2025

[Glenndale]

11 hours ago, twotravellersLondon said:

 

Absolutely not.

 

We had a brilliant Baltic cruise last year at a huge discount... booked the week before the departure! Missed out on one excursion that was fully booked but... that's life.

Can you be more forthcoming re discount on standard cabin price please? 

Length of cruise and location, TIA

[FatBoy20]

1 minute ago, Glenndale said:

Can you be more forthcoming re discount on standard cabin price please? 

Length of cruise and location, TIA

Max Discount @35% virtually guaranteed @pre registration stage. Generally the higher the Deck the dearer the Cabin. Obviously the longer the Cruise then more expensive. Canaries are usually the cheapest due to high number of sailings. This year at launch the cheapest Cabins, to the Canaries, were around £220pp per night.

[Truro001]

It has been our experience that one needs to pre register if you want any chance of securing a large discount on the cabins that are in highest demand. The demand for the cabins on E deck will always be much higher than the demand for suites so the need to pre register varies as to the category of cabin required. We had pre registered for our last cruise but by the time we were called the discount offered on E deck cabins was already down to 20% whereas A deck cabins and suites were still being offered with 35% discounts. Guaranteed cabins offer a good deal but only if one has not been able to achieve a good discount on release. The price of a guaranteed cabin is never below the price of an E deck cabin with a 35% discount. I offer as an example our own experience with the cruise that was due to sail to the Black Sea in 2022. This was our second cruise with Saga and we had not pre registered. Our reservation was for a standard cabin on B deck on which we were offered a 20% discount. This cruise was rebranded as a cruise to the Eastern Mediterranean when the Black Sea element of the cruise was cancelled and passengers were offered various alternatives. One of the options was a full refund.  I believe that those passengers who decided to keep their bookings were not offered any reduction in the cost of their cruise. We cancelled our booking and received a full refund. We later decided to rebook the  cruise but this time we opted for a guaranteed cabin which equated to the cost of a cabin on E deck with a 30% discount. We were obviously more than happy to have saved ourselves just over £6,000 but of course we could have saved roughly the same amount if at the time of booking we had been been able to book a cabin on E deck instead of B deck.  My point being that IF we had been able to book a cabin on E deck at a 35% discount it would still have been cheaper than the price of a guaranteed cabin. We quickly learned the lesson that if we want to be in with a chance of getting a good discount (30% 35%) on a standard cabin on E deck we need to pre register. Failing that it is a case of paying substantially more or opting to go the Guaranteed cabin route much closer to the sailing date. As with most things in life it comes down to personal circumstances and preferences.

 

 

[JMMKUK]

We've never pre-registered, but we get 35% off because we book suites & there are usually some left with that discount.  If that stops happening we'll have to pre-register.

[twotravellersLondon]

38 minutes ago, Glenndale said:

Can you be more forthcoming re discount on standard cabin price please? 

Length of cruise and location, TIA

 

Spirit of Discover, Contrasts of Scandinavia, 14 days, leaving 21 May 2023, standard twin midships on C deck @ 22% below the full fare, a total saving of almost £2k. (£1,948 to be more precise.)

 

Not as much as the 35% pre-registered discount but we couldn't book that one in advance because of some personal uncertainties... so we were more than happy with 22% at the last minute. And the cruise was great.

 

Even had Jools Holland on board.

[Glenndale]

38 minutes ago, twotravellersLondon said:

 

Spirit of Discover, Contrasts of Scandinavia, 14 days, leaving 21 May 2023, standard twin midships on C deck @ 22% below the full fare, a total saving of almost £2k. (£1,948 to be more precise.)

 

Not as much as the 35% pre-registered discount but we couldn't book that one in advance because of some personal uncertainties... so we were more than happy with 22% at the last minute. And the cruise was great.

 

Even had Jools Holland on board.

Thank you very much for that. 🙂

I hear people speak about discounts given closer to sailing but I have never seen a discount as great as that when pre-registered.

We will continue to pre-register and choose our cabin.

 

[Glenndale]

1 hour ago, Truro001 said:

It has been our experience that one needs to pre register if you want any chance of securing a large discount on the cabins that are in highest demand. The demand for the cabins on E deck will always be much higher than the demand for suites so the need to pre register varies as to the category of cabin required. We had pre registered for our last cruise but by the time we were called the discount offered on E deck cabins was already down to 20% whereas A deck cabins and suites were still being offered with 35% discounts. Guaranteed cabins offer a good deal but only if one has not been able to achieve a good discount on release. The price of a guaranteed cabin is never below the price of an E deck cabin with a 35% discount. I offer as an example our own experience with the cruise that was due to sail to the Black Sea in 2022. This was our second cruise with Saga and we had not pre registered. Our reservation was for a standard cabin on B deck on which we were offered a 20% discount. This cruise was rebranded as a cruise to the Eastern Mediterranean when the Black Sea element of the cruise was cancelled and passengers were offered various alternatives. One of the options was a full refund.  I believe that those passengers who decided to keep their bookings were not offered any reduction in the cost of their cruise. We cancelled our booking and received a full refund. We later decided to rebook the  cruise but this time we opted for a guaranteed cabin which equated to the cost of a cabin on E deck with a 30% discount. We were obviously more than happy to have saved ourselves just over £6,000 but of course we could have saved roughly the same amount if at the time of booking we had been been able to book a cabin on E deck instead of B deck.  My point being that IF we had been able to book a cabin on E deck at a 35% discount it would still have been cheaper than the price of a guaranteed cabin. We quickly learned the lesson that if we want to be in with a chance of getting a good discount (30% 35%) on a standard cabin on E deck we need to pre register. Failing that it is a case of paying substantially more or opting to go the Guaranteed cabin route much closer to the sailing date. As with most things in life it comes down to personal circumstances and preferences.

 

 

twotravellersLondon has confirmed this.

We are pre-registered up until 2027 at the moment, and will look at 2028 when the 2025 summer sailings are released. There is no risk to the fee so win, win.

[nosapphire]

As far as I am aware, E deck cabins never have the 35% discount. I think the maximum for this deck is 30%.

 

[Glenndale]

12 minutes ago, nosapphire said:

As far as I am aware, E deck cabins never have the 35% discount. I think the maximum for this deck is 30%.

 

Sorry, nosapphire this is not true.

Based on the questions you have answered, you have chosen not to select Saga Cruise Single Trip Travel Insurance. 98456

Magic of the Northern Lights [ SD130 ] K Grade £ 5024.00

Early Booking Discount - 35% £ -1785.00

UK Travel - Shared Car, Shared Car £ 0.00

 

Just for clarity this is an E deck midships cabin reserved after pre-reg phone call

 

Edited February 9 by Glenndale

[Windsurfboy]

No doubt early  preregistering gets best price.

 

However my view is talk of 35% discount is a bit imaginative. 

 

Has anyone  paid the full price? 

 

 

[arlowood]

1 hour ago, nosapphire said:

As far as I am aware, E deck cabins never have the 35% discount. I think the maximum for this deck is 30%.

 

I beg to differ. We  booked the Scandinavian Gems cruise on Discovery sailing 4th August this year. We were pre-registered and received the call back in February 2023. Ours is an E-Deck cabin and we received the 35% early booking discount. 

 

I don't think we were early in the pre-registration queue but maybe our chosen cruise was less popular and there were still maximum discounts available on E-Deck by the time they got round to us.

[nosapphire]

1 hour ago, Glenndale said:

Sorry, nosapphire this is not true.

Based on the questions you have answered, you have chosen not to select Saga Cruise Single Trip Travel Insurance. 98456

Magic of the Northern Lights [ SD130 ] K Grade £ 5024.00

Early Booking Discount - 35% £ -1785.00

UK Travel - Shared Car, Shared Car £ 0.00

 

Just for clarity this is an E deck midships cabin reserved after pre-reg phone call

 

 

13 minutes ago, arlowood said:

I beg to differ. We  booked the Scandinavian Gems cruise on Discovery sailing 4th August this year. We were pre-registered and received the call back in February 2023. Ours is an E-Deck cabin and we received the 35% early booking discount. 

 

I don't think we were early in the pre-registration queue but maybe our chosen cruise was less popular and there were still maximum discounts available on E-Deck by the time they got round to us.

Well, I stand corrected - thanks to both of you.

Good news for those of us who select E deck by choice, and with (early) pre-registration.

[FatBoy20]

Any News on when the E-Brochure for Pre-registration will be issued?. Saga stated "Coming soon" over ten days ago & the Cruises won't be on General Sale until at least 4 weeks after the E-Brochure is issued. I do think Saga miss a trick by appearing late compared with other Cruise Lines who have had 2025 & even some 2026 dates on sale months ago!.

[Windsurfboy]

If I change my number in my Saga,  will Saga ring you if you are abroad,  or do they only ring you in UK.

[arlowood]

3 hours ago, FatBoy20 said:

Any News on when the E-Brochure for Pre-registration will be issued?. Saga stated "Coming soon" over ten days ago & the Cruises won't be on General Sale until at least 4 weeks after the E-Brochure is issued. I do think Saga miss a trick by appearing late compared with other Cruise Lines who have had 2025 & even some 2026 dates on sale months ago!.

Well from a personal standpoint I hope it's maybe delayed a little until the last week in February or the first week in March.

Let me explain to all those whose indignation has been piqued by my comment.

 

Last year the 2024 summer itineraries were released around mid-February to those on the pre-registration list. Calls started almost immediately for those at the top of the list (earliest registered) and worked their way through chronologically.

Unfortunately for us, by the time we reached the head of the queue, we were on holiday in Cyprus. Phone call was received just as we were enjoying a postprandial libation at our hotel. Cue a frantic scurry to our room to retrieve the relevant information and credit card details whilst still being on call to Saga (praying we would not lose signal in the lift as we made our way to the room).

Eventually secured a booking on our preferred cruise at the maximum discount but all the while being nervous about relaying credit card details over the phone from Cyprus.

 

We are off to Cyprus again shortly and I'm just worried that Murphy's Law will rear its ugly head once more and the emailed itineraries will appear shortly and our call will again come while overseas.

 

I know others have suggested that you can request Saga to call back later if the call comes at an inconvenient time but I'm afraid that the dreaded FOMO would kick in at that point and we would be agonising about losing out on a preferred cabin at the best discount

 

 

Edited February 13 by arlowood

[Windsurfboy]

Did Saga ring you on your English phone.

 

As we don't have roaming in S.A. we have a local SIM , so planning to give them that number +27....   ...

[arlowood]

2 minutes ago, Windsurfboy said:

Did Saga ring you on your English phone.

 

As we don't have roaming in S.A. we have a local SIM , so planning to give them that number +27....   ...

Yes we had a UK registered mobile phone on the O2 service. They called us on that number. I'm not sure but they may also have initially tried our home phone as we had a number of missed calls on that when we got back. I think we have both home and mobile numbers registered with Saga.

If you are likely to be overseas then if you give Saga the contact number there, I'm sure they will call that if your name pops up to the head of the queue

[FatBoy20]

Informed yesterday by Saga HQ that E Brochure should be sent out in the next two weeks. Over two weeks ago a flyer stated "2025 Cruises coming soon" but I suppose so is Christmas!.

[nosapphire]

Maybe we're all looking at this the wrong way round.

Instead of wondering why Saga are so late releasing cruise itineraries, it should be, "why are other lines releasing itineraries so early?"

Seems sometimes that it is the same as shops having Easter eggs on sale by the end of January, Christmas decorations up in August... everybody trying to be the first to get their offering on sale.

 

 

[Denarius]

31 minutes ago, nosapphire said:

Maybe we're all looking at this the wrong way round.

Instead of wondering why Saga are so late releasing cruise itineraries, it should be, "why are other lines releasing itineraries so early?"

Seems sometimes that it is the same as shops having Easter eggs on sale by the end of January, Christmas decorations up in August... everybody trying to be the first to get their offering on sale.

 

 

Good point. When I was a young man Summer holiday brochures were not usually published until December of the previous year; eg, brochures for 1974 Summer holidays would be published in December 1973, most people waiting until the New Year before booking. Booking holidays two years in advance would have been seen as odd to say the least. This was still the case when I started cruising in the 1990s. But in recent years brochures have been issued earlier and earlier, presumably to bounce people into booking early for fear of missing out.

[Medeba]

19 hours ago, FatBoy20 said:

Informed yesterday by Saga HQ that E Brochure should be sent out in the next two weeks. Over two weeks ago a flyer stated "2025 Cruises coming soon" but I suppose so is Christmas!.

That means it could be March before we get the E Brochure!  Even later than last year (I got the E Brochure on 28 February).  I just wish Saga would get on with it as I'm holding off other plans until I see the itineraries.  I know we're all fortunate to be able to have these lovely cruises given what's going on in the world at the moment but the waiting around is beginning to take its toll 😂.

[FatBoy20]

3 minutes ago, Medeba said:

That means it could be March before we get the E Brochure!  Even later than last year (I got the E Brochure on 28 February).  I just wish Saga would get on with it as I'm holding off other plans until I see the itineraries.  I know we're all fortunate to be able to have these lovely cruises given what's going on in the world at the moment but the waiting around is beginning to take its toll 😂.

And other Cruise Lines will be issuing Summer 2026 itineraries in March!, Get on with it Saga.

[Glenndale]

15 minutes ago, FatBoy20 said:

And other Cruise Lines will be issuing Summer 2026 itineraries in March!, Get on with it Saga.

Yes, I'm already eyeing up my pre-Christmas 2026 Canaries trip with Cunard 😁

[LandC]

Itineraries have to be planned well in advance in order to book the ports, so perhaps Saga leave it until the last minute to decide what price to charge for their cruises.  We are also looking at 2025 itineraries with Regent, Azamara and Silversea but want to see the Saga itineraries before we make a decision.  Some of the offers expire on 29th February, so it’s going to be touch and go!

[Spence55]

I’m not too surprised that Saga is later than other companies in releasing its brochure. There’s a huge demand for cruises across the world, and the big players are better placed to pay high port fees. Saga is a small player with financial issues, and might be missing out on some of the better options. For instance this Spring’s Adriatic cruise is not calling at Venice (Marghera) but Trieste. Saga also seems to have an increasing number of Gibraltar calls, again a cheap option. Add in abandoning Southampton for Portsmouth, to ‘save shed loads of cash’ I heard, and I think it’s safe to conclude the lateness in finalising itineraries could be down own to waiting to see what’s available after the big players have booked their ports of call.