Comparing Silver Whisper to Saga - Norwegian Fjords

[SaraSailing]

Okay, so it's my last day, but I'll add comments for each day. 

In February I sailed for the first time with Saga, on their not exactly successful voyage up and down Norway. Now I'm back on the Silver Whisper (my second favourite ship) for the Norwegian fjords.

What have they got in common?

• Door-to-door service: Saga include this in the standard fare and send a car - the driver is meant to have covid tested that morning (mine hadn't, of course, but luckily he tested negative too - 40 people were denied boarding because they, their partner or their driver tested positive at the port). Silversea charge something eye-watering, and make you book it yourself - this is because we're coming from all over the world, I guess. The Blacklane service we were given by SS was easy to book, flexible, great standard, nice driver. 
• All-inclusive. Saga fairly recently switched to including alcoholic drinks all day, not just with meals. It's part of what I like about properly all inclusive cruising, not having to show a pass or sign a recent, not having to think about the cost once on board. SS have been all-inclusive as long as I've known them, and the service is attentive (more so the Cunard, where I've had to beg to be able to buy a drink before). 
• Included tours - usually the "highlights of" which can get a bit same-y. This time I'm with my husband, and it's fair to say almost no included tour had wheelchair accessible transport. Most locations do have wheelchair lifts in some coaches, and the cruise company can ask for them if they know they are required. I don't think Saga or SS cover themselves in glory with this. But at least SS help my husband onto a tender in his chair (very quick and efficient), whereas Sage have the 40cm step test to be allowed on. Given the tenders are also lifeboats, I'm not sure what they intend to do with anyone who fails the step test in an emergency. 
• Laundrettes. Though on SS we have the 100+ day free laundry ticket. But, once you've travelled with easy access to washing clothes, it's hard to go back. 
• Direct booking. Saga is pretty slick in terms of handling phone calls, though trying to get a refund for money they owe me is still proving challenging - they also don't know much about details, for example they told us the cold weather jacket would be Gore-Tex, it turned out to be some nasty plastic, non-breathable thing, with a very cheap fleece underneath. SS's London office are having issues at the moment, and aren't providing their pre-covid level of service. 

 

What is different?

• Honestly, quite a lot. Not the price, though. For an equivalent suite, the pricing is pretty comparable. Though Saga stalwarts tell me you can get better prices if you book as soon as the brochure drops. 
• One thing that was really noticeable on Saga is the the head of Guest Relations sits in a public area, rather than hiding behind reception in an office. 
• For me, I'm always going to pick metal railings (SS) over glass partitions (Saga) on the balconies - the difference with what you can see is huge.
• Cabin range - Saga is all-balcony, even in the smallest cabin. Having outside space and easy access to fresh air is important to me. SS often put the reasonably priced accessible cabins down on deck 4, with no balcony. One reason why we'll still with the Shadow/Whisper for as long as we can. SS starts with a junior suite, and goes up from there. A quick glance at an accessible cabin on Saga showed their one clever feature was raising the balcony to the height of the door step, so it would be much easier to get out. SS tend to have double ramps, which are a struggle. 
• Spicy food. Whilst Saga tend towards fairly bland food on the whole, SS offer lots of spicy choices, and easy access to sambal olek for an extra kick. I'm not looking for ridiculous heat, but having some spicy options is nice. 

[SaraSailing]

Day 1, Copenhagen.

Easy transfer to airport with Blacklane (though disappointingly short distance included). The fee for this would have been three times what our normal drive costs, but nothing like as much as what we paid. 

Flights had been booked for us at 7am, which is a terrible time of day for us. I hadn't noticed, because I'm used to having my agent on top of things like this and communicating options well in advance. When I asked, I was told it was because the flights are included, we get the cheapest! Here's the thing. With good communication, we'd have paid a supplement for a later flight, or gone the night before and stayed in Copenhagen. So, I quickly booked the LHR T5 Sofitel for the night before. Which is fine, but getting up at 4am is never nice. (London always blame Miami, like they were different companies, not one seamless whole.)

As an aside, the food and service in the Sofitel restaurant is much better than you might expect. Reception, on the other hand were totally overwhelmed all evening, and housekeeping had taken their phone off the hook. 

Arriving in Copenhagen, the land agents again agreed that we'd requested (and triple confirmed confirmed) that we needed an accessible transfer. This means a coach with a lift, or simply a large people-carrier taxi. The coach wasn't accessible. The land agents looked flummoxed, and it was my husband who had to point out the large taxis, and ask SS to pay the (low) cost to the holding hotel.

At the holding hotel, there was an area for us to wait, and place to leave bags. We straightaway asked the new land agent if the transfer to the ship would be accessible. No. Could she organise a taxi like the one we arrived in? No, that would take her too long, apparently. Luckily, the SAS Radisson concierge was a good old school crossed keys man, and he sorted it all out. We took a short walk/roll around the centre of Copenhagen. When we left, the land agent did manage to tell our driver who would pay him when we arrived at the pier. 

Taxi driver was great, embarkation was super quick and efficient, and we were onboard in no time.

Saga's embarkation at Southampton was pretty good too, considering back in February everyone was having to pass a double covid test before being allowed out of the car.

 

From the plane window...

 

Copenhagen - i wish I knew why they come out upside down here!

 

 

Onboard

 

First sunset at sea

[forgap]

Thank you for posting!   Although we have never sailed with Saga, we will be on Whisper in August for our first SS cruise.  I am eager to read your impressions!  (And, I enjoy your writing style.)

[Silver Spectre]

Thanks for posting. If you are taking photos on a iPad (or iPhone I believe) there is a right and wrong way to take landscape photos for CC. Apple doesn’t care, but CC does, and their website just won’t fix it.

[SaraSailing]

On 5/31/2022 at 10:55 AM, forgap said:

Thank you for posting!   Although we have never sailed with Saga, we will be on Whisper in August for our first SS cruise.  I am eager to read your impressions!  (And, I enjoy your writing style.)

Hi,

Thank you - I am a poet, and I'm told it shows up even in my reports. I also have that terrible ability to see all sides, so I'm rarely adamant about anything for long!

I don't know which cruise you are doing in August, but they all look wonderful, and cover a lot of places we've been over the years.

So, first, congrats on picking the Whisper. The size is perfect. Something that SS (in my not so humble opinion) have not yet achieved on the bigger ships. Though I am being picky, and we will sail on them when it's the only suitable option. But most long term staff love the Shadow/Whisper sister ships best, and we do too. 

 

Here's my (totally unsolicited) advice:

1. Use your butler. As an aside, we actually started sailing with SS the year before the Stewards become butlers. Speak to your butler as soon as you can after finding your suite. Make sure your fridge is stocked with exactly what you want to drink. They know us now, so we always have a bottle of champagne, orange juice, cranberry juice, alcohol free beer, club soda, and a single can of Sprite. On the counter we keep still and sparkling water. Once your butler knows your preferences, it will happen by magic. The same for morning/evening routines: We like an early coffee, so we ask for two double espressos and a thermal jug of hot water to be snuck in at 6:30am while we sleep - then whatever time we wake, we can have hot coffee! And I love a sugar-free cocoa when I go to bed - so same routine, at turn-down, the butler leaves me a jug of cocoa and a jug of hot water, so I can mix them to what I want when we come in. 

2. Unless you are in a Silver Suite or above, find the free laundrettes. Knowing where they are and when they are busy makes life much easier. Before we hit the 'free-laundry' ticket, I used to nip in early for the short wash, flip it to dry during breakfast and collect it all before heading out for the day. 

3. On your first day explore everything and talk to everyone. Get to know the team structure and who's who. Ask all the questions. 

4. If you have food allergies, make sure to note something on the health info in advance. Then the first day there will be a time to meet the restaurant manager and exec chef to get the notes updated to be accurate. I'm allergic to most legumes, so I tick the 'lupin' allergy, as that is the closest. It's been helpful, as a lot of canapes have humus or green peas, and one of those could wreck me for days (from experience before I got careful).

5. Use the my.silversea site, if you haven't already. It's not great on some browsers, so if you have issues, log in first, then type https://my.silversea.com/mybookings/ in the browser to get to see your booking. You'll need to upload your covid vaccine pass (we do this once early to get it ticked off, then refresh just before we sail, because the UK pass is valid for 30 days). You can also pick pillows, bed configuration, link to other friends travelling, and book shore excursions and speciality dining. We're SUPER limited for accessible excursions, but when it is only transport related and important I do try to get it sorted. The Terrazza and Grill are free to book, and you should do both at least once. I love the Grill, and will generally book that two or three time - just steak (fish/tofu) that you cook on a hot rock on deck. The activities thing to book these isn't the slickest (my masters is in system interface design!) but one useful thing is that the formal dining nights are marked with a little bow tie. I'd always be in the main restaurant those nights, because I love to people watch - but if you hate the idea of dressing up a little bit, those are good nights to pick an alternative. It's good to do those things in advance. You'll also find your flight info and cruise ticket appear there. 

6. Do exactly what you want - if you lovely being crazy busy, do all the things. If you like sitting out back and watching the world go by, don't feel guilty about not going to a lecture. We mostly just go for a walk/roll in the area around the ship, and take time to slow down, enjoy the air, and listen to pod casts, use the gym, and relax.

If you have any questions, let me know!

[SaraSailing]

On 5/31/2022 at 1:15 PM, Silver Spectre said:

Thanks for posting. If you are taking photos on a iPad (or iPhone I believe) there is a right and wrong way to take landscape photos for CC. Apple doesn’t care, but CC does, and their website just won’t fix it.

Yeah, that was my guess. I suppose I just have to find out which way is 'up'!!!

[SaraSailing]

Day Two/Three. Oslo.

I haven't been to Oslo since I did a lot of work there, 25 years ago. So, I remembered the city centre, playing croquet on an island, visiting the viking ship museum (closed at the moment), and getting in the back door of a night club because my norwegian colleague convinced the bounce my friend was a famous drummer. But that's a long time ago!

We cruised in all morning, which was a lovely chance to look at the scenery and unwind after all the hassles of flights and transfers.

The ship was docked right opposite the opera house and Munch gallery. 

 You can walk on the sloping roof of the opera house, you can just about see people doing that from the ship. The tour from the ship (which my in-laws did) included seeing a little bit of rehearsal for the ballet Swan Lake, done in water. They said it was a fascinating tour. Just  walking past the outside you can see into the costume dept, and they have all kinds of things on show in the windows. 

The Munch gallery is another interesting building, with lots of looong steep escalators inside. Obviously, everyone wants to see The Scream, so they show one of the three they have each hour, and you can circle back to see which one is up. The gallery is very well laid out, with zones of different themes, so you can follow as much or as little as you like.

 

This is "Melancholy" which was probably my favourite. And there was a little set of selfie photos he took, when he was older. One whole room is copy of parts of Munch's house outside Oslo, which is interactive and quite fun. I don't have a huge tolerance for walking slowly, but we managed a good few floors. 

 

Here are a couple of views back to the ship from the opera house. One day I will learn to take photos the 'right' way up. 

Night two was the first formal (roughly one a week, we had two in our ten days). Slightly quiet because we overnighted in Oslo, so a few people took the opportunity to eat in the city centre. I love watching everyone dress up, though I know others will avoid formal nights at all costs. I like the little rituals, like the slightly posher pillow chocs. There was an exceptionally good pickled fish appetiser, which totally reminded me of the lunch buffet in my Oslo office. There is no official photographer taking pictures to sell back to you (phew), but my MiL managed to snap a few.

I'm not even sure how and why this filter go applied, but it's kinda arty!


And, I love a good sunset and lighthouse.

[forgap]

Lovely narrative so far!  Our cruise in August takes us from Tromso to Reykjavik with an additional 5 days in Iceland.  I appreciate your tips on what to do on boarding.  We tend to be private people and hate to impose so using the butler will be a challenge.  I really like the tip on sneaking coffee into the room.  Do they have French presses on board?  I’ll see if my husband can tolerate someone sneaking into the room while he sleeps!  
 

SS is flying us into Oslo for a charter to Tromso.  We overnight at the Raddison Blu.  I’m going to force myself to sleep on the trip across the pond so I can experience some of Oslo.  Pre pandemic there was a wonderful Munch exhibit in Paris so I would be very interested in seeing the museum.  Thank you for the tip!  
 

keep up the good work!  Love the pictures even the upside down ones!  

[Silver Spectre]

7 hours ago, SaraSailing said:

Yeah, that was my guess. I suppose I just have to find out which way is 'up'!!!

For the iPad have the camera button at the top.

[SaraSailing]

23 hours ago, forgap said:

Our cruise in August takes us from Tromso to Reykjavik with an additional 5 days in Iceland.  I appreciate your tips on what to do on boarding.  We tend to be private people and hate to impose so using the butler will be a challenge.  I really like the tip on sneaking coffee into the room.  Do they have French presses on board?  I’ll see if my husband can tolerate someone sneaking into the room while he sleeps!  
 

 

 Oh, I love Tromso. Arctic cathedral and cable car are walking distance (or local bus) from the town centre. So no need to do the official tour unless you want to. 

And 2019 we went around Iceland (then down to London). Lots of lovely small places to visit. 

Essentially, unless you are in a Silver Suite or above - they get pod coffee machines - you get coffee by ordering it. That's why my espresso and thermal jug of hot water works so well. Or you pop up to a lounge to order. At the moment, you use a phone in the Observation lounge to order from the pool area, or you can go to the Panorama lounge, or the pool during the day. But room service is free, 24-hours. I use my system because I don't like waiting (even though they are usually quick). 

On the Shadow, and the bigger ships, there is also an Arts Cafe. On the Shadow it's next door to my cabin, so I often pop out with my reusable cup. 

And, in terms of being private, your butler enables that - they can interface with everyone else on your behalf. And they love a challenge. Because of covid protocols, we had to get our temperature taken every morning - so we called our butler when we were up, and had a quick chat about the day. One thing we do often is get canapes before dinner in our cabin - you can get them in the bar and panorama lounge, but your butler will happily bring them to you. As we were with the in-laws, we invited them down to us, or we went up to them some nights. 

[SaraSailing]

Day 4, Kristiansand

 

I've never been here before, so it was something new. 

 

We were greeted by singers in traditional costume, right outside our balcony.

 

 

We explored the area around the cruise dock - which was mostly flat, rather than going further into the hilly old town.

 

A nice sunny day (despite those clouds) meant we got to enjoy the waterfront walk past the marinas, the old fort, and several parks. 

 

My mum sent me a message to say she remembered a funny sign in the port, which I found...

... in Norwegian, this means 'feeding the birds is forbidden'!

When we got back after a good length walk/push, our butler suggested he served canapes for us and the in-laws in our suite. He put a lot of effort into making it all look pretty - the sparse plate is because I'm allergic to hummus.

 

And, of course, another lighthouse as we sailed out. 

[SaraSailing]

Day 5: Bergen

 

Forgot to mention earlier, but I'd emailed the SS London office to let them know what a mess our transfers were in Copenhagen. So, on our second night in Oslo (day 3) we got a visit from the guest relations manager on the ship. A nice man called Duncan. He was very new to cruising, having come from the airlines. He'd been authorised to offer us an upgrade, as an apology.

Those of you who know about these things might have already twigged - there are only two wheelchair accessible suites on the ship, and they are mirror images of each other. We were already in the one that suits our needs best. So, perhaps offering an inaccessible suite as a way of making up for inaccessible transfers wasn't the brightest idea anyone has ever had!

We actually had a tour of all the suite classes on the Shadow one time. We can easily get in and out of each cabin, but only our suite and the one next door have a bathroom that can even be accessed in a wheelchair - the doors are ultra narrow, there's a high step in. the shower is too small for a wheelchair, there is a shelf under the basin where your knees need to go, etc. This could actually be changed really easily, and would probably make the bathrooms more modern and pleasant for everyone.

Anyway, the suite they were offering was the royal suite, at the front of deck 7. Fortunately, my in-laws loved it, and they were happy to take the upgrade on our behalf. After all, you can't really let an offer like that go begging, can you?

Their biggest concern was the effort of packing and unpacking. But Duncan explained that all they need do is lock valuables in the safe in their old cabin, and the butlers would do the move during dinner. That night we were at the hot rocks by the pool - by the time we got there, their suite number had shifted on the system. All they had to do was pop down to reception and pick up their new keys, then collect anything from the old suite in the morning. So smooth. SS butlers do amazing work. 

**

Another aside: Kristiansand has a small cruise port shopping area, in containers. The outdoor clothing is top quality at very low prices.

**

Anyway, back to day 5 in Bergen. It was my third visit, and my husband's second. And my FiL had been countless times, having worked in the oil industry. If you don't know it, it's a busy tourist town, with lots of shopping. The town centre is not far from the dock, although a lot of the more wobbly guests felt there should have been a shuttle bus. I'm sure that last time SS took us there, there was, but it was a while ago. 

When Saga took us, it was the beginning of the disasters - there were free 'tours' that went to a few places, and stopped in town - where a lot of people like to stay off for longer. Various buses lost passengers, drove off with bags still onboard, didn't make pickup points clear, and the Saga escorts had no idea of how many passengers they should have. It was also on one of these buses that a man travelled who tested positive for covid the next day (though he'd passed a test that day). And that was the start of the super spreader journey. 

This time it was a national holiday, and the port area was dominated by a huge fun fair. 

 

It's always fun to see what super cruisers are in town.

 

The wooden houses of Bryggen are gorgeous, and house lots of tourist shops - though my three favourites are the silver shop (all made by artists in Alta), a tiny shop up one of the wooden alleys that sells much cheaper jewellery and other souvenirs, and the shops to the end of the walk into the fish market with an excellent select of Dale of Norway clothing, as well as all the outdoor clothing you could want. You can reclaim tax on a lot of this.

 

There is a funicular railway up Mt Floyen, which we've never yet got on. In February I walked halfway up, before remembering it probably wasn't the best thing for an injury I'm carrying. But the views are worth the trip.

Then it was canapes in the royal suite. This suite has an extra entrance lobby, so it can be extended into the suite next door. But in itself it is huge. A kingsize bed in a massive bedroom, wardrobe bigger than the accessible one, a lobby with outdoor clothing closet and a guest loo, and a living room with double balcony, dining table and a bar. 

Cruise Mapper gives you an idea of the layout, though this is a mirror image.

And finally, sailed out to beautiful sunshine, a bit of a theme for the whole trip.

 

[forgap]

Your posts are getting me excited for our trip!  Quick question…when you have your expresso and hot water delivered, do you then make an Americano with your expresso shot, thus making a standard cup of coffee? 

[SaraSailing]

5 hours ago, forgap said:

Your posts are getting me excited for our trip!  Quick question…when you have your expresso and hot water delivered, do you then make an Americano with your expresso shot, thus making a standard cup of coffee? 

Yes, exactly. 🙂