Newbie questions for first ocean cruise

[arlowood]

Have cruised for many years with P&O but their laissez faire attitude to customer service of late has driven me to look at other options

 

Booked on SoD departing 19th June for the Icelandic Adventure cruise. I have a couple of questions that hopefully some of you regular Saga cruisers might be able to answer.

We have a standard balcony cabin on B deck and I've been trying to assess how much storage there is in the cabin for clothes. With having to bringing along formal wear as well as normal smart casual, I'm not sure about how much hanging and drawer space is available. I've looked at a couple of YouTube video reviews and have picked up on the 6 drawers in the dressing table/desk unit and also the 2 small drawers in the bedside cabinets. Are there other drawers built into the wardrobe unit under the room safe? I thought I caught a glimpse of some in one video but not enough to be sure either way.

 

Also are the beds high enough to allow you to store an open suitcase underneath to act as extra storage?

 

I have red somewhere that the library is not currently stocked with books. Do Saga allow an informal book exchange system between passengers? We've experienced this on P&O and more recently on a couple of Viking cruises last year during the pandemic.

 

Finally, a more trivial but still important (to me) question. Are you permitted to take penknives on board in your carry on or checked suitcases. I have a Swiss Army knife that I always take on holiday and have found it very useful on many occasions. The large blade when open is less than 70mm long. It has been accepted on P&O as long as it was carried in your hand luggage to allow the blade to be checked. Will Saga allow it on board or not?

Edited June 8, 2022 by arlowood

[sleepingcat]

Hi, SoD and SoA are almost identical.  If you track down my review of SoA 20 January 22 departure to canaries, you ll see that I listed a lot of info about the cabin because I hadn't been  able to find the sort of info you are  asking about before we sailed. 

 

your specific questions: yes, you can put cases under the beds.  the side of the wardrobe where the safe is has a combination of shelves and drawers.  we found we had plenty of storage. also there are some open shelves in the 'corridor' by the bathroom where we kept stuff to grab as we went out (masks, at the time). And there are coat hooks opposite the bathroom door. 

 

we were new to Saga for that January cruise and we were impressed.  I think we are converts (though I still hanker after another trip on Arcadia). Have a great  cruise. 

[Kohima]

At first glance the cabin storage seems limited but, once you start putting things in place, it is perfectly adequate. We move the life jackets out of the wardrobe to under the bed, freeing up more wardrobe storage. There are copious hangers but, due to the sliding doors meeting in the middle, some may be easier to reach than others. Bulky jumpers can go on the wardrobe shelves. Coats can hang on the hooks near the bathroom (which has very good storage). Shoe storage is limited so the area under the bed is useful. 
Don’t forget that there is an excellent free launderette as well as a quick laundry service so there’s no need to travel with an excess of clothing!

Re the penknife, you should ask Saga.

When the library was in operation in 2019 there was an area for leaving magazines and unwanted books but that was not available recently. Hopefully the excellent library will return to use soon.
Enjoy Iceland…..we did it on the old SoA in 2008. One of our best ever cruises!

 

[Lady Meer]

My husband has taken his Swiss army knife on every cruise we've been on - including Saga and P & O. He puts it in his suitcase and has never had a problem. To be honest, I don’t think he’s ever thought it may not be allowed. 

[Vivaldi]

We found the hanging space in the wardrobe on the SofD for a B2B to be adequate, with no shortage of hangers provided. Drawer accommodation was just about OK, but there was a distinct lack of space for shoes (I blame my wife for that!). If you look at the very informative blog in this Saga forum by Norbertsniece entitled "A Bit of a Blog" you will see that she had an excellent solution for this problem, with a shoe rack-type bag which seemed to hook over a door. 

 

Thank you, Kohima, for the suggestion about moving the life jackets to underneath the bed - that would certainly help. 

 

Overall, we managed to find a space for everything, although I did like the look of the walk-in wardrobes in the Deluxe cabins ... 

[arlowood]

3 hours ago, Lady Meer said:

My husband has taken his Swiss army knife on every cruise we've been on - including Saga and P & O. He puts it in his suitcase and has never had a problem. To be honest, I don’t think he’s ever thought it may not be allowed. 

Yes - in the past I had no problems on P&O with packing my Swiss Army knife in my suitcase. However about 4 years ago I was summoned from the check-in area during boarding to explain the object found by a security scan of my suitcase. It was my Swiss Army knife. Thereafter I was advised to always take it in my hand luggage so that it could be examined to ensure that it met the criteria for the length of the largest blade when open. (I believe it must be less than 74mm). I've done that since then but occasionally met some over officious security staff who have made a fuss about it and called a supervisor and/or a member of the P&O on board team.

Just hoping to avoid any major hassle if possible. - I know - the simple answer is to leave it at home - but I am loathe to do so as it has come in very handy on my travels in the past.

[Lady Meer]

53 minutes ago, arlowood said:

Yes - in the past I had no problems on P&O with packing my Swiss Army knife in my suitcase. However about 4 years ago I was summoned from the check-in area during boarding to explain the object found by a security scan of my suitcase. It was my Swiss Army knife. Thereafter I was advised to always take it in my hand luggage so that it could be examined to ensure that it met the criteria for the length of the largest blade when open. (I believe it must be less than 74mm). I've done that since then but occasionally met some over officious security staff who have made a fuss about it and called a supervisor and/or a member of the P&O on board team.

Just hoping to avoid any major hassle if possible. - I know - the simple answer is to leave it at home - but I am loathe to do so as it has come in very handy on my travels in the past.

Wow, we’ll watch out for that in future. The only thing we’ve been to the naughty table for was a travel iron. We were ‘travelling’ by land after a cruise, hence the iron. Carrying a knife in hand luggage would be awkward if flying to a cruise!

[JoJo1947]

If I recall somewhere there was information of blade length you could pack in main suitcase. Something like nail scissor size. 

 

[Kenmure]

In the ‘good old days’ when formal evenings just meant more than dressing up and were usually preceded by a cocktail party of some sort (hopefully these will now return) it was well worth bringing along the full Highland garb which was much appreciated by many. 

Of course ‘full’ means the lot – Prince Charlie jacket and waistcoat, Tartan kilt with kilt pin and belt trimmings, Ghillie brogues, white hose with tartan flashes and of course the Sgiandubh. (That’s the knife you stick in your sock!). One can say without doubt that this lot nearly takes up a suitcase alone which is lucky as being a Saganaut you are likely to have your luggage transported to your cabin door for embarkation.

With stricter security time eventually caught up with me with regards to the last item. Luggage had ‘disappeared’ on arrival and we were safely ensconced in our cabin when I received a phone call from security saying there was a problem with my luggageand I was to report to the loading bay. When I got there I was asked to identify my case and to open it. I was asked if I was carrying a knife and I produced it from the case. This was immediately confiscated and said it would be given to Saga officials and they would decide what to do with it. I went back to the cabin but even before we had sailed there was a knock at the door and there was the security officer with a broad grin on his face saying ‘I believe this is yours, sir!’

Not wanting this to happen again I decided that the best thing was to put it in my hand luggage in future. In the meantime I found that I was not the only person with this problem. Fortunately there was a way round it with a false Sgiandubh with no blade just the sheath attached to the handle. Ideal. Next cruise left the real one at home and packed the false one in hand luggage. Through the x-ray machine it went, but then it stopped. Much staring at the screen by security. Taken to one side a told the problem. “No problem!” I said. ‘It’s a false one!” I was then asked to open my case. I lifted it out held the sheath pulled the handle….. and out came the blade. I’d packed the wrong one! Same result… knock on the cabin door “I believe this is yours, sir. Please keep it in your safe when you are not using it.” I replied “I hope I  don’thave to use it as I would be in deep trouble!

So advice on the Swiss knife. Definitely in hand luggage and then negotiate if necessary. Best of luck!

[jh1809]

I'm another Saga newbie, and will be cruising on Spirit of Discovery to Greenland next month. A couple of things that I haven't been able to find out and would welcome enlightenment on:

 

1. Is there a laundry service on board? I don't mean a self-service laundrette - that's not how I want to spend my holiday! If so, is it included in the cost of the cruise or does it incur an extra charge? (I suspect it will be chargeable, but that's fine so long as it's not too exorbitant.)

 

2. Is it possible to purchase foreign currency on board? Though I don't suppose there will be that much opportunity to spend any in Greenland.

[LandC]

There is a chargeable laundry service on board, and we have used it, it’s very efficient.  Your cabin steward will take the items and return them to you, usually 1 - 2 days later.  There is also a retractable washing line in the shower for small items - don’t for get to take some pegs.

 

It is possible to buy small amounts of foreign currency on board, best to check beforehand as some countries (eg Iceland) are now virtually cashless and only accept  payment by credit card.  Even for the public lavatories! 
 

Enjoy your cruise!

Edited June 12, 2022 by LandC
Addition

[Lady Meer]

8 hours ago, jh1809 said: Though I don't suppose there will be that much opportunity to spend any in Greenland.

I don’t know your itinerary. We went to Qaqortoq - there were stalls at the tender station selling handicrafts, pictures etc. We paid in US dollars.

[jh1809]

6 hours ago, LandC said:

There is a chargeable laundry service on board, and we have used it, it’s very efficient.  Your cabin steward will take the items and return them to you, usually 1 - 2 days later.  There is also a retractable washing line in the shower for small items - don’t for get to take some pegs.

 

It is possible to buy small amounts of foreign currency on board, best to check beforehand as some countries (eg Iceland) are now virtually cashless and only accept  payment by credit card.  Even for the public lavatories! 
 

Enjoy your cruise!

Thanks. I was thinking mainly about tipping the excursion guides, which is one thing that you can't use a card for.

[jh1809]

30 minutes ago, Lady Meer said:

I don’t know your itinerary. We went to Qaqortoq - there were stalls at the tender station selling handicrafts, pictures etc. We paid in US dollars.

Thanks. My cruise is calling there too. If they're happy with US dollars, then I think I have a few left from a previous holiday.

[JoJo1947]

10 hours ago, jh1809 said:

I'm another Saga newbie, and will be cruising on Spirit of Discovery to Greenland next month. A couple of things that I haven't been able to find out and would welcome enlightenment on:

 

1. Is there a laundry service on board? I don't mean a self-service laundrette - that's not how I want to spend my holiday! If so, is it included in the cost of the cruise or does it incur an extra charge? (I suspect it will be chargeable, but that's fine so long as it's not too exorbitant.)

 

2. Is it possible to purchase foreign currency on board? Though I don't suppose there will be that much opportunity to spend any in Greenland.

If you have a suite laundry is no extra charge.

[jh1809]

19 minutes ago, JoJo1947 said:

If you have a suite laundry is no extra charge.

Thanks. I'm afraid I couldn't afford a suite.

[JoJo1947]

Just now, jh1809 said:

Thanks. I'm afraid I couldn't afford a suite.

Know what you mean 

[nosapphire]

My recollection of the laundry service are that the prices are very reasonable - you'll find a laundry bag and a stack of laundry forms in your wardrobe.

I think that there was a proviso that in the event of damage, the only compensation would be a refund of the price paid (no good to us, as Gold members we got free laundry anyway).

I did hear other passengers commenting about items returned in a rather shrunken state, so I would be cautious about any fragile items that you treasure. Having said that, I did put a rather delicate dress in and had no problems, but we mainly used it for shirts, shorts and T-shirts (they iron his dress shirts beautifully).

The laundry gets identified by means of a very small label with your cabin number which is stuck usually along an inside seam, and I recommend searching and removing as soon as it is returned - otherwise, months later  you will wonder why a seam suddenly feels scratchy and discover a small label starting to come loose.

 

[wowzz]

I'm just trying to think of any time in the last 40 years of travelling around the world when I thought "oh, how I wish I had a pen knife !"

 

[david05]

6 hours ago, wowzz said:

I'm just trying to think of any time in the last 40 years of travelling around the world when I thought "oh, how I wish I had a pen knife !"

 

When trying to undo the cap on the plastic water bottle provided by Saga when you go ashore!

[Tothesunset]

8 hours ago, wowzz said:

I'm just trying to think of any time in the last 40 years of travelling around the world when I thought "oh, how I wish I had a pen knife !"

 

But what happens on the day you find that horse with a stone in its hoof... 

[khkate]

Re the "six drawers" in the dressing table, they aren't. On one side, a double drawer front is actually one drawer and quite deep, the other drawers are quite shallow - so quite limited in that area. 

[khkate]

On 6/12/2022 at 10:15 AM, jh1809 said:

I'm another Saga newbie, and will be cruising on Spirit of Discovery to Greenland next month. A couple of things that I haven't been able to find out and would welcome enlightenment on:

 

1. Is there a laundry service on board? I don't mean a self-service laundrette - that's not how I want to spend my holiday! If so, is it included in the cost of the cruise or does it incur an extra charge? (I suspect it will be chargeable, but that's fine so long as it's not too exorbitant.)

 

2. Is it possible to purchase foreign currency on board? Though I don't suppose there will be that much opportunity to spend any in Greenland.

Not sure of the current requirements for purchasing foreign currency on board, but I know it used to be that you could only do by using a personal cheque or cash - not credit/debit card, or using your cruise card either - just something to be aware of. 

 

[jh1809]

2 hours ago, khkate said:

Not sure of the current requirements for purchasing foreign currency on board, but I know it used to be that you could only do by using a personal cheque or cash - not credit/debit card, or using your cruise card either - just something to be aware of. 

 

Thanks. That seems a rather bizarre policy.

[sleepingcat]

On 6/12/2022 at 10:15 AM, jh1809 said:

I'm another Saga newbie, and will be cruising on Spirit of Discovery to Greenland next month. A couple of things that I haven't been able to find out and would welcome enlightenment on:

 

1. Is there a laundry service on board? I don't mean a self-service laundrette - that's not how I want to spend my holiday! If so, is it included in the cost of the cruise or does it incur an extra charge? (I suspect it will be chargeable, but that's fine so long as it's not too exorbitant.)

 

2. Is it possible to purchase foreign currency on board? Though I don't suppose there will be that much opportunity to spend any in Greenland.

 

saga newbies with questions.  Back in January2022  @norbert's niece posted a blog (title B2B2B...) with more photos than you could imagine of every aspect of their cabin and SoA.  She even included a picture of the laundry bag and the price list as far as I can recall.  So have a look through that and see if it helps with your queries. In my review of the 20 January departure, I listed all the stuff you get free in the cabin, as I had also had difficulties finding info.