Observer

That sounds plausible, from the former SS dress code.  

Here is what they say now.  Please bear in mind that all evenings that are not "Formal Optional" are "Elegant Casual."

The number of formal evenings depends on the length of the voyage. A guideline for reference is below:

• On sailings of 7 days or fewer, Elegant Casual nights throughout.
• On sailings of 8-14 days, expect between 1 to 2 Formal Optional nights.
• On sailings of 15 days or more, expect 2 or more Formal Optional nights.

2 hours ago, imcpa said:

 

·         Put me in the category of those who think SS has too many informal nights (vs casual), especially on warm weather cruises.  A nice pair of slacks and a nice, collared shirt should be enough most nights.

·       

SS no longer has informal nights.  The vast majority of nights are elegant casual (which for men means a collared shirt and slacks).  Optional formal nights are very infrequent.  Men are expected to wear jackets, but no ties are required.  And of course at outdoor venues it is always casual at night.  For many of us, this is a huge advance.

I have booked direct for years and have had several different consultants following retirements, etc. I appreciate working with knowledgeable consultants without going through an intermediary like a travel agent. My consultant has immediate access to inventory, rates, and the contract air availability.  When my consultant is on vacation, I am referred to another consultant who seems very pleased to assist even though I am not his/her client.  I know that I could get some perks by working through a TA.  However, my experience with two (highly recommended) TAs was unsatisfactory.

7 minutes ago, Dolcevita Diva said:

 On my last voyage which was on the Nova, both my butler and the reception team were asked to change or cancel reservations but that never happened.   

Perhaps you were fortunate.  I called reception late one afternoon to ask that my reservation for that evening be canceled. I had decided to go to one of the no-reservation-required restaurants.  I discovered that reception had canceled all of my reservations for the remaining couple of weeks of my cruise.  

49 minutes ago, Dolcevita Diva said:

 

 I've also heard that passengers who don't cancel dining reservations in the restaurants that require a reservation amplify the problem by taking reserved but unused tables "out of commission" resulting in more passengers being funneled to the open seating restaurants.    

 

This raises the issue about the difficulty of canceling restaurant reservations once on board. One can make new reservations on the TV. But one cannot cancel existing reservations without the assistance of a maître d' or having a hard-working butler take responsibility.  

2 hours ago, frantic36 said:

Different ships can definitely have a different feel at times.

Recently, I have found this to be caused partly by understaffing on the ship or by the presence of many newly hired crew whose service is not as smooth or prompt as that of veterans.  An HD on a Muse class ship recently acknowledged as much to me.  

1 hour ago, ak1004 said:

we had dinner yesterday 7pm. Group of 6. The service was excellent. The place was not full. Menu more limited than previous sailings, but still plenty of choices.

Do you happen to know how many passengers are on the ship?  I cannot recall Atlantide's not being full by, say, 7:30 or 7:45 pm on a heavily booked cruise. 

5 hours ago, chrism23 said:

 I fear that Ms. Muckermann might have read the tea leaves and jumped ship tp Crystal before RCL manages to screw up SS.  

Is this fact or speculation?  It seems plausible that she might have moved to Crystal (If there was no noncompete arrangement), but I was not aware that such a move had taken place.

1 hour ago, dawntrdr said:

   We had drinks with several of the speakers on that voyage who were from Broadway and television and they seemed quite satisfied with the level of talent. 

 

I wonder if the speakers would criticize the entertainment on a cruise where they were presumably "guests" of Silversea.  The speakers and entertainers both report to the CD.

Butlers service multiple state rooms.  I think the number is around a dozen. It may vary according to staffing levels and occupancy levels. It is important to recognize this reality and not to imagine that the butler is there to service you exclusively. 

12 hours ago, poinsettiaplate said:

There was a buffet and two table service restaurants for lunch, including on port days – a real plus not often found on most ships.

I agree that this is "a real plus," and I hope that Silversea will continue this practice.  (Crystal has just ended lunch on port days in the MDR.)  This is especially important for people who are mobility challenged.  

On 4/20/2024 at 10:56 AM, Whipsnade said:

All of these companies use either DHL or FedEx to do their pickups and deliveries. Any comments on how these two are similar or different?  Preferences?

I had a very unfortunate situation with DHL. DHL was clearly responsible for the situation, but Luggage Forward compounded the problem by not following up and then standing up for its "partner."

I have had no such problems when shipping via FedEx. 

14 hours ago, PaulMCO said:

Luggage forward uses a courier in most cases it is DHL.  This means it goes on there own planes.  Luggage free uses Fed Ex.

 

I was a long time user and supporter of Luggage Forward and posted enthusiastic messages about them on this board.  I have quit using them and turned to another provider after a very, very disappointing encounter with them.  Some/much of the blame doubtless lay with DHL.  But the customer service and follow up from Luggage Forward was pathetic.  

Here is another interesting post:

Manfredi Lefebvre

Here is the press release:

https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/bert-hernandez-named-brand-president-of-silversea-302115371.html

23 minutes ago, machotspur said:

I suspect that they also believe that the majority of these same guests – despite the ‘huffing & puffing’ – would be horrified at the thought of ‘divorcing’ their favourite cruise company.

 

Divorce can be attractive when one can compare ~$1500/day solo cruise fares with the value, consistent quality, and amenities offered at luxury resorts and hotels.  

1 hour ago, FengShui@Sea said:

A. A saving of 10% should you choose to book a different 2024/2025/2026 sailing when booking before 31 May 2024.

Interesting. Thank you.

I have a question: if I received this message today and had the relevant canceled booking, could I apply the 10% saving to a 2025 cruise I had already booked? Or is this only for new bookings?  If the latter, it seems to discriminate against people who are loyal to Silversea and book in advance. 

I have been gobsmacked by the price increases on Silversea.  I have cruises booked well into the future. I have compared the list price of my cruises (before various discounts) and the prices currently being asked.  To say that the differences are substantial would be an understatement.

I have been sailing on Silversea so long that I have two rid myself of my benchmark highest price of $500 per night solo occupancy.  (Big Macs have also gone up in price.)

I share the dismay of many regarding this development.  I understand that it will bring Silversea out of reach of many people, quite possibly including me.

But I wonder if there might be good news here. Some of this is doubtless a revenue grab by RCL. But it may be that Silversea will be able to up its game significantly.  Crew will be paid better and there will be less turnover.  Provisioning of food and spirits will be enhanced.  Higher quality lecturers will be engaged.  Etc.

Is this all implausible?  

Is it possible that they plan a dry dock during that period when cruises are waitlisted?  Perhaps they do not yet have a firm date for the dry dock.

Or perhaps period for waitlisted cruises is so long because they are going to stretch the ship again   🙂 

1 hour ago, commodoredave said:

Some people tip more regardless of the fact that gratuities are included in the fare.

Those people may believe that a $20 tip for a bartender who has looked after one well is a concrete way of expressing appreciation.  

1 hour ago, commodoredave said:

Over time, this creates a culture of tip entitlement, where crew and ship management expect pax to tip more and more. I am guilty of this syndrome, and need to reevaluate my own tipping history. It is not necessary, nor should it be expected.

As I have mentioned previously, I would welcome a situation in which crew were well compensated and there was a well-publicized rule that any crewmember accepting a tip would not have a contract renewed.

Other cruise lines offer better packages (including reasonable expectations of tips.)  Two crewmembers I know have moved from Silversea to Cunard.  I have kept in touch with them and both report that they are doing much better financially on Cunard performing the same job they were doing on Silversea.  Another moved to Crystal, again for financial reasons.

12 minutes ago, saminina said:

  Crew survives quite nicely without your added contributions.  

I believe that this is an unfortunate statement. I have come to know the number of crew during my hundreds of days on Silversea.  Most of them come from the global south. Many of them are supporting (often extended) families back home on their earnings.  They deserve our empathy.  

18 minutes ago, caviargal said:

Apparently the HD on Dawn is being replaced. 

How long was she in place?  Rotations are common, but I believe that HDs typically serve for at least a few months.

7 minutes ago, Dolcevita Diva said:

On another site, passengers aboard the Silver Dawn have just shared a letter they received from the Hotel Director suggesting appropriate amounts for "additional appreciation."

 

I am gobsmacked by this.  Was this approved by corporate?  How will the sharing take place?

On my next cruise will I receive a letter pointing out that fuel prices have risen during the voyage and that I can go to Reception to contribute to the bunkering fund? 

5 minutes ago, Herman The Cat said:

Barbara M has been remarkably silent.

This has been disappointing. Clearly, she is not a behind the scenes CEO who is shy in front of a camera.  I can withhold my admiration for a CEO who directs (or was party to the direction of) the captain to sign the announcement letter on a matter for which he was presumably in no way responsible.