Saga Rose Greenland Voyager August 2007

[Conte Di Savoia]

Thanks Donald and Ruby for posting your portraits! What a great thread this is. Who would have imagined back in March what this has developed into? I wish we could get together for an in person "reunion". It would be a hoot!

Thanks, Graham, for all the additional information about the MacCleods. I'm passing it on.

Do y'all want to hear more about Saga Rose? I also have pictures of our tour of the ultimate cruise ship, the Royal Yacht Britannia, which was berthed next to us in Leith. Let me know if you want to see HMS. I even have a picture of the Queen's boudoir.

[Conte Di Savoia]

Oh, Graham, thanks for the pictures of Mauretania. It is amazing how much of the ship has actually been preserved around the UK. The Pinewood Studios outside of London has more rooms which are largely intact. I had previously mentioned the Peter Newall book which tracts down Mauretania artifacts. You can order it through this website: http://www.maritimematters.com/mall_mauretania.html.

[Saga Ruby]

Who would have imagined back in March what this has developed into? I wish we could get together for an in person "reunion". It would be a hoot!

 

Do y'all want to hear more about Saga Rose? I also have pictures of our tour of the ultimate cruise ship, the Royal Yacht Britannia, which was berthed next to us in Leith. Let me know if you want to see HMS. I even have a picture of the Queen's boudoir.

 

You betcha I want to hear and see more about Saga Rose. Bring it on! And don't leave out the photos of Lilibet's boudoir. When do you visit onboard Saga Ruby in NYC harbour?

 

The old Chinese curse - be careful what you wish for. Remember I have non-rev status with Delta and ya never know . . . if all you people would quit packing the planes to capacity, I could fly again for free. Any sympathy? Hands? No?

 

Ruby

[Conte Di Savoia]

Tomorrow is Saga Ruby Day. She's already in New York at Pier 92. I saw her on the webcam late this afternoon. We plan to be on board by 11 AM (lunch on the Lido?), then a matinee on Broadway followed by dinner. What a delicious day!

[Saga Ruby]

Conte, I was in cabin 208 or 205 which is a large room next to the triangular-shaped cabin at the extreme bow on Upper Deck - the same deck on which the dining room is located. If you can, look at an inside cabin and see how tight they are - 110 sq. ft.

 

Don't forget there is a specialty restaurant, The View, on Saga Ruby whereas Saga Rose has no such place. Enjoy your visit, remember that I am green with envy of you port dwellers, and report back in detail with your impressions. I am gobsmacked that I have at last met someone who has been on both ships and sailed on one of them.

 

Have a wonderful day in The City, enjoy the play, and I'll look forward to hearing your report.

 

Ruby

[CGTNORMANDIE]

HAVE A GREAT DAY CONTE!!! We are all sitting here...green with envy!!!:D We will want to hear all about it!!!

 

Ross

[Druke I]

Conte

 

Enjoy the day. Like the others, I am jealous.

[Saga Ruby]

Uh, where's that photo of Graham? He's been gigging the rest of us to post our pix but has anyone noticed the steady silence from bcscot?

 

Hello?

 

Ruby

[bcscot]

Uh, where's that photo of Graham? He's been gigging the rest of us to post our pix but has anyone noticed the steady silence from bcscot? Ruby

 

Honest gov., twas not me. Twas that D'Maniac.

I do not know how to do that picture posting thingy, so I think that I will continue to lurk in the shadows, holding onto my anonymity!

 

I have visited the Royal Yacht at Leith & found it to be both a sad & fascinating experience. I look forward to seeing Conte's photos.

 

Is the said D'Maniac away at the moment? We received an e-mail from Celebrity today, with details of their new 'Solstice Class' ships. They look just like RCCL cruiseships. Funny that! Behemoths Ruby, behemoths!

 

Graham.

[Saga Ruby]

Is the said D'Maniac away at the moment? We received an e-mail from Celebrity today, with details of their new 'Solstice Class' ships. They look just like RCCL cruiseships. Funny that! Behemoths Ruby, behemoths! Graham.

 

Yes, D'maniac is strangely quiet. He doesn't have to stroll down to the dock for another 7 weeks. Donde esta Sr. D'? Digression - did you know that the CCritic boards cannot identify nor apply a foreign accent mark?

 

I typed an entire paragraph in reply to your comment about behemoths, but have decided to take the high road and not repeat my rants about RCI and Carnivore and their spawn. Sniff.

 

Ruby

[bcscot]

Digression - did you know that the CCritic boards cannot identify nor apply a foreign accent mark? Ruby

 

No.

 

Graham.

[bcscot]

Remember I have non-rev status with Delta and ya never know . . . if all you people would quit packing the planes to capacity, I could fly again for free. Ruby

 

Twas not me this time either Ruby. I have never flown Delta.

I had a university classmate who's sister worked for BA so he used to make us envious by flying all over the world for free during the holidays. Another work colleague was the son of a Cathay Pacific pilot & used to do likewise. I am familiar with this concept but what does 'non-rev status' stand for or mean?

 

I was watching a travel programme the other night about New Zealand. Not only did it feature the TSS Earnslaw, but the travel guide fellow was down in the engine room helping to shovel coal into the firebox. It was great to see a real coal burning steam powered ship still in operation in this day & age. It is amazing that she is 95 years old & still going strong.

 

Well, yesterday we booked our cabin on the old Queen Mary for next month. We have a first class cabin for a one night cruise into the past. We hope to dine onboard & go on some of the tours. I look forward to that as much as I do a week on the Oosterdam.

 

Donald: If you like that little traditional Indonesian/Malay farewell song that the waiters sing on the last night of HAL cruises, then here it is. It is called, Gelang Sipaku Gelang:

 

 

Graham.

[Kapricorn]

Is the said D'Maniac away at the moment? We received an e-mail from Celebrity today, with details of their new 'Solstice Class' ships. They look just like RCCL cruiseships. Funny that! Behemoths Ruby, behemoths!

 

Graham.

 

I've been "out of sorts" since major dentist work on two teeth yesterday morning, but am slowly coming around.

 

I didn't even open that e-mail about the Solstice Class ships - I immediately deleted it. No interest in such behemoths.

 

The photographs of the Mauretania's details are truly breathtaking.

 

Thanks to Ruby for posting her photograph. It's nice to put faces to names.

 

Regards,

D'Maniac

[bcscot]

D'ouch.

Welcome back Donald. I hope that you recover from your 'mal de mouth' quickly.

 

Graham.

[Saga Ruby]

D'ouch. Welcome back Donald. I hope that you recover from your 'mal de mouth' quickly. Graham.

 

. . . 'mal de mouth' . . . good one, Graham. "Non rev" means "non revenue," meaning a passenger who flies for free thereby not generating revenue for the airline. There are rankings for non-revs with Captains being A+ or something like that and eventually the gate agent works his or her way down to the peons like me, a mother of a pilot.

 

At a gate, you may notice a digital screen with surnames showing priority of boarding. You can tell the non-revs in the gate area because they watch that board like hawks and, when their names are called, they bounce happily up to the counter to get their boarding passes.

 

Back in the day, I flew all over the place for free; nowadays, I don't take the chance of being left in San Juan for two days while I wait for a seat to become available. Oh woe. Oh woe.

 

D'maniac - I'm sure you don't feel like the Tasmaniac Devil today. Admiral Ma'am hopes you feel better soon. I knew I liked you - you deleted the Solstice blurb. Those Mauretania photos reminded me of the depth and breadth of quality workmanship on interiors back in the day. [sigh] And why the words "modular construction" make me cringe.

 

"Tea for two, and two for tea, just me . . . " I'm doin' a time step in place as we await Conte's comments about Saga Ruby. Trust me. She's a fine gal in her own right. Conte?

 

Ruby

[bcscot]

Once upon a time I was upgraded to business class on Canadian International Airlines. Eventually I admitted to my neighbour that I had been upgraded. It turned out that he was a retired pilot & he was concerned that he may be bumped off at the next stop. When he set out on flights with his wife, she would always ask him if they were going to be flying business class that day, or 'pig pen'. Since I heard that story, 'economy class' has always been known to us as 'pig pen'! Can't you just see the 'stewardesses' passing out the slop buckets to all the rows of pigs in their little stalls? That is how I often feel in 'pig pen' anyway.

 

I should think that Donald does indeed feel like the 'Tasmaniac Devil' right now!!!:D

 

Graham.

[Conte Di Savoia]

Hi gang! Here’s my report on yesterday’s visit to Saga Ruby.

 

The return of summertime humidity if not warm temperatures, greeted the Saga Ruby and her complement of passengers after a rough crossing of the always unpredictable North Atlantic. She was tied up at pier 92 on west 52nd Street. She looked magnificent. Kudos to Saga Cruises. Our visit went off without a hitch. Security on the pier as well as security aboard ship were aware that we would be visitors. I was really impressed. We provided our passports as the required photo ID and were issued visitors’ passes. I was reminded of how easy it was years ago to visit ships that were in the harbour. Oh for the good old days!

 

So let’s go on the tour. I have never been onboard this ship in her NAL days or Cunard times, although I have pictures. Clearly, more money has been expended in modernizing her, mostly by Cunard during her conversion to Caronia. I believe Saga has done little to her since that refit. So, firstly I would say that she appears more “modern” than Saga Rose. There’s more shiny brass and much less of the aged patina that Saga Rose exudes from every bulkhead. The reception area has a very contemporary feel and is somewhat smaller than on Saga Rose. The color scheme relies heavily on aubergine and taupe. This is evident in The Britannia Lounge and South Cape Bar.. These two rooms are almost identical to those on Saga Rose except for this variation in colors. The Ballroom is of the same scale as that on Saga Rose. They are almost interchangeable. The Lido on Saga Ruby, however, is better organized and has more tables than Saga Rose. It is also air conditioned. The Lido pool is completely changed from her Vistafjord days. This is the most idiosyncratic pool I’ve ever seen onboard a ship. It rises above the Lido Deck like Ayer’s Rock. For a ship that caters to the over 50 crowd (sometimes way over 50) this is hardly user friendly. Who needs a rock climbing wall when you have this monolith to negotiate?

 

Above the pool area on Promenade Deck is the night club, The Preview. The alternative restaurant, The View is located on the balcony which overlooks this room. On Saga Rose this balcony is home to the computer center. The seating is very limited in the alternative restaurant. I found that it is profoundly white with practically no decoration. Perhaps it looks better at night.

Midships Saga Ruby has a staircase which does not exist on Saga Rose. Its decoration is clearly from Cunard days. The picture at the top is immediately recognizable to the ship daft as Coronia of 1948. It’s a wonderful sight! The ship does retain some wood paneling as seen here in the main stairs and in the foyer outside the theatre. I don’t know if this is an issue for SOLAS 2010 or not, but clearly, unlike Saga Rose, it meets current US Coast Guard regulations. There is certainly less wood onboard. If you compare this hallway shot on Saga Ruby to that of Saga Rose, you’ll notice that the cabin door frames are all metal, not wood. The cabin doors are opened with a swipe card, not keys.

 

The main dining room was the big disappointment. Saga Rose has that magnificent two deck high room with the grand staircase and funky chandeliers. Saga Ruby’s DR is two dimensional, claustrophobic and dark despite picture windows. A large buffet protrudes into the center of the room, making it appear even smaller. The décor was bland, not at all uplifting. It has been redone several times over the years and it appears that none of the designs have been particularly successful.

 

So, would I travel on Saga Ruby? Yes, but I would have to take my meals on The Lido.

How do the two ships compare? Here’s the analogy. Saga Ruby is like a lady who has kept young with expensive facelifts and botox treatments. Saga Rose is a well-traveled dowager who dyes her hair black and uses heavy pancake makeup. Both are interesting travel mates!

[Druke I]

It usually is pretty tough to get into the engine rooms of ships. I did get to the Control Room on HAL's Noordam, way back in 6-85, but couldn't get any further.

 

When on HAL's Westerdam, 9-97, my bro-in-law did get into the engine room.

I was mightily put-out that he could not find me and rope me into the same deal. I don't remember where I was - but somewhere on the same ship!

 

Whilst on our float down the Danube, both he & I were able to get into the engine room and the bow thruster compartment, and had a personal tour by the Chief Engineer of the boat. Small, neat and tidy, and very noisy spaces.

 

Chief Engineer title is misleading - he was the only engineer on board, and sorely needed an assistant or apprentice, as the workload was too much for one person, even if the boat (ship) was small!

 

Those engineering spaces were fascinating, and my bro-in-law, much more mechanically inclined than I, was mesmerized.

 

Reference behemoths - I personally think any ship that cannot fit in the current locking system of the Panama Canal is too damned big. We do like the R-class ships of Oceania, and think their 30,000GRT is a fine size. I'm not sure how I will like their newbuilds, which will be considerably bigger (having a senior moment, and don't recall their GRT).

[Kapricorn]

Conte, thank you very much for the interesting report about the Saga Ruby! I agree that the dining room does not look as impressive as on the Saga Rose. You are right about the rock-climbing swimming pool - the lady shuffling on her cane through the reception area wouldn't have been able to negotiate those stairs at the pool.

 

I really liked the wood paneling, especially in the foyer outside the theatre.

 

Donald d'Maniac.

[bcscot]

Conte: That was an excellent account of your Saga Ruby tour, with super use of pictures. Thank you. I am still amazed though, that in this day & age, they allowed you to visit. Wonderful stuff.

 

Michael: I believe that the new Oceania ships will be about 60,000 grt, roughly the same as the HAL Rotterdam Class ships which, although not small, are still quite a nice size in my opinion.

 

That was great that you were allowed into the engine room on the 'riverboat'. Only one engineer! How big are those boats (the correct term I would think)?

 

Speaking of smaller ships, Doug referred earlier to Fred Olsen's new 'Balmoral' which is currently in NCL hands but was not built for them. She is a fairly new ship & is only about 30,000 grt. She looks like a really nice little ship & will be sailing from Miami for part of the year. Their North American brochure is already quoting some quite good prices.I must say that I think this sounds very interesting.

 

Graham.

[bcscot]

That is what the 'new' Balmoral currently is, the Norwegian Crown. Look her up. She looks like a nice ship.

 

Doug. says he hopes to visit the Fred Olsen Line, Black Watch, this month. I wonder if that is to be in New York also. When Doug, when? Another old RVL ship Ruby. Interesting?

 

Graham.

[Saga Ruby]

Such a nice review plus photos! I am fortunate that I sailed on Saga Ruby first then Saga Rose because of the different dining rooms. It would be difficult to have enjoyed that grand staircase (and the Baked Alaska Parade) on Saga Rose then been deflated with the GDR on Saga Ruby.

 

It looked like there were quite a few folks onboard the ship, both "old and and new" which surprised me. I liked your analogy about the Lido Pool on Ruby - when I saw it, I almost laughed out loud. Did you have a chance to view cabins?

 

Would you believe that on Saga Rose, outside Greenland, a male passenger jumped into the Rose pool and swam two laps? He was the same man who had injured his elbow and wore an arm sling a week earlier and I was not surprised to see him flailing away in that chilly pool.

 

For whatever reason, my heart still belongs to Saga Ruby, GDR not withstanding. Maybe it is like your first kiss - you never forget it and it lingers pleasantly in one's memory. When you consider the crew to staff ratio with 550 pax and 350 crew, no wonder the service and experience onboard either ship is a divine experience.

 

Again, thanks so much for your fine post with pix. It is appreciated. It's as though I have gone back "to those thrilling days of yesteryear." I do love those Saga Sisters.

 

Ruby

[bcscot]

Yes, Conte, who were all those young people in the main lobby area?

Apart from visitors, I suppose that the eldest & most infirm are the people still onboard while in port, giving the impression that all the passengers are like that.

 

Graham.

[Conte Di Savoia]

The youngsters were entertainers who were fleeing the ship for the streets of Manhattan.

Sorry, Ruby, I did not get to see any of the cabins. Perhaps I should have knocked: "Candygram!"

[Saga Ruby]

Sorry, Ruby, I did not get to see any of the cabins. Perhaps I should have knocked: "Candygram!"

 

Ohhhh, Mr. Shark, what big teeth you have! (Talk about mixing analogies!)

 

Conte, how long were youse guys onboard? Were you hustled around or allowed to stroll the ship? And I got's to know - what Broadway matinee did you attend?

 

Ruby