On our second port of call on this cruise Saga Sapphire sailed into Kalundborg, Denmark. We arrived at 8am which gave our guests plenty of time to go ashore and explore.

For those not travelling independently they could take one of the three tours on offer today. Roskilde Viking ships being the first to leave which took our guests across the island of Zealand on the way to the ancient town of Roskilde, former capital of Denmark and home of the spectacular Viking Ship Museum. The Museum was built to house and reconstruct the five Viking Ships that were rescued from the harbour, which had originally sunk intentionally in 1962 to protect from attack. Outside the museum they could find the Museum Island with an archaeology workshop and working Viking boatyard where master craftsmen make replicas of Viking-age wooden boats and longboats, using the same materials and techniques the Vikings did. To conclude the tour our guests visited the Roskilde Cathedral, which has been the traditional burial place of Danish Kings and Queens for more than 500 years and now houses 37 Royal Tombs.

The second tour to leave was the Copenhagen Canal Cruise combining a city tour with a relaxing canal cruise. Boarding the coach in Kalundborg our guests set out on a guided tour of the city centre, driving past the Royal Palaces and famous places of interest. After lunch, a leisurely canal cruise transported them along many narrow canals of the inner city and across the harbour before returning back to the ship.

The final tour for those adventurous passengers was the Kalundborg Walking Tour, beginning in the upper part of Kalundborg where the tour commenced. Dating back to the 12th century this part of the town is home to old streets, alleyways and early buildings. Our guests viewed the 800-year old Church of Our Lady, Museum of Kalundborg pausing by the Old Bishops Yard ending their tour with a walk back to the town square and main shopping street where they could return back to the ship our maybe carry on with some souvenir shopping.

On-board Saga Sapphire, Cruise Staff Resty entertained our guests with games such as shuffleboard, table top football and bean bag boules throughout the day.

As we sailed away this afternoon guests could join all of the Cruise Staff out on the back deck for a cocktail with musical accompaniment from pianist Andy Law.

Tonight along with his officers Captain Philip Rentell hosted a Newcomer’s Cocktail Party in the Britannia Lounge for all those guests joining us for the first time not just on Saga Sapphire but to Saga cruising. The party was quite busy with lots of new faces and conversation flowing along with the sounds of The Sapphire Trio.

Following dinner this evening those keen quizzers could join Cruise Staff Michelle in the drawing room at 9pm as she put them through their paces with a fun general knowledge quiz.

Tonight’s Showtime saw Explosive productions proudly present ‘Lets Swing’ a magical journey through the greatest hits both Old and Modern from legendary swing artists following with music for dancing from the Sapphire Orchestra and our gentlemen hosts.

For those who wanted a night cap they could join Andy Law our cocktail pianist for cocktails in Coopers bar with a possible sing-song until late.

As Saga Sapphire sailed into her first port of this cruise at around 8am, the ship was anchored with the Saga flag waved proudly in the wind as our passengers got ready to go out and explore this wonderful place by tender.

For those who booked the option of an organised excursion could enjoy one of two tours the first being Skagen highlights a delightful introduction to Skagen – a charming fishing town in the northernmost part of Denmark. The first stop was the Skagen Art Museum featuring paintings, drawings, sculptures and handicrafts by artists who lived in Skagen between 1830 and 1930. A short drive took our passengers further north to Grenen at the tip of Denmark. This is a beautiful sandy beach area where the North Sea and the Baltic Sea converge. Our guests could experience the very special light of this area and stand with their feet in two seas at once.

The second tour to depart was A walk through Skagen starting at the bustling fishing harbour; with red, wooden warehouses along the waterfront and the traditional wooden fishing boats they could hear the story of Skagen’s fishing traditions. They continued through the old parts of the town to see the architecture of Skagen, past the Skagen Museum, Michael and Anna Ancher’s house and Brondums Hotel all connected by the story of the world famous Skagen Painters – an artist colony in Skagen from 1830-1930 that produced some of the finest masterpieces of the Danish Golden Age. Near the harbour they passed through the pedestrian-only street to see the church of Skagen before returning to the ship.

For those guests who stayed on-board today they could join Social Hostess Donna and explosive cast productions Michael & Hayley for some classic cruising games such as Beanbag boules, Darts and Deck Quoits.

Team trivia kicks off tonight’s entertainment on-board in the Drawing Room as guests could join Cruise Staff Claire to test the grey matter in teams with this fun general knowledge quiz. This followed with Cabaret and Cocktails and the sounds of our resident duo Perfect Mood.

Tonight’s entertainment began in the Britannia Lounge with the Notturno Quartet as they presented their first concert of the cruise ‘Classical Favourites’ including works from Mozart, Strauss and Piazzolla.

Following our Classical Concert, Cabaret Showtime this evening came in the form of Steve Galler, the man with the golden banjo taking our guests on a trip down memory lane with those old favourites. The evening continued with music for dancing by the Sapphire Orchestra and our Gentlemen Hosts.

Our guests could then enjoy resident duo Perfect Mood for late night libations in Coopers Bar and a possible sing-a-long until late.

For our last port of call Saga Sapphire sailed into Oslo, Norway. Oslo’s centre is compact, with few high-rise buildings, and like the rest of Norway, it is clean and prosperous. With the ship all made fast for around 7.00am an early start awaited those wanting to explore our final destination on this Baltics Cruise

With a great selection of tours for our passengers to take up including ‘Walking in the Heart of Oslo’ and also ‘Oslo Maritime Highlights’ the first one to leave this morning was the 'Oslo and the Hadeland Glassworks' travelling first to the Hadeland Glassverk an hour’s drive north of Oslo. Our guests could see the skilled glassblowers shape the molten glass and follow the entire process through to the finishing stages on a guided tour of the oldest industrial company in Norway. They then returned to the city via the residential area of Holmenkollen and the location of the first ever ski jump which was built in 1892 and reconstructed in 2010.

Alternatively many guests choose a more popular tour of Oslo Panoramic & Vigeland Park discovering the highlights of this exciting capital, beginning with a drive along the walls of medieval Akershus Castle, before continuing through the city centre. They passed the Parliament building, Royal Palace and Nobel institute before stopping at the Vigeland Sculpture Park, where there was an option to join a guided walk through the park. They then continued through the residential areas of Oslo to Holmenkollen Ski jump which offers magnificent views of the city and the fjord. To conclude the tour travelled back to the city centre past Kragstotten view point before returning to the ship.

On-board Saga Sapphire cruise staff Resty, Duncan and Claire entertained our guests with games such as Connect Four, shuffleboard and darts throughout the day.

As we sailed away this afternoon guests could join all of the cruise staff out on the back deck for a cocktail with musical accompaniment from cocktail pianist Andy Law. Those who were in a sporting mood could visit the beach club by the pool as the cruise staff organised golf chipping with many trying their hand to this fun golfing game.

This evening I and my officers cordially invited all of our guests onboard to our Farewell Cocktail Party accompanied by The Sapphire Trio in the Britannia Lounge.

Team Trivia tonight was hosted by social hostess Michelle in the Drawing Room putting our guest’s knowledge to the test followed by cabaret and pre-dinner cocktails with pianist Andy Law.

Tonight’s Showtime saw Explosive Productions proudly present ‘Let’s Swing’ following with music for dancing from the Sapphire Orchestra and our Gentlemen Hosts.

Following Showtime guests could listen to late night cabaret with Assistant Cruise Director Kayleigh McMahon and she shared her favourite music until late when more toe-tapping tunes with Andy Law followed.

Those who wanted a night cap could join duo Perfect Mood our resident duo for cocktails and a possible sing-song until late in Cooper’s bar.

Well this is my last blog of the tour. I hand over command of Saga Sapphire to Captain Phillip Rentell and I am looking forward to going home to see my family. It seems an age since I flew out to Palermo in February in drydock and we have certainly had a few challenges along the way. But I feel very satisfied that I am handing over the ship in a good condition and am extremely proud to have been part of such a wonderful hard working and dedicated team who have all assisted in their own right in bringing this ship to her success.

For one of our last ports of call Saga Sapphire sailed into the beautiful port of Warnemunde a suburb of Rostock Warnemunde is the best place to feel the link between Rostock and the sea. As we were all made fast for 7.00am our first passengers were ready to step ashore on the early journey to Berlin.

From the three tours that left this morning between Best of Berlin, Fischland the Forgotten World and Rostock and Germany’s Stasi many passengers took up the Fischland the Forgotten World tour.  A scenic excursion beginning with a drive east along the coastline passing woods, fields and beautiful old fishing villages. Our passengers stopped to embark a boat for a trip into the Vorpommern Lagoon Area National Park. The mini-cruise takes you past the Putnitz Peninsula, where the German Navy trained its pilots until 1945, and where Russion pilots hid from western espionage during the Cold War era. Our guests enjoyed a cup of coffee and a piece of German-style cake on board before disembarking in a beautiful little fishing port with traditional thatched cottages, where they had some free time to relax and enjoy the local ambiance or alternatively they could sample freshly smoked fish before re-joining the coach for a drive back along the peninsula to Warnemunde.

In the afternoon our guests could choose to take The Molli and The Minster tour taking them on a drive through the beautiful countryside of former East Germany passing farmlands and wind parks to Bad Doberan, where you stop at the 700-year-old Minster.

Leaving Bad Doberan on the Molli narrow-gauge steam train they enjoyed a short ride as they headed to the beach resort of Kuhlungsborn by vintage locomotive. Journeying past fields of corn and along Europe’s oldest avenue of lime trees and after disembarking they could relax with coffee and cake on the romantic beach promenade and enjoy a stroll before returning to the ship.

All aboard was at 7.30pm this evening so passengers could enjoy the most of what Warnemunde could offer before returning to the ship.

It was Fathers Day in Waarnemunde today so there was a great family spirit. As we left, there were numerous crowds scattered along the breakwater so we gave our salute on the ships whistle as we sailed out.

It had been a good day today, as we on the bridge had sent out the 2nd officer Matthew Nabb on a German sausage run so he came back with a feast for us all, junk food for the day, great!!!

Tonight’s 'Team Trivia' took place in the Drawing Room with Explosive Production Singer Louise as she tested our guests general knowledge, following with Cabaret and Cocktails and the sounds of Perfect Mood before dinner.

After dinner we started this evening’s entertainment in the Britannia Lounge as many guests enjoyed cabaret showtime with vocal – instrumentalist Christopher Maule celebrating the work of some of the greatest singer-songwriters of the last 50 years.

We continued onto Cabaret Showtime as we invited Explosive Productions to the stage as they proudly presented ‘West End to Broadway’ as we continued the evening with music for dancing from the Sapphire Orchestra and our gentlemen hosts.

Following showtime guests could enjoy gourmet bites in the grill or listen to the wonderful sounds of cocktail pianist Andy Law in the Drawing Room over a late night drink. Or alternatively guests could join our resident duo Perfect Mood for a night-cap and a possible sing-a-long until late in Cooper’s bar.

We approached the Great Belt channel at 0130 in the morning so I was on the bridge to pilot the ship through the narrows and under the korsor bridge which looked resplendent in the morning sunrise.

After a hectic two days in St. Petersburg our next port of call was beautiful Tallinn, Estonia. The capital of the Estonian Republic, the coastal settlement, is only 53 miles from Helsinki across the Gulf of Finland, midway between St. Petersburg and Stockholm. We embarked our pilot at 0630 and headed south towards the port and city of Tallin. It was an 11 mile run south and we achieved this in just over 40 minutes. Our berth this morning was the new finger pier on the outer harbour. I had ordered a tug boat as I was told by the agent that the winds were due to be very strong but the morning brought light winds so I cancelled the tug. As we approached the berth, I lined the ship up with the pier, stopped both engines about ½ mile out, doing about 7 knots. With the 37,000 tons of steel, the momentum kept us moving ahead, slowly decreasing in speed and as we started to overhang the berth, I gave a few kicks astern on the engines just to slow the speed until in position, and the last kick, stopped the vessel in position. We were all fast by 0745 .With an early berth, this gave our passengers plenty of opportunity to explore this wonderful city.

Guests could choose from a variety of tours to really experience the most Tallinn had to offer today. One of the first tours to leave was the 'Tallinn Old Town Tour' letting our passengers discover the highlights of Tallinn Old Town, a UNESCO World Heritage Site on foot. Starting in the Upper Town they saw the castle, the Russian Orthodox Church of Alexander Nevsky and the 13th-century Gothic Dome Church. They then strolled along 'Long and Short Leg Streets' to the 15th-century Blackheads Fraternity House for a folk show and refreshments before ending the tour at St. Catherine’s arts and crafts centre.

Another popular tour that left the ship today was Tallinn Highlights taking our guests on a drive through the cultural centre of Tallinn and along the medieval city walls that encompass the Old Town. Disembarking the coach they strolled past the Transfiguration Church enjoying a folk show and refreshments at Blackheads Fraternity House. Our guests then walked through Pikk Street and across Town Hall Square continuing by coach along the main thoroughfare towards the central park of Kadriorg. They also had the opportunity to visit the Song Festival grounds, where the national song festivals are held with some 30,000 singers concluding the tour at Pirita Marina the venue for international regattas and Olympic yachting.

On-board Saga Sapphire cruise staff Donna, Kayleigh and Emma entertained our guests with games such as Jenga, Deck Quoits and Family Fortunes throughout the day.

I allowed Steve James, our newly appointed Staff Captain take the ship away today. I have known Steve since he came to us from the Royal Navy back in 2002, I think it was and then he decided to join Saga and its been a pleasure to see him rise though the ranks. He did a great job of taking the ship away, and off we sailed to our next port,Waarnemunde, in Germany.

As we sailed away at around 5pm guests could join all of the cruise staff out on the back deck for a cocktail with musical accompaniment from cocktail pianist Andy Law.

We invited those keen quizzers to join cruise staff Rebecca at 6pm for a Rock & Roll themed 'Team Trivia' in the Drawing Room followed by Cabaret and Cocktails and the sounds of resident duo Perfect Mood.

Tonight’s showtime was a double bill starting at 9.30pm opening the proceedings were Explosive Productions followed by Comedian Gerry Graham with Good Clean British Fun – Lord Bilston and lots of giggles throughout. Continuing a jam packed evening of entertainment the Britannia Lounge saw cocktail pianist Andy Law in the spotlight with our favourite piano entertainers to rock & roll and other toe-tapping number one hits! This followed with music for dancing from the Sapphire Orchestra and our gentlemen hosts.

For those who wanted a night cap could join duo Perfect Mood our resident duo for cocktails and a possible sing-song until late in Cooper’s bar.

For our next port of call Saga Sapphire sailed into Stockholm, Sweden. The arrival to Stockholm has got to be one of the more spectacular we sail into with 4 hours of sailing through the archipelago, weaving in and out of the little islands. This morning was quite challenging as we were right on the edge of the visibility limit at which the pilots would take us in. We had about 200 feet of visibility so it took all our training and the assistance of the pilot to get us through the very narrow entrances to the archipelago. Thankfully once we got into the islands, the visibility improved and we started our sail through to Stockholm. I love watching the little summer houses of all shapes and sizes, on these little remote islands. This is the way I live, living in rural Scotland, beside the loch with no streetlight, and could just imagine how easy and stress free life would be living in a small shack, with a jacuzzi at the bottom of the garden with a boat as well. Bliss!!

Once we arrived at the berth, I took the ship through a classic 'ferry' manoeuvre, basically a 3 point turn. Swung the bow to starboard off the berth and then moved astern into position. With a promising start to the day weather-wise we were alongside at around 8.00am. After a day at sea our passengers were eager to step ashore and see Stockholm.

Four tours departed this morning with the first being the City Hall and Vasa Museum which many of our guests took part in, this excursion took our passengers on a drive through the city, and across the Western Bridge to the island of Kungsholmen for a visit to the distinctive redbrick City Hall in the Old Town. Our guests then visited the island of Djurgarden where they visited the Vasa Museum on the waterfront to see an amazing restoration of the magnificent Vasa warship, which sank in Stockholm harbour after being launched on her maiden tour in 1628, they then returned to the ship for lunch.

The Second Tour Drottningholm Palace took our passengers to an island in Lake Malaren to the west of Stockholm. Drottninghom Palace was the first Swedish site to be placed on the World Heritage list, and is one of Europe’s most enchanting royal residences. Also on this tour guests visited the magnificently decorated State Apartments and could stroll through the French and English-style landscaped gardens.

The most popular tour today was the third tour Waterways of Stockholm taking our passengers by boat through the many waterways to enjoy the city from a different perspective and sail past the national park of Djurgarden enjoying the ‘city that floats on water,’ before returning to the ship.

The final tour to depart was the relaxing Stockholm Panoramic Tour where our guests could enjoy a moving panorama of sights from the comfort of their coach during this tour of Stockholm. Our guests passed by such areas as the Royal Dramatic Theatre, along Strandvagen before venturing onto the island of Djurgarden. The tour concludes on the island of Kungsholmen, viewing the impressive City Hall, the site of the annual Nobel Prize banquet.

With an earlier departure this afternoon our passengers had a variety of entertainment at their fingertips joining the Cruise Staff for games such as Deck Quoits and Majority Rules. For those keen dancers they could join Cruise Director Jo Boase and the Cruise Staff for an afternoon tea dance in the Britannia Lounge.

Tonight’s Team Trivia took place in the Drawing Room with Explosive Production Singer Michael as he tested our guest’s general knowledge, following with 'Cabaret and Cocktails' and the sounds of Perfect Mood before dinner.

After dinner we started this evening’s entertainment in the Britannia Lounge as many guests enjoyed the Lundonia Trio’s second classical concert of the cruise proving to be very popular they presented ‘Baroque Wonders’ including works by Bach, Handel and Vivaldi.

To continue onto Cabaret Showtime, Lindy Hop dance instructors, Maggie & Geoff Forrest opened tonight’s show with 'Lipstick, Powder and Paint' followed by BBC Radio 2 recording artist, Geoff Taylor with ‘More songs from the Great Crooners’ as we continued the evening with music for dancing from the Sapphire Orchestra and our gentlemen hosts.

Following showtime guests could enjoy gourmet bites in the grill or listen to the wonderful sounds of Perfect Mood our resident duo in the Drawing Room over a late night drink. Or alternatively guests could join pianist Andy Law for a night-cap and a possible sing-a-long until late in Cooper’s bar.

On our first real port of call on this 'Best of Baltics' cruise Saga Sapphire sailed into Kalunborg, Denmark. We arrived at 8.00am which gave our guests plenty of time to go ashore and explore.

For those not travelling independently,they could take one of the four tours on offer today. 'Roskilde Viking Ships' being the first to leave which took our guests across the island of Zealand on the way to the ancient town of Roskilde, former capital of Denmark and home of the spectacular Viking Ship Museum. The museum was built to house and reconstruct the five viking ships that were rescued from the harbour, which had originally sunk intentionally in 1962 to protect from attack. Outside the museum they could find the Musuem Island with an archaeology workshop and working viking boatyard where master craftsmen make replicas of viking-age wooden boats and longboats, using the same materials and techniques the Vikings did. To conclude the tour our guests visited the Roskilde Cathedral, which has been the traditional burial place of Danish Kings and Queens for more than 500 years and now houses 37 Royal Tombs.

The second tour to leave was the 'Copenhagen Canal Cruise' combining a city tour with a relaxing canal cruise. Boarding the coach in Kalundborg our guests set out on a guided tour of the city centre, driving past the Royal Palaces and famous places of interest. After lunch, a leisurely canal cruise transported them along many narrow canals of the inner city and across the harbour before returning back to the ship.

Other guests took the Lerchenborg Manor House and Birkegaarden Garden tour and travelled through the charming countryside from Kalundborg to Lerchenborg Manor House. One of Denmark’s finest baroque houses built between 1745-53 by General Christian Lerche, overlooks a symmetrical baroque garden with lime walk and arching hedges. From here our guests were taken to the Saeby Church, stopping briefly to photograph this beautiful building. Finally travelling to Birkegaarden Gardens, created by the owners from what was originally a small holding purchased in 1970 to conclude the tour.

The final tour for those adventurous passengers was the Kalundborg Walking Tour, beginning in the upper part of Kalunborg where the tour commenced. Dating back to the 12th century this part of the town is home to old streets, alleyways and early buildings. Our guests viewed the 800-year old Church of Our Lady, Musuem of Kalunborg pausing by the Old Bishops Yard ending their tour with a walk back to the town square and main shopping street where they could return back to the ship or maybe carry on with some souvenir shopping.

On-board the Saga Sapphire cruise staff Michelle entertained our guests with games such as Beanbag Boules, Jenga and deck quoits throughout the day.

As we sailed away this afternoon guests could join all of the cruise staff out on the back deck for a cocktail with musical accompaniment from pianist Andy Law.

Once clear of the port, we disembarked the pilot and I then assumed the con of the ship to pilot her down south, through the Great belt and under the Korsor Bridge. It is quite a challenge as you get near the bridge with narrow traffic lanes but I have the assistance of a very good deck officer, Matthew Knabb , the 8-12 Second officer, and also Scott Hunter, the 12-4 Officer who assisted me greatly with the navigation. We also have very up-to-date, state of the art equipment on the bridge to assist.

Tonight, a Newcomer’s Cocktail Party was held in the Britannia Lounge for all those guests joining us for the first time not just on Saga Sapphire but to Saga cruising. Sadly I was busy on the Bridge, but my newly appointed Staff Captain Steve James, hosted the party along with Jo Boase, Cruise Director and the other officers. The party was quite busy with lots of new faces and conversation flowing along with the sounds of The Sapphire Trio.

Following dinner this evening those keen quizzers could join cruise staff Rebecca in the drawing room at 9.00 pm as she put them through their paces with a fun general knowledge quiz.
Tonight’s showtime saw Explosive Productions proudly present ‘Music Legends’ a scintillating tribute to a selection of those chart topping artists from days gone by, following with music for dancing from the Sapphire Orchestra and our gentlemen hosts.

For those who wanted a night cap, they could join Andy Law our cocktail pianist for cocktails in the Drawing Room and a possible sing-song until late.

We sailed into Southampton today and were at the pilot station on time, but they asked we stop and wait for 30 minutes as our pilot was late. So we held position off the Nab Tower, at the east end of the Isle of Wight. Once on board we headed up the Channel. Saga Pearl II was ahead of us, having sailed together north from our Lisbon celebrations. We allowed Saga Pearl II to get ahead as she had a full compliment of passengers to disembark.

I said farewell to Captain Philip Rentell, who had joined me for three days for the run up, to familiarise himself with the ship, as he and I will be in command of the 'Sapphire' for the foreseeable future, working back to back. Also I had the opportunity to meet for the first time his lovely wife Helen, who I had heard so many nice stories about. She was delightful.

From around 1pm we eagerly awaited passengers to embark upon the Best of Baltic cruise and bring our lovely ship to life after being so quiet for the sail home to Southampton. As we welcomed so many familiar faces on board there were also quite a few new guests to Saga travelling with us for the first time, many explored the new surroundings whilst others joined us in the Britannia Lounge for an embarkation buffet and afternoon tea. We carried out our obligatory Lifeboat drill before sailing and then made ready to sail.

At around 4pm our passengers could enjoy a glass of bucks fizz out on the Verandah deck with the cruise staff listening to the sounds of our resident duo Perfect Mood as we set sail on our Baltic adventure. For those who still wanted to explore our new ship they could join our cruise staff on a guided ship tour around the main public areas.

To begin this evening’s entertainment guests could join our cocktail pianist Andy Law in Cooper’s bar playing requests until 7pm, alternatively guests could enjoy the sounds of our resident duo Perfect Mood in the Drawing Room.

This evening guests could enjoy their first six course dinner of the cruise in our new Pole to Pole restaurant, compliments of our Executive Chef Thierry Cherronet.

For the first quiz of the cruise guests could join Assistant Cruise Director Kayls in the Drawing Room, as she put their grey matter to the test with this fun general knowledge quiz. Alternatively some could take their partners for a quickstep or foxtrot in the Britannia Lounge with The Sapphire Orchestra and our gentlemen hosts and enjoy some after dinner dancing.

Following dinner tonight in the Britannia Lounge guests could enjoy the Welcome Aboard Variety Showtime many guests joined Cruise Director Jo Boase as she introduced members of the ships staff and presented a brief orientation of the ship with performances by Perfect Mood, Andy Law and the Explosive Production cast as we the continued the evening with music for dancing from The Sapphire Orchestra and our gentlemen hosts.

After Showtime passengers could sample some delicious gourmet bites in the grill or join cocktail pianist Andy Law for a later night drink in Cooper’s to some good music. For those looking for a different flavour guests could enjoy some late night entertainment with the sounds of our resident duo Perfect Mood, as some retired for the evening to enjoy our first sea day tomorrow en route to Skagen, Denmark.

With Saga Sapphire already fast in Lisbon from the evening of 2nd May we eagerly awaited Saga Pearl II passengers to come and explore our wonderful new ship the following morning.

From 9.30am passengers made their way over to see us and boarded Saga Sapphire in which they embarked upon a Gastronomic Tour taking in all of our spacious public rooms with canapés and drinks served throughout, with many passengers sampling our gourmet fish and chips at the beach club looking over the pool in the sunshine. Guests could also take the chance to look at the different graded cabins with all of them open to view.

From 3pm onwards preparations started for the extraordinary night in store on board Saga Sapphire, passengers joined all officers from Saga Sapphire & Saga Pearl II including a star studded line of Captains including Captain Wesley Dunlop, Captain Philip Rentell and Captain David Warden-Owen in the Britannia Lounge at 5.15pm for cocktails and canapés. The atmosphere in the room from our fellow passengers brought the Britannia Lounge to life and it was so lovely to see many familiar faces come and join in the celebrations. I had the privilege of greeting everyone onto our new ship. Following the cocktail party a 5 course dinner was served in the Pole to Pole restaurant for all of Saga Pearl II guests compliments of Executive Chef Thierry Cherronet.

Tonight’s entertainment was a very special treat as we hosted Britain’s most popular soprano Lesley Garrett CBE, who has regularly appeared in both opera and in concert, on television and CD; she has won both critical acclaim and the affection of many fans and music lovers. As a recording artist, she has fourteen solo CDs to her credit and this evening performed for all of our Saga Pearl II and Saga Sapphire passengers, officers and staff. The outstanding performance lasted an hour until we had to say our goodbyes to the Saga Pearl II guests as we saw them leave our gangway and make their way back over to their home ship. When both ships were all aboard many took to the open decks to see the spectacular fireworks as they shot into the sky. It was a shame the Saga Ruby couldn’t be there with us but we were thinking of her as both ships set sail onto their next ports of call.

All in all the day was a huge success and we look forward to the time when all three ships will meet.