Luxury line Silversea Cruises has one of the simplest loyalty programs.
The organization called the Venetian Society has no hierarchy of status. The program does not progress from Silver to Gold to Platinum levels as many other lines do.
Instead, the Venetian Society Loyalty Program has only one level (Member), and everyone who sails on Silversea stays on that level forever after their first cruise.
Still, as you sail more on the line, you can start earning some really nice perks as add-ons.
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After one cruise, members will receive special recognition on all future Silversea sailings, including invitations to private parties exclusively for members. Also, he gets a 5% discount when you book some cruises.
However, after 100 days of sailing on the line, you’ll get additional benefits (often including very valuable perks like free cruises). Silversea calls these milestone rewards.
how to earn points
The Venetian Society’s currency system is “Venetian Society Days” and it is very easy to accumulate. Regardless of the suite category or type of ship booked, she of the Line ships will earn 1 Venetian Society day for every day she sails on one. (Both traditional and expedition ships of the Rhine count equally.)
So, 100 days sailing on the Rhine will give you 100 Venetian Society days.
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These Venetian Society Days do not specifically expire. The total number of Venetian Society days accrues throughout your life as you sail with the brand.
Program Levels and Benefits
As previously mentioned, Silversea’s Venetian Society loyalty program does not have program tiers. Anyone who makes one voyage on the line automatically becomes a “member” of the program—its only level of recognition.
By becoming a member, Silversea customers receive:
- Onboarding recognition and invitations to private events.
- Ship visit privilege (in certain cities, Venetian Society members can request a tour of the visiting Silversea ship and bring up to two guests with them).
- 5% off select Venetian Sailing.
For the latter benefit, Silversea customers can find such Venetian sailing by searching Silversea’s website and looking for the Venetian Society icon among the list of available voyages.
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One caveat about the 5% discount on Venetian Sailing: According to the fine print on the Silversea website, the fare discount is “subject to capacity and subject to availability and subject to change at any time without notice.”
Also, the discount cannot be used on the route’s cheaper ‘inter-call’ fares.
Silversea offers two tiers of pricing: ‘port to port’ fares and higher ‘door to door’ fares.
Port-to-port fares include onboard accommodation, butler service, onboard meals and beverages, onboard gratuities, unlimited Wi-Fi, shore excursions, and free shuttle service to the city center where applicable It is included.
Door-to-door fares include all of the above, plus private executive transfers from home and international flights to reach the ship, and access to business class upgrades at a discounted rate.
Additional Silversea Milestone Awards
The above three benefits are the first milestone awards received by Venetian Society members after one sail on the line. However, there are some additional far more valuable perks for those who sail with more lines.
Additional milestone rewards apply as members accumulate.
- 100 Venetian Society Days: 5% discount on all future Venetian Society voyages, not just Venetian Society voyages, and free basic laundry service (excluding dry cleaning and ‘press only’ services).
- 250 Venetian Society Days: 10% off all future sailings.
- Venetian Society 350 Days: One-time 7-day free voyage.
- Venetian Society 500 Days: One-time 14-day free voyage.
After reaching the Venetian Society’s 500-day milestone and earning 14 free cruise nights, Venetian Society members will earn an additional 7 free cruise nights for every additional 150 days sailed.
Being able to get a free cruise after 350 days sailing on the line makes the Silversea program really great in our eyes, even for a relatively simple program without many other perks. It may take many cruises and a lot of spending to reach the 350-day milestone. For example, she needs to make 35 10-night voyages to reach the milestone. But Silversea’s longer Grand Her voyages and cruisers drawn to world cruises (which can span as long as 140 days) can achieve milestones in just a few trips.
In terms of spending, you can expect to pay over $100,000 on Silversea cruises before reaching the milestone level where you start earning free cruises. Silversea voyages often start at about $500 per person per day. Assuming this is the average spend on a Silversea cruise, you would have to spend a hefty $175,000 on a Silversea cruise before reaching the 350-day milestone.
Still, it’s relatively rare for cruise lines to offer free cruises to their best customers. Royal Caribbean and Norwegian Cruise Line also do this.
When it comes time to cash in on your complimentary 7-night cruise reward, you’ll find plenty of options. Silversea is best known for longer voyages, but about a quarter of those departures are her eight days or less. The route’s website currently lists 228 flights with a stay of 8 nights or less.
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Regarding discounts, please note that as with the initial 5% discount on Venetian Society voyages, subsequent discount levels on cruises are controlled by capacity and subject to availability. Nor can it be combined with Silversea’s cheaper ‘inter-call’ fares.
Other than the above, there are relatively few benefits associated with the Venetian Society program. But that’s not necessarily a bad thing. This is a feature that makes Silversea her one of the most comprehensive lines in cruising. Silversea’s fares include so many things: drinks, unlimited his Wi-Fi, shore excursions, and so much more, that there are few things they can offer their loyal customers as upgrades.
Venetian Society Reunion Cruise
In addition to the above, Silversea occasionally offers special voyages only available to members of the Venetian Society. So everyone on a voyage like this is a regular at Silversea, not a first-time customer.
As Silversea calls it, these reunion cruises typically offer one-of-a-kind events, receptions and exclusive experiences. From time to time, the top officers of the line go on such voyages.
Our next Silversea Reunion Cruise will be a 14-night voyage along the Norwegian coast from Copenhagen, starting September 22, 2023.
Silversea Cruise Referral Program
For a limited time, Silversea is also offering a referral program for members of the Venetian Society to help bring new customers to the brand.
Under the terms of the offer, Venetian Society members who refer a friend to the brand will receive a $500 credit toward a future cruise, and the friend will also receive a $500 credit toward a cruise.
The only caveat: the friend being referred must be a new customer who has never sailed with the brand.
The $500 savings can be applied to your reservation in addition to the regular Venetian Society savings and current promotions.
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The referral program is currently running until February 28, 2023, and it is unclear if it will be extended.
Each Venetian Society member can refer up to 5 friends from now until February 28, 2023 and receive $500 in credit. Up to four $500 referral credits he can apply to a single booking for a total savings of $2,000.
In addition, Members who refer a friend to Silversea’s long-term World Cruise or Grand Voyage will receive a referral credit of $1,500 or $1,000 respectively, just like the referrer.
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