Saga Cruises

[PRINSENDAM]

Sunday-Monday (28-29 May) will be SAGA RUBY's maiden call in Brooklyn. It will also be the first time I've seen her since her Saga conversion.

 

Stay tuned for photos!

 

 

Doug,

 

Two weeks ago the RUBY anchored about a mile from my house here in bermuda. I 'borrowed' my brother's Boston whaler for half an hour to take some photos. She looked magnificent at anchor on a perfectly sunny Bermuda day!

 

Stephen

[Saga Ruby]

The best lines on a stationary object will always make it look like it is in motion. Ferraris, Lambos, the Roadrunner, Saga Ruby, or an excellent maritime artist's work.

 

When our bus was crawling down a vertical hill in Tromso, we rounded a curve and there was Saga Ruby, dancing in the dark blue water, tugging at her lines, wanting to get back to what she does so well - sail the ocean blue. But just seeing her parked at the pier was a magnificent sight. I was so proud to be walking back up her gangway.

 

In Bermuda, was Saga Ruby anchored offshore from St. George or Hamilton or tied up at the dock? I have always flown to Bermuda, never sailed there, and can't remember where the cruise ships dock. FYI - I like to stay at the Rosedon - love that place and hope it is still well-run.

 

Ruby

[PRINSENDAM]

The best lines on a stationary object will always make it look like it is in motion. Ferraris, Lambos, the Roadrunner, Saga Ruby, or an excellent maritime artist's work.

 

When our bus was crawling down a vertical hill in Tromso, we rounded a curve and there was Saga Ruby, dancing in the dark blue water, tugging at her lines, wanting to get back to what she does so well - sail the ocean blue. But just seeing her parked at the pier was a magnificent sight. I was so proud to be walking back up her gangway.

 

In Bermuda, was Saga Ruby anchored offshore from St. George or Hamilton or tied up at the dock? I have always flown to Bermuda, never sailed there, and can't remember where the cruise ships dock. FYI - I like to stay at the Rosedon - love that place and hope it is still well-run.

 

Ruby

 

Ruby,

 

I assume Rosedon is still well run. I stay at the family house here so have not much use for the hotels!

 

 

The day the RUBY was in port the deepwater berth at the dockyard was in use as was St Georges. She is too deep to enter Hamilton so she anchored in the Great Sound..... near Fort Scaur. Do you know the place?

 

For many years the best cruise I had ever made was in the VISTAFJORD. Later I switched my aliegance to the SAGAFJORD and HAL's magnificent ROTTERDAM. Three of the world's greatest ships to sail in! With ROTTERDAM now gone... or at least not sailing, I'm happy to return to the two former Norwegian sisters.

 

In my living room in Sydney I have a large painting.... mine naturally, of the SAGAFJORD in her original colours... with the old GRIPSHOLM off in the distance.

 

Best,

 

Stephen

[Saga Ruby]

I doubt this is the same fort where I visited the top of a windy hill and watched the most magnificent bagpipe band put on a show for us tourists at noon on a weekday. Businessmen took their lunch hour to come perform and I understand that, back in the 80s, they were the top such band in the world. I admired so much their skills and quality musicianship.

 

I somehow wound up in Bermuda every decade, starting in the 50s as a child. Memories consist of Patrick the Dolphin out in St. George, the antique carriage house, jumping off the public bus to see some ancient tortoises in the yard of perhaps the zoo, my chambered nautilus slice (shush! don't tell anybody!) which has pride of place on my piano, the Rosedon, learning the muni bus system because I don't look good on a Vespa.

 

I was quite surprised to hear that Saga Ruby is too deep for Hamilton. Is Hamilton that shallow or is Saga Ruby that deep a draft? Talking ships - I disembarked the original Island Princess (Sydney to Hong Kong) in '92, and was on the way to the hotel when I happened to glance back at the berth in Hong Kong. The Rotterdam had tied up beside the IP and that poor little Island Princess looked like a tub toy next to the giant Rotterdam.

 

The behemoths nowadays give me the willies and, after sailing the Constellation, I'm done. I do not find that a shoebox looks good floating on the sea. For this gal, it's small ships or nothing.

 

I'm keen to try the Saga Rose. And hope to find a home on Oceania. Anything over 50,000 grt is too big for me. I go on ships to sail, heavy weather or fair - rock climbing and ice skating on a ship offends me. Let's weigh anchor and see what's out there!

 

Having sailed the Greek Isles on Typaldos Lines' SS Acropolis, it put me off from booking passage on Greek ships. Those lifeboat davits had 22 coats of paint covering them and weren't going anywhere in an emergency. And the Stella Solaris was a similar situation. Am I being unfair?

 

Ruby

[Jinn]

Will someone who has sailed on both tell me how Saga compares with Silversea? Thanks

[PRINSENDAM]

Will someone who has sailed on both tell me how Saga compares with Silversea? Thanks

 

 

 

Jin,

 

I've visited the Silversea ship and have sailed with Saga many times.

 

The Saga ships are disadvantaged by their age... or is that advantage? I think the Saga ships are great but if you wanted a hard nosed comparison I would probabnly have to say that Silversea is the more upmarket product.

 

Both worth sailing with.

 

Stephen

[dougnewmanatsea]

I would probabnly have to say that Silversea is the more upmarket product.

Not to mention more expensive!

 

I think it is an "apples and oranges" comparison.

[Post Captain]

As previously mentioned, the Saga Ruby is currently (Memorial Day, 29 May 2006) berthed at the new cruise terminal in Brooklyn. I watched her come in yesterday, via a terricific webcam perched high on a building near Battery Park in Manhattan. For those who are interested, the camera can be accessed here:

 

http://

66.171.196.82:50000/CgiStart?page=Single&Direction=ZoomTele&Resolution=640x480&Quality=Clarity&RPeriod=3&Size=STD&PresetOperation=Move&Language=0

 

(You'll have to cut & paste this URL in a couple of steps.)

 

The camera pans around continually (great views of New York Harbor), so you may have to wait until it focuses on the Saga Ruby--or try adjusting the picture yourself via the controls on the left-hand side of the page.

 

She's in port until 9 o'clock this evening. I'm en route to New York shortly and hope to get a decent first-hand view of her.

 

Regards,

 

John

[dougnewmanatsea]

I had an absolutely delightful visit to SAGA RUBY today. She is every bit as great as everyone says! Of course she is not perfect, but she is very, very good.

 

She is a ship aboard which one instantly feels at home and it is very clear that both the crew and passengers have a tremendous amount of enthusiasm for this ship, as well as for SAGA ROSE which was spoken very kindly of as well. The member of the cruise staff who gave my small group a tour had been with Saga eight weeks and knew more about the ship than the masters of some other vessels I've been aboard. The tour itself was uncompromisingly thorough and an especially nice touch was that several vacant cabins were opened up for inspection (ranging from very nice to downright luxurious). I won't even start on the lunch which was quite extraordinary in both quantity and quality. The normal lunch menu looked quite nice but for their visitors they obviously decided that was not enough, and served us six courses!

 

This ship is the antithesis of "cheap" in every way. Everything about her screams quality, down to details like the carpeting, or the extraordinarily expensive-looking "passenger services directory" in the cabins (bound in very soft leather), or the generous portion of real caviar at lunch. Absolute quality, through and through.

 

Of course, there are faults... The decor could use a touch more color. The carpet in the theatre should be replaced. The art collection is poor (it's about the only thing that doesn't convey quality). And that's about it - I can't think of anything else negative to say. Oh, a ship like this deserves to have monogrammed silver in the dining room (she doesn't).

 

One thing that is very noticeable aboard this ship is the almost total absence of any on-board-revenue-extracting measures. The shop is so tiny, I actually had to look for it. There's no casino at all. I didn't hear one announcement all day long. The daily programme is almost completely devoid of advertising. Clearly, Saga's attitude is that when one has paid a substantial fare (and their fares are), one should not be accosted by pleas to spend more money. What a novel concept!

 

Most of the passengers I saw were, quite frankly, old but then they are the ones who stayed aboard, so perhaps the younger ones were ashore. At any rate, I have never seen a ship on a 34-day cruise where the passengers are not quite elderly, and I doubt the passenger mix would be much different even without the minimum age.

 

All in all, it was a thoroughly impressive experience. I had high expectations but even they were exceeded. I heard several people in our small group remark that this was probably the best ship visit they had ever had, and this is coming from people who have had dozens!

 

SAGA RUBY is like a vintage Bentley - timeless, uncompromising in quality, luxurious without being flashy... And utterly superior to modern copies. She is in absolutely sparkling condition and looks like she could have decades more life left in her. (I hope she does!)

 

I really can't say enough good things about this ship. If you are "of age", do yourself a favor and at least book a short "sampler" cruise aboard her or SAGA ROSE to "test the waters". I cannot imagine that you will be disappointed.

 

More tomorrow, with 100+ photos.

[carlmm]

Dough,

 

thank you for your review. I loved the ship when it sailed for Cunard. Hopefully the decades you want to give her will be there and I will be able to sail her again when I reach the minimum age. Or preferably, Saga allows younger people to board.

Or how about some other lines realizing that there are people, potential customers, out who would love to travel in this traditional style?

[PRINSENDAM]

Dough,

 

thank you for your review. I loved the ship when it sailed for Cunard. Hopefully the decades you want to give her will be there and I will be able to sail her again when I reach the minimum age. Or preferably, Saga allows younger people to board.

Or how about some other lines realizing that there are people, potential customers, out who would love to travel in this traditional style?

 

 

 

Carl,

 

Sometimes the joke on board Saga's ships is that if you mention the word 'children' the passangers will throw stones at you!

 

I don't see Saga lowering the age limit for passengers. That is not what they are all about but perhaps they could be convinced to send one of the ships out on a special cruise... and lower the age limit. I think the only way to do this would be to charter one of the ships for a cruise. This would be a possibility of you got one of the big agencies to take it on. You would only need to sell 250 to 300 berths to break even.

 

I would like to see the ROSE make a special Maritime Theme cruise. The ship could depart Southampton and then sail round to Liverpool, Belfast, Glasgow, Oslo, Kiel, Hamburg, Rotterdam, Antwerp and Le Havre. It would take about 17 days. Special days in port with visits to maritime museums etc etc.

 

Stephen

[Post Captain]

Doug, thanks for your report about your visit to the Saga Ruby. (And I'm looking forward to seeing your photos.) I must confess I'm envious! But then, as a just-barely-over-50, I already qualify as a prospective passenger;), although my first choice would probably be the Rose. Now all I need is the wherewithal.

 

Stephen's special maritime-theme cruise sounds ideal.

 

My wife & I saw her from Lower Manhattan. By the way, Pier 11 (a ferry wharf on the East River, just south of the South Street Seaport) makes a good vantage point from which to observe ships tied up at the Brooklyn terminal, especially with a pair of binoculars and/or a camera with a telephoto lens & tripod. The Staten Island ferry also afforded a fine view of her once we cleared Governor's Island.

 

Cheers,

 

John

[dougnewmanatsea]

Sometimes the joke on board Saga's ships is that if you mention the word 'children' the passangers will throw stones at you!

Well, these ships are not for children... I just take issue with their definition thereof ;) !

 

Other "adults only" ships have a minimum age of 18 or 21. I think that is a much more sensible definition of "children"!

 

Let's face it, there is something a little odd about a cruise line where most of the Captains are too young to be passengers in their own ships ;) !

 

They've already lowered the age to 21 on SPIRIT OF ADVENTURE - I know, she's a completely different product, but it's still a step in the right direction!

 

The member of the cruise staff who gave our tour (himself much too young to be a Saga passenger) noted that originally (before they had cruise ships), Saga was a company for over 65s. Then it became over 60s. Now it's over 50s.

 

How long before it's over 40s, over 30s, or over 10s ;) ?

 

Your "maritime theme cruise" sounds wonderful. I'm sure we could get 250 or 300 people together to do this - and imagine, a better than 1:1 passenger/crew ratio :) !

 

By the way, Pier 11 (a ferry wharf on the East River, just south of the South Street Seaport) makes a good vantage point from which to observe ships tied up at the Brooklyn terminal

Thanks, this is good to know!

 

On her next visit, in September, RUBY should be berthing in Manhattan.

 

It's a pity ROSE is not coming our way, as I'd love to visit her too. In some other port, I guess!

 

It would be an interesting comparison. ROSE has bigger cabins and a more dramatic dining room. She also is more original. The more-original spaces e.g. the Britannia Lounge look nicer aboard ROSE, but I think the less-original ones e.g. Club Polaris/PreView look better aboard RUBY.

 

I'd rather sail in ROSE, if only because she won't be around as long. But RUBY is a truly wonderful ship too.

[popcorngal]

So glad to find some fellow fans of the old Sagafjord and Vistafjord! I sailed on the Sagafjord with my parents back in '67 and '68 when I was a young teenager. We did the 30+ days to the Mediterranean and the next year the northern Europe route. She was a wonderful ship back then and it sounds like her beauty is still there. Like someone said, I would sell everything I own to do the world cruise on her! I have wonderful memories of these cruises, and like any red-blooded teenage girl, my time was often spent checking out the cute Norwegian crew! There weren't too many other kids my age onboard, so I had to keep my mind occupied somehow!;)

 

I'm anxious to hear any tidbits about these "jewels"!

[sagavista]

Super

[bcscot]

Thank you sagavista for bringing this thread up from the depths. I found it very interesting & entertaining. It was also very nice to read more of Saga Ruby's stories.

 

What a bonus having 'Prinsendam' come to visit. I have been admiring the beautiful nautical paintings on HAL ships for years. Does anyone know if they are for sale as prints? While sailing on the HAL Prinsendam this year, I was especially fond of a painting of the Prinsendam in the English Channel, with the very special little Scottish paddle steamer 'Waverley' in the background.

[Druke I]

Many of Stephen Card's paintings are available as prints, through the World Ocean and Cruise Liner Society; http://www.wocls.com

[bcscot]

Many of Stephen Card's paintings are available as prints, through the World Ocean and Cruise Liner Society; www.wocls.com

 

Thank you sir.

[hybrn8]

At least that was the joke going around when we were on the lovely Spirit of Adventure this summer. Sadly, many of the passengers were under the mistaken impression that the Spirt, like their other two ships, had a minimum age of 50 and were a bit put out by the presence of a couple - gasp in horror - 35 year olds!!! Give the Spirit a try - she's wonderfu!