Regent vs Oceania

[PLady]

My husband and I have done several crusies with Regent and have been very happy. We now want to do a crusie to Norway which Regent doesn't do at the time we wish to travel - June 2010. Oceania does have a crusie at that time and I would like to know if anyone has cruised on both lines and your thoughts on each.

We loved Regent because of it's "all inclusive" policy, but you also pay for that, and from what we can see, the only differences will be alcohol and shore excursions are not included on Oceania cruises. But, when you're talking thousands of dollars, that would pay for many shore excursions and a nice bottle of wine at dinner!

[hondorner]

I've done both, but I only have one 10-day experience on Regent.

 

The "all inclusive" part of Regent is very nice. It's relaxing to never be confronted with thinking about the cost of a drink, an excursion of a tip. We are among those odd-balls who will spend thousands for a cruise and hesitate over the price of a bottle of wine -- it's in our nature, and it's how we get to afford the nice cruises in the first place.

 

There is a little more involved in the Regent cruise -- they managed to find Diet Pepsi for my suite fridge, the laundry is free (even though we didn't use it), the Pay-Per-View movies on the TV are free, they supply free liquor in the suite, there are soda and coffee setups in every lounge and the theater, they have hot, buttered popcorn, and much more.

 

Having said that, we still give the edge to Oceania. The service is every bit as good. The ships are perfectly maintained and beautiful (there is no equal to the libraries). The bedding is fantastic. The food, if anything, is slightly better in my mind (all food opinions are subjective), and the main dining room menus are a little more varied. Many of the best things are finding their way to Regent, like the ice cream bars, milkshakes and fabulous home-made sorbet. The staff is now rotating among all the Regent and Oceania ships, so that is obviously equal.

 

We don't mind signing the chit for a bottle of wine or a drink, or buying tokens for the laundry, or paying for the occasional shore excursion (if we don't do our own thing), because on the most popular cruises, the price difference is more than enough to make us chose Oceania. After all, if the service and food and staff is the same, the only thing that matters to us, then, is price. Oceania is not cheap, but is is substantially less than Regent on many similar cruises.

 

There are times, however, when Regent cruises start to approach Oceania prices, such as in the Caribbean, That's when we would choose Regent, because of all the extras we would get for roughly the same price.

 

The one big difference to many folks is the cabin space -- the standard non-suite cabins on the Regatta-Class ships are much smaller than Regent, and the standard bathrooms are a challenge to many. One would have to book a Penthouse suite on Oceania to get close to the size comparison, and since it includes a butler, the PH suites on Oceania begin to approach the price of the standard suites on Regent.

 

Our RV has only 84 square feet of living space, including the bathrom and galley, so we think the standard 172 square feet of space in standard Oceania cabins is huge, and the 301 square feet of space on Regent Navigator is positively palatial, maybe even wasteful -- but that's our personal quirk.

[wripro]

The great flaw in comparing Oceania to Regent is that when people compare prices they are usually using the fare for a standard cabin on Oceania which is only 216 sq. ft. interior. To get even close to a Regent cabin you have to book a penthouse on Oceania and suddenly the prices are not all that different. That said, if one is willing to cope with a smaller cabin Oceania is one terrific cruise line with the best itineraries around, imo.

[gillianrose]

I've done both, but I only have one 10-day experience on Regent.

 

The "all inclusive" part of Regent is very nice. It's relaxing to never be confronted with thinking about the cost of a drink, an excursion of a tip. We are among those odd-balls who will spend thousands for a cruise and hesitate over the price of a bottle of wine -- it's in our nature, and it's how we get to afford the nice cruises in the first place.

 

There is a little more involved in the Regent cruise -- they managed to find Diet Pepsi for my suite fridge, the laundry is free (even though we didn't use it), the Pay-Per-View movies on the TV are free, they supply free liquor in the suite, there are soda and coffee setups in every lounge and the theater, they have hot, buttered popcorn, and much more.

 

Having said that, we still give the edge to Oceania. The service is every bit as good. The ships are perfectly maintained and beautiful (there is no equal to the libraries). The bedding is fantastic. The food, if anything, is slightly better in my mind (all food opinions are subjective), and the main dining room menus are a little more varied. Many of the best things are finding their way to Regent, like the ice cream bars, milkshakes and fabulous home-made sorbet. The staff is now rotating among all the Regent and Oceania ships, so that is obviously equal.

 

We don't mind signing the chit for a bottle of wine or a drink, or buying tokens for the laundry, or paying for the occasional shore excursion (if we don't do our own thing), because on the most popular cruises, the price difference is more than enough to make us chose Oceania. After all, if the service and food and staff is the same, the only thing that matters to us, then, is price. Oceania is not cheap, but is is substantially less than Regent on many similar cruises.

 

There are times, however, when Regent cruises start to approach Oceania prices, such as in the Caribbean, That's when we would choose Regent, because of all the extras we would get for roughly the same price.

 

The one big difference to many folks is the cabin space -- the standard non-suite cabins on the Regatta-Class ships are much smaller than Regent, and the standard bathrooms are a challenge to many. One would have to book a Penthouse suite on Oceania to get close to the size comparison, and since it includes a butler, the PH suites on Oceania begin to approach the price of the standard suites on Regent.

 

Our RV has only 84 square feet of living space, including the bathrom and galley, so we think the standard 172 square feet of space in standard Oceania cabins is huge, and the 301 square feet of space on Regent Navigator is positively palatial, maybe even wasteful -- but that's our personal quirk.

 

Hi, Don. Since you have cruised both Regent and Oceania, you will probably know the answer to the following question. Are the loyalty perks combinable between Oceania and Regent?

 

That would be terrific. Celebrity, RCL, and Azamara combine, as one example.

 

Wripro, do you sail both Oceania and Regent?

[yorkiemomjn]

they managed to find Diet Pepsi for my suite fridge,

.

Don, I don't know how I forgot to mention this when I talked to you, but our room steward got me Diet Pepsi for our frig on the April 4th cruise.......

 

Judy:)

[hondorner]

Hi, Don. Since you have cruised both Regent and Oceania, you will probably know the answer to the following question. Are the loyalty perks combinable between Oceania and Regent?

 

That would be terrific. Celebrity, RCL, and Azamara combine, as one example....

No. The loyalty programs at RCCL cruise lines are all similar, so they combine fairly well. The loyalty programs at Regent and Oceania were developed before the lines were under one roof, and they are about as different as any two programs could be.

 

To start, loyalty perks are accumulated on Regent by number of days cruising, while on Oceania, they are computed by the number of cruises completed (with extra long cruises now counting as two, something they did not do back when we took a 26 day cruise).

 

Second, as befits it's all-inclusive nature, Regent perks tend to be additional amenities, while Oceania tends to be cash-related -- shipboard credit, and eventually, free gratuities.

 

Third, some of the regent amenities, such as free internet, are never awarded on Oceania. I don't think the Oceania regulars would appreciate Regent folks getting a perk that is not available to Oceania guests.

 

If the programs were to be combined, I don't think the Regent regulars would like the result...

[DaveFr]

The great flaw in comparing Oceania to Regent is that when people compare prices they are usually using the fare for a standard cabin on Oceania which is only 216 sq. ft. interior. To get even close to a Regent cabin you have to book a penthouse on Oceania and suddenly the prices are not all that different. That said, if one is willing to cope with a smaller cabin Oceania is one terrific cruise line with the best itineraries around, imo.

I agree. One correction: A standard balcony cabin on Oceania is about 172 sq. ft. The 216 sq. ft. figure includes the balcony.

 

Dave

[wripro]

Gillianrose,

 

I actually sail several lines, mostly Seabourn, frequently Silversea. I have sailed Regent a couple of times as well. I have also sailed Oceania once and am booked on the new Marina next March. I board Oceania with a different mindset than I do the luxury lines so I know what to expect and therefore don't try to make comparisons. Oceania delivers a terrific product and I would happily sail them anytime.

[gillianrose]

Gillianrose,

 

I actually sail several lines, mostly Seabourn, frequently Silversea. I have sailed Regent a couple of times as well. I have also sailed Oceania once and am booked on the new Marina next March. I board Oceania with a different mindset than I do the luxury lines so I know what to expect and therefore don't try to make comparisons. Oceania delivers a terrific product and I would happily sail them anytime.

 

Thank you. I sail several lines, also. Do you have a preference between Regent and Oceania, all things considered? Or would you prefer to reserve judgment until after you have sailed the new Marina?

[AdvenLee]

We have sailed on Regent (Voyager, Mariner and Paul Gaugin) and loved all of our cruises. We also did the Rome to Stockholm cruise last May on the Regatta (Oceania). We had standard cabins on Regent and loved the space compared to Oceania. (We also loved the all inclusive aspect.on Regent....not having to sign for drinks, etc.) However, we found Oceania to be great, also. We had concierge (A-2) cabin on Oceania and it was fine (except for tiny, shower-only bathroom). For us, the difference in cost in the Baltic area was the decision to go with Oceania. I found that guests on both lines are mostly all great people and I think that "all cruises are good ones!" Oceania has an excellent product and I rate it about a 5.5 stars compared to Regent at 6 stars. Just my opinion. Both are excellent!!!!

[gillianrose]

We have sailed on Regent (Voyager, Mariner and Paul Gaugin) and loved all of our cruises. We also did the Rome to Stockholm cruise last May on the Regatta (Oceania). We had standard cabins on Regent and loved the space compared to Oceania. (We also loved the all inclusive aspect.on Regent....not having to sign for drinks, etc.) However, we found Oceania to be great, also. We had concierge (A-2) cabin on Oceania and it was fine (except for tiny, shower-only bathroom). For us, the difference in cost in the Baltic area was the decision to go with Oceania. I found that guests on both lines are mostly all great people and I think that "all cruises are good ones!" Oceania has an excellent product and I rate it about a 5.5 stars compared to Regent at 6 stars. Just my opinion. Both are excellent!!!!

 

Thank you for taking the time to post. Have you cruised other lines?

[wripro]

Gillianrose,

 

I don't think I need to wait for the Marina to judge Oceania vs. Regent. In fact, "vs." is my least favorite word on these boards. Right now I'd happily sail either and probably would let the itinerary guide me.

[WesW]

Henry (wripro)...like your very sensible attitude..as I know you cruise SB, SS, O and have cruised R, for us as well--it's the itinerary that helps make the decision or the friends who want a specific cruise...we will pick SS, R or O based on the itinerary and/or friends preferences. Believe there is not just one best lux/premium cruiseline, there is a voyage that matches well your preferences at a specific time in your life. We are so very fortunate to have a cruise choice dilemma such as Regent or Oceania or ?

[wripro]

Completely agree, Wes. All these lines we are discussing offer a great product. Some will be a better fit than others but the bottom line is we are all out to have a great time so why worry about potential small differences? Book one and enjoy!