Medeba

Just back from Spirit of Discovery cruise. I don't know how many cases there were but our taxi driver on the way home said that he had heard that the final group of passengers off the ship were all Covid cases and that the taxi drivers were upset that they hadn't been informed. We had our LFTs before boarding but no further tests during the cruise. I was surprised at the lack of mask wearing in The Playhouse despite the recommendation that masks should be worn. I don't think there were any bar stools in the bars but I can't be 100% certain. Overall, a very enjoyable first Saga cruise.

We are currently on Discovery and booked in September 2020. Not offered an upgrade but there are 877 passengers onboard so not much opportunity for an upgrade. Also told that 20 cabins have been set aside for Covid cases.

Many thanks to you all. Suggestions copied and safely stowed away in our information folder.

Hopefully it will be third time lucky for you. We too are looking forward to Bordeaux and sailing up the Garonne to get there. It's a shame that the tides prevent us from having a full day there, but I'm not complaining!

👍🙌🏻. We have been isolating so it will be really good to get away.

Re post 52. My refund has arrived. Well done Saga. Now looking forward to being picked up on Wednesday for our cruise to western France and northern Spain 😎

I agree!

I agree with @Grandma Cruising. The only problem I have with the large oceanview cabins on decks 6 and 7 is the noise from the anchor when it's used: can be an early wake up call! Otherwise, the extra space in these cabins is really good.

Michael's Club was a sad loss to the 'ordinary' passenger. We used to love going in there in the evening to listen to the pianist and have a nightcap.

My husband is a real ale man so he's definitely not pleased. Luckily he also likes G&Ts 😂

Thanks for this information. I will now attempt to get a refund for the private transfer I paid for two days ago!

I'm surprised that you were told last week that a decision hadn't yet been made about private transfers as I knew weeks ago that we had a shared car. I booked my private transfer today for my cruise on 17 August which confirms the information on the Saga website about 'free' private cars ceasing at the end of July for anyone living more than 75 miles from the departure port.

Lucky you!

When I contacted Saga in connection with final payment for our August cruise we were told that we would have a shared car. We live about 90 miles from Dover and are considering paying the extra to have a private car.

That is good news. We don't have Saga's insurance but our insurers have similar cover. My concern is not so much the insurance cover but having to be quarantined ashore in less than desirable accommodation.

Thank you, that's very helpful. So, as far as you know, no one with Covid was required to disembark to be quarantined ashore (my biggest fear) because of local protocols?

Windsurfboy. Just curious. Were there any Covid infections onboard? If so, do you know what the quarantine protocols were?

Thank you for this. Oceania gave us almost a year of notification about the change to Trieste. They gave us $250 OBC to compensate for this. So, if they do charge for the coach transfer next year we'll use the OBC. You never know, it might be a complimentary transfer!

Thank you for your replies. Flights to the UK from Trieste don't go to London Gatwick which is close to us. The alternatives involve long taxi rides or many public transport changes which we don't fancy with our luggage. We are departing on the cruise from Lisbon and plan to stay a few days there pre cruise. Flight to Lisbon already booked. So, if we go home from Trieste (having been to Venice a number of times) we are just interested in the airport transfer.

We are on a Vista cruise next May and, after we booked, the disembarkation port was changed from Venice to Trieste. Can anyone tell me if Oceania is offering airport transfers from Trieste to Venice? I'm not expecting a complimentary transfer but was wondering if a transfer is offered and how much it would be. We are trying to decide whether to go to Ljubljana, Slovenia for a couple of days after the cruise and fly home from there.

All the other ships made it back to Southampton in time. Just Sky marooned in the English Channel.

Me too!

I've just read an article in the Mallorca Daily Bulletin about a passenger who has gone overboard from the current Quest sailing. Search and rescue has been unable to find her. How incredibly sad.

The following cruise out of Athens was also offered the sweetener but there was no reduction in the price of the cruise for one less day (I tried!). I'm not too bothered as we benefited from the extra day for no more cost on the previous cruise (including the additional OBC) and we didn't have to make any changes to our other arrangements. I was also impressed that Azamara is offering a complimentary transfer from Venice to Ravenna either from the airport or the city (Tronchetto).

I have had a problem for some while accessing one of my reservations in my account. It comes up as 'reservation locked'. Azamara Circle was the only one to respond to my emails and I understand that the IT department is now looking at the problem. I was informed yesterday that it would take 5 to 7 days to resolve. I wanted to book shorex and ended up booking them on the phone. Customer service saw that the problem had been reported so did not attempt to unlock the reservation (unlike a couple of other CC members on my roll call who were having the same problem and now have access to Voyage Planner). Ironically, I got an email from Azamara to confirm my booked shorex, but it directed me to voyage planner which, of course, I can't access!. So, am hoping it will all turn out alright.