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100 cruise passengers injured, some "flung to the floor" and "holding on for dear life" as ship hits fierce storm on way to U.K.

By Emily Mae Czachor

November 9, 2023 / 10:55 AM EST / CBS News

About 100 cruise ship passengers were injured last week when a fierce storm — which had cut short their scheduled trip around the Canary Islands — ended up hitting the ship in the Bay of Biscay as it routed back to the United Kingdom. Five passengers needed treatment in onboard medical facilities for more serious injuries, while the rest were described as minor. 

Nigel Banks, the CEO of British company Saga Cruises, said Spirit of Discovery had safely returned to the U.K. and all passengers had disembarked in a statement to CBS News on Thursday.

"We have apologised to all our guests who experienced such difficult weather conditions; we know that this was a very distressing experience for them," Banks said in the statement. 

Spirit of Discovery was carrying roughly 1,000 passengers on a two-week journey from Portsmouth, in southern England, through the Canary Islands off the western coast of Spain. The 14-night  "Canary Island Quintet" cruise , operated by Saga Cruises, left from Portsmouth on Oct. 24 and completed the first nine days of its prepared itinerary before beginning to confront a bout of bad weather. 

Conditions prompted the ship's captain to cancel their next planned stop in Las Palmas, where they were due to travel from the capital of Fuerteventura, another place in the Canary Islands, on Nov. 2. Instead, Spirit of Discovery changed directions to route toward the northwestern tip of mainland Spain, where the captain intended to dock the ship at La Coruña.

But while en route to the Spanish seaside town on the edge of the Bay of Biscay, the captain received word that the port at La Coruña would be closed because of bad weather. Hoping to stay ahead of the storm, the captain decided to start routing Spirit of Discovery back to the U.K. earlier than originally planned.

Spirit of Discovery encountered massive, tumultuous waves while crossing the Bay of Biscay, a body of water bordering Span and France that is known at times for especially turbulent currents. While crossing the bay, the ship's propulsion safety system activated and caused it to jerk suddenly to one direction, which essentially brought the vessel to a halt. 

A social media user on X said their parents were passengers on Spirit of Discovery during the cruise. 

"My elderly parents on board the Saga Spirit of Discovery and have also had a horrendous time in the storm, including getting flung to the floor in the dining room with tables and crockery falling on them," the post read , adding, "Why did the captain rush from the Canaries into the storm?"

One passenger, Alan Grisedale, filmed the enormous waves that rocked Spirit of Discovery in the Bay of Biscay and shared the footage with BBC News . Grisedale said the force against the ship was so great that his wife was knocked over, and furniture was pushed around inside their cabin, the BBC reported . Another passenger on the ship recalled in comments to the BBC that "tables were flying" and waves were "throwing people around all up and down the place."

Jan Bendall, a 75-year-old passenger who had taken the cruise with her husband, told the BBC that Spirit of Discovery remained stationary in the Bay of Biscay for about 15 hours while "caught in the middle of the storm." Bendall said that she and her husband were "holding on for dear life."

Banks, the cruise line's CEO, said the crew did "everything we could" to keep passengers safe.   

"We operate to the highest health and safety protocols and every decision was made based on advice from the ship's Master and forecasts from our dedicated marine meteorologists," Banks said in his statement. "We did everything we could at all times to keep our guests as safe as possible and to support them through the storm, including expert medical attention for those injured. I want to thank our guests for their patience and understanding and all our crew, who went over and above to care for everyone onboard."

• United Kingdom

Emily Mae Czachor is a reporter and news editor at CBSNews.com. She covers breaking news, often focusing on crime and extreme weather. Emily Mae has previously written for outlets including the Los Angeles Times, BuzzFeed and Newsweek.

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Around 100 cruise passengers injured after ship gets caught in rough weather

Passengers on Saga Cruises’ Spirit of Adventure cruise ship were injured after getting caught in a storm over the weekend.

Around 100 of the roughly 1,000 guests on board got hurt after the ship’s propulsion safety system was activated while crossing the Bay of Biscay on Saturday, causing the ship to veer to the left and stop. The area, located off the coast of France and Spain, is notorious for its rough seas . 

“The ship remained safe at all times, but due to the impact of the storm some guests sustained injuries,” a Saga Cruises spokesperson said in an emailed statement. “All were treated immediately by onboard medical staff.”

The ship held its position to wait out the conditions. "It was quite frightening," passenger Jan Bendall told the BBC . "I'm not somebody who frightens easily ... it was quite dramatic."

Most of the injuries were minor, but five people were more badly hurt and required treatment in the vessel’s onboard medical facilities. The ship was wrapping up a two-week, round-trip cruise from Portsmouth, England, to the Canary Islands that departed on Oct. 24, according to CruiseMapper .

Cruise ship medical facilities: What happens if you get sick or injured (or bitten by a monkey)

“While the weather is clearly beyond our control, we want to offer our sincere apologies to all those affected who are now safely back, having sailed home in calmer seas,” the spokesperson added. Saga Cruises will contact guests about compensation.

The incident comes after a Carnival Cruise Line ship was similarly rocked by rough weather on its way back to the U.S. during a Bahamas cruise in May.

Nathan Diller is a consumer travel reporter for USA TODAY based in Nashville. You can reach him at [email protected].

Saga cruise ship: 100 people injured as Spirit of Discovery caught up in storm

• Cruise ship
• Tuesday 7 November 2023 at 5:32pm

A passenger on board the cruise explains how the storm affected the ship

A passenger on board a cruise ship that sailed through a storm has described passengers being thrown around and being scared for their lives.

Around 100 people were injured on board Saga's Spirit of Discovery during its roundtrip to the Canary Islands from Portsmouth when severe weather hit in the Bay of Biscay.

Richard was onboard with his elderly parents and explained: "We were left floundering in the centre of this storm where we were advised to go to cabins...people were getting flung all over the place and there were breakages."

Guests were treated on board before the ship arrived back at Portsmouth on Monday evening (6 November).

Spirit of Discovery departed on 24 October on a 14-night ‘Canary Island Quintet’ cruise.

The ship was caught in the storm.

As weather conditions started to worsen on day 10, the call to Las Palmas was cancelled and the decision was made to continue onwards to La Coruna to get ahead of the approaching storm.

The ship's crew were then informed the port at La Coruna would be closed and they decided to continue back to the UK earlier than originally planned.

Spirit of Discovery's propulsion safety system was activated in the poor weather causing it to veer suddenly to the left, bringing the vessel to a sudden halt.

This led to 100 of the 1,000 guests on board being hurt with the "vast majority" suffering minor injuries.

Five people needed treatment for more serious injuries in the ship's medical facilities, according to Saga Cruises.

Richard, a passenger on board, said: "People were generally scared for their lives. Some had even written texts to their loved ones as they thought they were going to die.

"It was really choppy on Friday night and on Saturday we were getting flung all over the place...There were few injuries with elderly people."

He continued: "We were the only cruise ship in Bay of Biscay, all the others have either postponed their journeys or taken shelter because of the incoming storm."

Nigel Blanks, CEO of Saga Cruises, said: “Spirit of Discovery has arrived safely back in port and all passengers have disembarked and are on their way home.

"We have apologised to all our guests who experienced such difficult weather conditions; we know that this was a very distressing experience for them.

"We operate to the highest health and safety protocols and every decision was made based on advice from the ship’s Master and forecasts from our dedicated marine meteorologists.

"We did everything we could at all times to keep our guests as safe as possible and to support them through the storm, including expert medical attention for those injured. I want to thank our guests for their patience and understanding and all our crew, who went over and above to care for everyone onboard.”

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Storm injures 100 cruise ship passengers in Bay of Biscay

Holiday cut short and vessel forced to return to the uk after ‘challenging weather conditions’, said saga cruises, article bookmarked.

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Passengers on board a cruise ship have described “holding on for dear life” as they were caught in a storm off the western coast of France.

Around 100 people suffered injuries when the Saga Cruises ship Spirit of Discovery was hit by bad weather conditions in the Bay of Biscay last weekend.

The majority of the injuries were minor, the cruise line confirmed but said that with five individuals needed treatment for more serious injuries in our medical facilities onboard.

As a result, the vessel cut short its 14-day cruise and returned to the UK last night (6 November).

Since disembarking in Portmouth this morning (7 November), passengers have spoken of their experience, some claiming they were told to remain in their cabins as the ship rocked in the strong waves.

Passenger Jan Bendall, 75, told the BBC that she and her husband were “holding on for dear life” during the storm and added: “It was quite frightening, I’m not somebody who frightens easily, it was quite dramatic.”

She described how the staff were “absolutely fantastic” and set up “a makeshift medical area” in the dining room to treat the injured while passengers were told to stay in their cabins for the rest of Saturday and Sunday.

There were around 1,000 passengers sailing at the time of the incident. The ship, which has been sailing since 2019, veered to one side as the propulsion safety system was activated when after the vessel found it itself in poor weather.

Were you, or anyone you know, on board Spirit of Discovery? Email [email protected]

After departing the UK for the Canary Islands on 24 October, the first 10 days of the 14-day holiday went as planned, but the final stop in Las Palmas was dropped when a storm was forecast.

A course was plotted to the port in A Coruna, in northwest Spain, but adverse weather forced it to close – with crew deciding to head back to the UK early. It was here, while in an area known for rough seas, that the injuries occurred.

A spokesperson for Saga Cruises said: “Spirit of Discovery was sadly caught in the challenging weather conditions this weekend, as she started her return to the UK. The ship remained safe at all times, but due to the impact of the storm some guests sustained injuries.

“All were treated immediately by onboard medical staff. While the weather is clearly beyond our control, we want to offer our sincere apologies to all those affected who are now safely back, having sailed home in calmer seas.”

Last month, an explosion on a cruise ship docked in the US, owned by American Queen Voyages, left one crew member burned and led to the evacuation of more than 200 people onboard .

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Spirit of Discovery: Saga Cruise ship passengers 'feared for their lives' as boat battered by massive waves in Bay of Biscay

Passengers have told how they "feared for their lives" after a cruise ship was caught in a storm in the west coast of France.

The Saga Cruises ship, Spirit of Discovery, returned to the UK after 100 passengers sustained injuries when it was hit by gale winds and 30ft waves as it was crossing the Bay of Biscay, an area known for its rough seas.

Passenger Richard Reynolds, 60, was on the ship with his elderly parents and recalled how people "were screaming for their lives" and some wrote final notes to loved ones as they "thought they were going to die".

"The whole experience was horrendous," he told MailOnline .

"Waves were coming up to the fifth-storey windows, people were screaming and furniture and plates and glass were flying in every direction.

"I am ex-military and fire service and I have dealt with a lot of traumatic experiences in my career but this up there with the worst of them.

'People were screaming for their lives, things were banging and crashing around us and they thought they were going to die.

'We were confined to our cabins for two days, we were laying in bed fully clothed with life jackets on.

"I know other passengers wrote notes on their phones to loved ones because they didn't think they were going to make it out of there."

A passenger told the BBC on Tuesday that people "were writing texts to their loved ones in case we capsized".

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"The tone of voice in our captain...he was physically scared," he said. "We had crew crying. We had many passengers in awful states of fear."

"To say 'minor injuries' is an insult to the many horrific broken bones, pelvises, lacerations, stitches etc. that were caused [to] a very old passenger clientele."

The ship departed on October 24 for a 14-day planned cruise to the Canary Islands with 1,000 on board. During a rough storm, the ship's automatic safety system was activated and it lurched to one side, injuring 100 of the passengers on board. 

The "vast majority" of passengers sustained minor injuries, but five people needed immediate medical treatment according to the Saga Cruises.

Jan Bendall, 75, who was on the cruise ship with her husband, said the ship remained stationary for 15 hours as the storm continued. She told the BBC: "We were lucky - we're quite able-bodied, but I think some of the older people and people in their own in cabins were quite worried."

Describing the situation, another passenger said "tables were flying," as the waves were "throwing people around all up and down the place". Families of the passengers showed concern on social media as one wrote on X about their in-laws' "horrendous journey."

Las Palmas was scheduled as the last stop, but the crew cancelled the last leg of the trip after the weather conditions worsened and instead attempted to head for A Coruña in northwest Spain. 

The Spirit Discovery returned to the UK after A Coruña’s port was closed. It docked in Portsmouth on Monday, with passengers leaving on Tuesday morning. 

A spokeswoman said: "Spirit of Discovery was sadly caught in the challenging weather conditions this weekend, as she started her return to the UK.

"The ship remained safe at all times, but due to the impact of the storm some guests sustained injuries. All were treated immediately by onboard medical staff.”

"While the weather is clearly beyond our control, we want to offer our sincere apologies to all those affected who are now safely back, having sailed home in calmer seas."

• CruiseMapper

Spirit of Adventure accidents and incidents

Length (LOA) 236 m / 774 ft

  Tracker   Ship Wiki

CruiseMapper's Spirit of Adventure cruise ship accidents, incidents and law news reports relate to a 999-passenger vessel owned by Saga Ocean Cruises (Saga Cruises) . Our Spirit of Adventure accidents page contains reports made by using official data from renown online news media sources, US Coast Guard and Wikipedia.

Here are also reported latest updates on cruise law news related to ashore and shipboard crimes still investigated by the police. Among those could be arrests, filed lawsuits against the shipowner / cruise line company, charges and fines, grievances, settled / withdrawn legal actions, lost cases, virus outbreaks , etc.

• delayed delivery from the shipbuilder (due to 2020's Coronavirus crisis), cancelled inaugural cruises in 2020-2021

All guests were offered a full refund.

March 2021 Other Incidents

In early-March 2021, Saga cancelled 4 more departures (May 4 through June 10), all of which were Dover roundtrips.

• (May 4) 16-day "Inaugural Cruise"
• (May 20) 14-day "Treasures of the British Isles"
• (June 3) 7-day "Majestic Norway"
• (June 10) 16-day "North Cape Explorer"

In May 2021 were cancelled 5 more departures (June 26 thru August 10), all Dover roundtrips.

• (June 26)  7-days"Fjordland Focus"/Maiden Voyage
• (July 3) 16-day "Inspirational Iceland"
• (July 19) 15-day "Baltic Symphony"
• (Aug 3) 7-day "Idyllic Norway August"
• (Aug 10) 19-day "Greenland and the Midnight Sun"
• (Aug 29) 15-day "Postcards from the Baltic August"

The Maiden Voyage was rescheduled for August 29th (15-day "Postcards from the Baltic August"/Dover roundtrip) .

November 2020 Other Incidents

In early-November 2020, Saga Cruises cancelled 7 more departures planned for Spirit of Adventure in 2021 (February 5 through May 5).

• (February 5) 14-day "Spirit of Adventurers"/ Inaugural Cruise
• (February 19) 16-day "A Norwegian Aurora"
• (March 7) 15-day "A Taste of the Mediterranean"
• (March 22) 7-day Southampton to Dover
• (March 29) 16-day Dover to Southampton
• (April 14) 14-day Southampton to Dover
• (April 28) 7-day "Idyllic Norway"

September 2020 Other Incidents

In late-September 2020, Saga canceled 7x additional Spirit of Adventure cruises, originally scheduled departures November 5, 2020, through and including February 4, 2021.

The ship's inauguration was rescheduled for February 19, 2021, with a roundtrip from Southampton to the Norwegian Fjords ("A Norwegian Aurora" itinerary). Next tables show the 7 canceled (due to Coronavirus) out of the UK itineraries.

17-day "The Inaugural Cruise"

(2020) 14-day Colours of the Canaries"

(2020) 14-day "Canaries The Sunshine Isles"

(2020) 16-day "Canary Island Christmas"

(2021) 14-day "Constellations of the Canaries"

(2021) 16-day "Exotic Morocco and the Canaries"

(2021) 15-day "The Beautiful Canaries"

June 2020 Structural and Technical Issues

In late-June, Saga Group announced that the Spirit of Adventure's delivery is planned for October 2020 (pushed back from July due to the Coronavirus pandemic / for more details see the "April 2020" accident report below).

The cruise ship's inauguration will be in early-November (maiden voyage date is yet to be confirmed) with roundtrip from Southampton to the Mediterranean itinerary.

Next tables show the other 4 canceled (due to delayed delivery) out of the UK itineraries.

14-day "This Sceptred Isle"

7-day "A Norwegian Canvas"

12-day repositioning from Dover to Southampton

22-day "Tales from the Ancient Mediterranean"

April 2020 Structural and Technical Issues

The vessel was initially scheduled for launch in July 2020. Its christening ceremony (inauguration) was planned for August 19, 2020, to be held in Portsmouth (England UK). However, as the global Coronavirus pandemic affected the shipbuilder's activities (shipyard closure, then limited workforce), in early-April Saga Plc (future shipowner) announced that the delivery from Meyer Werft will be delayed, but still taking place within the next 12 months.

The inaugural cruise was planned for August 21, 2020.

Next table shows the 17-day itinerary's ports and times as originally scheduled.

You can add more details on reported here accident or submit new / your own Spirit of Adventure ship incident ("Cruise Minus" report) via CruiseMapper's contact form .

Cruise passengers were watching the weather forecast and begging their captain to head to port before the ship got caught in a severe storm

• Cruise passengers begged their captain to dock before the vessel got caught in a bad storm. 
• The travelers were worried about a bad weather forecast on the ship's path, The Telegraph reported.
• One hundred people were injured when the ship ran into a storm Saturday in the Bay of Biscay.

Passengers on board a recent cruise to the Canary Islands who were worried about a bad weather forecast begged the ship's captain to head to port, according to a report.

But the ship sailed on and got caught up in a terrifying storm that led to 100 people being injured on board.

The anxious travelers called on the captain to dock Saga Cruises' Spirit of Discovery ship after the vessel started to hit choppy waters as the cruise was returning to the United Kingdom and nearing the end of its 14-day "Canary Island Quintet" sail last week, the UK's Telegraph reported .

One guest, a 72-year-old only identified as Jayne, told the Telegraph that the ship was in rough seas as it traveled up the Portuguese coast and that passengers were concerned about storms forecast along the ship's course back to the UK.

"We said to the captain, this storm's coming, and we're going to hit it somewhere in the Bay of Biscay," Jayne said in an interview with the news outlet.

Related stories

Jayne said passengers suggested the cruise ship dock in Lisbon, Portugal, "but we were told that we can't go there because the maritime pilots are on strike," the Telegraph reported.

WATCH: BBC reports "tables were flying" as waves threw people "all up and down the place", say passengers on UK cruise ship 'Spirit of discovery' caught in storm. 100 people got injured as 30ft waves battered the ship windows. pic.twitter.com/NWZh2tL2ff — Insider Paper (@TheInsiderPaper) November 7, 2023

When Insider asked Saga Cruises for comment on Wednesday, its CEO, Nigel Blanks, said in a statement: "We operate to the highest health and safety protocols and every decision – particularly with regard to routes and potential ports of call — was made based on advice from the ship's Master and forecasts from our dedicated marine meteorologists."

Blanks added, "We did everything we could at all times to keep our guests as safe as possible and to support them through the storm, including expert medical attention for those injured."

The Spirit of Discovery was hit by a storm near France

As weather conditions worsened last week, the cruise, which was carrying 1,000 guests on board, decided to head back to the UK earlier than originally planned.

On Saturday, the vessel ran into a storm in the Bay of Biscay, an area off the coast of Spain and France known for its rough seas.

During the ordeal, the ship's propulsion safety system was activated, causing it to suddenly veer and come to a halt, resulting in the passenger injuries.

"A lot of people I spoke to thought they were going to die," one 80-year-old passenger told The Telegraph. "You had people ringing families and saying, 'this could be it,' due to the violent rolling of the waves."

The cruise is now back in the UK and all guests disembarked the ship on Tuesday.

Watch: Cruise ship captain breaks down 8 cruise ship disasters in movies and TV

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Reviews 3.9.

1,129 total

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First time travelling after COVID

After a long time and having lost my confidence in travelling I wanted to visit my family in Atlanta, USA I got in touch with Saga to inquire about making my travel arrangements. My travel consultant was MARTIN JOHNSON, who was absolutely wonderful and very patient with all the concerns I had. He arranged the flights, VIP cars to take me to Heathrow and pick me up at Heathrow on my return. He liaised with the airlines, arranged the seats on the airplane, and notified them about my need for assistance. All in all I can’t thank Martin enough for his excellent assistance, and calming me through all my concerns . I would recommend anyone making travel arrangements to ask for MARTIN JOHNSON you will not be disappointed.

Date of experience : 27 March 2024

Reply from Saga Travel

Hi Sylvia. Thank you for your amazing feedback about Martin, we will ensure your kind words are shared with him. We are delighted you have gained confidence to travel again and we look forward to you experiencing lots of adventures with Saga. Kind regards, Nic Saga Holidays

Saga Customer Care DONT CARE!

Booked a holiday to include the Panama Canal and Big Sur for 70th Birthday celebration. Saga made various changes some of which were beyond their control but the ship advertised changed and no notification of this was given. Have communicated with Saga over various issues and they do not communicate with you, even Senior Management phone you, make promises but don’t deliver, still waiting for an email from Charlotte Hingston confirming how she intends to make amends for the appalling service. Very reluctant to book any further travel with Saga, the only time they are helpful is when you are making a booking and they want the deposit.They do not comply with ABTA Code of Conduct

Date of experience : 10 April 2024

Hi Christine, We're really sorry to read your feedback. This is certainly of not the type of review we aim to receive. We understand that our senior managers are aware of your issues, are investigating your concerns and will be in contact with you directly to address the complaints that you have raised. We do hope that we can go some way to restoring your faith in us, Best Wishes, Nick Saga Travel

last October while on a Danube river…

last October while on a Danube river cruise My husband was taken to hospital in Vienna.I was put in a hotel.The Saga Rep could not do enough for us.Even though my husband passed away in November I will always be grateful for how well we were looked after.

Date of experience : 13 April 2024

A 5 star review here but mainly for…

A 5 star review here but mainly for Martin Johnson of Saga tailormade department. We booked a tour to Sicily for our 50th wedding anniversary and were very disappointed when our hotel accommodation was changed to a completely unacceptable alternative & flights from BA to Easyjet. Wishing to cancel by chance we came across Martin who thankfully enabled us to change our trip to the Bel Jou hotel in St. Lucia. A lovely hotel in Castries with beautiful gardens, great food and lovely staff. The hotel bus runs regular transfers to the town and beach & entertainment in the evenings. A huge thankyou to Martin who rescued us from what would have been a huge disappointment for such a special occasion.

Date of experience : 23 November 2023

Hi Peter, Thanks for taking the time to share your review. We're so pleased to hear that you had a great time celebrating your anniversary and that Martin was able to organise everything so well. We look forward to you joining us again, Best Wishes, Nick Saga Travel

Holiday to costa rica.

Martin Johnson saga representive. Our recent holiday to costa rica was arranged by Martin. We have had a fantastic experience in Costa rica. Martin arranged everything so well it went so smoothly ran like clockwork. He listened to what we wanted to see and do, came back with various options. Costa rica was a beautiful country. The wild life was amazing. It was one of my bucket list trips it gets a big tick. Couldn't fault any thing. So well planned and organised. Thank you Martin for a fantastic trip.

Date of experience : 12 March 2024

Hi Linzi, Thanks so much for taking the time to share such a great review of your recent trip to Costa Rica. It sounds like you had a wonderful time and we're so pleased to hear that Martin organised everything so well for you. We look forward to you joining us on another Saga adventure, Best Wishes, Nick Saga Travel

Great Indian Railway Journey.

We had an excellent tour manager in Sanjeev Kumar. His willingness ‘to go the extra mile’ for his tour group ensured a very successful and enjoyable tour of Northern India.The hotels, food and staff service were excellent.

Date of experience : 30 March 2024

Thank you for taking the time to share your kind comments with us. We are delighted to hear how well you were looked after by Sanjeev and how much you enjoyed the tour. We look forward to seeing you again on your next Saga Travel adventure. Kind regards, Nic Saga Travel

SAGA DIFFICULT TO PAY !!!

Really disappointed to be doing this but SAGA are no help to this old man at all. Have a holiday booked trying to make a payment. They are insisting on the full amount. Which my bank will not accept as it is outside my credit limit. Want to make stage payments. SAGA insisting on full amount Need help urgently Holiday Booking number is 11065539

Date of experience : 05 April 2024

Hi Mike, Thanks for sharing your review. We're really sorry to hear about your booking experience. This site is for Saga Travel Group holidays rather than Saga Cruises, however if you could email your contact details over to [email protected], the cruise team will be happy to contact you directly to address you concerns. Best Wishes, Nick Saga Travel

Saga holidays is worst then their…

Saga holidays is worst then their insurance. They took money twice and if I did not notice they would have kept my money . This is fraud saga . Not a trusted company my bank got involved to get a refund under section 75 . Would not trust Saga for anything again ! It’s always a sorry and a mistake when the consumer is involved but if the consumer made the same sort of error then it would be fraud and money laundering !!!

Date of experience : 08 September 2023

Hi, We're really sorry to hear about this. We can assure you that we take feedback such as this very seriously as this is not the level of service we aim to provide. We would like the opportunity to look into this further. If you could please send your booking reference and contact details through to [email protected] our customer relations team will investigate the issues you have raised and contact you directly. We do hope we can restore your faith in us, Best Wishes, Nick Saga Travel

A Great Representative of Saga Holidays

This is my first holiday booking with SAGA and I was delighted to be connected with Alison who was extremely helpful, kind, understanding and professional. Alison gave a clear outline to all my queries of the holiday and now I am really looking forward to my holiday. Thank you Alison for all your help.

Hi Annie, Thanks so much for sharing your feedback. We're delighted to hear that Alison was able to answer all your queries and help you confirm your booking. We hope you have a wonderful holiday, Best Wishes, Nick Saga Travel

Tailor-made trip to Japan

Booked a tailor-made trip to Japan through SAGA. Excellent service from Lacey O'Neill, she sorted all the transfers, train tickets and entrance tickets in Japan along with English speaking guides to take us round the various sights. Saw everything we wanted to see and more. Fantastic holiday.

Date of experience : 13 March 2024

Hi Alan, Thanks so much for taking the time share your review. We're delighted to hear that Lacey was able to answer all your queries, help you confirm your booking and that you had a wonderful holiday. We look forward to you joining us again in the future, Best Wishes, Nick Saga Travel

Great to speak with Saga rep by phone

Great to speak with Saga rep by phone , confirm booking and make secure payment straight away

Date of experience : 12 April 2024

Dealing with Saga gives you confidence…

Dealing with Saga gives you confidence that things will be done well and if any difficulties arise they will be dealt with.

Hi Chris, Thanks for sharing your review. We're delighted to hear that we have been able to help you confirm your booking and we hope you have a fantastic holiday, Best Wishes, Nick Saga Travel

Book with Saga by phone

Book with Saga! Their cruises are excellent, as are the crew. The telephone booking service is good too but that on the website is beyond awful. Avoid it and speak to a human.

Hi Ian, Thanks for sharing your feedback. We're sorry to hear that you experienced difficulties with the website, but we're pleased that our agents were able to help you confirm your booking. We hope you have a wonderful holiday, Best Wishes, Nick Saga Travel

The main problem is getting through to…

The main problem is getting through to them if it is not possible to book online. To phone means a long wait, and the promised call back promised did not happen. Once in touch with someone every thing went ahead.

Date of experience : 07 April 2024

Hi, Thanks for taking the time to share your review. We're sorry to hear about your booking experience, but we're pleased to hear that our agents were able to help you confirm your holiday, We hope you have a wonderful time, Best Wishes, Nick Saga Travel

We used Saga's bespoke travel service to arrange a trip to India's Golden Triangle followed by a stay in Goa. Our contact was Martin Johnson who was very helpful, communicated well and offered some good advice. The whole trip was well organised they listened to our criteria and delivered on every part of it. The company they used in India were excellent and the driver and guides were smart punctual, helpful and made the whole trip enjoyable.

Date of experience : 02 February 2024

Hi Nigel, Thanks so much for taking the time to share your review. It sounds like you had a wonderful time exploring India. We look forward to you joining us again soon, Best Wishes, Nick Saga Travel

The actual holiday in Madeira was good BUT

The actual holiday in Madeira was good. Quality of hotel was first class. The problem was with the "based at home" Saga customer care. Originally booked six months in advance to fly BA from Heathrow. E mail received 13 days before we fly to say now Easy Jet from Gatwick at 11.00 am. Told by "care" team BA could not accommodate the group. Told change was insignificant as both airports are in London. Received another email 4 days before we fly that time of departure was now 07.00. At his point not travel documents had been received. Care person had no idea why but said a manger would phone later that day. No phone call received. Tried second time and a phone call from manager to explain would be made. No phone call or any contact. Fortunately our taxi service were flexible and able to change travel times. The Saga group (Only 14 of us) arrived in Madeira all with the same experience. In fact one lady received change of flight time the day before departure by letter. She was not on internet but had a phone. Having arrived at airport and exchanged stories we could not find the Saga/ Titan representative. After waiting 15 minutes I phoned the Titan emergency number and asked where our transfer was. Told he would look into it. He phoned back to say transport would be there in a further 30 minutes. By this time the easyJet holiday group and jet2 groups had long gone. Taxis arrived and taken to hotel. The Saga rep was waiting for us to explain that Saga had not informed her of the late change in flight time!! Not a good preparation for a short stress free break in the sun. Fortunately the hotel was of a good standard and no further issues. Not sure what has happened to Saga with this level of customer care and quality of service. They seemed to be unable to cope with the arrangements even though only 8 of us in group. After response from Saga sent details as requested but email address did not work and delivery error message received!! Sent details via their customer care website and awaiting response

Date of experience : 03 April 2024

Hi, We're really sorry to hear about the issues you experienced with your flights. This is not the kind of feedback we hope to receive. We would like to look into the issues you have raised further. Please could you email your booking reference and contact details over to [email protected] and our team will investigate the points raised and contact you directly. We do hope we can go some way to restoring your faith in us, Best Wishes, Nick Saga Travel

SAGA Travel Insurance Start Date? - probably legal. But Buyer Beware

You pay your insurance premium upfront, i.e. when you book your holiday and make your reservation. Now you can relax knowing that you are safe? WRONG!!! The insurance cover does not start, until you close the door behind you as you set off on your holiday. But you are covered by the insurance, if perhaps have to contact your doctor before your holiday starts, aren't you. WRONG! Look at clause 16 in the SAGA Insurance Booklet. Every mishap/injury/sickness is classed as being pre-existing to your holiday start date and must be re--assessed and approved by the Insurer used by SAGA. Let's imagine that you contact your GP in the run-up to your holiday and they recommend (without seeing or examining you, of course) an x-ray to discover the cause of you feeling unwell. Now you have an undiagnosed medical condition which is not covered. With delays in the NHS, getting a diagnosis at short notice before your holiday may not be possible... But you are covered, should you still wish to travel, or cancel your policy aren't you? WRONG! Read clause 16 again... At least the Travel Insurance policy is cheap - even if useless.. However, what Nick failed to include in his reply to this review, is that SAGA claim to have an Insurance Policy which does include pre-travel cover. Personally, I have not been able to verify this, so I don't know what is included or excluded, nor do I know how to access any documentation.

Date of experience : 02 April 2024

Hi Paul, Thanks for sharing your review. We're really sorry to read your feedback as this is not the kind of review we hope to receive. We understand that your concerns have been passed to our insurance team managers who will be in contact with you directly to address your concerns. We do hope we can restore your faith in us, Best Wishes, Nick Saga Travel

Out of Africa

We have just returned from In the Footsteps of Livingstone tour. Saga were helpful all the way through and our tour was fantastic value for money. Our guide Joanne Nell was friendly, helpful and cheerful from the moment she met us. She was dressed smartly, very professional and no questions were too much for her. Our drivers were also friendly and smartly dressed and on time. Would recommend the tour with Saga/Titan and Joanne to anyone

Date of experience : 22 March 2024

Hi Jackie, Thanks so much for taking the time to share your review. We're delighted to hear that you had such a great time in Africa and that Joanne and the team looked after you all so well. We look forward to you joining us on another adventure, Best Wishes, Nick Saga Travel

The Wild India tour is a small group

The Wild India tour is a small group. There were 19 of us, plus the tour manager, Rachit Singh. He was possibly the best Tour Manager we have ever had (and we’ve done quite a few Titan/Saga trips): professional, personable, very knowledgable, attentive, kind and caring. He was not only a brilliant organiser, but an expert naturalist too. Perfect for this holiday.

Hi, Thanks so much for taking the time to share your experience. We're delighted to hear that you had such a great time and that Rachit and the team looked after you all so well. We look forward to you joining us on another Saga adventure, Best Wishes, Nick Saga Travel

Solo Traveller

My husband is unable to travel so I wanted a week away with no hassle on my own. The booking procedure took over a week before confirmation as they said they had to contact the hotels first. Emails etc should not take this long. I wanted to take the Saga insurance but when I said I took a very low dose antidepressant they said they could not insure me! As a company dealing with older people I am sure most of them would be taking lots of medications. All this procedure has taken 2 weeks and has really taken the shine off booking a holiday.

Date of experience : 28 March 2024

Hi, Thanks for sharing your feedback. We're really sorry to hear about your experience. Your comments are valuable to us as these help us to identify areas for improvement. We do hope you have a fantastic holiday, Best Wishes, Nick Saga Travel

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• Saga Cruises

Problem accessing Saga website

By LondonLad60 , November 28, 2022 in Saga Cruises

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LondonLad60

Is anyone else having trouble accessing the Saga website? Whenever I try I get a "Your connection is not private" error, which has been happening for about a week now. This is happening using google chrome. I tried clearing the cache and cookies, in fact I completely cleared browsing history, but to no avail Out of curiosity I tried using the Avast Secure browser and got to the site straight away. Anyone else had this happen?

Link to comment

Share on other sites.

Just accessed the site in via Chrome and had no issues. Can't explain what your problem might be unless you hve inadvertently altered some internal Chrome settings

Also no problem with Chrome, could it be your anti- software is throwing up the warning?

Thanks for the responses. Strangely enough I received the same message when I tried to access the .gov.uk site yesterday which suggested to me that the problem lay within chrome (or possibly with my laptop) and not with two different sites. Chrome was due for an update, and my antivirus software (Avast) had also updated and was prompting me to reboot. I rebooted, and hey presto, access to both sites with no problems. Case closed.

Until a couple of years (?) ago most websites normally used a non secured address beginning with http, only switching to a secured address beginning with https when taking payments etc. Nowadays most sites use https for all purposes, but some still use http; which in theory could allow information you enter to be read by third parties should they intercept it. Modern browsers often flag sites using http and warn that they are insecure, but this is only of any real consequence if you are entering personal information . Don't know why this should affect Saga however as their address begins with https. I have just accessed this using Firefox without any problems.

Please sign in to comment

You will be able to leave a comment after signing in

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Debt-laden Saga considers cruise ships sale

S aga is considering selling its two flagship cruise liners as the over-50s holiday and insurance business scrambles to cut its massive debt pile.

The company has announced plans to explore a “partnership arrangement” for its cruising operation, which operates the 999-passenger ships Spirit of Adventure and Spirit of Discovery.

The proposals, first reported by Sky News, are understood to also include selling a stake in Saga’s cruises business or offloading the entire arm as part of a licensing agreement. 

Saga said: “The board is exploring opportunities to optimise Saga’s operational and strategic position in cruise, where exceptional demand for its boutique ocean cruise offer means it is operating at close to capacity.”

Discussions are understood to be at an early stage and no final decision has been made.

It comes months after Saga appointed City advisers to explore options for its cruise business amid mounting debts.

Directors at the London-listed company recruited experts from Lazard to review proposals to reduce its enormous debt pile, which stands above £650m.

The ships have proved a headache for Saga since they were acquired in 2017 when the company was riding high.

Unlike normal cruise operators, which rent from specialist operators or buy second hand, Saga decided to splash out on its own vessels.

The business, led at the time by Lance Batchelor, hired German shipbuilder Meyer Werft to construct the two vessels. 

The Spirit of Discovery, launched in 2019 at a ceremony hosted by the Duchess of Cornwall, was hard hit during the Covid crisis .

The Spirit of Adventure was delivered to the group in 2020 but also had to sit idle.

The lack of cruise activity put a further squeeze on Saga’s balance sheet and added to the debt woes of the group.

Saga has been struggling with debts since it was spun out of a private equity-backed vehicle called Acromas on to the stock market in 2014.

The deal led to a huge payday for backers Charterhouse Capital Partners, CVC Capital Partners and Permira, but left the company vulnerable.

Saga had been bundled up with the AA in Acromas, and had a complex debt structure. 

Since listing in 2014 shares in the group have cratered by 90pc, with the £160m value of the company dwarfed by the size of its debts.

The business has been exploring options to fix its debt pile, including selling assets to raise cash.  

An alternative option is the sale of Saga’s underwriting insurance business, which continues to grapple with inflationary pressures despite efforts to offset rising costs with higher insurance premiums.

Saga, which has over 2.7m customers, has spent years trying to reduce its debt pile as soaring interest rates pushed up borrowing costs.

The latest efforts to bolster its balance sheet by becoming a “capital-light business” come ahead of a £150m bond repayment due in May 2024.

Saga expects to meet this deadline by drawing on multi million-pound loans from chairman and former chief executive Sir Roger De Haan.

Sir Roger, the son of Saga founder Sidney Isaac De Haan, has already loaned the business £85m.

Saga is currently undergoing a leadership overhaul after chief executive Euan Sutherland resigned in November following four years at the helm.

He was replaced by Mike Hazell, appointed just weeks after joining Saga as its new chief financial officer.

Saga reduced its debt by 8pc from £711.7m to £657.4m during the first half of 2023, after its cruise and travel business was boosted by the post-pandemic surge in holiday bookings.

The business is scheduled to release a trading update next week.

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• Saga Cruises

Problem accessing Saga website

By LondonLad60 , November 28, 2022 in Saga Cruises

Recommended Posts

LondonLad60

Is anyone else having trouble accessing the Saga website? Whenever I try I get a "Your connection is not private" error, which has been happening for about a week now. This is happening using google chrome. I tried clearing the cache and cookies, in fact I completely cleared browsing history, but to no avail Out of curiosity I tried using the Avast Secure browser and got to the site straight away. Anyone else had this happen?

Link to comment

Share on other sites.

Just accessed the site in via Chrome and had no issues. Can't explain what your problem might be unless you hve inadvertently altered some internal Chrome settings

Also no problem with Chrome, could it be your anti- software is throwing up the warning?

Thanks for the responses. Strangely enough I received the same message when I tried to access the .gov.uk site yesterday which suggested to me that the problem lay within chrome (or possibly with my laptop) and not with two different sites. Chrome was due for an update, and my antivirus software (Avast) had also updated and was prompting me to reboot. I rebooted, and hey presto, access to both sites with no problems. Case closed.

Until a couple of years (?) ago most websites normally used a non secured address beginning with http, only switching to a secured address beginning with https when taking payments etc. Nowadays most sites use https for all purposes, but some still use http; which in theory could allow information you enter to be read by third parties should they intercept it. Modern browsers often flag sites using http and warn that they are insecure, but this is only of any real consequence if you are entering personal information . Don't know why this should affect Saga however as their address begins with https. I have just accessed this using Firefox without any problems.

Please sign in to comment

You will be able to leave a comment after signing in

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Debt-laden Saga turns to Lazard to shore up balance sheet

The London-listed services provider to over-50s consumers has been working with advisers to evaluate options that could involve reviving the sale of its insurance arm, Sky News learns.

City editor @MarkKleinmanSky

Monday 27 November 2023 12:17, UK

Saga, the financial services and travel services provider to the over-50s, has drafted in a team of City bankers to help shore up its finances, weeks after tapping its chairman for a £35m loan.

Sky News has learnt that Saga has been working with Lazard to advise on prospective ways to strengthen its balance sheet, including reviving the sale of its insurance underwriting division.

City sources said that it had also been examining possible alternatives relating to the financing of its cruise ships, Spirit of Adventure and Spirit of Discovery.

Lazard is said to have presented its review of the company's earlier work on debt refinancing and restructuring options to Saga's board in recent days.

Other options, the details of which were unclear on Monday, are also understood to be under consideration.

The evaluation of new corporate activity by Saga's board comes ahead of a £150m bond repayment which is due in May next year.

In its interim results announced in September, Saga's balance sheet was saddled with net debt of more than £650m.

While the company's shares have staged a mini-recovery in the last 12 months, rising by nearly a quarter, it still has a market capitalisation of less than £175m.

Roger De Haan, the company's former chief executive, was parachuted back in to lead a turnaround in the summer of 2020, investing £100m as part of a broader capital-raising.

That came after it spurned a takeover bid from private equity investors.

At the start of this year, it unveiled a global website called Saga Exceptional, aimed at providing advice and services to over-50s consumers.

Euan Sutherland, the former Co-op Group and Superdry boss who now runs Saga, said in January: "We are laying out our plans as we pivot Saga for growth and sharpen our focus on building the largest and fastest-growing business for older people in the UK.

"This is all part of the wider plan to make Saga the leading Superbrand for, what we call, the 'Experience Generation'."

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A large part of the company's current travails relate to conditions in the motor insurance market, which it said had been impacting its ability to generate cash and reduce debt.

Saga had also been in talks to sell its underwriting business to Open, an Australian insurer, but failed to finalise a transaction.

In September, it said it "believes that greater value could be generated once conditions within the insurance market improve".

"We will, however, continue to evaluate our options as the landscape evolves."

Mr De Haan, the son of the company's founder, had already lent Saga £50m before extending that to an £85m facility earlier in the autumn.

Shares in Saga were trading on Monday at around 122.7p.

A Saga spokeswoman declined to comment.