Regent vs Celebrity

[Bridge Maven]

We took a cruise to Alaska on Celebrity Infinity during the summer of 2001 and are planning to take another one next summer that will include a pre-cruise land package. This time we are thinking of trying the Regent Navigator.

 

If you have been on both ships, how would you compare them?

 

Thanks in advance.

[trvlrs]

We took a cruise to Alaska on Celebrity Infinity during the summer of 2001 and are planning to take another one next summer that will include a pre-cruise land package. This time we are thinking of trying the Regent Navigator.

 

If you have been on both ships, how would you compare them?

 

Thanks in advance.

We were on the Celebrity Infinity (Alaska) CC class in 2005 and the Regent Voyager (Baltic sea) in 2009.

You just can't compare Regent Seven Seas to Celebrity. It's a world of difference and not in the same category.

First of all, it's 700 passengers vs 1800 passengers. The rooms (they call them suites) on the Regent are twice the size of Celebrity. The walk-in closet was a wonderful feature and the bathroom amazing.

We like the fact that Regent is an all inclusive cruise (room, food, drinks, excursions and tips...).

Dinner is at your leisure, anytime and any restaurant.

Regent is a low key cruise with great service and great food. They have entertainment but don't expect much. We were satisfied listening to the piano man every night. There's no partying on this ship and the average age is quite old but it didn't bother us. There were no kids when we cruised and we did find some in our age group (late 40's)

 

Bottom line is what are you looking for? For us, it's Regent Seven Seas. We loved retail cruising over wholesale

[Mrs_Tiki]

The Infinity is the only M-class ship that we haven't sailed, but am sure that it is similar to the others for comparison purposes. We sailed only once on the Navigator to Bermuda in 2004. I don't think it is really fair to compare the two, since they offer different products at different price points.

 

It depends on what is important to you. Food, service and personal space are very important to me and DH, so we would probably choose Regent if cost were not a factor. Unfortunately it is (at least until we win the lottery!), and we think that Celebrity's M-class ships offer a really great product that is more affordable. We are of the mind that we would rather go on two Celebrity cruises vs. one Regent voyage, which is about what the difference amounts to for us.)

 

Celebrity definitely has the edge in the variety of entertainment options, dining venues and activities. It just depends on how important that is to making or breaking your cruise experience. Since we stay very active in port, we are looking for our time on the ship to be very low-key and relaxing and don't take advantage of all that the M-class ships offer.

 

The public areas of the Navigator are not as vast and grand as those on the M-class ships. There is only one outdoor pool, and fitness facilities are very limited. The casino was particularly small, but was probably the most lively place on the ship in the evenings. They were running a limited children's program on our August cruise, but did not have any dedicated facilities. (The number of bored kids on our cruise was our only real negative. We didn't think that it was appropriate to offer a kids sail free promotion when there was really nothing for them to do on a cruise with 3 sea days.)

 

The Navigator's accomodations did have much more of a luxurious feel. DH usually insists on a balcony, but we had the lowest cabin category on the all-suite Navigator. It had a picture window instead of balcony, but was the same size as other categories. I don't know what would be comparable on an M-class. It was definitely larger than a Sky Suite, with a separate living room and bath with double sinks, jetted tub and separate glass shower.

 

As far as food and service, Navigator provides very elegant and unobstrusive service. Again, depends on what you like. The housekeeping and dining staffs were friendly, but not chatty. Our cabin stewardess was practically invisible, yet seemed to anticipate our comings and goings and kept our room perfectly. The level of service in the restaurant and buffet was phenomenal. They all seemed to know our names and dining preferences as soon as we boarded the ship. Our experience on Celebrity has been very good, but just not at the same level.

 

Geez, I probably won't be very popular gushing about another brand on the Celebrity board! Don't get me wrong ~ you can tell from my signature that we LOVE Celebrity. Regent just provides a different product. I don't know if I would characterize as retail vs. wholesale. In my mind, it's more like shopping at Bloomingdales vs. a boutique.

[kitty9]

They are totally different products, and it's difficult to even attempt to compare.

 

But if you really want some views, I've been on Celebrity many times and on Regent twice. You cannot beat the cabins on Regent---they are the best in the industry, imho. They are all inclusive, and their price reflects that. If you are a drinker, then the big price difference might make it worth it to you, but for anyone who drinks little, I think the prices they charge are way high, and I get the feeling of subsidizing others and their drinking habits. To be honest, I found the food on Navigator to be disappointing and the service lackluster from a line in the luxury category. Compass Rose was a fairly big disappointment as I found the food comparable to Celebrity and HAL. Their two alternate restaurants were wonderful and well worth it. But I felt the buffet area was just basic, just OK.

 

In terms of service, I found it disappointing, and at times, surly. Again, not something you'd expect from a luxury line. Entertainment is not all that, so if you're not interested in on board activities, and just want a cruise where the destination is the focus, then go with Regent. But if you want a more active cruise, stay with Celebrity.

 

I think if you want to experience something close to Navigator, but on Infinity, I'd book a Sky Suite and then dine in the specialty restaurant every night. We do that all the time now, and don't regret spending the extra cash for the excellent food and service in that restaurant.

[Bridge Maven]

Thanks for the responses.

[Catalina56]

No comparison, Regent has it hands down over any celebrity ship. Celebrity is a glorified mass market product.

 

catalina56

[dzcruisers]

I think it's comparing apples and oranges. Each is excellent in it's own category.

I'd always cruise Regent if I could afford to do it somewhat frequently!