jssabs

Travelcat 2 and UUnetbill, I will be sailing on the Voyager (Rome to Barcelona) . I will try to post a comparison after the cruise but as to pricing, it appears to me that Crystal's pricing is generally based more on the length of the cruise rather than the specific itinerary. For example, a 10 day Crystal cruise in Europe will generally run the same as a 10 day cruise in the Caribbean. Exceptions are during offseason or repositioning cruises. I do recognize that the Voyager cabins are larger than the Symphony cabins but we don't spend that much time in the cabin so that is not a big deal for us. What is important is the food and service, entertainment, enrichment and on board activities, and overall ambiance. I'm looking forward to my upcoming Regent cruise and will try to post a comparison when I get back.

I'm not trying to stir the pot (really, I'm not!) but I have another question about the 'included' excursions...I think we're all in agreement that some are better than others, and the Regent Choice excursions are 'usually' better than the included ones - but reading this thread got me thinking - what is the "real, actual, no-kiddin', bottom line" price difference between having included excursions and not having excursions?

 

I read a lot about people comparing Regent's pricing against other cruise lines and they're usually pretty close. Sometimes Regent is the better deal, sometimes not - but when people are doing these price comparisons, are they factoring in X number of excursions on a given cruise? The usual fare comparisons I see mention the cruise fare plus air - but that's not really a fair comparison unless you also factor in the cost of excursions.

 

Has anyone really looked into that to see how much additional the 'included' excursions run? What would be a fair credit if Regent offered an 'opt-out' of the excursions?

 

Just curious.

 

PS - Total disclosure: I'm a fan of the included excursions - although we've had some bad ones, most we've taken have been pretty good and some were excellent. To me, it just takes away some of the extra effort and worry about setting up something in every port. Seems more vacation-like to me.

We are veteran Crystal cruisers and will be taking our first Regent cruise next month. Unfortunately, Crystal didn't have an itinerary that worked for us this time around so we are trying Regent. We are not fans of excursions run by the cruise lines and usually make our own arrangements. We also make our own airline arrangements. Both Regent and Crystal are "all inclusive" and very similar as to quality of food and service as best I can tell from the brochures and comments on this board. My comparison between Crystal and Regent on paper shows that Regent is more expensive than Crystal for similar cruises. I attribute this to the inclusive shore excursions on Regent. I have booked Regent "free" excursions for all ports except 2 for which I have made my own arrangements. All other things being equal, the Regent excursions will need to be exceptional for me to justify the cost difference between the two lines. I'm keeping an open mind until after the cruise.

The show is 9:30 p.m. except the second to the last night the crew puts on a fantastic show (Krew Kapers) at 6:00 p.m. There is only one showroom and one show per night (but there are groups playing in the lounges).

Thank you. That's exactly what I needed to know. Other than the crew show, is there a show of some kind in the showroom every night. If so, that means starting dinner no later than 7 pm if we want to be sure to finish before the show starts.

Getting ready to schedule specialty reservations online after final payment on our first Voyager cruise. What time is showtime for shows in the main showroom? Is there just one show each evening or 2 shows to accommodate different dining times.?

"There is a group of approximately 120 passengers that will meet at Regent corporate next month. I, for one, will make a point to point out the lack of enforcement of their policies. While this will not help you, bringing this issue to our attention will definitely help in the future. Thank you so much for your input!"

My wife and I are taking our first Regent cruise this summer having been a long time Crystal cruiser (this summer they didn't have an itinerary we liked so we thought we would try Regent). We have also cruised on other lines in the past (Carnival, RCCL, Oceana, etc) and the problem of lounge hogs exists on all cruise lines. What makes the premium lines different (i.e. Crystal and Regent) is how they react to these kinds of problems. I was disturbed to read how the Regent GM responded to the OP's complaint. I'm hoping that this is not the norm for Regent and would hope that at your meeting you will try to impress on Regent the importance of onboard crew enforcing the rules and regulations especially at the management or supervisory level.

Thank you, that helps a lot

What time are the evening shows generally scheduled. I ask so that I can have a better idea of when to schedule dinner reservations in the specialty restaurants to leave enough time to finish and see the show for the eveing.

Travelcat 2, thank you for your response. I'm not trying to compare the two lines as I will do that after the cruise. I'm just trying to think ahead about the practicalities of getting to the main attractions in the port cities we may want to do on our own, as we have been to some of the ports on our itinerary and may not need an excursion or tour guide.

Now I'm getting confused. I have cruised on Crystal many times and they always provide complimentary shuttles all day to the center of the city if it is not in walking distance. I'm just trying to determine if that's also the case with Regent.

Thank you, that's kind of what I thought but just wanted to make sure

We are booked on our first Regency cruise this summer. We have booked the shore excursions we want but I was wondering if Regency provides courtesy shuttles from the port to the center of town for those not taking excursions.

I have not been able to find any information on Royal's website about their internet, prices or offers. Can someone direct me to where I can find it. I will be using the internet strictly for email and download activities, speed of download is important. I will not be streaming videos or other similar content. What is the difference in their surf and/or stream capabilities and which makes more sense for my intended usage. I will be sailing on the Liberty of the Seas

Hi Anne,

We just got back from our Symphony cruise but looking forward to your comments about river cruising. Have a great trip.

Jay

Anne, thank you for your comments. Don't get me wrong, we're not looking for ocean cruise line type entertainment, it's just that one of our friends who just got back from a river cruise with one of the top lines said that there was absolutely nothing to do in the evening and they were bored out of their mind. I expect that Crystal will have some events scheduled in the evening and that's what I'll be looking for when others share their experience now that the river cruises have actually begun. I know that yours is coming up soon so I look forward to your comments. Have a great trip, we leave in less than 2 weeks for our Symphony cruise.

Jay

Nancy it's a major concern with us. Two friends of ours recently took river cruises on other lines and their major complaint was that there was nothing to do in the evening on board the ships. One of them said never again. Having been spoiled by Crystal I'm hoping that their tendency to provide activities on board will carry over to the river cruises. Otherwise it could be a deal breaker.

Claudia, like everyone else, we have been reluctant to take a river cruise but now that Crystal has entered the field we are starting to consider it for next year. The big reservation we have is whether or not there are any activities on board in the evening. That has always been a great feature with Crystal cruising in that there is always something to do on board. Will we be bored in the evening or is there more entertainment other than Mark Farris. Looking forward to your comments about this inaugural voyage.

Thank you all for your replies. As to the Windjammer hours, is it safe to assume that the times during the day that food is not available there is for approximately 1 hour during the changeovers, i.e. one hour when they switch from breakfast to lunch, and 1 hour when they switch from lunch to dinner.

On Navigator of the Seas, what are the hours that Windjammer is open for breakfast and lunch?

Also the 3 ports are Roatan, Belize, and Cozumel. Are any of these tender ports?