This was booked only 5 weeks beforehand and was our only option for a short cruise over Easter, departing from Southampton. As we had never cruised with Saga beforehand, we had no real idea what to expect but we were very pleasantly surprised with the experience.
Boarding at Southampton was very quick - possibly an advantage with a smaller ship - and we were able to access our cabin immediately. We then went to the Britannia Lounge for a very early afternoon tea - at 2pm. The food was excellent but we found this very strange, having been used to having a "proper" lunch with other cruise lines. However, we enjoyed it. We ate in Pole to Pole the first evening but from then on ate in the Veranda where the food was excellent - and the service second to none. The staff couldn't do enough to please and the Manager, Mark, was exceptional.
The entertainment in Britannia lounge was excellent, especially The 4Tunes, four very talented young men with Operatic/West End Musicals experience. It was also wonderful to have 'live" music throughout the ship.
The cabin was very well appointed with one of the best bathrooms we have ever had whilst cruising. The only criticism is that the cabin was smaller than most because the size had been reduced to make room for a balcony - and this actually was quite a negative for us. We had paid a LOT more for the privilege of having a balcony and would not do this again on this ship. I have never seen such a small balcony - in fact, it was so narrow, anyone with long legs would probably need to hang them over the balcony rail!!