IbizaLover

I have to admit that I did avail myself of a couple of bits of the Russian souvenir stuff, but I’m not really tempted by most of the offerings on board ships. This could be because I hate shopping at the best of times.

Yes, there is any combination of English breakfast you could wish for, plus eggs cooked any way, omelettes, Eggs Benedict, pancakes, French toast etc. There is often a special on as well.

We were off early as well. The people we travelled with were Britannia club members so we were lucky to be travelling with them as we are not.

When the marching band played Auld Lang Syne, it was lovely, especially as many people on the ship joined in and sang. 

There is a separate shampoo as well as a combined body wash/shampoo. Nice large bar of soap as well, instead of the usual tiny one. There are also bottles of hair conditioner, hand wash and body lotion.

The GDR is not just one large room. It has smaller areas which have a cosier feel, and are not in sight of the buffet area. I like the layout, and the breakfast and lunch buffet have a good selection of cold options, including a really good cheese selection, and plenty of fresh fruit, and my favourite smoked salmon at both meals. In fact I have no complaints about the food in all areas of the ship. The Living Room is a real asset, with snacks available until 5.30pm, along with waiter served speciality coffees and teas. We have eaten in all three speciality restaurants and can’t fault any of them. 

We booked two speciality restaurants on our embarkation afternoon. We didn’t have time to reserve Coast to Coast, but did this the following morning at 9.30am. All very easy.

One thing to note is that the Living Room, which is a lovely area to relax in, has free waiter service tea and coffee until 5.30pm and free cakes, biscuits and ice cream are included. Nice touch, especially as it’s proper coffee. Plenty of people are making use of the area, and you feel as if you are at the heart of the ship. I think this is the nicest ship we’ve been on, and can thoroughly recommend it. We’ve had lunch a couple of times in the MDR, and there’s a nice mix of help yourself and waiter service, with some good options on the menu. Love the cheese and biscuits.

I am on the ship at the moment and we have been able to get a table for two at every meal, as there are lots. We have also seen plenty of people on their own at these tables, so I haven’t heard of anyone being forced to share. I can assure anyone worried by negative reviews that there is a good age range on this ship. This is a two week cruise to the Baltic, so whether this makes any difference I don’t know.

Had a great meal in the MDR this evening, on a table for two. Ended up in the Club with some fellow Facebookers for a drink, and have booked two speciality restaurants. Loving it so far. The ship is fabulous.

Well, we are on the ship, and just attended the sailaway party. The ship is absolutely beautiful and we have already met some lovely people. We have already booked the Club and East to West. We’re leaving Coast to Coast until tomorrow to book. I have taken one long dress but mostly cocktail dresses (think Phase Eight) and black trousers and smart tops and short dresses for the other evenings. Loving it already.

We went twice to East to West on a two week cruise on Sapphire and it wasn’t difficult to secure two bookings. We’re really looking forward to trying all of the speciality restaurants on Discovery in September. In fact, we’re looking forward to everything about it.

So looking forward to our two week Baltic Cruise on September 12th. Hopefully we’ll have plenty of time for all the speciality restaurants. We loved East to West on Sapphire. I’ve been mentally picking out some outfits for the formal evenings, and my OH enjoys getting his bow tie out!

When we were on a Holland America Alaska cruise last September, I was surprised how early most of the Americans were eating dinner. We Brits and Australians opted to eat around 7.30ish, but the Americans were in the MDR before 5.30. They were nowhere to be seen later in the evenings either.

Yes, we were surprised about it, but it’s gestures like this that has attracted us back to another Saga cruise.

We’ve still got our red jackets from our Northern Lights cruise with Saga three years ago. Great quality. The husky ride was the highlight of the cruise for me, and holding the husky puppies. They even brought some of the dogs to the ship’s side for people to get close to. Fantastic cruise.

I have only been on one other Saga cruise, and that was a winter Northern Lights cruise to Norway. Yes, there were people on board with mobility difficulties, some of whom stayed on the ship because they still enjoyed the cruising. Some were even doing back to back cruises because they could afford to. There is no doubt that there is a significant minority of people aboard who are pretty well off. However, we didn’t ever encounter anyone with the issues described, so I think this is an unusual case. We are looking forward to September 12th and the Spirit of Discovery Baltic Cruise, because everything about the previous Saga cruise made us want to sample another. We are 66 and 67, and there were plenty of cruisers of our age and physically fit.

You won’t be disappointed, I can assure you. We have cruised with four lines, and Saga remains our favourite for quality.

Looking at the ship, I am really looking forward to our Baltic Cruise on the Discovery on September 12th. It looks beautiful.

We did the Pacific Ocean segment of the Fred world cruise on Black Watch last year, and because of a cyclone in the area we missed Bora Bora and the Cook Islands, which was disappointing because there weren’t many ports of call on that stretch anyway. However, I got to Easter Island which was always going to be my highlight. Just one of those things.

We have opted for the standard cabin. Not ones to spend much time in the cabin anyway, as there’s far too much to do elsewhere on the ship, we thought it looked quite roomy enough. We though the cabins on Sapphire large compared to other cruise ships.

I would say that of the four cruise lines we have sailed with, Saga have been the most formal on their formal nights. Not a bad thing though, and my husband really enjoys it, and I get a chance to dress up for once, although as others have said, it doesn’t have to be long dresses.

We are on our second cruise with Saga on September 12th to the Baltic, on Spirit of Discovery. Having sailed with four different cruise lines, Saga is our favourite so far, with Fred Olsen a close second. People always think Saga is too expensive, but they include an awful lot, unlike the American ships who fleece you on board. Anyway, sometimes it’s worth paying a bit extra for quality, and the Spirit of Discovery looks fabulous.

We thought the excursions on our upcoming Baltic Cruise on Spirit of Discovery were quite well priced, especially for St Petersburg. For most of the ports however, we are doing our own thing.

We’ve sailed with four different cruise lines now, and Fred and Saga remain our favourites. Both have the same kind of ambience, and very good food. We are doing the Baltic this September on Saga’s new ship which looks fabulous. As a previous poster said, Saga initially looks pricey but you get a lot for your money with transport from your house, included tips and free WiFi. However, it’s the itinerary that drives us and if Fred do their Indian Ocean islands cruise again after 2020, we will be going with them.