Long gone but not forgotten

Caviar on demand, complimentary cigarettes, the Guest List, a changing menu in Le Champagne, a welcome bottle of decent fizz, the golf net at the back of the Whisper and Shadow, a second electrician, luggage tags, large silver boxes, and now the on-board computer tech from MTN.

Soon to be added to the list will be the Artists of Silversea.

Caviar on demand, complimentary cigarettes, the Guest List, a changing menu in Le Champagne, a welcome bottle of decent fizz, the golf net at the back of the Whisper and Shadow, a second electrician, luggage tags, large silver boxes, and now the on-board computer tech from MTN.

 

Soon to be added to the list will be the Artists of Silversea.

That's too bad....

If they passed out cigarettes, it would be the last cruise line I would sail on.

Different strokes for different folks.

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You can add to the list cold towels around the pool on a hot day.

The cold towels and the fruit skewers are still here.

You can add to the list cold towels around the pool on a hot day.[/

 

Also on a cruise they always had a" Siversea Experience , some kind of venue...no more....in La Terraza ,always a giant Prosciutto....gone...

i just did receive my documents

yes -not even luggage tags -

i will use those from Hapag Lloyd ...:p

No luggage tags on Silversea ?! Gosh the race to the bottom is on even with the luxury lines ?!

Worldspan

(135 cruises strong and no more!)

No luggage tags on Silversea ?! Gosh the race to the bottom is on even with the luxury lines ?!

 

Worldspan

(135 cruises strong and no more!)

We'll be tagging with our lovely leather Seabourn tags; something's not quite right about that...

Ann & Terrence, heading for Funchal and 9 lovely sea days very soon.

We'll be tagging with our lovely leather Seabourn tags; something's not quite right about that...

 

Ann & Terrence, heading for Funchal and 9 lovely sea days very soon.

Do not bring a Seabourn Hat, there are strict instructions to confiscate them if worn onboard.

Are you serious? If that was meant tongue-in-cheek, keep in mind I am a newbie so nuance is lost on me.

On SB, the hub was asked to turn his SS bag around!

i just did receive my documents

yes -not even luggage tags -

i will use those from Hapag Lloyd ...:p

The orange tags stay on my luggage....they're great. I have a couple not yet used SS metal tags that will be attached when boarding Discoverer.

Not yet mentioned ......the magical carafe. There must be something in that water to keep you folks coming back. I'm not drinking it.

The cold towels and the fruit skewers are still here.

Not in evidence on the Wind last two weeks.

I'm scaring myself. Don't even want to say what we paid for Grand Suite on the Nov 20, 2015 Barbados/Amazon/Barbados cruise, we are newbies.

We are no the same cruise next week, will let you know how we get on.;)

Caviar on demand, complimentary cigarettes, the Guest List, a changing menu in Le Champagne, a welcome bottle of decent fizz, the golf net at the back of the Whisper and Shadow, a second electrician, luggage tags, large silver boxes, and now the on-board computer tech from MTN. Soon to be added to the list will be the Artists of Silversea.

fudge: We are no the same cruise next week' date=' will let you know how we get on.[/quote']

 

OctoberKat: I'm scaring myself. Don't even want to say what we paid for Grand Suite on the Nov 20' date=' 2015 [b']Barbados/Amazon/Barbados cruise[/b], we are newbies.

 

Interesting series of comments and opinions on this thread. Agree 100% that we are glad that "complimentary cigarettes" are gone. Getting "caviar on demand" is not a big deal either way for us personally. Know others have strong options for the caviar on demand.

 

Hope that OctoberKat and/or fudge will be doing some sharing from their Silversea sailing up the Amazon, their various port stops. What they saw, did and loved the most. A warm welcome to OctoberKat as a "newbie". Tell us more on the Grand Suite!!

 

We are now at 68 days till our Jan. 25-Feb. 20, 2015, Amazon River-Caribbean combo back-to-back sailing on the Silver Cloud. This includes all of the same stops that the Nov. 20 Silver Whisper will experience. Will look forward to making the Cloud/SS comparisons to what we enjoy in the summer of 2010 versus the current offerings with SS, etc.

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

For details and visuals, etc., from our July 1-16, 2010, Norway Coast/Fjords/Arctic Circle cruise experience from Copenhagen on the Silver Cloud, check out this posting. This posting is now at 164,070 views. Nice to be hitting this high of a level for viewership. Appreciate the interest and follow-up questions/comments!!

http://www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1227923

The orange tags stay on my luggage....they're great. I have a couple not yet used SS metal tags that will be attached when boarding Discoverer.

 

Not yet mentioned ......the magical carafe. There must be something in that water to keep you folks coming back. I'm not drinking it.

honestly said : for caraiben i am not so demanding and a 2 weeks caraiben on Europa 2 was pricey ...and the flights were complicated

and there was a very low single supplement on SS

that were the reasons

I'm sad to see the luggage tags go. I still use them on my luggage when I sail on Regent since theirs aren't very nice:-(

The reality is that all cruise lines are not as they were many years ago. There have been changes; some involve providing less amenities and some involve providing something new or something different. Look on land and you will see that many hotels (Four Seasons and Ritz Carlton Properties) also have made changes. Take the club floor at at Ritz Carlton. The courses offered throughout the day at most properties are not as they were 5 or more years ago. Even the bath products at Four Seasons are not as they were just a few years ago.

Why? A lot of this has to do with the competitive nature of pricing. For cruise lines if you look at the cruise fare from 10 years ago and compare it to today's pricing the rate if adjusted for inflation is lower today than it was 10 years ago. Cruise lines are in the business of making money. So, either the prices go up more or something gets optimized/eliminated.

Things change. They always have and always will.

Some for the better, some about the same, and some not so good.

With that said, most people in the world will not have the opportunity to sail on any cruise line let alone a luxury cruise line. And likely most people who haven't sailed with cruise lines in the past will not feel like they are missing out on something.

In the end, the customers do have a say. If they don't like it they can go somewhere else.

Keith

We've yet to take our first cruise which looms for us on Jan. 27th, on Navigator out of Miami to the Western Caribbean, then back to Miami after ten nights. We're happy therefore, and excited about what we think will be a high-end, finest-kind experience, given we're booked into a high-end suite.

I'm aware of the inevitability of change -- sometimes good, sometimes not so much; and sometimes invisible to customers but not to others associated with our experience including cruise staff, officers and even home-office personnel.

Of course I'm discouraged not to say disconcerted to learn I have joined the luxury cruise crowd just when, it seems, the business is scurrying off to hell and gone. Yikes. But we're new and not all that entitled so I'm betting our cruise will work out finest kind.

With regard to the business, when it comes to a service-intensive model at the high end, there's an automatic brake that kicks in and invokes the uber contradiction of who is the customer. Passengers who choose to cruise at the high-end and expect luxury? Or corporate share-holders who are otherwise focused on their investment. It's an incestuously organic balancing act that favors shareholders over customers every time.

I begin to think a publicly-held corporation is anathema to a righteous customer experience.

The reality is that all cruise lines are not as they were many years ago. There have been changes; some involve providing less amenities and some involve providing something new or something different. Look on land and you will see that many hotels (Four Seasons and Ritz Carlton Properties) also have made changes. Take the club floor at at Ritz Carlton. The courses offered throughout the day at most properties are not as they were 5 or more years ago. Even the bath products at Four Seasons are not as they were just a few years ago.

 

Why? A lot of this has to do with the competitive nature of pricing. For cruise lines if you look at the cruise fare from 10 years ago and compare it to today's pricing the rate if adjusted for inflation is lower today than it was 10 years ago. Cruise lines are in the business of making money. So, either the prices go up more or something gets optimized/eliminated.

 

Things change. They always have and always will.

 

Some for the better, some about the same, and some not so good.

 

With that said, most people in the world will not have the opportunity to sail on any cruise line let alone a luxury cruise line. And likely most people who haven't sailed with cruise lines in the past will not feel like they are missing out on something.

 

In the end, the customers do have a say. If they don't like it they can go somewhere else.

 

Keith

We've yet to take our first cruise which looms for us on Jan. 27th, on Navigator out of Miami to the Western Caribbean, then back to Miami after ten nights. We're happy therefore, and excited about what we think will be a high-end, finest-kind experience, given we're booked into a high-end suite.

 

I'm aware of the inevitability of change -- sometimes good, sometimes not so much; and sometimes invisible to customers but not to others associated with our experience including cruise staff, officers and even home-office personnel.

 

Of course I'm discouraged not to say disconcerted to learn I have joined the luxury cruise crowd just when, it seems, the business is scurrying off to hell and gone. Yikes. But we're new and not all that entitled so I'm betting our cruise will work out finest kind.

 

With regard to the business, when it comes to a service-intensive model at the high end, there's an automatic brake that kicks in and invokes the uber contradiction of who is the customer. Passengers who choose to cruise at the high-end and expect luxury? Or corporate share-holders who are otherwise focused on their investment. It's an incestuously organic balancing act that favors shareholders over customers every time.

 

I begin to think a publicly-held corporation is anathema to a righteous customer experience.

Hi,

I don't think you were welcomed here on your earlier first post ... so welcome! :)

I suggest you see the comments you read here in context and do not let them in any way compromise your of anticipation of your first cruise. There are so many variables at play when reading other people's opinions and they are just opinions about their experiences on a particular day week or cruise or cruises. What will be important to them may not be so for you.

Your post implies a well-informed and well-balanced attitude and as long as you have a set of realistic expectations and a sense of humour and a determination to enjoy your first cruise you will enjoy it.

Do come back here and tell us how your cruise went.

Jeff

We've yet to take our first cruise which looms for us on Jan. 27th, on Navigator out of Miami to the Western Caribbean, then back to Miami after ten nights. We're happy therefore, and excited about what we think will be a high-end, finest-kind experience, given we're booked into a high-end suite.

 

I'm aware of the inevitability of change -- sometimes good, sometimes not so much; and sometimes invisible to customers but not to others associated with our experience including cruise staff, officers and even home-office personnel.

 

Of course I'm discouraged not to say disconcerted to learn I have joined the luxury cruise crowd just when, it seems, the business is scurrying off to hell and gone. Yikes. But we're new and not all that entitled so I'm betting our cruise will work out finest kind.

 

With regard to the business, when it comes to a service-intensive model at the high end, there's an automatic brake that kicks in and invokes the uber contradiction of who is the customer. Passengers who choose to cruise at the high-end and expect luxury? Or corporate share-holders who are otherwise focused on their investment. It's an incestuously organic balancing act that favors shareholders over customers every time.

 

I begin to think a publicly-held corporation is anathema to a righteous customer experience.

If you are like most people you will love your first cruise.

Some of the items that cruise lines such as Silversea (and they all have to varying degrees) I suspect in the end will not impact ones overall cruising experience. An example is the luggage tags. While it is certainly nice if one was going to make some cost cuts I would rather see it in an area such as the pre cruise documents than say on some other item that might impact our overall cruising experience. At the same time you are not going to please all of the people all the time. Example smoking. The vast majority of people welcome the continued reduction and of smoking. I remember the days when people could smoke in dining rooms on board cruise ships but today that is not the case. Most would say that was a good change. Some wouldn't. Same goes for dress codes. Some want no change, while others want it to be like it used to be on each respective line and others say they want it changed.

Sometimes people dwell on what is not provided that used to be without thinking through items that might be provided today that weren't before. In fact, businesses struggle with this. Do you offer something new and if it doesn't work should you eliminate it then people think it's a take away.

In the end every company must balance the integrity of their product with pricing and profit. It is not an easy task. The easy solution would be to say no cuts will be made and the answer is to just raise the price. However, if it was that easy everyone would do it.

There was a period of time that I think most of the luxury lines were in trouble to some extent in terms of their financials so yes adjustments were made. Again, if it was just a matter of raising price and that would be the magical fix, someone would have done that. But it's not as simple as that.

In the end, the consumer does have a say on this and that is the way they spend their money and who they choose to sail with.

For me, while there are some items that used to be offered on cruise lines that are not offered today unlike some businesses which have really cut things back substantially (USA based airlines, customer service for many companies from phone carriers to cable companies) I am glad that the luxury cruise lines still offer a very nice luxury experience and that more people can afford to cruise today because of some of the changes that have been made than ever before and that includes some who can sail on a luxury line who couldn't in years past.

I wish you a wonderful cruise (are you calling on Regent for your first cruise) and look forward to reading about it.

Keith

The reality is that all cruise lines are not as they were many years ago. There have been changes; some involve providing less amenities and some involve providing something new or something different. Look on land and you will see that many hotels (Four Seasons and Ritz Carlton Properties) also have made changes. Take the club floor at at Ritz Carlton. The courses offered throughout the day at most properties are not as they were 5 or more years ago. Even the bath products at Four Seasons are not as they were just a few years ago.

 

Why? A lot of this has to do with the competitive nature of pricing. For cruise lines if you look at the cruise fare from 10 years ago and compare it to today's pricing the rate if adjusted for inflation is lower today than it was 10 years ago. Cruise lines are in the business of making money. So, either the prices go up more or something gets optimized/eliminated.

 

Things change. They always have and always will.

 

Some for the better, some about the same, and some not so good.

 

With that said, most people in the world will not have the opportunity to sail on any cruise line let alone a luxury cruise line. And likely most people who haven't sailed with cruise lines in the past will not feel like they are missing out on something.

 

In the end, the customers do have a say. If they don't like it they can go somewhere else.

 

Keith

Unfortunately a lot of what you are saying is very true : changes everywhere , in top hotels also on airlines in business and first

also there is over capacity of cruiseships in a lot of areas also in the luxury category

a few years ago some SB cruises were sold for 1999 € a week ...

and yes i did receive reduced sizes of bathroom amenities in the hotel chains you do mention

sometimes i am very homesick for the defunct Royal Viking Line until 1994 when Cunard took over

Of course some things have changed for the better. The new, properly working, digital film, TV shows and Newspaper & Magazines service for phones, tablets and laptops is an excellent addition.

Once the app is installed you can update and read whilst wifi connected but do not need to be online.

Today the paper list expanded and now you can have the Sun, Express and the 'Sunday Spert'.

And, and its a very big and, the unlimited internet option is way, way cheaper for long voyage, even when the satellite is patchy.