Most of our group travel has been with Elderhostel/Road Scholar, but the brochure for this cruise enticed us to branch out and try a trip arranged for the Stanford Alumni Association. What was so appealing? Several things will be highlighted in the detailed descriptions, but the fact that it included Scotland and Ireland was key. Neither of us had been to these places.

In addition to the Stanford Alumni and professor the trip included alumni and professors from Yale and Harvard. We were also joined on board by staff of Criterion Travel who arranged the trip and associated excursions.

All but one night of our trip was spent on the cruise ship MS Island Sky operated by Noble Caledonia. We loved it! Our room was spacious and comfortable and the staff were outstanding. The ship was fitted out by the same folks who decorated the Corinthian II, which we had taken on an earlier trip across the South Atlantic. It was déjà vu all over again for us because the common areas were laid out and decorated the same. We didn't complain!

There are a couple of ways to follow us on our trip. I've tried to make the narrative a complete summary, but I've used many links to other web sites to provide additional details and sometimes pictures. You can either stick with the basic narrative or explore the various links. At the time this album was created the external links were all valid, but the WWW is in constant flux and links can change. If you encounter broken links, please send us some email.

Check the overview page for a quick summary of our trip or click on the following links for day-to-day details:

Return to Picture Album.