Major March 15 Price Increase

[Observer]

I have been gobsmacked by the price increases on Silversea.  I have cruises booked well into the future. I have compared the list price of my cruises (before various discounts) and the prices currently being asked.  To say that the differences are substantial would be an understatement.

 

I have been sailing on Silversea so long that I have two rid myself of my benchmark highest price of $500 per night solo occupancy.  (Big Macs have also gone up in price.)

 

I share the dismay of many regarding this development.  I understand that it will bring Silversea out of reach of many people, quite possibly including me.

 

But I wonder if there might be good news here. Some of this is doubtless a revenue grab by RCL. But it may be that Silversea will be able to up its game significantly.  Crew will be paid better and there will be less turnover.  Provisioning of food and spirits will be enhanced.  Higher quality lecturers will be engaged.  Etc.

 

Is this all implausible?  

[Gourmet Gal]

We’ll believe it when we see it.

[A Tucson Guy]

31 minutes ago, Observer said:

I have been gobsmacked by the price increases on Silversea.  I have cruises booked well into the future. I have compared the list price of my cruises (before various discounts) and the prices currently being asked.  To say that the differences are substantial would be an understatement.

 

I have been sailing on Silversea so long that I have two rid myself of my benchmark highest price of $500 per night solo occupancy.  (Big Macs have also gone up in price.)

 

I share the dismay of many regarding this development.  I understand that it will bring Silversea out of reach of many people, quite possibly including me.

 

But I wonder if there might be good news here. Some of this is doubtless a revenue grab by RCL. But it may be that Silversea will be able to up its game significantly.  Crew will be paid better and there will be less turnover.  Provisioning of food and spirits will be enhanced.  Higher quality lecturers will be engaged.  Etc.

 

Is this all implausible?  

From your lips to God's ears!!! Let's hope you are right.

[Host Jazzbeau]

33 minutes ago, Observer said:

But I wonder if there might be good news here. Some of this is doubtless a revenue grab by RCL. But it may be that Silversea will be able to up its game significantly.  Crew will be paid better and there will be less turnover.  Provisioning of food and spirits will be enhanced.  Higher quality lecturers will be engaged.  Etc.

Given what RCG is doing on its other lines, I think it is far more likely that this revenue grab will be accompanied by more cost cuts.  

 

They used to teach in business school (so I'm told) that it's far more expensive to get new customers than to keep old ones – but it looks like the cruise lines have decided that their old customers aren't worth keeping:  we qualify for loyalty benefits, we don't have much longer to cruise, and worst of all we remember how good it used to be and complain about the cuts!  New customers don't know what it was like, so they will approach the product for what it is and they don't know what cruises used to cost so they will pay up.

 

I'm glad I got in at the tail end of old Silversea, and have two more cruises booked at the old prices.  After that, the changes will probably send me elsewhere...

[tfred]

I think the glory days of exceedingly good value cruises is over. Silversea and others want to keep the old guard but they aren't going to give it away anymore as compared to land based vacations.  Silversea CEO said that they are going to narrow the price gap land to cruise holidays and they obviously mean it. 

 

The Ritz Carlton Key Biscayne is $1100/night plus taxes.  Add on food and booze and it is easy to hit $1500/night. Those Ritz customers at those prices are certainly in the demo for Silversea 

 

Last year we booked a 11 night Silversea Rome to Venice for about $12k sailing this summer. It is now $18k. The Silversea $12k was actually lower than the Celebrity Med cruise - amazing.  That is over for sure. 

[wren2]

I wish I could agree but just think Silversea wants to rake in as much as possible. I have sailed with Silversea so many years that a few cruises ago my waiter was the son of the guy who first served me at the Pool Bar. It started with Business air incurring a supplement and from then more cutbacks I.e. some excursions that once were included now chargeable, food still good but less choice. No welcome champagne. I had always loved the quiet service of the Filipino waiters, now they slowly seem to be replaced by other nationalities. I questioned the Restaurant Manager on this and was told that after Covid, many chose to start their own businesses at home! The cynical part of me thinks cheaper labour. And then the real whammy - that gobsmacking price increase. I figure as a solo traveller 8 days cruise in the Med in a Vista will now cost about £10-12,000. Fortunately, I have two cruises booked then, after so many years, it will be a sad goodbye to Silversea. I wonder if they will find passengers to fill their numerous ships. And there is another potential price hike in June.  What planet are they living on?

[RetiredOnVacation]

We managed to get a Fair Guarantee adjustment last week on a cruise we're taking next year, maybe around the same time as the fare structure change, but a couple of days afterwards the fare had jumped up 10%! Great benefit for us and perfect timing it seems, as we wouldn't qualify now! 

I guess fares just change regularly, perhaps due capacity revenue management as ships fill in a category? 

[wren2]

In all my years with Silversea, I have never seen any price hike to compare to this one. I think initially ships will be more or less be full with people like me who booked before the increase but I wonder if Silversea see their bookings fall, what will happen.  After never sailing with any other line than Silversea, I am joining a Crystal cruise next week.  Now coowned by the firmer owner of Silversea. His high standards give me confidence.

[Texas Tillie]

5 minutes ago, wren2 said:

In all my years with Silversea, I have never seen any price hike to compare to this one. I think initially ships will be more or less be full with people like me who booked before the increase but I wonder if Silversea see their bookings fall, what will happen.  After never sailing with any other line than Silversea, I am joining a Crystal cruise next week.  Now coowned by the firmer owner of Silversea. His high standards give me confidence.

 

I believe Manfredi owns the majority interest in A&K now. Had to do something with those billions he got from Royal Caribbean.

[Host Jazzbeau]

3 hours ago, wren2 said:

In all my years with Silversea, I have never seen any price hike to compare to this one.

We are now seeing a multi-year catchup on inflation by all cruise lines (and airlines).  They kept prices low for as long as they could, but now the Covid debts are coming due so we're getting a double whammy.

 

If the stock market keeps hitting new highs [I know, not this week...], people will probably continue to 'revenge travel' and just pay up.  And new cruisers don't know the pre-cutback quality levels, so they'll probably accept that too.

[tfred]

1 hour ago, Host Jazzbeau said:

We are now seeing a multi-year catchup on inflation by all cruise lines (and airlines).  They kept prices low for as long as they could, but now the Covid debts are coming due so we're getting a double whammy.

 

If the stock market keeps hitting new highs [I know, not this week...], people will probably continue to 'revenge travel' and just pay up.  And new cruisers don't know the pre-cutback quality levels, so they'll probably accept that too.

look at any resort style Four Seasons and the nightly rate for a standard room is about $1500 and they are obviously getting. Now add on food and booze and $2000/night is pretty easy.   That is a $14,000 week at the hotel.  Service is good at FS but it isnt what goes on at Silversea even now with "cutbacks". SSea isnt stupid as they are constantly evaluating what actually moves the needle with customer satisfaction and eliminates services that cost (especially with labor) with little return. 

 

Silversea (and others) see that and say "Why not us?"  They will jack the rates to match land resorts. Long time pax are unfortunately seeing that increase in real time, not a graduated curve. 

[Host Jazzbeau]

Just now, tfred said:

look at any resort style Four Seasons and the nightly rate for a standard room is about $1500 and they are obviously getting. Now add on food and booze and $2000/night is pretty easy.   That is a $14,000 week at the hotel.

And the itineraries are terrible!  Only one port!!!

[surmy555]

I was looking at a fall 2025 10 night Canada/New England cruise last September. It was $13K. Same cruise, same cabin now $20K+. $7K increase, no thanks

[goldengatecruisers]

I saw that too, on Silver Shadow, as I also want to sail that itinerary.  The price increases are ridiculously high.  In anddition I’ve noticed the incremental increases between Classic to Deluxe veranda on the 2025 cruises is quite a price hike.  

[frankhi]

I think the new pricing structure that has been put in place for all cruises will be fine tuned/adjusted on a cruise by cruise basis, like lowering single supplements on some, in the near future. 

[pavementends]

The cruise I booked during the sale (which ended Mar 15, didn't it?) went up a fair bit. But then that's the thing about a sale- it's an incentive to book now (or then) and not later. If the prices never went up then it wasn't a sale.

 

 

 

 

[sea bright]

In early January we were looking at a September cruise on the Endeavour in a Silver Suite. It was $29,100 DtD (the only option for a Silver Suite at the time). After the recent price increase it is $30,600 DtD, but there is now a PtP option (which we often prefer) at  $28,600. Not sure I can get airfare and airport transfers for $500 per person so the price has increased, but only slightly. 

It looks like the amount of the price increase varies by itinerary and possibly even cabin class.

[jmmiva]

Compare upgraded space such as celebrity haven and SS is still a good deal.

 

[Winemaker_1]

We booked a Fall 2024 cruise in July of 2023.  Now the price is 45% higher.   We booked another cruise for 2025 in November 2023.  The price for that cruise is now up 33% higher.  I don't how you can call it anything but gouging.  It seems ridiculous.  

 

Jason Liberty reminds me of an idiot bagel shop owner in my town.  He was actually stupid enough to write a message on a blackboard in the restaurant that said "due to demand, we are raising prices".  That bagel shop was out of business 2 years later.  

[PaulaJK]

I do not consider SS equivalent to the Four Seasons or Ritz…... And certainly recent downgrades in cuisine and provision quality remove it from a high end restaurant group. After our recent experience on Spirit, we will avoid SS.

[Isr45]

Similar comments to these on the Seabourn board re the massive increases - this is not just Silversea.

[A Tucson Guy]

10 minutes ago, Isr45 said:

Similar comments to these on the Seabourn board re the massive increases - this is not just Silversea.

I think Regent prices are also on the upswing!!

[RetiredOnVacation]

One thing's for certain - if SS price themselves out of the market, they won't be around very much longer! Or is the ultra-luxury market itself trending upwards? 🤷🏻

 

[Isr45]

1 hour ago, RetiredOnVacation said:

One thing's for certain - if SS price themselves out of the market, they won't be around very much longer! Or is the ultra-luxury market itself trending upwards? 🤷🏻

 

I don’t think they will price themselves out of the market as they will still compare favourably to many luxury land based holidays - I really do believe cruise prices have been too cheap in this market for the last few years 😀

[mac_tlc]

Given the big increases in some Celebrity cruises I was looking at for Spring 2025 and Spring 2026, we expanded our horizons and looked at Oceania and SS. Booked the Vista for its Fall 2025 TA for about $325 pppd for a PH2. Was seriously looking at Silver Ray Spring 2026 TA and it was a great price -- about $305pppd for a Superior Veranda Suite. All cheaper than any option in a Sky Suite on Celebrity for their transatlantic voyages. Then the SS prices went up, and now that same cruise is about $505ppd. Any price advantage over Celebrity is now gone. We may still try SS but, for us, it is now a tougher decision.

 

 

mac_tlc