Review of Noble Caledonia Mallorca to Malta Cruise on Hebridean Sky September 2021

[Host Jazzbeau]

This is a review of the Jazzbeaux Noble Caledonia cruise from September 15 to October 5, 2021.

We flew to London on Delta, spent two nights in Portsmouth and one at Heathrow, boarded Hebridean Sky for a 15-night back-to-back cruise from Mallorca to Naples and then around Sicily before disembarking in Malta and flying back to London and New York.

[Note that the order of the ports on the first leg was changed to consolidate the trip by country – to minimize the Covid requirements we would have faced by going from Spain to Italy to France to Italy to France to Italy. Instead we went from Menorca (Spain) to Bonifacio, Calvi and L'Ile Rousse (all France), then Elba, Alghero, and Naples (Italy). Italy still required multiple Covid tests, but it would have been even worse in the original order!]

This was our 23rd cruise, but the first on Noble Caledonia. We were attracted to Noble by their itineraries, small ships, and the interesting and welcoming website:  https://www.noble-caledonia.co.uk

The bottom line is that this cruise delivered, and Noble Caledonia is highly recommended to anyone who cruises for itinerary.

Because Noble Caledonia is little known in the US and on Cruise Critic, I will spend some time on its background and practices.

The Noble Caledonia fleet consists of two ships from the beloved Renaissance Cruise Line’s first generation [a decade before the famous ‘R-ships’ now sailing for Azamara and Oceania].

Hebridean Sky and Island Sky hold just 118 passengers (and 70 crew). The ships were built in 1992, but were very advanced for the time so they have held up very well against more modern competition [the Berlitz guide rates them in the top 20 ‘boutique’ ships] – soft furnishings were renewed in 2016 and 2017 but the classic maritime design remains. [Noble also charters several other ships for specialized cruises and they offer land tours for a comprehensive calendar of itineraries.]

Cabins on the ‘Skies’ are quite spacious for the ship size and age, ranging from 226 to 264 sq ft, and are very well laid out with lots of storage. All have ocean views and the top three categories have private verandas.

The Restaurant can hold all passengers in one sitting, plus there is al fresco dining on the Lido deck. The main Lounge can also hold all passengers, and there is a separate Club with a bar and self-service coffee/tea facility, and a Library with comfy chairs [and real books!] There are also zodiacs for tender and expedition excursions, but they weren’t used on this cruise.

All Noble’s international cruises include: flights from London to the ship and back (these flights can be waived for a reduction in fare); wine and beer with meals; all gratuities (and we verified with the passengers that no one tips, even for the local tour guides and drivers); and – most importantly – a full roster of shore excursions.

A word about shore excursions: we generally avoid ship excursions because we find that they don’t cover enough ground – but when I compared Noble’s excursion descriptions to my Rick Steves wish lists, I found that they offered exactly what I wanted to see in each port. And, despite the difficulties from constantly changing Covid restrictions, Noble delivered exactly what they had promised. Kudos to both the London office and the onboard team!

There were only 80 passengers on the first leg [and 95 on the second], but Noble Caledonia put on 4 coaches for every morning tour to give us lots of room. Afternoon tours usually had 3 coaches because they knew that some people would choose to stay on board.

[Noble Caledonia turned out to be the perfect cruise line during Covid restrictions, because their cruises are already an end-to-end bubble with flights and shore excursions included.  In this case they were able to increase precautions even further by using charter flights rather than scheduled flights, and by testing everyone before each flight.  We felt better protected on this cruise than if we had stayed home and done the usual round of shopping etc.!]

Entertainment is mainly lectures about the area you are sailing in [and possibly a cocktail pianist when the ships are sailing full again – both lounges have pianos]. The first leg of our back-to-back cruise featured retired Rear Admiral John Lippiett, who gave four interesting lectures about the history of the Mediterranean plus one fascinating after-dinner talk about his career in the Royal Navy and NATO. The second leg featured Dr. Olga Stone who gave three lectures about myths and legends, history and culture (with musical illustrations). We also had a special evening concert in a Sicilian palazzo – très chic!

Food – Breakfast was as good as any cruise we have ever taken – the best Eggs Benedict for me, attentive and flexible service for DW [she brings her own cereal and just needs a bowl and milk but it’s amazing how hard this is on some cruises – not Noble Caledonia!]. Lunch was so good that we were constantly tempted to eat far more than we would at home – appetizer, main, dessert (and the always-full wine glass for me). Dinner was equally good, and without a show to rush off to we were able to linger at the table in conversation with our new friends – this is our favorite way to spend an evening on board.

Menus were quite varied, both in terms of protein (including many different types of fish) and cuisine – nothing like the traditional British cuisine we suffered with on our first trip to England 45 years ago! Quality was good, presentation was high-end [I noted with pleasure that the waiters always served the women at a table first] and when a dish rarely mis-fired they were quick to offer a replacement [even when I had failed to clean my plate just because I wasn’t hungry…]

Wine and beer were included at lunch and dinner. Each day there was a red and a white – and you could ask for something else from the rotation; both were poured very generously [I never had more than one glass – because my first glass never got empty before it was topped up!] The beer selection was more limited, mainly one lager or another [although to be fair I never asked as the bar, only in the dining room].

The first leg was Noble’s first post-Covid ‘international’ cruise [after several months sailing around Britain with UK-only passengers], so the owners gave us an open bar for the entire week [on the second cruise it was only one day, but even that was an unexpected bonus and Brenda deliberately scheduled it on an evening we would be able to make good use of it]. But even without that there were cocktails and wine at the welcome and farewell receptions and special liqueurs from time to time [the Marsala wine was offered freely the first night it was available, and served at the asking as an after-dinner drink on other evenings]. So all in all it was a very convivial atmosphere!

Extras – There are no extras except laundry and the bar. No casino or bingo, no shop on board, no high-end wine for purchase.  [There is apparently a hairdresser/beauty salon, but being so naturally beautiful we never enquired about it.]

Service – The waitstaff was as attentive as on any cruise we have done – better than on some ‘luxury’ cruise lines where we could never get a second glass of wine or water. The Maître d’ worked the dining room and made sure any minor problems were addressed immediately, and he very graciously made up a thumb drive for me with all the menus. The Hotel manager was very visible and eager to purchase anything that was lacking, such as FeverTree tonic, Marsala wine in Sicily and various local liqueurs [pistachio is very good!]

The shore excursions team worked their tails off, rolling with the constantly changing port restrictions and helping passengers complete their UK PLFs in order to get home.

[That brings up the one deficiency on this ship: the wi-fi was horrible. Thank God it was free, because you wouldn’t want to pay for it. We were able to keep up with email, but not always when we wanted – so we mostly used our phones for data.]

We were always greeted back on board with chilled hand towels and a flute of some refreshing beverage. And the small ports we visited rarely had a passenger terminal, so we almost never had to brave a security gauntlet – so civilized!

There are no special privileges for those in the top cabin categories – everybody is treated as if they are the most important person on board.

Fellow passengers – Noble Caledonia has a loyal group of customers, almost entirely British, retired professionals, well traveled. We were the only Americans both times, and we felt very welcome and fit right in as to age and interests so it was an easy introduction to this new cruise line.

Itineraries – I said that the initial draw for us to Noble Caledonia was their itineraries, so I should describe this in a little more detail. We were first attracted to the second leg of this cruise, the circumnavigation of Sicily. I have been wanting to visit Sicily for several years now, but each time I found a possible cruise our friend, who did an extensive land tour of Sicily, would point out some ‘don’t miss’ sight that was missing – until I found this cruise. Then I looked at the prior leg and realized that it covered the western Mediterranean without repeating any of the ports we had done on megaships – because these ports are too small to accommodate the hordes.

The Noble philosophy is nicely summed up in this quote from one of their latest offerings: “These are perfect sailing waters and in the main we will avoid the larger ports in the region, preferring instead to call into small cities and towns and out of the way places … and our itinerary has been planned to ensure that the balance is just right between exploring ashore, relaxing on board and time at leisure in picturesque ports for individual exploration.”

I have gradually pared my short list of cruise lines to a few that offer intriguing itineraries. Noble Caledonia now rises to the top of that group because no other cruise line has such consistently interesting itineraries. Even when they revisit an area they usually vary the ports or the shore excursions so that repeat customers will still find it ‘new.’

Value – As we learned in river cruising, small ships are inherently expensive to operate – so it was no surprise that Noble Caledonia fares are high. And they are not a luxury cruise line. But we feel that the high degree of inclusiveness, and especially the quality of the shore excursions and the willingness to go the extra mile to ensure that the experience is all that it can be (even when this requires unplanned expenses) mean that Noble Caledonia delivers very good value.

Bottom Line – We have three more cruises booked on Noble Caledonia, and I would rank them at the top of our short list of cruise lines. Other lines may have newer ships with larger cabins, but no other cruise line has such intriguing itineraries. As we reach the end of our A-list ‘bucket list’ those itineraries will keep us coming back as we count ourselves among that group of loyal customers we met on the ship. We recommend Noble Caledonia to anyone who cruises for itinerary!

 

For more information, a day-by-day blog and lots of pictures can be found at:  https://jazzbeauxmediterraneanblog2021.wordpress.com/

[Host Jazzbeau]

[Host Jazzbeau]

[TrulyBlonde]

3 hours ago, Host Jazzbeau said:

This is a review of the Jazzbeaux Noble Caledonia cruise from September 15 to October 5, 2021.

We flew to London on Delta, spent two nights in Portsmouth and one at Heathrow, boarded Hebridean Sky for a 15-night back-to-back cruise from Mallorca to Naples and then around Sicily before disembarking in Malta and flying back to London and New York.

[Note that the order of the ports on the first leg was changed to consolidate the trip by country – to minimize the Covid requirements we would have faced by going from Spain to Italy to France to Italy to France to Italy. Instead we went from Menorca (Spain) to Bonifacio, Calvi and L'Ile Rousse (all France), then Elba, Alghero, and Naples (Italy). Italy still required multiple Covid tests, but it would have been even worse in the original order!]

This was our 23rd cruise, but the first on Noble Caledonia. We were attracted to Noble by their itineraries, small ships, and the interesting and welcoming website:  https://www.noble-caledonia.co.uk

The bottom line is that this cruise delivered, and Noble Caledonia is highly recommended to anyone who cruises for itinerary.

Because Noble Caledonia is little known in the US and on Cruise Critic, I will spend some time on its background and practices.

The Noble Caledonia fleet consists of two ships from the beloved Renaissance Cruise Line’s first generation [a decade before the famous ‘R-ships’ now sailing for Azamara and Oceania].

Hebridean Sky and Island Sky hold just 118 passengers (and 70 crew). The ships were built in 1992, but were very advanced for the time so they have held up very well against more modern competition [the Berlitz guide rates them in the top 20 ‘boutique’ ships] – soft furnishings were renewed in 2016 and 2017 but the classic maritime design remains. [Noble also charters several other ships for specialized cruises and they offer land tours for a comprehensive calendar of itineraries.]

Cabins on the ‘Skies’ are quite spacious for the ship size and age, ranging from 226 to 264 sq ft, and are very well laid out with lots of storage. All have ocean views and the top three categories have private verandas.

The Restaurant can hold all passengers in one sitting, plus there is al fresco dining on the Lido deck. The main Lounge can also hold all passengers, and there is a separate Club with a bar and self-service coffee/tea facility, and a Library with comfy chairs [and real books!] There are also zodiacs for tender and expedition excursions, but they weren’t used on this cruise.

All Noble’s international cruises include: flights from London to the ship and back (these flights can be waived for a reduction in fare); wine and beer with meals; all gratuities (and we verified with the passengers that no one tips, even for the local tour guides and drivers); and – most importantly – a full roster of shore excursions.

A word about shore excursions: we generally avoid ship excursions because we find that they don’t cover enough ground – but when I compared Noble’s excursion descriptions to my Rick Steves wish lists, I found that they offered exactly what I wanted to see in each port. And, despite the difficulties from constantly changing Covid restrictions, Noble delivered exactly what they had promised. Kudos to both the London office and the onboard team!

There were only 80 passengers on the first leg [and 95 on the second], but Noble Caledonia put on 4 coaches for every morning tour to give us lots of room. Afternoon tours usually had 3 coaches because they knew that some people would choose to stay on board.

[Noble Caledonia turned out to be the perfect cruise line during Covid restrictions, because their cruises are already an end-to-end bubble with flights and shore excursions included.  In this case they were able to increase precautions even further by using charter flights rather than scheduled flights, and by testing everyone before each flight.  We felt better protected on this cruise than if we had stayed home and done the usual round of shopping etc.!]

Entertainment is mainly lectures about the area you are sailing in [and possibly a cocktail pianist when the ships are sailing full again – both lounges have pianos]. The first leg of our back-to-back cruise featured retired Rear Admiral John Lippiett, who gave four interesting lectures about the history of the Mediterranean plus one fascinating after-dinner talk about his career in the Royal Navy and NATO. The second leg featured Dr. Olga Stone who gave three lectures about myths and legends, history and culture (with musical illustrations). We also had a special evening concert in a Sicilian palazzo – très chic!

Food – Breakfast was as good as any cruise we have ever taken – the best Eggs Benedict for me, attentive and flexible service for DW [she brings her own cereal and just needs a bowl and milk but it’s amazing how hard this is on some cruises – not Noble Caledonia!]. Lunch was so good that we were constantly tempted to eat far more than we would at home – appetizer, main, dessert (and the always-full wine glass for me). Dinner was equally good, and without a show to rush off to we were able to linger at the table in conversation with our new friends – this is our favorite way to spend an evening on board.

Menus were quite varied, both in terms of protein (including many different types of fish) and cuisine – nothing like the traditional British cuisine we suffered with on our first trip to England 45 years ago! Quality was good, presentation was high-end [I noted with pleasure that the waiters always served the women at a table first] and when a dish rarely mis-fired they were quick to offer a replacement [even when I had failed to clean my plate just because I wasn’t hungry…]

Wine and beer were included at lunch and dinner. Each day there was a red and a white – and you could ask for something else from the rotation; both were poured very generously [I never had more than one glass – because my first glass never got empty before it was topped up!] The beer selection was more limited, mainly one lager or another [although to be fair I never asked as the bar, only in the dining room].

The first leg was Noble’s first post-Covid ‘international’ cruise [after several months sailing around Britain with UK-only passengers], so the owners gave us an open bar for the entire week [on the second cruise it was only one day, but even that was an unexpected bonus and Brenda deliberately scheduled it on an evening we would be able to make good use of it]. But even without that there were cocktails and wine at the welcome and farewell receptions and special liqueurs from time to time [the Marsala wine was offered freely the first night it was available, and served at the asking as an after-dinner drink on other evenings]. So all in all it was a very convivial atmosphere!

Extras – There are no extras except laundry and the bar. No casino or bingo, no shop on board, no high-end wine for purchase.  [There is apparently a hairdresser/beauty salon, but being so naturally beautiful we never enquired about it.]

Service – The waitstaff was as attentive as on any cruise we have done – better than on some ‘luxury’ cruise lines where we could never get a second glass of wine or water. The Maître d’ worked the dining room and made sure any minor problems were addressed immediately, and he very graciously made up a thumb drive for me with all the menus. The Hotel manager was very visible and eager to purchase anything that was lacking, such as FeverTree tonic, Marsala wine in Sicily and various local liqueurs [pistachio is very good!]

The shore excursions team worked their tails off, rolling with the constantly changing port restrictions and helping passengers complete their UK PLFs in order to get home.

[That brings up the one deficiency on this ship: the wi-fi was horrible. Thank God it was free, because you wouldn’t want to pay for it. We were able to keep up with email, but not always when we wanted – so we mostly used our phones for data.]

We were always greeted back on board with chilled hand towels and a flute of some refreshing beverage. And the small ports we visited rarely had a passenger terminal, so we almost never had to brave a security gauntlet – so civilized!

There are no special privileges for those in the top cabin categories – everybody is treated as if they are the most important person on board.

Fellow passengers – Noble Caledonia has a loyal group of customers, almost entirely British, retired professionals, well traveled. We were the only Americans both times, and we felt very welcome and fit right in as to age and interests so it was an easy introduction to this new cruise line.

Itineraries – I said that the initial draw for us to Noble Caledonia was their itineraries, so I should describe this in a little more detail. We were first attracted to the second leg of this cruise, the circumnavigation of Sicily. I have been wanting to visit Sicily for several years now, but each time I found a possible cruise our friend, who did an extensive land tour of Sicily, would point out some ‘don’t miss’ sight that was missing – until I found this cruise. Then I looked at the prior leg and realized that it covered the western Mediterranean without repeating any of the ports we had done on megaships – because these ports are too small to accommodate the hordes.

The Noble philosophy is nicely summed up in this quote from one of their latest offerings: “These are perfect sailing waters and in the main we will avoid the larger ports in the region, preferring instead to call into small cities and towns and out of the way places … and our itinerary has been planned to ensure that the balance is just right between exploring ashore, relaxing on board and time at leisure in picturesque ports for individual exploration.”

I have gradually pared my short list of cruise lines to a few that offer intriguing itineraries. Noble Caledonia now rises to the top of that group because no other cruise line has such consistently interesting itineraries. Even when they revisit an area they usually vary the ports or the shore excursions so that repeat customers will still find it ‘new.’

Value – As we learned in river cruising, small ships are inherently expensive to operate – so it was no surprise that Noble Caledonia fares are high. And they are not a luxury cruise line. But we feel that the high degree of inclusiveness, and especially the quality of the shore excursions and the willingness to go the extra mile to ensure that the experience is all that it can be (even when this requires unplanned expenses) mean that Noble Caledonia delivers very good value.

Bottom Line – We have three more cruises booked on Noble Caledonia, and I would rank them at the top of our short list of cruise lines. Other lines may have newer ships with larger cabins, but no other cruise line has such intriguing itineraries. As we reach the end of our A-list ‘bucket list’ those itineraries will keep us coming back as we count ourselves among that group of loyal customers we met on the ship. We recommend Noble Caledonia to anyone who cruises for itinerary!

 

For more information, a day-by-day blog and lots of pictures can be found at:  https://jazzbeauxmediterraneanblog2021.wordpress.com/

Very nice review. I actually have done many of these ports with Azamara. Did you do a tour to Erice?  We had the best canolli, fresh and warm out of the oven for breakfast in Syracuse. Thanks for the memories.

[Host Jazzbeau]

1 hour ago, TrulyBlonde said:

Very nice review. I actually have done many of these ports with Azamara. Did you do a tour to Erice?  We had the best canolli, fresh and warm out of the oven for breakfast in Syracuse. Thanks for the memories.

Noble Caledonia includes a full suite of tours in the fare – and with Covid regulations that would have been necessary anyway.  [Sicily was the strictest place of all on this trip.]  Very nice tour, except that a cloud had settled on the mountain so there were no views from Erice, or even from 1 building to the next!

[TrulyBlonde]

If you like NC, another cruise line you might consider is SeaDream. I remember being in Sorrento Bay on Azamara and right next to us was the SD ship. I said to DH, I want to be on that one. We came home and booked a cruise on them. 5+ star service and small group of passengers on board (international group of passengers which we like).

 

[Host Jazzbeau]

7 hours ago, TrulyBlonde said:

If you like NC, another cruise line you might consider is SeaDream. I remember being in Sorrento Bay on Azamara and right next to us was the SD ship. I said to DH, I want to be on that one. We came home and booked a cruise on them. 5+ star service and small group of passengers on board (international group of passengers which we like).

 

But no balconies on SeaDream...

[Ethel6666]

Just popped in to say thank you very much for your review Host Jazzbeau. We’ve recently booked 2 cruises on Hebridean Sky for 2023. Looking forward to the port intensive itineraries and out of the ordinary destinations. And the small ship experience. Happy to hear that Noble Caledonia do deliver the product they sell 🙂

[Ski Mom 2]

Thanks for this review! I'm intrigued and will look into this cruise line next! We love Windstar and will be trying Oceania but you've made this go on the list!

 

BTW, what cabin were you in and how was it?

[portofrome]

Thanksso much for your review!

[Host Jazzbeau]

10 hours ago, Ski Mom 2 said:

Thanks for this review! I'm intrigued and will look into this cruise line next! We love Windstar and will be trying Oceania but you've made this go on the list!

 

BTW, what cabin were you in and how was it?

We were in 510, a Deluxe Balcony Suite.  It was absolutely fine.  The shower is large enough and has glass doors – although the sealing strips don't seem to do the job, as I was able to make a bit of a flood on the floor until we figured out how to position a towel to catch it.  Comfy bed, make-up table with stool that I used for my computer [power point hidden underneath) and for hair dryer.  Full size couch.   Plenty of storage everywhere.  Walk-in closet with SO much hanging space – designed for Antarctic cruises with parkas, wet suites, etc. – and drawers). More drawers in bedside tables, make-up table, and breakfront [lost count – we didn't fill them all, and we pack a LOT).  Breakfront with storage for glassware, desk area that held DW's computer and the Quiet Vox chargers [and multiple power points], the safe, and the small fridge.  Carry-ons fit under the bed; checked luggage fit in the walk-in closet.

 

The balcony had two chairs [not loungers] and a small table.  [We only use the balcony to dry our 'sink laundry' – it was fine for that.]

 

All the cabins on decks 5 and 6 have balconies, and they tend to sell out quickly when new cruises are announced.  There are 8 Deluxe Balcony Suites on deck 5 (20.9 square meters plus 4 square meter private balcony with table and chairs); 5 Owner's Balcony Suites on deck 6 (22 square meters plus 8 square meter private balcony); and 1 Shackleton Suite [on Island Sky this is called the Island Suite] on deck 6 (24.5 square meters plus 'extra large' balcony that I would estimate at 16 square meters).

 

Premium Suites on deck 4 have sliding glass doors for access to the deck – but this is not a private balcony, it is the Promenade Deck open to everyone.  Superior Suites on deck 3 have a large window.  Standard Suites on deck three have portholes.

 

I was able to look in on an Owner's Balcony Suite and the extra space seems like a nice upgrade from our Deluxe Balcony Suite, but not a dealbreaker if they're sold out.  On a future cruise we couldn't even get the Deluxe Balcony, so we decided that the Superior Suite is a better value than the Premium Suite [the sliding door isn't flush to the side of the ship, so the Superior Suite window probably offers as good or better views] – but we didn't get the chance to look at either.

 

All categories except the very top and very bottom have the same bathroom layout and the same furnishings, just arranged differently depending on whether the layout is more square or more rectangular.  

 

The top, 'named,' suite has a larger bathroom (but according to the deck plan it doesn't seem to have a shower door – it's that European style that completely floods the bathroom when I enjoy a long shower...), and the bottom Standard Suite has a smaller bathroom that looks like it would be tight.  I would avoid those two categories, but any other cabin on the ship is quite acceptable  IMHO.

[highplanesdrifters]

Thanks for taking the time to review. Will have to put them in the rotation.  Love the looks of the Heberdes cruises.

[donaldsc]

On 10/26/2021 at 10:52 AM, Ski Mom 2 said:

Thanks for this review! I'm intrigued and will look into this cruise line next! We love Windstar and will be trying Oceania but you've made this go on the list!

 

BTW, what cabin were you in and how was it?

 

Re Windstar and considering that it is sort of a sailboat, have you ever done or considered Clipper Cruises which are true sailboats?  We have a 24 day cruise mostly  to the Greek Islands with some other places included scheduled in late 2022.

 

DON

[Ski Mom 2]

2 hours ago, donaldsc said:

 

Re Windstar and considering that it is sort of a sailboat, have you ever done or considered Clipper Cruises which are true sailboats?  We have a 24 day cruise mostly  to the Greek Islands with some other places included scheduled in late 2022.

 

DON

No we haven’t done a Star Clipper ship…yet! I’ve only looked at them briefly. Have you sailed on them before or will this be your first cruise?

[Host Jazzbeau]

Update to point out that the 'Sky ships,' being first-generation Renaissance ships, have US 110v power points throughout the ship, and the charging station put in to handle the Quiet Voxes has 110 and multiple USB points available to passengers.  [I asked some of our new British friends how they, as loyal Noble cruisers, cope with the US power points – and they are all so well traveled that they have a full set of adapters for every country on earth!]

[donaldsc]

18 hours ago, Ski Mom 2 said:

No we haven’t done a Star Clipper ship…yet! I’ve only looked at them briefly. Have you sailed on them before or will this be your first cruise?

 

Will be my first.  Really looking forward to it.

 

DON