david05

I doubt it, at least not for the foreseeable future. A few years ago Saga did sound out people to see if there was sufficient interest to run another world cruise (they provided a proposed itinerary) but sadly they did not get enough take up and so it never went ahead.

I don't think I can add much to what others have said. My impression is that Saga have not cut back on their offering to the extent that some other cruise lines have. The cabin supplies are just as good as they have been in the past and the food is uniformly excellent. Although some of the seating inside is not as comfortable as it should be the public areas seem much more spacious than on many other ships. Whilst it is true that the best deals are available around the launch of the new season brochure, as long as you don't want the cheapest grades of standard cabin (deck E and maybe D), the discount for couples is generally around 20 to 30% for quite a while. (I can imagine the discount for the single cabins may fall quicker.) If you are prepared to take pot luck on a cabin you can often pick up a relatively good deal on a guarantee cabin quite close to sailing.

If it was just a design fault why was the soot problem on the recent SOA cruise so much worse than our previous cruises on both Adventure and Discovery?

I recall others have mentioned a soot problem, particularly at the back of the ship. Just got off the Spirit of Adventure and the soot problem was much worse than any previous cruise. Towels were provided at the Secret Garden as the chair cushions were getting so filthy but as well the railings at the back were often spotted with soot and if you touched them you came away with dirty hands or arms. The problem was not confined to the back of the ship as there were complaints sometimes about soot on the Lido deck (one swimmer said he got out of the pool covered in black spots). I hope Saga get this sorted out soon as it is not pleasant (a fairly senior officer blamed cheap fuel). I am happy to say, however, that the cruise was nevertheless very enjoyable.

Premium drinks are still being charged for and I suspect will be throughout the Christmas/New Year cruise on Adventure.

and no dance hosts which some of the ladies who like to dance are definitely missing.

We are on Adventure and perhaps they couldn't find any dance teachers who were happy to be away for 5 weeks over Christmas and the New Year. Breakfast buffet has reverted back to serve yourself this morning.

The model village is really good and we nearly missed it when wandering around the town. We did miss the lights though as we are on the Spirit of Adventure moored opposite Azura and backed out past you ahead of the switch on. Not sure how we ended up in the prime berth with no need for a shuttle bus as we were a late booking, having diverted from the planned call in the Azores to try and miss the worst of the weather.

Although it doesn't matter to us, I have just realised that there are still no dance teachers or dance hosts on board.

The crew no longer need to wear masks and very few are.

Cocktail parties are back! Still serving you in the buffet (and I'm happy with this continuing) and, of course, no books in the Library. Otherwise pretty much back to normal.

Same here - no brochure for 2024, just another for 2023 received by my wife today. Although I do all the bookings Saga like to send the brochures addressed to my wife 😀

Also no problem with Chrome, could it be your anti- software is throwing up the warning?

For an initial re-stock my local Waterstones has plenty of books (other book sellers are available!) 😀

There are still protocols regarding isolation if one person in a cabin tests positive and, of course, if testing or mask wearing is required by the country visited.

Saga say they will conduct "a health screening questionnaire for all guests prior to embarkation". My guess is that this will take place in the terminal as before rather than in the taxi but perhaps someone who has recently been on board can confirm.

Saga has confirmed for our cruise next month that, whilst they have a phased reduction in their onboard protocols, they continue not to carry books on board.

Depends on the availability of coaches, drivers, guides and, most importantly, how many are on the waitlist (ie whether it is viable to run another coach). Excursions based on rail or boat trips generally cannot add another departure.

As long as the something else does not result in less seating as the library is a popular spot for sitting in when the weather is not so good.

I had a feeling that the dummy books and art work that replaced the library books were stuck down on the shelves so it may not be just a case of easily removing and replacing the items (eg the shelving may need some work on them and perhaps replaced).

Oh I had forgotten the Christmas pud, we almost needed another bag for all the goodies!

Everything you mention except the main Christmas meal was in the evening and the same festive menu is (or was) served in all the restaurants, including the speciality restaurants. Entertainment may depend to some extent on the cruise director but on Adventure last Christmas the entertainment staff put on two hilarious pantomime in the Britannia lounge. Really enjoyed it.

When they are available "Shore Excursions" will appear on the left but also "Book excursions" under the "Other things for your trip" on the right. So as long as you keep an eye on your MySaga you should not miss out.

I think Saga are slowly getting back to having the excursions available about 10 weeks before. We are off in December and excursions were available to see and book about 7/8 weeks before the cruise. They became available on My Saga either the day before, or the day on which we received the excursion details through the post.

But at the same time P&O are saying claim on your insurance - if not on medical grounds what?