I'm 50, Can Saga Convert Me? SoA Northern Lights

[SaraSailing]

3 hours ago, Lady Meer said:

Sara - can you get a decent coffee from the machine in your room? I’m not a coffee drinker and found that the tea in the dining room and grill was awful - it was stewed and had a definite coffee tang. I asked for a pot of tea which was much better as it was fresh. Maybe the coffee would be better in a pot.

 

Brenda

It is a bit stewed, true! But I guess we each have our limits, and I prefer bad tea to bad coffee. It made me appreciate the little cafe in Bergen even more. I guess the thermal jugs get used for tea and coffee, so they will always slightly tang of the other?

My cabin is "deluxe", so I get the kettle and packets of instant coffee, tea and fresh milk in the fridge. I believe the suites get a pod machine. I did get room service to bring me packets of Ovaltine, and I think they'd happily bring you any of the other teabags available. My parents are getting pots of green tea, which is made fresh and is good. And I've not tried the afternoon tea teas - I've no idea if they are fresh and interesting. 

[SaraSailing]

2 hours ago, Vivaldi said:

I suspect that you will not choose Saga instead of Silversea in the future, but if you are still undecided, and given the fact that your husband is a wheelchair user, have you looked at the thread "Warning to wheelchair users" on this Saga Forum site? The original poster expressed disquiet about Saga's official position on the matter, although it appears that in practice a decent amount of assistance is given. If there are wheelchair users on your current cruise it might be useful to ask them how helpful the crew have been and whether they have encountered any problems. 

 

I've not seen any full time wheelchair users, who are the people I'd want to ask. I've already had a strong conversation about the wording, and the line I was given is "if you talk to us before you go, we can give you confidence". So, it would certainly be something that would need attention. Interestingly, the wording pretty much mirrors Seabourn's, one reason we've never sailed with them!

Silversea have been largely brilliant in terms of assistance, other than when it would genuinely be dangerous (like getting into a tender in very choppy water). Then there is a question of accessible excursions, where Silversea are terrible, as are Saga. If the cruise lines don't press local firms to provide coaches with access, it will never change. And whilst it's for a very small percentage of cruisers, I think many people are impressed when they see a line caring. With Silversea I've worked out what is possible when it really matters, as I hate going into battle with shore concierge. But I will, and once I managed to get an accessible coach for a tour, and then told the other wheelchair user - he was so excited, the first thing he did was buy the driver a coffee!

[Louby-Lou]

11 minutes ago, SaraSailing said:

It is a bit stewed, true! But I guess we each have our limits, and I prefer bad tea to bad coffee. It made me appreciate the little cafe in Bergen even more. I guess the thermal jugs get used for tea and coffee, so they will always slightly tang of the other?

My cabin is "deluxe", so I get the kettle and packets of instant coffee, tea and fresh milk in the fridge. I believe the suites get a pod machine. I did get room service to bring me packets of Ovaltine, and I think they'd happily bring you any of the other teabags available. My parents are getting pots of green tea, which is made fresh and is good. And I've not tried the afternoon tea teas - I've no idea if they are fresh and interesting. 

We were on SoA's last cruise in a suite - sorry, I didn't realise the coffee machines were only in suites.  The afternoon tea 'tea' is just as bad but much better if you ask for a pot.

 

Regarding wheelchair users, we did see 2 or 3 on the last cruise.  We witnessed members of the crew helping one gentleman down the gangway.  I am sure some of the 'included' excursions catered for wheelchairs as we saw a lady on a mechanical lift getting into a bus.  Her wheelchair went underneath along with a selection of walking frames.  

 

Brenda

 

[SaraSailing]

3 hours ago, mcloaked said:

However I would greatly value it if anyone on this forum and thread, who is also a ballroom dancer, could post some information about when it is possible to dance in the Britannia Lounge on SoA/SoD? 

Good questions. My in-laws love dancing, and that is one of the things they liked about Silversea, and loved the Cunard dance floor. 

There is a ballroom dancing time of 6pm in the BL, which doesn't really clash with dinner, as dinner is usually 6:30-8:30pm. My programme says there is also dancing after 10:30pm in the BL, though I don't know if this is ballroom. I'll try and ask at reception next time I pass.

There is live music in the "Living Room" every evening. The Living Room itself is kind of soulless, but you could go up onto deck 6, around the atrium, and enjoy the music in a slightly more relaxed way. The Supper Club also has music after dinner, and I'm sure there is space for people who didn't eat there, or just outside that space in the bar. 

Normally on Silversea I'd go to the bar before and after dinner, but here I've been less tempted by the spaces. Maybe because they are thoroughfares, or the lighting, or something. 

[SaraSailing]

2 hours ago, Louby-Lou said:

We were on SoA's last cruise in a suite - sorry, I didn't realise the coffee machines were only in suites.  The afternoon tea 'tea' is just as bad but much better if you ask for a pot.

 

Regarding wheelchair users, we did see 2 or 3 on the last cruise.  We witnessed members of the crew helping one gentleman down the gangway.  I am sure some of the 'included' excursions catered for wheelchairs as we saw a lady on a mechanical lift getting into a bus.  Her wheelchair went underneath along with a selection of walking frames.  

 

Brenda

 

That's all good info, thank you! 

[SaraSailing]

THE GRILL - LUNCH

I did a tour of most of the Grill and took photos today. They should all be fairly obvious, even though working around the safety screens isn't easy. Some of the photos are loading upside down, but I can't fix it!!!

But I did have the stir fry today (cooked to order), and asked for an extra hot sauce. It had enough chilli tingle to please me!

Also dinner tonight I again had a vegetarian main with a meat protein, and they cooked my a special fried rice without peas. 

[mcloaked]

43 minutes ago, SaraSailing said:

Good questions. My in-laws love dancing, and that is one of the things they liked about Silversea, and loved the Cunard dance floor. 

There is a ballroom dancing time of 6pm in the BL, which doesn't really clash with dinner, as dinner is usually 6:30-8:30pm. My programme says there is also dancing after 10:30pm in the BL, though I don't know if this is ballroom. I'll try and ask at reception next time I pass.

There is live music in the "Living Room" every evening. The Living Room itself is kind of soulless, but you could go up onto deck 6, around the atrium, and enjoy the music in a slightly more relaxed way. The Supper Club also has music after dinner, and I'm sure there is space for people who didn't eat there, or just outside that space in the bar. 

Normally on Silversea I'd go to the bar before and after dinner, but here I've been less tempted by the spaces. Maybe because they are thoroughfares, or the lighting, or something. 

 

I would certainly like to know more detail about ballroom dancing times and opportunities.  Of course starting at 6pm means only half an hour of ballroom dancing if you start dinner at 6.30pm!  Most of the time on a cruise we would find it difficult to take less time than an hour and a half for dinner unless it was a bit rushed.  On most of our cruises we have had dinner before dancing and then danced from about 7.30pm through to around 11pm though not every dance in that period, but certainly a lot of the dances over the three and a half hour evening.  Half an hour of dancing would be incomparably poorer as an experience as a dancer so for us if it was an hour and a half that would still be a lot less than we are used to on a typical evening on a voyage.  The live music in the Living Room sounds interesting, though what size is the dance floor in there?  For Latin dancing you don't need too much space for rumba, cha cha, and jive, but for samba and paso doble you need as much space as for the ballroom dances (waltz, slow foxtrot, quickstep, tango and Viennese Waltz), where you need to be able to have a reasonable amount of movement across the floor over a number of steps to get a flow, and move beautifully to the music. We have danced on small floors like the Yacht Club on the Cunard ships, which is only about 15 feet at most across the circular floor, though that means you must have only a few couples on the floor at any one time, or it is too dense with people to do much meaningful dancing. Again the Supper Club sounds interesting too and again is that a small floor? Presume you meant that the Supper Club was available for ballroom and Latin dancing rather than disco dancing? It seems quite difficult to get any information about all those options without going on a Saga cruise and judging for oneself. The new Saga ships sound lovely, and the one factor remaining for us is knowing whether we would be able to do dancing as much as we like to during a cruise.

 

The food pictures look lovely that you just posted.

Edited February 12, 2022 by mcloaked
Add a sentence

[Wacktle]

I hate to say this but, if you truly enjoy the ballroom dancing opportunities on Cunard, you will be very disappointed on a Saga ship. We are not dancers, but I have enjoyed watching on all the Queens. In the Britannia Lounge, it's been mainly dancing to pop and rock music. However, we've not stayed up, or been in all the locations, to report on what happens at other times or elsewhere.

[SaraSailing]

14 hours ago, mcloaked said:

 

I would certainly like to know more detail about ballroom dancing times and opportunities. 

I just spoke to my parents, and they reported that @norbertsniece (Linda) who is also on board asked the cruise director. As @wacktle says, the ballroom dancing is only 45 minutes a day, straight before dinner.

I think you'd find that very disappointing, especially compared to what Cunard offer. Silversea have two small dance floors, and my in-laws were happy enough with that. This ship has a different focus. 

I will take some photos of the public rooms, as you might see opportunites. But my sense is this is a fairly sedentary ship, compared to what I'm used to. As I'm still rehabbing a back injury, that is not so bothersome for me. 

[mcloaked]

1 hour ago, SaraSailing said:

I just spoke to my parents, and they reported that @norbertsniece (Linda) who is also on board asked the cruise director. As @wacktle says, the ballroom dancing is only 45 minutes a day, straight before dinner.

I think you'd find that very disappointing, especially compared to what Cunard offer. Silversea have two small dance floors, and my in-laws were happy enough with that. This ship has a different focus. 

I will take some photos of the public rooms, as you might see opportunites. But my sense is this is a fairly sedentary ship, compared to what I'm used to. As I'm still rehabbing a back injury, that is not so bothersome for me. 

 

That is disappointing to hear, but I will appreciate any photos of the dance floors - the Saga new ships do look nice, and the experience looks good in general - but we really would miss it if were could not do a reasonable amount of ballroom and Latin dancing every evening (and some in the daytime too, like we have experienced at Cunard's Afternoon Tea Dances in the Queens Room).

[nosapphire]

17 hours ago, mcloaked said:

EXTRACTED

  Most of the time on a cruise we would find it difficult to take less time than an hour and a half for dinner unless it was a bit rushed. 

 

We had a table for two in the main dining room, and had to ask the waiters to slow down the delivery of food, as we like a small gap between courses, not the next course being put down as the previous course was being cleared - felt like a conveyor belt at times.

So then we ended up with cold food, as it still came up from the kitchen at the same time and sat on the side waiting for us.

 

 

[Vivaldi]

Going back to one of your earlier posts about the cost of cabins, I've noticed a quirk in Saga's pricing. There are a number of De Luxe cabins on the S of A, including four for single use, the latter being S007, S507, C025 and D026. There are also a few cabins adapted for wheelchairs, and amongst those are D025 and D526 which are the same size as the De Luxe cabins. But here's the quirk: those two cabins are listed under "Standard Twin Cabins" rather than De Luxe ones. So it seems that, for those two cabins, a guest using a wheelchair and their partner can enjoy a cabin of the same size as the one you currently occupy, but at the standard cabin price, which, booked early, is in the £200 to £250 pppd range. Could anyone confirm this or correct me?

You wouldn't have butler service, though, but it does seem to be a bit of a bargain for those lucky enough to get one of these cabins. 

[SaraSailing]

On 2/13/2022 at 12:06 PM, mcloaked said:

 

That is disappointing to hear, but I will appreciate any photos of the dance floors - the Saga new ships do look nice, and the experience looks good in general - but we really would miss it if were could not do a reasonable amount of ballroom and Latin dancing every evening (and some in the daytime too, like we have experienced at Cunard's Afternoon Tea Dances in the Queens Room).

PUBLIC ROOMS

 

This is interesting, because we are on a 987 capacity ship, with about 750 people on it. Over 800 had booked, but 40 cancelled in the last week or so before sailing, and 40 were turned away at the port because they, their partner or their taxi driver tested positive for covid. So we are seeing a ship massively under capacity, but still I'm told the most passengers she's carried so far. And, honestly, it's a bit crowded compared to what I'm used to. Under normal conditions the outside space would be more used, of course. 

The main public spaces (excluding restaurants and theatre) are:
The Living Room
The North Cape Bar
The Britannia Lounge
The Library, Craft Room and Card Room

Because of the layout of the atrium, whatever music is in the Living Room carries up through the bar and the library area. Entertainment is divided between the Britannia Lounge, the Playhouse (theatre), the Living Room and the Supper Club after dinner. The Living Room is always brightly lit and a bit like a waiting room at a posh doctor's office. The bar is always fairly dimly lit, and the Britannia has pretty coloured lights.

I'm going to go back through all my internal photos, and see if I can get them in some kind of order. It's been an "exciting" few days, but more of that in another comment.

I'll also separate out the external photos tomorrow - though these have been largely closed during this voyage.

The Living Room goes right across the ship, and sits between the fore and aft stairs/lifts. On the other side of the aft stairs is the Dining Room. The open corridor from the living room to the dining room has the reception desk on one side and guest relations & shore excursions the other. Sometimes the gangway opens off the Living Room. Both shops are in corners of this space too. At the moment there is also a temperature scanner, which measures everyone who walks past. Formal night photos (if you like that kind of thing) are taken here too. There is a grand staircase to nowhere, with a piano underneath. The bar serves different snacks at different times of day, and you can get fresh ice cream too. This area is generally pretty busy, and it's a massive thoroughfare. There are lots of different seating options, with some people spending hours here with their crosswords and quiz sheets.

The Britannia Lounge also goes right across the ship at the front. Except the band stage takes the very middle front, so it's not like a traditional observation lounge. Again, Saga have tried to break up the large expanse with lots of different types of furniture - some more successful than others. Some of the nicer areas are at the sides in the corridor sections, like downstairs.

The Library goes on for ever. Occasionally you'll find someone snoring in a corner, but it's pretty dead. Not quiet, because the piano in the Living Room is loud, and the sound travels up through the Atrium. At the moment there are only fake books, because covid? 

We wanted coffee today. But downstairs was freezing everywhere, and there was a loud quiz in Britannia. So we retreated to cabins. It feels the ship is really missing some cozy spaces and a good observation lounge...

 

The Craft Room is only used on sea days, and occupies a prime space on the atrium balcony.

 

And yes, there is hand sanitiser EVERYWHERE!

 

PHOTOS

All in crazy order, despite best efforts...

 

Library coffee machine.

 

 

 

 

 

 Britannia Lounge dance floor, view out of window

 

 

 

 

 

Living Room, from one corridor across.

 

 

Corner of Living Room, open to corridor to reception, shore excursions, Dining Room and aft stairs

 

 

 

Living Room central bar

 

 

 

 

The atrium and staircase that would be lovely if it went anywhere...

 

 

Art in the Library, and the long corridor...
.

Craft Room - the curtained side has windows out to the lifeboats, the balcony looks down two floors to the Living Room.

[SaraSailing]

On 2/13/2022 at 1:30 PM, nosapphire said:

We had a table for two in the main dining room, and had to ask the waiters to slow down the delivery of food, as we like a small gap between courses, not the next course being put down as the previous course was being cleared - felt like a conveyor belt at times.

So then we ended up with cold food, as it still came up from the kitchen at the same time and sat on the side waiting for us.

 

 

 

[SaraSailing]

On 2/16/2022 at 2:29 PM, Vivaldi said:

Going back to one of your earlier posts about the cost of cabins, I've noticed a quirk in Saga's pricing. There are a number of De Luxe cabins on the S of A, including four for single use, the latter being S007, S507, C025 and D026. There are also a few cabins adapted for wheelchairs, and amongst those are D025 and D526 which are the same size as the De Luxe cabins. But here's the quirk: those two cabins are listed under "Standard Twin Cabins" rather than De Luxe ones. So it seems that, for those two cabins, a guest using a wheelchair and their partner can enjoy a cabin of the same size as the one you currently occupy, but at the standard cabin price, which, booked early, is in the £200 to £250 pppd range. Could anyone confirm this or correct me?

You wouldn't have butler service, though, but it does seem to be a bit of a bargain for those lucky enough to get one of these cabins. 

 

[SaraSailing]

Here's something that I think is unique to our itinerary, but maybe useful to know.

The Spirit of Adventure is designed to "thrive", the Captain says, at temperatures of -10c and above. Unfortunately, the average night time temperatures in Alta (where we stayed 2 nights) is -11c in February, with temperatures below -20c not uncommon. 

So, the ship did not thrive. The aircon in cabins went awry first, so the heat was redirected from public areas to cabins. This meant the public areas were extremely cold - dining staff in outdoor clothing. There were random alarms going off in electric cupboards for 24 hours, and water coming through light fittings (the fire sprinkler system pipes burst). The crew couldn't keep up with the snow, so most outdoor decks were closed, though the prom deck was sporadically open. Something bizarre about the aircon system means that in certain temperatures, opening any external door creates this suction/howling gale effect. This makes opening the doors kind of dangerous, and creates this freezing wind through the ship. But as soon as you are actually outside, there's no wind. Our second night in Alta, this was creating problems that even though everything was "fixed" the cold gale got everywhere in the public areas, even though the gangway way down on deck 4, behind a bulkhead door. It's been cold today in Narvik, and the same suction/gale effect made the Living Room only bearable in outdoor wear.

Some guests think it's entertaining that the ship was not designed for the known weather of the places we've visited. Whilst it's been "interesting", I have to admit I don't find it funny.

It's also a shame that the provided "Arctic" jackets are not the Goretex suggested beforehand. The material isn't breathable, so after a short walk the inside of the sleeves particularly is dripping wet. When I removed my jacket today my arms were cold and wet. This explains why we can feel cold, even when well wrapped up. Today in Narvik I bought a lovely shell jacket in the sale, lightweight enough to use at home, big enough to put a mid layer under, and fully waterproof, windproof and breathable. Hopefully I get to try it out in Kristiansund in a couple of days.

This has obviously affected the trip considerably. Sailing is never predictable, but some of this was highly predictable, with a decent risk assessment. 


After this, and storms meaning we missed the two best ports, Saga have offered free excursions in Kristiansund, as a "gesture of goodwill". I'm not a big fan of guided tours, so I'll not be taking up the offer, though many guests were happy to.

[Vivaldi]

28 minutes ago, SaraSailing said:

The Library goes on for ever. Occasionally you'll find someone snoring in a corner, but it's pretty dead. Not quiet, because the piano in the Living Room is loud, and the sound travels up through the Atrium. At the moment there are only fake books, because covid? 

That is the reason why the books are missing. On the SofD the selection of books was very good, and I was particularly impressed by a large bookcase full of volumes from Everyman's Library. I did wonder if there was any other cruise ship which had a copy of the Canterbury Tales in the original Middle English on board!

[mcloaked]

Thank you for taking the time to post all those details SaraSailing. It is a shame that there were significant problems with the ship's systems in the sub-zero temperatures. Presumably it is not the first time the ship, or her sister ship, has been in similar weather so perhaps surprising that it was not known ahead of time that it would cause problems. The pictures are valuable too, and I hope that life on board returns to more enjoyable and comfortable sailing very soon.

[nosapphire]

17 hours ago, mcloaked said:

Thank you for taking the time to post all those details SaraSailing. It is a shame that there were significant problems with the ship's systems in the sub-zero temperatures. Presumably it is not the first time the ship, or her sister ship, has been in similar weather so perhaps surprising that it was not known ahead of time that it would cause problems. The pictures are valuable too, and I hope that life on board returns to more enjoyable and comfortable sailing very soon.

Especially as it has been built as a polar-class ship.

In fairness, the ship is still new, so there are almost certainly a lot of teething problems that do not get found until real life happens.

I know on our two cruises with the SoD there were strange smells, blocked toilets, and every corridor seemed to have somebody either up a ladder peering into a hatch, or on the floor peering into a cupboard.

You can test and test and test - but when it gets into service, something else will pop up.

[SaraSailing]

22 hours ago, Vivaldi said:

I did wonder if there was any other cruise ship which had a copy of the Canterbury Tales in the original Middle English on board!

Well, that would be a treat!

[SaraSailing]

21 hours ago, mcloaked said:

Thank you for taking the time to post all those details SaraSailing. It is a shame that there were significant problems with the ship's systems in the sub-zero temperatures. Presumably it is not the first time the ship, or her sister ship, has been in similar weather so perhaps surprising that it was not known ahead of time that it would cause problems. The pictures are valuable too, and I hope that life on board returns to more enjoyable and comfortable sailing very soon.

These things do happen, but there is perhaps more than the usual amount of lack of foresight. 

The ship has warmed up, and we are sailing south. I think most of the drips have been resolved. Some unlucky crew members have been tasked with clearing snow from the pool deck. Because the pool area is fully surrounded, they are having to shovel it into buckets, haul it up to deck 13 on a rope, then chuck it over the side. Which is a long and slow process. We've not been able to cross the pool deck for several days now, but maybe before we get back to Southampton they'll have recovered it. There are still at least two sliding doors stuck open. One from The Grill to the pool (but there is a second door) and one out onto the promenade deck - which fortunately has a bulkhead type door that is closed across it. I'm not sure if SoD's itinerary will change as a result of these problems. 

This morning the Living Room was fairly well divided between the Sage stalwarts who are perfectly happy, those sleeping on the sofas, and a fair amount of uproar: the 88ish people staying on for the Caribbean have been told they will be quarantined for four days from Southampton, but new passengers coming on will not be. I understand some Caribbean islands have close to a zero tolerance policy for covid, however this new policy does seem to punish the wrong people. We don't know how many people (passengers or crew) have tested positive on this segment, other than the first one from our (unplanned) second day in Bergen. 

 

[SaraSailing]

THE AMALFI RESTAURANT

We ate here last night. It's an Italian themed restaurant, with an impressive menu of antipasti, soup, pasta, primo and main courses. The risottos were both impeccable - at the standard of some of the best I've had. And the two spaghetti dishes were equally well prepared.

Other dishes were a bit hit-and-miss: the caprese salad had tomatoes soooo cold that they had zero flavour, the parma ham with melon was four huge wedges of melon draped with two small pieces of ham, and the saltimbocca was great when it wasn't overcooked (but of six pieces across our table, only one wasn't overdone).  

Service was good, as normal, and the atmosphere was nice for a change from the Dining Room. 

The layout of the speciality restaurants means you approach this and the Khukuri down long empty corridors either side of the ship. It feels like an odd use of space.

Here's a photo of the caprese salad. 

[SaraSailing]

Itinerary and other things.

We're heading slowly towards Kristiansund now. The ships bad luck continues - we've a high chance we won't be able to dock, so will try to anchor, or failing that spend the day on the engines to keep place. Tenders will be used to get people ashore. Saga has a policy that if you can't step over a gap of 30cm unaided, you aren't allowed on a tender. On other lines, the crew have been incredibly skilful at transferring everyone across safely, however infirm, or even in (lightweight) wheelchairs. So I'm not sure I fully understand the requirement. But it will be a chance to see how the process works, with four tours going out, and trying to manage this number of people (75% capacity). It is due to be warmer (around +2c) so hopefully at least we won't have as much trouble with the doors.

If you get a chance to go to the north of Norway in winter, I'd say do it. Bring really good cold weather clothing (we discovered the jackets we were given aren't breathable, so they get very damp inside, especially the arms), and do every proper Nordic activity going. And if you are doing it as a cruise, do it with a ship that can handle the temperatures.

Having missed the two ports I was most looking forward to, I've found myself on a 17 night cruise with only four ports. When this happens, I think you have to REALLY like the ship. And when it's this cold, you have to like the INSIDE of the ship. Of course, with Saga, every cruise begins and ends in the UK, which means normally there are a couple of sea days each end. I think in warmer climes, with everything working and outdoor seating in use, it would be a totally different experience. I think it's also a different experience if you've grown old with Saga over the last 25 years. 

 

There's a tendency towards ever bigger ships, and a ship with a passenger capacity under 1000 is considered "boutique". This does not mean what it means on land. I'm not sure what SoA would feel like at capacity, but I suspect it would mean more queuing, especially in The Grill - although again if people can eat on the pool deck, everything changes. I find myself with a strong preference for the smaller ships of maybe 400 passengers. I like crew knowing my name from day one - but giving Kimberley and Anna-Marie (who manage the entrance to The Dining Room and The Grill) credit, they started to get my cabin number by about day four. I like a ship that's big enough you aren't in each other's pockets, but small enough to get to recognise most passengers. I also think that while flying is an option for me, I much prefer it to a UK dock. I'd like my whole cruise to be where I want to go, rather than in the getting there. And, actually I enjoy a mixture of nationalities on board - Saga is not exclusively British, but is predominantly so. 

I've not fallen in love with the ship or the cruise line - though I can see it has it's place in the market for it's own clientele. Time will tell if they will be able to keep recruiting at the younger end of their market, and what changes will be required for that to happen. 

 

[SaraSailing]

Well, the cruise is almost over. 

Insider info is we only have 22 covid cases (whether current or since first guy on day 5, I don't know), but so much quarantine that room service was totally overwhelmed. 

What I can say is the one-man-band Guest Relations - Diego - is an absolute star.

As par for this trip, we're coming in several hours late. 

There have been highlights, especially the night off the ship at the husky lodge, the service from the crew, and getting to spend time in a couple of Norwegian towns. And there have been significant lows with some blips in the food, and the way Saga approaches things - if you love Saga you'll not find these an issue - if you love cruising generally you probably won't warm to Saga. 
 

[SaraSailing]

Here's the thing. If you want to cruise, want a balcony (however small the attached cabin), want all-inclusive, want UK ports, want the slightly nanny British attitude - then you will probably love Saga. If you want adventure, exotic flavours, and cosy indoor spaces - you won't. If you are a Saga stalwart, you'll book the day new itineraries are launched and "save" 35%. If you book at any other time, you've paid significantly more for the same cabin/cruise. 

There are things about Saga that are personal taste, and there are things that (for this trip) maybe cross that line. I've still no real understanding of the mask and quarantine policy, because if one were effective, the other would be much less necessary. And as for taking the ship to places it shouldn't go, and temporarily disabling some of the fire safety system in the process? If you love Saga, that's probably okay with you, even though it's not with me.

No cruise line is perfect. They all have bizarre quirks. With a few tweaks, I think Saga could appeal to the younger end of their target market, although I'm still to be convinced by the design of the interior, or the quality of the wifi for those of us at 50 or just under.

All in all, I glad I went, I had a great night at the husky racing lodge, met some lovely crew, walked around four little towns, and I'm super glad to be home - you'd have struggled to pay me enough to stay. But I'm not representative of the Saga crowd, so maybe they never had to woo me.