Windsurfboy

As far as I understand a bus picks up passengers at A goes to B drops them off , picks up passengers at B returns to A , then starts again. So that most sacrosanct of Cunard voyages the transatlantic is actually nearer to a bus journey and a leg on a world cruise is a holiday. As far as I can see they are all just cruises on nice ships. But then I'm not a Cunarder just someone who enjoys the odd cruise or more on cunard

Sorry don't understand what this means.

I know the chauffeur car company saga use in our area, as we use them to go to Heathrow and to Southampton for Cunard. They charge less than £2.50 a mile when we book them privately for just the two of us. So charging this to upgrade is a RIP OFF, they should charge half their normal mileage rate , ie just over £1 per hour , as it's half paid for anyway.

Discounts vary by deck , you might want to read the which is your favourite deck thread , if you haven't done so already.

Some said if you go to bar , (best at quiet time) , you can ask what say the white wines are for the cruise, then test a number, what you fancy. If there is one particular one, they will get it for you every night

Sorry I didn't make it clear premium wine meant paid for. The premium wines are good value, I looked them up on Google whilst on board , they are at the same price you would pay in a wine merchants. So even though you pay extra, for £20 you get a wine that would be £60 in a restaurant or other cruise line

The same wines you have at meals are included ie "free" and will be available at bars. The same premium wine list wines as in restaurants should be available at all bars , but we found (This was for champagne ) sometimes they had to pop to another bar to get it, but they were happy to do this if you didn't mind waiting.

Anyway I'm getting on board in 4 weeks, if they don't tell me before I get on, I will think it pretty unethical. Let's wait and see.

I agree it's negligible, but the principle that you agree to a cost when you book , applies whether it's an extra cent a day or hundred dollars a day.

In UK and most of Europe, the law is different. If service charges/ gratuities were compulsory , then they would have to be included in the up-front price quoted and be part of the contract. If they are not , the must be voluntary. So in UK you have the right to opt out , or to pay whatever you like. But you must make effort to opt out. In Germany, Switzerland and Austria, Cunard can only apply service charge if you opt in. For passengers booking in these countries there is a letter in their cabin as they board asking if they want to give something extra to staff and the $×× is suggested. Personally I've always thought gratuities should be incorporated into the price. However under the present system I believe you "agree" to pay the gratuities at the rate quoted when you book. In the same way you agree to the price when you book. That means excluding extras, you know exactly what the cruise will cost when you book, that constitutes a fair contract.

One spill is one two many

As a matter of principle you should only be charged gratuities at the rate quoted when you booked. Increases should only apply to future bookings. We are getting on ship in April and haven't been told any thing. I will pay what was quoted when we booked.

ONLY you know your budget , your preferences and all the other things you want to spend money on. Taking all this into account go for the best cabin you can afford without sacrificing anything else you want in the future.

I have another take on carrying drinks to theatre. The chance of getting an ailse seat are low. How many can carry a drink in a glass thats full , on a moving ship, squeezing past people to get to seats , and guarantee not to spill a drop. Will Cunard offer free dry cleaning for those who have drink spilled over them

I agree, I would never pay the zero discount Saga price. That would put it in same price bracket as say Silversea and Seabourn. Saga suites are £1000 a night at 30% discount. At Zero discount £1400 a night that's premium cruise line price. Saga are very good but not that good. Once the discount is less than 20% then Saga is over priced. So 15% discount for very early booking is my feeling of the true discount. Of course some may feel differently and be happy with full price.

Exactly right , on our next cruise , a last minute decision, so we're not pre registered, discount varied betwee 20% and 30% , ended up with deck B at 30%, cheaper than lower decks .

I think best is to ask when they phone you what discount you are getting, and if there are any 35% left on other decks or areas

Doesn't sound good

Think it's been a good blog, showing Arvia can be a great destination. Food and entertainment to suit everyone. Pays to book ahead what ever you can especially restaurants. I think Arvia offers great value, whether you go inside , have a balcony, or a suite. We all have our own budgets and preferences. What ever they are, Arvia has something to offer. It's no good arguing , economy is better value PE , or PE is better value than business. Or an inside is better value than a suite. If you can afford it and enjoy it it is good value. That is what Arvia offers at all price points.

You can be as casual as you like in the day.

Think A , B , C are all similiar. However when we booked , one was at 20% discount , one at 25% one at 30%. Not hard to guess, which one we choose.

I agree they are perfect size, big enough for Bay of Biscay or Atlantic, but not too big. They have a passenger space ratio of twice that of old ships. Plenty of outside and inside space. It's not a fair comparison to look at inside prices on old ships , to prices of very generous balcony cabins with all the extras. I don't think saga ages are much different to other cruise lines out of school holidays. Saga passengers act as if they are much younger, to most of them age is just a number. Yes you get some but a small minority of very old and no so sprightly passengers on Saga, especially singles. That's because Saga staff go that extra mile to look after them.

We had exactly the same though for our next cruise, but it was a last minute decision not at launch, when we came to book the price difference between deluxe and suite was relatively small. I think deluxe must sell out quicker so discounts shrink. So in the we end booked suite with a30% discount rather than deluxe with 10% discount We have registered for 2025, so will consider deluxe, if others haven't beaten us to it and pushed up price.

You need to do a lot of saga cruises for Brittania Club to be worthwhile, but once you get to say free laundry level it can add up On the other hand discounts through travel agents with Saga are rare , not like other cruise lines. So you must do your sums

Never sailed Fred before. Do they sell seperate legs for world cruises. When do they release them . Interested in the Capetown to UK leg of world cruise in 2025