Hebridean Princess, 236 feet, was inaugurated in 1964 and has been refit to accommodate 49 passengers. Princess began service as the MacBrayne car ferry Columba, carrying up to 600 passengers and 50 cars between the Scottish islands. The ship was purchased by Hebridean Island Cruises in 1988 and emerged a year later as a luxury cruise ship. Princess offers fine cuisine and wine service, 30 luxurious cabins and itineraries between four to eight nights departing mainly from Oban.
Representative of Princess itinerary is the seven-night roundtrip excursion from Oban. En route on this itinerary are two stops at mainland Scotland ports, eight stops at Inner Hebrides ports and two stops at Outer Hebrides ports.
Hebridean Island Cruises
Kintail House, Carleton New Road
Skipton, North Yorkshire BD23 2DE
England
+011-44-01756-704-700
hebridean.co.uk/index.html
The National Trust for Scotland is a charity organized to preserve Scottish places of historic interest or natural beauty. The 457-foot Spirit of Adventure was inaugurated in 1998 with a major refit in 2008, and accommodates 350 passengers. Accommodations are available in inside and outside cabins, with binoculars provided for outside cabins. Dining is provided in a single setting and open-seating (you choose with whom you sit). Spirit of Adventure has one indoor and one outdoor heated pool.
Representative of the Spirit's itinerary is the 14-night roundtrip excursion from Dover, England. Spirit docks in the following cities for full days: St. Peter Port, Guernsey; Dartmouth, England; Tresco (Isles of Scilly); Dublin, Ireland; Holyhead, Wales; Belfast, Ireland; Oban, Scotland; Portree Isle of Skye, Scotland; Stornoway, Isle of Lewis; Scrabster, Scotland; Kirkwall, Orkney Islands; and Newcastle-upon-Tyne, England.
The National Trust for Scotland
Wemyss House, 28 Charlotte Square
Edinburgh, Scotland
United Kingdom EH2 4ET
011-44-0844-493-2100
nts.org.uk/Cruises/spirit_home.php
Westerdam, at 936 feet, was inaugurated in 2004 and can accommodate 1,916 passengers, with 85 percent of staterooms having an ocean view. The theme of Westerdam is Dutch heritage in the New World, with paintings of historic Dutch ships and various Dutch nautical sculptures and statues displayed throughout the ship. Westerdam has a multi-storied atrium amidships and the Crow's Nest (nightclub) on the top level of the ship with floor-to-ceiling windows for spectacular viewing. Children have organized, supervised activities with Club Hal, while teens have their own activities with The Loft.
Representative of the Westerdam's itinerary is the 12-day roundtrip excursion from Rotterdam, The Netherlands. This Scottish Isles cruise stops in St. Peter Port, Guernsey; Dublin, Ireland; Belfast, Ireland; Glasgow, Scotland; Isle of Skye, Scotland; Invergordon, Scotland; Edinburgh, Scotland; and Newcastle-upon-Tyne, England.
Holland America Line
300 Elliott Avenue West
Seattle, WA 98119
206-281-3535
hollandamerica.com
