world cruise 2022 tale of tales

[Kenogoddess08]

Too bad Silversea WC 2022 changed final payment to Sept 30 and notified us 7 days AFTER our final payment was paid on July 9!!  I checked with my travel agent and she explained that Silversea had ‘forgotten’ about those of us that are new to the line and focused on return cruisers who had a later final payment date to start with.  Consequently the past passengers were able to hold off on paying out the large amount.  We, on the other hand, have paid in full and are now wondering what itinerary changes we are in for?  We requested a refund of the final payment amount and were told it would take 45-60 days which is ridiculous.  Of course billing cycles on charge cards are much shorter than that.  Crystal, Regent and Cunard have sent updates to their 2022 WC passengers.  No information from Silversea.  No emails and no one at the cruise line can tell you anything.  Shoreside service is HORRIFIC.  Our main concern is not having any updates or worse yet, ‘floating around’ for 138 days and not hitting any of our bucket list ports.  We know the covid situation is ever-changing.  We understand.  What I can’t understand is the lack of communication.  

[Neferteri]

17 minutes ago, Kenogoddess08 said:

Too bad Silversea WC 2022 changed final payment to Sept 30 and notified us 7 days AFTER our final payment was paid on July 9!!  I checked with my travel agent and she explained that Silversea had ‘forgotten’ about those of us that are new to the line and focused on return cruisers who had a later final payment date to start with.  Consequently the past passengers were able to hold off on paying out the large amount.  We, on the other hand, have paid in full and are now wondering what itinerary changes we are in for?  We requested a refund of the final payment amount and were told it would take 45-60 days which is ridiculous.  Of course billing cycles on charge cards are much shorter than that.  Crystal, Regent and Cunard have sent updates to their 2022 WC passengers.  No information from Silversea.  No emails and no one at the cruise line can tell you anything.  Shoreside service is HORRIFIC.  Our main concern is not having any updates or worse yet, ‘floating around’ for 138 days and not hitting any of our bucket list ports.  We know the covid situation is ever-changing.  We understand.  What I can’t understand is the lack of communication.  

Well said Kenogoddess08!  I also wish there was more communication from Silversea.  I have been on other world cruises and I find Silversea to be the most lacking in communication.  I don’t think it is that hard to drop an update email once in a while.  This world cruise being my first with them leaves a lot to be desired.

[poodle664]

I agree Kenogoddess08. Fortunately for me, I asked Silversea for an extended payment due date (I am not a previous Silversea cruiser) and received early confirmation that the due date would be extended. Now the question is do we fully commit on September 30?! 

[Kenogoddess08]

Dear poodle664, that’s exactly the question my husband and I are batting around.  We saw a notification from Regent cruise lines informing their WC passengers that they can get a full refund prior to Oct 7 and verifying that if ports are missed during sailing there will be no refund.  I like Regent’s integrity.  At least folks know what to expect and can plan accordingly.  This being our first experience with Silversea (I wish we had known that an extended payment date was an option, you were wise to ask!) I do not trust that the itinerary may change dramatically shortly after Sept 30.  We have taken a WC before and don’t want to end up in replacement ports that we have seen and don’t necessarily need to go back to.  I think we would be worried about ports getting cancelled the entire time we are on the cruise.  We sure would like to know what would happen if South America or Africa ends up getting skipped?  If there’s no communication ahead of time so we know what to expect we would lean towards cancelling the trip.  Sadly.

[2lefty]

30 minutes ago, Kenogoddess08 said:

Dear poodle664, that’s exactly the question my husband and I are batting around.  We saw a notification from Regent cruise lines informing their WC passengers that they can get a full refund prior to Oct 7 and verifying that if ports are missed during sailing there will be no refund.  I like Regent’s integrity.  At least folks know what to expect and can plan accordingly.  This being our first experience with Silversea (I wish we had known that an extended payment date was an option, you were wise to ask!) I do not trust that the itinerary may change dramatically shortly after Sept 30.  We have taken a WC before and don’t want to end up in replacement ports that we have seen and don’t necessarily need to go back to.  I think we would be worried about ports getting cancelled the entire time we are on the cruise.  We sure would like to know what would happen if South America or Africa ends up getting skipped?  If there’s no communication ahead of time so we know what to expect we would lean towards cancelling the trip.  Sadly.

Kenogodess08, Agree with you completely! I have called SS and basically received a run around, no changes in the itinerary, everything is on schedule to leave Jan.6, nothing to worry about. I can’t even get answers to simple questions from their Visa Dept. We like you and your husband have done a world cruise and many other cruises with different lines and this is our first with SS. The communication level to their customers is terrible at best, and I do get the feeling that the regular cruisers with SS will except whatever is thrown at them and they accept. We looked at this itinerary and thought how wonderful and exciting it was, we have to book it! Their TA booked a room for us and she found out it was sold out from under us, don’t worry, go guaranteed and you probably will receive an upgrade it what she told us. About 2 months later we did receive an upgraded cabin, about a week later it was taken away and we waited for another 6 to 8 weeks. Wow, we have never been treated like that from any other cruise line. We are still very interested and excited about going but, are starting to have reservations that there is no communication from SS and how bad will the itinerary get changed and to what and where. We feel very bad for all the cruise companies and the junk they are having to go through just to survive. SS, please just give everyone some answers!

🚢🥃🍾🍷😎

[chrism23]

I am going to go a little off topic here.  I have booked the World Cruise for 2023.  The itinerary looks spectacular.  The cruise runs from San Fransisco round trip.  This solves my issue of not going to Australia, Singapore, Tokyo and all this places I wanted to go but have not because I don't want to spend 24 hours on a damn plane.  So when this came out I jumped on it.  The problem is that it is on the Silver Shadow, now I believe the smallest non-expedition ship int the Silversea Fleet.  My question is why?  I would much rather be on the Moon for example.  I am worried that the Shadow is simply going to be too small.  That the 225 or so of us sailing may grow sick and tired of each other.  Of course, as much discussed above, I will be keeping my eyes peeled on the cancellation dates. 

 

Other question is has anyone done the World Cruise on a small like the Shadow, and if so do you have any comments or advice.  TIA  Cheers  Chris

[mysty]

23 minutes ago, chrism23 said:

I am going to go a little off topic here.  I have booked the World Cruise for 2023.  The itinerary looks spectacular.  The cruise runs from San Fransisco round trip.  This solves my issue of not going to Australia, Singapore, Tokyo and all this places I wanted to go but have not because I don't want to spend 24 hours on a damn plane.  So when this came out I jumped on it.  The problem is that it is on the Silver Shadow, now I believe the smallest non-expedition ship int the Silversea Fleet.  My question is why?  I would much rather be on the Moon for example.  I am worried that the Shadow is simply going to be too small.  That the 225 or so of us sailing may grow sick and tired of each other.  Of course, as much discussed above, I will be keeping my eyes peeled on the cancellation dates. 

 

Other question is has anyone done the World Cruise on a small like the Shadow, and if so do you have any comments or advice.  TIA  Cheers  Chris

 

I think you mean you booked the World Cruise for 2024.   The 2023 departs from Sydney.   Having done World Cruises on the Shadow sister ship, the Lady Whisper, our personal experience was that the size of the ship was perfect!  In order not to derail this thread you might consider starting one of your own. 😁

[Stumblefoot]

I agree with Mysty, ChrisM23.  Start a new thread so your questions don’t get lost in this ‘22 thread.

 

There are many reasons why SS is going to use the Shadow.  From my POV, the class of ship is beloved by SS world cruisers, the size allows it to visit ports the Muse class ships cannot (think Saigon as one example), and it was recently redesigned (deck 5 primarily) versus the Whisper which has no Arts Cafe.

[FauxNom]

@2lefty @Kenogoddess08 @poodle664  What a dilemma! I'm a big fan of Silversea but I understand what you're saying about difficulty with communication. At this time, though, I do have a sense that travel companies are building the plane after it's already taken off (or maybe that should be ship!) and the lack of specificity about fallback plans is understandable. If you really can't tolerate the prospect of itinerary changes, maybe now is not the time to do a world cruise. Are there legs of the journey that particularly stand out? Book those! I'm sure any or all would make for an amazing trip!

[Kenogoddess08]

Good feedback, thank you.  We were so hoping that 2022 would bring us all more ‘trouble free’ cruising but you’re correct, we might be a year too early.  It would have been nice if Silversea had replicated the majority of the itinerary on their 2024 trip.  It is such a fantastic list of ports compared to what we have seen on other lines.  I do understand that some people take the WC every year and are fine just being on the ship (my father was in his 70s and this was his choice too!).  But for us, we are younger and we like to explore and get off the ship in each port.  As to fallback plans and lack of specificity, it would simply be nice to know what SS would plan to do if major ports are missed.  A refund of port charges doesn’t replace visiting Machu Picchu, for instance, so all they need to do is say ‘there will be no refund’ and then we have some direction.  Something similar to what Regent has already informed their guests.

[Herman The Cat]

By the way, the world cruise includes a “Visa Package.” Any idea who this works? Do they do the visas, the TA does them or the passenger?

[Neferteri]

5 minutes ago, Herman The Cat said:

By the way, the world cruise includes a “Visa Package.” Any idea who this works? Do they do the visas, the TA does them or the passenger?

We have called Silversea no one seems to know.  They say we will find out at a later date even though the paperwork says the passenger is responsible.  Again poor communication by Silversea.

[mysty]

59 minutes ago, Herman The Cat said:

By the way, the world cruise includes a “Visa Package.” Any idea who this works? Do they do the visas, the TA does them or the passenger?

 

52 minutes ago, Neferteri said:

We have called Silversea no one seems to know.  They say we will find out at a later date even though the paperwork says the passenger is responsible.  Again poor communication by Silversea.

 

Based on what the process was for the 2019 World Cruise, we received an email in mid August 2018 from Silversea by way of our travel agent outlining the situation for each country.  We were asked to send clear copies of our passports to Silversea at least 30 days prior to sailing.  Silversea handled all the visas and ETAs.  I don't know if this will be the case for the 2022.

Edited August 14, 2021 by mysty

[Herman The Cat]

Mysty, thanks for the info. Called yesterday and asked about the visa package and that is what they said — they will be in touch. Seems like it will be the same process. 

[Herman The Cat]

And…do most world cruisers buy the Silversea travel protection/insurance (Allianz) or purchase it independently from another company (such as AIG Travelguard)?

[mysty]

We're in Canada and we went with travel insurance from another company.  The Silversea option did not cover the whole cruise cost in our case.

[audobon_tx]

2 hours ago, Herman The Cat said:

And…do most world cruisers buy the Silversea travel protection/insurance (Allianz) or purchase it independently from another company (such as AIG Travelguard)?

 

AIG Travelguard for us.

[mysty]

2 hours ago, Herman The Cat said:

Mysty, thanks for the info. Called yesterday and asked about the visa package and that is what they said — they will be in touch. Seems like it will be the same process. 

 

Silversea may well be waiting a bit to finalize the itinerary that they feel fairly confident about.  They may not want to invest in visas for countries that they are concerned about.

[2lefty]

On 8/15/2021 at 8:32 AM, mysty said:

 

Silversea may well be waiting a bit to finalize the itinerary that they feel fairly confident about.  They may not want to invest in visas for countries that they are concerned about.

I hope that’s the case but, why is the sight (Mysilversea) down for that last couple of days? Why can’t they e-mail us and tell us what’s going on? At least the other twelve cruises we had scheduled, that were cancelled let us know ahead of time so we didn’t have to make final payments, visas, etc, etc. Sorry, I know these are trying time for the entire cruise industry, suppliers, fuel companies, and the rest, but have the decency to inform your guests of what is happening.🚢🥃🍺🍻😎

[mysty]

22 minutes ago, 2lefty said:

I hope that’s the case but, why is the sight (Mysilversea) down for that last couple of days? Why can’t they e-mail us and tell us what’s going on? At least the other twelve cruises we had scheduled, that were cancelled let us know ahead of time so we didn’t have to make final payments, visas, etc, etc. Sorry, I know these are trying time for the entire cruise industry, suppliers, fuel companies, and the rest, but have the decency to inform your guests of what is happening.🚢🥃🍺🍻😎

 

Barbara Muckermann posted about the issue of the website a few days ago on FB.  The site,  phone lines and email access were all down.  The latest info suggests that MySilversea should be up tomorrow and email is expected to be up today.

[2lefty]

2 minutes ago, mysty said:

 

Barbara Muckermann posted about the issue of the website a few days ago on FB.  The site,  phone lines and email access were all down.  The latest info suggests that MySilversea should be up tomorrow and email is expected to be up today.

Thanks for the info but I don’t believe in Facebook and do not use it. I will keep watching and hoping! 🚢🥃🍺🍷😎

[mysty]

57 minutes ago, 2lefty said:

Thanks for the info but I don’t believe in Facebook and do not use it. I will keep watching and hoping! 🚢🥃🍺🍷😎

 

Barbara Muckermann just posted this.....

 

[poodle664]

It's official-- final payment for World Cruise 2022 is now due Nov. 30, 2021. From Silver Sea this morning: 

 

Most of the itinerary has been vetted as operable but we are still waiting for confirmation on one specific area of the world. To assure best protocols and maximum collaboration with the local authorities in the next few weeks Silversea executives will be traveling to this part of the world to evaluate and discuss best practices and protocols for keeping everyone safe and secure. Should this trip be successful we will be able to operate the World Cruise.

 

Of course we will need to propose to you some itinerary changes but overall we feel confident we can deliver a wonderful Silversea experience for the 2022 World Cruise. 

 

To ensure that we examine all possibilities, we are allowing approximately four weeks for a full assessment of the situation as it relates to each region. At that point, we will make a final determination regarding the World Cruise and its scheduled itinerary. Due to this unforeseen evaluation process, we are extending the final payment date to 30 November 2021. 

 

 

 

[Silver Spectre]

4 hours ago, poodle664 said:

It's official-- final payment for World Cruise 2022 is now due Nov. 30, 2021. From Silver Sea this morning: 

 

Most of the itinerary has been vetted as operable but we are still waiting for confirmation on one specific area of the world. To assure best protocols and maximum collaboration with the local authorities in the next few weeks Silversea executives will be traveling to this part of the world to evaluate and discuss best practices and protocols for keeping everyone safe and secure. Should this trip be successful we will be able to operate the World Cruise.

 

Of course we will need to propose to you some itinerary changes but overall we feel confident we can deliver a wonderful Silversea experience for the 2022 World Cruise. 

 

To ensure that we examine all possibilities, we are allowing approximately four weeks for a full assessment of the situation as it relates to each region. At that point, we will make a final determination regarding the World Cruise and its scheduled itinerary. Due to this unforeseen evaluation process, we are extending the final payment date to 30 November 2021. 

 

 

 

It’s good news that the final payment date has been shifted again. My concern is that for the two segments we are booked on, all but two ports are currently on the UK red list, which means a 10 day, extremely expensive, hotel quarantine on return.

[Herman The Cat]

What was interesting about the email stating the final payment date has been changed to Nov. 30 is that it made no mention of any changes in the cancellation policies or dates. So what happens to the extended cancellation schedule? If you don’t like what they propose on Nov. 30 (or shortly before) can you cancel and get a full refund???? What assumption(s) is everyone making about the cancellation deadlines and penalties?