Saga Cruises are one of the leading cruise lines to offer a service specifically for guests over the age of 50. If you didn’t already know, they offer both ocean and river cruising with two ships within their ocean fleet (Spirit of Discovery and Spirt of Adventure) as well as a river ship, Spirit of the Rhine.
Saga has revealed that they will be expanding their fleet by welcoming a brand new river ship, Spirit of the Danube. She will be the sister-ship of Spirit of the Rhine and will also be one of the greenest river ships you can sail on due to the latest engine technology to significantly reduce emissions.
With a design inspired by the culture and nature found along the Danube, guests will have access to a range of first-class facilities onboard the ship including a lounge, library, bar and two restaurants. One of the restaurants will serve a signature dish from celebrity chef Mark Sargeant, who will also join the ship on a number of cruises once it enters service.
The new ship will host a range of other celebrities on future cruises including TV presenter and natural historian Miranda Krestovnikoff, antique expert and regular on BBC’s Antiques Roadshow, Eric Knowles as well as the renowned horticulturalist, Sir Roddy Llewellyn
On the 10th February 2021, A keel-laying ceremony took place in Vahali’s shipyard in Serbia, which marks the official start of the construction of the ship. As per tradition, a lucky penny was laid and will become embedded into the first piece of hull marking the start of construction.
Commenting on the news, Saga Holidays CEO Chris Simmonds said: “Over the past few years, we’ve been focused on redefining river cruise range to provide a Saga designed experience for our guests. Spirit of the Danube joining the fleet marks an exciting milestone in this journey and we cannot wait until she joins her sister ship Spirit of the Rhine next year. Guests will be able to enjoy a range of first-class facilities and we cannot wait to show everything our latest ship has to offer.”
The ship will have a capacity for 190 guests on board when it departs on its inaugural cruise from Amsterdam. Future destinations guests will be able to explore from the ship include Budapest, Vienna, Rousse and Tulcea.
Once launched, Spirit of the Danube will join Saga’s first river cruise ship, the Spirit of the Rhine, which is currently preparing for its inaugural cruise in May this year.
The addition of the new ship comes as Saga announced that it would be mandatory for all guests to be fully vaccinated before travelling with the company. This decision was taken with the health and safety of customers as the number one priority. The new vaccination policy will be in addition to the detailed arrangements we have already put in place for when operations can restart. Click here to read more about Saga’s vaccination policy.
