sherylc

We will be enjoying the Mandarin Oriental both nights with you alithecat. Just wish we could get the Friends of MO benefits. We joined but hotel only lets those who book their own room use the benefits -- not when made as a group sale. 

1 hour ago, FlyerTalker said:

OK....dirty little secret time.

 

Why are some of you flying home on one day while others are flying home a day later, when they are both on the same cruise?  Though I don't have inside information and the details from inside SS HQ, my very educated guess is:

 

There was not enough inventory in the SS air contract to bring everyone north from Santiago on the day the cruise ended.

 

I strongly suspect that when SS negotiated the contract, they made some estimates on the number of guests who would fly north on the disembark date, with some plus/minus built into the contract.  And they may have planned on some number leaving in the days after that.  If the number they actually have flying goes outside those ranges, well, now it becomes a question of where they get the extra seats needed.  Can they get negotiated rates for extra seats?  Do they have to purchase on the spot market?  Will they purchase on the spot market?  Are they able to have seats on the following day, either at a contracted rate or at the spot price?

 

Who goes when is likely due to various factors, and possibly includes status with SS.  But beyond that, it's more than just the flights from SCL heading north.  Flights north from SCL go to Dallas, Miami, New York, Atlanta, Los Angeles, Houston, Toronto and Mexico City.  But guests are from many other cities.  So it's also about having seats going to those onward destinations.  All the pieces need to fit together, not just the obvious ones.

 

Again, this is an educated guess, based on decades of travel experience and knowledge of airline procedures and revenue management.  How likely is this to be the answer -- I'd say at least a 75%.  Could it be another answer - sure.  Mismanagement, path of least resistance, corporate penny-pinching and other reasons may be at play.  But I know how I would wager.

I think a lot of people booked their own air and are going back when the air worked out best. For us, we are flying home about 11 pm on Jan 4 (booked our own), but still shows we have an overnight paid for by Silversea on that night. We also booked our own room at the airport Hilton just in case we don't want to use what they offer. We will wait to see where they are putting us before getting Silversea to update our itinerary. 

We are also on this same holiday cruise and a bit tired of hearing people (especially those not on Expedition cruises) telling us that we really don't need to pack so much. We, too, rented boots to cut down on weight, but have been buying layers, gloves, hats, etc that all take up space and weight not even counting all the camera equipment!! I don't think we will bring any dress up clothes even though it is over the holidays. Just not enough room!! Will likely wear a sweater and slacks to dinner, but probably going to be the same 2 (maybe 3 if im lucky) ones warn again and again. Definitely wish Silversea had kept to their advertising of more luggage allowance!!!

Looking forward to meeting all of those sharing this trip of a lifetime!!!

3 hours ago, Tex1 said:

I have not seen anything official, but have heard early season cruisers are being told, there will actually not be an increase in luggage allowance.

I had that confirmed by my SS rep - even gave some OBC as an apology so I think it is true. 50 lb checked and 17 lb carry on max per person is what I have heard. Having same struggle with so much bulky cold weather gear plus camera gear. 

thank you for posting this

Not arguing the need for good quality boots for the expedition, just saying many of SilverSea competitors still include boots (and trekking poles) for Antarctica. 

Kinda feel like they charge enough for the Antarctica expeditions too to throw them in free!

2 hours ago, caledonmango said:

I know this is off topic, but we are on the Dec 2 sailing, and no one has contacted us yet to pay the balance for the cruise. Have they sent you a bill yet?  I booked directly with Silverseas - first time cruising with them, but maybe using a TA would have been a better idea in retrospect.  I’ve reserved at the MO, but I guess I’d better book at the Ritz as well.  

Our cruise is Dec 16 and our final payment is due Oct 2. I'm guessing yours would be earlier?

Not sure I would assume anything wrong with a cabin that is the only one left. We recently booked on a South America cruise where there was literally only one balcony cabin left on the entire cruise - it is a concierge cabin between some of the high end suites -- larger balcony, slightly larger room. Glad to grab it as I would have taken any balcony at all for the itinerary.

https://www.silversea.com/about-silversea/press-releases/2022/april/silversea-unlocks-seamless-journey-to-antarctica-with-exclusive-departures-from-puerto-williams.html

note the part where they SAY we will be given additional luggage allowance. Haven't gotten anyone at Silversea to confirm what this allowance will be.

5 hours ago, Brownie54 said:

We received the same email and will be sailing for the first time on Silversea on the Cloud in Antarctica in January, 2024. I went on the My Silversea this afternoon, but was unable to book excursions.
Is it  true of the Expedition cruises that you book them once on board?

All of the Antarctica excursions are booked onboard -- likely not a lot of choices (landing vs zodiac likely switched off between groups) with kayaking as only alternative. No need to worry about booking anything in advance. We are going in December of this year and are super excited!!

Wow, that would be very disappointing  - I love lobster and plan on being on the Cloud for 18 days in December. Hopefully it is a short term stocking problem. 

6 hours ago, drron29 said:

To each his own but I wouldn't cruise on a line that did not have at least the option of a bath.

Having some mobility and balance problems standing in a shower especially at sea is just too dangerous.

It's odd, I feel the opposite. I also have some mobility and balance issues and would prefer a shower to a bath/shower combo especially in rough seas. The bath tends to be slippery and not best shape for shower option. Plus the shower has a bench. 

We ended up booking concierge for the first time this coming March. It happened to be the ONLY balcony cabin left on the ship. We did take one in between the suites so get a longer balcony and a very slightly larger room. We are already elite and bought the all inclusive package, so not really expecting much difference from a balcony. Don't know the price difference since the sailing remains sold out.

2 hours ago, highplanesdrifters said:

Staying at the MO this trip. Any neighborhood restaurant recommendations? 

Is that the hotel through Silversea or on your own? Haven't seen assigned hotel for my December Silver Cloud Antarctica trip yet. 

On my last Celebrity cruise I watched the two "lucky players" each end up winning one cent. Pretty sad for the amount of money taken in by Celebrity. Stopped bothering after that one time. Wasn't nearly as fun as bingo. But only took 2 crew members to run and a tablet vs. Bingo which takes many more. 

I have heard that SS has used the Mandarin Oriental in the past, but not sure if that is the plan for this season. I booked an extra earlier day there with hopes I can combine the reservation once SS confirms which hotel they are using. 

5 hours ago, Mocamps said:

If you're going to the Antarctic or Arctic or anywhere where there's likely to be rough seas, it's worth considering whether or not it's worth paying extra for a verandah or one of the superior suites. We've always been on Deck 4 midships in a Vista cabin and we've been fine when others have been very sick. They have also had limited use (if any) of their balconies when the weather has been cold. In fact, one guy in a superior suite with a wraparound balcony at the front of the ship told me it was a huge waste of money as he had a foot of snow on it (in the Antarctic) and couldn't even open his door!! His wife and daughter had also been very sick as it was at the bow and higher up so had a lot of motion!

Thanks. Appreciate the insight. I was able to move almost midship in a regular veranda cabin (718). Hoping this will be a good one. I like sitting out on the balcony (weather permitting) but not really wiling to spend the extra just to move more midships. And the high-end suites are just way out of our price range. This is definitely by far the most we have ever spent on a cruise  -- hoping for good weather so as not to miss out on landings.

On 8/23/2022 at 1:54 PM, Observer said:

 

Actually, on the Spirit there are some differences.  Only a handful of the deluxe suites (those created when the ship was stretched) have the bathtub removed and a huge and wonderful walk-in shower with a bench.  

Is that walk-on shower vs bathtub/shower combination also considered an improvement on the Cloud? I had the combo but just switched to the shower only since I think it is unlikely I will sit and take a bath and thought bath might be more slippery especially on sea days. I'm so used to other cruise lines that have tons of threads on which cabin is better than others -- feel a bit blind choosing on SS.

Just wondering if there are any suites to be avoided on the ship due to location, noise, etc. 

thanks!

4 minutes ago, torpeedo said:

All of this is why we don't go to the MDR at all. We used to do MTD and the lines and chaos was not something we want to deal with. Many other dining options available.  If you have a big table it has always been a very long slog for dinner.

Unfortunately it was at MDR, Coastal Kitchen and Chops. Very consistently bad service. And often more than one appetizer to one person while another got zero.
 

8 hours ago, Stealthdog said:

How does Labadee compare to CocoCay?  We stop in Labadee on a Dec cruise.  Thanks!

Just back from the Harmony which included both stops. We bought cabanas at both so can only judge that experience.

The over the water cabana at CocoCay Beach Club was utterly amazing -- best day we had on a cruise in a very long time. Service was amazing as was the food. So fun to just jump off into the water and come right back and rinse off in private shower. Attendant was amazing. Even went out of the area to get us funnel cakes when we asked about them. We really agreed it was a "perfect day at Coco Cay!"

In Labadee, we bought the standard cabana at Barefoot Beach (suite area). What a difference!! Very small, super hot with not much of a feeling of shade. People walking by constantly. Attendant only brings drinks and rare at that. Couldn't snorkel in that area (no fish at all) and yelled at when we tried to go to adjacent area. Food was burgers and hot dogs -- exactly the same as non-suite area. (vs lobster and fillet at Coco Cay Beach Club). Sand was super hot to get to water and not easy to clean off before going back into cabana. We left after a couple hours.

Just got off Harmony of the Seas with a group of 11, although we didn't always eat together. We found across almost all of the restaurants including Coastal Kitchen, MDR, Chops that there was a very significant time gap between when some people got a course (appetizer, main, dessert) and when others did leaving members of the group either letting their food get cold, melt, etc or eating while others don't have food (which I've been taught is rude). This happened the same whether there were 11 of us dining or just 3 or 4 (and sometimes just with 2 of us!).  I could understand a few minutes between but it was often 5 to 10 minutes of waiting for last people to get served something. Has this become the newest standard in cruising?

It particularly hit home when the maitre d actually came over to our table in the MDR to "rush us out" for next seating and some hadn't even gotten their dessert or coffee served! 

Just off the Harmony. Had a combination of the biodegradable plastic straws (nice) and paper straws - not so nice when that bar or restaurant didn't have the plastic ones. 

Is the concierge walk off only for Star Class or for all the suites?