Observer

I believe this is true. There was some discussion recently of Silversea's chartering one or more airplanes in Scandinavia in response to the strike of SAS pilots. I imagine that TAs earn commission on everything in the package, including the cruise, flights, etc. In fact, I had heard that one of the reasons that Silversea included tours in the cruise fare was the TAs would earn commissions om a higher cruise fare as they did not when tours were purchased on board. However, this may be a mere urban legend.

There is. On the landing page for each cruise, there is a banner showing the things included in the cruise fare, like private executive transfers, economy class flights, etc. If you click on a category, more detail is provided. With the transfers and flights, information is provided as to what discount is offered if one does not use this amenity. At random, I checked a cruise that was Hong Kong round-trip. There was a $100 saving per passenger for not using the transfer to the home airport and a $1500 per passenger discount for not using the air. This was all on the US site for Silversea.

On all bookings one can remove flights and limo transfers, receiving discounts for each. So it's a step toward PtP. On a recent booking I got a $600 discount for not using these (this was for a departure from US port. Foreign ports will yield larger discounts.)

I swear by my Silversea cruise consultant after having bad experiences dealing with several different TAs. The worst experience with a TA was when s/he mishandled arrangements and sent me the agency invoice (with evidence of the ~ 20% TA commission paid by the cruise line) rather than the passenger invoice.

This is a remarkable thread. But I do not believe that there has been sufficient discussion of the ontology of jeans. What is/are jeans? Must they be blue? Must they have metal studs at the pockets? Etc.

Shorts and jeans are perfectly appropriate in Atlantide at breakfast and lunch. I have many hundreds of nights on Silversea and can recall only one instance in which shorts were permitted in the MDR during dinner. In that case, it was embarkation day and the guest's luggage had been misdirected by the airline and was scheduled to be delivered to the ship after dinner but before departure. Seeing this gentleman's knees did not significantly affect my dinner.

I do not believe this is correct. Informal nights mean that in most outlets men are to wear jackets, but neckties are not required. According to my understanding, on formal nights a jacket but not necessarily a necktie is required in La Terrazza.

No. A jacket is not required then. Jackets are never required at the grill/hot rocks. And on informal nights, guests can dress casual in La Terrazza.

I doubt/hope that the passengers were not in fact missing when the ship left port. Though it is very rude, it is not that uncommon for guests to decide at some stop that they will get a taxi and return to the ship independently without informing the tour guide.

I am 99% certain that Silversea has already purchased Endeavor.

And they are not mutually exclusive, especially on Silversea.

Is it really that great a mystery to you? Is this your first cruise? Ever? The ship has to be turned around, provisioned, sanitized, and perhaps inspected by Canadian authorities. And what difference would it make for you to know the revised itinerary 24 hours earlier? Why the urgency? One can hop off the hop on/hop off bus to explore the city and experience the city? Would you prefer a regimented coach tour? Perhaps Silversea imagined that the hop on/hop off bus provides optimal opportunity.... Stuff happens in life. It seems to me that Silversea has done a very decent job addressing this unfortunate situation.

Could it be that Silversea withdrew its promise of free luggage shipment at the end of the cruise because of so many bad experiences at the beginning? Was the (to me highly implausible) Ukraine excuse merely another among what seem to be Silversea's many exercises in shifting blame?

I continue to be surprised by the sudden suspension of this service. I assume that your four suitcases were not destined for the Ukraine. In fact, if FedEx had so much eastbound traffic they should have had lots of room on their westbound flights. Does anyone know whether this service has been restored?

Yes, there is pre--dinner music in Panorama. I believe it starts around 6 or 6:15 PM. Sometimes it is a pianist. Other times it is a small band. I've also heard guitarists The music in each venue is announced each day in the Chronicle. It may vary from day today.

The Saudis have major investments in high-end hotels that have bars. They do not generally allow liquor in the Kingdom, but I believe the liquor is permitted in some expat enclaves.

With the included excursions with no opt-out reduction, other losers are well traveled guests with lots of VS nights who resist being herded on "free"/included group tours and want to explore on their own. I know of three couples who met at trivia on SS and who had planned to sail together on a longish SS cruise. They have been terminally put off by included excursions and corresponding increase in fares. They will travel on another luxury line and rent vans with private guides at a number of ports.