If you thought the engine in your car was complicated, you've seen nothing yet! Our Chief Engineer, Len Blinston, takes you on a tour of Saga Sapphire's Engine Room and explains the improvements being carried out to this mammoth area.

Buon Giorno a tutti,

This week the exterior of the Saga Sapphire has been given her traditional and familiar Saga colours of deep sea blue on the hull. The rest of the ship has been spray painted white, including the windows, which gives the impression from the inside that we are deep in snow. I trust they will be cleaned at some point. The funnel is next in line and, as something new, will have the newly designed Saga logo painted on it. I will include some pictures in the future blogs once she is finished.

By now the restaurant is in pieces to allow for the total refurbishment but this does bring some little problems of where to feed everyone in the meantime. We now have 400 contractors and crew living onboard, plus 250 day workers and this number is due to increase in the coming weeks. Everyone has to adhere to strict mealtime shift hours and the areas we can use have to be cleaned and reset many times throughout the day.

The galley is in full swing with cooking for Filipinos, British and Italians as each nationality needs their own cuisine. The other day we had Mexican Fajitas for a change and chef Marius and his team told me over a thousand went out from the kitchen in just over an hour. They were a little too popular so I don’t think we’ll see those again for a while. Our Indian Chef, Francis, is proving very popular with the British contractors when he has a curry evening. He had a very good reputation with the previous owners so we asked him to join us. He will be our Chef in the East to West Restaurant as his forte is Asian and European cuisine, but he does produce a good ‘ruby’.

The Deck Crews are very busy refurbishing the lifeboats and our dog Sapphira has decided to stay with them, as it is a more relaxed environment than the Hotel Department. Only joking, they are all working very hard!

The Laundry Team of three crew members are amazingly managing to provide us all with clean towels every day and fresh linen twice a week. They also wash and press all our working clothes. In their spare (!) time, they dry clean all the materials which will be used in the passenger cabins.

Housekeeper, Anne Mette, and Ship’s Services Engineer, Richard, have done a great job improving the crew accommodation. Nothing goes to waste on a refurbishment project such as this. Everything that was in the passenger cabins, from the shower hoses, mixers, toilets, sinks, linen and TVs have been relocated to crew areas. The new beds and curtains are going in and we also have to provide new locks and keys for every crew member in their cabin as we have a huge pot of keys that don’t seem to fit anything.

It’s quite nice, actually, uncovering some of the old before the new. Now the Bleu De France signage has been taken down it has revealed some of the original Europa signs in crew and passenger areas. One of them is pointing the way to the ‘Funk Station’, which is German for Radio Room. This must have been a hub of activity during the 80’s and 90’s as this was an integral part of life at sea before the days of satellite communication. It brought back memories of having to run up and down to the Radio Room to place a telephone call or send or receive a fax. How quickly we forget!

We also uncovered a sign for ‘Harry’s Bar’ which will become the Aviators’ Bar with us and was called ‘Café Crème’ on the Bleu De France. We really are peeling back the layers and uncovering the ship’s history since her maiden voyage in 1982.

Today we had a lifeboat drill and when Staff Captain Dion handed me the script I had to start laughing when I saw who is in charge of the Rapid Response Team. It’s none other than Robert Payne! There is an oxymoron if I ever heard one; Uncle Albert and Rapid. By the time he finds the problem we shall be well underway with our Inaugural Cruise - no offence Unc.

Ok, I am off now to see what everyone is up to. Lyn is missing the Sunday papers but as I told her, it’s not my fault she can’t read Italian, it’s still a Sunday paper….

As I go, I find myself singing ‘I’m a lumberjack and I’m okay’. It must be all those checked shirts that Crew Purser, Paula is so fond of wearing. Dry Dock does inspire some interesting fashion ideas.

Alora, abbastanza da me fino al pressimo tempo.

Ciao,

Hello again from a windy Palermo,

Last week flew by quickly with lots of progress in all areas, including the Engine Room, which is a very important part of the ship. A hole was cut into the ship’s side to remove the old generator and to make way for the new one which has already arrived and is sitting on the quayside.

I was chatting to Chief Engineer Len and also Captain McLundie, who graced us with a speedy visit, (typical of the old peculiar, he saw what we are up against and left quickly). Joking aside, both of them helped me understand what’s involved in undertaking such a huge engineering task.

The process for the new generator began early last year when the engineers inspected the old generator and made the decision that it needed to be replaced. The new generator was built in Amsterdam and inspected by our Technical Director with the whole process monitored by Len. It was then shipped from Amsterdam to Naples and hauled by road to Palermo. During this process the old one was stripped and will now remain in the yard as a souvenir.

In the hotel area, the newly built balcony suites on Deck 10 are shaping up nicely and it is full steam ahead in many of the public areas. On Deck 11, foundations are being laid for the Drawing Room. This will be a very comfortable and multifunctional space. We’ll be installing a help yourself larder in here, stocked with home made treats to help sustain you whilst you enjoy a book or the ever changing views. Alternatively, you can use your own laptop in here or borrow an iPad to use the ship’s WiFi connection, which I know lots of you are looking forward to.

On Deck 9, the galley for the Grill and East to West Restaurant is being erected and although it’s only a shell of steel at the moment I can already see that the space will work really well for us with the food we intend to offer from there. I am really looking forward to seeing the show kitchen for the Grill come to life and I know our chefs are too.

On Deck 7, in the Pole to Pole Restaurant, work is in full swing with all chairs being re-upholstered, new lighting installed and much more. We are feeding the contractors at the same time as the work is going on in this area, which means that we have a bit of a logistical challenge in managing that. However, Mark, Solomon and their team are up for the task, no problem there and I encourage them with my occasional Austrian managerial style, no not yodeling, the other one.

The ship really is being worked on from top to bottom. The funnel is encased in scaffolding, ready to receive its new Saga colours and down at the very bottom the propellers are being taken off for some intensive cleaning. This is becoming one very expensive lady, but will be worth every penny when she is up and running.

Finally, before I leave you and go back to work, I would like you all to know that one special passenger who allows me to call him Granddad has finally sent me some Christmas money after reading my previous blog. I don’t think the pesos would go down well here but it’s the thought that counts, so molti ringraziamenti to him.

The film team will be here again soon to capture some more of the transformations as they take shape, so I look forward to being able to bring those to you over the coming weeks.

In the meantime, thanks for reading.

Salute e Felicità,

The most important area to our passengers is of course their home-from-home cabins. In this video blog Horst shows us the new balcony suites being built, as well as the new balcony cabins. You'll also see the standard cabins and their new look.

Hello again from sunny Palermo.

After having to endure a very cold and wet two weeks on a ship full of holes, the sun has finally come out again and started to warm us up. When we complained about the weather to some of the Fincantieri managers, who had assured us it was always mild and sunny in Palermo, they told us it was very unusual and must be because we had brought too many English people here. Since the Italians have returned, they do seem to have brought the sun back with them - so long may it continue.

This week we have started to see the refurbishment of some of the cabins. New carpet has been laid in some of them, in a similar design and colour to some of the original carpets which will remain.

The new carpet was shipped in a 40-foot container and there were 75 rolls of 2-meter carpet each weighing170 kilos. The reason I know this is because upon delivery the cranes unfortunately became inoperable owing to high winds and technical difficulties. Therefore we had to rely on good old-fashioned manpower provided by the restaurant team and I.

Ever resourceful and getting better by the day at recycling, redirecting and borrowing, we found an abandoned trolley just at the right time, as you can see. The boys are complaining that they ache today so I have put them to work carrying furniture to keep those muscles from seizing up.

The bathrooms have also been unpacked and installed. The marble vanity areas are very attractive, as are the new bathroom floors. Sturdy but stylish grab rails are being installed as I write this.

The new chairs have been unwrapped and I can assure you they are very comfortable. Some of the cabins are now 80% finished and starting to look very inviting. Of course we have to make sure we keep them clean and in tiptop condition until you come aboard - and there’s a long way to go until then. Therefore the carpets are covered and the new bed linen and furniture carefully stored. In the meantime, we have to accommodate our work force in them in order to vacate more cabins for their makeovers. It’s a never-ending game of musical beds.

I hope that I can soon show you some pictures of the new build balcony cabins on decks 8 and 10, as I’m sure these will be a real crowning feature of our new ship. On a personal note, I will be glad when the work finishes in those cabins as I am currently living below most of the very noisy work. As soon as any of the public rooms start to take shape I will of course also update you on that.

Well, not much else to report on at the moment. Uncle Albert is still living in hope of getting fed better than Sapphira but there’s little chance of that.

We’ll all be up bright and early again tomorrow as work starts at 7am every day here, as ‘Chi dorme non piglia pesci’ and we sometimes have to remind ourselves ‘La calma è la virtù dei forti’.

Fino al prossimo tempo,

Ciao,

We are really proud of our new ship - Saga Sapphire. Following her progress and transformation is really exciting for us - as we hope it is for you too. Moving Saga Sapphire to dry dock for the next two months is a huge step in her big makeover. In dry dock she'll have lots of work carried out, but most importantly this is where she'll be given her Saga livery.

Here's the second part of Horst's tour of Saga Sapphire. The plans to transform this ship are really exciting - take a look for yourself. See what the ship's like now, then compare it to when it's finished.

Hello and Happy New Year to all of you.

Again, thank you for reading my blog, I am very happy to hear it has a lot of followers.

I was recently reading Captain McLundie’s blog and he has announced that he shall arrive here some time in February and take over command. All of you who know us both are aware that there is a bit of rivalry between us, including when it comes to the blogs. However, as I told him before, it is not my fault that I am better looking and the passengers like reading my blog. His wife, Jenny, told me once that when Alistair was born he was so ugly that the midwife slapped his mother - HAHAHA.
In all seriousness though, the crew and I are really looking forward to welcoming him onboard.

Today, January 1st, is a quiet day in the yard and the weather is absolutely gorgeous. It’s still a bit cool, however in the sun it reminds of winters in Florida. In the far distance you can see Mount Etna’s snow capped mountains and naturally my feet start to itch and I wish I could be there to down hill race. The locals told me that in January and February the ski resorts are very good on Mount Etna, but unfortunately I don’t think I’ll have the time to experience it myself.

Whilst I am dreaming about skiing, our Filipino crew have taken to their national pastime of fishing - when time allows. I’m not sure if they have caught anything edible yet, but that doesn’t seem to stop them from trying.

Our British contractors, Intermarine, return from Southampton tomorrow and will resume work on all passenger cabins. The Italian workers will continue in the public rooms and the much awaited cutting of the atrium. The steel work in general is progressing. We are pleased that all the welding and hot work will stop and the outfitting of the newly built cabins can start.

We have to leave the dock on January 28 to make space for another ship. We shall go back in again afterwards for propeller and stabilizer works. Whilst we are back on the lay-by berth, all efforts will be made to make sure we stay on the projected timetable.

An update on our dog Sapphira - she (who is actually a he) is getting bigger because many of the crew make sure he gets fed every day.

I will update you with any developments as they happen once work has resumed.

In the meantime, Potere tutte le sue difficoltà durano finché le sue risoluzioni di anno nuovo.

Ciao,