Bargain door to door or not

[bohaiboy]

Its bordering on ridiculous.  We just booked the Moon Barbados to Lima.  Full DTD for a classic veranda $9,800, home to airport to home, economy flights, transfers from AP to ship.  DTD no air or A/P transfers for same ste $9,050.  PTP, not transfers at all $6,950.  So deltas are $2,850 and $2,100 respectively, per person.  For both DTD (no air) and PTP, one must acquire their own airfare, which I found business class fares for $1500 per person, so add that to each of those fares and now the total is $10,550 (advantage full door to door except flying in Biz class.  PTP $8,450 or $1350 pp less than full DTD but also consider fling biz class.. So is the home-A/P/Home transfer and AP toship transfers worth $1,350 per person?  I personally think not.

Now if I were booking a cruise more than a year out I might reconsider because of a risk of the cruise being changed by me. 

[Host Jazzbeau]

I don't understand why Silversea doesn't set up the pricing so that D2D is all-inclusive (as it is) with opt-outs (as it is) – and P2P is cruise experience only [meaning everything onboard that everybody gets, but no air, no transfers, no hotels, and no shore excursions] with opt-ins.

[les37b]

7 hours ago, bohaiboy said:

Now if I were booking a cruise more than a year out I might reconsider because of a risk of the cruise being changed by me. 

Pre COVID, I pretty much always booked my own flights. Not only a better deal, but complete control of the airline, times and route. Knowing that cruise can be cancelled, changed or unintentionally extended, I will for the time being put this responsibility on the Cruise Line. The P2P deposit penalties also put pay to that option. So it now boils down to costs and what's reasonable and what's not. If I think the cruise fees are too high, I will simply book something else. I'm not sure Silversea appreciate there is a nuclear option on the table for its guests and is one I'm not happy about, but will use. I would however miss Silversea.

[clarky]

We have never in the past used the SS air option.  However during the uncertain times of COVID we opted to use their air option.  I'm glad we did.  We were booked on the Grand Voyage from Singapore - Trosmso.  The first segment of the cruise was cancelled.  Singapore to Cochin, then a couple of days later the second segement Cochin to Athens was cancelled.  It saved us the hassled of contacting airlines (which during this time would have meant long wait to speak with a human) to change our flight and perhaps having to pay change fees.  We have bookings with SS up to January 2024 and have opted to use SS air for all those cruises.  Perhaps after January when flying is back to somewhat normal I will again opt to book my own air which I prefer to do.

 

When looking at the D2D compared to P2P on some cruises it just makes more financial sense to book your own air but on some cruises, for us flying out of Perth after the air credit I could not find an air at the price I paid SS.  Particularly to Antartica not so much to Europe of the Med.  I think doing a comparison of SS v your own arrangements and making a decision that works for you is the way to go.

[goldengatecruisers]

In continuing to research cruises for the next 12-18 months I am not finding any D2D fares that include air anymore.  Everything I check is only offering D2D with "air credit".  Have Silversea opted out of including air or is it just for a very limited collection of voyages?  

[bohaiboy]

Wonder if they have gotten burned projecting airfare so far out.  I noticed a Japan cruise where they were $11500 economy but then an additional $6500 USD for biz upgrade.

[goldengatecruisers]

Can you recall which Japan voyage is offering included air as all of the itineraries I click on show 'air credit'.