Help me understand the booking process please 😊

[Mapomp]

 

 

I'm new Silversea, not to cruising.  I can understand the three categories, (door-to-door with flights, without flights, and port to port).  However, the cruise I'm looking at, if I look at just port to port, Silver Suite is unavailable.  So does that mean that in order to book that category cabin I have to book one of the two others?  And would they pick me up at a hotel? (assume the answer is yes).  We would be spending time in Florida pre and post cruise (driving from NY,) so pre-cruise transportation isn’t necessary. 

Thank you!

[alexandria]

As I mentioned in your earlier post on the Seabourn forum, you can only book the Silver Suite for the fare class where it shows available.  Silversea often only offers the higher level suites for booking with their door-to-door fares.  Your travel agent can confirm that with Silversea for the particular cruise you are considering.

 

Unless you book the hotel through Silversea, they will not pick you up at the hotel.  Plus, if you plan to drive to the pre-cruise hotel in Ft. Lauderdale and want to leave your car at the hotel during your cruise you'll need to book a "stay, park and cruise" rate or similar (in which case the hotel will often include a complimentary shuttle to the port).  Otherwise you can just drive to the cruise terminal and park there for the duration of your cruise. 

[Jim_Iain]

Would recommend calling your TA or SilverSeas.   I booked a cruise yesterday and had the same situation.     The two rates for With air and without air (incidentally were the same price, which didn't make sense) and nothing for Port to Port.   

 

My agent contacted SilverSeas and they gave him a price for Port to Port and I booked.   Worth a call the worst they can say is NO.  

[sea bright]

Port to Port is not available for anything above a Veranda suite. For a Silver Suite your only option is Door to Door. With DtD you can opt out of the ground transport and/or the air and SS will give you a (small)  credit.  Recently (for a May cruise) we were told that if you opt out of their air,  you lose the transfer from airport to hotel, even if you stay in the SS hotel (not true prior to the DtD regime). If you stay at their hotel pre-cruise they will transport you from the hotel to the pier.

[Mapomp]

So if I understand this correctly, if we want a silver suite, we will need to stay in their hotel pre-cruise? I know I can ask a TA, but I'm not sure I’m going to book. And if I do, I like to feel like I know what I’m doing and not be totally reliant on them.

[gnome12]

2 minutes ago, Mapomp said:

So if I understand this correctly, if we want a silver suite, we will need to stay in their hotel pre-cruise? I know I can ask a TA, but I'm not sure I’m going to book. And if I do, I like to feel like I know what I’m doing and not be totally reliant on them.

It depends on the cruise. Not all DtD cruises include a pre-cruise hotel. For example, mine from Oslo to Copenhagen does not include a pre-cruise night. 

[gnome12]

29 minutes ago, Jim_Iain said:

Would recommend calling your TA or SilverSeas.   I booked a cruise yesterday and had the same situation.     The two rates for With air and without air (incidentally were the same price, which didn't make sense) and nothing for Port to Port.   

 

My agent contacted SilverSeas and they gave him a price for Port to Port and I booked.   Worth a call the worst they can say is NO.  

By the way, it is Silversea not SilverSeas. 

[sea bright]

DtD (required for a Silver Suite) will include transfers from the airport to the pier and pier to the airport if you use the included (or upgraded business class) air. If you opt out of the air (take the credit), based on our experience with our May cruise, you loose the transfers from the airport to the pier and pier to the airport. However, if you book the SS hotel pre-cruise, the transfer from the hotel to the pier is included. Presumably, if you booked their hotel post-cruise the transfer from.the hotel to the pier would be included. 

[Mapomp]

8 hours ago, sea bright said:

DtD (required for a Silver Suite) will include transfers from the airport to the pier and pier to the airport if you use the included (or upgraded business class) air. If you opt out of the air (take the credit), based on our experience with our May cruise, you loose the transfers from the airport to the pier and pier to the airport. However, if you book the SS hotel pre-cruise, the transfer from the hotel to the pier is included. Presumably, if you booked their hotel post-cruise the transfer from.the hotel to the pier would be included. 

Thank you.  Since we’d be leaving from Florida where we would already be vacationing, DtD with air wouldn’t work, but I could use a pre-cruise hotel if it meant I could book the Silver Suite.  I guess I’ll just call SS and ask directly how to get it to work. Thank you all for your help.

[alexandria]

Just be aware that if you book a hotel through Silversea, they reserve the right to change your hotel for any reason and you have no recourse other than to complain and hope they make it right.  It doesn't happen frequently but you could find yourself in a different and inferior hotel than the one you expected.  I'd suggest you book your pre-cruise hotel yourself so you can also arrange for long-term parking of your car (either at the hotel or the cruise terminal).  Parking at the terminal is $20/day, you can probably find a hotel that will allow you to park there during your cruise for about half that rate.  Then you can just take an Uber for $10-$20 dollars from the hotel to the cruise terminal.

 

Is the Silver Suite the lowest category stateroom you would consider acceptable?  You mention being new to Silversea but not new to cruising so perhaps you haven't considered a Veranda Suite which (on the Silver Shadow) is 345 sq ft.  That is as large as what are considered upgraded suites on cruise lines such as Celebrity (larger than most Sky Suites), Princess (larger than most Mini-Suites), NCL (similar to many Club Balcony Suites) and HAL (nearly as large as most Signature Suites). 

 

I mention that because if you are driving to Ft. Lauderdale, you will pay a significant premium for the door-to-door w/o flights fare without any benefit other than a more favorable deposit and cancellation policy (and the ability to book a Silver Suite or higher). 

 

For example, on the Silver Shadow 14 nt RT from Ft. Lauderdale leaving Dec 3, 2024, you'll pay $12,500 for a Classic Veranda suite with a port-to-port fare but $15,000 for the same suite for the door-to-door w/o flights (after the $200 credit for not using the Executive Transfer between your home and departure airport).  That is $2,500 more for the exact same suite and benefits with the only difference being the deposit and cancellation policy.  (The Silver Suite on the same sailing is $27,000).

 

Most Silversea regulars book Veranda suites (the only difference between Classic, Superior and Deluxe is location on the ship) and are very pleased with the accommodations.  But it is all a matter of personal preference!

 

Hope that is helpful...