Luxury vs. Premium Plus cruise lines

[Catlover54]

On 8/4/2019 at 10:12 AM, Travelcat2 said:

 

Thank you for confirming that.  How nice that the Maiden voyage commences on my birthday!

 

Happy upcoming birthday, Jackie!  August 15 is special to me, as it was also my deceased mother’s birthday, and is Assumption day. I think of her and all the unpleasant things she went through in her days,  especially before coming to U.S., and how she made it possible for me to live a much better life.  Now that I know it is also the birthday of a vocal CC contributor, I will also have to think of Cruise Critic and luxury cruising!

 

I had almost booked a Scenic cruise for a celebration, but would have been very disappointed, given all was cancelled and massively delayed, and from what I have read, the disappointed customers were not handled very nicely.

But once it has settled in and if there are good reviews, I may reconsider sailing her ( even if I never make it onto their submarine).

[wripro]

3 hours ago, Catlover54 said:

 

Happy upcoming birthday, Jackie!  August 15 is special to me, as it was also my deceased mother’s birthday, and is Assumption day. I think of her and all the unpleasant things she went through in her days,  especially before coming to U.S., and how she made it possible for me to live a much better life.  Now that I know it is also the birthday of a vocal CC contributor, I will also have to think of Cruise Critic and luxury cruising!

 

I had almost booked a Scenic cruise for a celebration, but would have been very disappointed, given all was cancelled and massively delayed, and from what I have read, the disappointed customers were not handled very nicely.

But once it has settled in and if there are good reviews, I may reconsider sailing her ( even if I never make it onto their submarine).

Not true. My Eclipse sailing was cancelled and I received full refund, coverage all related expenses like airfare and anything non cancellable, a 25% discount toward another cruise, all in a very timely manner. I know two others who were also treated well.

[Travelcat2]

6 hours ago, Catlover54 said:

 

Happy upcoming birthday, Jackie!  August 15 is special to me, as it was also my deceased mother’s birthday, and is Assumption day. I think of her and all the unpleasant things she went through in her days,  especially before coming to U.S., and how she made it possible for me to live a much better life.  Now that I know it is also the birthday of a vocal CC contributor, I will also have to think of Cruise Critic and luxury cruising!

 

I had almost booked a Scenic cruise for a celebration, but would have been very disappointed, given all was cancelled and massively delayed, and from what I have read, the disappointed customers were not handled very nicely.

But once it has settled in and if there are good reviews, I may reconsider sailing her ( even if I never make it onto their submarine).

 

It is so kind of you to wish me a happy birthday!  And, I do hope that you think positive things on your mother's and my birthday.  She must have been a strong yet kind woman (at least these are some of the Leo traits ...... we can also be stubborn).

 

We were also interested in Scenic at one time and I understand that the delays were not their fault.  However, I have to wonder how much of the original plans had to change when they changed from the original company that was going to build it.  I'll be keeping my eye on reviews of the ship and hope they are positive!

[wripro]

I'll be watching Scenic Eclipse reviews carefully too. I plan to rebook with them this coming year. If only a fraction of what they advertise is true it will be a stunning ship. And personally I love small ships with 200 or so passengers.

[vistaman]

My TA went to see her in Rotterdam , he told me  a lot of items including some heavy furniture were still loaded

[Travelcat2]

On 8/13/2019 at 5:22 AM, vistaman said:

My TA went to see her in Rotterdam , he told me  a lot of items including some heavy furniture were still loaded

 

Was your TA able to board her?  Very curious as to what people think!

[Silver Sweethearts]

19 hours ago, Travelcat2 said:

 

Was your TA able to board her?  Very curious as to what people think!

 

TC - Two slightly off-topic items, but must take this opportunity to wish you a happy birthday today.  Enjoy it, whatever you choose to do!!

 

Would be interested in your thoughts about Silversea offering over 300 of their upcoming cruises as family friendly with discounts of 50% off for children ages 2-17 and 75% off (!) for age 2 and under.

[Travelcat2]

1 hour ago, Silver Sweethearts said:

 

TC - Two slightly off-topic items, but must take this opportunity to wish you a happy birthday today.  Enjoy it, whatever you choose to do!!

 

Would be interested in your thoughts about Silversea offering over 300 of their upcoming cruises as family friendly with discounts of 50% off for children ages 2-17 and 75% off (!) for age 2 and under.

 

Thank you so much!  We are having a ball today (Starbucks Frappachino w/blueberry scone for breakfast, Thai food for lunch and sushi for dinner with Dairy Cream "dipped" cone for dessert - my perfect day!)

 

Rather surprised at Silversea's new offering.  Will this be on all the ships?  Somehow their formal dress code and children (including babies) does not seem to go together.  I can just see a baby spitting up on their father's tuxedo  As you know, I am not a fan of cruising with children (although, most parents/grandparents, we love our own but would not take them on a luxury cruise).  

 

What are your thoughts?

 

P.S.  Just did a quick peek at the Silversea website and did not see the announcement but will check more tomorrow.  I did notice that some Med. cruises in 2021 include "Economy" Air.  It seems that their new majority owners (Royal Caribbean) are making some changes.

Edited August 15, 2019 by Travelcat2

[Travelcat2]

Just read the Silversea board.  Quite interesting!  Mark Conroy has responded to the issue of the world cruise.... see below.  It doesn't answer the question of the majority of Silversea cruises having children at discounted prices.  During the summer, both Crystal and Regent can have over 100 children due to their programs.  Now we can send anyone that asks about children to Silversea (but we have likely taken our last Silversea cruise).

 

Hi Folks! This was just posted by Mark Conroy Managing Director, The Americas on a Facebook forum:

Mark Spencer Conroy MARK HERE! This was a mistake. We do have a children offer for some of the summer cruise & holiday cruises. There is no children offer on any segment of the World cruise.

 

I hope that this now puts to rest that this was not intended as a game changer for the Silversea luxury brand and was intended as I reported earlier that it was only intended to be some summer and holiday cruises. The website will take a while to change and please empty your cache so you don't see the old pages. Many thanks to all those that brought this situation to our attention so quickly.

Have a good evening!

Edited 20 hours ago by Capt.F 
typo

[calliopecruiser]

3 hours ago, Silver Sweethearts said:

Would be interested in your thoughts about Silversea offering over 300 of their upcoming cruises as family friendly with discounts of 50% off for children ages 2-17 and 75% off (!) for age 2 and under.

They're trying to widen their appeal to more family-aged cruisers, which is smart for them.   Crystal offers 50% off for children under 12 sharing a cabin with their adults, and occasionally have a "Kids Sail Free" promotion where children under 17 can sail for free in the third berth with 2 adults (on select voyages).  It's an attempt to broaden the ages of their customers, hoping for more parents than grandparents. 

[Travelcat2]

16 hours ago, calliopecruiser said:

They're trying to widen their appeal to more family-aged cruisers, which is smart for them.   Crystal offers 50% off for children under 12 sharing a cabin with their adults, and occasionally have a "Kids Sail Free" promotion where children under 17 can sail for free in the third berth with 2 adults (on select voyages).  It's an attempt to broaden the ages of their customers, hoping for more parents than grandparents. 

 

I think that Silversea is shooting itself in the foot!  Regent has studied this issue (as have other cruise lines).  While many younger people can afford luxury cruise lines, many/most do not have the time to cruise for more than 30 days (some posters cannot cruise for more than two weeks).  

 

Retired folks (ages anywhere from 55 to 95) have the time and the money and are looking for sedate (others may say boring) cruises.  Luxury ships are not large enough to offer what many younger people want.  

 

The head of NCLH (owner of Regent, Oceania and NCL), stated that they are targeting Baby Boomers since they do have the time and the money.  And, they likely will be cruising for another 20 years (the oldest of that generation is now around 72).  Many of the Baby Boomers have "been there - done that" as it pertains to children.  During the summer there are discounted cruises for children and children programs on Crystal and Regent.  However, what Silversea is proposing is a bit over the top (and their ships are quite small).

 

From reading the Silversea board yesterday, they will lose customers on the cruises with the specials for children (which is more than half of their cruises from what I have read).  Can Silversea afford to 50% of their loyal cruisers?  Guess only they know the answer.  For now, Silversea is off of our list of cruise lines (we do sail other lines besides Regent).  

[Gourmet Gal]

I would not put Crystal in the luxury category.  Premium at best.  The food is not great and the service is almost comical in their effort to feign luxury.  

[calliopecruiser]

Just now, Gourmet Gal said:

The food is not great and the service is almost comical in their effort to feign luxury.  

Absolute opposite of my experience (in both food and service), so either we have different definitions or those things are really variable to different voyages.  I have received occasionally 'not great' service on Crystal, but only sporadically and not across the board.....yes, I wish they were perfect all of the time, but I'm ready to accept that they're not, and when I voiced my concerns my comments were taken seriously.

 

 

[Texas Tillie]

39 minutes ago, Gourmet Gal said:

I would not put Crystal in the luxury category.  Premium at best.  The food is not great and the service is almost comical in their effort to feign luxury.  

 

So, by your definition, what cruise lines are luxury?

[Gourmet Gal]

The others listed by the OP are all luxury IMHO.  I would also add The World, though it is just one ship. 

[BarbarianPaul]

We saw The World when our ship was docked in Reykjavík a few weeks ago during a Norway, Scotland, Iceland itinerary. We were surprised by how small it looked. It’s certainly not going to win any design awards. 

 

Re the previous postings on Crystal, even though it wasn’t really for us, the line is definitely luxury.

[Travelcat2]

Even though we have avoided Crystal for years, there was never a time that we did not consider it "luxury".  In terms of The World, it is getting old and there have been articles about how real "residents" treat "non-residents" that are only on for a short time.  In my opinion, The World is not something that will grow (actually, if it were that good, other cruise lines would be copying them).  

[calliopecruiser]

1 hour ago, BarbarianPaul said:

It’s certainly not going to win any design awards. 

Well, it is about 17 years old at this point; not too many 17 year old condo buildings still win design awards either, no matter how revolutionary they were when they were built.

[Gourmet Gal]

The World is 44,000 tons and there are usually only around 100 pax. I believe there are plenty of smaller, older ships out there that are also solidly in the lux category.  The apts. are fantastic as is service, food and itinerary.  It is definitely a small, niche market but worth mentioning even though it is a different animal.  

[Travelcat2]

6 hours ago, Gourmet Gal said:

The World is 44,000 tons and there are usually only around 100 pax. I believe there are plenty of smaller, older ships out there that are also solidly in the lux category.  The apts. are fantastic as is service, food and itinerary.  It is definitely a small, niche market but worth mentioning even though it is a different animal.  

 

It is such a "different animal" that I question whether it belongs on this board.  There is little about it that is even similar to luxury cruise lines (not saying that it is not luxury but, having seen numerous series on that ship, it is in a class of its' own - a class that no one apparently wants to copy.  Not sure what says about The World!

[Toryhere]

On 8/2/2019 at 4:30 AM, LHT28 said:

do Australian work on the ships?

We did a river cruise  with Scenic  the crew were European

Food was  MEH! 

I was thinking more about the organisation than the crew.

my mother made the mistake of going on a Scenic river cruise. She said the food was average and the passengers included lots of very dull Australians.

one of the things I like about travelling is getting away from my own culture for a while. I would thus avoid any line, be it the height of luxury or not, that is likely to have a strong Australian contingent.

[LHT28]

1 hour ago, Toryhere said:

I was thinking more about the organisation than the crew.

my mother made the mistake of going on a Scenic river cruise. She said the food was average and the passengers included lots of very dull Australians.

 

LOL

Well I can say that the Australians on our cruise were anything but dull 😁

[English Voyager]

1 hour ago, LHT28 said:

LOL

Well I can say that the Australians on our cruise were anything but dull 😁

I thought dull Australian was an oxymoron.

[wripro]

The only dull Australian I ever met was a kangaroo!

[Heidi13]

Wow!, dull cruise with Australians is one I have never experienced. Spent 4 months Aussie cruising and more recently a WC R/T from Sydney and the pax most certainly weren't dull. 🙂