SoD - Contrasts of Scandinavia

[nosapphire]

Thank you for these lovely photos, interesting posts, and informative and well balanced comments.

[SaraSailing]

7 minutes ago, nosapphire said:

Thank you for these lovely photos, interesting posts, and informative and well balanced comments.

I still love your user name!

 

Now we've left Skagen, and just got the North Sea to go. My parents are back in just 3 weeks time for a trip up to Greenland, without me. I'll be over on Silversea in August, just pootling around Norway. 

Will try and download photos from Skagen if wifi allows. Though (having been before) I mostly went on a shopping spree!

[lincslady]

Watches?

[SaraSailing]

On 6/3/2023 at 4:31 AM, lincslady said:

Watches?

Unfortunately not this time! Walking sandals and some gifts.

 

[SaraSailing]

Skagen. Last port before home, and always a great place to visit. Lovely sunrise.

 

There was a shuttle bus for the approximately 1km through the post and into town, it was running back and forth every 10 minutes or so, and there was even a sign at the drop off point. If it had been accessible, they'd have won the shuttle bus prize.

 

I just had a short walk around town, a bit of shopping and back to the ship. Too much walking and too long sitting in chairs with my feet down had pushed my ankle beyond what it was ready to do. 

 

I love watching everyone sprinting back for lunch, and equally the final push away.

 

 

 

Haggis for dinner (starter), with actual turnip instead of the more normal neeps. But good McSween haggis, that really didn't need a gravy. Followed by beef wellington - pleasant flavour that made up for it being over-cooked and a tad soggy.

 

And a glorious sunset as we headed into the north sea.

 

[SaraSailing]

Last Day - at sea.

 

The north sea was flat as flat, with almost no discernible movement. The sun shone. If it hadn't been for the soot on the back terraces - still a significant mess, despite any hopeful words, and the noise of the funnel on the pool deck, I might have spent more time outside. Instead I went to a craft class and made some fairly successful paper boxes and a fairly unsuccessful resin bookmark. I could have had a nap in the living room, I guess, it seemed a popular spot for a snooze.

 

Went to East to West for dinner. The resolution to the allergy discussion seemed to be that I'd get individual attention, which feels like overkill. But the food there is lovely - the prawn dish even includes a head, which we all know is the tastiest bit.

 

Final sunset at sea, bags packed and ready to go home.

 

[SaraSailing]

Dover. Almost home.

 

Watched the approach to the cliffs in brilliant sunshine. Looked like a good day for the beach,

 

Then several hours in the lounge (photo before it got busy) waiting to be allowed off at our allocated time. 

 

Then a swift taxi home - this time just the three of us, so no detours. Now to see how my little cat colony are coping without boss cat Pip, hopefully meet the rescue feral kit soon, and time to get washing done and get back to work.

[SaraSailing]

In summary. Spirit of Discovery:

 

Nice decor, more classy than SoA. 

Coffee is much much better than on SoA - and captain agrees!

Some great food, some mediocre food. Glad to be home where avoiding gluten-free products is much easier. I made one or two mistakes in the buffet, and did suffer for it. And it wasn't great to frequently miss out on sauces at dinner, despite ordering each morning - SoA handled this better.

Noise level of music goes beyond what is reasonable if you want conversation. 

Theatre is cinema style not lounge style, which is cramped and not so welcoming as many other ships.

In general excellent service, and pretty much always well-meant even when it fell short.

Soot is still an issue. The back terrace and hand rails were very spotted with it.

Maps, information, quality/frequency of shuttle buses all a bit variable. Too many long bus rides, not enough short walks into places. 

Would really like to see restaurant manager and F&B director more engaged with guests on a routine basis. I did have Mandeep constantly seeking me out after the fifth allergy mis-service - but I'd rather not be singled out and see lots of people getting that level of check-in.

Really sad that the cruise director was silenced within a few days - it had been nice to hear his twice daily updates, and have the captain deal with captain-y things. I know it was a decision made, but no idea why.

We had an excellent wine waiter in the dining room, who was super efficient and quietly helped out with whatever needed doing. East to West and Coast to Coast were generally great, The Club wasn't. 

Saga do seem to do well at bringing solo travellers together, which is nice to see.

My cabin was nice, my steward good, and room service were fantastic. 

WiFi was the worst I've ever had in 15 years of cruising. I used a LOT of my data allowance on port days, because things kept failing on WiFi. 

 

Would I pick Saga if I weren't travelling with my parents? No. Would my parents chose Saga if they weren't avoiding flying? Probably not. Is it a good option if you don't want to fly and don't mind the slightly institutionalised feel? I guess so.

 

Next cruise with husband in August on the Silver Dawn, Copenhagen to Southampton. 

[Tothesunset]

2 hours ago, SaraSailing said:

 

 

Next cruise with husband in August on the Silver Dawn, Copenhagen to Southampton. 

You must come back to us with your impressions of SS v Saga. We are SS regulars but our latest 2 cruises were with Saga. Yes, SS is a step above Saga in many (most?) ways but I'm not sure that it is better enough to justify the stiffer fares. 

 

Love to hear what you think. 

[lincslady]

Some lovely photos, and thanks for all the reporting, Sarasailing.  Since for me nowadays, as for many others, Saga with the door to door travel etc. is the only way to go, I am pleased to have something as good as it is as a choice for a holiday.  To me, it compares reasonably favourably with Seabourn and Silversea, without all the faff of getting to an airport, trying to hump your luggage around etc.  But I appreciate for those a bit younger and fitter it is not the best thing around.  You may well find when you are 80+ that it is a godsend!

[Windsurfboy]

16 hours ago, Tothesunset said:

You must come back to us with your impressions of SS v Saga. We are SS regulars but our latest 2 cruises were with Saga. Yes, SS is a step above Saga in many (most?) ways but I'm not sure that it is better enough to justify the stiffer fares. 

 

Love to hear what you think. 

 

15 hours ago, lincslady said:

Some lovely photos, and thanks for all the reporting, Sarasailing.  Since for me nowadays, as for many others, Saga with the door to door travel etc. is the only way to go, I am pleased to have something as good as it is as a choice for a holiday.  To me, it compares reasonably favourably with Seabourn and Silversea, without all the faff of getting to an airport, trying to hump your luggage around etc.  But I appreciate for those a bit younger and fitter it is not the best thing around.  You may well find when you are 80+ that it is a godsend!

 

Agree with both these comments.  Love to try SS if they did more return cruises out of Southampton. Living in Cornwall  Southampton is 4 hours way. Airports further. So after a long flight, we just want to unwind. We love cruises but they are busy holidays. 

[twotravellersLondon]

On 6/4/2023 at 4:59 PM, SaraSailing said:

Would I pick Saga if I weren't travelling with my parents? No. Would my parents chose Saga if they weren't avoiding flying? Probably not. Is it a good option if you don't want to fly and don't mind the slightly institutionalised feel? I guess so.

 

 

As fellow cruisers we were fascinated by some of your comments and personal views about the cruise. That really helped us to think about the tremendously good time that we had on board the Discovery. Many thanks for such sharing so often and including so many nice photos and videos despite the problems that you seem to have experienced with the internet.

 

Is the Discovery classier than the Adventure?  It's very much a personal perception. We like both ships and appreciate the subtle hint of the 1930s "le style moderne" in both ships... the geometric forms in the Discovery and the striking colour combinations in the Adventure. The styling is not overly done and just adds to the ambiance of both vessels... but of course, it's very much a matter of personal taste and experience... and, to be honest,  most people probably wouldn't even notice the nods to the 1930s. The Discovery and the Adventure are sister-ships but they're not identical twins... "Vive la difference!" we say.

 

Glad that you enjoyed the coffee... we couldn't tell any difference between that served on the Discovery and the Adventure! But... personal tastes vary so much and anyway... we drink caffeine free... in our case we can have just too much methylxanthine alkaloid!

 

Your comments on the food were interesting. We ate in the  Michelin starred Rick Stein's Cafe in Padstow the week before we joined the Discovery and some of the food that we had in the Discovery's East to West speciality restaurant was easily up to the same standard. Some of the food and presentation in Discovery's Coast to Coast was on a par with Rick's Seafood restaurant. Steaks in Discovery's Club were not quite on a par with Gordon Ramsay's Grill at the Savoy... but we didn't expect them to be at the price were paying! Main difference when everything else was included... SAGA worked out as better value for money. And... where else can one have a bottle of Taittinger in a restaurant for £34? (That's a tenner less than even off the shelf at Waitrose!)

 

We were so sorry to read that you personally had problems with dietary issues. We both have a number of ingredients  that we are best to avoid and had no problems. We dined with friends most evenings... they also had dietary issues but had no problems. We were occasionally joined by another couple, one of whom was ordering in advance... there was one slight concern in the first week and it was swiftly and completely resolved. 

 

When we wanted a "conversation" we chose the quieter venues of the South Cape Bar, the rear of the Living Room and the Library. The Britannia Lounge had a wonderful party atmosphere and the Club had some really great piano music... even Jools Holland and his friends used that venue late one evening. The only complaints we heard were of the noise of one or two individuals attempting to talk over the music... reality... they’d just chosen the wrong venue to have a chat... and soon desisted when those around them moved away so that they could hear the music.

 

We think that the Playhouse theatre is brilliant for a 45 minute show, lecture or chat with the Captain and such like! Far from being cramp it's got far more space and leg-room than the vast majority of London theatres and is far more accessible. Those who don't like a traditional theatre can usually see the same acts in the Britannia Lounge later in the cruise. We immensely enjoyed the Theatre Shows... including; the Jersey Boys Tribute, Roy Lock, some of the shows by the Theatre Company and... of course... Jools Holland. And... in our personal view, the impressive proscenium arch adds a bit of extra style... personally we like it.

 

We'd gone on board quite determined to go on a soot/smut hunt... partly for a bit of fun but also and mor seriously in regards to the well-meaning advice to "Beware the Soot" In the event, we were far too busy enjoying the cruise to spend time on a smut hunt. However we often ate out on the veranda which was a very popular lunchtime venue and even attracted the Captain, senior officers and higher ranking members of staff. We often sat on the white wicker chairs and always checked the cushions before we sat down. Invariably we found nothing to worry about and now we've sorted clothes at the end of the cruise we've no sign of any soot or smuts on any of the clothing we wore. But to be honest... we've never known a ship that didn't emit something some of the time... (There's one ship... not a SAGA one... that used to deposit smuts up to two or three cm wide!) So having frequently been on the Discovery's aft decks... we noticed nothing that impinged on our enjoyment of the cruise.

 

Our top tip about shuttle busses is to check with the bus driver when they leave... we never had to wait more than 5 minutes for a shuttle in any location. Ports, as you may have noticed in Stockholm if you climbed up the Klockstapelsbacken towards the Fåfängan Restaurant for a view of the Discovery moored at the Masthamnen Cruise Terminal, are in the process of removing cruise ships from the centre of the cities to outlying quays where they will have connections to electricity and other services in order to reduce pollution. This has become a bit more pressing since Saint Petersburg has been removed from the Baltic itineraries... Russia used to provide berths for about 250 cruise ships a year... often for two nights... so the impact of 500 more cruise ships berths required in the rest of the Baltic is seen by many countries as a bit of an environmental and logistic challenge. It's nuisance for cruise passengers but... who wants all of the exhaust from a ship in the centre of their own town?

 

By contrast to you own experience... our maps of Tallin were spot on. Perhaps different maps were issued.

 

We're surprised at your comments about the restaurant manager. We seem to have had a chat with him on most days... as we did on the Adventure just a couple of months ago. We found him to be immensely professional, easy to have a conversation with and, on the whole, he seemed to us to run and excellent empire... especially considering the fact that he is still training new staff, the ship was 90% full and the problems that all cruise lines have these days in sourcing food supplies.

 

We didn't understand the comment that the cruise director, was "silenced" we heard and saw him almost every day at shows, introducing speakers and in the entertainment venues around the ships... we had many a chat with him. In our personal opinion, he's one pf the best cruise directors that we've had the great pleasure of sailing with on SAGA.  

 

We most certainly agree in general with the comments on service in the restaurants. Gala evening the staff did seem to be under pressure and, as you mentioned, we also found the level of service in the Club speciality restaurant disappointing compared to the rest of the ship... but it seemed to improve after a few days... probably as a result of guest feedback. 

 

We met lots of people on board... including a number that we'd cruised with recently... who had migrated to SAGA from other UK based cruise lines.... and clearly with a ship virtually full with over 90% capacity SAGA is certainly attracting the more discerning cruisers who are looking for good itineraries, good food, good entertainment, good service and a good convivial atmosphere at a value for money price. 

 

For us personally... the itinerary was excellent. From the Rhododendrons in the Botanic Gardens in Gothenburg, the Oystercatchers and Eider ducks with chicks on the beach under the medieval city wall of Visby, the Stockholm archipelago, the towers of Tallinn, the Tsar's fishing lodge outside Kotka, the beautiful city of Helsinki, the stunning coastal area around Warnemunde, wonderful Copenhagen and the amazing buried church and spit at Skagen... and much, much more made available to people who believed that they would never have the opportunity to enjoy such sights and experience. One very pleasant lady... we believe in her 90s... fulfilled a lifetime wish to see the little Mermaid in Copenhagen... the SAGA escort took her by the arm every step of the way, made sure that she had a superb viewpoint and could enjoy the sight and the atmosphere as long as she wished... so very impressive for any cruise-line.

 

We're all different. Our perceptions will vary and, personally, we will all choose what suits us best. The one thing about SAGAs' boutique offerings is that the clientele are mostly members of the "Wisdom Club" with decades of experience of holidays... often experience of cruises with a variety of different cruise-lines... many have carefully weighed up the advantages and disadvantage of one cruise-line and even of one ship over another, come to a well-considered conclusion and have chosen SAGA for wide variety of personal reasons. 

 

Britannia Club membership can be a real boon. Even the lowest Bronze tier receive a bottle of very drinkable English sparkling wine on embarkation and currently receive up to £1,000 per person on selected 2023 ocean cruises aboard Spirit of Discovery and Spirit of Adventure... and of course as you say... there is a little bronze lapel pin as well! Higher tier folk can even have a 22 day complementary cruise!

 

A car to and from the port is for many a far, far bigger attraction than things like the taste of the coffee. It goes without saying that the kindness, care and attention that the staff on both ships give to their clients means a tremendous amount to many people... and so many people, like ourselves, immensely enjoy the positive, convivial atmosphere on board. One lady that we had a fish & chip lunch with on the Veranda seemed to sum it all up... "every day is a wonderful gift to make the most of and enjoy!"

 

Thanks again for your thought-provoking posts, photos and videos. It's good to see things from the perspective of other's eyes! 

 

We very much hope that you thoroughly enjoy your next cruise. 

Edited June 6, 2023 by twotravellersLondon

[Windsurfboy]

Thanks for the review. Agree with most of what you say Saga is the best option for no fly cruises from UK. SS from London is inconvenient for many

 

One thing I don't understand is the fixation of many people with the included car to the airport it's not free, and upgrading to a private car costs as much as booking one yourself . All one needs to do is find a good local chauffeur /taxi company. Yes you may need to add in a bit more leeway.

[Jammy Bun]

Thanks for your frequent reports Sara, and for giving your honest opinion on the SAGA experience.  It's not for us either, at least at this stage in our lives (though we are well into SAGA's targeted demographic, being in our mid 70s).  One and done for us, for the time being.  Whilst we are able to cope with the craziness of airport travel we think there are much better alternatives available - back to Viking for us next month and I cannot wait!  

[Jammy Bun]

5 minutes ago, Windsurfboy said:

One thing I don't understand is the fixation of many people with the included car to the airport it's not free, and upgrading to a private car costs as much as booking one yourself . All one needs to do is find a good local chauffeur /taxi company. Yes you may need to add in a bit more leeway.

Yes, I totally agree!  We used our local private hire company to take us to Heathrow in late 2021, and to collect us from Tilbury following an Athens-Tilbury cruise.  And a far nicer vehicle than the van that SAGA sent to pick us up from our cruise with them this year! 

[MikeD1000]

Sara, thank you for an excellent review. That and the replies were very helpful to us. We are going on SOA in July, a first for us with Saga. We normally sail with Regent or Silversea but like your parents we are fed up of flying so are trying to find no fly cruises. We are just  home from Splendor 

but that seems to have exhausted all the cruises we can do with them, although  we are doing Silver Wind next year so will have to fly for the fun of coming home under Tower Bridge.

Please could you give an honest comparison between SAGA and Silversea and what did you mean by institutionalised?

We don't want the fag of taking DJ or one night.   Are the alternatives OK?

Please anyone else add helpful comments.

[SaraSailing]

1 hour ago, MikeD1000 said:

Sara, thank you for an excellent review. That and the replies were very helpful to us. We are going on SOA in July, a first for us with Saga. We normally sail with Regent or Silversea but like your parents we are fed up of flying so are trying to find no fly cruises. We are just  home from Splendor 

but that seems to have exhausted all the cruises we can do with them, although  we are doing Silver Wind next year so will have to fly for the fun of coming home under Tower Bridge.

Please could you give an honest comparison between SAGA and Silversea and what did you mean by institutionalised?

We don't want the fag of taking DJ or one night.   Are the alternatives OK?

Please anyone else add helpful comments.

Hello! 

 

We missed out on the Tower Bridge experience because of bad weather, just before the Wind was converted to explorer (wheelchair accessible cabin now doesn't have balcony, husband won't sail without one). We did love the ship though. And I think one-way flights and a UK return are actually a great compromise.

 

My views are coloured slightly by age (52), and disability requirements for my husband. 

 

That said, we started sailing with SS in about 2008. By accident because of a bargain end of season Alaska cruise. And we adore SE Alaska for the wildlife. 

 

Yes, SS are more expensive. Though if you are travelling solo, sometimes the supplement is only 10% on a quiet cruise. (Busy ones up to 100%!). Saga have no official supplement, but single cabins have a 30% uplift, depending on category. Their singles are the same as doubles, but the size of a category down. 

 

But I did my best price comparison on a SS verandah suite and a similar length saga cruise at the same time. Both door to door (SS private and you pick timing, Saga shared and they tell you when). (SS includes one economy flight). SS cabin just slightly larger than a deluxe twin on Saga, so used that to compare. Both with some included excursions. Price per person per day for two sharing was about £525 Saga and £608 SS. Sorry, doing it from memory with clingy cat on lap. So about £83 a day more on SS. Apart from a teeny bit more space (which is probably mostly walk in wardrobe) and the single flight, SS has all butlers (which I love), a bigger and better included wine selection (though the new pinotage on Saga was good), much better coffee, and usually higher quality (though smaller) lunch buffet. Saga are a bargain on premium wines, selling at wine superstore prices, and we had their malbec at £12 several times. SS I've never felt the need to upgrade wine, and given my husband's drink of choice is champagne, we do well on SS.

 

What else? I think Saga are getting better at helping people on and off at ports, and the 'step test' for tenders seems to have died a death at last. SS have been brilliant with flipping my husband and chair in and out of tenders (he looks safer when they do it than many people with walking sticks), I think we only missed Santorini (but then, we weren't going to get up the side of the volcano) and the Monaco GP (wild in the bay with so many ships, and I didn't want to join the crowd anyway).

 

Saga don't have nearly the same mark up on tours as SS, and my best trip ever was probably my night off the ship with the huskies in Alta from SoA last year (especially as the ship struggled in the cold, the sprinkler system sprinkled several cabins, it turned out snow could only be cleared from round the pool by bucket up to deck 13, and the dining room had a freezing gale blowing through). Salon and spa seemed more similar, though I guess Saga is still cheaper. The shop on Ss is way better, especially on my favourite Shadow. Staff passenger ratio on Saga is closer to 1:2 and SS much closer to 1:1. The SS pool decks are much nicer spaces. 

 

I did way more queuing with Saga. Especially for the grill at busy times. 

 

Both Ss and Saga will let you go to elsewhere in smart informal for dinner even on formal nights. Saga's Grill mostly serves same as dining room at night as table service, unless there's a themed buffet. Saga insist on formal attire in theatre on formal nights (we had 3 in 14 days). Easy for me, I chuck a dress on over shorts whatever night it is, but dj is harder work (husband does the full Prince charlie with tartan trews, weighs a tonne!). Saga didn't have any premium restaurants, so no extra charges for them. I do love the Khukuri on SoA and East to West on SoD, and the Italian/fish are good too. Ss I love the hot rocks, and cooking my own steak. I also like that SS you can start booking restaurants online (though they are not confirmed until on board). SS will also offer a table "curry night" if you make friends with the F&B director. Last year we had the exec chef make a fantastic prawn dish from his home area, just for 4 of us.

 

Saga's official bar is dinky, and open to the atrium and the living room bar. If someone is playing the piano downstairs, it's loud. If you head down the side of the living room towards reception it's sometimes a little quieter in terms of music. Then the Britannia lounge is huge - noise depends on what's going on. I'll be interested to see what the Dawn is like. We did sail on the Muse in 2018, but they have tweaked the design a bit since. 

 

I'd say Saga pack their tables a little tighter in all eating spaces, which can be a bit odd if you don't want to chat to your neighbours. 

 

Saga have way more solo guests, and they seemed to be well looked after. 

 

SS we only ever travel in accessible suites, but I've had a few tours of the ships now. My in laws ended up being moved to the Royal suite on the whisper last year (after a mess up by land agents in Copenhagen). That was gorgeous, not least the huge bed. I haven't yet seen the other cabins on Saga ships. We're back in an accessible silver suite on Dawn (other accessible suites no balcony, but same size). And we're looking forward to the Nova and seeing what their suites are like. My parents always take a standard double cabin on Saga. They get very good at taking turns to move around, as the only real space is beyond the bed - though standard SS might not be much better. The standard cabin also has a smallish tight sliding door wardrobe next to the bed. My deluxe single had a huge walk in wardrobe.

 

I do like having the big drinks fridge stocked to our requirements on SS. Saga's larger cabins have a medium drinks fridge (empty except for milk), most have a tiny one. And, of course Saga give everyone a kettle, teabags and instant coffee. 

 

Totally random list, but maybe that gives your an idea. 

 

As to "institutionalised". I think it starts with calling the car to the port "vip", but sharing with a stranger or two. Then there's the queuing and people sleeping in the living room during the day. And the Grill has slight John Lewis restaurant vibes - not at all unpleasant, just a tad canteeny. 

 

I think Saga definitely offer a good service, and it's certainly more boutique than P&O now (i know someone just came off Iona). And I'm sure you'll have a nice time and find your niche. There's bound to be compromises compared to ultra luxury, but depending on your needs it might be worthwhile. 

 

If you've got specific questions, just shout!

 

[SaraSailing]

6 hours ago, Jammy Bun said:

Thanks for your frequent reports Sara, and for giving your honest opinion on the SAGA experience.  It's not for us either, at least at this stage in our lives (though we are well into SAGA's targeted demographic, being in our mid 70s).  One and done for us, for the time being.  Whilst we are able to cope with the craziness of airport travel we think there are much better alternatives available - back to Viking for us next month and I cannot wait!  

 

In mid 70s you are still below the average age of a Saga ocean cruiser! Do enjoy your next cruise. 

[Windsurfboy]

Thank you very informative,  very happy with Saga,  but also now very much looking forward to trying SS when the right intinerary comes up.  Ideally we'd like a 3 or 4 week cruise out of the UK, happy to fly back. Keeping eye open. One question what is SS pricing time line like, do you have to book on launch or is it pretty constant.

 

In the same context of helping with comparisons. Price wise Saga compares to Cunard, suite same price as queens grill,  deluxe cabin same price as princess grill, standard cabin same price as Brittania Club. The food on Saga matches Cunard grills , even better if you take speciality restaurants into account. However the ambience , service and on Saga all across the ship is just a level above hate to say it more refined. Some how Saga feels friendlier both staff and passengers, perhaps we have more in common with Saga clientele.  Cunard feels like mass market product. 

 

Yes mid 70s is average Saga age, but age for age seem younger than Cunard. 

 

 

[SaraSailing]

2 minutes ago, Windsurfboy said:

In the same context of helping with comparisons. Price wise Saga compares to Cunard,

 

We've only been on Cunard once, with both sets of parents as a pre-Christmas short trip. Again, accessibility on Victoria meant Princess Grill was the highest available class (though Mary does have accessible Queens Grill too). What we found was a bit of a tale of two cities. The Princess Grill was nice, and the food good, if a bit old-fashioned. It took me four days to get a decent espresso! Being asked to order wine for dinner at breakfast time was off-putting. And our particular trip the service in the grills lounge was appalling, even when relatively quite. Then down in the lower decks it was a bit of a scrum - though my in-laws loved the dance floor. Shore Concierge were the standard of most SS: when we put pressure on them, they provided an accessible-ish taxi van for the six of us, because the shuttle wasn't accessible at all. (SS do have one fantastic shore concierge manager - who was trained by probably the best in the business, and when we sail with him, life is easy - in fact, he also got us a huge discount on a hand carved totem pole!). The thing that was horrendous for us was getting between our cabin and the griils deck. We were on deck 8, and needed to get to 11. There was always a huge queue, and lifts with no space. One lady and I frequently pushed our husbands into lifts going the wrong way, so they could eventually take control and get to the right floor. I think the 'cruise within a cruise' feel of the grills would be massively enhanced by a couple of private lifts.

[Windsurfboy]

4 hours ago, SaraSailing said:

 I think the 'cruise within a cruise' feel of the grills would be massively enhanced by a couple of private lifts.

 

Your experience seemed similiar to ours except we didn't have to order wine in morning. We've been on QG and PG. Off on Friday on QM2 which unless it is a vast improvement will be our last Cunard. Except for using them as an alternative to a plane to come back from South Africa. Cunard when it goes that way comes straight back , whilst the only SS I've seen took a long time calling at lots of African ports and then went to Mediterranean. 

 

It would take a bit more than a  private lift to make the Grills experience any thing like the adverts.

 

Whilst Saga , may not be the full Boutique experience they advertise, it's still very nice all round the ship.  SS is definitely on our to try list.

 

Thanks 

 

 

[JoJo1947]

On 6/6/2023 at 11:48 AM, Windsurfboy said:

Thanks for the review. Agree with most of what you say Saga is the best option for no fly cruises from UK. SS from London is inconvenient for many

 

One thing I don't understand is the fixation of many people with the included car to the airport it's not free, and upgrading to a private car costs as much as booking one yourself . All one needs to do is find a good local chauffeur /taxi company. Yes you may need to add in a bit more leeway.

You serious Saga upgrade to a private car v book your own taxi Saga wins 

[lincslady]

For me the knowledge that your Saga driver will (should) know the way to the dock, and is expected by the ship, makes up for any slight inconvenience of travelling with someone else.  Only once in about a dozen times did we feel that we had gone too much out of our way on a return journey  to drop others off.

[JoJo1947]

1 hour ago, lincslady said:

For me the knowledge that your Saga driver will (should) know the way to the dock, and is expected by the ship, makes up for any slight inconvenience of travelling with someone else.  Only once in about a dozen times did we feel that we had gone too much out of our way on a return journey  to drop others off.

 Saga book the private car so it's the same procedure. We just price it into the cruise as  it's what we prefer 

[nosapphire]

On 6/6/2023 at 11:48 AM, Windsurfboy said:

Thanks for the review. Agree with most of what you say Saga is the best option for no fly cruises from UK. SS from London is inconvenient for many

 

One thing I don't understand is the fixation of many people with the included car to the airport it's not free, and upgrading to a private car costs as much as booking one yourself . All one needs to do is find a good local chauffeur /taxi company. Yes you may need to add in a bit more leeway.

Correct that it is not "free" transport - but I was so intrigued by the remark about upgrading costs as much as booking one yourself that I went and had a look.

All I can say is... you must have very cheap cab companies.

We are 135 miles from Southampton Cruise terminals, and all our local cab companies are council licenced (both taxi and private hire) - no Uber type cabs here.

To use Saga transport upgrade to private, 135 less 75 = 60 miles.

On another thread it was reported (May this year) that Saga charge £2.50 per excess mile, so upgrade to private = 60 miles x £2.50 = £150 each way, total £300 for a private car for both directions.

Tariff for Southampton using local cab = £275 each way, so £550 total.

Saga work out (for us) £250 cheaper, plus if it all goes pear shaped on the journey it is down to Saga to sort it.