Former FTI Berlin Sets Sail to Malaysia

Former FTI Berlin Sets Sail to Malaysia

The former FTI Berlin recently set sail for its new home in Malaysia after spending several months in Ningde, China.

Acquired by the Berlin Capital Group in late 2024, the 1980-built vessel is being prepared to offer short casino cruises out of Penang.

The company’s plans initially called for a March 2025 startup, which was later postponed due to delays in the ship’s refit.

Renamed the Berlin Oceanis, the 9,570-ton vessel departed from the port of Ningde on May 24, 2025.

Sailing under the flag of Comoros, the ship is now expected to arrive at its new homeport on June 2, 2025.

According to a series of updates shared by the new owner, most of the public areas onboard the vessel were renovated during refurbishment in China.

In a video shared in early March, the company marked the demolition of venues on deck five, which made room for new spaces.

“This phase has been one of the most time-consuming parts of the transformation, but now that it’s done, everything will start moving much faster,” the Berlin Capital Group said.

“With this major milestone behind us, we’re looking forward to smoother progress,” the company added.

Additional details about the ship’s first voyages and commissioning were still to be announced at press time.

Originally built for Germany-based Peter Deilmann, the Berlin Oceanis was last operated by FTI Cruises.

With its owners shutting down cruise operations due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the vessel was sold to Dreamliner Cruises in late 2020.

Renamed Dream Goddess, the ship was to undergo a major refurbishment and be converted into a mega yacht.

However, the project did not proceed, and the former Berlin remained docked at a Greek port for nearly five years.

In addition to Peter Deilmann and FTI Cruises, the vessel also sailed for Saga Cruises and other brands.

Saga Looking Into ‘Partnership’ for Cruise Business

Saga Looking Into ‘Partnership’ for Cruise Business

Saga has confirmed its looking into potential partnerships for its ocean cruises business based on reports in British media.

“We are looking at how we can offer more cruises to more guests in the future,” Saga Cruises CEO Nigel Blanks said in a statement shared on social media.

“This comes on the back of exceptional demand for our boutique ocean cruise offer,” he continued noting that the Spirit of Discovery and the Spirit of Adventure are operating “close to capacity.”

“With this in mind, we have been looking into the possibility of entering a partnership arrangement for our ocean cruise business as the best way to support further growth,” Blanks said.

The move would also create value for the company’s shareholders, he noted, pointing out to Saga’s “unique business, with a strong brand and committed team.”

“We are still in the early stages of the process of exploring opportunities,” Blanks said, noting that transactions of this nature “usually take months rather than days or weeks.”

Earlier this month, Sky News reported that Saga was looking into a range of potential options for its cruise operations, which included selling a stake in the business.

According to Sky News, the debt-challenged tour operator was working with advisers and also considered selling its two cruise vessels or offloading the entire business under a licensing arrangement.

After initially entering the cruise business with second-hand vessels, Saga Cruises took delivery of two new cruise ships in 2019 and 2020.

Sailing from different ports in the United Kingdom on a year-round basis, the Spirit of Discovery and the Spirit of Adventure were built by the Meyer Werft shipyard in Germany.

Designed to offer a boutique cruise experience, the 55,000-ton sister ships can accommodate up to 999 guests in double occupancy.

Saga Adds Four More Celebrity Faces to Their Entertainment Line-Up

Saga Adds Four More Celebrity Faces to Their Entertainment Line-Up

Saga Cruises has added four more celebrity faces to its onboard entertainment line-up in the coming months.

 TV stars Jennie Bond, Charlie Dimmock, John Craven and Dr Sian Williams are the latest celebrities to join Saga sailings to give talks and answer guests’ questions on their specialist areas.

Journalist and broadcaster, Jennie Bond is known as a presenter on two of the BBC’s most popular shows, Cash in the Attic and Rip Off Britain, among others. She will deliver a talk and Q&A session on Saga’s 14-night Winter Sun in the Canaries voyage departing onboard the Spirit of Discovery from Portsmouth on December 7, 2023. Prices for the cruise start from £2,826 per person.

Presenter and editor John Craven OBE, best known for John Craven’s Newsround, will talk to guests about his broadcasting career on the 14-night Canary Island Medley cruise departing from Portsmouth onboard the Spirit of Adventure on December 4, 2023. Prices start from £2,737 per person. 

 Dr Sian Williams, a registered Counselling Psychologist, will be ​​a guest on the Highlights of Spain and the Balearics cruise on the Spirit of Adventure, departing Dover on September 24, 2023.

Nigel Blanks, CEO of Saga Cruises, said: “We’ve been really focusing on our entertainment program and securing high-quality celebrities to talk on subjects we know our guests will enjoy from life behind the lens, to the royals and gardening. These latest speakers deliver exactly that, and we anticipate a full house for their sessions.”

Saga Holidays Reports 127% Increase in Booking Inquiries

Saga Holidays has experienced a 127-per cent increase in the number of booking inquiries to its contact centres in the week after the UK government released a report suggesting that international travel can be resumed from May 17.

The increase was measured against the same period two weeks before, Saga said in a press release.

“We’d already received a surge in inquiries when the vaccine roll-out started and in the week since the Government’s announcement around international travel, we’ve seen another spike from travellers keen to secure holidays,” Nick Stace, CEO of Saga Travel, said.

“Our European river cruises are also experiencing high levels of demand, and we’re looking forward to launching our latest ship, the Spirit of the Rhine, later this year,” he added.

According to the press release, Saga’s website saw the largest spike in online searches on Saturday, Apr. 10 – up 43 per cent from the Saturday before.

Cruise searches have focused on the launch of the tour operator’s modern boutique ships the Spirit of Discovery and the brand new Spirit of Adventure in summer 2021, of which all but one are now sold out, Saga said.

The tour operator also said that it had already seen evidence that cruises are a popular option for travellers as bookings were up 20 per cent for 2021-22 and 2022-23 combined even before the government announcement.

The Global Travel Taskforce published its findings on the potential resumption of travel for UK residents from May 17 to April 9. The resumption would be done under a traffic light system.

Customers that book a 2021 Saga holiday before the end of April are covered by a Reassurance Promise, which enables them to amend their travel plans for no fee if they wish to, the tour operator said.

Saga also offers a price promise, which means that should they ever reduce their prices or bring in a new special offer after a customer has booked, they will calculate the difference and pass the value of the saving back.

The tour operator is asking all guests to have both doses of the COVID-19 vaccine at least 14-days in advance of travel. Saga Holidays also said that it will monitor the COVID-specific requirements of each destination and is committed to communicating those details to customers ahead of departure.

“Our customers want something really special and trust Saga to look after them – they know their wellbeing and enjoyment are our top priorities. It’s why we require our customers to have received both doses of the vaccine, and that’s just one of a number of stringent measures in place to keep our guests safe,” Stace said.

SAGA POSTPONES SHIP LAUNCH AND TOURING PROGRAMME UNTIL 2021

Spirit of Adventure had been due to take its first passengers this summer, but the inaugural sailing was first shifted to November and will now be on 5 February next year.

 

Sister ship Spirit of Discovery will not sail until 7 March next year and tours are postponed until 31 January 2021.

 

A Saga spokesperson said: “Over the past few months, we have worked hard to put in place detailed plans to safely return to cruising and have made fantastic progress with all this work.

 

“Sadly, however, with Covid-19 again on the increase and most countries still not accepting cruise ships, we have taken the decision to extend the suspension of our cruise operations to next year. This includes the postponement of the inaugural cruise of the Spirit of Adventure.

 

“We are in the process of contacting all our guests to discuss their options, which include rolling over their booking or receiving a full refund. We look forward to welcoming our guests onboard our ships and on our tours as soon as we are practicably able to do so.”

 

Saga said 2022 cruise bookings were “extremely strong” and showed pent-up demand. Covid precautions mean ship capacity will be limited to 800, with enhanced cleaning and upgraded air conditioning.

 

 

Spirit of Adventure Leaves Building Hall

Do you think they have put the smokestack the wrong way around?

Saga's new Spirit of Adventure has left the building hall at Meyer Werft shipyard in Germany.

With the ship leaving the building hall, the funnel was also fitted by a crane.

The British brand's second newbuild will now move pierside for final outfitting.

The ship was originally set to start her revenue service in August. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, that has been delayed until early November.

Nigel Blanks, Managing Director of Saga Cruises, said: “This is a very exciting day as it brings us another step closer to being able to welcome Spirit of Adventure to our fleet. Over the past 18 months, we have been focused on creating a British boutique cruising experience for our guests that is not available elsewhere on the market. The arrival of Spirit of Discovery last year was the first milestone in this plan and the ship has been extremely well received by our guests. I’m confident that Spirit of Adventure will see an equally warm welcome and I cannot wait for guests to join us on board and enjoy all she has to offer”.

Saga To Get New Ship in October

Spirit of Adventure inside the Meyer Weft Hanger.

Saga has announced it will take delivery of the new 1,000-guest Spirit of Adventure this October, pushed back from July due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

"The Group has been working with industry bodies and the Government to establish operational practices that would enable a return of operations in both Tour and Cruise businesses as the current restrictions are lifted," Saga said, in a statement.  "The Group's new mid-sized ships are ideally placed to offer 'safe sailing' and all these measures will be in place by the end of August."

The new ships inaugural cruise will now depart from the UK for the Mediterranean in early November. 

Saga's New Spirit of Adventure Is Delayed

Spirit of Discovery

Saga's new Spirit of Adventure won't debut in August, according to a statement from the company.

A Saga spokesperson said: “The Meyer Werft shipyard in Germany, which is building the Spirit of Adventure, has informed us that the ship will not now be delivered in time for our planned maiden voyage. Progress has been severely impacted by the workplace and travel restrictions in place as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

"We have written to our customers to let them know and offered them the chance of amending over to the new date once confirmed or to receive a full refund. An inaugural cruise is a very special event and we expect the majority of our guests will want to amend their bookings to the later date. We will continue to work with Meyer Werft on finalising a new delivery date.”

‘Six-month suspension scenario’ of Saga cruise and tour operations considered

‘Six-month suspension scenario’ of Saga cruise and tour operations considered

Spirit of Discovery leaving its construction home.

Saga is considering “prudent planning scenarios” for the extended suspension all cruise and tour operations for six months due to the impact of the coronavirus pandemic.

The disclosure was made in a trading update today.

The over-50s specialist said: “Given the significant potential impact of Covid-19 on the travel industry, the group has considered scenarios for extended suspension of cruise and tour operations, including full cancellation of all travel departures over six months, followed by a slow recovery.”

The company has also been notified that disruption arising from Covid-19 may delay delivery of Saga’s second new ship, Spirit of Adventure, which was due to enter service in August.

“This has been considered within planning scenarios and is not anticipated to significantly change the group’s financial position,” Saga said.

‘Ready to sail’
Group chief executive Euan Sutherland said: “Saga is ready to start sailing as soon as the travel advice changes.

“Today we have outlined some prudent planning scenarios to investors – they are not a prediction as to when travel will resume.”

The company revealed a “precautionary” £50 million drawdown of a revolving credit facility, with available cash resources at the end of March of £92 million.

Other actions being taken include reducing operating expenses of £15 million.

But this will be partially offset by an expected £10 million of redundancy costs.

“Further mitigating actions are underway in response to the Covid-19 crisis in relation to the travel business,” Saga added.

“Travel operations have successfully repatriated almost all customers and are supporting rebooking efforts across tour operations and cruise.”

The company expects underlying pre-tax profits for the 12 months ending on January 31, 2020, to be £110 million. At that point, forward cruise bookings for 2020-21 were at 80% of the full target and ahead of expectations.

Annual results delayed

The publication of full annual results for last year have been put back by a week and are expected to be published on April 9 following the request by the Financial Conduct Authority to observe a moratorium on the publication of results statements.

Sutherland said: “In a year of change, Saga has made significant operational progress and strengthened the management team to ensure the business is positioned to deliver for our customers and members and for investors.

“Our insurance and cruise businesses made good progress against the priorities we set out in April and we have moved to significantly strengthen our financial position, reducing debt and operating expenses and improving cash flow.

“Saga insurance remains largely unaffected by Covid-19, however along with all other travel businesses, our travel business has been significantly impacted.

“We have acted quickly to ensure the health and wellbeing of our customers and colleagues and, following the government’s advice on cruise ship and air travel, we have suspended our cruise and tour operations.

“We have also worked with our banks to agree on temporary amendments to our debt covenants. We have significant available liquidity and can consider a range of further mitigating actions across the group.

“Saga is a strong brand, with loyal customers and where we offer really differentiated products, underpinned by excellent service, our businesses do well and have the potential to do better.”

He admitted: “Organisationally, the group had become inefficient, lost its tight focus on customers and had underinvested in digital, data and brand.

“We have started the work to make the changes necessary for us to be able to deliver the truly differentiated products and services our customers expect from us.

“Against the backdrop of Covid-19, the outlook is uncertain, but we remain confident that the Saga brand and our insurance and travel businesses have a successful future ahead.”

Portsmouth to host new Saga ship naming

Portsmouth to host new Saga ship naming

Portsmouth is to host the official naming ceremony of Saga’s second new-build ship.

The event on August 19 will be the first time a cruise ship has been christened in the port.

Portsmouth was chosen for the city’s “dramatic harbour, maritime heritage, and wider regeneration plans for the port”.

The 999-passenger Spirit of Adventure will then set off on its 17-night inaugural cruise to the Baltic from Dover on August 21 with further itineraries for 2020 including the Caribbean, Mediterranean, Canary Islands and Norway.

Inside Saga Cruises’ new ship Spirit of Adventure

Spirit of Adventure will feature three speciality restaurants including the first Nepalese restaurant at sea.

The ship will also feature a 500sq metre spa, an outdoor swimming pool and a 444-seat theatre.

It will join the boutique sister vessel Spirit of Discovery, which entered service last year.

Saga Cruises managing director Nigel Blanks said: “We are absolutely delighted to announce that our second new ship, Spirit of Adventure, will be named in Portsmouth.

“The city is steeped in British maritime history and it will be another first for Saga Cruises with Spirit of Adventure being the first-ever cruise ship to be named in this historic port.

“Whilst the ships are recognisably sisters, they are most certainly not twins. Spirit of Adventure will have a distinctly different identity to her sister ship, which is why we have chosen a different port for her naming ceremony.

“Alongside the port and the city’s partners, we are planning another utterly memorable event.

“Carrying just 999 guests, Saga’s unique boutique cruise ships have been designed specifically for the needs and tastes of the over-50s luxury market. This means there’s no casino, ice rink or climbing wall.

“Instead they boast the largest percentage of single cabins of any modern ship, a high crew to guest ratio, West End standard entertainment, five different dining options, balcony cabins for all guests and countless other features offering the latest in luxury, boutique cruising.

“The interior design for Spirit of Adventure is bold and striking.  Yet again we have risen to the challenge set us by our guests. They have told us that life for them is not ‘beige’ and they want to see something that showcases the best of British contemporary design.”

Portsmouth City Council leader Gerald Vernon-Jackson added: “Portsmouth’s dramatic harbour entrance is a stunning backdrop to showcase the ship and we will work closely with Saga to put on an event to match.

“It will also be a fantastic spectacle with the opportunity to welcome the ship as she arrives in Portsmouth and put on a firework display that will take place in the evening from Southsea Common.

“We’re looking forward to Saga’s new vessels becoming a familiar sight in our city. Our cruise transformation is already well underway with a significant berth extension plan, followed by a terminal transformation, which will be completed next year. This is a new cruise era for Portsmouth, and we can’t wait for leading brands like Saga to join us on our journey.”

Saga Sapphire to Leave Fleet in 2020

Saga Cruises today announced the Saga Sapphire will leave its fleet, with the last cruise heading to Norway on a "Musical Norway" sailing in spring of 2020.

"For Saga Sapphire’s last foray to the Norwegian fjords, we’re cruising off the beaten track for an in-depth exploration of this country’s beautiful fjords, mountains and villages," the company said.

The 10-night cruise leaves from Dover on April 11, 2020, and offers live jazz performances onboard while sailing 2,376 nautical miles through the Norwegian fjords.

Sailing roundtrip from Dover, calls include Alesund, Trondheim, Geiranger, Ulvik and Haugesund, along with four days at sea.

The Sapphire leaving Saga's fleet complete's the British company's fleet renewal program. The Pearl II will depart the Saga fleet in early 2019, making way for the Spirit of Discovery, a 1,000-guest new build that joins the fleet in summer 2019.

As the Sapphire leaves in early 2020, the Spirit of Adventure, a second newbuild, joins the fleet in summer 2020.