05 June 2019, 07:01
HRH The Duchess of Cornwall to name Saga’s new cruise ship Spirit of Discovery
Saga is delighted to announce HRH The Duchess of Cornwall as the Godmother of its newly built boutique cruise ship, Spirit of Discovery. The naming ceremony will take place in Dover, Kent, on 5 July 2019. She will be the first cruise ship to be named at the Port of Dover for over a decade, and the first to be docked at Dover Western Docks following the £250m redevelopment of the area.
Before the naming ceremony, HRH will be given a tour of the ship. In building Spirit of Discovery, classic and contemporary materials and furnishings have been combined to create a luxurious environment. The 1,000 plus pieces of art on board will include 400 original pieces commissioned from British based artists and artisans. Hush Heath, an independent wine producer from Kent, will provide a jeroboam of their sparkling wine for the naming ceremony that has been specially blended for Spirit of Discovery.
The Duchess of Cornwall and Saga share a common link in their support for The Silver Line, a charity founded by TV presenter Dame Esther Rantzen after she experienced intense loneliness following the death of her husband. HRH is the patron of the charity and The Silver Line is Saga’s first national charity partner.
Lance Batchelor, Group CEO of Saga, said: “I am delighted that The Duchess of Cornwall has agreed to be Godmother of the Spirit of Discovery. The launch of our new ship is a key moment in both the history and future of Saga. Carrying fewer than 1,000 passengers, she is a boutique ship that offers our customers and members the highest standards of accommodation, furnishings, cuisine and entertainment. I am immensely proud of what we have created with shipyard Meyer Werft.”
Sophie Andrews, CEO, The Silver Line, said: “Our team is absolutely delighted to see this coming together of our Patron and our charity partner, Saga. The Silver Line helpline receives more than 10,500 calls every week from vulnerable and isolated older people, many of whom have nowhere else to turn which demonstrates the depth of loneliness felt by huge numbers of the UK’s older population.
Saga has shown its firm commitment to Britain as Spirit of Discovery has been registered in the UK and will proudly display London as her port of registry on her stern. Her sister ship, Spirit of Adventure, will also fly the Red Ensign when she launches in 2020.
ENDS
Notes to editors
Notes to Editors:
Spirit of Discovery
Spirit of Discovery is the first of two new passenger ships being constructed for Saga at Meyer Werft shipyard in Papenburg, Germany.
Spirit of Discovery will arrive in Dover on 28 June 2019 and will be named at the Port of Dover on 5 July 2019. The keel was laid for the second ship, Spirit of Adventure, on 3 June 2019 and she will enter service in 2020. Both ships will host 999 guests and 523 crew members. Spirit of Discovery will be a 58,250 gross tons vessel measuring 774.3ft in length and a maximum beam of 102.4ft.
For further information please visit the Spirit of Discovery’s webpage.
About Saga
Saga is a specialist in the provision of products and services for life after 50. The Saga brand is one of the most recognised and trusted brands in the UK and is known for its high level of customer service and its high quality, award winning products and services including cruises and holidays, insurance, personal finance and publishing. Visit saga.co.uk.
The Silver Line
The Silver Line Helpline provides three functions to support older people:
- a sign-posting service to link them into the many, varied services that exist around the country;
- a befriending service to combat loneliness;
- a means of empowering those who may be suffering abuse and neglect, if appropriate to transfer them to specialist services to protect them from harm.
Since their national launch in November 2013, The Silver Line Helpline has received over 2 million calls. Over two-thirds of these calls were made overnight or at weekends when no other helpline is available for older people who may be lonely, isolated or confused. They now receive around 10,500 calls every week from lonely and isolated older people; with 53% of callers saying they have literally no-one else to speak to
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