New to Saga

[Windsurfboy]

The included excursions are all described as panoramic.  Ie two to three hours in a  coach with the odd very short photo stop. After our first cancelled them all

[ann141]

4 hours ago, Windsurfboy said:

The included excursions are all described as panoramic.  Ie two to three hours in a  coach with the odd very short photo stop. After our first cancelled them all

Some included excursions are better than others.The excursion from Sete in France was good and we had half an hour free time at Marseillan as well as a short stop in Sete. Others like Barcelona did just mean sitting on a coach 

On the Northern lights included excursion the tour to the North Cape was particularly good and we had quite a lot of free time so they do vary 

Edited June 27, 2023 by ann141
Missed something out

[Windsurfboy]

31 minutes ago, ann141 said:

Some included excursions are better than others.The excursion from Sete in France was good and we had half an hour free time at Marseillan as well as a short stop in Sete. Others like Barcelona did just mean sitting on a coach 

On the Northern lights included excursion the tour to the North Cape was particularly good and we had quite a lot of free time so they do vary 

 

You were lucky all the included excursions in our eastern Mediterranean cruise May 2022 were pure panoramic no free time out of coach. I only did one but reports from others were just as dire. Quite a few complaints. Perhaps they learnt from this.

[Jammy Bun]

22 hours ago, Windsurfboy said:

The included excursions are all described as panoramic.  Ie two to three hours in a  coach with the odd very short photo stop. After our first cancelled them all

Same here.  Dreadful.  

[Windsurfboy]

 

I tried to argue with Nigel Blanks that  if they only want to offer one included excursion per port they should offer different types at different ports to appeal to everyone , some purely panorama,  some with more free time, some say walking. His response was this would excude the less mobile.  He didn't understand my point that current panoramic excuded many people who hated sitting on coach for 3 hours. 

 

Perhaps they are changing, but once bitten twice shy will organise own excursions. .

 

Still not enough to stop us booking again with Saga, positives outweighs this one negative

 

 

Edited June 28, 2023 by Windsurfboy

[Harry Peterson]

I imagine it’s a matter of cost and age. Most of their passengers are probably OK with these arrangements, and Saga, with their serious debt problems, are reluctant to spend any more on alternatives. It probably also suits them very nicely when people don’t use the facility.

 

Personally - no way!

[JoJo1947]

What you need to remember its very good for the less mobile and I can't see anyone here considering this! It gives everyone a chance of a trip out. One day you might just appreciate this. I'm with Nigel Blanks 

[Windsurfboy]

59 minutes ago, JoJo1947 said:

What you need to remember its very good for the less mobile and I can't see anyone here considering this! It gives everyone a chance of a trip out. One day you might just appreciate this. I'm with Nigel Blanks 

 

I'm not saying that there shouldn't be the option of panoramic excursions at every port for those who need them. Just that all the included , free, excursions don't have to be panoramic 

[ann141]

My husband and I have no problems with mobility but appreciate the fact that some excursions are included.There are always other excursions to choose from or usually the option of exploring independently. Perhaps we have been lucky in that most of the included tours that we have chosen have included stops. However we always prefer to explore independently in cities as I hate being stuck in queues of traffic.One bad experience of an excursion doesn't mean they are all going to be similar - otherwise I would have given up after the included tour in Barcelona!

[JoJo1947]

1 hour ago, Windsurfboy said:

 

I'm not saying that there shouldn't be the option of panoramic excursions at every port for those who need them. Just that all the included , free, excursions don't have to be panoramic 

Then again everyone can do an included one as it stands .  We'd have to pay more for our cruise if they included more and I'm not willing to do that   There seems to be regular posters that moan a lot 

[Windsurfboy]

11 hours ago, JoJo1947 said:

Then again everyone can do an included one as it stands .  We'd have to pay more for our cruise if they included more and I'm not willing to do that   There seems to be regular posters that moan a lot 

 

If you want the cruise to be cheaper , then  no included excursions , cheaper for everyone. Only having one type of included excursion is the same as saying included wine but only red.

 

If you read what regular posters say we praise Saga much more than we moan. 

Edited June 29, 2023 by Windsurfboy

[nosapphire]

Just off the Discovery (Norway) and we took the 2 included excursions, which we knew were panoramic. The one in Bergen we were hopping off and on the coach for quick walkabouts to look at things, the one in Stavangar we were able to get off once for a photo stop.

We were fortunate to have good guides and good drivers for both, so they were quite interesting tours.

 

One thing that IS a problem, whereas Saga previously never filled the coach up, there were always half a dozen empty seats, on these every seat was occupied, which meant the panorama was not as good as it should be for those who got landed with a seat by a window pillar.

A full 51 seater coach is always going to have problems stopping in a position that allows everybody on the coach to even see what is being described, let alone photograph it.

 

No idea if the paid-for excursions are also having every seat full or not.

I would be quite happy for no included excursions, and no included drinks and a lower fare - but presumably included everything is what people want (or what Saga think people want) so that is what we get.

[JoJo1947]

16 hours ago, Windsurfboy said:

 

I'm not saying that there shouldn't be the option of panoramic excursions at every port for those who need them. Just that all the included , free, excursions don't have to be panoramic 

You're missing the point! 

[JoJo1947]

4 hours ago, Windsurfboy said:

 

If you want the cruise to be cheaper , then  no included excursions , cheaper for everyone. Only having one type of included excursion is the same as saying included wine but only red.

 

If you read what regular posters say we praise Saga much more than we moan. 

Where did I say I wanted the cruise to be cheaper 🙄 you're overthinking it😂

[Windsurfboy]

just a logical follow on from you saying more excursions  would make it dearer  which isnt necessarily true , unless by offering excursions many dont like they can save money.  You don't want it dearer by offering excursions others may like , so the collary to that for us others is make it cheaper by not offering excursions that only suit some, not us. Just like offering red wine only many would say best to offer no wine.

 

 

1 hour ago, JoJo1947 said:

Where did I say I wanted the cruise to be cheaper 🙄 you're overthinking it😂

[escrick]

I am a newbie to this topic.  My DH and I were on a Saga cruise last year.  We had the option for paying for another excursion other than the panoramic. The extra charge made a lot of sense.  Such optional tours are more expensive for Saga. I think it is wonderful that Saga gives us choices.

 

 

 

[lincslady]

Included tours are a recent addition, and I think Saga should be given time to find out how they work.  To my mind, overview coach trips are fine for quite a few people, and those who need more should be able to book and pay for them.  Or sort them out for themselves before boarding.

[Windsurfboy]

37 minutes ago, escrick said:

I am a newbie to this topic.  My DH and I were on a Saga cruise last year.  We had the option for paying for another excursion other than the panoramic. The extra charge made a lot of sense.  Such optional tours are more expensive for Saga. I think it is wonderful that Saga gives us choices.

 

 

 

 

3 minutes ago, lincslady said:

Included tours are a recent addition, and I think Saga should be given time to find out how they work.  To my mind, overview coach trips are fine for quite a few people, and those who need more should be able to book and pay for them.  Or sort them out for themselves before boarding.

 

If the extra charge only reflects any additional cost then that's fine. But comparing Saga excursions to other cruise lines, that doesn't seem to be the case, they are of similiar prices

 

As I said earlier this one aspect doesn't anywhere near outweigh all the other positives of Saga. On other cruise lines never use excursions book privately. Just found Saga inclusive tours to be a disappointment. Whilst every other aspect of Saga exceeded my expectations. 

[jsforum]

Just returned from Norway on the SoD - Excursion availabiliy and service prior to cruise was a disappointment. In Bergen the included excursion was ok. We never strayed very far from the ship. Multiple stops / walkabouts and short but helpful explanations. Next time I would do own thing as Bergen is so compact

 

Olden was booked up solid for the activities suitable for my party that included  80 plus participants. Saga customer service asked me to be patient but never followed up with a solution. However, on the day we booked exactly the same tour with the same operator for 30% less than Saga, on a bus with 12 Saga refugees all having had a similar experience. This tour was excellent as smaller groups are much better.

 

In Alesund we had an optional overview tour. It would have been 50 quid a ticket but Saga never charged us presumably because it was dreadful and everyone complained.

The tour guide's vocabulary came from the sewer.Her points of interest were aligned to her own interests rather than what you reasonably expect. Highlights included the car park of the local aquarium, a 3.5km road tunnel - yes we went through it then immediately round a roundabout and back through it again, and the burned out shell of a house where the owners had had a domestic,The view from the top of the hill and short walkabout were good.As it fell so wide of the mark its good to know Saga did the honourable thing.

 

In Stavenger we did the included bus to the city and 3 hour walkabout. Why Saga changed the itinerary and docked at Sandnes instead of Stavenger we will never know. lIs a bit like budget airlines using a bus to the stand rather than boarding directly from the gate. Sandnes is a desolate place, but Costa were moored in Stanvenger harbour. 

 

Saga do talks to educate you about your destination. These were good albeit brief 20 minutes talks. 2 stops covered in each lecture. It was possible to view these in the cabin on the video on demand service. The televisions had a tendency to freeze so not very practical. 

 

The cruise Director and guest facing officers were practically invisible. The cruise director was especially poor. Apart from the odd brief appearance on the stage at the big events, I never once saw him engaging with passengers.

 

I would rate Saga 6 out of 10 for excursions. I am new to Cruising and if I go again will do my own thing. Saga do many things well but excursions are not one of them.

 

  

Edited June 30, 2023 by jsforum
grammar

[david05]

21 hours ago, nosapphire said:

No idea if the paid-for excursions are also having every seat full or not.

The 2 we did with coach travel were full apart from a couple of seats at the very back. I think all of the tours on this cruise were pretty much fully booked, unlike some of the previous cruises we have done with Saga.

[nosapphire]

34 minutes ago, david05 said:

The 2 we did with coach travel were full apart from a couple of seats at the very back. I think all of the tours on this cruise were pretty much fully booked, unlike some of the previous cruises we have done with Saga.

Seems that Saga must be changing policy/saving money.

Previously, even on fully booked tours, the coaches were never totally filled; there were always about half-a-dozen empty seats on each coach, which meant that nobody got stuck next to a window pillar with limited view.

Filling every single seat on a coach would be fine if the coach is just a transfer from the ship to the excursion, but doing it on a panoramic/scenic tour is a little bit mean.

[Ladycommonsense]

Slightly off topic again …. I am picking up D from several of the contributors on this site that if one gets to the ship at say 3 or 4 o’clock there will be no lunch available in the main dining room. If this is the case, I presume that there will still be lunch available in the buffet or somewhere else. Can someone please advise on this? 

[FatBoy20]

As far as I am aware only the Buffet is open on Embarkation Day & closes around 3.30pm so as Muster can take place.

[nosapphire]

As FatBoy20 says, the buffet is open for lunch from 13:00 to 15:30 on embarkation day, after this everybody has to prepare for muster drill which commences about 16:15-16:30, so I imagine even the snacks in the Living Room will be closed.

Dinner starts at 18:30, so if (as we did) you arrive on ship too late for lunch, it  gives a better appetite for dinner.

 

[LondonLad60]

3 minutes ago, nosapphire said:

As FatBoy20 says, the buffet is open for lunch from 13:00 to 15:30 on embarkation day, after this everybody has to prepare for muster drill which commences about 16:15-16:30, so I imagine even the snacks in the Living Room will be closed.

Dinner starts at 18:30, so if (as we did) you arrive on ship too late for lunch, it  gives a better appetite for dinner.

 

I find two or three pre-dinner gin & tonics give me an even better appetite...