Missed ports, power cuts and late return on Sapphire’s early voyages were due to mechanical problems.
Saga Cruises has sought to reassure passengers about the reliability of its newest ship following a series of on-board mechanical problems.
Saga Sapphire, the replacement for the popular Saga Ruby, the last British-built cruise ship in service, which is due to be retired next year, had to curtail its inaugural cruise in April because of engine trouble.
A trip to Norway in June was also hit by complications, and last week another engine fault delayed the ship’s return to Britain from a voyage in the Baltic.
Passengers on board the Norwegian cruise complained after the 31-year-old vessel, which Saga bought from a Brazilian operator and refurbished at the start of the year, missed several ports of call following problems with a bow thruster, and subsequently a generator.
The cruise, billed as a “Voyage to the North Cape”, was unable to visit the North Cape, nor was it able to call at Svolvaer, Honningsvåg, Geiranger or Eidfjord. Arrival at Bergen was also late, leaving passengers little time to visit the town.
Passengers also reported that there were power cuts and problems with the air conditioning – an issue highlighted by Jane Archer, the Telegraph’s cruise correspondent, in her recent, and otherwise positive, review of the ship.
“The whole point of the cruise was to visit the fjords and the North Cape,” said Malcolm Billingsley, 71, a retired teacher from north London. “We missed the North Cape and the three most famous fjords. Many of those on board were loyal fans of Saga – I’ve sailed twice on Ruby and had no such problems.”
Mr Billingsley’s comments are echoed by several other holidaymakers, in emails seen by Telegraph Travel. Some passengers suggested that the problems arose from the ship’s age: it was built in 1981.
Paul Green, Saga’s director of communications, said: “The problems in Norway could not be foreseen and were not due to the ship’s age. Sapphire is a £67 million investment in the future of our fleet, and it is on the way to becoming a firm favourite with our customers.”
Mr Green added that, in a survey of passengers on Sapphire’s most recent cruise to Norway, 99 per cent rated their experience as “excellent” or “good”.
According to Jane Archer, the refurbishment of older ships is not unusual practice in the cruise industry.
“Although it cost Saga millions to overhaul and improve Sapphire, it would have cost many millions more to build a new ship,” she said.
Mr Green said that most problems with the air conditioning had been fixed and the power cuts were caused by work to fix the generator.
All affected passengers have subsequently been offered a refund of 40 per cent by Saga or a 50 per cent discount on a future cruise, but some felt the offer did not go far enough.
Richard West, 66, from Sutton, who was on the June cruise, said: “I understand that problems of this sort do sometimes occur, but Saga has not fulfilled its obligations. The only way for me to see all the places we missed will be to book another voyage to Norway – so I feel entitled to a replacement cruise.”
Saga also confirmed that a “minor” problem occurred on Saga Sapphire during last week’s return from a Baltic cruise, which meant the ship had to sail into Dover using only one engine, but that it was fixed overnight.
Looking for the latest FABCruise offers on a wide range of cruise holidays let FABTHINGS2do help you.
Friday 17 August 2012
Wednesday 15 August 2012
Who Sent The Telegraph Announcing End of WWII
Princess Cruises passengers aboard Star Princess last week were treated to a special presentation from the soldier who sent the message ending World War II in Europe.
When he was an Army Signal Corps sergeant in 1945, 20-year-old Gregory Melikian was tasked with sending the a telegraph message from General Dwight Eisenhower announcing the end of the war in Europe. The message, originating from a schoolhouse in Reims, France – the makeshift Allied headquarters – was sent shortly after the surrender of German forces. For serving in France at this time, he is also being considered for the French Legion of Honour.
Hundreds of passengers joined Cruise Director Martyn Moss in the Princess Theater for a question and answer session, and many lined up afterward just to shake the hand that sent that historic telegraph.
Today Melikian is a philanthropist, business owner, and an honorary commander of the Luke Air Force Base in Arizona. He sailed with a large group of family members and friends, and was invited to meet Captain Edward Perrin on the ship’s bridge.
Looking for the latest FABCruise offers on a wide range of cruise holidays let FABTHINGS2do help you.
When he was an Army Signal Corps sergeant in 1945, 20-year-old Gregory Melikian was tasked with sending the a telegraph message from General Dwight Eisenhower announcing the end of the war in Europe. The message, originating from a schoolhouse in Reims, France – the makeshift Allied headquarters – was sent shortly after the surrender of German forces. For serving in France at this time, he is also being considered for the French Legion of Honour.
Hundreds of passengers joined Cruise Director Martyn Moss in the Princess Theater for a question and answer session, and many lined up afterward just to shake the hand that sent that historic telegraph.
Today Melikian is a philanthropist, business owner, and an honorary commander of the Luke Air Force Base in Arizona. He sailed with a large group of family members and friends, and was invited to meet Captain Edward Perrin on the ship’s bridge.
Looking for the latest FABCruise offers on a wide range of cruise holidays let FABTHINGS2do help you.
Tuesday 14 August 2012
New Children-Friendly Cruise Push from MSC
MSC Cruises has announced a number of new children-friendly initiatives.
First, children can now order from the “kid’s menu” at dinner, and, if they finish food earlier than the rest of their family, the kids’ club staff will come and pick them up.
For kids who relish their independence and would love the freedom of eating with their friends, away from the grown-ups and their dull conversations, MSC Fun Time Dinners have been introduced.
With MSC Fun Time Dinners, children in a separate, specially decorated area of the buffet restaurant with the entertainment team, and then have fun in the Mini and Junior Club while parents enjoy a leisurely dinner alone, picking up the kids when they’ve finished.
Every single night of the week, children aged between three and 11 can eat together with the entertainment team and their new friends. Three of these nights are theme parties- a Welcome Party, Italian Party, and Farewell and Birthday Party- while the remaining four are MSC Fun Time Dinners.
Both the MSC Happy Dinners and the MSC Fun Time Dinner services are now available free of charge on all MSC ships. Dedicated to children aged from 3 to 11, parents simply need to register their children in advance with the Mini or Junior Club and fill inthe special ‘dinner coupons’ with their details.
MSC Cruises has also introduced a second nanny-hour to its kids’ club programmes. Every morning from 09.00 to 10.00 and now also from 17.00 to 18.00, MSC offers a special programme designed for babies and toddlers aged 10 to 36 months to spend quality time with their parents with the support of MSC kids’ club staff.
Staff organize dedicated games and activities aimed specifically at MSC’s youngest guests and their parents, including playing with bricks, musical games, baby disco, puzzle games and drawing.
Looking for the latest FABCruise offers on a wide range of cruise holidays let FABTHINGS2do help you.
First, children can now order from the “kid’s menu” at dinner, and, if they finish food earlier than the rest of their family, the kids’ club staff will come and pick them up.
For kids who relish their independence and would love the freedom of eating with their friends, away from the grown-ups and their dull conversations, MSC Fun Time Dinners have been introduced.
With MSC Fun Time Dinners, children in a separate, specially decorated area of the buffet restaurant with the entertainment team, and then have fun in the Mini and Junior Club while parents enjoy a leisurely dinner alone, picking up the kids when they’ve finished.
Every single night of the week, children aged between three and 11 can eat together with the entertainment team and their new friends. Three of these nights are theme parties- a Welcome Party, Italian Party, and Farewell and Birthday Party- while the remaining four are MSC Fun Time Dinners.
Both the MSC Happy Dinners and the MSC Fun Time Dinner services are now available free of charge on all MSC ships. Dedicated to children aged from 3 to 11, parents simply need to register their children in advance with the Mini or Junior Club and fill inthe special ‘dinner coupons’ with their details.
MSC Cruises has also introduced a second nanny-hour to its kids’ club programmes. Every morning from 09.00 to 10.00 and now also from 17.00 to 18.00, MSC offers a special programme designed for babies and toddlers aged 10 to 36 months to spend quality time with their parents with the support of MSC kids’ club staff.
Staff organize dedicated games and activities aimed specifically at MSC’s youngest guests and their parents, including playing with bricks, musical games, baby disco, puzzle games and drawing.
Looking for the latest FABCruise offers on a wide range of cruise holidays let FABTHINGS2do help you.
Monday 13 August 2012
Transatlantic cruises offer fantastic value
Whether you are a cruise newbie or a cruise columnist, you can get genuinely excited when you see new markets, something unique added to traditional cruises, or new ships that are offering more amenities.
If you go to www.sailwx.info and connect on ship tracker, you will be able to find where most cruise ships in the world are on any given day. You will not find a lot in the Atlantic or the Pacific.
Look at each ship's onboard webcam at www.krooozecams.com and you can see where they are at that very moment. Those locations will change come September through November when they make their way back to North America.
With that comes good news - the traditional transatlantic cruises are undergoing changes.
Most of these dashes across the ocean are still available for those who are on a tight budgets - be it money or time. Many are offering pricing you won't find anywhere else.
The change means the addition of more interesting ports and a new mix of countries from northern to southern Europe. The lack of availability on some ships is heralding the success of these itinerary changes.
One line, Holland America, is using its 1,200-passenger Maasdam to sail both southerly and northerly transatlantic return routes.
The Maasdam sailed on a return trip from Boston earlier this year to Iceland and then onto other European ports (a planned stop in Greenland was cancelled due to heavy seas). In October, it will make a return trip from Fort Lauderdale, Fla., with stops in Morocco, Spain, the Canary Islands, Italy, Portugal and Gibraltar - including several overnights - before arriving back in Fort Lauderdale 42 days later.
Norwegian Cruise Lines has also started longer, more interesting crossings with the Norwegian Sun. It's merging two cruises, leaving Copenhagen for Miami on a 28-day trip that takes in Iceland, Norway, Scotland, Greenland, Ireland and Portugal before crossing the ocean to Miami through Funchal and Madeira.
When ships on transatlantic cruises leave from London (Southampton), Rome (Civitavecchia), Venice, Barcelona and other major European centres, it gives the keen cruiser an opportunity to visit some of the world's great cities before crossing the ocean.
Rome is the departure port for the Crown Princess in November, when it will make a 32-day journey that encompasses Mediterranean history. Ports include Naples, where you can visit Capri and Pompeii, five in Greece, including Santorini, plus Florence, Barcelona and Lisbon before crossing the ocean for the final destination, Galveston, Texas.
If price is your deal-maker, here are two transatlantic cruises you'll like:
- Copenhagen to Miami on the Norwegian Sun: 14 days for only $499, or about $35 a day
- Southampton to Miami on the premium ship Celebrity Constellation: 15 days and three ports: Paris (Le Havre), Lisbon and Tenerife (Canary Islands) starting at $599, or about $40 a day
For one cruise line, Holland America, the transatlantic is becoming a destination with return trips that eliminate the high cost of air travel and hotel travel.
Looking for the latest FABCruise offers on a wide range of cruise holidays let FABTHINGS2do help you.
If you go to www.sailwx.info and connect on ship tracker, you will be able to find where most cruise ships in the world are on any given day. You will not find a lot in the Atlantic or the Pacific.
Look at each ship's onboard webcam at www.krooozecams.com and you can see where they are at that very moment. Those locations will change come September through November when they make their way back to North America.
With that comes good news - the traditional transatlantic cruises are undergoing changes.
Most of these dashes across the ocean are still available for those who are on a tight budgets - be it money or time. Many are offering pricing you won't find anywhere else.
The change means the addition of more interesting ports and a new mix of countries from northern to southern Europe. The lack of availability on some ships is heralding the success of these itinerary changes.
One line, Holland America, is using its 1,200-passenger Maasdam to sail both southerly and northerly transatlantic return routes.
The Maasdam sailed on a return trip from Boston earlier this year to Iceland and then onto other European ports (a planned stop in Greenland was cancelled due to heavy seas). In October, it will make a return trip from Fort Lauderdale, Fla., with stops in Morocco, Spain, the Canary Islands, Italy, Portugal and Gibraltar - including several overnights - before arriving back in Fort Lauderdale 42 days later.
Norwegian Cruise Lines has also started longer, more interesting crossings with the Norwegian Sun. It's merging two cruises, leaving Copenhagen for Miami on a 28-day trip that takes in Iceland, Norway, Scotland, Greenland, Ireland and Portugal before crossing the ocean to Miami through Funchal and Madeira.
When ships on transatlantic cruises leave from London (Southampton), Rome (Civitavecchia), Venice, Barcelona and other major European centres, it gives the keen cruiser an opportunity to visit some of the world's great cities before crossing the ocean.
Rome is the departure port for the Crown Princess in November, when it will make a 32-day journey that encompasses Mediterranean history. Ports include Naples, where you can visit Capri and Pompeii, five in Greece, including Santorini, plus Florence, Barcelona and Lisbon before crossing the ocean for the final destination, Galveston, Texas.
If price is your deal-maker, here are two transatlantic cruises you'll like:
- Copenhagen to Miami on the Norwegian Sun: 14 days for only $499, or about $35 a day
- Southampton to Miami on the premium ship Celebrity Constellation: 15 days and three ports: Paris (Le Havre), Lisbon and Tenerife (Canary Islands) starting at $599, or about $40 a day
For one cruise line, Holland America, the transatlantic is becoming a destination with return trips that eliminate the high cost of air travel and hotel travel.
Looking for the latest FABCruise offers on a wide range of cruise holidays let FABTHINGS2do help you.
Friday 10 August 2012
Alaskan waters - Spectacular Glaciers
Far from being stationary objects, Alaska's glacial formations are active and powerful. Winding down from mountains and fjords, these massive rivers of ice are often on the move, some dropping enormous chunks into the sea, a process known as calving. A cruise journey allows you to get up close to these behemoths of nature and see the incredible spectacle of ice towers crashing into the ocean.
Alaska has more than 100,000 glaciers, about half of the world's total. An Inside Passage journey will show you some of the biggest and best, like Hubbard Glacier, which at 122km in length is the longest ocean facing glacier in Alaska. Glacier Bay National Park, spanning 1.3 million hectares, is a stunning network of inlets that channel the frozen tide towards the sea. College Fjord is home to 16 ocean facing glaciers while Tracey Arm Fjord is awe-inspiring with its snow-capped mountains and steep granite walls.
The Alaskan authorities, for the sake of conservation and limiting overcrowding, imposes certain restrictions on cruise lines when it comes to visiting both Hubbard Glacier and Glacier Bay.
CAPTIVATING WILDLIFE
Forget about boring stretches of ocean where the most action you'll see in the water is the white crest of a small wave - the Inside Passage is buzzing with life. Humpback whales make something of a splash when they're around and during the summer months more than 2000 of these gargantuan sea creatures are known to frequent Alaskan waters. Orcas and beluga whales are just as abundant in Alaskan waters, as are dolphins, who like to show off their acrobatic tricks near ships.
Seals, sea lions and otters congregate on chunks of ice or frolic, while the salmon-rich waters are welcomed by brown bears, who enjoy them as a tasty snack. Flocks of seabirds make for some great bird-watching too, with the star of the show being the majestic bald eagle.
AMAZING ADVENTURES
As well as top-notch wildlife viewing, cruising in Alaska also serves up a range of action-packed adventures off the ship. Take a sightseeing tour over the magnificent terrain in a helicopter or small plane - clients can even get the chance to stand on the surface of a glacier. Or fly even further north of Alaska to check out the Arctic Circle.
Go hiking in the wilderness with a ranger or on a self-guided trip in one of the national parks, such as Denali National Park. Embark on a driving adventure with a guide and journey through the diverse terrain in search of wildlife, or take the reins on the ground with a spot of dog-sledding. Make a splash with a few hours of white water rafting or a jet boat ride through the glacier-fed rivers. And for something a little more sedate, throw a line in the river and see if you can hook yourself a plump salmon.
Of course, there are also the country's charming port towns to discover, like the tiny state capital Juneau, and the towns of Skagway, Ketchikan and Sitka with their Alaskan gold rush ambience.
Looking for the latest FABCruise offers on a wide range of cruise holidays let FABTHINGS2do help you.
Alaska has more than 100,000 glaciers, about half of the world's total. An Inside Passage journey will show you some of the biggest and best, like Hubbard Glacier, which at 122km in length is the longest ocean facing glacier in Alaska. Glacier Bay National Park, spanning 1.3 million hectares, is a stunning network of inlets that channel the frozen tide towards the sea. College Fjord is home to 16 ocean facing glaciers while Tracey Arm Fjord is awe-inspiring with its snow-capped mountains and steep granite walls.
The Alaskan authorities, for the sake of conservation and limiting overcrowding, imposes certain restrictions on cruise lines when it comes to visiting both Hubbard Glacier and Glacier Bay.
CAPTIVATING WILDLIFE
Forget about boring stretches of ocean where the most action you'll see in the water is the white crest of a small wave - the Inside Passage is buzzing with life. Humpback whales make something of a splash when they're around and during the summer months more than 2000 of these gargantuan sea creatures are known to frequent Alaskan waters. Orcas and beluga whales are just as abundant in Alaskan waters, as are dolphins, who like to show off their acrobatic tricks near ships.
Seals, sea lions and otters congregate on chunks of ice or frolic, while the salmon-rich waters are welcomed by brown bears, who enjoy them as a tasty snack. Flocks of seabirds make for some great bird-watching too, with the star of the show being the majestic bald eagle.
AMAZING ADVENTURES
As well as top-notch wildlife viewing, cruising in Alaska also serves up a range of action-packed adventures off the ship. Take a sightseeing tour over the magnificent terrain in a helicopter or small plane - clients can even get the chance to stand on the surface of a glacier. Or fly even further north of Alaska to check out the Arctic Circle.
Go hiking in the wilderness with a ranger or on a self-guided trip in one of the national parks, such as Denali National Park. Embark on a driving adventure with a guide and journey through the diverse terrain in search of wildlife, or take the reins on the ground with a spot of dog-sledding. Make a splash with a few hours of white water rafting or a jet boat ride through the glacier-fed rivers. And for something a little more sedate, throw a line in the river and see if you can hook yourself a plump salmon.
Of course, there are also the country's charming port towns to discover, like the tiny state capital Juneau, and the towns of Skagway, Ketchikan and Sitka with their Alaskan gold rush ambience.
Looking for the latest FABCruise offers on a wide range of cruise holidays let FABTHINGS2do help you.
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