas Cruise departs round trip out of Barbados on December 18, with Christmas day spent exploring the lush island of St. Lucia. Sister ship Star Flyer departs St. Maarten on December 18 for her eight-day Treasure Island Christmas Cruise sailing through the British Virgin Islands with a stop in chic Gustavia, St. Barts on Christmas day. For those wishing to ring in 2022 on board a Star Clippers unique sailing vessel, both ships will sail on December 26: Royal Clipper will embark on her Windward Islands New Year Cruise , and Star Flyer will sail her Leeward Island New Year Cruise. Bonus: guests on either New Year sailing will have the opportunity to watch Royal Clipper and Star Flyer race one another as the ships meet up south of Isle de Saintes and sail together. Similar itineraries are available for the 2022 holiday season.
‘Tis the Season in Thailand
Southeast Asia is not the most obvious Christmas destination, but that’s just the point for the adventure-loving traveler. In 2021, Star Clippers will offer eight-day Christmas and New Year itineraries in Thailand. The Phuket to Singapore Christmas Sailing calls on remote ports in Thailand before putting guests in magical Malacca, Malaysia on Christmas day and culminating in Singapore. The Singapore to Phuket New Years Sailing does the same route in reverse, and has guests ringing in 2022 on the tiny island of Ko Hong, Thailand. Important to note: These exotic 2021 holiday itineraries will be the last for Star Clipper as it relocates to the Mediterranean for the summer season.
Costa Rican Celebration
Beginning in late fall 2022, Star Clippers will be calling on ports in Costa Rica and Nicaragua for the first time in eight years. Costa Rica is one of the most biodiverse countries in the world, with a lush natural environment that translates to plenty of opportunities for exploration—in other words, an ideal locale for a unique holiday getaway. The seven-day Costa Rica & Nicaragua Christmas Cruise departs Puerto Caldero on December 24, 2022, with Christmas day spent in Quepos, gateway to the Manuel Antonio State Park. Other ports include San Juan del Sur, Nicaragua and Islas Tortugas, Costa Rica. A Costa Rica & Panama New Year Cruise, departing December 31, 2020, also from Puerto Caldero, visits Coiba Island, Panama, home to the UNESCO World Heritage state park, and the national marine park at Golfo de Chiriquí.
For more than 25 years, Star Clippers has been introducing travelers to the thrill of modern tall ship sailing to remote ports in the Caribbean, Mediterranean, Indonesia and Far East.
The company operates three of the world’s largest and tallest sailing vessels: Star Clipper and Star Flyer are traditional clipper ships with modern amenities carrying 170 guests, while the 227-guest Royal Clipper holds the Guinness World Record for being the largest and only five-masted, full-rigged sailing ship in service today. All three ships have expansive teak decks, swimming pools, informal dining, convivial tropical bars on deck and piano lounges.