Life on board

Excursions will be available to book via our website approximately 10 weeks before your departure date. You can find full details and book excursions online. We will email you to let you know once excursion sales open. An approximate date your excursions will be available to book can be found on our excursions page.

You will need to book the excursions you wish to join, even the included ones, to secure your place. Pre-cruise excursion sales will close approximately 1 week before your cruise. Any further bookings and alterations can then be made on board. We recommend that you pre-book your places as early as possible as some optional tours have limited availability and to secure your preferred included tour timing.

Please ensure that you read the excursion description to ensure that it is suitable for you as we are unable to provide assistance on any of our tours.

For those guests who require accessible transport, please note that these will be arranged dependant on availability at the port we are visiting. This is free of charge for included tours, for optional tours there will be an additional charge. Please contact our Guest Services team on 0800 504 505 at the time of booking your excursions if you wish to discuss your requirements further.

We will tell you at the time of booking if there are specific entry requirements or vaccinations for any of the destinations you are visiting. If we have advised you that you require an ESTA (Electronic System for Travel Authorisation) for your cruise then you will need to obtain this yourself, before you travel, and this must be shown at check-in.

GHIC allows guests to get healthcare in the EU, and some other countries, on the same basis as a resident of that country. This maybe free or require payment equivalent to what a local resident would pay. You can find more information and apply for this online.

A valid passport with at least six months validity is a requirement for British citizens. Your passport must have been issued less than 10 years before the date you enter each country and will also be required for UK cruises.

IMPORTANT - Your passport number, issue date, expiry date and issuing country must be provided to us at least 30 days before travel in order for us to comply with border security check requirements. These can be added to your booking online.

If you have chosen to take a domestic flight and our chauffeur service to the port, you can choose to include the chauffeur service to take you to an airport closer to your home and take a domestic flight to London or Southampton.

Upon arrival at your destination airport you will be collected by a chauffeur and taken to your departure port. From experience and with your comfort in mind, we would suggest this is a consideration if your road journey exceeds four hours on google maps.

If you would prefer to drive yourself to the departure port, let us know and we can arrange your car parking at no additional cost.

There is no limit on the amount of luggage to take, but if you fly you will need to abide by the airline luggage rules.

If you opt to use the chauffeur service, we will assume one large and one small case per guest and ask that each suitcase weighs no more than 25kg for the safety of our drivers and crew. If your luggage exceeds this, or you are taking any additional items such as mobility aids, please let us know so that we can arrange the correct type of vehicle.

If you have a shared chauffeur service, and you live less than 100 miles from the port, we will not deviate more than 30 minutes outside of your planned journey time to collect the remaining passengers you will be travelling with. If you live more than 100 miles from the port, we may deviate by up to one hour.

We stagger arrivals to the ship from 1230-1530 to minimise congestion at the port and while boarding. We do not guarantee an executive vehicle and often use MPV (multi-person vehicles) to cater for you and your luggage.

We recommend that you take a mobile phone with you in case of an emergency. In the unlikely event that something goes wrong during your cruise, please speak with a member of the team onboard. If this is not possible or you’re in transit, you can call the duty officer:

From the UK: 01303 771 999
From abroad: +44 1303 771 999

Once you enter the terminal you will need to go to the signposted check-in desk. If you are unsure of where to go, there will be directional staff on hand to help.

At check-in you will need to provide your passport and any documentation regarding visas, ESTAs or electronic travel authorisations that you have obtained before you travel, so that these can be checked before you board. You will also be taken through a health questionnaire by the check-in staff.

If you have booked one of our limited emergency assistance spaces, you will need to make your own way to the check-in desk. You will be given assistance from the check-in desk along the gangway to the ship. Once at the top of the gangway, one of the ship's crew will escort you to your cabin at your own pace. If you have booked one of our adapted cabins, emergency assistance is included automatically, and you will be met from your vehicle and taken through check-in and to the ship. 

Please note, if you are travelling from Portsmouth and have booked emergency assistance you will need to go through check-in and take a lift to reach the transfer shuttle bus, unaided, which will transport you to the ship. You will be met off the shuttle bus and your wheelchair assistance will begin at this point. If you have booked an adapted cabin, you will be provided assistance onto the shuttle.

Once on board you will be welcomed by our dedicated crew, who will direct you to your cabin so you can settle in. Your luggage is all taken care of and will be delivered to your cabin by our crew. There will be a muster drill at the beginning of the cruise, before departure, which must be attended by all guests and crew.

There will be a safety video to watch on the tv within your cabin and a tannoy announcement to advise when the muster drill will be taking place. If you have booked emergency assistance, you will receive this during the drill.

Depending on which port you are travelling from there will be some walking required between the lobby and the ship.

Portsmouth: There will be a short walk into the lobby to the stairs or lift. It will then be approximately 50 metres to the check-in desk and security. You will need to take the lift or stairs down to the transfer shuttle bus to the ship.

Dover: There will be a short walk into the lobby to the stairs, lift or escalator. There will then be a short walk to security and on to check-in. The walk to the ship is approximately 50 metres up the gangway.

On the evening before disembarkation your luggage will be collected from your cabin. You may wish to bring a small overnight bag with you for your nightwear and toiletries for your final night onboard. You will be asked to vacate your cabin between 0800-0830 on the day of disembarkation. Disembarkation will be between 0800-1030 and you will receive a letter within your cabin approximately five days before disembarkation.

Once you leave the ship, you will collect your luggage from the luggage hall. If you have booked the chauffeur service, your driver will be waiting in the arrivals area, holding a card with your name on it. Our Port Operations team will be on hand to help you connect with your driver.

If you have booked one of our limited emergency assistance spaces, you will get assistance from the ship’s Living Room to the bottom of the gangway. If you have booked one of our adapted cabins, you will be taken from the ship, through the luggage hall and to your vehicle for your onward journey.

Please note, if you are arriving at Portsmouth and have booked emergency assistance, you will need to get assistance to the shuttle bus and will need to go unaided on the shuttle and through the luggage hall to the vehicle. If you have booked one of our adapted cabins, you will get assistance onto the shuttle bus and through to your vehicle.

A dress code applies from 1800. The dress code is smart-casual each evening.

Ladies may wish to wear a smart dress, or top/blouse with trousers or a skirt. Gentlemen can wear a smart, open-neck shirt and trousers, with jackets optional.

Please note, polo shirts, t-shirts, shorts and denim are not considered smart-casual attire in the evenings and should not be worn.

A longstanding cruise tradition, formal evenings are one of the many highlights of our cruises. Guests are invited to wear any medals earned during military service. The number of formal evenings varies depending on the length of your cruise:

• Four to seven nights – one formal evening
• Eight to 11 nights – two formal evenings
• 12 to 21 nights – three formal evenings
• Cruises of 22 nights or more, there will be one additional formal evening per week

On formal evenings, formal attire is required in all restaurants apart from selected seating in The Grill. Smart casual attire can be worn in selected seating in The Grill, all bars, including the Britannia Lounge and the Playhouse theatre. Guests are also able to take advantage of the complimentary room service.

All our ships have free Wi-Fi, which can be a bit intermittent at times due to the nature of ocean cruising. If you plan on reading your books on a tablet, we advise that you download these before leaving home.

The ship is fitted throughout with UK 230v sockets. There are also USB charging ports in all cabins, and II5v shaving sockets in all guest bathrooms.

If you have registered for emergency assistance then, in the unlikely event of an emergency, you will be escorted to your muster station by our highly trained crew. During the mandatory guest muster drill before departure on your first day, the same team will meet you, introduce themselves and then take you to your muster station.

If you have booked an accessible cabin, then during the drill you will be taken in a lift to your muster station. In a real emergency, these lifts would not be available and you would be taken to your muster station using an evacuation chair.

There are self-service launderettes on B (Starboard side) and D (Port side) decks forward. There is no charge for the use of these facilities and washing powder and fabric conditioner are supplied free of charge. We also have laundry, pressing and dry-cleaning services.

Please refer to the laundry request option on your interactive TV or form in your cabin, for details and prices. Due to safety reasons, please don’t bring your own iron on board.

There are lifts forward and aft which travel between Deck 4 and Deck 13. Lifts will not operate in an emergency, and you will need to manage the stairs unaided.

The currency on board is sterling, and we operate a convenient cashless system using your cabin key card for any purchases made on the ship. You will need to settle your on-board account at the end of your cruise, and the easiest way to do this is by debit or credit card. Simply register your card with Reception any time before the end of your cruise. You will be able to view your on-board account on the interactive TV in your cabin. By registering your card, you are agreeing to Saga obtaining pre-authorisation, and your bank may reduce the balance of funds/ credit available to you. Saga will release this pre-authorisation at the end of the cruise.

With some banks it can take several days before the pre-authorised funds are made available to you again. For purchases made off the ship, our Reception does offer a limited foreign exchange service of selected currencies, but we encourage you to purchase any foreign currency before your cruise. A charge of £3 applies if you use personal cheques to settle your on-board account and/ or purchase foreign exchange during your cruise. There are no additional charges for paying by credit card, debit card, traveller’s cheque or cash.

Deck 12: Outside bar situated on the pool deck.

Open 1000-1800.

Deck 5: The heart of the ship is an open coffee shop area by day, and an inviting cocktail bar in the evening.

Open 0730-midnight.

Deck 6: Centrally located on board.

Open 1000-1500 and 1730-midnight.

The perfect setting to enjoy the fresh air any time, especially when enjoying the walkaround promenade deck.

Bar service is available 1000-1600.

Deck 12: Located on the aft outside deck, this al fresco bar is great place to enjoy a refreshment and some fresh air.

Open 1100-2130 weather permitting.

Deck 12: Outside bar situated on the pool deck.

Open 1000 - 1800.

Deck 5: The heart of the ship is an open coffee shop area by day, and an inviting cocktail bar in the evening.

Open 0730 - midnight.

Deck 6: Centrally located on board. 

Open 1000 - 1500 and 1730 - midnight.

The perfect setting to enjoy the fresh air any time, especially when enjoying the walkaround promenade deck. 

Bar service is available 1000 - 1600

Deck 12: Located on the aft outside deck, this al fresco bar is great place to enjoy a refreshment and some fresh air.

Open 1100 - 2130 weather permitting.

22.4 square metres

In addition to the facilities of a standard cabin:

• Larger cabin 
• Walk-in wardrobe
• Larger seating area
• Larger balcony
• Standard fridge

29.3 square metres.

In addition to the facilities of a standard cabin, these suites also feature:

• Bathtub, separate rainforest shower, double vanity unit, separate toilet
• Luxury fresh fruit basket
• Walk-in wardrobe
• Bottle of champagne on arrival
• Separate lounge and seating area
• Full butler service, including daily canapes
• Continental breakfast morning wake-up tray
• Espresso machine
• Full in-cabin afternoon tea service
• Complimentary replenished minibar
• Double balcony with sun lounger/dining table
• Separate flat screen TV in bedroom and living room

36 square metres.

In addition to the facilities of a midship suite, these suites also feature:

• Larger cabin
• Luxury turndown service
• Luxury fresh fruit basket
• Larger separate living room area
• Personalised minibar
• Fresh flowers

From 50.5 square metres.

In addition to the facilities of an aft suite, these suites also feature:

• Larger cabin
• Separate living room and dining room space
• Dedicated wine fridge
• Whirlpool bathtub
• In-cabin dining experience including speciality restaurant menu (upon request)
• Guest WC