world cruise 2022 tale of tales

[poodle664]

My husband and I are signed up for the 2022 tale of tales world cruise and I'm wondering if anyone has knowledge about how many ports have to be closed to prompt Silversea to cancel the cruise? And further, my husband is worried that ports may allow the ship to dock for fuel but we will be stuck on the ship. Thoughts from Silversea alums?

[mysty]

I'm not sure your question will elicit any useful responses.  The world has never been in a situation quite like the one we are in currently.  Past voyages, prior to COVID, may have encountered ports closed for various reasons but certainly not on the current scale.  With variants evolving that situation is even more difficult to predict.  It may not be the number of ports closed at issue.  It may be the location of the closed ports relative to the next available port for restocking and refueling.  It is too early to make any kind of prediction.  Silversea will do their very, very best to make the World Cruise 2022 happen.  Just don't look for concrete answers at this point.  Hope it sails for you!

[cruiseej]

The state of Covid around the world is changing too rapidly to be able to take any realistic guess about what things will look like 18 months from now when the cruise is set to sail. (Or let's say 14-15  months from now, when passengers' final payments will be due, and Silversea's decisions about re-routing will need to be finalized.)

 

Let's remember that only 6 months ago, in late December 2020, almost no one had received a vaccine yet, and Covid cases in the US were at record high, alarming levels. So a lot can change in more than a year from now! No one can answer where in the world the virus will be beaten back and where it may remain entrenched or surge again, whether variants will change the equation, whether booster shots will be needed or pose any obstacle, or myriad other questions. 

 

If you've already made your reservation and deposit, you have until next September to decide whether to pay the balance or cancel to get your money back. My recommendation is to wait to see how things develop around the world and enjoy the anticipation of and planning for your world cruise. If by the end of next summer, you have doubts about the viability of the cruise, or Silversea has announced significant itinerary changes you're not happy with, you can cancel then.

[mysty]

19 minutes ago, cruiseej said:

The state of Covid around the world is changing too rapidly to be able to take any realistic guess about what things will look like 18 months from now when the cruise is set to sail. (Or let's say 14-15  months from now, when passengers' final payments will be due, and Silversea's decisions about re-routing will need to be finalized.)

 

Let's remember that only 6 months ago, in late December 2020, almost no one had received a vaccine yet, and Covid cases in the US were at record high, alarming levels. So a lot can change in more than a year from now! No one can answer where in the world the virus will be beaten back and where it may remain entrenched or surge again, whether variants will change the equation, whether booster shots will be needed or pose any obstacle, or myriad other questions. 

 

If you've already made your reservation and deposit, you have until next September to decide whether to pay the balance or cancel to get your money back. My recommendation is to wait to see how things develop around the world and enjoy the anticipation of and planning for your world cruise. If by the end of next summer, you have doubts about the viability of the cruise, or Silversea has announced significant itinerary changes you're not happy with, you can cancel then.

 

Your reasoning is spot on cruiseej!  Your timing is off by a year.  The OP is asking about World Cruise 2022.  It would sail in 6 months.

[cruiseej]

Oops! Yes, I'm having trouble keeping track of what year we're in after last year's wipeout! 😉 Sorry for going off in the right direction but getting the timing completely wrong.

 

Well, then final payment is due in about two months, not 14, but I'd still say to stay pat for now and wait to see what they announce in August about South America. It's currently a big question mark, not only for the world cruise but for all the Antartica cruises this winter (we're scheduled to be on one in December-January, about a month before the Whisper gets there). Barbara Muckermann said they expect to have clarity about South America in the August-September timeframe, and I'm sure they know they need to provide clarity to the world cruise passengers about what they believe they will or won't be able to do prior to final payments becoming due. 

[Silver Spectre]

4 minutes ago, cruiseej said:

Oops! Yes, I'm having trouble keeping track of what year we're in after last year's wipeout! 😉 Sorry for going off in the right direction but getting the timing completely wrong.

 

Well, then final payment is due in about two months, not 14, but I'd still say to stay pat for now and wait to see what they announce in August about South America. It's currently a big question mark, not only for the world cruise but for all the Antartica cruises this winter (we're scheduled to be on one in December-January, about a month before the Whisper gets there). Barbara Muckermann said they expect to have clarity about South America in the August-September timeframe, and I'm sure they know they need to provide clarity to the world cruise passengers about what they believe they will or won't be able to do prior to final payments becoming due. 

Isn’t final payment for the full WC due at 180 days out, I.e. next week?

[cruiseej]

 

2 minutes ago, Silver Spectre said:

Isn’t final payment for the full WC due at 180 days out, I.e. next week?

 

Oh, geez, I should have just stayed out of this discussion it seems! I'm definitely out of my league discussing a world cruise. My apologies.

 

(In my defense, the world cruise brochure on the website, which I did look at before posting, says "final payment must be received by Silversea 120 days prior to cruise departure" -- which would be September 8.)

[Silver Spectre]

1 minute ago, cruiseej said:

 

 

Oh, geez, I should have just stayed out of this discussion it seems! I'm definitely out of my league discussing a world cruise. My apologies.

 

(In my defense, the world cruise brochure on the website, which I did look at before posting, says "final payment must be received by Silversea 120 days prior to cruise departure" -- which would be September 8.)

Just checked, WC T&Cs is final payment by 180 days, from the SS website. I can see why the OP is concerned.

[cruiseej]

I'm not saying you're wrong, but this is what it shows in the 2022 World Cruise brochure on the website.

 

Maybe the dates/rules were changes and they didn't update the brochure?

 

And yes, I agree that if final payment is due in early July, it's hard to go ahead with that big a payment when there's so much uncertainty. I'd also think Silversea might push the final payment deadline later, until they can say with some degree of certainty that they believe they will be able to substantially sail the planned itinerary. Everyone would go into it knowing that a particular port might need to be skipped, but if they can't sail to most countries in South America -- which as of today remain closed to international travelers -- I don't see how they can move forward with the cruise, or with asking people to pay in full. 

 

Apologies to @poodle664 for sending this thread in directions other than answering your questions. I hope you get some good answers, and clarity from Silversea, in the near future. Fingers crossed for you that your cruise will be able to go ahead!

 

[poodle664]

Thanks to all that responded. I'll reach out to the Silversea person who has been assisting us and see if They might push out the final payment date. I hate to have such a large sum of $$ tied up. 

 

The route of the Tale of Tales 2022 seems unique. Has Silversea sailed this route before? Maybe it will be offered in 2024.

[HappyLadyTravels]

Hello all, please post any updates on postponing final payments.  Rt now, Silversea isn't adding mid cruise land tour charges to my invoice. They are on hold, for these mid cruise land items.

[Silver Spectre]

21 hours ago, poodle664 said:

Thanks to all that responded. I'll reach out to the Silversea person who has been assisting us and see if They might push out the final payment date. I hate to have such a large sum of $$ tied up. 

 

The route of the Tale of Tales 2022 seems unique. Has Silversea sailed this route before? Maybe it will be offered in 2024.

Glad to have you onboard, why not come and join the roll call. If you do manage to get some relief against the 9th July we would love to know.

[HappyLadyTravels]

My TA stated that money is due as originally stated, today.  But, I have a final payment date of 9/7/2021.  I'm on the whole cruise (whatever that will be!). Not sure if that makes a difference when the final payment is due.  I doubled checked, and my invoice does state 9/7th as the final payment date. 

[turtlemichael]

Slightly off topic but I have an email this morning from Silversea that there will be an online presentation in about two weeks on the World Cruise 2024. 

[poodle664]

15 hours ago, HappyLadyTravels said:

My TA stated that money is due as originally stated, today.  But, I have a final payment date of 9/7/2021.  I'm on the whole cruise (whatever that will be!). Not sure if that makes a difference when the final payment is due.  I doubled checked, and my invoice does state 9/7th as the final payment date. 

Interesting. I believe ours is due July 9, but I've requested the due date be moved to September. We'll have better picture of the world by then, hopefully.

[cruiseej]

I would think they would be pretty accommodating to people booked on the world cruise. It would surprise me for them to insist on payment now when they know how much uncertainty there is around where they will be able to travel and when certain parts of the world will open up.

 

Sometimes cruise lines delight their customers by going the extra mile, and sometimes they create bone-headed polices and stubbornly stick to them. I hope this turns out to be one of the former. 😉

[CanadianKate]

8 hours ago, poodle664 said:

Interesting. I believe ours is due July 9, but I've requested the due date be moved to September. We'll have better picture of the world by then, hopefully.

 

 

The date is unclear. 

 

In Canada 9/7/2021 would be 9th of July, 2021. So those saying it is July and those saying it is September may just be reading the date according to the way dates are written locally. Both are wrong, there is an international standard for dates, largest to smallest, therefore the date should be written 2021-09-07 (for September 7) or 2021-07-09 (for July 9.) 

[Herman The Cat]

So just to clarify the dates per the invoice.

Final payment is due on Sept. 7.

HOWEVER, cancellation penalties begin on Aug. 8.

Cancellations prior to Aug.7 incur a $500 fee.

Cancellations between Aug. 8 and Sept. 6 incur a 25% penalty.

Cancellations between Sept. 7 and Oct. 6 incur a 50% penalty.

ETC.

Given how in-flux things are, Silversea probably has to make some determinations prior to Aug. 8 or amend the cancellation fees and schedule.

 

 

[poodle664]

Our invoice clearly states that cancellation penalties begin July 8, 2021, with the date in that format.

[poodle664]

Silver Spectre--I'd love to join the Roll Call but I can't figure out how.

[Silver Spectre]

9 minutes ago, poodle664 said:

Silver Spectre--I'd love to join the Roll Call but I can't figure out how.

Hi, at the top of this page next to Logout is Boards, click on that and it will take you to the main categories page, scroll down and under Roll Calls you will see Silversea Roll Calls, click there and you will be given an option for each SS ship, click on Silver Whisper and you will see the WC thread. Good luck!

[Silver Spectre]

17 minutes ago, poodle664 said:

Our invoice clearly states that cancellation penalties begin July 8, 2021, with the date in that format.

I checked with another friend and they confirmed exactly that. There is a lot of nonsense posted on these boards sometimes 🤣

[HappyLadyTravels]

Hi, this is what is listed on my invoice.  My TA doubled check, and it is accurate for me. 9/7/2021

[Herman The Cat]

What I stated was what appeared on the invoice as well. Odd that they are different.

[poodle664]

Silversea officially changed the final payment due date to Sept. 30.