No port-to-port "Promotion pricing" for SilverSuites ?

[MJN1]

As we love the itinerary we are looking at a SS cruise on the Dawn in September (Copenhagen to Copenhagen). However, this is with quite some trepidation,

- as we fled from SS several years ago due to the constant cost cuttings (replacing the sugarcoated ginger with ginger candy after pouring Prosecco instead of ordered Champagne was the straw that broke the camels back...) and have been happily encamped on Seabourn ever after; and

-  because we always book our on flights and don't like SS recent focus on door-to-door pricing (the rationale for door-to-door without flights also escapes me).

What didn't help to reduce this trepidation is, that port-to-port is apparently a "special promotional price reduction promotion" only offered for all Verandah suites (and below) and not for SilverSuites (and above). Thus the door-to-door SilverSuite vs port-to-port Verandah price differential is a King's ransom!

Does this exclusion apply to all SS cruises or is this used selectively/can change over time (there seems to be plenty of availability at all Suite levels for this cruise)?

 

[frankhi]

Every P2P SS cruise I have checked offers only Verandah Suites (and below).

[david63]

Has anyone tried asking if they can have P2P where it is not promoted? Fairly sure it can be done - it only needs the "extras" removing from the booking.

[labrasett]

4 hours ago, david63 said:

Has anyone tried asking if they can have P2P where it is not promoted? Fairly sure it can be done - it only needs the "extras" removing from the booking.

There is very little price difference in D2D v P2P if you take the D2D price, deduct transfer pre cruise, deduct flights and then put in the discount for Venetian Society members.   Yes it is a little more in total than P2P but you get the benefit of better cancellation terms so the extra is actually paying to preserve an element of flexibility which can be important if you are booking for a trip many months in the future.

[david63]

33 minutes ago, labrasett said:

There is very little price difference in D2D v P2P

I would have to disagree with that. I changed a D2D to a different P2P cruise arranged my own business class flights, added a four night stay in an hotel of my choice and saved almost £3,000 per person over the Silversea D2D price.

[pavementends]

My reading is that P2P is available only on less fully booked cruises (and maybe only for some cabin classes??).

 

With david63, I agree that the savings can be substantial although the cancellation terms are much stricter.

[Host Jazzbeau]

19 minutes ago, pavementends said:

My reading is that P2P is available only on less fully booked cruises (and maybe only for some cabin classes??).

 

With david63, I agree that the savings can be substantial although the cancellation terms are much stricter.

The really good deal is if you book (or switch to) P2P relatively close to sailing but still within the window to pay in full and get the extra discount.  Since you are close to 100% penalty phase anyway, why not pay in full?

[MJN1]

Many thanks for all your inputs!

To illustrate the difference for a Deluxe Verandah Suite in our case:

D2D (ex London) is GBP 4700 more than P2P.

D2D without flights is GBP 3900 more than P2P.

This is still a huge difference vs P2P for basically just four "executive" transfers...

I was not aware, and don't find it on the SS website, about the discount for Venetian Society members for D2D.

Thanks @ Host Jazzbeau for mentioning the  extra discount when paying in full for D2D. I did find a reference to this on the SS Website,  but one has to ask for a quote and it may not apply to all cruises. Will ask my TA about this discount and report back.

PS: while flight cost comparisons are always tricky, SS basically budgets GBP 800 for the flights ex Londond (difference between D2D with and without flights). We fly ex Salzburg for GBP 903 so this would be similar.

[Whinenowine]

On 6/13/2023 at 5:02 PM, Host Jazzbeau said:

The really good deal is if you book (or switch to) P2P relatively close to sailing but still within the window to pay in full and get the extra discount.  Since you are close to 100% penalty phase anyway, why not pay in full?

Yes, this!  I was actually just looking at this for a 2024 Med cruise, but wasn't sure if it were possible.  August 2024 is a long way out and a lot can happen in 14 months, but this mitigates that refund risk.

[Host Jazzbeau]

4 hours ago, Whinenowine said:

Yes, this!  I was actually just looking at this for a 2024 Med cruise, but wasn't sure if it were possible.  August 2024 is a long way out and a lot can happen in 14 months, but this mitigates that refund risk.

Just make sure you get trip insurance.  You're still at risk if you change your mind [Cancel for Any Reason insurance is crazy expensive and doesn't make you whole anyway], but you are covered for health or job issues and come up between now and then.

[Whinenowine]

20 minutes ago, Host Jazzbeau said:

Just make sure you get trip insurance.  You're still at risk if you change your mind [Cancel for Any Reason insurance is crazy expensive and doesn't make you whole anyway], but you are covered for health or job issues and come up between now and then.

Yes, thanks!