A real sleeper in the North American market, this line started with one converted Scottish ferry in 1989 and turned it into a top-of-the-line 49-passenger luxury Scottish country hotel with top-end prices to match. The company then added a second vessel, the Hebridean Spirit, for international cruises. Both cater primarily to the very high end British market.
Fleet & Itineraries
The Hebridean Princess celebrates everything Scottish andmainly cruises the Western Isles though she also ventures to the Shetlands and Orkneys, Norway and to Ireland. The little vessel often anchors at night in a quiet cove.In 2001, the more internationally-flavored Hebridean Spirit joined the companyas a rebuilt Renaissance Six, down from 112 to 80 passengers, with greatlyimproved interior layout. While designed to travel well beyond the British Isles and even east of Suez, the timing (2001) could have not been worse and thecompany struggled to survive. In the summer of 2006, Queen Elizabeth, bereft ofher Royal Yacht Britannia, chartered the Hebridean Princess for a week, and thelittle ship became famous overnight
Dining and Decor
Seating is arranged as at a hotel with couples at tables fortwo and friends at a joint table. Singles sit together at an officer’s table.Dining and service are tops, and the ships have a country house hotelatmosphere.
Programs
A destination lecturer is aboard. Shore excursions in Scotland may be on foot or in a bus on a scenic drive to a stately home. The internationalprogram has a more typical shore program though the numbers going ashore areless than one hundred.
Onboard Experience
Passengers are mainly British combining old money and newsharing a well-mannered small sea-going world. Anglophile Americans are welcomein very small numbers so as to maintain the British/Scottish atmosphere. Lifeaboard is very social especially before and after dinner.
Competitors
While there may be other luxury ships, there is no parallelto a Hebridean International thoroughly British cruise experience
