WITH no end in sight to the credit crunch and a weak pound, you could be forgiven for not rushing out after Christmas and splashing out on something as non-essential as a cruise holiday.

But if you hold off for too long you are in danger of missing out forever on some of the sails of the century.

For in October the Saga Rose, the Kent holiday company's iconic flagship vessel, will make its final voyage before being sold.

The Rose, which has been in service with Saga for more than 12 years, is a legend of the seas, having completed more world cruises than any other ship afloat.

The grand old lady, which has classic cruise ship lines and oozes comfort and style, has won the hearts of more than 100,000 Saga cruisegoers, many of them from Kent, since she was introduced to their fleet in 1996.

There are still a few cabins left for her final world cruise this January, but if you miss that, there is still a chance to join her for her sailings in 2009 to the Canary Islands, Baltic States, Norwegian Fjords or the Mediterranean, or bid an emotional goodbye on the Rose farewell cruise in October when, among other destinations, she visits the port of Toulon where she was built in 1965.

I was fortunate enough to be on board the Saga Rose in October on its Essence of the Mediterranean cruise when news of her retirement was announced.

We had just slid gracefully across the notorious Bay of Biscay without so much as a spilt cup of tea and were cruising down the coast of Portugal under a full moon. The elegant ballroom was packed for the traditional captain's welcome aboard cocktail party when the news came through from Saga's Folkestone headquarters that the Rose had only one year left.

It was as if the ship had hit an iceberg. Champagne glasses were put down and passengers, many of whom had travelled the world many times cocooned by her comfort and reliability, suddenly faced the prospect of losing their favourite holiday home.

True, there was always the vessel's sister ship Saga Ruby - a Rose by any other name - but what would they do without their beloved vessel.

The answer was not long in coming. After paying a glowing tribute to his 'favourite ship' captain David Warden-Owen reassured passengers that there would be life after the Rose . . . in the shape of an elegant new ship the Saga Pearl II.

The Pearl will begin service in 2009 and pick up where the Rose leaves off, providing the same classic cruising experience and a great choice of itineraries.

As a nice touch, the Pearl's inaugural voyage from Southampton sails alongside Saga Rose's farewell voyage. Both ships will make their way to Vigo, in northern Spain, where they will be joined by Saga Ruby for a special party on November1.

Comfortably reassured by this news, we all returned to the 'job at hand' which was lapping up the luxury as we cruised the Med.

You can always be confident about the quality of the ports of call when cruising with Saga and this Essence of the Med itinerary was no exception.

We started with Lisbon, which was followed by Gibraltar, then Civitavecchia (for Rome) three Croatian ports including the lovely Dubrovnik, Venice, sailing into the lagoon past St Mark's Square at dawn and leaving as the sun set, Katakolon in Greece (for Olympia), Corfu, Syracuse in Sicily, back across the Med to Barcelona then on to Vigo (for Santiago de Compostela) before returning to Southampton.

Interesting tours at each port and the fun sea days which were punctuated by superb meals from dawn to midnight, and quality onboard lectures and entertainment, made you feel you had been away for more like six months than the 22 nights the cruise took.

Saga cruises are great value with so much included in the price from all on-board gratuities and travel insurance and included UK travel service to take you to your port by private car if you live within 75 miles or by shared car if you live up to 250 miles away.

To get some of the excellent discounts now on offer for Saga's host of 2009 cruises call free on 0800-505030 or go to www.saga.co.uk

But remember, if you want to be part of the Rose's farewell year, pick up the phone today to avoid disappointment.

Saga Rose will be sailing on a Western Mediterranean Discovery Cruise of 15 nights from Southampton on April 20. Prices start from £2,039 per person based on two sharing a grade 12 inside cabin. The cruise will have an antiques theme complimented by talks and valuation sessions by well known TV experts.

Prices for the 37 night Saga Rose Farewell Cruise start from £7,649. The Saga Pearl II Inaugural Cruise - Jewels of the Mediterranean - departs on October 30 with a lead in price of £2,989 per person. Saga cruises are for people aged 50 and over but a travelling companion may be 40 or over. Cruises are available by calling direct or through branches of Thomas Cook.

Saga Cruise Facts