GerryL13

Consider the cost per day ... and what is included. Saga is pretty much all-inclusive, including transport to and from the port and gratuities. I'm not a drinker, but alcohol is also included.

You're in the UK, right? Have you checked out Saga? For age 50 and above. All-balcony cabins, and 20% are for solos. The solo cabins are almost as large as the double cabins, and as you can imagine are not simply half price. But Saga really cater to solos. And even couples are very welcoming. I'm guessing you already know about Fred Olsen as well.

I am not a coffee connoisseur, but I did find the coffee drinks (lattes, cappucinos) a bit bland. It appears that most of the coffee drinks, even those delivered by wait staff, come from push-button machines. That may not be true of coffee served from carafes at meals.

I just came off 22 days on a British cruise ship (Saga). Although the <1k-passenger ships are only a few years old, both have traditional promenade decks that take you all the way around the ship -- and have deck chairs. While I was doing turns around the deck, I was wondering whether I would be able to do the same on Vista. Apparently not.

Just last week I came off back-to-back cruises on the Saga Spirit of Adventure. (Am already booked for two more cruises next year.) Saga is a British travel company with two new ocean-going vessels. (Their beloved older ships have been retired.) Each carries under 1k passengers, all cabins have balconies, and 20% of the cabins are for solos. But you need to know that Saga is for age 50 and above. And many passengers are very above. I was one of only 2-3 North Americans on board. Saga does not work with US travel agents. In fact, it is best to book directly with them even if you are in the UK. If you are in the 50+ demographic, I suggest you check out their website. Another British cruise line popular with solos is Fred Olsen, but I have no personal experience with them.

I was advised to make specialty restaurant bookings soon after boarding. You can call from your cabin. I found the restaurants on SoA while walking around prior to sail-away and just made my reservations on the spot. I just said not a formal night and let them pick the dates. If you are trying for a specific night and time, it may be more challenging.

Your muster station will be identified on your key card and on the inside of the door to your cabin -- along with a map showing the routes to the stairs you should follow. There will be plenty of crew members in place guiding you to your muster station. If you are unable to negotiate stairs, you should talk to Saga ahead of time. I don't know whether there is a limit on the number of people who can get assistance for muster drill as this is supposed to enact what would happen if a real emergency were to occur. EDIT: My cabin was on C Deck (deck 9) and my muster station was in the Living Room (deck 5).

I was under the impression that attending muster drill at the beginning of every cruise is international law. I've heard stories of people on multi-leg cruises getting all huffy when being "forced" to attend. My brother and SiL have done several mutli-leg cruises -- but he is not the "get huffy" type.

If you are on back-to-back cruises, you are still required to report to your muster station on the following cruise. The tv is not blocked, but they know who has reported ... and who has not.

Why? Because they have determined that a large portion of their customer base prefers to travel with passengers who have been vaccinated against Covid. Making it a random check speeds up the embarkment process.

When I boarded SoA on 14 May, I asked whether they wanted to see my Covid vax documentation and was told they are only asking randomly. In other words, you will want to make sure to have it "just in case."

Just off 2 cruises on SoA. Addition to your description: The captain comes on the loudspeaker and asks all guests to go to their cabins, watch the safety video (if you haven't already) and wait for the drill to start. About 20 minutes later, they call out by deck for passengers to report to their muster stations -- so as to avoid everyone heading out at once. Returning to your cabin can be a hassle has you run into the next group heading out. The second time out, I chose to stay put and wait for the crowd to clear. Then everyone starts to get ready for dinner!

Just back home after 22 nights on SoA. I did notice that seat cushions on the Terrace (stern) were discolored by soot. Appeared to be stains from soot, but not necessarily fresh. However, toward the end of the trip, I noticed black marks on the sleeves of the hot pink sweatshirt I'd been wearing on sea days -- right where I would have been leaning on railings. Not a light color. Just washed the shirt with a dark load -- after first treating the spots -- and most of the spotting appears to have washed off. So, did not see any obvious fresh soot, but it is still something to be aware of.

I have traveled on CE ships several times since 2015 -- river and barge. Only on the first was there a mix of nationalities, which I enjoyed. On subsequent trips, the company I was sailing with had the whole ship. Of course, that includes the 2021 Vantage trip, so I have no idea what a Vantage experience would be like. I just know that I paid more than I would have paid for a CroisiEurope cruise. On some CE cruises, there was no menu selection. It was a fixed menu. (Exceptions made for people with special dietary needs.) On others, including the so-called Vantage cruise, we were given 2 or 3 options to be selected ahead of time. Even though the selection was limited, I have always found the food on CE to be very good, as one would expect from a French company.

Yes. Overpriced for what they deliver. Before Covid, I expressly booked with Vantage because I wanted a balcony cabin on the Seine River cruise. I had looked at CroisiEurope, a value cruise company with a lower price, but they have no balconies and their Seine cruises are fewer days. So, when they cancelled (the real word, not postponed), they ultimately replaced the trip with ... wait for it ... the CroisiEurope trip that I had decided against -- but at Vantage Deluxe prices. More hotel days, the lowest level cabin on the ship, and a less desirable time of year. And the agent tried to get me to pay MORE, saying that it was a DIFFERENT cruise than what I had paid for. (I responded that if it was a different cruise, that meant they had cancelled my original cruise and they owed me a refund. She backed off.) Note that CroisiEurope is a fine company, but it offers a value experience. If I had wanted to travel with CE, I would have booked with them -- and paid their lower price.

I was thinking the same. My Bro and SiL are taking me on a cruise in October. I may want to check in with some solo activities so I can give them some space -- if they want it.

I especially appreciate the telephone service I get from Saga. I live on the US West Coast and do not have international calling on my landline or cell phone. When making or changing reservations, a Saga rep calls me. And they're pretty good about not calling in the middle of their day when I am still sleeping 🙂. Don't know what I would do if Saga decided to stop offering this level of service, but I'm now booked through 2024.

I'm a US citizen living on the West Coast (a long way from British ports). I'm finally going on my first Saga cruises after 3 years of waiting. Always have dealt with Saga by phone (they call me). Never saw the bit about requiring a British passport. I just know I'm not eligible for the Saga insurance and have to get my own here in US.

I had to settle for an interconnecting cabin for my upcoming b2b cruises on SoA because there were no other standard solos that were available for both cruises -- and I didn't want to have to change cabins. I have been told that noise is not a problem. Figure I might put a rolled up bath towel along the bottom of the door if I need to.

I will be debating whether I want to be spending time in a room working on and learning a craft which will take me away from the ocean. What a dilemma to have!

Hmmm. Makes one wonder whether one of the many customers who feel wronged by the company might have attempted to punish Vantage with a hack attack. Many more suspects than in Agatha Christie's Death on the Nile ... which is about a cruise gone wrong.

Vantage Deluxe World Travel is both a cruise company and a travel agency. Are you saying that people cannot come here to recount their experiences with Vantage cruises?

I'm a solo who wants to cruise. Have had more cruises cancelled than I've actually been on. But soon I will be setting off on a cruise with a line that caters to solos more than just about any other: Saga. It's a British line for over-50s. All cruises start and end in the UK. Saga has been around for a long time, but their current fleet is just two elegant, new-build ships. They are similar to Viking ships -- under 1k passengers and all-balcony cabins -- but 20% of the cabins are designed for solos. Pricey, but pretty much all-inclusive -- and they are obviously prepared to welcome solos. The idea of cruising on a giant ship surrounded by thousands does not appeal to me. I am no longer willing to grab some alone time in a windowless inside cabin. Haven't even been on my first Saga cruise, but I've already booked for 2024.

I'm more than happy to bring my own reading material (Kindle + public library downloads!). I've got pretty esoteric reading preferences, so I would not expect to find anything in the ship library to lose myself in. But I would hope to find reference and non-fiction books, especially on the itinerary destinations. Guides. History. Personal narratives. Will I have any luck when I board SoA next month? Aside: An issue with borrowing a novel from a ship library is that you could feel compelled to spend more time reading so you can finish it before the cruise is over. When the book is on your device, you can be more flexible.

Consider yourself lucky. Many of the people I met on my "down-graded" river cruise -- first-timers and Vantage veterans -- were upset about the treatment they had gotten. Heard many say "never again." There are plenty of travel companies willing to offer service for my money. Neither the frustration of dealing with Vantage nor the revised program I was forced to settle for were worth the cost. I would be a fool to give them another chance. Unless they want to court me with an all-expenses paid trip, you won't find me on a Vantage cruise in the future. Best of luck to you.