Economizing

Has anyone else noticed Silver Sea cruises are different than past years? They seem to be nickel and diming with fees, difference in food quality and selection. I've also noticed the entertainment is not nearly as good. In fact it's been AWFUL! Is anyone else bothered by the fact they charge to board the ship at an earlier time? Additionally they provide all liquors at no charge and yet they nickel and dime you to use the internet connection. I for one will probably never, after being on 4 SS Cruises, sail with them again. I've also found their attitudes and courtesy at the resevation office to below what one would expect from a luxury(?) cruise line..They just aren't cutting it anymore in my opinion. Anyone care to comment?

i couldnt disagree more. yes, SS charges to board early but thats at 10:30 in the morning when passengers from the previous cruise have just finished disembarking. and for that fee you can relax and have lunch aboard instead of spending money on a restaurant on shore. most ships wouldnt even consider letting anyone board that early. its there as a conveninece which one doesnt need to take advantage of if not interested.

as for internet i find SS the most reasonable line out there. compare it to crystal or some others where youre charged for a cetain amount of time whether you use it or not. SS only charges for download time and if you use the email address they provide you you can send and receive messages for $1.50. surely youre not suggesting they throw in internet access as well as drinks.

in this post 911 age i think every travel provider is trying to economize in one way or another (and i do agree the entertainment could be improved) but all in all SS still provides a wonderful experience, better than any other cruise line. (perhaps seabourn and sea dream are in the same category.)

You mentioned e-mail at $1.50 each, is that from the computer room or from your own cabin? Thank you.

and there's a post somewhere that talks about it. The most economical way to use internet on Silversea is to use your own address (not the one given to you by Silversea.) You are charged for download time. Don't wait for all splash pages to load, just go straight to getting your mail.

that was from the computer room. either way tho, if you use the address they give you, or if you log on to your own isp, SS is still cheaper than most lines.

Just to add my two cents: my husband and I recently returned from our first SS experience and couldn't be more impressed! We have been loyal--and very happy--Seabourn cruisers but now plan to divide our time between the two lines. We found the service super, especially in our two dinners in Saletta, which had truly gourmet dinners. I like the gentlemen hosts, which are not present on Seabourn, but prefer Seabourn's Restaurant.

All in all, a wonderful cruise, with no "nickel and diming" that I could see.