Saga VIP Transfers 2023

[TRIANDA]

 Looking to book a Saga Cruise for 2023, please advise, is the Saga transfer cost to the port (and return) included in the price of the cruise? 

( We live over 75 miles away and understand we would possibly be sharing.

Thanks Caroline 😀

[LandC]

My understanding is that if you live within 75 miles of the port you get a free private car.
If you live between  76 to 250 miles it’s a free shared car. 
 

Over 250 miles there is usually a charge for excess miles. 
 

[TRIANDA]

Many thanks for your prompt reply.

[nosapphire]

Well, I'm thoroughly confused.

Decided to have a look at prices for 2023. Looked also at the FAQ, both on the general "Ocean Cruise FAQ" and the specific FAQ menus next to the cruise I was looking at.

VIP travel service has baffled me.

QUOTE:

Our VIP door-to-door car service means a driver will pick you up from home and take you to the seaport. Then they’ll be waiting at the port when you get back, ready to whisk you back home again.

We’ll send a car if you live within 75 miles of the port. If you live further away you can buy extra miles. They cost £1.85 per mile for a shared car or £3.70 per mile for a private car. Find out more. END QUOTE.

So what happened to the private car up to 75 miles, shared up to 250 miles?

Live chat not present, and the website itself now says "we are experiencing very high call volumes at the minute (i.e, please don't telephone us).

I'll dig out their email and try and find out whether these FAQ are right or inproperly transposed from another section (maybe the same as that one about cancelling excursions).

Sigh.

Saga have been advertising for IT specialists, so maybe the new people are mixing up the types of FAQ.

 

[nosapphire]

Managed to get on to live chat, who said they had "not been told of any changes".

The "Saga experience" section still states private car up to 75 miles, shared car 76-250 miles. The FAQ still have a cut-off of 75 miles.

Live chat have explained quite a lot, as apparently they are now completely separate from the actual cruise team, and do not get any updates about changes to ocean or river cruises.

So you go to a "bot" who passes you on to a real person, who can only look at the website in order to answer you. Any real questions you have to telephone.

He signed off by wishing me a lovely day, and hoping that I get through promptly - which was rather nice, but also pretty much sums it up.

Edited September 28, 2022 by nosapphire
mistype

[LandC]

Thanks for the information about live chat  nosapphire.  Saga need to Improve internal communications if they want customers to use this facility.

 

 

[arlowood]

Yes I share your confusion.

 

Under the Ocean Cruise FAQs, I clicked on the "VIP Car Service" option and found the following

 

"We’ll send a car if you live within 75 miles of the port. If you live further away you can buy extra miles. They cost £1.85 per mile for a shared car or £3.70 per mile for a private car. Find out more."

 

However if you click on the "Find out more" hypertext it takes you to a section with the following information:-

 

"Door-to-door chauffeur service up to 250 miles each way

One of our chauffeurs will pick you up from home in a car or MPV, and drive you to Dover or Southampton, then meet you on your arrival back in the UK. If you live within 250 miles of the port, we include a shared chauffeur service. If you live within 75 miles, we include a private chauffeur service.

Additional miles can be purchased if needed at £1.85 per mile for a shared car where you may share all or part of the journey with other Saga customers. If you’d prefer to have the vehicle all to yourself, this can be arranged, for an additional £3.70 per mile."

 

This clearly has no mention of the mileage charge for distances in excess of 75 miles but less thn 250 miles, so I'm not sure what Saga are trying to say. Have they changed their free transfer policy for journeys beyond 75 miles but less than 250 miles and forgotten to proof read all of their online content to bring it into line? Or is the initial statement about mileage charges an error that has sneaked through?

 

 

Edited September 28, 2022 by arlowood

[david05]

I suspect Saga has badly truncated the main section and what they really mean us that if you are more than 250 miles from the port you can pay for the extra miles for either a shared car or a private car - not that you have to pay for a shared car below 250 miles. Hopefully it will be made clearer.

[nosapphire]

2 hours ago, david05 said:

I suspect Saga has badly truncated the main section and what they really mean us that if you are more than 250 miles from the port you can pay for the extra miles for either a shared car or a private car - not that you have to pay for a shared car below 250 miles. Hopefully it will be made clearer.

I reckon you have summed it up there.

Car transfer for ocean cruise is still unchanged - private car up to 75 miles, shared 76-250 miles. Cruise now booked (we have to use their car this time, as out from Portsmouth and back to Dover. Parking for self drive won't work on this one...).

Not the first time that the FAQ section is wrong, or misleading (previously have found under the "ocean cruise FAQ" supplied answers that actually related to land tours, not cruises.

Bit disappointing that all Live Chat can do is tell you what the website says, not even set up so they can pass the question on to the right department to answer.

 

[Windsurfboy]

If you are between 75 and 250 miles, you can pay for excess mileage over 75 miles to get a private car not shared ,  if you so wish. 

 

If you are over 250 miles can pay for excess mileage, so if you are 260 miles away pay for 10 miles and get standard shared car, or can pay the over 75 miles if you want a private car.

[bobstheboy]

Is the pickup, shared, on the day of the cruise ? We live about 200 miles away. What time do they usually pick up ?  Thanks.

[lincslady]

Generally between about 8 and 9.30 a.m., in our case, for about 200 miles.  Depends somewhat if you are the first or second to be picked up.

[Janet-]

We live about 180 miles away from Southampton and our pick-ups have been between 1015 and 1130. We seem to arrive too late for lunch but just enough time for a cup of tea before going to register at the muster station. I suppose getting on board will be quicker now as there is no testing procedure to go through. Does anyone know if you have to stay in your taxi until the health questionnaire has been examined and passed?

[david05]

Saga say they will conduct "a health screening questionnaire for all guests prior to embarkation".  My guess is that this will take place in the terminal as before rather than in the taxi but perhaps someone who has recently been on board can confirm.

[lincslady]

2 hours ago, Janet- said:

We live about 180 miles away from Southampton and our pick-ups have been between 1015 and 1130. We seem to arrive too late for lunch but just enough time for a cup of tea before going to register at the muster station. I suppose getting on board will be quicker now as there is no testing procedure to go through. Does anyone know if you have to stay in your taxi until the health questionnaire has been examined and passed?

I am going back to pre-covid  years for our last cruise, so I guess things have changed.  We used to arrive around 1 to 2, and there was a sort of buffet lunch/afternoon tea on, from about 1 until at least 3, so most people got fed reasonably well. Sorry if I have been misleading.

[Janet-]

3 hours ago, david05 said:

Saga say they will conduct "a health screening questionnaire for all guests prior to embarkation".  My guess is that this will take place in the terminal as before rather than in the taxi but perhaps someone who has recently been on board can confirm.

I was thinking that if they didn't like the answers, it would be easier for them to send you back home if you were still in the taxi.

[FatBoy20]

The Questionnaire takes place in the Terminal. With regards to pick up times we live just over 200 miles from Dover & were picked up at 10am & arrived at the Terminal just after 2pm (Saga like to phase Taxi arrivals). The Buffet is open until nearly 4pm & is normal full buffet offering.

[Windsurfboy]

Can you get a reduction if you don't want  a car, or parking. You want to arrange own transport. 

 

Reason would like private , but I  know company they use for my area we use them regularly.  They will charge me less than £3.70 per mile if I  organise myself circa £2 per mile. . So 3.70 per mile extra on top of free shared car is a rip off. I  don't like being ripped off.

[Vivaldi]

16 hours ago, Windsurfboy said:

Reason would like private , but I  know company they use for my area we use them regularly.  They will charge me less than £3.70 per mile if I  organise myself circa £2 per mile. . So 3.70 per mile extra on top of free shared car is a rip off. I  don't like being ripped off.

 

I might be mistaken, but I thought that the extra charge was for the return journey. We live over 200 miles from the ports and Saga quoted us  £400 extra for a private car - but that was for the return journey, in other words for a total of over 400 miles. So, if I'm right, it might not be such a rip-off, although your local firm certainly sounds cheaper.

[Windsurfboy]

2 hours ago, Vivaldi said:

 

I might be mistaken, but I thought that the extra charge was for the return journey. We live over 200 miles from the ports and Saga quoted us  £400 extra for a private car - but that was for the return journey, in other words for a total of over 400 miles. So, if I'm right, it might not be such a rip-off, although your local firm certainly sounds cheaper.

 

Thanks 

 

We live about 200 miles away and our local chauffeur company charges £400 to Southampton each way,  they are company that Saga used in May. If the £3.75 per mile is the return journey not as bad as I thought as it would be £3.75  times 125 miles £469.  I suppose nearer time ring Saga to check. 

[Vivaldi]

It's very unlikely to happen, but if one missed the sailing, perhaps because the car broke down or some people had glued themselves to the tarmac, it might be easier to get recompensed in some way if one had taken the Saga transport. Others with more knowledge of the legal position might be able to clarify this.

[Kohima]

We have recently upgraded our shared car to a private car for a forthcoming cruise. The charge worked out at £1.75 a mile each way for every mile over the 75 mile private car limit.

[Windsurfboy]

5 hours ago, Kohima said:

We have recently upgraded our shared car to a private car for a forthcoming cruise. The charge worked out at £1.75 a mile each way for every mile over the 75 mile private car limit.

 

Thanks for this

 

 

[JoJo1947]

Confused.com 😂😂

[Fjord4Fun]

How is the 75/250 miles actually measured. As the crow flies or as per Google Maps?