If you're a frequent Silversea passenger, read this!

[Gourmet Gal]

1 hour ago, Dolcevita Diva said:

I will now be likelier to wait till closer to the cruise date as a result of the nonrefundable deposit for the P2P option - it seems that for closer-in voyages that are not selling well, they’re adding P2P or reducing the D2D price substantially because they’ve removed the airfare component (have a hunch that they’re finding close-in airfare too steep). 
 

SS only contracts for a certain number of seats so when they’re gone you’ll have to pay possibly steep deviation fees if they even offer air.

[Stumblefoot]

7 hours ago, forgap said:

However, I may be completely blown away once I experience being on board.

 

4 hours ago, Bearsparents said:

I am hoping my on board experience blows me away.  

Trust me, no one here in this forum is loyal to SS because of the onshore customer service experience.  We remain loyal because of the onboard experience.  Plain & simple.  If that were to ever fail, I guarantee Venetians will leave in droves.

[Dolcevita Diva]

2 hours ago, Gourmet Gal said:

SS only contracts for a certain number of seats so when they’re gone you’ll have to pay possibly steep deviation fees if they even offer air.

Not planning to use SS Air again (I’ve got millions of frequent flyer miles).  But because of nonrefundable element of P2P, will wait till closer to voyage date to book. 

[les37b]

6 hours ago, Dolcevita Diva said:

Not planning to use SS Air again (I’ve got millions of frequent flyer miles).  But because of nonrefundable element of P2P, will wait till closer to voyage date to book. 

 

The only problem with that strategy is the price hikes from from when first available and rising higher the nearer you are to your sailing date.

[jollyjones]

 

Plus the possible difficulty of finding mileage award seats on the dates you need - not a trivial consideration these days.

[Bearsparents]

20 hours ago, Stumblefoot said:

 

Trust me, no one here in this forum is loyal to SS because of the onshore customer service experience.  We remain loyal because of the onboard experience.  Plain & simple.  If that were to ever fail, I guarantee Venetians will leave in droves.

 

I am counting on it.  Plus I really do expect that on board will be awesome and hoping for some delicious food.

[Dolcevita Diva]

14 hours ago, les37b said:

 

The only problem with that strategy is the price hikes from from when first available and rising higher the nearer you are to your sailing date.

In previous times, you are absolutely correct - but I've seen a different pattern this year.  There were a number of voyages that I looked at late last year/earlier this year that have come down substantially in price or were offered with low single supplement or P2P when they were about 3 months out.   Made me wish I hadn;t locked in the voyage that I'm on. 

Edited June 20, 2022 by Dolcevita Diva

[Dolcevita Diva]

10 hours ago, jollyjones said:

 

Plus the possible difficulty of finding mileage award seats on the dates you need - not a trivial consideration these days.

Very true this summer - but for a number of airlines, the availability is there, it's more a matter of how many miles you're willing to spend as some treat the miles just like cash.  The lower cost awards are more available further out, so there's always the option of reserving, then redepositing if plan change.

Rather like we used to be able to do with a cruise reservation before final payment/penalty dates!

 

[Gourmet Gal]

I have so many air miles mostly because they’re almost impossible to use.  

[turtlemichael]

3 hours ago, Gourmet Gal said:

I have so many air miles mostly because they’re almost impossible to use.  

Do'n't know what it is like in the US but in Australia Qantas will sell you an over-priced toaster for a slug of your miles. As for selling you an air ticket, not much chance.

Edited June 21, 2022 by turtlemichael

[Bearsparents]

I got one flight changed so far. My flight out to Vancouver.  I was able to move it up and I did not have to pay a deviation fee.  Now I need to think about my flight home. TA had an interesting option for me and I need to decide if I want to pursue it. 

[cruiseej]

On 6/18/2022 at 6:33 AM, labrasett said:

The world of travel is changing, non refundable payments and deposits are required on air fares and many rail fares (in UK).  I am not sure why cruise companies should be any different. 

 

I think the BIG difference is that people routinely book cruises 18, 24 or more months in advance, whereas the furthest in advance you can book air travel is 11 months.

 

And the other Big difference is that a ail ticket might cost $60 or $100 and an airline flight might cost $600 or $1,000, whereas a cruise might cost $6,000 or $10,000 or more per person. 

 

Things change in life, and it's hard to be certain your plans or needs won't change 2+ years from now. People change jobs; people move; people see a third of their retirement fund evaporate (!); people have medical conditions which are non-life-threatening but alter the type of travel they are comfortable with; people have family commitments like weddings or birth of grandchildren come up which can't be anticipated 2+ years in advance; etc.

 

The 15% non-refundable penalty will likely cause some customers not to book as far in advance, and take their chances with what's available closer to the time they want to cruise. 

[taxatty]

2 hours ago, cruiseej said:

 

The 15% non-refundable penalty will likely cause some customers not to book as far in advance, and take their chances with what's available closer to the time they want to cruise. 

That is precisely what many people I know are thinking, especially because relatively few cruises are currently selling out well in advance. If not ensuring a top suite or another particular stateroom on a ship works for you, there is no compelling reason to have to accept a non-refundable deposit many months before final payment date.

[crusinbanjo]

On 6/22/2022 at 12:19 PM, taxatty said:

That is precisely what many people I know are thinking, especially because relatively few cruises are currently selling out well in advance. If not ensuring a top suite or another particular stateroom on a ship works for you, there is no compelling reason to have to accept a non-refundable deposit many months before final payment date.

Mrs Banjo and I are considering a restart to cruising this fall with a Canada, New England cruise.  We like these because we can get to both embark and debark points without air travel.  So, I went on the SS website to attempt booking.  When I selected the port to port option, no suites were available, (in any class),  if I selected door to door, (at $4000 more), all suite classes were available.  Arghhhh.  Guess we will go look at Seabourn and others for our first return to cruising cruise.  Very disappointing!

[Gourmet Gal]

1 hour ago, crusinbanjo said:

Mrs Banjo and I are considering a restart to cruising this fall with a Canada, New England cruise.  We like these because we can get to both embark and debark points without air travel.  So, I went on the SS website to attempt booking.  When I selected the port to port option, no suites were available, (in any class),  if I selected door to door, (at $4000 more), all suite classes were available.  Arghhhh.  Guess we will go look at Seabourn and others for our first return to cruising cruise.  Very disappointing!

Is that PP or for both of you?  If you subtract the air and car, what is the difference in price?  Does the D2D also include a hotel night?  

Edited June 24, 2022 by Gourmet Gal

[crusinbanjo]

21 hours ago, Gourmet Gal said:

Is that PP or for both of you?  If you subtract the air and car, what is the difference in price?  Does the D2D also include a hotel night?  

So, yes the price is for both and that is without the air.   But it is all academic, because when I tried to book the P to P, it came up as no space available, but if you booked D to D, even with no air, all categories were available .  Oddly enough, when I checked again this morning,  Deluxe and  Superior Verandas were available. I guess somebody is reading this board 

Edited June 25, 2022 by crusinbanjo

[Gourmet Gal]

4 hours ago, crusinbanjo said:

So, yes the price is for both and that is without the air.   But it is all academic, because when I tried to book the P to P, it came up as no space available, but if you booked D to D, even with no air, all categories were available .  Oddly enough, when I checked again this morning,  Deluxe and  Superior Verandas were available. I guess somebody is reading this board 

Wow!  And what if you had booked it before today?!  Seems insane to charge $4000 more for a ride to and from the airport.

[natshala]

On 6/19/2022 at 3:57 PM, Dolcevita Diva said:

I will now be likelier to wait till closer to the cruise date as a result of the nonrefundable deposit for the P2P option - it seems that for closer-in voyages that are not selling well, they’re adding P2P or reducing the D2D price substantially because they’ve removed the airfare component (have a hunch that they’re finding close-in airfare too steep). 
 

I posted #152. I booked this cruise nearly a year in advance. I didn’t act “on a whim” as one poster said, nor did I “change my mind.” The fact is my husband passed suddenly in mid-March. I explained the situation to SS and asked that they have a heart. They refused. 

[Gourmet Gal]

So sorry for your loss.  You must be going through a very difficult time and it must be disappointing for SS to be so rigid.  Unfortunately, it’s also a difficult time for the cruise industry and I suspect that’s one of the reasons SS increased their non-refundable deposit.  So they weren’t even willing to transfer even a partial amount to a future cruise?   Did you ask to speak to management?  Just wondering, would insurance on the deposit have protected you in this event?

[misseli]

On 6/14/2022 at 9:12 AM, natshala said:

Crystal refugee here. I decided to try SS. I booked PtoP a year in advance. It is a transatlantic sailing out of Ft. Lauderdale. DtoD didn’t make sense since I live in FL and drive to the pier. I’ll admit I didn’t fully understand this concept. So now, I need to cancel this cruise—9 months in advance. I’m told my ENTIRE booking deposit (15% of cruise cost) is NONREFUNDABLE. No exceptions. No FCC.

 

I was duped but take responsibility for my lack of understanding of their harsh policy. I’ve never seen such an unforgiving policy on any other line.

 

I will never book Silversea again.

 

So, think twice when booking PtoP.  

Who advised you to cancel?  I would argue that you are not cancelling but want to change to Door to Door on this cruise as you don’t require return airfare as you live in Fort Lauderdale.  Or as I have done on some cruises that only offer Port to Port is take the air credit and book your own airfare.  Hope this works out for you