ALL-INCLUSIVE SAGA CRUISES

Saga has recently announced that its first new luxury boutique cruise ship, Spirit of Discovery will become all-inclusive in January 2020 and her sister ship Spirit of Adventure will also be all-inclusive when she joins the fleet in August 2020. In response to customer demand, this strategic decision by Saga means that guests enjoy all house spirits, wine, beer and soft drinks as part of Saga’s comprehensive cruise package which already includes gratuities, a UK travel service and free onboard Wi-Fi.

Nigel Blanks, Chief Operating Officer for Saga Cruises said, “The decision to go all-inclusive in 2020 had been made to reaffirm our position as a niche luxury cruise operator.” He continues. “Spirit of Discovery and Spirit of Adventure are the only boutique small ships being built with the British market in mind. I firmly believe that our decision to move to all-inclusive cruising will not only sit well alongside our ‘boutique cruising’ proposition, it will also distance us further from the competition whilst giving those that choose to cruise with us a more exclusive and value for money experience.”

Saga’s first purpose-built cruise ship, Spirit of Discovery is the first of two new passenger ships being constructed at the Meyer Werft shipyard in Papenberg, Germany. She will replace Saga Pearl II in July 2019 while the second ship, Spirit of Adventure, is replacing Saga Sapphire. The sister-ships will be similar in external design, have balconies for all cabins as well as retaining the intimacy and personal touches Saga are renowned for. Both vessels will have a passenger capacity of 999 guests who will be looked after by 530 crew members.

Over-50s tour operator Saga joined the cruise world in 1997. Since then they have been refining this adults-only cruise experience. No doubt the reason for the company’s popularity is the fact that there is so much is already included in the price. Wine at lunch and dinner, free bottled water on excursions, gratuities and bar service charges are all included, so too is all speciality dining, Wi-Fi and shuttle bus transfers from the ship to the centre of the port town or city. Another unique feature is the complimentary Chauffeur Service for passengers living up to 250 miles from their departure port; as an alternative there’s free parking at the port, domestic flights, as well as rail and coach options.