Alturia

On the morning of embarkation, look the ship up on Marine Traffic and you will see exactly where to direct the taxi. This is especially useful if the berth changes after you receive your cruise documents. 

You can use the Marine Traffic app or the web version. 

35 minutes ago, Desperate to Sail said:

 

Sorry. But SS requires swab test be administered by lab or pharmacy. A proctored "at home" test is not going met their requirements. Here again is the link to the new policy statement.

 

https://www.silversea.com/lp-silversea-hrts-consumer.html

 

I did read that policy so I guess it all depends on the definition of "administered by a verified third party (either a laboratory or pharmacy)..."

I interpreted that to mean that "home" tests verified via video by a third party will be accepted. You don't read it that way. Looks like here's something else for SS to clarify.

But given that these tests were/are accepted by many countries for entry and that the US accepts these tests for reentry it boggles the mind that SS will not accept them. But I suppose stranger things have happened.

2 hours ago, audobon_tx said:

 

Hate to be a party pooper but what happens when SS quits pier-side testing on May 1?  I assume that those whose travel plans make finding a test that fits within the validity window difficult at best can just lump it.

Since SS will now accept antigen tests there should be no problem taking the test within the time windows. You can easily use the home tests with video monitoring that are designed for travel. These tests can be purchased ahead of time and you can use them anywhere you have wifi or mobile data and they return results in 15 to 30 minutes. They also are accepted for reentry to the US.

See for example

https://www.qured.us/

https://www.ellumecovidtest.com/travel

https://store.optum.com/shop/products/abbott-binaxNOW-COVID-19-ag-at-home-test-kit-2-pack/

It looks like SS has changed it's policy and will accept antigen tests. Take a look at 

https://www.silversea.com/lp-silversea-hrts-consumer.html

I've copied the relevant sections below. Note that 

FULLY VACCINATED = a person has received their primary series of COVID-19 vaccines

UP TO DATE = a person has received all recommended COVID-19 vaccines, including any booster dose(s) when eligible

Pre-Embarkation Testing Requirements
If you arrive for embarkation with a valid antigen or PCR negative test result (administered by a verified third party, either a laboratory or pharmacy), please make note you will enjoy expedited boarding. If you require pier-side testing by Silversea upon embarkation, please note this will result in a delayed boarding process for you.

Fully Vaccinated Guests: If you are fully vaccinated for COVID-19 (but have not received an additional dose or booster), you must provide a negative antigen or PCR test result, administered by a verified third party (either a laboratory or pharmacy), taken no more than 2 days prior to boarding your ship. If you are unable to obtain a negative test in time for embarkation, Silversea will continue to provide complimentary pier-side testing prior to boarding the ship, through April 30, 2022.

Up to Date Vaccinated Guests: If you are up to date with your COVID-19 vaccines, you must provide a negative COVID-19 antigen or PCR test result, administered by a verified third party (either a laboratory or pharmacy), taken no more than 3 days prior to boarding your ship. If you are unable to obtain a negative test in time for embarkation, Silversea will continue to provide complimentary pier-side testing prior to boarding the ship, through April 30, 2022.

1 hour ago, zqtchas said:

Just got a message yesterday saying Iceland is completely open, if that’s your concern.

No the concern is Silversea - not Iceland -  requiring a PCR test within 48 hours of embarkation.

36 minutes ago, bitob said:

Agree it’s a mess

 

 but if it were required you can get a rapid pcr test at any airport 

expensive but doable as I have done it twice

results in 45 minutes 

 

btw if anyone here interested I have been doing a live from the moon on crystal board. Tons of photos. I think many crystal regulars will try silversea  lots of interest 

If only it were as simple as you suggest. Not all airports still offer pcr tests. At Reykjavik (KEF) for example, only antigen tests are offered and that is at an off site testing facility. No testing is being done directly in the airport according to the KEF web site. If you want a pcr test you have to schedule one with the Icelandic Health Ministry in Reykjavik and they warn that pcr test results can take 48+ hours. I can't take a test at home because I leave more than 48 hours prior to embarkation. And I can't get a test in Reykjavik because results can take too long. 

1 hour ago, wren2 said:

Just received notification from my TA that Silversea will continue doing pier side tests. I am on the April 8 cruise. The London office told my TA that another email will be sent out. He was further told that they now realised how many difficulties this would cause passengers. Why does the President of Silversea allow these emails to be sent under his name without the ramifications  being considered?

 

Like some other passengers, I think this was a cost cutting exercise that backfired. Thank goodness Silversea had a rethink.

.

 

 

They might have had a rethink for your cruise but they have not rethought the policy. The SS web site still says it is the passenger's responsibility to get a PCR test within 48 hours of embarkation.

18 minutes ago, UKCruiseJeff said:

 

 

Either SS are processing refunds within the next 24 hours as they told you, in which case refunds will start within the next 24 hours, or they are not but waiting for 30 days before they start processing them.  

 

I cannot see how both claims can be correct. 

Accounting take the steps in the SS accounting system to start the refund process. But the review and approval of the refund can take time because there are several thousand refunds to review and approve. The lucky people at the front of the may see the refunds in a short period of time. While the people in the middle or end of the queue won't see the refunds for 30 days or so. But SS tells everyone 30 days because they don't know where someone will end up in the queue. 

18 minutes ago, UKCruiseJeff said:

 

Do you believe that if SS authorised the refund within the next 24 hours that the banking system would take 30 days to action it?  🙂

No of course not. I do think the refunds  quickly go into a  queue for review and approval and I assume more than one person needs to be involved in the approval process. And given that 10 ships cancelled an average of 3 cruises I imagine there are several thousand refunds that have to be processed. So to me 30 days to receive a refund doesn't seem too bad. But it could be because of my experiences with other vendors in the last couple of weeks 

SS is in the middle in terms of responsiveness to refunds. Delta has been the best. They cancelled my flight on a Saturday and I had the refund deposited to my credit card on the following Wednesday. Lufthansa has been the worst. When they cancelled my flights I was offered the ubiquitous future credit. When I insisted on a refund they told me they would start the process, but that all of their refund department has been let go and they did not know when it would be restaffed so could not tell me when they would start actually working on refunds (needless to say I have started a credit card dispute for the Lufthansa transaction). Given that, the SS time frame of 30 days doesn't seem too bad.

52 minutes ago, UKCruiseJeff said:

there is no excuse for starting that process in 30 days time.  Their communication implies that they do intend to START the refund process for 30 days which I suggest is unacceptable.

 

 

 

 

My cruise was one of the ones cancelled today. I called SS (in the US) and requested a refund. I was told that accounting would process the return within 24 hours but that it could take 30 days or so to see it on the credit card account. I agree that payments always process instantly, but refunds seem to always take an inordinate time. But from what I was told SS is not waiting 30 days to process the refund. Maybe it is different in different countries.

6 minutes ago, zqtchas said:

Does anybody know if there was ever any of the virus on any of the SS ships?

Yes, Silver Shadow and Silver Explorer both had cases of Covid-19. Do a google search on "Silversea coronavirus" and you will find information. Here's a link to one of the news reports.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/multiple-cruise-ships-are-left-stranded-as-coronavirus-cases-increase/ar-BB11e4C8

If you like wildlife and hiking then the Galapagos is the place to go. Lots of wildlife on both land and in the water. Great hiking and snorkeling and stunning scenery. And we have done Greenland, Patagonia, Norway up to the Russian border, Alaska,  the Panama Canal, the Outer Hebrides and others. The Galapagos was our favorite destination and cruise. Here are a couple of photos.

I called SS this morning to ask about the RCCL announcement and whether SS would be cancelling.  The rep said that the only SS voyages that have been cancelled are for Alaska. The other voyages are scheduled to start up as listed in the April 16 document - https://www.silversea.com/information-on-itinerary-changes.html

When I pointed out that people can't get to the embarkation ports because airlines have cancelled flights he said SS is aware of that but they can only process so many refunds and FCC's at a time so they are holding off cancelling more voyages until they make headway on the existing backlog. He thought most cruses in late May and early June would be cancelled by late April.

I'm betting SS will cancel the next batch of cruises some time between tomorrow and the end of April. 

44 minutes ago, deec said:

Has anyone been able to have airfare covered by insurance if Viking canceled cruise?  How about if you cancel cruise?  We have two independent airfares with insurance but NOT cancel for any reason?  Too soon to see what airline Delta will do since one is in June and the other October.

Delta has been great! They usually make schedule changes on Saturdays and have been cancelling flights 6 weeks or so out.  You can search on their web site - look for Flight Status. If your flight is not listed that means it has been cancelled.

Last Saturday, April 11, 2020 Delta cancelled my flight from BOS to DUB scheduled for May 26, 2020. I called and the agent confirmed that the flight had been cancelled and offered a vouchers. I asked for a refund and he processed the refund which was credited to my credit card on April 15, 2020. Can't ask for more than that.

Compare Delta to Lufthansa. Lufthansa canceled a flight by sending an email offering a credit that must be booked by August 31, 2020 and must be used by December 31, 2020. I called and requested a refund. I was told and also received an email that says, "OK we'll issue a refund but our Refund Department has been laid off so we'll process that when they return but we don't know when that will be". I've started a dispute with the credit card company in that case.

13 hours ago, pausulli said:

Hi I have a question for you more seasoned cruisers.  We bought travel insurance for our cruise which is probably going to get canceled very soon as it is in May.  Do any of you know if the insurance company will refund your money if the cruise line cancels your cruise?  Or will they give you a credit to use towards another cruise you might book?  Thanks.

Stumblefoot is correct. If you receive a refund or a future cruise credit from Silversea, then the insurance company will deny any claim you submit. 

9 hours ago, Stumblefoot said:

My 2-cents:  I would do 1 as I see no benefit to #2 at this time (peace of mind is no different between 1 and 2 at this time).  And, #3 is a false premise because in a bankruptcy reorganization it’s the creditors who are wiped out, not the passengers.  The only way a passenger gets wiped out would be if the line was to liquidate.

Stumblefoot - doesn't that depend on the type of bankruptcy? If the company ceases operation because of bankruptcy then passengers will become creditors and have to get in line for their money won't they?

33 minutes ago, hubofhockey said:

 

  Monday was the first day back after a long holiday weekend and they need to decide whether to set a new day of resumption of cruises or to just cancel 2-3 weeks out every few weeks.  

 

I agree hubofhockey! When I spoke with SS last week by phone, the rep said that management understood they would need to cancel additional cruises and they were looking at how to do that. He also said they expected an announcement sometime after the Easter holiday. 

23 minutes ago, chrism23 said:

 I am am still in the position of playing a game of chicken with them to see if they cancel more than 2 days before the June 1st deadline so I can get cash. 

 

Chrism23 - what June 1 deadline are you referring too? In the updated cancellation policy dated April 8, 2020 if SS cancels your cruise then you can get either a 100% refund or a 125% FCC. If you cancel your cruise at least 48 hours in advance then you can only get a 100% FCC. There is nothing in the the April 8, 2020 policy about a June 1, 2020 deadline that I can see. Your cruise embarks on May 29, 2020. So if SS doesn't cancel the cruise you would need to cancel by May 27, 2020 (or maybe even May 26, 2020 just to be safe) at the latest to get the 100% FCC

On 4/10/2020 at 10:38 AM, JerryInIL said:

Are those of you with March/April cancellations, receiving your refunds within 3 weeks?

Our April 6 cruise was cancelled and we elected to get a future cruise credit which we received on April 7.

1 hour ago, lovebrits said:

We missed the April 6 deadline to request a refund on our April 19 cruise. Would you recommend filing a TripMate claim to try to get a refund? Viking states that we would lose our 125% voucher if a claim is filed. There has been no response from Viking or TripMate after multiple attempts. Just curious if anyone else is in a similar situation. Thank you.

I would think that when TripMate learned that you did not respond to Viking and therefore "accepted" Viking's offer of a 125% future cruise credit that they will deny the claim. Just my 2 cents worth.

25 minutes ago, DrJJ said:

Viking cancelled my April 14 cruise on  March 11. On March 12 I notified both Viking directly and my travel agent that I wanted a refund rather than a voucher. I was told it could take up to 30 days for a refund. As of today I have not received the refund to my credit card. I am writing to ask if anyone who has requested a refund has received one?

Viking cancelled our April 6 cruise on March 11 or 12. We elected to receive a future cruise credit and just received it on April 7.

6 minutes ago, HJB12345 said:

Thanks for reply.

 

Perhaps I have this wrong but the terms seem to indicate only new bookings.  We booked last November.  Are you say we can get our money back less $200?

 

Thanks

if you want a 100% refund then Silversea's standard terms for cancellation applies  -   https://www.silversea.com/terms-and-conditions.html (way down near the bottom).

The standard cancellation policy says "If your cancellation request is received more than 120 days prior to your initial sailing date, a USD$200 non-refundable administrative fee will be charged per booking." Your cruise is more than 120 days from now so I believe your would qualify for a refund. 

What happens if you call Silversea? I've spoken to two airlines and two cruise companies in the last couple of weeks and they all want to deal with more immediate cases, but no one has refused to answer my questions.

8 minutes ago, HJB12345 said:

November 22nd 9 nights - Silver Spirit - Dubai to Mumbai

 

We have this booking and because they offer last November from the cruise company we had to pay up front (around £6,000).

 

The cruise company will not talk to us as they are only dealing with cruises which were booked to depart in next two weeks.

 

I read somewhere that Silversea were offer cancellations on bookings till end of 2020 subject to $200 cancellation charge but I can't see this anywhere now.

 

My wife and I are very hesitant of doing this cruise.  Ideally we would like our money back and rebook for a cruise when the virus has been eradicated.

 

Does anyone know if we have any options?   Pity as we we're so looking forward to this cruise.

 

 

Yes, see https://www.silversea.com/temporary-amendment-to-cancellation-policy.html and https://www.silversea.com/terms-and-conditions.html (way down near the bottom).

In your case I"f your cancellation request is received more than 120 days prior to your initial sailing date, a USD$200 non-refundable administrative fee will be charged per booking"

You can elect the the 100% FCC up to 48 hours before sailing. But if you want a 100% refund then Silversea's standard terms for cancellation applies 

If your cancellation request is received more than 120 days prior to your initial sailing date, a USD$200 non-refundable administrative fee will be charged per booking. This administrative fee may be converted to a future cruise credit valid for travel within 12 months from the date of the cancelled voyage. Cruise cancellation requests received within 120 days of the initial sailing date will be subject to the following charges, regardless of suite resale:

• 120 – 91 days prior to the initial sailing date: 15% of the total cruise fare per person;
• 90 – 61 days prior to the initial sailing date: 50% of the total cruise fare per person;
• 60 – 31 days prior to the initial sailing date: 75% of the total cruise fare per person;
• 30 – 0 days prior to the initial sailing date or nonappearance at the time of sailing: 100% of the total cruise fare per person.

6 hours ago, Dukefan said:

Duquepart,

  My advise is to quit complaining about Viking and thank them for doing this for you.

 

I agree for all the reasons you have enumerated Dukefan! I think it is generous of Viking to offer a future cruise credit for the amount of the trip insurance.

51 minutes ago, Squawkman said:

When Viking offered 100% FCV on 3/2, I cancelled 3/6 with the understanding I could use the FCV for my existing December booking. I received the written cancel confirmation 3/7 and the vouchers 3/28. I applied the FCV to my existing December cruise 3/31. Please note the voucher said “new” booking, but I was able to use it. 

Thanks for the update. My cancellation was on 3/12 so perhaps they are issuing the FCV's in the order received.