On 18 April 2017 Saga Cruises welcomed 80 of our lovely Silver Travel Advisor members on board Saga Sapphire in Dover. I joined Alan and Peter to represent Silver Travel Advisor and help out. My colleague Alan Fairfax has posted an earlier comprehensive review of the ship so I will just add some details about our day.
We started with tea and coffee and time to chat and meet our fellow ‘day trippers’ . Boarding the ship was quick and easy, and as we were such a large group we split off into small parties of about 12-14 people, each led by a knowledgable Saga staff member. We had a tour of all the main public areas, the lovely dining rooms, bars and library and very inviting spa area, then the decks and outdoor pool and believe it or not, mini golf! It became obvious this is a well kept ship that has been lovingly restored with cabins and suites all decorated in fresh and restful colours. The appeal of Saga ships is the space that passengers get both in the cabins and public areas, and despite a lot of comings and goings of people disembarking, then embarking, the ship never seemed crowded. I must also mention the mainly Filipino crew, who cant do enough to make everyone feel at home.
Finally we all met up in the main dining room for a sumptuous lunch with wine (included as standard with all lunches and dinner!), and had the chance to swap stories of our travels over the years.
To summarise if you are thinking of a cruise I would thoroughly recommend going on a ‘ship visit’ as it gives you the chance to choose the type of cabin you would like and to get a flavour of the Saga Experience. The only downside? Having to get off as the ship prepared to sail.
