Jump to content

Hello?


Recommended Posts

My husband and I are thinking seriously about booking a Hebridean cruise in November 2012 to celebrate our 10th anniversary... I'd love to know if anyone around here has been onboard the Princess lately.

:D

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks for responding! My husband has agreed to do a Hebridean cruise, so I guess I'll be booking soon. I just paid for this year's cruise on the SeaDream I, though, so the bank account might need a breather!

 

I figure it'll be getting dark at about 3:00pm during our cruise, but I have always wanted to go to Scotland. I have a feeling we'll have a wonderful time.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

My husband and I are booked for the short 4 night cruise in July 2011. It is round trip out of Oban. This will be our first trip on this line and we are very much looking forward to it. I'll post more after the cruise.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Wow! I'm so glad you posted. I remember looking at your Web site months ago and reading about the "mystery trip" you did in Utah and Colorado. My husband is planning a trip for us and just yesterday, I was looking for your site so I could show him your write up, but I couldn't remember the URL... How lucky for me that you responded to this post! Thanks!

 

ETA: Just read your blog about your Scottish cruise. My husband is a Scotch drinker, too! Looks like you had a splendid time!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The best part was meeting the Operations Manager Lady from Bowmore! She threw open the special cabinet and asked what I would like! Your DH will appreciate this:

Doubled matured, Sherry Finished, 15 years old, Cask Strength!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I wish you could have seen the expression on my husband's face just now as I read your description of that scotch... I would describe it as "green with envy" and a touch of admiration! We haven't booked the Hebridean yet, but I think we will very soon, even if November in Scotland is a big gamble.

 

Your site is really interesting. I was checking out your transiberian trip with particular interest. I spent two years as a Peace Corps Volunteer in the former Soviet Union, so Russia and the other former Soviet republics are always fascinating for me. My husband is in the Army and we were in Germany for a couple of years, so we got to do a lot of European travel, which has made me want to go all over the place. You and your wife are so lucky to get to go to so many interesting places! I hope we can do the same after my husband gets out of the Army!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 month later...
  • 4 weeks later...

My husband and I did the 5 day, 4 night cruise on the Hebridean Princess earlier this month and enjoyed it a lot. The ship can hold 50 passengers. We sailed with 48 but the two cruises after ours were fully booked. The food is excellent and the staff provides great service. The islands we visited were small and the sheep way outnumbered the people. One island only has 11 human residents and another has 135. We visited 2 islands each day. There is a guide on board (Rita Adam on our cruise) who leads walking trips on some tours. Two times there was a mini van or bus to get the passengers to the sights. You probably need to like wildflowers, birds, or animals because there is no Taj Mahal, no Hermitage, etc. These islands are pretty remote.

 

Keep in mind also that there is no casino and no entertainment. You and your fellow passengers are the entertainment! Therefore, I would say that this is not for everyone, but we are planning to take another cruise on this ship. We would probably take a longer cruise that visits larger cities.

 

We stayed in the Torosay Castle cabin, which has 2 portholes. They are located quite high, however, so I had to stand on my tiptoes to see out. Next time, we will splurge for a cabin with 'real windows'.

 

The one Gala dinner was a lot of fun, with people dressing up a little and some of the passengers and crew wore their kilts.

 

Also, this line didn't even ask for a credit card at the start of the cruise. When has that ever happened before? The only expenses you can incur are if you buy something from the gift shop or opt for a bottle of premium wine. We liked the wines they provided so we paid nothing after we got on board.

 

I'll be happy to answer any questions that you may have.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I forgot to mention that there were no children on this cruise. I would not take a child on this ship.

 

Also, the age bracket seemed to go from 40 to 88. There was one couple on board who appeared to be in their twenties. However his father originally booked the cruise and then was unable to go, so he let his son and his girlfriend go instead.

 

The passengers were a lot of fun. All are well-traveled. If you have 2, 3, or 4 people in your group you can ask for your own table or sit at a larger table (usually 8 passengers). Singles are generally seated at a large table. We asked to be seated at a large table, so we had 3 single people and 2 couples. The eighth seat was usually occupied by the Chief Engineer, the Third Engineer, or the Head of Housekeeping.

 

All of your tours, drinks, and gratuities are included in your fare.

 

Of the 48 passengers, 7 live in the United States, although one couple is originally from Scotland and splits their time between Houston and Scotland. One couple was from Hong Kong. One lady was from New Zealand. The rest were mostly from the UK.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks for the review!

 

I got the latest brochure yesterday and they have a very enticing incentive going on right now. 10% off for booking early for 2012 cruises and an additional 5% the less expensive cruise for booking back to back cruises. The two we're looking at are the same price.

 

The only problem is, my husband is in the Army and we don't know where we'll be next year. He will also probably have to change jobs. Still, I think I've managed to talk him into doing this next November.

 

It sounds like you had a great time! I'd love to know more about the people you met and the food... :D

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Breakfast and lunch are a combination of buffet and table service. At breakfast you can order egg dishes from your waiter, while the fruit, cereal, juice etc. is buffet style. At lunch it varied between buffet and items delivered by your waiter. One lunch there was an entire ham, carved by Charles the Chief Purser. Salads, etc. were buffet style.

 

All dinners were table service, no buffets. There was usually a choice of 1 of 3 starters offered (soup, salad, and appetizer category). Usually there was a choice of one of two entrees offered. One night venison was one of the options. Fish was usually on the menu as one of the options. Roasted chicken was a nice selection. Appetizers are served in the bar before dinner.

 

As for passengers, we never met anyone that we didn't want to see again. These people would be very comfortable on Seabourn, Regent, or Silversea style cruises but are not pretentious. No drama queens. No high maintenance folks. Mostly retired. There were quite a few singles and couples. There were also some two-generation families (older parents with a 40 something child).

 

As the saying goes though, your experience may vary, but we had a lovely table and had a great time.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 11 months later...
  • 1 month later...

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

  • Forum Jump
    • Categories
      • Welcome to Cruise Critic
      • New Cruisers
      • Cruise Lines “A – O”
      • Cruise Lines “P – Z”
      • River Cruising
      • ROLL CALLS
      • Digital Photography & Cruise Technology
      • Special Interest Cruising
      • Cruise Discussion Topics
      • UK Cruising
      • Australia & New Zealand Cruisers
      • Canadian Cruisers
      • North American Homeports
      • Ports of Call
      • Cruise Conversations
×
×
  • Create New...