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Covid restrictions - which have been lifted and which remain?


Denarius
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On other threads it has been reported that independent exploration ashore is now allowed, and that the books have been returned to the library. Which leads me to wonder which other restictions have now been lifted, and which remain. Things like mask wearing, use of bar stools, maximum number of seats at tables, no self service in buffet........
Perhaps someone currently on a Saga cruise could enlighten us.

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3 hours ago, Denarius said:

On other threads it has been reported that independent exploration ashore is now allowed, and that the books have been returned to the library. Which leads me to wonder which other restictions have now been lifted, and which remain. Things like mask wearing, use of bar stools, maximum number of seats at tables, no self service in buffet........
Perhaps someone currently on a Saga cruise could enlighten us.

I asked the question about masks during my phone call from Saga yesterday and I was advised that their policy is still as from Day 1, ie  masks are to be worn at all times unless eating or drinking. I was also informed that books would NOT be available in the library!

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We are currently on SoA.  We did not receive the email regarding independent exploration but have checked and it appears (at this point in time) we hold be able to do so.  We are just about to go not the Britannia lounge for our first of five LFTs.  One test each at the same time for five days. Crew are ensuring that any guests who are not actually drinking but sitting for example in the Living Room must wear their mask. So when coffee is finished put it back on!  Not seen anyone sitting at bars yet, but will let you know.  There are books in the library, but nothing that would interest us so pleased we brought four each with us.  Will keep you posted Denarius.  Crew brilliant and food excellent.  I think crew are also confused with some of the changes when we asked about contact isolation, but believe it is still 5 days.   

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As a matter of interest, does the mask enforcement include making sure it is worn properly?

Nothing winds me up more than people wearing the mask with their nose stuck out over the top.

Either put it on properly (mouth AND nose) or don't put it on at all.

Yes, I know they do slip - but you can tell the difference between one that's slid a bit low and one that is intentionally leaving the snout out.

 

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What I don't understand about mask wearing  , walking slowly to Brittania lounge you must wear a mask. Get up and dance , hence breathing faster you can take it off. Given you can take mask off the moment you sit down, you only have to wear one a very small percentage of the time. Mask wearing on cruise ships is mainly symbolic.  Only place it makes sense is in theatre, and crowded lifts.

 

 

 

 

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The staff try very hard to enforce correct mask wearing however we see many who do not cover their noses all the time.  It is very frustrating as 3 positive cases today so you would think people would be extra careful.  Also clear that many do not understand social distancing, and queue far too close.  So yes, nosapphire I also get wound up.  There are some lovely people on this cruise but there are also some who don’t think the restrictions apply to them.

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8 hours ago, Holcha said:

The staff try very hard to enforce correct mask wearing however we see many who do not cover their noses all the time.  It is very frustrating as 3 positive cases today so you would think people would be extra careful.  Also clear that many do not understand social distancing, and queue far too close.  So yes, nosapphire I also get wound up.  There are some lovely people on this cruise but there are also some who don’t think the restrictions apply to them.

I couldn't agree more with you Holcha. On SoD's March Med cruise it was surprising (or maybe it wasn't) to see how many people weren't aware of social distancing, and even more surprising how many didn't seem to know their left from their right - either that, of they simply ignored the signs on every staircase and every corridor telling passengers to KEEP LEFT LEAVE SPACE AND KEEP SAFE.

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Thanks everyone for your contributions.

With covid protocols in a state of flux, and Saga head office apparently being unaware of what is going on on their own ships (see posts #2 and #3 above re. library books!) I thought that it would be useful to have a dedicated thread on which people actually on Saga ships could let us all know what the situation was onboard. So keep the updates coming!

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5 hours ago, Denarius said:

Thanks everyone for your contributions.

With covid protocols in a state of flux, and Saga head office apparently being unaware of what is going on on their own ships (see posts #2 and #3 above re. library books!) I thought that it would be useful to have a dedicated thread on which people actually on Saga ships could let us all know what the situation was onboard. So keep the updates coming!

   

A passenger suffering from Covid and in isolation for several days... was transferred ashore at Salerno, Italy on Wednesday 20 April and passed away there on Friday 22 April. Th ship is currently on route back to Southampton.
 
I'm sure that everyone will have immense sympathy for the family and for everyone else affected by this sad event.
 
A lesson to us all, if any was needed, to be careful, cautious and considerate towards our fellow passengers at all times.

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2 hours ago, twotravellersLondon said:

   

A passenger suffering from Covid and in isolation for several days... was transferred ashore at Salerno, Italy on Wednesday 20 April and passed away there on Friday 22 April. Th ship is currently on route back to Southampton.
 
I'm sure that everyone will have immense sympathy for the family and for everyone else affected by this sad event.
 
A lesson to us all, if any was needed, to be careful, cautious and considerate towards our fellow passengers at all times.

That's very sad, was this on a Saga Vessel ?

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Just what the cruise industry needs right now... wait for the "floating petri dish" comments.

 

It is always sad when this happens - but I cannot recall a cruise throughout the years (various lines)where there has never been a medical evacuation, some coming off in a wheelchair to go in the ambulance, some emergency evacuation by helicoptor (Norwegian navy is good at that) and some with medical personnel coming on board to attend a passenger before they were stretchered off with the waiting ambulance leaving with all lights and sirens on.

Some were caused by falls, some by illness/heart attacks/strokes, and probably some by infections picked up during the cruise

Covid is serious, it will always be serious, but let us not forget all the other virus's that are endemic and may badly affect anyone who is not in full health - whether on or off a ship.

 

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1 hour ago, nosapphire said:

Just what the cruise industry needs right now... wait for the "floating petri dish" comments.

 

It is always sad when this happens - but I cannot recall a cruise throughout the years (various lines)where there has never been a medical evacuation, some coming off in a wheelchair to go in the ambulance, some emergency evacuation by helicoptor (Norwegian navy is good at that) and some with medical personnel coming on board to attend a passenger before they were stretchered off with the waiting ambulance leaving with all lights and sirens on.

Some were caused by falls, some by illness/heart attacks/strokes, and probably some by infections picked up during the cruise

Covid is serious, it will always be serious, but let us not forget all the other virus's that are endemic and may badly affect anyone who is not in full health - whether on or off a ship.

 

  

You really have got "floating petri dish" comments right.

 

The glib "floating petri dish" comments were what we arrived home to in February 2020. from a cruise in far east while the Dimond Princess situation was unravelling in Japan. Suffice to say that once the ship that we were on arrived back in the UK, it never cruised again and, like so many others, has been sold for scrap. While we have cruises booked... some friends think that we're taking a risk and others are convinced that we're just foolhardy.

 

In reality UK cruiser numbers are still well down, surveys on this site and by CLIA indicate that 17%-25% of cruisers still aren't willing to commit to booking a cruise for the foreseeable future and currently cruise lines aren't breaking even... let alone making profits. In short there needs to be a much greater confidence that going on a cruise is a reasonable, rational risk like so many other things that we do as a matter of course... to encourage more people to cruise, to support our cruise industry and to allow us all to continue cruising at affordable prices.

 

As you write Covid is serious and it will always be serious. Even the triple jabbed can succumb and those who have had Covid can be reinfected.

 

We live with Norovirus. Cruise lines don't ignore it, they have isolation, deep-cleaning protocols and all manner of operational changes ready to be put into place if there is an outbreak... and most of us rile about these because we can't do things like helping ourselves at the buffet and suchlike.

 

Dedicated, passionate cruisers who sail several times a year, may not need to be persuaded that cruising is "safe" and many will have their own well considered opinions.

 

However, the current stats show that many prospective cruisers do have reservations. We really do fear that unless cruise lines retain protocols that will allow many prospective cruisers to have the confidence to book... cruiser numbers will be depressed, prices will increase and some lines will be forced to reassess their business plans for the future. 

 

And... what the UK cruise industry needs right now is more bookings. Otherwise we may all lose out in the future.
 

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1 hour ago, twotravellersLondon said:

  

You really have got "floating petri dish" comments right.

 

The glib "floating petri dish" comments were what we arrived home to in February 2020. from a cruise in far east while the Dimond Princess situation was unravelling in Japan. Suffice to say that once the ship that we were on arrived back in the UK, it never cruised again and, like so many others, has been sold for scrap. While we have cruises booked... some friends think that we're taking a risk and others are convinced that we're just foolhardy.

 

In reality UK cruiser numbers are still well down, surveys on this site and by CLIA indicate that 17%-25% of cruisers still aren't willing to commit to booking a cruise for the foreseeable future and currently cruise lines aren't breaking even... let alone making profits. In short there needs to be a much greater confidence that going on a cruise is a reasonable, rational risk like so many other things that we do as a matter of course... to encourage more people to cruise, to support our cruise industry and to allow us all to continue cruising at affordable prices.

 

As you write Covid is serious and it will always be serious. Even the triple jabbed can succumb and those who have had Covid can be reinfected.

 

We live with Norovirus. Cruise lines don't ignore it, they have isolation, deep-cleaning protocols and all manner of operational changes ready to be put into place if there is an outbreak... and most of us rile about these because we can't do things like helping ourselves at the buffet and suchlike.

 

Dedicated, passionate cruisers who sail several times a year, may not need to be persuaded that cruising is "safe" and many will have their own well considered opinions.

 

However, the current stats show that many prospective cruisers do have reservations. We really do fear that unless cruise lines retain protocols that will allow many prospective cruisers to have the confidence to book... cruiser numbers will be depressed, prices will increase and some lines will be forced to reassess their business plans for the future. 

 

And... what the UK cruise industry needs right now is more bookings. Otherwise we may all lose out in the future.
 

Covid protocols are an issue which divides opinion. Whilst some will not cruise if thay believe them to be too lax, equally others will not cruise if they believe them to be too detrimental to their enjoyment of the cruise experience. You cannot please all the people all the time. My purpose in starting this thread was not to express opinion but to establish fact. To ascertain which restrictions were still in force on Saga ships so that people of all opinions could make an informed judgement as to whether to book or continue with a cruise.

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2 hours ago, twotravellersLondon said:

currently cruise lines aren't breaking even... let alone making profits. I

Actually, on the newer ships, cruise lines will break even at around 30% capacity, and at 70%, which seems to be the norm at present,  they will certainly be making some profit, but obviously far less than they woukd ideally want !

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2 hours ago, Denarius said:

Covid protocols are an issue which divides opinion. Whilst some will not cruise if thay believe them to be too lax, equally others will not cruise if they believe them to be too detrimental to their enjoyment of the cruise experience. You cannot please all the people all the time. My purpose in starting this thread was not to express opinion but to establish fact. To ascertain which restrictions were still in force on Saga ships so that people of all opinions could make an informed judgement as to whether to book or continue with a cruise.

 

We agree that SAGA certainly can't please all of the people all of the time! 

 

However SAGA,  attracts a more mature and possibly more travelled and experienced clientele than many other lines and so their protocols need to be specifically tailored to their passengers and the differing rules applied by different port authorities for ships with SAGA's demographics.  

 

We believe that SAGA have the expertise and insight to formulate the protocols that will work best for their passengers and so, regardless of our own personal opinions, we are willing to accept the entire package, without quibble, and have the best possible time than we can on board. 

 

Making an informed judgement is very difficult in a rapidly changing world. It will be thirteen months since booking before we set sail on our next SAGA cruise. We knew that world was likely to be very different, we chose an itinerary with lots of scenic cruising, every chance of whale watching and bird spotting... and where we would be content... if the worst came to the worst... to look out from our balcony. 

 

Most of all, we chose to cruise with SAGA rather that the three other cruise lines doing very similar cruises at the same time because we trust SAGA to look after us better that the other lines. 

 

We were interested in the topic but... we sail in couple of months, we've paid the balance to SAGA and what protocols are in effect now are likely to change in the next few weeks and months. Our attitude is to go and enjoy the cruise that we've been looking forward to for almost two years and to accommodate what protocols are in place when we board. 

 

However SAGA, as with all cruise lines, have a very difficult tightrope to negotiate. Like many other's we trust SAGA and so book with them. We've even moved one cruise to SAGA from one of their close competitors rather that be unhappy with that other cruise line. That is probably why SAGA's cruise booking are 46% ahead of where they were two years ago.

 

Our basic policy... book with the lines that we can trust. Hope for the best, prepare for the worst and be grateful for small mercies.

 

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1 hour ago, wowzz said:

Actually, on the newer ships, cruise lines will break even at around 30% capacity, and at 70%, which seems to be the norm at present,  they will certainly be making some profit, but obviously far less than they woukd ideally want !

 

That may be true for the really big ships but Carnival filled accounts up to 20 November 2021. For the fleet as a whole, they had a 56% occupancy figure, a revenue of $1,908 million but made a loss of $7,089 million.

 

SAGA filed a report for the 12 months to January 2022. They had a 68% occupancy level, a revenue of £82.5 million but made a loss of £47.7 million.

 

 

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Just received a letter from Saga about our forthcoming cruise. In brief, mask wearing when walking between enclosed spaces around the ship, including lifts. Also in the theatre, fairway, craft and card rooms. All of course subject to review. No seating available at the bar. Supposedly no books in the library.

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1 hour ago, david05 said:

Just received a letter from Saga about our forthcoming cruise. In brief, mask wearing when walking between enclosed spaces around the ship, including lifts. Also in the theatre, fairway, craft and card rooms. All of course subject to review. No seating available at the bar. Supposedly no books in the library.

I am surprised (or on balance perhaps I am not) to read that Saga say there are no books in the library whilst a passenger currently on SofA says that there are (post #3 ) Either the passenger concerned has imagined it (unlikely), the books have been removed again (with Saga U turns are par for the course at present) , or Saga head office do not know what is going on on their own ships!

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18 minutes ago, Denarius said:

I am surprised (or on balance perhaps I am not) to read that Saga say there are no books in the library whilst a passenger currently on SofA says that there are (post #3 ) Either the passenger concerned has imagined it (unlikely), the books have been removed again (with Saga U turns are par for the course at present) , or Saga head office do not know what is going on on their own ships!

The comment in post#3 does confirm books in the library but also states that there is nothing there that they would want to read. So maybe Saga are populating the library with turgid tomes and obscure reference books in with the express intention that nobody will want to touch them anyway🤣

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13 minutes ago, Denarius said:

I am surprised (or on balance perhaps I am not) to read that Saga say there are no books in the library whilst a passenger currently on SofA says that there are (post #3 ) Either the passenger concerned has imagined it (unlikely), the books have been removed again (with Saga U turns are par for the course at present) , or Saga head office do not know what is going on on their own ships!

 

Very sadly cruise companies are dammed when they do and dammed if they don't put procedures and protocols in place in light of current circumstances in a timely manner. Our policy is that if we don't trust a company or have no confidence in a company, we won't cruise with them.

 

We cancelled a cruise with another company and transferred to SAGA for that very reason. It just seemed silly to go on a cruise with a company that we had misgivings about... especially since previous experience on the Saga Pearl, the Saga Sapphire and the Sprit of Adventure had given us every confidence that we could trust SAGA more that other lines we had travelled with.

 

And anyway... we cruise to relax, enjoy the excitement of travelling and the exhilaration of visiting new places. On the advice of Bob Marley, once booked, we aim to not "worry about a thing!"

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