Spirit of Adventure Canary Islands and Cape Verde Nov 13 2023

[Spence55]

Alchymist’s comments very much echo our recent experiences with Saga. The quality of the food has definitely fallen and service both in the restaurants and bars is not up to previous excellent standards. Indeed, given Saga prices we won’t be using them again for some considerable time, as we no longer consider them to offer value for money. The shared transport can be a thoroughly miserable and drawn out experience, and the premium for a private car is extortionate. The friendliness of the cabin crew and most of the waiters is the company’s main strength, and I’m sure they are a big reason for much of the brand loyalty. 

[JMMKUK]

8 hours ago, Alchymist said:

The food was disappointing, with meat cookery especially poor and what seemed like a smaller menu than hitherto = 6 mains, of which 3 were vegetarian. One table companion in the Supper Club had a ribeye steak which she could not cut and eat and I had a grossly over-cooked rack of lamb, which appeared as individual chops.

 

Filling in the "online" questionnaire on the last day was a farce. Like several other passengers I spoke to, the app persistently failed after the first question and I wasn't prepared to go the Library and be nannied into using a supervised iPad. Perhaps that is why I am being frank here!

 

In April I commented on the mid cruise survey about the lack of mains choice & we were invited to meet with Raj. He explained that a survey done earlier in the year had said that Saga guests now wanted more veggie & vegan food. I begged to differ as we had met only one couple who were vegetarian & one woman who was pescatarian.

I couldn't eat the rack of lamb on the October cruise but the chateaubriand was delicious. (The steaks on the inaugral cruise were mainly inedible).

 

In October I got as far as trying to submit the final questionnaire & up popped the error message I had been getting for the last week of the cruise. The iPad was very nearly thrown across the cabin but I decided to have a beer instead & forget about the stupid thing.

[Whiteduck1]

12 minutes ago, Spence55 said:

Alchymist’s comments very much echo our recent experiences with Saga. The quality of the food has definitely fallen and service both in the restaurants and bars is not up to previous excellent standards. Indeed, given Saga prices we won’t be using them again for some considerable time, as we no longer consider them to offer value for money. The shared transport can be a thoroughly miserable and drawn out experience, and the premium for a private car is extortionate. The friendliness of the cabin crew and most of the waiters is the company’s main strength, and I’m sure they are a big reason for much of the brand loyalty. 

This sounds quite worrying. At saga prices the food should be very good. 

[lincslady]

Surprised and disappointed to read these comments about the food - and from several people, so it does not sound like just one grumbly person.  I hope Saga are reading this, and will sit up and take note.  Not that long ago everyone was really happy with all the food, especially the alternative restaurants.

[Glenndale]

11 hours ago, Alchymist said:

 

 

The food was disappointing, with meat cookery especially poor and what seemed like a smaller menu than hitherto = 6 mains, of which 3 were vegetarian. One table companion in the Supper Club had a ribeye steak which she could not cut and eat and I had a grossly over-cooked rack of lamb, which appeared as individual chops.

 

I had a ribeye steak the other night in The Club, mine too was inedible, full of gristle.

No seafood platter in Coast to Coast, choice and quality being downgraded sad to say

[Windsurfboy]

Saga are not alone in adding too many vegetarian or vegan dishes same on Cunard even in Queens Grill. Why half of mains are vegetarian whilst only 5 % of over 55s are vegetarian is beyond me. Could be that vegetables are cheaper.

 

Thankfully in speciality  restaurants at least 80% of dishes are fish or meat based.

[JMMKUK]

4 hours ago, Windsurfboy said:

Saga are not alone in adding too many vegetarian or vegan dishes same on Cunard even in Queens Grill. Why half of mains are vegetarian whilst only 5 % of over 55s are vegetarian is beyond me. Could be that vegetables are cheaper.

 

Thankfully in speciality  restaurants at least 80% of dishes are fish or meat based.

Lots of food waste if they've made up all those fancy dishes & no one orders them though. I did have a veggie main when it was mushroom risotto because it's a favourite of mine.

[Windsurfboy]

1 hour ago, JMMKUK said:

Lots of food waste if they've made up all those fancy dishes & no one orders them though. I did have a veggie main when it was mushroom risotto because it's a favourite of mine.

 

 

Yep if you make 3 dishes for 5% of passengers,  bound to be waste. Sensible have just one on menu  for people who like occasional veggy meal but offer vegetarians more bit  to be ordered day before, their own menu. More work less wate

[lincslady]

Any vegetarians who sailed with Saga before the new ships will recall that rather than having many dishes on the regular menu, if you were happy to choose your meal (maybe it was just the main course?) the day before, there was a very long list of dishes to choose from, which I was told by veggie neighbours was really lovely food.  We did all choose to sit at the same tables for two every evening, which obviously helped with service.

 

This seems to be happening on other lines; can't help thinking that there has to be a financial motive.

[twotravellersLondon]

4 hours ago, lincslady said:

Any vegetarians who sailed with Saga before the new ships will recall that rather than having many dishes on the regular menu, if you were happy to choose your meal (maybe it was just the main course?) the day before, there was a very long list of dishes to choose from, which I was told by veggie neighbours was really lovely food.  We did all choose to sit at the same tables for two every evening, which obviously helped with service.

 

This seems to be happening on other lines; can't help thinking that there has to be a financial motive.

 

There is a financial motive... according to a chef that we know... the cruise-line's bean-counters calculate that a vegetarian meal costs less than a normal meal.

 

A few years ago we used to occasionally sample the one vegetarian dish that was offered on the menu if we didn't fancy the other offerings that evening and usually had an interesting and enjoyable meal.

 

As the number of vegetarian/vegan options have increased and the number of more expensive meat, poultry and fish options have declined... we now never chose a vegetarian option because we want to ensure that cruise-lines continue to offer the choice of food that are based around ingredients that we would chose to eat at home or in a land-based restaurant. 

 

It may be that the cost of the ingredients on a vegetarian dish on a menu is less than other dishes... but we've paid for our cruise and we expect to get value for money and good food that we enjoy. 

[lincslady]

It sounds as if nobody wins - except the bean counters.

[Windsurfboy]

24 minutes ago, lincslady said:

It sounds as if nobody wins - except the bean counters.

 

They won't win in long term if limited menu means people choose other cruise lines 

[JMMKUK]

43 minutes ago, Windsurfboy said:

 

They won't win in long term if limited menu means people choose other cruise lines 

Raj told us that we could choose any of the 'Always available' not just the ones on that night's menu. We've sat next to a couple who had lasagne every night & another couple who had chicken with double mash every night. Unfortunately for me Surf & Turf isn't on the always available list.

 

If all the lines are doing it where can we go?

[Alchymist]

I am surprised that my post of two days ago has aroused such interest in my comments on dining! My wife has asked me to point out that she found the fish dishes revolved around a good variety of species. In particular, she enjoyed the "scabbard fish" from Madeira. Perhaps we might just wonder whether adopting a more vegetarian diet would be good for our health? If so, Saga could provide more than (eg) a fraction of a carrot or a single little head of broccoli with their non-veggie dishes! 

[Kenmure]

You can always ask for extra veg and more so you can ask what is available.

[Glenndale]

2 hours ago, Windsurfboy said:

 

They won't win in long term if limited menu means people choose other cruise lines 

Yes exactly.  We have 3 booked on Queen Anne and with the ability to order off menu I'll be happy 😊 

[JMMKUK]

3 hours ago, Alchymist said:

I am surprised that my post of two days ago has aroused such interest in my comments on dining! My wife has asked me to point out that she found the fish dishes revolved around a good variety of species. In particular, she enjoyed the "scabbard fish" from Madeira. Perhaps we might just wonder whether adopting a more vegetarian diet would be good for our health? If so, Saga could provide more than (eg) a fraction of a carrot or a single little head of broccoli with their non-veggie dishes! 

I know at some ports they go to the fish market to make that day's menu interesting & local.

 

They kept giving me more veg than I wanted & it was usually overcooked (20 mins boiled & more grey than green). They also managed to cook sea bass so that it was dry & tough.

 

I really miss the old ships' food delights. Those ice carvings were something to behold.

[FatBoy20]

On 12/12/2023 at 11:00 PM, Alchymist said:

Writing specifically of the Cape Verde cruise, there were a number of things which I found disappointing. Firstly the careless attitude towards sanitation - until Norovirus struck. The first time ever I have boarded a ship without a member of staff insisting that I use sanitiser, and that was the case when returning from the pre-Norovirus shore trips too. Staff at the restaurants dispensed about one drop of gel, certainly not enough to wet out your hands. This all changed with Norovirus when the outbreak was swiftly and effectively dealt with - although it put a dampener on everything and clearly curtailed many activities. (Incidentally, alcohol gel is not effective against Norovirus!)

 

The food was disappointing, with meat cookery especially poor and what seemed like a smaller menu than hitherto = 6 mains, of which 3 were vegetarian. One table companion in the Supper Club had a ribeye steak which she could not cut and eat and I had a grossly over-cooked rack of lamb, which appeared as individual chops.

 

Entertainment was below par, the Cruise Director was almost universally known as the Invisible Man - although he may have had personal issues (who knows?) which led to this. The String Quartet, however, were brilliant as were the Spirit Trio. Would also commend the Agatha Christy evening in The Playhouse. But there is now only one show per night in The Playhouse and quite late at 21.30 or 21.45. Clashes of performances with the Britannia Lounge which had things on at the same time (eg Crew Show in Lounge at same time as Ventriloquist in Playhouse). The Destination lecturer was second to none and the other Speakers also VG.

 

We had a Captain change at A Coruna which brought a welcome announcement from the Bridge spot on Midday (as opposed to random time); seemed somehow more disciplined, perhaps I am old fashioned. However, proud of the first Captain and Bridge Crew for spotting and coming to the aid of the migrant boat.

 

Filling in the "online" questionnaire on the last day was a farce. Like several other passengers I spoke to, the app persistently failed after the first question and I wasn't prepared to go the Library and be nannied into using a supervised iPad. Perhaps that is why I am being frank here!

 

Disembarkation at Portsmouth was late and sad to see some less abled people struggling to push their trolleys up the ramp with no offer of help from staff. Journey home a fairly manic affair in a none too comfortable MPV, but we got there.

 

The crew were generally excellent and our Cabin Steward was a gem. I think it is people like him who encourage us to use Saga and despite my comments here, we will probably cruise with Saga again, although we do intend to go back to other lines to reset our expectations.

I am unsure where you get your info regarding the Evening Menu in MDR. On our Cruise in August the Menu contained 6 Main (3 plus 3 Veg), 3 always available (Steak/Chicken /Salmon) & one light choice (Scampi/Pie/Fish & Chips etc) which makes a choice of ten!.

[lincslady]

That does sound very much like the menus of some years ago, when there would only be 3 mains - usually one fish, and two different meats or one chicken, say, plus what you might call the more everyday  choices, which lots of people like, like fish and chips, cottage pie etc. Not the same every night.   And the always available ones.  What should be extra special of course is the alternative restaurants, and one can only hope that the actual cooking is good in all restaurants.

[JMMKUK]

23 minutes ago, FatBoy20 said:

I am unsure where you get your info regarding the Evening Menu in MDR. On our Cruise in August the Menu contained 6 Main (3 plus 3 Veg), 3 always available (Steak/Chicken /Salmon) & one light choice (Scampi/Pie/Fish & Chips etc) which makes a choice of ten!.

Probably only counts the Main ones like me. I think it's called Simple Fare rather than light choce. The pie & chips is certainly not light. Even on the old ships that was cheap pub grub.

[lincslady]

I agree - pub grub.  But now and then that is what you feel like, and I can remember a few older people sitting near us who grumbled about any 'fancy' food and chose these every night.  I suspect there are not many like that nowadays.

[Windsurfboy]

6 mains , of which 3 meat/fish,  3 vegetarian which change every day

 

3 always available  which do not change, even on our 30 day cruise

 

One Simple fare which changes every day, which is nice for an occasional meal, if you want simple food but do not like buffet (aka grill). A good idea more should copy it.

 

There is nothing to complain about always available concept or simple fare concept. 

 

It's the fact that 95% of guests are fish/meat eaters (who may like the occasional vegetarian dish) , so for them the 6 mains is a bit of a con , it's only really 3 mains every night.

[Tothesunset]

4 hours ago, lincslady said:

I agree - pub grub.  But now and then that is what you feel like, and I can remember a few older people sitting near us who grumbled about any 'fancy' food and chose these every night.  I suspect there are not many like that nowadays.

Reminds me of a bus ride in Hong Kong where the younger man opposite, a soldier from Sek Kong, was asking his father, who was visiting, how he liked Hong Kong. 

 

"It's fine," he said. "But too much foreign food." 

 

 

[BigCheese1]

5 hours ago, Tothesunset said:

Reminds me of a bus ride in Hong Kong where the younger man opposite, a soldier from Sek Kong, was asking his father, who was visiting, how he liked Hong Kong. 

 

"It's fine," he said. "But too much foreign food." 

 

 

I lived at Sek Kong (RAF). Fab time trying all the ‘foreign food’.

First Saga cruise next year, looking forward to Khukuri, we had lots of Gurkha 

food whilst at Sek Kong, is this the slant in there? Looking forward to my cruise (Norway August).

[Tothesunset]

14 minutes ago, BigCheese1 said:

I lived at Sek Kong (RAF). Fab time trying all the ‘foreign food’.

First Saga cruise next year, looking forward to Khukuri, we had lots of Gurkha 

food whilst at Sek Kong, is this the slant in there? Looking forward to my cruise (Norway August).

Khukuri is really Anglicized Indian food and very good it is too. You won't find dahl bhat or goat curry on the menu. Nor anything to equal Shaffi's or Ali Khan. 

 

I was RAF at Sek Kong too, 1990-1993. 

 

(Incidentally, if you remember Shaffi's the guy that ran it, Ali Liggat, now has two restaurants - one in Wanchai and the other in Yuen Long. Both serve Cantonese food with little influence from Ali's homeland of Pakistan😔)