Extra charge for pre-cruise hotel with Door-to-Door?

[Mountain Traveler]

I am booked on a Silver Cloud Expedition in October departing from Ft. Lauderdale and final payment is here.  My Silversea travel consultant has informed me that although I booked the "Door-to-Door" fare for the cruise, the pre-cruise hotel is an extra charge - at $310 per person and has been added to my invoice.  Silversea Air department picked the flights to arrive the day before the cruise departs and the cruise confirmation document lists the "Silversea Simply Hotel" as being booked for the one night pre-cruise.  Coming back to me at this point to charge extra for the pre-cruise hotel does not seem right, but before I argued with them, I thought I'd check here to see if this is something others have experienced.

Thanks.

[Tex1]

Did the original booking include one night pre cruise hotel room?  As long as it did, I would push back.

[jimdee3636]

@Mountain Traveler

Although for non-monetary reasons I've cancelled the cruise, I had booked a Door-to-Door on the Cloud for a cruise this September which definitely included both pre- and post-cruise hotels. I remember it distinctly because I looked long and hard at the D2D inclusions before deciding to book. I can't tell you what to do, but if it was me I would tell SS in no uncertain terms that I'm not making the final payment until the hotel charge is wiped out. I'd rather cancel than feel taken advantage of.

 

Jim

[ronrick1943]

Just call your TA, if it’s included in your paper work you shouldn’t have a problem.

 

[highplanesdrifters]

8 hours ago, ronrick1943 said:

Just call your TA, if it’s included in your paper work you shouldn’t have a problem.

 

Exactly, your TA should solve. Or get a new TA.  Silversea once said our charter flight was not included even though the documents said it was. Battle ensued. Silversea admitted they were wrong.

[Texas Tillie]

I have noticed that the hotel is only included on some of the cruises leaving from Asia. This change was made several months ago. I have a cruise from Lisbon in Sept. and a hotel is not included. This is a major cost cutting on Silversea's part as I don't believe the door to door fares were decreased when they dropped the hotel.

[dawntrdr]

In the past, pre- and post- one night hotel stays have only been included on expedition cruises (and sometimes not even then if the cruise involves an overnight on the ship at the destination, such as at Tower Bridge).  I have never had a classic cruise (nor seen one on offer) where a pre- or post- hotel was offered unless the destination had such inconvenient flight times that there is no way to get a flight the same day as arrival or departure.  I agree that if it's in the cruise description,  @Mountain Traveler should not have to pay for their pre-cruise night.

[Dolcevita Diva]

32 minutes ago, Texas Tillie said:

I have noticed that the hotel is only included on some of the cruises leaving from Asia. This change was made several months ago. I have a cruise from Lisbon in Sept. and a hotel is not included. This is a major cost cutting on Silversea's part as I don't believe the door to door fares were decreased when they dropped the hotel.

The change that they really need to make is their ridiculous branding of "Door-to-Door."

Door-to-Door all-inclusive - except that some D2D fares do not include airfare and others do not include hotel. 🧐

 

[Host Jazzbeau]

22 minutes ago, dawntrdr said:

In the past, pre- and post- one night hotel stays have only been included on expedition cruises (and sometimes not even then if the cruise involves an overnight on the ship at the destination, such as at Tower Bridge).  I have never had a classic cruise (nor seen one on offer) where a pre- or post- hotel was offered unless the destination had such inconvenient flight times that there is no way to get a flight the same day as arrival or departure.  I agree that if it's in the cruise description,  @Mountain Traveler should not have to pay for their pre-cruise night.

Here is what is shown for the Jan. 29, 2024 Auckland to Sydney cruise on Whisper (a classic cruise).  Both hotels are still included in D2D fare.  [Maybe the long distance between North America and NZ/Aus are what you meant about inconvenient flight times?]

[dawntrdr]

@Host Jazzbeau, I believe you are correct; I had a booking for this cruise until a few months ago and I assumed that the bookended hotels had to do with accommodating the long flights (or recognizing that SilverSky might have a more limited choice of contracted flights).  

[Randyk47]

On 5/28/2023 at 8:53 AM, Host Jazzbeau said:

Here is what is shown for the Jan. 29, 2024 Auckland to Sydney cruise on Whisper (a classic cruise).  Both hotels are still included in D2D fare.  [Maybe the long distance between North America and NZ/Aus are what you meant about inconvenient flight times?]

We’re booked on the Silver Nova for a 23-day cruise Ft Lauderdale to San Francisco for next April.  We went ahead and booked door-to-door but added a pre-cruise hotel to our booking.  I just now went to the page for that cruise and indeed the hotel icon and green check are not shown for that cruise as part of door-to-door.   Of course of the system is probably “smart” enough to see I’m looking at the page from the US so travel time and distance typically wouldn’t be an issue and maybe not included.  

Edited May 31, 2023 by Randyk47

[mchell810]

It seems D2D sometimes includes a pre-cruise hotel but sometimes not.  After reading the posts about hotel, I looked at some a bunch of cruises -- different ships, different parts of the world, different years and I can't figure out the rhyme or reason for the inclusion or exclusion of the hotel night.  One cruise will have the hotel and the next on the same ship won't, even when it's in the same region.  If anyone figures out the pattered I'd love to know as I am very curios now. 

 

(I didn't look at any expedition cruises as I know those are handled differently.) 

[Kalscruise]

Alaska pre hotel included... but was told if I opt to do my own flights.. taking a flight credit on DtoD we would no longer get the hotel or any transfers?

 

 

[Mountain Traveler]

Update - I left a fairly detailed message for my Silversea travel consultant this morning regarding my concerns about the pre-cruise hotel charge.  He called back this afternoon and said it took him some digging around and speaking with his manager, but they determined the charge was in error.  He is removing the charge from my invoice.

 

Thank you to all who replied.  As mchell810 stated, it does appear that currently Silversea's Door-to-Door fare may or may not include a pre-cruise hotel night.   

[mchell810]

Sorry there so many typos in my post.   🤦‍♀️