Saga extends travel suspension

Saga has extended the suspension of its travel operations, with its cruises now been suspended until June 27.

The inaugural cruise of Spirit of Adventure has been moved to July 26, Saga said. The suspension of Saga’s holidays business has been extended until May 17.

Saga said it has reached this decision in order to ensure the health and safety of its guests, and in accordance with the government’s updated guidance on travel.

Saga’s previous announcements relating to the improved health and safety protocols across both cruises and holidays remains unchanged. Saga’s policy of full vaccination for all its guests, as announced in January, similarly remains unchanged.

A spokesperson for Saga said: “The health and safety of our guests and crew has been our number one priority and throughout the pandemic we have made all decisions with their wellbeing in mind. Following the release of the Government’s roadmap out of lockdown, we have taken the decision to delay the resumption of our Holiday and Cruise operations until the May 17 and June 27, respectively. As part of this decision, the inaugural cruise of Spirit of Adventure has been moved to July 26. We have contacted all our guests who have been impacted by these changes and are discussing their options with them.”

Last month, Saga announced that it is to welcome a second river ship to its fleet, the Sprit of the Danube. The vessel will follow Spirit of the Rhine, which is due to launch this year.

A keel laying ceremony for the new ship will take place today in Serbia. The vessel will launch in 2022.

Chris Simmonds, Saga Holidays CEO,  said: “Over the past few years, we’ve been focused on redefining river cruise range to provide a Saga designed experience for our guests. Spirit of the Danube joining the fleet marks an exciting milestone in this journey and we cannot wait until she joins her sister ship Spirit of the Rhine next year.  Guests will be able to enjoy a range of first-class facilities and we cannot wait to show everything our latest ship has to offer.”

The ship will have capacity for 190 guests on board when it departs on its inaugural cruise from Amsterdam. Future destinations guests will be able to explore from the ship include Budapest, Vienna, Rousse and Tulcea.

The addition of the new ship comes as Saga announced that it would be mandatory for all guests to be fully vaccinated before travelling with the company.