Spirit of Discovery is a boutique size ship which means she can get directly into smaller ports with ease. She carries 999 guests and each of the 554 cabins has its own private balcony. As a comparison Cunard’s QM2 carries 2,695 guests in 1,360 cabins.

There are a range of cabins from standard to deluxe and suites, there are also 100 single cabins – well done SAGA! They are exceptionally well equipped with a seating area, dressing table/desk, spacious wardrobe, a large wall mounted TV, tea/coffee making facilities, air conditioning, mini fridge, safe, hairdryer and even binoculars! The en-suite shower rooms have a modern design and feel spacious too.

The food service was exceptional and the two main dining areas – The Grand Dining Room and The Grill offer breakfast, lunch and dinner, as well as Afternoon Tea. To give guests complete flexibility ‘anytime dining’ is standard – no early or late sitting on this ship.

There are three speciality restaurants offering a la carte dining, pre-booking is recommended, and you can choose from:

*Coast to Coast - a seafood restaurant with an Italian feel and the use of neutral and natural colours gives a sense of airy opulence. *East to West - offers innovative Asian cuisine, the look and feel has a modern twist on the traditional dark and rich Asian colour palette of dark woods, turquoise, amber and gold. *The Club by Jools - a steakhouse with live music offers a cabaret style dining experience. ‘Jools’ is our very own Jools Holland who will be performing on selected sailings too - that will be something special!

There are lots of places to relax on board with a cup of tea, coffee or something stronger or be more active. You can see a show, watch live entertainment, attend a lecture, soak up the sun, get fit or be pampered.

The ship offers superb entertainment, the Britannia Lounge - a show lounge offering entertainment, guest lectures and activities day and night, The Playhouse - a 444-seat theatre and home of the resident performance company, where the design ensures a great seat wherever you sit. There are other facilities too such as a swimming pool with hot tubs, gym, spa, card room, craft room and a library with a cosy cafe.

In addition to the fantastic facilities onboard, SAGA offers all of this on every sailing...

*Chauffeur service from your home to departure port (max. 250 miles) *All meals on board, including 24-hour room service *A choice of wines at lunch and dinner *All on-board gratuities *Optional travel insurance underwritten by Great Lakes Insurance SE, UK Branch and additional cancellation rights on overseas holidays for over 50s, or a price reduction if not required (cover is subject to medical questions) *Entertainment and activities *Welcome cocktail party and Captain’s dinner *All port taxes and visas

From November 2019 the Spirit of Discovery will be all-inclusive and in August 2020 she will be joined by a second new sister ship Spirit of Adventure, across both ships there are sailings from 4-nights to 35-nights and prices for 2020 start at just £795 per person including your door-to-door pick-up and drop off (within 250 miles of the port).

This is a brief summary of my time on board and as an experienced cruiser I was impressed by the quality offered. If you would like to experience this beautiful ship for yourself, then get in touch to discuss dates and availability.