SeekingShelter

Sometimes family businesses are sold when subsequent generations have indicated they don’t want (or are incapable) to take on the responsibilities of leadership of the family business. Quite common with the third generation, who have grown up with wealth and privilege and don’t have the drive and ambitions of their parents and grandparents.

Selling is a viable retirement/exit strategy. Selling 2/3s, with the option to sell the last third makes the transition a bit more gradual.

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This year, for the first time ever, we will be onboard a SS ship for the holidays.

Can cruisers with previous experience cruising on these specific dates on SS tell us what special observances (or not) happen onboard?

Will there be a turkey dinner option?

I was planning to make a special donation to the crew fund as our acknowledgment to the crew for the holiday (which they will obviously be working), but was wondering if there are other traditions we might want to observe.

Thanks.

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Not boring at all, unfathomable. So far the market seems to like the deal too. Thanks for the numbers.

I think it will be a different corporate culture when it is no longer privately owned. No more private family parties, tenders and other special privileges. These sort of things tend to percolate from the top down. I hope it means an end to the charity charge too!

What sort of a difference it will make to the paying guest experience remains to be seen. I hope the frontline staff will still be paid well and it won’t become one of those experiences where everyone has their hand out for a tip in order to get the same level of care we’re used to having included in the fare paid.

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I believe this is where the difference between (almost) all inclusive and more a la carte sailing comes into play. The other cruise lines want two people in the cabin because they will make more from alcohol sales etc. Lower cost initially but with more add ons. With SS they charge a much higher rate initially, but the additional potential for income is lower, so they can afford a lower single supplement.

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I too am in the ‘wait and see’ camp, although we do have one cruise booked for later this year. Could be interesting.

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I wonder what the “performance metrics” for 2019/2020 are that need to be met in order for Manfredi to get his RCI shares?

I previously worked for a private company which was taken over by a public one and the performance metrics were “increased sales combined with lower overhead”. (Higher ROI)

The first department gutted was customer service, followed by a rapid exit of all senior (read “high salaried”) personnel which left a big knowledge vacuum that was not easily filled by younger, lower paid replacement personnel. That was my experience. They definitely made more money, but the soul of the company was lost. SS’s experience may be different. I certainly hope so!

On the other hand, I know RCI has many loyal customers, and the possible expansion of SS into their brand loyalty/rewards program will probably be a natural progression for some.

It will be interesting to watch.

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Thanks for all the informed responses. I was mainly curious because I have already paid in full.

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We have a SS cruise booked for later this year, which departs from and returns to port in the USA.

We took advantage of the early pay discount, so the cruise is fully paid, but is still 6 months away.

Given the current deterioration in the political discourse between our country (we’re Canadian) and the USA, we are seriously considering changing our cruise to one which doesn’t include American ports.

What sort of penalties would I incur to make the change this far out?

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Thanks so much for doing these videos. I appreciate the music you choose too. Wish we were there too!

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I thought that the goal might be to get a higher ROI on larger ships through the volume effect: one double-size ship (Spirit, Muse...) has lower running costs per passenger than two original ships (Cloud, Wind...), even if you keep the same service-staff-per-passenger ratio. For an over-simplified example, on the larger ship, you still only have one Captain, Chief Engineer etc.; fuel, a big cost, is more efficient too.

 

 

 

I hoped that it might be possible, on the larger ships, to get very close to the luxurious level of service that we know Silversea can deliver, at the same fares per day, but with a higher ROI. That way, everybody wins: quality and value for guests; higher ROI for the owners, so that they can service their debts and stay in business, which is what we all want.

 

 

 

I also hope that anybody in sales and marketing will make it a priority to retain past customers. Experience suggests that this is much, much easier and cheaper than winning new customers.

I agree on the possible efficiencies of the larger vessels. Unfortunately scaling up seems to have, at least initially, removed the freedom of showing up anytime for dinner. Growing pains, quite literally, which showed lack of perception of what their guests truly valued. Good to see them trying to now accommodate spontaneity, although the physical limitations on the Muse might make this more difficult. They obviously learnt from the Muse experience and applied some of it to the Spirit Stretch.

We’ve never been big users of room service, but reading other reviews makes me think this might be another area where SS will want to rethink their ‘efficiencies’.

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Thank you for the well balanced review.

We too prefer the smaller ships and are not expedition types. I can already see different (higher on smaller vessels) per day pricing on SS website reflecting the higher popularity of the smaller vessels. I wonder if the lower price points on the larger ships will woo some passengers, who are accustomed to the service levels on the Whisper, Shadow and Wind, to the (relatively) ‘value priced’ larger vessels, resulting in bad reviews (based on previous expectations) and a dilution of the brand.

In business the goal is usually to maximize the ROI (return on investment) and the bean counters may have concluded that a slight lowering of the service levels and the loss of a few prior passengers will be offset by the increased numbers of new passengers (who won’t have prior experience with ultra high service levels) on the larger ships. And thus the spiral down begins.

In the interim, repeat passengers will learn that there is no such thing as loyalty when it comes to business.

Sad to see. I’m pretty sure someone else will come in to fill the void in the market, eventually.

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FYI: Those “pretty yellow flowers” are Scotch Broom, which are considered a noxious invasive weed in the Pacific Northwest. But at least they don’t bite, like the other invasive plant, the Himalayan blackberry. Huge thorns but delicious fruit.

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Have you checked your spam folder? (And you’d be amazed how many people mess up their own email addresses when filling out an online form, so they may have replied but you didn’t get the response). I’ve had good luck just phoning them. Usually a pretty instantaneous response.

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Thank you for sharing the journey and your insights with us.

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http://www.fondazionemaruzza.org/en/

The mission statement is palliative care.

The issue isn’t with the concept of charitable giving, per se. It’s the ‘automatic’ opt in (and having to ‘opt out’) and the lack of transparency regarding the percentage of donations that are consumed by administration and overhead. This could just be a way of paying relatives and other hanger’s on tremendous salaries while having the less diligent passengers paying for it. One dollar a day may not seem much to you, but if you have every one paying on numerous full ships, even the small size of the SS fleet, it adds up to a lot very quickly.

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That is so disappointing to hear. Definitely follow up with corporate in writing. From the sounds of it you should get more than a 25% voucher.

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You should be allowed on board anytime after noon. Your suite probably won’t be available until 2 pm, but after checking in (which takes minimal time) you can head to one of the public facilities for lunch/beverages. We usually go to the pool grill and bar.

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It’s the stress that kills you. If you worry about the alcohol harming you, it will, but just because of the stress you’re putting on yourself through worrying. On the other hand, if you just let a drink or two take the edge off, you’ll have less stress and live longer. My opinion only, of course. ;)

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Now we have another hour removed from our sleep repertoire.

 

 

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One of the reasons I prefer east to west travel.

Enjoying the review and the pictures. Thank you for sharing.

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We have also done Southampton to Montreal on Silversea. At the time we compared Silversea to Seabourn, and chose Silversea based on the itinerary. In this case I would also pick the itinerary that was of most interest. For me, between these two, it would be the Seabourn cruise. Your choice depends on your specific interests, but I don’t think you would go wrong with the Cloud Expedition if that suited your interests.

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