29 September 2018
Loch Ness and the Caledonian Canal
Helen Johnson
This was my second cruise with Majestic and eagerly anticipated after an idyllic cruise last April on the Glen Tarsan round Mull. However, for various reasons it was a bit of a disappointment and I am afraid this review is going to be a bit critical but I feel it needs to be said. The cruise itself was fine with a mix of gentle cruising negotiating locks, especially the impressive Neptune's staircase, and pleasant walks along the towpath. The crew were helpful and friendly and skipper Martin's dry wit much appreciated, but somehow they didn't seem to have the enthusiasm of the Glen Tarsan team - maybe because it was the nearing the end of the season. The group of passengers didn't really gel either in the way we had on the previous cruise - this is of course outside the control of Majestic. However, the main disappointment was the food. Maybe we were spoilt on the previous cruise, with every meal a major event introduced and described in detail by Maggie the chef who provided us with beautifully presented dishes every day, majoring on fresh seafood and shellfish and healthy interesting salads. I had expected something similar, especially as Majestic prides itself on its food. However, on Glen Mason we were presented with large portions of heavy, stodgy, often unappetizing looking fare (mainly brown...), majoring on potato, oats, meat and fish, with very limited salad and little sign of any green vegetables. Although several people asked for smaller portions (or none at all towards the end of the week), there was still a lot of uneaten food going to waste, which I hate to see. The chef did not seem to appreciate that the elderly (and several of the passengers were very elderly) do not eat as much and do not appreciate heaped plates. I hope this review will be treated as constructive as intended and will not put others off what was otherwise an excellent trip.
