If you have never seen or been aboard the SVP Royal Clipper, you may be forgiven for perceiving her as some kind of gimmick, or a fantasy from the past. However when you see her for real all those perceptions are swept away by her sheer elegance and a feeling that you are about to embark on an adventure. When docked alongside a mainstream cruise ship, her much smaller size and what appears on the initial viewing, a lack of facilities, is swept away by her beauty and and an overwhelming sense that you are in for a very different and life changing experience.
All comparisons of general cruising have to be erased from your mind, as it is unfair to both experiences of cruising to compare them. On boarding you know this is special and that you are about to have the time of your lives and an experience that will live with you for ever, along with the possibility of becoming another person to join the ships 60 percent repeat clientele. The reception area is decorated in beautiful wood paneling, as is a lot of the ship including the cabins.
The cabins are decorated in a traditional sailing ship style and are very roomy considering the size of the ship. In fact, I believe my cabin had more storage space than the last huge cruise liner I went on.
The dining area is very impressive, especially when you approach it from the upper level of the wonderfully appointed bar/lounge area and look down a sweeping staircase to a very elegant dining room. The dining experience is very good, not gourmet but as good as any very good four star hotel. This ship is not about Michelin Star restaurants, casinos or broadway shows, it's about sailing and having an experience that cannot be offered by any other product on the high seas.
It's also about meeting like-minded people and sharing experiences in the lovely outside bar and upper deck facilities, which include one large and two small pools and lots of lounger space to rest and read, listening to the breeze as it propels you along through the magnificent sails. You can enjoy and adapt to this product if you have only ever cruised conventionally, but you must understand its differences before embarking on a journey of a lifetime, a journey I would highly recommend.
Travel Blog by Nigel Coldicott
Phone Nigel: 0117 2232096
Email Nigel: [email protected]
Visit Nigel: 20 Princess Victoria Street, Clifton, Bristol, BS8 4BP
