bubbulz

Unique private Tuscany tours +39 320 973 2131 (on WhatsApp). I used him as my driver throughout Tuscany last year, and he was wonderful. Very friendly, easy to coordinate with and good English in case you don’t speak Italian. (PS Did you mean to post in river cruise ports?)

Yes. That is my plan. I’m waiting to see what they come up with for my trip in November.

And even though on some flights (e.g., some to Hawaii) may have you sitting in a 'Polaris' seat, it's not considered 'Polaris' in terms of the service or club access. (BTW, United still has some business class routes such as to the Caribbean. They don't call it Polaris.)

VIE is very easy to navigate and 90 minutes should be plenty of time. And although Polaris on United is nice, business class on Austrian is a step above.

I love Austrian. We flew twice in Business Class to Budapest via Vienna.

I am really torn about having SS do my flights. I am going to see what they come up with and then decide. This will be my first cruise with them, and since it is in Antarctica I am hesitant to book my own in case there are schedule changes with the charter flights. If I do book my own, I will probably pad the international flights with extra days on the front and back. Hope all works out well for you, Lois. It is disconcerting to hear of all the issues.

I looked at the Uniworld site and this is in their FAQs: Are three people per room allowed? Triple bookings are allowed only in some suites onboard the S.S. Catherine, S.S. La Venezia and the S.S. Maria Theresa (excluding the Royal Suite). Note that ships that allow triple booking may change, so we suggest calling Uniworld or your preferred Travel Advisor for the most up-to-date information.

@cruiseej @alithecat Thank you both for the helpful info. I have status with United so my strong preference is to stick with Star Alliance. It looks like my options are United through Houston, Air Canada through Toronto or Copa via Panama. That said, that Flagship lounge in MIA is really nice so that is tempting!

If SS can't route me via IAH I may end up doing my own flights and possibly add an extra night in Santiago in both directions just to be on the safe side. But I will go ahead and notify my agent of my preference. Thanks.

Thanks, tabbed for the very helpful info. Skipping the Drake is what sealed the deal for me as well. I am on small boats frequently and take meclazine each day and it works. I, too, chose the business class option through Silversea. I don’t have flights yet but I’m hoping they can get me routing via IAH to Santiago on UA. Lastly, thanks for the photos of the cabin entries.

Thank you for all the details. I am booked on this ship/itinerary later this year. I’m confused a bit about the pricing on the veranda suites. It looks like the pricing goes up by about $4k for the first upgrade and by $8k for the top level veranda suite. Since all the veranda suites are the same size and configuration, I am wondering if the location makes all that much difference. Seems like a pretty significant jump for just a 6 day cruise. Also, since I’m fairly prone to seasickness (thank goodness I’m skipping the Drake!) I’m thinking the lower level might actually be better for me although it will be in the forward section of the ship. I’d be interested in your thoughts re: cabin location. I booked ‘door-to-door’ right now but may end up doing my own international flights if I don’t like what they come up with. Can I ask what airline you flew and how your flights were? I’m finding no non-stop flights from airports near me. Thanks.

This is so good to hear. I just booked my first SS cruise to Antarctica today. Given all the (non-SS related) horror stories I've been hearing about people getting to where they need to be for their Antarctic cruises, I opted for door-to-door with SS. I figured that at least if things get hosed up, they'll be helping to get it straightened away. Also, all of the fares I was seeing right now are pretty crazy. Fingers crossed for a good first experience later this year.

I agree regarding the customer service. I have one of their special solo pricing cruises booked for next year. About a week after I booked, I happened to notice that the price went down about $500. I called my travel agent and they called Uniworld and I was immediately provided a credit.

Thank you, JP, for all the info. I looked through your postings and photos … All amazing and very helpful. I have a lot more research to do, but thank you for the running start here.

Thanks, everyone. I have done some relatively rough crossings on smaller, liveaboard dive boats and find that I can live through it if I medicate. 😉 But it is a concern. However, as with Cocos Island and Galapagos, etc., I figure this would be worth it. I’m also looking at the option of avoiding the passage. (I spend a fair amount of time on boats in general so you’d think I’d be over the whole sea sickness thing by now but I’m not.)

@jpalbny @Gourmet Gal Also think Lois and Papa B may have been on Silversea as well, but not sure about their polar cruises. TIA!

I'm starting here since I know a number of you have posted here about cruises taken with Silversea. I've been pondering where to go next (well, after the next couple of trips that already are planned), and have pretty much decided on a polar expedition, most likely Antarctica but I'm open to the Arctic. But here's the thing: I've never been on an ocean cruise, and they've never really appealed to me, particularly the large ships. I'm thinking a smaller expedition ship might be something I'd enjoy. I'm completely open as far as timing, but wouldn't want to push it out beyond early 2025 unless there were an overriding reason to do so. I do like a certain amount of pampering when I travel, and Silversea seems to offer that. I'm looking for any info you might think would be helpful to help me decide regarding itineraries, month of travel, choice of ship/cabin, etc. I'd be traveling solo, and it seems like Silversea's solo supplement is typically 25%, which isn't horrible, but do they ever have specials where they waive it? I'm leaning toward Antarctica right now but the Arctic likely would be on my list for the future, particularly with an extension in Norway to visit friends. I've only just started the research so anything you think might be helpful would be appreciated. TIA. Now, back to your regular river cruising programming. 😉

True but odds are I won’t make changes unless really necessary, and on balance I’d rather not pay an extra $350 up front plus change fees for the cruise line’s fare. And I prefer booking my own. 😉

United Airlines originating in the US: “Enjoy more flexibility when you fly with us. We’ve permanently gotten rid of change fees for most Economy and premium cabin tickets for flights within the U.S., or between the U.S. and Mexico or the Caribbean. You also won’t pay change fees for international travel originating in the U.S.”

The biggest downsides in my case were: 1. Paying about $350 extra for the exact same flights; and 2. Being subject to change fees if I made any changes to the flights. Booking directly with the airline, I can go online and make any changes at any time with no penalty, and I can always rebook for free if the price goes down.

Looks like Costco changed over to Zurich recently, but I really know nothing about them. Pricing and coverage seems reasonable, including 50% CFAR coverage. I already have GeoBlue and Medjet Horizon so I'm not too concerned about medical or evacuation coverage. Anyone have any other info? Thanks.

I might have felt differently if the cruise line's price was less expensive but it's actually several hundred more. And I'm really picky about the seat I choose on the plane so I'd rather have the control. And the flexibility to adjust my flights with no penalty if I book through the airline is a big deal to me. But thanks to everyone for helping me work through this. Now to figure out whether I want the cruise line's insurance since it includes a full future flight credit if I cancel for any reason. (Again, probably not.)

Thanks, everyone. I’m going to stick with booking my own. I appreciate all the feedback.

Hmmm. It just got a little bit more complicated. If I book directly with the airline, I can make changes at any time with no fee. If I book the flights through the cruise line, there is a re-issue fee of $100 once it is ticketed.

In the past, I had always done my own air arrangements directly with the airline. But I can see an advantage of booking through the cruise line in that the insurance purchased from the cruise line would cover the air as well as the cruise. Otherwise I would need to get separate insurance for the flights, and any unforeseen changes would not be handled in a coordinated way by the cruise line. However, at this point the cruise line’s contract fare is $330 higher than if I book directly with the airline. Thoughts?