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Comparison of Regent Voyager and Crystal Symphony


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We’ve just returned from the Voyager Mediterraneancruise. We have previously sailed onCrystal Symphony 8 times but this year Crystal did not have an itinerary thatwould work for us so we decided to try Regent. Following are our thoughts about the differences and similaritiesbetween the two ships.

 

Ship – Both ships are beautiful and well maintained althoughthe Symphony had more public venue areas which allow for more flexibility inprogramming activities.

 

Stateroom – Voyager has larger staterooms with built inclosets and larger bathrooms making it easier to “spread out” however it hadlimited drawer space. While Symphony’sstaterooms are smaller, they are well organized and storage space is not anissue. We don’t spend a lot of time inour stateroom so the size difference is not a major issue for us but overall,Voyager gets the nod on the stateroom

 

Food – The food is excellent on both ships although itseemed like Voyager had more variety because of the number of alternativerestaurants to choose from. Symphony’sBistro offers more variety than Voyager’s Coffee Bar and is a favoritegathering place for passengers and ship’s officers. Voyager’s pool grill closes at 4pm so thereis no food available on the pool deck after closing. Symphony’s food service stays openlonger. Also Symphony has late breakfastavailable on the pool deck after the Lido breakfast buffet closes. Voyager’s Pool Deck has a very limitedselection for late breakfast after the Veranda buffet closes. I would rate both ships pretty equal as faras the food quality.

 

Service – I was disappointed with the level of service onVoyager. Service was very spotty in theCompass Rose and was not good at all on the pool deck. It appeared that there were just not enoughwait staff or else they were poorly deployed. The crew were well trained and professional but with a few exceptions,they tended to be aloof and did not try to engage the passengers inconversation and were not always accommodating. As a result we did not get to know most of the crew and they did not getto know us. Symphony’s crew is amazingin that when they first meet you, they will ask you your name and thereafter willgreet you by name and will engage in conversation with you whenever they see youand get to know your preferences. Inshort the crew on Symphony gets to be like family. They are also very accommodating and there isno request that they will not go out of their way to fulfill. On the Voyager,that did not seem to be the case. I was hoping that Voyager’s crew and servicewould be similar to Symphony’s but it fell short.

 

Entertainment and Activities – Both ships provided excellentproduction shows and guest entertainers. Voyager had virtually no activities during the day and after the showsthere was little to do. There were nosea days on our cruise so I don’t know what kind of activities or enrichment,if any, might exist on sea days. Symphony has excellent enrichment activities on all days and there is somuch going on that it becomes difficult to decide what to skip. Symphony also has dancing in the evening(passengers actually show up and dance). The Avenue Saloon is a favoritegathering place for after the show enjoyment and entertainment. Voyager seems pretty dead in the evening afterthe show.

 

Shore Excursions – We are not a fan of shore excursionsfurnished by the ships. We tend to makeour own arrangements for shore excursions. Depending on the port it might be walking around on our own, a hop on,hop off bus, or for major ports of interest, we will hire a private guide as wedon’t like to be a prisoner to a bus with 20 or 30 others whereas a privateguide gives us more flexibility in touring. In fact on our Voyager cruise we hired private guides for two of theports even though Voyager offered similar tours in their shore excursions. Voyager includes shore excursions in thefare but most of them are mediocre and start too early in the morning. Because they are included in the fare,Regent’s fare for similar cruises offered by Crystal tend to run about $2000 -$3000 higher than Crystal. This is aturnoff for us as we end up paying for excursions we are not interested in andfor the most part are of poor quality.

 

Overall, because of some of the deficiencies mentionedabove, Crystal is still our first choice but if Regent has an itinerary that isspecial, we would not rule them out. Thereal game changer however is the shore excursions as it causes the pricecomparison to favor Crystal. If Regentwere to not include the shore excursions in the overall fare and brought thefare down to be comparable to Crystal, we would be more inclined to considerRegent in the future even with the shortcomings mentioned above.

 

Hope this helps anyone who is interested in the differencesbetween the two lines.

 

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Thank you for providing a very interesting comparison. I'm a Seabourn regular but have also cruised with Silversea. I'm interested in both Regent and Crystal so it's very helpful to read a post like this.

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Guilty as charged.

 

I have posted previously (primarily on the Crystal and Luxury forums) on the pluses and minuses of each. Each has some negatives in areas that matter to me' date=' but both have positives that far outweigh the negatives. The bottom line is, for the right itinerary and pricing, I'd sail either again. On both, you'd really have to be looking for fault to not enjoy the experience.[/quote']

 

OMG! Someone who's really hit the nail on the head!

I agree, completely! John and I have sailed all of 'em except Seabourn, but throw a ringer in there with Cunard Grill Class. I do realize that Cunard is an albatross in this line up of luxury and PLEASE do not accuse me of putting them into the "LUXURY" mix. Kind of a hybrid. But lets not go there...another day, another can of worms!

For us, and ONLY us, it all depends on itinerary, and most bangs for the least bucks. We totally appreciate quality and know full well that you need to pay for that. However, other than some not to be named premium lines, we've always had a good time and feel we have gotten more than our monies worth.

Unfortunately as I begin to look thru the newest Regent catalog, I'm finding them really pricey. Yup, there's the business class air thing, yup, there's all that special dining (which we love!) and yup, there are definately bigger cabins. As much as we've enjoyed some of the included excursions, I'm not sure that we really need them. As far as paying for those on Crystal and SS, we, personally haven't found them to be so very expensive. Actually, the very best excursions we've ever been on were with Crystal (falconing in Great Britian) and Silver Sea (truffle hunting with dogs in Tuscany). We only do a few that are unique.

Shortly we'll head off for a Mariner cruise up the Amazon. TOTALLY PSYCHED FOR THAT!

So it all comes down to where do you want to go, what "style" of cruising you're up to and what do you want to pay?!

Hoping that everyone who reads this will have a wonderful cruise no matter what line you're on!

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OMG! Someone who's really hit the nail on the head!

I agree, completely! John and I have sailed all of 'em except Seabourn, but throw a ringer in there with Cunard Grill Class. I do realize that Cunard is an albatross in this line up of luxury and PLEASE do not accuse me of putting them into the "LUXURY" mix. Kind of a hybrid. But lets not go there...another day, another can of worms!

For us, and ONLY us, it all depends on itinerary, and most bangs for the least bucks. We totally appreciate quality and know full well that you need to pay for that. However, other than some not to be named premium lines, we've always had a good time and feel we have gotten more than our monies worth.

Unfortunately as I begin to look thru the newest Regent catalog, I'm finding them really pricey. Yup, there's the business class air thing, yup, there's all that special dining (which we love!) and yup, there are definately bigger cabins. As much as we've enjoyed some of the included excursions, I'm not sure that we really need them. As far as paying for those on Crystal and SS, we, personally haven't found them to be so very expensive. Actually, the very best excursions we've ever been on were with Crystal (falconing in Great Britian) and Silver Sea (truffle hunting with dogs in Tuscany). We only do a few that are unique.

Shortly we'll head off for a Mariner cruise up the Amazon. TOTALLY PSYCHED FOR THAT!

So it all comes down to where do you want to go, what "style" of cruising you're up to and what do you want to pay?!

Hoping that everyone who reads this will have a wonderful cruise no matter what line you're on!

 

Great post!

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Thanks for taking the time to post your review - it's great when people who have actually experienced both products make the comparison rather than hypothesising in concept

I read a recent review by a TA on Regent Voyager and it was very negative on a number of aspects of their Voyager experience so it's interesting to hear your views

We all know cruising is full of choices and peoples preferences will mean that one persons views on their experience for exactly the same activity will vary - so reviews always need to be read with that in mind

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Quick Comment(s):

 

1. Isklaar--re: Your upcoming Mariner Amazon River cruise. Did this almost-exact itinerary May-June aboard Navigator. You might want to peruse the current Mariner, November 2017, Roll Call. I have "lurked" on that site from time to time and posted inputs as to our (spouse and moi) experience, which was marvelous. A unique adventure aboard a 5+ship. Great crew; service; and so-on and so-on. You should expect nothing less this November--although the River will be different.

 

2. Relating to this Thread--we have done extended Pacific Ocean crossings on Voyager and Mariner; and Crystal's Symphony. Bit-different itineraries--some north; some south; some east to west, others west to east. (I prefer west to east, as you relive one day over again! All were great.

 

a. There were some differences, of course, as directly related to different ship sizes. Symphony has 200 more guests. For us, this worked, as that extra space was well-utilized in pubic areas. On our most-recent Symphony outing [san Diego to Auckland, via Hawaii], there was still the two-time, assigned seating in MDR. We prebooked for a table for two, which we got; one "row" from the window. Close. As I understand it, Crystal has now "morphed" to more of an open-seating concept for dinner. That is good. The reality was that several single passengers who had higher priority than we--based on their history and prior patronage--got those window venues. As the long voyages progressed, "singles" tended to migrate to tables for four after meeting compatible cruise-mates. We had made our preference known the first night aboard; so, we were reseated at one of those window tables most-nights about half-way through the cruise. Here was another example of top-service. Just let the powers-that-be know; if it is not a silly request, it will be honored.

 

b. Suite size. Based on our TA's recommendation, we always booked a higher category suite which met our minimum of 305 sf living space plus a decent balcony. So, cabin size was not any issue. This has become our preference; it might not make that much of a difference to others.

 

c. Service. Tops. There may have been some distinctions between Symphony and the Regent ships; but they tend to be distinctions without a real difference. If one looks hard-enough--for either positives or negatives--they might be found. We tend not to devote too much time to this quest. Takes away from the overall experience. Some have commented about such a distinction related to crew members' attitudes toward paying clients. Our experience(s) have been receiving uniform friendly service from all aboard in a uniform--whether Officer, Cabin Attendant, Butler, Room Service server, waiter, and so-on and so-on.

 

Overall--and this includes numerous cruises on Silversea and Seabourn--just hope for calm seas and a favorable wind on long crossings. Because, you have no control on these externals.

 

Best,

 

GOARMY!

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Goarmy's cruise on Symphony was actually in Oct/Nov 2014 - so quite sometime ago now

The window tables would have been allocated to early and late dining seating guests - as reservations for these fixed time slots it not possible to provide both a firm reservation allocation and first in first served each night

I was on that particular cruise and it was a great crossing with many sea days to enjoy Crystals enrichment program activities

Meanwhile 3 years on Crystal Symphony will from October 2017 have open seating in the dining room (what will be renamed Waterside) following its dry dock along with the majority of its other evening venues (aside from the two specialty restaurants which are in high demand)

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Goarmy's cruise on Symphony was actually in Oct/Nov 2014 - so quite sometime ago now

The window tables would have been allocated to early and late dining seating guests - as reservations for these fixed time slots it not possible to provide both a firm reservation allocation and first in first served each night

I was on that particular cruise and it was a great crossing with many sea days to enjoy Crystals enrichment program activities

Meanwhile 3 years on Crystal Symphony will from October 2017 have open seating in the dining room (what will be renamed Waterside) following its dry dock along with the majority of its other evening venues (aside from the two specialty restaurants which are in high demand)

 

Just to be clear, are you saying that Crystal no longer has special seating for passengers "based on their history and prior patronage"?

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Just to be clear, are you saying that Crystal no longer has special seating for passengers "based on their history and prior patronage"?

 

I didn't say that - I said this...

 

The window tables would have been allocated to early and late dining seating guests - as reservations for these fixed time slots it not possible to provide both a firm reservation allocation and first in first served each night

 

 

Exactly how the maitre d allocates tables for sittings is not known to me but in addition to when bookings are made (available for selection upon booking the cruise) just like in many other places across the travel industry customer loyalty and preferences are taken into account - but I'm not aware of any special seating for that category of guests

 

 

As I said it's a moot point on Crystal Symphony come Oct 2017 as it moves to open seating in the dining room

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I think that you have assumed that pax have held/reserved tables. Actually with assigned seating everyone had a reserved table, but not as you are implying. BTW I have witnessed tables being held on Regent....haven't you?

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I think that you have assumed that pax have held/reserved tables. Actually with assigned seating everyone had a reserved table, but not as you are implying. BTW I have witnessed tables being held on Regent....haven't you?

Of course.....as recently as April. We arrived and pointed to an empty table for 2 and were very politely told that someone that was arriving soon had requested it. It was claimed within about 15 minutes and it was no biggie to us. We did find that the service was merely adequate in CR as the staff were stretched to their limit through no fault of their own.

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I think that you have assumed that pax have held/reserved tables. Actually with assigned seating everyone had a reserved table, but not as you are implying. BTW I have witnessed tables being held on Regent....haven't you?

 

No! And if I observed it, I would report it to the General Msnager. If not remedied I would contact Regent headquarters (which I plan to do when I get home just to insure that this is not Regent's policy!!!!!!!!!

Edited by Travelcat2
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It is only a moot point for one ship this year and makes the assumption that passengers cannot make reservations or ask that tables be held for them. So, as of now, we don't have a definitive answer.

 

We do now...Interestingly this reply from Crystal regarding the arrangements on Symphony from Oct 2017 was just posted on the Crystal forums - it answers your concern - no reservations in Waterside (the main dining room) or the other non specialty restaurants

 

Open dining will only be offered first come first serve. Guests will beable to request table of 2 as the smallest or to dine and join others at larger tables. We will no longer offer fixed dining or by reservations. Reservations will only be required for the Specialty venues Prego and UmiUma

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We do now...Interestingly this reply from Crystal regarding the arrangements on Symphony from Oct 2017 was just posted on the Crystal forums - it answers your concern - no reservations in Waterside (the main dining room) or the other non specialty restaurants

 

Open dining will only be offered first come first serve. Guests will beable to request table of 2 as the smallest or to dine and join others at larger tables. We will no longer offer fixed dining or by reservations. Reservations will only be required for the Specialty venues Prego and UmiUma

 

Thanks for the update! That is how it should be. I just emailed one of my contacts at Corporate and hope that he will give us a definitive answer about Regent as their loyal customers would be very upset if preference was given to anybody - regardless of "class" or "Seven Seas Society" status.

 

I believe in complete honesty and disclosure and I remembered that in our 365 days onboard Regent ships, we were able to reserve a table once. That was for Thanksgiving last year - on their newest ship - the Explorer. The Captain's table is huge (I think it seat's 12) and we asked if we could reserve it. Since we were the first people to ask, we got it. Other than that, we have never heard of anyone reserving a table on their main dining room (or in their specialty restaurants).

 

My fingers are crossed that reserved tables are against Regent's policy so that we can put this part of the thread to rest. Our experience has been that "window tables" are usually gone within a half an hour of opening their main dining room. What I am reading from some posters goes against everything that we have observed.

 

Again, thank you for the update!

 

P.S. Your royal "we" comment made me laugh - especially since my DH is British. Based on reading the Regent board for years (it seems like forever", the "we" that I posted would encompass most posters on the Regent board.

Edited by Travelcat2
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1. Isklaar--re: Your upcoming Mariner Amazon River cruise. Did this almost-exact itinerary May-June aboard Navigator. You might want to peruse the current Mariner, November 2017, Roll Call. I have "lurked" on that site from time to time and posted inputs as to our (spouse and moi) experience, which was marvelous. A unique adventure aboard a 5+ship. Great crew; service; and so-on and so-on. You should expect nothing less this November--although the River will be different.

 

 

Best,

 

GOARMY!

 

GOARMY, it isn't me who has an Amazon cruise booked. I wish I could say it is me! Reading the thread I'm not sure which poster is actually taking that cruise but whoever they are I wish them a wonderful cruise.

 

Amazon River is definitely on my bucket list though!

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