[ 08-18-2009: Message edited by: joe at travelpage ]

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Originally posted by lasuvidaboy:
As one of the last beautiful passenger ships, I would love to see this gem preserved. She would show future generations that there were once lovely passenger ships sailing the seas.

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I certainly hope that the Saga Rose is renamed the Sagafjord once again. In addition, I hope they get rid of that ugly balcony deck that is right in front of the funnel. The ship should be restored to it NAL era design when it began its madian voyage.

The local newspaper in Southampton has already said that the costs of getting a berth ready for the Saga Rose is expected to be at least 15 million UK pounds !

With an investment like that required for her berth, it could stop her going to Southampton !

I doubt if any structual changes will be made to the ship as that will also add to the costs at a time when there is a recession on in the UK.

Wouldn't it be better to use an improved model of the RMS Queen Mary's hotel plan, as far as I know the QM has never been a real money maker.

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Originally posted by viking109:
Saga Rose to be retired and berthed in Southampton. A possibility according to the Echo.
As a resident of Southampton, I can confirm that the city desperately needs some sort of waterfront attraction.

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Here we go again! She can be berthed along side the Queen Mary and the QE2.

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Originally posted by Malcolm @ cruisepage:

Here we go again! She can be berthed along side the Queen Mary and the QE2.

A nice idea, but another pipe dream!

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Hmmm I tend to agree with you Malcolm. To compare this plan with QM and Rotterdam. I hardly doubt that there will be investors willing to invest in such plan. Actually hoping the will learn from previous projects.

Well those bits might be nice, they are also pretty much guaranteed to ensure that it is never saved because it can't make cash or just becomes too expensive, for instance, if SR ever did get to Soton, what would the best rooms on board ? And thus the most popular ? And thus the most revenue earning ?

Now berthing her stern on to the end of Town Quay [provided anyone bothered to repair the apparently dangerous structure], giving cabins with views both sides may be an idea, but she would block the water and risk being hit. No more ridiculous than the plan in the Echo.

I think only small vessels have any chance of survival as hotels. Read about Turan Emeksiz. Berthed in a far superior spot and enjoys better weather than the dark damp misty murk of the UK most of the year.

Built by Fairfields back in 1961 the main site is here with lots of nice pictures. You can book her here. What better place to stay for one's pre/post Istanbul - Athens cruise

Or, is it better to have them go away at the end of their active life and try to remember them fondly? I think today we appreciate some of them more because they arent around, and can appreciate them in our fading memories in their glory days.

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Originally posted by dmwnc1:
[...] If we could have, back around 1950, [...]

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Most of the cruise operators (remember NCL with Norway) state that "they do not want to scrap their beloved ship" and finally it's the only solution (economically). Because most - if not all - the examples of so large ship transformed as hotel, museum, maritime Barnum are a financial disaster.

I sincerely hope that a solution will be found for Saga Rose, but I'm doubtful. The chance for a smaller vessel is already very thin, look for the Madagascar, Ocean Odyssey and many others. A cruise ship is launched to cruise, not to be everything else ... And if some plans are to be released, it needs a long delay to build the business plan between the previous owner, the port, the city and the private or public investor. And a decision about the Saga Rose needs to be fast, because she MUST be retired before 2010-06-30*, the end of Safety management certificate.

*maybe before, because Lloyd's Register states the safety certificate has been validated until 2009-08-24 (+ 3 month), but with some arrangements to finish the "farewell cruise"

[ 08-21-2009: Message edited by: LenKinap ]

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Originally posted by Neil - Ex P. & O. S. N. Company.:
From the reports in the Southampton Echo newspapers it appears it is Saga, the owners of the ship, who do not want to scrap her.

I wonder if they will finance a berth for her in Southampton and her conversion into a hotel ship if they are operating her.

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I would of course love to see her preserved. Once she is gone, there is one less beautiful passenger ship around and in a few short years, there won't be ANY left in service.

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Originally posted by Neil - Ex P. & O. S. N. Company.:
From the reports in the Southampton Echo newspapers it appears it is Saga, the owners of the ship, who do not want to scrap her.

I wonder if they will finance a berth for her in Southampton and her conversion into a hotel ship if they are operating her.

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Hi Neil,
From what I have read, Saga Cruises intends to operate the Saga Rose as a hotel ship. I do not believe that they are going to sell her. Rather, they might follow Woonbron's (the owners of the SS Rotterdam) example by financing the renovation of the MS Saga Rose for Southampton themselves.

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Originally posted by LenKinap:
Hello,

Most of the cruise operators (remember NCL with Norway) state that "they do not want to scrap their beloved ship" and finally it's the only solution (economically). Because most - if not all - the examples of so large ship transformed as hotel, museum, maritime Barnum are a financial disaster.

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The SS Norway might have been SAVED had NCL maintained her as the SS France from 1979 to 1990 without converting her. Rather, NCL should have maintained the SS France "As is"(like the SS Rotterdam V) and used that $100 Million renovation cost to build a super cruiseship MS Norway. This way, NCL might have had an all purpose built MS Norway modeled after the SS France. Thus, NCL would have had two super ships by the early 1980s.

All NCL had to do was maintain the SS France for their Carribean itinerary until the MS Norway was ready to assume that schedule. The SS France could been placed along the Westcoast and sailed to Hawaii and Alaska, as well as the yearly World Cruises, like the SS Rotterdam and QE2.

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Originally posted by Redlinekid2:
If the SS France was maintained in the same condition as it was in 1962, it would have been a hotel ship today, without question. As the SS Norway, there was very little chance of that.

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I think you are trolling. She would have been in the shredders many years earlier which might even have been a good thing as then no explosion and no scrapping furore.

Also applicable to SAGA ROSE, is that in a static role the accommodation is more important and these extra additions are necessary; more of them too would be of benefit - read mikesa's post above. If in a hotel room, one doesn't want the pokey cabin with a view of the dock supports out the porthole, but the room with a view as high as possible. Malcolm has often pointed out that on Norway even the diehard enthusists booked the new cabins with the full length windows and views.

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Originally posted by Redlinekid2:
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Although, since the Saga Rose will no longer sail the open seas, the balcony deck on top of its superstructure is no longer needed.

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That's - as said above - probably not true.

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Originally posted by Redlinekid2:
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The MS Saga Ruby never had such a hideous addition to its superstructure. [...]

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Yes, she was higher firstplace which is also why she looks a bit ridiculous. Beside that, balcony cabins have been added atop the superstructure of Vistafjord later on.

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Originally posted by Redlinekid2:
[QB][...] Rather, NCL should have maintained the SS France "As is"(like the SS Rotterdam V) and used that $100 Million renovation cost to build a super cruiseship MS Norway. [...]

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Originally posted by matdark:
Read captain Pettré's (last captain of the France) book, "Splendeur et rouille" ("slendor and rust") written before knowing the ship would find a buyer: what he says should be done with her is EXACTLY what NCL did with the Norway (bow thrusters, enlarged aft decks, suppression of 2 propellers, etc.). So That's what had to be done.

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