Cruise Ship Saga Ruby Sails Martin Waters

As the second cruise ship in the Saga line out of the UK (sister ship Saga Rose being the first), the Saga Ruby is maintaining Saga’s high standards following a £17 million refit. Owned and operated by The Saga Group, a British conglomerate offering services to older citizens, the Saga Ruby features an automated lighting package that includes Martin’s MAC 550 profile spot, MAC 250 Entours, MAC 300 washlights and more.

A complete entertainment lighting refit was completed in February this year with lighting design by Richard Horley of Richard Horley Lighting (RHL), who worked closely with lighting supplier Point Source Productions of the UK.

RHL
Richard has looked after the Saga ships’ AV needs for the last few years, so when the designs for the refit were started they approached RHL for all the entertainment venue lighting, sound and video. Saga asked RHL to look at the public areas as well. Richard ended up designing and commissioning various sound and light systems for the ship in the following areas: Ballroom, Preview Nightclub, View Lounge and Restaurant, Britannia Lounge, Gym, Duty Free and Port Shops, Spa and Lido.

“The initial brief was very simple,” Richard comments. “They wanted a system that was as future proof as possible, with plenty of options for movement and impact. Saga head of entertainment Lindsay Frost is a firm believer in the fact that the 50+ target Saga customer base are now the ones who grew up with the likes of Pink Floyd, Genesis, etc., and therefore will be looking for a very ‘full on’ level of production with the onboard shows.

“The budget discussions were the most interesting. The Saga project manager, Greg Hale, had a favorite saying which was, ‘we only need to paint the b***** funnel, why do you need all that money’! We haggled our way to a compromise in the end.

Ballroom lighting
The key area for was the Ballroom, which acts as a multi-purpose venue showing videos, classical recitals, presentations by visiting speakers, dance lessons, then in the evening, 45 minute themed theatrical shows followed by dancing into the night.

“The existing system was a motley collection of very old generics and a few moving mirrors, hardly inspirational,” Richard explains. “All this was hung from large black painted barrels slung under the decorative finished ceiling. It was a visual nightmare.

“To deal with this I removed all of the support bars, and had custom brackets manufactured to allow the units to partially sit into the circular ceiling recesses that were easily big enough to accommodate a MAC 550. Liaising with the interior designer (Alison Clixby of Clixby Associates), I had Martin color match all the moving heads to the decor. The new rig visually disappears from view in comparison with the old. For basic white-light cover I used ETC Parnels, (also color matched).

“From there I specified all intelligent moving heads: 14 MAC 300 washlights (some fitted with the wide angle lens kit) provide a wealth of color wash options, and as they are small and light they were easy to hang despite the very low ceiling heights; 5 MAC 250 Entours provide backdrop projection effects and interest, and with the double gobo wheels have a large variety of image options to keep the stage looking fresh and interesting.”

Shipshape MAC 550
“The key to the effectiveness of the rig is, without doubt, the MAC 550s. I first spoke to Martin UK’s Jessica Oakley at the 2004 ABTT about how they would deal with ship life. Via Stephen Capel of Point Source, my chosen Martin dealer, a demo 550 arrived (fresh from Glastonbury apparently) and I got to sit in peace and quiet with a new tool. Bright, quick, and with the gobo animation tools and very sharp optics, the images and colours leapt. My only concern was the noise of the cooling fans. I dived into the options, and after contacting Martin and receiving a suitable software upgrade, have them set to ‘Studio Mode.’ I was most impressed to be invited over to Point Source to meet with two techs from Denmark, who demonstrated the new software, in January this year.

“Support didn't stop there. I had an issue with the MAC 250 Entour whilst using the controller I had specified. Upgraded software came out during the period of the refit - a Martin UK tech came down to Southampton and upgraded all of the heads, including the fan revisions for the 550s. End of problem, much quieter fans, and no problems on the 250E's, which is just what we clients need, quick and efficient answers and service.

“Each afternoon they serve ‘High Tea’ on the dance floor which always features an ice sculpture, normally at least 3 ft high. A pair of MAC 550s firing slow color changes into it, irised down, looks simply splendid.

“For the theatrical shows, the US production company, Morag Productions Inc, asked me to programme the lighting for them. It’s nice to get to programme the systems you design. The three 45 minute production ‘tribute’ shows are very, very busy, I was glad to have so many options and variety available to me. With the huge image sizes you can get from the 550's, the impact level is very high.”

Nightclub, Lounge Restaurant
For the View Nightclub Richard put in a lot of LED color changing fittings, then for key impact, 6 Martin MX-10 Extreme scanners. “For a relatively cheap moving mirror, they are very bright and quick. Hung way up above the dance floor, they have a great impact. A pair of Martin CX-4 color changers provides a lower key option for additional effects.

In the View Lounge Restaurant, Swarovski crystal panels specified by Clixby Associates, provide a lovely vista. Sitting on the end of the fiber tails, are a pair of Martin RoboColor Pro 400s with the fiber head kits. “In simple Pounds to color options with DMX control they are very good value for money, with a bright, long life lamp.

“It was a busy 14 months,” he concludes. “The ship sailed on the 2nd of March with all units in use every day, and the reactions so far have been excellent. I was very pleased with the support and service I received from both Martin Professional UK and Point Source. The fact that any piece of kit can easily be configured for any voltages and 50 or 60Hz was another major factor in the choice; some other suppliers have to produce 110v versions as specials, which cause lots of problems for sourcing service parts. The back-up was there for me through the whole process, from design to onsite up-grades. It's my reputation with clients that is affected when kit fails onsite. I am more than happy with the help and support from Martin Professional and their dealers.”