Removing Italy on Silversea?

[Unibok]

Forgive me if this has been brought up, but I wasn’t able to find it in a search.

 

Does anyone know WHY Silversea is becoming so Americanized and why its traces of Italian origin are being erased or replaced? Apart from the obvious “now they’re owned by RCCL” please. 
 

Examples:

* Atlantide is now pronounced “Atlant-EYEd” rather than Atlant-EEd” — yes I know most people pronounced it wrong but that’s not a good reason to make it policy

 

* no more gelato, only ice cream — truly a loss in my book

 

* no more welcome Prosecco upon boarding, only welcome champagne upon arrival — and a new brand at that

 

* more casual nights, and more baseball hats in the dining rooms 

 

* waaayyyy more pax from the US than ever before

 

Silversea’s Italian-ness was always part of the appeal for me. I’m really hesitating at spending this much money for an American experience on an American cruise line. Way too much like being at home.

 

Any chance they’ll bring Italy back to Silversea?

 

Please know that I’m from the US and am not picking on somebody else’s country; rather, I’m missing the old touches of Italy I used to enjoy onboard.

 

All thoughtful responses are welcome 🙏🏼 

[Kiwi John]

Agree, nothing like the cruise line it used to be, the Italian heritage is unfortunately now gone and their door to door pricing is a joke!

[labrasett]

Oh dear more moans and groans.   We have been sailing on Silversea since 2011 and they have always offered us champagne on boarding.  Baseball caps are never welcome in the dining room although some people try and push their luck.  Perhaps people in US have more money to spend on holidays than people in Europe.   Didnt hear Atlantide pronounced Alant - eyed  when we were on the Dawn last month.

[Unibok]

27 minutes ago, labrasett said:

Oh dear more moans and groans.   We have been sailing on Silversea since 2011 and they have always offered us champagne on boarding.  Baseball caps are never welcome in the dining room although some people try and push their luck.  Perhaps people in US have more money to spend on holidays than people in Europe.   Didnt hear Atlantide pronounced Alant - eyed  when we were on the Dawn last month.

I have never moaned or groaned on this forum, labrasett. 
 

I asked a real and earnest question, having just disembarked after 24 days on the Dawn. I assure you, the restaurant in question is now called Atlant- eyed, and even Barbara Muckerman pronounces it such in a recent video.

 

Silversea has put a BIG push into US sales, and it seems to be working. By big I mean full-page ads in major US newspapers. My recent sailing was majority US citizens and majority first-timers.

 

I am not whinging about a drop in standards — I am very specifically asking about the loss of Italian touches.

 

 

[etual324]

While on board the Muse for Christmas  the Muse  menus    did not reflect any trace of Italian  heritage

in fact Christmas eve which is a BIG seafood  dinner   in Italy was not offered in any dining venue

not one italian style offering  but system wide fixed menus

 

 

in fact all aspects of the cruise were not up to SS reputation

[etual324]

Also  a few years back on Sea days SS had classes on learning to speak Italian

[Mr Luxury]

2 hours ago, Unibok said:

Forgive me if this has been brought up, but I wasn’t able to find it in a search.

 

Does anyone know WHY Silversea is becoming so Americanized and why its traces of Italian origin are being erased or replaced? Apart from the obvious “now they’re owned by RCCL” please. 
 

Examples:

* Atlantide is now pronounced “Atlant-EYEd” rather than Atlant-EEd” — yes I know most people pronounced it wrong but that’s not a good reason to make it policy

 

* no more gelato, only ice cream — truly a loss in my book

 

* no more welcome Prosecco upon boarding, only welcome champagne upon arrival — and a new brand at that

 

* more casual nights, and more baseball hats in the dining rooms 

 

* waaayyyy more pax from the US than ever before

 

Silversea’s Italian-ness was always part of the appeal for me. I’m really hesitating at spending this much money for an American experience on an American cruise line. Way too much like being at home.

 

Any chance they’ll bring Italy back to Silversea?

 

Please know that I’m from the US and am not picking on somebody else’s country; rather, I’m missing the old touches of Italy I used to enjoy onboard.

 

All thoughtful responses are welcome 🙏🏼 

I think that you have answered your own question fairly early on in your post.

[dawntrdr]

I don't think that "Atlantide" is an Italian word; therefore any acceptable English pronunciation would do, including "Atlant-EYEd."  My first SS cruise was on the Cloud in 2018, and the main eating venue there (as on the Wind) is still called "The Restaurant", not the Ristorante, and that ship goes back to 1994.  

 

That said, an Italian Christmas Eve dinner, or any specialty cultural meal such as a St. Joseph's table, would be a great idea.

Edited April 16, 2023 by dawntrdr

[labrasett]

I wonder if the passenger mix (US biased apparently) has something to do with the routings.   Lots and lots of trips around Europe are possibly less attractive to Europeans since it is easy for us to get around the see our own continent.   It is unlikely we would book a cruise in Europe since from UK we can get in the car, catch a ferry and drive across Europe very easily.   We can also have a huge rail network available to us in Europe.  I suspect many Europeans are more attracted to the distant destinations than those on their doorstep.   I am a bit sorry to see the rather limited choices of cruises around South America in the next couple of years compared with recent itineraries.    It will be interesting to see what the national mix is on a cruise from Sydney to Auckland.

[Texas Tillie]

Why don't you try the new Crystal, since it's now owned by your favorite Italian? 🤪😉🤣

[Mr Luxury]

8 minutes ago, labrasett said:

I wonder if the passenger mix (US biased apparently) has something to do with the routings.   Lots and lots of trips around Europe are possibly less attractive to Europeans since it is easy for us to get around the see our own continent.   It is unlikely we would book a cruise in Europe since from UK we can get in the car, catch a ferry and drive across Europe very easily.   We can also have a huge rail network available to us in Europe.  I suspect many Europeans are more attracted to the distant destinations than those on their doorstep.   I am a bit sorry to see the rather limited choices of cruises around South America in the next couple of years compared with recent itineraries.    It will be interesting to see what the national mix is on a cruise from Sydney to Auckland.

Catch a ferry indeed.

Have you not seen the last dogs breakfast at the  Easter getaway.

[labrasett]

2 minutes ago, Mr Luxury said:

Catch a ferry indeed.

Have you not seen the last dogs breakfast at the  Easter getaway.

I wouldnt attempt to travel during the School holidays!!    However notwithstanding the queues at Dover this year there are other departure points where these issues were not so marked (Portsmouth, Plymouth, Poole for example).   

[labrasett]

Anyway, a lot of my friends are American.

[Gourmet Gal]

I don’t recall how heavily SS marketed the Italian aspect early on.  There’s really nothing on the current SS website that espouses any sort of Italian heritage to the line and there doesn’t seem to be a marketing angle that promotes it.  Newer cruisers probably have no idea.  To me, the Italian connection was never a draw.  I love Italian fashion, textiles, cuisine but quite honestly when I think of elegant service, haute cuisine, high level of luxury travel anything Italian is not my first thought.

[erikzen]

I'm sure there is a team of sales professionals whose job it is to grow the business. I'm not an expert on cruise marketing but if you want to grow sales you have to go to the larger markets with people interested in your product. Without doing market research, the US seems like the obvious market to go after. Given that only 6% of Americans have Italian heritage, that's not something I would play up to a US audience. It's a shame that the things we like often change in the name of chasing a buck, but in business the old adage is true, if you're not growing, your dying. 

[pavementends]

I think one should pick a cruise line based on what they actually offer, rather than what they used to offer, or their history.

 

I seem to remember being offered Prosecco at dinner, and some respectable pasta dishes, 24 month Parmesan, and a grappa after dinner. So there is at least some Italian character.

[5waldos]

I don't remember SS as being seriously Italian, if the truth be known. And as far as the Prosecco vs Champagne- people used to complain that unless they made a very specific request for Champagne they were often given the very much less expensive Prosecco and complained bitterly about it. Requesting Prosecco instead of Champagne would make them happy. 

[les37b]

On the Dawn last month in the Caribbean, surprisingly, Brits outnumbered Americans 3 to 1. Most unusual…. But that was because it became a semi charter.
 

No Peroni was available anywhere on the ship. That’s a bit like no Sushi in Kaiseke. 
 

Don’t like D2D at all. Don’t like EBB disappearing. Don’t like the deposit and refund changes. No VS of P2P. Don’t like bigger ships.

 

I still enjoyed the cruise and hope to have a great time on the Muse next week, but I think the CL I’m fond of is disappearing fast.

 

 

[mancunian]

Provided they do not get rid of the Illy coffee I am happy with other things!

 

[drron29]

On our Dawn cruise last year Americans were only the third largest group of passengers after the UK and Australia.

Also can't remember SS being really Italian apart from it's Captains but we have only been cruising them since 2010.

[spinnaker2]

Bring back Donato!

[A Tucson Guy]

3 hours ago, les37b said:

On the Dawn last month in the Caribbean, surprisingly, Brits outnumbered Americans 3 to 1. Most unusual…. But that was because it became a semi charter.
 

No Peroni was available anywhere on the ship. That’s a bit like no Sushi in Kaiseke. 
 

Don’t like D2D at all. Don’t like EBB disappearing. Don’t like the deposit and refund changes. No VS of P2P. Don’t like bigger ships.

 

I still enjoyed the cruise and hope to have a great time on the Muse next week, but I think the CL I’m fond of is disappearing fast.

 

 

Anybody can "jump ship" anytime they want. If you don't like a cruise line, try another one.

[les37b]

34 minutes ago, A Tucson Guy said:

Anybody can "jump ship" anytime they want. If you don't like a cruise line, try another one.

Absolutely. Just surprising that SS are hell bent on encouraging it. The things mentioned are marketing ploys which are unpalatable, but beyond that, it’s not very good reading the number of recent posts from guests dissatisfied with their experiences. I’ve seen grumbles and complaints before, but not on these levels. 

 

 

[Tothesunset]

7 hours ago, les37b said:

Absolutely. Just surprising that SS are hell bent on encouraging it. 

 

 

🤣

[nfcu]

16 hours ago, spinnaker2 said:

Bring back Donato!

Thanks, you made me smile.  Many great memories of him.  He was La Terrazzo to us!