Silversea Alters Japan Itineraries; Compensates Passengers

After assessing the situation in Japan, ultra-luxury line Silversea announced on Monday that four itineraries operated by Silver Shadow would be impacted.  Japan has been reeling in the wake of a devastating earthquake and subsequent Tsunami that hit in the afternoon of March 11, and continues to struggle to bring the situation at the Fukushima nuclear power plant under control.

The elegant Silver Shadow. Photo courtesy of Silversea Cruises

While other cruise lines have announced they too will skip their forthcoming Japanese port calls, Silversea is the first line to make an attempt to compensate passengers for their inconvenience – a rare and welcome gesture, given that natural disasters are beyond the control of man and as such usually don’t represent grounds for compensation.

Passengers set to embark Silver Shadow voyages 3107, 3108, 3109 and 3110 will be sent their revised itineraries, and guests who elected to utilise the line’s Silver Sky Air Programme will have their flights changed by the line in order to accommodate the new embarkation/disembarkation port of Seoul, South Korea.  If necessary, Silversea will also provide necessary hotel accommodation, transfers, and breakfasts for affected guests.  Guests who may wish to stay additional days in Seoul can contact SilverSky@silversea.com to make necessary arrangements.

Guests who originally purchased their own independent air transportation should find most airlines willing to waive change fees in the light of the disaster that has struck Japan, but Silversea advises guests who do face fees to contact one of their Guest Relations Supervisors for more assistance.

All guests should see their air arrangements and itineraries modified this week, and new shore excursions are available immediately via Silversea’s online Voyage Personaliser.

Voyages 3107, 3108 and 3109 will find Japanese calls replaced with a variety of unique ports in China and Korea.  For their inconvenience, guests will be able to participate in a complimentary 2-day Mid Voyage Land Adventure to Beijing, China.  This spectacular excursion includes stops at famous landmarks like Tiananmen Square and the Great Wall of China, and includes an overnight stay at the prestigious, five-star Peninsular Beijing.

Voyage 3110 is potentially the most altered itinerary.  This voyage originally included calls at a number of Japanese ports before Silver Shadow made her transpacific crossing to Anchorage, Alaska to start her Alaskan season.  In order to maintain this scheduled arrival in Anchorage, the Japanese ports had to be scrapped and replaced with days at sea.  The ship’s calls at Petropavlovsk, Russia and in Alaska remain as scheduled.  To better compensate passengers on this voyage, guests will receive a Future Cruise Credit good for travel until December 2012 of $1,500 for those in VI, VR or DV suites, and those in Medallion suites or higher will be entitled to $2,500 for their inconvenience.

 Natural disasters by their nature occur without warning, and the logistics of arranging alternate ports of call in such a short timeframe, not to mention re-ticketing air travel for hundreds of affected passengers, arranging hotel stays and a new two-day land tour in Beijing, had to be a monumental undertaking for the line’s Ft. Lauderdale-based employees, who truly should be applauded for going above and beyond for their guests.

Full details of the itinerary changes can be found on Silversea’s website.

Curious about the Silver Shadow?  Check out our comprehensive photo-tour.