Included excursions - Silver Muse

[jwh]

New to Silversea and considering Silver Muse.  How do the included excursions work i.e. do several buses run at the same time or is each excursion capped at a maximum number?  How far in advance do they open for booking?  If they are already showing full at the time of booking, are waitlists offered and how often do waitlists clear or not clear?  Sorry for these questions and I regret to say I will most likely have many more later!

[Stumblefoot]

On Silver Muse, nobody knows exactly as included excursions have never been offered before and are set to begin next month. With that said, the company has said guests will enjoy at least one complimentary shore excursion, from a range of experiences, in every port of call.

 

Normally, excursions have multiple vehicles that leave at roughly the same time depending on the exact excursion itself. Also, most are not capped.

 

Excursions on the Muse are available to book 180 days before embarkation and up to 2 days prior.

 

Waitlists are offered. Many clear. The exception being mid-voyage overnight land programs. Rarely do those clear.

 

in closing, as you search this web forum for answers to your other questions as they arise, if you can’t find an answer, be sure to post your questions here as there is a lot of experience that can usually provide an answer. Have fun planning!

[Host Jazzbeau]

I'm booked on an excursion-inclusive Silversea cruise of NZ-OZ in January 2024.  Shore excursions will be open for booking about 6 months prior to the sail date, but they are already available to view on the Silversea website.  There are several included options at each port, plus about as many extra-cost options.  The included options are more varied and more interesting than I have seen on any other cruise line, including Viking and Regent (I expect to take 6 included excursions and 5 extra-cost or private ones).  Prices are not available yet for the extra-cost choices, and the real question is whether Silversea will price the extra-cost options to acknowledge that you are forgoing the already paid-for alternatives...

[A Tucson Guy]

I am on the Moon 7-5-22 and all excursions are showing. The not included excursions look pricey to me.

[Gourmet Gal]

I’m on a Moon sailing and excursions will begin booking 210 days out.  I cannot see any pricing yet on the non-included but there are full descriptions and a surprising number of included choices per port.  Some of the included are limited in number of pax.

[Frugalsgirl]

I’m not on the moon but have recently book our excursions on Dawn .Unfortunately one of the salt trip has already been cancelled and I chose a replacement from what was previously an included trip but on My Silversea account it is charging for this trip.  I am presuming this can be rectified once on board 🤞🏻

[RELS]

On 2/15/2022 at 10:05 AM, Gourmet Gal said:

I’m on a Moon sailing and excursions will begin booking 210 days out.  I cannot see any pricing yet on the non-included but there are full descriptions and a surprising number of included choices per port.  Some of the included are limited in number of pax.

 

I discovered that not all of the shore excursions on the list available ahead of time were on the list to book. There might also be multiple times offered for some excursions. You won't know for sure what's on offer when until booking opens. Have a second choice, just in case.

 

FYI, excursion booking starts at midnight North American Eastern Time 120 days from the start of your cruise, so if you are on the West Coast, you can book starting 9pm the day before.

[cruiseej]

Also keep in mind that excursions are more likely to be canceled or changed than in pre-Covid times. On our upcoming Caribbean cruise, we've had one port dropped, four ports changed, and all but one of our original excursions canceled as a result. That's unusual, of course, but between changing Covid protocols in countries and tour operator companies going under or not having enough staff, I'm just saying to not be surprised if some excursions change between the time you book them and the time you sail. (Or maybe Covid will finally be in the rearview mirror by the time your cruise takes place!)

[A Tucson Guy]

10 hours ago, RELS said:

 

I discovered that not all of the shore excursions on the list available ahead of time were on the list to book. There might also be multiple times offered for some excursions. You won't know for sure what's on offer when until booking opens. Have a second choice, just in case.

 

FYI, excursion booking starts at midnight North American Eastern Time 120 days from the start of your cruise, so if you are on the West Coast, you can book starting 9pm the day before.

I believe excursions start 180 days prior except for Venetian can book 210 days. I booked mine for July 2022 at the 210 day mark. Dining and spa is 120 days.

[dawntrdr]

My currently booked cruises show the following "opening" dates for reservations (all days measured from date of sailing):

 

Excursions:  210 days for Venetian Society, 180 days for everyone else

Spa:  180 days (I think this is new)

Dining:  120 days

[Unibok]

Ask away, jwh! That's why we're here!

 

I've not yet gone on my voyage, so I can't speak to the quality of the newly "included" excursions, but I can say that in the past, Silversea excursions used smaller vehicles (so, fewer pax on each one), If there is great demand, they will offer several groups simultaneously but with different guides OR they will open up new timeslots. As cruiseej noted above, the logistics depend on vendor availability, staffing, etc, and is likely much more complicated during COVID.

 

I can, however, speak about the pricing. As Jazzbeau mentioned, the included excursions seem to have a great range -- far beyond the typical "highlights of X" included by other lines. I had made my lists of preferences long before the distinctions of included/selected were visible, and I was so pleased when nearly all of my first choices were included! Prices would have ranged from $69 to $179 for those included excursions otherwise. Indeed, for my Lisbon-to-Barcelona leg, my only "selected" excursion is the Gaudi tour transfer to the airport.

 

More examples from a Greece/Turkey voyage in late spring: for our overnight in Istanbul, both days we are using included excursions to do exactly what we had hoped. In Ephesus, we'll do the included excursion during the day and a special "selected" one that evening. During the 11-day sailing, we have 3 or 4 "selected" excursions, and the rest are included. I want to stress here that it is not because we are being cost-conscious; it is because the included excursions are the ones we would have chosen no matter what.

 

And then there are the excursions I'm doing simply because they are included. I've never done a segway tour, and I'd never pay for one, but since it is an included option in a city where I didn't have a strong preference, I'm doing it! I'm sure it will be fun, especially as an experience I wouldn't have tried otherwise.

 

Hoping this helps,

[mchell810]

3 hours ago, Unibok said:

Ask away, jwh! That's why we're here!

 

I've not yet gone on my voyage, so I can't speak to the quality of the newly "included" excursions, but I can say that in the past, Silversea excursions used smaller vehicles (so, fewer pax on each one), If there is great demand, they will offer several groups simultaneously but with different guides OR they will open up new timeslots. As cruiseej noted above, the logistics depend on vendor availability, staffing, etc, and is likely much more complicated during COVID.

 

I can, however, speak about the pricing. As Jazzbeau mentioned, the included excursions seem to have a great range -- far beyond the typical "highlights of X" included by other lines. I had made my lists of preferences long before the distinctions of included/selected were visible, and I was so pleased when nearly all of my first choices were included! Prices would have ranged from $69 to $179 for those included excursions otherwise. Indeed, for my Lisbon-to-Barcelona leg, my only "selected" excursion is the Gaudi tour transfer to the airport.

 

More examples from a Greece/Turkey voyage in late spring: for our overnight in Istanbul, both days we are using included excursions to do exactly what we had hoped. In Ephesus, we'll do the included excursion during the day and a special "selected" one that evening. During the 11-day sailing, we have 3 or 4 "selected" excursions, and the rest are included. I want to stress here that it is not because we are being cost-conscious; it is because the included excursions are the ones we would have chosen no matter what.

 

And then there are the excursions I'm doing simply because they are included. I've never done a segway tour, and I'd never pay for one, but since it is an included option in a city where I didn't have a strong preference, I'm doing it! I'm sure it will be fun, especially as an experience I wouldn't have tried otherwise.

 

Hoping this helps,

 

I feel like I could have written this myself.  My first SS cruise is coming up in June but I had the same experience you describe where the included excursions were very often things I wanted to do anyway (same for my 2023 trip that includes Istanbul and Ephesus.)  

 

I am expecting good experiences with SS excursions.

[Gourmet Gal]

So I am able to book 210 days out but the couple traveling with us can book 180 days out.  Can I reserve for 4 people 210 days out?