LandC

Jazzbeau, we have sailed round Sicily on Hebridean Sky and loved it. We have another cruise booked on the ship. The Scottish Isles is on our bucket list too. I have a note to pack hat nets to avoid midges! Did you manage to find out any information about MS Monet? There are some interesting itineraries being offered around the Aegean and Adriatic which are very tempting!

Formal nights are usually held on sea days where the itinerary allows. The evening meal on those nights is extra special. There will be details of the formal nights in your cabin when you board, but we prefer to know in advance so that bookings for speciality restaurants can be made before we board.

It used to be that only afternoon tea was provided on embarkation day, but that has changed. When we were on board Bolette last summer lunch was available in The View buffet restaurant.

I understand from reading comments on another site that the 3 day excursion to Machu Picchu has been cancelled due to civil unrest in Peru.

You may be right FatBoy20. I wish Saga HQ would let staff and customers know the correct date.

Your understanding of the pre-registration process is correct Arlowood. We were in a similar position to you a couple of years ago, and worried that we would miss the call from Saga as we were due to go abroad on holiday when the calls were being made. I phoned Saga and advised them of the situation. They checked where we were in the queue, and asked me to phone back the day before we went on holiday, which I did. Fortunately, by that time our pre-registration number had been reached so we were able to book. When Saga send the ebrochure I suggest you ring and explain your situation, and they can advise when you are likely to be able to book, based on your pre-registration date.

Oh dear! That’s very late. We were hoping to hear something this month.

That’s good news. If you get the chance would you please ask them when Saga will contact people who have pre-registered for the cruises from April to December 2024?

I have been following this subject on another site. When I pre-registered (September 2020) I was told late 2022. When I enquired last month whilst on the phone I was told January 2023. However, It appears that some people were told March 2023! I agree it is very frustrating. I think Saga have recruited more staff to handle calls, so hopefully we will hear something soon.

Hello Jammy Bun. The topic of jacket and tie for formal nights has been discussed ad infinitum on here. Some people are for and others against. My advice is: Don’t worry about the formal nights. We have been on several Saga cruises. There are a few formal nights and jacket and tie is required if you want to eat in the Dining Room, but if you don’t want to dress up smart casual is acceptable in the buffet. On all other nights, smart casual is fine in all the restaurants. I don’t know if shareholders get a discount but definitely worth mentioning when you ring them, and do let them know about your big wedding anniversary - they usually deliver something special to your cabin. I’m sure you will enjoy Saga, and will be interested to hear how it compares with Viking if you decide to book.

I had a phone conversation yesterday with a query regarding one of our booked cruises. Whilst on the phone I mentioned that we had pre-registered for April to December 2024 cruises, and asked when we could expect to receive an ebrochure with details of itineraries. The Saga rep said she understood that this would happen next month. We’ll wait and see!

We have sailed several times with Fred, but have now decided that Saga is a better fit for us. They have newer ships, better food and they offer inclusions such as drinks, tips, travel insurance and home transfers which cost extra with Fred. Some of the excursions (usually panoramic coach tours) are also included in the price. The biggest attraction is Saga’s pricing policy. We book as soon as cruises are advertised to get the best discount, with the assurance that if prices go down, we will not lose out. We also enjoy fly cruises which Saga do not currently offer, so we book with other cruise lines such as Noble Caledonia and Azamara, which have interesting itineraries. Fred has the advantage of sailing from some northern ports, as well as Southampton and Dover. They also (used to) offer some interesting fly cruises. If Fred can get their prices right the company could still survive.

I’ve also just seen a post from Fred. Olsen on another site about this, saying they have only recently made the decision to sell. It will be interesting to see where they go from here.

I agree. It will very disappointing if the library disappears, but if Saga don’t intend to restock the library they should say so.

The January to March 2024 cruises are now available to book online, so Saga must have finished contacting everyone who pre-registered. I’m looking forward to receiving details of the April to December 2024 cruises - I do hope that there are some interesting itineraries!

Perhaps I’m being naive, but I cannot understand why the Captain sailed into a storm which was forecast, when the safest option would have been to remain at the previous port until the storm blew over. Of course that would have meant disrupting the following cruise, but surely the safety of the passengers and crew is more important?

We had a wonderful cruise to Australia and New Zealand on Azamara Journey in January 2020, just before the first lockdown. We liked the ship and found our fellow passengers (from all over the world) engaging. We also enjoy sailing with Noble Caledonia. The company has two small Renaissance ships - Hebridean Sky and Island Sky. Sailing on these ships is reminiscent of sailing on Swan Hellenic’s Minerva, and they have some interesting and unusual itineraries. We have no cruises booked with Fred at the moment - our last was on Bolette in July, and although the crew were excellent as ever, the food quality and variety had certainly deteriorated and bore no resemblance to the photos posted by twotravellersLondon. We were also about £500 worse off by booking early to take advantage of our Oceans discount. We haven’t ruled Fred out completely but will wait a couple of years before considering another booking.

We had an early pick up time for our last cruise, and checked in at 1 pm. I hope you enjoy your cruise!

Thanks Medeba. From looking at previous posts on this thread, I think you will probably need to pre-register for April - December cruises (see post #20). Or perhaps you could transfer your pre-registration fee? Probably best to check with Saga!

Many thanks Denarius. The African ports look interesting. We have pre-registered for April to December 2024 so will wait and see what is on offer later in the year before booking. Hopefully we will hear from Saga before Christmas!

Are there any interesting itineraries? (Apart from the usual Canaries and Fjords cruises). South America would be good 😊

Has anyone who pre-registered for January to March 2024 cruises received an e-brochure from Saga today?

Grateful if you could post here when you have the latest information!

I think it depends on the length of the cruise. We booked a 15 night cruise and have been advised that we won’t be tested prior to embarkation, but for longer cruises testing may still be required. Best to check with Saga, as the situation may have changed.

We’ve also received an invite to pre-register for 2024. If everyone who gets an invite decides to pre-register, it will take several weeks for Saga to contact everyone. Latest (unofficial) information is that Saga will start contacting those who pre-registered for January to March 2024 in November. At this rate, we don’t expect to be contacted to book April- December 2024 cruises until after Christmas!