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Saga Cruises Spirit of Adventure sails into Portsmouth in preparation for city's first naming ceremony

You will be able to watch the naming ceremony live on July 19

Https://www.hampshirelive.news/whats-on/whats-on-news/spirit-of-adventure-saga-portsmouth-5645178

Saga Cruises Spirit of Adventure has arrived in Portsmouth ahead of her prestigious naming ceremony, which will be the city's first for a new cruise ship.

Spectators caught a glimpse of the 236-metre boutique cruise ship as she sailed into Portsmouth early on Tuesday morning (July 13).

Spirit of Adventure features five speciality restaurants including the world’s first Nepalese restaurant at sea – Khukuri House, alongside Amalfi, a high-end Italian cuisine restaurant and the Supper Club a dining and live entertainment venue.

The ship has a 500 sq metre spa, The Lido outdoor pool, The Playhouse, a 444-seat theatre and a large library.

The naming ceremony will take place on Monday, July 19 with HampshireLive previously reporting that the responsibility of that task had been given to Commodore Inga Kennedy, the former head of the Royal Navy Medical Service.

You can watch the naming ceremony live from 1pm on Monday 19 July on Saga's Facebook page and Youtube channel, with registration available online below.

Https://travel.saga.co.uk/forms/spirit-of-adventure-naming-ceremony.aspx

And there we have it - travel will now start to boom once again from July 19th. As predicted yesterday.

Covid-19: Amber list quarantine for fully vaccinated (Saga customers) to end on 19 July

Https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-57763173

Fully vaccinated UK residents arriving in England from amber travel list destinations will no longer have to quarantine from 19 July.

They will, however, still need to pay for PCR tests before and after their return, the transport secretary said.

Grant Shapps told MPs that under-18s returning from amber list places would also be exempt from quarantine.

Currently, anyone returning from amber or red list countries must isolate for 10 days, regardless of vaccine status.

"To be clear, a full vaccination means 14 days have passed since your final dose of the vaccine," Mr Shapps said.

He added: "In essence, this means that for fully vaccinated travellers the requirements for green and amber list countries are the same."

Tim Alderslade, chief executive of Airlines UK, the industry body representing UK-registered carriers, said the rule change was a "positive move towards the genuine reopening the sector has been looking for".

"We now urge the government to continue this momentum by adding many more countries to the green list next week and removing onerous testing requirements at its next review on 31 July," he added.

Https://travelweekly.co.uk/news/air/critical-for-travel-firms-to-rebuild-customer-trust-in-wake-of-pandemic

Travel firms have been urged to rebuild customer trust following the “seismic” impact of the pandemic on the sector.

The call came from the head of the Institute of Customer Service as new research revealed that the number of UK customers experiencing service issues has risen since this time last year.

This came despite customer satisfaction in the travel sector increasing marginally.

The July 2021 UK Customer Satisfaction Index ranked Jet2holidays as the top travel company followed by Premier Inn, Saga Holidays, Trivago and Booking.com.

Big news on travel opening up - especially for Saga's double vaccinated demographic - is coming out at 11:30 today.

Don't worry about the current share price movements.

British Airways and Virgin have started trialling fast-track lanes for fully-vaccinated arrivals.

This is being seen as a pre-cursor to Grant Shapps' upcoming update on international travel which is likely to remove the need for fully-vaccinated travellers to isolate when they return from an amber list country. The CEO of the Travel Trade Gazette was saying on BBC2 this morning that he expects the start date for this to be on the 19th July when all legal limits on social contact are removed.

So we could be within 12 days of almost all of Saga's holiday destinations being opened up for their largely double vaccinated demographic. Think about that - Saga will be a better position than any other UK travel company on that basis.

Furthermore, in 19 days' time, the inaugural cruise of Spirit of Adventure will set sail on July 26th.

From that point, Saga will have both cruise ships sailing with 100% capacity and should be taking a huge volume of tour bookings as pent-up demand is met.

Let's see what the share price is then, eh?

I'll go for 550p by the end of the first week of August.

That's right Beach.

It's great news for Saga's first purpose-built river ship, Spirit of the Rhine and for their second brand-new river ship, Spirit of the Danube, which launches next year.

All of Germany's river systems are now fully open to Saga's demographic.

Https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-57730092

Extract

Covid-19: Germany lifts ban on tourists from UK and Portugal

Germany is lifting a Covid-related travel ban on people from the UK and four other variant-hit countries.

Visitors who are fully vaccinated will also not be required to quarantine.

Non-vaccinated people will however still be required to quarantine for up to 10 days, with the option to end their quarantine early with a negative test on the fifth day.

Germany's relaxation of restrictions came a few hours after UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson confirmed the country is expecting to lift all Covid-related rules from 19 July.

The UK government is also expected to announce plans for fully-vaccinated British people to travel to "amber" countries - that is, countries designated as medium risk for Covid, including many in Europe - without having to quarantine on their return.

Great news. Even the hardest territory is now fully open to Saga's demographic.

A massive buy signal.

Https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2021/07/05/heathrow-reopening-terminal-3-meet-expected-surge-demand/

Germany lifts travel ban on passengers from UK

Britain will be removed from the country's highest risk category of 'virus variant area' from Wednesday

Germany has lifted its travel ban on passengers arriving from the UK, paving the way for summer holidays to the country for those who have been double vaccinated.

Britain would be removed from the country's highest risk category of "virus variant area" from Wednesday, Germany's national disease control centre, the Robert Koch Institute, announced on Monday.

The travel ban was introduced on May 23 amid concern over the prevalence of the delta variant, preventing non-German nationals travelling to Germany from Britain.

The UK will now move into the second-highest category of "high-incidence area", meaning arrivals can avoid quarantine if they can prove that they are fully vaccinated or have recovered from Covid-19.

Those who have not received both vaccinations can cut short a mandatory 10-day quarantine by testing negative after five days.

Heathrow terminal to reopen

In a further boost for the travel industry, Heathrow is to reopen its Terminal 3 this month as Boris Johnson pledges to kickstart summer travel by unveiling plans this week for double-jabbed holidaymakers to avoid quarantine.

Well done that Iron man.

Very impressed.

Https://www.forbes.com/sites/michelerobson/2021/06/28/eu-countries-tighten-restrictions-on-uk-visitors-as-merkel-demands-ban/

Extract

Last week Angela Merkel had called E.U. leaders to travelers from the U.K. should be quarantined wherever they arrive in the E.U., even if fully vaccinated. Ahead of the E.U. summit on Thursday, she said, "In our country, if you come from Great Britain, you have to go into quarantine – and that's not the case in every European country, and that's what I would like to see."

On Monday, Merkel's rhetoric strengthened when she proposed a total ban on arrivals from the U.K. across the E.U. The plans are likely to be resisted by Greece, Spain, Cyprus, Malta, and Portugal. Analysts say that the German Chancellor is looking increasingly isolated as countries reliant on U.K. tourism will not support a total ban. Even President Macron of France, previously one of Merkel's allies, has only backed mandatory quarantine for unvaccinated travelers, rather than a total ban or compulsory quarantine of all.

With the U.K. having high vaccination rates, many European countries would rather risk allowing those vaccinated to enter their countries. Given the recent trouble in Majorca with a spike in cases thought to be caused by partying teenagers on holiday, only accepting older travelers that have been vaccinated may be a beneficial strategy.

If only Saga also sold a range of insurance products.

Oh wait, they do ...

I have just watched our cruise ship sail past Dover - a beautiful sight.

Happy days.

Lockdowns are now history. Riots will be the alternative sadly. This useless government has no authority left.

A successful bond issuance completion and very prudent. Very well done.

Saga will now be seen as an entirely safe asset allocation going forwards.

A very strong buy sub 600p imho.

@ Beach and Roxbury,

I've been down exactly the same roads as you both, so I understand fully. Going forward, it's important to be honest with yourselves where things have succeeded, but more importantly, to admit to oneself where things have gone badly wrong. That is the path that enables learning, even if (like with me) things still tend to go wrong. :)

I made a mistake earlier this year on Saga by being too risk averse due to unreliable messaging by the government - I'll not be repeating that mistake.

@Rox - yep, I've done the massive highs and lows between the late 1990s and the months after 911. Phew! Stress or what! I went from very rich to rather poor in less than a year.

Having made good those losses and built a new, strong position, sadly, I lost another fortune last March in the energy sector. I will never be able to fully recover from that.

But well done to you Beach - I admire your courage. Great stuff. But be a little more careful next time, eh?

@slowandsteady,

Yes, I've been back in Saga for a while. My temporary set-aside made me miss almost 100p in movements which cost me another fortune. But I now have a huge position here averaged in the higher 300s and I expect to see several 100p movements up between now and next year.

Now is the time to enjoy seeing our first cruise ship return to the oceans in a few days' time and the associated press coverage.

And in another 4 weeks the inaugural - and likely full capacity - cruise of Saga's brand new cruise ship. Yet more media coverage to come there.

I find it rather hard to believe that the share price will not be over 600p by then with all of the restrictions being lifted for the double vaccinated - which is, of course, 100% of our demographic market.

I understand from the press that news of the above could well be broadcast by the government on Thursday afternoon.

And today, at last, a government representative is finally confirming what the press has been discussing for the last week.

From the BBC this morning:

Ministers are working on plans for quarantine-free travel to amber list countries for double-vaccinated Britons, Health Secretary Matt Han**** has said.

"We're working on plans to essentially allow the vaccine to bring back some of the freedoms that have had to be restricted to keep people safe,” he told Sky News.

"After all, that's the whole purpose of the vaccination programme, that's why it's so important that every adult goes out and gets the jab."

Asked if these plans could be in place as soon as August, the health secretary replied: "We'll get there when it's safe to do so."

He said the plans "had not been clinically advised yet - we're working on it" but said it is something he "wants to see".

Re your: "I still cant really go anywhere because most euro countries wont let Brits in at the moment without quarantine inbound."

May I suggest that you read the whole article? It continues ....

----------------------

Two jabs? These amber destinations will let you in, hassle free

A whole host of countries have announced they will welcome British holidaymakers with proof of full vaccination – that is, two doses of Pfizer, AstraZeneca or Moderna – which can be presented via the NHS app. If you haven’t received both jabs, then you will need to present a negative PCR result, usually taken 72 hours before travel, to be allowed in.

...

Portugal
Status: amber

FCDO advice: OK for non-essential travel

The fall guy of the UK’s topsy-turvy travel policies over the past 12 months, Portugal may have been demoted to amber just weeks after turning green, but the country is doing everything it can to welcome us in with minimal hassle. Everyone with two doses of the vaccine at least 15 days prior to travel will be exempt from any testing requirements, and there’s no need to quarantine on arrival. Obrigado.

Greece
Status: amber

FCDO advice: Essential travel only, except to Rhodes, Kos, Zakynthos, Corfu and Crete

Greece is straining to get on the UK’s green list, chiefly by racing against the clock to get its 6,000 islanders vaccinated by the end of June. In the meantime, it’s welcoming jabbed-up Britons with open arms. Proof of double vaccination at least 14 days before travel will get you in with no further tests or quarantine; you’ll just need to fill in a Passenger Locator Form before travel.

Croatia
Status: amber

FCDO advice: Essential travel only

Croatia was one of the first EU countries to welcome vaccinated arrivals. The FCDO states: "If you live in England, Croatia will accept the NHS app or your NHS letter to demonstrate your COVID-19 vaccination status. You cannot use a handwritten NHS COVID card as proof of vaccination for travel purposes." You’ll just need to fill in an online entry form before you go.

Cyprus
Status: amber

FCDO advice: Essential travel only

Since May 1, all British arrivals with proof of a full course of the vaccine are able to enter without taking a pre-departure PCR test. The only additional piece of admin is the requirement to fill out the Cyprus Flight Pass 24 hours within 24 hours of departure.

Malta
Status: amber

FCDO advice: OK for non-essential travel

Malta has delayed plans to allow fully vaccinated Britons in without tests or quarantine (originally due for June 1), but a Government statement has indicated vaccine passports will be accepted as soon as the EU’s digital Covid passport is “in place and functioning”, hopefully by July.

Where else?

This is only the tip of the double jab holiday iceberg. A number of countries are accepting vaccine certificates to ease testing and quarantine requirements for arrivals, including Belize, Ecuador, Georgia (the coun

The ultimate Covid vaccination travel guide – where will the jab get you?

Whether you've had one dose, two doses or are yet to be vaccinated, there are hassle-free 'amber list' destinations for every holidaymaker

Extract below - read the full article here:
Https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/advice/ultimate-vaccination-travel-guide-will-jab-get

Greg Dickinson,
21 June 2021

Vaccinated holidaymakers, it’s time to rev your engines. For if you glance up through the windscreen to our holiday traffic lights, you’ll see a distinctly green hue to the ‘amber list’ after last week’s news.

Four months after Ryanair met criticism for its misleading ‘Jab and Go’ advert, that sentiment might soon become the reality. The Telegraph understands that Government officials are drawing up plans that will allow anyone who has received a full course of the vaccine to sidestep quarantine after returning home from amber destinations, with some testing measures still in place.

If this goes ahead, it will be the silver bullet for the travel industry, effectively opening up holidays for tens of millions of Britons to our favourite destinations such as Portugal, Spain and Greece. Our flimsy green list – comprising Iceland, Gibraltar and (thank the lord) the Sandwich Islands – will be sidelined to obscurity.

Yep, only 2 cruises affected - those on June 27 and July 3.

BBC TV this morning.

Justice Secretary Robert Buckland has said that the government are looking into the possibility to ease travel restrictions for people who have received both Covid jabs.

He told the Andrew Marr programme that the government was trying to be as flexible as it can, but the evidence was still emerging.

"We are constantly keeping all these matters under review."

A Taste of the British Isles departing from Tilbury on 2nd August aboard Spirit of Discovery looks like it has sold out.

It was the earliest cruise available for sale yesterday on the page below, but this is now Italian Charms departing on August 15th.

Looks like more good news.

Https://travel.saga.co.uk/cruises/ocean/our-ships/spirit-of-discovery/calendar.aspx