Saga Cruising

From European Cruise Guide

ABOVE: The Saga Rose in Rio de Janeiro. INSET BELOW: The Saga Ruby.

Saga Holidays is a UK travel operator with an in-house cruise line. The company has two classic ocean liners:

The Saga Rose was built in 1965 for Norwegian American Lines and was later assigned to Cunard. The ship, previously known as the Sagafjord and the Gripsholm, carries 620 passengers.

The more recently-acquired Saga Ruby is the former Vistafjord. I saw the ship in fall, 2003 when it was still sailing as Cunard's Caronia, and Douglas Ward (author of the Berlitz Complete Guide to Cruising and Cruise Ships) told me that it was "a beautiful little ship."

In 2007, the Saga Rose's European cruising season will begin in mid-April with a"Black Sea Odyssey" itinerary, followed by cruises in the Mediterranean, Northern Europe, and Greenland over the next six months. The Saga Ruby will start its European cruising season in April with "Canary Island Reverie," followed by cruises to France and the Mediterranean, the Baltic and Scandinavia, and the British Isles.

Saga Holidays caters exclusively to travelers over the age of 50, and most of its customers are from the UK.

Under a sister company's brand, Saga also operates the Spirit of Adventure (formerly the Berlin and Princess Mahsuri), a small ship that has a number of cruises in Europe, including Norway's North Cape and Iceland, during 2008.

Cruise line's Web site:

Saga Cruising

Photos copyright © Saga Holidays. Used by permission.

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