Saga anyone?

I haven't cruised with Saga, but have been on several cruises with Celebrity. They have on avarage a more mature cliental. There are some younger couples and a small number of children, but they run a very comprehensive programme for kids, so they are rarely seen. Saga seem to charge much more for equivalent cruises than do Celebrity, so I can see no reason to cruise with then yet. Celebrity, and all of the other major cruise lines have an excellent reputation for providing support to elderly and disabled passengers. I have witnessed excellent care given by Celebrity staff. They also assist single passengers in meeting other singles if a passenger requests that.

To all cruisers who are retired or have a 'fluid' diary and who live near a port of departure I would recommend trying for a last minute deal. My friends and I have had great success with this method. Obviously you would have to live with the disappointment if the earmarked vessel was full. This has not happened to us yet. Once confirmed and paid for online all we had to do was arrange insurance - again online - and bingo!

That would be so good Kim but unfortunately we'd always have a problem with connecting flights/long drive.
Having continued my research it looks like Viking ocean cruises might suit us better. Depending on when we book they'd even include a complete drinks package and tours are included as are tips. No extras to find and open dining has just about clinched it for us.

Devon girl I m with you, I haven't enough money to go on cruises I have a friend who goes at least twice a year on four or five week cruises and assures me she 'only has a pension ' haha ... she goes on Saga cruises and it wouldn't appeal to me she says the wheelchairs and mobility scooters line up and it really sounds like an old people's home from how she describes it She said she used to get a knock on her cabin from the 90 year old gent in the next cabin to help him get dressed .........but she loves it

Understood, Jane 10. I'm fortunate enough to have three ports of departure within two hours which is why it works for me. The initial connection is very important for the short notice gambling I try.

I like Viking. Drinks and excursions are included. There are less than 200 people on the rivers and 900 on the seas. The price is good. The staff are lovely.

I like Viking too. Not having to think about extra pay for drinks and excursions was a bonus as that cost a lot on an MSC cruise we went on.
Not only that, but the advertised 'discounts' were actually valid, whereas when I looked at Emerald Waterways today and phoned to discuss a potential booking I was told " the discounts have changed on selected sailings" (the one I wanted, naturally!) which meant that whilst on the phone, the cost went up by £200 pp, despite the fact that the brochure had arrived that morning AND it said discounts applied til July 31st. Needless to say, we didn't book.

We have been on saga cruises since 2011. We go on one every year with one year doing two.
It is true that they seem expensive but you get what you pay for.
We like them because there are no children aboard and being a retired teacher I appreciate That!
We like everything about the cruises from the cabin to the food,the entertainment and of course the crew who give of their best all the time. You do not need to go on the trips which can seem expensive but there is always a free shuttle bus at every port which will take you to the centre of town where you can explore for yourself.

We have the money for cruises but my DH does not fancy them at all. I have had a big enough problem getting him to take the ferry from Santander to Portsmouth return this summer. And that is only a 24 hour trip. I would like to take one of the river cruises up the Douro but I haven't managed to persuade him yet.

Talking of the price of excursions, they were offering a trip into Tunis from the port of La Goulette for which they were charging about £30. As I know Tunisia fairly well a group of us said we would do it by ourselves. There were the expected expressions of horror from the person bookimg the tour, and a warning that it would br very expensive but we pressed ahead. I had some Tunisian dinars from a previous trip so we warded off the taxi drivers, asked the way to the station and it cost the equivalent of just over £3.50 return into Tunis, for 5 of us. We wandered round the Medina, did some shoppimg, had a drink and caught the train back.

We've been looking at the Saga brochure for our next land trip and it's very noticeable that since they've been taken over by Titan there are far more optional excursions. The holidays would be very boring now if you didn't do any of them, but there's no indication of how much they cost. I think it's where they make the money now but it's very annoying!

Aslemma we too try to do things on our own as excursions often seem overpriced. On a cruise last year we took the bus into town which cost 1$ each. The price for the onboard excursion into town was £40 pp. Unsure how this disparity can be explained. Basically, it cant!

On Riviera (river cruises and land based holidays) all excursions are included. The guides are very knowledgeable. The only extras are drinks and any meals as specified in the brochure.

Well I've been and gone and done it! Booked Viking ocean cruise. Excursions, silver drinks package and gratuities included. Should be absolutely no extras! No photographers pestering us and no casino or noisy entertainment. Sounds great. Just have to start saving to pay for it!

Brilliant Jane, where are you going? We've only done river cruises and I enjoy them very much. Will look at Viking as an option.

We've done a lot of cruises. Never on Saga but on cruise forums they have a fan base. I understand that for those having problems with insurance due to notifiable medical conditions they are pretty good with insurance cover when you book their cruises/holidays.

Booked for June next year. A long way off but it's good to have something fixed in the calendar to look forward to (and save up for!)

There are better and cheaper ones out there. Shop around. I have been on many cruises. My favourite line at the moment is Norwegian Cruise Lines. If you are not interested in formal dressing and Captain's evenings, this is a great line. Very relaxing, good entertainment and a good mix of people of all ages, creeds, from all around the world.

Next June ... You've time to save for some of those optional excursions then! We've just booked to go on the Hurtigruten ferry cruise up the coast of Norway next January with friends. Paid extra for an outside cabin before it dawned on us it'll be dark most of the time! High hopes for the Northern Lights.

It's nice to have a window though nfk. Good luck in January. I'm not a brilliant sailor so I don't suppose we'll ever go far enough to see the northern lights. DH fancies a cruise to the frozen north but not me!

I'll let you all know how it goes. It was my friends idea for her husband's 60th. (A mere baby.) I hate cold but would love to see the Northern Lights. Can't do one without the other! The ferry is more of a cruise ship now but calls in at ports and villages all the way north so we're not out of sight of land and it should be sheltered sailing. No dressing for dinner either which suits me and plenty going on - even if it is dark much of the time.