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Reviews 2.7.

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Nile Cruise on SS Misr

We took the Nile cruise on SS Misr in 2023. Very disappointed. The boat is not a good choice as cabins are cramped and impractical not to mention dark and dingy. The sun deck us unusable due to constant emission of smuts and black soot from the engines. Many guests had clothes ruined and seat cushions were unusable for the same reason. Food questionable and boring buffet every day. Only tables of 6 and limited dining hours. Personally I had the worst sickness/ diarrhea of my life, twice. Approx a quarter of guests affected too. After returning home we wrote to the company voicing our complaints but didn't even have the courtesy of a reply. I would never use this over priced company again.

Date of experience : 21 February 2023

Excellent small group travel

My wife and I have travelled with Noble Caledonia over 10 times and each time have had little or no complaints . The trips are well organised with great expedition staff, excellent food and ,where necessary , good quality hotels . We have taken both land, river and small ship holidays and do recommend travel with them. We have had some small complaints which have been dealt with quickly and always resolved in our favour. The holidays are not cheap but you get what you paid for .

Date of experience : 07 March 2023

I don’t believe these negative reviews

I read the reviews on this site with interest. Personally I have been on 3 Noble Caledonia tours in the last year. The first to Italy (Venice ) and Croatia, the second on a Nile cruise and the third a cruise from Egypt to Greece where I took the opportunity to spend 2 additional nights in Athens. Each and every cruise was super. So I fail to see why there are negative reviews. The accommodations, the Noble staff, the ships crew and the official guides were all phenomenal. I’m currently on a Noble land tour. I’m half way through it and so far it has been the same as the previous 3, well organised, interesting and I’ve met a lovely crowd of like minded individuals. Do yourselves a favour. Try again, I’m sure you’ll be surprised.

Date of experience : 07 September 2023

Accident on board a cruise

In short, a chair on which I was sitting in my cabin broke and I was thrown to the floor. This was September 2022 and I write this in July 2023. The company accepted no responsibility, merely wishing me a speedy recovery. The last half of my holiday was ruined and I am still not fully recovered some ten months later. Shoddy behaviour by an allegedly reputable company.

Date of experience : 09 September 2022

My wife and I became non-persons…

My wife and I became non-persons confined to our cabin when she tested pos for covid a few days in to our very expensive Scottish Isles cruise. Eating tray meals sitting on the prison bed wasn't part of our expectation. We were strongly encouraged to leave the ship at Stornoway, which we did rather than spend another 6 days in confinement, and then spent 4 difficult days trying to get home whilst dealing with covid symptoms. Meanwhile, not a single phone call from them to establish whether we were ok. Hey ho ! But top marks to the ship's Doctor, a sympathetic Ukrainian who did his best. So if you book with them, you need to factor in a fairly unsympathetic response if you are unlucky enough to contract covid from other passengers.

Date of experience : 21 June 2022

Avoid! Having joined an aborted cruise in…

Having joined an aborted cruise in March 2020 (covid) we found their office both unhelpful and obstructive when trying to claim some recompense for curtailment from themselves and our insurance company. Generally their cruises are overpriced for v average accommodation/food. The mediocre guides/experts all enjoy a 5* cruise at your expense. Definitely not worth the money. Avoid at all costs

Date of experience : 09 July 2022

No go if you are an American!

I guess it would be nice to be able to write a review, but as an American I am not able to book a cabin on any cruise at all. They simply do not return calls or emails, or state that all the cabins are sold when there are available ones on their website. I guess they have forgotten that they would all be speaking German were it not for our fathers.....

Date of experience : 03 May 2022

DISCRIMINATION to Single traveler - only allowed lowest rated cabins for top rate price

Just called to book a trip with Noble Caledonia - single traveler prepared to pay for higher rated cabin pus the extortionate single supplement. Response was singles only allocated lowest rated cabins! Is this discrimination? Prepared to pay but not allowed to? What is wrong with a lone traveler? Is this even legal?

Date of experience : 09 May 2018

We have just lost our case under the…

We have just lost our case under the ABTA Arbitration scheme after a river cruise on a very poor chartered vessel. Noble Caledonia were able to state that they never claimed the vessel was "more akin to a private yacht or a country house hotel" (see their website), because that statement was not in the contract for the chartered vessel. We will never travel with this company again. If you wish to spend big money (as was the cost of this river cruise) then we would recommend Seabourn, who unlike Noble Caledonia go more than the extra mile to help if anything goes wrong, no matter how small. The Travel Industry must be laughing all the way to the bank to see the end of the Ombudsman scheme.

Date of experience : 26 February 2019

Another Single Not Allowed to Book!

I called to book a trip with Noble Caledonia following an email clearly detailing single cabin availability. I asked if they had cabins available for the specified trip and was told there were. I then said I wanted to book as a solo traveler as per their email. I was told they weren't accepting solo bookings until they knew they could not sell cabins for double occupancy - they lost money when including solo travelers and 'odd numbers' could prove disruptive!!! Reading the previous reviews it looks as if I have had a lucky escape - I still would like to do that trip though (maybe another company offers a similar routing).

Date of experience : 14 May 2019

Blacklisted after 38 previous trips!

We are possibly one of Noble Caledonia's most loyal customers. At the time of taking our last cruise on MV Elixir we had four more already booked and this was our 39th trip with them. They have had over £600,000 of our money over the years and yet with no explanation they have decided that our custom is no longer required... We suspect that the reason for this is that the cruise director was completely useless. Specifically the Zodiac procedures on this ship were, in my opinion, dangerous. Despite a safety briefing lasting less than 5 minutes, the crew made no attempt to follow their own procedures. On the first return to the ship, the zodiac was not secured to the ship, there was nobody on the landing platform, the two crew on the zodiac were holding onto the landing stage, no two handed grips were used - you get the picture. The cruise director was at the top of the ladder and when I tried to tell him about the potential dangers, he completely blanked me. I tackled him later over lunch. He was dismissive and said he had no control over the procedures as these were down to the ship. When I pressed him, he accused me of shouting at him and said that he deserved respect. I was not shouting at him and walked away to get a drink to defuse the situation. When I returned he said he would arrange for me to speak to the captain. It never happened. At Delos the crew of the zodiac were literally hanging on by their fingertips to the tread of the old tyres on the dock wall. They overloaded the zodiac. I did remark that it felt like a cross channel migrant crossing. Again when we returned to the ship, it was not secured. I was the first passenger off and refused to move until the zodiac was secured, one member of crew had got onto the landing platform, and the proper two handed safety grips were used. I tackled the cruise director again at a briefing meeting. He said he would talk to me separately afterwards. It never happened. So I wrote a long letter of complaint to Noble Caledonia. Rather than a response, I received a cursory letter from Noble informing me that they had received reports of rude and abusive behaviour (after 39 trips this was never commented on previously?) and that they had decided to cancelled all future bookings. I suspect that knowing that I was going to complain about the completely useless cruise director, he'd managed to put the boot in first. Needless to say I don't expect they'll be bothering to read my complaint letter. This is an appalling way to treat loyal and long standing repeat customers. No discussion. No attempt to establish my viewpoint. There are plenty of other cruise companies offering the same trips, especially bearing in mind that Noble now have only 2 ships of their own. I've already re-booked two of my banned journeys with other companies. My advise - don't use them. They don't care about you.

Date of experience : 21 October 2023

Refused to make good on a full refund after they held our deposit for over two years and then canceled their own tour.

Date of experience : 30 September 2022

Do not use - they will cancel your trip!

We spent years researching and saving for a once-in-a-lifetime voyage to Antarctica, and finally settled on the Noble Caledonia cruise ‘Antarctica – Land of Heroes’, an extensive cruise to the Falklands, South Georgia and the Antarctic Peninsula. We booked early to make sure we could select the cabin we wanted and Noble Caledonia happily took our deposit, thereby (we thought) guaranteeing our place on the cruise. Safe in the knowledge that our place was assured we booked our return flights to Buenos Aires, again early enough to get the exact flights we wanted. Three months after taking our money Noble Caledonia decided they could make more money by redeploying the ship MS Island Sky to Easter Island and cancelled our cruise. This was a crushing disappointment for us. Worse still, Noble Caledonia resolutely refuse to offer any kind of compensation for the loss of our flights even though this was entirely their decision. Now we feel utterly betrayed as well as disappointed. Noble Caledonia’s booking conditions are desperately one-sided. If the customer cancels for any reason they forfeit a massive expense – anywhere from 10% to 100% of the total cost. If Noble Caledonia cancels for any reason they don’t incur any expense at all – they merely return your deposit. It’s one thing to write such escape clauses into the small print, but it’s another thing entirely to actually treat your customers with such contempt. The Noble Caledonia business model is based on alienation of existing customers for short term gain. If they have done this to us they will certainly do this to others. Avoid this company at all cost!!!

Date of experience : 17 February 2023

1 star: Bad – unacceptable experience, unreasonable and rude conduct.

After spending a small fortune on a 2017 cruise we expected - and I quote -"The experience and atmosphere onboard one of our vessels is very different to that onboard the usual big cruise ships and is more akin to a private yacht or country house hotel" - well, it certainly didn't feel like that to us when we were rudely and unreasonably 'ejected' from the ships restaurant at 10.15 one evening following a specious complaint from an anonymous fellow passenger. Profuse apologies subsequently followed, but not a penny offered in compensation! We agree with what TrustPilot says "We believe that people's voices should be heard, which is why we're dedicated to helping everyone share their genuine experiences".

Date of experience : 20 May 2018

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Noble Caledonia Island Sky Deck Plans & Reviews

Noble Caledonia Island Sky

Activities & entertainment.

• Enrichment Lectures
• Hair Dresser & Beauty Center *
• Informal Gatherings
• Nightly Briefings
• Restaurant - International
• Lido Deck Buffet - Casual

Reviews We perform checks on reviews. Tripadvisor’s approach to reviews Before posting, each Tripadvisor review goes through an automated tracking system, which collects information, answering the following questions: how, what, where and when. If the system detects something that potentially contradicts our community guidelines , the review is not published. When the system detects a problem, a review may be automatically rejected, sent to the reviewer for validation, or manually reviewed by our team of content specialists, who work 24/7 to maintain the quality of the reviews on our site. Our team checks each review posted on the site disputed by our community as not meeting our community guidelines . Learn more about our review moderation.

• Excellent 4
• Very Good 1
• All languages ( 6 )
• English ( 6 )

Hebridean Sky Review

An APT small-ship cruise on Hebridean Sky around western Europe’s coast from London to Barcelona packs in two weeks of stunning variety, as Brian Johnston discovers. And check out some special offers at the end […]

Noble Caledonia reviews

Read our Noble Caledonia reviews to hear from  Cruise Passenger  experts on their experiences.

Hebridean Sky

History, opera, Mediterranean sunshine… Sue Bryant soaks it all up as she cruises around Sicily on the Hebridean Sky, one of Noble Caledonia’s intimate ships. A small-ship cruise around Sicily, a chance of late summer […]

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Hebridean Sky (Noble Caledonia) Deck Plans & Reviews

Hebridean Sky (Noble Caledonia)

Activities & entertainment.

• Enrichment Lectures
• Hairdresser & Beauty *
• Informal Gatherings
• Nightly Briefings
• Restaurant - International
• Lido Deck Buffet - Casual

Reviews We perform checks on reviews. Tripadvisor’s approach to reviews Before posting, each Tripadvisor review goes through an automated tracking system, which collects information, answering the following questions: how, what, where and when. If the system detects something that potentially contradicts our community guidelines , the review is not published. When the system detects a problem, a review may be automatically rejected, sent to the reviewer for validation, or manually reviewed by our team of content specialists, who work 24/7 to maintain the quality of the reviews on our site. Our team checks each review posted on the site disputed by our community as not meeting our community guidelines . Learn more about our review moderation.

• Excellent 3
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Home Blog Noble Caledonia MS Island Sky Review

Noble Caledonia MS Island Sky Review

“one of the finest small ships in the world” – step aboard the ms island sky.

Recently, I was lucky enough to be invited aboard Noble Caledonia’s MS Island Sky , which was conveniently (for me) docked in nearby Portsmouth.  Having travelled down to the south-coast, I made my way through the impressive International Cruise Terminal and was welcomed onboard by one of the ship’s representatives for a guided tour of what Noble Caledonia claim to be “one of the finest small ships in the world”.

Constructed in 1992 and newly refurbished at the beginning of the year, MS Island Sky is a vessel bursting with character and it’s apparent upon entering the lobby that Noble Caledonia really has considered every facet of the ship’s layout and design with their guests in mind.

MS Island Sky – a tour of the public spaces

The MS Island Sky’s public areas are neatly appointed and it feels surprisingly spacious for a vessel that has a capacity of just 114 guests.   There’s a tasteful art deco influence that runs throughout the ship – which was I felt was apt considering the release and popularity of the  recent film The Great Gatsby.

The MS Island Sky’s main dining room – complete with framed batik artwork on the walls – is a cosy silver-service restaurant that provides enough space for all of the ship’s guests to dine in one sitting.  It would appear the dining room is one of the recent refurbishment’s main benefactors, with the brass upholstery shimmering under the lights overhead and the neutral coloured fabrics contrasting nicely with the use of dark woods.

The food served in the dining room is designed to please all palettes and one look at the menu is enough to convince me that I could quite happily enjoy a 2 or 3 week cruise on the MS Island Sky without ever wanting to eat elsewhere.   The ship’s chefs pride themselves on the cuisine they prepare, with many of the dishes incorporating regionally-sourced produce.

The ship also caters well for those who are seeking a more informal dining experience and the Lido Deck offers a BBQ/Salad/Pasta bar along with a small menu showcasing à la carte options.

Noble Caledonia is a line famed for offering culturally immersive itineraries and therefore it’s no surprise that one of the most pleasing rooms on MS Island Sky is the lecture theatre.  Grand, and with more than enough seating to ensure great vantage points for everyone , it’s the perfect venue for hosting expert lecturers and guest speakers.

Other public spaces on the ship include the library and the bar area, both of which also showcase a level of warmth and intimacy that will appeal to guests who wish to seek out some quiet time during their voyage.

On a related point, I was extremely interested to hear that every piece of artwork used on MS Island Sky is original and sourced at auction by the ship’s owners. I find little flourishes like this really add to a ship’s ambience.

MS Island Sky – onboard accommodation

Following my tour of the public spaces, I went off to explore the ship’s accommodation options.   All the suites on MS Island Sky come equipped with an en-suite shower, though sadly there are no baths (however, these are available on her sister ship Caledonia Sky ).

Standard Suite (Forward) – Lead-In –Suite Number 250 – Magellan Deck

The lead-in category of suite, the Standard Suite is of a reasonable size but appears larger due to the three porthole windows.

Standard Suite (Mid Ship) – Suite Number 262 – Magellan Deck

With four porthole windows, this is a bright and airy option that offers plenty of light.  It is possible to have a 3 rd guest in the suite, but arrangements would need to be made at the time of booking so that a sofa bed can be provided (there is a sofa, but it’s not a sofa bed).

Premium Suite (Mid Ship) – Suite Number 428 – Marco Polo Deck

Located on one of the ship’s upper decks, the Premium Suite is a great choice for those looking for a bit more space.  However, those seeking a high-level of privacy should be made aware that the Outside Deck is accessible around the whole of the ship, so it is possible for other guests to look inside the suite as they pass by – unless the curtains are closed. Not ideal for everyone.

Deluxe Balcony Suite (Mid Ship) – Suite Number 511 – Erikson Deck

A touch smaller than the Premium option, the Deluxe Balcony Suites offer a walk-in wardrobe and private balcony along with a table and chairs – perfect for a spot of relaxation and fresh air during lazy days at sea.

Owners Suite (Mid Ship) – Suite Number 603 – Explorer Deck

MS Island Sky offers a choice of four Owners Suites, each one offering a large balcony and a separate living area with a curtain.  Lavishly furnished and extremely spacious, the only downside is the lack of a walk-in wardrobe.

MS Island Sky:  “The Orient Express of the Seas”

With my tour of MS Island Sky now drawing to a close, I was left to consider what I had seen and to which of my clients I might recommend this fine vessel.  The best way I can think of describing MS Island Sky is as “The Orient Express of the Seas”, which sounds rather grandiose, though I truly believe the comparison has some merit.

If you’re a cruise enthusiast who has passion for smaller luxury vessels and interesting itineraries that promise experiences beyond the more traditional schedules, then it would be hard to go wrong with booking a voyage on MS Island Sky.  Upcoming itineraries include tours of the Black Sea, Russia and the Cape Verde Islands, so there’s plenty of choice and diversity for those who are interested in enjoying the Noble Caledonia experience.

If you would like further information on the MS Island Sky – or if you have any questions you’d like answering regarding my ship visit, then please call me on 0800 008 6677.  Alternatively, leave a comment below and I’ll get back to you shortly.

Paul Andrews, Cruise Expert, The Cruise Line. Copyright 2013.

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Thoughts on Noble Caledonia cruises

By Ethel6666 , August 4, 2023 in Other Cruise Lines

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There isn’t a lot to be found in the way of reviews about Noble Caledonia cruises (thank you to Host Jazzbeau for his extensive ones) so I thought I’d provide a brief summary of thoughts on our recent two cruises.

First a bit about us - we are a couple in our 50s/60s, not much cruising experience, mainly do independent travel, like nature and ‘out of the way’ places.

We did B2B Hebrides to the Faroes and Norway, 22 days. The itineraries were what attracted us to these cruise, very port intensive (we don’t like sea days) and going to places that are not on your average mainstream cruise itinerary. The Hebridean Sky being a small ship with just over 100 passengers can get into smaller ports.

We found the ‘hotel’ side of the cruise to be exceptionally good. The cabin (Scott deck, balcony), was spacious, lots of storage and well maintained. The food was very much to our taste, with an interesting selection of high quality meats, local produce, fresh salads and vegetable dishes. For example, we had duck, guinea fowl, lamb, lobster, locally sourced deer, sea trout, smoked salmon, shrimp, oysters, to name a few. We ate at the Lido whenever it was open and it had a large choice at breakfast and lunch, dinner was served with the same menu as the dining room. The service levels were very good, and the officer responsible for the hotel side of the business was very personable and often present and providing service at meals - leading from the front. Wine and beer were included with meals and top ups were frequent and generous. Outside of meal times, alcohol could be purchased at the bar and the prices were very reasonable, similar to UK pub prices. There was also a typical British afternoon tea every day, but we didn’t feel the need to try it as we enjoyed the other meals too much. The staff really go out of their way to offer a great service, for example keeping the Lido open whenever possible, even in not so good weather when only a few tables want to dine there - we appreciated this.

The clientele was mostly British, with a few from US, NZ and Aust. Most of them are extremely well travelled, many seem to have done quite a number Noble Caledonia cruises. Quite a few people seemed to be on their ‘second lap’ of the itineraries- having been to places multiple times, even Antartica (I wish I had their travel budget!). The first cruise was classed as an expedition cruise, and attracted a slightly younger demographic but on the second cruise I would say the majority might have been well into their 70s or older - something worth bearing in mind if you are in a younger age group. We found it was noticeably older than the other 2 cruises we’ve done (Celebrity, APT). The atmosphere on board is a bit ‘proper’ as some guests from the US that we chatted to described it, very British although we found most people to be friendly enough and only met one or two Hyacinth Buckets.

Excursions are all included. This is probably where our personal preferences come into play. We very much liked the zodiac landings and walking tours of the islands, for example St Kilda, although at times the groups were quite large. We also appreciated the value of cruising right into the Norwegian Fjords, visiting some less touristed islands and some of the special excursions, like the concert at the Edvard Grieg museum in Bergen. Some days, though, were bus tours, which we found we didn’t enjoy so much - I don’t think they are really our thing, even though the scenery is great, we prefer to be out and walking - useful to find this out! Of course you are free to do your own thing if docked near town, and we took up this option a few times as we enjoy wandering without a group. Of note, there are no ‘slow walkers’ options, so given the age group, the pace can be a bit slow for averagely fit 50s/60s year olds. Mostly local guides were used, so we heard some good stories about local life - some of them were excellent, some a bit less so! The expedition crew were exceptionally good, very knowledgeable in their specialities and very accessible, sitting with the guests very often at breakfast and lunch. There were also lectures provided each day, a very good guest speaker, and a few ‘surprises’ like pulling up to a glacier one evening for a stroll. Due to weather we missed a couple of ports that are known to be difficult to reach on the first leg, but a substitute was found, so no extra sea days, which we appreciated.

Overall, we thought Noble Caledonia offers a pretty plush product.

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Host Jazzbeau

2 hours ago, Ethel6666 said: The atmosphere on board is a bit ‘proper’ as some guests from the US that we chatted to described it, very British although we found most people to be friendly enough and only met one or two Hyacinth Buckets.

I'm not sure how to react to this.  We have always been the only two Americans [North Americans, even] onboard our Noble Caledonia cruises.  Maybe because we are Anglophiles [we can both quote every line from 'Allo, 'Allo and Are You Being Served?  and I can add The Two Ronnies and Flanders & Swann ] and of the typical age group for this cruise line [and we always dress "country club casual" by preference], but we felt welcomed and basically right at home.  Never met a Hyacinth or an Onslow onboard...

@Host Jazzbeau  I didn’t mean to imply we felt unwelcome, not at all, even though my husband isn’t in to country club casual. We certainly had some great conversations and met some lovely people.  Definitely no Onslows spotted, maybe a Richard or two.

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