Saga Holidays

Vietnam offers some of Southeast Asia's most awe-inspiring landscapes, most fascinating cities and charming people, and hands-down THE best food! From the delightful shop-houses of Hoi An to the other-worldly landscapes of Halong Bay, this is Southeast Asia at its most compelling >>> bit.ly/vietnamhighlights

One of our favourite television shows, The Real Marigold Hotel is back for a third series. Having been inspired by the show we’ve put together a collection of our favourite tours to India that all showcase the very best of this fascinating country. Make sure you don't miss tonight's episode on BBC One at 9pm.

You have until Friday to save up to £1,500 per person on an all-inclusive Saga Sapphire cruise. Offers end on August 10, 2018. Find out more >> saga.co.uk/cruise-deals #Keepdoing

Brand New: Experience two sides to Croatia on this great value 14 night all-inclusive holiday. With a stay on the popular Makarska Riviera followed by a relaxing week on the beloved island of Hvar, famous for its unspoilt landscapes.
Book by the 17th August, 2018 to save an additional £50 per person.
— Products shown: The Makarska Riviera and Island of Hvar.

Introducing a brand new tour...
...Oman is an intriguing mix of rich heritage and modern day living, from bustling souks to contemporary architecture. Spend an evening with a Bedouin family, sleep under the stars in desert, and seek out nesting green turtles on a journey from the country's capital, Muscat through ancient Nizwa and the copper-coloured Wahiba Sands, to Ras Al Jinz.
Save £100 per person when you book by the 17th August
... — Products shown: Oman: Arabian Adventure.
See More

Over the weekend our Japan expert, Tom visited the Nebuta Matsuri Festival while testing out our new tour of Japan.
Teams from the local area build the floats, which are constructed of painted washi paper and take an entire year to design and construct. They often depict gods, historical or mythical figures from both Japanese and Chinese culture but more recently have depicted actors, and characters from the popular historical drama TV series.
If you went to Japan what woul...d you like to experience?
— Products shown: Flowers and Festivals of Japan.
See More

With our deal of the week you can enjoy a four-night getaway in the Algarve from just £249 per person at the Dom Jose Beach Hotel in Quarteira, near Vilamoura.
Book this deal and find out why this hotel was voted the best 3-star hotel in Portugal in the Portugal Travel Awards 2017 >>> bit.ly/dotw-domjose

Sometimes when you travel, you want to come away with more than souvenirs from your journey. What would you add to the list?

We've been nominated in 26 categories at this year’s British Travel Awards and we would be very grateful if you vote for us.
By voting you will be entered into a prize draw for a number of different prizes, including a river cruise along the Danube, return flights to South America, and other exciting holidays around the world.
Help us win gold by voting here >>> bit.ly/saga-vote

Have you heard every 2019 Saga Sapphire itinerary now includes unlimited drinks on board? It all adds up to even better value, whichever cruise you choose. Find out more >> saga.co.uk/sapphire #Keepdoing

“One of the reasons why I wanted to launch these particular tours was because I know that on a destination-rich tour, many people I meet dislike packing and unpacking – it can get very tiring. On a rail journey you can make the train your home for the duration of your journey, while still exploring all the sights. A journey aboard the Shongololo Express offers something extra special too.”
Pick up a copy of today's Telegraph Travel to read about our new rail tour of South Africa and Namibia aboard the Shongololo Express.
— Products shown: Shongololo – The Good Hope Train and Shongololo – The Dune Express.

Our Japan expert, Tom has witnessed the Akita Kanto Festival today. The highlight of the festival is an impressive display of skill. Thousands of performers march through the city balancing long bamboo poles with lanterns on various parts of their body. Check out the photos he's sent back.
— Products shown: Flowers and Festivals of Japan.

NEW BUILD: Spirit of Discovery is coming to life! The heart of our ship, deck 1 and 2 where the oil-fired boilers and machinery sit are being worked on as we speak. #Behindthescenes

See the scenic wonders of Southern Africa by rail aboard The Shongololo Express. Look forward to enjoying a glass of South African red from the observation car as the beautiful landscapes roll by.
The Good Hope crosses South Africa from east to west visiting Cape Town, Durban and Bloemfontein – with exciting excursions to Kruger National Park to spot the 'Big 5', Kimberley’s Big Hole, and picturesque Knysna.
Whereas the Dune Express covers both Namibia and South Africa. Stay... overnight in safari lodges in Etosha National Park and in the extraordinary landscape of Namib-Naukluft Park, with its red sand dunes and salt pans. Cross the Great Escarpment to the strange Quiver Tree forest and the vast natural phenomenon of Fish River Canyon.
What one would you choose?
See More

Our Japan expert, Tom is currently in the Land of the Rising Sun exploring the festivals featured in our 13 night 'Flowers and Festivals of Japan' tour.
Today marks the Sansa Odori Festival which happened today in Morioka. The main theme of this festival is the Taiko Drum where over 10,000 drummers and dancers parade through the city. Click the link for more information >>> bit.ly/festivalsjapan

We're delighted to announce that we will be serving Jake's Saffron beer in our speciality restaurant East to West aboard Saga Sapphire and Spirit of Discovery. It's produced by the award winning vineyard Hush Heath Estate who make our sparkling rosé. Cheers!

Did you all enjoy watching The Real Marigold Hotel on BBC One last night? You can visit Jodhpur on our Rajasthan: The Princely State Tour >>> bit.ly/realmarigold

Great news! We’re giving you more time to save up to £1,500 per person on Saga Sapphire 2019 cruises to destinations such as Canada, Iceland and Norway. But don’t leave it too long, these offers will have to end soon. Find out more >> saga.co.uk/cruise-deals #Keepdoing

When we asked one of our customer what their favourite part of the river cruise was, Karen replied: "The visit to Kizhi Island... it was quite an eye opener and showed the true spirit of the Russian people."
In Europe's second-largest lake, Kizhi boasts more than 80 centuries-old wooden structures that were transport there in the 1950s to create a remarkable open-air museum. Visits to the island are included on every one of our river cruises in Russia. >>> bit.ly/saga-kizhi

You will never beat Saga for service, friendliness and quality of food. Have cruised with Carnival companies but they don't compare. Now concentrating on land-based holidays ..... as well as cruising...... Saga have come up with all my favoured options.

Well impressed with my first holiday with saga even more impressed with their customer service sorting out an issue. Will travel them again

We have just returned from St Lucia, third visit to the Bel Jou,worried it would not be as fabulous......IT WAS......same familiar staff faces plus a few new ones that fitted in so well to the whole ethos of fun and caring, three days into our stay we booked to return next year with the lovely Saga rep Rita, being a local her knowledge of the island and its history is fantastic. The hotel is having a reburb Aug to Nov including coffee shop, gym, spa, another pool in the garden; also have added a fabulous Caribbean Evening held outside Lulu's Cabana(yes Lulu is still there!) with a BBQ,traditional dancers, fire eater then a disco; Sunday brunch with traditional steel pan band; the children's band from the school still come into play for guests one lunchtime, Alvin the chef is still dancing of an evening with guests as do the rest of the staff! Toffee is still entertaining guests in the evening too plus new entertainment. Saga guests still have the shuttle bus free, daily bottled water etc

Come on Saga guests the Bel Jou is still as fabulous as ever.......Dean and the staff welcome us with a smile, nothing is too much trouble........You arrive as a guest.....leave as a friend, in our case as a returning friend ���

We had a great last minute booked holiday due to monarch collapse, Saga staff worked very hard to find us a replacement as could not go on one we had booked. Lovely Hotel in Altea, Cap Negret, food good, loads of places round to walk and cycle (didn't do this), train < 200m away take you to Benidorm - Alincate in South, Calpe and Denia in North. Walked 32 + miles over the week. This was ninth or Tenth Holiday with you and already looking forward to the next which is booked. :-) :-)

To me, SAGA set the gold standard when it comes to a cruise holiday. Very competitively priced,the smaller ships are able to get into places where the floating tower blocks cannot go. The home to ship and return service is excellent and embarkation/disembarking is efficient. All staff from booking to sailing are friendly and very competent. Nothing seems to be un catered for. The food and service is excellent. Disabled friendly and no kids.

Not had our holiday with them yet. But they were absolutely brilliant when I broke my arm in six places and had to cancel our cruise, which we were so looking forward to. They allowed us to transfer the money to another cruise for next year. Everyone we spoke to was so helpful and everything was transferred seamlessly. I cannot thank Saga enough for helping us with this and looking forward to our cruise in April. Thank you. X

Just returned from a great holiday 'Balearic Island

Adventure'. Each island was a new adventure. The three islands were all very different as were the three hotels; each one had different good points. The trip was full of variety and the small group we were with were such fun. When you know you are going to spend the next two weeks together then let's not waste time getting to know each other and have fun, and we did. Only one couple remained aloof and I felt a bit sorry for them but that was their choice. The rest of us all had fun, enjoyed each other's company and the numerous positive aspects of this trip. I recommend this holiday.

Just got back. saga Pearl Flavours of the Med. one of our best cruises. Lots of new ports of call, best ( apart from Barcelona) was Tarragona, what a wonderful port. Did the Roman tour, best ever !! Then time to spend on what they call the balcony , looking over the sea. I'll write more about the ship in another review.

Journey through the Clouds - best holiday ever. Wonderful service on Rocky Mountaineer. Scenery was awesome, and we saw bears !! Our Tour Leader Debbie Skwark looked after us so well. She had a great sense of humour and made sure the holiday went without a hitch. We had a wonderful time

I have just returned from a wonderful holiday in Montenegro, I have travelled a lot and quite a few times with Saga and they have all been very good but this was very special.

We stayed at hotel Palas in Petrovac it was a super hotel spacious and elegant but friendly, the Saga lounge was superb with lovely armchairs and tables a really nice place to sit and chat if you needed to talk to the Saga rep, now he was exeptional Dragan what a lovely young man he was charming and efficient with a great sense of humour, I noticed how kind and patient he was with a very elderly couple, he was everything a good rep should be. I also felt he was hardworking and went the extra mile, one morning he asked some of us if we would like to go for a walk we did and that was not in any itinerary just a friendly gesture which he fitted in. I enjoyed the week there but now comes the exciting bit, my friends and I had booked the mountain and national park adventure, We were met by Miros and off we went in the landcruiser it was a fantastic four days the scenery was breathtaking as was the ride round the hairpin bends! We stayed at two super ski hotels and ate with local people and saw the carpets of wild flowers which abound in may. The lakes and mountains with our great guide were something I will never forget. This was probably the best Saga trip I have ever been on, thank you Saga for a brilliant holiday,

I had a Saga Holday in Cyprus. The Alexander the Great Hotel. I am 74 and through athree bad operations on my hip I am on crutches. The staff at this hotel could not have been greater. Mind you, I had booked with Saga who themselves choose the Hotels that will give the best Service. From door to door My Sister and I could not have had the Best. In the Restaurant Cafe Royal, I had help at every moment, The Manager and the 'Chefs' hastened to carry my tray and help me back to my table. The Saga Representative was always there in the Office or contactable and as well as dealing with two emergencies, still managed to deal with the rest of his'Flock' so to speak. I will go there again, with no hesitation. Thank You SAGA. Vivienne Bilney

We have just returned from a Saga holiday in Colonia de Sant Jordi in Majorca. In our opinion the holiday provided very good value. Julie, our Saga rep. in the hotel was very approachable and helpful. Our room was very clean, the beds were very comfortable and the sea view room was very quiet. The buffet-style food in Hotel Romantica was plentiful and there was an enormous choice. The staff at the hotel were polite and professional and worked incredibly hard to please the guests and present a sparkling environment. As a mobile couple, we went off exploring using local bus and taxis organised by the hotel, however, for single people or those with Iimited mobility there were activities provided in the hotel, plus some organised excursions. Julie, our Saga rep. was always visible and supportive, without making us feel we were on a 'school trip'. There were numerous single people on the Saga holiday, who were included or not, depending on their wishes. Our group was a very friendly group. We would recommend booking early in the season and considering the Signature option, as it did appear good value. The resort is a good choice for a relaxing holiday in a family orientated resort away from the nightclubs. There is a bus service to Palma if you wish to visit and this passes through some interesting smaller towns such as Campos and Llucmajor. We enjoyed watching the triathlon on the first Saturday in May. Take a walk to the Tourist Information Centre at the port to find out about local events.

Very good value for money dont think many cruise company's would give free travel to and from ship.Give free wine with lunch and dinner,half free 24hr room service, have free coffee and tea 24hours, free laundry.I'm sure I could name a few more perks.

Just returned from 11 days with Saga - Postcards from Portugal.

This was our first Saga holiday and we were rather apprehensive but liked the itinerary of hotel accommodation in Portugal’s historic Pousadas.



We really liked our 1 st experience of individual private transfer to London Gatwick and TAP flights were good, even including a small snack.

We arrived at lovely quiet and modern Porto airport which is to be a real find.

We stayed in 4 Pousadas ( ex monastery, ex hospital, ex palace and ex castle ) all great locations, facilities, buffet food, service and buildings.

We had a wide range of tours, both included and optional to historic / religious buildings and wineries with tastings.

We had a modern large coach ( only half filled) and the services of an excellent tour leader who was very personable and knowledgeable.

There was a mix of 5 couples, 2 single men and 12 widows, all friendly and enthusiastic.

It was very reasonably priced but beware it was a very busy experience with lots of early starts at 8 .30 not returning til 5 pm often in the dark as the clocks had changed.

Very very disappointed with Saga holidays. Been back two weeks now from Sri Lanka and raised a formal complaint with the rep while I was there and on here in response to a Saga reply on my comment and I still have had no contact from them. Shame on you saga this is not the customer service I expect from your company.

This March I sailed on the Pearl 11 with my daughter who came as my companion as she isn't 50 yet. I have sailed on this ship before and the Sapphire. The cruise was St Patrick's Day Getaway. Very good itinerary and great to spend the day itself in Dublin. The food as ever was very good and couldn't be faulted. However you couldn't move for zimmer frames and I've never seen so many on the ships. To be honest it was a floating nursing home. The daytime activities were what you'd get in a Home. I know Saga caters for seniors but if you want to attract under 80 ' s you had better up your game! The cabin crew are 'carers' but I guess it's cheaper than a Nursing Home with many guests living on the ships. To crown it all there was an outbreak of Norovirus which was dealt with appropriately.

Had a very enjoyable two week stay in the Aldemar Knossos Royal Hotel, Crete and have no criticism of either the hotel, the staff or the location but Saga seem to have changed the rules part way through the season. In the itinerary Saga sent, there were a list of optional excursions we could take and, beside each one, was a price - except for excursions to Heraklion and to Knossos Palace which, to me, suggested they were free. But, by the time we went, Saga had changed the rules and, while they had initially been included, they no longer were for our hotel - but still included for those in the Belvedere - so, if we went, there would be a charge. However, at no time were we told of this in advance - the the itinerary sent by them two weeks before we were due to fly, still included the trips at no charge. Saga has just said the reason there was no charge put beside the trips is that prices could vary!!!!! Sorry, don't buy that one! Shame, because otherwise it was a great success

what’s going on with Saga? The brochure prices are a joke,

They asked for a massive amount extra when we tried to book, went elsewhere!

We had a very poor experience. Our 40th wedding anniversary present to ourselves. We did a tour of the southern states of USA. Very poor tour guide, most lunches at burger joints, very little in the way of information about the places we visited.

On arrival home made an official complaint and got £100 each by way of a very poor apology. Today I find out a couple we did the tour with have been awarded £150 each, still a very poor amount but more than my wife and I got.

Saga will never see another penny of my money, poor holiday provision and poorer customer relations experience, Saga need investigating.

We bought a holiday to Bel Jou in St Lucia with a "Helecopter Transfer " which was in fact a Helecopter tour and then a 15 minute drive to the hotel. If we knew this we would not have done it. When we complained because it was miss sold we were offered half of the price we paid.



The hotel pool was not usable for 8 of our 14 day holiday which meant we were buses to St James the other resort owned by the new owners because of black algae which had to be treated with strong chemicals not 30 feet from where we were eating lunch.

The new owners also were going to charge us fir bottled water and packed lunches until the managers stepped in

The Gala dinner which Saga is famed for is no more and a "cocktail " party was hastely arranged after everyone complained

We returned in September and several complained and wanted compensation but I have not had any reply from my last 3 emails

Although we have booked a 3 week holiday to Sri Lanka with Saga fir 2017 we are seriously thinking of cancelling and going with another company

Have recently returned from my first Saga holiday Berlin to the city of 100 spires from Berlin to Prague on the river Elbe. We chose to pay for a car pickup both ends of the holiday and an extension at a hotel in Prague. Cannot fault the pickup nor the hotels chosen by Saga. Our disappointment started when we joined the boat Johannes Brahms. To say this boat is past its sell by date is putting it mildly. The cabin was pokey (forget about swinging a cat, you would have brained it) as was the bathroom. The bathroom was decorated in a darkish green and coupled with the fact the one and only light must have been lit by a 20w bulb you get the picture. Still, with such poor lighting you would perhaps miss the grey tinge to the white towels. Beds not too bad and wardrobe quite adequate. The best feature of the bedroom was the quality of the hairdryer which was excellent. The food bland and very unimaginative (although lots of it) as was the nightly entertainment. Ports of call good and trips for purchase fairly good value for money. When we reached Prague airport for our trip home we queued as soon as the check-in gate opened (just to let you know we were not late) for our BA fligh home to Heathrow. When it was our turn to check-in (still lots of other people in the queue) imagine our surprise and consternation to be told the flight had been overbooked and we would have to get the next flight 2/3 hours later. We were offered 250 euros each compensation which we declined and asked why we had been chosen out of all the passengers. To our surprise and disgust we were told that if a flight is overbooked then Saga passengers are the first to be bumped! 2 passengers had been bumped from the flight out which we took to be just bad luck but perhaps not! Fortunately for us 2 other passengers chose to take the compensation so we were able to get our flight as planned. This was our first and last Saga holiday.

Be warned if you are disabled! I travelled with my 89 year old Mother in June this year with Saga to Lake Garda and an Adriatic cruise. My mother has disability problems and we used a wheelchair for her to get around. Mostly this was fine til the final day where we were told we would be spending it in Venice. Venice is not wheelchair friendly! Saga's arrangements for the disabled group of travellers was appalling! They arranged for us to travel into the city using vaporetto boats that are small, cramped and have narrow unstable ramps with no handrails to enter the boats. Inevitably there was going to be an accident and my Mother had a nasty fall getting onto the last boat of 4 we had to use. I spoke to Saga immediately on our return to make them aware just what a dangerous situation they had put their elderly disabled guests in. Their response has been to lie about the circumstances surrounding my Mothers fall. I was not looking for compensation in any way. All I asked was they admit they got it wrong and to promise not to ever put people in that situation again. We will never travel with such a 'caring' company again!

timeline.

Apr 09, 2018 2:25pm

Booked a holiday to canada i am beginning to think i made a mistake they couldn’t fill the holiday so changed our dates we realy didnt want them datea as we had somthing planed so had to cancel our plans dont know were they get there prices we upgraded to primiem econime when we checked the air canada webb site the prices were similar but i fill i have paid for 2 economy seats and two premium economy seats i phoned on Friday what a waste of 45 minutes of my life i wount see them again they brought the holiday forward now they are chasing me for the money and to add insult to injury when they sent me the visa forms through they never even put a stamped addressed envelope in with it after spending £9600 with them if ill thats the least they could do when i phoned about booking seat the guy gave me a priminm rate number to call for Air Canada what am i paying them for

Will never holiday with Saga again after our experience this year. My husband and I were both very ill after eating dinner in our hotel on an all-inclusive holiday to Spain. We notified their Customer Services on our return and they refused to take any responsibility, implying that we had picked up a bug when it was definitely the food that had made us ill. When you consider that Saga is dealing with elderly people, this is an extremely irresponsible attitude to take. We shall be taking our business elsewhere in future!

Why would I vote or encourage people to vote that knowingly sent a group of people including myself to a hotel that had the legionnaires bacteria in its air conditioning ?

A month in hospital months of being ill but I was lucky as out if thirty five people in our group seventeen died

The hard compensation battle didn't help and the way Saga was able to keep so much out if the press was awful



However Google Calpe Legionella Saga and the posts will be there

Im so lucky to be alive but that Saga care

Where are my tickets, booking reference 10560320.

You made a mistake with the spelling of my first name, our travel agent returned the documents to you and have been chasing you all last week.

Please pull you finger out and sent the documents direct go my home address, there are only 6.delivery days left including the day of departure. If you send them to our travel agent, they have to send them into us - even more delay will we get them in time?

Very disappointed in your service - your mistake - I do not think you are dealing with this matter with the priority it deserves.

We have just returned from a week on the MV Providenca in Croatia. It was one of the worst holidsys I have had. We are seasoned Saga customers so were so surprised to have such a bad experience. The food on board was worse than school or hospital food. I e fed up supplementing my food from the local markets. We had to ask for condiments at most mealtimes. The gin was definitely watered down because the amount of g&ts I was drinking I would have been flat on my back!! The housekeeper was expected to clean 20 cabins every day. She also waited at table, served behind the bar. The poor girl must have been exhausted. No wonder that the cabins were not that clean after a week of use. The pillows and towels had much to be desired. It I were to offer my guests anything like this service then I would be out of business. Buckle up Saga. This was not acceptable at all!!

We have just returned from a Saga river trip Prague to Buderpest it was so awful from start to finish.

We arrived at the quayside to board the boat but it run in to a bridge a few days before and was running late we were not told this and had to find a hotel to wait in till it arrived we had all our suitcases and as we are all 60 and above it was not was not easy. When we boarded we were told we could not use the sun deck as it was not repaired. We sailed through the night to catch up and then for four hours the next day this was the only sailing we did because a large ship had got stuck in the Danube and no other ships could get passed. We were also told at thos point by the captain that the boat had to go in to dry dock as there was a problem with the rudder. All the while he was telling us he was laughing, he said if we wanted to stay on board we would have no water no electric and no toilet facilities. The rep who was trying her best to placate people was waiting for emails from HQ to see what to do with us all. It was all very worrying for the elderly people on the cruise. In the end they decided to put us in coaches and take us to Vienna a day late for the concert we booked then we we went by coach to Buderpest we were on coaches for hours. The last day we were taken to Buderpest and as a treat for us they said we could go on a riverboat for dinner, after 7 hours in a coach we arrived at the hotel but didnt even have time to book in as the coach was leaving for the dinner. We were all very tired and wanted a shower. Most people just booked in and went to bed. We were told that there was a medical emergency in the night and I am not surprised people including me and my husband were exhausted.

The swimming pool never had water in it at any point the sundeck bar did not open and waiters were very rude and did not want to serve drinks on the sundeck. The food was awful very small portions and the drinks were limited.

As you can tell we had the holiday from hell took me a week to get over it.

Returned yesterday from Hotel Albatros at Cavtat in Croatia. This is not a 4 star Saga Hotel. The hotel is for families with young children and not over 50,s.

The bar and restaurant were always over crowded and the food was scarce at busy times. The white was warm and had very little choice. This was not for Saga guests and we will think twice before booking with Saga again.. Most of our party felt the same. The shower door was broken and the room flooded with every shower also the curtain hooks were missing and let in light all night.

Not the best

Recently took a holiday to Peru and Galapagos, flights booked by saga with Avianca were awful and Avianca staff were surly at best. Their delay meant we missed the tour of Lima. Flights were a catalogue of errors. Saga reaction to this is to refer us to the airline, they take no responsibility at all despite booking the flights with this airline! Hardly good customer service!

Poor Poor Poor! Dangerous!

My Mum and Dad were abandoned after my father was taken ill on a cruise off the coast of Sweden. The Ships doctor deemed him unfit to return to the s even after given the all clear by the lovely Swedish doctor. The had to find their own way back to the UK, no clothes and very little money. Not one Saga representative contacted them and not one rep contacted the family to say what was going on. Absolutely appalling lack of due diligence by Saga. Trying to get hold of them is a joke , so you can see why a lot of elderly would give up and not complain. #lawyers #journalist

Our recent cruise to the Canaries was awful with issues from beginning to end including problems with taxis, issues at Southampton, rip off trips and problems with our cabin ignored

After a week I just wanted to come home!



I feel patronised by Customer Services who recommended not going on holiday in the winter and proposed a bunch of flowers and £150 off our next holiday as though we would want to go with Saga ever again (the holiday cost in the region of 7k)



Huge huge huge disappointment and would never recommend Saga to anyone again

Not happy with ruining the Sandgate area, where now people who live in the vicinity will have to pay to park in front of their own home. I now hear that Saga has sent an in house email to their employees today, telling them to park in the Enbrook Valley shops and a bus will pick them up there. So where will the customers of these businesses park now? Unbelievable, you have already gotten rid of most of the trees, just build another car park in your own land!

My partner and I have recently returned from a 3 week holiday at the Club and Spa resort in Barbados and were bitterly disappointed with the whole experience. After holidaying with Saga worldwide for many years, we booked this holiday over a year ago, requesting a room we'd stayed in previously, which was very suitable for us. Yes, as widely travelled tourists, we're fully aware that a particular room can't be allocated but, surely, with 12 months notice someone could have ensured this room was earmarked for us, not least with us being long standing Saga travellers. We weren't expecting special treatment, just a little consideration and understanding. However, this was not forthcoming and the room we WERE given was, in a word, DREADFUL. The washbasin, for example, wasn't even in the bathroom but in the bedroom itself and as, like most ladies, I like privacy in my bathroom this was unacceptable at the very least. We complained to reception and, 5 days later, were eventually given the room we'd requested at the start. One other annoyance was, as we're both in our 80s and need a siesta every day after lunch, the cleaning lady turning up to do our room sometimes as late as 4pm wasn't good and again, we made a complaint to ensure our room was cleaned earlier. Standards at the Club have slipped badly, i'm afraid and it's not the place it once was. We were informed it's been bought out by an American company (Elite, based in Florida) and the whole ambience of the place has changed, and not for the better, i'm afraid. The final straw, which broke the camel's back as it were, was when we arrived back home at Manchester airport (exhausted, after travelling for more than 10 hours) our Saga lift, which should have been there to meet us, never turned up. Another Saga driver, who was there meeting other passengers, very kindly went to the information desk and, after telephoning the Saga office, managed to arrange for a private taxi to pick us up to be taken home. The said taxi finally arrived one and a half hours after we'd landed, by which time we were almost dropping from exhaustion. The following day, we reported l this fiasco to Saga but have never received even one word of apology or offer of compensation for any of the trauma we were exposed to. Shame on you, Saga, if this is how you treat long standing and loyal guests of many years,then i'm surprised you have any guests left at all-------Dorothy Walker (travelled with Peter Avill)

My father is 89 years old. After caring for my mother who died last autumn and had had Alzheimers for many years, he booked to go to Japan on the Land of the Rising Sun Tour. Due to his height and his age he booked (many months ago) premium seats to give him more leg room on this 12 hour flight. On Friday, just 8 days prior to his departure Saga told him that his flight had been cancelled (they mean consolidated) from 7.30 in the evening and he was now departing at 9.30am (from London, 180 miles from his home). Not only that but there are no premium seats on his outward leg. Having spent a lot of time on the phone (both myself, my father and his travel agent), my suggestion that he goes a day early at the original flight time, with the extra legroom seats (essential for his wellbeing) and Saga arrange a taxi and hotel in Tokyo, has been met with yes we can do that but at a cost of over £700!!! This is all wrong! My father recently went to Morocco with Saga and was 'forgotten' whilst out on a day trip. At 89 he had to find his own way back to the hotel in a country where he didn't speak the language. Saga has let us down badly several times and I would advise people to think twice about booking with them. I am furious and terribly upset, as is my father. People pay a lot of extra money to be looked after by Saga and I am appalled at their attitude. It seems to be, if you dont like it then cancel.

My Dad has booked 'Saga The Fringe at Sea Cruise' for himself and my step Mum. The highlight of the cruise being The Last Night of the Military Tatoo at Edinburgh Castle on 25th August.

When Dad booked, he specifically chose SAGA as they detailed having tickets available for those with restricted mobility.



This was advertised in some detail.....including a coach departing 30 mins early to allow plenty of time to get into the castle, access to lower tier and that you would have to climb 5-10 steps.

My step mum has Parkinson's so this really was the selling point that made them choose SAGA as she would be still able to access and enjoy this event.



However, when the excursions brochure arrived, no restricted mobility tickets were available.



SAGA said they have no record of ever advertising restricted mobility access.



My Dad phoned the Tattoo office direct who confirmed that there were restricted mobility tickets available, but they had all sold out.



Interestingly.....they said that they have had quite a number of enquiries for restricted mobility access tickets from SAGA customers!!



They feel absolutely miss sold to and are incredibly disappointed.



Please please be aware of this before booking your own holiday.

I have 17 days before I depart for my first ever Saga holiday and they have screwed it up. They break their own booking conditions, use advertising that is false, and have appalling customer service, that is, when you find someone available not on a 'team building' day. My recommendation, DO NOT use this company, there are better, fairer and more responsible companies available.



We booked our holiday 229 days ago, 17 days before we depart they have told us our hotel for 7 nights has been moved from Superter to Milne, the other side of the island. This is a far inferior hotel to the one we booked, in a remote location and with 75% less facilities. They refuse to compensate us or put us another hotel in Superter even though there are vacant rooms at our original hotel. Their reason, and you won't belive this, they say it was an error in the adbvertised holiday, they put the wrong hotel; and the wrong town!!!!!!!!!!

Booked a Douro river cruise last summer, Saga called less than 24 hours before saying that the locks were closed and that the river cruise was changed to be static in Oporto and we could go out on a coach every day. Took 6 phone calls to cancel, I have sent message after message, no response until you contact the Chief Executive. They couldn’t care less, and are selective over hearing the complaint, stick rigidly to ABTA rules, don’t accept any moral obligations , we’ve lost a lot of time and money and SAGA have absolutely no CONSCIENCE as to how upset you as the customer are I wasted 7 days leave, all that is offered are plastic apologies which don’t cut it. Please be warned, I will certainly never use SAGA again �

Appalling. In Russia. A group of 9 of us. Informed saga 6 months in advance of our dietary requirements (we are vegetarian). Local Agents & hotels seem to have no idea of what food to give us. Despite telling the hotels again & again, here in St. Petersburg all we have to eat is plain boiled rice and steamed broccoli. This is what we have paid thousands of pounds for.