Port Power

I was on Crystal Serenity two weeks ago. Gorgeous! 6 stars. Some (relatively) smaller cabins, but many large ones. Beautiful decor that screamed Manfredi! Completely refurbished. Some cabins have kept their traditional decor, but have still been refurbished. LOTS of outdoor and entertainment spaces. Fabulous food. Wonderful, attentive staff. I was impressed. Evidently most of the crew were returned staff.

Your flight was at an awkward time. You need to be at the airport 3 hours prior. The bus also takes guests who probably have 12pm and 1pm flights. There are usually transfers for flights before xxx and after xxx. The ship also needs to be ready for incoming guests. I think your flight time was just in between everything else. So your choice was take the included transfer or arrange your own as @drron29 did. His flight seems to have been later the. 3:30pm though.

Being dropped at FCO was after the cruise and not related to Blacklane. Both comments being in one sentence I realise is confusing. The OP is unhappy with SS dropping them off so early. Perhaps they hoped for individual transfers rather than a group transfer that would have to serve many flight times?

There was discussion on another thread not long ago about delayed arrival into port. I usually fly home in the afternoon of the day the ship docks. Voyager’s dilemma is another warning to book a hotel for disembarkation day and fly home the following day. Never hurts to have a day’s buffer.

There is no email to passengers of the post cruise survey. It has to be done on the ship.

I also enjoyed Muse last year, and Dawn and Wind to follow. Yes, there were a few issues with meals, but not enough to ruin the cruises. Any disappointments were made up by mostly wonderful crew and other excellent experiences. (Particularly Drew in SALT Lab.) I felt special on many occasions as Maître d’s and waiters called my by name and knew my preferences. Your comments as a solo passenger align with mine. Based on my experiences during 114 days of SS cruising last year, I’ll be back. I have a booking on Wind in June and on Silver Ray in 2026. However, it is the price that will stop me rebooking. Fares are just too high now, especially as a solo. We have to book 18-24 months in advance usually to find 25% solo supplements.

Which is why it is better to wait for the cruise line to cancel.

Silversea doesn’t have a good reputation for letting customers know when cruises are cancelled. However, the “lemonade” aspect means that you should be able to book another Med. cruise at a good last minute price!

That’s not relevant for a trip report though, which is quite different to a cruise review. Trip reports are on cruise line forums where this thread is also located.

Just start a new thread under the relevant cruise line. For example, if a Regent cruise, then start your new thread here in the Regent forum titled something like “Grandeur Adventure around Japan” or such like.

Australian and NZ travel agents can’t do the discounts and incentives that US agents give. Different relationships and fare structures basically. You will find the best discounts and bonuses by attending an RSSC presentation, as I did 18 or so months ago when I booked the 2025 World Cruise. A good CLIA (CLINZ?) TA rather than a chain store one is better too, especially one that is a Virtuoso or similar affiliate. Virtuoso is a sort of TA wholesaler or buying group. They sometimes provide extra dinners, shore excursions or OBC. I also received extra OBC (US$500 IIRC) in lieu of luggage forwarding, as we don’t have that facility down under.

Not to mention your personal escort from the aircraft door, the first class bus, and delivery to the First Class Lounge.

I just saw on You Tube the statistics for maiden voyages. Three out of 9 actually did sail as planned. Of the rest, even the second proposed dates seldom eventuated. Unfortunately, I think you are right to be nervous!

Aaaargh!!

I didn’t realise how lucky we were last August when Silver Muse was the only ship that in port day!