Saga Rose Greenland Voyager August 2007

[nottamember]

So the real reason i wanted to post was to give you all an update so in nov 2006 while i was on the Rose we hit a big storm an had a bit of damage one of the polar circle boats (zodiac)that was on the lower deck ended up sticking in the window of a passenger cabin on the promenade deck

here is a video that our male dancer took from the bridge when the huge wave hit us and did the damage you can see the boat sticking out of the front of the ship it was scarey but i had full faith in the captain and officers.

The Rose has since been in dry dock and was repaired in dec, while she was there she had a bit of a make over and the lido cafe was gutted and redone which was needed. It does look very posh and much better and i guess it is warm up there now at night so the video on there website is old and the lido looks nothing like it does in the video. any way i thought i would give you this info.

Happy sailing x

[Saga Ruby]

Thanks so much for your insider comments about Saga Rose. As you can see on this thread, I was on Saga Ruby two years ago and heard many positive comments from the other seasoned Saga passengers about the Lido Cafe on Saga Rose which evidently was a more open design. Now I'm keen to see the "posh" refit from last year.

 

When I was on Saga Ruby, I was going to muster drill when I heard an American voice. It was Ricardo, a lead entertainer from New York. Since he and I were the only Americans onboard, we used to chat at times.

 

I have my "Arctic Circle" certificate hanging proudly on a wall at home. I watched all of you on duty in The Library, patiently filling out the 560 blank certificates.

 

I enjoy cruising but find my limit for enjoyment is right at 30 days. I salute you for being so cheerful about being onboard for the better part of a year. Since all of us passengers are "of an age," it was refreshing to have the younger contingent onboard as entertainment staff.

 

I was surprised at the topnotch entertainment on Saga Ruby. Full musical numbers with matching costumes. I sailed on Oceania for 25 days last fall and their entertainment is not in the same ballpark as the quality productions onboard Saga. I couldn't believe the male dancer was doing lifts in heavy seas - you are a brave troupe!

 

Many thanks for your kind notes.

 

Ruby

[Kapricorn]

Conte Di Savoia: I had not heard of Gustavo Pulitzer Finali until he was mentioned in the book which I am currently reading - Transatlantici: A History of the Great Italian Passenger Ships. I recall that the Victoria was a comfortable ship, with sensible furniture.

 

Beckydance: What a thrilling video of the big wave hitting the Saga Rose! Was the passenger cabin occupied when the Zodiac smashed through its window? I recall that one or two passengers were killed when a wave struck the front superstructure of the Michelangelo.

 

Saga Ruby: So, Spanish is similar to French in that the adjective is placed after the noun! As for ASL, "A brown dog chasing the blue ball" would have five signs - "Brown dog chase blue ball," which I use. However, I'm aware that some of those who did not have formal schooling prefer to sign "Dog brown chase blue ball" because they want to first know exactly what is being talked about, in this case "dog."

 

Donald.

[nottamember]

From what i remember is that the passenger was in the room at the time reading a book but was not hurt in anyway just shocked. (as i'm sure you can imagine) i can't wait to go back not long now:)

[nottamember]

thankyou for your kind comments yes filling out certificates was one of my favourite past times hee hee.

The adagio do have it bad and before every show they have to assess the situation and see if they can do certain lifts but as you know the sea is an unknown medium and there have been many times we have to "fill the gap" it keeps up on our toes and the shows never seem to be the same for us as we are always having to battle a different condition but the best is when you jump and the dance floor drops away.. disappearing from beneath you lol but not so fun when it suddenly appears ahhh the memories :).

[Saga Ruby]

On this Fourth of July, I hope everyone Stateside on the Nostalgia Cruise enjoys a marvelous holiday while remembering to celebrate the freedoms we enjoy each and every day.

 

To Becky - I wondered if the dance troupe can hear the audience murmuring in admiration and concern for the choreography performed by your troupe during heavy seas. On my voyage to Svalbard and Norway (the "Land of the Midnight Sun" cruise), we had the roughest seas I’ve ever encountered and this situation continued for a few days. At night, I was bracing one elbow on the night stand and the other on the wall yet during the nightly entertainments, all of you never missed a beat.

 

One "later morning" occurrence on Saga Ruby were the male passengers scattered around in those marvelous leather easy chairs in The Library. All of them were asleep. Evidently on sea days, they get up early for breakfast then go to The Library for a snooze. We tippytoe around them, checking out and returning DVDs as you hostesses scan your cabin list. With musical show rehearsals, the productions, and hostess duties, you are a busy lot.

 

Are entertainers coming from RADA (Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts) or websites that hire entertainers for cruise ships? I have seen both in the past.

 

Ruby

[nottamember]

Saga Ruby:

I remember one particular night i was dancing and it was quite bad and our adagio were in a lift and we had a big wave and we all thought it was over.... the audience and us all gasped but it was fine apart from the male half of the pair jarred his shoulder but after heat and a massage he was better. but the music is so loud on stage we don't hear very much and when we are dancing we are in our own little world (we have to have the music louder on stage so we can all hear the beat because if we could hear any other noise we could mistake it for a beat and mess up our timimg) it helps to have no distraction when your on stage because it's dangerous if we are not all focused, which is why we ask for no flash photography or video because a bright flash can blind you and disorientate you and we can stumble into the adgio in a lift or into each other or back drops or the stage that pulls out the stage is a dangerous place with out bright flashes and flashing red lights from video cams.

Did you know our rehersals are not only it the day we reherse when you are all asleep on the rose we rehersed from 11.30pm till 2am some days.

The dancers and singers on rose and ruby are from morag production company we are auditioned all over the world then bought to miami for a month to learn 5 shows and 4 openers and then sent to the ship with costumes and stage in tow :)

:)

x

[Conte Di Savoia]

We will be on Saga Rose August 30. Hope to meet you then.

[Saga Ruby]

After my Saga Ruby cruise in 2005, I disembarked at Dover, cabbed to Ashford, and took the Eurostar to Paris. It was my first experience with this service and I am now a big fan, but I have a question.

 

I arrived at Ashford 2 hours early for the train. When I went to the ladies' room, I parked my luggage cart in the hallway. When I came out, the most pleasant security officer was standing by my cases, and asked if they belonged to me. When I said they were, he smiled and meandered off.

 

Knowing why this episode occurred, I kept the luggage cart with me at all times, including at the small cafe in the lobby. We were not allowed to go up to the train platform until it arrived so I was stuck with my two cases for two hours and couldn't really walk around and see what there is to see.

 

After a round trip on the Eurostar, I enjoy the service, but handling the cases became a bit of a challenge. Especially at the steps of my train car where I was to stand on the platform and hurl my cases up the train steps for storage on the baggage shelves at the end of the car. I must quickly add that, at each end of the route, several people quickly lent a hand - everyone was so nice to help a single woman with baggage.

 

Where can we park our cases until the Eurostar arrives at a given station besides tote them around constantly? Did I miss something?

 

Ruby

[Saga Ruby]

I received my cruise packet this morning and I sail on 6 August, so that will give you an idea of when we receive our tickets.

 

I was puzzled to read on the FedEx website that this package weighed 2 lbs. Now I know why - it is the 2008 Cruise Collection brochure, the Spirit of Adventure cruise brochure, a DVD about Spirit of Adventure, and oh by the way, the cruise ticket and baggage tags.

 

With the kind input of Beckydance, I am now keen to cruise on Saga Rose. A Scots friend of mine has sniffed that a ship due to be decommissioned will be on her uppers - I told him that I believe Saga Cruises will maintain the highest level of service and atmosphere to the very end. And, of course, Saga Ruby will sail for many years to come.

 

I was able to get American Airlines to reduce my flight ticket nonstop from Dallas to Gatwick by $300 so I'm happy and looking forward with great anticipation to Greenland, Iceland, Faroe Islands, Orkneys Islands and that magnificent Saga Rose.

 

Ruby

[Conte Di Savoia]

It's always a thrill to receive the actual tickets. Remember when they were mutiple pages on almost legal size paper? They looked like a title deed!! I still have a few of those in my collection of memorabilia.

 

We're still six and a half weeks away from our trip but Lisa told me we should be receiving our tickets sometime this week. Saga has all our money now. We'll be leaving a couple of days early to spend some time in London. Being an avid gardener I would like to go to either Hampton Court or Kew to snoop around. The theme of our British Isles cruise is gardens and castles.

 

I saw Saga Rose yesterday through the modern miracle of the web. She was in Tallinn, Estonia which happens to have an excellent webcam which scans the old harbour. So there she was tied up at the pier on a rainy afternoon. According to the Saga brochure, she was due to sail at 17:45 local time which she did. I followed her course as she pulled slowly away from the pier and headed out into the Baltic. Still magnificent after all these years.

 

We were on QM2's Memorial Day cruise a few weeks ago. While aboard I purchased a book in the library: Saga Sisters by Clive Harvey and Roger Cartwright. The publisher is Tempus, Gloucestershire. It's a wonderful book recounting the story of the ships and is lavishly illustrated with pictures from their planning stages until the present. I'm sure you would love it.

[CGTNORMANDIE]

HI RUBY!!!

 

I am just checking in to see how your thread is progressing. I hope you book another SAGA cruise real soon...as I thoroughly enjoy reading this thread...with all of us "shipdaft" enthusiasts making comments. I think this thread has been one of the most delightful threads I have ever seen on CC.:D

 

ROSS

[Kapricorn]

Hi, Ruby! Hi, Conte Di Savoia!

 

Isn't it great to be finally handling cruise documents, and to feel a step closer to the cruise date? I got mine last week for the July 27 cruise of the Mercury. Three days after my return on August 3, you'll be aboard the Saga!

 

I have absolutely no doubt that Saga Cruises will maintain its usual excellent standard of service.

 

Do you plan to post a cruise review, or will you tell us a bit of your experiences? I would love to hear about Greenland and other highlights.

 

Thanks, Conte Di Savoia, for suggesting the book Saga Sisters. I'll see if I can get a copy.

 

Best regards,

Donald.

[Saga Ruby]

To Conte: I don’t remember the multi-page cruise tickets. Probably my father dealt with them and, as young girls, we could not have cared less about the elegance of the tickets. As an adult cruise passenger, I was sent the faux leather ticket holders which I have never cared for.

 

I stayed in Wimbledon Common a few years ago at Cannizaro House and took the opportunity to visit Hampton Court. The Privy and the Maze plus the formality of the gardens and the actual Palace were quite a sight. Although I must say I have never forgotten our family tour to Versailles in ‘57. For a young girl, it was a fascinating place, but, at that age, I had little appreciation of the enormous talent and effort it takes to build and maintain gardens - formal or otherwise. I assume you know the "trick" of a maze - always bear left.

 

When you mentioned the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew, it occurred to me that I have never been there. When I think of those royal gardens, I somehow think of the a.Titanium plant which produces a smell (stench?) that is evidently quite memorable. I made the decision years ago to view this plant from the safe distance of a good photo. I can highly recommend the botanic gardens in Christchurch and will mention that the Japanese gardens in Fort Worth far exceed the Japanese gardens in San Francisco.

 

About Saga Cruises - part of the cruise document package is a single sheet of paper telling us about the "norovirus." It never fails to surprise me when passengers are indignant about becoming ill onboard - they consistently blame the crew. In my opinion, the passengers bring it up the gangway.

 

To Donald - no worries about a review of my voyage. It will be so long, so boring, so stultifying, that folks will use it as a sleeping aid. By the bye, there is a "36 Hours in Vancouver" article in the travel section of the NY Times on their website that you might enjoy. You can grade the opinions of the writer.

 

I see you truly are a Celebrity maniac. On your upcoming Mercury cruise - what is your itinerary?

 

Ruby

[Kapricorn]

Hi, Ruby -

 

After all the interesting material about your past cruises that you've written here, I cannot conceive of you writing a boring review after Saga Rose.

 

My July 27 cruise will take me to Juneau, Skagway and Ketchikan. Last January on a Mexican Riviera cruise on the Mercury, I became friends with two pleasant ladies at my dining room table. When they found out a couple of months ago that I would be cruising to Alaska, they decided to come along, and we will once again be dining together. This would be their first time to spectacular Alaska.

 

Perhaps I am a Celebrity maniac, but I do regard the Mercury as my "home away from home" and I especially appreciate the courteous and friendly service I get from the staff who recognize me as a repeat guest. I do sail on other ships, but I keep coming back to the Mercury. She has a happy-ship vibe.

 

Did you have favourite ships on which you regularly cruised?

 

Thanks for letting me know about the New York Times article. It was interesting for me to read what was written about my hometown.

 

Donald.

[Saga Ruby]

Short answer: either of the Saga Sisters. Long answer - when I was able to start cruising again as an adult, I tried Royal Viking Line and happily stayed with them until they threw me off the gangway and closed their doors. A sad day.

 

I had a comfort level with RVL and was never given any reason to look elsewhere, the same as you are with Mercury. There were 3 ships in the RVL line, Star, Sea, and Sky, and later the Queen. Those RVL ships were roughly the same size and number of passengers as Saga Cruises and set the standard for me in a lifetime of cruising. I rattled happily around in any one of the RVL ships for 10 years as appealing itineraries popped up.

 

After RVL closed up shop, I stopped cruising for awhile and did extensive land travel. In 2003 when the cruise industry was in a slump, a friend mentioned that there was "such a deal" on Celebrity Constellation from Barcelona to San Juan. I looked up the price and found that I could make that voyage for $200 a day! I was gobsmacked! It was the cheapest price I had ever seen. So off I went, my first experience on a "behemoth."

 

We had an excellent group of Cruise Critic folks onboard, so although the ship was, to me, gigantic, I knew a lot of passengers. But I was troubled by the size of the ship, the inevitable impersonal tone, lines everywhere like for ice cream (they ran out of cones the 3rd day out) or lines to disembark for shore excursions. And Donald, this is where I step on your toes, but the unending azipod situations, the Millie sitting in Civitavecchia for days with a bent prop, the "rough as a cob" launch of Azamara’s Journey this year, caused me to make an easy decision to turn away from Celebrity and Mother RCI. I admire and understand you finding your "home away from home" and the comfort level thereof, but the RCI/Celebrity/Azamara ships are not for me.

 

One of my friends suggested that I might like Saga Cruises. The moment I stepped onboard Saga Ruby two years ago, I had come home. The level of service, the instant response to a problem, the management, and the food were spectacular and the ship was exactly what I wanted in exterior lines and configuration. It’s that intime atmosphere that appeals and the ship being 35 years old is a plus for me.

 

I hasten to add that for 26 days on Oceania last November, my experience was outstanding with a staff as well-trained and hospitable as Saga, but O’s ships are, in my book, fairly new and have that exterior appearance of an apartment building. I know balconies are the end-all, be-all in modern cruising, but it certainly spoils the classic lines of a ship.

 

There is something about the inevitable hurly-burly of a large ship that is off-putting to me. I realize that puts me in the minority, but now that I have a relationship with Saga cruises, and with Oceania being topnotch quality, when I choose to sail again, it will be on one of these lines. At this time, there is a whopping total of 5 ships to choose from and I couldn’t care less which of the ships I sail on. I seek quality, civility, and service, all of which are in abundance on these two cruise lines, any ship. I will always wish I could have survived a crossing on Titanic but, lacking that possibility, I have chosen my favourite ships.

 

Conte - please grade my paper. If I have made some errors about RVL, I would welcome your corrections.

 

Ruby

[dougnewmanatsea]

Ruby, I guess you sailed in all the RVL ships except the SUN (now PRINSENDAM)...

 

QUEEN was an interesting ship, a much smaller ship than the other RVL vessels, ordered by Seabourn as a sister to their existing two ships but was not taken up. Despite operating much larger, more traditional ships, RVL bought the incomplete ship after Kloster sold the Royal Viking name (and the SUN) to Cunard and then finally to Seabourn who originally ordered her and where she still is today. Keep in mind that this is all in the space of about four years...!

 

When Carnival bought Cunard a few years later, it was merged with already Carnival-owned Seabourn. Only QE2 and VISTAFJORD (renamed CARONIA and of course the current SAGA RUBY) were deemed suitable for the Cunard brand so off went SUN and the two Sea Goddesses to Seabourn. Thus SUN was back in the same fleet as the old QUEEN, now SEABOURN LEGEND. None of this worked as it meant Seabourn now had three ship sizes and styles of cruising, basically replicating most of Cunard's problems (too many different types of ship) so soon the SUN was gone and they went their separate ways again.

 

SAGAFJORD and VISTAFJORD were also nominally RVL ships once as together with ROYAL VIKING SUN Cunard created a division called "Cunard Royal Viking" from 1994-1997. Somewhere I have a brochure for SAGAFJORD's last cruise as such, the 1996 World Cruise (which was never completed as the ship had a fire en route) with the Cunard Royal Viking logo. Apparently the ships' crews were not thrilled at having become part of their old rival!

 

Anyhow, that's neither here nor there... What I really came here to say is that Saga fans should certainly take a look at this great illustrated ship tour of SAGA RUBY just published on my good friend Bart de Boer's web site ShipParade. As you can tell Bart quite liked the ship and like me he was very sad to be in the wrong age group for her :( ...

[Saga Ruby]

Sailaway is the Saga newsletter. The latest one has wonderful information about Saga Rose with this year being her 10th anniversary under the Saga flag (May 20, 1997).

 

There was a fireworks celebration outside the port of Civitavecchia then, upon her return approach to Southampton, a Sea-King helicopter carrying a Saga captain, Phillip Rentell, winched him down onto the ship to deliver a Daily Telegraph to Captain Neil Broomhall. I wish I could have seen that one!

 

This derring-do was followed by the Red Arrows which overflew the ship, putting on a fine aerobatic display for the passengers. Capt. Broomhall will have the watch on my Greenland Voyager cruise.

 

According to Sailaway, Saga Ruby was the last-ever passenger cruise ship built in Britain. She recently made a much-anticipated return to Tyneside, the location of Newcastle shipyards, and moored on the Tyne. "Retired shipwrights from Swan Hunter stepped aboard for the first time in more than three decades, giving thumbs’-up in approval of her fine condition 35 years later."

 

Saga Cruises will be on our side of The Pond at various times in the upcoming year, so if anyone would like to try an outstanding classic ship in a US port, please feel free to come aboard. If one needs a modern apartment-style cruise ship with the sleek lines of a shopping cart, FlowRiders, climbing walls, and multiple thousands of passengers, this cruise line is not for you. Sniff.

 

Ruby

[Kapricorn]

Ruby, I share your distaste for the new mega-ships. I'm not the slightest bit interested in cruising on any of these, as I don't want to sail on a floating city to get away from my city. I'm not even interested in a "fun-ship" - I want a comfortable cruising experience on which I can relax with a book and a drink.

 

I enjoyed a Panama Canal cruise on the old Rotterdam in 1989. Its 38,000 tons and classic ocean liner lines were splendid. In these days passengers knew how to relax on lounge chairs and enjoy the sea days. There were no obsessions to be kept busy and amused with a variety of daily activities.

 

Ruby, how long is the air travel from Dallas to Gatwick? How did you manage to get $300 deducted from the fare?

 

Andy, thanks for the link to Bart de Boer's site. What a fabulous ship the Saga Rose is! I don't blame Ruby for her devotion to Saga Cruises. Also, last week I received my first copy of Sea Lines, from the Ocean Liner Society. It was a delight to look through photographs from the recent past. Ladies were shown relaxing with needlepoint. I still see a few of them nowadays.

 

Conte Di Savoia, when were these tickets of legal size discontinued? I don't remember these. I still have my 1972 ticket for the Victoria and it's a quite compact document (see attachment).

 

Donald.

[Saga Ruby]

Gosh, that passage ticket on the Victoria is lovely. Thanks for showing it to us. I must be in my Saga mode, but the Victoria seems to have much the same profile as my Saga ships.

 

You and I agree about the concept of a voyage. I do not seek frenetic activity and I can entertain myself. Onboard a ship I like to read in a deck chair while I enjoy the hiss of the bow slicing through blue seas. To crank up the activity level, I stand at the rail and watch for marine life, perhaps socialize a bit, meander around. It is a leisurely pace.

 

About the airfare savings - if I read something once, I make a mental note. If I read the same fact in another area, my radar goes up. I heard on the wind that airlines will refund the difference between a purchase price and a sale price which appears after the original purchase, all of this dependent on having purchased directly from the airline on their dedicated website.

 

I paid $1,017 to American for my DFW/LGW roundtrip in April and thought it was expensive. I watched their website for months and suddenly, for 2 hours, saw a fare of $779. I called AA and they did, indeed, put a refund on my credit card. And I got to retain my favorite seat on the 777.

 

My flight time is 9 hours nonstop from DFW to Gatwick, then 10 hours back due to that beastly jet stream which should reverse course when I’m in the air. I'm still waiting for a Transporter Room to be invented.

 

Ruby

[Conte Di Savoia]

Passage Tickets.

Donald, I have tickets similar to the one you posted for Victoria. You inspired me to take a picture of the type which I mentioned earlier. This is one from a voyage on Leonardo Da Vinci from 1961. ItalianLineTicketCover and

PassageTicket.

The actual size of the opened ticket was 12"X8". My father had to sign the ticket to indicate that he agreed to all the terms and conditions. I have two tickets from 1961 and one from 1963. The ticket from CGT for our return voyage on France in 1963 was the standard airline size we are accustomed to. Apparently the French were more "modern" than the Italians who also downsized their tickets sometime after 1963.

 

Did you have favourite ships on which you regularly cruised?

 

As I mentioned early on in this thread I have always considered myself a refugee from the Italian Line. My favorite ships are long gone but I continue to travel through the watery desert looking for a home. I thought I had found one in Sitmar which was founded by Boris Vlasov who greatly admired and tried rather successfully to capture the spirit of the Italian Line. But shortly after I traveled with them they "sold out". We have had the good fortune to sail on SilverSea, the families' latest reincarnation of elegant travel. But I can't say that we travel on only one line to the exclusion of others. We have been on Galaxy twice and I mostly liked the Celebrity experience. Their ships have IMO among the most beautiful interiors utilizing art to create an elegant setting. Unlike many cruise ships today where art is a picture hanging on the wall, Celebrity understands that the entire wall should be art. As Ruby has pointed out, they do suffer from having this aboard megaships. I did not like seeing security guards in uniform patrolling the decks.

Onboard a ship I like to read in a deck chair while I enjoy the hiss of the bow slicing through blue seas.

Me too! And this is the one aspect of ocean travel which hasn't changed. I can find these spots even on megaships albeit with more difficulty. I'm not entirely against them. We have been on QM2 twice, each presenting a very different experience. In June of 06 we did a transatlantic crossing in Princess Grill. The service was exemplary and the atmosphere intimate. There was a mixed international complement of passengers that lent an authentic old time experience to the crossing. QM2 is not a perfect ship (probably only Normandie was that) but it does have the feel of a grand LARGE ocean liner more similar to the original Elizabeth and Mary than QE2. One has to decide if a particular trip from one end to the other is worth all the expenditure of time and energy. Our trip in May, a four day get-a-way to the Bahamas for the Memorial Day weekend, was entirely different from the crossing. We were in the Britannia where service was not to the Grill standard. The clientele was more metropolitan NYC. Cruises even on the same ship, differ widely.

[Saga Ruby]

Those passage tickets are loverly. I wish I had seen one and thanks for sending the photos. I assume that all the passengers who had to sign the contract to sail on the Italian line did so. Can you imagine someone balking? What a flawless condition - sign to sail or else.

 

Sadly, in this world of e-technology we know the passage tickets are going the way of the dodo bird. Oceania issues The Letter for boarding. The mass market lines are either using e-tickets or soon will be. Does the next generation of passengers show emails to their grandchildren with shore excursion information and passage tickets? [heavy sigh]

 

I agree about Celebrity having beautifully-appointed ships. When I first boarded in Barcelona, I was gobsmacked by the beauty of the reception area and other areas of the ship with wood inlays and other decorative art touches. As Conte has said, the problem with the behemoths is that you better be organized when leaving your cabin or you’re going to walk a quarter mile to retrieve that sunscreen.

 

About security - on Nautica last November from Istanbul to Singapore, we had the usual anonymous security guards but the word quickly got around that those physically fit guys who never spoke to us were Israeli security guards. They stood at the end of the gangway at each port, never looked directly at us but watched everyone. Some of the male passengers tried to engage the Israelis in conversation but no go. Those of us holding down deck chairs for hours on end watched the Israelis doing miles of brisk walks when the passengers were inside at other activities. I could guess they worked out in that marvelous onboard gym also.

 

When Somali fishing boats approached us outside the Suez Canal, the fishermen hailed the ship, then reached down to pull out something from under the "deck" of their motor boats. I was thinking about the Seabourn scenario but the fishermen held up strings of fish, showing broad smiles, waving. If one were aware, one would have noticed officers and the Israelis stationed around the Sun Deck with radios and binoculars and it felt good to see them quietly ready for action. In the Strait of Malacca west of Singapore, we had a similar scenario but much more threatening. At times like that, you appreciate topnotch bridge staff and security personnel onboard.

 

The point has been made about levels of passengers onboard and yes, I’m sure we all agree that the longer the cruise, the more amenable (or "civil," my favorite word) the passengers are. Perhaps that is why I sail further and farther out each year while seeking places I have not been.

 

In years past, we used to say that the more money paid for passage ticket, the better the English spoken by the crew. The dining room waiter can talk about food but not much else, the cabin attendants can discuss their area of expertise, but only a small percentage had broader language skills.

Having said that, I must say that my Rumanian and Tagalog are nonexistent. On Nautica, our passenger complement was 30% American, 30% Canadian, and 30% internationals, which I very much enjoyed. Hands across the border as it were.

 

Ruby

[Kapricorn]

Conte Di Savoia: Your Italian Line ticket cover is beautiful! I liked the flowing script of "First Class" - what an Italian flair! So, you were on the Leonardo da Vinci at the end of August 1961. My mother and I visited our Uncle Frank on the Leonardo da Vinci earlier that year, in February or March. Like you, Uncle Frank preferred Italian Line on the transatlantic routes. After that voyage, he sent me the attached photograph of him with a deck steward. I suppose that it was still cool in mid-Atlantic at that time of year.

 

Ruby: Was my passage ticket the first time that you had seen a picture of the Victoria? Yes, indeed, her profile is similar to the Saga sisters. The Victoria was 14,917 tons and 573 feet in length. However, I never felt penned in. With just 499 passengers aboard according to the passenger list, there was plenty of room for everyone.

 

I cruise mainly from the West Coast because I can't stand the idea of being cooped up in an airliner for long. I envy you, Ruby, for being willing to fly long distances to embark in exotic ports. Last year, I agreed to go with a friend to Boston for a New England/Canada cruise. We got on the plane in Vancouver, taxied out and then parked for an hour and a half while mechanics fixed an air pressure problem. Of course, we missed our connection in Toronto, where we waited three hours for the next flight (after five hours in the air from Vancouver). One hour to Boston, finally arriving late at night after a total of 11 1/2 hours of transit. I simply can't be bothered anymore. If this means that I end up cruising to Alaska, Hawaii or the Mexican Riviera 100 times, then so be it. The ship has become my destination.

 

This is why I am always interested in hearing from people who've cruised to exotic locations, so that I can participate vicariously.

 

Donald.

[Saga Ruby]

Ruby: Was my passage ticket the first time that you had seen a picture of the Victoria? Yes, indeed, her profile is similar to the Saga sisters. The Victoria was 14,917 tons and 573 feet in length. However, I never felt penned in. With just 499 passengers aboard according to the passenger list, there was plenty of room for everyone.Donald.

 

All you ship historians can groan but I did not know there was a Victoria which is why I was gobsmacked to see the NAL ships' similarities to Victoria. I know I'm letting down the side, but I am cruising for the itinerary and my above-stated requirements for a good cruise. I cannot tell you how many "stacks" a ship had, I cannot tell you flag colours, I'm just happy to be on a top quality cruise ship or liner. The only official song I can sing is the RVL sailaway song. Lyrics provided upon request. Harumph.

 

Speaking of Victoria and RVL - I found that 22,000gt plus/minus was a great ship size for my enjoyment. I was not pleased when RVL stuck a new midsection into her ships to increase passenger loads. But Uncle Frank looks quite happy and comfy in his teak deck chair.

 

Has anyone been in the Panama Canal when a car carrier was in the next lane over? The stupendous size of those carriers, the slabs of metal sides close enough to touch makes one awestruck in close proximity to these monsters. It reminds me of the massive cargo ships sailing along the coast of Egypt outside of the port of Safaga. In my cab returning to the ship, I spotted huge stacks of cargo containers presumably sailing by themselves half a mile away. It took awhile to distinguish the superstructure of the ship carrying them - quite a sight.

 

Donald, I have spent my entire adult life wanting to "see what's out there." I spent about 20 years assuring my friends that I would be fine traveling solo in strange lands. They finally gave up and wished me a good trip while presumably worrying silently about my safe return. Because of my wanderlust, I have accepted the 14-hour flight from Singapore or wherever plus numbers of hours in transit. Having said that, I think it is of primary importance that we suit ourselves after a long life of career, kids, toting the note, coming out comfortably on the other side. Obviously you are happy with your cruise line, your itineraries, your friends onboard. To you I say, "Bon voyage and bon chance."

 

Ruby

[Kapricorn]

Has anyone been in the Panama Canal when a car carrier was in the next lane over? The stupendous size of those carriers, the slabs of metal sides close enough to touch makes one awestruck in close proximity to these monsters.

 

I've been through the Panama Canal twice. My last time was in 2001 on NCL's Norwegian Sky, with my parents and oldest niece (with whom I shared a balcony cabin). I participated in some of the gym activities (just to "earn" a T-shirt, one being earned after 10 activities). One day we did an activity during a transit of one of the locks. The gym was along the upper side of the ship, beside large windows. It was hard for me not to be distracted by the sight of the enormous ships - especially container ships - in the next lane.

 

There was an elderly lady, in her late 70s or early 80s, who faithfully attended every gym activity. She sat by the windows with her needlepoint, and after it was her turn to participate, she would return to the seat and resume needlepointing. Before the end of the cruise, the husband-and-wife gym instructors commended her on her faithful attendance. She was collecting the free T-shirts for her grandchildren (of which she had three). I collected just one T-shirt (shame on me!!).

 

I say "never say never." I would consider flying to Europe and take two cruises at the same time - Mediterranean and North Sea. My two pet cats will be seven years old next September. It's possible that after they eventually go to the Great Catnip Cafe in the Sky I might take a cruise around South America or even a world cruise. Who knows?

 

I noticed that you joined CC on March 18, 2006, and I did ten days later. However, I didn't really participate in the message boards until February this year, after member Lois R asked for the name of the Martini Bar bartender on the Mercury, and I had been on that ship the previous week.

 

Regards,

Donald.