14 independent reviews for Isle of Mull and west coast of Scotland cruise

Reviews for Isle of Mull and west coast of Scotland cruise

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review 5 Jul 2025

1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?

It was fantastic— beginning to end — the captain and crew the route — and the food was as spectacular as the scenery!

2. What tips would you give other travellers booking this holiday?

Bring good rain gear so you can enjoy in all weather — we did!

3. Did you feel that your holiday benefited local people, reduced environmental impacts or supported conservation?

Yes

4. Finally, how would you rate your holiday overall?

Fantastic

review 27 Apr 2025

1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?

The camaraderie of the crew and their care made the whole experience wonderful.

2. What tips would you give other travellers booking this holiday?

Book early it’s not to be missed.

3. Did you feel that your holiday benefited local people, reduced environmental impacts or supported conservation?

Yes, although we were so well fed on board that we didn’t eat ashore! We did spend on local products. Care for the environment and conservation was clearly expressed

4. Finally, how would you rate your holiday overall?

I felt valued and considered. The whole holiday was a relaxing, special treat.

review 11 Oct 2024

1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?

The boat being surrounded by dolphins and the odd minki whale.

2. What tips would you give other travellers booking this holiday?

Pack using small bags. Take wet gear. Go with joy in your heart to meet new people from all walks of life.

3. Did you feel that your holiday benefited local people, reduced environmental impacts or supported conservation?

Somewhat. The food served definitely.

4. Finally, how would you rate your holiday overall?

Terrific adventure. Well worth the time and money.

review 11 Oct 2024

1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?

the locations

2. What tips would you give other travellers booking this holiday?

book it now

3. Did you feel that your holiday benefited local people, reduced environmental impacts or supported conservation?

yes

4. Finally, how would you rate your holiday overall?

excellent

review 14 Sep 2024

1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?

Sailing along side a pod of dolphins, estimated by the captain to number 60/80 in number

2. What tips would you give other travellers booking this holiday?

Be prepared to be amazed at the scenery

3. Did you feel that your holiday benefited local people, reduced environmental impacts or supported conservation?

Not sure

4. Finally, how would you rate your holiday overall?

Wonderful. The crew were magnificent, nothing was too much trouble. They were friendly, considerate and helpful at all times

Read the operator's response here:

Thank you Ivor! We are so pleased you enjoyed your cruise and were lucky enough to witness the pod of dolphins! Hope you have wonderful memories from your idyllic Mull cruise.

review 17 Aug 2024

1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?

Seeing the Northern Lights for the first time on my birthday, from the deck of our floating hotel in the wilds of Scotland

2. What tips would you give other travellers booking this holiday?

Be prepared for fabulous crew, food and vistas. Also be prepared for small cabins, bouncy seas and possibly rain.

3. Did you feel that your holiday benefited local people, reduced environmental impacts or supported conservation?

All the food served is locally sourced. We were served no less than 18 different Scottish cheeses over the 6 nights. Crew are aware of the effects of the cruise on the environment and work accordingly.

4. Finally, how would you rate your holiday overall?

We had a great trip. It definitely exceeded expectations.

Read the operator's response here:

Thank you for your kind words. We are so pleased that you enjoyed your cruise with us. The crew will be delighted that their efforts are appreciated, they work so hard to make sure our guests have the best experience.

review 5 Jul 2024

1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?

Food company seeing dolphins.

2. What tips would you give other travellers booking this holiday?

Get ready for a feast.

3. Did you feel that your holiday benefited local people, reduced environmental impacts or supported conservation?

Not regarding conservation but in terms of tourism and buying power from customers.

4. Finally, how would you rate your holiday overall?

It was great apart from the weather which the company can’t do anything about.

Read the operator's response here:

Thank you for your review Vicki. Our Mull cruise visits some of the wonderful small communities such as the charming village of Tobermory and the isle of Iona and others around the coast of Mull and surrounding islands. You may have noticed locally sourced produce in your onboard menus, which helps benefit local people as do the shore trips introducing guests to the delightful anchorages, villages and bays. Our crews are all trained in safe and responsible wildlife watching and love logging any sea mammal sightings on Hebridean Whale and Dolphin Trust's Whale Track App of which we are a corporate partner. We hope you had a wonderful cruise and look forward to seeing you again in the future. Remember, Scotland can be beautiful in any weather!

review 30 Sep 2023

1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?

We both loved the experience of being onboard and sailing around Scotland, seeing some of the places we had already visited from a different viewpoint. It was an extremely relaxing experience. Sadly, we didn’t manage to visit Iona or Staffa which were the main reasons for booking the trip but we totally understood the need for safety and the Skipper did very well to make the trip as interesting as possible under the circumstances. The quality and presentation of the food onboard was also outstanding and we thoroughly enjoyed every meal from breakfast to dinner - well done to the Chef!

2. What tips would you give other travellers booking this holiday?

If, you book in September …Don’t be disappointed if the weather disrupts the agenda, there is always plenty to see. Take good waterproof clothing (jacket & trousers) and boots/shoes - an umbrella might be handy if it isn’t too windy. Bring binoculars. I think everyone ‘changed’ for dinner but it was all very casual and comfortable.We found using ‘pack-it’ cubes helped as the storage space is limited and these allowed easy access to clothing from the shelves or the luggage stored under the bed. The beds are like divan beds without the drawers so there is room underneath. There are no laundry facilities onboard - towels were changed once - so we found small trek towels/swim towels were useful after showering as these would dry quickly and allowed the bath towels to stay drier.

3. Did you feel that your holiday benefited local people, reduced environmental impacts or supported conservation?

I think all the guests helped the local economy by using hotels, restaurants, cafes, shops and visiting the local museums. As a small boat our visual environmental impact appeared to be small - the Glen Tarsan certainly didn’t look out of place in the pretty harbors and Lochs, unlike the larger cruise ships and luxury yachts. We were lucky enough to see Red Deer Stags, White tailed Eagles, Harbour Porpoises, Seals, Jellyfish, Cormorants, Gannets - which was amazing and this helps to highlight the varied wildlife that lives around the Scottish coast and understand how precious it is. The Skipper has a keen eye and made sure that we didn’t miss anything!The Glen Tarsan and the tender run on diesel, so I guess that there are plans in place for a conversion at some point. I did notice that the crew had a recycle regime implemented for plastics, card, newspaper, bottles and tins - which we adhered to. Our food was sourced as locally as possible, which was excellent.The boat makes its own water and uses seawater for flushing toilets. We were asked to be mindful of the amount of washing water we used and I think everyone was, as I didn’t hear that more ‘clean’ water had to be created. Our only negative comment would be regarding the food leftover after meals because some of the guests only had really small appetites - that was sad, from the effort to produce it and the fact that nothing could be reused.

4. Finally, how would you rate your holiday overall?

This has to be a 5 star holiday, even though we didn’t get onto Iona or into Fingal’s Cave on Staffa. It was just so lovely to be ‘spoilt’ by all the crew and not have to think about a thing for 6 days! A really memorable experience on so many levels. The recommendation for safe parking worked well, as did the complementary taxis there and back.

Read the operator's response here:

Thank you for your kind review. We are sorry that the weather prevented you from getting to Iona and Staffa, but as you state safety has to be the priority. We hope to see you again soon.

review 8 Jul 2023

1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?

All of it but made special more so be the great crew.

2. What tips would you give other travellers booking this holiday?

Be prepared for the itinerary to change when or if weather changes.

3. Did you feel that your holiday benefited local people, reduced environmental impacts or supported conservation?

To some degree for all 3.

4. Finally, how would you rate your holiday overall?

Fantastic. We had a brilliant time and laughed the whole week. The crews attitude and attentiveness was the icing on the cake.

Read the operator's response here:

Thank you for your kind review, we are so pleased that you enjoyed your cruise with us.

review 28 Oct 2022

1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?

The chef, he was fantastic, preparing such quality food in such a small area, he was brilliant. Plus catching my first fish!!!

2. What tips would you give other travellers booking this holiday?

Go with an open mind, don't watch Jane MacDonald and expect what you see on TV, but go anyway, you will not be disappointed.

3. Did you feel that your holiday benefited local people, reduced environmental impacts or supported conservation?

I was pleased to spend money in the area and I could see what a profound effect Covid and Brexit had on the Western Isles. Not so sure about environmental impact or conservation.

4. Finally, how would you rate your holiday overall?

Excellent, value for money definitely, but we had Cabin 1 which did not leak. I felt a little sorry for those that experienced problems with water in the cabin. The crew were first rate and could not fault them, the company on board was also first rate. An experience I hope to repeat in a couple of years time, thank you.

Read the operator's response here:

Dear Michael Thank you so much for your very kind comments. We are delighted that you had a wonderful time and look forward to welcoming you back on board soon. We are very pleased to tell you that Glen Massan will spend the winter receiving some much-needed TLC and will be back to start the new season in April.

review 5 Oct 2021

1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?

Glen Massan crew were AMAZING

2. What tips would you give other travellers booking this holiday?

No extra tips necessary

3. Did you feel that your holiday benefited local people, reduced environmental impacts or supported conservation?

No particular comments

4. Finally, how would you rate your holiday overall?

Food - well balanced, plenty of variety and superbly presented in difficult conditions

review 10 Sep 2021

1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?

The wildlife The countryside The welcoming staff The food

2. What tips would you give other travellers booking this holiday?

Travel light Enjoy the company

3. Did you feel that your holiday benefited local people, reduced environmental impacts or supported conservation?

Yes

4. Finally, how would you rate your holiday overall?

A wonderful privileged memory

review 16 Sep 2018

1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?

All of it!!

2. What tips would you give other travellers booking this holiday?

Make sure you have waterproof over trousers and jacket. There are lots of lovely walks when onshore but if the weather is inclement, wet jeans can take away some of the pleasure.

3. Did you feel that your holiday benefited local people, reduced environmental impacts or supported conservation?

Yes. Trips were organised to various local businesses - we especially enjoyed our visit to the cheese factory at Tobermory; then there was whisky tasting and local chocolate tasting - which encouraged us to buy.

4. Finally, how would you rate your holiday overall?

Absolutely fabulous. The crew went the extra mile.......and much more.......to ensure that we had a wonderful holiday, despite poor weather. The food was amazingly good and the other passengers were excellent companions. All the onboard facilities were clean and comfortable and, for such a small boat, the cabins were surprisingly spacious.

review 26 May 2017

1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?

The scenery - although the weather was not too good - and the excellent food.

2. What tips would you give other travellers booking this holiday?

If going early in the season take clothes to keep you warm at night.

3. Did you feel that your holiday benefited local people, reduced environmental impacts or supported conservation?

Yes, the food was mostly locally sourced

4. Finally, how would you rate your holiday overall?

If the weather had been good I would have given it 5 stars

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