Covid restrictions - which have been lifted and which remain?

[BestGuessed]

My husband and I will be cruising onboard Spirit of Adventure in July and I have been following this thread since Denarius very kindly started it over a month ago.

It is quite a while since the last person posted,  so please could anyone currently cruising on one of the Saga ships or who has recently returned from a Saga cruise give some feedback about the onboard protocols at the present time?  

 

From what I have been reading on other boards it seems that some cruise lines are now relaxing many of the restrictions but it appears that Saga have yet to adopt this stance so any accurate information about what is currently happening onboard would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you in advance.

[Windsurfboy]

Nothing seems to have changed. Still wear masks when walking, but not when sitting down . Except in theatre.

 

Testing for first 5 days.

 

test and trace in operation, but now no routine mass testing after day 5.

 

Library no books,  no bridge or card games organised.

 

No other restrictions.

 

1 crew member , no passengers tested positive on eastern med cruise one week in.

[nooosey]

We were on SOA in January, there was no  testing for the first five days, is this new since we were last onboard?
Also how are they doing the test and trace? Other lines have been giving out watch bands or pendants, again I cannot remember using one in January.

We are booked to cruise SOA again in June so interested to hear about changes to their Covid procedures.

[Denarius]

19 hours ago, Windsurfboy said:

Nothing seems to have changed. Still wear masks when walking, but not when sitting down . Except in theatre.

 

Testing for first 5 days.

 

test and trace in operation, but now no routine mass testing after day 5.

 

Library no books,  no bridge or card games organised.

 

No other restrictions.

 

1 crew member , no passengers tested positive on eastern med cruise one week in.

This represents some relaxation since I was on SofA 2 months ago. Masks had to be worn inside the ship at all times apart from whilst eating or drinking, although you were permitted to remain unmuzzled between courses in the restaurants. Hoping that things get a little more like normal before I sail on SofD in late July.

[BestGuessed]

Thank you to everyone who is posting comments here.  
Nooosey please will you let us know what has or hasn’t changed when you are onboard in June  … what date is your cruise?  

We will be on the 8th July Melodies of Ireland sailing and we will happily post updates regarding protocols when we are on board.
What date are you sailing Denarius … Is yours the cruise following ours leaving Southampton on19th July?

Anyone who can provide current information, please continue to keep this thread active as all contributions are very gratefully received !!   Thank you 

[nooosey]

Hi BestGuessed,

We are on June 22nd, Scandinavia, that's the one before Melodies. I will post any relevant changes in protocols once into the cruise.

[BestGuessed]

Thank you Nooosey that is very much appreciated 👍🏻😁

[Denarius]

3 hours ago, BestGuessed said:

Thank you to everyone who is posting comments here.  
Nooosey please will you let us know what has or hasn’t changed when you are onboard in June  … what date is your cruise?  

We will be on the 8th July Melodies of Ireland sailing and we will happily post updates regarding protocols when we are on board.
What date are you sailing Denarius … Is yours the cruise following ours leaving Southampton on19th July?

Anyone who can provide current information, please continue to keep this thread active as all contributions are very gratefully received !!   Thank you 

31 July, to the Baltic.

[Janet-]

Are private transfers still being offered or have June sailings reverted to shared cars?

 

 

[david05]

Line dancing fans may also wish to know that masks are still required for line dancing on SoA (no masks needed for ballroom dancing). Sadly another passenger has recently tested positive for covid and even more sadly a few passengers deemed to be close contacts are also self-isolating.

[Tothesunset]

Small point: Are masks available on board or do we need to bring our own? 

[nooosey]

Janet,

I think we will be getting a shared can in June, we are just a bit over the 250 miles coming from North Yorkshire, managed to persuade Saga rep not to charge us extra!

[Denarius]

4 hours ago, Tothesunset said:

Small point: Are masks available on board or do we need to bring our own? 

When I sailed on SofA in late March there was a pack of face masks in my cabin, together with a pocket sized bottle of hand sanitiser (there was a larger bottle on the cabin table) and a pair of surgical gloves (purpose of which uncertain!) I was a single passenger, I assume that a couple got more. If you wanted more face masks, they were available free of charge at reception.

[Windsurfboy]

Contact trace done by taking cabin numbers and seat numbers manually , in restaurants, theatre and coaches. No tracing in bars as far as I can see.

 

We are avoiding coach trips.

[Windsurfboy]

It doesnt spoil cruise , unless you are unlucky enough to be a contact.

 

One new case yesterday and their contacts put in isolation. 

 

Only using half main dining rom for breakfast.  We have table for 2 , but if we were quarantined because table near us ,  when half dining room empty would be more than annoyed, would amount to negligence on Saga's behalf.

Edited May 31, 2022 by Windsurfboy

[Janet-]

Thank you Nooosey

 

I was hoping Saga would continue with private cars. Lets hope no more drivers test positive, or indeed, any of the passengers and crew but I don't think that's going to happen.

[david05]

3 hours ago, Denarius said:

When I sailed on SofA in late March there was a pack of face masks in my cabin, together with a pocket sized bottle of hand sanitiser (there was a larger bottle on the cabin table) and a pair of surgical gloves (purpose of which uncertain!) I was a single passenger, I assume that a couple got more. If you wanted more face masks, they were available free of charge at reception.

Face masks etc are still provided but the larger bottle of sanitiser is no longer in the cabin but was never really needed.

[nooosey]

4 hours ago, Windsurfboy said:

Contact trace done by taking cabin numbers and seat numbers manually , in restaurants, theatre and coaches. No tracing in bars as far as I can see.

 

We are avoiding coach trips.

Yes in January they recorded where everyone sat in the Theatre, they gave and recorded table numbers in the buffet and when drinking in bars they recorded the order, perhaps they also recorded the table number. When on tours I think they recorded where you were sat on the coaches. It was nice that they allowed crew members like cleaners or laundry staff to accompany the tours, it gave them a chance to leave the ship and also meet and speak to guests. They always came round with toffees!

Windsurfboy, are they testing only on embarkation or are they also doing it for the first five days?

Thanks for taking the time to post here.

[Windsurfboy]

Tested on embarkation and next 5 sea days 

[JoJo1947]

On 5/31/2022 at 7:28 AM, Tothesunset said:

Small point: Are masks available on board or do we need to bring our own? 

They are provided in your cabin 

 

[twotravellersLondon]

 

A letter dated 7 June has gone out from SAGA to clients who will soon cruise. 

 

To board the ship we will only need a negative Lateral Flow Test which will be administered in our car by the SAGA medical team on arrival and evidence that we've had both vaccines and a booster shot at least 14 days before.

 

The use of face-masks on board is optional but recommended. Staff will wear masks.

 

Social distancing restrictions will be lifted.

 

The only people required to self-isolate are those who have tested positive.

 

So in the words of Bob Marley...

 

"Don't worry about a thing, Cause every little thing gonna be all right!"

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Portplush]

Thank you for posting the update, we are sailing in September and pleased to read that restrictions are easing.   Does anyone know if the taxi driver still has a LFT when we arrive at the port.

Thank you

[twotravellersLondon]

6 minutes ago, Portplush said:

Thank you for posting the update, we are sailing in September and pleased to read that restrictions are easing.   Does anyone know if the taxi driver still has a LFT when we arrive at the port.

Thank you

 At the moment they do.

[jh1809]

3 hours ago, Portplush said:

Thank you for posting the update, we are sailing in September and pleased to read that restrictions are easing.   Does anyone know if the taxi driver still has a LFT when we arrive at the port.

Thank you

It's not mentioned in the 7th June letter.

 

There will still be no books in the library and the PCs will not be available, which is a pity.

[twotravellersLondon]

36 minutes ago, jh1809 said:

It's not mentioned in the 7th June letter.

 

 It is...  in the accompanying Essential Information...

 

EMBARKATION "Should the medical screening indicate a positive test result from you or anybody else in your vehicle, or any other medical concern which would prevent you from sailing, your cruise will be postponed..."

 

Page 1, section 3.

 

As SAGA has suggested... we will take our own books and a laptop.