Hebridean Princess: "Spirit of Scotland"
The ship was in fact a former Caledonian McBrayne ferry, but has been transformed into a luxury small cruise ship accommodating just 50 passengers with a crew of 37. It feels like a small 5* country house hotel, with a restaurant, a lovely lounge/bar area complete with stone fire place, and a number of outside spaces, including open deck areas which are used for summer barbecues, and even a conservatory area for cooler days.
There are no lifts so you need to be able to navigate several flights of stairs to get around.
The immaculate cabins, like all the public areas, are all beautifully appointed with many Scottish accents such as tartan fabrics and lovely pictures. My bathroom was the largest I have ever had on a cruise ship – and yet this was the smallest cruise ship I had ever been on! This is also the quietest ship I have ever been on.
A clue in the title of the cruise ‘Spirit of Scotland’ probably gives you a clue that this was an itinerary including trips to many distilleries!! However there are always a choice of daily trips and in fact, you can just disembark and wander round at your own leisure. We took advantage of the bikes and cycled one glorious sunny day to a lighthouse where we found some fabulous beaches to rival those on the Caribbean!
We also visited two distilleries and learnt quite a bit from the guided tours and of course the free tasting sessions! On board ship as well was a renowned whiskey expert who was available to give more information to all the guests, as well as a professional guide to talk us through the areas we were cruising through and escort us on the guided tours ashore.
This is a fully inclusive holiday. All meals – and this is fine dining – as well as all drinks including champagne are included in the cost of your holiday. Not only that, but the excursions are also included, as are the refreshments on these trips. The itineraries all vary, and they are able to get into places that the larger ships cannot access.
This is a cruise with a difference. We enjoyed a visit to the Bridge where we saw both the old and new technology working together, and that was really interesting. We also enjoyed a visit to the galley which was also really interesting: 5 chefs in a really small space and how they turned out such outstanding cuisine is beyond me.
This is a beautiful ship – furnished inside to offer 5* comfort – but there are other factors which make this a fabulous holiday. The staff go over and above in terms of service and form a rapport with the guests that make this experience feel like a large house party. On disembarking the ship, guests were hugging the staff as they bade farewell – and that is a true sign that the service provided was well and truly appreciated. In addition to that, it was the quirky stuff which added to it all. The purser and captain did a bit of entertainment in the lounge one evening which was incredibly amusing, and on the final night which was a gala dinner, one of the passengers stood up and read out a poem which was just a brilliant summation of the week’s events and caused much hilarity!
I absolutely loved this trip – thank you Hebridean Princess for the invitation and I can thoroughly recommend it!