Kohima

No!

I can echo what Nosapphire says. In many years of cruising off and on with Saga (we started young!), I have never had or overheard a conversation about price paid or loyalty club level. Instead we have had wide ranging and stimulating chats while sharing tables (our choice), with people from many walks of life. Often, the older people are, the more life experiences they have to offer. In fact, the convivial atmosphere onboard is one of the features which keeps us coming back to Saga.

Try the Dining Room occasionally for breakfast or lunch as it can be a lot less busy than the Grill at those times and does have a buffet element as well as waiter service. Also in the Canaries you should be able to enjoy some outdoor dining……enjoy!

When you log on to My Saga you can see the excursions when they become available and book online. Your car pick up time will also be shown. There used to be an option for special requests there too (where you could mention your wedding anniversary) but that seems to have disappeared so you would need to mention it on the phone or at reception. Don’t worry about the formal dress…….while some ladies love to dress up, many just wear something a little extra smart. As for the men…….some go the whole peacock, others just wear a suit and tie. Alternatively you can dine informally on the same menu in the Grill. Hope you have a lovely time. ps yes the fridge is one of a kind!

Just be aware that if you book through a travel agent you can’t access your booking on My Saga and use the online facilities available there. Definitely no jackets or ties required on non formal evenings, also definitely worth mentioning your wedding anniversary.

Well said, Tothesunset. Not everyone uses every amenity onboard so the wider the range of amenities the better. Personally I can do without premium spirits, golf simulators and bridge but I’m very happy that these are provided for those who wish to take advantage of them. We who have enjoyed the wide range of books in the past, rather than squinting on deck at tablets (or even worse phones!) are merely discussing that we would like them back. The suggestion that those of us who miss the provision of books onboard should just take our custom elsewhere is quite arrogant and insulting.

Unlike Saga, the British Library still has all its books. A copy of every book published in the UK has, by law, to be sent to the British Library. They can be ordered in advance to be read in the Library’s reading rooms.

To be pedantic, bibliotheke is Ancient Greek for ‘room of books’, nothing to do with technology.. Similarly the word library (from Latin) is inextricably linked with books. The vast majority of people, whether satisfied Saga customers or not, would expect to find books in an area described as a library. The availability of games and jigsaws in this area, as well as playing cards in others, completely negates the argument of avoidance of virus transmission by touch. Saga used to boast in brochures that they had, arguably, the best libraries at sea. This was certainly true on the old ships, where they were very well used by many passengers for both borrowing and browsing from an excellent selection of books of all types. Why would Saga not wish to offer as wide a variety of amenities onboard as possible, rather than reduce them?

We have recently upgraded our shared car to a private car for a forthcoming cruise. The charge worked out at £1.75 a mile each way for every mile over the 75 mile private car limit.

Confusion obviously continues as to the rules but glad all turned out well. Enjoy your cruise.

Tipping is a matter of personal preference and service rendered. A personable, helpful driver may well appreciate a tip!

Yes, Paulatsea, the number you are given is the one to ring for any transport queries (rather than the general cruise number). Always call if you are likely to have oversized luggage, multiple cases, walking aids, wheelchairs etc so that a suitably sized vehicle can be allocated.

No, it seems to be potluck as to whether or not they contact you or just turn up. The drivers who are directly employed by Saga usually do. If you have any special requests, such as large amounts of luggage, it’s best to contact the Saga transport service directly.

As someone who has voyaged with Saga since the days of the first Spirit of Adventure, I would like to point out that the waiters will need some time to develop their skills to the high professional standard we have been used to in the past. Although some of the stalwarts are still on the ships, due to a combination of the pandemic coinciding with the arrival of the 2 larger ships, many of the staff are still quite new. At times they have been quite stretched due to the spread of Covid and the consequent demands on room service. In the past the long standing supervisory staff were always a joy to observe, constantly eagle eyed to make sure everything was perfect. I’m sure this will return. With regard to various comments about the age range, I would definitely say it has crept up and is quite misrepresented by the pictures in the Saga brochures. Equally the entertainment is generally aimed at the older end of the age range. We have met interesting people in all the age groups so this is not a criticism, just an observation. Despite trying other companies (mainly for better itineraries), we still come back to Saga!

With regard to drivers testing, I would think a lot depends on who employs the driver and their own honesty. I would imagine Saga’s own drivers are pretty reliable but Saga made a lot of their directly employed drivers redundant in the pandemic so there aren’t so many of these. Nowadays Saga has sometimes to use whoever is available, with the result that drivers aren’t always aware of, or compliant with, the requirements. This was our personal experience on our last homeward journey when it became apparent about 20 minutes into the journey. The driver had never worked for Saga before.

In February our pick up time was shown on My Saga several weeks before departure. We had a letter about it a week before departure and the phone call from the driver the day before. On other occasions we haven’t always had a phone call from the driver; he has just turned up at the appointed time.

I think the flexibility of the driver may depend on who employs him. After the experience of arriving at 5.15 at Tilbury in October for a 6pm departure, we requested an early pick up when our driver called us in February a few days before our cruise. He explained that he was directly employed by Saga and had to stick to the allocated times. Fortunately our allocated time did enable us to arrive for a late lunch.

In February there was live music in the Supper Club but I understand that subsequently there were some complaints that diners didn’t like their conversation interrupted by the music. Clearly difficult to please all of the people all of the time! Re cheese, we found the best selection available in the Grill at lunchtime when you could choose your favourites. When we complimented the Food and Beverage Manager on the cheese, he very helpfully sent a list to our cabin of over 100 cheeses kept onboard. It’s a British ship so British cheese predominates but there was Norwegian cheese when in Norway and a good selection of French cheeses too.

We usually take ginger biscuits on board as ginger is helpful to nibble if feeling queasy. They don’t seem to keep them onboard and since Covid don’t have the bowls of ginger available at the dining entrances.

So much depends on wind speed and direction, swell etc as to how the ship copes with the Bay of Biscay. We have been through it on both ships in rough to seriously bad weather and definitely needed Stugeron tablets as well as sea bands. It’s best to be prepared but reception will give you a couple of Stugeron free if you run out. You will know there’s going to be a problem when the cabin steward ties down your balcony furniture, puts your glass water flasks on the floor behind a cushion and the formal night is postponed!

At first glance the cabin storage seems limited but, once you start putting things in place, it is perfectly adequate. We move the life jackets out of the wardrobe to under the bed, freeing up more wardrobe storage. There are copious hangers but, due to the sliding doors meeting in the middle, some may be easier to reach than others. Bulky jumpers can go on the wardrobe shelves. Coats can hang on the hooks near the bathroom (which has very good storage). Shoe storage is limited so the area under the bed is useful. Don’t forget that there is an excellent free launderette as well as a quick laundry service so there’s no need to travel with an excess of clothing! Re the penknife, you should ask Saga. When the library was in operation in 2019 there was an area for leaving magazines and unwanted books but that was not available recently. Hopefully the excellent library will return to use soon. Enjoy Iceland…..we did it on the old SoA in 2008. One of our best ever cruises!

There are 2 shops, neither of which is ever open in port. One is a high end jewellery shop which seldom has any customers. The other shop sells day to day items, a small selection of clothes, perfumes, cosmetics, handbags, jewellery and Saga branded items. Sometimes there are (fairly pricey) gifts related to the destinations on sale. Although described as “duty free”, duty free shops in the cruise terminals may be cheaper.

We were in S002 and were never aware of any noise from the gym. Not sure about S001 as it’s right next to the gym. However we have found the soundproofing generally good in the 3 different cabins we have had on both ships. The sound leakage from the Discovery Lounge in S002 comes from the balcony area but it’s not a major problem.

We have been on the Sundeck. The cabin was exactly the same as the standard cabins elsewhere. On the plus side you are very near the gym, the Discovery Lounge, the lifts and the upper outside decks. The view is great and it’s quiet most of the time. On the minus side it’s a trek to the main dining room and you can definitely hear the music from the Discovery Lounge late at night (not a problem if you are intending to dance the night away in there anywhere but not so great when you want an early night!).

No, nothing like that.