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Crystal Cruises vs. Regent Seven Seas Cruises


LauraS
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Very interesting article - even if it is a little dated. The article touched on something that I noticed on the Crystal website yesterday - that alcohol in the suite is not the same for passengers in cabins below PH level. While some friends that Crystal indicate that that the website incorrect, this article seems to mean that Crystal's website is correct.

 

The refurbishment of both ships over the next two years should be good for Crystal customers - giving them a few more suites and true open seating. Still, when I compared two similar cruises and approximately the same size PH suite, Crystal came out $70/day/person higher than Regent (plus excursions, pre-cruise night at a hotel and extra money to go to certain specialty restaurants more than once).

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Still, when I compared two similar cruises and approximately the same size PH suite, Crystal came out $70/day/person higher than Regent (plus excursions, pre-cruise night at a hotel and extra money to go to certain specialty restaurants more than once).

The article is old and contains outdated information on Crystal, I can't comment on Regent. So it loses credibility with me pretty quickly and definitely needs a refresh. It's written with sensationalised generic claim headlines that are often inaccurate in their comparison and claims

Could you be more specific with the comparison you made to reach this conclusion? What two cruises are you comparing? I'd like to see that as I've never found Regent to be a lower cost than Crystal

Re specialty restaurants - I'd be surprised if a $30pp charge on two specialty restaurants was a major issue for those cruising on Crystal - we've never seen it stop anyone enjoying the Nobu restaurant, Silk Road or Prego the Italian specialty restaurant

Not sure what you mean about the included alcohol - I cruise in non PH cabins and can get bottles of any of the all inclusive alcohol for my room and the bar is refreshed daily - so not sure what the article or you are referring to in that regard. I do know those in the Crystal Penthouse can get Cristal champagne but others can't without further charge - but that's a fairly unique example

Edited by Bodogbodog
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Most of the articles posted here are old or filled with misinformation. But since they include Oceania, Azamara and Viking in the luxury category why should we expect any to f these other posts to be accurate?

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The article is old and contains outdated information on Crystal, I can't comment on Regent. So it loses credibility with me pretty quickly and definitely needs a refresh. It's written with sensationalised generic claim headlines that are often inaccurate in their comparison and claims

Could you be more specific with the comparison you made to reach this conclusion? What two cruises are you comparing? I'd like to see that as I've never found Regent to be a lower cost than Crystal

Re specialty restaurants - I'd be surprised if a $30pp charge on two specialty restaurants was a major issue for those cruising on Crystal - we've never seen it stop anyone enjoying the Nobu restaurant, Silk Road or Prego the Italian specialty restaurant

Not sure what you mean about the included alcohol - I cruise in non PH cabins and can get bottles of any of the all inclusive alcohol for my room and the bar is refreshed daily - so not sure what the article or you are referring to in that regard. I do know those in the Crystal Penthouse can get Cristal champagne but others can't without further charge - but that's a fairly unique example

 

I would like to respond (nicely) to a couple of your comments.

 

1. Being a Regent cruiser that regularly books PH and above, we have yet to find a cruise on Crystal that is the same or less money than Regent (note: while I do not add in the cost of inclusive excursions since I don't care for them, I do consider Business Class Air and pre-cruise hotel).

 

2. Please review the Crystal website for Serenity. Specifically, look at the description of what is included in PH suites and what is included in lower cabins. While it certainly can be a website error, beer, wine and alcohol in lower cabins is not shown in the description while it is for PH and above. As someone that has not cruised on Crystal, I find this very confusing.

 

3. The price comparison that I did was on a Regent itinerary from San Francisco to Quebec and a Crystal itinerary from San Francisco to New York. I looked at the daily per diem and Regent came out $70/day/person less than Crystal. I was comparing similarly sized (after the refurbishment of the Serenity) suites. I have since been advised that the pre-cruise night at a hotel is not included on Crystal.

 

P.S. In am now looking at the screen where I posted about the issue with Crystal's "new" website. The "Seabreeze Penthouse" and the Penthouse with Verandah" suite (and above) state that in addition to complimentary "soft drinks, beer and bottled water in the room" there is "complimentary wine plus choice of liquor from set menu upon embarkation.......". However, the "Deluxe Stateroom" with Verandah only mentions "complementary soft drinks and bottled water in the room". While this could certainly be a mistake, it could also be a change in policy that will occur when the Serenity is refurbished (not sure when that will occur).

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I'm glad you chose to respond nicely - as anything else would run the risk of breaching CC rules

Sadly the quality of the Crystal website does not match their on-board product or service. It is wrong on the question of alcohol provided in cabins. All classes of cabins have a stocked fridge and two bottles of spirits or wine (replenished without charge). I can confirm this as a regular cruiser in the lower class Crystal cabins

The state of the website is sadly a standing joke for many of us and there is a dedicated thread on the Crystal forums where it is discussed at length

I'll take a look at some price comparisons between Regent and Crystal but in the past I've never been able to find anything on Regent to match Crystals pricing. I agree about Regents included excursions being a neutral item - I've never heard great things about them. I prefer to book my own air given we have to travel from Australia for most cruises - so unbundling it is a better option for me

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I'm glad you chose to respond nicely - as anything else would run the risk of breaching CC rules

Sadly the quality of the Crystal website does not match their on-board product or service. It is wrong on the question of alcohol provided in cabins. All classes of cabins have a stocked fridge and two bottles of spirits or wine (replenished without charge). I can confirm this as a regular cruiser in the lower class Crystal cabins

The state of the website is sadly a standing joke for many of us and there is a dedicated thread on the Crystal forums where it is discussed at length

I'll take a look at some price comparisons between Regent and Crystal but in the past I've never been able to find anything on Regent to match Crystals pricing. I agree about Regents included excursions being a neutral item - I've never heard great things about them. I prefer to book my own air given we have to travel from Australia for most cruises - so unbundling it is a better option for me

 

For the record, Regent's website is not something to be proud of either:D

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This is one bragging match neither of us want to win - but sadly I reckon Crystal would win the worst website award given the status of it in terms of navigation and accuracy of content

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

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I'm afraid the Scenic US website takes the "worst" award for everything.

 

Having 169 nights on Regent and 125 on Crystal, one could say that I have sampled both. My experience is generally in the lowest-priced balcony cabin on both, though I have sailed in a non-balcony cabin on Regent Navigator, and can be quite happy in that, as long as it is on deck 6 (easy access to outside deck). If I am sharing a cabin, which I usually am, I don't think I'd care for the non-balcony cabins on Crystal. Though that might change after the refurbishment. Right now, they are too small, and the extra space of the balcony helps fight claustrophobia.

 

I think that the article implies differences that don't exist or are not major. The major differences are the cabin sizes at the level I sail and the dining situation. I realize that the changes at Crystal may bring a flattening of those differences, though I suspect from what I've seen of the maitre d' operations at both that it will take Crystal a while to adjust to the flow and mindset needed to make open seating work. Regent does seem to have that largely nailed.

 

Other areas of comparison, keeping in mind that it's been a while since I've been on Regent (though I have an Explorer cruise booked for later this year, and a lengthy Navigator cruise for next year):

 

1. Food. Both provide good quality, with some consistency issues on both. I'd give the edge in the main dining room to Regent, and the edge on specialty restaurants to Crystal (Silk Road!).

 

2. Service. Top-notch on both.

 

3. Alcohol. Comparable selections both in the bar and in the room.

 

4. Public spaces. Crystal's ships are larger and thus have more spaces to offer. But I find I prefer the intimacy of Regent's ships.

 

5. Cabins. Regent, hands down, for size and layout. Walk-in closet, rather than the awkward closet next to the bed. Bigger cabin with more comfortable furniture. There is more drawer space on Crystal, but more closet space on Regent. I like the double sinks on Crystal, but prefer the walk-in shower on Regent to Crystal's bath/tub combos.

 

6. Lectures. Crystal has more, and generally of better quality, though I wish they'd make a better effort to relate the lectures to where the ship is sailing. Many topics seem random. But if Regent has Terry Breen on, it's going to win on lectures.

 

7. Entertainment. I enjoy watching and getting to know the entertainers on both. The set shows are similar on both. With more venues, Crystal offers more variety.

 

8. Cost. It depends on the cruise, but both seem to be in the same neighborhood on a net cost basis. However, if you're sailing solo, the fact that Crystal offers a 20-30% single supplement, as opposed to Regent's 100%, gives it a substantial edge on cost.

 

9. Excursions. It has struck me that Crystal is at its weakest when getting you off the ship at port, as well as once you leave the ship. In the past, I'd say that Regent's excursions tended to be better structured and less likely to waste time with shopping "opportunities." Now that they've been inclusive of excursions for a while, I'll be curious to see if that still holds. I also will be curious to see if they are crowding the excursions more. What I like about both ships' excursions is that they tend not to over-crowd them (with some notable exceptions). I hope that is still true on Regent. I do wish they hadn't included them: in many ports, I prefer to do my own.

 

10. Communication. Here is Crystal's weakest link. I've seen countless breakdowns in communication, both with passengers and between crew, with chaos resulting. I've never noticed this with Regent. And it's the sort of thing that you only notice if it's not going well.

 

11. Docking position. If there's a port that has both docking and tendering, it seems that Crystal generally will be tendering and Regent generally will be docked. If it's between docking close-in to the destination, it seems that Crystal will be way out of town, while Regent will be in the better spot close-in. I expect it has to do with two things. One, the Regent ships are smaller and thus able to get into places that the larger Crystal ships cannot. Two, with its current ownership that gives it a relationship to NCL, Regent may have greater market/bargaining power than a line with just two ships.

 

There are other more subtle differences as well. But overall, you're going to have a great experience on either.

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Based on very recent information regarding Crystal (from three friends that have regularly sailed Crystal), there are issues that are a result of being purchased a year (perhaps more) ago. If you select an itinerary on Crystal in Asia, be prepared for a lot of Chinese (not against Chinese - they are lovely people but have different expectations, customs, food requirements etc. which is why most cruise lines dedicate ships to Asia and do not advertise them in other parts of the world). If this trend continues or is expanded into European itineraries, they will likely lose passengers from North America.

 

It is important to note that, even though I am a regular Regent passenger, I would now recommend Silversea or Seabourn over Crystal (even though I haven't sailed on Seabourn).

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Gee Asians in Asia - now how weird is that?

 

I think your friends may be being just a touch racist based on those observations that we should somehow seperate "westerners" and "Chinese". Personally I'm glad I don't sail on a mono cultural line - although if I recall the US has quite a few immigrants among its citizens. What next - don't book a Crystal cruise in Australia as there might be a few Australians on it?

 

Is your recommendation or rather non recommendation of Crystal really worth anything given by your own admission you've never sailed on them and seem to believe what's in articles you read on the internet? I think there are more objective sources of information than that

 

 

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Edited by Bodogbodog
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TC; yes the Crystal web site is wrong. Beer, Wine and Spirits are included in the standard rooms. There are a few brands available in the Penthouse categories not available in the standard rooms.

 

As we know from all articles (newspapers, social media, etc., etc., etc., you cannot believer everything you read.

 

Having been interviewed by the media and misquoted as many are that is one of many examples where what is written is often not accurate.

 

Keith

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As we know from all articles (newspapers, social media, etc., etc., etc., you cannot believer everything you read.

Having been interviewed by the media and misquoted as many are that is one of many examples where what is written is often not accurate

and in this case Crystal themselves can't get it right on their own website - this is not a case of them being misquoted - so when can you believe a cruise line if not when they write the content on their own site?

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Gee Asians in Asia - now how weird is that?

 

I think your friends may be being just a touch racist based on those observations that we should somehow seperate "westerners" and "Chinese". Personally I'm glad I don't sail on a mono cultural line - although if I recall the US has quite a few immigrants among its citizens. What next - don't book a Crystal cruise in Australia as there might be a few Australians on it?

 

Is your recommendation or rather non recommendation of Crystal really worth anything given by your own admission you've never sailed on them and seem to believe what's in articles you read on the internet? I think there are more objective sources of information than that

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I don't know that I'd consider an observation of the passenger demographics as being 'racist' - it was merely stating that Asian customs are different than Western customs. That difference is why we travel in the first place, is it not?

 

In my opinion, there's a huge difference between saying "I prefer not to sail on an itinerary that is tailored to Chinese passengers" and "I won't sail on a particular itinerary because of Chinese passengers." I'm personally not a big fan of 'authentic' Chinese cuisine and would probably pass on a cruise line that was heavy on it. It doesn't mean I don't like China, it just means that I want to vacation in a manner that makes me comfortable.

 

If one were to say "I don't want to sail on a European line because of their lax smoking rules", is that considered racist? I think we've gotten way too sensitive on the subject...seriously, if we were all as 'racist' as people made us out to be, we'd never leave our homes for fear of encountering someone 'different' than us. And as much as all of us on this board travel, I don't think racism is really that big of a concern.

 

Just my opinion.

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The l last thing I am is racist (opinionated - yes, stubborn - yes but never racist)! Having said that, at this stage of our lives we prefer to sail on luxury cruise lines where English is the main language - regardless of who is on the ship or where the ship is from. And, as much as I love "Westernized" Chinese food, we do not care for authentic Chinese food.

 

From what I have read in travel publications, cruising (and travel in general) is growing rapidly in China which is why cruise lines are building ships with the desires of the Chinese cruisers in mind with the intention of having the ships being located in Asia and having Asian passengers. No doubt people from all over the world will be welcome in those ships just as everyone is welcome on Crystal and Regent.

 

Keith - thanks for the definitive response. I suspected that this was the case. I am surprised that upper cabins are offered brands not available to lower category cabins but it is what it is (BTW, this is not the case on Regent).

 

For anyone that is interested, here is an interesting article regarding cruise ships and the Chinese market. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-05-14/cruise-ships-navigate-hostile-sea-beauty-pageants-to-lure-china

Edited by Travelcat2
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  • 2 weeks later...

Travelcat2,

 

Just to let you know that two of the Crystal Cruises I have been on had a large number of 'Asians'.

 

 

Serenity in the Med had a group of Chinese Americans from the NY/NJ area.

Symphony in the far east had a group of Chinese Canadians from Markham, Ontario where I live, plus my group of Indian Canadians from Toronto.

 

 

Many of these people were second and third generation immigrants. We are first generation immigrants but were brought up on the King's English.

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Travelcat2,

 

Just to let you know that two of the Crystal Cruises I have been on had a large number of 'Asians'.

 

 

Serenity in the Med had a group of Chinese Americans from the NY/NJ area.

Symphony in the far east had a group of Chinese Canadians from Markham, Ontario where I live, plus my group of Indian Canadians from Toronto.

 

 

Many of these people were second and third generation immigrants. We are first generation immigrants but were brought up on the King's English.

 

The cruises I am talking about are ships located in China which Crystal has yet to do. NCL just launched a ship last week and it is for the Chinese market (not Chinese American's or Chinese Canadian's). According to what I have read, the Chinese have different requirements for a cruise line. Firstly, they want authentic Chinese food which, as you probably know, is different than what we typically see in North America (although I have been to some authentic Chinese restaurants in Los Angeles). They also prefer Chinese entertainment. The first reports from NCL is that the biggest issue for non-Chinese (and likely some people that live in China) is the amount of smoking - particularly in the casino.

 

I was wondering if Crystal does anything different when they are sailing in Asia as there will likely be a large percentage of Chinese (I use the term "Asian" as it is politically correct and I don't want to get blasted for making comments about people born and raised in China). Cruise lines target certain markets. For the cruise line we typically sail on, Regent, the target is North America followed by the U.K., Europe, Australia and South America. I separate the U.K. from Europe simply because my DH is from the U.K. (speaks the type of English that you do - we laugh about it a lot) and he does not consider the U.K. to be part of Europe (having nothing whatsoever to do with Brexit).

 

I have it on good authority that they are targeting the Chinese market - specifically those living within easy travel distance to Shanghai. We don't think that there is anything wrong with building cruise ships to meet the requirements of other cultures. However, we choose to sail on ships where English is the primary language and the food is to North American tastes. Having said that, there is nothing better than trying authentic food in port. It is about our comfort level which is kind of the same as when we think about camping. We will rough it as much as the next person but, at the end of day, we want a king size bed and a good shower:halo:

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Genting has a new cruise line, Dream, aimed at the Chinese (and other Asian) market. It isn't at Crystal's level but is more luxurious than their Star line. I can't see Crystal being anything other than what it has always been, no matter where it is cruising and the country of origin of the guests.

 

Patty

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Genting has a new cruise line, Dream, aimed at the Chinese (and other Asian) market. It isn't at Crystal's level but is more luxurious than their Star line. I can't see Crystal being anything other than what it has always been, no matter where it is cruising and the country of origin of the guests.

 

Patty

 

So, the rumor that Crystal is making the casino larger when they refurbish the two new ships is not true? And, does Crystal provide typical Asian food when sailing in Asian waters? Just curious - not trying to argue.

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So, the rumor that Crystal is making the casino larger when they refurbish the two new ships is not true? And, does Crystal provide typical Asian food when sailing in Asian waters? Just curious - not trying to argue.

 

Don't know about the casinos, but I've never read anything about that on the Crystal board and I'm there frequently. ;p My only Asian cruise (actually a B2B) was right before the Genting purchase. The menu was no different than it ever was. I was on a cruise this year where I would estimate 40% of the guests were Asian (both native English speakers and those from Asian countries and new immigrants to Canada) and the food was the same as always.

 

Patty

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Don't know about the casinos, but I've never read anything about that on the Crystal board and I'm there frequently. ;p My only Asian cruise (actually a B2B) was right before the Genting purchase. The menu was no different than it ever was. I was on a cruise this year where I would estimate 40% of the guests were Asian (both native English speakers and those from Asian countries and new immigrants to Canada) and the food was the same as always.

 

Patty

 

Thanks for your response:D

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I would just add that there a no plans to expand the Casino on either Crystal ship.

 

Crystal serves Japanese Cuisine in one specialty restaurant on each ship.

 

For the lunch buffet usually once a cruise they have some Asian items for as many years as I can remember.

 

After the dry dock for Symphony later this year and Serenity later next year:

 

They will be adding a new menu for an additional dining option which will have Asian items for breakfast, lunch at dinner.

 

At the same time they will be adding to both ships a new restaurant for the evening which will include Brazilian inspired tapas, ceviche, salads and grilled seafood and meats served by Crysal Gauchos on sword like skewers.

 

So a nice variety of dining options in addition to what is already available.

 

Keith

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