P&O Cruiser does a Saga Cruise

[lincslady]

Just to say that tables for two on Seabourn and Regent ships are spaced pretty much like the photo of Sindhu in post 93.  Near enough to say good evening, and follow up if you want to, but not  necessary if you don't, without seeming at all rude.

[Windsurfboy]

That solves it. If space matters go for Seabourn or Regent

[Windsurfboy]

Our problem is we liked the old club table ,but not the 6.00 or 8.30  one too early other too late and nowadays unfortunately food quality  pushes us  to speciality.

 

We also like Cunard QG where you get to know neighbouring tables.

 

Saga fixed table is a bit of pot luck, sometimes two or three fixed tables are near each other and you get to know neighbours. Other times it new neighbours each night.

 

 

[FatBoy20]

1 hour ago, Windsurfboy said:

Our problem is we liked the old club table ,but not the 6.00 or 8.30  one too early other too late and nowadays unfortunately food quality  pushes us  to speciality.

 

We also like Cunard QG where you get to know neighbouring tables.

 

Saga fixed table is a bit of pot luck, sometimes two or three fixed tables are near each other and you get to know neighbours. Other times it new neighbours each night.

 

 

Some of the Saga tables for 2 are well spaced.

[kalos]

1 hour ago, FatBoy20 said:

Some of the Saga tables for 2 are well spaced.

                 

[Denarius]

The table for two saga (no pun intended) certainly has legs. Having been away from the boards for a week - river cruise with Riviera - I am surprised that it is still running. However ...tables for two on my Riviera ship were few and those that did exist were as closely spaced as those on the Saga ships.

As an earlier poster correctly stated, shared tables have always been the norm in the cruise industry. With only a limited ammount of onboard space to play with a decision has to be made on how to allocate it. Do you provide lots of well spaced tables for two in the restaurants, with correspondingly less space available elsewhere for other activities? Or do you focus on shared tables which take up less space per diner, and use the space saved for larger or additional facilities elsewhere. Most cruise lines appear to have taken the latter approach and I suspect that the majority of cruisers would agree with them.

Edited September 4, 2023 by Denarius

[Dermotsgirl]

13 hours ago, Denarius said:

The table for two saga (no pun intended) certainly has legs. Having been away from the boards for a week - river cruise with Riviera - I am surprised that it is still running. However ...tables for two on my Riviera ship were few and those that did exist were as closely spaced as those on the Saga ships.

As an earlier poster correctly stated, shared tables have always been the norm in the cruise industry. With only a limited ammount of onboard space to play with a decision has to be made on how to allocate it. Do you provide lots of well spaced tables for two in the restaurants, with correspondingly less space available elsewhere for other activities? Or do you focus on shared tables which take up less space per diner, and use the space saved for larger or additional facilities elsewhere. Most cruise lines appear to have taken the latter approach and I suspect that the majority of cruisers would agree with them.

As there had been no activity on this thread since Friday, I thought it had run it’s course, but as you have revived it, it gives me the opportunity to add some further thoughts.

 

I’ve been cruising since 2001, mostly with P&O, but also with Fred and CMV. During those 35+ cruises, I’ve never felt so worried about dining as I did on my recent Saga cruise.

 

There are various reasons for this.

 

On my other cruises, I always had the autonomy to sit where I pleased for breakfast and lunch. I felt I did not have this on my Saga cruise. 
 

In the days of solely club dining, we used to book on the day that the cruise was released, and often used to secure our required table for two. On the occasions where we were allocated a larger table, I just accepted it - it wasn’t what I really wanted, but it was an ok price to pay for the overall experience. 
 

However, freedom dining came along, and I eagerly embraced this, as we could have a table for two for dinner anytime we wanted.

 

Some tables for two are better than others. But, until this Saga cruise I’ve never been placed in a set up where tables for two were placed quite literally an inch apart. It was really a 4 seater table masquerading as two 2 seater tables. In the other dining situations I’ve been in on cruise ships, even though the 2 seater tables may sometimes has been close by, they were still far enough apart for you to just acknowledge your neighbours, but not to have to carry on a conversation if you didn’t want it. In the Saga set up that I’ve described, it would have been plain weird not to talk to your neighbours, and it made me feel uncomfortable, because I didn’t want the interaction.

 

That brings me to another point - the older I have got, the less tolerance I have for doing things that I don’t want to do. 
 

Interesting point you make about space. I thought the craft area and the card room, both only used for a couple of hours a day were a waste of space.

 

As tables for two are very popular, I can’t help thinking that you are underestimating cruiser’s desire for a personal dining space.

 

I already have another Saga cruise booked for May, and intend to do things differently, to see if I can make the experience more to my liking. However, if it’s too much hassle, or I can’t make it better, I will just have to accept that Saga is not for me and move on. Which would be a shame, as I liked everything else that I experienced.

 

I booked my upcoming cruise at the end of March this year.  I noticed yesterday that the price per person had gone up  by about a £1000 per person.  Even if I found the Saga experience to be completely perfect, I’d baulk at paying the current asking price. A cruise isn’t THAT important to me any more 

[silversurf]

If you book when cruises are first released you can get up to 35% off.

The closer to cruise date or more popular the cruise, the less discount you get. Hence prices appear to go up considerably.

Really close to cruise date you can only get a guaranteed cabin (It could be anywhere on the ship). This is a little cheaper, but not that much.

[david05]

2 hours ago, Dermotsgirl said:

I thought the craft area and the card room, both only used for a couple of hours a day were a waste of space.

Bridge players would not agree with you 😀. When a bridge instructor is on board, sea days the card room is used for around 2 hours in the morning and 2 hours plus in the afternoon.

[Dermotsgirl]

23 minutes ago, silversurf said:

If you book when cruises are first released you can get up to 35% off.

The closer to cruise date or more popular the cruise, the less discount you get. Hence prices appear to go up considerably.

Really close to cruise date you can only get a guaranteed cabin (It could be anywhere on the ship). This is a little cheaper, but not that much.

Even so, the full fare (without discount) is quoted at being over £1000 more in the current online brochure than it was in the paper brochure we had at the time of booking. 

 

We had 35% off the lower full fare, so I think we had a good deal. 
 

I wouldn’t book this cruise right now - I couldn’t bring myself to pay a five figure sum for it! 

[Windsurfboy]

A few points

 

I agree that once Saga cruises get below a 25% discount they no longer seem good value.

 

As a non card player or non crafter , then I wonder about the space these rooms take up, perhaps they could find some way of making them more multi use. However I've never found there to be a lack of lounge space on Saga ships. Where they are dont see how they can add additional dining space.

 

As to spacing in dining room , it's a balance,  more spacing means less tables, less tables means more chance of not getting a table when you want. It depends if Saga think customers want space or no wait. I think they have gone for freedom rather than space.

[terrierjohn]

19 minutes ago, Windsurfboy said:

A few points

 

I agree that once Saga cruises get below a 25% discount they no longer seem good value.

 

As a non card player or non crafter , then I wonder about the space these rooms take up, perhaps they could find some way of making them more multi use. However I've never found there to be a lack of lounge space on Saga ships. Where they are dont see how they can add additional dining space.

 

As to spacing in dining room , it's a balance,  more spacing means less tables, less tables means more chance of not getting a table when you want. It depends if Saga think customers want space or no wait. I think they have gone for freedom rather than space.

At the design stage they could have made the dining rooms bigger, which is what I am assuming @Dermotsgirl is suggesting.

[Dermotsgirl]

1 hour ago, terrierjohn said:

At the design stage they could have made the dining rooms bigger, which is what I am assuming @Dermotsgirl is suggesting.

Exactly, as there's not much that can be done about it now.  The card room and craft room, along with the library occupy an area at the top of the atrium. The library itself is short on books but heavy on seating and ornamental shelving.  At the design stage they could have not bothered with the craft room and the card room, made the library smaller  and have made another speciality dining area instead. 

 

Incidentally, this is the craft area, used for a few hours a day.  I imagined it as a little cafe with proper barista coffee, and smaller tables. That would have been a better use of the space , IMO

 

 

 

 

[david05]

8 minutes ago, Dermotsgirl said:

Exactly, as there's not much that can be done about it now.  The card room and craft room, along with the library occupy an area at the top of the atrium. The library itself is short on books but heavy on seating and ornamental shelving.  At the design stage they could have not bothered with the craft room and the card room, made the library smaller  and have made another speciality dining area instead. 

 

Incidentally, this is the craft area, used for a few hours a day.  I imagined it as a little cafe with proper barista coffee, and smaller tables. That would have been a better use of the space , IMO

 

 

 

 

Except that for a number of Saga passengers these are essential for the enjoyment of their cruise. There are pros and cons to any arrangements but one of the pros is the amount of indoor seating which the current library helps to provide and it is popular during the day especially when the weather outside is not too good.

[Selbourne]

16 minutes ago, Dermotsgirl said:

Exactly, as there's not much that can be done about it now.  The card room and craft room, along with the library occupy an area at the top of the atrium. The library itself is short on books but heavy on seating and ornamental shelving.  At the design stage they could have not bothered with the craft room and the card room, made the library smaller  and have made another speciality dining area instead. 

 

Incidentally, this is the craft area, used for a few hours a day.  I imagined it as a little cafe with proper barista coffee, and smaller tables. That would have been a better use of the space , IMO

 

 

 

 

Blimey. Are you sure that photo is a public room and not the crew canteen? Looks dreadful. 😂 

 

On a serious note, if you want to see a poorly stocked library then you need to go on Iona. That one is a shocker. Not a library but just a few cupboards with a sparse selection of books 😂 

[Dermotsgirl]

1 hour ago, david05 said:

Except that for a number of Saga passengers these are essential for the enjoyment of their cruise. There are pros and cons to any arrangements but one of the pros is the amount of indoor seating which the current library helps to provide and it is popular during the day especially when the weather outside is not too good.

The library is indeed a nice place to sit, and I appreciated the provision of the coffee machine and the shortbread fingers in the jar. But if they’d made the library smaller, they could have put more seating in the living room.

 

But, it doesn’t matter what I think, Saga made their choice to give a lot of space to crafters and card players, who probably make up a small percentage of the passengers. 

[Dermotsgirl]

1 hour ago, Selbourne said:

Blimey. Are you sure that photo is a public room and not the crew canteen? Looks dreadful. 😂 

 

On a serious note, if you want to see a poorly stocked library then you need to go on Iona. That one is a shocker. Not a library but just a few cupboards with a sparse selection of books 😂 

😂. To be fair, it looked better in real life, it was just that it was nearly always an empty space.  Every time I walked by, I thought it’d be much better as a barista coffee bar ! 

[FatBoy20]

3 minutes ago, Dermotsgirl said:

The library is indeed a nice place to sit, and I appreciated the provision of the coffee machine and the shortbread fingers in the jar. But if they’d made the library smaller, they could have put more seating in the living room.

 

But, it doesn’t matter what I think, Saga made their choice to give a lot of space to crafters and card players, who probably make up a small percentage of the passengers. 

The Living Room is two decks below the Library!.

[Dermotsgirl]

2 minutes ago, FatBoy20 said:

The Living Room is two decks below the Library!.

Yes.

[FatBoy20]

7 minutes ago, Dermotsgirl said:

Yes.

But how by making the Library smaller can you increase the size of the Living Room two decks below or am I missing something?.

[Dermotsgirl]

7 minutes ago, FatBoy20 said:

But how by making the Library smaller can you increase the size of the Living Room two decks below or am I missing something?.

I meant that they could have placed more seating (i.e. some more tables and chairs) in the Living Room, I wasn’t talking about a larger living room ! 

 

The reference to a smaller library was in connection to a different layout on deck 7 

[Windsurfboy]

Agree a better use could be found if card and craft could be combined in one room. As all the dining rooms share kitchens at back couldn't be full restaurant. So coffee shop. I quite fancy Sushi bar , which need very little kitchen spece.

Edited September 5, 2023 by Windsurfboy

[Interestedcruisefan]

On 8/25/2023 at 6:20 AM, lincslady said:

I have done Saga cruises, and they are certainly high quality - but you can do  more cruises at a lower price level for the same amount of dosh.  Sometimes you just have to 'pays your money and takes your choice.'  Certainly worth thinking about for anyone who needs a bit of looking after in terms of getting to the ship and handling luggage.

My parents have booked a saga cruise for the first time to the Canaries etc in November

 

I cannot believe the  high price they have paid. Extortionate IMO

 

They were quick to tell me it includes private transfers to Southampton and back. People seem to make a lot out of that?

 

I had already told them I could drive them to Southampton and back myself whoever they cruised with! Lol

 

I can't personally buy into all the positivity about Saga holidays and cruises when I see the prices they charge for the "extras" they provide

 

But regardless I'm sure my parents will have a great time

 

But boy are they paying for it compared to cruising with P and O or others

 

(They normally cruise with Princess)

Edited September 14, 2023 by Interestedcruisefan

[Interestedcruisefan]

On 9/5/2023 at 9:51 AM, Dermotsgirl said:

As there had been no activity on this thread since Friday, I thought it had run it’s course, but as you have revived it, it gives me the opportunity to add some further thoughts.

 

I’ve been cruising since 2001, mostly with P&O, but also with Fred and CMV. During those 35+ cruises, I’ve never felt so worried about dining as I did on my recent Saga cruise.

 

There are various reasons for this.

 

On my other cruises, I always had the autonomy to sit where I pleased for breakfast and lunch. I felt I did not have this on my Saga cruise. 
 

In the days of solely club dining, we used to book on the day that the cruise was released, and often used to secure our required table for two. On the occasions where we were allocated a larger table, I just accepted it - it wasn’t what I really wanted, but it was an ok price to pay for the overall experience. 
 

However, freedom dining came along, and I eagerly embraced this, as we could have a table for two for dinner anytime we wanted.

 

Some tables for two are better than others. But, until this Saga cruise I’ve never been placed in a set up where tables for two were placed quite literally an inch apart. It was really a 4 seater table masquerading as two 2 seater tables. In the other dining situations I’ve been in on cruise ships, even though the 2 seater tables may sometimes has been close by, they were still far enough apart for you to just acknowledge your neighbours, but not to have to carry on a conversation if you didn’t want it. In the Saga set up that I’ve described, it would have been plain weird not to talk to your neighbours, and it made me feel uncomfortable, because I didn’t want the interaction.

 

That brings me to another point - the older I have got, the less tolerance I have for doing things that I don’t want to do. 
 

Interesting point you make about space. I thought the craft area and the card room, both only used for a couple of hours a day were a waste of space.

 

As tables for two are very popular, I can’t help thinking that you are underestimating cruiser’s desire for a personal dining space.

 

I already have another Saga cruise booked for May, and intend to do things differently, to see if I can make the experience more to my liking. However, if it’s too much hassle, or I can’t make it better, I will just have to accept that Saga is not for me and move on. Which would be a shame, as I liked everything else that I experienced.

 

I booked my upcoming cruise at the end of March this year.  I noticed yesterday that the price per person had gone up  by about a £1000 per person.  Even if I found the Saga experience to be completely perfect, I’d baulk at paying the current asking price. A cruise isn’t THAT important to me any more 

I deliberately won't mention your experience to my parents

 

If tables for 2 were set up like this on P and O imagine the fallout on here?

[lincslady]

Pass judgement when they tell you how it was on returning home compared with other lines, and report back, please.