New Silversea Royal Caribbean/Celebrity Status Match Announced

[Emdee]

1 hour ago, bethtex said:

It will keep SSea full with new cruisers.  If the average age now is 70, need to attract 50-60 yr olds.

As a shareholder, I think this is a smart business move. 

Absolutely. I am not a shareholder but I do see it as a smart business move. When we outgrew rccl and my DD grew up we moved to Regent and Crystal. This will definitely cross sell between brands. 
 

After a brief foray into Silversea we never cared for the classic product but liked the Expedition product. We still mostly cruise Regent and Crystal but will certainly consider Silversea for the correct itinerary and ship. I don’t think the Free laundry will be the deciding factor. 

[billc23]

1 hour ago, bethtex said:

It will keep SSea full with new cruisers.  If the average age now is 70, need to attract 50-60 yr olds.

As a shareholder, I think this is a smart business move. 

As a fellow shareholder I agree. As far as Silversea having a unique personality, leading to a different experience onboard, I feel that the blending of the 3 Royal brands will not benefit those loyal to Silversea. For example, the talented bartenders at the salt bar used to be able to order the ingredients they desired for special cocktails. In March, they told me they can only obtain what  Royal dictates should be in the supply chain. I foresee similar issues happening in many departments that will not enhance the Silversea experience. I really enjoy the Silversea bedding and found the new bedding on the Celebrity Ascent (new ship) not of the same quality. What will Silversea use in the future for bedding - who knows??

 

Homogenization of the brands may not be good.

[Emdee]

2 minutes ago, billc23 said:

 

Homogenization of the brands may not be good.

On the other hand it may provide a breath of fresh air which I personally felt SSea needs. I found that simple things like maintaining a list of your likes and dislikes, your drink preferences etc are not maintained from ship to ship on SSea. 
Crystal, Regent and Seabourn are meticulous in updating and maintaining client profiles so I never need to ask for Evian in my cabin. Even on my third SSea cruise I had to get the bedding changed after boarding because it was not hypo allergenic something even luxury hotels maintain in your profile. 

[drron29]

Well having fallen short of the magical 500 nights on our last cruise I don't look forward to this change. I can foresee the highest tier passengers on RCL and Celebrity may be much more demanding than long term SS cruisers.

Back pre covid they did keep things on our client profiles including always a bottle of Tiki in the fridge - Rojaan's favourite. It happened again on our 2022 Med cruise but not since then. we also found the same with menus and food quality in the same time period.

So those decisions plus this and the steep increase in prices may well see that the cruises we have booked may be our last on SS.

Edited May 31 by drron29

[Emdee]

3 minutes ago, drron29 said:

Well having fallen short of the magical 500 nights on our last cruise I don't look forward to this change. I can foresee the highest tier passengers on RCL and Celebrity may be much more demanding than long term SS cruisers.

Back pre covid they did keep things on our client profiles including always a bottle of Tiki in the fridge - Rojaan's favourite. It happened again on our 2022 Med cruise but not since then. we also found the same with menus and food quality in the same time period.

So those decisions plus this and the steep increase in prices may well see that the cruises we have booked may be our last on SS.

My experience of Silversea was during and post Covid so I cannot speak for before that time.
I don’t understand how you can foresee that RCL and Celebrity passengers are more demanding. It is some years since we have sailed on them but I have found demanding and obnoxious passengers on all four of the luxury lines which we have sailed on in the last 20 years. 
 

[Host Jazzbeau]

I had not expected this, because IMO there is no benefit to a Luxury line in blending its loyalty program with hordes of mass market customers.  And this is a much more complete blending that I ever expected.  So to me it's a ratification that Silversea is a high-premium line in RCG's plans.  Bye Bye Luxury.

[Host Jazzbeau]

And by the way, now that I get 10% off plus free laundry, this does change the value proposition for Silversea.  Measured against other high-premium lines, their fares (especially if I find 'included' excursions worth taking) can be appealing.  

 

But I'm truly sorry for those who loved the old true-luxury Silversea – and those who earned the Venetian Society benefits that I have just been handed.

[bethtex]

2 hours ago, Emdee said:

Absolutely. I am not a shareholder but I do see it as a smart business move. When we outgrew rccl and my DD grew up we moved to Regent and Crystal. This will definitely cross sell between brands. 
 

After a brief foray into Silversea we never cared for the classic product but liked the Expedition product. We still mostly cruise Regent and Crystal but will certainly consider Silversea for the correct itinerary and ship. I don’t think the Free laundry will be the deciding factor. 

The extra 10% discount that is stackable with VS 5% discount will help us pick a cruise.

[sanne]

2 hours ago, Emdee said:

On the other hand it may provide a breath of fresh air which I personally felt SSea needs. I found that simple things like maintaining a list of your likes and dislikes, your drink preferences etc are not maintained from ship to ship on SSea. 
Crystal, Regent and Seabourn are meticulous in updating and maintaining client profiles so I never need to ask for Evian in my cabin. Even on my third SSea cruise I had to get the bedding changed after boarding because it was not hypo allergenic something even luxury hotels maintain in your profile. 

I think you have been fortunate with your preferences remaining on file. Having cruised Regent ( +500 nights ) Silverseas ( + 100 nights ) and Seabourn ( + 100 nights ) I have yet had any of my preferences regarding non allergenic bedding or my food allergies saved on file. Each and every one of my cruises over the 20 years I have had to request these when I boarded even though they are on my file in my account. 

[drron29]

2 hours ago, Emdee said:

My experience of Silversea was during and post Covid so I cannot speak for before that time.
I don’t understand how you can foresee that RCL and Celebrity passengers are more demanding. It is some years since we have sailed on them but I have found demanding and obnoxious passengers on all four of the luxury lines which we have sailed on in the last 20 years. 
 

Because it is already happening if you read widely.

[Tothesunset]

They've got to fill these new ships somehow. Bottom line. Their only concern. 

[canderson]

Wow - 1 cruise with SS and we're already in the 350+ day club with just Celebrity status.

 

Hard to imagine they'll provide a free 7 day cruise before or after our next one, though.

 

[drron29]

15 minutes ago, canderson said:

Wow - 1 cruise with SS and we're already in the 350+ day club with just Celebrity status.

 

Hard to imagine they'll provide a free 7 day cruise before or after our next one, though.

 

Yes the SS Email was explicit. No complimentary cruises for those who status match.

[Neilio]

No different than what hotel chains have done after acquisitions. In almost all cases an integration of systems, policies and perks takes place. The bottom line is that the corporation needs to grow their revenue and earnings. Cost cutting and synergies are a natural outcome. I can still stay at a St. Regis/Ritz-Carlton and use my Marriott Bonvoy benefits that I accumulated via stays at a Courtyard. The proof will be if the cruises are full and demand keeps growing. As many previous posters have noted the age demographic for most of these luxury cruise lines (exception being Alaska and Expedition) is 70 years plus. The cruise lines must find ways to attract and maintain a younger clientele. Happy Sailing to All.

[AJCM]

We enjoyed the daily included laundry on Regent last year, around Japan; and now we get the same with Silversea from 5 June around Norway on Dawn; as well as a higher grade bottle of champagne. That’s it. Timing is perfect for us and we’re very happy. We’ll be more closely considering Silversea for 2025 and 26 with the additional loyalty booking discount.

[TeeRick]

11 hours ago, Host Jazzbeau said:

And by the way, now that I get 10% off plus free laundry, this does change the value proposition for Silversea.  Measured against other high-premium lines, their fares (especially if I find 'included' excursions worth taking) can be appealing.  

 

But I'm truly sorry for those who loved the old true-luxury Silversea – and those who earned the Venetian Society benefits that I have just been handed.

Jazz just wait until the Pinnacles take over a Silversea Ship.  The avoidance of entitled attitudes was one of the reasons that I previously switched to Silversea from Celebrity and Royal.  Oh well let's see what happens. 

[Lvshack]

8 minutes ago, AJCM said:

We enjoyed the daily included laundry on Regent last year, around Japan; and now we get the same with Silversea from 5 June around Norway on Dawn; as well as a higher grade bottle of champagne. That’s it. Timing is perfect for us and we’re very happy. We’ll be more closely considering Silversea for 2025 and 26 with the additional loyalty booking discount.

I have a cruise booked for Oct 2024& Nov 2025. Which had  been booked before the match status started so I have been informed that my new 250 day( previously 100+) will not apply to these bookings & only on new ones ..

[Port Power]

When on a SS ship, conversation sometimes relates to how many days we have on Silversea.  Very friendly, because everyone starts at the bottom.  NEVER is loyalty level ever mentioned.  Well, duh! That’s because loyalty is calculated in days sailed.

 

If I start hearing passengers discussing whether they are Elite or Zenith, I’ll keep on walking.
 

Silversea is a natural progression after Celebrity as we start wanting more personal service, larger cabins and included beverages.  Will this move really encourage Royal cruisers to spend so much more money for their cruise?

[tinaincc]

2 minutes ago, Lvshack said:

I have a cruise booked for Oct 2024& Nov 2025. Which had  been booked before the match status started so I have been informed that my new 250 day( previously 100+) will not apply to these bookings & only on new ones ..

If you were told this when calling in they are a bit confused. Same thing was said to me when I called but the offshore team was thinking that I wanted all of the benefits including the 5% discount. I explained I was only interested in the onboard benefits and they verified that I will in fact have those when we sail in 2 weeks

[ropomo]

If you have a qualifying status (RCL Platinum), will the benefit transfer be applied to a first Silversea cruise? The Platinum status should the equivalent of 100+ SS days. We will be on our first SS cruise the end of July and wondering if we will get comp laundry. I've read the T&C but still am not sure.

[tinaincc]

Just now, ropomo said:

If you have a qualifying status (RCL Platinum), will the benefit transfer be applied to a first Silversea cruise? The Platinum status should the equivalent of 100+ SS days. We will be on our first SS cruise the end of July and wondering if we will get comp laundry. I've read the T&C but still am not sure.

I believe so. I am in the same boat 😊. I leave on our first cruise in 2 weeks and my call to SS yesterday confirmed that I should have the onboard benefits. If I were you I would call SS to ensure they have all of your matching details.

[PaulMCO]

Way different programs and ways to get points.  We have done 6 SS cruises with 90 night 10 short of the magic 100.   We have done ONE long ago Celebrity expedition cruise and have 60 points = SELECT.  So we get to the magic 100 benefits with one 7 day cruise versus 6 SS cruises. 

 

Something is wrong here.

[Lois R]

You should see the thread about this topic over on the Celebrity board. I realize it is  a much larger forum but they are really posting alot.....It is already in the 100's of responses.

[tfred]

3 hours ago, TeeRick said:

Jazz just wait until the Pinnacles take over a Silversea Ship.  The avoidance of entitled attitudes was one of the reasons that I previously switched to Silversea from Celebrity and Royal.  Oh well let's see what happens. 

not going to happen. Royal and X ships have a very specific segment - regular 7 day cruises generally out of Florida   Pick your level of "opulence" to cruise at 

 

SSea cruises are longer, start midweek, from harder to get to ports for most people.  VS benefits are good but not a game changer. The status match is just to make sure that if you are tired of X or R that there is this other cruise line that we own that you may like and you get some recognition of your previous patronage 

[Jim_Iain]

15 hours ago, drron29 said:

Well having fallen short of the magical 500 nights on our last cruise I don't look forward to this change. I can foresee the highest tier passengers on RCL and Celebrity may be much more demanding than long term SS cruisers.

Back pre covid they did keep things on our client profiles including always a bottle of Tiki in the fridge - Rojaan's favourite. It happened again on our 2022 Med cruise but not since then. we also found the same with menus and food quality in the same time period.

So those decisions plus this and the steep increase in prices may well see that the cruises we have booked may be our last on SS.

 

As a double Zenith, I would not be concerned if I were you.    Looks like the only benefit is an ungraded bottle of bubbly and Free Laundry.  The FAQ says many of the special events 500+ members enjoy are not included for those on Status Match.

CAS Excluded Benefits include but are not limited to the following: 
I. Complimentary Pinnacle Club milestone cruises  
II. Diamond Plus and Pinnacle Club amenities  
III. Single supplement cruise fare reduction  
IV. Cheers with an Officer onboard event  
V. Milestone recognition (Crystal Block)  
VI. Upgraded bathroom amenities  
VII. Pinnacle Club milestone kits  
VIII. Chef’s Choice amenity