How You CAN Afford a Ultra-Luxury Cruise
What is it you look for when choosing a cruise? Is it the features of the ship? The recommendation from a friend, or professional travel advisor? The itinerary? Or the value for money it offers?
For most of us it is a combination of all of these things.
For some of us though, in the past we may not have considered a luxury cruise, let alone a Silversea Ultra-Luxury option, thinking it was out of our reach. But before you go down this path, let’s look at things a little differently.
Let me do a comparison and show you what I mean.
Let’s look at a 7 Day Mediterranean Cruise in April 2022. I will compare two balcony suites. All prices are per person in Australian Dollars.
I will start with the facts about a well-known Premium quality cruise line with an excellent reputation.Their base fare including a premium drinks package and Wifi is $2900. To do a shore excursion in each of the 6 ports visited will be around $750 in total. An economy airfare to Europe in and out of the required cities around $2200. Include a surcharge of $60pp/meal approximately to access some of the superior dining venues on board (which are closer to the standard as included on the ultra-luxury cruise). Add in some transfers to and from the ports to your accommodation at the start and end of your cruise, and you won’t have any change from $6000. And you still need to add gratuities. We are cruising in Europe after all!
Compare this to a Silversea Ultra-Luxury Cruise on the Silver Moon.
You can book the same style balcony cabin, on this cruise of the same length, for $7380pp.Wifi and drinks are INCLUDED (as they are on the Premium line). However gratuities are INCLUDED in the fare. Your choice from a selection of shore excursions in each port is INCLUDED in the fare (in 8 ports, not 6 as above). You are in a port EVERY day of the itinerary (the other cruise has 2 sea days). You have 6 "INCLUDED in your fare" dining options to choose from, not 5. Room service is INCLUDED in your fare with NO service fee for food delivery. Butler service is INCLUDED in your fare. Economy airfare to Europe is INCLUDED in your fare. Private executive transfers (between home and airport) are INCLUDED in your fare. Transfers from your hotel to the port before and after the cruise are INCLUDED in your fare. Transfers at each port into the town centre are INCLUDED in your fare.
The ship carries 596 passengers when at capacity, not 3,650. This means a far more intimate, personalised experience and no queues for anything. Ever. No tenders are used in any port. Once you are on the Silver Moon you do not have to put your hand in your pocket for anything unless you are at the Casino or in the Day Spa. So for a fare that equates to about an extra $400/day over a week, you are receiving 24/7 Butler service, port arrival and departure transfers, free city transfers in each port and the convenience and ultra-luxury service levels and benefits of a small ship experience.
“But I don’t need a butler” I hear you say.
As you step back on board after a long hot day exploring a Greek Island, your butler is waiting to greet you with a smile and a glass of champagne or your favorite drink - don't worry - your butler will know what you like! As you step out of the pool, a deck hand has already prepared your towel. As you sit down to dinner, your favourite drink appears as if by magic. With a staff to guest ration of almost 1:1, white glove guest service remains the jewel in Silversea’s crown. Devoted, discreet and experienced, these dedicated men and women are the key to turning your trip into a long-lasting memory.
So although you may not NEED a butler, why not allow yourself to be spoiled? Be pampered in a way that helps you create a memory that lasts a lifetime! We don’t NEED to holiday, but we take them to enrich our memory banks. To grow and learn. To recharge depleted batteries. To experience things differently to what we do at home. We may not NEED a butler, but this is YOUR holiday and YOU deserve the experience, the service, the luxury. It’s part of the big picture, a treat on the holiday that makes it nothing like home will ever be!
BUT WAIT THERE IS MORE! MTA and Silversea are both members of Virtuoso – an exclusive luxury travel affiliation. For you as a guest on board this gives even more benefits. Some Silversea voyages are hosted by a Virtuoso Host – an experienced travel adviser and cruise expert – for that extra service level and any assistance you may need during the cruise.
Depending on the cruise chosen, you may be invited to an exclusive cocktail party or welcome reception. On the departure I used for this comparison, you have a choice of either USD150 shipboard credit per person, a USD175 credit towards a shore based experience, a private car and driver in Barcelona for 4 hours, or a uniquely curated shore experience in Marseille only for Virtuoso guests on board. You cannot get these unique Virtuoso inclusions booking on your own – it must be through a Virtuoso agency like MTA Mobile Travel Agents.
Again this represents even more value for you when comparing a ultra-luxury Silversea cruise offering to the usual Premium line you have may considered in the past. Small ships do not sacrifice on experience, or facilities. Silver Moon maintains the small-ship intimacy and spacious all-suite accommodation which are the hallmarks of the Silversea experience.
Silver Moon also features the all-new Sea And Land Taste (S.A.L.T.) programme – an immersive culinary concept that enables guests to travel deeper through a range of destination based gastronomic experiences. S.A.L.T. focuses on reflecting your destination through taste, by sourcing authentic ingredients prepared with respect to tradition. From market trips and special dinners in the S.A.L.T. restaurant to cooking demos with local guest chefs in the cooking lab, S.A.L.T. takes travellers further than ever before in destination experiences.
For a little extra investment in up front cruise fare, with the convenience of being in Australian dollars (not added in US or Euro while you are on the cruise, with the extra currency conversion fees these transactions incur) the benefits just keep adding up.
I will challenge you here and now, that when it is time to book your next cruise, let me do the checks and balances from start to finish. Compare the cruise you would usually choose to a Silversea ultra-luxury cruise, and see how it all works out. You have nothing to lose, and potentially a cruise holiday beyond your wildest dreams to gain.
PS - let me know if you read all the way to the end here so I can apply a "thankyou" amenity to the next cruise or holiday that you book!