HappyCamper777

I received an invitation from Ms. Barbara Muckermann, Chief Marketing Officer Silversea, to participate in a survey about travel that should take no longer than 15-minutes to complete for the opportunity to win a $250 gift card. Since I enjoyed the last five question survey this summer, I was happy to oblige.

 

Oh my, was I ever misled! The survey involved over 80 screens to read, review, and respond to. How anyone could possibly complete such a survey in 15-minutes or less is beyond me. In addition, the survey never collected contact information, so I have no idea how a respondent would receive their gift card if they were selected as the winner.

 

Lastly, I feel totally disrespected and taken advantage of by Silversea for not only far exceeding the time estimate, but because the survey exceeded its scope of "travel". In addition, it was by far the most poorly designed and written survey I have ever participated in. I'm flabbergasted a CMO would allow such a survey to be distributed. It was that bad.

 

The following pages will contain each screen so that you can review and judge for yourself whether you want to participate in such a survey.

 

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Thanks for posting the survey HappyCamper777.

You bet!

I'll chine in here to say that I chose the expedition cruise side of the survey. All of the subsequent questions were the same. Benefits, added price points ($500-$2500), etc all as above...except the hypothetical voyage was an expedition from Trømso to Reykjavik, with stops in Svalbard and Greenland.

Well, that is a shame and not overly helpful to a marketing analyst. So it appears the only customization was to serve the survey from a respondent's last general voyage destination and cruise type preference, rather than measuring different benefits at different price points.

What were some of the extras they were suggesting?

You can see the entire survey starting with post #10 here; https://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2654562

Continuation of Questions...

Question 6

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Survey End

Question 5 was a five-part question.

 

Question 5A

Question 5B

Question 5C

Question 5D

Question 5E

And thanks to whomever for keeping this thread on topic.

It's about the questionnaire!

I agree! And, thanks to Emtbsam for starting this forum topic.

...I do not see that these items are so threatening.

I can’t see there is an issue with with exploring opinions.

Totally agree. There is no harm in seeking input into these matters from their passengers.

But, they could and should have asked more and much better questions about what customers really want and value. Why be so balatantly obvious about only seeking justifications for trying to "pick our pockets" deeper and deeper with various twists and turns?

While I can understand your frustration, I don't believe your desire was the intent of the survey. It's clear the company is seeking measurable input into ideas they are currently contemplating, and therefore, the survey delivers on that goal.

 

I am quite pleased with current arrangements, but it is worth remarking that Regent and Viking have apparently not suffered greatly by rolling tours, etc., into their base fares. I hope that Silversea does not follow their example.

This would only worry me is there was a move to charging for things that were currently included for everyone.

This is probably my biggest fear too. The reason I don't sail Regent is because their all-inclusive prices tend to be much, much greater than Silversea. I much prefer the à la carte method of pricing.

 

For those interested in what the survey asks, I have posted the questions posed to me below and in the next posts.

I imagine the survey questions deviate based on the responses entered.

 

Survey Start

Question 1

 

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Question 4

Thanks for sharing your review Kate. Makes me very excited to return to the Muse in June. Like you, I love what SS has done with the Arts Cafe.

Love the change in scenery as you move north!

Thanks Rachel! I'm glad we'll be able to go and come as we please. And, regarding those meals served at the anointed hour, I have no doubt we'll be missing a few, especially lunches. No biggie, we'll just grab a light bite in the main lounge, or better yet, a local restaurant.

 

Thanks again for chiming in!

Eileen, who was in charge of Indochine on the Muse last fall and created that fabulous last night Asian dinner for us, is now the Restaurant Manager of the Silver Cloud!

She's a winner! And, I'd say well deserving a promotion to Manager of the Cloud's Restaurant.

 

When I was on the Muse last fall, she went out of her way to work with some new friends we made during our voyage who hailed from Australia to create a wonderful Indian meal one evening and Executive chef Anne-Mari's team executed it perfectly.

Kjtravels16, thank you for sharing your POV on your Wind voyage. It sounded lovely.

 

And, Willma, appreciate your comments on the last leg of the Silver Whisper's world cruise voyage. Glad you received what you expected and enjoyed your cruise.

CruiseFromMaine and Lois R, once again thank you so much for taking the time to answer my questions and compare/contrast AMA and SS. Your responses were extremely helpful!

CruiserFromMaine and LoisR - Thank you so much for taking the time to setup this topic and providing your perspective between AMA and SS. With this being my first river cruise, I've been worried that I'd be disappointed as I enjoy SS so much, especially since the AMA booking process wasn't very smooth. You both have put me at ease.

 

If I may impose, would you mind answering several more questions?

1. I've scheduled some excursions with a private guide, some with the ship, and some on my own as I enjoy the variety. Once docked, does AMA let you come and go as you please like SS does?
   
   • For example, in one city we dock at 4:30a and I would like to be off the ship by 6:00a.
     
   • In another city, we arrive at 9:30p and overnight. The next morning I want to be underway with the private guide by 7:00a as we have some extensive driving to do that day.
     

[*]I'm so naïve, I assumed dining on AMA would be like SS, i.e. show up whenever you like. I've planned all sorts of evening activities off the ship when docked, so when is the defined dining time and is it the same every night?

• How does the restaurant handle all passengers showing up at basically the same time for dinner?
  
  • Is there any flexibility at all with the time?
    

  [*]If you missed the single dining time, are there any other options on board, like room service or light snacks in the main lounge?

  [*]With just a single restaurant (other than the chef's table specialty restaurant), is there substantial variety in the menu, or does it stay static through the week?

  [*]Does the same procedure apply at breakfast and lunch, i.e. one single dining time?

[*]We're a party of three and the largest stateroom AMA would let us book is only 234 sq. ft. which is quite a bit smaller than what we're used to on SS. It seems so silly that they are willing to cram us into the small stateroom when we were more than willing to book their largest suite at 350 sq. ft. So, how tight are we going to be?

• Are there two sinks in the bathroom?
  

[*]As an ocean cruiser only, one of the oddest things to me was how long it took to receive the itinerary from AMA and then learning the ship tends to move during the day, for example leaving a city at 2:00p one day, or arriving at 6:00p in another city and departing at 7:00a the next morning. But, I understand now it's because there are things to observe while sailing on the river. So, how easy is it to find a chair on the sun deck to enjoy the ride?

• Are the chairs fixed on the deck (like in rows), or are they flexible like SS where one can place a seat virtually wherever they like?
  

Thanks again to both of you for taking the time to help me better prepare. It's apparent I should have looked to see if Cruise Critic has an AMAWaterways forum!

Please appreciate I was probably looking more structural than anything.

 

We didn't ask to visit any suites. I'm sure they are very different...,

 

I guess I was kinda expecting something more radical. Seeing the zodiac location was maybe disappointing.... But realistically where could they go? Hope I'm not sounding negative here.

Thanks for the additional context and I'm not taking your comments as negative at all. The zodiac location is what it is.

 

I don't know why, but like you I figured the first time I would come back on board the Cloud I'd be like "Wow! This is really different" seeing how I thought deck 3 was probably the biggest redesign, along with fitness center and revamp of the lounge/theater on deck 6.

 

Don't get me wrong, I'm still very much looking forward to my return to the Cloud in a couple of years.

Wellseasoned (Dieter & Debbie) with our very good Army friends (Carl & Cathy) on Omaha beach. Almost photo shopped Dieter’s ball cap with an Army one vs Navy

Thank you for sharing your photo Wes.

 

A very dear friend of mine who was at Utah on D-Day passed away but a few weeks ago. He had the greatest disposition of any person I've ever met with a personality permeated by genial positivity. I never heard him utter an unkind word as he always offered words of encouragement.

 

No matter how many times I've seen the beaches of D-Day, I am overcome with emotion each time. The determination those boys had coming ashore with absolutely no cover is mind boggling.

Have now been around taking photos with camera and phone. Don't bother with the 360... Look just like the cloud to me with s few zodiacs.

It's interesting to read your POV regarding the Cloud Les. As much as I like the Cloud, I was hoping after such a significant renovation she would look and feel a bit different. I've seen the Zodiacs in their new structure on the top/front of the ship, but that is all, other than wondering why they didn't add a covered hallway to Tors during the reno.

 

Very appreciative of you sharing your perspective.

It is widely understood that one is likely to encounter issues shortly after a major refurbishment -- and that those issues are in many cases a result of the dry dock work rather than despite that work. Did your TA not alert you to the possibility/likelihood that there would be hiccups?

Such a shame to read THX244's post. I knew SS had problems with the Cloud as they were bringing her down to Buenos Aires and then again on the first voyage that ultimately was cancelled mid-voyage. But, I wasn't aware of further issues after the relaunch in Ushuaia.

 

Those holiday fares can be quite large, especially on an expedition ship, and I know that I'd be pretty disappointed myself based on the OP's post. With that said, I would only expect the hot tubs to be open in Antarctica.

We had a wonderful trip! The crew was very accommodating and the food was excellent!

 

I’m happy to answer questions people might have as well.

Glad to hear from you Maine Cruiser and that your voyage was pleasant. Will look for your review in the coming days.

 

One quick question based on your signature, I'm doing my first river cruise this summer and on AMA Waterways which you sailed on. How would you compare AMA to Silversea? What suggestions would you have for a first time river cruiser so that I don't make any silly mistakes and enjoy my week on board to its fullest?

Hi Mistral and welcome to Cruise Critic! You’ll find lots of great folks here willing to help.

 

You’re considering two of the best of cruise companies and don’t think you can go wrong with either. So, since this is the Silversea forum, I’ll provide my opinions to your questions relative to their ships. I've sailed on all of the traditional ships, other than the Wind.

 

How do you regular luxury cruisers feel about theloss of a main dining room on the Newer Silversea Ships?

I don’t look at it as a loss at all, but rather how much more variety we have gained. And, in Atlantide specifically, the menu choices are vast and change after one week. My voyage was over two weeks long and I could never imagine getting to try all of the dishes.

Would the changes encourage you to now only book the smaller ships due to this loss?

Absolutely not. On the Muse (and soon the Spirit) you have a total of eight restaurants to choose from, whereas on the Cloud/Wind there are only four. Personally, I like the additional variety.

 

From my understanding the teething problems of dining on demand in Atlantide have now been resolved after the loss of The Restaurant.

I sailed on a completely sold-out voyage and never once had a problem being able to dine in Atlantide at whatever time I wished.

 

We really enjoy having the choice of a quiet lunch offering. We don’t particularly like buffet, and wouldn’t eat at the pool grill often. We always choose a long leisurely multi course lunch on sea days is this still possible?

Long leisurely lunches are available in any venue you choose. No one will ever rush you as long as you communicate your expectations accordingly. I found the quietest lunch venue to be Kaiseki followed by Atlantide. I also found that the servers in La Terrazza never forced me to dine from the buffet. They were more than accommodating when I just wanted a small salad, cup of soup, or fresh pasta dish. While La Terrazza is certainly not a quiet venue during the lunch hour, service was still provided course-by-course just as if I were in Atlantide when I requested it.

 

In closing, have a fun time planning your cruise and I hope my opinions have been helpful!

We picked up a hitchhiker on our way to Isla San Pedro.

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Is that Kate Winslet on the bow and pray tell, do I hear Celine Dion singing "My Heart Will Go On" too?

The Arts Cafe is very crowded, it's a lovely relaxed venue with charm and personality.

Love that little place. We rarely make it up in time for breakfast, so always loved rolling out of our deck 8 suite and strolling into Arts for a little yogurt, pastry, and espresso.

 

We're excited they are adding Arts to the Spirit. And, when they build the Moon, we'd love to see them enlarge the space for Arts and relocate it to deck 5 by taking space away from the cavernous Dolce Vita.

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Driving "the reverse way" at the Grand canyon is a great example of having the Grand Canyon to yourself for half a day.

Haha! And a perfect way to freeze your fanny off when night falls and your stuck in the bottom until morning.

For those presently on the Muse, would you mind asking the Cruise Consultant when Silversea intends to release voyages on the Muse past the last listed one of Sep 5, 2019?

As far as a True ' Repeater ' is concerned Stumblefoot its a difficult one to put a number on ( The offending 100 days was probably, on reflection, a silly figure to pick in my previous Post ).

Thx for sharing your additional context. It is appreciated.