'Silversea announces new shorter voyages'

[wripro]

Nigella is absolutely correct. Even on b2bs if you don't attend you don't sail.

[Scotspea]

Amex marketing techniques strike again. Where will it end?

[dusababy]

Amex marketing techniques strike again. Where will it end?

 

I too can't get Carnival out of my mind. OK -- SS is having trouble filling ships so -- rather than returning to the excellent luxury experiences of earlier days they continually lower standards, eliminate most of the nice little touches that made it memorable, rotate set menus so dining becomes repetitive, offer FREE gifts that were an insult, utilize a very unprofessional survey to inquire whether I am willing to pay additional money for perks I have earned by thousands of dollars over the years, and now institute 4 day cruises to further sully their image and degrade my cruise experience.

 

Yes, I'm booked TA end of April. The eternal optimist -- I hope I can report a wonderful cruise.

[jollyjones]

On my Spirit Transatlantic in April I've noticed that they've added two shorter cruises as part of the main cruise, (albeit the difference between the two shorter cruises is the overnight in Bermuda).

So, you can do:

Ft. Lauderdale - Lisbon

Bermuda (overnight) - Lisbon

Bermuda (no overnight) - Lisbon.

Innerestin'!!!!

 

Actually, there's a fourth option. I'm on the Spirit B2B for the two previous cruises (FLL-Barbados-FLL) and I'm staying on to cruise FLL - Bda. I'm looking forward to the convenience of disembarking on Front St, I can get the bus home if I want.

 

PS - I just did a B2B on Princess, disembarked today, and we were encouraged but not required to do the muster drill a second time. I really hope I don't have to do it three times in 17 days on the Spirit.

[Stumblefoot]

I can't imagine how SS will enforce a second muster requirement on guests like us whose original 10-day was split in two and our port time is 18 hours.

 

The split occurs in Hamburg where we arrive at 8:00a and don't depart until 2:00a the next morning. I know we're planning a full day of private touring, including Lübeck, and probably won't be back aboard until very, very late in the evening (10p or 11p). They can't force us to be back aboard by 6:00p, for example, to attend a safety briefing can they?

[frantic36]

I am not sure what Silverseas policy will be but there may be some hope.

We did a B2B on Crystal last August. The second cruise was a 12 day cruise that Crystal split just before sailing into 5/7 days. We did have to attend a second muster for our original B2B cruise BUT where they split the 12 day cruise we didn't have to attend another muster. The extra 200pax did it somewhere quietly and it didn't impact on us at all.

 

I know we are not talking about the same cruise line but they may do something similar.

 

Julie

[ging466]

My Vancouver to Tokyo cruise last September was split into 2....50 pax disembarked in Kodiak. So instead of doing the full 16 day cruise, they did 6 days. Since there were so few people on the cruise, the only thing that affected me was that it decimated my trivia team.:(

 

I don't like the shorter cruises, especially when u r travelling solo as it takes a few days to get to know people. Since I'm coming so far from down under, I like at least a 14 day cruise to make it worth the long trek.

 

It seems that SS is clutching at straws to think up new ways to fill their ships. The way they are headed, they will end up with no luxury product to sell.

 

Cheers

Jennifer

[KaraokeQueen]

Ugh! This is why we are NOT booked on Crystal. Totally against this game plan. Crystal has also added another negative to me, "kids sail free". I'm changing "cruising" up with a variety of options. If the industry decides to go in this directions, we will become landlubbers for sure. Just really grateful my future bookings on SS will not be affected.

[PaulaJK]

We have found that since the Costa Concordia incident, attendance at each cruise segment's muster drill is required. I am referring to the 10,12+ day segments not the 5 day plunk-down in the middle. Seabourn announces that if you don't attend, you don't sail so while I don't have definitive information, I wouldn't want to count on a waiver.

 

Like so many others, I am unhappy about these plunk ins. I can't get my mental arms around people walking around orienting themselves, luggage being delivered or left in the hallways, the rush to book appts,etc. in the middle of my cruise! I will not knowingly book one. But other than TA, I don't know how to completely avoid them. It seems that some of these brief segments are pre-scheduled while others are added in later when a cruise isn't selling well. This has just occurred on a B2B that we are taking in March on another luxury line. They sent an email announcing it as a 'sale'. It seems that most cruises would offer a point to point possibility.

 

So far, I have seen this unwelcome change on SS, Crystal and Seabourn.

[Silver Spectre]

It will be interesting to see how SS deals with the Spirit Pacific voyage in February. The majority will have signed on for the 31 day voyage, and not the two split voyages. I am assuming that we will muster only once, in LA.

[Seafairer]

More sad news, and it will certainly affect the product. A 4-day cruise cannot in any way ressemble the longer, more leisurely experiences Silversea used to offer (and passengers would probably be better off booking a luxury land trip). If bookings are soft, it would be better to put 1 or 2 ships in dry dock (as they did during the post-9/11 downturn) and run the remaining ships with longer voyages and many sea days.

 

I totally agree with Jennifer that breaking up a longer cruise makes it difficult to meet passengers you'll spend time with later on (and hasn't that always been one of the pleasures of being on Silversea?). For us, that's been a downside of B2Bs - just as you're getting to know people, they're off the ship and you have to start all over again. Truth be told, it kind of made me feel like a Cruise Director: "Hi! Where are you from? Have you sailed on Silversea before?" .. all over again.

 

Splitting voyages after-the-fact will annoy many people, smacks of bait & switch tactics, and some might want to cancel their bookings. I hope Silversea agrees to cancel without penalty as a courtesy to those passengers who were willing to pay high luxury prices for what was previously announced as a longer cruise.

[WesW]

well said Seafairer.

[zqtchas]

Maybe by splitting one can take advantage of more 5%'s off by utilizing the obb option?

[Ravenscroft]

We will absolutely avoid the Med cruises now as a result of this policy. We have a couple of two week windows for holidays this year in spring and in early October and the Med would have been our first choice destination at that time of year. We have no desire to be involved in a cruise that's split in this way.

How disappointing of SS to introduce this.

[Seafairer]

Thank you, Wes.

 

We only take longer cruises - 10 days minimum, preferably longer. The recent predominance of 7-day cruises with no sea days already, unfortunately, took Silversea out of the running for much of our planning. We're looking at Crystal and Oceania, highly-rated lines that still offer "long cruise luxury." (Hop over to the Crystal boards for a look at their very civilized and helpful posts.)

 

But now that Silversea is splitting voyages (and with no up-front notice), I just don't see how we can trust that what we book is what we'll get.

 

Silversea was beautiful while it lasted. Utter perfection as far as we were concerned. So glad we were able to luxuriate during its heyday.

[jettman]

As noted, this is a capacity move, not a customer quality move. I feel bad that this is necessary for ss to fill the cabins. I hope SS can hold the line with these kind of mass market moves, and stay true to their original vision of a premium line with premium pricing.This the downside to increased capacity both the industry and ss, especially in a global deflationary world.

 

We don't cruise often, due to schedule limitations. But we do want a quality experience when we go, so the notion of a 12 day cruise being broken into pieces after the fact does impact those who want a seamless experience.

 

I hope ss finds a formula, but turning their brand into a commodity feels counter intuitive.

[Emtbsam]

Maybe by splitting one can take advantage of more 5%'s off by utilizing the obb option?

 

I like the way you think! Make something good out of a less than perfect situation. Thanks.

[wripro]

It wasn't so very long ago when Silversea told us that their intention was to become the most expensive luxury cruise line out there, and the best. What an abrupt change of plans!!!!!

[TLCOhio]

It wasn't so very long ago when Silversea told us that their intention was to become the most expensive luxury cruise line out there, and the best. What an abrupt change of plans!!!!!

 

Just being "the most expensive" is not always that successful as a marketing message, especially with so many Silversea ships to fill up each and every week, year after year. Many "rich" people got that way by looking for "value" and comparing different alternatives. During this current challenging world-wide economy, many who are "better off" carefully consider their options and wisely plan accordingly. Today's consumer, especially those experienced and with money, look and choose with smarts!!

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

For details and visuals, etc., from our July 1-16, 2010, Norway Coast/Fjords/Arctic Circle cruise experience from Copenhagen on the Silver Cloud, check out this posting. This posting is now at 92,776 views.

http://www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1227923

[Seafairer]

Jettman identifies a large part of the problem very clearly: increasing the line's capacity during a global economic downturn. I often wonder why Silversea continues to add to their fleet. It appears only to add to their problem of filling bookings.

 

While the Spirit's plans were undoubtedly drawn up during a stronger economy, there certainly must be a point when the project can be delayed or cancelled before construction starts. Could they have held off on the Spirit (launched 2009)? Could the itinerary for the new Galapagos ship (a refit, not a new build) have been assigned to other ships - including the Silver Explorer?

 

With their 7th ship about to launch, Silversea's capacity is now over 2,000, equivalent to a large ship. It just doesn't seem possible to run a fleet of 7 small luxury ships without resorting to mass market approaches to fill them all. I think this is what we're seeing. The "per day" rates will remain high to maintain the appearance of exclusivity, but cruises are cut into tiny segments to address the affordability issue and look like terrific deals. Unfortunately, this is no longer real "cruising." It sounds more like staying at a floating hotel for a long weekend.

[UKCruiseJeff]

It wasn't so very long ago when Silversea told us that their intention was to become the most expensive luxury cruise line out there, and the best. What an abrupt change of plans!!!!!

 

This is what happens when an owner doesn't follow his own instincts but instead listens to a management team largely from lower products who continually shout "expansion" and "discount" rather than "consolidation" and "quality" ..... and "down" rather than "up" market. Perhaps he has been talked out of his own very clear vision that was the energy and vision behind the line.

 

For what it's worth I have always believed there is a highly profitable market up-market and at higher non-discountable prices but on the smaller boats ... and certainly no more than the original four. When you discount the price you have to discount the quality and then you also sadly discount your original core customers you spent years acquiring. When you expand the fleet ahead of demand you have to discount. It was a highly predictable outcome of a poor and unnecessary and il- conceived gamble.

 

Very sad.:mad:

[Stumblefoot]

As I said in an earlier post, "I have a little trepidation...". Therefore, will withhold judgment until we experience it first hand this June.

 

While I tend to agree this move by SS is designed to fill its ships, could this move also be a strategy to encourage those who are used to short cruises to trade-up? I know... it's probably a stretch. But, looking at our 10-day voyage in June on an economic basis compared to its split into two separate voyages, the 6-day is +4.8% higher on a per diem basis, whereas the 4-day is +10.2%.

 

I also find it interesting the general difference in opinion that is found here on CruiseCritic, as compared to Facebook. On CC, the overwhelming outlook is unfavorable, while over on FB it's just the opposite; there are a total of 41 people who have actually expressed their "Like" of the shorter voyage concept, with only 1 outright dissenting opinion. For those of you without access to Facebook, hear are a few actual comments that have been posted:

• I'd like to see this for the Caribbean as well.
  
• Great idea!
  
• ...I do understand their thinking though. By the time you add pre- and post-cruise extensions, it is a long time to be away from work.
  
• Of course we all love long holidays, but some people simply can´t travel for long period. So it´s something just perfect. Prices should be better though.
  
• Probably a good idea! Other cruise lines will eventually follow.
  
• Wonderful honneymoon adventure.
  

It will be interesting to follow this recent change over the course of the March thru June time period when these 8 new voyages occur. Hopefully, we'll hear back from folks who experience the change on the Wind in March (Lisbon to Rome), or May (Rome to Barcelona), as well as from those who are on the Spirit in April during the TA voyage.

[TLCOhio]

I also find it interesting the general difference in opinion that is found here on CruiseCritic, as compared to Facebook. On CC, the overwhelming outlook is unfavorable, while over on FB it's just the opposite; there are a total of 41 people who have actually expressed their "Like" of the shorter voyage concept, with only 1 outright dissenting opinion.

 

Great, insightful comment/info on the Facebook versus CC Boards comments and viewpoint. That seems to confirm somewhat the age, generational differences for how travel and vacations are approached, can be done. Not all demographic groups think, consider and deal with choices in the same manner. In most cases, for legitimate, personal interests, desires.

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

For details and visuals, etc., from our July 1-16, 2010, Norway Coast/Fjords/Arctic Circle cruise experience from Copenhagen on the Silver Cloud, check out this posting. This posting is now at 92,776 views.

http://www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1227923

[drron29]

When you are looking at the capacity of the SS vessels the Explorer and new galapagos vessel really dont come into the calculations.They are expedition ships and so appeal to a different demographic,all be it with a lot of crossover.

The Explorer is basically at capacity for the majority of its sailings.The new Galapagos vessel i have no doubt will operate at high occupancy because the Ecuadorian government strictly limit the number of vessels there.SS could not use any of their existing fleet there because of this-to operate there you need to buy an existing license which means buying an existing vessel.

SS is not the only travel organisation doing this in the galapagos-Abercrombie and Kent through their subsidiary Sanctuary resorts have purchased a vessel there about 2 years ago-the Athala 2.

So the problem is the original 4 ships + the Spirit.The Spirit was ordered in 2008.Despite the collapse of Bear Stearns in March most economists were still not predicting the GFC then.SS obviously believed the majority opinion was right.

[UKCruiseJeff]

When you are looking at the capacity of the SS vessels the Explorer and new galapagos vessel really dont come into the calculations.They are expedition ships and so appeal to a different demographic,all be it with a lot of crossover.

The Explorer is basically at capacity for the majority of its sailings.The new Galapagos vessel i have no doubt will operate at high occupancy because the Ecuadorian government strictly limit the number of vessels there.SS could not use any of their existing fleet there because of this-to operate there you need to buy an existing license which means buying an existing vessel.

SS is not the only travel organisation doing this in the galapagos-Abercrombie and Kent through their subsidiary Sanctuary resorts have purchased a vessel there about 2 years ago-the Athala 2.

So the problem is the original 4 ships + the Spirit.The Spirit was ordered in 2008.Despite the collapse of Bear Stearns in March most economists were still not predicting the GFC then.SS obviously believed the majority opinion was right.

 

Whilst what you have said is absolutely correct I think you miss the bigger picture.

 

At a time when SS should have been protecting and enhancing the brand of the 4 core ships they diverted attention and commited future cash-flow to the expedition ships and Spirit. To sustain the cash flow they had to go for volume and occupancy in the (then) current core 4 ship usiness against a worsening trading environment. The larger ship also changed the "small ship" brand to an extent. This means that they have sacrificed the brand for expansion in a way I'm sure was never originally intended.

 

If they hadn't expanded they could have continued to enhance and consolidate the core business and not had to compromise quality in order to follow reducing prices/discounts. Revenue protected - loyal customer base protected .... and more importantly reputation protected and enhanced.

 

Many of their original customers that SS spent so much time acquiring and maintaining I think feel cheated out of the line and brand they loved. In a sense I detect that there is a palpable sense of berievement. The expansion was from a timing aspect at best unlucky and at worst ill-conceived.