If you're a frequent Silversea passenger, read this!

[Gourmet Gal]

1 hour ago, jimdee3636 said:

It's often pointed out---correctly---that those who post on Cruise Critic are only a tiny percentage of those who have taken cruises. But CC "regulars" are often people who cruise more often (sometimes a lot more often) than the overall cruise population, and are typically the "go to" people for cruise advice and recommendations from friends, relatives, neighbors, and co-workers. In that sense, CC regulars can, and often do, exert an oversize influence. I'm saying this because of the many people who say that Silversea and other lines can't be bothered by what a "vocal minority" of cruisers say. If that's true, the cruise lines are foolishly shortsighted. Most of us aren't so blindly loyal to Silversea (or any other line) that we won't take our business elsewhere if things deteriorate.

TA’s are also aware of the pitfalls of this pricing scheme and unless they’re being paid an extra incentive by SS they will steer customers away to save headaches for themselves later on.

[Dolcevita Diva]

It's ironic that on some of the voyages for which only the D2D pricing is offered, they are not offering  airfare as part of the fare. "Car service and Cruise" would be more accurate.  😁

[rosepark]

On 5/18/2022 at 7:16 PM, les37b said:

 

You could give me six stars if you work it out!

 

If only you could see my email address, I could forward you the email.

 

I did, Les, many thanks, and we done the deed, though not through your recommendation. And so off we will go , assuming our "friend" to the East doesn't decide to exact revenge on Finland and Sweden. 

As an aside, one of the excursions listed is to a former concentration camp. I find I have a problem with  that as a shore excursion, what do others feel? Am I being sanctimonious, given that going on a luxurious cruise shouldn't sit comfortably at all in the context of what is happening in Ukraine.

Rp

[goldengatecruisers]

It looks like Silversea will end the Port to Port fares at the end of May hopefully putting an end to pricing confusion.  I just received an e-blast stating as such.

[jollyjones]

 

Read the email very carefully.

 

SS says the P2P are expiring May 31st but also says that fares will increase Jun 1st.

 

In the past this sort of marketing language has been used to instil a false sense of urgency when in fact nothing actually changes. They do it for most 'offers' such as 25% solo supps. They may mean that the current P2P prices expire on May 31st, not the actual pricing mechanism.

So it may be that the P2P will go away, or it may be that P2P will remain only be more expensive, or it may be that nothing changes.

Maybe SS has actually been listening to complaints about P2P?

Maybe P2P isn't working well for them?

Only time will tell.

Edited May 23, 2022 by jollyjones

[commodoredave]

I have uploaded below an image of the e-blast recently sent out by Silversea. It claims that P2P bookings cost up to 35% less than a D2D booking for the same cruise. It also confirms that people booking a P2P cruise will be penalized with 15-20% non-refundable deposits. The reference to the end of May is not for an end to P2P pricing, but rather the current pricing for them -- they go up after that.

[goldengatecruisers]

I see what you mean. I think I mistakenly interpreted the wording to mean P2P was going away (expiring) on May 31st.  But what you are saying about the current pricing for P2P expiring on May 31st only to be replaced with potentially 'new increased' pricing for P2P will show up shortly thereafter.  Got it.

Edited May 23, 2022 by goldengatecruisers

[commodoredave]

1 hour ago, goldengatecruisers said:

I see what you mean. I think I mistakenly interpreted the wording to mean P2P was going away (expiring) on May 31st.  But what you are saying about the current pricing for P2P expiring on May 31st only to be replaced with potentially 'new increased' pricing for P2P will show up shortly thereafter.  Got it.

Yes. In addition, some some future cruises may only be sold as D2D, and may not be available as P2P.  

[Dolcevita Diva]

2 hours ago, jollyjones said:

 

Read the email very carefully.

 

SS says the P2P are expiring May 31st but also says that fares will increase Jun 1st.

 

In the past this sort of marketing language has been used to instil a false sense of urgency when in fact nothing actually changes. They do it for most 'offers' such as 25% solo supps. They may mean that the current P2P prices expire on May 31st, not the actual pricing mechanism.

So it may be that the P2P will go away, or it may be that P2P will remain only be more expensive, or it may be that nothing changes.

Maybe SS has actually been listening to complaints about P2P?

Maybe P2P isn't working well for them?

Only time will tell.

Earlier today I received an email from Celebrity that I found interesting in light of Silversea’s D2D and P2P options.  Celebrity has been promoting “ Always Included” fares that include drinks, wifi and tips for all guests.  They are now rolling out “cruise-only” fares, which appear to be available for all cruises, but not for their suites or Aquaclass cabins.    Out of curiosity, I looked at the FAQ and the cruise-only fares will include both refundable and non-refundable fares. 

Their approach and messaging (especially the FAQ) seems much more straightforward and transparent than Silversea’s current D2D and P2P messaging that buries several aspects of P2P in the T&C.  Since both lines have the same parent company, here’s hoping that perhaps some adjustments to streamline and provide better clarity may be coming to Silversea’s D2D vs P2P options.  

[ak1004]

I remember a similar email in February saying that prices will increase on February 28th. I believe they increase prices for most sailings every 3 months, usually by $100-200 depending on the category. And it applies to both P2P and D2D rates.

 

So the title of the email is confusing but it's the same as before. Prices increase not expire.

[labrasett]

I am not sure I agree that D2D and P2P offerings are opaque, it is quite easy to see on the website what is offered and also to check what credit might be granted for unused parts of the offering.   

[Tothesunset]

1 hour ago, labrasett said:

I am not sure I agree that D2D and P2P offerings are opaque, it is quite easy to see on the website what is offered and also to check what credit might be granted for unused parts of the offering.   

That's as maybe but there are certainly CC members who are thoroughly uninterested in playing those games. 

[gwesq]

2 hours ago, labrasett said:

I am not sure I agree that D2D and P2P offerings are opaque, it is quite easy to see on the website what is offered and also to check what credit might be granted for unused parts of the offering.   

I haven't been able to find that. Can you let me know where they put that info? Thanks

[Silver Spectre]

2 hours ago, labrasett said:

I am not sure I agree that D2D and P2P offerings are opaque, it is quite easy to see on the website what is offered and also to check what credit might be granted for unused parts of the offering.   

That is not correct. If you wish to find out what credit may be offered for included air then you have to ask a consultant.

[Stumblefoot]

2 hours ago, gwesq said:

I haven't been able to find that. Can you let me know where they put that info? Thanks

Just click on each component of the D2D fare and you'll find what you seek.

 

Edited May 24, 2022 by Stumblefoot

[Stumblefoot]

1 hour ago, Silver Spectre said:

That is not correct. If you wish to find out what credit may be offered for included air then you have to ask a consultant.

Actually, you no longer need to call, wait on hold, or worse yet, leave a voicemail message waiting for an answer.  The credit for included air is now listed for each voyage.  For example, here is the credit for our 2024 voyage on the Nova.

 

[commodoredave]

Can anyone tell me the logic behind SS requiring a non-refundable and higher % down payment and also giving a lower Venetian Society % discount for a P2P than a D2D cruise? Is this meant to punish people for choosing P2P, or does it cost SS more to offer P2P than D2D and they are simply reflecting that in the overall price?

[ak1004]

14 minutes ago, commodoredave said:

Can anyone tell me the logic behind SS requiring a non-refundable and higher % down payment and also giving a lower Venetian Society % discount for a P2P than a D2D cruise? Is this meant to punish people for choosing P2P, or does it cost SS more to offer P2P than D2D and they are simply reflecting that in the overall price?

 

I think it's pretty clear - they want to encourage you to book D2D because they charge a pretty large premium compared to P2P (in our case it was $2,750 CAD while the economy flights are around $1,200 CAD, plus maybe couple hundred for transfers).

 

[Dolcevita Diva]

On 5/18/2022 at 5:18 PM, Dolcevita Diva said:

It's ironic that on some of the voyages for which only the D2D pricing is offered, they are not offering  airfare as part of the fare. "Car service and Cruise" would be more accurate.  😁

Silversea really needs to rethink how they have named these offerings…Door-to-door is the only option for the cruise below - but it doesn’t even include the home to airport transfer, just the cruise!  

Perhaps we’ve completely misunderstood and “Door” is merely an acronym (diabolical option for optimizing revenue)? 😂😂


 

Edited May 24, 2022 by Dolcevita Diva

[les37b]

21 minutes ago, Dolcevita Diva said:

Silversea really needs to rethink how they have named these offerings…Door-to-door is the only option for the cruise below - but it doesn’t even include the home to airport transfer, just the cruise!  

Perhaps we’ve completely misunderstood and “Door” is merely an acronym (diabolical option for optimizing revenue)? 😂😂


 

 

I think it's a safe bet it's another silversea website error/glitch.

[Stumblefoot]

1 hour ago, commodoredave said:

Can anyone tell me the logic behind SS requiring a non-refundable and higher % down payment and also giving a lower Venetian Society % discount for a P2P than a D2D cruise?

 

Their logic is that the % reduction in fare more than offsets any perceived negatives.  One has to remember that P2P is only offered on voyages that aren't selling well.

 

1 minute ago, les37b said:

I think it's a safe bet it's another silversea website error/glitch.

When this has happened in the past it's been on voyages that have very high occupancy rates and where SS no longer has airline seat inventory to sell for the voyage, not a website error / glitch.

[Silver Spectre]

3 hours ago, Stumblefoot said:

Actually, you no longer need to call, wait on hold, or worse yet, leave a voicemail message waiting for an answer.  The credit for included air is now listed for each voyage.  For example, here is the credit for our 2024 voyage on the Nova.

 

Hi Stumbles, just rechecked for a Moon voyage in October that I was referring to and there is no air credit figure on the website.

[QueSeraSera]

Obviously, it's all too complicated Silversea. Will keep the one I've booked, but won't book another till all is clear, particularly the door to door scam.

[Stumblefoot]

4 hours ago, Silver Spectre said:

Hi Stumbles, just rechecked for a Moon voyage in October that I was referring to and there is no air credit figure on the website.

That’s wild, Mr. Silver.  I literally just looked at every October voyage on the Moon this year and next and all show the air credit value.  They are anywhere from $750 to $1,200 depending on the voyage.

 

I wonder if the issue is a difference between the U.S. and U.K. websites?

 

If you’d like, send me a PM with the voyage you’re looking at and I’ll look up the air credit for you and send a screenshot.

[les37b]

9 hours ago, Stumblefoot said:

When this has happened in the past it's been on voyages that have very high occupancy rates and where SS no longer has airline seat inventory to sell for the voyage, not a website error / glitch.

 

If it's a true reflection, it makes it even worse. Selling it advertised as D2D when in reality it's P2P and shows they can do what they like with options on the table. I guess in this instance calling it as such, makes the deposit / cancellation charges better.

 

I rather suspect the strategy with the direction SS are going with the fairs, is they don't care if people are upset with the changes to deposits, loss of VS and EBB savings and increases due to making things included at a premium and are gambling those loyal guests they will lose will be offset by new guests being none the wiser.

 

I rather suspect that for the first time since I can remember,  my next sailing will be the first I've disembarked without a future  reservation made.

Edited May 25, 2022 by les37b