Mayflower1

As far as I am aware the SS Booking Conditions clearly state that SS take no responsibility for any delays caused by Blacklane - another example of their idea of ' Seamless Luxury Service' !!!

You are of course correct - Fusina & Maghera are part of the same Industrial Port area away from Touristic Venice. As I understand it, the present system for Silversea is that they use the old Cruise Terminal in Venice to complete the basic Check In Procedures and then Bus Guests to Fusina for Boarding. If one stays at San Clemente it will involve a Water Transfer to The Cruise Terminal, followed by a Bus transfer to the Ship. If Arrangements have changed for 2024 please forgive me.

Good morning etual324 - Whilst your experience isa tad unsettling I would say that I have stayed at the San Clemente Palace Hotel and it is superb - the position on its own island is great to be away from the frenetic Venice with a Swimming Pool etc and the Private Hotel shuttle Boat into a position close to St Marks square is very regular and a lovely ride. ( I agree The Monaco & Grand is also lovely for different reasons - had our 25th Wedding Anniversary Dinner on The Terrace there which was magical ). I hope you have a great Cruise. The only unfortunate Issue now, with Cruises starting from Maghera is that the Transfer to the Ship will be quite long.,

My Understanding of the Non D to D Pricing has always been that Venetian discounts cannot be applied and therefore those of us with myriad Days cannot benefit from our Loyalty. This makes comparisons with other Lines much more relevant as SS now seem to be constantly increasing Prices. Also the D to D Excursions are becoming less and less attractive ( a number of Included Excursions for a Cruise in Europe in 2023 are now moved to Purchase Excursions for an identical Cruise in 2024 ). I wonder how long the Venetian Society will continue ?

Good Afternoon Fletcher - I too discovered that this ' Luxury Benefit ' really only works if you live within apprx 50miles of Airport/Port. I have a Southampton Round Trip Cruise pending and the Blacklane Add On is far more than I will be charged by my usual Executive Level Provider.

We hope you have a great Cruise drron29 - so looking forward to your analysis of the current standards on board as we know you are a reliable source when comparing present day offerings with what Regulars expect.

If what you have learnt Mr Silver is correct it clearly indicates that any real consideration for the ' Esteemed Guests' is now long gone unfortunately.

It is such a pity, having been a Guest for 25 Years, to see a Once Great Cruise Line lose their grip on the basics such as Communication, Food and Guest Satisfaction whilst at the same time continuing to Issue Marketing hyperbole. Unfortunately there are now a number of ' Esteemed ' Regulars who are becoming tired of having to deal with a Management who seem not to care anymore.

If it was 1st April I would merely say that SS is operating a Bad Joke Policy - however one must now conclude that those in HO have lost their minds completely. It is becoming ever more apparent that SS is no longer a serious Luxury Cruise Player and I doubt for its continued success.

Good Afternoon Mr Silver - Thank you for the further Information - its always the Case that there are two sides and often only one is known.

Good Morning drron29 - I wonder if your reference to your outstanding Butler referred to Suthit ? - If so we would concur wholeheartedly. We knew him from his original days as a Waiter, then Bartender on The Cloud and watched his promotion to Guest Relations and eventually HD. Unfortunately he was not we fear as well regarded by Head Office and he was forced to leave Ss for Viking - a great loss in our opinion. Its great to have such good memories of past travels on SS when it really was ' Special '

I hope the Sea Days have offered the opportunity of some Bridge and you are having some success.

Thank you for the update which is a slight relief.

Good Morning Mr Silver from a dull and wet UK . Surely SS are not going down the Art Auction Route !!!! - If so it merely shows how far standards have fallen recently - Food, Entertainment, Communication - where next ? I hope you have a great Cruise and look forward to your further Reports.

Good Morning Terry - So pleased that you have finally managed to get to India and appear to have had a great time Touring. The idea that your situation of Poor Food at The Taj Hotel in Mumbai is the fault of the Hotel is, in my opinion, absurd. We have dined at The Taj and I can only say that the Food & Presentation was second to none. I agree that unfortunately it seems that Silversea is failing on the Food front across a number of Ships according to a some reliable Contributors and your experience confirms that Standards have definitely fallen due to costcutting. I am afraid the Silversea Advertising on a number of aspects does not come good in reality. I sincerely hope that matters improve once on board and that you have a wonderful Cruise - Looking forward to your Reports.

Thank you flyers for posting this Video of The Naming Ceremony. I too received the Silversea E mail relating to this very Low Key Event and whilst ii showed excerpts from the Ceremony there was very little actual sound from the Event, just generic background Music ?? - All in all very disappointing in the extreme.

Can anyone please advise me what is the choice of Wines in Queens Grill if one buys the Drinks, Wine & Spirits Package. We have not bought a Package in the Past and generally only drink Red Wine with Meals but do like Spirits before/after Dinner.

I really do sympathise as everything one tries to do at present seems full of complications - One needs a high degree of fortitude to navigate the Rules ( and changes of Rules !! ) but hopefully you will finally obtain what you want - Good Luck.

I agree entirely with your view Jazzbeau but unfortunately Booking Conditions do seem to change regularly, especially when Incentives/Discounts are involved. Others experience may not be approriate now and this is what I intended to reflect in my response. A Knowledgeable Cruise Agent is often helpful in these situations. I totally agree that Silversea are the Masters of Poor Information but they are the best we have got !!!! I hope that you resolve your Issues satisfactorily and are able to dove-tail both Cruises.

I assume that you mean 2026 ??? - Why is it not as simple as contacting Silversea direct for their Policy rather than risking making the wrong decision ?

Are they ever going to change the vegetables in Atlantide drron29 - they look so boring !!!!

You are absolutely right Jollyjones - The Round Britain Cruise mentioned will certainly Tender in Edinburgh and there are likely to be at least 2 more Tender Ports ( Dublin & Plymouth & possibly Fishguard ). It is indeed disappointing that SS never publish the Information and even trying to ask a question relating to a specific Port only produces ' We are not sure at this stage ' response. We did a similar Itinerary to this in May this Year, with even more Tenders, some of which were quite long, and can of course be cancelled due to Sea conditions. . I hope this helps you tulok in your Planning

drron you bring back such good memories of Sujith whose Career with Silversea we watched from a very early stage, as he progressed to become a Hotel Director. He was in my personal opinion a great exponent of Customer Service and should have been retained by SS. However there was one occasion when a Group of SS Executives and Families were on board and were causing a deal of irritation to Guests ( Babies in The Pool/Jacuzzi plus mayhem in the Corridors ). Sujith attempted to tackle the Issue but got no support either from those on board or Monaco. i am not surprised he walked. Perhaps Vicki has experienced similar HO inaction on other subjects ?

Its good to hear Port Power that your comments relate only to La Terrazza but as Silversea has such Italian heritage it is still disappointing that The Italian Restaurant in particular is so lacking - From our own experience the Menu has not changed for many years and now to have it merely reduced in range is regrettable. Food is of course very personal & subjective but hopefully Customer Feedback will show results.

An interesting comment david63 relating to the Airlines - I am not sure this also applies to The Blacklane Transfers as the Terms seem to indicate that Silversea are not responsible for any consequences relating to Blacklane failures. Hopefully I am incorrect.