The new ultimate perk for luxury cruisers is a private car pickup at your home
Silversea Cruises is upping the ante in the Battle of the Perks among luxury lines.
The Florida-based luxury brand on Thursday said it would begin picking up customers at their homes in a private chauffeured car and whisking them to their ships (if the ships are nearby) or a local airport to fly to their ships at no extra charge, starting in 2022.
The same service will be available to passengers in reverse at the end of their cruises. The line will deliver them from ships or their local airports in a private chauffeured car.
The new service, which will be standard for all customers, is being offered as part of a new, exclusive partnership with Blacklane, the global chauffeur service company.
It's the first time such a service has been offered to cruisers as a standard, included-in-the-fare service for all -- not just for those staying in top suites.
The new service will roll out across Silversea's fleet starting on March 30, 2022, and has a few caveats.
For starters, there is a limit to how far Silversea will take you from your home in a private car for no extra cost: 50 miles. If you need to go farther than that to reach your ship or the nearest airport, private car transfers still will be available at an extra cost.
In addition, there are a few places where the transfer service will not be available. In announcing the new perk on Thursday, Silversea said private executive transfers can be arranged in more than 200 cities in over 50 countries around the world.
The private transfer-from-and-to-home perk will be available to passengers cruising on any publicly available full fare, including special combination fares and fares for Grand Voyages and full World Cruises.
"We are delighted to offer our guests a full door-to-door journey on all voyages, further enhancing our all-inclusive offering for guests' convenience," Silversea president and CEO Roberto Martinoli said in a statement accompanying the announcement. "With the introduction of Blacklane's chauffeur-driven transfers, we are extending our trademark level of service to begin from the moment travelers leave their homes and end when they have returned."
Private transfers from home to ship or airport are one of the few things for which Silversea customers have had to pay until now. The line is known for having one of the most all-inclusive products in cruising, with round-trip air as well as shore excursions included in fares.
The line also offers included transfers from airports to ships as standard on all voyages.
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