Majestic’s Glen Etive
By Robin McKelvie
When The Majestic Line launched their first purpose-built vessel, the MV Glen Etive, in 2016 she set a new standard for the growing flotilla of Scottish small ships that sleep a maximum of a dozen passengers.
I was privileged to join her inaugural voyage, in which she impressed massively, but it was with a degree of trepidation that I boarded for a second time this Fall (2024) after some negative feedback from QuirkyCruise readers.
Author with his cousin Douglas aboard Glen Etive. * Photo: Robin McKelvie
I had heard too about the recent takeover of the company by Craig of Campbeltown Limited, who have no experience in small ship cruising.
Delving deeper into the negative reports some complaints don’t stand up to scrutiny, or at worst are gripes you could level against all small cruise ships on Scotland’s wild and wildly beautiful literal. That is that the Glen Etive does not always stick to her planned itineraries.
Keep in mind, these are tumultuous waters, where weather conditions and sea conditions can quickly change. Even with careful planning stops can be missed and plans subject to change. Passenger safety — and indeed passenger comfort — takes priority over all else. This is a reality that The Majestic Line are fairly open about, as indeed all Scottish cruise companies should be.
Some rough seas. * Photo: Robin McKelvie
Addressing some more specific concerns I found the beds perfectly comfortable and not too hard. Taking a straw poll of the other nine passengers everyone was content with their beds.
A double cabin on Glen Etive. * Photo: The Majestic Line
I have read of serious service complaints, about there not being hot drinks, or a bar service, none of which I experienced during my cruise. I’ve never had anything like that on any of my previous four Majestic cruises either, so those issues sound like an unfortunate one off.
Dinner aboard the Glen Etive. * Photo: Robin McKelvie
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Glen Etive Crew
Other concerns have been raised in a Quirky Cruise passenger review that tie into these on crewing. Getting and retaining staff post-COVID — and indeed post-Brexit — in Scottish tourism more generally has been a serious issue.
My four crew did not have much experience together as this team, but captain Rod, engineer John, steward Maureen and chef Luke were all capable and more than competent.
Captain Road at the helm of Glen Etive. * Photo: Robin McKelvie
So, if there have been staff issues they did not rear their head to a level any guest would notice in a negative way. If I am being ultra-critical the fact that there were some newer crew members, and the team had only all been together twice, meant the delivery of service was not quite as smooth as previously. But anything flagged up was instantly sorted and indeed they stressed we should let them know if we needed anything at all.
On the reports of the Glen Etive breaking down this can happen to any ship. On our cruise there were no engine issues, nor were there on my previous four Majestic Line sailings. We did have a temporary generator issue, which engineer John found a fix for when we were ashore, so we didn’t need to be inconvenienced while he worked on it.
Tendering too was professional, unlike one passenger report on Quirky Cruise.
The big news this year is that The Majestic Line — set up as far back as 2004 — have been taken over by Craig of Campbeltown Limited, a company with a background in tourism, but not one with direct experience of small cruise ships.
The new owners have stressed they won’t change things for change sake, or alter a winning formula. I’m encouraged that the crew reported they have already been on to check out how they can refresh the Glen Etive and her four siblings in the fleet to further enhance the ships.
This brings me to the reasons perhaps for the only real criticism of my recent cruise. That is that Glen Etive wasn’t in as slick a state as could be.
Yes, it was the end of a long, hard Atlantic season, but her paint job wasn’t quite as shipshape as it could be and there were a few snags around the vessel, like missing lock snibs and a deckchair with a split arm.
The top deck of Glen Etive. * Photo: The Majestic Line
Wee niggles that repeat guests might notice, but things that I’m confident will be rectified in time for next year and the first full cruising season under Craig of Campbeltown ownership.
I would certainly have no qualms about booking a cruise on the Glen Etive, which remains for me one of the finest small ships cruising the Scottish coast amidst an ever-increasing flotilla of rivals.
Interested in Majestic’s Glen Etive?
Check out The Majestic Lines’s website for more details or send Heidi a message at Heidi@QuirkyCruise.com for help booking if you prefer using a travel advisor.
And HERE is Robin McKelvie’s recent review of The Majestic Line in light of the new ownership.
Cheers!
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HEIDI SARNA
