Booking our first SS cruise

[Stickman1990]

11 minutes ago, Host Jazzbeau said:

And that's what will kill SS if they don't keep up with the times.

Not sure about “kill” but I certainly agree the general direction on lines is to a more relaxed format 

 

Make formal optional rather than mandatory (eg Regent have) - sure have minimum standards (eg no jeans - why on earth did I chose that non controversial example 😉) but don’t mandate formal 

 

I just don’t understand what difference what I choose to wear makes one single difference to your cruise experience 

[Stumblefoot]

1 hour ago, Stickman1990 said:

I just don’t understand what difference what I choose to wear makes one single difference to your cruise experience 

It’s simply a matter of respect. An utter disregard of the cruise line’s policy and guests who abide by them.  And, being disrespectful to those who enjoy what little formality SS does offer is just not classy.

What I don’t understand is why people choose to sail a cruise line that makes it very clear they will have a formal night of dining in a couple of venues on a particular night on the Classic ships and people come here on CC to whine, moan, and complain about when they can’t wear whatever they want in those particular venues for that particular evening.

 

if people don’t like it, there are literally dozens of other cruise lines you can sail and wear whatever you like.  So, as you can imagine, I completely reject out of hand the Jazzy Host’s statement.  Why?  Because SS would already be out of business by now.

[Gourmet Gal]

It looks like some incremental easing of the “code” has been happening as well as more tolerance for those who make an effort without complying 100%.  The good news for the SS veterans is there’s no prohibition against dressing up.

Edited May 13, 2023 by Gourmet Gal

[AusMum]

20 hours ago, Lois R said:

The deposit itself is 11 grand???  For each of you? The normal deposit is 15% of the cruise price. 

Maybe I am out of touch but that seems like a awlfully BIG deposit, (Unless the cruise is nearly $75,000 per person). I have never been on an Expedition cruise.....maybe they are VERY expensive compared to the Classic cruises.

This is in Australian dollars.  Have received the same quote from SS direct, two Australian TAs, and another in the US (who swore he could better it, but then agreed he couldn't).  We chose a superior veranda as the ones available in the lower category weren't very good.

 

As discussed, I have based the pricing on the port to port fares, however please note that these fares are more restrictive and deposits are non-refundable.  These fares also include 1 night pre and 1 night post in Reykjavik and transfers from the hotel to pier and pier to hotel.   

 

The cost for a Classic Veranda cabin is $18900.00 x 2 and there are 3 cabins available in this category. 

I have asked them to quote on a superior veranda suite, the cost being $21400.00 x 2.  The best located available cabins for this cabin category are 802,803,703,702,607,612, 771, 772, 663 and 668.

 

The cost of the deposits are $9450.00 for the Classic Veranda Suite or for the superior Veranda suite, the deposit is $10700.00.

 

Silversea has advised that that there is a current promotion, should you wish to make payment in full within 5 days of booking, the cost would be reduced by 15%

 

 

[AusMum]

18 hours ago, Stickman1990 said:

So did the Silversea direct booking offer you a substantial rebate/obc off the list price fare? 

Or maybe I should be asking did the TA not offer you a substantial rebate/obc off the list price fare? 

Interesting, as I know Australian based TAs who offer such rebates so what you’re reporting surprises me

The quotes came out the same with two x Australian TAs, SS direct, and an agent in the US.  They believe it's because of the popularity of the cruise, and it's almost full already.

[mitz18]

10 hours ago, Host Jazzbeau said:

And that's what will kill SS if they don't keep up with the times.

Well I have to disagree with you.  Last cruise on Dawn in January, I would estimate 80% of the people were dressed formally (coat/tie, tux, cocktail dresses etc) or semi-formally every night.  The size of the SS ships means they are not trying to find 3000 people who like their product but only a couple of hundred.  It will not "kill" them.  I always find it fascinating that those who complain about SS still cruise with them - if one does not like a certain line, move on.

[Host Jazzbeau]

1 hour ago, mitz18 said:

Well I have to disagree with you.  Last cruise on Dawn in January, I would estimate 80% of the people were dressed formally (coat/tie, tux, cocktail dresses etc) or semi-formally every night.  The size of the SS ships means they are not trying to find 3000 people who like their product but only a couple of hundred.  It will not "kill" them.  I always find it fascinating that those who complain about SS still cruise with them - if one does not like a certain line, move on.

I expect to, after my first cruise next January.  Nice itinerary, but there are several other lines we like a lot and none of them have formal nights.

[gcornell]

Formal wear isn’t a deal breaker for me.  I’m in finance so we were one of the last  to give up the suit and tie and I

am loving every minute of it.  I’d prefer not to have to wear it on vacation but I’m a rule follower so similar to the mask, I’ll do it as long as it’s required.  I didn’t change my travel plans based around mask rules and won’t do it for formal wear either.  For me it’s just a strong preference. If asked, I will gladly share my opinion but I’m not going to make a big stink about it and try to wear my jeans on formal night.  I know what I signed up for.  

[canderson]

11 hours ago, Host Jazzbeau said:

And that's what will kill SS if they don't keep up with the times.

OR ...

It could be that those who are tired of baseball caps appearing in Murano (Celebrity's version of La Dame) at dinner will gravitate to SS.  That's one of the several reasons that we've just now migrated to SS from Celebrity after many years. 

 

I believe that there are enough people interested in cruising that a line can carve out a niche for itself rather than attempting to please the masses.  But the ONLY way to do that is to differentiate the product, which is what SS still seems to be doing.

 

If a line chooses to differentiate its product in some way to carve out their own niche in the overall market, it's not going to make a secret of that.  No one sailing SS should be unaware of its differences before booking. 

 

@Stickman1990

"I just don’t understand what difference what I choose to wear makes one single difference to your cruise experience."

 

Taking it to a logical extreme, what if La Dame used Iron Maiden album covers as their dining room artwork.  Might change the tone of the place a bit, don't you think?  Yes, that's extreme, but there's no denying that there's a visual component to any venue, including the dining experience.

 

Perhaps more important, and getting back to the issue of differentiation... let's assume that everyone took your approach to the question.  Why, then, would I choose SS if becomes no different from any other cruise line?

 

Telling the line that you don't care about their business model by refusing to work within it, nor care about those passengers who choose the line because of those differences, shows a lack of respect for both the business and those who appreciate its business model enough to make a point of traveling with them rather than another line.

 

[Gourmet Gal]

Doesn’t seem like that much of a differentiator to me.  I really don’t like dressing up to the formal level on vacation but I’m not going to miss out on great service, beautiful ship and ideal itinerary because of it.  Do the pro-formal cruisers choose SS only because of the 2 or 3 formal nights?  Perhaps some do but I think there are other factors at work here.  The lovely environment is conducive to never feeling over-dressed anyway so I don’t think it’s a game changer for that pro-formal crowd if there is some easing of the “code”.  

[canderson]

11 minutes ago, Gourmet Gal said:

Do the pro-formal cruisers choose SS only because of the 2 or 3 formal nights?  Perhaps some do but I think there are other factors at work here.  The lovely environment is conducive to never feeling over-dressed anyway so I don’t think it’s a game changer for that pro-formal crowd if there is some easing of the “code”.  

It's not the few formal nights, it's all of the other nights that in part differentiate this line from others. Just a guess, but I'm betting that the Maître d' in La Dame would ask to have a baseball cap removed before entering.  As I say, you don't see that happening in Murano these days. 

 

Yes, there are other factors in play, but ... This isn't the only line that provides exceptional service, and one of them is a good bit less formal in its dinner dress requirements.  If that style of cruising was our preference, we'd have made a point of moving to that line rather than agitating for a change in policy (or ignoring the one in place) by SS. 

 

The title of this thread is "Booking our first SS cruise", and as I say, this is one of the several reasons that this will also be our first with SS. 

 

[canderson]

5 hours ago, gcornell said:

Formal wear isn’t a deal breaker for me.  I’m in finance so we were one of the last  to give up the suit and tie and I

am loving every minute of it.  I’d prefer not to have to wear it on vacation but I’m a rule follower so similar to the mask, I’ll do it as long as it’s required.  I didn’t change my travel plans based around mask rules and won’t do it for formal wear either.  For me it’s just a strong preference.

Have heard that Oceana provides a good blend of 'resort casual' coupled with very good shipboard experience/service on smaller ships that, like SS, are able to visit more varied ports.

[SWFLAOK]

On Regent, which we've cruised on more than any other cruise line, we have found that dress codes have been less and less enforced. Sneakers and jeans were prevalent in Compass Rose at dinner, and at Prime 7, we saw several families that dressed completely casual on the Navigator cruise we just completed this month. Bathing suits with coverups, and shorts and tanks were still worn after 6. On our Regent cruises last September on Splendor, there were numerous people who went to the Coffee Connection in the morning in their pajamas, and a few that wore nothing but their bathrobes. And it wasn't a pleasant sight. And baseball caps and T-shirts were allowed at dinner.

So ... if you want to take a cruise, then book one that has a dress code that you are willing to follow. If you don't agree with the cruise line's dress code, then please find a different cruise line. There are those of us that expect the cruise line's dress code to be respected by those who are onboard. And we will complain if you are onboard and don't respect that.

I hope that you'll book a cruise that has a dress code that you agree with. We haven't cruised on Oceania, but it's owned by the same company as Regent, and I'm sure it is better than most other cruise lines if your looking for a smaller ship with an upscale experience.

SS still has a formal dress code on some nights. Those of us who will be on SS expect that dress code to be enforce. If you don't agree to follow their dress code then book a different cruise line, or plan to eat in your cabin or a casual venue during formal nights if you still want to book SS.

I don't think SS has been having any problems booking their future cruises, despite their dress code. We've been booked for 2025 since last August, with a substantial down payment already paid.