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New for 2024, Saga has revamped its UK travel package and the included chauffeur service has now been extended to 300 miles from the departure dock (previously it was 250 miles). Those guests who live further afield and choose to join the cruise via a domestic flight to London or Southampton will also receive a chauffeur service from home to their local airport. They will then be picked up from their flight and driven to the ship, making the whole experience easy and stress-free.

This latest launch of 2024 cruises sees Saga complete the line-up for next year, following its announcement last November of its first ten itineraries, which will take place between January and March 2024.

Saga is committed to offering early bookers the best deals, so these new cruises are launching with up to 35 per cent off the full price. Saga also offers a price promise, whereby if the price of the cruise ever drops, guests who have paid the higher price will get the value difference.

Highlights for Spirit of Discovery will include:

• A 12-night all-inclusive Exploring Spain and Western France cruise departing 28 April 2024 from Portsmouth. For the first time, Saga will visit Douarnenez, a small port town with an active sardine fishing and canning industry. It has an attractive town-centre, known as the Quartier du Vieux, with 18^th century houses, churches and chapels. Douarnenez’s picturesque waterfront has a choice of cafes and restaurants, and there are coastal paths including one to the Plomarc'h Natural Site with traditional fishing cottages and an archaeological area. The cruise will also visit Bordeaux, home to a former royal square, Place de la Bourse, and the Cailhau Gate, a 15th-century defensive gateway dedicated to Charles VIII. It wouldn’t be a trip to Bordeaux without a visit to one of the prestigious estates for a wine tasting. This cruise also visits La Pallice – the ‘Sleeping Beauty’ castle in La Roche Courbon. And finally the cruise visits Bilbao and its modern Guggenheim Museum, which contrasts sharply with the city’s medieval quarter and 19th-century industrial heritage. Prices start from £2,799 per person for a standard balcony cabin (based on two sharing).

• An 18-night all-inclusive Greenland and Iceland Wilderness Explorer cruise departing on 10 July 2024 from Dover. In Iceland, guests will experience the sights of Reykjavik including the Golden Circle and the remote West Coast from Isafjordur. From there they will cruise to three remote settlements in southern Greenland: Qaqortoq which is the largest town in southern Greenland with brightly coloured wooden homes; Narsarsuaq, the gateway to exploring the Qoroq Ice Fjord with its stunning blue icebergs, and Nanortalik, ‘the place of polar bears’. Departing Greenlandic waters, Spirit of Discovery will travel through the incredible Prince Christian Sound, a narrow passage where glaciers reach down towards the sea, before calling into Akureyri in the north of Iceland for opportunities to visit Godafoss Waterfall and spot whales in the surrounding fjord. Prices start from £4,999 per person for a standard balcony cabin (based on two sharing).

• Spirit of Discovery will be heading to the Canary Islands for the festive season. Leaving Portsmouth on 19 December 2024, the Christmas in the Canary Islands all-inclusive cruise will visit Leixoes (for Oporto), Cadiz, Las Palmas, Santa Cruz (Tenerife), Santa Cruz (La Palma), Arrecife, Funchal and Lisbon. Prices start from £5,116 per person for a standard balcony cabin (based on two sharing).

Highlights for Spirit of Adventure include:

• A 22-night all-inclusive Athens and the Greek Islands cruise departing on 17 April 2024 from Portsmouth, which, for the first time for Saga, will visit Hydra with its picturesque amphitheatre of stone mansions built in the 18th and 19th centuries by merchant captains. Nowadays, celebrities, artists and the yachting set are drawn to the island with its combination of traditional and glamorous bars and restaurants. Other highlights from the cruise include a visit to the small fishing village of Katakolon, which is considered the gateway to the mystical site of Ancient Olympia. This tour will visit the site where the first Olympiad was held in 776 BC and the Temple of Zeus, one of the seven wonders of the ancient world. Athens is also included in this cruise with a visit to the Acropolis and a drive past Constitution Square, the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and the Olympic Stadium. The ship also stops in Argostoli from where you can visit Fiskardo village for lunch with a view towards Ithaki. Prices start from £6,114 per person for a standard balcony cabin (based on two sharing).

• A 12-night all-inclusive Scandinavian Gems cruise departing Dover on 30 May 2024 (also repeated on Spirit of Discovery on 4 August 2024). This cruise will visit Sweden, Denmark, Lithuania, Germany and Norway and some of their lesser-known ports, including, for the first time, Gudhjem in Bornholm, Denmark. This tiny fishing port with a population of around 750 people has a cosy atmosphere and plenty of shops, boutiques and cafes. Guests can also explore the island of Bornholm or take the ferry across to the fortress island of Christiansø. This cruise will also visit Klaipeda in Lithuania with its German and Scandinavian architecture, lovingly restored half-timbered buildings, and beautiful local countryside. Guests will also have the chance to visit Copenhagen, home to three Royal Palaces, and the Aarhus Museums. Den Gamle By (the old town) is one of the finest open-air museums in Europe and provides a glimpse into Danish life through the centuries, while the AROS Museum is a vast Art Museum with a large collection of works. A stop in Gothenburg includes a vintage tram ride to the Hagg District, one of the oldest neighbourhoods, with well-preserved houses lining the cobbled streets. Prices start from £3,018 per person for a standard balcony cabin (based on two sharing).

• For Christmas, Spirit of Adventure will be heading to the Caribbean from Portsmouth on 6 December 2024 for a 30-night all-inclusive cruise. The Festive Celebrations in the Caribbean cruise will include: Barbados with its lively Capital of Bridgetown; St Lucia with the Piton mountains and Creole culture; Grenada the ‘Isle of Spice’; the lesser-known Dominica with lush rain forests, gorges and waterfalls; the tiny island of Nevis; Tortola, the largest of the British Virgin Islands and the ever-popular island of Antigua, where the ship calls in Christmas Eve. Christmas Day will be spent at sea and Spirit of Adventure will anchor off Funchal to see the New Year in. Prices start from £8,106 per person for a standard balcony cabin (based on two sharing).

Saga has also been delighted with the response from its advanced registration guests to a new Israel and Ancient Egypt cruise, which is already nearly full. Guests are able to register in advance with the cruise line to ensure they secure their first choice of itinerary and cabin. This 24-night cruise departs Dover on 9 September 2024 and will visit Gibraltar, Syracuse (Sicily), Souda (for Chania in Crete), Rhodes Town (Rhodes), Antalya (Turkey), Paphos (Cyprus), Ashdod (Israel), Haifa (Israel), Alexandria (Egypt), Valletta (Malta) and Ceuta (Spain) before returning home. There are limited cabins still available, so guests wishing to secure this cruise should call Saga on 0800 051 3355 to enquire about availability.

Also back by popular demand are a range of seven short round-Britain cruises. These include: Spring in Southern Ireland, departing on April 8 on Spirit of Discovery and visiting Bantry Bay and Cobh (prices from £1,147 pp); two Guernsey, Isles of Scilly and the Cornish Coast cruises departing on Spirit of Adventure on 11 June and Spirit of Discovery on 5 July 2024 (prices from £1,182 pp), and a Summertime in the British Isles cruise departing 16 June on Spirit of Adventure (prices from £2,676 pp).  

And, of course, Saga guests can also choose from a range of other popular cruises throughout the year to destinations such as the USA, the Mediterranean, Norway (and the Northern Lights), Africa, the Caribbean and the Canary Islands.

In addition to the complimentary chauffeur service, Saga’s boutique ocean cruises are all-inclusive with no hidden costs on-board either. Saga Cruises come with all dining and house drinks including a selection of cocktails, draft beers and lagers, wines, spirits, mixers and soft drinks. New for 2023 and in response to guest feedback, a selection of premium label spirits are also available at no additional cost. Wi-Fi, gratuities, fitness facilities, 24-hour room service, sightseeing tours in selected ports, entertainment (from lectures to recitals to shows), porterage of luggage, shuttle buses to nearest town centres and travel insurance are also included.

Guests can view and book these 2024 cruises at saga.co.uk/2024-cruises or by calling 0800 051 3355.

Selected destination images are available here, and cruise ship images here.

For journalist enquiries, please contact: sagatravel@headlandconsultancy.com.

ends

March 29, 2023