nosapphire

Could have been worse... Colleague of mine, he and his wife booked a villa in Florida with another couple. Arranged shared taxi to the airport. Taxi arrived at 2nd couples home. "Won't be a mo, nearly finished packing...." then: "Now - passports....... Just a sec...." They did, by a miracle, make the flight, and by an even bigger miracle stayed friends.

What was that old saying? "Comparisons are odious". No single company can be described as "better" - they all have good points and weak points, and even these are subjective. One person may consider a particular aspect as a drawback, the next think it a bonus. My opinion, the higher prices on some lines are for rather more than just included this,that or the other - for a higher payment I expect good service throughout, including pre-cruise queries, and reliable help if things go wrong at any stage. But - what people pay, who they cruise with is always individual choice. And long may that continue.

Our last river cruise was with Titan (owned by Saga). Received pick-up time 10:10 the day prior to departure. Queried this, and were told it was actually 22:10. Queried why we needed to be collected the day before to make a 93 mile trip to join a coach departing at 07:00 (for Eurotunnel crossing 08:39). Mmm. Pick up changed to 03:35 on the day of departure. The car transfer was, in the end, fine. Less said about the rest of it, the better.

That, alas, can be one of the downsides of many lifestyle choices (not just food related) - restricting spontaneity. The buffet will cater for the majority, and I suspect that many people would find butterless vegetables rather bland. As vegans are still a minority customer, I think it may be some time before the larger mainstream lines consider it worthwhile to routinely offer vegan food that has not been specially requested. It does not help that there is frequently a lot of confusion about the difference between vegan and vegetarian, so food suitable for vegetarians gets offered as vegan. Maybe find some vegan forums - I am sure I saw one which was discussing various cruise lines and how they rated for "proper" vegan food.

I think you will find that they ARE made without dairy for those who are lactose intolerant. Fortunately I have no food allergies or special requirements, but I have shared enough cruise ship tables with those who have (allergies and specific dietary requirements, such as low-salt meals). The system seems to be: Declare the requirements when booking - and make sure it is noted on the paperwork. Redeclare after boarding. Speak to the MaitreD and waiters. Each evening, the next day's menus are brought out for those with specific needs and possibilities are discussed. The selected meals are noted for next day. Next day, the passenger asks the waiter to confirm the meal brought to them is the meal that has been made to specific requirements. The system is time consuming for all involved (not least the kitchen staff) but my observations are that it works very well. I would expect that somebody on a strict vegan (not vegetarian) diet would follow the same procedure and be catered for accordingly. Asking for a vegan meal (or a low salt meal, or a dairy free meal) AFTER the food has been prepared is naive at best.

Yes, the majority of people CAN eat vegan dishes - but not all CHOOSE to do so. Likewise, the majority of vegans CAN eat non-vegan food - but CHOOSE not to do so. The only people who have no choice about boycotting certain foods are those with allergies or serious intolerances - comparing vegan requirements with somebody who is lactose intolerant is disengenious.

Ethical veganism is indeed recognised under the equality act. Reading the summary of the sample case, it was clear that the party involved had a very strong vegan ethos which dictated their entire lifestyle, and it seems probable that their belief would prevent them from travelling on a cruise ship in the first place. The equality act mainly relates to employment - therefore a cruise ship (under UK law) would presumably have to cater for any crew/staff member who was vegan. To the best of my understanding, it does not extend to making it compulsory for cruise ships to cater for vegan passengers.

It was interesting (pre pandemic) that on another cruise line from UK to USA/Caribbean, as soon as we reached USA waters the self-service buffets became staff-served buffets. Then reverted back to self service as soon as we left the USA. Maybe the ship would not have received such a high "pass" rate from the USA authorities had it been self-serve when they inspected.

I wonder if this is the same line we were on, which had a big outbreak of Noro?. It was got under control by, among other things, enforced hand washing with soap and water not just at the restaurants, but when returning from shore. Met at the gangway and directed (in small batches) to various areas (spa, storage deck etc) where there were hand sinks. The queues, both at the reataurants and to get back on board, were horrendous - but it worked. (Bonus - we saw areas of the ship normally hidden from passenger view). Oh - and all the tour coaches and shuttle buses were sanitised (fumigated) before any passengers boarded.

It may depend on the browser. In my case (Firefox) only shows 2024 and winter 2025. Cleared cache and history, tried going via the website - nope. Tried searching for 2025 cruises - Nope (although it did suggest I pre-register...). I did get the full 2025 brochure in today's post, and looks as if the cruise I DIDN'T book is still the same price I turned down. UPDATED: After posting this, an email arrived with a special link for Britannia Club members to book the main 2025 cruises the day before they go on general sale. So apparently not quite on general sale.Or maybe they are for some. Who knows.

It is the actual road distance (shortest route) - think they use AA routefinder or similar. The mileage for 2024 is private car up to 75 miles, shared up to 300 miles. For 2025 the shared transport is nationwide. Yes, there is an option to pay for the excess mileage - think it is currently £2.50 per mile (just for the extra mileage).

In addition to the very concise (and factual) clarification from twotravellersLondon.. Why do so many assume that the only bids will come from existing cruise operators? Every possibility that an outside investment company decides a ready made cruise line is just what the portfolio needs. Lazard will have notified a variety of companies, not just existing holday/cruise/travel companies (all of which have their own debts to manage). And there is, of course, always the possibility that Saga decide none of the bids make financial or operational sense - so nothing happens.

I had something similar a couple of years ago - the pages I was looking at on Saga website were totally different to the pages others were quoting from. Turned out that Saga website had taken a temporary dislike to the browser I was using.

You will find that the majority of people on these boards will not place much credence in unspecified hearsay, well meaning or otherwise. If you elaborate, such as which cruise line and who told your mum (for example, another passenger? an Officers table at dinner?) it may get more credit, but at the minute it is just gossip. It may well be a case that NCL are throwing their hat into the ring, and will be one of the suitors announced as interested parties - but would seem surprising that a "done deal" would be announced while interested parties are still being invited, after which (one assumes) due diligence has to be undertaken, along with getting the banks (who own the ships) to agree the sale.

Just had a look, any still available percentage discounts are shown once you open up the "prices and availability" section. Annoyingly, yet another booked cruise is now going to cabin guarantee...

Not only do I remember the Saga Rose (our first cruise on her was the Baltic in 2006), I also very well and very fondly remember the Ocean Majesty. We took our first ever cruises (2003 Norway and 2004 North Cape) on the Ocean Majesty, chartered by Page&Moy, and was the reason we developed the cruising bug in the first place. Thank you for reminding me of two grand ships.

Or - when "the call" comes, simply ask what the cheapest cabin in your selected type (standard twin, deluxe, single etc). You can start off by asking for your preferred deck, and then ask if any other deck is cheaper, or can simply go straight to "tell me the price". The operator will have all the information on current prices in front of them, and if a cabin on deck D or C is currently cheaper than a cabin on deck E, they'll tell you. All you have to do then is decide whether it is a price you want to pay.

Nothing is going to alter the fact that no ship will be able to carry more mobility-challenged passengers than they can safely evacuate in an emergency. And there has - I assume - to be a margin over the numbers already declared as needing assistance to allow evacuation capacity for people who have become infirm while on the cruise.

Just for information. https://news.sky.com/story/saga-sets-post-easter-deadline-for-cruise-operation-suitors-13099348 Bear in mind that Saga have never owned any of their river cruise ships - they are all chartered, and nobody worries about that. IF the ocean ships transfer ownership, it will probably work in a very similar manner - book with Saga, pay Saga, deal with Saga, travel with Saga, under Saga terms and conditions. Actual ownership of the vessels will not have much affect. (unless, of course, the two companies have a dispute about terms....) (drat, wish I hadn't thought of that).

I had a look to see what Saga say about wheelchairs/scooters. If you need one to move around the ship, then you have to book an accessible cabin. If you only need one when you go ashore, then the ship will store it for you. Space is limited for both situations, so fail to mention a wheelchair/scooter and you will probably be denied boarding. I did notice on our last cruise that there were some scooters being lined up by crew at the bottom of the gangway ready to be collected by their owners. I recently phoned to cancel a walking tour on an upcoming Saga cruise (no problem) but the way the telephone operator ran through a lot of reminders gave me the impression that Saga may now be having problems with people arriving with undeclared wheelchairs, or who need assistance but have not requested it.

I met a rather upset passenger, aggrieved about a knock on her cabin door the first night, with a crew member telling her that the rollator had to be kept in the cabin, not in the cabin doorway. She said, "but it's not in anyone's way" and got the answer, "it will be if there's an emergency".

You will most definitely be welcome, but you may have to book over the 'phone. I think this is partly because of the insurance (you will have to have your own) and partly because they need to check the passport requirement. I have met several Americans (and Canadians) on Saga ships, so a non-UK passport is not a problem. There has been a thread about this before, including the included transport from overnight hotel, but (annoyingly) I can't find it.

Please, no.😱 Saga is a much easier system for those of us with simple brains. Whenever I book, guarantee or cabin selection, the only variable will be the price and cabin - no need to start wondering what is or is not included in the particular fare I have paid. No need to calculate whether the select fare will be better than the saver fare, do I need to add on this package or that package, what will be better, OBC or included parking. The advance registration system is becoming too unwieldy, but any cruise line with any commercial sense will include an incentive to book early otherwise they run the risk of everybody deciding to wait until the last minute - which makes the book keeping a real headache.

Although - that is much the same even if they were on general sale from the outset. Look at the website. "Hmm, like the look of that cruise - may book that one." Go back the next day to book and the price has increased...Grrr. Also worth while remembering that Saga offer a 14 day cooling off period for their ocean cruises (starts from when you receive the documentation) during which time you can cancel for a full refund. (It does work; once changed my mind 4 days after booking, telephoned to cancel, and the money was back in my account a week later).

Pre registered 29 June 2023, just received the call. Only semi-interested in one cruise, but discount already down to 25% so did not book, getting refund. Just as well I mentioned that I already had 2 pre reg for 2026, as records showed only 1 on their system. Quoted b/ref and date and is now found. (Hope they update records with the correct date, not today's date.) (Wonder how Saga operators manage to continue to sound so upbeat and chirpy phone call after phone call?)