Review of our Hebridean Islands cruise

[commodoredave]

Here is my review of our very recent cruise through the Inner Hebrides Islands aboard the Hebridean Princess. 

https://gentlemansportion.com/2019/10/14/sailing-the-scottish-hebrides-on-the-ship-of-queens/

 

[knotheadusc]

You had some great staff members!  We sailed with Egon and Iain in 2016 when we did the Spirit of Scotland cruise.  At that time, Iain was not yet a purser.  I am so glad to see he was promoted and is doing such a fabulous job.  And Egon is an excellent bartender and really knows his whiskies.

 

Sounds like you had a wonderful cruise!  Thanks for sharing!  Makes me want to book again.

[commodoredave]

Our weather was superb, which made a big difference in the amount of time we could spend outdoors walking and visiting. The crew were great, and the itinerary was really interesting. We've already booked for next September -- couldn't leave the ship without reserving another cruise!

[knotheadusc]

That’s awesome!  Which one are you doing?

[commodoredave]

We're doing the "On the trail of Bonnie Prince Charlie" cruise that departs September 29. It's mainly to the Outer Hebrides, which we think will be a good compliment to our recent cruise to the Inner Hebrides. 

[commodoredave]

Knotty, why don't you and Bill think about joining us. i think we'd make a great foursome!

 

[knotheadusc]

3 hours ago, commodoredave said:

Knotty, why don't you and Bill think about joining us. i think we'd make a great foursome!

 

 

I'll give it some thought.  My husband's company's contract is in negotiations right now, so we're not exactly sure where we'll be in a year.  But I am always game for a Hebridean cruise. 😉    

 

I hope you and your wife were able to make some new friends on your trip.  I have found that Hebridean cruises are great for that, too.  Really nice people who have fascinating backgrounds!  I especially like talking to the very elderly, because even though they're so old, the ones who cruise on Hebridean are usually still spry and have long memories.  We have met some incredible octogenarians on that ship, including several men with fascinating military backgrounds.  

 

On our first cruise in 2012, we met a man who was in World War II as a young guy.  He was amazing to talk to, since he still had a lot of memories of his time in the war.  On another trip, we met a man who served thirty years with the British Army, then did another fifteen for the Canadian Army, and lived in Baden-Baden, Germany, not far from where Bill and I used to live until last year.  On our last trip, we met a man who lived in Rhodesia (Zimbabwe) for twenty years as a public health officer for the British Army.  One of my degrees is in public health, so he was very interesting.  And, like me, he's a musician!

[commodoredave]

Yes, the people on the ship were easy to meet. And most had interesting back stories about their lives and careers, which made for great conversations. Of course, we were introduced to many people by our travelling companions, pictured below, who everyone like to drink with in the Tiree Lounge. 

[knotheadusc]

Aww... that is adorable.  I am surprised you didn’t have the stuffed Highland cow around for tea!

[charlesjb2016]

Great journal, I've seen many of those places on land, I planned to see them again on land, but nope, going to go by sea now 🙂

And an amusing footnote, when I first went to Skye in 1994, the drinking horn of the Macleods made such an impression on me that when I got home I bought a replica, many times filled it with claret and tried to drain it in one go.  Don't think I ever succeeded... 

[commodoredave]

On 10/23/2019 at 2:42 AM, charlesjb2016 said:

Great journal, I've seen many of those places on land, I planned to see them again on land, but nope, going to go by sea now 🙂

And an amusing footnote, when I first went to Skye in 1994, the drinking horn of the Macleods made such an impression on me that when I got home I bought a replica, many times filled it with claret and tried to drain it in one go.  Don't think I ever succeeded... 

Love your drinking horn story!! 

The Hebridean Islands are beautiful, and I don't think there is a better way to see them than by sea. Hope you succeed with this mission! 

[safarigal]

We are waitlisted for a cruise on the Hebridean Princess in May, and hoping that we will be able to get a cabin.

 

I loved reading your report - it makes me more excited to actually be able to experience her.

 

Fingers crossed!

[knotheadusc]

2 hours ago, safarigal said:

We are waitlisted for a cruise on the Hebridean Princess in May, and hoping that we will be able to get a cabin.

 

I loved reading your report - it makes me more excited to actually be able to experience her.

 

Fingers crossed!

 

I hope you can make it happen!  I've done five cruises with Hebridean, and it's always a wonderful experience!  It's definitely not your average cruise!

[safarigal]

23 hours ago, knotheadusc said:

 

I hope you can make it happen!  I've done five cruises with Hebridean, and it's always a wonderful experience!  It's definitely not your average cruise!

I do so hope we can!  I will post a review if it actually happens 🙂

Edited September 5, 2021 by safarigal

[LN50]

Thank you for the report, I really enjoyed the read. Looking forward to our first Hebridean cruise in March. Hope the weather is kind, particularly the seas.

 

[commodoredave]

Thanks for reading my report. My wife Gail and I are looking forward to our second cruise with Hebridean next September, which was postponed from 2020.

[commodoredave]

On 9/3/2021 at 11:24 PM, safarigal said:

We are waitlisted for a cruise on the Hebridean Princess in May, and hoping that we will be able to get a cabin.

 

I loved reading your report - it makes me more excited to actually be able to experience her.

 

Fingers crossed!

Best wishes for the wait list. 

[safarigal]

3 hours ago, commodoredave said:

Best wishes for the wait list. 

Thanks 🙂

[safarigal]

Yay! We have cleared the waitlist for the May 10th, 2022 cruise! I do so hope that COVID doesn't scuttle our vacation plans yet again. I can't wait to experience the ship for ourselves 🙂