Silversea....Giving less....Advertising more

Hello All:

Recently returned back from a fun two week cruise aboard the Whisper in Nov/Dec. Staff was gracious as always and fun was had by all who we met. Silversea is still a top notch product. I was also on the cruise where people were apparantly ill but we never heard and had few problems ourselves besides noticing an overall decline in food quality. I was however, surprised by Silversea's new marketing campaign.

After several cruises I am seeing Silversea use the marketing ploy of advertising more and providing less. Similiar to what American Express did when they revamped their Membership Miles program a year or so ago promising more options while the points required for these options skyrocketed (checkout Starwood's Amex and keep your Dom and shipboard credit and get something for your spending, Membership miles is a scam). Silversea has now allied with Isabella Rossellini who seems very nice but who really cares? I know no one who would book a suite because it was decorated by her, but I know many people who book suites because they want the luxury and space. I do not go on vacation based upon who is advertising a cruise. I choose my vacations depending on the experience I want. For big ships with entertainment I go with Radisson or Celebrity and small ships with great food, drink and service I lean towards Silversea.

Silversea is a premium product which used to have excellent food and beverage. Suddenly we have Isabella Rossellini in print ads and no longer have hot appetizers in the lounges, or the finest meats and seafoods which we were accustomed to on SS (the lobstertail was fishy and the Dover sole mediocre). Lately their food seems to be overly salted and good but not where it was two year ago (granted it could be the chefs). This past SS cruise was the first one ever where we had to get up and place our drink orders at the bar every night because there was only one waiter/waitress in the whole lounge for 70 people. New shampoos great, cooking on viking stoves great, but it seems to me they are advertising more and giving the passengers less.

I fully understand that cruising is a business and I begrudge no company for taking their profits. However I wish that silversea was putting more of their money into exceeding customer expectations onboard instead of this "Dog and Pony" show this Italian rebranding appears to be.

Point in fact....the fashion house Chanel is known as the one of the finest fashion labels in the world.....yet it is really not a fashion house as much as a marketing machine. Their single largest expenditure is not their production but their advertising which they spend on almost 3 to 1 (rumoured to be even more). If you buy their clothes you will realize they are not made all so well....but alas it is Chanel.

I hope Silversea realizes that the "less for more" concept that is going around these days will only be tolerated for so long by their Venetian Society members. These are the members who kept Silversea afloat during the lean times and are the ones who will be most hurt by these cutbacks. Whats that about not biting the hand that feeds you?

Happy cruising to all and enjoy the holidays!

Interesting that while on the cruise I didn't notice any print information at all about Rossellini.

Our room was still stocked with the Bvlgari products.

Glad to see I wasn't the only one that was less than impressed with the food quality.

We just returned from the Shadow...and..unfortunately THAT sheet was aboard. Luckily we still had the wonderful Bulgari products...but that is soon to be over. Too bad that things seem to have to change. I agree too that the food is not wonderful...simply okay!

We warned about the decline of SS quality and care over a year ago-- the food especially-- seems they don't listen too well. Sad.

greta, did you experience a decline in the food on Silversea yourself or were you just warned about it? I spent 24 days on the whisper this year and found the food to be better than ever. that's not to say others wont have different experiences but i dont think one should make generalizations. on seabourn i heard people complaining because the portions of caviar were smaller and the service was slower in the restaurant than ever before. i bet even in heaven some people wont like the way their halos fit.