Saga Cruises
 |
| File:Saga plc logo.svg | |
| Company type | Subsidiary |
|---|---|
| Industry | Shipping, tourism |
| Founded | 1996 |
| Headquarters | Folkestone, England |
Key people | Saga Group |
| Products | Cruises, holidays |
| Website | Official website |
Saga Shipping, also known as Saga Cruises is a British based cruise line, a division of the Saga Group. The cruises are aimed at people aged 50 and over.
History
The Saga Group decided to start operations of a holiday branch by purchasing the Saga Rose.[1] She operated generally as Saga's flagship until her fairly similar ex fleet mate the Saga Ruby was purchased from Cunard Line in 2005.[2]
For the summer of 2003, Saga Cruises chartered the 1989 built MV Minerva which sailed as the Saga Pearl.
The Saga Rose was retired after a final 37 night Mediterranean cruise. She was subsequently laid up at Gibraltar and later scrapped in China.[3]
While on her final cruise, a planned 31 night Caribbean cruise, the Saga Ruby had one of its generators fail which disabled the ship's air-conditioning plant. It was then decided to cancel the cruise and sail a revised Western Mediterranean itinerary, returning to Southampton on 9 January 2014 due to poor weather. While in Funchal, Madeira the Saga Ruby met up with the Saga Sapphire for a New Year's Eve fireworks display. After her cruise, she departed for Gibraltar leaving Southampton for a final time on 10 January, she was handed over to her new owners, Millenium View Ltd, on 13 January 2014. She was renamed Oasia and scrapped in 2017 despite having undergone a major refit.
Currently Saga Cruises operates the Saga Sapphire and the Saga Pearl II. The latter is due to be retired in 2019 when the new Spirit of Discovery joins the fleet.[4]
Spirit of Adventure Cruises
Saga formed the brand Spirit of Adventure Cruises in 2005. In March 2006, the Spirit of Adventure, ex-Orange Melody, set out on her first cruise.[5] Unlike Saga's sailings, people 21 and older may embark on a cruise with Spirit of Adventure. Saga sold MV Spirit of Adventure in August 2011[6] marking an end of the brand, following the move of the Quest of Adventure back to the main Saga fleet, as the Saga Pearl II.
Fleet
Current fleet
| Ship | Built | In Service | Tonnage | Notes | Image |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saga Sapphire | 1981 | 2012 – present | 37,301 tons | Formerly Bleu de France with CDF Croisières de France. Originally built as Europa for Hapag-Lloyd. | 
|
| Saga Pearl II | 1981 | 2010-2012 2013 – present |
18,591 GRT | Originally sailed as the Saga Pearl II from 2010 to 2012, later became the Quest for Adventure; before moving back to the Saga Fleet.Originally built as Astor for HADAG. | 
|
Future Fleet
| Ship | Built | In Service | Tonnage | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spirit of Discovery | 2019 | 2019 | 55,900 tons | First new build for Saga Cruises.[7][8] The ship will accommodate 1,000 guests.[9] |
| Spirit of Adventure | 2020 | 2020 | 56,000 tons | 2nd option picked up |
Former Saga fleet
| Ship | Built | In Service | Tonnage | Notes | Image |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saga Pearl | 1989 | Summer 2003 | 12,500 GRT | Chartered by Saga Cruises in briefly during Summer 2003. | 
|
| Saga Rose | 1965 | 1996-2010 | 24,474 GRT | Originally passenger/cruise ship operated by Norwegian America Line. Sold along with fleet mate Saga Ruby) in 1983 and initially named Sagafjord | 
|
| Spirit of Adventure | 1981 | 2004-2012 | 9,570 GRT | Originally operated by Peter Deilmann as Berlin. Sold to FTI Group in 2012 and renamed to FTI Berlin (only Berlin since 2014), she is now operated by FTI Cruises.[10] | 
|
| Saga Ruby | 1973 | 2005–2014 | 24,292 GRT | Originally passenger/cruise ship operated by Norwegian America Line. Sold along with fleet mate Saga Rose) in 1983 and initially named Vistafjord. | 
|
References
- ^ Saga Rose
- ^ Saga Ruby
- ^ Saga Rose to set sail for the Final time
- ^ "Ocean Cruises". Travel Saga. Retrieved 25 September 2017.
- ^ Spirit of Adventure Cruises
- ^ FTI Cruises bringt MS Berlin zurück nach Deutschland (German)
- ^ http://www.cruiseindustrynews.com/cruise-news/13086-saga-cruises-orders-new-ship-from-meyer-werft-for-2019-delivery.html
- ^ http://www.cruisecritic.com/news/news.cfm?ID=6557
- ^ Staff, CIN (1 March 2018). "Steel Cut for Saga's New Spirit of Discovery". Retrieved 2 March 2018.
- ^ FTI Cruises: Die Berlin (German)
