Question about Door-to-Door without Air

[Host Jazzbeau]

I decided to book my own air (and did), so now I have to figure out how to change my Silversea booking.

 

I can keep my Door-to-Door pricing, which is now slightly lower than the website prices, and back out the Business Air and take the no-air credit.  Or I can switch to Port-to-Port at current prices, which would be $850 less per person.

 

I know I would have huge cancellation penalties with P2P, but I don't know if I would lose anything else.  Specifically, with D2D-no air do you still get the transfers (or credits) and hotels?

 

[Port Power]

1 hour ago, Host Jazzbeau said:

I decided to book my own air (and did), so now I have to figure out how to change my Silversea booking.

 

I can keep my Door-to-Door pricing, which is now slightly lower than the website prices, and back out the Business Air and take the no-air credit.  Or I can switch to Port-to-Port at current prices, which would be $850 less per person.

 

I know I would have huge cancellation penalties with P2P, but I don't know if I would lose anything else.  Specifically, with D2D-no air do you still get the transfers (or credits) and hotels?

 

My understanding is that if you drop the SilverSky flights, you don’t get the airport to hotel transfer.  Not sure about the post cruise ship to hotel transfer though, as nearly all the passengers will be going to the hotel.  Depending on the port, P2P might have to pay for the post transfer bus.

[commodoredave]

Just returned from a door to door without air on the TA crossing of the Moon. 2 Blacklane transfers were included, no hotel.

[jpalbny]

We are doing D2D w/o SS air in June. We did our own air and took the air credit and the transfer credit.

 

Pre and post hotel is still included. Airport transfers to/from the hotels are not included. This might be different from the experience of others, since it's an expedition cruise?

 

Transfers between ship and hotel are still included.

 

Sounds like you'll need to get a definitive answer from SS. Good luck!

[Host Jazzbeau]

My TA confirmed what @Port Power and @commodoredave posted:  the Air Package includes the hotels and hotel transfers, so if you drop the air you lose the rest (and the Silversea T&C seems to say the same in lawyerese).  Silversea offered to sell me the hotels/transfers, but without any guarantee of which hotels they will use.  Since I had enough points for the Auckland Hilton, and the website rate at the Sydney Four Seasons was only slightly above the Silversea 'pig in a poke' rate – I passed.  [I prefer to get my own transfers anyway.]

 

@jpalbny The Silversea website T&C imply that expedition cruises are different; I think that explains why you got the hotels without air.

 

So now the question is whether – since I have already paid for trip insurance – I should take the P2P saving (not very much) plus the 10% Prepay saving (bringing the total saving to $1,970 vs D2D without air).  Since my Qantas flights are non-refundable, I'm leaning that way.

[Port Power]

4 hours ago, Host Jazzbeau said:

My TA confirmed what @Port Power and @commodoredave posted:  the Air Package includes the hotels and hotel transfers, so if you drop the air you lose the rest (and the Silversea T&C seems to say the same in lawyerese).  Silversea offered to sell me the hotels/transfers, but without any guarantee of which hotels they will use.  Since I had enough points for the Auckland Hilton, and the website rate at the Sydney Four Seasons was only slightly above the Silversea 'pig in a poke' rate – I passed.  [I prefer to get my own transfers anyway.]

 

@jpalbny The Silversea website T&C imply that expedition cruises are different; I think that explains why you got the hotels without air.

 

So now the question is whether – since I have already paid for trip insurance – I should take the P2P saving (not very much) plus the 10% Prepay saving (bringing the total saving to $1,970 vs D2D without air).  Since my Qantas flights are non-refundable, I'm leaning that way.

A taxi from Auckland Airpot to the city shouldn’t be too expensive even though a fair distance.  There is also a city to airport public transfer bus.  From Sydney Airport to Darling Harbour a few weeks ago, the taxi fare was AU$80 plus $5 credit card fee.  Outrageous I thought, but straightforward and easy.

[taxatty]

13 hours ago, Host Jazzbeau said:

Since I had enough points for the Auckland Hilton, and the website rate at the Sydney Four Seasons was only slightly above the Silversea 'pig in a poke' rate – I passed.  [I prefer to get my own transfers anyway.]

70 vs D2D without air).  Since my Qantas flights are non-refundable, I'm leaning that way.

The Auckland Hilton is very nice--it's usually a good deal on HH points. It has a great buffet breakfast and location, with many nearby restaurants and shopping, and you can see the cruise ships from your window and easily walk to them (if that's where SS docks).

[turtlemichael]

1 hour ago, taxatty said:

The Auckland Hilton is very nice--it's usually a good deal on HH points. It has a great buffet breakfast and location, with many nearby restaurants and shopping, and you can see the cruise ships from your window and easily walk to them (if that's where SS docks).

On some occasions the cruise ships are on the same pier as the Hilton and you can almost see the brand of underwear of the passengers.

[Host Jazzbeau]

Update:  the current P2P rates are still so much cheaper than D2D under my original rate that it was worth switching and taking the 10% Prepay discount.  I had bought trip insurance to cover the D2D fare, so I now had some extra coverage and only needed to increase it by the difference to cover P2P + my own Air costs.  Everything is now set, flights ticketed and seats selected.  I'm breathing so much easier with the Silversea Air 'monkey' off my back!

[gcornell]

5 hours ago, Host Jazzbeau said:

Update:  the current P2P rates are still so much cheaper than D2D under my original rate that it was worth switching and taking the 10% Prepay discount.  I had bought trip insurance to cover the D2D fare, so I now had some extra coverage and only needed to increase it by the difference to cover P2P + my own Air costs.  Everything is now set, flights ticketed and seats selected.  I'm breathing so much easier with the Silversea Air 'monkey' off my back!

Yup.  That promo is a goor deal.  I saved $6,000 (4 of us) by switching and wasn’t using the air or hotel for Iceland 24 anyway.  The only thing that hurt was paying in full 15 months in advance but worth it. 

[Host Jazzbeau]

4 hours ago, gcornell said:

Yup.  That promo is a goor deal.  I saved $6,000 (4 of us) by switching and wasn’t using the air or hotel for Iceland 24 anyway.  The only thing that hurt was paying in full 15 months in advance but worth it. 

In my case it's only 9 months now, so even less of a problem.  We were getting close to the point where cancellations penalties start even on D2D.

[labrasett]

I too changed a booking when the prepay discount came available.   I cancelled and rebooked and even with the UK£400 rebooking fee (becomes a potential FCC) I got around £2000 back and it was paid within a week.   My re-booking was into the same cabin.    Since I was already doing my own flights to accommodate one of the great train rides across Australia and having a few days in Perth and Sydney pre-cruise, it was so worthwhile.    No trouble at all my SS rep in London was very helpful and it was all done and dusted in one phone call and a couple of emails.