bspill

Everyone has their own definition of value. We have sailed extensively with Silversea, and will be sailing on Seabourn In a few weeks. Though we haven't sailed with Seabourn in quite a while, we are confident the cruise experience will be just as satisfying as previous cruises on both lines. Pricing on both lines is about the same and we feel we are getting our moneys worth. The level of service, open dining, consistent food quality and overall experience is well worth the premium price to us. If it wasn't, we would be sailing on some of the other lines you mentioned.

NJ BELLE has made a great point. We too. are giving Seabourn a try, but, are concerned about the smoking issue. Hope it turns out to be a non issue.

Have a voucher for a new Seabourn cruiser. If you are a first time Seabourn cruiser and are booked on a cruise in the next couple of months, email me at butchspiller@yahoo.com.

We sailed once with Seabourn many years ago, therfore would not be eligible for a first time coupon. How does a past cruiser go about getting the referral coupons to issue to first time users?

Arriving in Copenhagen two days before sailing. Looks like the most practical area to stay would be downtown. Anyone have a hotel suggestion downtown that will not cost more than the cruise?

Did travel with Seabourn many years ago so, I assume, not eligible for OBC.

Just booked a cruise on the Quest including three days in St Petersburg. Understand that Mr. Putin wants me to buy a Russian visa unless I participate only on Seabuorn tours. Do most passengers stick with the tours or apply for visas?

Thanks for the response. Even though we love Silversea, we're looking forward to a new cruise experience.

We have been sailing with Silversea over the past several years and have been happy with the service and overall cruise experience. We will probably be booking a cruise with Seabourn for a particular itinerary. We prefer to have a table for two for dinner on most nights and was wondering if that was a problem on the Quest. Also, other than the smoking issue I have been reading about, are there any other major differences we should be aware of between the two lines?

Thinking of booking our first Seaburn cruise in several years and wondering if there is considerable savings in going with a TA or if Seaburn tends to offer on board credits to make up savings that may be available with a a TA.

To quote an email from a vacationtogo.com promotion.....

 

"Today, I'm happy to start with this offer for our customers who are past passengers of Silversea: On select Silversea sailings, choose between a two-category cabin upgrade or a shipboard credit of up to $1,500 per stateroom"

 

Agreed you dont seem to see % discounted prices though.

 

Mind you - when you see discounts of up to 82% on some cruises, I think I'd be miffed if my cabin next door neighbour paid only 18% of what I had! lol

Just saw an on line add for Vacations To Go offering 20 and 30 percent discounts on several Silversea cruises. Checked prices and they were 20% less than SS brochures prices. Does anyone know if they are legitimate?

Just received Silver Muse brochure. Children's Room and Outdoor Area still there. No casino.

It's obvious what demographic they are pursuing and I am not part of it.

Wonder if SS has done any market research with their regular customer base regarding childrens' facilities. They may find out people are avoiding booking on the Muse as a result of that decision.

Starting to look at booking a cruise for this summer. Have been sailing with Silversea for many years and have always been happy with the overall Silversea cruise experience, but, have been wondering what else is out there. Since many forum members have sailed multiple lines, would be interested in any comparison between Silversea with Seabourn and Regent. Are they pretty much equal with regard to service, dining , and overall experience?

CHILDREN'S ROOM?

Was seriously thinking of booking u til I read about children's room. I'll pass.

Now that my jet lag has subsided, I wanted to share our experience on our third week on the cloud. We continued on from Barcelona to Athens. Unlike the first two weeks, the cruise was fully booked. Very different crowd, mostly younger people, some of which were on their first cruise.

We were concerned that the level of service would be diminished, but, found the high level of service continued on in spite of a full ship. Reservations in LA Terrace were a little harder to get which was expected, but, a little planning on our part would have solved thatt. Since we had a port everyday, there was. very little time for lectures other tan a few port talks.

Going through the Corinth Canal turned out to be one of the highlights of the trip.

I can't speak for the other ships in the fleet, but, the food and service on the Cloud was great and we enjoyed all 24 days. Looking forward to booking another one.

Will do. All three of them are professionals and nice people.

After our second week on the Cloud, we have not noticed any reduction in service. As a matter of fact, many of the passengers are now being addressed by name as the crew gets to know them. The attitude of the staff is great due, I'm sure,, to the management of Sujith, the Hotel Director David, the Cruise Director, and Sergio. the Restaurant Manager.About 14 of us will be continuing on to Athens from Barcelona. The ship will be completely full for that segment. It will be interesting to see if the level of service holds up with a full complement of passengers.

We have been aboard the Cloud for one week crossing the Atlantic. Here are a few observations:

A few changes since our last voyage on the Shadow one year ago include an increase in daily Internet access from $16 to $20 per day, the ridiculous changes in the boutique, and the elimination of the cookie tray after dinner in the MDR (my wife's issue).

The above are minor issues and have not detracted from the enjoyment aboard the ship. The service has been as good or better than any previous cruise. Our butler, Richard, has been absolutely great as has been the rest of the staff. Food in the MDR, Pool Grillll, and LaTerrace has been excellent. Lectures have been well presented and intersting. The fact that there are only 130 passengers probably has , I'm sure, been a factor in the good service, but, the attitude of the crew, in general, appears to be very positive. So far, a very enjoyable cruise.

We are also booked to sail March 27th aND received documents earlier this week. You should be getting them any day now.

We were looking at a one way fare from Athens to Phoenix of over $3000. Silversea came through with a $1200 fare including the trip from Phoenix to Ft Lauderdale. We also found that when we didn't like the connections, they changed them for us with no problems.

We're booked on the Cloud for 24 days from Fort Lauderdale to Athens in March and looking forward to it. We have been sailing with Silverseas since the mid 1990's and there have been many changes, some positive and some negative. Still a great cruise line and all the negatives are similar to those you'll find on other lines. Unfortunately, for a line to stay in business and be competitive, they need to cut costs, especially one that started with two ships and now has 8. Enjoy your cruise.

What ever happened to the " Silversea Experience? " remember that?......bye bye!

The "Silversea Experience" was the highlight of several cruises we've taken. It's what made Silversea one step ahead of competition. Now, it appears that Silversea is just trying to match the competition.

So excursions are not really "included" as there is a significant upcharge to pay for them. It's a Prix Fixe instead of A La Carte. I just don't understand if there is a value there....probably not. Would love to hear some examples of what SS has charged for Med. excursions lately.

Based on the cruise we have booked, if I added up the six tours now included at $99.00 per person each, it comes out equal to the $600 up charge per person. Basically, you're buying the six tours whether you are going to take them or not.Doesn't quite make much sense, but, I imagine the idea is to make the cruise fare "all inclusive".

Received the same response when I contacted SS. Happy to include shore excursion for $600 per person.additional. I guess the "shore excursion package" is considered an ad on for already booked passengers and included for new bookings.