Our first impressions of this ship were that she is more traditional in feel, although of similar age to her sister. She was formerly Astoria and latterly Quest for Adventure - sailing for Saga's discovery-style adventure cruise division.
We entered the ship on A Deck. There is no atrium and I was
immediately aware of the fairly low ceilings. However this awareness soon
disappeared as we walked through the corridors to the cabins.
Once again they
were spacious, although slightly smaller than Sapphire. I was however aware of
the large numbers of over-bath showers in the mid to higher grade cabins. I
preferred the walk-in showers of the lower grades or the wet rooms with shower
and bath of the suites. On Bridge Deck there were a number of what HAL call Lanai cabins or suites, that is cabins with a door out onto a narrow communal deck. They are a nice bridge between outside cabins and private balconies. The window and door had one-way glass. The cabins were well equipped with hand-held hair dryers, shoe horns,
toiletries (in large bottles – the same whether a suite or inside), robes etc.
The deck areas were mostly all teak-planked with the usual deck
games of quoits and shuffleboard as well as deck and table tennis.
Although not fully walk-around, the sections
of promenade deck are wide with comfortable (if somewhat scruffy) sun loungers
and blankets and towels to hand. The stern area is given over to tables and
chairs so you can eat al fresco from the buffet.
The public rooms were surprisingly spacious with a lounge
(Shackletons) and a show lounge as well as a huge library area.
Although we didn’t get to see them, there is a spa, small pool and
gymnasium down on C Deck, a small shop and reception and tours deck as well as
a photo gallery outside the main restaurant. I did pick up a tours brochure and thought the options very limited but since we often DIY in ports that wouldn't affect any decision to sail on her.
By the end of the tour I had decided that I liked Pearl much better than Sapphire but in view of Saga's high prices (IMO) I may not be sailing on her anytime soon.
All my photos of her can be seen here.
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