1st cruise on Spirit of Discovery, 3 July

[Glenndale]

50 minutes ago, Kentish Lass said:

My husband never wore a tie apart from with his DJ on formal nights. He did take a semi formal jacket that he wore one night, but no tie. 

Yes I was referring to formal night 🙂

[Glenndale]

22 minutes ago, Kohima said:

We have been on many Saga cruises over 15+ years and always found the atmosphere to be very inclusive. Women wear what they choose, from ball gowns to skirts and jumpers on formal nights, but I have never been aware of anyone being judgemental about anyone else’s preferences. Men are more restricted on formal nights, a jacket and tie being compulsory.

I hope you didn't think that I was being judgemental just pointing out that there were very different ideas of what constitutes formal. 

[Kohima]

Sorry Glendale, I absolutely wasn’t referring to you. I was only trying to be reassuring that our experience of Saga has been that no one need feel worried that their clothing would be judged by others. If you love dressing up, go for it. If you don’t, don’t worry about it. Most of all , enjoy the wonderful food and service as well as the congenial company if you share a table.

[Jammy Bun]

1 hour ago, Kohima said:

 I was only trying to be reassuring that our experience of Saga has been that no one need feel worried that their clothing would be judged by others. If you love dressing up, go for it. If you don’t, don’t worry about it. 

Thanks for your reassurances!  I'm not going to book just yet, but if the Covid situation settles down by late Autumn, we may just give it a try.  We'd both still prefer Viking, but definitely not keen to go through an airport this year.   The included insurance is also a bonus in the present climate.

Looking forward to seeing some actual 'real life' footage of the interior of the new ship - we've watched Saga's promo videos, but are pretty sure most of the images are very clever computer generated ones. 

Anyway, thanks again, you've all been very helpful.

[Kohima]

In ‘real life’ I would say that the SOD’s interior is even better than the publicity images. There are some questionable carpet choices and some lounge furniture which favours style over comfort but overall there is something to suit most tastes, traditional and modern. It is quite varied in style unlike Viking which is definitely sleek and Scandi in style (my personal preference). Even when full SOD seems very spacious, especially on the outside decks. There’s no retractable roof on the main pool which cuts down its use. I would say that Saga and Viking are on a similar level, with each having different aspects which may appeal.

[Glenndale]

11 minutes ago, Kohima said:

In ‘real life’ I would say that the SOD’s interior is even better than the publicity images. There are some questionable carpet choices and some lounge furniture which favours style over comfort but overall there is something to suit most tastes, traditional and modern. It is quite varied in style unlike Viking which is definitely sleek and Scandi in style (my personal preference). Even when full SOD seems very spacious, especially on the outside decks. There’s no retractable roof on the main pool which cuts down its use. I would say that Saga and Viking are on a similar level, with each having different aspects which may appeal.

Yes it's a pity that Saga didn't go for the retractable roof. Seems silly as they have the reinforced hull necessary for Antarctica.

I missed the library as such on Viking, even though there were lots of books dotted around the ship they seemed to be more for decorative effect.

 

[Windsurfboy]

 

All in all the news seems good, lovely to have positive posts

[Kohima]

Oh yes, I forgot to mention the Saga libraries which must be some of the best at sea.  Books are freely available to borrow at all times, with a wide range of (largely British) fiction and non fiction. Jigsaws, games and magazines there too. Unfortunately I understand that none of these are currently available due to Covid.

[Wacktle]

On 7/18/2021 at 4:01 PM, Jammy Bun said:

Thanks for your reassurances!  I'm not going to book just yet, but if the Covid situation settles down by late Autumn, we may just give it a try.  We'd both still prefer Viking, but definitely not keen to go through an airport this year.   The included insurance is also a bonus in the present climate.

Looking forward to seeing some actual 'real life' footage of the interior of the new ship - we've watched Saga's promo videos, but are pretty sure most of the images are very clever computer generated ones. 

Anyway, thanks again, you've all been very helpful.

Don't leave it too long to book. Prices really do go up, and by quite a lot, for some cruises. 

[Windsurfboy]

17 minutes ago, Wacktle said:

Don't leave it too long to book. Prices really do go up, and by quite a lot, for some cruises. 

 

Endorse what wacktie said, just had a look only a few cruises have the launch 35% discount available.  With Saga's price promise,  that if they drop prices they'll  reimburse existing bookings the difference (in OBC) , last minute bargains are rare , prices tend only to go up.

 

For our May  cruise was a bit slow and only got 30% discount not launch 35%. All cabins  are now at full price !

[Jammy Bun]

Well, I hear what you're saying, but will take the chance.  Covid hasn't gone away, and I don't want to tie up any of our cash until we are absolutely sure.     It's another reason we love Viking - they don't play the silly fluctuating price games that the others do, so it's just a matter of keeping an eye on availability.  

 

 

[Windsurfboy]

Saga don't play fluctuating price game, but give you a bigger discount  the earlier you book  , it's a one way street. They guarantee you will never lose out by booking early 

 

[Wacktle]

20 hours ago, Jammy Bun said:

Well, I hear what you're saying, but will take the chance.  Covid hasn't gone away, and I don't want to tie up any of our cash until we are absolutely sure.     It's another reason we love Viking - they don't play the silly fluctuating price games that the others do, so it's just a matter of keeping an eye on availability.  

 

 

I can only echo what windsurfboy says ... there's is no silly pricing with Saga. The discount levels are transparent when you look on their website, and go down from 35% to zero as the ship fills up. The discounts aren't something to ignore... one of our cruises has increased by about £900 pp, and it's not a long one!

[wowzz]

On 7/20/2021 at 4:25 PM, Wacktle said:

I can only echo what windsurfboy says ... there's is no silly pricing with Saga. The discount levels are transparent when you look on their website, and go down from 35% to zero as the ship fills up. The discounts aren't something to ignore... one of our cruises has increased by about £900 pp, and it's not a long one!

We booked our Saga September 2022 cruise in September 2020, knowing that we would not lose out due to the Saga price policy. We paid £6,400 for our cruise  - the price today is £8,400.

The message  is  simple - if you want to cruise with Saga, there is no downside to booking as early as possible.

 

[Jammy Bun]

I suppose if you 'love' Saga and it's your first choice of cruise line then that is definitely the thing to do... but I'm still hoping that maybe Viking will come up with something this Autumn that will enable us to cruise with them.  (And, at least in pre-Covid times, with Viking, the cost of the cruise remained the same whenever you book - it doesn't go up if you leave your decision until nearer the sailing date. The only risk is that the cruise will sell out!)

I'm watching the availability on the November cruise on SoA.  There was an increase yesterday - by one cabin - so I guess someone has cancelled.  I wonder whether they'll sail at full capacity?

[Kohima]

There is a downside to booking very early. A lot can change in 2 years and the deposit can be a considerable sum to lose if personal circumstances, not covered by insurance, force you to change your plans. Some years ago we booked back to back cruises around 2 years in advance, only to find subsequently that our daughter was expecting a baby (which became a high risk pregnancy) on the very day we were due to set sail for a 5 week cruise. Luckily she was induced 2 weeks early so we were there to take care of her toddler son and to hold our healthy newborn granddaughter. It was fortunate that we were able to have peace of mind that all was well, enabling us to enjoy our trip.

[wowzz]

56 minutes ago, Kohima said:

There is a downside to booking very early. A lot can change in 2 years and the deposit can be a considerable sum to lose if personal circumstances, not covered by insurance, force you to change your plans. Some years ago we booked back to back cruises around 2 years in advance, only to find subsequently that our daughter was expecting a baby (which became a high risk pregnancy) on the very day we were due to set sail for a 5 week cruise. Luckily she was induced 2 weeks early so we were there to take care of her toddler son and to hold our healthy newborn granddaughter. It was fortunate that we were able to have peace of mind that all was well, enabling us to enjoy our trip.

That's a fair point. Fortunately [?] we can only afford relatively affordable cruises, and the deposit  is not of such significance it would cause a financial strain if we were to lose it.

 

[Windsurfboy]

The price vs time debate is interesting and not simple. There is always a risk in booking early  and not all risks are covered by insurance. 

 

So I think there shoild be some incentive for early booking, how big is a question

 

 

To my mind the best system would be one which no cruise line currently adopts. Fixed discounts depending upon when you book , biggest 2 years ahead and decreasing in a advertised rate as you get nearer.

 

Saga's scheme comes close to this but I've heard that maximum discount  can disappear on first day if all cabins at that discount are booked.  It would be better if they held it firm at least for the first week, even if it meant a slightly smaller maximum discount

 

Viking fixed price is clear and fair. But no financial incentive to book early.

 

P&O , Cunard and others, whose pricing goes  up in some dynamic unpredictable  fashion after launch and can lead high prices for anyone but early bookers is the most confusing 

 

 

Edited July 22, 2021 by Windsurfboy

[Kohima]

There is an alternative to achieving a lower fare by early booking with Saga. We have had some excellent deals by using last minute cabin guarantee fares. Obviously this only works if you are prepared to take a risk as to the cabin allocation and on the less popular itineraries eg the Canaries. Although Saga say that you will always be compensated if fares are reduced, this does not apply to cabin guarantee fares as they are sold on a different basis.

[wowzz]

2 hours ago, Windsurfboy said:

Saga's scheme comes close to this but I've heard that maximum discount  can disappear on first day if all cabins at that discount are booked.  

The way round this is to pay and pre-register. If you book, the payment goes towards  the  deposit, if you dont book, you get your money back.

[Windsurfboy]

3 hours ago, Kohima said:

There is an alternative to achieving a lower fare by early booking with Saga. We have had some excellent deals by using last minute cabin guarantee fares. Obviously this only works if you are prepared to take a risk as to the cabin allocation and on the less popular itineraries eg the Canaries. Although Saga say that you will always be compensated if fares are reduced, this does not apply to cabin guarantee fares as they are sold on a different basis.

 

As you say these are only normally available  on less popular  itineraries.  If you want a particular cruise  and perhaps popular cruise then early booking is the answer.

[Kentish Lass]

We have just booked another UK cruise for this year.  Saga have just released another 6 short cruises that are replacing the 18 and 19 day cruises to Greenland and The Italian. Charms. We have booked Scottish Islands for 6 nights from Tilbury as this was part of our cruise that was cancelled and replaced with the south coast and the Isles of Scilly. Another nice break to look forward too. It is on Discovery again as that was the itinerary that fitted into the dates we had free during August. 

[maesteggirl]

Just come off Discovery. There is now dancing but with masks on and the buffets are open but not self service and the daytime entertainment was slowly getting back to normal. In our first week only 250 were allowed in theatre and had to book - in second week it was back to normal but masks had to be worn.

[VandM]

We’ve Booked Scotland Highlands and Islands for 15th August.  Really looking forward to it.  An unexpected pleasure.  And good friends are coming with us!  Good to know things are getting back to normal.  

 

Viv