New Silversea Royal Caribbean/Celebrity Status Match Announced

[Port Power]

I boarded Silver Wind today.  There was a bottle of Monopole blue top in the ice bucket.  I queried the butler, who checked but came back advising no change was possible. The head butler said “no”.

 

I went to reception.  They did know about the status match and did have me showing 250 nights.  She also looked up the VS benefits and acknowledged I should be receiving an upgraded champagne (Laurent). However, the butler list from head office had written Monopole against my name, and they couldn’t change it.  However, she has emailed HO and will let me know their answer.

 

I shall wait and see.

[admranger]

10 hours ago, anthNY said:

Most interested in the 10% savings on future bookings.

If you sail within 12 months is my understanding, otherwise it's 5% (but I'll find out when I talk to the future cruise sales person next week onboard the Shadow.

[DavyWavey70]

3 hours ago, Port Power said:

I boarded Silver Wind today.  There was a bottle of Monopole blue top in the ice bucket.  I queried the butler, who checked but came back advising no change was possible. The head butler said “no”.

 

I went to reception.  They did know about the status match and did have me showing 250 nights.  She also looked up the VS benefits and acknowledged I should be receiving an upgraded champagne (Laurent). However, the butler list from head office had written Monopole against my name, and they couldn’t change it.  However, she has emailed HO and will let me know their answer.

 

I shall wait and see.

How petty. I Think we’re witnessing more and more the constraints being imposed and the lack of autonomy available to the crew. 

[drron29]

6 hours ago, Port Power said:

I boarded Silver Wind today.  There was a bottle of Monopole blue top in the ice bucket.  I queried the butler, who checked but came back advising no change was possible. The head butler said “no”.

 

I went to reception.  They did know about the status match and did have me showing 250 nights.  She also looked up the VS benefits and acknowledged I should be receiving an upgraded champagne (Laurent). However, the butler list from head office had written Monopole against my name, and they couldn’t change it.  However, she has emailed HO and will let me know their answer.

 

I shall wait and see.

We reached 250 days on SS in August 2015. We have had 18 more SS cruises since then. Only on 1 occasion did we get the so called "premium" champagne on boarding. We ususally don't drink the stuff any way.

 

What worries me in the article by the RCCL CEO linked on the first page of this thread is this statement.

"This is kind of step one. We want to tie these [programs] together," he said, calling the new status match program "basically kind of the beginning of a common loyalty platform."

 

When that happens we are not setting a foot aboard another SS ship nor the others in the RCL stable.

[Port Power]

7 hours ago, DavyWavey70 said:

How petty. I Think we’re witnessing more and more the constraints being imposed and the lack of autonomy available to the crew. 

I am already a long term Silversea passenger with nearly 200 days.  I totally agree with you, my post just demonstrating that the SS ships are playing catch up because of decisions made by RCG.  So sad for Silversea admin staff onboard.

 

Like @drron29, if there is more downgrading due to tying the loyalty programs together, I’ll not be sailing with SS again.

 

But hey, RCG probably don’t want us any longer.  They want new passengers crossing over from RCI and X who are not aware of what Silversea once was.

Edited June 15 by Port Power
Agreeing with @drron

[sea bright]

Just booked our first non-Silversea cruise in more than a decade to replace an April Muse cruise, which we canceled. Have 2 Silversea cruises before then (including one using our 350 day "free cruise" benefit), but unless they are substantially better than our January Nova or May Muse cruises, I think we'll be trying out some new lines.

[Port Power]

On 6/14/2024 at 11:48 PM, Port Power said:

I boarded Silver Wind today.  There was a bottle of Monopole blue top in the ice bucket.  I queried the butler, who checked but came back advising no change was possible. The head butler said “no”.

 

I went to reception.  They did know about the status match and did have me showing 250 nights.  She also looked up the VS benefits and acknowledged I should be receiving an upgraded champagne (Laurent). However, the butler list from head office had written Monopole against my name, and they couldn’t change it.  However, she has emailed HO and will let me know their answer.

 

I shall wait and see.

I had a telephone call from the Guest Relations Manager this morning.  He told me he had become aware of the champagne issue after our dinner with him last night when the receptionist who was also at our table filled him in.  I think he made an executive decision to supply the “next level” champagne.  

 

 

I have met another solo cruiser on only her second SS cruise but also matched 250 days via Celebrity.  She wants to know the outcome so she can ask for a bottle of Laurent also.

[Josette03]

Between the large cruise ship marketing of "ship within a ship" and now this status match program, how far are we from clipping benefit coupons. I think RCL should rebrand the status match program to "Status Seeker" benefits. !00 days for free laundry plus 1/2 liter of Dom Perignon. 200 days for all the above plus extra hangers and cashmere bathrobes.

[DavyWavey70]

4 hours ago, Josette03 said:

Between the large cruise ship marketing of "ship within a ship" and now this status match program, how far are we from clipping benefit coupons. I think RCL should rebrand the status match program to "Status Seeker" benefits. !00 days for free laundry plus 1/2 liter of Dom Perignon. 200 days for all the above plus extra hangers and cashmere bathrobes.

Do we get a wristband now? 

[twangster]

I am a Royal Pinnacle who has sailed SS before the status match.  I've also sailed X before any notion of a status match.  I don't think VS members have a lot to worry about.  In fact I think VS members will be the most isolated from the effects of this announcement.  

 

In general terms I do think RCG has been a good thing for SS.  Specifically I don't think SS would have survived the pandemic without the deep pockets of the RCG.  This position is based on a number of conversations I've had and knowledge of the industry.  It's very likely without RCG SS would have been another casualty of the pandemic.

 

As a mostly all inclusive line, I don't think the match will greatly impact SS.  For one, if someone who is a Pinnacle or Zenith hasn't already sailed SS why would this match change the math for them?  You either have the inclination and resources for SS or you don't.   Secondly the match doesn't really do much for them.  A nicer bottle of bubbly isn't going to cause masses of Royal Pinnacle or X Zenith to book if they didn't have that inclination already. 

 

As a more inclusive line compared to her family brands under the RCG umbrella, status isn't the thing it is on the other lines in the family. 

[mahasamatman]

14 minutes ago, twangster said:

A nicer bottle of bubbly isn't going to cause masses of Royal Pinnacle or X Zenith to book if they didn't have that inclination already.

 

It's all about the laundry... (I recall doing laundry on the Silver Moon was a real PITA.)

[caviargal]

9 hours ago, mahasamatman said:

 

It's all about the laundry... (I recall doing laundry on the Silver Moon was a real PITA.)

 

It IS!  While the self service laundry is great, we very often had to go back 4-5 x to find an open machine.  I was most successful around 5:00am.

[Emdee]

9 hours ago, mahasamatman said:

 

It's all about the laundry... (I recall doing laundry on the Silver Moon was a real PITA.)

Yes but free laundry is already included on Regent.

[highplanesdrifters]

13 hours ago, DavyWavey70 said:

Do we get a wristband now? 

 

And will it be paper or plastic?

[caviargal]

3 hours ago, Emdee said:

Yes but free laundry is already included on Regent.

The best laundry service at sea!  It's like getting a present.

[billc23]

16 hours ago, twangster said:

As a mostly all inclusive line, I don't think the match will greatly impact SS.  For one, if someone who is a Pinnacle or Zenith hasn't already sailed SS why would this match change the math for them?

I think that the 10% discount will have some Celebrity Retreat passengers give Silversea a closer look. The Retreat pricing is often more than Silversea for a similar sailing in a similar cabin. One wildcard is how much do people like being recognized as special - above the general population on the ship - that Celebrity markets and their passengers are used to. Time will tell.

[Dolcevita Diva]

16 hours ago, mahasamatman said:

 

It's all about the laundry... (I recall doing laundry on the Silver Moon was a real PITA.)

 

Ha - yes it IS all about the laundry.  I've never done my own laundry on Silversea; one of the many life lessons my dear Mother taught me there is that it is always better to come home from vacation with only clean clothes in your suitcase.   So I always pay to have my laundry done and have never minded doing so, as despite having sailed with Silversea for many years I'm not yet at 100 days.  

 

Although the new status match doesn't directly impact me, sorry, can't help it - it is now definitely going to grate when I pay the laundry bill at the end of my next two voyages.  🫤

[mahasamatman]

7 hours ago, Emdee said:

Yes but free laundry is already included on Regent.

It's also included if you charter a yacht and hire people to do your laundry. Both of which are completely irrelevant.

[billc23]

29 minutes ago, Dolcevita Diva said:

Ha - yes it IS all about the laundry.  I've never done my own laundry on Silversea; one of the many life lessons my dear Mother taught me there is that it is always better to come home from vacation with only clean clothes in your suitcase. 

I have booked cabins with included laundry and agree that it is a great benefit. The 10% discount from the status match will have a greater impact for me. Too bad I cannot apply the discount to my future sailings.

 

What really makes no sense to me is 2 sailings in a suite on Celebrity may allow a status match on Silversea that receives free laundry and a 5% discount on bookings. The benefits after 2 Silversea sailings have very little value when matched to Celebrity...  Why??

[Host Jazzbeau]

6 minutes ago, billc23 said:

What really makes no sense to me is 2 sailings in a suite on Celebrity may allow a status match on Silversea that receives free laundry and a 5% discount on bookings. The benefits after 2 Silversea sailings have very little value when matched to Celebrity...  Why??

That question is really too hard to try to answer.  Let's work on something easier, like the Ultimate Question About Life, the Universe, and Everything!!!  🤣

[goofysmom99]

17 hours ago, twangster said:

For one, if someone who is a Pinnacle or Zenith hasn't already sailed SS why would this match change the math for them?  You either have the inclination and resources for SS or you don't.   Secondly the match doesn't really do much for them.  A nicer bottle of bubbly isn't going to cause masses of Royal Pinnacle or X Zenith to book if they didn't have that inclination already. 

 

I'd already booked three cruises on SS for 2025/6 long before the status match. SS repriced the 2026 cruise to include the 10% discount.  The fares for the two 2025 cruises have increased so no repricing those.  Really couldn't care less about the bubbly (cat sitter will get it) but the laundry will be nice.  I left X because of price, food, and service; I chose SS for the price and the hope of better food (shareholder benefit is lagniappe).  Solo fare was significantly ($6K) cheaper than a sky suite on X and, blessedly, it will have a walk-in shower.  My first SS cruise will be before final payment on the second so I'll see if food and service measure up to my expectations of food and service.  If not, Regent will be next.  

[mahasamatman]

6 minutes ago, Host Jazzbeau said:

Let's work on something easier, like the Ultimate Question About Life, the Universe, and Everything!!!

Do you think we should push for a 42% discount?

[Host Jazzbeau]

2 minutes ago, mahasamatman said:

Do you think we should push for a 42% discount?

I was waiting for someone to remember the Ultimate Answer.  7 minutes – pretty good! 🤣

[Dolcevita Diva]

55 minutes ago, billc23 said:

What really makes no sense to me is 2 sailings in a suite on Celebrity may allow a status match on Silversea that receives free laundry and a 5% discount on bookings. The benefits after 2 Silversea sailings have very little value when matched to Celebrity...  Why??

 

Hey, I think we'd get a free scoop of gelato! 

 

 

Edited June 17 by Dolcevita Diva

[twangster]

45 minutes ago, goofysmom99 said:

I'd already booked three cruises on SS for 2025/6 long before the status match. SS repriced the 2026 cruise to include the 10% discount.  The fares for the two 2025 cruises have increased so no repricing those.  Really couldn't care less about the bubbly (cat sitter will get it) but the laundry will be nice.  I left X because of price, food, and service; I chose SS for the price and the hope of better food (shareholder benefit is lagniappe).  Solo fare was significantly ($6K) cheaper than a sky suite on X and, blessedly, it will have a walk-in shower.  My first SS cruise will be before final payment on the second so I'll see if food and service measure up to my expectations of food and service.  If not, Regent will be next.  

 

Solo fares are what took me to the Origin over Flora.