New positioning of fare options - Door-to-Door or Port-to-Port

[Observer]

Yes.  Thank you.  These are visible on US site.  $900 air credit.   $100 for non use of executive transfer.

 

A $900 air credit for round trip transatlantic seems fairly modest.

 

Thanks for the tip on disaggregating door to door fares.

[Stumblefoot]

6 hours ago, applefan75 said:

I booked the crossing on Nova and got the air credit and transfer credit.  I’m happy with the result.

Correct.  That option exists on the entirety of the D2D program.

 

Which crossing did you book and how much was the air credit for? When I pull up the details for the November 2023 crossing on my mobile device, the credit is missing.

[applefan75]

8 hours ago, Stumblefoot said:

Correct.  That option exists on the entirety of the D2D program.

 

Which crossing did you book and how much was the air credit for? When I pull up the details for the November 2023 crossing on my mobile device, the credit is missing.

I booked the Nov '23 Lisbon to New York.  Traveling solo in a classic verandah; 50% single supplement.  The air credit was ($750), also a Miscellaneous Charge credit for ($250) - not sure what that is for, and ($100) credit for the executive transfers.

[Stumblefoot]

12 hours ago, applefan75 said:

I booked the Nov '23 Lisbon to New York.  Traveling solo in a classic verandah; 50% single supplement.  The air credit was ($750), also a Miscellaneous Charge credit for ($250) - not sure what that is for, and ($100) credit for the executive transfers.

Nice!  Thank you for sharing.  Much appreciated.

 

Miscellaneous charge credits, i.e. unknown credits, are the best.  Free money! 😁

[ak1004]

I agree with others regarding the confusion.

 

We just booked our first cruise with SS. The door to door option is $2750 CAD extra, and the business class "upgrade" is an extra $4,000 CAD, on top of the door to door option, so the total cost of the business class is $6,750, while it can be booked independently for ~$4,000 CAD. It almost look like they are "punishing" people who prefer the p2p option with a non refundable deposit.

 

Speaking of non refundable deposit - some people mentioned cancellation insurance, but unless it's "for any reason" insurance, how can it be useful? I mean, if the cruise is in December and final payment in July, you will not cancel because you are sick in June.. What could be a possible scenario that causes you to cancel 5-6 months in advance and still get the money from the insurance?

[cruiseej]

1 hour ago, ak1004 said:

It almost look like they are "punishing" people who prefer the p2p option with a non refundable deposit.

Yes, and that non-refundable deposit is a non-starter for me. If we book a cruise 8 or 12 or 24 months down the road, so many things can change that a large non-refundable deposit just isn't a viable way for us to plan travel. I have parents who are in their 90s,  so all our travel plans must be contingent on being able to deal with their care if on elf them gets gravely ill. Other than our booked-rebooked-rebooked over three years Silversea cruise to Antarctica this December, I can't see us booking additional SS cruises with this new pricing scheme.

 

1 hour ago, ak1004 said:

Speaking of non refundable deposit - some people mentioned cancellation insurance, but unless it's "for any reason" insurance, how can it be useful?

 

And beware of thinking that "cancel for any reason insurance" will help you recover all of your SS deposit. Those policies almost always cover only a portion of your trip — 70-75% is normal, I think — so trusting that insurance to get your refund money back will still leave a hole in your pocket.

[jollyjones]

Why no more bookings?

Nothing to stop you booking door to door.

 

I looked at the p2p terms, decided they weren’t for me, and moved on. I only look at the d2d pricing now. 
 

Just SS trying to make as much money as they can, like every other cruise line, hardly a surprise. 
 

Edited January 25, 2022 by jollyjones

[cruiseej]

1 hour ago, jollyjones said:

Why no more bookings?

Nothing to stop you booking door to door.

 

@jollyjones Except for the much higher prices. 😉 

 

I just picked out at a sample cruise in May (Iceland roundtrip) which includes port-to-port and door-to-door ($9,000) pricing. Here's what jumps out at me:

 

1) For the lowest fare Vista suite, the prices are $5,950 for P2P and $9,000 for D2D, a difference of $3,050 to cover a ride from my home to the airport and back, and transfer from the airport to the ship and back, and economy air. Roundtrip air I can find for $915, and transfers at home and in Iceland would be less than $400 for a couple, or $200 per person. So I'm paying an upcharge of $1,935 per person for the convenience of having SS do it all — a 32% surcharge on the cost of the cruise. Yikes! For the "privilege" of having a refundable deposit?

 

2) But we wouldn't choose a Vista cabin; we prefer a veranda. So if I select a Deluxe Veranda suite, the prices are $8,150 for P2P and $11,800 for D2D, a difference of $3,750. Wait a second! It's the exact same home-to-airport roundtrip transfers, the exact same economy air, the exact same airport-to-ship roundtrip transfers as with the Vista suite — but the price is $700 higher! What? Why?! There's no upgrade in the P2P services offered, yet they're charging $700 more for nothing. How does this make sense? How is this fair? 

 

1 hour ago, jollyjones said:

I only look at the d2d pricing now.

 

Based on my numbers above, I'd agree. But here's the next problem: that limits you to only a small fraction of the cruises SS offers. I looked at Northern Europe for May and June, and only 3 of 15 cruises are available with D2D pricing. I looked at all October cruises: only 11 of 40 cruises offer D2D pricing. I looked at all June and July 2023 cruises: out of all 85 cruises, zero offer D2D pricing. So one can conclude either that D2D pricing will vanish in the future, or, more likely, it will be offered only on cruises which aren't selling well, close to the time of sailing. So you can't plan a cruise for next year or the following year, or grab your preferred suite location, and get the lower D2D pricing.

 

I understand that for some people, adding $6,000 or $7,000 or more per couple for the P2P amenities is not an issue. For people who have been on world cruises or have traveled enough nights on SS to receive free cruises, I recognize this P2P upcharge is not likely to be an obstacle. For us, it is. And if other cruise lines we enjoy don't enact the same pricing scheme, that's why it seems we're unlikely to be booking another SS cruise anytime soon. 

[A Tucson Guy]

4 minutes ago, cruiseej said:

 

@jollyjones Except for the much higher prices. 😉 

 

I just picked out at a sample cruise in May (Iceland roundtrip) which includes port-to-port and door-to-door ($9,000) pricing. Here's what jumps out at me:

 

1) For the lowest fare Vista suite, the prices are $5,950 for P2P and $9,000 for D2D, a difference of $3,050 to cover a ride from my home to the airport and back, and transfer from the airport to the ship and back, and economy air. Roundtrip air I can find for $915, and transfers at home and in Iceland would be less than $400 for a couple, or $200 per person. So I'm paying an upcharge of $1,935 per person for the convenience of having SS do it all — a 32% surcharge on the cost of the cruise. Yikes! For the "privilege" of having a refundable deposit?

 

2) But we wouldn't choose a Vista cabin; we prefer a veranda. So if I select a Deluxe Veranda suite, the prices are $8,150 for P2P and $11,800 for D2D, a difference of $3,750. Wait a second! It's the exact same home-to-airport roundtrip transfers, the exact same economy air, the exact same airport-to-ship roundtrip transfers as with the Vista suite — but the price is $700 higher! What? Why?! There's no upgrade in the P2P services offered, yet they're charging $700 more for nothing. How does this make sense? How is this fair? 

 

 

Based on my numbers above, I'd agree. But here's the next problem: that limits you to only a small fraction of the cruises SS offers. I looked at Northern Europe for May and June, and only 3 of 15 cruises are available with D2D pricing. I looked at all October cruises: only 11 of 40 cruises offer D2D pricing. I looked at all June and July 2023 cruises: out of all 85 cruises, zero offer D2D pricing. So one can conclude either that D2D pricing will vanish in the future, or, more likely, it will be offered only on cruises which aren't selling well, close to the time of sailing. So you can't plan a cruise for next year or the following year, or grab your preferred suite location, and get the lower D2D pricing.

 

I understand that for some people, adding $6,000 or $7,000 or more per couple for the P2P amenities is not an issue. For people who have been on world cruises or have traveled enough nights on SS to receive free cruises, I recognize this P2P upcharge is not likely to be an obstacle. For us, it is. And if other cruise lines we enjoy don't enact the same pricing scheme, that's why it seems we're unlikely to be booking another SS cruise anytime soon. 

We are booked on 7-5-22 out of Copenhagen door to door. You are saying there is not any door to door available. 

[A Tucson Guy]

4 minutes ago, A Tucson Guy said:

We are booked on 7-5-22 out of Copenhagen door to door. You are saying there is not any door to door available. 

Forgot to mention we have D2D on Nov. 2022 Darak to Lisbon, D2D on Nova inaugural cruise and D2D Nov 2023 Nova cruise. 

[jollyjones]

Now you’ve got me puzzled. 
When I look at the SS website, all cruises are d2d, that appears to be the ‘standard’  offering, only a minority also have a p2p option. 
So I don’t understand that point. 
 

I definitely don’t understand the ‘p2p upcharge’, p2p prices are lower …
 

I see it as simple - ignore the p2p prices and just decide if the bottom line on the d2d suits. If the p2p prices weren’t there, that’s what you’d do anyway. 

I wonder if SS will realize that offering two sets of prices is causing angst. I won’t be surprised if p2p prices go away. 
 

PS Have you tried asking to not use SS air when getting a d2d quote and see if they will give you a ‘non used air credit’?
 

Edited January 26, 2022 by jollyjones

[ak1004]

42 minutes ago, jollyjones said:

Now you’ve got me puzzled. 
When I look at the SS website, all cruises are d2d, that appears to be the ‘standard’  offering, only a minority also have a p2p option. 
So I don’t understand that point. 
 

I definitely don’t understand the ‘p2p upcharge’, p2p prices are lower …
 

I see it as simple - ignore the p2p prices and just decide if the bottom line on the d2d suits. If the p2p prices weren’t there, that’s what you’d do anyway. 

I wonder if SS will realize that offering two sets of prices is causing angst. I won’t be surprised if p2p prices go away. 
 

PS Have you tried asking to not use SS air when getting a d2d quote and see if they will give you a ‘non used air credit’?
 

 

The point is that for those cruise that have d2d option, the difference between d2d and p2p is MUCH higher than booking the air yourself. As I mentioned, in our case (Dec.2022 cruise from Dubai to Mumbai) the difference is $2,750 for ECONOMY flight, then another $4,000 ON TOP of that for business class upgrade. 

 

p2p prices should be there, but the difference should be reasonable. If you charge an upcharge for the privilege to have a refundable deposit (which all other lines have anyway), this upcharge should be no more than couple hundred dollars.

[ak1004]

4 hours ago, jollyjones said:

Why no more bookings?

Nothing to stop you booking door to door.

 

I looked at the p2p terms, decided they weren’t for me, and moved on. I only look at the d2d pricing now. 
 

Just SS trying to make as much money as they can, like every other cruise line, hardly a surprise. 
 

 

Not even close.

 

Some lines like Celebrity have a very competitive air program, where you can book air through them at prices very similar to what you would pay by booking independently, but if you book with them, its' fully refundable before the cruise final payment, and only a small fine afterwards. 

 

If you are willing to pay thousands of dollars more for d2d option only to have a refundable deposit (which all lines have no matter how you book it), that's up to you. For many people it's not acceptable. 

[ak1004]

2 hours ago, cruiseej said:

 

@jollyjones Except for the much higher prices. 😉 

 

2) But we wouldn't choose a Vista cabin; we prefer a veranda. So if I select a Deluxe Veranda suite, the prices are $8,150 for P2P and $11,800 for D2D, a difference of $3,750. Wait a second! It's the exact same home-to-airport roundtrip transfers, the exact same economy air, the exact same airport-to-ship roundtrip transfers as with the Vista suite — but the price is $700 higher! What? Why?! There's no upgrade in the P2P services offered, yet they're charging $700 more for nothing. How does this make sense? How is this fair? 

 

 

Yep, I just noticed that too for our cruise.

 

 

 

 

So for Vista suite it's $2,750 CAD difference, for Deluxe veranda it jumps to $3.150. remember - this is for economy flight that can be booked for $1,200 CAD. Add hotel and transfers - the difference is still over $1,500 CAD for the privilege to have a refundable deposit. 

[cruiseej]

16 hours ago, cruiseej said:

But here's the next problem: that limits you to only a small fraction of the cruises SS offers. I looked at Northern Europe for May and June, and only 3 of 15 cruises are available with P2P pricing. I looked at all October cruises: only 11 of 40 cruises offer P2P pricing. I looked at all June and July 2023 cruises: out of all 85 cruises, zero offer P2P pricing. So one can conclude either that P2P pricing will vanish in the future, or, more likely, it will be offered only on cruises which aren't selling well, close to the time of sailing. So you can't plan a cruise for next year or the following year, or grab your preferred suite location, and get the lower P2P pricing.

 

My apologies; I mis-typed! Ugh! Of course all the cruises offer the D2D; only a few offer the less expensive P2P option. I reversed it when I posted in post #59; it's corrected above.

 

So for clarify, my points were: (1) The D2D upcharge is quite large, much more than the cost of economy air plus  home-to-airport roundtrip transfers plus airport--to-ship roundtrip traders. (2) The D2D upcharge inexplicably becomes more expensive as you move up in cabin class, even though you're not getting any change in the D2D services. (3) There are relatively few SS cruises even offering the less-expensive P2P option (only 3 of 15 Northern Europe cruises this May and June, 11 of 40 cruises in October, and zero of 85 cruises in June and July 2023).

 

15 hours ago, jollyjones said:

I see it as simple - ignore the p2p prices and just decide if the bottom line on the d2d suits. If the p2p prices weren’t there, that’s what you’d do anyway. 

 

My point was that the D2D pricing is so substantially higher than before that we're unlikely to book Silversea cruises. In the example I cited above of an 11-day Iceland cruise this year, the upcharge was 32% of the base cruise fare, or nearly $4,000 per couple, for D2D pricing versus P2P plus airfare and transfers booked on my own. For that $4,000, I'd get only the convenience of one-stop booking, and a refundable deposit. To me, that's a huge upcharge for little benefit. And the P2P option carries a very significant risk of the non-refundable deposit. Neither are appealing. Add in the discontinuation of the 10% prepay discount, and Silversea pricing is now very significantly higher than it was.

 

 Of course prices go up each year with inflation, and after Covid, it's not surprising to see steeper increases than normal — but a jump of 25% to 40% makes it non-competitive to me.  (Our SS cruise to Antarctica in December is now 27% more expensive than what we previously paid for it.) As long as other cruise lines we enjoy, like Seabourn, don't copy this new SS pricing scheme, that's why I was saying we're unlikely to be booking more SS cruises.

[bohaiboy]

So am I correct in assuming that if you book a DTD and do not accept airfare (you also lose your airport transfers), you are still considered DTD?  I am not really seeing the difference in PTP except the executive transfers from home to airport.  Am I missing something?  Also, if you change air, lets say to arrive two days early or stay two days later, you lose the transfers anyways?

[Port Power]

14 hours ago, bohaiboy said:

So am I correct in assuming that if you book a DTD and do not accept airfare (you also lose your airport transfers), you are still considered DTD?  I am not really seeing the difference in PTP except the executive transfers from home to airport.  Am I missing something?  Also, if you change air, lets say to arrive two days early or stay two days later, you lose the transfers anyways?

My understanding is that if you take out the air credit: the one night pre and post hotels (or additional nights) and transfers from home to airport remain included. But I am becoming more confused with every post I read as well as by the terms and conditions!  
 

My TA took out the air credit because the prices stated were ridiculously high due to the routes currently not actually being flown.

[CanadianKate]

22 hours ago, cruiseej said:

(2) The D2D upcharge inexplicably becomes more expensive as you move up in cabin class, even though you're not getting any change in the D2D services.

 

 

How's this for an explanation....

The D2D includes an insurance policy that pays out to SS if there's a cancellation by the passenger or there has to be changes due to ports closing, borders closing (in the case of air), cancelled cruises, etc.

If that is the case, the $$$ amount to be insured would be higher for more expensive suites, thus explaining the difference in price. 

My theory also explains why it is so much more than booking air and transfers on your own. The price difference isn't just transfers and air fare, it includes trip cancell2ation insurance (but not payable to the passenger.)  

Has anyone done a price comparison of P2P and D2D adding upgraded, cancel for any reason, insurance to the P2P price? 

[ak1004]

42 minutes ago, CanadianKate said:

How's this for an explanation....

The D2D includes an insurance policy that pays out to SS if there's a cancellation by the passenger or there has to be changes due to ports closing, borders closing (in the case of air), cancelled cruises, etc.

If that is the case, the $$$ amount to be insured would be higher for more expensive suites, thus explaining the difference in price. 

My theory also explains why it is so much more than booking air and transfers on your own. The price difference isn't just transfers and air fare, it includes trip cancell2ation insurance (but not payable to the passenger.)  

Has anyone done a price comparison of P2P and D2D adding upgraded, cancel for any reason, insurance to the P2P price? 

 

I don't think this is true because (at least for our cruise in December), the only difference is the non refundable deposit. For d2d, rest of the cancellation policy is still the same or very similar.

 

 

But even if it was true, the difference between d2d and p2p in our case is $2,750 CAD while the flight is $1,200, so $1,500 CAD difference. No way the hotel, the transfers and the insurance would cost that much. 

 

Also, if you look at the screenshots I posted, the difference increases by $400 while the cabin price increase by less than $2,000. There is no way it costs $400 to insure $2,000. 

[cruiseej]

@CanadianKate I like your theory, but I really doubt they are actually buying insurance for customer cancellations. The cost they're charging is their own form of self-insuring against cancellations. And if you look at it that way, yes, a higher-level suite has more value to them than a lower-level suite, so perhaps that's why they charge more for the D2D option for a Deluxe Verandah suite than a Vista suite. But this does nothing for the customer; it's charging some customers more for their air and transfers than others, even though the air and transfers are identical. That seems patently unfair to consumers. Obviously, some will accept it as a cost of traveling on Silversea, especially if they are wedded to the cruise line; others will cry foul and explore other alternatives. I'm one of the latter.

[wren2]

Another factor to consider when using port to port is the steep increase in the cost of participating in the group transfer.  Last October, prior to the new pricing, I was quoted $70 for participating in the group transfer from the Sant Apollonia pier in Lisbon to the airport, which is barely 20 minutes away.  My friend and I just walked to the Dock gates and got a cab for 35 euros. I think the last time I disembarked in Lisbon, the transfer was $29 approximately.

 

I also wish the excursions were not included.  I like to explore on my own and have never done more than one or two excursions per cruise. A pity there is not an opt out with a price reduction.

[CanadianKate]

17 hours ago, wren2 said:

Another factor to consider when using port to port is the steep increase in the cost of participating in the group transfer.  Last October, prior to the new pricing, I was quoted $70 for participating in the group transfer from the Sant Apollonia pier in Lisbon to the airport, which is barely 20 minutes away.  My friend and I just walked to the Dock gates and got a cab for 35 euros. I think the last time I disembarked in Lisbon, the transfer was $29 approximately.

 

I also wish the excursions were not included.  I like to explore on my own and have never done more than one or two excursions per cruise. A pity there is not an opt out with a price reduction.

 

We did the same in Feb 2020 (but coming off Windstar, not SS.) Friends on board just walked to their hotel which was overlooking the port! 

I love forums such as this for giving us options when arriving overseas and being able to better judge private vs, group transfer. I've only done a group transfer once, in Barcelona, because we had leftover credit. While we got off the Wind faster, we sat on the bus for ages before leaving so a private would have been just as fast. 

[CanadianKate]

19 hours ago, cruiseej said:

@CanadianKate I like your theory, but I really doubt they are actually buying insurance for customer cancellations. The cost they're charging is their own form of self-insuring against cancellations. 

You are quite likely right, I should have thought of self-insurance since that's what I usually do myself.