Meet our newest sales team member

Abigail Stevens - Sales Consultant

Abigail is the newest member of the reservations team. Born and bred in Yorkshire, she studied Travel and Tourism at Craven College in Skipton. Abigail originally joined Hebridean as maternity cover in February 2016 and was offered a permanent position later the same year.

Since joining the team Abigail has become one of our travel experts, booking flights, trains, hotels and chauffeur cars on behalf of guests, as well as taking cruise reservations and completing many of the administrative tasks within the sales department.

Abigail has a close family connection with Hebridean as our Reservations Manager Lisa White is her auntie! Abigail has previous experience in a customer service environment having worked in a number of local restaurants whilst studying at school and college.

What have been the most enjoyable aspects of the job so far?
I enjoy talking to guests on the telephone and also the opportunity of meeting as many guests as possible at events such as the Ilkley Literature Festival and cruise shows.

I also greatly enjoyed the opportunity to visit Hebridean Princess last year, it makes the job much easier when you have experienced the product. I took great pleasure from the atmosphere and ambience of the ship, the delicious cuisine and meeting all the crew, in particular Chief Purser Dave Indge and his bad jokes!

What do you enjoy doing in your spare time?
I like to keep fit at the local gym after work and also enjoy travelling abroad, dining out
and music festivals. I have recently passed my driving test and love driving my new car around the scenic Yorkshire roads.

What do you think are the most rewarding aspects of the job?
The most satisfying part of the job for me is building a rapport with the guests and helping to ensure that they have a truly memorable holiday and return to cruise with us time after time.

Acclaimed British Actor On Board Hebridean Princess

During June of this year Hebridean Princess welcomed a small film crew on board for the filming of a special documentary to be shown on More4. We were approached by STV Productions seeking a unique filming opportunity that would showcase some of Scotland’s beautiful highland attractions, whilst at the same time focussing on a well-known television personality fulfilling a long-held ambition to explore his native Scotland.

Just like the audiences of fly on the wall documentaries, we were intrigued by the proposal put forward by STV Productions and after a series of meetings and ship visits in Oban the cruise chosen for the shoot was 20th June – Historic Castles and Glorious Gardens.

We were asked to keep the identity of the personality close to our chests until filming had ended, but can now reveal that this was Greenock born Richard Wilson, best known for his role as Victor Meldrew in the BBC sitcom One Foot in the Grave and Gaius, the court physician of Camelot, in the BBC drama Merlin. During the cruise, Richard visited gardens, historic castles and the holy Isle of Iona, with the cruise culminating in a Champagne farewell reception at Duart Castle on the island of Mull.

Finally, our grateful thanks go to all our guests who gave their kind permission to be filmed as part of the documentary, as well as all the crew on board Hebridean Princess.

The STV programme titled ‘Richard Wilson’s Highland Fling’ will be aired on More4 on 19^th October at 9pm.

--PRESS RELEASE--

STV Productions were commissioned to make a documentary for More4 following actor, director and broadcaster Richard Wilson as he fulfilled a lifelong ambition to explore the Highlands and Islands of his native Scotland.

The sixty minute programme, 'Highland Odyssey with Richard Wilson', followed Richard as he returned to Scotland to embark on a once in a lifetime tour of the north of the country. At 80, the voyage proved a fascinating journey of discovery and personal reflection. The one-off documentary captured Scotland’s hidden gems as Richard travelled in style from Edinburgh to Mull – first by train on the iconic Royal Scotsman, before taking to the water on Hebridean Princess with visits to Oban, Iona, Rum and Skye.

Mick McAvoy, head of documentaries at STV Productions, said: “Richard is one of Britain’s most recognised actors with a successful career spanning several decades. This documentary for More4 gave him the opportunity to explore a part of the world where he has always wanted to spend time, while giving the viewer an insight into the unique history and stunning scenery, all through the eyes of the iconic actor.”

Lizi Wootton, Commissioning editor for Features at Channel 4 adds: “It’s wonderful to have Richard back on our screens, with a project that’s especially personal to him. This promises to be a loving exploration of one of the most captivating expanses of the British Isles.”

Boutique Cruise Line of the Year - WINNERS

On Monday evening (18th September 2017), Food & Travel Magazine held its annual Reader Awards ceremony in the elegant surroundings of the Royal Automobile Club, Pall Mall, London.

It was a great night for Hebridean Island Cruises as we scooped the accolade of Boutique Cruise Line of the Year.

We were up against strong competition, but every vote from the Food & Travel Magazine readers counted and we would like to thank every one of them for casting their vote, helping us to secure this prestigious award.

Ken Charleson, Managing Director for Hebridean Island Cruises commented:

"We are delighted to win this fantastic award at such a respected event - this really does illustrate our commitment to providing the best cruise holidays in a truly unique and elegant way and is testament to our officers, crew and staff both on board and ashore."

Pictured: Jonathan Moffatt (Sales & Marketing Manager), Lisa White (Reservations Manager) and Louise Pratt (Sales & Marketing Consultant).

Berlitz Guide to Cruising and Cruise Ships 2018

 

We are delighted to announce that Hebridean Island Cruises has been awarded a Star Performer Top Ten rating in the highly-revered Berlitz Cruising and Cruise Guide 2018. Based on ratings by the eminent expert author, Douglas Ward, Hebridean Princess ranked 6 in the Boutique Ships category.

Managing Director Ken Charleson commented; "The Berlitz Guide has been the cruise industry bible for thirty three years so we are very pleased to receive this accolade.  It is a testament to the hard work and dedication of all our staff and crew, both on board and ashore."

The 2018 Berlitz Guide to Cruising boasts a number of new features, updates and expansions, including:

·       Enhanced user-friendly design

·       Expanded Star Performers section

·       More independent reviews and scores

·       More colour photographs

·       New information about destination excursions

·       New information about thirty new cruise ships coming in 2018 and 2019

·       Expanded Frequently Asked Questions

Copies of the guide can be obtained from all good major book shops.