Newby question: Booking SS through US agents?

[Nigella]

UKcruiseJeff and wren2, the complaints you make are found all over these boards from UK (and Australian) customers about nearly every cruise line. Uk and Oz do seem to get a rough deal a lot of the time, but as I and others have pointed out, we've found it cheaper to just book from the UK more recently. It seems like our Australian friends are in a worse situation than us now with this though.

It's not just Silversea, it's the industry in general and it's unfair, IMHO, to single out Silversea as if they are the only cruse company who operate in this way.

[UKCruiseJeff]

UKcruiseJeff and wren2, the complaints you make are found all over these boards from UK (and Australian) customers about nearly every cruise line. Uk and Oz do seem to get a rough deal a lot of the time, but as I and others have pointed out, we've found it cheaper to just book from the UK more recently. It seems like our Australian friends are in a worse situation than us now with this though.

It's not just Silversea, it's the industry in general and it's unfair, IMHO, to single out Silversea as if they are the only cruse company who operate in this way.

 

 

I'm sorry you feel I have been unfair to SS.

 

As I'm only booking cruises on SS and posting on an SS board I can't say I agree. I didn't know or care whether it was a general problem but would naturally presume it was. There is no need for you to be concerned for SS or defend SS from me I assure you.

 

But thanks anyway.

[Nigella]

I'm sorry you feel I have been unfair to SS.

 

As I'm only booking cruises on SS and posting on an SS board I can't say I agree. I didn't know or care whether it was a general problem but would naturally presume it was. There is no need for you to be concerned for SS or defend SS from me I assure you.

 

But thanks anyway.

 

No problem at all.

Good luck with finding a cruise line that you don't feel is 'screwing you' . My point was that they all are!

And enjoy your cruise, whichever line you pick.

[badgerdee]

:( Having the same feeling here in Australia...looking forward to seeing the replies also appreciate posts from Australian SS clients who book through US agents. :o

 

We're Australian and book all our Silversea cruises through a US agent.

 

In addition to saving at least AUD1000 on the cruise price, our agent gives us an average USD1000 rebate per cruise, which we can take as cash back or as a shipboard credit. This is in addition to the onboard credit Silversea allows for many cruises.

 

There is also the more favourable booking terms, including fully refundable deposits -within reason - but try getting that through an Australian agent.

 

We can also choose our suite number and location (we didn't seem to be able to do that when I've made enquries through Australian agents).

 

Edit to add: my US agent is very responsive. He responds to my emails within 24 hours. His agency deals in crusies-n-more!!

[UKCruiseJeff]

No problem at all.

Good luck with finding a cruise line that you don't feel is 'screwing you' . My point was that they all are!

And enjoy your cruise, whichever line you pick.

 

Thanks to clarify ..... what I meant is crusielines that do not allow you to buy your cruises from wherever you choose in whatever countries you choose and prevent through threat or coercian TAs accepting cross market bookings I'd consider were "screwing" there customers. I think most sensible people agree even if they tolerate it. That's all.

[Nigella]

Thanks to clarify ..... what I meant is crusielines that do not allow you to buy your cruises from wherever you choose in whatever countries you choose and prevent through threat or coercian TAs accepting cross market bookings I'd consider were "screwing" there customers. I think most sensible people agree even if they tolerate it. That's all.

 

Jeff yes exactly. Princess springs to mind as one cruiseline that won't allow UK residents to make a booking with a US agent. There are several others.

So I'm very happy that SS (and SB and others) at least allow us that option and we can shop around.

It is annoying but at least we can get a quote from the US,depending what cruise company we want to use, and then negotiate a hard bargain with our own TA here. Ours always beats other quotes hands down and last time we booked, her price was £2k lower than the best US quote.

The deposit thing annoys me intensely and seems very unfair, but it's apparently something to do with EU law as I understand it and is supposed to be about "consumer protection" :rolleyes:

[badgerdee]

Jeff yes exactly. Princess springs to mind as one cruiseline that won't allow UK residents to make a booking with a US agent.

 

Princess's policy of preventing Australians from booking with overseas agents to access better prices is the reason we now cruise Silversea.

 

Had I not become so enraged (and I realise Princess is not alone with this policy) I'd never have researched Silversea cruises.

 

Now we could never go back.

[Herman The Cat]

I was looking at cruise 4220A and comparing the U.K./U.S. prices from the Silversea online site. For a Vista suite, the price is pounds 3,699 and for the U.S. price it is $3,699. I was told that SS allowed an air credit of $1500 on the U.S. price - Unrealistic in my opinion as consolidators are probably used. I note that this air credit has been cut back to $1000 for 2013 sailings. I was also told that the remainder of the difference was on currency rates - I cannot remember when the dollar has been as low as 1.4 to the pound.

 

I find that pricing quite odd. What ship, what date and what are the embarkation and disembarkation points? I'm happy to check it out on the US website. I searched the Silversea website and can't find that voyage number. Also, $1500 as an air credit from the US is far too high; it's usually around $1000 depending on where (for instance, that's the average credit for the East Coast of the US to Europe). And Silversea does not use air consolidators. And yes, that currency rate is correct; in early 2009, after the credit crisis, the dollar/pound rate dipped briefly to the 1.40 - 1.43 range. I will say it is very hard to get a Silversea 7 day cruise in the US for less than $3500 without airfare. An excellent deal on Silversea is about $510 per day per person...so perhaps that is a good benchmark by which to judge the quote you receive.

[Ravenscroft]

The different experiences are so interesting--especially since we have found there have been several times when the UK prices were better than the US prices. We found that the UK TA we used (The Cruise Line Ltd, Softech House, London Road, Albourne, West Sussex BN6 9BN) had better prices than the US TA we used in the past.

 

Perhaps it is cruise specific--or TA specific. The UK Caribbean cruise prices were better than the US prices. Are all these price differences that every mentions cruise-only????

 

I think you've got a point there. I've been doing some comparisons and I am also wondering if it's cruise specific. The cruises I looked at, European cruises were more expensive in the UK than in the US and like you I noticed a better price on the UK site for the Caribbean prices.

We've definitely found UK quotes to be much more favourable in recent months. We're doing a Caribbean cruise in December and the UK quotes were much lower than the US ones. (It's not with SS though.) We are likely to be looking at short Med cruises for September or October, so it will be interesting to see how the quotes work for that.

[Ravenscroft]

I find that pricing quite odd. What ship, what date and what are the embarkation and disembarkation points? I'm happy to check it out on the US website. I searched the Silversea website and can't find that voyage number. Also, $1500 as an air credit from the US is far too high; it's usually around $1000 depending on where (for instance, that's the average credit for the East Coast of the US to Europe). And Silversea does not use air consolidators. And yes, that currency rate is correct; in early 2009, after the credit crisis, the dollar/pound rate dipped briefly to the 1.40 - 1.43 range. I will say it is very hard to get a Silversea 7 day cruise in the US for less than $3500 without airfare. An excellent deal on Silversea is about $510 per day per person...so perhaps that is a good benchmark by which to judge the quote you receive.

 

Herman, it's the 26 July departure Whisper, Southampton to Lisbon.

[Herman The Cat]

I think you've got a point there. I've been doing some comparisons and I am also wondering if it's cruise specific. The cruises I looked at, European cruises were more expensive in the UK than in the US and like you I noticed a better price on the UK site for the Caribbean prices.

We've definitely found UK quotes to be much more favourable in recent months. We're doing a Caribbean cruise in December and the UK quotes were much lower than the US ones. (It's not with SS though.) We are likely to be looking at short Med cruises for September or October, so it will be interesting to see how the quotes work for that.

 

I think one of the nice things about Silversea is they try to have a diverse crowd on their ships. And perhaps they entice the Europeans and UK residents to make the long journey to the Caribbean by offering attractive fares. And they try to entice us to make the journey to Europe by offering attractive Med deals. The other thing is the pricing varies substantially based on when you want to travel. I wonder how the Australian cruise pricing (i.e., for example a Singapore to Sydney cruise) is for the Aussies vs. Europe vs. US vs. UK?!

[Herman The Cat]

Herman, it's the 26 July departure Whisper, Southampton to Lisbon.

 

Vista is $3699 without air, taxes or port charges. Not a bad deal!

[Ravenscroft]

Vista is $3699 without air, taxes or port charges. Not a bad deal!

 

£3699 all inclusive, with $1000 OBC and complimentary economy air back from Lisbon, or £249 in business.

I wonder how much the port charges and taxes adds up to? Does it tell you on the US site?

[Ravenscroft]

And off topic, that's a very attractive itinerary for those of us who love our wines ;)

[Herman The Cat]

And off topic, that's a very attractive itinerary for those of us who love our wines ;)

 

My sentiments exactly!

[Herman The Cat]

£3699 all inclusive, with $1000 OBC and complimentary economy air back from Lisbon, or £249 in business.

I wonder how much the port charges and taxes adds up to? Does it tell you on the US site?

 

Hmmm. No, it doesn't tell you that on the US site. It seems like your price includes includes air; sounds like you would deduct perhaps 250-£500 for the air if you did cruise only, and add $250 to the US price for port charges? And if your TA gives you any sort of rebate, the UK rate would be further reduced.

 

I think once all the extras are added or deducted, they may not be as far off as they seem.

[ging466]

Princess's policy of preventing Australians from booking with overseas agents to access better prices is the reason we now cruise Silversea. Had I not become so enraged (and I realise Princess is not alone with this policy) I'd never have researched Silversea cruises. Now we could never go back.

 

Similar situation to me badgerdee. Back in 2007, I did an NCL cruise and discovered the Americans on board had paid much less than me so I did a lot of research and discovered that we Aussies were being ripped off blind. :mad:

 

It's getting harder and harder to find cruiselines that will allow us to use a US TA but fortunately SS is one of them (and I'm surprised because they have an office in Sydney) so whilst I can use my US agent, I will continue cruising.

 

Cheers

Jennifer

[wren2]

I find that pricing quite odd. What ship, what date and what are the embarkation and disembarkation points? I'm happy to check it out on the US website. I searched the Silversea website and can't find that voyage number. Also, $1500 as an air credit from the US is far too high; it's usually around $1000 depending on where (for instance, that's the average credit for the East Coast of the US to Europe). And Silversea does not use air consolidators. And yes, that currency rate is correct; in early 2009, after the credit crisis, the dollar/pound rate dipped briefly to the 1.40 - 1.43 range. I will say it is very hard to get a Silversea 7 day cruise in the US for less than $3500 without airfare. An excellent deal on Silversea is about $510 per day per person...so perhaps that is a good benchmark by which to judge the quote you receive.

There is definitely a cruise 4220A on the Whisper from Southampton to Lisbon sailing on July 26. It is a 9 day cruise. SS themselves have confirmed that the air credit for the U.S. is $1,500. My use of the term "consolidator" was a misnomer - I meant to say that SS must have some clout to negotiate favourable airfares for their cruise passengers.

 

To those readers who say I am unfair to SS, I have only ever sailed with SS - life is great when you are on board and the crew marvellous. However, I would like to feel that the price I am being offered is fair in comparison to other countries.

[Herman The Cat]

There is definitely a cruise 4220A on the Whisper from Southampton to Lisbon sailing on July 26. It is a 9 day cruise. SS themselves have confirmed that the air credit for the U.S. is $1,500. My use of the term "consolidator" was a misnomer - I meant to say that SS must have some clout to negotiate favourable airfares for their cruise passengers.

 

To those readers who say I am unfair to SS, I have only ever sailed with SS - life is great when you are on board and the crew marvellous. However, I would like to feel that the price I am being offered is fair in comparison to other countries.

 

Ah, now I see--I did find the voyage you mentioned. Maybe I misunderstood your comment about the air credit. The fare with economy air is $5199; fare without economy air is $3699, per the website. So that's the $1500 air credit you are mentioning. Wow, that is pretty high for economy class from the east coast and to Lisbon and from Heathrow! Better to book your own air from the US on that voyage....

 

So, I would say it will probably run almost $4000 with port taxes...so a pretty good deal. Around $510 a day per person for a Veranda Suite is usually a very good deal (This is probably around $4900 for a Veranda.)

[badgerdee]

<snip> I wonder how the Australian cruise pricing (i.e., for example a Singapore to Sydney cruise) is for the Aussies vs. Europe vs. US vs. UK?!

 

We're Australian and we did the Singapore-Sydney cruise in December 2011.

 

We booked it in January 2011 through our US travel agent. Taking into account the rebate he gave us (which we used as an OBC), we saved AUD2,500 by booking through our US agent rather than an Australian-based agent.

 

I think ging466 has also done this cruise so it would be interesting to know whether she saved money too on this route by booking through a US agent.

[Herman The Cat]

We're Australian and we did the Singapore-Sydney cruise in December 2011.

 

We booked it in January 2011 through our US travel agent. Taking into account the rebate he gave us (which we used as an OBC), we saved AUD2,500 by booking through our US agent rather than an Australian-based agent.

 

I think ging466 has also done this cruise so it would be interesting to know whether she saved money too on this route by booking through a US agent.

 

We have a very good friend from the UK who did Singapore to Sydney in Dec. 2011. He booked on board on a prior cruise. I will ask him what he paid: it will be an interesting pricing comparison!

[ging466]

I think ging466 has also done this cruise so it would be interesting to know whether she saved money too on this route by booking through a US agent.

 

Yes, I did the same trip in 2008. Unfortunately I had booked this with an Oz TA and I got ripped off. I also know that SS dropped the single supplement on this trip compared to mine. I've just had a look at the price of this trip for 2013 but SS isn't showing the single supplements anymore. :(

 

As an example of prices in Australia: I did 21 days on the Silver Spirit in 2010 and paid just over US$9000 for it. An Oz TA quoted me A$8000 for the 14 day portion.

 

The point is that when u deal with a US agent, they give u a discount (which is part of their commission)...this doesn't happen in Australia. If the cruiseline is giving an OBC, that's all u will get.

 

HTH.

 

Cheers

Jennifer

[jland]

Although we live in Australia, we always book our cruises with an overseas travel agent. We deal with a TA in the US and GB. We decide which cruise we want to do and then get a quote from both. We check the currency rates and book which ever one works out the cheapest.

 

Both of the TAs have treated us very, very well, we cannot speak highly enough of them. The US TA has a free call number, so we can call him at no cost to us and both TAs answer emails straight away. They both offer excellent prices. We have met many people on cruises from the USA and GB who have not heard of either of the TAs we use. They have taken the names from us as they have thought the rates very good.

 

As we are retired, we can travel at any time, so we will not cruise if we have to pay more than US$500 per day, per person. We only travel SS or Seabourn and find many cruises for this price.

 

It is not only cruises that are cheaper to book overseas. We did the Eastern Orient Express train trip and saved $1000 just by booking over the net with a GB TA.

 

My US TA site also books coach trips and river cruises, not our scene, but they are there for people who are interested.

 

If we need to send money overseas we always use www.currencyonline.com very good exchange rates and excellent service.

 

If anybody is interested in more info on the TAs we use, please email us

jorlor999atlivedotcomdotau

 

We should add we are not connected with either company.