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Saga Rose Greenland Voyager August 2007


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Donald,

 

Have you read the interesting Hanseatic post under this thread? Seems he left from Vancouver in that heatwave you experienced.

 

Yes, indeed, he experienced our heatwave. This morning's newspaper reported that Vancouver normally exceeds 30C (86F) once every five years, but this time we had four consecutive days of 30+C! Now the temperatures are back to normal range, with highs of 22C (71F).

 

Hanseatic was docked behind us in Ketchikan when Mercury was there last month. A small but very lovely ship!

 

Donald.

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Carnival Corp. does not have a monopoly on making changes to the ship while passengers are paying full fares for what they thought would be full service sailings.

 

NCL did that to the Marco Polo on its final cruise before the sale. They pulled the entire casino out and packed up the shops. The workers ( not crew) were rude and blocked hallways and "excuse me" did not get any one a measure of space to walk through.

 

Do not go on a cruise where changes are being made especially if it was a ship that you have previously loved. It is like watching a loved one being repeatedly tortured.

Fran

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Fran - I have a vague memory of you going on a 40-ish day cruise at the end of this year on a Discovery ship. Is that correct? And I smiled when you said you were born in NYC. Did you slip on a banana peel at an early age and wind up in Toronto?

 

I was born and raised, married and gave birth to my two sons in NYC. Things were not going well both safety-wise and educationally for the boys. In a visit to my DH's family in Toronto we fell in love with this city and its wonderful lifestyle and moved here in 1972 before they could be considered draft dodgers in grade 1 and 2.

 

They have both returned to the USA but I remain a lover of Toronto.

Fran

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Do not go on a cruise where changes are being made especially if it was a ship that you have previously loved. It is like watching a loved one being repeatedly tortured.

 

Fran, the same thing happened after Mercury's dry-docking a couple of years ago. I was not on that voyage afterwards, but others aboard complained that renovators were still steadily at work re-doing and re-furbishing the specialty shops, as well as finalizing last-minute touches on the new aft balconies.

 

Donald.

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NCL did that to the Marco Polo on its final cruise before the sale. They pulled the entire casino out and packed up the shops. The workers ( not crew) were rude and blocked hallways and "excuse me" did not get any one a measure of space to walk through.

 

Do not go on a cruise where changes are being made especially if it was a ship that you have previously loved. It is like watching a loved one being repeatedly tortured. Fran

 

I agree with you but the money-mad cruise companies never tell us that our cruise will be literally "under construction" when we make the bookings.

 

Back in the day, a maiden voyage was understood to be a shakedown cruise with a construction punch list to be completed. Nowadays, the Suits have zero compunction about rebuilding a ship while underway with innocent paying passengers. My educated guess is that the cruise-ship companies figure they'll pay out a percentage of discounts for future cruises to onboard passengers who complain. It's a "can't lose" proposition.

 

Did you know ahead of time that NCL was going to ruin your Marco Polo cruise whilst you were on her?

 

Ruby

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Did you know ahead of time that NCL was going to ruin your Marco Polo cruise whilst you were on her?

Most definitely not. One day a large group of men wearing coveralls appeared on the ship. They walked around as is they were kings of the jungle, not moving an inch for a lowly pax to pass by. They ate in the MDR in jeans on formal night

 

While ripping the casino out of a midships area, they seemed to relish our discomfort and pain. We who were attached emotionally paid an extremely high price which I would never do again.

Fran

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One day a large group of men wearing coveralls appeared on the ship. They walked around as is they were kings of the jungle, not moving an inch for a lowly pax to pass by. They ate in the MDR in jeans on formal night.

 

Did they also have beer bellies? (Here, it is the sarcastic side of my personality which has erupted! Beware!! ;)).

 

I'm again really sorry to know that your last voyage on Marco Polo was adversely affected by these incidents. If I was on the last Celebrity voyage of Mercury, and these things happened, I most certainly would have reacted exactly as you did.

 

Donald.

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While ripping the casino out of a midships area, they seemed to relish our discomfort and pain. We who were attached emotionally paid an extremely high price which I would never do again. Fran

 

Although I can imagine your pain during that last voyage, RCI did the exact same thing in Azamara's first year to hundreds of their passengers - construction continued for awhile, then the entire hotel staff had to be trained from napkins to bedsheets. I'm sure there was much research reading the Oceania business plans to make sure that RCI got it right.

 

I hear that Azamara has finally settled down to being two fine ships and, of course, RCI undercuts Oceania's prices to drive O out of business while using O's own business plans.

 

As you say, the emotional price paid for these ever-so-clever corporate hijinks are unforgivable for those passengers on Azamara who thought they were getting an excellent cruise for a good price while, in reality, they walked into the dragon's den of construction and crew trainees.

 

The passengers have no voice other than on these boards - a truly regrettable, but typical, way to do business.

 

Ruby

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The passengers have no voice other than on these boards - a truly regrettable, but typical, way to do business.

Ruby

 

As you pointed out, we passengers do have a voice here. Apparently the cruise lines assign staff to read the comments made here, sometimes even trying to figure out who the particular passenger is making them. I think somehwere in the distant past (we've been here for years now!) we discussed how some particularly vocal disgruntled passengers have been banned from ever returning aboard. Feel free to protest... but not too much!

Edited by Conte Di Savoia
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As one who has had perhaps too much experience dealing with protestors, I would only say, conduct your protest within the law.

 

Those who fail to heed that advice, often find themselves in the slammer, and that is not normally the intent of their protests.

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As one who has had perhaps too much experience dealing with protestors, I would only say, conduct your protest within the law. Those who fail to heed that advice, often find themselves in the slammer, and that is not normally the intent of their protests.

 

Michael - you're back from Woking Surrey! How was your visit with daughter, grandkids, and the OBE SIL? Did your flights go well?

 

Having served nobly in law enforcement in the People's Republic of Berkeley, were you cringing as the media covered the 40th anniversary of Woodstock from whence all the rest - or is that unrest - came?

 

Ruby

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Great trip to Woking, and all there are very well. Flights not bad, but oh so long, and now Virginia & I have to let jet-lag run its course. We do not bounce back as fast as we used to. Thanks for asking.

 

Reference Woodstock - being on the Left Coast, it did not really have that much of a direct impact on us (at the time), although we did have a Chief in the late 70s whose claim to fame was that he had been Chief of Security for the affair. I would say that he was a jerk with little contact with the reality of modern law enforcement, but we are not supposed to speak unkindly about the deceased!

 

Certainly, the 40th anniversy is a big deal, but it did not affect me as much as the 40th anniversary of the People's Park Riots (5-15-69), which was a home-grown Berkeley product.

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Great trip to Woking, and all there are very well. Flights not bad, but oh so long, and now Virginia & I have to let jet-lag run its course. We do not bounce back as fast as we used to. Thanks for asking.

 

Welcome back! I'm glad to hear that you had a great time in Woking.

 

Donald - are you attending the Vancouver Olympics next February? Or do you choose to escape the hurly-burly of those few weeks?

 

I certainly will stay in Vancouver during the Olympics, and expect to see the events much better on TV in the comfort of my home.

 

Yesterday the Canada Line finally opened to fanfare - the mostly underground transit between downtown Vancouver and the airport. The public had a free day trying out the new system. I rode it and found it very smooth. I was glad that it finally opened, after enduring three years of street closure, construction activity and a great deal of dust in my apartment.

 

One of the stations is in the mini-park right beside my apartment building (see photograph, taken from one of my windows). With my bags I can take the transit either 22 minutes to the airport or 4 minutes to the cruise terminal which is one block from the downtown terminus. It will be much cheaper and more convenient than taking the taxi!

 

There's the ubiquitous Starbuck's at the top of the picture, with the patrons relaxing at the patio tables.

 

zz2009_0817_CanadaLine.jpg

 

Donald.

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One of the stations is in the mini-park right beside my apartment building (see photograph, taken from one of my windows). With my bags I can take the transit either 22 minutes to the airport or 4 minutes to the cruise terminal which is one block from the downtown terminus. It will be much cheaper and more convenient than taking the taxi! Donald.

 

[heavy sigh] Four minutes to the cruise terminal. I'm green with envy. No matter what I do from the middle of the US, it's gonna be a 24-30 hr. travel day. And, like Michael, I don't bounce back so quickly from the jet lag.

 

heard about plans to make saga rose into a hotel in soton? i am nday looking forward to going on the repositing cruise from liverpool to soton on monday. dave

 

I haven't heard any rumours about Saga Rose's destiny but I'm sure you hear more on your side of the globe. I can't even bear to think of it. Have a grand time on your repo cruise.

 

I watched "Cruise Inc." on CNBC yet again. I'm still mildly surprised that NCL let the documentary crew sail onboard a 7-day cruise and film the business aspect behind the scenes. The best part of the entire hour is when Peter Greenberg asks the "older" couple how much they spent on their shipboard accounts and the couple smile and reply, "Zero!" Now that's the way to play the game!

 

Ruby

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I shall be sailing on the ship ,ex, Cunard Caronia at Christmas ,I,m one of those "British Pensioners" originally spoken of in the 1st.page of this thread ,we do have a very active web knowledge in Britain ,we aren,t in the dark ages anymore.:D

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i am on the saga rose tomorrow looking forward to maybe the last chance on her. i went on the ruby last year a nice ship. not sure about saga's new ship.

 

Dave, I hope that you will enjoy yourself on Saga Rose. Do let us know afterwards.

 

Donald.

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I shall be sailing on the ship ,ex, Cunard Caronia at Christmas ,I,m one of those "British Pensioners" originally spoken of in the 1st.page of this thread ,we do have a very active web knowledge in Britain ,we aren,t in the dark ages anymore.:D

 

First page? Somebody read the first page of this thread? Good on you and welcome. Are you sailing on Saga Ruby for the Christmas markets? Ships cat's tales of sailing to attend Christmas markets in cold climes were quite entertaining and inspiring. What is your itinerary for that cruise?

 

i am on the saga rose tomorrow looking forward to maybe the last chance on her. i went on the ruby last year a nice ship. not sure about saga's new ship. dave

 

Upon your return, tell us how you liked the differences of the two main dining rooms. Saga Rose has a wonderful grand-entry staircase that I will always remember altho' those peculiar "chandeliers" of gold-foil stars and streamers in the GDR itself were a bit amusing.

 

Ruby

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Dave, I have read your review of your one-night repo on Saga Rose and have questions:

 

What ships do you like to cruise on? I agree that the Saga Sisters are expensive but they are over-the-moon expensive for us in the US due to our not being able to enjoy "free" airfare, the freephone customer service number, or the free transfers from home to ship. Having said that, on what ships do you get the most for your money when sailing out of the UK?

 

I'm a bit confused. Was your objective to enjoy sailing on the ship or to continue social networking whilst onboard with the sagazone folks? At breakfast and lunch, I consistently was seated at a large empty table and, inevitably, the headwaiter would bring folks up to join me, especially at lunch. I don't think I've ever spent a lunch hour alone at open seating on the Saga Sisters. However, on a one-nighter, I'm sure it is indeed a bit awkward as the staff have no time to learn your wonts and wishes.

 

What did you think of the grand staircase? And the intriguingly strange "chandeliers?" Did you enjoy the more "mature" aspects of the ship like a real metal cabin key?

 

I'm not familiar with "sagazone." Can you tell me a bit about it?

 

 

Ruby

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Having done a couple of short cruises (2 and 3 nights respectively) I know that these are totally unrepresentative of "proper" cruises. They get a very different passenger base for a start, and the crew have no time to bond with you. In fact I think the crew hate them. There is a lot of work for them for little reward. At least on Saga you won't get the hen and stag parties though!!

Edited by ships cat
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