Review of Noble Caledonia Andalucian Odyssey on Hebridean Sky November 2021

[Host Jazzbeau]

This is a review of our Andalucian Odyssey cruise on Noble Caledonia Hebridean Sky from November 12 to 22, 2021.

We started, as all Noble Caledonia cruises do, by gathering at Heathrow for a group flight to Seville to board the ship [and we ended with another group flight from Málaga back to Heathrow].  This worked out well for us since there are no direct flights from the US to Seville or from Málaga to the US, and an overnight at the Sofitel hotel in Heathrow helped overcome jet lag before the cruise started.  [For those itineraries where we would prefer to fly on our own, Noble Caledonia offers an air rebate.]

 

The cruise started with 3 nights docked in Seville [right downtown, an easy walk to the Cathedral] from which we had full-day visits to Seville, Carmona, and Córdoba.  Then we sailed down the Guadquivir River to Cadiz, from which we visited Jerez de la Frontera and Cadiz itself.  The next day we were docked in Algeciras and we were originally scheduled to visit Casares & Manilva, but near the sail date Noble Caledonia decided to switch these sites for the Roman ruins at Baelo Claudia and the town of Tarifa.  Then we sailed across the bay to Gibraltar, for a full day there.  Next we were scheduled to sail around the Rock to Motril, but a severe storm was forecast so the Captain decided to do the shorter sail to Málaga, which would have been our port for the next two days anyway – that was a brilliant decision, as the storm was even worse than forecast and it gave us 3 nights docked in Málaga to end the cruise.  It did mean that the drive to Granada was a little longer, but after surviving the intense seas on the 'short' sail I'm sure everybody was glad to make the trade.  The second day in Málaga was a visit to Ronda, and the final day was reserved for Málaga itself.  We had no Sea Days, but starting and ending with 3 nights in the same port was a real treat!

 

 

This was our second cruise on Hebridean Sky in three months, and it was just as good as the first.  The bottom line is that this cruise again delivered, and Noble Caledonia is highly recommended to anyone who cruises for itinerary.

For more information, a day-by-day blog and lots of pictures can be found at:  https://jazzbeauxandalucianodysseyblog2021.wordpress.com/

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

We were attracted to Noble by their itineraries, small ships, and the interesting and welcoming website.

https://www.noble-caledonia.co.uk

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 Caledonia 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.

Standard Suites (11) on deck 2 have port holes and small showers.  Superior Suites (19) on deck 3 have a picture window and a larger bathroom.  Premium Suites (13) on deck 4 have a walk-in closet, but their picture windows look out on the Promenade Deck (and people can see in at night if you don't close the drapes).  Corner Sites (2) on deck 4 have two windows, facing front and to the side of the ship.  Deluxe Balcony Suites (8) on deck 5 have a veranda with two chairs and a small table.  Owner's Balcony Suites (5) on deck 6 have a much larger veranda (with the same furniture).  The Hebridean Suite (1) on deck 6 has more room everywhere, but the shower has a European-style half-door that always causes a flood for me...

I recommend any of the cabins with the provisos detailed above, but especially the Premium Suites (for best value) and the Owner's Balcony Suites (for most luxury – but you must book very early as these go quickly).

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 Caledonia’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 Caledonia delivered exactly what they had promised.  Kudos to both the London office and the onboard team!

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].

Food – Breakfast was as good as any cruise we have ever taken – Eggs Benedict and French toast were always freshly prepared and hot, service was attentive and flexible [DW 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…]

This was the last cruise before a four-month layup, so I wondered if we would be seeing a lot of ‘leftovers’ and ‘fridge cleanout’ menus.  That was not the case – the menus were just as varied and the ingredients just as fresh as on the prior cruise.  And the menus had more variation from that earlier cruise than you would see on many other cruise lines, with their fixed menu rotation.

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 and Guinness [although to be fair I never asked at the bar, only in the dining room].

Drinks aren’t included outside meals, but there were cocktails and wine at the welcome and farewell receptions and one night had a special open bar courtesy of the owner.  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 a hairdresser/beauty salon, but it is closed on these early post-Covid cruises  [luckily we are so naturally beautiful that we didn’t miss 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.

The shore excursions team worked their tails off, rolling with the changes [thankfully fewer on this trip than last time!] 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 still horrible.  Thank God it was free, because you wouldn’t want to pay for it.  We had signed up for the Verizon Wireless International Monthly Plan, or we wouldn’t even have been able to keep up with email on a regular basis.  [The Captain mentioned that the ship would have some updates during the coming layup, and I told him to make Wi-Fi the #1 priority!]

We were always greeted back on board with chilled [or warm, depending on the ambient temp] hand towels and a flute of some refreshing fruit 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, amazingly well traveled.  We were the only Americans again, and we felt very welcome and fit right in as to age and interests.

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 originally booked on a different Noble Caledonia cruise for a terrific itinerary in the Holy Land – Cyprus, 4 nights in Israel, Suez Canal, Cairo, Luxor (1 night in a hotel to maximize sightseeing time), Aqaba, then 2 nights at a hotel in Petra and 1 night at the Dead Sea before flying out of Amman, Jordan.  When it was cancelled, we were offered a discount to transfer to this cruise – and when I looked at this itinerary it seemed even better than the Azamara Spain Intensive cruise we had booked for 2022, so we jumped on it and are glad we did.

The Noble Caledonia philosophy is nicely summed up in this quote from one of their recent 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 often 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 two 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 the Sky ships have nothing to apologize for and, most importantly, 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!

[Ethel6666]

Thank you for again providing a very detailed review Host Jazzbeau. Sounds like a fabulous trip. Fingers crossed that the wifi on the ship is upgraded soon. Do you think it is possible for a man to cruise on NC in summer without jacket or tie? I know NC says smart casual but I’m not sure if the British version of smart casual coincides with that of we Aussies 🙂 Hoping to pack light as we are planning on doing the cruises as part of a much longer train/walking holiday.

[Host Jazzbeau]

1 hour ago, Ethel6666 said:

Thank you for again providing a very detailed review Host Jazzbeau. Sounds like a fabulous trip. Fingers crossed that the wifi on the ship is upgraded soon. Do you think it is possible for a man to cruise on NC in summer without jacket or tie? I know NC says smart casual but I’m not sure if the British version of smart casual coincides with that of we Aussies 🙂 Hoping to pack light as we are planning on doing the cruises as part of a much longer train/walking holiday.

It wouldn't be a problem.  Most nights we didn't see many men wearing a jacket.  On the Captain's Welcome and Farewell dinners there were more jackets, but still some men without.  [There was even one couple in full black tie formal (he sporting a white dinner jacket) – boy did they stand out!]  I routinely dress in a polo shirt (long or short sleeve depending on the season) and navy slacks.  I do bring a sport coat since there's a special 'suiter' area of my main suitcase and the fabric travels beautifully, but I wouldn't feel compelled to just for Noble Caledonia.

 

In a broader sense our fellow passengers were very tolerant of our American foibles, as I'm sure they would be of yours.  We were obviously a source of come curiosity, but never antagonism.  In fact almost everyone we met had some personal connection to the US (worked there, have children there) and I expect that would also apply to Australia.

 

But I wouldn't get my hopes up about the wifi.  Our fellow passengers were well aware of it and resigned to it.  It wouldn't have been a problem for most except for the UK Passenger Locator Forms – and they could have done that on their phones except that Brexit has caught some of them short with the new roaming charges.  Maybe that issue will finally force Noble Caledonia to fix the problem...

[Ethel6666]

Thank you. I’m relieved to hear that my husband won’t be out of place sans jacket and tie. 
 

It is interesting that NC’s clientele is almost exclusively British, although not surprising as they seem not to do much advertising or have much of a social media presence. We will look forward to being Australian curiosities, although I also have ties to England as my mum was a ten pound Pom.
 

Wifi isn’t a deal breaker I guess, but we are now rather used to having it in everyday life.