Saga Ruby (ex-Caronia and ex-Vistafjord)

[pete cain]

Brilliant stuff , thanks for sharing, it's really a shame that the time is coming when we'll never see the likes of these beautiful ladies
 sailing the seas, I know Rose has gone , but Please Mr Saga, keep Ruby around for  a wee while yet, after all 'Discovery',
 a ship of similar vintage & style ; is going for a biggy refit soon, if they (all leisure holidays) see the benefit of keeping a ''classic'' at sea , then................................................

[pete cain]

Tyne Turbine jogged my memory , posting the youtube link above, I remembered these 2 brilliantly photographed videos, (the music , especially on departure might not be to everybodys taste, but the rest is rather nice)

  

http://
    

  
  as ever thanks to youtube & those who post in this case  NJPhotographer62
   
  forgot to say doesn't she look so classic , drawing alongside the two clones?

[Michael Gallagher]

Saga Ruby is having a month long refit in autumn 2012 so thats positive.

[Twynkle]

Saga Ruby is having a month long refit in autumn 2012 so thats positive.

Hope so...

[Andy F]

Saga Ruby is having a month long refit in autumn 2012 so thats positive.

I'm edging ever closer to qualifying...

[Stowaway2k]

Saga Ruby in Shanghai
March 18, 2012

[Isabelle Prondzynski]

Beautiful pictures, Kyle. She's got real sparkle!

That looks like an overnight in port... did you get to meet any of the passengers or crew?

[Rod]

I have had the privelidge of sailing on both the Saga and Vista as a passenger. As a young person...well I was about 35 at the time. BOTH ships had the same elegance and service as the "Old" QE2. I cannot speak of the QE2 after 89. Yes the pax tended to be older, but the crew were fairly young and I casnnot say enough about them! Most were Scandanavian at that time, but it seemed to me that service was instilled in them. When they found out that I was an Officer on the QE2....could not believe it !!!!! Service improved! It had been perfect before. It was the...what I call the 5 second little things....the bed turndown, the chocolate, ice bucket was never empty, I remarked to the stewardess that I was going for a beer, she said would you like it in the cabin...I said...that would be nice...she came back with beer and it was always in my cabin. A handwritten note under the door from the night steward saying...I notice you get up early.. if you would like an early breakfast just ask. I tested him...I asked for KIPPERS, lynonaise potatos, bagels and cream cheese and salted butterand English Tea!. It was ALL there! Including the wrapper from the butter to prove it was salted! The whole ship exuded service. That was the SAGA. When I tipped the stewards/esses in person, I thanked them and said I hoped I would be back..."We look forward to it" You are in "the book"! They have a book that they note the likes dislike etc of every pax....and if they are good tippers!

[Stowaway2k]

Beautiful pictures, Kyle. She's got real sparkle!

That looks like an overnight in port... did you get to meet any of the passengers or crew?

Thanks.
She was in port 9am-9pm.  I had to wait till after work, about 7pm, before I could get there to photograph her.  I imagine passengers were sitting down to dinner around that time.  So, no, I didn't encounter anyone from off the ship.  Plus, this was an embarkation port for a cruise to Southampton.   Those who weren't dining were probably asleep.      I wish I had the time to capture her arrival or departure. 

[Stowaway2k]

Very nice story, Rod.   

[Stowaway2k]

Hi Rosie,

Thanks, but that shipyard link isn't working for me.

Unfortunately, the passenger ship terminal doesn't publish a calendar, so it's difficult to determine what ships are coming in.  I do a Google search, such as "Shanghai cruise" and then browse through the travel agent sites.  Very tedious, but it paid off this time.  Plus, I cannot determine which ships will be docked in the city at the passenger ship terminal or out of town at the container terminal.  A few years ago a bridge was built across the river, downstream from the terminal, that limits what ships can come this far upriver. 

[Twynkle]

Hi Kyle
Many apologies for a misleading link.
I'll have another look later, and will post on the Saga Rose site when / if I find the yard.

(Off topic!)
Then - maybe this link will help for when you are looking up ships in port - I notice Xingang (for Beijing) is mentioned. Hopefully they may list Shanghai when it's appropriate.
http://www.cruisecal.com/portal/
QM2 will be alongside in the container terminal (Shanghai) on the 23rd March - Soon!!
It was quite difficult to both 'see out / see any view' from deck 11, or indeed, to spot her over the top of all those high walls of containers last year.
And for obvious reasons (development etc), of all the calls she made, Shanghai was by far the most impressive.
http://www.worldportsource.com/ports/CHN_Port_of_Shanghai_411.php
All the best
Rosie

[Rob Lightbody]

Saga Ruby in Shanghai
March 18, 2012

She looks beautiful!  Thanks for posting.  I hope she continues to sail the seas for many years more, reminding people how ships used to look.

[Stowaway2k]

Thanks, Rosie for all the info.
I remember when CruiseCal was a free service.  I see that Crystal is in today.

Thanks, Rob for the complement.   

[Twynkle]

A brochure amongst others from Saga that arrived yesterday announced details of Saga Ruby's 'Final World Cruise'
leaving her home port of Dover on 7th January.
What sad news this is.