Saga Rose Greenland Voyager August 2007

[MMDown Under]

I'm being tempted by a TA on MSC Poesia from Kiel to NYC in September, 2010.

 

An overnight in Bermuda and cruising into NYC are big attractions to me. I cruised into NYC on my first cruise in 1969. I always regretted that the ship didn't stop at Bermuda en route to Rotterdam.

 

Yes, I know it is a big ship, and it is MSC, however they have the most wonderful TA itineraries, at a reasonable cost.

 

As well as fall being my favourite time of year in America, I have a younger daughter in Europe and friends in Boston and NY, so the timing is good.

Edited November 26, 2009 by MMDown Under

[Kapricorn]

Donald - I knew Canada had Thanksgiving as well as the US, but can never remember the date. So belated Happy Thanksgiving to all Canadians.

 

Do you know the history of Canadian Thanksgiving?

 

Between 1879 and 1957 many dates were used for Canada's Thanksgiving, but since 1957 our Thanksgiving has been set on the second Monday of October. Actually it is not a statutory holiday across Canada, with three provinces not observing it - Prince Edward Island, Newfoundland and Labrador, and Nova Scotia.

 

Traditionally we give thanks for a successful harvest, and our harvest season falls earlier in Canada compared to the U.S.A. because we are further north.

 

There are similarities between Canada's and U.S.A.'s Thanksgivings because Americans loyal to England during the American Revolution moved to Canada where they brought their customs and practices, especially the cornucopia and pumpkin pie.

 

Turkey dinners are traditional in Canada as it in the U.S.A.

 

However we don't have Thanksgiving Parades.

 

Donald.

[MMDown Under]

Thanks for the background history, Donald, which is very interesting. I've always wondered at the connection between the two countries.

 

Do you know why the three provinces mentioned don't observe the holiday?

Edited November 26, 2009 by MMDown Under

[Druke I]

Yes, thanks for the history lesson.

 

We in the States know shockingly little about the country to our North, one of our most steadfast friends and ally - and there is little reported about Canada in our press.

 

I've always thought this to be an embarrassing situation that should be rectified. Perhaps I take more interest in Canada because my dad emigrated to the US from England via Canada. The English Quota was filled - so the only way he could get here was by going to Canada, staying awhile, then coming in on the Canadia Quota. This was after he was demobbed from his Army service in The Great War.

Edited November 26, 2009 by Druke I

[seabourndt]

shame we do not celebratew it in england. the poesia trip sounds nice. booked on NORWEGIAN EPIC to nyc in june myself. hope to stay till 4th july and may see the naming while there. any news of the SAGA ROSE if she is saved from alang

dave

[Kapricorn]

Do you know why the three provinces mentioned don't observe the holiday?

 

That is a good question ... I have no idea.

 

I will contact a friend in Nova Scotia to find out if he knows the reason.

 

Donald.

[Kapricorn]

To my surprise, my friend in Nova Scotia said that they do have Thanksgiving holiday.

 

Perhaps in 1957 these three provinces (which were largely rural in these days) opted not to have Thanksgiving, but eventually they adopted the holiday.

 

Donald.

[Conte Di Savoia]

My partner and I have returned from north Texas where we spent the Thanksgiving holiday with family. Without doubt the highlight of our trip was a visit with Saga Ruby....my partner's family doesn't visit this site so don't tell anyone. Ruby came over to DFW airport to spend some time (much too short) to chit chat and say "howdie" before we boarded our flight back to New York. Guess what. We are not avatars but real people! What a thrill to meet up close and personal after the last couple of years of communicating over the internet. What a thrill! Who would have imagined that those of us of a certain age would be able to meet new friends through this wonderful medium. I know I often get nostalgic for the good old days but I think I can say for both of us that this was really special. Howdie Ruby!!! :)

[Saga Ruby]

My partner and I have returned from north Texas where we spent the Thanksgiving holiday with family. Without doubt the highlight of our trip was a visit with Saga Ruby....my partner's family doesn't visit this site so don't tell anyone. Ruby came over to DFW airport to spend some time (much too short) to chit chat and say "howdie" before we boarded our flight back to New York. Guess what. We are not avatars but real people! What a thrill to meet up close and personal after the last couple of years of communicating over the internet. What a thrill! Who would have imagined that those of us of a certain age would be able to meet new friends through this wonderful medium. I know I often get nostalgic for the good old days but I think I can say for both of us that this was really special. Howdie Ruby!!! :)

 

It was, indeed, de-lightful and de-lovely to meet Conte and his partner at DFW Airport. As Fran said so long ago, wouldn't it be fun to have folks from this thread on the same ship at the same time? Lacking that, the meet-and-greet with Conte was such a pleasure and tons o' fun. Now that Conte has learned to pronounce "Howdy," my next goal is to have him hollering "Yeeehaww" at some point.

 

I have been taken aback at the new ships on the water - Oasis and Epic. They are definitely not for me and my small, "mature" ships are getting a bit long in the tooth for future years of cruising. Does anyone know the itineraries of these apartment barges? Are they meant to be parked in the Caribbean for 52 weeks a year or will they reach out to global ports?

 

My ship choices are narrowing as the modern steroidal ships are incrementally enlarging. Dear, dear!

 

Ruby

[Druke I]

Be patient Saga Ruby.

 

Marina is being built, and by today's standards she is not big - 62,000 GRT 1200 PAX.

If she is well run as the other ships in the Oceania fleet, she should be a winner.

[MMDown Under]

I'm being tempted by a TA on MSC Poesia from Kiel to NYC in September, 2010.

 

An overnight in Bermuda and cruising into NYC are big attractions to me. I cruised into NYC on my first cruise in 1969. I always regretted that the ship didn't stop at Bermuda en route to Rotterdam.

 

Yes, I know it is a big ship, and it is MSC, however they have the most wonderful TA itineraries, at a reasonable cost.

 

As well as fall being my favourite time of year in America, I have a younger daughter in Europe and friends in Boston and NY, so the timing is good.

 

We have decided not to proceed with this cruise, at this stage, because we are just not prepared to loose the $1,000 non refundable deposit. However, I was tempted. :)

[Host Sharon]

Hi folks, and Howdy Ruby!

Well, the weather was mixed but yes, we did a few days of hot sunshine, a few days of cloudy warm days and one day of torrential rain (Vigo in Spain). We also went through the Bay of Biscay in a Force 10 gusting 12. I was amazed at how well this flat bottomed Vista class ship handled it. The ballroom dancing was a challenge in the conditions, but I didn't miss a meal (more's the pity really!)

 

I liked the layout of the ship and thought the service excellent. Not too keen on the interior decor though which I can only describe as brown! She is an adult only "Modern and contemporary" ship, but struck me as a larger version of Artemis in most things.

Back to real life again now - washing, shopping, etc !!

[Druke I]

Sonds like the Bay of Biscay was acting its usual frisky self.

 

Welcome home.

[Saga Ruby]

Welcome back, ships cat. Sounds like you were doing a trapeze act onboard Arcadia. Um, the interior decor of brown tones doesn't sound uplifting altho' your "flat-bottomed Vista ship" sounds like it performed well. A big Whew! that you didn't miss any meals! Could someone explain the "flat bottom" comment? Do these new ships not have a proper keel?

 

Michael - I liked your comment about Marina being on the seas in the foreseeable future. It perked me up. By the bye, what did you and Virginia see in Dubai? I was driving point-to-point from the port to have lunch with a friend at the Dubai Yacht Club on the Creek. My route put the taxi on the overpasses downtown. The massive buildings all seemed empty. It reminded me of the real estate boom in downtown Dallas during the early '80s, then came the bust in the late '80s. In Dubai and Dallas, I wondered where all the people and corporations were going to come from to fill those monuments to a developer's ego. Now we know.

 

To Saga Rose fans - I am trying hard to discipline myself in regard to her passing. I have lovely souvenirs from the ship and my gratis key chain hangs in my office so I can see it and remember her every day. As we can read on other threads, after she leaves Gibraltar, she sails to parts unknown and smart money says she is on her way to Alang. Blast her wooden superstructure! I'll be wearing a black armband when I hear of her dreaded fate. Although better to disappear into history than to be disgraced as arm candy in Dubai like the QE2. [heavy sigh]

 

Ruby

[Host Sharon]

No Ruby - the new ships don't have a nice deep V-shaped hull like the Sasga sisters or QE2, or even QM2. They are much wider and rounded with azipod engines rather than props and a rudder. They don't have that lovely "sway" you get on the old ships. If you stand at one end and look the length of the ship (if you can), they are dead level and straight. If you try it on Saga Ruby, you wouldn't be able to see to the end. Still, Arcadia behaved pretty well, although she has to be the most noisy ship I have ever sailed on in rough seas, creaking and groaning away the whole time - much worse then QE2 ever did in my experience.

[Druke I]

Virginia and I took one of the "canned" Oceania excursions, perhaps called "Highlights of Dubai" or somesuch. It was basically a bus tour of the area, including the "palm island", which was largely deserted - construction stopped - instant ghost town.

 

At the time, several of us commented on the overbuilding, and we didn't really have a clue of what would happen in the financial world 18 months or so later.

 

Actually, I was not particularly impressed with Dubai (too flashy for me), and enjoyed Oman more.

 

Reference your question to ShipsCat re keels - ships for the most part don't have traditional keels anymore - they are pretty flat bottomed, in part to reduce draft, allowing them entrance to more ports and harbors.

 

Addendum: Looks like ShipsCat and I were typing about same time, reference keels. Many of the new ships (Princess particularly) have not adopted Azipod technology, and have traditional prop shafts and propellors,but still flat-bottomed.

 

ShipsCat also mention "sway", which is actually shear or sheer (depending which dictionary you consult). Very noticeable in older ships, almost totally eliminated in new, modular construction ships.

Edited December 8, 2009 by Druke I

[Saga Ruby]

Actually, I was not particularly impressed with Dubai (too flashy for me), and enjoyed Oman more.

 

Oman was a delightful surprise for me. I had zero interest in the area before we arrived, especially after getting beaten up by the Egyptian experience, but a tour by taxi in Oman up and down and around the coastline revealed wonderful hotels, white-washed buildings (white all the way round the houses instead of the Egyptian "front only" white-wash).

 

I had lunch in Muscat at the Al-Bustan Palace Hotel and the memory is stamped in my mind - delish date ice cream with an accompanying scoop of coffee liqueur, the freshest melons, the finest grilled shrimp - on and on. Expensive but worth every cent. And a tiny but well-stocked gift shop with English magazines and newspapers. The ship's departure at sunset was poetic - sailing past the royal dhow and that fantastic medieval fortress on the hill with colored lights detailing the architecture.

 

I enjoyed the reading material onboard, then passed it along to the Concierge, Bruno. I think the newspapers and magazines circulated throughout the ship.

 

I agree with you - Dubai is the Arab Las Vegas and not of interest to me, then or now.

 

Reference your question to ShipsCat re keels - ships for the most part don't have traditional keels anymore - they are pretty flat bottomed, in part to reduce draft, allowing them entrance to more ports and harbors.

 

ShipsCat also mentions "sway", which is actually shear or sheer (depending which dictionary you consult). Very noticeable in older ships, almost totally eliminated in new, modular construction ships.

 

Can somebody post or give me a URL to show a diagram of a modern ship's keel (hull?) Y'all are teaching me something!

 

Ruby

[Kapricorn]

I've seen pictures of Dubai, and while the city and its skyscrapers look spectacular, it did not seem to possess a soul. It is just blank. An instant city like that has not much of a history, so there's just nothing to it. It's simply a big carnival midway.

 

Who lives and works there? What businesses exist to fill up all these skyscrapers?

 

Donald.

Edited December 9, 2009 by Kapricorn

[Host Sharon]

Ruby - this link shows the keel laying of the new Queen Elizabeth and perfectly shows the middle section of the hull and it's shape.

 

http://www.cunard.co.uk/photolibrary/images/Products/Queen-Elizabeth-Keel-3501.jpg

[Druke I]

Ships Cat's post show it as well as any. You might want to check HAL forum for similar shots of Nieuw Amsrterdam under construction.

 

For you Saga Ruby fans, http://www.maritimematters.com has two very nice photos of Saga Ruby departing Southampton at night, en route Gibraltar.

[Druke I]

Got my Saga ships mixed up!

 

The photos on http://www.maritimematters.com are of Saga Rose.

 

Sorry for any confusion caused.

[Saga Ruby]

Ruby - this link shows the keel laying of the new Queen Elizabeth and perfectly shows the middle section of the hull and it's shape.

 

Zowie! That keel looks almost like a houseboat. Thanks for posting the photo - it has given me much to think about. Speaking of huge vessels - back in the day, the supertankers were so large that they could run over a yacht and never even know it. Now passenger ships are "growing" into that range. Speaking of large and small ships, I am following Saga Rose and what is almost certainly her final voyage.

 

The "Saga Rose News" thread on this forum indicates that Saga Rose evidently stopped in Cherbourg, then sailed along the Portuguese coast, with a potential itinerary of Gibraltar and on 'til dawn. On the assumption that the ship would be sailed thru the Suez Canal on the way to Alang, if she were hijacked by Somali pirates, would anyone care?

 

It's all so very sad.

 

Ruby

[Host Sharon]

Sad indeed, although possibly better than QE2's fate! She be remembered properly, not chopped and changed.

 

I had to cancel my Boudicca cruise today as I need some urgent medical tests and the dates clashed! I'm sorry not to be boarding the old Royal Viking Sky, but maybe another time!

[seabourndt]

to hear you had to cancel your boudicca cruise, hope all goes well. off to dover in the morning to board BALMORAL to AAHUS,KIEL CANAL,HAMBURG,AMSTERDAM. back in a weeks time. only fred olsen ship i have not tried will report back what i think of it

HAPPY CHRISTMAS

dave

[Kapricorn]

Dave, have a great time on Balmoral!

 

Donald.