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Spirit of Adventure 10 Oct- Live Report


MonsieurD
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I thought that some readers might be interested in a live report on the Saga Spirit of Adventure 10 Oct 21 sailing from Tilbury to Western France, Spain and Portugal returning  to Southampton 14 days later. I will try not to offer too many comparisons with the other  30 or so cruises that we have been on previously. 
Before sailing, the information provided by Saga was adequate and it included our allocated cabin number, time of pick up by their transport and some luggage labels. Not much else regarding COVID testing and protocols, although we were aware that it would not be possible to explore on our own in the ports. We did book some tours in advance online.

The journey to Tilbury in a very nice car was uneventful,  and we arrived at the port at 1.30 pm. While still in the car, we ( and the driver) had a Lateral Flow Test. After about 30 minutes the test results were apparent and, while still in the car, we were moved to another queue for a PCR sputum test. Spitting into a test tube was not particularly pleasant, and I sympathised with the driver who elected to wait outside the car! We then moved to the cruise terminal to unload the baggage. Registering with Saga was very quick, and, at last, we were ready to board the ship. It took 2 hours from arriving at the dock to embarking the Spirit of Adventure.

The WiFi has been very reliable so far, and I hope to add to this thread as the cruise progresses . If I can answer any questions,  please just ask here. For now.

D.

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All the passengers were double tested for COVID at Tilbury. We also filled in a health, and recent travel,  questionnaire. Under current Covid-19 regulations, Pax from Eire and the Channel Islands need to check that they meet the requirements.

We were impressed with our normal balcony cabin. It is spotless and more spacious than many of those of equivalent grade on mainstream ships. There were face masks issued and the crew wear them all the time.  Pax need to wear masks unless seated with a drink or eating.The bathroom  amenities are from Prija in 135 ml bottles not sachets or other small containers. Very handy and reasonable quality. The lighting in the cabin is good and a large screen TV is mounted on the wall. The information on the screen includes the daily programme and other ships info including a webcam from the bridge. Unfortunately, so far, the daily  weather info is not available. There is a selection of movies available and some Freeview tv channels. No SKY channels, although there is a placeholder for Sky News.

So far, we have called in to two ports in Brittany and today we are alongside about 10 miles from Bordeaux. The reports from the tours are very mixed. Not being able to wander off alone in the ports is a major disadvantage. 
The food has been excellent. I am aware that this is very subjective, but there is so much choice of well prepared dishes with good ingredients that only the very picky eaters would not be pleased. Allergies are well catered for. In the The Grill and the outside  burger/fish and chips outlet, all the food is served to you - no self service. The included wine is drinkable and, probably, best described as table wine. Again, it is a personal view, but the white is Ok, the rose is better, but the red Spanish is a bit iffy. The included beers are from the Whitstable brewery . There is a choice of Pale Ale and lager. Neither are to my taste, and they will not suit most beer drinkers. The included spirits are from the lower shelf but are passable especially with mixers. Teas and coffees are served in all the lounges and they go down well. In summary, the food is far better than expected, but wine lovers might have to dip into their wallets. More next time……. D

 

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2 hours ago, MonsieurD said:

All the passengers were double tested for COVID at Tilbury. We also filled in a health, and recent travel,  questionnaire. Under current Covid-19 regulations, Pax from Eire and the Channel Islands need to check that they meet the requirements.

We were impressed with our normal balcony cabin. It is spotless and more spacious than many of those of equivalent grade on mainstream ships. There were face masks issued and the crew wear them all the time.  Pax need to wear masks unless seated with a drink or eating.The bathroom  amenities are from Prija in 135 ml bottles not sachets or other small containers. Very handy and reasonable quality. The lighting in the cabin is good and a large screen TV is mounted on the wall. The information on the screen includes the daily programme and other ships info including a webcam from the bridge. Unfortunately, so far, the daily  weather info is not available. There is a selection of movies available and some Freeview tv channels. No SKY channels, although there is a placeholder for Sky News.

So far, we have called in to two ports in Brittany and today we are alongside about 10 miles from Bordeaux. The reports from the tours are very mixed. Not being able to wander off alone in the ports is a major disadvantage. 
The food has been excellent. I am aware that this is very subjective, but there is so much choice of well prepared dishes with good ingredients that only the very picky eaters would not be pleased. Allergies are well catered for. In the The Grill and the outside  burger/fish and chips outlet, all the food is served to you - no self service. The included wine is drinkable and, probably, best described as table wine. Again, it is a personal view, but the white is Ok, the rose is better, but the red Spanish is a bit iffy. The included beers are from the Whitstable brewery . There is a choice of Pale Ale and lager. Neither are to my taste, and they will not suit most beer drinkers. The included spirits are from the lower shelf but are passable especially with mixers. Teas and coffees are served in all the lounges and they go down well. In summary, the food is far better than expected, but wine lovers might have to dip into their wallets. More next time……. D

 

There shouldn’t be any pax from Eire or the Channel Islands we were told mainland residents only till the new year at least, wouldn’t let us book from 🇮🇲

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Thanks , everything  sounds good except wine , second bad review in a few days. Looks like I may have to shell out on better wines. At least they are reasonably  priced, less than UK restaurants.  

 

As a glass half full it is far far better that the food beats your expectations than the wine. Can fix wine issue by premium wine. End up with great food and wine. 

 

Still will be a bit disappointing if Saga wine doesn't do the rest of the food and ship justice. Saga cruises aren't a cheap "all inclusive " holiday, and serving poor wine doesn't match their boutique promise.

 

 

Edited by Windsurfboy
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18 hours ago, Manx buoy said:

There shouldn’t be any pax from Eire or the Channel Islands we were told mainland residents only till the new year at least, wouldn’t let us book from 🇮🇲

My understanding is that, provided that they travel to England, 7 days before embarkation, non mainland residents can join the ship. However, I emphasise that this info did not originate from the Saga authorities. 

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11 hours ago, MonsieurD said:

My understanding is that, provided that they travel to England, 7 days before embarkation, non mainland residents can join the ship. However, I emphasise that this info did not originate from the Saga authorities. 

Thanks for that, we weren’t given that option not that we’d have done it anyway more chance of catching it in a hotel over that period of time than 3 hours on a ferry. 

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Sorry, but the WiFi has been patchy/ overloaded so I am a bit behind with the ‘live’ report. After the mixed reports on the tours In Brittany, I was pleased that in Santander all went well.

A couple of amendments to my earlier report. Sky News and Sky Sports are listed as being available, but the reception is very intermittent. Instead of the Cab Sav that I trashed earlier, there is now a Merlot offered as an included option; I find it very drinkable. The in- room interactive TV now shows the weather forecast for the day.

We have now had 2 formal nights. I have not spotted anyone in the main dining room in casual clothes. Limited to 6 per table, some of the larger tables pose a problem for those with hearing difficulties as folk are seated too far apart. On formal  nights, one  can eat in The Grill without getting poshed up. Incidentally, the menu in The Grill in the evenings is the same as the Main Dining room. I was slightly surprised that one is served in The Grill in the evening- unlike the evening buffet found on many cruise lines.

The standard of food remains high, in my view. 
Today we are in Porto, and it was rainy during the tour. However, our tour left on time and was well conducted.

We have not attended all the evening shows, as sometimes dinner drags on and they do not allow entrance after the show starts at 9.30 pm. A comedy duo were very entertaining,  and the ships in house show was OK. One other comedian tried hard, but found it hard work to get the audience involved. Having to wear a mask throughout the show is tiresome for the audience.The staff do try to trace everyone by recording cabin numbers in all locations. However, in the lifts after the shows, where we are supposed to be in groups of no more than six, the protocol seems to be ignored by some groups of 10.

If any of my fellow cruisers feel like adding to this thread with their views, please feel welcome- even if your don’t agree with my comments about the cruise.

D

 

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On 10/17/2021 at 11:45 PM, Jammy Bun said:

Thank you for your reports.  I was particularly happy to hear that formal dress isn't necessary in the Grill.  Do you know if the Grill is a quieter option in the evenings?  (I mean fewer diners, not the noise levels!(

The Grill is set up for waiter served dinner with the same menu as in the Main Dining room. The tables are for two or four, and for dinner white table cloths are put out that make the tables look nice. The food is prepared in the main galley downstairs, but even so it is quicker to dine in the Grill than the Main Dining room. It is not as busy in The Grill in the evenings as the Main Dinig room. It is also less noisy. As I mentioned up thread, the larger tables in the Dining Room  are awkward when only populated with up to 6 diners due to the present COVID precautions.

D

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After a sea day yesterday, when we seemed to sail through a sea fret for most of the day, SoA is now in Cadiz vice Huelva and basking in lovely sunshine. The P&O Ventura is also in port. Her passengers seem free to wander around the town on their own. Roll on November the first! ( see Janet’s thread). Our included bus tour of the town was efficiently boarded and well guided for about one and a half hours, including a short photo op down by the river.
The Master of SoA took part in a very interesting Q&A session yesterday. Many questions were handled with humour, and he did not seek to evade answering the more searching questions. UK politicians, please take note. Last night’s show was well attended and the Michael Buble tribute was well received. We sail at 5pm today and start heading northwards for home. I will try to address the Speciality Dining options next time.  😭 D

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23 hours ago, MonsieurD said:

The Grill is set up for waiter served dinner with the same menu as in the Main Dining room.

On our 5 night cruise this month, we found this menu very limited. Our last Saga cruise was on SoD in October 2019 and we enjoyed the buffet dinners in The Grill most evenings. As someone who eats masses of salads and veggies, we are considering cancelling our next cruise if this policy remains in place. We assume it is a cost-cutting exercise, rather than a Covid precaution, because the "served" buffet worked perfectly well at breakfast and lunch. 

Edited by Wacktle
typo
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5 hours ago, Wacktle said:

On our 5 night cruise this month, we found this menu very limited. Our last Saga cruise was on SoD in October 2019 and we enjoyed the buffet dinners in The Grill most evenings. As someone who eats masses of salads and veggies, we are considering cancelling our next cruise if this policy remains in place. We assume it is a cost-cutting exercise, rather than a Covid precaution, because the "served" buffet worked perfectly well at breakfast and 

Isn't it more likely that because of the need for social distancing,  the MDR could not  handle the sheer numvers involved, hence the need to use The Grill as an "overspill" venue. 

Unfortunately,  whilst I appreciate that you enjoy veg and salads, you are probably in the minority in the evenings,  and Saga are trying to cater for the needs of the vast majority.

I'm sure that if asked,  the Head Waiter  could satisfy your requirements.  

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I am now asking for extra vegetables with the meals in the evening in both the Grill and Dining Room. I usually end up with about a third of a plate of peas and sometimes broccoli. We do miss the self service evening buffet and hope it comes back soon.

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I am on SoA at present and completely agree with comments about the lack of buffet service in the Grill in the evenings and the consequent scarcity of salads and vegetables. The MDR is definitely not over subscribed so the Grill does not need to replicate the offering there. We have preferred the Grill in the evenings in the past so hope it returns to how it used to be.

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21 hours ago, Kenmure said:

I am now asking for extra vegetables with the meals in the evening in both the Grill and Dining Room. I usually end up with about a third of a plate of peas and sometimes broccoli. We do miss the self service evening buffet and hope it comes back soon.

I hope I'm wrong, but I think while covid is still very much in evidence I don't see self service in the buffet coming back any time soon.

 

Bob

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20 hours ago, LondonLad60 said:

I hope I'm wrong, but I think while covid is still very much in evidence I don't see self service in the buffet coming back any time soon.

 

Bob

There is a buffet in The Grill at breakfast and lunch, but it is served by staff behind (or in front of) the counters. I agree that a self-service buffet may never return, but that is not the point.

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Just to be clear, there is assisted buffet service in the Grill for breakfast and lunch. You point to whatever combination you would like and the staff at that particular station put it on the plate. You can then go to other stations to add further items if you wish.There’s no queue and it works well. In the evening it is full waiter service from a menu so you can’t easily mix and match. Yes of course you can ask for a salad but you can’t pick and choose exactly what you want or which vegetables and how many as you can at lunch.

There doesn’t seem any good reason why assisted buffet service shouldn’t operate in the evening , particularly as every other venue is waiter served from a menu.

 

 

 

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Cadiz proved to be a nice town and we had the best weather of the cruise so far. The included exclusion was well organised. Leaving Cadiz, we headed for Vigo, but the ship diverted via Cascais in Portugal,  because of a medical emergency. However, we made up time and arrived in Vigo as planned. The included tour  to Baiona was excellent, and I am impressed by the tour organisers. However, I did not take a tour in any of the French ports (as they were extra); I understand that they included themes  from ‘Allo Allo.

The three speciality restaurants on board are all good and they make a pleasant change for the evening meals. It was easy to get one reservation in each venue but, except for suite occupants, it was more difficult to add an additional booking. That is only fair so that everyone gets at least one reservation if they choose so. In my view, the Italian is the best of the three, but I hasten to add that everyone will have a different view. The Amalfi room is very pleasant and the food was very tasty. The Supper Club is a larger venue with live music. The menu was bistro style and my steak was fine but nothing special. The music can be a bit loud and The Supper Club was the least relaxing venue. The Nepalese restaurant is a smaller venue and the tables are very close to each other. The food is nice, and the tastes very subtle. Anyone expecting it to be like their local Balti will be surprised . The deserts were the weakest servings. The Gulab Jaman needed more rose syrup and the Gajar Halwa was very dry. Very subjective comments!

Regarding the policy of providing waiter service in The Grill in the evenings, I am advised by veteran Saga cruisers that even BC ( before COVID), there wasn’t a buffet option in the evenings. 

As we track back to Soton, we will take a Sputum PCR test early on disembarkation day, to satisfy the English health authorities. 

 

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