Stocking Fridge with Desired Beverages?

[Ben100014]

Hello all,

 

I reached out to the special requests/services department at SS, and they informed me that there may be a fee to request specific sugar-free beverages be made available in our suite aside from what they typically have stocked onboard. Based on prior experience, have any of you been able to (ahead of time) successfully request a specific beverage or item not traditionally available onboard to be provided in your stateroom without any additional fee?

 

As a luxury line, it would have been my expectation that given enough time in advance, requests like this could be accommodated without any hoopla. I was given the now-par-for-the-course excuse of "due to supply chain issues, covid, etc" as rationale for the items potentially being unavailable/added at a fee; this is understandable to an extent, but I can't imagine an item that can be found in most stores would be difficult to procure and cost extra, given the premium fare we're already paying. Am I being unreasonable? This is my first time on a luxury line/SS.

 

Thank you!

[mysty]

2 minutes ago, Ben100014 said:

Hello all,

 

I reached out to the special requests/services department at SS, and they informed me that there may be a fee to request specific sugar-free beverages be made available in our suite aside from what they typically have stocked onboard. Based on prior experience, have any of you been able to (ahead of time) successfully request a specific beverage or item not traditionally available onboard to be provided in your stateroom without any additional fee?

 

As a luxury line, it would have been my expectation that given enough time in advance, requests like this could be accommodated without any hoopla. I was given the now-par-for-the-course excuse of "due to supply chain issues, covid, etc" as rationale for the items potentially being unavailable/added at a fee; this is understandable to an extent, but I can't imagine an item that can be found in most stores would be difficult to procure and cost extra, given the premium fare we're already paying. Am I being unreasonable? This is my first time on a luxury line/SS.

 

Thank you!

 

Even before supply chain issues there was a fee for a particular scotch my husband enjoys.   We declined.   Please don't think that whatever you request can be easily sourced or available at no cost.   Luxury does not mean no holds barred!  

[Ben100014]

7 minutes ago, mysty said:

 

Even before supply chain issues there was a fee for a particular scotch my husband enjoys.   We declined.   Please don't think that whatever you request can be easily sourced or available at no cost.   Luxury does not mean no holds barred!  

That's understandable; but we were just requesting some Zevia soda which can be found at Target, Walmart, etc. Again, perhaps I need to taper my expectations!

[kimanjo]

43 minutes ago, Ben100014 said:

That's understandable; but we were just requesting some Zevia soda which can be found at Target, Walmart, etc. Again, perhaps I need to taper my expectations!

 

Where are you sailing from??  I suspect getting Zevia soda on a cruise departing from Miami, for example, would be easier to source than one sailing from say, Lisbon Portugal.

We will be on a Galapagos cruise in a couple of weeks.  Our expectations are that Coke Zero or Diet Sprite should be available, but are prepared to drink soda water or tonic water if no sugar free soda is available.  

[Ben100014]

12 minutes ago, kimanjo said:

 

Where are you sailing from??  I suspect getting Zevia soda on a cruise departing from Miami, for example, would be easier to source than one sailing from say, Lisbon Portugal.

We will be on a Galapagos cruise in a couple of weeks.  Our expectations are that Coke Zero or Diet Sprite should be available, but are prepared to drink soda water or tonic water if no sugar free soda is available.  

This is onboard the Silver Muse sailing from Vancouver in a few weeks. So, not too far off the grid. 😂 From what I was told, they will have the beverages you mentioned, but my family is somewhat particular, as you can imagine.

[Stumblefoot]

1 hour ago, Ben100014 said:

That's understandable; but we were just requesting some Zevia soda which can be found at Target, Walmart, etc. Again, perhaps I need to taper my expectations!

Wholeheartedly agree with Mysty.  
 

Zevia is a tiny, esoteric brand in the world of food & beverage, regardless of its distribution in Target or Walmart, which by the way is quite minimal.  As such, it may be quite difficult for SS to acquire since they have no relationship with Zevia, especially since Zevia neither manufactures nor distributes its own products, relying solely on third party suppliers.  Therefore, yes, you definitely need to taper your expectations.  

[pf778c]

Silversea was able to get San Pellegrino Aranciata on the Whisper or Shadow for my young man a few years ago, but many things were different a few years ago...

[Stumblefoot]

3 minutes ago, pf778c said:

Silversea was able to get San Pellegrino Aranciata on the Whisper or Shadow for my young man a few years ago...

Yes, S.Pellegrino products are readily available. As a former Italian cruise line, SS has offered S.Pellegrino’s Italian natural water brands since the cruise line was launched and virtually anywhere in the world whenever requested.  For instance, we have always been able to get Aqua Panna as a special request going back to when SS transitioned to onboard filtered water instead of bottled. This includes Antarctica.

 

But, comparing S.Pellegrino to Zevia isn’t fair to SS as S.Pellegrino is owned by Nestlé who exports their products to most countries in Europe, the Americas, Australia, the Middle East, as well as throughout Asia including Japan, Singapore and Hong Kong.  Nestlé’s distribution system is legendary. Zevia’s is not.

[pf778c]

8 minutes ago, Stumblefoot said:

Yes, S.Pellegrino products are readily available. As a former Italian cruise line, SS has offered S.Pellegrino’s Italian natural water brands since the cruise line was launched and virtually anywhere in the world whenever requested.  For instance, we have always been able to get Aqua Panna as a special request going back to when SS transitioned to onboard filtered water instead of bottled. This includes Antarctica.

 

But, comparing S.Pellegrino to Zevia isn’t fair to SS as S.Pellegrino is owned by Nestlé who exports their products to most countries in Europe, the Americas, Australia, the Middle East, as well as throughout Asia including Japan, Singapore and Hong Kong.  Nestlé’s distribution system is legendary. Zevia’s is not.

Absolutely true.  I'm not familiar with Zevia, but wouldn't expect Silversea to be able to procure items with a limited distribution (although, it never hurts to ask!).  They have, in the past however, procured items for guests that are not normally provided onboard, such as the blood orange soda.  I believe they carry SP sparkling water still, although it needs to be specially requested onboard otherwise the default is the onboard filtered.  Has anyone had trouble requesting items that Silversea was able to provide in the past?  Could be due to COVID woes (there are still empty shelves near me and I'm sure that applies to cruiselines as well), or just due to internal changes with Silversea.

[cruiseej]

Well, you. could board in Vancouver, see if they have any Zevia aboard for you, and if not, send one of your party off the ship to a Target, Walmart or other nearby store to pick up a case and bring it aboard. 😉 

[Stumblefoot]

5 hours ago, pf778c said:

…(although, it never hurts to ask!).  They have, in the past however, procured items for guests that are not normally provided onboard, such as the blood orange soda.

You are very right!  
 

When we’ve done the same on an item not normally stocked, SS told us what the cost would be about 100-days in advance, which we happily paid.  Pre-Covid, most F&B items were procured roughly 90-days in advance. Today, I wouldn’t be surprised if those timelines have been pushed to 6-months for cruise lines.

 

I realize some in the general public, like Ben, think supply chain issues is a par-for-the-course excuse, but as someone who works in the business, I can tell you they are real. I don’t have a single Client who hasn’t already placed orders through at least the first six months of 2024. And, for those here who know Silver Princess, her global sourcing department is already pre-planning 2025 production now.

[zqtchas]

Now if you were to take a world cruise you might have a really good chance of getting that.

[Silver Sweethearts]

6 hours ago, Stumblefoot said:

When we’ve done the same on an item not normally stocked, SS told us what the cost would be about 100-days in advance, which we happily paid.  Pre-Covid, most F&B items were procured roughly 90-days in advance. Today, I wouldn’t be surprised if those timelines have been pushed to 6-months for cruise lines.

 

We have had no problem in requesting SS to order several cases of our favorite wine (not found on board) and having them deliver it to the ship where it is held by the sommelier until we wish a bottle with lunch and/or dinner.  They deduct whatever the charge is from our OBC.  Works quite nicely.

[cruiseej]

1 hour ago, Silver Sweethearts said:

We have had no problem in requesting SS to order several cases of our favorite wine (not found on board) and having them deliver it to the ship where it is held by the sommelier until we wish a bottle with lunch and/or dinner.  They deduct whatever the charge is from our OBC.  Works quite nicely.

 

I want to know how you accrue enough OBC to pay for several cases of premium wine! 😉 

[Ben100014]

On 8/5/2022 at 12:54 PM, Stumblefoot said:

You are very right!  
 

When we’ve done the same on an item not normally stocked, SS told us what the cost would be about 100-days in advance, which we happily paid.  Pre-Covid, most F&B items were procured roughly 90-days in advance. Today, I wouldn’t be surprised if those timelines have been pushed to 6-months for cruise lines.

 

I realize some in the general public, like Ben, think supply chain issues is a par-for-the-course excuse, but as someone who works in the business, I can tell you they are real. I don’t have a single Client who hasn’t already placed orders through at least the first six months of 2024. And, for those here who know Silver Princess, her global sourcing department is already pre-planning 2025 production now.

I never dismissed the very real issues hitting the supply chain right now; I merely said that many businesses are defaulting to that as an easy excuse, regardless of whether or not it may be applicable to their particular industry. As you can note, I said it was understandable for them to say that-I simply did not understand why this would present a significant challenge for a company with the purchasing power of the second largest cruise line in the world. If this were a small, independent company, I wouldn't dream of making such a request, but I figured it wouldn't be a tremendous ask as Zevia is actually a publicly traded company with very large distribution in the US and Canada. Yes, it's no Nestle, but it's no bespoke product either. 

Edited August 7, 2022 by Ben100014

[jpalbny]

On 8/5/2022 at 10:35 PM, Silver Sweethearts said:

 

We have had no problem in requesting SS to order several cases of our favorite wine (not found on board) and having them deliver it to the ship where it is held by the sommelier until we wish a bottle with lunch and/or dinner.  They deduct whatever the charge is from our OBC.  Works quite nicely.

 

On 8/5/2022 at 11:39 PM, cruiseej said:

 

I want to know how you accrue enough OBC to pay for several cases of premium wine! 😉 

 

Sounds like a life goal to me...

[Caxe]

Every time we book with Silversea, we request a bottle of single malt scotch in our suite.  Always get it - no charge.

[Stumblefoot]

7 hours ago, Caxe said:

Every time we book with Silversea, we request a bottle of single malt scotch in our suite.  Always get it - no charge.

All depends which one you request.  I guarantee you there are several you wouldn’t get for free, no matter how nicely you requested it.

[DCPIV]

If it were available through their normal suppliers, then they might very well be able to pull it off, but even then it would take special effort. 

 

I do think you need to manage your expectations. While your are paying premium fare, that fare still includes only what it includes. Hey, it includes a lot, but not everything. 

[RetiredandTravel]

On 8/5/2022 at 9:49 AM, Stumblefoot said:

For instance, we have always been able to get Aqua Panna as a special request going back to when SS transitioned to onboard filtered water instead of bottled. This includes Antarctica.

 

 

Did you request the Panna in advance or once you were on the ship?  Is it possible to get 3-4 liters of Panna a day? 

 

ty

[Stumblefoot]

1 hour ago, RetiredandTravel said:

Did you request the Panna in advance or once you were on the ship?

Yes, we requested in advance. Always greater than 90-days.

 

1 hour ago, RetiredandTravel said:

Is it possible to get 3-4 liters of Panna a day?

Absolutely.  SS always asked how many cases we wanted on the ship, so it’s easy to customize an order.

[RetiredandTravel]

2 hours ago, Stumblefoot said:

Yes, we requested in advance. Always greater than 90-days.

 

Absolutely.  SS always asked how many cases we wanted on the ship, so it’s easy to customize an order.

 

 

That is great to know

 

Thanks for posting

[Ben100014]

On 8/12/2022 at 2:06 PM, Caxe said:

Every time we book with Silversea, we request a bottle of single malt scotch in our suite.  Always get it - no charge.

Wow, that's great to hear! Is it a brand they typically stock onboard?

[Stumblefoot]

16 hours ago, Ben100014 said:

Is it a brand they typically stock onboard?

You don’t have to submit a request in advance for a brand normally carried onboard. Just let your Butler know upon embarkation and a fifth will magically appear in your suite.

[jpalbny]

2 hours ago, Stumblefoot said:

a fifth will magically appear in your suite.

 

And then it will disappear. Also magically.