Saga Rose Greenland Voyager August 2007

[Kapricorn]

How was Galaxy? I've taken two cruises aboard her and always found her to be a delightful ship. I recently read that she is due for a major overhaul and redo. Did she look warn and tired? Are you still manic over Celebrity?

 

I would sail on Galaxy again. Though she and Mercury are sister-ships, with more or less similar layouts of cabins and public rooms, different designers obviously did the interiors and superstructure of each ship. For example, on the top outside decks the stairs, pools, hot tubs and bars were arranged differently. Galaxy is better in some respects than Mercury, and Mercury is better in other respects. Overall, Galaxy looked to be in a better condition than Mercury. Galaxy did not look worn and tired at all.

 

Galaxy will be in drydock April 18 for a couple of weeks. The most obvious thing to replace are the fogged windows in Stratosphere Lounge. Queries with some of the officers elicited the information that Galaxy likely will be retired by Celebrity after the 2009 Caribbean season. Mercury is expected to stay on for four or five years.

 

Crew on both ships are superb. In the Martini Bar on Galaxy, Eduardo remembered my martini preference after the first night. It was impressive because he must have had served scores or hundreds of people, as the Martini Bar seemed to be much more popular than on Mercury. The popularity must be because the Martini Bar is located a deck lower and is much larger and wider than the cramped quarters on Mercury.

 

Celebrity is still my cruise line of preference, but I also like Holland America and Royal Caribbean, both of which I will be sailing this year.

 

Conte, when were you on Galaxy? I liked the Caribbean, but after my air travel travails, I'm afraid that I will be sticking to the West Coast - Mexico, Hawaii and Alaska. Itineraries really are not the whole point of why I cruise - it is the experience of shipboard relaxation and pampering. If it means that I might go to Alaska 50 times, then so be it.

 

Donald.

[Saga Ruby]

I found an inflation calculator generated by the feds - it is intriguing to see how much I paid for a 16-day cruise in 1981.

 

The Consumer Price Index shows that my $8,000 cruise would have cost $23,000+ in today's dollars for an inside cabin.

 

If you're feeling strong today, look at: http://data.bls.gov/cgi-bin/cpicalc.pl

 

Ruby

[Kapricorn]

Ruby, thanks for the link!

 

My $715 cruise in 1972 on Victoria would have cost $3,621 in today's dollars (or $278/day). That rate is actually less than the $293/day which I paid for an equivalent cabin on Zuiderdam in 2006. However, I sailed on Victoria in the low season just before Christmas, while Zuiderdam's was during the height of Alaska's summer season.

 

My recent cruise in a oceanview cabin on Galaxy was $202/day.

 

Donald.

[Conte Di Savoia]

Conte, when were you on Galaxy?

Donald.

 

We were on her for a Western Caribbean cruise in 1996 and for a trip to Alaska from your hometown in 1998. We enjoyed both of the cruises but haven't been back on Celebrity since then although I have contemplated doing so. It just hasn't worked out for us. I particularly liked the Stratoshpere Lounge on board, especially on the Alaska cruise when the weather turned inclement. It was like being in a glass bubble!

[Saga Ruby]

Donald, that is a very handsome photo attached to your posts.

 

Did you pose for it or did you use a stunt double?

 

Ruby

[Kapricorn]

A double? LOL, Ruby! That photograph of me was clipped out of the one taken at my dining room table on the Vision of the Seas last December.

 

I cannot wait for my hair to grow again to the length shown in the photograph. Two weeks before my Caribbean cruise, the barber gave me a really short military-style haircut which did not suit me at all. On Galaxy, I had to purchase a "Celebrity" cap to protect my head from the sun. :(

 

Donald.

[franu]

I have said my final "good bye" to my dear M/V Marco Polo. Exhausted from the flights home from Lisbon via Frankfurt and all of the tribulations of this experience, I am writing this at about 5 AM having caught up on the new pages of this thread.

 

Although I am feeling "brain dead" at this moment, I will attempt to say a few words and return to my bed.

 

This was my first transatlantic cruise and with the help of Mecklazine I managed to keep all of my food down. My heart is a cruiser while my body betrays me.

 

The MP crew have the biggest smiles of any crew going. Many of them have been there for 15 years and become family, both to each other and to us. Now it is as though a Sunami devastated this family. The smiles are limited. The wave will carry the crew to other NCL vessels where they have been given positions at a lower grade with a lower salary. This does not endear me to the company.

 

I was shocked after my last post to find that Transocean was taking over the ship while we were still onboard. They closed the shops a week early as well as the casino. The machines were ripped out a packaged to go. In Cadiz the contents of the wine cellar was transferred to the Norwegian Jade in dry dock there. I was beginning to feel like an interloper. This was not what I had signed up for. For 3/4 of the cruise we had no bananas and some of the sugar-free products were gone. We had lots of carrots and string beans but this became tiresome with each lunch and dinner. I was told that much of the produce that arrived was not up to standard. The bananas were more than overripe before they hit the ship and were refused.

 

I am sleepy now and will try to get a rest before I post again.

Fran

[Kapricorn]

Welcome back, Fran. What a disappointing experience you had on the Marco Polo! Was the cruise discounted, to take into consideration that the ship would not be at its best - casinos ripped out, shops closed, wine cellar transferred, and sub-standard food offerings? In my opinion, that was not what you had paid for, and the Marco Polo should have taken the transatlantic voyage minus paying passengers.

 

As for the exhausting flights, I know exactly what you mean (if you've read about my experience at DFW airport). Air travel really takes the fun out of cruises. I'm increasingly inclined to take cruises just on the West Coast, in order to reduce to a minimum the inconvenience of air travel.

 

Donald.

[Saga Ruby]

I was shocked after my last post to find that Transocean was taking over the ship while we were still onboard. They closed the shops a week early as well as the casino. The machines were ripped out a packaged to go. In Cadiz the contents of the wine cellar was transferred to the Norwegian Jade in dry dock there. I was beginning to feel like an interloper. This was not what I had signed up for. For 3/4 of the cruise we had no bananas and some of the sugar-free products were gone. We had lots of carrots and string beans but this became tiresome with each lunch and dinner. I was told that much of the produce that arrived was not up to standard. The bananas were more than overripe before they hit the ship and were refused. Fran

 

What a mournful turn of events for a final crossing. It's sad enough that the ship was on the last leg of her time with Orient Lines, but to treat her like a second cousin twice removed must have been unsettling for the passengers, to say the least. And what appeal can be made to the cold, dark heart of Transocean which was busily taking over the ship virtually in mid-stream?

 

I am so sorry that your final experience was less than positive. International traveling, in itself, can be wearying, but to have the ship treated so poorly by its new owners must have lent an extra layer of fatigue to your trip. And my heart goes out to the loyal crew members onboard Marco Polo who face a discouraging future.

 

Having said all this, I am confident that you can find a fine new home on another ship when you begin to look at itineraries again.

 

Ruby

[dougnewmanatsea]

Fran - I'm sorry to hear that the last days of the last voyage didn't go so well. I could live without the shops and the casino but I'm sure there are some who weren't happy that they were closed, and the subpar food would not have made me very happy.

 

That said, an acquaintance in Gibraltar saw her there and noticed that she was de-storing, so your story is pretty much what I expected to hear.

 

I do hope you enjoyed the first 20 or so days of the voyage, anyway, and look forward to hearing more. It must have been tough to say goodbye.

 

I am not happy to hear that the crew's new jobs are for lower pay. Generally speaking I like NCL, but demoting them is not fair :mad: . Her crew is as good as it gets, and deserves better. I expect many of them will leave the company - no doubt there are plenty of other cruise lines that would be happy to employ them. (I know Oceania has taken a lot of Orient Lines people, not at all coincidentally as Gerry Herrod was an early investor.)

 

Who was the Captain for your voyage?

 

Ruby - Why do you say she is being treated poorly by her new owners? It doesn't sound like they're doing anything bad to ship.

 

I suspect that the casino machines are property of NCL or its casino concessionaire, and so it was up to them to remove them before the handover to the new owners. Similarly, everything in the shops would have to be removed by NCL and/or Harding Brothers (the shop concessionaire).

 

I wouldn't fault the new owners, but rather NCL for not allowing a couple of days for de-storing after the passengers were gone but before she's handed over to the new owners.

[Kapricorn]

Host Doug, you're right, the Marco Polo should have been intact until after completion of her transatlantic voyage. After all, her loyal clients had paid for a nostalgia cruise.

 

On a different topic ... the Search engine to this site has been "temporarily down" for the past month. What's behind the news about it? It has been hard for me (and probably many other regular posters) to keep track of posts on other threads.

 

Donald.

[franu]

Please understand that overall it was a good trip. I believe that the food thing was not any one's fault. The products delivered were not up to standard and must be bought from the approved vendors. Things can go wrong at any time.

 

The dismantling of the ship made me angry that our time on the ship did not include the facilities for the entire cruise. This process made me feel as though I was a guest who had overstayed my welcome. I know that NCL has already received mail from pax who felt that a discount for inconveniences should be paid. I have not written as yet.

 

About 100 persons from Transocean including the new captain boarded in Casablanca which I believe was on the 19th. They were mainly technical staff and made it difficult to get by them while they were familiarizing themselves with the physical plant. It felt like they were doing an autopsy before the patient died. We felt very disrespected.

 

Doug, the captain of the MP was Aage Hoddevik who will be returning to the Dream. Notice, he is able to retain his rank unlike the others. The off-loading was from the shops in Gibraltar. In Cadiz it was the wines and other things going to the Jade.

 

I must stress that NCL has knowingly discarded almost 500,000 Polo Club members. I have never heard so much negativity about anyone or any company as I did about NCL. Most people would never consider cruising with them because of the way we and our crew were handled.

 

With this being said I won a free cruise but have not decided whether or not I will use it. Unfortunately it is not transferable.

Fran

 

I haven yet posted on the Orient board and finding that writing is not my forte so I will use most of these posts to do my final on that board.

[Saga Ruby]

On a different topic ... the Search engine to this site has been "temporarily down" for the past month. What's behind the news about it? It has been hard for me (and probably many other regular posters) to keep track of posts on other threads. Donald.

 

I used Search a lot over the years and, when it was "temporarily disabled," it was like losing a friend. I sent a note to Host Walt recently and this is his reply, "The search function at the top level was disabled as a part of an effort to resolve our latest round of Board difficulties. It still functions at the lower levels (within forums, etc.) but anyone who says that it works at the top level is mistaken. The top level search function will return, eventually, but is not currently a high priority." I'll miss this function but . . . .

 

Doug - I was mournful that the loyal passengers who took this nice, long final crossing were not being treated properly nor respected. Passengers go to sea for many reasons, but being presented with second-rate food stores and "the dismantling of the ship" by Transocean would be off-putting at the very least.

In my opinion, there was a failure to respect the loyal crowd of Orient Line passengers by the new owner which hastened to start its take-over before the ship landed at her final destination. You obviously disagree.

 

Ruby

[Conte Di Savoia]

Let's hope that Cunard does a better job with the upcoming series of "funeral" trips aboard QE2.

These farewell voyages aboard ships which are going out of service cannot help but be sad IMO. I'd rather remember the happier times.

[Saga Ruby]

Let's hope that Cunard does a better job with the upcoming series of "funeral" trips aboard QE2.

These farewell voyages aboard ships which are going out of service cannot help but be sad IMO. I'd rather remember the happier times.

 

Conte, I agree with your sentiments. I've always thought of ships going out of service or being sold after a long, honourable history as a "passing."

 

Fran's experience onboard Marco Polo was regrettable and a template for why I sailed on Saga Rose soon after the announcement of her going out of service in 2010. My reasons were emotional and a dread of a funereal atmosphere onboard; it wouldn't occur to me that the now and future owners of a ship would be actively handing off the ship during a cruise.

 

I have very little hands-on experience or knowledge about Cunard. Will the "funerals" of the Queens be handled with sensitivity or will they be rudely shoved aside like Orient Lines?

 

Ruby

[franu]

Ruby, I don't see the new owners as the culprit. It is NCL which made this arrangement so that they could squeeze every last nickel out of a devoted following. We also paid a higher tariff than those of other Trans-Atlantic crossings. They knew that could get it from the MP crowd.

 

I believe that the sale went through and they rented it back from the new owners. Doug, can you clarify this for me, please?

 

I did fill my suitcases with any logo item that I could find.

Fran

[Saga Ruby]

I did fill my suitcases with any logo item that I could find. Fran

 

Good on you, Fran! I am curious - does (did) Marco Polo have real metal room keys or plastic swipe cards? What souvenirs did you bring home?

 

Is Marco Polo being reflagged with a new name or acquired by Transocean while retaining that wonderful name?

 

Ruby

[franu]

Marco Polo has real metal cabin keys. The sign and sail cards do not open any doors. I actually have a key from 2002. They have since changed the lock so I kept it.

 

I brought home a room folder some Orient Lines pens, luggage tags, a cooler bag, beach bag, umbrella, playing cards, paper luggage tags, post cards, a few types of pins shoe shine in container, sewing packet, and probably some other things which slip my mind at present.

 

The MP was bought by a Greek corp. and leased to Transocean, I believe for 5 years. My seat mate on the plane told me that he had taken a tour the next day and they were repainting the funnel.

 

I had heard so many stories on board that I hardly know what to believe.

One story was that Gerry Herrod was doing another ship. It is supposedly in Greece in dry dock and supposed to be ready for Oct. or Nov. 2009. I was told that it was called the Aegean something but will get a new name. He is the person that founded Orient Lines and M/V Discovery. I believe that any crew member that worked for him would give their right arm to be back with him again.

 

Transocean has been advertising it as the Marco Polo. They cannot re-flag it as they do not own it. NCL has sold the Marco Polo but not the Orient Lines name. I doubt if they will do anything with it.

Fran

[dougnewmanatsea]

Ruby - As Fran said, the "dismantling" is the fault of NCL, not the new owners.

 

What was happening was NCL removing its property from the ship as it prepared to hand her over. I do not disagree that this should have been done after the passengers were gone, but the blame falls with NCL, not Transocean.

 

As for your other question, the ship will still be named MARCO POLO. I am sure Transocean wishes to take advantage of the reputation she's built up under that name in the past 15 years, and apparently Star doesn't object.

 

Fran - I thought it would be Capt. Hoddevik. I think he is the senior-most NCL captain.

 

I wonder what happened to the chief housekeeper, Lupo, and the chief engineer, Petros. I think they were both MARCO POLO since her maiden voyage as such in 1993.

 

Ownership of MARCO POLO was transferred from NCL to Star Cruises back when Star still owned 100% of NCL; I'm not sure when exactly but it's all recorded someplace in NCL's and Star's financial reports. Since then the Orient Lines name and associated trademarks have also been the property of Star Cruises, not NCL. NCL currently charters two other ships from Star as well, NORWEGIAN DREAM and NORWEGIAN MAJESTY. Star also took over ownership of NORWEGIAN WIND and NORWEGIAN CROWN and the former is currently in the Star fleet, while the latter was sold by Star to Fred. Olsen.

 

At the moment it seems MARCO POLO's registered owner is still Ocean World Ltd., which is owned by Star Cruises. I suspect the actual ownership probably changed in Lisbon but the records just haven't been updated yet (see here). This is different from the situation that arose with NORWEGIAN CROWN, whose records reflected ownership by Fred. Olsen long before the ship left the NCL fleet. It's also different from SUPERSTAR GEMINI, a ship Star recently sold and chartered-back and whose records reflect the change of ownership already even though she is not leaving the Star fleet until December.

 

I hadn't heard the rumor that Gerry Herrod had bought another ship, though he does not seem to be able to stay out of the business for too long ;) . The only ship I can think of whose name has "AEGEAN" in it is AEGEAN I. She had been laid up in Piraeus for a couple of years because there was some sort of dispute over her ownership between her original owner (well, "original" in the sense that it converted her to a cruise ship in the 1980s) and Louis Cruise Lines. I had recently heard rumors from Greece that this dispute had been resolved, but I have no idea if this is true or what her status is at all other than that she's still laid up in Piraeus. It's not entirely implausible that Mr. Herrod has bought her, as he is certainly known to like a bargain, and moreover, I seem to vaguely recall that this ship was chartered to Orient Lines for a series of Aegean cruises at one point in the late 1990s, when the Greeks were having fits about MARCO POLO competing with their domestic operators. Her registered owner still appears to be Dolphin (Hellas) Shipping SA, the aforementioned "original" owner, but that could again just be a case of things not being updated.

 

By the way, my understanding is that the (reasonably) mysterious new owner of MARCO POLO is a former Greek associate of Mr. Herrod's. Recall that MARCO POLO's conversion took place in Greece, as did DISCOVERY's. I think the new owner is someone who was involved in the conversion. In other words, not a total outsider.

[franu]

By the way, my understanding is that the (reasonably) mysterious new owner of MARCO POLO is a former Greek associate of Mr. Herrod's. Recall that MARCO POLO's conversion took place in Greece, as did DISCOVERY's. I think the new owner is someone who was involved in the conversion. In other words, not a total outsider.

 

Thanks, Doug. That makes a lot of sense to me especially since one of the rumors that I heard from a good source is that Gerry Herrod tried to buy back the MP but NCL wouldn't even speak with him. He must be quite the man to garner the reputation he has with all of the crew that knew him.

 

We are all waiting with bated breath for further confirmation of another ship. Many of the pax are suggesting that they will sail the Discovery. I await the word of some fellow pax as to whether this will seem to meet my needs.

 

I am not familiar with Lupo but Petros was on board. I did not ask about his future. He didn't look happy.

Fran

[dougnewmanatsea]

Thanks, Doug. That makes a lot of sense to me especially since one of the rumors that I heard from a good source is that Gerry Herrod tried to buy back the MP but NCL wouldn't even speak with him.

I've heard rumors that he was interested in buying her back as well, though I have no idea why NCL wouldn't speak with him. Perhaps he had a falling-out with Star that I am not aware of.

 

Anyway, it's a pity it didn't happen.

 

I am not familiar with Lupo but Petros was on board. I did not ask about his future. He didn't look happy.

Thanks. I know they were both there since "the beginning" so it must have been especially hard on them.

[Saga Ruby]

Just curious - what time do you expect to embark at your origination point? I see many posts on other forums which talk about being onboard by 11:00am or noon. Many embarkation times are evidently dictated by class of tariff and cabin location.

 

I read the documents sent or emailed to me, make a note of the time I am to embark, and plan around it. Sometimes I drop off my cases at the pier and get them on their way into the ship, then go back out to fine-tune my souvenir purchases from that particular port.

 

If passengers can board before noon, are the previous occupants as prompt to leave as they are to board? Have you ever walked into a room that was still in disarray?

 

Ruby

[Kapricorn]

My cruise documents usually indicate 2pm as the time of embarkation. However, I've gone to the pier at 11:30am or Noon and am usually aboard before 12:30pm. Passengers are not to go to their cabins until these are ready for occupancy at 1:30pm or 2pm. I like to be aboard around Noon so that I can help myself to the luncheon buffet and then familiarize myself with the ship before my cabin is ready.

 

Donald.

[franu]

We had an overnight flight to Rio where we arrived early in the AM. As I had arranged to have the cruise line's air, transfers were included. We were taken by bus to the Sheraton hotel where we had a hospitality room for a few hours. I chose to sit in the lobby so I do not know what they had. After that we had a scenic tour of Rio before going to the pier.

 

When I arrived, my cabin was ready along with a great big smile and a hearty welcome from my cabin steward. Although my accommodations were totally different than my Oct.-Nov. cruise, I had the same cabin steward. This was a joy that I will never again find.

 

BTW the captain suggested that I might like sailing on the Saga sisters, They might be more my style.

Fran

[Saga Ruby]

BTW the captain suggested that I might like sailing on the Saga sisters, They might be more my style. Fran

 

I was, of course, thrilled to hear that the Captain of Marco Polo has referred you to the Saga Sisters. The man has good taste. One note - Saga Rose will not be coming into North America before her decommissioning or possible sale in 2010 due to SOLAS regulations. If you are willing to fly to the UK and sail anywhere in that area, you will have a marvelous cruise on either Saga Rose or Saga Ruby.

 

Saga Ruby makes stops in North and South America during any given year and each ship has an annual World Cruise. The rare difference in interior design between the two ships is the Saga Rose staircase which leads down to the dining room whose entrance is floor-to-ceiling glass walls. It’s quite a sight. And I like the management decision that, in the most polite way, no passenger enters the dining room before using the anti-bacterial dispenser.

 

Having said that, my interest in Saga has more to do with the Saga crew. As far as I am concerned, the Filipino dining and maintenance staffs are top drawer while the British officers and managers are there to ensure you of a topnotch cruise experience. Quick service for personal requests is the standard. When I wrote a note to the Hotel Manager in thanks to a helpful crew member, I had a personal response plus a fine bottle of wine at my table the next day.

 

I heard about Saga Cruises some years ago by referral from friends who have sailed extensively and, upon their recommendations, I looked at the Saga itineraries and felt like I had come home. The reality of the ships and ports were even more remarkable due to the Captains taking full advantage of the size of their ships. As an example, most if not all Cunard and Princess ships never get into Magdalena Bay to see polar bears because those apartment barges are not allowed into that small interior. As a devoted Marco Polo cruiser, you will understand my point.

 

Saga is pricey because everything is Pound Sterling. When the itinerary posts, that is the cheapest price because Saga knows they can sell the cabin so upgrades and discounts are rare indeed. The exception to that rule is the east coast of the US where cabins can be bought for Saga Ruby that did not sell in the UK.

 

The cabins are quirky because the ships were not built in the current modular design - each cabin can be a wee bit different which makes an intriguing challenge in making a choice before booking. My interior cabin on Rose last August was much larger and more comfortable than outside cabins that had windows or portholes.

 

I could go on until you fall over from ennui, but much of the information you may want to peruse for Saga Cruises is contained somewhere in this thread.

 

Conte may want to give you his thoughts but everyone knows that I highly recommend Saga Cruises.

 

Ruby