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

[labrasett]

23 hours ago, Stumblefoot said:

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

 

Thank you Stumblefoot, people just dont push through the "barriers" which arent very hard.   All people need to do is to click on inclusion elements shown on that page and the relevant credit is shown.   So for example if you click on "economy class flights" it will tell you what the air credit will be if you dont want the flight inclusion and it will also offer the upgrade cost where that is available.

[MBP&O2/O]

The lad who used to be my PCC (Stefan) has moved on and his replacement is entering chocolate fireguard territory!  Error upon error on our last - literally - SS  cruise. Foolishly I looked at another and I was told that my local international airport (NCL) was not on SS's list so a P2P meant I would fly from Edinburgh...an extra 70 miles away. The limo option would have to be cancelled due to a distance / pay per mile fee, and I was then told I could have a credit on this. 

 I was then told that should I want to fly from NCL I would then have to pay for a flight deviation? A fee way in excess of the limo credit.

Interesting was the fact that the connecting flight was the same from either airport?  I may look like a cabbage but I am not that green!

I also enquired as to options regarding excursions at one port as there was only one included excursion listed ..... snorkeling.... and if you don't swim then what? The answer suggested I purchase an alternative?  Of course no credit was offered.

Err .........no .... bye bye ...

[commodoredave]

At the end of the day, booking a cruise with SS now seems to be more confusing and less customer-friendly than it used to be. It's not that we are new to cruising -- DW and and I have been on 75 cruises including most of the luxury lines. And, we have 4 cruises booked over the next 10 months, three of which are with SS. It's just that we feel SS no longer wants our business as much as they used to, which means it is time for us to drop SS and look elsewhere for the future.

[labrasett]

I find all this quite bizarre, its quite easy to navigate the differences and relevant credits for unwanted elements or indeed cost of upgrade to BC.   SS trips are not for the financially faint hearted nor are they generally undertaken by the more unsophisticated members of society so what is so difficult about using a little personal creativity if SS dont entirely fill your expectations vis a vis travel to and from the ships.  We are quite enured to the idea that if an outbound flight doesnt suit us then we will seek an alternative and pay a deviation fee if necessary or if an inbound flight will get us back to London too late to catch our train home to Cornwall (some 250 miles from Heathrow) then we will stay the night at the airport or possibly evening take the night sleeper train.   Additional costs are minimal compared with the overall cost of the cruises, travel is an adventure and it can be enhanced with just a little thought.

[Silver Spectre]

22 hours ago, labrasett said:

Thank you Stumblefoot, people just dont push through the "barriers" which arent very hard.   All people need to do is to click on inclusion elements shown on that page and the relevant credit is shown.   So for example if you click on "economy class flights" it will tell you what the air credit will be if you dont want the flight inclusion and it will also offer the upgrade cost where that is available.

You mean like this:

 

BUSINESS CLASS FLIGHTS

The air promotion is only available to the first and second full-fare paying guests in a suite. 

In case the booking includes more than two guests, they will need to purchase their roundtrip business class airfare. 

Airline baggage fees are not included. 

In the event Business Class air is not available (determined at Silversea’s sole discretion) or for guests not utilizing the promotional air offer, we are pleased to offer an Air credit of non_use_air_credit. 

Silversea reserves the right to modify the Silversea Air Programme procedures and fees at any time without notice.

 

 

[commodoredave]

3 hours ago, labrasett said:

I find all this quite bizarre, its quite easy to navigate the differences and relevant credits for unwanted elements or indeed cost of upgrade to BC.   SS trips are not for the financially faint hearted nor are they generally undertaken by the more unsophisticated members of society so what is so difficult about using a little personal creativity if SS dont entirely fill your expectations vis a vis travel to and from the ships.  We are quite enured to the idea that if an outbound flight doesnt suit us then we will seek an alternative and pay a deviation fee if necessary or if an inbound flight will get us back to London too late to catch our train home to Cornwall (some 250 miles from Heathrow) then we will stay the night at the airport or possibly evening take the night sleeper train.   Additional costs are minimal compared with the overall cost of the cruises, travel is an adventure and it can be enhanced with just a little thought.

What you and SS are saying is that if the customer doesn't want to purchase the D2D trip at the price presented, it is up to them to click on the various elements they don't want, deduct the credits that are listed for each item, and then deduct the total of all those credits to come up with a price for a P2P. And then to say "thank you" for doing this extra work for them, the cruise line requires a larger down payment, with less friendly cancellation terms, and extends a lower frequent cruiser discount. Wouldn't it be more customer friendly to present two prices -- one for D2D and one for P2P - and extend the same terms for both?   

[commodoredave]

3 hours ago, labrasett said:

I find all this quite bizarre, its quite easy to navigate the differences and relevant credits for unwanted elements or indeed cost of upgrade to BC.   SS trips are not for the financially faint hearted nor are they generally undertaken by the more unsophisticated members of society so what is so difficult about using a little personal creativity if SS dont entirely fill your expectations vis a vis travel to and from the ships.  We are quite enured to the idea that if an outbound flight doesnt suit us then we will seek an alternative and pay a deviation fee if necessary or if an inbound flight will get us back to London too late to catch our train home to Cornwall (some 250 miles from Heathrow) then we will stay the night at the airport or possibly evening take the night sleeper train.   Additional costs are minimal compared with the overall cost of the cruises, travel is an adventure and it can be enhanced with just a little thought.

Try the Hebridean Princess - now there's a cruise line that is certainly not for the faint of heart! LOL!

[jollyjones]

27 minutes ago, commodoredave said:

What you and SS are saying is that if the customer doesn't want to purchase the D2D trip at the price presented, it is up to them to click on the various elements they don't want, deduct the credits that are listed for each item, and then deduct the total of all those credits to come up with a price for a P2P. And then to say "thank you" for doing this extra work for them, the cruise line requires a larger down payment, with less friendly cancellation terms, and extends a lower frequent cruiser discount. Wouldn't it be more customer friendly to present two prices -- one for D2D and one for P2P - and extend the same terms for both?   

I don’t think this is quite accurate. If you buy a D2D cruise and take credits for unused portions such as air, you retain the D2D T&Cs such as refundable deposit etc.

[Stumblefoot]

1 hour ago, jollyjones said:

I don’t think this is quite accurate. 

Totally agree.

[labrasett]

14 hours ago, commodoredave said:

What you and SS are saying is that if the customer doesn't want to purchase the D2D trip at the price presented, it is up to them to click on the various elements they don't want, deduct the credits that are listed for each item, and then deduct the total of all those credits to come up with a price for a P2P. And then to say "thank you" for doing this extra work for them, the cruise line requires a larger down payment, with less friendly cancellation terms, and extends a lower frequent cruiser discount. Wouldn't it be more customer friendly to present two prices -- one for D2D and one for P2P - and extend the same terms for both?   

No thats not what I am saying, what I am saying is that we are free to pick and choose and tell SS what we do and dont want.   You are not doing extra work for them you are getting what you want.

[commodoredave]

3 hours ago, labrasett said:

No thats not what I am saying, what I am saying is that we are free to pick and choose and tell SS what we do and dont want.   You are not doing extra work for them you are getting what you want.

That's not true. What I want is P2P pricing and they are making me do the extra work to find it, and then pay more for the privilege. 

[commodoredave]

17 hours ago, jollyjones said:

I don’t think this is quite accurate. If you buy a D2D cruise and take credits for unused portions such as air, you retain the D2D T&Cs such as refundable deposit etc.

Please look at the screen shots from the SS website below which describes the difference in cancellation policy/refunds between D2D and P2P. Why the difference if customers of both options are being treated the same?

 

Edited May 27, 2022 by commodoredave
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[Tothesunset]

Clearly, there are passengers that accept the D2D/P2P differences ; others, not so much. 

 

Equally clearly SS are looking to make a bigger margin from D2D and are making P2P less attractive. 

 

For someone with a history of booking cruise only and arranging their own travel and accom, the new structure is disadvantageous. 

 

You can argue it any which way but the bottom line is that SS are losing VS customers. 

[jollyjones]

 

Not all of us VS members. I have paid deposits for a number of future bookings. 
 

Since I will not book a non-refundable fare I don’t look at the P2P prices. Whilst I can’t exactly not see them when printed just under the D2D prices, I just let my eyes glide over them and pay them no mind in the same way I let my eyes glide over and ignore the non-refundable price when booking a hotel room. 

Quite why people allow themselves to get so vexed over this is beyond me. Either pay the price for the better T&Cs, or go the cheaper route with it’s disadvantages.

This endless moaning is serving no purpose. 
 

Edited May 27, 2022 by jollyjones

[Gourmet Gal]

17 minutes ago, jollyjones said:

 

Not all of us VS members. I have paid deposits for a number of future bookings. 
 

Since I will not book a non-refundable fare I don’t look at the P2P prices. Whilst I can’t exactly not see them when printed just under the D2D prices, I just let my eyes glide over them and pay them no mind in the same way I let my eyes glide over and ignore the non-refundable price when booking a hotel room. 

Quite why people allow themselves to get so vexed over this is beyond me. Either pay the price for the better T&Cs, or go the cheaper route with it’s disadvantages.

This endless moaning is serving no purpose. 
 

You raise a good point.  We’re willing to pay more for fully refundable airline tickets and hotel rooms or choose not to but the transition will be torturous for current SS customers.  I will say that the SS refund terms  for D2D are not as generous as airlines or hotels and being only marginally better than P2P as one gets closer to the sail date.  But I still find the whole scheme distasteful.

[Tothesunset]

37 minutes ago, jollyjones said:

Either pay the price for the better T&Cs, or go the cheaper route with it’s disadvantages.

 

Or option 3: Choose another cruise line. 

[Caxe]

So much of this is just a matter of optics.  If SS would minimally raise their prices but retain the loyalty discounts, all of their loyal customers wouldn't know the difference.  We'd be happy and feel valued and SS would be satisfied with their bottom line.  Their marketing people are clearly not too bright or they have no influence within the company.

[cruiseej]

36 minutes ago, jollyjones said:

Quite why people allow themselves to get so vexed over this is beyond me. Either pay the price for the better T&Cs, or go the cheaper route with it’s disadvantages.

This endless moaning is serving no purpose. 

 

I think there are a few reasons some people are unhappy with the current pricing. (And since we're told SS executives read the comments on this site, the complaints about the pricing do serve a purpose, if that's true. 😉 ) Here's where the problems come about…

 

If you don't need or can't use the included air and home/airport transfer — because you have airline points, because you don't travel from a gateway airport, because you live too far from the airport to the transfer, because the transfer service isn't available in your city, etc. — you have two options: (1) decline the D2D included air and transfer for a cost reduction, or (2) switch to a lower-cost P2P fare. The problem with #1 is that the credit/cost reduction for not using the air and transfer is often considerably less than the amount SS increased the based fare when moving to D2D pricing. The problems with #2 are that P2P fares aren't offered for many cruises, and for those where it is, you get the a la carte fare you've had in the past but now incur a 15% penalty should you cancel. 

 

If SS had lowered prices for P2P fares, in return for the cancellation penalty, that would be a plausible trade-off and there wouldn't be complaints. But of course, they didn't lower fares while implementing this penalty. If SS made the D2D price, after subtracting air and transfers, comparable to previous fares, there wouldn't be complaints. But of course, they raised prices by more than just the cost of the air and the transfer, and made the non-use credits less than the price increases.

 

I think if they were able to be completely transparent, they might have said something like this: "After the losses we've incurred over the past two years due to Covid, combined with inflation's impact on everything from our staff salaries to fuel and food costs, we are raising our prices — and more than we typically have. Although the price to cruise is now higher, we do now give you the simplicity of included air and included transfers for one set price, as well as the option to decline these services if you prefer to make your own travel plans."

 

Had they said that, some would have grumbled that the prices were too high, but it would have been pretty straightforward and most would have accepted it. Instead, they obfuscated with higher D2D prices in the name of luxury, and optional P2P prices which penalize longtime customers with cancellation penalties and smaller discounts. As @Caxe just wrote while I was typing this, it's marketing optics, and they chose smoke and mirrors and fare complexities rather than straightforward clarity and simplicity. 

[Stumblefoot]

3 hours ago, Caxe said:

Their marketing people… have no influence within the company.

Well, the department head is married to the CEO, so I would imagine marketing has all of the influence they need.

[les37b]

4 hours ago, Stumblefoot said:

Well, the department head is married to the CEO, so I would imagine marketing has all of the influence they need.

 

Maybe that's where it's all going wrong! 😆

[markham]

Bingo!

 

… and now I nominate cruiseej, Stumblefoot and les37 to run the Silversea show. And a show it is, just not one that deserves much approbation with this clumsy rollout of this DTD distraction which we can all see for what it really is. No one should ever consider selling short the VS faithful. Which the current Silversea head office management has done. As if no one would notice.

 

We live in strange times indeed. Of course, we have this forum to lean on and learn from. It seems to me that these 3 named individuals deserve a promotion with bonus for explaining what is what in the course of straightening out the head office. Now if only head office would do the right thing, establish that ole transparency via professional marketing and recalibrate their relationship with the rest of us.

 

Happy and healthy sailing!

Edited May 28, 2022 by markham

[Silver Spectre]

1 hour ago, markham said:

Bingo!

 

… and now I nominate cruiseej, Stumblefoot and les37 to run the Silversea show. And a show it is, just not one that deserves much approbation with this clumsy rollout of this DTD distraction which we can all see for what it really is. No one should ever consider selling short the VS faithful. Which the current Silversea head office management has done. As if no one would notice.

 

We live in strange times indeed. Of course, we have this forum to lean on and learn from. It seems to me that these 3 named individuals deserve a promotion with bonus for explaining what is what in the course of straightening out the head office. Now if only head office would do the right thing, establish that ole transparency via professional marketing and recalibrate their relationship with the rest of us.

 

Happy and healthy sailing!

Nicely put @markham, however experience tells us that the likelihood of the Head of Marketing responding to feedback from the VS faithful is exactly zero. Tin ears comes to mind.

 

I don’t like the idea of a non refundable deposit, and it’s currently unlikely to tempt me. What really annoys me is the idea that you can pay to cruise with SS and not accrue Venetian days. People have always paid different prices to cruise, either based on space or due to discounting of one sort or another, and unless you are a travel agent with a large group of guests, you have always been treated the same and accrued Venetian days. I think that introducing two different classes of guests stinks.

Edited May 28, 2022 by Silver Spectre

[Tothesunset]

27 minutes ago, Silver Spectre said:

Nicely put @markhamat really annoys me is the idea that you can pay to cruise with SS and not accrue Venetian days...

Whoa. Hold the phone!

 

I guess I missed this. Under what circumstances are VS days not credited? 

[Silver Spectre]

2 minutes ago, Tothesunset said:

Whoa. Hold the phone!

 

I guess I missed this. Under what circumstances are VS days not credited? 

With Port to Port fares.

[Tothesunset]

I really hadn't noticed that P2P didn't give VS credit. 

 

We had already decided to cruise elsewhere with a mild feeling of regret. Now we have no regrets at all. 

 

Actually, I'm truly shocked.