Bargain door to door or not

[gogo65]

So I’ve seen a few posts about the now all inclusive cruises, and what is potentially poor value but really SS this is laughable….

$4100 for transfers to the airport, flights not included, plus they’ll charge extra because we live to far from the airport!

Maybe they can send a helicopter😂

 

Edited March 17, 2022 by gogo65

[jollyjones]

I think SS have made a public relations blunder with P2P, so pax tend to think of that pricing as the 'proper' cruise pricing and the rest as add ons.

 

I prefer to think of the D2D as the 'proper' cruise pricing and the fact the P2P is less is because SS will get to keep some of the non-refundable deposits - pretty much analogous to non-refundable flight and hotel bookings being much cheaper than refundable.

Everyone can decide what their risk/benefit ratio is - for me, it is not non-refundable cruise deposits or hotel bookings.

 

[gogo65]

35 minutes ago, jollyjones said:

I think SS have made a public relations blunder with P2P, so pax tend to think of that pricing as the 'proper' cruise pricing and the rest as add ons.

 

I prefer to think of the D2D as the 'proper' cruise pricing and the fact the P2P is less is because SS will get to keep some of the non-refundable deposits - pretty much analogous to non-refundable flight and hotel bookings being much cheaper than refundable.

Everyone can decide what their risk/benefit ratio is - for me, it is not non-refundable cruise deposits or hotel bookings.

 

For us the cruise is 6 months away, so the refundable/non refundable fare is irrelevant, so we would literally be paying $4000 for transfers to the airport, but agree others may prefer the security of a refundable fare if booking in advance.

[Fletcher]

The examples I have looked at are total rip-offs.  For one cruise involving Edinburgh and Iceland the charge was about £1700pp and the two of us could do it for about £300.  The only issue is disembarking the ship and getting to the airport - as soon as you walk down the gangway presumably Silversea just lose all interest in you.

[ronrick1943]

We looked at D2D, but the cost is way more than we can do it for our self’s.  Plus we have total control when we do it.  I’m getting a little tried of everything included as we don’t use all the services.

 

 

[GaitherBill]

I just don't want to deal with SS booking our flights. I don't really care if it even costs us  a little more in the end. 

[Stumblefoot]

2 hours ago, Fletcher said:

…as soon as you walk down the gangway presumably Silversea just lose all interest in you.

That’s always been the case at SS.

[les37b]

59 minutes ago, Stumblefoot said:

That’s always been the case at SS.

 

That's why we wouldn't get off in Guayaquil!

[gogo65]

3 hours ago, ronrick1943 said:

We looked at D2D, but the cost is way more than we can do it for our self’s.  Plus we have total control when we do it.  I’m getting a little tried of everything included as we don’t use all the services.

 

 

Agree, the full door to door including airfare was useless to us as we plan on spending 3 weeks in the UK before hand, even if we paid the deviation fee, we still wouldn’t use the the airport transfers.

Even if we wanted the ‘private executive transfer’, surely they aren’t serious charging $4000!

[Host Jazzbeau]

The pricing for my Jan. 2024 NZ-OZ cruise is very strange.  There is a $2,900 difference between door-to-door and port-to-port – but the p2p cruise ends in Geelong after only 13 days, while the d2d goes on to Sydney for a total of 16 days.  Unless you live in Geelong, my calculation is that the d2d is actually the better value!

 

[gogo65]

1 hour ago, Host Jazzbeau said:

The pricing for my Jan. 2024 NZ-OZ cruise is very strange.  There is a $2,900 difference between door-to-door and port-to-port – but the p2p cruise ends in Geelong after only 13 days, while the d2d goes on to Sydney for a total of 16 days.  Unless you live in Geelong, my calculation is that the d2d is actually the better value!

 

Jazz,

they both look like door to door… 

[Host Jazzbeau]

54 minutes ago, gogo65 said:

Jazz,

they both look like door to door… 

Oops – you're right.  I swear the cheaper one said port-to-port when I first saw it (back awhile).  Then this still strange because those few days aren't worth that much (except I don't want to be dropped off in Geelong...)

[gogo65]

40 minutes ago, Host Jazzbeau said:

Oops – you're right.  I swear the cheaper one said port-to-port when I first saw it (back awhile).  Then this still strange because those few days aren't worth that much (except I don't want to be dropped off in Geelong...)

It would be easy to catch a flight from Melbourne back to Sydney and save $3000pp!

but agree the pricing is crazy it’s like the numbers don’t even make sense..

[rojaan19]

2 hours ago, Host Jazzbeau said:

(except I don't want to be dropped off in Geelong...)

Nobody does !!  🤣

[m00]

22 hours ago, Host Jazzbeau said:

The pricing for my Jan. 2024 NZ-OZ cruise is very strange.  There is a $2,900 difference between door-to-door and port-to-port – but the p2p cruise ends in Geelong after only 13 days, while the d2d goes on to Sydney for a total of 16 days.  Unless you live in Geelong, my calculation is that the d2d is actually the better value!

 

Auckland to Geelong doesn't include air and transfers...

[Host Jazzbeau]

5 minutes ago, m00 said:

Auckland to Geelong doesn't include air and transfers...

I didn't think it did, but the screenshot I posted clearly calls it 'door to door' – more confusion!

[m00]

6 minutes ago, Host Jazzbeau said:

I didn't think it did, but the screenshot I posted clearly calls it 'door to door' – more confusion!

It's door-to-door, but with air credit.

Confusion indeed.

[Host Jazzbeau]

Just now, m00 said:

It's door-to-door, but with air credit.

Confusion indeed.

So door-to-door, just not MY door!

[CJANDH]

Looks like the "vortex to doom" to me. SS is spiraling out of control. Did they fire all their good managers and hire a bunch of teenagers to run the business. The folk at Regent must be feeling pretty good right now.

[Host Jazzbeau]

Maybe this is why Manfredi Lefebvre wants to buy Crystal – because RCG is ruining his baby!

[dawntrdr]

I’m resurrecting this topic to add some information that I don’t recall seeing before about the port-to-port option.  It’s well reported that the 5% Venetian Society discount does not apply to the P2P price.  I just booked a P2P voyage on board and learned that the onboard booking discount is only 2.5% if you elect P2P.

[dawntrdr]

For purposes of comparison, we worked up the cost of the same trip two ways:

1.  P2P less the 2.5% discount

2.  D2D less the 5% Venetian society discount, the 5% onboard discount, and credit for unused air and transfers. Basically, this just pares D2D to the same services as P2P.

 

The D2D was still about $325 more per person.  I interpret this difference to be the  amount you pay for the right to get a refund of your deposit before the payment in full date. 

[gogo65]

2 hours ago, dawntrdr said:

For purposes of comparison, we worked up the cost of the same trip two ways:

1.  P2P less the 2.5% discount

2.  D2D less the 5% Venetian society discount, the 5% onboard discount, and credit for unused air and transfers. Basically, this just pares D2D to the same services as P2P.

 

The D2D was still about $325 more per person.  I interpret this difference to be the  amount you pay for the right to get a refund of your deposit before the payment in full date. 

That seems a little more reasonable and agree some prefer to pay a little extra for option of the refundable deposit.

in my case I’m past the 150 days so the deposit isnt refundable, instead I’m paying $4000 just for the transfers from home to airport and airport to home, absolutely nonsense! 

[goldengatecruisers]

I have been following this thread and also others which touch on this topic.  I can get my head around the D2D pricing structure when it includes air etc. VS the stripped down P2P pricing.  The part I just don't understand is the D2D when air credit is being offered VS the stripped down P2P pricing.

 

I realize we are all from different countries and looking at different Silversea websites. For the purpose of my post I make reference to the US based website and pricing.  I am considering a holiday cruise in December on Silver Spirit.

 

As an example, Mumbai to Singapore in Dec 2022:  The D2D fare does not include air or any airport to cruise terminal transfers, as seen here in this graphic lifted from the cruise in question.  You do get car service from your home to airport and then airport to home at the conclusion of the trip.  The base price is $7500 for Vista.  The P2P stripped down version is priced at $6550 with a non-refundable deposit.  That is a $950 per person difference.   The difference between D2D and P2P pricing increases as you work your way up through the various accommodations.  For example the difference in fare between D2D and P2P at the Superior Veranda category is $1150 pp.  Let us not forget you are only getting car service and the flexibility of a refundable deposit by booking the D2D option.   How come car service suddenly $200 more pp??  It makes no sense.

 

I recognize that Silversea is offering P2P on certain cruises that have not been selling well but to penalize customers with a non-refundable deposit seems pretty harsh.  They are punishing guests who prefer to make independent travel arrangements and I fail to see the logic in the price disparity when the only 'gain' is car service from your home to airport and back again plus the flexibility of a refundable deposit.

 

I have looked at various examples across the US website and unless I am missing something I can not, for the life of me, figure out how they come up with D2D pricing when the air has been subtracted.   

 

Note: having D2D pricing WITH air as the offering and then requesting to have an air credit is entirely a different topic.  My issues is just with the D2D pricing where air has been subtracted.

 

I welcome any thoughts or insights but it seems to me that Silversea have not thought this through. 

 

 

 

[FauxNom]

It's pretty mysterious, but I do know that at least some of the p2p fares are heavily discounted from prices 8 or so months ago--as in nearly half-price. The d2d fares tend to be higher than under the previous system, but not by a lot. So as weird as I think the pricing system is, I don't feel like I'm being penalized; I'm getting a bargain compared to previous fares on many of the trips.

 

Here's an interesting example:  I just booked on the Wind for May--an expedition cruise priced at $6650 for Vista. It used to be priced at $12960. The website shows the p2p fare as not including pre and post hotel, but both are included on all expedition cruises now. The d2d fare on this one includes an air credit, as in your example,  @goldengatecruisers  The fare is $13600, so that's only  $640 more than it used to be, before they introduced the 2 categories.  But I can't imagine being willing to pay $8k more per person just to get the additional airport transfers!  I'm happy with my discount!