They say life begins at 40 and that’s certainly when my holiday life at sea began. As a celebration of my 40th birthday, I embarked with my husband Simon on a Hebridean Princess cruise of the Hebrides.
After all, if you’re going to dip your toe in water for the first time, why not start at the top on the cruise ship the Queen favoured for her 80th birthday?
The main attraction to our chosen itinerary: Footloose Over the Minch was that it combined coastal walking with a cosseted lifestyle on board – a great combination of exercise and fine dining!
More than 10 years on, Hebridean Island Cruises (hebridean.co.uk) may have since changed hands, but still sails from Oban, Greenock and Invergordon on grand, all-inclusive tours of the Highlands and Islands as well as Norway, Britain and Ireland.
The sight of Jane McDonald drinking in the sunset and magical Scottish midsummer nights from on board the converted fishing boat Glen Tarsan during her Channel 5 TV series about cruising holidays had many rushing to book the Majestic Line. In fact, the website (majesticline.co.uk) crashed within the first 10 minutes of the programme due to the traffic overload!
The singer said on ‘Loose Woman’ that it was one of her favourite-ever cruises – and she has been on a few!
I’ve also been lucky enough to experience the excellent cuisine and service on this intimate ship, one of three vessels that explore Scotland’s dramatic west coast. We set off from Dunoon to cruise Arran and Argyll on a three-night break, enjoying behind-the-scenes visits of castles, country houses and whisky distilleries.
The mini-cruise vessels only sleep a maximum of 12 guests, so friends are quickly made and destinations include the Outer Hebrides and even remote St Kilda.
Small ships can be pricey, but the good news is that cruising is now not nearly as exclusive as it once was.
Cruise companies such as Fred. Olsen (fredolsencruises.com) offer more affordable departures from Greenock, Rosyth, Newcastle and Liverpool around Scotland or Norwegian Fjordland, the Med, Canaries, Iceland and even the Caribbean, with themed itineraries including British Wildlife and Highland Games.
At around 800-900 passengers, ships like Black Watch and Braemar are still small enough to feel intimate and friendly, but large enough to be easier on the pocket. An all-inclusive drinks package (from around £15 pp per night) can also be worthwhile, depending on how many cocktails or whiskies you want to consume!
An added bonus is that there is currently a free door-to-door transfer promotion on a selection of 2018 cruises booked before August 15, 2017.
Fred. Olsen tends to attract a more mature age group, as does Cruise and Maritime Voyages (cruiseandmaritime.com), which conveniently sails from Dundee, as well as Newcastle to destinations as varied as Iceland, the Northern Isles, Norway and the Baltic.
This traditional style of cruising is perfect for anyone who enjoys good food and entertainment such as cabaret, dancing, a nightclub, a selection of bars and on-board daytime activities like speakers, bridge and ‘Knit and Natter’ craft classes – or even a workout at the gym and swim in the pool if it’s warm enough.
Larger ships such as Princess Cruises, P&O and Norwegian Cruise Lines offer more family-friendly cruising with outdoor movie screens at sea, kids’ and teenage clubs, swimming pools, spas, sports courts and a busy entertainment programme.
As some of these ships home port in Southampton during summer, it’s a quick flight with FlyBe (flybe.com) from Edinburgh, Glasgow or Aberdeen to step on board.
Choosing the best ship for you can be a complicated process, perhaps aided by a visit to your local travel agent. Yet – like me, I bet once you take your first cruise, you’ll never look back…
Travel News
Escape to the Lake District this autumn for a theatre break from 6 October – 2 November 2017 and enjoy one night’s B&B at Storr’s Hall, a two-course pre-theatre dinner from the Tower Bar menu and two complimentary tickets to Alan Ayckbourn and Andrew Lloyd Webber’s musical By Jeeves from £112.50 pp. To book, call 015394 47111 and quote Old Laundry Theatre Break.
Virtual reality headsets may provide 360° views of hotel rooms and holiday resorts, but it seems that they could never replace real-life travel. A survey by Italy4Real discovered that 92% said that visiting a destination via a virtual reality headset would miss out on the smells, atmosphere, cuisine and opportunity to meet new people. On the plus side, there’d be no mozzie bites!
The Invergarry is a brand new luxury holiday retreat with a private hot tub in Aboyne, Aberdeenshire. Private, stylish and surrounded by breath-taking scenery, it has been designed just for couples. Available throughout July and August, it has been reduced from £230 to £195 per night. Visit oneoffplaces.co.uk/the-invergarry
Hot choice
First Choice offers seven-night holidays to Ibiza staying at the 3Sun Sirenis Cala Llonga Resort on an all-inclusive basis from £598 pp based on two adults sharing. This includes flights departing from Aberdeen Airport on 9th August 2017 and transfers. Visit firstchoice.co.uk or call 0871 200 7799.
