Regent or Viking Ocean?

Agree that mass market ships are innovative. I believe that this is to continue to draw young cruisers (meaning. young adult cruisers). Luxury cruise lines tend to focus on the "timeless" design and decor. Scandinavian decor is definitely timeless as is the decor of the Explorer (IMHO). As said previously, I would not want my home to be in either decor but, for a cruise ship, both can be very comfortable - depending upon one's perspective. What boggles my mind is when anyone will not sail on a cruise ship simply because they do not like the decor. If the food or service was poor, I understand but basing everything on decor does not make sense to me. A suite could painted purple and black and, as long as the layout, bed and space is good, I could care less what colors the suite is done in.

I'm in my fifties and want innovation too! And I fear that "timeless" has the potential to become just a tad boring. And I'm not suggesting to shape the vessel like a giant beach ball and bounce it across the water...but as a relatively new cruiser, just increasing the quality of finishes and materials, as beautiful as they may be, isn't enough.

And innovation doesn't just happen to be exclusive to marine architecture. On board entertainment strikes me as ripe for reinvention. Personally, I'd prefer all lectures and less lame comedians and singers and magicians and mind readers, none of whom are that good. I know I'm in the minority there, but having more opportunities to learn would be great. Just an interesting evening lecture in a lounge would be a nice option.

Some mass market lines are experimenting with onboard passenger competition shows based on The Voice or Dancing With The Stars. They look like they're clever and fun. And everyone loves trivia. Would love to see some mega contest on the main stage with smart teams that have qualified over the course of the cruise. Or make a deal to bring Jeopardy on board!

Anyway, wasn't looking for this to be a rant...and off topic as well! Sorry about that!

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Everyone obviously has different tastes. While we love Liars Club late at night, I would run as fast as I could away from passenger competitions. My favorite show is John Barron's. Also enjoy singers and dancers and even occasional comedians. We also enjoy when locals come onboard and do a show. We find over 50% of recent lectures boring and look forward to the end of the contract with Smithsonian.

As you know, they do have trivia on Regent which we used to enjoy until it became too serious and cut throat. They also do Name That Tune and a cooking competition similar to Iron Chef but these are done late at night or during the day.

This is one area where we disagree fairly strongly. There is no right or wrong ....... just different lines and dislikes.

Agree with BarbarianPaul that onboard 'entertainment' needs to be reinvented/transformed, and be much more intellectually stimulating. In that regard, I'm interested in Richard Branson's Virgin Voyages, set to debut in 2020. While I have no idea where his ships will fall on the premium-luxury scale, they promise to be game changers.

As you know, they do have trivia on Regent which we used to enjoy until it became too serious and cut throat.

TC - I couldn't agree more - I used to enjoy trivia quite a bit, but I haven't played in probably 3 years or more. Not really fun for the casual player any longer.

Agree with BarbarianPaul that onboard 'entertainment' needs to be reinvented/transformed, and be much more intellectually stimulating. In that regard, I'm interested in Richard Branson's Virgin Voyages, set to debut in 2020. While I have no idea where his ships will fall on the premium-luxury scale, they promise to be game changers.

OceanPatter - I'm just curious as to what type if 'intellectual stimulation' you envision for the entertainment on board. I think a lot of passengers just want the 'stimulating' and could take or leave the 'intellect'.

Also, what is going to be 'game-changing' about Virgin Voyages? I'm already disinterested just due to the size of the ships - too many passengers for me. I'll be honest - I haven't looked at them too closely - what's the big draw?

Thanks!

Everyone obviously has different tastes. While we love Liars Club late at night, I would run as fast as I could away from passenger competitions. My favorite show is John Barron's. Also enjoy singers and dancers and even occasional comedians. We also enjoy when locals come onboard and do a show. We find over 50% of recent lectures boring and look forward to the end of the contract with Smithsonian.

 

 

 

As you know, they do have trivia on Regent which we used to enjoy until it became too serious and cut throat. They also do Name That Tune and a cooking competition similar to Iron Chef but these are done late at night or during the day.

 

 

 

This is one area where we disagree fairly strongly. There is no right or wrong ....... just different lines and dislikes.

Agreed, there is no right and wrong, and it's obviously not feasible to do away with all the traditional entertainment. And since we just enjoy the onboard theater experience, we attend most of it anyway. And it's always fun. But, in my opinion, there is zero difference between the entertainment on Regent and it's competing lines. And though we enjoyed the much ballyhooed new production shows, they didn't seem particularly distinctive. So why not at least try to mix things up a bit, without upsetting the apple cart?

Also totally agree that our experience with the Smithsonian lectures on our one Regent cruise on the Explorer was a total snooze. But why should it be impossible for a luxury line as high profile and well regarded as Regent to book more compelling speakers? Why wouldn't Neil deGrasse Tyson accept a free cruise in exchange for a couple lectures, or someone else of his stature? Of course they would, if Regent made the effort, no?

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Agree and hopefully Regent will begin booking some excellent lecturers such as Neil deGrasse Tyson. Time will tell what the future holds in that area!

Having a speaker of Tyson's caliber would be a BIG enticement to book a cruise. I think he'd be amazing...

Though I know this is only of mild interest, we just received our travel packet/cruise docs from Viking for our upcoming cruise in the Baltic on August 12. They're comprised of two beautiful, embossed, zippered felt pouches, with the usual leather luggage tags and adhesive cruise luggage tags. They also included Viking logo stickers to put on for our transfer. But the most unique feature was a complete lack of paperwork comprising cruise tickets, itineraries, etc. Instead, all of that information was contained in a personalized, printed bound booklet, and a thick one at that, almost like a guidebook, that also includes colorful pages containing information on every port, excursion descriptions, pictures etc. Its great.

Though the significance of these packages no doubt diminishes the more cruises one takes, I still think they're important, since they represent the official kick-off to a cruise and your first interaction with the cruise line. And of course they're fun! For what it's worth, this particular aspect is superior to what we got from Regent. I remember being distinctly underwhelmed by what we received in this regard from them last year.

We've also received over the last year periodic emails from Viking containing links to videos on our upcoming ports, Viking culture, etc. They're always interesting. One thing I've learned so far. There's a much more informational, education oriented character to the cruise line. I love this. Apparently there are onboard historians who will give detailed port lectures during the evening in addition to the entertainment, which I believe will have a more local oriented character.

Am sure we'll discover many other surprises from them along the way, but I'm welcoming these differences. And no kids under 16!

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Paul, interesting information. I do remember when Regent's documents were much fancier than they are now. It does seem that Viking Ocean is very appealing on the front end. It was the promise of the onboard experience that had so many Regent crew members bailing from Regent and going to Viking Ocean. For various reasons, many of them have either returned to Regent or tried to return to Regent (whether they are accepted back likely depended on openings as well as the manner in which they left Regent). I do hope that your experience is much more than the "fluff" that no longer impresses us.

P.S. Have to make a comment about Silversea. For years I read about their documents that came in a "silver box". Such a huge deal was made of it. You can imagine my surprise when my documents arrived in a silver colored cardboard box (not even shinny silver). As with most luxury cruise lines that have been in business for a while, according to what I've read, Silversea no longer provides the "silver boxes". OTOH, Regent does give you a faux leather case that I believe can hold an iPad (I'm not impressed either).

Last year, I didn't even get the faux leather iPad case from Regent. I think it was a faux leather cruise ID holder or something. As you said, these pre-cruise items basically are fluff, and the actual cruise experience is what really matters.

That said, small details do matter, as well as first impressions. This package from Viking was well done, appreciated and certainly didn't break the bank, while the initial Regent packet came across as cheap and, though hardly a deal breaker, kind of annoying. And frankly I would have been disappointed if I didn't get that frigging silver box from Silversea! If I worked at these cruise lines and it were up to me, I'd add $20-$50 to the per person cruise fare, which few would notice, and send a welcome package that reflects the grandeur they're selling, rather than diminishing it.

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If I worked at these cruise lines and it were up to me, I'd add $20-$50 to the per person cruise fare, which few would notice, and send a welcome package that reflects the grandeur they're selling, rather than diminishing it.

 

 

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Completely agree!

Total waste of money. Meaningless.

Total waste of money. Meaningless.

I felt that way too but apparently some people find it important. While I don't know what the cost was, I loved when Regent put out a personalized booklet for each passenger.

I learned from this thread that not all passengers receive the faux leather holders. I find that odd

Total waste of money. Meaningless.

Totally agree! I have too many faux leather ipad covers and other junk.

Totally agree! I have too many faux leather ipad covers and other junk.

Most non-luxury lines send nothing. You get an email saying your cruise documents are available for download, and that's that.

If you're going to send something, though, the personalized guidebook I received from Viking is incredibly useful. It contains all our travel and flight info, port location, embarkation times, basically everything that I usually print out on separate pieces of paper and organize yourself. I can't believe it's cost is prohibitive for luxury cruise lines.

I'd rather have the personalized downloadable e-booklet from Celebrity than any of that leatherette stuff from Regent. The quality of a Regent cruise is remarkable, so why send anything in the cruise doc packet that imparts even the slightest impression of cheapness? Better to just send nothing.

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If you're going to send something, though, the personalized guidebook I received from Viking is incredibly useful. It contains all our travel and flight info, port location, embarkation times, basically everything that I usually print out on separate pieces of paper and organize yourself. I can't believe it's cost is prohibitive for luxury cruise lines.

 

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Agree that the personalized guidebooks are very useful. We received one from our tour operator on our recent Cuba land tour, and it came in very handy. Easy place to make last minutes notes as well.

Most non-luxury lines send nothing. You get an email saying your cruise documents are available for download, and that's that.

 

If you're going to send something, though, the personalized guidebook I received from Viking is incredibly useful. It contains all our travel and flight info, port location, embarkation times, basically everything that I usually print out on separate pieces of paper and organize yourself. I can't believe it's cost is prohibitive for luxury cruise lines.

 

I'd rather have the personalized downloadable e-booklet from Celebrity than any of that leatherette stuff from Regent. The quality of a Regent cruise is remarkable, so why send anything in the cruise doc packet that imparts even the slightest impression of cheapness? Better to just send nothing.

 

 

 

 

 

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What you described is what Regent used to send. They only did it for a year or so - I suspect that it was too expensive. In terms of boarding tickets/papers, they also sent tickets. I much prefer the paper that we receive now since I can put it in the side compartment of my carry-on luggage. When we received the booklets, I also didn't travel with it - it was kept as a remembrance of the cruise.

One thing I do miss is the booklets that passengers personalized (this had a cost involved). Regent had part of their website that enabled us to download photos and make comments - both general comments and about the photos. They had a choice of these booklets with fancy covers or regular ones. They included photos and standard information about all of the ports as well as the photo's we downloaded. Unfortunately, we only have one of those. Wish that we had them for all of our cruises (better, IMO, that the DVD's that Regent has).

I'm obviously "waffling" about how I feel about the current documents. I understand wanting to make a great impression for new cruisers but do not think the same things need to go out every time. Like Rachel, I have too many iPad holders and luggage tags. I adore the new luggage tags for people that have reached a certain level in the Seven Seas Society (not sure what level). We received documents for our Alaska cruise this week and they contained two of the premium luggage tags and two regular ones. We really didn't need these tags as we have enough already. I think that sending new luggage tags every other year is enough (unless you reach a new level that gives you "premium" tags with your level embossed on them). Better yet, it would be nice if Regent had a box to check indicating that you would like luggage tags.

We just started our Viking Homelands cruise in the Baltic on the Viking Star. Our first day was an overnight in Stockholm. We've been on the Viking Star about 24 hours. My wife and I have only sailed once on Regent, the Seven Seas Explorer, for two weeks last November in the Mediterranean, and we loved it! So here are my initial impressions, and a preliminary comparison of the two ships. I'll start with what I thought Regent did better:

1. The food is not quite up to Regent standards, but it's delicious and high end. The filet mignon and crab/shrimp soufflé I had last night were wonderful. Portions seem a little smaller, which we actually appreciate. The dining room on the Viking Star, however, is better designed. Its toward the bow of the ship, not the aft, and composed of a series of interconnected, more intimate spaces on the port and starboard sides, with more windows. This eliminates the feeling we had on Regent of dining in a huge, cavernous , convention-like space, albeit a very well appointed one. There are also considerably more tables for two, which we prefer, so we did not feel we had to be shuffled off to the dining room outskirts for our own table, like we did on Regent.

The dining room service is a little better and more personalized on Regent, and there isn't quite the pomp and circumstance here on the Viking Star. Dessert is ordered along with every other course at the beginning of the meal. That said, the experience we had last night was great and we certainly hope it continues. There isn't quite that feeling of being pampered that we had on Regent but at this point we don't really care.

The breakfast buffet is equivalent on both, but the seating area feels lighter and brighter on the Viking Star.

2. We're in a deluxe veranda cabin, and the layout is quite similar to what we had on Crystal and most cruise other ships, but perhaps a little larger. What differentiates it is the clean, modern well designed decor, the huge flat screen, and the light woods that make the whole space cleaner and brighter. The bathroom is on the small side but really well designed and modern, with a light wood ceramic tile. No tub, but a nice and modern enclosed glass shower. One sink. A heated floor, which is a great touch. Storage could be a little better.

Our cabin on the Explorer was of course bigger and nicer, and the window facing bed was something truly different. The veranda was also considerably larger. In this case, I think Regent set out and succeeded in redefining the space and volume of a standard luxury cabin. That was clearly not Viking's intention. The streamlined, modern Scandinavian aesthetic of the Viking cabin has a definitely high end feel, though. And it's considerably better than the similarly layed out cabin we had on the Crystal Serenity.

3. The spa and gym area on the Viking Star are much better than the Explorer. The two story layout on the Explorer is a little weird, with the gym cubbyholed in an awkward, somewhat cramped upstairs space. The same area on the Viking Star is uniquely in the bow section on the first floor. It's quite expansive, with a huge indoor space for both sexes featuring an ultra modern, almost pool sized jet equipped warm water soaking tub (larger than the Regent infinity pool that's never used because of its layout and location), a hotter jacuzzi, a steam room, cold water plunge, and an amazing and fun snow room...all surrounded by a series of chaise lounges. There's also a long, modern faux fireplace with a beautiful lit smoke effect. The whole area is actually warm and cozy and a great place to hang out. We did not feel this on Regent.

3. And now we get to the design of the two ships. I'm trying to be unbiased here, but this is where the Viking Star really excels. It's considerably better designed that the Explorer, and here's why. I think the character of the Explorer is defined more by its high end appointments than a truly revolutionary design. Take away the acres and acres of marble, dark wood, scattershot artwork and other grandiose touches of questionable taste, and you've got a relatively standard cruise ship. Or a clone of all the Oceania ships.

The Viking Star feels totally unique, and an entirely different approach to cruise ship design. It's filled with unexpected, intimate spaces to read, relax and watch the sea go by. And along with the lounges, they're architecturally beautiful and in many cases jaw dropping. It's like the most beautifully appointed and cozy modern house you could ever imagine, a place--unlike the Explorer--in which it would actually be fun to live. And the two story, glass staircase Explorer's lounge up top on the bow is a wonder, as is the atrium.

And the effect of the infinity pool on the aft deck actually works, and looks like an infinity pool! Not so on Regent, where the protective glass ruins the effect.

Anyway, those are my initial impressions. Would be happy to answer any questions!

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It's good to hear your opinion in the early days of the cruise. Also what is relevant is that you have sailed Regent and Crystal . Viking seems to having positive feedback on a variety of levels.

Hope you have a great cruise and thanks for taking the time to post. Jean.

BarbarianPaul, thanks for your overview of Viking Star and your experience on board.We just finished a 2 week Midnight Sun cruise on Viking Sea and I agree with your assessment of the Viking product 100%

I haven't sailed Explorer yet, but compared to Crystal Serenity and Mariner the Viking people hit a home run with their ships. The wifi is excellent and I think you will find the on board lecturers to be very informative and enjoyable.

At this price point Viking is a great value.

BarbarianPaul, thanks for your overview of Viking Star and your experience on board.We just finished a 2 week Midnight Sun cruise on Viking Sea and I agree with your assessment of the Viking product 100%

 

 

I haven't sailed Explorer yet, but compared to Crystal Serenity and Mariner the Viking people hit a home run with their ships. The wifi is excellent and I think you will find the on board lecturers to be very informative and enjoyable.

 

 

At this price point Viking is a great value.

You're right...wifi is great! Not so with the Explorer, where it was almost nonexistent to nonexistent. In spite of all the excuses and justifications I've read on these boards, I'm not sure Regent has ever fixed the issue.

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From the LCD screen in front of the restaurant...tonight's dinner menu. Hard to take good pix of a monitor, but hopefully it's readable. Of course we haven't yet eaten, but looks good to me! Of particular interest was the caviar, which I don't recall being served in the Compass Rose on Regent as a non up-charge item.

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The menu did have a note in parenthesis after listing the caviar ("Market Price"). The only times Regent has caviar at no charge is on Sundays at brunch and at the Seven Seas Society Cocktail party.

If you have time, would love to see photos of the ship. While the Scandinavian look isn't my thing, we don't cruise on a ship for the decor. We love the decor of Explorer (dark woods, granite, marble, etc.) but would not have it in our home.

Thanks so much for taking the time to post!

Thanks for taking the time to post your comparison. Hope you continue to enjoy your cruise and keep us posted if you have time.

We thought the prices to purchase caviar outside of Sunday brunch were very reasonable. My DH loves it but I can take it or leave it.

The menu that I just read is making me very hungry. Nobody will go hungry on Regent.