SoD - Contrasts of Scandinavia

[SaraSailing]

Well, here I am, back on Saga for a third time. Which I think makes me almost a Bronze member, though I think that's mostly a pretty badge.

 

This time, Spirit of Discovery, my first time on the earlier ship. She's not long out of dry dock and a thingummy-wotsit was fitted to reduce the soot issue.

 

The itinerary ambles around Sweden, Finland, Estonia, Germany and Denmark for a couple of weeks - with some interesting ports now ships aren't going into Russia. 

 

A quick note on the soot issue: apparently "100 times better". It's not totally resolved, but I'm told the funnel and the fuel choices mean it never will be. The back of the ship is still fairly liberally dotted with black specks, but further forward seems better. We'll see when the sun comes out. I'm nervously optimistic, but taking all the inhalers the last ship's doctor prescribed too.

On first sight, externally SoD looks pretty much identical to SoA. Internally, SoD is classier, with more subtle colour schemes (SoA has a slight air of someone with mild colour-blindness having picked the palette). Just having a single colour throughout The Grill makes it look bigger - though the chairs might be a little smaller (and nicer) too. Things like the dark rose gold floor numbers and locator maps are a nice touch. 

 

I'm back in a slightly bigger single cabin - I do much prefer the drinks station, walk-in wardrobe and the space at the foot of the bed. But I know when people are less steady on their feet, the narrower style can be easier to get around. Sitting above one public toilet, this is not a quiet cabin - one particular loo seems to have a screaming flush that shakes the walls. It can be a bit scary if you're asleep at the time. There's a riser of some sort next door too, and I think that might be the source of a sporadic sound like a metal pipe being hit with a hammer. 

 

The captain seems to hit the balance with being informative but not overly chatty (a welcome relief after our last trip). And the cruise director makes the classic twice daily announcements so we know what's going on (again, a pleasure after having an invisible cruise director last time).

 

Oh, and in a few short weeks, protocol has changed. Staff are no longer required to wear masks, and most of the buffet (apart from hot food) is back to being self-service. Lots of people are very pleased.

We have already had one medical evacuation this morning, I'm told.

 

Dover, despite being understaffed, handled embarkation quickly and smoothly, and we were on board in no time for a late lunch and muster drills. Our first dinner in the Dining Room had a slightly lighter atmosphere, possible because of the galleried landing from The Club. The senior waiter in our area was very hands-on (again nice to see, compared to some of the aloof telephone wielding senior staff on the SoA - though I think some of that was happening in other areas). The F&B manager did make a couple of flying passes through the dining room, but I didn't see much interaction so far. 

 

The first full day was at sea, with a formal night. This really highlighted the variability in food. Some things appear to be great quality and well put together, others less so. I'm guessing some of that is the difference between freshly prepared, and bulk prepped then frozen. The starters are generally excellent. 

 

Waiters, wine waiters, assistant waiters and room stewards seem great across the board.

 

The North Sea was pretty much a mill pond, so people were enjoying the prom deck and other activities. We took advantage of the sea day lunch options to try out the East to West (mixed Asian) - a lovely meal and great flexibility from chef handling allergies at short notice. 

First port today - Gothenburg. Unfortunately, not enough shuttle busses for the number of people, so quite a lot of waiting in both directions. I think I should have followed my gut and instead got a taxi to a local coffee roastery, gone to the port Volvo museum, and had a little stroll in the port park. But the local rep was very charming, spoke excellent English, and did his best to keep the bus service rolling. The shuttle buses did pick up and drop off at the right place (mostly because of the local rep), which is better than in many ports. 

 

Now we have another day at sea heading round to Visby. I think the best sights will be passed in darkness, but Captain says we'll get a better view coming back. So, most of the day will be skirting the south coast of Sweden. 

 

Photos will probably get loaded from Visby, as the wifi is the worst I've experienced in 15 years of cruising.

If you have any questions about the ship or itinerary, do let me know! If I don't have the answers I'll find them if I can.

 

[Scorpio41]

Have a great cruise. Looking forward to following your cruise story. 

[twotravellersLondon]

3 hours ago, SaraSailing said:

Well, here I am, back on Saga for a third time. Which I think makes me almost a Bronze member, though I think that's mostly a pretty badge.

 

This time, Spirit of Discovery, my first time on the earlier ship. She's not long out of dry dock and a thingummy-wotsit was fitted to reduce the soot issue.

 

The itinerary ambles around Sweden, Finland, Estonia, Germany and Denmark for a couple of weeks - with some interesting ports now ships aren't going into Russia. 

 

A quick note on the soot issue: apparently "100 times better". It's not totally resolved, but I'm told the funnel and the fuel choices mean it never will be. The back of the ship is still fairly liberally dotted with black specks, but further forward seems better. We'll see when the sun comes out. I'm nervously optimistic, but taking all the inhalers the last ship's doctor prescribed too.

On first sight, externally SoD looks pretty much identical to SoA. Internally, SoD is classier, with more subtle colour schemes (SoA has a slight air of someone with mild colour-blindness having picked the palette). Just having a single colour throughout The Grill makes it look bigger - though the chairs might be a little smaller (and nicer) too. Things like the dark rose gold floor numbers and locator maps are a nice touch. 

 

I'm back in a slightly bigger single cabin - I do much prefer the drinks station, walk-in wardrobe and the space at the foot of the bed. But I know when people are less steady on their feet, the narrower style can be easier to get around. Sitting above one public toilet, this is not a quiet cabin - one particular loo seems to have a screaming flush that shakes the walls. It can be a bit scary if you're asleep at the time. There's a riser of some sort next door too, and I think that might be the source of a sporadic sound like a metal pipe being hit with a hammer. 

 

The captain seems to hit the balance with being informative but not overly chatty (a welcome relief after our last trip). And the cruise director makes the classic twice daily announcements so we know what's going on (again, a pleasure after having an invisible cruise director last time).

 

Oh, and in a few short weeks, protocol has changed. Staff are no longer required to wear masks, and most of the buffet (apart from hot food) is back to being self-service. Lots of people are very pleased.

We have already had one medical evacuation this morning, I'm told.

 

Dover, despite being understaffed, handled embarkation quickly and smoothly, and we were on board in no time for a late lunch and muster drills. Our first dinner in the Dining Room had a slightly lighter atmosphere, possible because of the galleried landing from The Club. The senior waiter in our area was very hands-on (again nice to see, compared to some of the aloof telephone wielding senior staff on the SoA - though I think some of that was happening in other areas). The F&B manager did make a couple of flying passes through the dining room, but I didn't see much interaction so far. 

 

The first full day was at sea, with a formal night. This really highlighted the variability in food. Some things appear to be great quality and well put together, others less so. I'm guessing some of that is the difference between freshly prepared, and bulk prepped then frozen. The starters are generally excellent. 

 

Waiters, wine waiters, assistant waiters and room stewards seem great across the board.

 

The North Sea was pretty much a mill pond, so people were enjoying the prom deck and other activities. We took advantage of the sea day lunch options to try out the East to West (mixed Asian) - a lovely meal and great flexibility from chef handling allergies at short notice. 

First port today - Gothenburg. Unfortunately, not enough shuttle busses for the number of people, so quite a lot of waiting in both directions. I think I should have followed my gut and instead got a taxi to a local coffee roastery, gone to the port Volvo museum, and had a little stroll in the port park. But the local rep was very charming, spoke excellent English, and did his best to keep the bus service rolling. The shuttle buses did pick up and drop off at the right place (mostly because of the local rep), which is better than in many ports. 

 

Now we have another day at sea heading round to Visby. I think the best sights will be passed in darkness, but Captain says we'll get a better view coming back. So, most of the day will be skirting the south coast of Sweden. 

 

Photos will probably get loaded from Visby, as the wifi is the worst I've experienced in 15 years of cruising.

If you have any questions about the ship or itinerary, do let me know! If I don't have the answers I'll find them if I can.

 

On the same cruise. We’ve had no problems with the Wi-Fi. If we had… we would have a chat to reception. However glad to see that you had no probs sending a lengthy post after the ship left port this afternoon… so hopefully all already sorted.

[SaraSailing]

1 hour ago, twotravellersLondon said:

On the same cruise. We’ve had no problems with the Wi-Fi. If we had… we would have a chat to reception. However glad to see that you had no probs sending a lengthy post after the ship left port this afternoon… so hopefully all already sorted.

That was on 4G from my phone. 

 

Glad it's working better for you! This is like the old days of the Internet where you can make a cup of coffee while the page loads. It's slightly faster this evening, but maybe I will have to chat with reception to see if there are other options!

[twotravellersLondon]

2 hours ago, SaraSailing said:

That was on 4G from my phone. 

 

Glad it's working better for you! This is like the old days of the Internet where you can make a cup of coffee while the page loads. It's slightly faster this evening, but maybe I will have to chat with reception to see if there are other options!

Took only a second or two to pick up your reply in the Living Room at the end of the evening. Hope you enjoyed dinner and the show in the Playhouse… the ABBA tribute went down very well we thought. 

[Vivaldi]

20 hours ago, SaraSailing said:

We took advantage of the sea day lunch options to try out the East to West (mixed Asian)

Are the speciality restaurants now being opened for lunch on sea days? That would be a real bonus - they used to be open only in the evening. Or was this just a one-off offering?

[SaraSailing]

1 hour ago, Vivaldi said:

Are the speciality restaurants now being opened for lunch on sea days? That would be a real bonus - they used to be open only in the evening. Or was this just a one-off offering?

They were doing this in March too, on SoA. I think it depends on the weather forecast. So, our first sea day this time, East to West was open with a special menu - three courses a la carte. And the Club was open for fish n chips, hot dogs and burgers. Today there is a curry pop up on the Lido deck, and the Verandah is open. So it's a bit variable, and something you have to keep an eye out for.

[Vivaldi]

2 hours ago, SaraSailing said:

So it's a bit variable, and something you have to keep an eye out for.

 

We certainly will do so. It does represent additional choice for lunch on sea days and that's very welcome. Did you have to book your lunch at the East to West, or could one just turn up and hope it wasn't already full?

 

Sorry to hear about the noisy cabin. Looking at the deck plans it would appear that about four cabins on D Deck are directly above public lavatories on E Deck, the only such configuration on the ship. It's very helpful to know that there could be a noise issue with these - it would never have occurred to me.

 

Despite that, I hope that you are having an agreeable cruise; and thanks for your splendid reports.

[twotravellersLondon]

2 hours ago, SaraSailing said:

They were doing this in March too, on SoA. I think it depends on the weather forecast. So, our first sea day this time, East to West was open with a special menu - three courses a la carte. And the Club was open for fish n chips, hot dogs and burgers. Today there is a curry pop up on the Lido deck, and the Verandah is open. So it's a bit variable, and something you have to keep an eye out for.

Fish & Chips in Veranda today…

just excellent.

 

[SaraSailing]

1 hour ago, twotravellersLondon said:

Fish & Chips in Veranda today…

just excellent.

 

I keep meaning to advance order fish and chips with a traditional wheat batter. It always looks so good. But I'm now very allergic to chick peas, which are a big ingredient in the gluten free flour that is used in the normal batter.

[SaraSailing]

2 hours ago, Vivaldi said:

 

We certainly will do so. It does represent additional choice for lunch on sea days and that's very welcome. Did you have to book your lunch at the East to West, or could one just turn up and hope it wasn't already full?

 

Sorry to hear about the noisy cabin. Looking at the deck plans it would appear that about four cabins on D Deck are directly above public lavatories on E Deck, the only such configuration on the ship. It's very helpful to know that there could be a noise issue with these - it would never have occurred to me.

 

Despite that, I hope that you are having an agreeable cruise; and thanks for your splendid reports.

All lunch options are first come first served. Chef seems to be doing a good job of offering enough options to spread everyone out.

 

Rather sweetly, we've been given the option of taking part in the Folkestone 10k, that Saga sponsor. We can record laps of the promenade deck, all at once or in small batches. As can crew. 

 

I am a bit hyper noise sensitive, and fortunately the toilets aren't heavily used. I still jump every time, but suspect in a few days I won't notice. 

 

On the topic of noise: Whatever has been fitted to the funnel to reduce soot emissions seems to have made it louder. It was very noticeable sitting up at the Lido for an ice cream today. 

 

On the plus side, I think the open ceiling in the dining room up to the club does make the dining room acoustics much better. And the dining room has been very full the last few days. 

[Windsurfboy]

44 minutes ago, SaraSailing said:

 

 

Rather sweetly, we've been given the option of taking part in the Folkestone 10k, that Saga sponsor. We can record laps of the promenade deck, all at once or in small batches. 

 

Great to hear they are still operating the 10K, last year on SOA it benefited Ukraine,  fitting as it was originally black sea cruise. I think it was 21 laps , but felt like more. Jan the hotel manager was a runner and broke the hour, quite a few of us managed around 1.15, most of the walkers under two hours. For a ship of oldies a very good turn out. Raised about £1500. Who is it benefiting this year.

 

 

Enjoy the cruise, think of the 10k as a good excuse to have an extra ice cream or double dessert.

[Lady Meer]

3 hours ago, SaraSailing said:

I keep meaning to advance order fish and chips with a traditional wheat batter. It always looks so good. But I'm now very allergic to chick peas, which are a big ingredient in the gluten free flour that is used in the normal batter.

Thanks for taking us along on your cruise. We’ll be on SoD in Nov 2024!

 

Just a quick question if you don’t mind - is the batter on the fish and chips gluten free for everyone? 
 

Thanks.

[twotravellersLondon]

On 5/23/2023 at 5:12 PM, SaraSailing said:

Sitting above one public toilet, this is not a quiet cabin - one particular loo seems to have a screaming flush that shakes the walls. It can be a bit scary if you're asleep at the time. There's a riser of some sort next door too, and I think that might be the source of a sporadic sound like a metal pipe being hit with a hammer. 

Sorry and very surprised to hear that. Saga tend to be far more careful in the design of ships than many other cruise companies.

 

Cabins with any slight difference are usually left until the ship is virtually full and the sold at a massively impressive discount with the caveat that they may be a wee bit different. Clients who book these cabins sign an agreement that they understand that this may be the case when they buy the cabin. Typically those who book these cabins save thousands on the deal.

 

So if you’ve not purchased a discounted cabin and have not agreed to these conditions, you could have a quiet word with reception. There are about 40/50 currently available… you may be able to transfer to one of those… it would be such a shame to ruin your holiday.
 

However, if you are super- sensitive to noise… it may well be that you might be detecting sound from cabins on the deck below or above or even your neighbours. So a change of cabin my not help. After all … it is exceptionally unusual for SAGA passengers to be wandering around the ship looking for a public loo in the middle of the night!

 

Please do let us know if we can assist in any other way. We would be very happy to oblige.

 

Must go… Diva show just about to start! 

 

 

[SaraSailing]

2 hours ago, Lady Meer said:

Thanks for taking us along on your cruise. We’ll be on SoD in Nov 2024!

 

Just a quick question if you don’t mind - is the batter on the fish and chips gluten free for everyone? 
 

Thanks.

Hello! Yes. This is something I found out in March. Because of the number of people with gluten intolerance, a lot of things use gluten free flour as standard. Particularly sauces and batters. The gluten free flour is primarily rice and chickpea. Explains why I was getting low grade sick all the time. 

 

I do like SoD more than SoA, it feels classier in decor. But that's just my opinion!

[SaraSailing]

2 hours ago, twotravellersLondon said:

Sorry and very surprised to hear that. Saga tend to be far more careful in the design of ships than many other cruise companies.

 

Cabins with any slight difference are usually left until the ship is virtually full and the sold at a massively impressive discount with the caveat that they may be a wee bit different. Clients who book these cabins sign an agreement that they understand that this may be the case when they buy the cabin. Typically those who book these cabins save thousands on the deal.

 

So if you’ve not purchased a discounted cabin and have not agreed to these conditions, you could have a quiet word with reception. There are about 40/50 currently available… you may be able to transfer to one of those… it would be such a shame to ruin your holiday.
 

However, if you are super- sensitive to noise… it may well be that you might be detecting sound from cabins on the deck below or above or even your neighbours. So a change of cabin my not help. After all … it is exceptionally unusual for SAGA passengers to be wandering around the ship looking for a public loo in the middle of the night!

 

Please do let us know if we can assist in any other way. We would be very happy to oblige.

 

Must go… Diva show just about to start! 

 

 

Enjoy the show. I've been a bit in retreat today, as one of my cats died this morning (sudden complication of life long heart defect). I just wanted my bed and quiet. 

 

Thank you for all the info. Because I'm in a single cabin, there are fewer choices. And I do like the wider space. Luckily, I don't think I've heard the toilets after about 11pm. It's always worse at the start, but once I get used to it I'll be more able to tune it out. Just sometimes it's a shock - and I don't think that's just me, but as I'm here alone it's hard to compare! I can kind of tell the different noises, the neighbour loos are what I'd hear in my own bathroom or wardrobe. The downstairs one is from the desk area. It's not a big issue, I just like to list out what I notice. Different people will write about different things, and that all gives a rounded picture to other people. 

 

I'm trying to recall the same cabin on SoA, and I'm pretty sure it wasn't as loud, but then that cruise had so much drama, a screaming toilet would easily be forgotten!

 

[Lady Meer]

20 minutes ago, SaraSailing said:

Hello! Yes. This is something I found out in March. Because of the number of people with gluten intolerance, a lot of things use gluten free flour as standard. Particularly sauces and batters. The gluten free flour is primarily rice and chickpea. Explains why I was getting low grade sick all the time. 

 

I do like SoD more than SoA, it feels classier in decor. But that's just my opinion!

Thanks for that - I hate gluten free batter as it makes me feel nauseous. My mother had coeliac disease for 50 years (living until she was 97). We joked that she could go on Mastermind with her specialist subject being gluten-free products!

 

We were on SoA last year and absolutely loved it.

 

Sorry about your cat, it’s very sad to lose a pet. They make up a big part of many families.

[twotravellersLondon]

37 minutes ago, SaraSailing said:

Enjoy the show. I've been a bit in retreat today, as one of my cats died this morning (sudden complication of life long heart defect). I just wanted my bed and quiet. 

 

Thank you for all the info. Because I'm in a single cabin, there are fewer choices. And I do like the wider space. Luckily, I don't think I've heard the toilets after about 11pm. It's always worse at the start, but once I get used to it I'll be more able to tune it out. Just sometimes it's a shock - and I don't think that's just me, but as I'm here alone it's hard to compare! I can kind of tell the different noises, the neighbour loos are what I'd hear in my own bathroom or wardrobe. The downstairs one is from the desk area. It's not a big issue, I just like to list out what I notice. Different people will write about different things, and that all gives a rounded picture to other people. 

 

I'm trying to recall the same cabin on SoA, and I'm pretty sure it wasn't as loud, but then that cruise had so much drama, a screaming toilet would easily be forgotten!

 

So sorry to learn about your cat… one of the advantages/disadvantages of the global internet these days. Hope you can return to cruise mode soon. Visby tomorrow is a magnificent place. 
 

You may have seen from “Today”that there is an independent traveller meet-up tomorrow that might be of some interest to you.

 

Best Wishes.

[Wacktle]

14 hours ago, SaraSailing said:

Enjoy the show. I've been a bit in retreat today, as one of my cats died this morning (sudden complication of life long heart defect). I just wanted my bed and quiet. 

 

So sorry to hear of the sad loss of your cat. My thoughts are with you.

[SaraSailing]

19 hours ago, Windsurfboy said:

 

Great to hear they are still operating the 10K, last year on SOA it benefited Ukraine,  fitting as it was originally black sea cruise. I think it was 21 laps , but felt like more. Jan the hotel manager was a runner and broke the hour, quite a few of us managed around 1.15, most of the walkers under two hours. For a ship of oldies a very good turn out. Raised about £1500. Who is it benefiting this year.

 

 

Enjoy the cruise, think of the 10k as a good excuse to have an extra ice cream or double dessert.

This time it's a Rotary charity.

[SaraSailing]

15 hours ago, Lady Meer said:

Thanks for that - I hate gluten free batter as it makes me feel nauseous. My mother had coeliac disease for 50 years (living until she was 97). We joked that she could go on Mastermind with her specialist subject being gluten-free products!

 

We were on SoA last year and absolutely loved it.

 

Sorry about your cat, it’s very sad to lose a pet. They make up a big part of many families.

This is something I only found out in March, and it does explain why I was so low key sick last year on SoA. But all worth it for the night with the huskies!

 

[SaraSailing]

Embarkation day.

 

Some internal pics:

 

External vies of Dover, Lido party, sail away

Inside the cabin (deluxe single, midship)

that's the bedside light! Worth noting that there are power sockets either side of the bed. These are useful as my laptop plug doesn't fit the space on the desk sockets.

And the soot issue out the back. Not as bad, but definitely still there.

 

 

Edited May 25, 2023 by SaraSailing

[SaraSailing]

Monday in the North Sea, doing its best impression of a mill pond.

 

The promenade deck...

 

The sign down by "Explore Ashore" explaining the shuttle bus plan for Gothenburg.

 

There are books back in the library!

 

The living room on deck 5 - I tried to avoid showing any guest faces

 

The grand stair case to the living room (5) from the south cape bar(6). I go out of my way to use it. In my head I'm super elegant.

 

Special lunchtime pop up in East to West (Asian) restaurant. This was a special kung po chicken with wheat flour batter (allergic to the gluten free that is used as standard).

[SaraSailing]

Tuesday in Gothenburg

 

We went into town in the morning. Clearly everyone else did too, as the shuttle buses were a bit overwhelmed. So rather a lot of waiting around - but luckily for us not in the rain. 3 miles or so into the city centre.

 

On the cruise pier, a lovely little park and the Volvo museum. I'd have been happy to stay out of the city.

 

Back on the ship, the South Cape bar (sister to North Cape bar on SoA). Bright, fresh and welcoming

.

 

 

And the desk in my cabin, viewed from my chaise created by moving furniture! This shows the floor space of the deluxe single. I do like it. One thing I found is the TV was almost too big for the standard width cabin, I used to watch TV on the preview window!

 

It rained a lot in the afternoon. People on the boat trip reported very wet phones and cameras. I'm glad I stayed in and sat with my feet up, as my (previously broken) ankle had swollen.

Oh, forgot to say Monday was the first of three formal nights. Nice to see everyone dressed up.

 

Leaving Gothenburg we wiggled between a lot of tiny islands, before the pilot hopped off.

 

 

 

And a lovely sunset

 

 

Edited May 25, 2023 by SaraSailing

[SaraSailing]

Wednesday we were at sea. I didn't do much during the day, as I heard that my little cat had a massive blot clot and had to be put to sleep. Not nice to be so far from home without even voice calls. But I know she got all the love and care that was appropriate. 

Here's the flyer for the 10k:

 

Had ice cream up at the Lido. The funnel was loud.

 

 

 

We had a "premium" Malbec (£12) in honour of my wine-taster cat. The snails were excellent (the risotto wasn't).

 

 

 

Random sea/sunset photos

Edited May 25, 2023 by SaraSailing