New positioning of fare options - Door-to-Door or Port-to-Port

[Dolcevita Diva]

On the surface, the new fare categories described in the email received today seem to simplify the options - Door-to-Door is all-inclusive (air, transfers, etc.). And for those who prefer to handle their own air arrangements, it's refreshing to see what that fare looks like without having to find out and subtract the air credit. But there is one very important detail that is a major change - the deposit on a "port-to-port" fare (15%) is nonrefundable.  Ouch.  But hopefully not an issue if you have travel insurance. 

 

Also, when I did a quick scan of some voyages that were on my consideration list - the Port-to-Port option is not available on every voyage. It looks like as a voyage becomes more fully booked, that option is no longer available.   

 

I am sure the discussion will be lively!  🙂

Edited December 6, 2021 by Dolcevita Diva

[Silver Spectre]

Based on our recent experience with disembarking the Moon, Door-to-Door will never work when there is a great big hole in the transfer to airport arrangements. Nonrefundable deposits is yet another bad idea, and has been one of the reasons to stay clear of Seabourn in the past.

 

No email for us yet.

Edited December 6, 2021 by Silver Spectre

[FauxNom]

Another notable change: no Venetian discount on the port-to-port fares.

 

I'd say Silversea did a good job simplifying and making the fares more transparent. But as someone who prefers DIY arrangements,  I'm very disappointed in the punitive refund policy and the oddly stingy treatment of Venetian members.

[les37b]

1 hour ago, FauxNom said:

Another notable change: no Venetian discount on the port-to-port fares.

 

I'd say Silversea did a good job simplifying and making the fares more transparent. But as someone who prefers DIY arrangements,  I'm very disappointed in the punitive refund policy and the oddly stingy treatment of Venetian members.

 

Not to mention the huge price hike.

 

Possibly not the right time to be so bullish IMHO.

 

 

 

 

[Silver Spectre]

2 hours ago, FauxNom said:

Another notable change: no Venetian discount on the port-to-port fares.

 

I'd say Silversea did a good job simplifying and making the fares more transparent. But as someone who prefers DIY arrangements,  I'm very disappointed in the punitive refund policy and the oddly stingy treatment of Venetian members.

Not sure about either of those, having just crawled all over the website (UK) looking at the new booking prices and terms for a recently booked cruise, the deposit is still ok up to 150 days out and I couldn't find any mention of stingy treatment for venetians. At present the top line price for a door-to-door is slightly cheaper than that booked 3 weeks ago, but obviously no 10% EBB.

[dawntrdr]

I saw this on a cruise that I booked for next March on the Spirit:

 

[Dolcevita Diva]

31 minutes ago, Silver Spectre said:

Not sure about either of those, having just crawled all over the website (UK) looking at the new booking prices and terms for a recently booked cruise, the deposit is still ok up to 150 days out and I couldn't find any mention of stingy treatment for venetians. At present the top line price for a door-to-door is slightly cheaper than that booked 3 weeks ago, but obviously no 10% EBB.

That is correct about the deposit on Door-to-Door (still ok up to 150 days).  But on Port-to-Port bookings the deposit is now non refundable (you will see that in red print when you click through on Learn More.)    
 

Venetian Society savings are still showing on both types of bookings. 

[FauxNom]

23 minutes ago, Dolcevita Diva said:

That is correct about the deposit on Door-to-Door (still ok up to 150 days).  But on Port-to-Port bookings the deposit is now non refundable (you will see that in red print when you click through on Learn More.)    

Yes, that's what I was referring to @Silver Specter. I should have said relatively punitive 🙂 

 

[geekgirl23]

I'm wondering if the non-refundable deposit would be transferrable to another booking?

 

I also noticed that the non-use credit language was still there in the door-to-door offers ($100 if you don't use the transfer and $900 for not using the air promo on the example I was looking at). To my understanding, it seems like you can opt out of the things that actually make it a door-to-door, making the (only?) difference the refundable deposit and airport transfers. The price difference between the two options on the example I looked at was >$3600; substantially more than the $1000 combined value of the two non-use credits. So I guess you could pay the $2600 premium to have a refundable deposit (and airport transfers)? We haven't ever used Silversea air, so I might be missing something else.  

 

Still digesting this and may be thinking about this wrong! 

[FauxNom]

1 hour ago, geekgirl23 said:

The price difference between the two options on the example I looked at was >$3600; substantially more than the $1000 combined value of the two non-use credits. So I guess you could pay the $2600 premium to have a refundable deposit (and airport transfers)?

I was trying to figure that out, but this is a better inference than I could come up with. Expensive insurance of your deposit!

[Sunprince]

Sounds like a bit of an “identity crisis” for SS…are they an all inclusive cruise line, or a cruise only cruise line?  And wait…we now have 2 different fare structures and if you pick the more expensive, all inclusive one, then we will give you a better cancellation policy!  But the poor folks that want cruise only are treated less favourably!  Who comes up with this “strategy”? How many times has SS changed its offer - air/no air included, excursions in/out, transfer out then in etc., perhaps this is just a result of the acquisition by a larger company? Regardless, it doesn’t seem very customer centric and makes booking a cruise more confusing.

[geekgirl23]

51 minutes ago, FauxNom said:

I was trying to figure that out, but this is a better inference than I could come up with. Expensive insurance of your deposit!

 

I was hoping someone would find a hole in my logic and make me realize that this was actually a deal somehow! But you're right, expensive insurance, and cancel for any reason insurance suddenly looks a lot better! 

[cruiseej]

16 minutes ago, geekgirl23 said:

cancel for any reason insurance suddenly looks a lot better! 

 

Beware when checking into "cancel for any reason insurance." In most cases, it gives you only a partial refund -- between 60% and 75% -- not a full refund. 

[geekgirl23]

 

19 minutes ago, cruiseej said:

 

Beware when checking into "cancel for any reason insurance." In most cases, it gives you only a partial refund -- between 60% and 75% -- not a full refund. 

True. Forgot about that!

[Observer]

Well, this simplifies my planning. As some may know, I have been a Silversea enthusiast, with hundreds and hundreds of nights under my belt.  I was unhappy with the inclusion of excursions in fares on the classic ships, but  I went ahead and booked anyway for a late 2023 cruise.  But this is a step too far.  Did the corporate executives think of the nonrefundable deposit during their recent frolics on Moon?  Land based vacations in luxury resorts with far more flexibility are seeming more and more attractive.  Apparently, Silversea executives believe they can prosper without the custom of people like me. Blessings on them and on the wonderful crew.

[Stumblefoot]

Am I seeing this right… only 11% of all voyages available for sale are Port-to-Port or what used to be called Cruise Fare Only?  Why is the Port-to-Port fare option  limited to so few voyages?

[cruiseej]

The non-refundable deposit is a killer, in my opinion. We have done multiple cruises on Silversea, Seabourn, and Regent. We have booked six months, a year, and nearly two years in advance, and some people book even farther in advance than that. I believe each of them has allowed us to cancel and get a refund of all but a $200 administrative fee. We haven't had to cancel (ignoring Covid-canceled cruises), but the peace of mind knowing we could cancel up to 4 months before a cruise if we needed to has been crucial to us committing large amounts of money to cruise on these cruise lines.

 

Our next Silversea cruise is a twice-canceled and rebooked Antarctica cruise, now set for next December. It's our most expensive cruise ever. We paid in full after our original booking. But we knew if our circumstances changed, we could cancel and get almost all our money back. Now, that same cruise booking would make $7,500 unrefundable. That would mean we'd have to buy travel insurance at the time of booking rather than when entering penalty 4 months prior to the cruise -- and we'd lose the option to change plans except for an insurance-covered emergency situation. That's flat-out unappealing. And it will probably make us more likely to continue booking on Seabourn rather than Silversea going forward. 

[Gourmet Gal]

SS Air can be a great deal normally but seeing these Port to Port prices makes me think the Door to Door pricing is a way for SS to recoup monies they could be losing on air fares. Now the true price of the “included” air doesn’t look like such a deal and the nonref deposit certainly seems punitive.  There’s more than one ship in the ocean and I’ll be looking beyond SS for my next ocean cruise.

[jollyjones]

To make it even more confusing, the new fare structure appears to change according to your location.

 

When I look at the SS website, the port-tp-port option has private executive transfers, international flights, and airport transfers greyed out, as you would expect. Only the actual cruise bits are in black.

However, when I look at the door-to-door option, only the private executive transfers are blacked in, the flights and airport transfers are still greyed out, presumably because they're not available in Bermuda (I knew that, I always have to do my own air and transfers).

 

I wonder what (or even if) the discount to me will be for not using air or transfers? I know what I currently get, I wonder if that'll change.

I wonder if that'll affect my ability to book door-to-door fares which are obviously preferable for the refundable deposit. Will they be closer to port-to-port prices for me since I can't use half the included stuff? Or not?

(I don't care about the private executive transfer - I can get a bus to the airport for free - but the discount for not using it is only $50.)

 

BUT I do think the non-refundable deposits are going to go down like a lead balloon.

And the slap in the face for Venetian Society members on the port-to-port pricing.

 

And has anyone noticed that the time to be able to cancel without penalty has increased to 150 days and the admin fee is now $250?

 

Gonna be lots of comments for me to make on the comment cards of upcoming cruises ...

 

 

Edited December 7, 2021 by jollyjones

[MBP&O2/O]

“There’s more than one ship in the ocean and I’ll be looking beyond SS for my next ocean cruise.”

Good luck with that😁

 

I filled in the web form on Seabourn and asked for a formal quote …. no reply. After several “what are you playing at” emails I had a reply - several weeks later - saying that all requests go to Seattle?  No quote supplied …

Shocking service. Like SS, I have no doubt the onboard experience will be great, but corporate seem to treat Joe Public as a mug.

 

I spoke with Regent and asked some very direct questions about flights, booking speciality restaurants, and excursion availability, the latter for lower category suites …… horrendously evasive replies. The flights question was answered “don’t worry we’ll sort it”. The other two were “don’t worry about it …. There should be availability, ask once you are on board.”  Really?

 

I am now thinking Viking,  but with the current pandemic issues it is all very much up in the air and I am am reluctant to commit. 
 

 

[Observer]

A nice feature is that one can price an itinerary and determine the solo supplement.

 

I looked at a cruise round trip Ft Lauderdale,  It priced in economy.  For various reasons, I I travel in business class, usually using air miles.  The booking/quote feature gives one an option to fly business class (first class on most domestic flights).  The premium for that upgrade was $1900 for a two hour flight in USA.

[Gourmet Gal]

2 hours ago, MBP&O2/O said:

“There’s more than one ship in the ocean and I’ll be looking beyond SS for my next ocean cruise.”

Good luck with that😁

 

I filled in the web form on Seabourn and asked for a formal quote …. no reply. After several “what are you playing at” emails I had a reply - several weeks later - saying that all requests go to Seattle?  No quote supplied …

Shocking service. Like SS, I have no doubt the onboard experience will be great, but corporate seem to treat Joe Public as a mug.

 

I spoke with Regent and asked some very direct questions about flights, booking speciality restaurants, and excursion availability, the latter for lower category suites …… horrendously evasive replies. The flights question was answered “don’t worry we’ll sort it”. The other two were “don’t worry about it …. There should be availability, ask once you are on board.”  Really?

 

I am now thinking Viking,  but with the current pandemic issues it is all very much up in the air and I am am reluctant to commit. 
 

 

I use a TA for all the research you’re describing but your point is well taken.  Looks like everyone is trying to claw back the massive losses they’ve incurred during COVID.  Those who’ve taken the plunge cruising this year and already booked for next year have probably gotten the best deals as the cruise lines lure passengers back to sailing. Beyond next year we’re looking at a (hopefully) post-COVID surge in travel and the companies are ready to capitalize.  I guess we have to be ready to part with the travel dollars we’ve saved since the beginning of the pandemic!

 

[Dolcevita Diva]

3 hours ago, Observer said:

A nice feature is that one can price an itinerary and determine the solo supplement.

 

I looked at a cruise round trip Ft Lauderdale,  It priced in economy.  For various reasons, I I travel in business class, usually using air miles.  The booking/quote feature gives one an option to fly business class (first class on most domestic flights).  The premium for that upgrade was $1900 for a two hour flight in USA.

 

Hi Observer - How were you able to do that (price an itinerary and determine the solo supplement) on the Silversea site?

Other than the list of voyages in the Special Single Fares area, I'm just seeing that same approach as always -hit the request a quote  button, fill out the form and a Silversea rep will get back to you (or reach out to your TA for the quote).

 

One thing I noticed is that there were not any Port-to-Port options for voyages that depart from and return to Fort Lauderdale. So those of us who live within driving distance of Port Everglades will have to book the Door-to-Door option that includes airfare (now there's logic at work for you...) and ask for the air credit.   That's just silly.

Edited December 7, 2021 by Dolcevita Diva

[Observer]

33 minutes ago, Dolcevita Diva said:

Hi Observer - How were you able to do that (price an itinerary and determine the solo supplement) on the Silversea site?

Other than the list of voyages in the Special Single Fares area, I'm just seeing that same approach as always -hit the request a quote  button, fill out the form and a Silversea rep will get back to you (or reach out to your TA for the quote).

 

 

You are correct.  I cannot duplicate what I found.  Perhaps they took down this booking site, offering $1900 upgrade to front cabin for a Ft Lauderdale departure. But I promise I was not hallucinating.  🙂 

[Dolcevita Diva]

14 minutes ago, Observer said:

 

You are correct.  I cannot duplicate what I found.  Perhaps they took down this booking site, offering $1900 upgrade to front cabin for a Ft Lauderdale departure. But I promise I was not hallucinating.  🙂 

Too bad! But it sounds like that may be a feature enhancement that is in the works, which would be great.