Vivaldi

5 hours ago, twotravellersLondon said:

we've had numerous phone calls with SAGA representatives. The phone has been answered relatively promptly,

Well, having given up trying to get through to Saga a few days ago, we tried again today and after more than two hours holding the phone waiting for a response, have given up again. So we are a bit cross right now.

7 hours ago, Kohima said:

Saga, if you can’t provide an adequate telephone service right now, please use the website more nimbly to communicate clearly the answers to questions.

I completely agree with Kohima. Indeed, calling the telephone service inadequate at present would be being polite. I have to say that this doesn't exactly encourage us to book cruises in 2023 with Saga.

4 hours ago, LondonLad60 said:

On the SoD cruise before the current one, the Maitre d' in the Club restaurant would ask what we were planning to eat - he would then recommend suitable wines from the premium list, and his recommendations were always spot on. 

Were the wines he recommended available by the glass? Saga's website says "there'll be a hand-picked connoisseur selection to purchase both by the glass and by the bottle". When we've been on a Saga cruise in the past, the premium wines were only available by the bottle, so being able to purchase a glass (or two) would be very welcome. Does anyone have a price list for glasses of premium wine?

On 3/31/2022 at 3:03 PM, Windsurfboy said:

For the rest of us , then if we are fully  vaccinated  covid is a risk we have to live with even on a cruise. Not pleasant but neither is the flu . Saga will have to live with some covid on board, if they keep all these restrictions up who in their right mind would want to cruise

I do agree with you. Covid will be with us for ever it seems, and given its transmissibility it will be just about impossible to ensure that a cruise ship is, and remains, covid-free. The Government's view is that we just have to live with it, and the cruise industry will have to take the same view. The most important point is how many people become seriously ill. According to the ONS, 40% of those who test positive are asymptomatic, and so would be completely unaware that they had covid were they not tested. I'd love to know the percentages of those having mild symptoms (say, like having a bit of a cold) and those with more serious illnesses among those fully vaccinated - does anyone have those figures? 

So, yes, it is a risk we'll have to live with, and if one is at greater risk (such as my OH) then cruising (and flying, going into crowded areas, and so on) should perhaps be avoided. The cruise industry will have problems if it has to keep curtailing cruises, prevent independent visits in ports, and insist on mask wearing aboard. As you say, who would want to cruise?

On 3/31/2022 at 10:50 AM, nosapphire said:

As I say, I have no facts at all - just my personal feeling it seems that infections spread further and faster on the new ships than they ever did on the old ones.

On all our trips on the Sapphire, it was impossible to enter a dining area without sanitizing ones hands, and there was always someone there to strictly enforce this. On our one trip on the Discovery (pre-Covid) we were very surprised to find that no-one seemed to be making sure that guests used the hand sanitizers, and that many of the passengers didn't bother. This would certainly have an impact on any norovirus outbreak, this being mainly transmitted through touch (and droplets emitted when someone with it throws up). So we were not that surprised to note that the Discovery subsequently had a norovirus outbreak. So, as far as norovirus is concerned, it's more the enforcement of hygiene standards rather than the design of the ship which is to blame. Mainly airborne viruses (such as Covid) should have reduced transmission if each cabin and public area is fed fresh outside air - it's when air is recirculated that spread is greater. So, theoretically, the new ships with their better air conditioning should have reduced spread of these viruses. Theoretically!

1 hour ago, wowzz said:

I see the change in the drinks package being purely  a form of compensation for the change in itinerary,  nothing more sinister than that.

I agree with you, and they have done similar things in the past, albeit in a more modest way. On one Saga cruise we had to curtail our visit to a port because of impending bad weather, and waiters came round after dinner with trays of drinks which would normally attract an extra charge, giving them out free. I had a Grouse (the whisky, not a whinge!).

When cruise lines are offering more and more for the basic cost, it would be very strange for Saga to take a retrograde step, so I'm hopeful that nosapphire's fears will not be realised. Saga might actually be experimenting with the inclusion of branded spirits to see what the uptake would be, and hence what additional costs they will incur, with a view to including them in future cruises. Perhaps someone at Saga actually reads these pages and has noted what people think of the house-branded spirits (not a lot, to be polite).

1 hour ago, Windsurfboy said:

Will look seriously at  Silversea. 

 

At moment  my biggest worry about  Saga is approach to covid.

Unfortunately all cruise lines seem to have difficulties with covid, and I'm not sure there is an approach which is unproblematic. Given the nature of its clientele, Saga's approach has always been to put safety first, whether that is in relation to covid, bad weather or whatever.

Silversea has not fully escaped difficulties related to covid, as one can see at www.cruiselawnews.com/articles/disease/  where is is claimed that 72 out of the 230 crew on the Silver Cloud have tested positive and 29 more are in isolation. 

I do agree that getting B2B passengers who have tested negative to isolate, while allowing new passengers the freedom of the ship is somewhat bonkers. I wonder from whom Saga takes its advice?

28 minutes ago, SaraSailing said:

The Library goes on for ever. Occasionally you'll find someone snoring in a corner, but it's pretty dead. Not quiet, because the piano in the Living Room is loud, and the sound travels up through the Atrium. At the moment there are only fake books, because covid? 

That is the reason why the books are missing. On the SofD the selection of books was very good, and I was particularly impressed by a large bookcase full of volumes from Everyman's Library. I did wonder if there was any other cruise ship which had a copy of the Canterbury Tales in the original Middle English on board!

2 hours ago, Kohima said:

We are among quite a number of passengers who have had to isolate in our cabins

That's very discouraging news. For how long were you confined to your cabin?

Going back to one of your earlier posts about the cost of cabins, I've noticed a quirk in Saga's pricing. There are a number of De Luxe cabins on the S of A, including four for single use, the latter being S007, S507, C025 and D026. There are also a few cabins adapted for wheelchairs, and amongst those are D025 and D526 which are the same size as the De Luxe cabins. But here's the quirk: those two cabins are listed under "Standard Twin Cabins" rather than De Luxe ones. So it seems that, for those two cabins, a guest using a wheelchair and their partner can enjoy a cabin of the same size as the one you currently occupy, but at the standard cabin price, which, booked early, is in the £200 to £250 pppd range. Could anyone confirm this or correct me?

You wouldn't have butler service, though, but it does seem to be a bit of a bargain for those lucky enough to get one of these cabins. 

2 hours ago, NorbertsNiece said:

Here's tonight's dinner menu.

Many thanks!

And your sledge ride videos are wonderful. 

15 hours ago, Harry Peterson said:

Just as a follow-up to my earlier post, it is genuine

It would make a huge difference if Saga came out with something as clear as this. We were booked to go on the S of D next month, but cancelled it before the final payment was due because of worries about Covid and uncertainties about what would happen if one tested positive. We are not even that confident about the cruise we booked quite a time ago on the S of A this October, but a statement like the P&O one would certainly help. It would also make us more likely to book something for next year when the cruises are released, as currently we are rather reluctant to do so.

I hope that it was only the public areas which were cold, and that the cabins were still warm! It looks as though the arctic jackets you were all given would have come in handy on board.

Would it be possible to include a few more dinner menus? I love reading them, and I'm interested to see how much variety there is in the offerings, and the extent to which the menus reflect the destinations visited - were the Canary Islands cruise menus  much different from those on your current cruise, for example.

We're greatly enjoying following your blog, and, once again, many thanks for it.

That's an excellent review of the food - many thanks. We've found that they are very accommodating when one wants tweaks made to the food on offer. And once on the Spirit of Discovery when we looked at the dinner menu posted outside the Grand Dining Room one afternoon, my wife didn't fancy any of the main courses, but saw that steak was "always available". However, on being given the menu that evening she saw that the steak had been replaced by pork. She expressed her disappointment to the waiter and said that she had been looking forward to a steak. He excused himself, and came back a moment later and said "We have a steak for you - how would you like it cooked?" That was much appreciated.

I suspect that you will not choose Saga instead of Silversea in the future, but if you are still undecided, and given the fact that your husband is a wheelchair user, have you looked at the thread "Warning to wheelchair users" on this Saga Forum site? The original poster expressed disquiet about Saga's official position on the matter, although it appears that in practice a decent amount of assistance is given. If there are wheelchair users on your current cruise it might be useful to ask them how helpful the crew have been and whether they have encountered any problems. 

To add a little more to the prices discussion, when booked early the cost pppn in a standard twin cabin on the SofA or SofD is in the £200 - £250 range. It will be interesting to see if this changes when the 2023 brochure eventually comes out. Suites and De Luxe cabins are quite a bit more expensive though. 

Some other cruise lines offer a chauffeur service to and from the port, but the distance allowed is sometimes linked to the grade of cabin reserved, so it could be limited for those booking a lower grade cabin. A car from where I live (Lincolnshire) to either Southampton or Dover costs about £800 for the return trip - in other words £200 a head when two couples share the car. Over, say, a ten day cruise this accounts for a decent bit of the per diem cost.

The included insurance can be a important factor for people who might struggle to obtain cover elsewhere, and, of course, the cost of buying it independently will increase as one becomes more elderly and accumulates more ailments. But as you say, Sara,  this is not a significant amount.

Hope you are having an enjoyable trip, and look forward to any comments you might have regarding the food on board.

In my last post I should have added that I am very keen,  SaraSailing, to hear what you think of Saga compared to your usual cruise line, and it was a bit rude of me not to mention that. Apologies. Which ultra-luxury line is that, out of interest?

I look forward to your comments and photos. Have a great cruise!

35 minutes ago, sleepin cat said:

I will post a review in a few days when we have reflected.

We're the opposite - we've sailed several times but only with Saga, and are wondering whether we would enjoy cruising as much with another company - so any comparisons with other cruise lines would be very informative and helpful. Look forward to reading your review.

2 hours ago, Wacktle said:

As a fussy veggie, I found the menu in October very limiting

On previous Saga cruises I've noticed that some vegetarians have been given a large menu the day before, and can choose what they want for dinner the next day. I presume that they have notified Saga in advance of their dietary requirements. It would give you more choice, with the disadvantage that you'd need to know one day what you would like to eat the following day. As for the wine menu, I've been on several Saga cruises and have never been offered it - you have to ask for it. At least one can say that they are not pushing guests to buy wines. 

Terrific blog, NorbertsNiece, and it has re-awakened my enthusiasm for cruising. Many thanks!

43 minutes ago, ARDXXX said:

SAGA has really increased their prices with the launch of their new ships, and with this they have raised the expectations of their target group

To be fair, you need to compare like-for-like. Cruises on Saga's previous ships could be cheaper per person per night, but some cabins were interior ones, and most were without balconies. We used to get a balcony cabin on the Saga Sapphire and it cost more per night than a standard cabin now does on the SofA or SofD. 

My wife has had to buy earplugs to try to make the sound levels tolerable, and even then has had to leave performances on board because she found it a painful experience. I'm a bit luckier, in that I just switch off my hearing aids while leaving them in my ears, where they act as earplugs. Two years ago we went to an after dinner performance in the Discovery's Britannia Lounge, and we only lasted a couple of minutes before the pain in our ears forced us out. We did mention it to a Saga attendant who shrugged and suggested that we sit further away. Well, we simply stopped going to performances. We have also, more than once, commented on this excess volume in our post-cruise comment sheets, so it is very disappointing that it is as bad as ever. Does anyone actually need it to be this loud, or really prefer it to be like this? 

1 hour ago, Windsurfboy said:

I  wouldn't automatically take it that the food didn't taste like the local balti to mean it has been anglicised , I think / hope Monsieur D meant it was more authentic.  I've  found food in India, to be far more subtle than that in the vast majority of English Indian restaurants.  

I take your point about Indian food - many years ago I spent two months wandering around north India and thoroughly agree with you. As far as the East to West is concerned, my wife mentioned her disappointment on the Discovery and was told that the chefs were the same ones who had been on the Sapphire, and that if she wanted the dishes to be the same as before, she should ask the waiter and the chefs would prepare them accordingly. So the food did seem to have been made less "challenging", shall we say. 

Unfortunately we won't be on the Adventure until next October, but I'm really looking forward to trying the Nepalese restaurant.

2 hours ago, MonsieurD said:

The food is nice, and the tastes very subtle. Anyone expecting it to be like their local Balti will be surprised .

Many thanks, Monsieur D, for your excellent and informative reports.

It sounds as though the food in the Nepalese restaurant has been "anglicised" a bit, which is a pity as I love Nepalese cuisine. Perhaps Saga feels that its clientele would prefer blander food these days. We loved eating in the East to West on the Saga Sapphire which we thought was outstandingly good, and we booked it as often as we could. We were looking forward to eating in the Discovery's East to West when we sailed in October 2019, but were quite disappointed by the toned down version we got. We ended up preferring to dine in the GDR rather than in one of the speciality restaurants.

Overall, how did the food compare with other cruise lines you've been on?

Saga operates a single sitting for meals, so you don't have an allocated time but can turn up when you want during meal times (and you don't have to vacate your table to allow other people to use it). The seating is also not fixed, and if you opt to sit at a larger table your dining companions will change all the time. However, if you want to sit at a table for two, that is no problem. If you wish, you can opt for the same table for dinner each day, but you would have to arrange that when you get on the ship. Dining is not available throughout the day, but only during "opening" hours - however, you can get snacks in the Living Room outside normal meal times. If you like, I can dig out the times of meals from my pre-Covid cruise on the S of D. In addition, you have free 24 hour room service, so you could eat at any time you like in your cabin, if you suddenly feel peckish. 

Have the house spirits actually got worse? I remember having haggis once on the Saga Sapphire. This came with a free glass of whisky, and, being more used to the likes of Lagavulin, I was rather taken aback by its assault on my throat. A wiser fellow Saganaut, who had ordered the same dish, kept his whisky till the end of the meal and then poured it into his coffee, thus diluting its acerbity. We did have a jolly good laugh, though!

I'm one of the 200 who downloaded your excellent review - many thanks for it, LondonLad60. I was a bit concerned by Saga's apparent failure to honour the 10% discount you were offered. I would have expected them to say that they would not, there and then, refund 10% of the deposit you had paid for your cruise, but would instead deduct 10% of the entire cost of the cruise from the final payment due. Could this be what they meant?