shipsmail

On 10/31/2020 at 5:52 PM, shipsmail said:

My Melbourne to Auckland cruise in Dec. was canceled. For rebooking to certain cruises (they had a list of about 15 cruises or so) incl. the same route next year I was offered 15% off. FCC offered is 10% plus.  I did not receive yet the final offer compared to the cruise originally booked. Let‘s see if 15% plus 10% is combinable.

Just received the offer from Silversea/my TA: as expected it is either 15% or 10%. When using the 15% (which was limited to end of Oct.) the fare for the same cruise next year would be 3500€ more expensive after deducting our VS and early payment rebate for two people in the Deluxe Verandah and it has to be paid in full now. This is an increase in pricing by about 25%! For me this is a very bad policy of Silversea for rebooking loyal customers. Well, we have spent nearly 500 days on Silversea, but are now looking to alternatives and have already booked one cruise elsewhere in the luxury segment.

My Melbourne to Auckland cruise in Dec. was canceled. For rebooking to certain cruises (they had a list of about 15 cruises or so) incl. the same route next year I was offered 15% off. FCC offered is 10% plus.  I did not receive yet the final offer compared to the cruise originally booked. Let‘s see if 15% plus 10% is combinable.

On 7/30/2020 at 3:31 AM, nowornever said:

Hi Shipsmail.  I read your e-mail with interest because of the Greece re-opening "headline."  That's great news & I'm so happy that Greece is recovering - at least until they start letting in throngs of tourists.  

I assume that you have done your homework & know that the Hurtigruten is not in anyway shape or form comparable to Silversea.  We were on the Midnatsol maybe 10 years ago from Bergen to Kirkernes (sp?) & we enjoyed it very much but expectations should be managed.  We booked a small suite (the normal cabins are miniscule) which was lovely so I hope you have gone that route.  Many stops are made in the middle of the night where they load & unload cargo & people.  There are backpackers sleeping all over but not in the cabin corridors, & it's just really not a cruise ship in the Silversea sense of the word.  EVERYTHING is chargeable other than basic meals....even water & I understand that now you need to buy a drink package to even get that.  That being said, we did meet some very nice folks who were also looking for more of an adventure.  If you are going north, be sure your cruise stops at the North Cape during daylight hours & that you book the excursion that takes you to the monument.  We saw the Midnatsol in South America a couple of years ago  & I assume it had been to Antarctica.  It bought back nice memories.  I'll really look forward to your report after your cruise.

 

Hi Nowornever, you are right Hurtigruten is not even close to Silversea service and comfort wise. But the cruise we booked is an expedition cruise along the Norwegian coast with only about 12 stops within 15 days. The highest cabin category is much smaller than a verandah on Silversea. And this so called Grand Suite on Hurtigruten is more expensive than verandah on Silversea. They are flying the Norwegian flag and have local crews.

Apparently the cruises of Hapag Lloyd, Aida and Mein Schiff from Germany are a great success. Just added another 14 new cruises by Hapag Lloyd only. 

Still wish that Silversea is coming back at least in Europe.

....from August. Why can’t Silversea apparently not offer different cruises in only Greece instead of waiting for the end of the crisis. I guess many Europeans would like  to sail with them. Also other cruise lines are offering now cruises for European guests only like Hurtigruten, Mein Schiff and Aida (a Carnival subsidiary). Greece has the lowest COVID infections in Europe and many flight are available to Greece. Although I am a loyal Silversea customer with hundreds of days on board, I have booked a cruise on Hurtigruten to Norway.

I am impressed that they will conduct year-roung cruises from Hamburg to Norway. That is very important for the German market.

We are just about to book a winter expedition cruise from Hamburg to Norway.

...except U.K.

https://www.politico.com/news/2020/03/12/trump-coronavirus-travel-europe-resorts-126808?cid=apn

I remember a change in itinerary to an additional sea day and changing from London Tower Bridge to Amsterdam as debarkation port resulting in an OBC of 500$. Not our favored solution, but better than nothing.

Thank you very for the positive review. Silver Wind was our first Silversea cruise ship and we liked it from the beginning.  We will be onboard again in May Tower Bridge to Tower Bridge and next year after being modified to an expedition ship to see the difference.

9 hours ago, les37b said:

 

Yes, I bet! The wrap around balcony is awesome.

 

What we're you upgraded from?

...from Silver Suite.

We have also enjoyed this cruise. A few days before the start we received a call from our TA that Silversea has offered a complimentary upgrade to a Grand Suite. Without knowing the reason for this, we were delighted. 
Yes, disembarkation from White Bay Terminal was really not acceptable and not the quality level expecting from Silversea. Of course it was caused by the cruise terminal, but Silversea could have prepared it better.

21 hours ago, MrsWaldo said:

Dang Nope, wrong cruise.

 

Someone on here is on our Syd-Syd cruise but I cant work out who it is.

 

I do wish I was doing Antarctica again!

If it is Jan. 3rd leaving Sydney on the MUSE we will be on board after spending NYE in Sydney.

3 hours ago, CruisinPashmina said:

I was in the Royal Suite solo on a TA. The suite is lovely, but it’s not wonderful in rough weather. As it’s high and in the bow, and our weather was very rough in the North Atlantic, I really missed out on the glamor.  Don’t know about sun on the big forward facing  balcony. At high noon, it should be sunny. As for perks...I had a lovely cocktail party arranged by my wonderful butler, Philip...then it got rough, so No more fancy parties. While it is true that any passengers can arrange for private parties in even the smallest suite, Philip went all out. He’d been working at sea on much bigger ships and had never sailed big seas on such a little ship. We bonded and had some good laughs. This was a great example of the kind of super, but not fawning service on SS.

Same experience for us. It was on the cloud this year, but suites are identical. Very rough weather in the Biscaya. Never had such a bad experience, mainly caused because of the location if this suite.

You may check the luggage through to your final destination in USH, if presenting a print out of your Delta flight connection. That depends on the charter flight company, weather they have an interlining agreement. If the charter flight is provided by LATAM, then this seems to be possible.

14 hours ago, Stumblefoot said:

 

What were some of your favorites in South Georgia?

Grytviken is very important for seeing the history, both St. Andrew‘s Bay and Gold Bay were the highlights for nature. Of course all depends on the weather. 

Ushuaia to Capetown this year was our best expedition cruise so far. I would highly recommend this itinerary, although landings are not guaranteed at these remote places. 

Seems very unlikely that the charter flight will start in EZE, more likely in AEP (I agree terrible airport). When you organize your flight to USH yourself, you should plan to stay a night before departure in Ushuaia (Arakur Hotel recommended). Arriving on the day of departure with your own arranged flights is not recommended: it is South America and here it is Argentina (!) with a lot of possible strikes nowadays in the difficult economical situation. 

Earlier this year we had an arrival in EZE from Europe and booked a limo transfer to AEP (about 45 min depending on traffic). Our arrival in EZE was delayed by 3 hours and we had to rebook the connecting flight to USH. We would have missed the ship, when it were on departure day.

7 hours ago, Gerko said:

Must be costing you an arm and a leg to stay at the PH over NYE as its our most expensive hotel  at the best of times. A short walk from your hotel are the steps up on to the Bridge walkway. Walk north 100m until you reach the first stone pylon where you can pay around $10 to go inside. There's a small museum dedicated to the building of the bridge and a wonderful lookout point at the top. IMO much better value than taking the Bridgeclimb at ten times the price. Then keep walking across the Bridge and you'll see on your left the laughing clown faced entrance to Luna Park, a historic amusement park with free entry. Have a coffee or bite at one of the nearby Kirribilli cafes and then take the ferry back across to Circular Quay. A great way to spend half a day with minimal cost.

 

Another favourite of mine across the other side of CQ on Philip st is the Museum of Police & Justice, with displays going through the darker side of Sydney's history. Or nearby to the PH is the Susannah Place Museum. A group of four terrace houses from 1844  that were the homes of normal working class people and which somehow managed to survive virtually unaltered for 150 years until they were saved from demolishion and turned into a museum.

Yes the Park Hyatt is really costly. But once in a lifetime we would like to be in Sydney for NYE. It won‘t be the first time in Sydney for us, but we never have really seen the attractions you and Mrs.Waldo have mentioned. Thank you so much.

9 hours ago, MrsWaldo said:

 

Booked and confirmed   Bring it on

 

Hope you don't mind,  I'm Sydney based too!

 

The NYE fireworks view from the PH is a bit dig as the big attraction is behind you (Harbour Bridge)  If there are tickets still available and you don't mind spending the cash the Opera Gala or one of the events at the Opera House are the way to go. Perfect view.  Alternatively one of my favourites is Midnight at the Oasis, however, it isn't weather proof.   Altitude or Aria restaurants are excellent as well.  Aria is worth it for the food alone.

 

NYE around the PH will be crazy busy, as will the surrounds of Circular Quay.  It has a real party atmosphere.  There will be alcohol check points and a high police presence.  I wouldn't walk around the rocks itself too late into the night as it becomes quite rough/backpacker central.

 

NY day is really quiet. IME if you are going to Zoo its an ideal day as not many local people are around.  

 

If you are interested in Aboriginal Art, the Art Gallery of NSW has a free guided tour at 10.30am each day.  Entry to the gallery is also free. The MCA (contemporary art) is almost at your doorstep.  It's worth a walk along Macquarie St as this is probably our oldest "grand " precinct. I'd also head into the Queen Victoria Building.  If you go up Macquaries St you could head over through David Jones which is our premium department store, through Pitt St Mall and Strand Arcade. 

 

If you are into walking then look at either Bondi to Bronte (not NYD) or my preferred Spit to Manly.  Both are coastal style. I wouldn't bother with the Manly Ferry.

 

With 3 days and the time of year I wouldn't do a Blue Mountains trip and Darling harbour is just another wharf redevelopment area. 

 

Happy to help with any specifics,

 

Thank you so much for your valuable tips. I will soon start planning.

 

 

11 hours ago, Gerko said:

Sadly, because their smaller size allows them to get under the Harbour Bridge, the premium ship get shuffled off to White Bay whilst the mass market megaships get the OPT in the heart of the city. We saw Europa 2, the worlds highest rated ship, sitting forlornly at White Bay. We residents of Sydney dislike White Bay as much as anyone. It was a cheapskate effort by the state government who allowed all the good sites east of the Bridge to be sold as marinas for their megarich mates and their speedboats and yachts. The only good part for visitors is you do get to sail under the Bridge.

 

If your hotel is in the city, they usually put on a ferry from Circular Quay to White Bay, but you'd need to check if its put on for Silversea. Otherwise it really has to be either a taxi or Uber and I'd guess at maybe $25 oneway. My wife and I are on this cruise. We've done multiple cruises on Crystal and Cunard but really looking forward to our first on Silversea.

Gerko, thanks for your tips concerning transfer to White Bay. I‘ll check this out later in the year. We will stay for NYE at the Park Hyatt for a few days. So we may be able to see the MUSE coming in that morning from our room. Of course CQ would be even nicer, as from our hotel we could walk to this terminal. Any tips for NYE or the days around it?

See you on board maybe.

We will be also on  this cruise after NYE in Sydney. I have seen that the cruise will start at White Bay Terminal and not at the terminal close to the Opera, which would have been a short walk from our hotel. Very sad.

1 hour ago, jpalbny said:

Hopefully the Cloud will have better wifi by then. Not counting on a good international roaming signal in Antarctica! But yes, Rachel, Stumblefoot, and I will do our best to share.

The signal on the CLOUD in Antarctica this March was much better the one on the Shadow now in the Med.

Our experience from this Tuesday: we arrived by watertaxi at about 11 a.m. and they accepted our luggage without problems. There were other passengers earlier than us. We had to wait for embarkation til noon and then had lunch on board. It was quite a long way from the terminal to the ship in hot weather. Terminal was San Basileo, not the large cruise terminal. This seems to be all the time for Silversea.

We will stay a few nights before our cruise in Venice. As we stay at San Clemente Island we booked a boat ride to the cruise terminal. Will the luggage be taken there from the boat to bring it to the cruise ship? How does it work at the cruise terminal?

Silversea also uses the Taquan Air for their excursions. We did it a few years ago.

On 3/10/2019 at 9:35 PM, jpalbny said:

 

That's as convenient as Table Bay Hotel when embarking/disembarking at the V&A Pier in Cape Town. The one and only time that a hotel porter could carry our bags to the ship for us. Great find - have a wonderful trip!

Just as a side remark: there are no cruise ships at V&A Terminal in Cape Town anymore. But there is another port, where the hotel porter could carry your luggage to the ship, this is Sydney (if you are in right terminal near the opera house).