Greece is opening the ports for cruise ships

[shipsmail]

....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.

[Randyk47]

Greece opening for cruises is encouraging, one small step in the recovery process. At the time it doesn’t make an immediate difference to us Americans but they have to start somewhere.  I’m actually happy to see some of the smaller lines in Europe stepping out and cruising again.   Serves as a testbed for putting a fair number of people back in a relatively confined environment and for what works, doesn’t work, or needs to be changed.  

Edited July 29, 2020 by Randyk47

[cruiseej]

9 hours ago, shipsmail said:

Why can’t Silversea apparently not offer different cruises in only Greece instead of waiting for the end of the crisis.

 

First, it's worth noting that Silversea currently has trips scheduled for later this year, and the crisis will be nowhere near its end in 2020. 

 

We can only speculate, but here are some possible reasons Silversea may have chosen not to be among the first in the world to resume cruising next month…

 

• Half or more of Silversea's passengers are from the US, and none of them can feasibly get to Greece to cruise at this time.

 

• Where are these cruises from Greece going? Silversea may feel their passengers aren't interested in a "cruise to nowhere" with relatively few or no port stops. Most people who cruise in Europe do so to visit the many and varied ports. 

 

• There's really big difference between Hurtigruten and Silversea in terms of number of crew, level of service, amenities, etc. 

 

• They don't want to be first to cruise and lose their reputation and client base if there are problems. 

 

• The logistics of getting crew members back from their homes around the world, as well as lining up provisions (some of which are typically ordered months in advance to be in place when needed), may make it impossible to start as soon as next month.

 

• Their surveys of customers may have told them that a large majority are not yet interested in cruising until there is a vaccine or better treatments for the virus. 

 

[nowornever]

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.

 

[shipsmail]

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.

[MBP&O2/O]

12 ports in 15 days? I feel for the crew [emoji846]
We once managed 11 ports in 16 days in the Inland Sea, Japan, and ended up working 6 hrs on & 6 hrs off for the bulk off it.

[wren2]

My question exactly. I was booked for a week’s cruise in October, Athens to Athens, and it was cancelled. No problem with flights and, as you say, Greece has a low Covid case record, thanks to their early lockdown. I too have hundreds of days with Silversea but am beginning to look elsewhere.

[Lvshack]

On 7/29/2020 at 4:04 PM, shipsmail said:

....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.

Hi I'm not sure when your cruise is but latest info from Norway is they are not allowing cruise ships to dock over 100 persons as there has been an outbreak on  hurtigruten with about 20 crew affected with the virus....so the company has now suspended all expedition cruises for the rest of the season...it also  likely to affect seadreams two ships offering cruising through Norway

[mitz18]

On 7/29/2020 at 11:14 AM, Randyk47 said:

Greece opening for cruises is encouraging, one small step in the recovery process. At the time it doesn’t make an immediate difference to us Americans but they have to start somewhere.  I’m actually happy to see some of the smaller lines in Europe stepping out and cruising again.   Serves as a testbed for putting a fair number of people back in a relatively confined environment and for what works, doesn’t work, or needs to be changed.  

 

Hi Randyk47 - is "test bed" a polite term for "petri dish"? 😬

[Randyk47]

1 hour ago, mitz18 said:

 

Hi Randyk47 - is "test bed" a polite term for "petri dish"? 😬

Considering the recent outcomes of the first few cruises I’d say Petri dish is pretty close.   That said, for technical accuracy, I should point out you can’t grow a virus in a Petri dish.   🙂