Denarius

11 hours ago, david05 said:

When we arrived earlier in the year the taxi driver told us they had been told not to arrive before 12.45. Those arriving earlier would be held in a taxi queue until that time. Whether this is now the norm I don't know but our taxi driver had been kept in a holding line when he had arrived at 12.30 on his previous Saga taxi run. 

The MDR is usually only open on departure day from noon until around 1.00 to 1.15 ish when the Grill effectively takes over. The supper club was, however, open on our last cruise for fish and chips (and burgers I think, in other words the Veranda menu) as an alternative when joining the ship at lunchtime.

Mirrors my experience this Summer. I was picked up at home very early and our shared car arrived at the cruise terminal at around 12:50. We were onboard shortly after 1:00. On boarding we were advised that the Restaurant was still open but would close in a matter of minutes, so if we wished to eat there we should go straight there with our hand luggage as there was unlikely to be sufficient time to drop it off in our cabins then come back; we were ginen to understand that the restaurant was opened mainly for those on back to back cruises. As the Grill was open until around 3:00 I chose to dine there.

As I recall it, the time check in begins is stated in the information you get shortly before joining your cruise. On my most recent Saga cruise in July of this year it was 1pm.

On 9/14/2024 at 10:06 AM, janecambridge said:

We book all our holidays through our agent but not saga cruises.you don’t collect the nights you are on board to benefit you in the Britannia club and you have to go through your travel agent to book tours. We prefer to look at the tours and book them straight away without waiting for our agent to do it.. 

Plus the fact that Saga send everything you need for your travel to the ship and for your cruise direct to you in the post, rather than it being sent to your travel agent who then has to send it to you. Saga still send everything you need in a physical form unlike lines like P&O which expect you to download it from the internet and print it out.

2 hours ago, Canal archive said:

Happily the word Jeans covers a multitude of sins, I’m not referring to the blue, riveted denim of Levi Strauss but the many versions produced by some of our world’s most revered fashion houses. Well cut and most of all well worn will beat a pair of off the rail gents slacks into a cocked hat.

An interesting post. What are or are not jeans. Are a pair of trousers with rear patch pockets in a Levis style but not made of denim jeans? Are a pair of trousers made of denim but in another style jeans? Saga's dress code refers to denim not jeans, so the former would be acceptable but the latter would not.

There is a well known incident from 1951 when Bing Crosby was refused service in a Canadian hotel because he was wearing denim jeans. Levis became aware of it and presented him with a denim tuxedo (dinner jacket) to match them! But Bing would still have potentially been refused service wearing his denim tuxedo on a Saga ship.

17 hours ago, Tothesunset said:

I agree. As naturists we find the dress codes restricting and unnecessary. I'm sure you would agree that our freedom of choice should apply when cruising. 

But what would you wear on a formal night? 🙂

13 minutes ago, Cruise-Cat said:

But isn’t that the point of “Rules” - to restrict choice?

Saga make their policies/rules clear - your choice is to book and accept them or not to book. Simples!

Agreed. As I stated above, I will always comply with a dress code out of respect for my fellow passengers. But the fact that I comply with a code does not preclude me from criticising it, as some posters seem to imply.

1 hour ago, Tubesten said:

Hi to everyone who has responded to my post judging by the number of replies this is obviously a very emotive subject i am glad that i have highlighted this and thank everyone for their input 

thanks tubesten 

It is indeed an emotive subject, mainly because on this issue Saga is at odds with most of the industry as this recent article demonstrates

https://www.travelmarketreport.com/articles/ /Cruises/articles/here-are-the-suggested-dress-codes-for-each-major-cruise-line

As you will read, many of the lines featured positively recommend polo shirts as appropriate evening wear. None ban them.

This is in fact (at least) the third thread on the topic on the Saga board!

43 minutes ago, nosapphire said:

It is indeed emotive.. have you seen some of the threads on the P&O board???

Most of us manage to cope with the dress code on whichever line we choose to cruise with, albeit with a few grumbles.

My personal preference would be no formal nights, smart-casual every night. And polo-shirts (without logos/symbols/stripes) on casual nights.

But I see no reason why my preference should be more important than the preference of those who prefer to get dressed up, especially for formal - so I may mutter a bit while doing up those fiddly fastenings -  but I'll comply and then enjoy the company of my fellow guests - whatever they may be wearing.

My personal preferences mirror yours. But like you I will always comply with a dress code out of respect for my fellow passengers even if I personally would prefer it to be different. Dress code is only one factor to be taken into account when booking a cruise and imo is a relatively minor one. It does however stir up strong emotions amongst some passengers, particularly those intent on maintaining the status quo and who feel their personal standards to be under threat. And particularly, as you say, on the P&O board!

1 hour ago, Windsurfboy said:

Personally I'd put , intineraries,  service, food quality and variety, wine, excursions, entertainment well ahead of polo shirts or not in choosing a cruise line

I agree. Although I admit that it did at one stage make me less likely to book a Saga cruise than I might otherwise have been, not because of my desire to wear a polo shirt at dinner but because I feared it might indicate an over prescriptive attitude which might spill over into other areas and spoil my enjoyment of the cruise. I am glad to say that this was not the case.

1 hour ago, Glenndale said:

I have seen older ladies in tweed skirts and a cardigan on formal night.

Certainly not formal wear but never challenged.

Really, I can't see that it's a problem what people wear but it does seem to me that the ladies get a pass whatever they choose to wear.

A man would be expected to be in a dark suit and tie at the very least.

Smart and clean, that's all I ask.

Very fair comment. I agree entirely.

As regards formal nights, if men are required to wear dinner suits or lounge suits then women should be required to wear the female equivalents - evening gowns or coctail dresses. And don't say that they probably don't own any and would need to buy them specially for the cruise and may never wear them again - the same is true for many men as regards dinner or lounge suits. And if women are not required to wear specific garments, neither should men.

What other passengers wear does not bother me as long as acceptable standards of cleanliness, personal hygene and modesty are adhered to.

This is an oddity of Saga's dress code. I use the word oddity because in over 30 years cruising I had never experienced a prohibition of polo shirts on casual evenings until I began sailing with Saga. Indeed, most lines actually list them as suggested apparel. (see  https://www.travelmarketreport.com/articles/ /Cruises/articles/here-are-the-suggested-dress-codes-for-each-major-cruise-line  ) I also understand from other passengers that it is a fairly recent imposition (perhaps a Saga veteran could confirm this) and no one quite knows why it crept in as it appears to be out of line with the rest of the industry; it has been suggested that someone at a senior level has a personal dislike for them and that his personal prejudices have found their way into the dress code!

But to answer the question. I have seen people wearing polo shirts at dinner, particularly in the Grill and have not seen anyone refused service for wearing one, although I am not saying that could not happen. Most people however wear convenional shirts.

3 hours ago, bigskip said:

Two pints in my local £7.00 🙂

 

In my Bolton "local" my beer of choice, Holts bitter, is £3.70 per pint. Guest beers like Timothy Taylors Landlord can cost up to a whole £4.00! Lagers cost between £4.00 and £4.50. The most expensive draught beer is Beavertown's Neck Oil at £5.50 per pint.

1 hour ago, Cruise-Cat said:

Thank you - that makes sense.  Our allocated cabin is aft portside deck B so I'm wondering if the last cabin, B553 would have its cabin door away from the very end of the corridor and thus the bed facing the bow.  If so, the odd numbered cabins would be bow facing and the evens stern facing.

 

B541 and B542 have a connecting door, as do B549 and B550. So the bed in B550 would face the connecting wall and thus face forward. In the normal sequence of pairs it would be B551 facing rearwards, B552 facing forward and B553 rearwards but B552 is a suite and this complicates matters. So whether B553's bed faces forward or rearwards is anyones guess.

I believe that there is a way using Saga's deck plan leaflet, although whethet it is worth the effort is only something you can decide. In general, for standard cabins...

Cabins alternate between forward facing and rear facing orientation, in pairs with the doors adjacent to one another. The bed faces the wall adjacent to the door.

Some cabins have connecting doors (usually locked) on the wall adjacent to the door. These are available to be purchased together and are marked with a symbol on the list of cabins, but strangely not on the deck plans themselves. For example, on SofA cabins B049 and B050.

So in the example given, the doors of B049 and B050 will be next to one another with the connecting wall between them and the bed in each cabin facing this wall. AS they are on the starboard side of the ship the bed in B049 will face rearward and that in B050 will face forward.

Hope this makes sense!

On 9/6/2024 at 5:39 PM, Megabear2 said:

A pint of lager such as Peroni or Birra Moretti in my local pubs ranges from £6.25 to £7.40, Wetherspoons excepted. Here on Aurora a pint of Birra Moretti is currently £5.85.  No longer a huge saving for many and no doubt they can get it cheaper at home but for us a reasonable price.

Whether you perceive beer prices to be cheap or expensive depends to a large extent on where you live.

When I first started sailing with P&O draught beer prices were roughly the same as I paid in my local in Lancashire, but people from London and the South East thought them to be an absolute bargain. When I last sailed with P&O they were much higher than I paid at home, but apparently still cheap for the South East. Then recently I sailed in Scandinavia with another line. Beer onshore (the ship was all inclusive) worked out about £6 to £7 for a pint of lager. Northerners thought it expensive but for Southerners it was no different to what they were paying at home.

6 minutes ago, Glenndale said:

 

Would have enjoyed this cruise but not in February 🙂

I would have enjoyed it had it been a fly cruise rather than a round trip from Portsmouth. But a cruise of 21 days with 9 ports and 12 sea days is for me much too many of the latter.

1 hour ago, Windsurfboy said:

Doubt it. No jurisdiction. 

 

Never really  bothered me. At sea blown away.

 

However odd complaint about smoke on port days effecting balconies of cabins by there , Aft suites.

 

When in port perhaps they could think about where to put smoking so that it's blown away from  ship. But that's a bit of effort.

 

 

I am not an expert in maritime law, but I am sure that someone will correct me of I am wrong. But it is my understanding that cruise ships are subject to the laws of the country in which they are registered, and both SofA and SofD are registered in the United Kingdom and therefore subject to UK law (when in port they are also subject to the laws of the country in which they are docked).

15 hours ago, nosapphire said:

We've had cabins on both decks (aft of midships) and never noticed any noise either in the cabin or on the balcony.

Never realised they were there, to be honest.

 

 

Neither have I. I usually go for a single cabin midships D deck and have never noticed any problem. Like you, I never realised that they were there until I read this post!

44 minutes ago, JoJo1947 said:

Had no problem with WiFi but then I wasn't attached to my phone. When I did it was super fast. 

Neither did I. But then I only went online to check emails, look up things on the internet and occasionally check Facebook to see who was doing what with whom. Saga make it clear that it is not intended for streaming video etc. and I suspect that their firewall resticts access to streaming sites or resticts their bandwidth to ration it amongst all passengers.

1 hour ago, Tabicat said:

Agree with you 

I always think if they cut down on the brochures they send out (we seem to get about two on a daily basis) they might be able to charge less for the cruises

Or provide paper maps in port and send out details of excursions on paper in the post, like they used to do.

14 hours ago, Windsurfboy said:

 

I completely agree  with you that I have never witnessed the bad behaviour mentioned in this thread , be it racist talk, or  bare feet.  I have always  sailed on the same Saga as yourself with friendly, sociable,  well manered companions.

 

However , Saga are undercutting even 35% off E deck prices.

If you take my next cruise in November the one I look at to guess how full it will be..

 

The guarantee price is now £5996

 

The cheapest  E deck  with partially obstructed view of which there are a very limited number is currently £7211 at 25% off. If you do the arithmetic,  it would have been 7211÷0.75×0.65 that is £6250 at launch with 35% off. A standard E Deck would have been £6340.

 

So the guarantee £5996 is £256 cheaper than cheapest  E deck at launch.  So to secure this deal just take the gamble of waiting till last minute .

I just hope for it's own sake Saga isn't teaching people to wait for deals. 

If they are, I fear that they are making a rod for their own back.

People who want a particular cruise on a particular date in a specific cabin grade or location will continue to book early to secure it. Others are not so particular and will wait to see what offers come available closer to sailing, and potentially save themselves a not insignificant sum of money particularly if they missed out on the biggest discounts at launch. This is particularly true of those who can be flexible as regards dates, and many (most?) Saga customers are retired and fall into this category.

On 8/4/2024 at 7:11 PM, Windsurfboy said:

Not sure if being based in one of big ports same as other cruise lines is best, they should offer something different. 

 

The nice thing about Seabourne fly cruise is they are not based in one port repeating same itineraries every two weeks like say Cunard queen Victoria  does. The Ships roam the med. Logistically more challenging but more variety,  so can offer multiple length holidays And cruises to places you may not have been to. 

P&O base a ship in Malta, which is well situated for the Adriatic as well as both the Western and Eastern Mediterranean.

On 8/4/2024 at 5:03 PM, david05 said:

True but the number of passengers on the Saga river cruise ships is small in comparison to the ocean going ships so it's unlikely that Saga will offer fly ocean cruises with their current ships except, like the current offer, as a means of filling the ship for the majority of the cruise or by splitting a longer cruise into 2 or more sectors which they have occasionally done in the past.

Not particularly small. Whilst each individual ship is small, there are several of them

Spirit of the Rhine 182 (passengers)

Spirit of the Danube 182

Spirit of the Moselle 182

Spirit of the Douro 126

which totals 672 passengers, roughly one third of the joint capacity of SofD and SofA

1 hour ago, Windsurfboy said:

 

 

Either I must walk around  with eyes shut,  or we've been on different ships, this is not something I've noticed. 

Me neither.

20 hours ago, JoJo1947 said:

Young I'd say. The Canaries are popular with the oldies.

I have been on several Winter cruises to the Canary Islands with Saga, also Summer cruises to the Baltic. The Winter cruises definately attracted an older age group than the Summer, mainly retired people like myself in search of a bit of Winter warmth. The Summer cruises also attracted working people on their Summer holidays, lowering the average age significantly.