On 30 September 2015, Saga announced it had signed a memorandum of agreement with German shipbuilder Meyer Werft for its first new-build, along with the option for its second new-build, for 2019 and 2021 deliveries, respectively. On 22 September 2017, Saga confirmed its plans to build its second new-build after firming up its option for the ship with Meyer Werft, and also announced the new ship's name as Spirit of Adventure. Saga explained that the decision to expand their fleet with the new-build vessels stemmed from strong demand for its first ship on order, named Spirit of Discovery, along with the desire to further its investment in the fleet after seeing its travel business' profits rise. On 27 March 2019, Saga held the steel-cutting ceremony for Spirit of Adventure at Meyer Werft in Papenburg, Germany, marking the beginning of construction for the vessel. On 3 June 2019, Saga held the keel-laying ceremony, in which a coin inscribed with the ship's name, keel-laying date, and yard number of 715, was placed under the first of 54 keel blocks slated for the ship. Her integral components, including the ship's bow and cabin blocks, had been assembled by 10 January 2020. The ship was floated into a wet dock in late-March 2020 to begin her outfitting. Her propellers were installed prior to her being floated out from the building hall on 24 July 2020, after which her funnel was installed and final outfitting began. Her Ems conveyance to Emden and sea trials in the North Sea are scheduled for September. Construction for Spirit of Adventure has encountered obstacles arising from the COVID-19 pandemic. The ship had originally been expected to be delivered to Saga in July 2020 and was scheduled to be christened at the Portsmouth International Port on 19 August 2020. But on 29 May 2020, Saga announced the ship would not debut in August 2020, as originally planned, after Meyer Werft informed Saga that the shipyard had been significantly impacted by work and travel restrictions resulting from the pandemic. Saga later reported that the ship's delivery would be delayed until October 2020.
Operational career
As a result of construction-related delays, the debut of Spirit of Adventure has also been postponed. She was originally scheduled to offer a preview sailing for members of the travel industry and press on 11 August 2020, but after announcement of the ship's postponement of delivery, Saga has said it is unsure if the sailing will be postponed or cancelled altogether. Her maiden cruise, a 17-night Baltic cruise from Dover, was originally scheduled for 21 August 2020, but was eventually changed to a 17-day Mediterranean sailing departing on 5 November 2020 from Southampton, visiting Gibraltar, Barcelona, Monaco, and Naples. For her inaugural season, she had been expected to operate cruises to the Norwegian fjords and the Mediterranean.
Design and specifications
Along with Spirit of Discovery, Spirit of Adventure will operate under Saga's model of exclusively serving guests of ages 50 and over, and will also provide an all-inclusive cruising experience, in which the cost of the cruise covers expenses incurred from beverages, gratuities, specialty dining, room service, internet access, and local chauffeur services. However, Saga commissioned a different firm to design the ship's interior with numerous changes, including different decor, a modified variety of accommodations and eateries, and redesigned lounge venues. Spirit of Adventure is also planned to match her sister ship's dimensions, measuring, long, and wide, and will also have 554 all-balcony passenger cabins housing a total of 999 guests Saga partnered with Siemens to employ Siemens SISHIP SiPODs for the ships' propulsion and power distribution systems. The ships are powered by four nine-cylinder 32/44 common rail MAN engines equipped with selective catalytic reduction, each producing, for a total of. To better recover waste heat, they are also equipped with a centralised heating water system that reduces pump power by 65 kW to save 200 MWh per annum.
