When I looked at a Saga Cruises brochure in the past, it has been aimed more towards the various itineraries on offer instead of the vessels themselves, so I wasn’t sure what to expect when I went aboard Spirit of Discovery for the first time. As soon as we arrived at Portsmouth Port, I was surprised how big the ship was!
We had to meet our guide in the Arrivals area of the port and as it was early morning, we got to witness the disembarkation process. There were multiple Saga drivers waiting for the guests to come through. As they came through, a Saga representative had a microphone and greeted each guest individually, called the driver forward on the microphone and off they went. It was so well organised that there were no queues at all. It was seamless!
As soon as we stepped onboard, we went into The Living Room for a drink and some canapes. It was aptly named as it absolutely had the feel of a beautiful, elegant, homely living room. Straight away I was blown away by how modern, light and airy the ship was. After a quick drink, we headed on a tour to look around the cabins before the next set of guests arrived.
The first cabin we looked at was an obstructed outside cabin, this is the entry level cabin and it was beautiful. If you are not aware, all Saga cabins come with a balcony as standard! Apart from some steel obstructing the lower part of your balcony, you still had the same interior as other grades and the same lovely views looking at the horizon and beyond!
We moved on to a solo cabin, this was a great size and absolutely perfect for a solo traveller who doesn’t want a small single bed but also doesn’t want to pay over the top for an imaginary person in their cabin.
We then looked at some of the suites including the incredible B001 the Joseph Meyer Suite. This had a huge living area, a bedroom with the bed facing out to sea, 2 large balcony areas, a huge bathroom with separate WC, a large dressing area plus even more. I could happily move in!
After this, we looked around all of the public areas and restaurants, the terrace area at the back of the ship spanned multiple decks and was really well laid out for those who want quiet sunbathing or chilling time away from the bars and pool. We were lucky with the weather when we visited and I could just imagine this area on a hot summers day sailing around the Mediterranean or Caribbean.
The restaurants, as with the rest of the ship, were really light and spacious. The main buffet restaurant was really well laid out and I thought it was a speciality dining option when we arrived! I have been on some ships where this area can be quite chaotic, but the Saga offering was just perfect for the 900+ guests that would be onboard.
We headed to the entertainment venues and the Britannia Lounge was definitely my favourite. The sea views were almost 360 degrees and followed the theme of the rest of the ship, so bright and welcoming.
We had access to one of the ‘Daily Ship Schedule’ programmes and there is so much to do onboard during the day; including virtual golf, fitness and stretching classes, games courts, entertainment, live music and much more. If you just want to relax, you can take advantage of the Spa area with its treatment rooms, saunas, steam rooms and the beautiful warm hydro pool area with some heated loungers! As almost everything is included on a Saga cruise, you would only need to pay for the treatments in this area.
Once we had explored the whole ship, we headed to the main dining room to sit down for lunch. There were some lovely choices and our guide advised us it changes daily (apart from the Marmalade Bread & Butter Pudding, which is a firm favourite!).
I had scallops with cauliflower puree to start, followed by fillet steak, then ended with a trio of desserts! The food was absolutely stunning, and I could have happily stayed on for dinner!
Unfortunately, our time on Saga Spirit of Discovery had come to end and it was time to get off. I would not hesitate to recommend these beautiful ships, and when you consider everything that is included (especially the VIP door to Door Service) its amazing value for money.
I made sure I took plenty of photos which I am happy to share with you, and for any further information, please call me on 01291 762006 or email [email protected]
