Port Power

Included shore excursions always had prices attached in case they were a second option.  On average I would say $180 each.  You should still be able to book them in advance in My Silversea, or on board the ship.  Only you will know whether the aggregate is good value.

Silversea nearly always docks close to town.  If not, there will be a free shuttle provided.
 

This is an opportunity to consider local shore excursions if you are that way inclined.  Especially a small group (6) with fellow passengers through your Roll Call.

58 minutes ago, lincslady said:

And lots of them will have forgotten, of course.

NEVER!  Vinyl records have returned in strength.  Even my 30+ son bought a turntable and LPs.  In fact, it turns out I had good taste back in the day and he took a good selection of my LPs! Pink Floyd lives again!

2 hours ago, UKCruiseJeff said:

 

Hi,

 

I’m clearly no apologist for Silversea but this is not completely correct.  

 

There are a number of different situations and also to add complexity  different legal rights in different countries for the same or similar contracts and indeed in some countries consumer rights vary even by state.  To make things more confusing it might also vary by when a chargeable excursion is “in the future” ie is the customer now locked in or not.  More of that later.  It’s a long time since I looked at Oz but I seem to recall that there was a variation by state but this might now  be wrong or out of date.

 

Firstly customers buying a cruise in the US could for the sake of argument have an identical set of terms and conditions that they sign as say UK customers.  However the contract might state that when a customer buys a cruise that they agree that SS are entitled to  make any changes they wish at any time and that the customer is obligated to accept those changes.  It may be that in the US this clause is enforceable but it might not be elsewhere.  In the UK/EU etc you can simply ignore the clause as it is considered unfair under consumer protection law. 

 

Silversea does reserve the right to cancel excursions.  This might be because there is insufficient bookings to make the excursions viable or some other reason.  This might be unwelcome and irritating but seems to me to be fair as long as it is before the customer carries an enforceable payment obligation and I cannot see that SS could be compelled to provide them except  in the case of included excursions when the fare includes them then they would be obligated to seek mutually acceptable alternatives or offer a reasonable refund for say UK customers as they had paid for them but this level of protection may not be true for US customers.  Isn’t life complicated. 🙂

 

In the UK and EU there is a different consideration and obligation in that it seems that the customer is obligated to pay if they fail to cancel at a set date before the excursion date … from memory I think it is 48 hours either before the start of the cruise or before the excursion ,,,, I cannot remember which but this is when the contract is effectively frozen for the customer and it therefore becomes mutually enforceable for some customers.  For UK customers it follows that SS has an enforceable contract that mirrors this.  So they must use their best endeavours to provide the booked excursion even if it costs them more.  They are not entitled to simply cancel it and that difference in price cannot be passed on from the start of the frozen date to UK customers for example.  This same right probably doesn’t exist for US customers who have considerably less rights.  Additionally if in extreme situations SS cancelled all included excursions UK customers (for example) could be reasonably confident if they pursued a claim for greater “reimbursement” for breach of contract and probably additionally for “vexation, aggravation and disappointment”. 

 

The issue is a little more complex than simply stating that Silversea are contractually obligated for all excursions and for all customers at all times but instead might simply be in many cases resolving customer satisfaction considerations.

 

Jeff

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Jeff, your knowledge and explanations are very informative.  I am on a world cruise with RSSC commencing next January and have had some excursions already cancelled because of “logistical” reasons.  Six or more months in advance, that is perfectly acceptable. Whether there were not enough participants or whether the supplier price had increased too much, there has been plenty of notice.

Surely the increase being asked once onboard the ship is too close for comfort?  I saw the snow skis in Iceland last month when I did the “Into the Glacier” tour.  I would expect it is expensive because of the distance from Reykjavik and the complexity of the experience.  But asking for so much extra so close to the excursion is pretty poor!  SS should have been informed of cost variations well before guests boarded the ship.

Thank you for your insight.

37 minutes ago, lincslady said:

Thanks for that - I must admit that obviously I did not know any statistics on the subject.  Just noticed the groups coming off shuttle buses and walking rather aimlessly up the Ramblas, many more in the past few years since the cruise docks became so much larger.  I stand corrected.

I would suggest that more cruise passengers would head to Las Ramblas, whereas fly-in tourists, and especially those driving cars, would spread out into other areas and the countryside.

24 minutes ago, IdRathrBCruzn said:

That's my plan, then. Thanks again for your kind help.

Might I add that the beach landing locations change from cruise to cruise.  Sometimes the beaches are strewn with sharp, broken shells and coral. They are uncomfortable to walk on and can cut your feet.  Also, depending on the time of year you visit, as well as the time of day, some of the mud flats can be, well, muddy.  Now Silica Beach is quite another matter, with sand softer than anywhere I’ve ever been to!

10 minutes ago, UKCruiseJeff said:

 

Be gentle to Cooler visitors. 😋

 

Virtually no one who could answer this question lives in Perth, Western Oz and the question was probably in the wrong thread anyway.  We all do it. 

 

But he did mention Pizza.  This person should be nurtured just in case we might get a pizza picture. That would improve the day!

 

Come back Steve … but bring Pizza!

 

Jeff

 

ps good luck with your solution. 

I thought I was gentle, asking him to give folk a bit of time to answer.

Apart from the post probably being in the wrong thread, why shouldn’t an experienced and recent SS cruiser be able to answer?  I have made shore excursion reservations and dining reservations that appear in my “My Silversea” booking.  I have also had OBC that does not show up there.  “My Silversea” is not different in different countries.  When I book using my US travel agent, the same information appears as booked through my Australian TA.  @Pizzasteve did not state where he lives.

34 minutes ago, Pizzasteve said:

Yes.  As I said in my post, no reservations are shown.  I found the web site very awkward, but maybe it was the phone. 
 

Will see if more functionality appears on another device. But it’s ok, I was hoping for helpful tips, and if there aren’t any that’s fine.  I can call SS.

You might like to at least leave enough time for Coolers to read your post.  Denizens are from countries all over the world, not all in the same time zone as you.

A reasonable question is how long ago did you make your booking?  It sometimes seems to take time to load into My Silversea.  Onboard credit does not show up in there from my experience.

I don’t have an App, so don’t know how that works.

11 minutes ago, irishwitchy said:

I was going to point out that the muesli bar from the ship would be a problem in Australia or New Zealand, but I see that you are down under.   You can’t take any food from the ship.  Is there a secret to doing so?  

I would never try to sneak food from the ship!  There is no way I am going to bring potential destructive insects, grains or diseases into Australia that could affect local agriculture and fauna.  
 

These types of excursions I’ve only experienced on transatlantic cruises from Europe to USA, like in Grand Canary.  In Australia I might bring my own commercial muesli bars bought from a local supermarket, so I know they are safe.  Otherwise I just go without. I’m hardly likely to starve on a 4-hour tour! 😂. Actually, I very rarely eat a morning snack or biscuit anyway.  

On 7/3/2024 at 9:39 PM, The Hudson Co. Landlubber said:

 

I was telling my wife about this thread yesterday and because she is so much smarter than I am when I mentioned the vegetarian/vegan thing she quickly replied "Just tell them, they'll do something to accommodate".

 

She is not only a genius, she has much more natural confidence in humans than I do! But I agree it is worth emailing them and asking.

I am coeliac and rarely have a problem.  I don't do chef tours or market food tours though.  The ship has my dietary need on file and puts that in place for the lunch on any excursion.  I always then double check with shore excursions when I board the ship.  In a very few instances there were no alternatives, so I usually carry a gluten-free muesli bar just in case.  Coffee stops where a local specialist bakery item is provided, I miss out, although sometimes will be given a piece of fruit if I ask.  With so much food on the ship, I don't feel that I "miss out" by not eating a pastry!

On 7/3/2024 at 3:30 AM, kstrittm said:

All - newbie here, so please forgive the basic questions...

 

Does anybody know the open hours for the Coffee Connection?  I assume it is the only spot to get specialty coffee onboard the Splendor.  I'll be in a suite, but I don't see a suite executive lounge anywhere on the deck plans.  Is that correct?  Also, where do most folks eat breakfast?  I'm used to having a suite dining room on other lines - don't know what the protocol is.

 

Thanks for your help...

Suite lounges and suite dining rooms are for those ships that contain 2,000+ passengers.  Definitely not needed for these lovely, smaller ships of 600-odd guests.  

Crew are always going ashore to buy snacks and personal care items.  They need the currency of the port for that, so the pound in Britain and Euros in Ireland and Europe.  Enough passengers will tip in local currency for shopping purposes, and more in USD for sending home.

3 hours ago, AusMum said:

If it was 'natural' it might have more appeal, but it is man-made.  I have a heated pool and a spa in my back garden, and am only moments away from deserted beaches, so not expecting it to be as much as a novelty as it might be to others.  I would rather spend my time seeing natural water falls etc

I think the point of the lagoons is the natural thermally heated water from the volcanic system, not the actual facility that holds the water.  It is not chlorinated water from the mains!  I quite enjoyed Star Lagoon, which also included a sauna room and steam room and salt scrub.  It was well managed and drinks were limited to three, with a wrist band to be scanned as proof.  The view of the sea was lovely.

5 hours ago, RachelG said:

Another question for JP—you mentioned one wet zodiac landing.  Was there only one or more?  Do I need to bring my water shoes?

I wore my Keen's, which have a very good sole coming up over the toe. I bought them from Anaconda.  Many of the expedition team wear them too.  I wear them at home for everyday walking or jogging.  On my first Kimberley trip I had enclosed water shoes, but they were too hot and squooshy when walking on the mud flats or bush areas. 

On 7/2/2024 at 11:24 AM, flydc said:

Hey there ... great report!

 

How was the charter flight? interested in how strict they were with carryon bags .... We fly in 10 days or so from Oslo. Our cruise is supposedly full - so unlikely they will block the middle seats on our flight. (Guessing your cruise wasn't full?)

 

Thanks!

See post #78 above.  If the ship is full, those middle seats won't all be empty!

Luggage was weighed in the usual manner.  Mine was 23.4kg but was fine.  Most passengers seemed to have kept to the limit.  Carry-ons were not weighed.  Indeed, a few people had a roller bag and a tote or backpack (rather than just a handbag or laptop bag).  I heard from another passenger that on some occasions the carry-on luggage is weighed.  This happened to him when the ship was full.  Parkas were carried (I wore mine like a backpack), but the weight of parkas would have been taken into consideration outside of luggage.

2 hours ago, highplanesdrifters said:

 

Just checked it out.  Looks clean and and very nice!

 

We like The Pearl in Reykjavik but really like The Retreat at Blue Lagoon.  Although the latter is very iffy these days for volcanic reasons.🤯

 

We spent one night at the Center Hotel Arnarhvoll. It was one night too many. Nice rooftop bar though.

 

And now there is the Reykjavik Edition, the first 5-star hotel in Reykjavik. Right next to the port, so extremely central.  Wonderful food and bars, including a roof top bar which has great views.

3 hours ago, gcornell said:

Lots of confusion and lack of info on current boarding times so wanted to share.  Just boarded the Spirit in Iceland today.  Final papers said boarding at 2pm. We got to the pier at 12:10, checked in and we eating lunch by 12:20. 

Boarding time is always given as 2:00pm.  Sometimes extra time is needed for a thorough sanitisation if there has been illness onboard, etc.  It also avoids having too many passengers arriving at the same time as most regular SS cruisers know they can check in earlier.

13 minutes ago, BryanS1958 said:

I am looking at the above Silverseas Antarctic cruise on Silver Cloud for March 2026.  On the face of it, there seems to be lots of sea days - 6 days with excursions eg on ribs, 11 days at sea (including Chile) and only 6 days in 'towns'.  Is this correct, or am I misreading the information?

 

If anyone has been on this cruise how did they find it? With so many 'sea' days on such a small ship, with limited facilities it seems it could get quite boring after a while. I'm sure the scenery and wildlife are amazing, but there are a number of days off Chile where it appears that there are no off ship activities or excursions.

You cannot consider expedition days in zodiacs as sea days.  You will be so busy and up early enough that you will want to go to bed straight after dinner! 😄. 
 

Like @Catlover54, I love sea days. All that is mentioned above, or just chill out, have room service and put your feet up.  

1 hour ago, AusMum said:

So, I guess there is a big difference between expedition cruises and classic cruises.

 

Yes, there is.

6 hours ago, tulok said:

We have booked a classic veranda on the Wind for Northern Europe CPH-DUB on June 9. We have friends that decided to go with us but they believe the veranda will be of no use as it will be cold and it is a good savings to take a vista suite. Then I am thinking they have the same cruise the end of July so maybe it would be warmer then.  I would love to hear the experts comments. Deck 4 are the only ones left on both dates.

I just disembarked Silver Wind in Svalbard last week.  I had booked a Vista suite and would have been fine in it.  The other members of our group who remained on deck 4 were perfectly happy.  However, I eventually decided to upgrade to a veranda suite.  Too cold to dry your washing, but I did like opening the door for some fresh air, even when pretty cool.  The main benefit is to hang out on the balcony when a polar bear is sighted on your side of the ship.  Or just generally standing out there with my binoculars when we were anchored or churning through an ice field.  The robe and slippers came in handy some mornings!  I definitely decided the extra charge was worth it for access to scenery.  But as I said, travelling companions on deck 4 did not have a problem at all.  They went up to the various outside decks when a polar bear was seen, or when traversing the ice floes.  Sometimes there is a limit to the budget, too.

3 minutes ago, lincslady said:

I don't know how you have had the time and patience to post these reports, but rest assured they are much appreciated by those of us who will never have the chance to visit these places.  Absolutely wonderful, thank you.

I concur. Thank you. 

13 hours ago, flydc said:

Adding this comment to get this to the top of the feed .... 

 

Anyone who recently did the Arctic on the Wind have any feedback on the charter flight!?!

 

I was on the charter from Longyearbyen to Oslo last week.  B737. Flight time 2 hr 50 min. The middle seat was empty each side except for the rear rows where crew were seated. However, there were only 128 passengers on the ship. A nice meal was served, including my special diet lunch.

We were bussed from the ship is colour groups and collected our luggage at the airport to check in.  Standard airport procedures, so no liquids over 100ml.  When the plane landed, we saw the new passengers disembark.  Presumably they were doing a bus tour before boarding the ship as it was around 10:30am.

On 6/28/2024 at 2:41 AM, DrSHF said:

Gourmet Gal: We are just waiting to hear which cabin we will get. I am hesitant to actually pay until I am assured that we will have an acceptable one—for 136 days!

The whole premise of a guarantee cabin is that it could be anywhere on the ship.  You pay for a vista gty, but might be issued a balcony cabin.  That is also why a gty suite costs less than choosing a particular one.  Nowhere on Dawn is bad, even the very forward cabins or under the pool deck. Chairs moving at lunchtime hardly matter even if you are in your suite.

if you want an “acceptable” suite, then don’t make a guarantee booking.  You are not being forced to book this cruise, after all.

5 hours ago, tnm6217 said:

5 hours ago, tnm6217 said:

 

Yes! At no point did anyone try to actually resolve the issue. I heard a lot of "well, that's what we were told" with no offer of a solution. 

 

 

I am still amazed at the lack of action you received.  On my cruise, I did receive my upgraded bottle of Laurent-Perrier champagne. I received a phone call from the Customer Service Manager who acknowledged the confusion and mixed messages in relation to this matching of status levels, and his apologies for the delay in receiving said champagne.  Ali’s response is exactly what should happen.  I felt even more like an appreciated guest, and was extremely happy with the ship’s response.  RCG head office, read and learn!

31 minutes ago, RELS said:

 

Yes, but what is it?

See post #5.  Once on board a ship and connected to WiFi, you can view the daily program, lectures,  restaurant hours, menus, etc.

33 minutes ago, RELS said:

Is it in fact an app to install on phone and/or tablet? Or is it only a website available once on board?

 

If an installable app, can one install it before boarding?

Read post #5

4 hours ago, highplanesdrifters said:

 

Ditto

Catching up on sleep? (And the laundry!)