AVACTION

We always take with us small gifts (usually Australian souvenirs, flag pins etc.) and give these to staff as well as cash for the butler & his assistant. Maybe a few Scottish items, we find this is a lot more personal and appreciated. Restaurant staff were particularly proud of their Australian pins and would wear them every night when serving us (including the maitre 'd).

Contact Silversea (Australia office) and requested specific flights, business class with Singapore (SYD-SIN, HKG-SIN, SIN-SYD) which were included in the cruise cost. Within 2 hours I had confirmation of requested flights and booking number (not locator). So far their service has been excellent. They use Qantas or Singapore and the Qantas product on the direct flight is just nowhere near as good as Singapore Airlines, thus the layover in Singapore, which I was suprised they allowed.

That's true. Will say that for our last cruise they added the suite upgrade incentive after final payment. Our TA contacted them and since we were already in Verandah 6s they gave us an onboard credit in compensation. They also seem to treat reduced air differently than free air. On a cruise a couple of years ago they threw in free air but we'd already booked and paid for our flights so again SS gave us an onboard credit. This upcoming cruise has reduced coach air fares but SS isn't offering any onboard credit as compensation for not taking their offer. Unfortunately they're not offering any reduced business/first class air. We asked and their quote was more than we could directly book ourselves.

We got "free" business class fares included by booking direct with Silverseas (Australia), the online TA in the U.S.A., who I've used before, was not able to match the "direct" price or offer any add-ons.

I suppose it's best to keep an eye on the Silverseas website to see if there are any price reductions or other special offers and then contact them to see if any compensation is forthcoming?

try rome2rio.com to get an estimate and other methods of transport. A very useful site for travellers.

We booked early for Singapore - Hong Kong February 2018 onboard Silver Whisper to get the 10% discount and "free" business class air fares. One of the reasons is the "Fare Guarantee Programme" I read about in their brochure. Perhaps I am interpreting it wrongly but it states:

"Silversea's Fare Guarantee Programme provides you with the peace of mind in knowing that when you plan ahead and book early, not only will you be able to reserve your desired suite, but you can also benefit from any future reduction in the Silver Privilege Fares for your voyage, upon request"

So I thought that booking early was "risk-free" as far as any further reductions in price. Am I interpreting this wrongly?

This our first time with Silverseas so I am sailing uncharted seas (pun intended).

Depends what you consider to be 'good brandy'. I'm usually quite happy with their bar stock which is either Remy Martin or Courvousier. I know you can spend more in the Connoisseur area.

 

By the way, when your butler stocks your bar in your suite, it won't be the little airline size bottles, either.

 

 

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Unfortunately I was served Remy Martin Cellar No 28 on a recent flight and now I want MORE. My wife and I almost managed to polish off a bottle on the flight (it was a long flight).

Any idea if any XO Cognac is included in the spirits available or do you have to pay extra?

When we sail MSC we stay in the Yacht Club which is a "ship within a ship" where one has butler service, drinks & refreshments included, a private lounge and pool area and a private restaurant.

This will be our first time on a Silversea cruise and I hope that it outdoes MSC. Very interested in the different dining experiences and the Connoisseur Corner. Does anyone know what the extra charges are for good brandy?

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Hi Ross sorry to divert the thread again, but are you the Ross from the Visual Qiizzes?

No. Not me.

I think I will have to write my own review on this cruise, although with the amount of alcohol I consumed my memories may not be completely accurate :evilsmile:

I wore my kilt on one formal night.

DILLIGAF.

Slightly off track but can I ask Willma how the Petra excursion went? We are on the October Sinfonia cruise from Venice to Durban and very much want to visit Petra from our call at Aqaba, however the MSC excursions just don't show up online, even after calling them twice. I am looking at doing the tour independently but some of the prices seem very high, over $200 US pp which seems high for a day trip of 1.5 hours each way! How was the ships excursion and can you remember the cost? Many thanks.

 

Rob

The Petra Tour was one of the highlights of our cruise. Well worth the money. We did the ship's tour with a "sit down" lunch at a local hotel. I say lunch but we ate at 3.30pm.

We just booked our first cruise with Siversea and the main incentive to book early was the inclusion of business class air fares which have a "retail" value of AU$12,000 on a cruise costing AU$16,000 (for two pax).

Most cruise lines have varied pricing method depending upon peak and off peak periods, time to sailing, occupancy rates etc. so it is just down to chance whether you get the best possible price. Prices also differ in different geographic areas.

We were on this cruise and really enjoyed it. We are frequent cruisers with Celebrity so had status match. It was our first with MSC and we went with an open mind as it was the itinerary we were interested in. Disappointing not to get to Sir Bani Yas, but I understand that this is not unusual. The ship was beautiful, and kept very clean. We kept busy on the sea days with the activities available. We really enjoyed Aqaba and the trip to Petra, and the Suez Canal Transit.

The food wasn't great, but we didn't go hungry. We enjoyed the variety of bars and lounges.

Interesting to us was the lack of attention to hand hygiene, which most other lines push heavily. Also some very poor buffet practices from our fellow guests.

We would go with MSC again if the price and itinerary were right. Might be tempted to try the Yacht Club as fellow guests rated it highly for food and service.

If you enjoyed this cruise without the benefits of the Yacht Club you will be absolutely blown away if you book that experience on your next cruise.

We have sailed YC 3 times and it is a fantastic on board experience and so cheap!!

We will sail MSC YC again, but not next year, maybe 2019 in W. Europe.

We have never sailed with Silversea before and are looking for tips and advice from seasoned travellers with this line.

We have booked on the Silver Shadow, Singapore to Hong Kong, with most port calls being in Vietnam Feb 2018.

We have only cruised three times before, all in the Yacht Club on MSC ships, are a couple in our early 60's.

One of my questions would be about smoking areas on board, and my wife's would be about the treatments available in the spa. Has anyone travelled MSC YC and Silversea to give us a comparison?

Haven't had chance to write a review yet, had a dinner party for 12 last night and only got back on Saturday as we stayed onboard until Friday, but I will write one

 

Only downside for me was the change in itinerary and the short time in Crete, although we knew already it would only be a few hours. The port authority at Crete didn't have enough people to cope with us and Norwegian Spirit, which meant this was a slower than usual experience, again not MSC's fault

 

Can I ask why you're thinking of cancelling?

No criticism of MSC over the lack of facilities/staff at Heraklion, the behaviour of guests or the inclement weather. The shorter time in ports was due to medical emergencies (three to my recollection) and mixed weather.

We are cancelling as 29 days would just be too long, after 18 days at sea we both agreed that it was just too long, although our previous cruise with MSC was the same length, this time it just seemed longer. Plus the flights to and from Australia took up the equivalent of another three days away.

Cancelled today and after speaking to MSC we only lost $300 of our deposit.

Looking for a cruise "closer to home" found a great deal on a 9 day cruise with Silversea Singapore to Hong Kong which means the equivalent of the YC experience + they threw in return business class air fares. So we have booked that instead.

My wife and I are new cruisers, having spent a total of 45 odd days at sea on MSC in the Yacht Club. We have booked a 29 day cruise from Dubai to Yokohama with MSC and my wife wants to cancel due to the time away from our small business and the amount of time "at sea".

I have found a good price on a cruise from Singapore to Hong Kong on Silver Spirit in a Vista Cabin for early next year and am really tempted to cancel MSC and book this (we have enough FF points for First Class air travel both ways from Australia).

All I need is to convince "she who must be obeyed". Can anyone provide information which is not included on the Silversea website, i.e. what drinks are available, is the Connoisseur Corner free of charge, is the Vista Suite comfortable, are the pool decks crowded, what is the food really like. Having travelled MSC we love the Italian "vibe".

The route is Singapore, Vietnam & Hong Kong.

Any assistance/comments would be gratefully accepted.

We were on this cruise and wondered if anyone was going to post a review. The only bleak spots for us was the weather in the Middle East (uncontrollable by MSC) which necessitated a change in schedule, and the farce at Heraklion with re-embarkation.

Would be interested in others thoughts on this cruise as we are thinking of cancelling our next trip with MSC and would like other opinions before taking this drastic action and losing our deposit (AU$700).

Yes, perfect Danbee.

 

It's the quality over quantity for us and I think other people do the same when they can.

Happy YC cruising

I agree with our Mexican friend (only Aussies will get that reference!!) with flight times so long to Europe or U.S.A. we try for at least 4 weeks holiday time. We have cruised twice with MSC in the YC and are due on board on Saturday for another re-positioning cruise in YC on MSC Fantasia.

We always look for repo cruises now as the value tends to be better on a "per day" cost, plus MSC throw in extras such as free excursions, internet and laundry discount packages. Did a TA from Brazil to Italy, this next one is Dubai to Genoa and we are booked on MSC Dubai to Yokohama next year.

When you work out the costs of drinks and other extras the YC is definitely great value. We have met quite a few fellow Aussies in YC ......

My choice from that menu would be Stella with Dos Equis a close second. Last time on MSC they had Guinness Foreign Extra Stout which, at 7.5% alcohol by volume, really got me happy. Was that menu from Divina? The beers and spirits change from ship to ship and route to route.

I just take my Kindle, subscribe to Kindle Unlimited and you can download just about any book you want.

I am totally aware of the ways of other Mediterranean countries and don't have to change my attitude thank you. I am pointing out the differences on this ship compared to how Splendida was run, and that was far more efficiently than this one imho.

 

 

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Perhaps I should have used the non-specific "one" instead of "you" :o, as this comment was not directed at any individual.

We are joining the Fantasia on 23/3 so we'll see. We definitely need to "chill" as this will be our first holiday since 2015, been on the Splendida & Preziosa so far, hopefully the Fantasia isn't too chaotic :cool:.

Don't get me wrong. At the end of the day, the ship is beautiful, the staff excellent, just a bit disorganised

 

 

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"First World Problem"? You definitely have to change your own attitude when in Italy, Spain, Greece etc and I suppose that is also the case on an Italian cruise liner. We enjoy our European holidays and MSC cruises immensely, just a case of chilling out and not expecting everything to be like clockwork, or run with German/U.S. efficiency (kinda like that as a change of pace).

We are leaving Genoa on March 19 on the Splendida. Does anyone know what the exchange rate is on the boat or in the casino? If I goto the casino and sit down at a machine and put my card in the machine and use my room charge to put 200 Euro on my machine then cash it out and take the slip to the casino cage and get Euros for the $200 what will the exchange rate be? I am assuming that the rate will be whatever my credit card exchange rate will be when I settle up at the end of the cruise. Is this the way it works? With my credit card by running the money through the money and "playing" it I get triple miles because it is charged to the room and the room charge is a travel charge. What is the best way to get cash while on the cruise? I wont need alot, just for tips and snacks on shore.

If you put 200 euros in, you will get 200 euros back. Better check your credit card to see what the overseas transaction fees are as this will be an added cost. All charges on board will be in Euros not US$.

The exchange rate will be determined by your credit card company not the cruise line.

A forum for each ship like the roll calls would save people time looking for information when they are looking for ships other than Divina, having done a T.A on Divina I have no other interest in it.

 

A Separate general folder would be needed for information like the one created by Pete (Skier) with all the different cabin categories in and the various thins like Bella, Fantastica, Aurea and YC.

Did you do a review of your TA on Divina? I was interested in one from Miami to Genoa via NY but was put off by the comments on CC about "Americanisation" of the experience. Any comment?

We've cruised twice so far in YC on the Divina and on the Preziosa. We have three more YC cruises booked on the Fantasia and one on the Divina. IMO it's the only way to go. When you experience it once, you won't be satisfied with any other form of cruising.

I agree. We have done two cruises in YC totaling 28 days, have a 19 day re-positioning coming up in March (YC) and have booked a 29 day cruise in YC (managed to snag the Royal Suite on this one) for 2018.

My wife would not cruise with any other cruise line and insists upon the YC. The experience is well worth the extra.