taxatty

Since you must know crowded and busy CLT can be, often with long TSA lines, I wouldn't get to CLT any later than 2 hours before any flight, especially since here you'll have to use the check-in counter--regardless of which one.

There are "travel consultants" and other services you can choose from to create your vacation where in the end you will pay more than if you booked things yourself. Some package deals they offer can be an overall bargain (like our Rocky Mountaineer Banff-Vancouver train/pre- and post-hotels and meals trip years ago), others are not.

I completely agree with you, and as one of my hobbies I personally handle all of our own trip planning and bookings, but we use a TA for cruises because of the OBC and other benefits we get. Heck, having the TA deal with Silversea's administrative personnel as an intermediary instead of trying to DIY is almost worth using a TA by itself. On the other hand, we all know people who would rather pay someone else to do the work, almost regardless of the cost.

There are also plenty of travelers who love and can afford Silversea but make it work better financially using points and miles as well as hunting for airfare and accommodations deals. For example, with a couple of exceptions, rather than shelling out $$$ to fly overseas business or first class, we have made numerous trips in the "pointy-end" of the plane using CC miles or points/miles upgrades, and stayed at some truly excellent hotels using points or Four Seasons "3 for 2" deals. Of course, you must either take the time to research all of this yourself or pay someone else to do it for you. As for status matching, the only real added benefits for us have been the 10% booking discount and free laundry. Unless that causes long-time Silversea pax to have their laundry significantly delayed, that's not much to complain about.

Remember that there is a constantly growing segment of wealthy, sophisticated travelers that physically can no longer handle land based trips unless chauffeured everywhere by one means or another. Silversea will always cater well to that crowd, as will higher-end river cruises where you step off the ship in the middle of a town or city.

As Terry keeps pointing out, Royal Caribbean's stock has been doing really well lately, notwithstanding its massive COVID-required debt burden. (As an aside, its stock that I purchased many years ago has been by far the best investment I've ever made, especially after many shareholder OBCs, which now apply to Silversea). Royal's ships are almost all sailing full een with prices steadily rising, its notorious fake "sales" that truly aren't, and the obvious and hidden onboard and administrative cutbacks. It was able to successfully offload Azamara, which didn't make sense for it to keep as a division due to offering a product at a level somewhere between X and Silversea. Why should it do anything differently?

I suggest contacting the hotel in advance, especially if you plan on spending more than one night there. We booked an extra night at a Hilton pre-cruise hotel and emailed the hotel a couple of weeks before the cruise to ensure that we remained in the same room and to confirm our Concierge Lounge entitlement for the whole stay. Silversea pays for the pre-cruise day's breakfast so you don't need to worry about that.

Well done, balanced review.

If you haven't been to Darwin and done them before, and you have the time, it was very worthwhile to visit the Mindil Beach Sunset Market (go early and hungry), the Darwin Military Museum, and the Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory, along with a day trip by car to hike and swim at Litchfield National Park.

A little more clarification in another email I just received. I'm a Diamond on RC. YOU’VE BEEN UPGRADED Dear, Congratulations! We are pleased to let you know that your Venetian Society benefits have been upgraded as part of our recently launched Loyalty Status Match programme with Royal Caribbean®, Celebrity Cruises® and Silversea®. Your new Loyalty Status Match 250 VS DAYS level rewards you with enhanced savings and added onboard benefits, making your next Silversea journey all the more enticing. Enjoy Venetian Society onboard benefits on sailings departing 5 June 2024, and onward. Venetian Society Member Savings are applicable on new voyages booked on or after 30 May 2024. For complete details see Terms and Conditions. Begin exploring your myriad options for discovering the world’s authentic beauty. We look forward to our next adventure together! † VS Member Savings benefit on all future sailings when booking Door-to-Door or Port-to-Port All-Inclusive fares. Not combinable with Essential fare. Venetian Society Member Savings applicable on new voyages booked on or after 30 May 2024. † VS Member Savings benefit is combinable with Venetian Society Sailings 5% Savings. VS Member Savings benefit is not combinable with Essential fare. Venetian Society Member Savings applicable on new voyages booked on or after 30 May 2024. *Laundry benefit is also applicable for guests booked in the higher category suites, (Premium Medallion, Medallion, Silver, Royal, Grand, Junior Grand, Signature, Master, Otium and Owner's Suites). Excludes dry cleaning and "press only". Venetian Society Member benefits for Loyalty Status Match Programme participants apply to sailings departing on or after 5 June 2024, excluding the Venetian Society Member Savings benefit, which is applicable to new bookings made on or after 30 May 2024. Further restrictions apply. For Venetian Society loyalty programme complete terms and conditions, please visit www.silversea.com/loyaltyterms. Since Loyalty Status Match members only receive the Member Level and not the associated VS Days, they are ineligible for the Venetian Society benefits listed: Complimentary cruises, Milestone recognition, “Sail with Us” referral offer prior to first Silversea voyage

Don't miss the Mitchell Falls helicopter excursion--a ridiculously expensive upcharge, but we loved it.

Jason Liberty, Royal Caribbean Group CEO, discusses this new program here. https://thepointsguy.com/news/royal-caribbean-silversea-status-match/

A corresponding email I received from Royal Caribbean included the following: TERMS & CONDITIONS *Members of Crown & Anchor® Society, the Royal Caribbean International® loyalty program, aged 18 years and older, are eligible to participate in the Loyalty Status Match Program with the Celebrity Cruises® loyalty program, Captain’s ClubSM, and the Silversea Cruises® loyalty program, Venetian Society®®. Since Loyalty Status Match members only receive the Member Level and not the associated Club Points, they are ineligible for the Captain’s Club benefits listed below. Complimentary Zenith cruises Zenith milestone kits WWF® donations Retreat Lounge access when not staying in the Retreat o Status match members will only be permitted to access the Retreat Lounge when not staying in the Retreat based on availability and at the sole discretion of Celebrity Cruises Since Loyalty Status Match members only receive the Member Level and not the associated VS Days, they are ineligible for the Venetian Society benefits listed below. “Sail with Us” referral offer prior to first Silversea voyage Complimentary cruises Milestone recognition Eligibility and participation in the Loyalty Match Program is subject to the program terms and conditions, which can be found at https://www.royalcaribbean.com/crown-anchor-society/loyaltymatch

Just received by email. Explanatory video from Bert Hernandez included. INTRODUCING LOYALTY STATUS MATCH Dear , It is with pleasure that we introduce you to Silversea’s new Loyalty Status Match programme offered in partnership with our Royal Caribbean Group brands – Royal Caribbean® and Celebrity Cruises®. While we know that you love the small ship experience unique to Silversea, this new benefit merely expands your options when choosing how you wish to explore the world. With voyages starting 5 June 2024, when you choose to sail with Royal Caribbean or Celebrity Cruises, your current Venetian Society level will be matched and you will enjoy the benefits of each respective programme upon enrollment. Over 50 incredible ships sail to nearly 1,000 ports, granting you myriad options when considering travel with family and friends. ALREADY ENROLLED IN CROWN & ANCHOR SOCIETY OR CAPTAIN’S CLUB? You may qualify for a Loyalty Match upgrade with Venetian Society. No further action is needed to status match with the programmes where you are already a member. If you have a higher level with Crown & Anchor Society or Captain’s Club, you will qualify for an automatic upgrade in Venetian Society and vice versa. Please allow up to seven (7) days for any applicable upgrades to process. You will receive an email with a confirmation of your upgrade, if applicable. Please note, if your loyalty status in Venetian Society is upgraded due to Loyalty Status Match, your upgraded Venetian Society onboard benefits will be effective on sailings departing 5 June 2024, and onward. Venetian Society Member Savings benefit will be applicable on new voyages booked on or after 30 May 2024.

If anyone (or their travel agent) does the slightest bit of research before booking the Wind or the Cloud, they will know this in advance and can make it part of their booking decision process. I don't sympathize with anyone who just shows up and mistakenly expects bigger ship amenities.