Saga

[PETERC, ESUSSEX]

I would be interested to hear from anyone out there on their experiences with Saga cruises. In particular on their latest ship Saga Pearl II.

[coolcruiser, Wakefield]

The pearl 2 first came into service in 1982 and was operated as ASTOR by Saf Marine.The engines did not cope too well with rough seas and was later sold,since having ,many owners until being bought by saga in 2010.I can testify the Ship has an excellent layout ( and sailed on it when new.) and was completly refurbished by Saga.It is of classical design with only passenger capacity of 446 and 252 crew members.Saga have an excellent reputation and include many extras in the price,and is generally suited to older passengers.Much of the Dining onboard is waiter service and food very good.You will find a 96% satisfaction from previous passengers,and would expect the Ship to be good.Saga have gained top marks in all they do and have a reputation for caring for the elderley.

But as you look at Saga you must also consider Azamara a sister to Celebrity and RCCL is the parent company.Prices on both are very similar but Azmara gets the gong for me.

[cccruise, nottingham]

the prices of saga cruises seem to be quite higher than most other cruise lines,but some say they are an excellent cruise line,so cannot compare,as have not been on saga cruises

[arlene, Lincoln]

You also have to factor in free insurance, pick up from home and back to the port or airport, all gratuities, these are extras on most cruises, so Saga can work out about the same price as other cruise lines.

[cccruise, nottingham]

That is a good point,true you get what you pay for

[PETERC, ESUSSEX]

Thanks for info. Can anyone comment on any noise problem as I am a very light sleeper? We are on A deck and below Discovery lounge. This I believe is the main entertainment venue and I know on most cruise ships it is advisable to avoid proximity to theatres, due to performances and rehersals.

[Dancer, Bridgend]

This is the first time I have seen any mention of Saga on this website!
I had often thought they were a bit pricey, but taking into account all the perks - eg included insurance, home pick up etc, it is probably worth it. Anyway, I am going on Saga Pearl II in February to the Canaries. This particular cruise is also all-inclusive so I shall look forward to what is included.
Is anyone else booked on this cruise. I can't remember the number but it leaves Southampton on February 14th and is for two weeks

[Smee, Burntwood]

We have often looked at Saga cruises (in fact they keep sending me cruise brochures) but as already said I too always thought they were relatively expensive.
But there is some interesting information on this thread maybe I should look again..

[Motley Crew, Kendal 'ish']

We first cruised with Saga and after a while decided to try a different cruise line, although the alternative cruise line was initially cheaper, the bottom line was very nearly the same as the Saga cruise, but (and it is a very large but) the standard of food and service was nowhere near as good as Saga !

We're 'young' Saga cruisers, both in our 50's, we love the service and the relaxed style of Saga, one sitting for dinner, if you want anything, no problem, loads of staff to help etc. A lot of the oldies are more active than some people think and can be very interesting to chat to, I've had many an entertaining evening with some interesting characters.

Never had a problem with foul mouthed bad tempered idiots on board Saga ships who cant hold their drink either. There are an increasing number of 'younger' Saga customers who like us when we first sailed with them, are pretty impressed with the brand, not as much of the 'old fogey line' as people imagine.



As has been said elsewhere, you get what you pay for !

[rdw123, peterborough]

We first cruised with Saga and after a while decided to try a different cruise line, although the alternative cruise line was initially cheaper, the bottom line was very nearly the same as the Saga cruise, but (and it is a very large but) the standard of food and service was nowhere near as good as Saga !

We're 'young' Saga cruisers, both in our 50's, we love the service and the relaxed style of Saga, one sitting for dinner, if you want anything, no problem, loads of staff to help etc. A lot of the oldies are more active than some people think and can be very interesting to chat to, I've had many an entertaining evening with some interesting characters.

Never had a problem with foul mouthed bad tempered idiots on board Saga ships who cant hold their drink either. There are an increasing number of 'younger' Saga customers who like us when we first sailed with them, are pretty impressed with the brand, not as much of the 'old fogey line' as people imagine.



As has been said elsewhere, you get what you pay for !

I agree with you, you get what you pay for. We have cruised 5 times with Saga, 4 on Spirit of Adventure and 1 on Pearl 2. We found the food excellent with local dishes for the area served. Staff are also excellent, nothing too much trouble for them. We did prefer the Spirit though and were sad to see her go. A big plus is the car service from your front door with no hassle and also insurance and gratuities included, also no service charges included. We will sail with them again soon when an itinerary takes our fancy. As you say no lager louts and mostly very nice people.

[Dancer, Bridgend]

My last post on this thread was just before we went on our first Saga cruise, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Being picked up from home and brought back to our door at the end was a real treat! Also not having to worry about extras like insurance and gratuities was worth it. Being an all-inclusive cruise it was a real bonus. I hadexpected that the included drinks would be cheap 'house' rubbish, but it wa all good quality stuff. My husband is fussy about beer but was more than happy with the selection, and I was able to indulge my taste for brandy andd lemonade to my heart's content. I realise of course that most Saga cruises are not all-inclusive! The service on board was second to none, the food was excellent, and the entertainment was far superior to that we fund on a later P&O cruise! We will definitely go with Saga again!

[gardeners, bracknell]

My last post on this thread was just before we went on our first Saga cruise, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Being picked up from home and brought back to our door at the end was a real treat! Also not having to worry about extras like insurance and gratuities was worth it. Being an all-inclusive cruise it was a real bonus. I hadexpected that the included drinks would be cheap 'house' rubbish, but it wa all good quality stuff. My husband is fussy about beer but was more than happy with the selection, and I was able to indulge my taste for brandy andd lemonade to my heart's content. I realise of course that most Saga cruises are not all-inclusive! The service on board was second to none, the food was excellent, and the entertainment was far superior to that we fund on a later P&O cruise! We will definitely go with Saga again!

My wife and I joined Saga after two superb cruises with the ship Bolero, don't know the line, and Fred Olsens Braemar. Our first was a part world cruise and it was superb. We have done another world cruise and many others, even the Saga Saphire inaugural cruise which was aborted in Cartegena after many troubles. This did not detract from the enjoyment of the ship and its service. We received transport home and a full refund, quite a feat, and all offered without asking. That was their deal. Superb treatment, which is what you get with Saga.
We found the excursions were well handled, full of content, and very secure. I must add that as we are Gold Members, because of our many cruises with them, you get lovely perks. The crew tend to recognise you from the last time you were aboard, rather amazing if you miss a year.The entertainment is top class with a floor show as a must see. We will be joining the Saphire for the Emerald Isle cruise for my 80th. birthday and we will still shake a leg in the nightclub.
I could add whoo hoo Liz here.
Ta ra,
Alan

[Jocap, Cumbria]

We first cruised with Saga and after a while decided to try a different cruise line, although the alternative cruise line was initially cheaper, the bottom line was very nearly the same as the Saga cruise, but (and it is a very large but) the standard of food and service was nowhere near as good as Saga !

We're 'young' Saga cruisers, both in our 50's, we love the service and the relaxed style of Saga, one sitting for dinner, if you want anything, no problem, loads of staff to help etc. A lot of the oldies are more active than some people think and can be very interesting to chat to, I've had many an entertaining evening with some interesting characters.

Never had a problem with foul mouthed bad tempered idiots on board Saga ships who cant hold their drink either. There are an increasing number of 'younger' Saga customers who like us when we first sailed with them, are pretty impressed with the brand, not as much of the 'old fogey line' as people imagine.



As has been said elsewhere, you get what you pay for !

Is there any restriction on the free home travel?- I see you're also from Cumbria. I thought that the travel had various bands of distance.....do you make your own way, or is there travel for such as us?

[gardeners, bracknell]

Is there any restriction on the free home travel?- I see you're also from Cumbria. I thought that the travel had various bands of distance.....do you make your own way, or is there travel for such as us?

Jocap, I think Saga quote 250 miles. We are lucky, close to both Dover and Southampton. Ask them, they are quite good at answering your queries. And they do want bums on seats.
Ta ra,
Alan

[rdw123, peterborough]

Is there any restriction on the free home travel?- I see you're also from Cumbria. I thought that the travel had various bands of distance.....do you make your own way, or is there travel for such as us?

I think the car service is restricted to 250 miles. If you are over that you can pay the extra mileage or I believe you can fly or train down instead. They will lay on a car to get you across London for a small amount, or they used to. Much more civilised than humping luggage on the underground. We have used Saga for several long haul holidays and 5 cruises and never had a single problem.