Magical Mystery Tour on the Discovery

[Fletcher]

Friends of ours are aboard the Discovery which sailed from Tilbury on 2 September.  Our friends have never heard of the internet so I have been monitoring things myself and this trip so far has been full of surprises, perhaps disappointments.  The original itinerary included stops in Gibraltar, Valetta, Venice, Hvar, Split, Kotor, Ajaccio, Lisbon and Porto Leixoes.  Venice was dropped before departure.  Gibraltar, Valetta and Split were visited as per schedule. Dubrovnik replaced Kotor which is in red-listed Montenegro.  Ajaccio was abandoned for unknown reasons so the ship has sailed non-stop from the Adriatic into the Atlantic. Discovery now appears to be heading for Portimao on the Algarve which would be its first stop in six days. I guess this sort of thing has become commonplace.  

Edited September 17, 2021 by Fletcher

[lincslady]

I suppose one could say they were quite lucky to get what they have had!  It must be a nightmare for the Captain and staff, and back at the office, , and also thinking about possibly restocking food etc. en route.

 

I hope that they - as I would have been  - are actually happy just to have a nice trip away at present.  It would not seem so bad if things were really looking up, but sadly for most of the world it does not appear to be improving that much.  We are all heartily sick of the situation, can only try to be optimistic.

 

A shame  no one onboard is posting here.

 

 

[Windsurfboy]

Am in Lagos  (Portugal ) will wave as discovery goes past

[Windsurfboy]

I  think  Saga did well , I'd be happy with where they went , given circumstances. 

 

A bit of excitement 

 

I'm an optimist,  cases in most countries coming down.  Immunity is building. For example  in South Africa  which has only vaccinated 20% , estimates of up to 80% have antibodies. 

Edited September 17, 2021 by Windsurfboy

[wowzz]

I reckon Saga deserve a round of applause for even attempting such a cruise at all !

Everyone on board must have known that the itinerary was likely to change at short notice, so hopefully there will be no inappropriate complaints.

[wowzz]

3 hours ago, Fletcher said:

Ajaccio was abandoned for unknown reasons so the ship has sailed non-stop from the Adriatic into the

I presume Ajaccio was cancelled because of the need for negative CV19 tests for passengers.

[Glenndale]

4 hours ago, Fletcher said:

Ajaccio was abandoned for unknown reasons so the ship has sailed non-stop from the Adriatic into the Atlantic. 

A member of the crew tested positive.

 

[Glenndale]

2 hours ago, lincslady said:

I suppose one could say they were quite lucky to get what they have had!  It must be a nightmare for the Captain and staff, and back at the office, , and also thinking about possibly restocking food etc. en route.

 

I hope that they - as I would have been  - are actually happy just to have a nice trip away at present.  It would not seem so bad if things were really looking up, but sadly for most of the world it does not appear to be improving that much.  We are all heartily sick of the situation, can only try to be optimistic.

 

A shame  no one onboard is posting here.

 

 

I have taken 2 cruises on Viking since June and although our ports of call were places we had visited before it was just wonderful to be at sea and be looked after. Both cruises had under 400 guests on board and it was a good opportunity to look at a different line.

We will be on Discovery at the end of this month and are hopeful for some stops and warmer weather. Either way we will count our blessings.🙂

[Fletcher]

I may be wrong but I'm not so sure the Discovery made Dubrovnik on 13 September.  The ship seems to have moored a long way off and did a few turns before heading away.  Whether or not the ship landed people at Dubrovnik means that the crew member who tested positive, cancelling their planned visit to Ajaccio four days later, must have caught it elsewhere, such as on the ship itself.

[wowzz]

I'm not really sure what is the point of this thread. 

Yes, the itinerary got altered, and for various possible reasons a port got missed. 

So what!   

[Fletcher]

6 hours ago, wowzz said:

I'm not really sure what is the point of this thread. 

Yes, the itinerary got altered, and for various possible reasons a port got missed. 

So what!   

I started the thread to show what cruising is like these days.  Over on the Seabourn and Silversea boards we get live reports all the time and they are very helpful and interesting. Very few people report live from Saga ships but I guess that the majority of Saga passengers might just be content staying aboard anyway and don't bother that much about ports of call . . .  I just happen to be someone who really only cares about the itinerary and this Saga cruise is a perfect illustration of why I am not booking anything with any cruise line just yet.

Edited September 18, 2021 by Fletcher

[Kohima]

In normal times I would completely agree that the itinerary is really important, even to Saga passengers! However anyone cruising at present needs to go with a flexible mindset and be prepared for a potential mystery tour as the price to pay for a luxury holiday and the enjoyment of being at sea again. However it would be really good PR if the Saga captain’s blog kept us updated on a daily basis as it used to do in the past. There are quite a number of Facebook posts available from people onboard, including photos, but you have to seek them out.

[lincslady]

Agreed - thanks, Fletcher for posting this.  Many of us do not do facebook etc., and I feel this report gives people a real idea of the present and near future situation. so as to decide whether to book a cruise or not.  Personally, if I were able to go, I would, as sea days would be enjoyable even if only for being fed and watered well and being able to relax away from the news.

[Kohima]

It seems that a new crew member boarded at Split and immediately went into isolation on the ship as per the Saga protocol. While in isolation this person tested positive which then caused the ship to miss Ajaccio. No other person has tested positive. The stringent safety measures which are in place to deal with this possibility  seem to have been successful. If cruising is to take place at all in the foreseeable future this sort of situation will arise. It’s how it’s dealt with which is important. I’m afraid that cruising as we used to know it is a very long way off.

[Windsurfboy]

I'd have been very happy with this cruise as it developed. We chickened out and went for a land holiday. Unfortunately didn't see Discovery sailing past Lagos last night.

 

This bodes well for our black sea in May. If we get no more disruption than this I'll be happy.  4 weeks in sun on a ship will do, and ports are a bonus.

 

It was a good idea for Fletcher to write this reassuring. 

[Fletcher]

Thanks people.  Discovery remains moored off the beach at Portimao and now looks set to make Lisbon on the 20th and back on schedule.