TALL-ship specialist Star Clippers is to offer a year- round Caribbean programme on Star Clipper from winter 1999 onwards, instead of repositioning the ship in the Mediterranean in the summer.
The vessel will sail out of Antigua next winter, then move to Barbados in April 2000 for the summer season. In November 2000, it will relocate to her winter home port of St Maarten. The cruise-only price for one week in the Caribbean will start at £905.
“This should please the long- haul tour operators because it will give them a 12-month season with the ship and so justify them devoting more space to Star Clipper in their brochures,” said Fiona Gregory, manager of Star Clippers’ UK general sales agent Fred Olsen Travel.
Star Clippers gave the ship a year-round Caribbean itinerary to make way for its forthcoming new vessel Royal Clipper, which is due to be introduced in May 2000.
It will operate a series of cruises out of Cannes in the summer 2000 season, then move to Barbados in November of next year.
Star Clippers’ third vessel, Star Flyer, will continue its current programme of sailings out of Phuket in the winter and Athens in the summer during 2000. However, two new ports of call have been added to its Far East itineraries – Ko Lipe and Ko Miang. Cruise-only prices for Star Flyer start at £905 in the Far East and £995 in the eastern Mediterranean.
Meanwhile, Gregory said Star Clippers was consolidating its early booking discount system so that one discount is available on all categories of cabin, rather than on a sliding scale as at present.
Customers who book a summer 2000 cruise on Star Clipper before April 30 next year will receive a £225 discount. Bookings made for summer 2000 before February 28 next year will get a £160 reduction on a Star Flyer cruise and a £126 discount on a Royal Clipper cruise.