Silversea hotels

[Marstan79]

Hello all,

We are getting ready to go on our 3rd Silversea cruise: Yokohama to Yokohama April 3. When we booked the cruise we requested an additional pre night in Tokyo.At that time, the advertised hotel was the Conrad in downtown Tokyo. We were invoiced $550 pp for that hotel. Suddenly, Silversea has changed the hotel to the Westin in Yokohama which has a published rate of $250 night , not pp. Not only is it very inconvenient and denies us the Tokyo experience we wanted but really unhappy about being charged 4 times the going rate. Our TA is looking into it but in the meantime we’d like some advice on what to do. Since they just published the change 2 days ago, we are within the 60 day window for no reimbursements. It seems very underhanded, like a bait and switch. Has anyone had this experience with Silversea or other luxury cruise line? We are relatively new to cruising, having traveled previously only once with Crystal, once with Viking and twice with Silversea. Is this normal?

TIA.

[alexandria]

You are right to be disappointed with Silversea.  A basic room at the Westin is indeed a fraction of the cost of the Conrad.  Unfortunately that is a risk of booking a hotel through the cruise line.  The terms and conditions of the Silversea Hotel Programs provide that "Silversea reserves the right to substitute hotel selection..."

 

However, your travel agent should push Silversea to either rebook you in the Conrad or, alternatively, refund your $550pp so that you can book independently.  And they should escalate it with Silversea as necessary to reach a satisfactory result.  Let them earn their money.  Good luck.

[Marstan79]

Yes, I understand that they can do this. But they will seriously piss us off and we will likely cancel the next cruise we already have booked with them. We encouraged 3 other couples to go with us on the next one ( they booked) and they will need to know that Silversea is not behaving honorably. Have you encountered this before with them or other cruise lines?

[wyocruiser]

When I took an SS cruise to Antarctica, the pre-cruise hotel was supposed to be the Mandarin Oriental. Less than a month before the cruise, SS switched the hotel to the W in Santiago, Chile. There was no comparison between the two hotels. How do I know this? Because the post-cruise hotel was the Mandarin Oriental, and it was so much nicer than the W. 

[Marstan79]

I see you’ve been cruising for a while. Has this happened to you with other cruise lines?

[wyocruiser]

Actually, the Antarctica cruise is the first time I let a cruiseline book a hotel for me, and I only did it this time because it was included as part of an expedition cruise.

[wyocruiser]

You may have noticed that I was in Japan last year. If you only have a day or two in Tokyo, you do not want to stay in Yokohama. All of your time will be taken up by transportation. You may still be able to see the cherry blossoms in Tokyo, and that experience will easily consume an entire day.

[MrsWaldo]

Having done numerous trips to Japan and often stayed in both Tokyo and Yokohama.

 

If you do not end up with a Silversea hotel, don’t book the Conrad.  The Four Seasons Ginza is the perfect location and they have staff who will help you navigate Tokyo train station. 
 

I definitely recommend using the rail wherever possible, even if you get a private guide.  
 

We have a friend who lives in Yokohama  and he often drives us around, luckily he has a few dedicated parking spots, but just getting from place to place in the city itself is very slow.  

[Marstan79]

1 hour ago, wyocruiser said:

Actually, the Antarctica cruise is the first time I let a cruiseline book a hotel for me, and I only did it this time because it was included as part of an expedition cruise.

 

54 minutes ago, wyocruiser said:

You may have noticed that I was in Japan last year. If you only have a day or two in Tokyo, you do not want to stay in Yokohama. All of your time will be taken up by transportation. You may still be able to see the cherry blossoms in Tokyo, and that experience will easily consume an entire day.

We have been to Tokyo and Japan before, although traveling independently. The one thing I don’t like about cruising is the lack of control of the details. Do you book your own air and transfers, too? Pretty new to cruising and trying to learn….

 

[wyocruiser]

A lot of this depends on the cruiseline and the part of the world in which you're traveling. The vast majority of time, I book my own air. I like to choose my own schedule and my own airline. The cruise companies have contracts with certain airlines, and their schedules can be less than desirable. I usually fly in at least a day before the cruise, and I prefer to book my own hotel. The people on Cruisecritic can be super helpful with hotel recommendations. Often, I just take a taxi to the ship. 
 

Depending on which country I’m in, I may stay at a hotel at or near the airport and then take the cruiseline’s airport transfer on the day of the cruise.

 

Please feel free to ask me any questions!     I’m happy to help😊
 

 

[drron29]

So you paid Silversea for an extra night at the Conrad and they are switching that to the Westin Yokohama. As you paid for the Conrad that extra night fee must be refunded to you so you can then book your night in Tokyo.

But Japanese hotel prices have skyrocketed since they re opened to tourism and Cherry blossom time is peak tourist season so hotels are always more expensive For example the Conrad on April 1st is from $US720 now.

And it is possible by train to get from Tokyo Station to Sakuraguchigo station in Yokohama which is the closest station to the Westin in 33 minutes. We have done it last year as we stayed at the IC Yokohama before boarding the Muse.

 

As well one day in Tokyo won't even get you to all the main attractions. We have visited over 50 times and still find new things to do.

[jpalbny]

10 hours ago, Marstan79 said:

The one thing I don’t like about cruising is the lack of control of the details. Do you book your own air and transfers, too?

 

Yes, I always book our own air. That at least gives me the illusion of control, and a better chance to get what I want. For example, on our Kimberley cruise this June, Silversea was not offering any business class flights at all! So I had no choice, unless I wanted to fly in economy for my transpacific flight.

 

But realize that the airlines almost always change the schedule between the time of booking and the time of travel. Just the way it is. Flight schedules are preliminary when put out a year in advance, and they don't get finalized until just a few months prior to travel. Flyertalker has posted about this a few times, and he gives much more detail. It's unavoidable, whether Silversea purchases your tickets, or whether you do.

 

If Silversea is including a hotel in the cruise fare (like they do with expedition cruises), I usually take it. I will almost always book extra nights on my own because they are much cheaper, and even if I have to arrange my own transfers I can still do it for less. Pretty much every European airport we've ever flown in or out of has cheap and convenient public transport to the city and I use that frequently (since we travel light). Or I use a taxi.

 

I can usually figure out public transport to the ship; if not we'll take a taxi. I find that the crew is always amused when the two of us show up on foot, to embark, with no coach transport in sight.

 

The exceptions might be places where the taxis are sketchy, and/or public transport is challenging. Then I use the Silversea option or book through a reputable company.

[ak1004]

For our upcoming cruise from Venice, we asked SS to quote is a hotel. They gave us a quote of $2,500 USD for 2 nights at Monaco & Grand Canal, right? Booking independently was $1,500 USD for 2 nights.

 

In some cases people reported that SS quoted them price per person which was the same as booking independently PER ROOM, so the price was basically double.

 

So please help me to understand: why would anyone book a hotel via SS (unless of course it's included in the price)?? 

[alexandria]

5 hours ago, drron29 said:

So you paid Silversea for an extra night at the Conrad and they are switching that to the Westin Yokohama. As you paid for the Conrad that extra night fee must be refunded to you so you can then book your night in Tokyo.

 

Perhaps Silversea terms and conditions or consumer protection laws are different for AUS based passengers but for US passengers, Silversea's terms and conditions specifically allows them to change hotels even if the new hotel is inferior to the one expected.  In that case, the consumer has no recourse if outside the cancellation period.

 

11 hours ago, Marstan79 said:

The one thing I don’t like about cruising is the lack of control of the details. Do you book your own air and transfers, too? Pretty new to cruising and trying to learn….

 

I always book air and hotels independently.  It allows me to have control over the process, select the exact airline, flights and seats I want (or the exact hotel and room), make changes as I desire, and I nearly always find better airfare and hotel prices myself than what the cruise line will charge.  While I know some report that on occasion they have found cruise line pricing on airfares or hotels to be lower than booking independently, I personally have never found that to be the case.

 

Here's a data point:  On a sailing embarking Seward and disembarking Tokyo, with flights out of Atlanta Silversea charges about $2k for economy air and $11k for business class.  I found business class fares on Delta to Anchorage (1 stop) and from Tokyo (non-stop Delta One suite) for a total of just over $8k.  So I saved $3k and booked the most direct flights possible on a quality carrier.  If I had booked through Silversea, they could have (and likely would have) routed me on flights with more stops on an inferior carrier with less desirable seat locations.

 

As far as transfers, except in limited cases, I also handle those arrangements myself.  For most major cities, the convenience and price of an Uber or taxi is much better than paying cruise line pricing to ride a transfer bus with dozens of other passengers.  If you've ever disembarked and then sat on a cruise line transfer bus for an hour or more waiting for it to "fill up" before it leaves for the airport, you'll understand what I'm talking about.  For me the exception is when the cruise line provides a transfer to/from the airport or hotel to/from cruise terminal where independent arrangements are much more difficult or costly. 

 

For example, Silversea provides complimentary motorcoach transfers from Anchorage to Seward for cruises leaving out of Seward.  Because Seward is 125 miles or so from Anchorage, the primary transfer options are motorcoach (included) or train ($150-$200pp).   Other options are very costly unless you have three or more sharing a transfer (one-way car rental is $650+ and taxi/Uber is $500+).  So in that case, I'll stick with the included Silversea transfer.

 

Hope that is helpful!

Edited February 11 by alexandria

[FlyerTalker]

1 hour ago, jpalbny said:

But realize that the airlines almost always change the schedule between the time of booking and the time of travel. Just the way it is. Flight schedules are preliminary when put out a year in advance, and they don't get finalized until just a few months prior to travel. Flyertalker has posted about this a few times, and he gives much more detail. It's unavoidable, whether Silversea purchases your tickets, or whether you do.

 

Thanks for remembering.  Here's that post and the underlying interview:

 

 

1 hour ago, ak1004 said:

So please help me to understand: why would anyone book a hotel via SS (unless of course it's included in the price)?? 

 

 

I believe it comes down to a couple of possible reasons:

 

1) They want someone else to make all of their arrangements, so all they have to do is show up.

2) They aren't comfortable making independent travel arrangements.

3) They overvalue the transfers that get included in a hotel package.

4) They believe that the cruiseline will "protect" them if anything goes sideways.

5) They have money to burn.  Comparison shopping is SO tiring.

 

IMO, numbers 1 and 2 are valid - but folks need to recognize that there is a steep price for that service.  Number 3 is just a matter of not researching transfer options and properly pricing them out.  Number 4 is more urban legend than fact.  And number 5 is so so prevalent.

 

 

[ak1004]

15 minutes ago, FlyerTalker said:

 

 

I believe it comes down to a couple of possible reasons:

 

1) They want someone else to make all of their arrangements, so all they have to do is show up.

2) They aren't comfortable making independent travel arrangements.

3) They overvalue the transfers that get included in a hotel package.

4) They believe that the cruiseline will "protect" them if anything goes sideways.

5) They have money to burn.  Comparison shopping is SO tiring.

 

IMO, numbers 1 and 2 are valid - but folks need to recognize that there is a steep price for that service.  Number 3 is just a matter of not researching transfer options and properly pricing them out.  Number 4 is more urban legend than fact.  And number 5 is so so prevalent.

 

 

 

I guess it's the same with flights and ship excursions.. 

[Winemaker_1]

22 minutes ago, FlyerTalker said:

 

1 hour ago, ak1004 said:

So please help me to understand: why would anyone book a hotel via SS (unless of course it's included in the price)?? 

 

 

I believe it comes down to a couple of possible reasons:

 

1) They want someone else to make all of their arrangements, so all they have to do is show up.

2) They aren't comfortable making independent travel arrangements.

3) They overvalue the transfers that get included in a hotel package.

4) They believe that the cruiseline will "protect" them if anything goes sideways.

5) They have money to burn.  Comparison shopping is SO tiring.

 

IMO, numbers 1 and 2 are valid - but folks need to recognize that there is a steep price for that service.  Number 3 is just a matter of not researching transfer options and properly pricing them out.  Number 4 is more urban legend than fact.  And number 5 is so so prevalent.

Our first SS cruise is also out of Venice this fall.  At the time of booking, we paid $450pp for a 1 night pre-hotel stay.  The Monaco & Grand Canal hotel was mentioned as the hotel that would likely be used (though I still do not see that confirmed anywhere).  It was our understanding that this includes breakfast and transportation to the pier.  @FlyerTalker points 2 and 4 were top on our minds.  We've never been to Venice and had never cruised at the time of booking (we have since taken a mini cruise in the Caribbean).  Not knowing anything about transportation in Venice (land or water) from hotel to port (or even where the SS port is) led us to book this at the time even at a price we thought was outrageous.

 

Now when I look at MySilversea, it shows a pre/post hotel option but it's at  Palace of Ca' Sagredo.  Does that mean they've changed hotels?

Edited February 11 by Winemaker_1

[sea bright]

One reason to book all through Silversea is if you think there is a chance that the cruise might be canceled or the embarkation port changed. We have had cruise cancellations both when we booked through Silversea and when we booked independently. The former was much easier -full refund from Silversea within weeks.

In the latter case we got the refund for the cruise from Silversea in weeks, but had to go through insurance for non-refundable flights, hotels, tours. We eventually got our money back, but it was very aggravating and took months.

[taxatty]

With regard to hotels, if you independently book extra nights at the Silversea pre or post cruise hotel, and you have elite status with the hotel group in question, the hotel may provide you with an upgraded room and your elite benefits (such as early/late check out times, use of a special lounge, etc.) for your entire stay period. This most recently was the case for us at the Hilton Darwin.

[Marstan79]

21 minutes ago, taxatty said:

With regard to hotels, if you independently book extra nights at the Silversea pre or post cruise hotel, and you have elite status with the hotel group in question, the hotel may provide you with an upgraded room and your elite benefits (such as early/late check out times, use of a special lounge, etc.) for your entire stay period. This most recently was the case for us at the Hilton Darwin.

 

21 minutes ago, taxatty said:

With regard to hotels, if you independently book extra nights at the Silversea pre or post cruise hotel, and you have elite status with the hotel group in question, the hotel may provide you with an upgraded room and your elite benefits (such as early/late check out times, use of a special lounge, etc.) for your entire stay period. This most recently was the case for us at the Hilton Darwin.

Did you contact the hotel directly ahead of time or ask the cruise line to do this?

 

[Marstan79]

8 hours ago, drron29 said:

So you paid Silversea for an extra night at the Conrad and they are switching that to the Westin Yokohama. As you paid for the Conrad that extra night fee must be refunded to you so you can then book your night in Tokyo.

But Japanese hotel prices have skyrocketed since they re opened to tourism and Cherry blossom time is peak tourist season so hotels are always more expensive For example the Conrad on April 1st is from $US720 now.

And it is possible by train to get from Tokyo Station to Sakuraguchigo station in Yokohama which is the closest station to the Westin in 33 minutes. We have done it last year as we stayed at the IC Yokohama before boarding the Muse.

 

As well one day in Tokyo won't even get you to all the main attractions. We have visited over 50 times and still find new things to do.

We have been in Tokyo before so 2 nights is fine and since our air is ready booked, we are there 2 nights regardless. We don’t want to pay 4 times the going rate for a hotel and in a city that is not what we were promised. We have gone ahead and independently reserved a room in Tokyo that is refundable until 48 hours before our arrival hoping that SS will refund us. 

[Marstan79]

2 hours ago, ak1004 said:

For our upcoming cruise from Venice, we asked SS to quote is a hotel. They gave us a quote of $2,500 USD for 2 nights at Monaco & Grand Canal, right? Booking independently was $1,500 USD for 2 nights.

 

In some cases people reported that SS quoted them price per person which was the same as booking independently PER ROOM, so the price was basically double.

 

So please help me to understand: why would anyone book a hotel via SS (unless of course it's included in the price)?? 

 

2 hours ago, ak1004 said:

For our upcoming cruise from Venice, we asked SS to quote is a hotel. They gave us a quote of $2,500 USD for 2 nights at Monaco & Grand Canal, right? Booking independently was $1,500 USD for 2 nights.

 

In some cases people reported that SS quoted them price per person which was the same as booking independently PER ROOM, so the price was basically double.

 

So please help me to understand: why would anyone book a hotel via SS (unless of course it's included in the price)?? 

It makes the whole process easier since they will handle all of the transfers between airport/hotel/ship. But certainly not worth it if you are paying exorbitant prices for the hotel or, as in our case, they charge us a price for one hotel and then move us to a considerably less desirable and less costly one. What I hope to learn from all of you vastly more experienced cruisers is if this is common in the “luxury” segment of the industry or just SS.

[canderson]

32 minutes ago, taxatty said:

With regard to hotels, if you independently book extra nights at the Silversea pre or post cruise hotel, and you have elite status with the hotel group in question, the hotel may provide you with an upgraded room and your elite benefits (such as early/late check out times, use of a special lounge, etc.) for your entire stay period. This most recently was the case for us at the Hilton Darwin.

Our experience was the same.  We booked the Tivoli Avenida in Lisbon for 3 pre-cruise nights with SS at a decent rate, booked a 4th on our own in a better room, and stayed in the better room for all 4 nights, plus got the extra perks due to our own 4th night booking.

[Marstan79]

1 hour ago, ak1004 said:

 

I guess it's the same with flights and ship excursions.. 

we are guilty of #3 and 4

[Marstan79]

3 hours ago, ak1004 said:

For our upcoming cruise from Venice, we asked SS to quote is a hotel. They gave us a quote of $2,500 USD for 2 nights at Monaco & Grand Canal, right? Booking independently was $1,500 USD for 2 nights.

 

In some cases people reported that SS quoted them price per person which was the same as booking independently PER ROOM, so the price was basically double.

 

So please help me to understand: why would anyone book a hotel via SS (unless of course it's included in the price)?? 

I see you’ve traveled on various of the smaller ship cruise lines. Do you have a preference between SS, Oceania, Seabourn? We’d like to stick with ships that are smaller 500 -800 or so.