From crazy golf to Mozart, some of the extra treats on a Sapphire cruise

It’s not often you get the opportunity to inspect the works of great artists like Rembrandt, Rubens and Leonardo da Vinci without having to elbow aside all the other tourists.
So an after-hour’s visit to revel in the treasures of St Petersburg’s Hermitage Museum was a delightful extra treat while our cruise ship was in town.
While we admired the masterpieces we were serenaded by the State Symphony Orchestra of St Petersburg playing an hour of familiar favourites, including the Overture from Mozart’s Marriage of Figaro, the Intermezzo from Cavalleria Rusticana and Faure’s Pavane.
This feast of civilised culture was served up during a Baltic cruise on the elegant Saga Sapphire, the latest vessel to join the fleet operated by the British company specialising in holidays for the over-50s.
But you don’t need highbrow tastes to enjoy the ride. If you’re happier with crazy golf, fish and chips with mushy peas and a pint of beer, all that is available back on board.
The Sapphire has been designed with a host of quirky features, including traditional seaside-style attractions, in an effort to attract passengers nearer Saga’s minimum age of 50.
Cooper’s Bar is themed around comedian Tommy, with his trademark fez adapted into lampshades and some of his funniest one-liners embroidered into cushion covers.
In the Drawing Room, which doubles as a panoramic lounge during the day and a smooth nightclub in the evening, the decor includes lamps made from cameras, musical instruments and leather boots, armchairs advertising a Beatles concert in Abergavenny and even a dragon mural carved from a tree root.
The ship, though new to Saga, was built 30 years ago as the luxurious Europa. With a combined cost of purchase and refurbishment at £67million, she will become the fleet’s flagship next year following the retirement of the much loved Saga Ruby.
In a break from Saga tradition, there’s open seating in the Pole to Pole restaurant, allowing passengers to arrive for dinner when they want and sit where they like.
Diehards who prefer a fixed time and the same table every evening can do so by special request.
There’s waiter service in the Verandah casual restaurant too – on most ships this would be a buffet. Tables must be reserved in advance for the Asian fusion speciality East to West restaurant, but there is no extra charge.
Cabins have been decorated in simple, sophisticated colours reminiscent of a modern boutique hotel and there’s plenty of space to relax. The aft swimming pool has been removed to create more deck space, and there’s lots of room to lounge around the midships pool and the sundeck above.
Indoors, the spacious Britannia Lounge is the venue for afternoon tea and evening concerts featuring visiting musicians and comedians, and the resident troupe of singers and dancers. It all seemed to be proving very popular with the 700 or so passengers on my trip, many of whom would have only recently have reached the qualifying age.
Taking the smooth service for granted, they liked the spacious cabins, most with full-sized baths, and the value for money compared with many other cruise lines.
The basic brochure price may be higher with Saga, but taking into account the fact that tips are included and it’s just £2.80 for a pint and £3.20 for a glass of wine, they realised their holiday pound goes further.
Which also meant they could be more adventurous when it came to shore excursions. From Warnemunde, Germany, some joined the day-long trip to Berlin, while others took a boat trip up the river to Rostock.
Among the usual sights, such as the intricate 15th Century astronomical clock in the Marienkirche cathedral and the remaining watchtowers on the city’s medieval walls, we also gained an insight into more recent history in the form of the interrogation centre and prison used by the Stasi, the feared East German secret police.
Most people were easily able to take the leisurely walk from the quayside in Tallinn to the narrow streets and open squares of the old town, one enjoying herself so much she ¬arrived back at the ship a full hour after we should have sailed.
Fortunately for her, the understanding captain waited, an extra service unlikely to be afforded by many other cruises…