MV Island Sky - anyone tried this ship?

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Message Submitted by TravelCenturian on Mon, 07/04/2011 - 22:37
Still looking for a way to get to Tristan da Cuhna and came across a ship called the MV Island Sky (118 passengers) - might be German speaking - not too much info other than one heck of a great itinerary across the Southern Atlantic to Ascension, St Helena, Tristan and then wandering around the Falklands and islands south until Ushisa, Argentina. Anyone have have experience or know about the safety/security of this size ship for this type of South Atlantic tour? ---------------- Moderator note: light editing.

Reply Submitted by Adventuregirl on Tue, 07/05/2011 - 09:34

Hi TravelCenturian: you've been hoping to get to Tristan da Cunha for a long time --I remember some of your earlier posts. I took a quick look at the website and itinerary. The Island Sky belongs to Noble Caledonia, a British company, so you won't have to brush up on your German. The itinerary is wonderful. I did similar one with Lindblad/National Geographic in 2009 and it was one of my best travel experiences. The Endeavour is similar is size to the Island Sky -- capacity of around 100 and 3132 tons. Though the Island Sky is a good size ship, be prepared for some rough seas, especially in the southern Atlantic. If you do book this trip, I'd be glad to answer questions about the specific ports as we did similar landings.

This atlantic odyssey is a very unique itinerary and not often done -- go for it!

Reply Submitted by TravelCenturian on Tue, 07/05/2011 - 09:21

Thanks for the vote of confidence, Adventuregirl. Time to start saving my pennies now - one big trip instead of a lot of little ones and fingers crossed they duplicate this itinerary. It does look good and after hitting the treacherous Mozambique Straights last year, I think I have a hint of what "rough seas" can mean and how to prepare better for it than I did on that last trip.

Reply Submitted by Livetowander on Sat, 07/16/2011 - 12:06

I was on the Island Sky for a Red Sea Cruise. Noble Caledonia has some fantastic itineraries. Cabin size was generous, food was just ok. Mostly British passengers with a smattering of Americans. Occassional problems with the toilet system being blocked (which affects the entire ship), not sure if this would have been improved during the recent refurbishment.

I wish the cruises were cheap! Noble Caledonia fares can be hefty depending on the destination and the complexities of the land tours, but the destinations can't be beat.

Reply Submitted by TravelCenturian on Sat, 07/16/2011 - 18:15

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Contacted the Noble Caledonia Island Sky people and they do plan on the Tristan Da Cuhna run again next year. The next sound you will hear will be our pennies clinking in a very large jar. Sorry to hear about the food being meh - and also happy to hear the food on the newer Voyages to Antiquity which we keep flirting with too for their unique itineraries is so far getting rave reviews.

I wonder if the Island Sky food is in the same category as the MV Discovery, which was also "British" but fairly good overall - with lots of fresh items and wonderful fresh baked breads. The real lack on the MV Discovery were the tasteless, low quality meat entrees with treatments that always sounded better on the menu than the execution finally put in front of you. But the rest of their menu items were good quality. I did learn what "sticky puddings" were on that "British" kitchen cruise, and it was a happy relationship.

Reply Submitted by Livetowander on Sun, 07/17/2011 - 06:31

The food as I said was just ok for me; limp, overcooked vegetables, bland entrees. But the Island Sky is catering to their biggest audience, the older British tourist. People at my table were delighted with the meals, one of them described it as 'French' cuisine!

That being said, I've signed up with Noble Caledonia again for a cruise on the Clipper Odyssey cruising the East coast of Africa. For me it's all about the destination and a comfortable place to sleep at night.

Reply Submitted by Pausanias on Sat, 02/18/2012 - 08:01

I was on the Island Sky's Passage to Tristan da Cunha and Beyond cruise last December-January. It was not a complete disaster but so many things went wrong with the trip that I could never recommend anyone take this ship into the South Atlantic. The Swedish captain was shaving days off the itinerary right from Day One as there seemed to be a fuel consumption problem. So five days at Tristan became three days and the circumnavigation of Gough Island was junked. We never even got to South Georgia because the ship could not cope with the weather conditions, so we sailed for nine straight days from Tristan to the Falklands. That was not exactly fun. In fact, this cruise turned out to be an endurance test. The onboard expedition team was quite the laziest and weakest we have encountered on many cruises of this sort. The itinerary as advertised was what made us book this £25,000 trip and the itinerary, if achieved, would have been truly memorable. As it was, we did see some great places but in my view the ship just wasn't fit for purpose and I believe that maybe half the passengers have written to Noble-Caledonia to complain.