Silver Spirit Missing Cruises

My TA got the official call this afternoon. We are rebooked...on Regent. Very similar ports, just in reverse in April instead of March.

Wishing all those who canceled best of luck in finding what you want!

M

I also heard from my TA today. The 20% for 2018 cruies is on SELECT voyages, not the two I was considering. Disappointed in the offer and likely will cancel, get refund and book on another line. Very poorly handled by Silversea.

I also heard from my TA today. The 20% for 2018 cruies is on SELECT voyages, not the two I was considering. Disappointed in the offer and likely will cancel, get refund and book on another line. Very poorly handled by Silversea.

Don't give up. Stress that you feel SS need to to compare the booking prices you paid with what you have selected otherwise it's not a true reflection and as you're aware, the "compensation" offered doesn't even cover those price increases in most cases.

My TA got the official call this afternoon. We are rebooked...on Regent. Very similar ports, just in reverse in April instead of March.

 

Wishing all those who canceled best of luck in finding what you want!

 

M

Ditto that. Hope you enjoy your replacement.

I am wondering how it pans out eventually for those using a TA compared to booking direct.

Don't give up. Stress that you feel SS need to to compare the booking prices you paid with what you have selected otherwise it's not a true reflection and as you're aware, the "compensation" offered doesn't even cover those price increases in most cases.

Totally agree. You may need to push but there is some flexibility being allowed.

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Thanks for the helpful suggestions and you do raise an interesting point in using TA vs booking directly. It does seem those booking directly were able to influence the outcome more in this case.

The real issue for me is that I booked real early and any identical itineraries on similar lines are a chunk more. I'll try again with the longer Silversea one I liked----appreciate the encouragement to give it another shot!

This entire issue is frustrating. I have been told by my Silversea contacts they are "Muse-ifying" the Spirit and changing soft furnishings. I can't understand from a business perspective how it makes sense to add perhaps 50 cabins...switch out the soft furnishings, maybe change some dining venues...but for the fact that they can charge Muse prices. One would think the costs of doing so would outstrip the fares they can charge for many years. I certainly hope it doesn't change the quality of the ship's ride.

We were booked in April. Received the list of "select" voyages yesterday for each discount 30%, 20% and 10%.

Price increases have eaten up most of the discount. The more desirable itineraries are not in the 30% category.

More importantly, the Spirit is one of our favorite ships--and the prices after drydock have increased dramatically and minimal Spirit voyages are listed at 30 or 20% off. I suspect they did want those on the cancelled voyages to switch to the Spirit after drydock without paying for it.

This will take some time to sort through as they sent a list of voyage numbers only. They certainly don't make it easy.

We are very loyal to Silversea and we want to cruise with them but they do make it difficult at times...and they are playing games which is very frustrating and leaves a bad taste in our mouths.

Has anyone pushed back at them with any success? I.e., we paid x for our voyage and we want to pay the same for the same itinerary? [if we can find it; we chose our voyage specifically for the itinerary and can find nothing similar so far.]

Herman, for us their was a near identical muse itinerary a month after ours. It fell in the 20% category and even if it were 30 what was offered was still heavily over what we had paid by 50% including all the discounts. And that was with a Vista whereas we'd paid for a balcony. In June, the selling price for these were almost identical which is why it's frustrating and the generosity not as it seems. The increase we were "offered"was bigger than the price difference at the time of booking. That's just wrong.

I don't think it would be right to post any details of resolutions, but I'd be happy to tell you in email how I dealt with mine. It may help, it may not. Mine was further complicated with other things so possibly not quite the same as for everyone affected.

cruise-trip@europe.com

And what's even worse is the fact it's noticeable that as Spirit customers are booking, the cruise prices are rising daily on more popular listings. I've only ever noticed increases before on the 1st of the month.

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After a lot of hard work by my agent, there was a positive resolution. Am happy with the new cruise, am using Silversea air, paying a $150 deviation fee for dates I wanted. Got the flight options and, to my surprise, they were very good in terms of departure times, arrival times, and connecting times. I know I won't see seats until much closer to dates but so far am hopeful it will work out.

Thanks to everyone for the encouragement to keep trying for a better outcome. I was fortunate. A friend in Scotland had booked a family trip which was canceled----she was not as successful and says she will not sail Silversea again. Good luck to others in working it out.

Had a march 23 SilverSea Spirit cruise out of Rome cancelled, rebooked on May 6. Anyone else doing the same?

Had a march 23 SilverSea Spirit cruise out of Rome cancelled, rebooked on May 6. Anyone else doing the same?

Was it an exact like for like ... at no extra cost?

Glad you got it sorted.

Was it an exact like for like ... at no extra cost?

 

Glad you got it sorted.

I think so, I added Air so the price is off but it looks like it is close,maybe a bit more.

Morning all

We had our cruise booked on one of the now cancelled voyages which was paid in full 6 months ago still waiting for refund has anyone had a refund yet or how long do I have to wait?

Morning all

We had our cruise booked on one of the now cancelled voyages which was paid in full 6 months ago still waiting for refund has anyone had a refund yet or how long do I have to wait?

Did you not want a replacement?

I would have expected if you'd asked for a refund you would have got it straight away.

Morning les37b

No did not want a replacement as I cannot get a different holiday period have been told by my uk ta it's out of their hands as it has to be dealt with by head office in monaco.

Morning les37b

No did not want a replacement as I cannot get a different holiday period have been told by my uk ta it's out of their hands as it has to be dealt with by head office in monaco.

Hi,

Presumably you are English?

I would also consider whether you might be due some compensation from SS when they cancelled your cruise.

For example, in very simply terms under UK consumer legislation the cancellation clauses in the agreement should be identical for both sides. So for example if you would lose 15% of the cruise fare for you cancelling 120 days out then this should be the minimum they have to pay you if they cancel. Consumer contracts cannot place one side, particularly the side considered "most powerful" to have an unbalanced or unfair contractual advantage. So you might calculate the days notice you were given and decide whether it is worth it to you to pursue them for what is possibly rightfully yours. They should of course return your funds immediately without faffing around.

Good luck.

Morning les37b

No did not want a replacement as I cannot get a different holiday period have been told by my uk ta it's out of their hands as it has to be dealt with by head office in monaco.

I would challenge your TA on this as mine have very successfully negotiated with SS on my behalf.

Sophia ☺️

Morning les37b

No did not want a replacement as I cannot get a different holiday period have been told by my uk ta it's out of their hands as it has to be dealt with by head office in monaco.

That's a bit of a cop out and they can certainly apply pressure and certainly should be doing so.

I know of at least one possibly two here who have by passed their TA and gone direct. (Something that usually never happens with SS always insisting you use your agent.)

But if things are not being pushed, you'd be further disadvantaged as this surge of "new (re) bookings" is affecting current pricing. That point and need for urgency needs to be emphasised.

If you do decide for a refund, you are also entitled to a refund on any expenses you paid for (hotels and flights for example)

They offered me a refund on my hotel booking in Venice, but as the deal I negotiated was good, I decided I'd change the reservation and visit in October instead of Cancel and they reimburse. Everyone wins. SS keep a booking at a price they are happy. We get our alternative cruise at a great price and a treat in Venice to boot!

Shame if you just select the refund, but if that's what you'd prefer, hope it ends well and you manage to get something better for yourself.

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My wife and I have sailed three times in the past three years on Silversea, twice on the Spirit. We love that ship and we looked forward to sailing on it again. But after reading all of the above posts I'm disgusted by the unprofessional, unacceptable, and borderline-fraudulent actions of SS's owner. The guy treats SS as more of a plaything, a hobby, than as a true business. He sits there in Monte Carlo and decides on a whim to cancel cruises (and greatly inconvenience loyal passengers) without notice or explanation. This is B.S., pure and simple.

As wonderful as SS is---or used to be---it's not so wonderful that people won't consider alternatives. And once you try something new, you may never return to the old.

The guy treats SS as more of a plaything, a hobby, than as a true business. He sits there in Monte Carlo and decides on a whim to cancel cruises (and greatly inconvenience loyal passengers) without notice or explanation. This is B.S., pure and simple.

I think this is unfair and reflects -- at best -- partial information. Cancellations are not uncommon in the cruise industry. Cruises are cancelled because of opportunities to charter the entire ship, because of longer than anticipated dry docks, because of mechanical issues, etc. The Spirit cancellation was hardly "on a whim" nor was it "without notice or explanation." Of course there was notice, otherwise there would not be this thread. It may not be as much notice as some would like. But there was notice. And the explanation is well known: Spirit is being stretched and will be having an extensive refit in a longer dry dock than was initially scheduled. This is clearly not a happy situation for anyone (apart, perhaps, for passengers on an improved Spirit after dry dock), Booked passengers are inconvenienced and their plans are seriously upset. Silversea makes some guests unhappy and loses money by taking the ship out of service and compensating guests. At least some staff will have their contracts modified. Etc.

As someone who has actually benefited with a replacement cruise which by value would be considered an improved deal, I still feel the whole thing reflects very badly on Silversea.

Taking fares in full from passengers so far out should guarantee the cruise takes place outside of ship failures or things outside of the companies control. The 6 or so cruises involved here were mostly sold out. That's the very reason this should not have happened. Had the dry dock been for mechanical or safety reasons, then my opinion would soften to merely disappointment.

As it stands, I learned that my cruise was cancelled from this board. I agree with you the reason is to stretch the ship purely by timescale, however I've seen nothing on their website to confirm this and indeed have received zero from silversea to even explain my cruise has been cancelled or the reason for it. Sure, I found out verbally when I called SS to ask and went about finding a replacement, but I can tell you my preference would have been to sail the cruise I booked and paid for in advance.

If you want to book your ship in to increase capacity, then you do it by proper planning and well in advance. This is purely a commercial decision and a poor one in these timescales and I can only assume there was a slot available and a favourable deal stuck for these dates. I see no other plausible reason as you've said, this decision has hurt Silversea also.

Cancelling for a charter is even worse! I don't consider it reasonable to have my fare gazumped and never consider it as an auction bid either.

Has anyone affected actually seen anything official to say that Spirit is being stretched? (I made that assumption early in this thread because they announced some time back it was something they were considering. I even asked my consultant if that's what it was for and he didn't know.)

As for the plaything remark. I've personally been on cruises in Monaco and had whole restaurants used by the owner to entertain. That should not be happening. The first time, it did happen and Prince Albert and a bunch of racing drivers dined. The second, the restaurants were given back to guests at the last minute, but the intent was there. The second was on the Muse and the reservation issues and capacities would have caused mayhem had he really taken out la Terrazza and Atlantide as was planned and seen on my.silversea. Doesn't matter that it didn't happen. These restaurants are for fare paying guests. Why would anyone think that's ok to deny their use?

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There is a really simple approach that should IMHO always be taken.

Not a single customer would be affected or inconvenienced and the customer recovery cost of the exercise would be a very big fat zero if they simply ALWAYS scheduled refits in the next non-published year. In fact the announcement would change from a negative bit of news causing considerable upset and bad will to a bit of good news that would cheer existing loyal customers up.

This would then mean when a new brochure is announced that there would be a gap in the schedule for a refit including contingency. Scheduled additional contingency days after the planned refit could be sold at short notice at a discount when it looks like they aren't needed, perhaps firstly to those who had suites booked on what was previously the first cruise.

This would generate more and faster busines for the ship involved because people love taking cruises in a newly refitted ship. The early cruises which would be some time out, could therefore be premium priced.

When customer loss and customer recovery and compensation costs are taken into account doing it "the current way", the refit planned would have had to be an incredible bargain or the whole issue hasn't been considered fully.

IMHO you should never cancel a scheduled cruise for a charter. You should never be telling your existing customers that they are of noor little consequence or importance to you.

Like some others have experienced, I ended up pleased with the outcome and am excited about my new itinerary. That said, Silversea handled the entire fiasco very poorly and as a customer, it has impacted how I feel about the cruise line (have sailed 3 other times on them). Would I cruise again on Silversea, yes, but........I had a great time on Crystal and friends loved Regent. Going forward it will be itinerary driven, not looking at where Silversea is going.

Not a single customer would be affected or inconvenienced and the customer recovery cost of the exercise would be a very big fat zero if they simply ALWAYS scheduled refits in the next non-published year. In fact the announcement would change from a negative bit of news causing considerable upset and bad will to a bit of good news...

There is a really simple approach that should IMHO always be taken.

 

Not a single customer would be affected or inconvenienced and the customer recovery cost of the exercise would be a very big fat zero if they simply ALWAYS scheduled refits in the next non-published year. In fact the announcement would change from a negative bit of news causing considerable upset and bad will to a bit of good news that would cheer existing loyal customers up.

 

This would then mean when a new brochure is announced that there would be a gap in the schedule for a refit including contingency. Scheduled additional contingency days after the planned refit could be sold at short notice at a discount when it looks like they aren't needed, perhaps firstly to those who had suites booked on what was previously the first cruise.

 

This would generate more and faster busines for the ship involved because people love taking cruises in a newly refitted ship. The early cruises which would be some time out, could therefore be premium priced.

 

When customer loss and customer recovery and compensation costs are taken into account doing it "the current way", the refit planned would have had to be an incredible bargain or the whole issue hasn't been considered fully.

 

IMHO you should never cancel a scheduled cruise for a charter. You should never be telling your existing customers that they are of noor little consequence or importance to you.

You are a assuming they care more about their passengers' welfare than their own.

Would I cruise again on Silversea, yes, but........I had a great time on Crystal and friends loved Regent. Going forward it will be itinerary driven, not looking at where Silversea is going.

There is a lot to like about Crystal. But within the past few of years I had a Crystal Caribbean cruise cancelled out from under me. Crystal decided to charter the ship to a luxury automaker that was presumably rewarding high selling dealerships/dealers. The possibility of cancellation goes with the territory of cruising.