Observer

Was it too much to hope that there might be some enhancement of VS benefits for long-standing SS guests with hundreds of nights and clear loyalty to SS?

1 hour ago, cruiserj12 said:

Hi All,

We are on the Silver Dawn sailing in 16 days and I have a couple of last minute questions. We haven't sailed SilverSea in a few years, so we can't recall how some things are handled. Should we expect a package in the mail with our luggage tags and such? We haven't received anything yet and I don't see it in our accounts online.

 

They haven't sent luggage tags or the silver box for several years (since Covid?). Luggage tags will be available at the port.

1 hour ago, cruiserj12 said:

Additionally, is there a place we can request our bar setup in advance? 

Thanks,

 

You can make a special request. But it would be a kindness to the butler to wait until he comes by your suite on embarkation day and takes your order.  Your libations should be available that evening or by noon the next day, at the latest.

2 hours ago, dawntrdr said:

I'm sitting in the Panorama on the Muse with time to do a little more bean counting on the new status match program.   In the RCI Crown and Anchor Society, 30 nights in the minimum cost room gets you to Platinum level.  Platinum level is matched to 100 VS days.  In what universe does 30 days loyalty to a midlevel cruise line equate to 100 days loyalty to a luxury line? Eighty (80) nights on Royal gets you Diamond status. Diamond on RCI matches to, and gets you the benefit of, 250 VS days.  I thought the purpose of a loyalty program was to reward loyalty, not make you feel taken advantage of for being loyal.  Even without adjusting for the perdiem , this program is upside down and backwards.

 

If my interpretation of the loyalty charts is incorrect, please feel free to correct me; I promise not to be upset.

 

 

I have not bothered to do the calculation, but if your calculations are correct this is distressing. I do not much care what discounts or quality of champagne another guest gets or how they got to that point.  However, I very much care if the laundry service is compromised. I have hundreds of nights on Silversea and I generally travel light.  Quality finishing/folding and same-day turnaround of laundry are very important to me. I will be greatly disturbed if this important perk is dumbed down.  

Yes. 12 noon until 1:30.  The menu has shrunk a bit recently. However, a served meal in a quiet indoor space is still available every day on Silversea.  When this is no longer the case, I will no longer be selling on Silversea.

26 minutes ago, jollyjones said:

There is a self serve coffee machine in the Observation lounge. 

Quite true.  Thanks for reminding me of that,  However, I regularly found it to be out of order or out of coffee,  Moreover, the portions are small.  

9 hours ago, alainciao said:

  The Arts Cafe on Nova is very crowded in the morning and they have to wait on each customer individually.  

So true, sadly.  Many guests (like me!) want only a cup of regular coffee.  But we have to wait while custom coffees are prepared.  A few years ago, on Spirit, on the counter there was an urn of regular coffee brought up from La Terrazza.  One could serve oneself and not have to request a cup of brewed Americano from the staff.  I believe that self-service morning coffee has been the model on ships without an Arts Cafe.  Why cannot there be a self service coffee station in Dolce Vita or Panorama (perhaps even with pastry) for those who are so inclined?

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?