Gourmet Gal

27 minutes ago, gnome12 said:

Well, now the Næroyfjord Cruise that was originally an included excursion, then became a select excursion with the price crossed out and no charge on My Activities has now been cancelled and replaced by a very similar excursion on a different (but nicer and more environmentally better) cruise boat. I will now definitely be charged for it. I hope that the timing will work for my Flåm railway reservation. It should; SS has a Flåm railway excursion at 2:55 PM, which is the second of the 2 trains that I have booked.

So that’s a bait and switch!

2 hours ago, BBGrace273 said:

I'll be in Tokyo after the 9/12-10/1 Nova Cruise from Vancouver. Would love any info!

See my post #6

Prior to SS including excursions in the fare I rarely booked ship’s excursions and found my own private guides as needed in most ports - usually for less than the ship’s group tours.  It almost seems not worth the trouble to book these crowded SS bus tours anymore except that we’ve already paid for them!  The company is really just pushing me to only consider cruise lines that do not include excursions.  

Interesting.  On my “My Activities” page the total and unit prices are 0.00 for my excursions that were previously included but now they are select.  Seems to be no consistency.

Does anyone know what the crew to pax ratio is now compared to pre-Covid?

2 minutes ago, gnome12 said:

I have had 2 excursions move from included to select. Both show up with crossed out prices in grey, (rather than the select excursion that I chose when it was select, which shows with the price in red). However, of the 2, both show 0 unit cost, but one still shows a total cost of zero and the other shows a cost. So they aren't being consistent in what they are doing.

More evidence of disarray at Silversea.  I’ve booked my last cruise with them, unfortunately a P2P but may just take the loss anyway rather than deal with the frustration.

1 minute ago, ak1004 said:

 

I could never understand how dress code is related to luxury experience.

 

According to this statement, Cunard is much more luxury than Regent or Seabourn..

I agree that dress code does not define the luxury experience but many people have been so focused on that element.  Seems there’s far more to worry about now with SS.

4 minutes ago, ak1004 said:

I was very surprised to experience such basic service issues on an ultra luxury line.

A people have been worried that any relaxing of the dress code would erode the luxury experience.  Lately, many posts would indicate that SS is doing a good job of eroding the experience in so many other ways.  Really disappointing.

4 minutes ago, mklions said:

IMO, Silversea should arrange the transfers on our behalf and not expect the customer to do so.

Be careful what you wish for.  With the current SS track record on “included” excursions I would be leery of their ability to manage home transfers as well.

Good to take screenshots.  It also seems risky to try to make a schedule change to a previously included tour that is now showing a charge.  Hopefully you can get that rectified. SS seems to be in total disarray with the so-called included excursions.

13 minutes ago, jjs217 said:

I believe, and I may be wrong, some of this increase is due to people wanting/demanding the old, real luxury level of service to return.  If those kinds of price increases will do so, I'm pretty sure there are people on this board who are willing to pay that amount.  We will have to see if that is the case. Exclusivity has a cost.  

Hope you’re right but it could be wishful thinking.  When has anything become more luxury after becoming less so?

On 4/3/2024 at 7:38 AM, Lois R said:

I have also sailed from Lisbon and that 2:00om boarding time is just too funky. They put it in place after the re-start from Covid.  I have sailed multiple times since 2021 and you should be able to board long before 2.  I have no clue why they won't take that wording off the website/documents. 

Lois, I know you often use SS pre-hotels.  Do the transfers from the hotels arrive at the ports close to 2:00 or earlier?  If they arrive at 2:00 I’m just wondering if there’s lunch still available onboard?  We’re using an SS hotel and transfer for the first time on our upcoming cruise in May starting in Rome.

On 4/4/2024 at 8:30 AM, PaulaJK said:

I do not consider SS equivalent to the Four Seasons or Ritz…... And certainly recent downgrades in cuisine and provision quality remove it from a high end restaurant group. After our recent experience on Spirit, we will avoid SS.

Agree also.  Though I’ve never thought any cruise line had Michelin* caliber dining nor was the onboard service anywhere near as wonderful as FS or Peninsula, ever.  Seems even less so now.   But in terms of pricing you could easily exceed SS pricing at those hotels so then the value question becomes debatable.  

5 hours ago, CDNPolar said:

 

Exactly.  You might see me using a napkin to hold the tongs when I serve myself and you may also see us go wash hands again, especially with the washing station at the entrance.

 

You are right - we are never going to change the behaviour of others.  All we can do is protect ourselves.

 

Although we cannot protect ourselves if Norovirus was transferred to the food from staff, we can protect ourselves from Norovirus transferred from other guests not washing their hands by washing and rewashing our hands.

Now I’m getting paranoid! All good advice.  Perhaps I should consider bringing my own food prep gloves for the buffets.

1 hour ago, crusinbanjo said:

Mrs Banjo and I have similar feelings.  We have not deserted SS, (or other lines), but we find ourselves doing less cruising.  We have noted the declining experience and rising fares and feel the value per cruise is not always where we expect it to be anymore.  We are now mostly planning land tours with small group operators that are providing what we perceive to be better value.  That is not to say we won’t be cruising, just that we exploring and finding alternate options  that fulfill our desire to travel in the manor we are accustomed to.

There are also more jet journeys too whether they be around-the-world or regional.  My DH and I have never been frequent cruisers, preferring to do our own land-based exploring but we do love the jet trips.  We have our third around-the-world booked next year. At this stage we enjoy the prospect of just showing up for the trip and having every detail executed flawlessly.  Cruises are great in that respect as well but to a lesser degree.  We’re becoming more appreciative of the positives of group travel as we get older but are very selective.  SS has been our go-to for our few ocean cruises but I’m concerned about the direction of the line.  We’ll see next month how the Monaco F1 sailing goes and will decide if we keep our booking for Japan after that.

2 hours ago, Tripgalrf said:

I’d appreciate the recommendation if you have one. I won’t be traveling until next year but would like this and if you have done anything for a serious cocktail tour that would be great too.

We had a great day tour with guide Mayu at Backstreet Guides.  You can customize your time with her.

I don’t know anything about a cocktail tour - sounds scary but Culinary Backstreets is great for an extensive culinary walking tour.  For a shorter evening walking food tour Arigato has fun tours.

24 minutes ago, sea bright said:

I asked whether the menu changed. Our Chef said the same menu was being used for the entire South American GV. He thought a similar menu had been used prior to the GV, but wasn't completely sure. He said he had suggested changing the menu periodically, but had not gotten approval.

That would be an odd menu in Asia for example.

If interested I can refer and outstanding guide.  Also highly recommend a Culinary Backstreets food tour.

5 hours ago, sea bright said:

This is the menu from our dinner at the Chef's Table. The menu was the same for the entire cruise. I'm fairly certain the Nova LaDame menu was posted on Cruise Critic previously.

Doesn’t this menu change based on the region that is being sailed just as the SALT restaurant changes?

Does anyone know if SS usually has an F1 themed event onboard in Monaco for those who buy their viewing packages?  I think I’ve read somewhere there was something like that in the past but along with other recent cuts those days may be over.

We’ve enjoyed The Peninsula - we love their rooms and close to Ginza, Four Seasons Marunouchi - very close to Tokyo Station.

1 hour ago, Port Power said:

1 hour ago, Port Power said:

Running out of fresh food on a long Antartica cruise is not unusual.  There are no ports to reprovision!  However, I was surprised and not impressed that ships were not taking on fresh produce in larger ports along the way as they used to do.  I just cannot think why that practice has stopped.  Bad move!  Bad decision.

Is this a policy that has been announced that there is no provisioning during cruises at all?  

1 hour ago, jpalbny said:

 

I will admit, they were wasted on us for sure. Except for the little 750ml "fruit" bottles of liquefied grapes which used to briefly occupy our fridge!

Yes, I know you like your “fruit” juice!

1 hour ago, turtlemichael said:

Our experience of automatic fruit bowls on Silversea was the fruit was usually so under ripe that it would not get eaten. Peaches like cricket balls for example. The only bits we would eat were the grapes! On request seems reasonable but you have to be told by Silversea that that is possible.

Seems less wasteful to have fruit bowls by request but agree it should be stated somewhere.

1 hour ago, Observer said:

 

Divorce can be attractive when one can compare ~$1500/day solo cruise fares with the value, consistent quality, and amenities offered at luxury resorts and hotels.  

Not so sure about that value proposition.  If SS is to be compared to Four Seasons, Ritz Carlton, Peninsula and above, it wouldn’t be unusual to pay at least $1500 per day for a basic room depending upon location and season.  You might possibly have breakfast included but meals at those hotels are also expensive.  Add on taxes, resort fees, parking or transportation, etc.  A 3-day stay could easily be well over $5000. Hotel rates have also significantly increased lately.

No doubt SS considers themselves to be on par with those chains…at least FS and RC, but can the consumer now consider them on par?  Now if the hotel comparison drops down to one of the mass chains then perhaps there is a valid argument regarding value.