Interview with new Silversea President

[PaulaJK]

Well, younger newbie SS cruisers might expect upgraded and more modern cuisine, a casino not the size of a bathroom, upgraded entertainment and music, a plethora of daytime activities eg tennis, golf putting range, party type events, more modern decor in cabins including bathrooms w two sinks and a rain shower…just mentioning.

[Redking]

27 minutes ago, PaulaJK said:

Well, younger newbie SS cruisers might expect upgraded and more modern cuisine, a casino not the size of a bathroom, upgraded entertainment and music, a plethora of daytime activities eg tennis, golf putting range, party type events, more modern decor in cabins including bathrooms w two sinks and a rain shower…just mentioning.

🤔🤔🤔 that would be the Celebrity Edge Class ships. Hard to fathom what their thinking is 🤷‍♀️

[Texas Tillie]

7 hours ago, PaulaJK said:

Well, younger newbie SS cruisers might expect upgraded and more modern cuisine, a casino not the size of a bathroom, upgraded entertainment and music, a plethora of daytime activities eg tennis, golf putting range, party type events, more modern decor in cabins including bathrooms w two sinks and a rain shower…just mentioning.

 

All that on a 700 passenger ship?

[PaulaJK]

Many of these features are present on 700 pax ships..Regent and Crystal come to mind. What I meant to cynically say is that SS president may be focusing on younger demographic but those folks might also have expectations of a luxury…or premium ..line…and these expectations may be in line with modern living.If they can afford SS, they can afford a good hotel or resort..or restaurant. Those proposed itineraries may remove the romance of ‘cruising ‘ . 

[Mbot222000]

Interesting article and conversation by all. My wife and I have our first SS cruise booked for Greece in 2025. The first 2 pages of this thread had me very worried, but we're committed to it. We are GenX - early 50's empty-nesters and finally have the means for what we thought was a luxury cruise, but now others are comparing SS to be just a plussed-up deluxe cruise line. After reading the article, I understand some of the concern, but I guess I'm just chalking up those negative posts in the "change is bad column, therefore I will assume the worst". Just going to monitor things and people's experiences to see if they really notice a downgrade from luxury, or if it's just a shift in the experience.

I really don't have the perspective of cruising SS in the past or other luxury lines, but have cruised quite a bit, and also understand the business speak this new president is throwing out there. There's nothing wrong with SS aligning some of their backside operations with their other cruise lines to perhaps more efficiently run, schedule and perform their cruises, freeing up more capital to serve it's customers. It could be a good thing for SS customers.

I really can't speak to much longer cruises and the philosophy there. We are still working and were specifically looking for a 7-day Greek Isle cruise so we could take a full 2 weeks off and stay in Greece before and after for a few days. Eventually we would like to take a longer cruise, but also want to enjoy the before / after travel. That will require us to be retired to take off 3-4 weeks. we'll get there eventually.

Thanks for all the insight here.

[Port Power]

17 minutes ago, Mbot222000 said:

I really can't speak to much longer cruises and the philosophy there. We are still working and were specifically looking for a 7-day Greek Isle cruise so we could take a full 2 weeks off and stay in Greece before and after for a few days. Eventually we would like to take a longer cruise, but also want to enjoy the before / after travel. That will require us to be retired to take off 3-4 weeks. we'll get there eventually.

Thanks for all the insight here.

You are definitely the customer Silversea is aiming for, but you are also looking for a luxury experience, not just a small version of Celebrity.  Seven days is perfect for you now, but once retired you might want longer cruises. Also not just a repetitive circle.  That’s where back-to-back cruises come in, and longer itineraries, which then suit several age brackets.  We can only hope that RCG keep the balance without losing customers.

[Mbot222000]

6 minutes ago, Port Power said:

You are definitely the customer Silversea is aiming for, but you are also looking for a luxury experience, not just a small version of Celebrity.  Seven days is perfect for you now, but once retired you might want longer cruises. Also not just a repetitive circle.  That’s where back-to-back cruises come in, and longer itineraries, which then suit several age brackets.  We can only hope that RCG keep the balance without losing customers.

Agreed - when we retire we definitely want to take those longer cruises, and I agree B2B cruises with the same itinerary would also be a no-go for us. Hopefully they do mix things up with 7 day cruises, followed by 10-14 day cruises, back to the 7-day, etc. That would offer some variety for sure.

Like you said, we definitely are looking for luxury, and wanted to go to Greece and SS is where we ended up based on the timing and itinerary, coupled with all the research we did, videos watched, posts read, etc. What many of you have described as why you are loyal to SS was what we were looking for. I was bit taken aback when this thread developed about 3 weeks after we put our deposit down - thinking we might have made a wrong decision. Sticking to it and just going to see what everyone's experiences are moving forward.

[spinnaker2]

Enjoy your voyage to Greece. It is just a magical place. Hope you get to some islands which are less touristic and spend time exploring.

 

[shipsmail]

After more than 500 days on SS we are expecting our 500days reward with an otherwise very expensive expedition cruise. And we have booked another three cruises. Our recent two cruises were very good and there was no disappointment at all. Of course there are and will be changes in the business world. When reading these understandable, individual comments, I do not want to go onboard being sceptical and expecting bad changes, because that would destroy my vacation. And furthermore what would be a really much better alternative?

[TLCOhio]

51 minutes ago, Port Power said:

You are definitely the customer Silversea is aiming for, but you are also looking for a luxury experience, not just a small version of Celebrity.  Seven days is perfect for you now, but once retired you might want longer cruises. Also not just a repetitive circle.  That’s where back-to-back cruises come in, and longer itineraries, which then suit several age brackets.  We can only hope that RCG keep the balance without losing customers.

 

On this important thread with many legitimate questions and concerns, here are two areas that maybe have not been mentioned or gained proper, needed focus.  

 

One is "entertainment".  Historically on these smaller Silversea ships, the show options are understandably more limited due to simple economics for the size and smaller number of passengers compared to Celebrity, etc., ships.  No BIG productions of Broadway shows and/or large cast numbers on stage with Silversea. On our recent Silver Moon, Mumbai to Singapore, 15-day sailing, the shows, however, only had two singers and four "dancers".  Not as good and diverse as in the past with Silversea.  The dancers were kind of like "fluff" on many shows and with just two singers, the performance options were limited and lacked needed variety.  Is this the trend for the future?  How far do things go downhill for "entertainment" in the name of "saving money"?

 

Second is "debt".  Yes, bookings have been very good in the past year plus after the Covid re-start.  BUT, the huge amount of debt from Covid borrowings and adding all of the new ships piles up to BILLIONS and BILLIONS of dollars.  Floating all of these "FINANCES" will be challenging.  Having a business background, I understand the pressures to make the "numbers" work and balance.  Maybe?? 

 

Personally, we do not have any future SS bookings.  We are in a "wait and see" position based on a number of factors/issues.  As noted earlier, the new leader's "fresh eyes" might work out to be either good and/or bad.  Clearly things will change!!!  But for us, having varied, interesting, unique itineraries are THE key along with pricing/value that is within reasonable reach.  

 

FINALLY, is anybody at Silversea listening and following along with this thread?  It has been unclear if Silversea monitors and/or cares about these questions being raised.  Wish they did more "outreach" and posting to share information.  Understand that the number of Silversea customers on Cruise Critic is limited, but having a "Social Media Connection" would be of value.  

 

THANKS!  Enjoy!  Terry in Ohio

 

AFRICA?!!?: Fun, interesting visuals, plus travel details from this early 2016 live/blog. At 56,972 views. Featuring Cape Town, South Africa’s coast, Mozambique, Victoria Falls/Zambia and Botswana's famed Okavango Delta.

www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2310337

[boccenana]

Goodbye Silversea...hello Ritz Carlton.

Will miss our staff favorites. 

[TLCOhio]

Did go back and re-read the original article.  Also did a news web search to see if the new Silversea President has done any other media interviews for his views as to the SS future.  Nothing else seen.  Just that one story/interview.  

 

I understand the fears and concerns with "change".  But, I also liked very much what he said about "Beautiful itineraries will produce beautiful results."  Improving itineraries and hooking up with better local festivals and events could be a positive, if and if.  

 

It's all "To Be Determined"??

 

THANKS!  Enjoy!  Terry in Ohio

[Texas Tillie]

I was on the Nova last month. The ship is lovely. The buffet at breakfast and lunch had been substantially downgraded in number of offerings and the quality of what was offered from my Muse cruise in Dec, 2022. Other food was ok to marginal to what were they thinking. My butler was totally worthless, she never bothered to tell me how to contact her. Some crew members were helpful, others couldn't be bothered. It was not a luxury cruise. 

[boccenana]

12 minutes ago, Texas Tillie said:

I was on the Nova last month. The ship is lovely. The buffet at breakfast and lunch had been substantially downgraded in number of offerings and the quality of what was offered from my Muse cruise in Dec, 2022. Other food was ok to marginal to what were they thinking. My butler was totally worthless, she never bothered to tell me how to contact her. Some crew members were helpful, others couldn't be bothered. It was not a luxury cruise. 

We were on the Nova last year. Everything was downhill except the staff.  Layout was disfunctional, decor was pretty but useless as well as dangerous. Pointed metal surfaces on deck chairs crazy. Veranda suites were fantastic...lots of storage for long cruises. Best improvement on the ship.

Not doing Silversea again. Long for the day when it was all Italian.

 

[markham]

This president seems to know little about Silversea’s strengths while touting his “efficiency” plans.

Which won’t be all that efficient and smart if he ruins the brand beyond all recognition. 
 

So he is on a mission, and he may cause a lot of damage on the way to find out what is what. I suspect he will ditch any Italian heritage themes including the (likely more expensive) seasoned European officers including chefs. So it would not just be the crew. Then why mess with what works now? Labor laws and seniority can mean less expensive and be less important if he hires elsewhere.

 

For me, if that commoditization happens with the big mass market brand style of the non-luxury ie “popular” brands of his stable, this will bring be a deal breaker. That means more Seabourn and Cunard bookings. At least I have confidence in what they are. I mean really… Who would trust loyalty to someone who deliberately degrades the brand and just doesn’t get why that’s so harmful? He pays no lip service to Silversea’s recent past and what its beautiful Muse class and Nova class ships deliver. Tell me I am wrong.
 

Happy and healthy sailing!

Edited June 21 by markham
Add a thought

[dawntrdr]

1 hour ago, TLCOhio said:

Did go back and re-read the original article.  Also did a news web search to see if the new Silversea President has done any other media interviews for his views as to the SS future.  Nothing else seen.  Just that one story/interview.  

 

Perhaps he has never been on a SS cruise and therefore cannot speak from experience.  He certainly appears to have formed all his plans from looking at the spreadsheet.

 

Anyway, we should remember that the interview had to be much longer and the reporter may have edited it to make it provocative.  Just look at how many of us read it and went back to it again and again!  All of those clicks and visits ("eyeballs") are monetizable by the magazine website.  

[Lois R]

17 minutes ago, dawntrdr said:

 

Perhaps he has never been on a SS cruise and therefore cannot speak from experience.  He certainly appears to have formed all his plans from looking at the spreadsheet.

 

Anyway, we should remember that the interview had to be much longer and the reporter may have edited it to make it provocative.  Just look at how many of us read it and went back to it again and again!  All of those clicks and visits ("eyeballs") are monetizable by the magazine website.  

Hi Dawn, I was thinking the same thing.....about the length of the article and how long was the interview to begin with and what it ended up as....what was edited out, etc.

[Redking]

7 hours ago, Mbot222000 said:

Interesting article and conversation by all. My wife and I have our first SS cruise booked for Greece in 2025. The first 2 pages of this thread had me very worried, but we're committed to it. We are GenX - early 50's empty-nesters and finally have the means for what we thought was a luxury cruise, but now others are comparing SS to be just a plussed-up deluxe cruise line. After reading the article, I understand some of the concern, but I guess I'm just chalking up those negative posts in the "change is bad column, therefore I will assume the worst". Just going to monitor things and people's experiences to see if they really notice a downgrade from luxury, or if it's just a shift in the experience.

I really don't have the perspective of cruising SS in the past or other luxury lines, but have cruised quite a bit, and also understand the business speak this new president is throwing out there. There's nothing wrong with SS aligning some of their backside operations with their other cruise lines to perhaps more efficiently run, schedule and perform their cruises, freeing up more capital to serve it's customers. It could be a good thing for SS customers.

I really can't speak to much longer cruises and the philosophy there. We are still working and were specifically looking for a 7-day Greek Isle cruise so we could take a full 2 weeks off and stay in Greece before and after for a few days. Eventually we would like to take a longer cruise, but also want to enjoy the before / after travel. That will require us to be retired to take off 3-4 weeks. we'll get there eventually.

Thanks for all the insight here.

As a SS newbie, it would be great if you could come back and share your experience of your Greek voyage.

 

We've yet to sail on SS, but like you looking to make the change to luxury lines. We're slightly older and recently retired.

 

Wishing you fabulous travels.

[christraveller]

Regional fleet deployment.   
 

Sounds like an MBA, if not higher degree, is involved. 
 

The reason that there are so few Caribbean cruises in summer is the humid oppressive heat, and the very real risk of hurricanes. And, the heavy rains lead to puddles, which lead to more biting insects. 
 

The  reason there aren’t a lot of Med cruises in winter is cold wind, high waves, and occasional snow. 
 

There. A bit of practicality. 
 

Good luck, Royal Caribbean. 

[Mbot222000]

2 hours ago, Redking said:

As a SS newbie, it would be great if you could come back and share your experience of your Greek voyage.

 

We've yet to sail on SS, but like you looking to make the change to luxury lines. We're slightly older and recently retired.

 

Wishing you fabulous travels.

Thanks and we do plan on checking back in. We researched a number of Greek cruises including Virgin (which we've done and liked), Windstar, Viking Ocean, but wanted a luxury cruise and smaller ship so after the research settled on SS based on our timeframe. I'm also very interested in hearing peoples reports over the next 12-15 months as SS implements changes and the new president puts his stamp on things. I'm going to assume the best. There's no doubt that the cruise industry went wild in 2023 and the first part of 2024. My guess is it's hard to find good help and compete. We shall see....

[saminina]

No worries.....new to SS passengers seem to like what is given to them.  Out with the old, in with the new. 

[markham]

OTOH the new president has to do what he can to fill the Silversea ships. While he can encourage the mass market and big ship crowd to try Silversea with these status matches he can ill afford to alienate the Silversea loyalists (myself included) with his lackadaisical attitude towards us. Lose the magic, dilute what works and lose us.

 

As other posters have suggested maybe he does not know the product at all and needs to take a Silversea cruise and talk to passengers and crew on board. Then maybe he will understand luxury vs mass market. 
 

So the next thing I would like to read from the president is how he will improve the Silversea customer experience. That’s a logical sequel to this rather controversial interview. 
 

We are in a strange place, I am afraid.

 

Happy and healthy sailing!

Edited June 22 by markham
Add

[RLK33853]

3 hours ago, saminina said:

No worries.....new to SS passengers seem to like what is given to them.  Out with the old, in with the new. 

 

Sorry - but not thiese new SS passengers.  Our cruise last month was less than impressive.

[LouChamp]

Aloha. My thoughts are this new one is in name only and is getting all the orders from headquarters. These Are spokespeople only and are a dime a dozen.  

[Host Jazzbeau]

There is only one real success story in the cruise business over the last ten years: Viking.

 

Go back and read this interview again with this thought in mind:  he wants to make Silversea into Viking.  Everything he says now fits.