commodoredave

In contrast, I would never miss an opportunity to provide an extra reward for exceptional service. And I must say the reaction from those receiving it has always demonstrated that it is much appreciated.

Included gratuities are supposedly shared with all staff, including those behind the scenes. Therefore, if you wish to provide an extra reward to a few specific individuals such as a room steward, waiter or bartender, you can do so directly -- that is what I do on all the luxury lines. However, if you want to reward the overall level of service on a ship, you can give some cash to the crew fund. Or, you can do both. At the end of the day, it's really about what makes you feel most comfortable,

We must be related!

Will do!

Hope to meet you on the cruise.

You’re welcome! June 18 sailing. Glad the story is of interest to you.

One of the reasons we booked our upcoming cruise on the Silver Shadow to New England and Canada is that it calls at the Magdalen Islands, a rarity among cruise itineraries to this region. The New York Times agrees. In a recent story, the paper extolled the virtues of the islands including in this paragraph: “As you approach the islands by ship, the buildings and terrain spread themselves out before you like a living diorama. Up close, the buttes are particularly irresistible: Every one seems to have a well-worn footpath through tall grass, sometimes no more than a single leg wide. Up top, you can see it all: east shore, west shore, cliffs, dunes, lighthouses, steeples, houses, shops, fishing boats, clotheslines and, depending on the butte, most of the other islands in the chain.” You can read the complete story and view the stunning photography at: https://www.nytimes.com/2024/05/26/travel/magdalen-islands-quebec-canada.html?campaign_id=24&emc=edit_tl_20240601&instance_id=125067&nl=travel-dispatch&regi_id=71604166&segment_id=168423&te=1&user_id=0cb3f635dfe903160978244a61854344

Yet one more step in the dumbing down of Silversea from luxury to premium.

It seems that the biggest cutbacks and price increases have come post-Covid as the mega-cruise companies try to increase profits to pay down debt. This applies to all of the cruise lines from mass market to luxury.

I was on the same cruise on the Muse, and despite a few hiccups, staff managed to handle the full ship reasonably well. I can't say the same thing about the Celebrity Eclipse on our recent cruise to Martha's Vineyard/Bermuda. Line-ups for everything. No seats at bars. Huge wait to get off the ship by tender in Martha's Vineyard. Yuk!

Cruised aboard Explora I in early March. Our experience was great. It's a beautiful ship with very good food and service. We chose a regular balcony cabin rather than a suite as we tend to spend far less time in the cabin on warm weather cruises -- this was the Caribbean. We are back on X next week in Bermuda in AC. I would go back on a luxury line before booking the Retreat on X as I believe there isn't enough vaue there, especially on older ships.

There may have been people waitlisted for lower categories.

Sounds like the standard formula for selling: cutback on expenses, increase revenue and paint a pretty picture.

Much cheaper on X that SS for sure -- especillly if travelling with kids. We have never taken our kids (now grown up) on ultra-luxury lines like SS, Seabourn and Regent, but have done a number of family cruises on X, NCL, Carnival, Princess and RCL with them.

Just got back from 14-days in Japan on Silver Muse. What a fabulous cruise destination and what a great cruise line to do it with. One important thing to consider is the number of pax on your ship that you will be sharing port visits with. IMO, X has far too many pax for many of the smaller ports of call in Japan.

What’s wrong with RCL? Just because they’ve cut everything back and turned the lines they’ve bought into far less than they were before, doesn’t mean they would do the same with Virgin. 🤓

It’s not for everyone. Families with kids will love it. People who are kids at heart will like it. But it’s not for people who want a traditional dining experience. It’s a niche experience.

Right now there’s Port2Port which includes air, Door2Door which does not include air, and Essential which is the lowest fare based on later booking. How would you change it?

This situation doesn't sound like the old Cunard where I have always received an attentive and caring reception to any concern or complaint I have brought to the attention of onboard staff or management. Have things changed? Or is this just an unfortunate one-off?

Geez…you just gave them the idea to do it!!

HAL is already working on the next survey for Seabourn. I’ve heard some of the questions will be: 1. Would you like more than 1 more meal per day? 2. Would you be willing to pay extra for a mattress on your bed? 3. Do you want the ship to visit more than 1 port? 4. Would you pay extra for gin in your martini? 5. Are you willing to wash your own dishes? If you would like to suggest some more survey questions, please do so as there is no area that HAL is unwilling to explore to improve the Seabourn experience.

Dinner service on SS starts at 7:00 pm. Room service is 24/7. Plus, you can have free caviar and champagne sent to your room. Having said that, the bingo still disappoints!

I do not like included excursions for the following reasons: 1. I usually prefer to do my own thing in port 2. I often cruise to ports I have been to before, and therefore may not even get off the ship 3. Cruise lines that currently include excursions also offer others for an additional price, usually because the included ones are very basic 4. Many of the best excursions sell out before all passengers have a chance to book them as on my recent SS Japan cruise 5. If I do my own thing rather than taking an included excursion, I am not getting good value from my cruise fare For these and other reasons, please do not add shore excursions as part of the fare.

I guess if they don’t want people to stay on their ships for very long, removing storage is a smart strategy.

It’s these kind of situations that make people wish they were colour blind!