[Nova virus]

The article  in the link from the OP  also notes that Holland  America  and Cunard  ( Queen Victoria) have suffered from similar   outbreaks also this year 

[First time on Silversea - Very Mixed Feelings]

4 hours ago, PaulaJK said:

I do wish that cruise critic would add Hapag L so that I could learn people's’ experiences.

There are Cruise Reviews on CC for Hapag Lloyd  Cruises, not a huge amount but hopefully enough  to give you a flavour 

[Live From Nova South America Grand Voyage]

14 minutes ago, BBGrace273 said:

Thanks for this, @JSR Jean.  While I am learning SO MUCH before my first cruise here on CC, I think I might need to avoid any specific SS or Nova "bashing" posts for awhile. It has been making me really nervous to see more and more posts of long time cruisers saying, "never again" and cancelling already booked future cruises.

 

Grace,hope you and your Dad have the most amazing  voyage  and its great that this ' live report' has provided you with information  and a perspective that has eased your nervousness.

[First time on Silversea - Very Mixed Feelings]

1 hour ago, vistaman said:

I left in Civitavecchia as well and I decided not to come back to SS 

 

 Newly appointed CEO can continue with the economising ...😝

Back to "my "Europa 2  asap  😀

Never great when a much anticipated  vacation is disappointing. 

 Hope you are able to get back onboard  Europa2  very soon and enjoy your next cruise 

[Suite Upgrades Promotion Through May 31, 2024]

9 minutes ago, RetiredandTravel said:

If I have an existing reservation am I now entitled to the $1000 OBC now offered?

If the voyage is included in the offer, not all of them are. Whoever  you manage  this with, a  SS Cruise consultant or a TA they  would be able to advise if your existing booking  qualifies for the offer. Out of four future booked cruises three apply for us and we have had significant savings plus $1K OBC added on each. I think that figure is based on double occupancy  ie $500 per guest ,x 2 in a suite equals $1000. Implying  a solo would achieve $500  and there would be no further credit  for a third guest in a suite,which some  can accommodate.

If your existing voyage  is included in the offer it is  definitely worth submitting a request to your SS Consultant or TA 

[First time on Silversea - Very Mixed Feelings]

7 minutes ago, Ovener said:

it would have been nice to have stayed on board (albeit out of the cabin) a few hours longer. It was too far ago to visit Rome en route to the airport, but there are other attractions on the way to the airport that could have been taken in. Viking arranged a tour, Seabourn and Hapag Lloyd either a day room or conference room at a hotel. I guess a flight at 15.30 isn’t a great time. Had it been later we could at least have bought a tour. 

Local immigration is cited as a stipulation, that all disembarking guests are off the vessel by certain time, I think the latest we  achieved was  09.30/ 9.45 in Fort Lauderdale ( Feb 2024) Though of course  others may have different experiences. It is likely  a status quo that suits ports, immigration  and cruise  lines equally.

As nice an idea as it is,being able to access public areas of a ship  prior to disembarking at a time that suits,logistically  it would be problematic at best for a cruise line. It seems fair that all of their resources should be focused on preparation for the next itinerary.

I'm a little  bit confused re Viking,Seabourn, Hapag Lloyd  info,as previously  you mentioned   that the complimentary Debark Tours  on VK/ SB are now chargeable   and that HL had appeared  to have stopped the ' staging post conference room option"?.

Port to Port may have been worked better, as booking flights independently is required, which may have resulted in a flight departure that suited.? Possibly an option you do not require the information for as from what I recall though the overall SS experience is not one you wish to repeat. That is the great thing with choice, everyone has options.

Hope it isn't too long before  you are back onboard a ship and  enjoying another cruise.

[First time on Silversea - Very Mixed Feelings]

2 hours ago, Ovener said:

Thanks Port Power, that’s correct. Sorry for any confusion jmmiva. We dropped Blacklane in the UK but took Silversea’s airport bus transfers to and from the ship. Quite a few guests were on our later flight back to the UK. I was therefore rather annoyed that Silversea hadn’t arranged a later bus for us all. 

What would you wish  Silversea to have done for you and the other guests while waiting for a ' later bus ' between disembarkation and airport arrival for the return flight?

You previously mentioned the Debark Tour for Rome was unsuitable and also that Seabourn, Viking and Hapag Lloyd have  altered  how they facilitate disembarkation.

 

[Blacklane Transfers]

16 minutes ago, ak1004 said:

We were able to book Airport- ship and ship- airport with Blacklane. 

That's great.  Apologies as it did not initially occur  to me, my post concerned a UK perspective . Deals in other  geographic regions can of course be different, as in your example 👍

[Blacklane Transfers]

3 hours ago, tunaman2011 said:

Greetings

 

I have multiple Blacklane transfers from SilverSea in my Blacklane account. Does each passenger need to book a Blacklane reservation or is the reservation for both travelers? Does SilverSea use Blacklane for the airport to ship and ship to airport transfers instead of busses?

 

Thanks for any help.

 

Good Sailing

Tom 

Blacklane  transfers are for home to departure airport only  . Same on return ,arrival airport to your home address 

If your booking is for two people there should be four BL transfers, x2 for outbound  x2 for inbound .

Airport- ship and ship- airport  transfers are totally separate  from Blacklane. Arranged  by SilverSea  with local transportation  and may include coaches, minibus, SUV   etc dependent on numbers of people involved.

 

Please keep  in mind that in the event of an issue with the  Blacklane transfer it has to be discussed with Blacklane  themselves  as SilverSea, per their t&Cs ,have only acted as an agent for the Blacklane service.

 

Have a great voyage 

[First time on Silversea - Very Mixed Feelings]

8 hours ago, Port Power said:

There is no email to passengers of the post cruise survey. It has to be done on the ship. 

Yes,it was the OP  who was referencing a follow up e-mail. I have completed mine, initially on paper and latterly  online via  'My Cruise' Web page on 'My Silversea' prior to disembarkation 

[Has Silversea Really Changed That Much?]

7 minutes ago, sea bright said:

 and all indoor bars 

Where the Panorama Lounge and The Dusk Bar closed for your voyage on Silver Nova?

[First time on Silversea - Very Mixed Feelings]

13 minutes ago, sea bright said:

Silversea provided a dayroom for an Asian cruise about 2 years ago when our flight home was around midnight. Since then they have not, even when we had similarly late flights. Our last SS post cruise tour (about a  year and a half ago) dumped us at the airport more than 6 hours before the flight. Since then, I have either paid for my own transfer/tour or booked my own dayroom - so much for our  "Door to Door" fare (the only option for a Silver Suite). The new wider availability of Port to Port fares is a step in the right direction. I just hope the onboard experience improves over our Nova trip!

Seems as if that  aspect is becoming  more common in the sector, referencing  Ovener's experience

 

"Last year on Seabourn and Viking Debark Tours were free. But I think they are victim to the new cutbacks across the industry. Even Hapag Lloyd have stopped their helpful interim staging post of a hotel or conference centre"

[First time on Silversea - Very Mixed Feelings]

40 minutes ago, Ovener said:

 I’ve just been into MySilversea online to try feedback and can’t find a way to do it post cruise. Seabourn normally send a post-cruise email for feedback

Tbf I think the 'My Cruise' page of My Silversea  disappears as soon as disembarkation occurs and cannot say as to whether there is a follow up e mail.

 It is disappointing when aspects haven't been as they should, still onwards and upwards there is always your next SB itinerary to look forward to and enjoy.

[First time on Silversea - Very Mixed Feelings]

4 hours ago, Ovener said:

 Now we’re at Fiumincino, dropped here 5 hours before our flight leaves and twiddling our thumbs.

Had all the Debark Tours ( that are designed to offer an option to fill the time between disembarkation  and flight departure) on the day sold out or was it something that didn't appeal ?.

From memory  they have previously appeared on the disembarkation preferences  letter that is left in the suite a few days prior the end of the voyage  or can  be booked thru your mobile device via the  My Silversea Web page  which is where you could have also completed the end of cruise survey to  ensure  your feedback was received.

[Blacklane]

1 hour ago, mklions said:

Thank you for all the replies.

 

Thankfully the good people on this forum have come back to us with the answers to our taxi transfer questions.

 

Answers that really should have been passed onto us by Silversea, after all how were we to know that Blacklane only supplied the transfers from home to the airport, and the airport back to our home?( After all they did supply us with four transfers to book)

Likewise how were we to know that the four Blacklane transfers supplied were for two people per trip and not for four separate transfers in total?

 

More clarity is needed when Silversea send over the Blacklane transfers and I hark back to my original gripe, that if you could speak to someone rather than an unhelpful and unknowledgeable chat line person it would be far much better.

Thanks again to all!

 

Glad,that as a whole, the various sources of information were useful  in allaying concerns  re transfers, taxi provision.Though in my case , fair disclosure, it is not due to great insight just a highlighting  of information available on the Silversea  website.

Re post cruise in Lisbon, there are  two different  properties on offer, so there might be separate transport  for each hotel..

Also as regards  the awful situation the originator of this thread found themselves in, please be aware that Silversea has only acted as a booking agent as regards Blacklane transfers and in the event of an issue a customer needs to resolve  it with Blacklane (as per Silversea general  booking t&cs) 

 

Hope you have an outstanding  expedition  cruise.

[Blacklane]

39 minutes ago, Archipelago said:

Update on my situation . Blacklane is accepting full accountability and I am wanting full reimbursement for my expenses.

 

This will be a bigger deal than they thought and Silverseas has a responsibility here too 

Whilst not a good situation  it is a positive step that accountability for the situation is being accepted by a party.

 I hope the following  is of use from SS t&cs.

"Silversea makes arrangements for transportation, other than ocean passage, only as a booking agent. Silversea’s responsibility does not extend beyond the vessel. In arranging for the transportation of guests to and from the ship, Silversea does so with independent contractors".

 

"Standard cruises as well as “Special Combos”, “Grand Voyages” and full World Cruises qualify for this inclusion, on Silversea’s “Door-to-Door All-Inclusive Fares” (reduced rates do not qualify). These transportation services are not operated by Silversea. Guests choosing to accept this service must complete their booking and agree to the terms and conditions provided by Blacklane on www.blacklane.com or their mobile application. Guests must plan their pick up accordingly based on flight departure and arrival scheduled. Silversea will not be responsible for any delays, which could cause a guest to miss their flight and/or their cruise"

 

[Blacklane]

14 hours ago, mklions said:

Our cruise is Dakar to Lisbon. ( silver wind)

Included with our Door to Door package is all transfers.

 

We have six transfers in all,

 

1,Home to Heathrow Airport

2, Dakar Airport to pre cruise Hotel.

3. Pre Cruise Hotel to Port

4 (Post cruise),Port to Lisbon hotel.

5. Lisbon hotel to Lisbon airport.

6. Heathrow to Home.

 

We had four transfers allocated through the Blacklane website.( as previously mentioned Blacklane  do not service Senegal, Dakar).

So I can only assume the transfers in Dakar will be provided by another Silversea transfer company?

I just wish Silversea would make it clear to us rather than finding information out as we go along and having to make our own assumptions.

 

By looking on the SS website at your specific cruise and then scrolling to the   itinerary details it starts with a number of different of boxes,headed, Private Executive Transfers, International Flights etc . Annotated as included for Door to Door  using the drop downs reveals information concerning each item, hopefully supplying answers to the questions  regarding these points you may have. They are repeated again at the end of  the cruise itinerary regarding  the return journey home 

[Blacklane]

1 hour ago, mklions said:

 

To add insult to injury, I could not book the additional taxi transfers when we arrive on our cruise in Dakar next month as Blacklane do not service Senegal. 

So I will need to get back in touch with Silversea to find out these transfer arrangements .

Door to door NO MORE!!!

It is not immediately  clear if Dakar is your end of cruise/ disembarkation port? . If it is ,as D2D fare passengers your transfer to the airport for the journey  back to the UK would be by SS organised transport, locally arranged. From memory this is indicated  in the letter placed in suites regarding disembarkation  preferences towards the end of your voyage. It used to be that the Blacklane transport referred to start/end of journey,in this case in the UK, though appreciate  it may be different now.