commodoredave

For what it’s worth, her is the list of Top 10 small ship cruise lines in 2023 as selected by readers of Conde Nast Traveler:

Small ships (Fewer than 500 passengers)

10. Variety Cruises. Score 86.75
9. SeaDream Yacht Club. Score 89.66
8. Silversea. Score 89.93
7. Seabourn. Score 91.34
6. Ponant. Score 91.45
5. Windstar Cruises. Score 91.87
4. Sea Cloud Cruises. Score 91.94
3. American Cruise Lines. Score 92.88
2. Paul Gauguin Cruises. Score 92.94
1. Emerald Cruises. Score 95.27

Just received this notice of a change to an excursion. At least this one sounds like an improvement:

** Silversea Tour Notification ** SM240403014 AKT-BA Tea Ceremony at Geisha House & Senshu Park Stroll (ex Akita Castle Ruins & Tea Ceremony at Geisha House) - Akita, April 13, 2024

 

Dear Silversea Guest(s),

 

Thank you for your booking on the above-mentioned tour.

 

As we strive to always provide excellence, we are pleased to inform you that the itinerary and title of the above-mentioned tour has been revised and enhanced to suit our quality standards.

 

As the Akita Castle Ruins site was not appreciated by most of our guests on tour during the past season, this site has been replaced with a stroll in the scenic and historical Senshu Park, one of Japan’s top 100 Cherry Blossom’s Spots.

I have found these 3 notices from Silversea of excursion cancellations:

SM240403014 / 04/04/2024 / Japan / Shimizu / SMZ-G – Steam Locomotive Experience & Wooden Bridge on Guinness Book

Thank you for your interest in the excursion SMZ-G – Steam Locomotive Experience & Wooden Bridge on Guinness Book, operating in Shimizu, Japan on 04/04/2024.

We regret to inform you that due to operational challenges, this shore excursion has been cancelled.

The booking has already been removed from your account and no further action is needed. We invite you to log into MySilversea to choose another shore excursion from our tour program.

SM240403014 / 04/07/2024 / Japan / Hiroshima / HIJ-M – Taste of Hiroshima

Thank you for your interest in the excursion HIJ-M – Taste of Hiroshima , operating in Hiroshima, Japan on 04/07/2024.

We regret to inform you that due to operational challenges, this shore excursion has been cancelled.

The booking has already been removed from your account and no further action is needed. We invite you to log into MySilversea to choose another shore excursion from our tour program.

SM240403014 / 04/09/2024 / Korea, Republic of / Busan / BUS-C – Korean Cuisine

Thank you for your interest in the excursion BUS-C – Korean Cuisine, operating in Busan, Korea, Republic of on 04/09/2024.

We regret to inform you that due to operational challenges, this shore excursion has been cancelled.

The booking has already been removed from your account and no further action is needed. We invite you to log into MySilversea to choose another shore excursion from our tour program.

4 hours ago, Looking 4Answers said:

Maybe jgmc is asking because they are looking for advance warning as to what might be canceled on their own upcoming Japan cruise - perhaps to have a little extra time to make alternate arrangements?

My cancelled excursions have been removed from the list of those available, so can no longer be booked, at least for the foreseeable future or at no cost. When I have time, I will go back through my records to find the exact excursions that were cancelled and report back. Until then, everyone is in the same boat (excuse the pun) for this spring. Next year, who knows.

1 hour ago, jgmc said:

I am interested in which excursions were cancelled in Japan as I will be on the Muse in April.

If you booked an excursion that was cancelled, you will get an email telling you. There may be more cancelled excursions than the 4 I know about as I only received notification of mine. 

Ours went only to my wife's email address, and she didn't see it for a week. 

Today we received notice from SS of the cancellation of yet another shore excursion on our upcoming cruise in Japan which starts in 9 days. This is the 4th excursion for us that has been cancelled on this cruise in the last 3 months.

Having to find a last-minute replacement for a cancelled excursion is hard enough, especially since the most popular ones tend to sell out within a few weeks of opening up for booking. But try to find a decent replacement with just 9 days to go!

Are we just unlucky, or is this (cancelling shore excursions) becoming more commonplace with SS? What about the other luxury lines that include them?

On 3/23/2024 at 3:46 PM, Nitemare said:

There will be cabs at the pier.  Also places to rent bikes and the nearest beaches are in walking distance.  There is also shopping and good food in town and the Gingerbread Houses in Oak Bluffs are worth a visit

Thanks for the helpful information.

1 hour ago, Mangrove Snapper said:

 

Yes, Edgartown is charming and has lots of historical buildings.  It was a major whaling center in the past.  There are lots of good places to eat.

 

I've always been to Martha's Vineyard via the ferry from Falmouth to Oaks Bluff and when you get off the ferry, there are taxis and independent tour operators.  Edgartown also has taxis and tours.  Both have bikes.  We've rented bikes in Oaks Bluff and it was an easy ride to Edgartown.  Oaks Bluff also has good places to eat and shop and is a lovely town. 

 

If you do go on a tour or get a taxi to take you around the island, the cliffs at Aquinnah have a beautiful view.  The best quahog chowder I've ever eaten came from a shack up there but that was 30 years ago.  There are still shops and eateries there. 

 

If you are interested in movies and the movie "Jaws," specifically, it was filmed on Martha's Vineyard.  Many of the places are recognizable like the beaches, scenes in Edgartown and Oaks Bluff, and the Chappaquiddick ferry, which is located in Edgartown and can be interesting for reasons other than Jaws. 

Thanks so much for this great information.

1 hour ago, Ozmodiar said:

I was thinking you were sailing from the city itself (Manhattan Cruise Terminal) like the OP, no need to go into NYC for a Bayonne departure. 

Yes. And since I will be sailing out of NYC in late June, I will stay in Midtown then and be able to walk almost every where we want to go.

7 minutes ago, commodoredave said:

No interest this time in visiting NYC. Been there many times and will be there again in June. 

Plus, we don’t arrive until 5:00 pm and have to board our ship in Bayonne no later than 2:30 the next day.

3 minutes ago, Ozmodiar said:

If you are comfortable with public transportation, the train from EWR into Manhattan is pretty easy to navigate. You can even switch from NJ Transit to the PATH system at Newark Penn Station (different than the airport station) and take the PATH to Exchange Place in Jersey City, where there is a very nice Hyatt on the waterfront. However, if you're not dealing with a car, I would just head into NYC direct from EWR. 

No interest this time in visiting NYC. Been there many times and will be there again in June. 

8 minutes ago, njhorseman said:

Hotels in Jersey City won't have complimentary shuttle service from EWR so you'll have to Uber/Lyft from the airport to the hotel.  

I specifically recommend Uber or Lyft over a taxi because the taxis at EWR are generally pretty ratty.

Good advice. Thanks much!

12 minutes ago, meadowlander said:

Of all locations listed in this thread Jersey City is the closest to NYC. The view of lower Manhattan from JC is spectacular. PATH train service will get you into NYC 10-15 minutes from Jersey City, if you care to visit pre cruise. Hotels in Jersey City will most probably charge you to park overnight & their rates will be higher than other locations listed.

We are flying in to EWR, so parking is not an issue for us. Sounds like JC might be a good choice for us. Thanks.

Our ship will call at Martha's Vineyard for a day. Not sure we (two couples) want to pay $160 per person for the island bus excursion if we can hire a local taxi or tour driver to take us around at our own pace. But will there be any drivers at the pier who do tours? If not, is Edgartown interesting enough for a walkabout and lunch?

Has anyone stayed in Jersey City? Looks closer to the cruise terminal, and has lots of hotels and restaurants.

2 hours ago, Capri73 said:

Agree 100%, our days with SS are probably over.We have a Seaboun trip booked in July we will see how that goes.Last year we took a land trip to Australlia it was wonderful, thinking we will start doing more of those.

Good thinking. The only way SS will adjust their pricing and value proposition is if enough people stop booking with them. However, if we all

continue to book future cruises regardless of the situation, nothing will change.

33 minutes ago, Pies4u said:

Recent experience (last 12 months) of both SS & Regent suggest that they are both struggling to provide previous levels of service quality and restaurant standards tbh.

 

However, it is in the corporate admin and management that things have taken a serious nosedive in both cases!

 

My assessment, based upon those recent experiences and numerous telephone conversations with UK based office staff is rather gloomy. It appears that there are many people who seem to accept declining standards and put it down to Covid, “the lines are doing their best” etc & similar sorts of excuses. Reality is that plenty of customers will simply put up with whatever cruise companies do because they love cruising. So do I, but I’m not prepared to pay 6 star prices for 3 or 4 star standards. There are far higher standards of service and cuisine for far less expense to be had all over the world.
 

Cruise lines are relying on loyalty from a declining number of past customers whilst trying to attract a new clientele that will be happy with what’s on offer. Interesting times.

Good observation. Once upon a time I dismissed land vacations as an inferior experience/value to cruising. But the last few years I have discovered it is not always the case. This means I am becoming more discerning and price conscious when choosing future vacations.

14 minutes ago, ak1004 said:

 

Agree. But there are currently many complaints across most lines. Carnival is destroying SB, and NCL is destroying Regent and Oceania, etc.

 

At the end of the day, we look at value for money and try to separate the management style/decisions from on board experience, otherwise we would be staying at home and stop cruising. Based on our 2 cruises with SS, they still offer excellent on board experience, but with the new pricing, it just doesn't make sense to book them. To me, they are not 50-60% better than O, so I'm not willing to pay 50-60% more.

I support your strategy, and it is one I have pursued for many years (as per the diversity of cruise lines in my signature). The smarter cruise executives know when they have gone too far with cutbacks or price increases, and somtimes try to win back customers with better value propositions. New cruise lines hungry to acquire passengers may also begin with more attractive value propositions. As a cruise arbitrager, I look for these better offers and vote with my wallet. I no longer have a favourite cruise line and won't until someone earns my loyalty.

14 minutes ago, ak1004 said:

 

It depends.

 

The Nova photo opp was a disaster, there is no argument here.

 

Introduction of a new fare that doesn't include excursions is a positive because many people prefer to book their own excursions. However, since those fares are 100% non refundable, they have to be discounted (like previous P2P pre paid) - but in reality, not only they are not discounted, they are actually similar to previous P2P pricing, but now without excursions and 100% non refundable.

 

The devil is in details. The intention was good (maybe), the implementation terrible. But of course everything they do, the main goal is to benefit their bottom line. No different than any other business.

 

Looks like our upcoming SS cruise in May will be our last one.

The best companies manage to benefit their bottom line while also delighting customers.  This style of management does not appear to be in the SS and RCCL playbooks. 

48 minutes ago, ak1004 said:

 

Yes, but those fares are 100% non refundable, and they used this change for massive price increase. D2D and P2P increased by 20-30%, and the new Essential fares are now similar to previous P2P fares, but without excursions and non refundable. 

So you actually think that changes to the fare structure, or anything else that Silversea does (e.g. Nova photo opp), are for the benefit of passengers?

7 minutes ago, Texas Tillie said:

 

There's no way they could be considering eliminating gratuities from what's included. They aren't that stupid, are they?? 😏🙃😄

Photo opportunity anyone?!

14 hours ago, Techno123 said:

@frantic36 your views are the same as mine. We both live in countries where service staff are paid properly and I hope/believe that on the luxury cruise ships this is also the case.

 

I find the whole gratuity thing uncomfortable to navigate and so I choose cruise lines that have them included. If I have already paid the gratuity as part of the fare (or like on Oceania it has been included in the SimplyMore package) why would I pay again? I expect the service to be intuitive and excellent - for anything extra it would have to be exceptional 😁

 

Personally, I think the guests who received the begging letter should write a suitable, acerbic comment on it and return to head office!!

Some people tip more regardless of the fact that gratuities are included in the fare. Over time, this creates a culture of tip entitlement, where crew and ship management expect pax to tip more and more. I am guilty of this syndrome, and need to reevaluate my own tipping history. It is not necessary, nor should it be expected.

3 hours ago, Dolcevita Diva said:

And now it appears that Silversea is introducing a new fare category called Essential for bookings close to sailing date that does not include gratuities.  Nor butler service, beverages, multiple dining options, wifi or excursions. 🤨   

 

Go take a look at the brochure shared by AtlantaCruiser72 in the Door-to-door vs. Port-to-port thread.   Will be interesting to learn the details of these exclusions and how they will be managed, but I am frankly speechless that they are unbundling core elements of Silversea's brand experience like this. 

 

Absolutely stupid if true. Now, if they removed free excursions it would be an improvement!

On 3/16/2024 at 11:59 AM, Texas Tillie said:

 

I'll be glad when my May cruise on Nova is finished where I'm using most of the future cruise credit I received after Silversea messed up so badly on the previous cruise I had booked but never took. The balance of the FCC can, well, you get it. After May I won't be back here and will delete the other social media site. Silversea/Royal Caribbean will then be a memory. I'm sure it was a fine line before Royal Caribbean.

Unfortunately, SS seems to be far more interested in marketing wonderful cruises than delivering them. I have 3 more booked in the next 12 months. After that, I may go elsewhere, including back to Regent.