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Ship comparison

Royal Clipper vs Star Explorer

The verdict

Which should you choose?

Royal Clipper is an intimate Star Clippers ship carrying 227 passengers, in service since 2000. Star Explorer is an intimate Windstar Cruises ship carrying 224 passengers. Star Explorer has no Bliss scores yet, so the verdict rests on the figures we do hold.

Choose Star Explorer if you want more space per passenger, more crew per passenger or more cruises to choose from: it has 44.3 gross tons per passenger (vs 22.0), it has a crew member for every 1.7 passengers (vs 2.1) and it has 86 cruises on sale (vs none).

Royal Clipper does not lead by a clear margin on any measure we track, so pick it for its itinerary or its dates.

Side by side

Specifications

marks the better figure where more, or less, is plainly better.

Royal ClipperStar Explorer
Cruise line Star Clippers Windstar Cruises
Ship size Intimate Intimate
Maiden voyagenewer highlighted 2000 —
Last refurbishedmore recent highlighted 2013 —
Gross tonnage 5,000 9,923
Passengers 227 224
Crew 106 130
Passengers per crew memberfewer is better 2.1 1.7 (better)
Space per passengergross tons per passenger; more is roomier 22.0 44.3 (better)
Decks 4 —
Length 439 ft —
Beam 54 ft —
Cruiseable ratingout of 10 7 / 10 —
Cruises on sale — 86
Upcoming sailings — 125
Cruise lengths — 4 to 24 nights
Fares fromlower highlighted — $1,100

Bliss scores

How they rate, out of 10

Cruiseable rates ships out of 10 on ten parts of a cruise holiday.

Star Explorer has no Bliss scores yet.

  • Active Royal Clipper: 8.0
  • Adventure & nature Royal Clipper: 7.0
  • Cultural Royal Clipper: 7.8
  • Dining Royal Clipper: 7.0
  • Entertainment Royal Clipper: 4.0
  • Family friendly Royal Clipper: 2.0
  • Party Royal Clipper: 5.0
  • Romantic Royal Clipper: 9.0
  • Spa & fitness Royal Clipper: 4.0
  • Staterooms Royal Clipper: 6.0

Star Clippers

Royal Clipper

Royal Clipper, owned by Star Clippers Cruises, is a distinguished five-masted, fully-rigged sailing ship that offers a unique seagoing experience, blending the grandeur and tradition of classic sailing with modern amenities and luxurious service.

Questions

Royal Clipper or Star Explorer?

Which is bigger, Royal Clipper or Star Explorer?

Star Explorer is bigger at 9,923 gross tons, against 5,000 gross tons for Royal Clipper. Royal Clipper carries 227 passengers and Star Explorer carries 224.

Which has more space per passenger?

Star Explorer, with 44.3 gross tons per passenger against 22.0 on Royal Clipper. The higher the figure, the more ship there is for each guest.

Which has more crew per passenger?

Star Explorer, with one crew member for every 1.7 passengers against one for every 2.1 on Royal Clipper.

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