SS Worldwide Voyages Book: Needed?

[TLCOhio]

Did others received in the past week the 2024 Silversea Worldwide Voyages book?  Yes, it was at 250 pages counting the covers, etc.  I would call that a "book", not just an ordinary mailer  At first, my wife and I thought it was rather wasteful and excessive marketing overkill.  

 

But, on the cover was this interesting visual from Burma/Myanmar: 

 

We have been booked for several months to arrive in Delhi/India on the evening of Feb. 5, 2024, then doing some type of private SS tour options for Agra, New Delhi, etc. Then fly to Mumbai/Bombay Feb. 11, a day there, then starting 18-day Silver Moon cruise with stops at Mormugao (Goa), New Mangalore and Cochin. Then stops in Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Thailand, Malaysia, etc., before finishing Feb. 29 in Singapore.

 

This lavish book did not "sell" us, but seeing this cover photo by Steve McCurry, plus many of his other creative visuals inside from around the world was very interesting and inspiring.  

 

Other reactions?  We get almost daily mailers and/or e-mails from Oceania.  That's way too much.  Right balance of marketing from Silversea and others?  

 

THANKS!  Enjoy!  Terry in Ohio

 

Norway Coast/Fjords/Arctic Circle cruise from Copenhagen, July 2010, to the top of Europe. Scenic visuals with key tips. Live/blog at 246,894 views.

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/1172051-livesilver-cloud-norway-coastfjords-july-1-16-reports/

[dawntrdr]

It's a gorgeous book - evocative text, inspiring pictures, high quality paper and printing.  Personally, I am looking at three cruises in 2024, so this was very helpful for me to see what is available by destination all year long.  Thumbs up from me.

[Lois R]

Hi Terry, I got the book too......now I have to look for more cruises LOL

[A Tucson Guy]

Great marketing piece from my humble perspective!!

[Texas Tillie]

The ink/paper set off my allergies and resulted in the worst sneezing fit I've ever had!! That was after scraping my knuckle pulling it out of my mail box because it really didn't fit but the post office had shoved it in anyway!!

[CruzinFeraBruzin]

We are on the Dawn now and it’s interesting that they haven’t put the new 2024 voyages book in the suites. All we have is the 2023 catalog. I haven’t gone down to visit the Future Cruise Consultant yet, but the book isn’t displayed in her office either.  

[jpalbny]

We're having fun with it. Lots of nice choices there.

[Host Jazzbeau]

It's odd that they only have two choices for this new brochure:  mail (expensive to them) and view online.  No PDF – which is free to them and my preferred format.

[gnome12]

1 hour ago, Host Jazzbeau said:

It's odd that they only have two choices for this new brochure:  mail (expensive to them) and view online.  No PDF – which is free to them and my preferred format.

PDF doesn't do very well with photographs.

[Host Jazzbeau]

3 minutes ago, gnome12 said:

PDF doesn't do very well with photographs.

I don't know what your experience is, but as a newsletter editor I find that PDF is a terrific format.  Photos scale beautifully no matter how big your screen is as long the original photo has enough pixels – and the professional photographers working for cruise lines are shooting full-frame digital so that's never a problem.

[taxatty]

We got the book--it's beautiful and classy looking, but not surprisingly--no prices.

[A Tucson Guy]

1 minute ago, taxatty said:

We got the book--it's beautiful and classy looking, but not surprisingly--no prices.

I assume the reason there are no prices is because they are fluid and change a lot.

[taxatty]

Just now, A Tucson Guy said:

I assume the reason there are no prices is because they are fluid and change a lot.

Precisely.

[pavementends]

2 hours ago, taxatty said:

We got the book--it's beautiful and classy looking, but not surprisingly--no prices.

 

Hey- that means you can use it as a coffee table book.

 

4 hours ago, Host Jazzbeau said:

I don't know what your experience is, but as a newsletter editor I find that PDF is a terrific format.  Photos scale beautifully no matter how big your screen is as long the original photo has enough pixels – and the professional photographers working for cruise lines are shooting full-frame digital so that's never a problem.

 

Bit of a story here. You can insert photographs effectively or ineffectively. There are settings for compression and if you choose them wrong you can have a one-page flyer that is 10 MB or so. I know, I get them by email sometimes.

 

By the way, I didn't get one. Maybe it depends on how expensive the cabins are that you buy.

[Host Jazzbeau]

When you post a brochure using Issuu software, you can check off a box to allow downloads (or not).  Some companies, for whatever reason, don't check the box.  In this case Silversea seems to have self-published (or hidden the publishing software they are using); but the bottom line is that they didn't provide the download feature.  You can't even print more than the page you are looking at.  Very poor interface, IMHO.   And not very eco-friendly either, since the only way to get the entire brochure is to sign up for the expensive mailed version.

[pavementends]

1 hour ago, pavementends said:

By the way, I didn't get one. Maybe it depends on how expensive the cabins are that you buy.

 

I spoke too soon. It's on the coffee table now.

[Port Power]

I wonder if the book is being mailed to loyal Australian cruisers?

[TLCOhio]

18 hours ago, pavementends said:

Hey- that means you can use it as a coffee table book.   Bit of a story here. You can insert photographs effectively or ineffectively. There are settings for compression and if you choose them wrong you can have a one-page flyer that is 10 MB or so. I know, I get them by email sometimes.   By the way, I didn't get one. Maybe it depends on how expensive the cabins are that you buy.

 

Appreciate ALL of these various great comments and follow-ups regarding this book from Silversea.  Yes, it could be used as a coffee table book, especially for us since we are headed to Burma/Myanmar in February 2024 on the Silver Moon.

 

The compression and pdf questions are way above my pay grade and technical skills.  All I know is that I could scan some of these visuals, fine-tune on my MacBook Pro in order to share here.  Not sure why this book and/or these excellent visuals are not on the SS website.  Maybe in the future?

 

Below are a couple more visuals just to prove the point that these Steve McCury pictures are very nice and highly inspirational.  This photographer like to involve people, capturing that "human element" that makes doing such distant travel adventures very compelling, captivating and informative.   

 

Agree, the paper quality, printing standards, etc., are very high, making this book a good one to save and study more later.

 

Per our Perth friend, yes, hope that this book is mailed to loyal Australian cruisers.  On another question, I have never booked any of the big and/or higher-end suites with Silversea.  But, I got this mailing.  Hopefully, it is shared widely and that people do not just pitches it like happens with many of the other, varied cruise company advertising.  

 

THANKS!  Enjoy!  Terry in Ohio

 

Summer 2019 Calgary, Jasper/Banff National Parks, Western Canada Rocky Mountaineer rail adventure, Vancouver, sailing up to Alaska on Silver Muse, post-cruise excursion to Denali, etc.  Many visuals, Our firsts in these scenic areas!  Now at 19,071 views. Live/blog: 

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2682584-live-terryohio-silver-muse-alaska-canadarockies-pix’s

 

Along the Indian Ocean coast, here is one of his visuals that might give a preview for something that we might experience during our upcoming Silver Moon sailing along the coast of India.:

(Open your screen/viewer wider to see these visuals larger/better!)

 

His cute puffin visual below brings back wonderful memories from sailing with Silversea in Norway and Alaska when we were "up close and personal" with these colorful creatures.:

[Lois R]

Terry, I only book Classic Verandas or possibly a Superior (depending on the $) so there are many of us who never book the "high end" suites and probably never will. (And still got the book).

 

Cute Puffin😀

[MHF]

Received The Book and spent morning coffee reviewing it.  Booked for Fall of 2023 and Fall of 2024 so used it to find cruises before and after mine to see if I want to add another.  Easier than online.

 

Trying Oceania this summer with my cousin who wanted to do a Norway cruise.  And yes, receiving too many brochures from them.  Sometimes duplicates.

 

Missy in Maryland

[Bongomeme]

ANY THOUGHTS ON MYANMAR FOR 2024? MANY CRUISES HAVE CANCELLED STOPS THERE IN 2023 DUE TO THE POLITICAL INSTABILITY.

[Port Power]

1 hour ago, Bongomeme said:

ANY THOUGHTS ON MYANMAR FOR 2024? MANY CRUISES HAVE CANCELLED STOPS THERE IN 2023 DUE TO THE POLITICAL INSTABILITY.

I really cannot see much changing, either.  If you book a Myanmar cruise, be prepared for a complete change in itinerary.

[TLCOhio]

36 minutes ago, Port Power said:

I really cannot see much changing, either.  If you book a Myanmar cruise, be prepared for a complete change in itinerary.

 

YES, we are prepared that things could change and get adjusted for Burma/Myanmar in early 2024.  Those "disruptions" have happened in recent years for Egypt, Istanbul, Russia, etc., when cruise stops got scrubbed  We were lucky in 2018 that things were OK and worked well for us in visiting the Holy Lands, Egypt, etc.  Also was able to do both St. Petersburg and Moscow on a 2008 cruise.  Now?  Not possible there for Russia.  

 

But there are times when our luck holds out and things move ahead satisfactorily.  We will hope for the best in early 2024.  

 

In order to share more "eye candy" from the 2024 Silversea Worldwide Voyages book, below are three of their visuals by skilled photographer Steve McCury from one of our favorite cities, Istanbul, that offers such amazing history, architecture, food, culture, etc.  

 

THANKS!  Enjoy!  Terry in Ohio

 

From late 2018, see “Holy Lands, Egypt, Jordan, Oman, Dubai, Greece, etc.”, with many visuals, details and ideas for the historic and scenic Middle East. Now at 21,810 views.  Connect at:

www.boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2607054-livenautica-greece-holy-lands-egypt-dubai-terrypix’s/

 

From the 2024 Silversea Worldwide Voyages book with visuals by Steve McCury, here are three photographs from Istanbul, including the bridge over the Bosporus, the underground cistern and a sampling of local culture.  Bring back nice memories from Istanbul for Lois and others?:

(Open your screen/viewer wider to see these visuals larger/better!)

 

 

[TLCOhio]

As added background, Steve McCurry, now age 73, is an American photojournalist. His photo, Afghan Girl, of a young lady with piercing green eyes, appeared on the cover of National Geographic.  McCurry is the recipient of numerous awards, including Magazine Photographer of the Year, awarded by the National Press Photographers Association; the Royal Photographic Society's Centenary Medal and two first-place prizes in the World Press Photo contest.  McCurry's famed career was started when, disguised in Afghani garb, he crossed the Pakistan border into rebel-controlled areas of Afghanistan just before the Soviet invasion.  He has covered a wide range of armed conflicts around the world and focuses in on the "human connection" for these various locations.  To him, it is not just about the landscapes, but for the people who inhabit these areas.

 

Silversea has also featured this photographer in some TV commercials we have seen on cable where he pushes the point about "Being Curious" in order to encourage a return to cruising.  

 

THANKS!  Enjoy!  Terry in Ohio

[Observer]

I think this is a nearly obscene expense, especially to be sent to someone who has hundreds of nights and hardly needs a sales presentation like this. I would far prefer that they invest the money into the onboard experience, such as better cuts of meat, higher end scotches, etc.  

 

The cover letter from the CEO hardly inspires confidence. I was quoted savings in AUD$, though I have not been in Australia for years and live solidly in the USA.