snoopy4

Free laundry as well, and if you order room service, Butler will deliver it.

Enjoy!

Yes the guests paperbacks are on a shelf near the computer work stations (no computers).

Having just had a very pleasant lunch ( the food on-board is excellent) I returned to the library.

There are 4 empty bookcases, only 4 books remain from previous guests, the majority are cardboard books, they are stuck together, the type you buy by the yard.

The photo showing books under the library picture with book ends are indeed cardboard!

Yes there are a relatively few library books and some paperbacks left by other guests.

I have a friend on SoD at the moment, I will try & find out the state of the library.

On the SoA the library is several empty shelves, at least 1 empty bookcase & many cardboard ' books'.

Have just spoken to guest services, whilst he was sympathetic, & had heard how poor the library is compared to what it use to be, this was as good as it gets!

I mentioned the number of cardboard books & a guest browsing the titles, who was very disappointed when I pointed out to her they were false.

He said it wasn't a money decision, but with the digital age this was Saga's thinking.

We had previously emailed Nigel Banks on the same subject.

On SoA now, the library is very poor.

A completely empty book stand and empty shelves.

Many of the 'books' are in fact cardboard boxes made to look like books.

There is paucity of real books & some paperbacks left by previous guests.

The Library is a mere shadow of its former self.

We regard to the comments in the Dining Room, I would suggest that Trevor Walford be promptly reinstated by Saga. 

He ran a very tight and efficient ship which is sadly missing.

Thank you for taking the time to post your recent experiences on your latest cruise.

I found it informative & enlightening.

To the snide comments you have received I'm glad you have treated them to the contempt they deserve.

Please do not worry!

Have just returned from a deluxe cabin near the lifts, we didn't hear a thing, & I think you will enjoy the walk in wardrobe, extra space, large window & a bigger balcony.

Have a lovely cruise, & luck you.

We were on ' Natural Greenland ' 10/7/22 to 31/7/22 cruise that I believed you mentioned in an earlier posting.

We have also been on SoD in September 2019 and there was no soot problem.

This year we were on SoD 'Northern Lights ' in March, we didn't notice any problems until disembarkation day, when due to late arrival into Southampton I was up on deck 13 when I noticed my cream jacket was marked with smuts, I was not the only person to comment on this.

On the July cruise, we repeatedly noticed smuts on all of the upper aft decks to such an extent that we couldn't use the handrails as they left your hands filthy.

To obviate any doubt as to the source, this includes sea days with no other shipping in the vicinity.

The cleaning crew said the smuts were a daily problem, indeed as some of your photos show of the decks drying from recent washing.

We were on the same cruise and we can only assume from TTL's  comments that they must have followed the cleaners, who were much in evidence.

Whilst using the sun loungers on the rear of deck 9 we were initially forced to use the supplied towels to avoid soot damage to our clothes, then had to ask one of the cleaning crew to wipe them down.

We then decided to leave as soot had settled on our clothes.

We often found the soles of our shoes heavily marked with soot.

Yes we tip £20, have always had very helpful drivers.

Bon voyage 

After a couple of very bumpy months, wishing you all a very enjoyable cruise,

Bon Voyage!

We really missed Saga's excellent library on board S of D earlier this year, & fail to see the difference between handling menus, then eating a bread roll and touching a book.

I am adding a few thoughts here, as this seems to be where most of the activity is.

I am 63 yrs and my husband is 72 yrs. We have previously sailed on the Sapphire once and the Pearl once. The ship, overall, is light and airy, but not American style glitz.

Fortunately we were able to book one of the forward suites, this was a spacious and luxurious cabin with a charming butler and cabin steward, who went out of their way to ensure we had a superb trip. My cynical husband said the cabin and service far exceeded his expectations.

We had friends in a aft suite and we were very surprised how cramped it felt with its' dividing wall. We asked to see other cabins and would certainly consider either deluxe or standard cabins in the future.

We breakfasted in the GDR every day, except when we used room service on trip days. I ate only from the buffet with plenty of fruit of all varieties, wonderful bircher and thick Greek yoghurt, plus wonderful warm croissants. My husband usually had eggs benedict [ his favourite breakfast ]which he thought were amongst the best he had ever eaten!

We found the food to be excellent in terms of quality, choice and presentation, including 2 of the biggest [ and tasty ] beef joints we have ever seen. 

We never had a problem booking speciality restaurants as a couple of times I phoned at 1730 and was able to get a reservation for that evening.

Overall, we very much enjoyed this cruise and preferred it to the other ships we have sailed on, including Saga, it was pleasure to be able to use the library, as on the Pearl, from 0930 onwards there were no vacant seats due to people sleeping, however we noticed on several occasions people using the seats as footrests or placing items on the seats next to them so no-one would sit there. I did however miss the home made cakes, as only cookies and muffins are now served in the library.

We did the 2 day small group tour of St. Petersburg and thought it worth every penny.

In Gothenburg the shuttle bus drops you very near the paddon boats and Ho Ho buses, so very easy to arrange private trips

In Helsinki,  again,  the shuttle drops you very close to the harbour and boat trip kiosks.

In Stockholm we took a taxi to the Vasa museum [ a worthwhile visit, most interesting ] but on return we used Uber at half price. 

At all times we found staff and crew to be very helpful and pleasant sometimes in very trying circumstances. 

Would  we book again? Yes and already have a back to back for the end of next year.

Lolou, FYI, we live 261 miles away,paid an extra £26 for the shared car service,& our pick up time is 9.10 this Thursday.

Thank you Corrine for all the very useful information you are passing on .

Following along; thank you very much for taking the time to do this. We board next week. 

We have limited experience, Sapphire &  Pearl once and a couple on Celebrity

Have a lovely time.