commodoredave

1 hour ago, KY Deb said:

You both must report back with your thoughts and helpful ideas! 

Will do!

1 hour ago, admranger said:

Thanks for posting the article.  Very interesting.

 

My wife and I will be on the June 18th sailing as well!  Our first SS cruise.

Hope to meet you on the cruise. 

1 hour ago, KY Deb said:

Oh, thank you!   I knew nothing about this area when booking our trip, and am now excited to visit.  We are on the July 12 sailing.  You?  

You’re welcome! June 18 sailing. Glad the story is of interest to you. 

One of the reasons we booked our upcoming cruise on the Silver Shadow to New England and Canada is that it calls at the Magdalen Islands, a rarity among cruise itineraries to this region. The New York Times agrees. In a recent story, the paper extolled the virtues of the islands including in this paragraph: “As you approach the islands by ship, the buildings and terrain spread themselves out before you like a living diorama. Up close, the buttes are particularly irresistible: Every one seems to have a well-worn footpath through tall grass, sometimes no more than a single leg wide. Up top, you can see it all: east shore, west shore, cliffs, dunes, lighthouses, steeples, houses, shops, fishing boats, clotheslines and, depending on the butte, most of the other islands in the chain.”

You can read the complete story and view the stunning photography at: https://www.nytimes.com/2024/05/26/travel/magdalen-islands-quebec-canada.html?campaign_id=24&emc=edit_tl_20240601&instance_id=125067&nl=travel-dispatch&regi_id=71604166&segment_id=168423&te=1&user_id=0cb3f635dfe903160978244a61854344

Yet one more step in the dumbing down of Silversea from luxury to premium. 

On 5/23/2024 at 8:23 AM, nfcu said:

Hasn't Seabourn been owned by Carnival for decades?

It seems that the biggest cutbacks and price increases have come post-Covid as the mega-cruise companies try to increase profits to pay down debt. This applies to all of the cruise lines from mass market to luxury. 

On 5/24/2024 at 8:02 AM, drron29 said:

When The Muse class ships are completely full as the Muse was on the second leg of the voyage Around Japan was then it seemed to me it was too big. There were often lines at Atlantide particularly on formal nights. didn't bother us as if the queue was too long we just went to Indochine which was really good. They were very happy to despice dishes for Rojaan as she can't do spice.

The other problem was the excursions. i think the least number on a bus was 32 and once it got to 40. Not surprising as it was cherry blossom time and that's probably what most were there for.

Again not a problem for me as I usually left the tour at some point and got back to the shuttle spot to get back to the ship.

I really wouldn't want to be on the Nova or Ray on a similiar cherry blossom cruise.

I was on the same cruise on the Muse, and despite a few hiccups, staff managed to handle the full ship reasonably well. I can't say the same thing about the Celebrity Eclipse on our recent cruise to Martha's Vineyard/Bermuda. Line-ups for everything. No seats at bars. Huge wait to get off the ship by tender in Martha's Vineyard. Yuk!

Cruised aboard Explora I in early March. Our experience was great. It's a beautiful ship with very good food and service. We chose a regular balcony cabin rather than a suite as we tend to spend far less time in the cabin on warm weather cruises -- this was the Caribbean.

We are back on X next week in Bermuda in AC. 

I would go back on a luxury line before booking the Retreat on X as I believe there isn't enough vaue there, especially on older ships. 

15 hours ago, dalmoradie said:

 

But wouldn't the lower categories open up if it was move up bids?  and do they even award bids this far off from sailing date?

There may have been people waitlisted for lower categories.

8 hours ago, -The-True-North- said:

Virgin is already cutting back and doubling the price...

Sounds like the standard formula for selling: cutback on expenses, increase revenue and paint a pretty picture.

31 minutes ago, gcornell said:

Glad you had a great time. I really wanted to do SS Japan next year but the timing doesn’t work out with the kids school schedule so went with celebrity as they go in July and SS doesn’t.  The one good thing is it’s well over $20k less so that helps. 

Much cheaper on X that SS for sure -- especillly if travelling with kids. We have never taken our kids (now grown up) on ultra-luxury lines like SS, Seabourn and Regent, but have done a number of family cruises on X, NCL, Carnival, Princess and RCL with them. 

17 hours ago, ggo85 said:

We have done X and SS. To my knowledge, there is no reciprocity between X and SS in terms of loyalty programs.  It wouldn’t matter anyway - everything on SS is included.  But I don’t think your SS cruise accrues points for X. 
 

I’ve never heard of an OBC for booking SS while on X.  They are owned by the same company but, as noted, still generally operated separately. You really don’t need OBC on SS other than for the spa or a couple of specialty restaurants. We typically see those who have it in the gift shop at the end of the cruise trying to use it. 
 

We have cruises X many times. Our last cruise with them is next month.  We prefer SS for the following reasons:

 1. All inclusive experience. Other than spa, you pay for nothing once on board.  And no attempts to separate you from your money. 
2. Fewer kids.  Often none. 
3. Better service.  And much more personalized.
4. Less crowded ships. 

5. Better food without having to pay for specialty restaurants 
 

SS ships are small we, but we prefer that. You sacrifice entertainment and stuff like rock- climbing walls.  Not a sacrifice for us. And cabins on X are bigger for same price.  We had a choice between a cheaper X cruise to Japan next year or SS. Not even close - we ‘re on X.

 

I don’t believe Viking is as AI as SS.  For example, I think drinks are only free at meals.  But defer to a Viking “pro” on this point.  

 

Just got back from 14-days in Japan on Silver Muse. What a fabulous cruise destination and what a great cruise line to do it with. One important thing to consider is the number of pax on your ship that you will be sharing port visits with. IMO, X has far too many pax for many of the smaller ports of call in Japan. 

On 4/30/2024 at 11:03 AM, jame_g said:

Hopefully NOT!

What’s wrong with RCL? Just because they’ve cut everything back and turned the lines they’ve bought into far less than they were before, doesn’t mean they would do the same with Virgin. 🤓

It’s not for everyone. Families with kids will love it. People who are kids at heart will like it. But it’s not for people who want a traditional dining experience. It’s a niche experience.

On 4/27/2024 at 5:10 PM, Mahogany said:

But I hate the 3-tier pricing system at SS.!

Right now there’s Port2Port which includes air, Door2Door which does not include air, and Essential which is the lowest fare based on later booking. How would you change it?

This situation doesn't sound like the old Cunard where I have always received an attentive and caring reception to any concern or complaint I have brought to the attention of onboard staff or management. Have things changed? Or is this just an unfortunate one-off?

3 hours ago, BasandSyb said:

The only things HAL hasn’t charged us for yet are the coat hangars and hair dryer.

Geez…you just gave them the idea to do it!!

HAL is already working on the next survey for Seabourn. I’ve heard some of the questions will be:

1. Would you like more than 1 more meal per day?

2. Would you be willing to pay extra for a mattress on your bed?

3. Do you want the ship to visit more than 1 port?

4. Would you pay extra for gin in your martini?

5. Are you willing to wash your own dishes?

If you would like to suggest some more survey questions, please do so as there is no area that HAL is unwilling to explore to improve the Seabourn experience.

8 hours ago, D. B. said:

Thanks for the warning! If that's the case I won't be playing Bingo. 

 I will be on Silversea in a few weeks and I already know it will be One and Done because their Early Dining is 7:30PM and I like to eat at 5:30 or 6pm.

Dinner service on SS starts at 7:00 pm. Room service is 24/7. Plus, you can have free caviar and champagne sent to your room.

Having said that, the bingo still disappoints!

15 hours ago, JPH814 said:

For what it is worth, this survey is concerning     The only thing I might want to include would be unlimited excursions - or one per port included like a river. Cruise.  But leave the gratuities and booze alone.  No paying extra for special dining.   And no “multiple tiered” system on board - hell no!  

I do not like included excursions for the following reasons:

1. I usually prefer to do my own thing in port 

2. I often cruise to ports I have been to before, and therefore may not even get off the ship

3. Cruise lines that currently include excursions also offer others for an additional price, usually because the included ones are very basic 

4. Many of the best excursions sell out before all passengers have a chance to book them as on my recent SS Japan cruise 

5. If I do my own thing rather than taking an included excursion, I am not getting good value from my cruise fare 

For these and other reasons, please do not add shore excursions as part of the fare.

On 2/8/2024 at 11:41 AM, zitsky said:

I've only been on 3-4 Celebrity cruises and Eclipse is now my favorite ship.  Not renovated by Kelly Hoppen so still a lot of storage.  It has Murano, which I liked but my husband did not, as much.  He prefers Tuscan for the view.  And a real balcony not IV.  Ensemble Lounge was my favorite bar.  Relaxing but not LOUD music like the Martini Bar which I went to a few times.  

 

No it wasn't perfect.  One drawer in our cabin was kind of coming apart but it was ok.

 

I'm cruising on Millie in 10 months.  I don't think I'll like it as much.  No Murano.  Things seem a bit limited compared to S class.  And Kelly removed most of the storage in the Sky Suites.

I guess if they don’t want people to stay on their ships for very long, removing storage is a smart strategy.

On 2/7/2024 at 5:33 PM, Oceangoer2 said:

Yes...the orange/brown is very dull.  Will be good if/when they revolutionize.

It’s these kind of situations that make people wish they were colour blind!

Better than the bingo on Silversea where the winner gets points to use in buying trinkets at the end of the cruise. Talk about killing the spirit of bingo!

20 minutes ago, Port Power said:

 

Oh, dear!  My apologies for giving the wrong impression.  I was not blaming the victim, but wondering why these issues could not be addressed earlier.  

Thank you.

As some others on these boards know, I am not someone who quietly accepts disappointment on board— I usually address it right away in a calm and polite fashion. And it usually results in a positive outcome as with the inferior burgers on board.

3 hours ago, Port Power said:

 

Did you speak to the Maitre d' about the missed meal?  I would not have wait near so long before heading over to the desk to ask where the meal is!

 

When you arrived back to your cabin that last evening and presumably brushed your teeth, didn't you notice bath towels were missing?  It has happened to me a couple of times, so I just ring reception or housekeeping and towels are delivered immediately.  Even on the last morning you could have called for towels.

 

I am really sorry that you ended on sour notes, but there were options.

There were no viable options.

At dinner, we asked our waiter about our order several times and he kept saying the kitchen was busy but our order would arrive soon. We also spoke with someone more senior 10 minutes before we left, and spoke with the Maître d on exit. Somehow our order got misplaced and staff didn’t figure it out on time. The couple sitting next to us couldn’t believe it and said so. They were more apologetic than our waiter. The Maître d did call our cabin 30 minutes later to apologize again, and offered to send anything from the menu to our cabin, which we appreciated but declined as we had picked up sweets from the Arts Cafe.

As for bath towels, they hang on a rack  at the end of the bath tub, and cannot easily be seen when the bathroom door is open. Had we noticed they were missing before we went to bed, we would have certainly called our butler and asked for then. But we didn’t notice they were missing until I got out of the shower soaking wet the next morning, at which time is was too late to call for them. 
So making excuses for very poor service by blaming the victim and saying there were other options is completely ridiculous.

Having said that, it was one night and morning out of 14 of them, and while we’d like to avoid a repeat, it did not ruin what was otherwise a very enjoyable cruise with a wonderful itinerary.