david05

22 minutes ago, LondonLad60 said:

Although covid passes are no longer mandatory, I would take mine anyway, as at check in on my last Saga cruise back in June, there was random checking.

There is no longer any random checking at the port - in June covid passes were still required which is why they did some random checking.

9.30 pm except for formal nights when the show starts at 9.45 pm. Enjoy your cruise.

2 minutes ago, FatBoy20 said:

I suspect that the major problems with Saga using Southampton was cost & limited space for the Taxi drop off/pick up (300 plus vehicles each time).

But is Portsmouth any better for the taxi pick up? On the one occasion we used Portsmouth before the new terminal the taxi pick up was a lot worse than at Southampton which is why I am wondering what it is like with the new terminal in operation.

42 minutes ago, Cynthia Darch said:

Why did Saga move from Southampton where embarkation is so smooth

Cost? Does anyone know what it is like now getting to the taxi to take you home. When we exited the tent we had a long, difficult trek to our taxi, some of it uphill which was quite difficult for the trolley pushers!

^{^}Our Cruise Price Promise

Please note: This applies as long as the discounted holiday is the same package offered under the same terms of sale (which means the full terms that apply to your holiday contract, including your cabin grade and whether your cabin is allocated at the time of booking or at embarkation). Ad-hoc services are excluded. In calculating any possible saving due, we’ll take into consideration all offers and discounts that were applied at the time of booking and compare the overall price that you’ve been charged with the current price. We will pass on the value of the saving in the form of a higher-grade cabin, or other added value benefit.

This is what Saga say so it might trigger the price promise.

Dance instructors were on board our last cruise in June. 

7 minutes ago, nosapphire said:

 

We were on the Discovery in June this year, and the smoking area is the back of deck 11.

Which is also known as A deck.

Saga using letters and numbers for the decks has caused a lot of confusion - it was worse when the Discovery came onto service and the lifts and stairs signage used one version, and all the passenger paperwork used the other. Nobody knew where they were.

 

 

OK understand. On Discovery there is also another smoking area on one side of an upper deck (13 or 14?) and this was the only smoking area available available on our last Adventure cruise? The lack of a smoking area at the back annoyed the smokers as the upper deck was closed in bad weather, although one or two did duck under the tapes to get access to the open deck for a smoke.

10 hours ago, nosapphire said:

Saga have a dedicated smoking/vaping area on deck 11, outside at the rear.

Smoking/vaping is not allowed anywhere else.

This was true on Adventure but on a recent cruise on Discovery there was also a smoking area at the back of A deck (as was the case in the pre-covid days) but the smoke/smell was not noticable to us on the other rear open decks.

10 hours ago, Selbourne said:

On that note, can anyone confirm what Sagas policy is? I can’t remember if I’ve asked them. If they allow smoking on balconies I will need to get a refund of our pre-registration fees!

Saga do not allow smoking on balconies.

12 hours ago, Kinniegirl said:

Gibraltar, Syracuse (Sicily) Dubrovnik, Split, Cagliari,Lisbon

,could be useful and wonder then if dropped off to mooch after.

 

thanks everyone for your info would like hop  on and off tours that we’ve done in the past when it too hot to walk 

My memory of Lisbon is being stuck in endless traffic jams - much better to do your own thing, maybe take one of the tuk tuk tours (from outside the cruise terminal). We have not done any included tours in the other ports. If the ship is docked away from the town you can usually ask to be dropped off in town after the excursion, just make sure you know where the shuttle bus goes from to get back to the ship.

You will certainly find some people wearing shorts at breakfast on Saga. Most wear whatever they are going to wear during the day at breakfast.

Included excursions vary a lot but most are coach trips with photo stops but sometimes with a short break to have a bit of a stroll. Generally we have found the city based ones to be the worst and those which head into the countryside better. Which ports are you going to with included excursions?

Dover Castle, especially if you are an English Heritage member when it's free entry.

2 hours ago, Scorpio41 said:

Five cases is the maximum they can allocate to the booking. I’m assuming tricky box type thing. There isn’t a limit it’s just what the booking system will allow.
We take 4 cases, plus two carry on cases and crossbody bags for tickets, passports etc

Just let the driver know when they call.

It's important to let Saga know in advance because the drivers don't always ring beforehand. We had no phone call prior to our last 2 pickups.

1 hour ago, cruiserj1965 said:

Yes enough for everyone, certain times throughout the day will be popular and become fully book but there will always be availability at other times.

Whilst often the case, it is not always the case. Availability of transport may be a factor but I have known included excursions to be fully booked.

38 minutes ago, GerryL13 said:

It's not the talks that send me to sleep, it's the darkened room. I like that destination talks are also on replay in my cabin so I can watch anything I might have missed -- or want to review. 

 

PS I have not yet had the pleasure of hearing one of Hazel's talks.

You probably wouldn't fall asleep in one of Hazel's talks because they are so interesting. Hopefully you will get the opportunity to see her in action on a future cruise.

23 minutes ago, hjg20 said:

I was the Destination Speaker on this cruise. As we only had one sea day before reaching ports  I had to put 2 ports in each of my two slots. Those double talks lasted 45 minutes each so to say that I did 2 ports in a 20 minute talk is incorrect.

 

I also explained why we went to Sandnes rather than Stavanger. Saga added an extra included excursion from Sandnes to Stavanger so that you had the chance to visit there at no extra cost for the guests.

We watched the talks and can confirm this. Hazel's talks were, as always, useful and informative.

6 hours ago, Brummijam said:

On my first Saga trip Christmas and new year and curious to what is acceptable attire for dining/ evening wear for gents.  I don’t own a suit, I may be able to find a tie, Almost all of my clothes I would consider smart casual so what can I wear without fear of being ejected from the restaurants.😳😉

See post #146. You can always eat in the Grill with smart casual clothes on a formal night. For ladies a smart dress, or elegant blouse or top with trousers or skirt. For gentlemen a smart open neck shirt and trousers are required. A jacket is optional but no polo shirts, t-shirts, shorts or denim in the evening. You may find that most of the passengers will dress up for the Christmas and New Year evening meals but there will always be some who don't and don't expect to get a window seat in the Grill if you are dressed in smart casual!

2 hours ago, JoJo1947 said:

Back to backs we did last year  the MDR was not open at lunchtime . Only food available was the  Grill,Verandah and snacks in the Living Room . Unless after January when we came off SoD it's changed 🤔

It has. We arrived at Tilbury just before 12.30 on 22 June and were eating lunch in the Grand Dining Room before 1 pm and the same arrangement was in place for the following cruise.

On SoD the main dining room is open for lunch on embarkation day from noon until 1pm for back to back passengers and early arrivals. The buffet is sometimes open beyond 3.30pm if a late sailing.

21 hours ago, nosapphire said:

No idea if the paid-for excursions are also having every seat full or not.

The 2 we did with coach travel were full apart from a couple of seats at the very back. I think all of the tours on this cruise were pretty much fully booked, unlike some of the previous cruises we have done with Saga.

On SoD there is some sooty black spots but nothing like previously and the seat cushions in the secret garden don't show any signs of sooty discoloration, unlike previously when they had towels to put on the sears. Just need to be careful but nothing really to worry about.

On SoD there a library books but not as many as previously. Basically it is the bookshelves in the narrow part of the library and not the coffee station end. The usual mix of fiction and non-fiction and something of an eclectic mix - if you are interested in Scottish vernacular furniture they have just the book for you 😄. There are plenty of passenger exchange paperbacks along the wall where they had the computers in the library.

5 hours ago, Bloodaxe said:

 

Booking excursion, I believe we have to book even for the included ones.

Will we be notified when they are available book or will we have to keep checking in my Saga?.

You should be notified. We received an email and excursion booklet through the post about 7 weeks before the cruise but it doesn't harm to check MySaga from a couple of months out.

42 minutes ago, Mayflower1 said:

I hope this is not a stupid question but does the level of Car Service depend on the date of Booking - If a Private Car was the Service offered at the time of Booking does that level remain even though Saga may have subsequently amended their Offering ?

In general no. Whenever you book you can have the private car for a journey up to 75 miles and a shared car for 75 to 250/300 miles (which you can upgrade to a private car at a cost). In the initial post-covid period Saga extended the private car service to 250 miles in an effort to minimise risks and they withdrew this when they felt it was no longer necessary but this is the only time I am aware of when they changed the level post booking.