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LandC

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Everything posted by LandC

  1. We have sailed several times with Fred, but have now decided that Saga is a better fit for us. They have newer ships, better food and they offer inclusions such as drinks, tips, travel insurance and home transfers which cost extra with Fred. Some of the excursions (usually panoramic coach tours) are also included in the price. The biggest attraction is Saga’s pricing policy. We book as soon as cruises are advertised to get the best discount, with the assurance that if prices go down, we will not lose out. We also enjoy fly cruises which Saga do not currently offer, so we book with other cruise lines such as Noble Caledonia and Azamara, which have interesting itineraries. Fred has the advantage of sailing from some northern ports, as well as Southampton and Dover. They also (used to) offer some interesting fly cruises. If Fred can get their prices right the company could still survive.
  2. I’ve also just seen a post from Fred. Olsen on another site about this, saying they have only recently made the decision to sell. It will be interesting to see where they go from here.
  3. I agree. It will very disappointing if the library disappears, but if Saga don’t intend to restock the library they should say so.
  4. The January to March 2024 cruises are now available to book online, so Saga must have finished contacting everyone who pre-registered. I’m looking forward to receiving details of the April to December 2024 cruises - I do hope that there are some interesting itineraries!
  5. Perhaps I’m being naive, but I cannot understand why the Captain sailed into a storm which was forecast, when the safest option would have been to remain at the previous port until the storm blew over. Of course that would have meant disrupting the following cruise, but surely the safety of the passengers and crew is more important?
  6. We had a wonderful cruise to Australia and New Zealand on Azamara Journey in January 2020, just before the first lockdown. We liked the ship and found our fellow passengers (from all over the world) engaging. We also enjoy sailing with Noble Caledonia. The company has two small Renaissance ships - Hebridean Sky and Island Sky. Sailing on these ships is reminiscent of sailing on Swan Hellenic’s Minerva, and they have some interesting and unusual itineraries. We have no cruises booked with Fred at the moment - our last was on Bolette in July, and although the crew were excellent as ever, the food quality and variety had certainly deteriorated and bore no resemblance to the photos posted by twotravellersLondon. We were also about £500 worse off by booking early to take advantage of our Oceans discount. We haven’t ruled Fred out completely but will wait a couple of years before considering another booking.
  7. We had an early pick up time for our last cruise, and checked in at 1 pm. I hope you enjoy your cruise!
  8. Thanks Medeba. From looking at previous posts on this thread, I think you will probably need to pre-register for April - December cruises (see post #20). Or perhaps you could transfer your pre-registration fee? Probably best to check with Saga!
  9. Many thanks Denarius. The African ports look interesting. We have pre-registered for April to December 2024 so will wait and see what is on offer later in the year before booking. Hopefully we will hear from Saga before Christmas!
  10. Are there any interesting itineraries? (Apart from the usual Canaries and Fjords cruises). South America would be good 😊
  11. Has anyone who pre-registered for January to March 2024 cruises received an e-brochure from Saga today?
  12. Grateful if you could post here when you have the latest information!
  13. I think it depends on the length of the cruise. We booked a 15 night cruise and have been advised that we won’t be tested prior to embarkation, but for longer cruises testing may still be required. Best to check with Saga, as the situation may have changed.
  14. We’ve also received an invite to pre-register for 2024. If everyone who gets an invite decides to pre-register, it will take several weeks for Saga to contact everyone. Latest (unofficial) information is that Saga will start contacting those who pre-registered for January to March 2024 in November. At this rate, we don’t expect to be contacted to book April- December 2024 cruises until after Christmas!
  15. Fred. Olsen has special offers at various times of year. They may have a Black Friday sale next month. Suggest you read the thread Cruise Prices on this page for more information.
  16. That’s a huge price reduction twotravellerslondon. I would have been absolutely gutted if I’d booked at the original price. We were caught out earlier this year by booking early (see my posts #58 #68 and #70), and didn’t get any refund or increased OBS when we requested it. I think Fred needs to rethink it’s pricing policy or customers won’t return.
  17. I understand that Saga are offering a transfer to Contrasts of Scandinavia on May 21st, price matched with an extra 5% discount, for those who want a similar itinerary.
  18. Ivycottage, we have experienced this in previous years where cruises were cancelled due to COVID, or countries became unsafe to visit eg Black Sea. Usually Saga will offer you an incentive to book an alternative cruise, eg an extra discount. I suspect they are finalising/pricing the replacement cruise before they contact affected customers. Which cruise were you booked on?
  19. This is so confusing, even Customer Services staff haven’t been told that 2024 itineraries will be released in two phases. Saga should clarify when they intend to contact people who have pre-registered and post it on the website, then everyone will know where they are.
  20. Thanks for the information about live chat nosapphire. Saga need to Improve internal communications if they want customers to use this facility.
  21. My understanding is that if you live within 75 miles of the port you get a free private car. If you live between 76 to 250 miles it’s a free shared car. Over 250 miles there is usually a charge for excess miles.
  22. That’s interesting. When we pre-registered we got a letter stating April - 2024. Does your letter give a date? I hope you enjoy your cruise. Do post here if you find out any more information whilst on board.
  23. It sounds like the left hand doesn’t know what the right hand is doing, which doesn’t surprise me. The fact that people can pre-register separately for Jan - March and April - December 2024 indicates that Saga intend to release the Jan- March cruises first, but this could change of course.
  24. We’ve also pre-registered for April - December 2024 cruises. Saga phone people who have pre-registered before they publish the brochure, so it may not be made available to the general public until next year.
  25. I asked the Saga World Rep. about this when I was on board Adventure earlier this month. He said they hoped to release January to March 2024 cruises this October, followed by April to December 2024 cruises later this year.
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