Tag Archives: Scotland

Scotland’s Majestic Line set to sail again in August

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Small Ship Cruise Line Review: The Majestic Line - Quirky Cruise

Scottish small-ship cruising company Majestic Line is set to start cruising again from August 29.

Two ships from the four-vessel fleet will be operating six-night cruises with a reduced number of guests onboard.

Majestic Line has completed VisitScotland’s Good to Go accreditation to show it is adhering to the government and public health guidance and has carried out a Covid-19 risk assessment.

Customers will be able to choose from the line’s most popular cruises – Mull and Her Inlets and Islands or Skye and the Inner Hebrides – plus one-off itineraries called Captain’s Choice, and Isles of the Clyde and the Southern Hebrides.

Ken Grant, managing director, said: “We have many guests who are very keen to cruise with us this year and having looked long and hard at the options and how best we can confidently offer a cruise experience that is enjoyable and safe we feel that we are now in a position to cruise safely once again.”

Crew members are tested weekly to ensure they are Covid-free, and staff and passengers will also have their temperatures checked.

There is increased daily cleaning and sanitisation of all public areas.

Majestic Line offers trade sales, with 5% commission.

The UK government currently advises against cruising in international waters but Majestic Line operates solely in Scottish waters.

Each Majestic Line cruise carries no more than 12 guests with four crew.

Doing more onshore

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The Palace at Versailles
For all the fuss river cruise lines make about their pretty ships (and don’t get me wrong, most are a visual delight), the truth is that many of the most memorable river cruising moments don’t take place on the water – they take place on land.

Yes, images of boats sell cruises. And yes, we all love to get a sneak peak of and visually approve of our sleek vacation accommodations before we journey out into the world. But in theory, those accommodations are just a means to an end, a literal vessel to bring us to the places we battle through long flights and jetlag to get to: the destination itself.

In recognizing that, river cruise lines are steadily highlighting and enhancing experiences that go beyond the hardware with ever more intriguing onshore programs. For instance, Crystal River Cruises has said that in addition to its onboard culinary program, its guests will have access to dining experiences at Michelin-starred restaurants. In fact, each 2017 Crystal river itinerary will feature at least one Michelin-starred dining opportunity, the first of which will be complimentary, the company has promised.

 
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Tauck, a tour operator first and foremost, has repeatedly touted its emphasis on and investment in onshore experiences. The company recently announced that it would continue along that path by adding more and enhanced shore excursions for 2018.

Along those lines, Tauck has secured exclusive pre-opening visits to Versailles and after-hours tours of the Louvre (both of which have been piloted on select departures in 2017 and will be expanded for next year). In 2018, some river cruise passengers will also be invited to a private Tauck dinner inside the German Parliament building, and there will be an included lunch at Alain Ducasse’s newest restaurant, Ore, in Versailles.

Hotel barge company European Waterways said that it has also noticed that passengers are asking for more immersive and experiential encounters ashore. In response, the company is adding excursions such as an exclusive tour of a castle garden in Scotland led by the head gardener, and the opportunity to try some fresh oysters after a private tour of an oyster farm. 

 
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Castle at Loch Ness, Scotland


In recent years, European Waterways said that it has also worked to better curate its wine tastings excursions to passengers’ tastes and to enhance the culinary experience by including more private cooking demonstrations with regional chefs.

You see, while it’s definitely a close cousin of ocean cruising, river cruising is by nature of the restricted size of the vessels never going to be able to bank on the “ship as the destination” appeal that many blue-water behemoths benefit from. Thus, while the promise of a fetching ship and a comfortable mode of travel may lure many travelers to river cruising, it will ultimately be the “wow” moments onshore that are likely keep them hooked.

Britannia passengers will be ale and arty as P&O adds best of Britain

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P&O Britannia Union Jack Designed Hull.

Talk about Drool Britannia!

Craft brewers from as far afield as Speyside and Dunbartonshire, Scotland, and the Isle of Man and Dorset, have been recruited to stock the shelves of P&O’s Brodie’s bar on its new ship – named in honour of its founding partner Brodie McGhie Willcox.

Among the 70 beers and ciders P&O Cruises are lining up are Black Sheep from Masham, North Yorks and Rutland Panther from Oakham. You’ll also find Admiral Lord Collingwood from Northumberland rubbing shoulders with a Knight of the Garter from Windsor and Eton.

And that’s not all. There’s Chocolate Tom from Cheshire, Bath’s Ginger Hare, Orange Peel from Devizes, Wilts, and Aberdeen’s Brew Dog.

With a couple (or more) beers inside them, passengers might be forgiven for doing a double take when they walk past a pair of artworks that best represent Britain today.

Best of British: One of the Spirit of Modern Britain artworks which will be displayed on board P&O’s record-breaking new ship

The ship, being christened in Southampton on March 10, takes a prominent position but so does Glastonbury’s Michael Eavis with his beard represented by festival revellers and London’s Shard – which might be the tallest building in Europe but would be dwarfed by Britannia if it was stood on its stern.

Mary Berry, who is expected to be giving lessons in the Cookery School and Marco Pierre White, who is devising menus for gala dinners, are also there, along with faces less likely to be seen on board such as Posh and Becks, Boris Johnson and Simon Cowell.

Fares for seven nights on the biggest ship to be built for the British market start at £699pp.

See video of Britannia undergoing her first sea trials below

Video of mv Britannia going through her paces