Dolcevita Diva

14 hours ago, Port Power said:

 

I have also found booking a very long time in advance (18-24 months), the solo supplement is often 25%.  Soon after I have booked, that discount disappears.  I have booked Silver Ray for March 2026.  The transatlantic has a 25% solo supplement, but the Caribbean cruise is 50%.  Caribbean cruises always book well, so no incentive for SS to reduce the supplement.  Transoceanic cruise do not book out, hence a better incentive.

 

My TA did pass on that email from SS with the list of low solo supplement cruises.  Not that many of them are this year.

I'm delighted to see that after a long spell with very limited offerings at lower levels (had to pay 75% single supplement for my cruise this August -ouch), the revenue management/promotions team is starting to use or test these as another avenue to drive bookings. Just booked a voyage for next May and am scanning the rest of the list for other itineraries that appeal. 

9 minutes ago, LoisRJax said:

Thank you for the tip. I will have to check out the website.

For some reason when I did a normal search for the Lower Solo Supplement offer using the drop-down on the website, only 54 voyages show up.  Here's the link that brings up the larger list of 0% solo supplement voyages:     Enjoy our Exclusive Solo Travellers Offer | Silversea

Yum!  Note to self - do not ever log into the Cooler when it's almost time for dinner and you didn't eat lunch! 🙂 

Separate note to @LoisRJax  @Daveywavey70 and @jollyjones

Silversea released a list today of 78 voyages with 0% single supplement.  I just learned of this from a friend (neither Silversea nor my TA notified me) so wanted to let you know in case you had not received this info either.  

16 hours ago, catspaw1 said:

I called them directly. I got insurance for 2 cruises from them. But you can't book directly online unless part of the travel was booked through Costco. No parts of our trip was booked through Costco, so I was able to get it only by calling them. Be prepared to have your Costco number available.  The insurance is through Zurich. There's a phone number on costco travel insurance to call them. Don't call on a Monday as I was on hold for close to an hour. They are closed weekends. Hope this helps. They were cheaper with better coverage than most of the other insurance quotes I got. Plus you have the costco fall back if anything goes wrong 

Thanks. I would be worried that since their website states that the travel insurance is Available exclusively for trips booked through Costco Travel that could potentially be used as a reason to deny a claim. 

On 3/16/2024 at 9:16 PM, catspaw1 said:

stoo bush you are incorrect- you do NOT need to book your cruise with Costco to get the insurance. How do I know? I just booked two cruises through a TA & got the Costco travel insurance!

 

Costco had better medical evac & medical premiums coverage. If you book through Costco travel cost is 5% of trip; if not 6.5%. Our TA price was less than Costco as we got better OBC & choice of cabins. Also they have a 24/7 travel number while it's hard to get through to Costco travel. Hopefully we won't need it but we always take travel insurance for cruises & international travel.

Curious how you were able to obtain this coverage without booking through Costco? The Application form requires a Costco travel booking number. 

Send out your laundry!  You can pack less - and it's always nicer to arrive home with your suitcase full of freshly laundered clothes. 

@mklions - Even if you're not spa people, I always spend some of my onboard credit to purchase the Elemis Aching Muscle products (bath soak and/or leg gel) they carry in the spa. Very helpful for recovery on a port-intensive or in your case an expedition cruise.

Have a marvelous cruise - look forward to hearing your thoughts! I enjoyed this ship but know that some others do not care for it.  

In light of the norovirus issues on the last voyage, it would seem that in addition to enforcement of use of the hand-washing stations, there will need to be greater care taken with the refillable water bottles issued to each passenger (e.g. not allowing passengers to refill their own at the refill stations). Will be curious to hear if they're taking this into consideration.

24 minutes ago, jpalbny said:

 

 

Now that you mention it... Is this a new move by RCL to cut down on food costs?

Now that you mention it...perhaps they're also seeking to increase on-board revenue by boosting visits to the infirmary, sales of sea bands, etc.? 😁

1 hour ago, Reef Knot said:

 

Recieved this from a friend in South Africa, I think it's the Cloud leaving East London? 

But whatever that looked a rollercoaster of a ride.

😮😨🤢

8 hours ago, Silver Spectre said:

Well RCL only parachuted someone with bean cutting experience into SS some 3 or 4 weeks ago. Since she has left with immediate effect it sounds like she either got the push or fell out with him or the board pretty fast. IMHO this is just another nail in the coffin for the Silversea that many of us have loved for years and which is dying slowly from a thousand cuts.

It was reported elsewhere by several passengers that Barbara M and her husband were vacationing aboard the March 23rd Silver Cloud 12-day expedition voyage in Africa, so the leadership change may have been decided some time ago but the announcement held until after her return.   

The tidbit of information that @Lonedaddy shared above about Silversea's new brand President, coupled with a new VP of Transformation who used to be in charge on on-board revenue at RCL certainly indicate that a new leadership team that is highly focused on driving revenue and cutting costs is being assembled.  Not unusual following an acquisition; I think we had all just hoped otherwise when their earlier moves post-acquisition were significant investments in new ships plus Barbara's promotion.  

From the press release:

Notably, he was chief operating officer for the Group’s former luxury cruise line, Azamara, delivering the line’s most profitable year while it was part of the Royal Caribbean family of brands

12 hours ago, gnome12 said:

I think that is a really negative side of allowing people to book excursions as soon as they put a deposit on a cruise.

And Silversea's recent approach of changing some included excursions to select excursions provides additional impetus to book your excursions as soon as you put a deposit on a cruise. 

Arts Cafe will also be open. 

But- last year I found boarding (Nova) in Lisbon at the early part of the boarding window to be the most crowded, hectic scenario in more than 20 years of sailing with Silversea.  There were 5 buses of passengers from the Silversea hotels. The queues for security were long and people were crowding against each other unnecessarily while in line.   

I prefer to ask for a late checkout at the hotel and enjoy a late breakfast or leisurely lunch ashore before heading to the ship around 3 pm. 

On 4/1/2024 at 5:38 AM, LTCOP said:

On the Nova, they give you Otium products.  You only get Bulgari products in the higher categories of suites.

Although the Nova has the larger containers filled with their private label Otium products in the veranda suites, you can request Bulgari instead. 

One of my options had a different rewards structure and label than Lonedaddy's, so they appear to be testing multiple options.  

One of my options had a $95 annual fee, but the sign-up offer was higher with a $400 credit. Earnings were 3% on Silversea, 2% on other travel and 1% on everything else.  The additional benefits section included travel protection (insurance).  This option has a much better value proposition than the ones shown (but still not as good as the bennies I get from AmEx Platinum).

But they're using a very basic survey structure vs. more sophisticated conjoint analysis, so hopefully this is just a trial balloon to see if this warrants further investigation.  If they're actually going to use findings from this simple survey format to decide on a new rewards credit card, their low-budget survey approach is another example of cost-cutting. 

Sadly, they misspelled their own brand name in one of the questions.  Between this communication and the typos in the recent flyer about the new fare structure, RCL really should invest in better proofreading.  

JP,  belated Happy Birthday to you!   

On 3/25/2024 at 9:13 PM, Lois R said:

Que, sorry for your loss.

 

I have some sad news myself.....my brother-in-law died last week. It was quite a shock to my sister (and to me). Still processing the news. It was unexpected. He was actually at the Dr's office for something else and had a heart attack☹️

Oh my word Lois.  My condolences to you and your family. 

On 3/25/2024 at 8:45 PM, QueSeraSera said:

Our bit of lemonade without the sugar today, reached a difficult decision regarding our elderly dog Biscuit and had her put down.  15 years since we adopted her at the Richmond shelter.  No data as to how old she was then.  Blinded by some genetic condition, hobbled by arthritis, and mentally she just wasn't with us as anymore.  The vet agreed, my wife agreed, so why do I feel like s**t?

Lion King  

 

@QueSeraSera- I am so very very sorry and know how heartbroken you must feel. Hopefully you can take comfort in the wise words you shared with me recently: 

On 3/17/2024 at 7:57 PM, QueSeraSera said:

 I do believe our loved deceased pets wait for us somewhere, somehow in the next life.  

 

On 3/27/2024 at 8:41 PM, irvington said:

I think you have probably answered this question, but I really enjoyed Silver Note on the Muse and it is probably the main place I want to reserve on the Nova. (some nights I want to play by ear) I was wondering about the time to reserve to be there when the music is happening. But if reservations don't open until 8, then I guess that's the time to reserve.

If you're unable to obtain a reservation to dine at Silver Note, you can still stop by after dinner elsewhere to have a beverage and enjoy the show.   

I was highly amused to receive an email from LinkedIn this morning recommending a new job posting for Head of Investor Relations by Royal Caribbean Group as a "top job pick for you."

A bit surprised that they're just now beginning the search for his replacement.  Perhaps he'll fill a dual role for a while until his replacement at RCCL is in place. 

19 hours ago, southerngoose said:

How can they just dump you at another port and say "figure it out"?   I mean, if they told me to get off in Paris instead of London, I could figure that out.   But leaving you in Mahe instead of Dubai?   Depending on when the planned departure from Dubai, maybe you could fly Mahe to Dubai.   But hey...why doesn't Silversea fly you Mahe to Dubai since they dumped you in Mahe.   Don't they have an obligation to get you to the place where they promised to get you?   I mean, the airlines will make an effort to get you to your ticketed destination.   I don't know how a cruise line doesn't have an obligation to get you to the destination.   Plus, there's the loss of the cruise that you paid for... But if they could at least get you to where you need to be on the proper day without extra cost, that would be nice.

100%.  Since they chose to end the cruise and dump passengers in Mahe, they could/should have chartered flights to Dubai or another major hub to make it easier for all passengers to then rearrange their onward flights home. 

16 hours ago, AtlantaCruiser72 said:

Here is the updated fare flyer as promised

FLYER_THE_LUXURY_OF_CHOICE_GBL_SA2401197592 (8).pdf 830.88 kB · 42 downloads

15 hours ago, southerngoose said:

At least they ran spell check this go around.

My question is how did those red Xs that removed butler service, beverages, etc. end up on an early draft of this flyer in the first place?  Were they originally seriously considering making those changes? 

1 hour ago, irvington said:

I'm thinking under this pricing structure the essentials with low single supplement are the way to go for me. Although I'm bummed about the price increases, and wish I had locked in one or two future cruises, I think essentials should work for me since I'd sort of prefer to be on my own for excursions.

 

That said - I can't seem to find a way to search for both things. Have you found a way on the website?

Yes. On the main page there is a section describing the new Essential fares. Click the button "Discover More" and it pulls up all Essential Eligible cruise.  Then go to the Offers Box and select Special Singles Fares from the dropdown.    That will show you which voyages are eligible for both. Unfortunately, there is now only 1 cruise listed that qualifies for both. 

6 minutes ago, RetiredandTravel said:

 

Did you contact your TA that doesn't seem logical? 

No. Silversea has really cut back on the number of voyages in any fare category available with a low single supplement. The RCL revenue management team doesn't seem to understand that's another tool they can use to fill close-in sailings. 

6 minutes ago, RetiredandTravel said:

Looks to me like the "Essential" fares so far are only on cruises a few (0-5) months out.

 

 

Yes, this fare bucket is supposedly intended to fill cabins close to the sailing date. Unfortunately, only 2 voyages out of 67 listed in this category have a lower single supplement.  That's a real shame; I would have booked at least one of these voyages but am not willing to pay 100% single supplement.