Tailormade Cruises

[fudge]

Some of you on this forum may know a popular TA in the UK who offer pre/post hotels as part of a cruise package. In May 2016 this company are offering a pre cruise hotel stay in London, travel to Venice on the Orient Express joining the Silver Cloud for 7 days and a flight back to the UK.

 

Do Silversea offer these combined deals? I have searched their website but it would appear not.

 

If there are other companies that offer this kind of deal I would be interested,

 

Thanks for any information.

[brimary]

Have been told by Cruise Consultants on board that over the last 3 years the Cloud has been 50% chartered to the Daily Mail newspaper on many occasions and this policy will continue.Can be a problem with mass bookings in dining facilities and bars for normal clients.Cruises to avoid if you want a quiet restful holiday,we ask our agent to check this situation out prior to making final payment (120 days prior).Only problem that can arise is if SS decide to fill up a half empty ship with a last minute charter which thankfully has only happened to us twice in 16 years with SS.

[Tothesunset]

Some of you on this forum may know a popular TA in the UK who offer pre/post hotels as part of a cruise package. In May 2016 this company are offering a pre cruise hotel stay in London, travel to Venice on the Orient Express joining the Silver Cloud for 7 days and a flight back to the UK.

 

Do Silversea offer these combined deals? I have searched their website but it would appear not.

 

If there are other companies that offer this kind of deal I would be interested,

 

Thanks for any information.

I think we use the TA to which you refer and advise that they are not always cheaper than doing it yourself although they will honour VS discounts. Mostly, though, you would be hard pushed to get anywhere near matching their package prices.

 

Silversea do seem to be missing a trick here. I would have thought the package you are looking at would be very interesting to US cruisers yet, afaik, SS do not offer a combination deal such as you describe, just their limited range of pre- and post-cruise hotels and the occasional few days package.

 

Looks like an fantastic trip, btw.

Edited February 10, 2015 by Tothesunset

[fudge]

Tothesunset,

 

Thank you for your informative reply. It is the same company you have previously used.

 

I have considered looking at booking the Orient Express/pre cruise hotel independently but I think the timings/transfers would be difficult to get to the ship on time for the cruise.

 

I have mailed the said company and look forward to their reply.

[Tothesunset]

Tothesunset,

 

Thank you for your informative reply. It is the same company you have previously used.

 

I have considered looking at booking the Orient Express/pre cruise hotel independently but I think the timings/transfers would be difficult to get to the ship on time for the cruise.

 

I have mailed the said company and look forward to their reply.

If you decide to use them make sure that they take a note of your Venetian Society numbers as you will get the 5% discount if it is a VS cruise but you need to ask. In fact, I've just checked and it's not a VS sailing. But for future ref you would get the 5% (10% for 100+ days sailed) off the cruise element alone (and the 5% on board saving if you had done such a thing).

 

Seems quite dear to me. The cruise is £1950 in a Vista or £2450 for a veranda and they want £4099 for the package or another £1k for veranda and the London hotel. That means they are charging 2.15 grand for the transfers, Orient Express and flight home if you take a Vista or £2.65K if you select a veranda (which makes that free hotel quite expensive!). Each!

 

And, yes, I am a typically tight Ulsterman!

[fudge]

Tothesunset,

 

Spot on, your figures are correct. They advertised the deal at £4099 but as you say with a veranda suite and hotel now £5099, not cheap for the train and hotel, I will do the figures and see if I can work out the add ons myself.

[MJN1]

Fudge, no comment on the price comparison, but on the Orient Express to Venice, which can not be compared to the train in South East Asia.

The compartments feature a small wash basin only, but do not have toilets. Those are at the end of each carriage. So just be prepared to walk down the corridors each time...

[fudge]

MJN1

 

Can you please elaborate on the train journey you mentioned please? Is it combined with a cruise?

 

Thanks to everyone who took the time to reply.

[Mayflower1]

Good morning Brimary - hope you are both well.

 

This topic illustrates only too well the difficulties of booking Silversea independently as you and I are so aware. However the Block booking by this Agent does have the benefit that its clients generally do not all belong to any one Group ( unlike a partial Charter by an Commercial Company providing incentives to its employees ) and thus Mass Restaurant Bookings are less likely. They are individuals booking with one TA.

 

From my conversations with one of the Guests last year, the Orient Express is generally chartered for these Tours and is outside of its normal schedule - whether this changes the Product or atmosphere is unknown. The normal schedule is easy to find on the Web.

 

I believe the Packaging to be very attractive but the Prices less so.

 

This Agent has a number of Baltic Cruises scheduled on The Wind in 2016 - I hope you and ourselves are booked on the 24 day that is not yet affected ?

[brimary]

Hi Mayflower,I understand from our T/A that our 2016 cruise is sandwiched between two Daily MAIL charters so hopefully we are on the peaceful cruise.Look forward to seeing you again.

[Tothesunset]

Hi Mayflower,I understand from our T/A that our 2016 cruise is sandwiched between two Daily MAIL charters so hopefully we are on the peaceful cruise.Look forward to seeing you again.

Daily Mail charters? That should be fun. At least the passengers will have lots of foreigners to blame for everything although I understand that cruise ships give you cancer and aren't filled with fruity celebrities disporting in bikinis. Anyway, at least they can be comforted by the wettest/driest/hottest/coldest/windiest weather since records began because of all these Eastern Europeanscoming here and taking all our good weather.

[MJN1]

MJN1

 

Can you please elaborate on the train journey you mentioned please? Is it combined with a cruise?

 

Thanks to everyone who took the time to reply.

 

fudge,

we took the Singapore-Bangkok trip (see http://www.belmond.com/eastern-and-oriental-express/journeys ). I have not seen it offered as part of a cruise, but as long as the schedule fits you can make your own combinations. The train is very luxurious, you do have your own shower and toilet in every compartment, and yes, it comes at a price... The pullman cabins are a bit small, the state cabins are great.