Saga Cruises

Dover

London (Greenwich, Tower Bridge, Tilbury)

Europe - All

Canada & New England

Europe - British Isles & Western

Mediterranean

Europe - Western Mediterranean

Spain

Europe River

Canary Islands

Portugal

Baltic Sea

Douro River

Norway

Seine River

France

U.S.A.

Italy

Norwegian Fjords

Thames River

Arctic

Caribbean - All

Caribbean - Eastern

Caribbean - Southern

Europe - Eastern Mediterranean

Europe - River Cruise

Iceland

Denmark

Sweden

Excellent

Spirit of Adventure

Spirit Of Discovery

Dublin

We felt we needed a break after some unwelcome medical issues and settled on this, our second, Saga cruise just recently. We were again on Sprit of Discovery - and Captain Darin Bowland was again in command. We always feel that the Captain sets the tone for any cruise and it was obvious that the Captain was well liked by his crew which meant that everything was relaxed and well organised. 

The routine of an initial sea day followed by some interesting port calls and a final sea day was well organised. Particularly welcome was the day in the beautiful Geiranger after which we stayed overnight at anchor and then had a full day sailing out of the fjord to sea. Well planned by someone. 

The Saga offer is very popular and deservedly so. It would be easy to put the package together more cheaply but with everything included it is much more relaxing knowing that everything you need was paid for months ago! Apparently we had over 600 first time Saga ocean cruisers aboard (and over 100 first time cruisers too) - which is a bit worrying if Saga gets too popular! They could do with more ships to help keep the prices reasonable...

We could only eat once in any of the three speciality restaurants which was reasonable in order to allow everyone to have a chance to eat in them. On longer cruises you get a chance to eat in all of them at least once. 

The stand-out experience? The crew show. It was almost a  sell-out and the performers got a deserved standing ovation. If only all cruise companies realised what talent they had aboard! There was probably too much entertainment provided for a 7-night cruise - but too much is better than too little. 

Yes, we'll be back - if there's space available!

A nice gentle cruise in better weather than the UK!

Saint John (New Brunswick)

At 62 and 70, we were certainly not the youngest passengers, although it’s fair to say we were definitely not the oldest! We’ve been on a lot of cruises where passengers were much less agile and seemed much older. Perhaps Saga attracts more affluent guests who are in better health.

The reason for picking this cruise was to celebrate our 35th anniversary. Our 25th had been very different as my husband had just undergone a quadruple bypass. Ten years ago, I was just very pleased to have him home from hospital.

Saga includes everything. And I mean everything. From insurance to being picked up at the door. And everything it includes is high end. We were picked up in a limousine by a smartly dressed chauffeur who helped us with our cases. We then picked up a fellow passenger, an 86-year-old who kept us entertained throughout the journey and indeed throughout the cruise. Most of the time, she (and other passengers) made us feel like the doddery ones when she was still dancing until whatever time and we’d already gone to bed!

The food and service was exceptional, I was always spoilt for choice by the menu, and yes, on occasions had a couple of extra items. One evening, we were sharing a table with someone who chose the fish and chips while I ate lobster and my husband had a mushroom risotto. For someone who has always hated rice, he loved it and finished it all. There really was something for everyone.

For our anniversary, somehow we got an extra bottle of champagne the day before, addressed to Mr & Mrs, rather than Mr & Mr. The cruise ship were mortified by their mistake as they do try to pay attention to detail. Let’s just say we were treated like royalty on our anniversary which we spent in the East to West restaurant. However, according to the wonderful F&B Director Julian, it was no more than anyone else would get. Having been on many other cruiselines, it is fair to say that we felt far more looked after by a very large margin. We can only liken our experience to a top end river cruise, rather than an ocean cruise.

Before we went, I was talking to a friend who asked if it would be like a scene from the film Cocoon, where an alien puts something in the hydrotherapy pool making the residents of the old age home young again. Having started the cruise with a bad back, I can confirm that there was definitely something in the amazing hydrotherapy pool – or perhaps the mattress – as my back got so much better during the cruise!

Each night, we’d enjoy the entertainment and thought the Cruise Director – and all of the hard working entertainment team – were brilliant. The only thing we didn’t like was at the end of the excellent staff show, having sang “Heal The World”, everyone came on with Union Flags, making it look more like something out of North Korea rather than a meeting of so many different countries and cultures. Surely a variety of flags should have been present, after all, staff wore a name badge with a flag from their country. In the lounges, a few staff wore an LGBT flag badge which made us feel additionally welcome.

There was a smattering of LGBT guests (one was travelling with her Mum, who happened to be Dorothy, so we had an actual “Friends of Dorothy” meeting, however, it would have been nice if one had been included in the daily programme (probably now called an LGBT meetup), as happens on most other cruise ships.

Our cabin was excellent and our cabin steward was amazing. When we got to the cabin, we found a whole box of decaffeinated tea and we just happened to mention we preferred Red Bush tea. 30 seconds later, Mario arrived with a box of Red Bush tea. The item we thought missing was a little saucer for used teabags. When we mentioned this, as if by magic, it appeared. Nothing was ever a problem for him – or any of the staff.

We were on board for a week and only had three stops, all in Norway, so had plenty of time to enjoy the ship – we even had time to watch a film on the TV – a recent one that we’d meant to see at the cinema. We had to watch it in instalments as there was generally something to do, even if it was just walking round the ship or nattering to other guests who were all lovely and very friendly.

It was our third time in Bergen and each time we’ve been lucky with the weather. Even though we’d been before, we thoroughly enjoyed the included orientation tour. We also enjoyed our time in Geiranger and just walked round and up the steps next to the waterfall which was very picturesque. We were surprised that as we were on a smaller ship, our third stop, Sandnes, was quite a way from the town. We went on the included excursion to Stavanger, but regretted not getting the shuttle which would have given us more time in the city and perhaps a chance to visit Sandnes itself, which was apparently quite a walk from the dock.

The Captain seemed a little shier than others we’ve encountered, so we didn’t see him around the ship much, but he made us laugh every time he mispronounced Geiranger as “Guy-ranger”, really not sure why he couldn’t say gay! That said, there was an excellent Q&A with the Cruise Director where he really did come to life and was very engaging.

Would we go with Saga again? In a heartbeat. Their prices look expensive, but when you weigh up all the extras you have to pay for on other lines, it soon becomes clear that it’s actually excellent value for money.

Like a scene out of cocoon - in a really good way!

We managed to get the last accessible cabin on this sailing. Even if you use a small foldable wheelchair, as I do, Saga insist that you have an accessible cabin (elf and safety), and there aren’t many.

Chauffeured car to Dover was easy, with a short comfort stop on the way.

Our cabin was lovely and comfortable, but with limited storage space. We could have done with a larger dressing table and more drawers; more space for toiletries in the wet room and a grab rail by the basin, but these were minor niggles.

We were impressed with the technology in the cabin. Automatic entrance door to the cabin, small reading light and usb plugs by the bed, push button for ‘make up room’ and ‘do not disturb’ and lots of three pin plugs, best of all was the dimmed light around the bathroom mirror, very useful for trips to the bathroom in the night.

The huge bed was one of the most comfortable that I have slept in, the pillows were soft and squishy  and the towels huge.

Lots of extras such as tea and coffee making with a carton of milk in the fridge; two large glass carafes of water, renewed daily, about fifty proper hangars in the wardrobe, not those silly things you have to unhook before using, large glass quality toiletries in bathroom, shampoo, shower gel, conditioner and hand wash, bathrobes, slippers, a rug which many people used on deck when it was chilly. There was also a shoe horn and pair of binoculars in the wardrobe. A safe was in our cupboard along with the fridge.

We mostly ate in the Grand dining room, where the food was very good and excellent quality. We had difficulty booking the speciality restaurants, but managed to eat in the Club one evening. Steak was beautifully tender.

Don’t know why, but we were invited to dine one evening with the Hotel Manager, Jan, sorry don’t know his surname. Had a very pleasant evening with three other guests.

Had lunch one day on veranda, tasty fish in tempura batter and chips. 

Wine was available at lunch and dinner (we weren’t all inclusive), a limited selection, but very acceptable and constant top ups. The drinks were reasonably priced, cheaper than our local pub.

There was plenty of entertainment, both during the day and in the evening, not all to our taste, but we did enjoy the Egyptian sisters and their musical prowess and a song and dance show. Our favourite however was Stuart Anderson, who played the guitar and keyboard. He seemed to cover most genres of popular music and had a unique sense of humour.

The staff in general were friendly and helpful. A mention for the lovely young Carlo in the South Cape Bar who always brought me a cup of milk at the end of our evening and Hilary, think she was the Guest Relations officer was always friendly and had time to chat to most passengers.

The Captain held a couple of relaxed question and answer sessions, he was seen regularly around the ship and the pastor was also readily available for those who needed him.

The ship was always clean and tidy with classy decor and artwork. Lifts were fast and rarely crowded. 

Our fellow passengers were, in the main, friendly and polite. You always get one or two moaners. No pushing, shoving, seat hogging or drunkenness on this ship.

We had three stops, Bergen, where we used a ship’s tour encompassing the main sights and a trip on the fununcular where the views were fantastic at the top. Geiranger, which was an easy tender port, even with my wheelchair. We took another ship’s tour driving up into the mountains, again spectacular views then on to a little wooden church for a music recital.

The Captain paused the ship for about an hour in Geiranger fjord and turned it slowly 360 degrees so everyone had a chance to take photos of the seven sisters waterfall (there were only two because of the time of year, but it was still very impressive).

In Stavanger we just wandered round on our own, looking at the pretty wooden houses and a lake with water birds and a fountain in the middle. We couldn’t go to the old town as the streets were too steep and cobbled for my wheelchair. In the afternoon I had a nap while my partner went back into town and found the Oil Museum, which he said was interesting.

To sum up this was a ship that oozed quality with staff to match. So much so that we have booked the new Spirit of Adventure fo 2021 to the Canaries.

Lovely cruise on beautiful ship

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