2 May 2015
Mull and her Inlets and Islands
George McFarland
Although the meals were fabulous and we were lucky to have like minded passengers for our cruise, we were so disappointed that the weather was so influential in spoiling what should have been a great experience.
We were on the Around Mull Wildlife cruise where most of the highlights are on the western side of Mull. We were told that due to weather conditions we would definitely not be venturing away from the eastern side of Mull. Therefore we did not go to Iona, Lunga, Ulva and Gometra, Fingals Cave on Staffa etc which are highlighted in the brochures and information. The guests unanimously wished to at least attempt to venture west, but this wasn't considered.
Unfortunately we felt we had a timid skipper and there was no Plan B initially to compensate. Interested future passengers should understand that the weather and crew can make or break this cruise.
The Majestic Line commented: We also were very disappointed for George and the other guests for the extremely bad weather on the week of their cruise. It was the worst May weather we can remember and was UK wide. The Skipper did not venture to the west side of Mull due to safety considerations which were supported by the company. The Sound of Mull is very protected compared to the west of the island – the strength of the wind if the vessel had left sheltered waters would have been very dangerous. During that week, none of the local cruise boats attempted to reach the west side of Mull and even the day trip boats did not venture out. The sea would have been far too rough to land on the islands and since wildlife also does not venture out in bad weather, the risk is simply not worth it. Our cruising area is remote and from time to time the weather can be poor, although on this particular week it was extreme. It is very unusual for our vessels not to reach the west side of the Island and last season 90% of cruises reached the full itinerary. The entire area around Mull is stunningly beautiful and all
