Started our trip by flying Virgin Atlantic from LHR to Barbados Airport
Tuesday 23rd December 2025: Nice flight during the day well looked after by VA crew. Arrived in Barbados 🇧🇧 in the afternoon and transferred to Sandles Barbados. Had a good look round the resort and then dinner in one of their fish restaurants which was very nice. Very hot and relaxing.
Wednesday 24th December 2025: Nice breakfast followed by a day on the beach. Took it easy with plenty of sunscreen and keeping in the shade. Watched a Barbadian tree surgeon 😆 harvesting coconuts 🥥 🌴 . Needed a helmet on the lilos 😂
Went for a few swims 800m in the warm sea and pool to cool down and do a bit of exercise.
We went for a guided tour round the resort which was impressive with over 20 restaurants. In the evening after a lovely dinner in the Italian restaurant went to a white night silent disco which a scream after being a bit dubious. In fact one of the best nights dancing.
Thursday 25th December 2025: Christmas🎄 Day : Buffet Breakfast at Spice with a Buck’s Fizz. Different kind of Christmas Day on the beach again with 800m swims in sea. Also a visit from Father Christmas 🎅
In evening went for dinner in Chi restaurant for spicey food.Afterwards to a piano bathe and for a DJ night with a bit of dancing which wasn’t as good as the silent disco last night.
Friday 26th December 2025: Boxing Day: Another relaxing day on the beach then went onto the roof top bar and pool. Bit of sunbathing and swimming 🏊♂️ in the pool and caught the sunsets
In the evening chose the Parisienne french restaurant for snails and a white fish dish followed by a chocolate desert with a bottle of Whispering Angel Rose wine
Saturday 27th December 2025: After breakfast at spices packed cases and spent some time by the quiet European pool and then went to the Sandles lounge and waited for the pick up to go to the Sailing Ship cruise on the Royal Clipper from Barbados 🇧🇧 cruise terminal. Details outlined below which we were excited about.
Arrived a cruise terminal and checked in and boarded the Royal Clipper and shown to our cabin which was great and unpacked
Then after a safety briefing on the TV went down for 3 course dinner which was delicious and with both chose a fish starter and a nice piece of snapper and chocolate desert.
After dinner of a fish mix starter followed by a snapper dish and chocolate desert, Went onto the main deck and had a glass of Champagne before enjoying the 42 sails being slowly release with a tune from Vangelis “Chariots of Fire” which was a nightly theme as we sailed away. This time to Rodney Bay in St Lucia, a place we had been before over 20 years ago.
This sailing ship will be in this blog many times as we could not believe how magnificent it was with 42 sails, 5 masts, 106 crew, 134 meters in length and only 227 passengers and on our cruise only 160. Here is the Captain
The following gives some images of sailing away to St Lucia on our first night
Sunday 28th December 2025: After a lovely sail rocking me to sleep arrived in Rodney Bay, St Lucia. After breakfast and touring around the boat we found that our tour on the aerial tram had been cancelled, so took the tender to Rodney Bay but not much was happening, so got the tender back to the boat for lunch and sunbathing on the deck. In the evening had another fantastic 3 course dinner before a cocktail and listened to the musicians and a fashion show put on by the crew and some of the guests before going to bed after watching the sail away nightly rising of the 42 sails and sailing towards our next destination Cabrits Dominica
Monday 29th December2025: After looking out from our balcony to Cabrits Dominica and another beautiful day, Went for breakfast and afterwards took the tender to pick up the tour bus to take us for a row boat tour down the Indian river. Leisurely row down the river with speech on interesting facts. Ended up in a refreshment station for a rum pouch or two
Before dinner a nice little surprise of towel art on the bed left by cabin crew
After dinner there was a white night light show with a glass of champagne and a stargazing talk by one of the officers on the ship which reminded me of the times Jacqueline and me did some stargazing in the Gulf during the war back in 2003, After this we had a nightcap and went to bed as we were rocked to sleep on our sail towards our next destination Antiqua
Tuesday 30th December 2025: Another day waking up to the beautiful sunshine and a view of the sea from the balcony to the sandy beach we are going to for a barbecue after a lovely breakfast, We took the tender to the beach for a sunbath, swim and a tasty barbecue, we then took the coach to our tour of the day which was a speedboat ride to a destination for a snorkel and then another speedboat ride to a destination where we picked up some kayaks for a 2Km kayak paddle with Jacqueline around the mangroves around the island, After that were taken back to the tender where we freshen up before dinner dressed as pirates. After dinner went for a pirate night with a local Caribbean steel band with lots of dancing as pirates – AAAAArgh,
Quite a day on Antiqua but with no internet missed a call from our friends that have a place in Antiqua so missed linking up with them. After this fun packed activity day we slept well after sailing away to next destination Basseterre, St Kitts
31st December 2025: Again woke up to sunny St Kitts and after breakfast we took the tender for a coach trip round St Kitts which has come a long way since the crash of the sugar cane market, Interesting to see the new medical and veterinary schools where US students attend, after this tour we boarded the train for a long tour round St Kitts viewing the scenery. With regular rum punch visits for refreshments. In the evening we had a lobster dinner with champagne which is Jacquelines favourite, Afterwards partied on the ship’s deck to see the New Year in.
As we sailed from 2025 to 2026 onto Terre-de-Haut, Iles des Saintes for a quiet News Year day as most of the Caribbean is closed especially on the French dominated Islands like this one and Martinique.
Thursday 1st of January 2026: Had a quiet day after partying the night before, Just took the tender to visit the quiet village and pick up a few messages. Most of the shops were closed and had a walk, Had a few pictures of the ship from the tender which was fun with the crew o waving at us. In the evening after dinner watched the New Year Talent Show with some of the crew and guests. In the evening we sailed to our penultimate destination Martinique
Friday 2nd January 2026: Woke up to look at the pretty village and Les Anges d’Arlets beach. Took a tender for our coach tour of Martinique visiting a market, pottery village and rum distillery, Bit disappointing but saw a bit of Martinique which is another beautiful island with French influence. When we got back on the ship lots of packing to do before and after dinner and watching the sails go up for our sail away to Barbados, Also a few shots of our sail with the smaller ship Star Clipper which occurred earlier on trip.
Saturday 3rd January 2026; Woke up to disembarkment at Barbados cruise harbour where we had a taxi ready to take us to the Marriott Coutyard in Barbados and after check in spent the day on a local beach and in the evening had nice dinner at Buzo the Italian restaurant,
Sunday 4th January 2026 to Monday 5th January 2026: Had a transfer ride to the airport to catch a flight back to London Heathrow to arrive at 06.30 in the morning ready to pick our car up to drive back to Penzance really tired as not much sleep on the night flight
CAMTRIER 