Regent Mariner vs. Crystal Symphony vs. Oceania Marina

[3963golfer]

Going on a Mediterranean cruise end of April. First Mediterranean cruise so trying to see all the "big" ports (Barcelona, Rome, Athens). I've narrowed itinerary down to Crystal Symphony, Oceania Marina and Regent Mariner. All 10-12 day cruises and pretty much go to the same ports - which one would you choose and why?

[LHT28]

We have not sailed Regent or Crystal so our choice would be Oceania ...

WHY

no formal nights, open dining

We do not drink much so all inclusive does not matter to us

 

 

What ever works best for you & your needs

 

enjoy what ever cruise you choose

 

Lyn

[Paulchili]

It's very hard to say since you are comparing apples to oranges to pears - they are all fruits but with a very different flavor. I would say as different as the 3 cruise lines you are trying to decide between.

I would not worry about the ships - it's more about the cruise lines. Regent is fully inclusive, hence Usually most expensive; Crystal too formal and stuffy for me and Oceania is just right.

Seriously, you have to decide which style of cruising would suit you best. All these cruises will be nice but very different from each other.

[canuck.qc]

Our 1st cruise was a 12day Med. and we enjoyed the intimate, casual feel of Oceania. You seem to have carefully chosen your itinerary so I'm guessing that visiting & tours are on the top of your priority list. At the end of a full day, we did not care for formal nites, elaborate shows, discos etc...so why pay extra for all those bells&whistles. I'd also rather travel with 2 carry-ons full of comfortable clothes, than large suitcases stuffed with dinner jackets, cocktail dresses and such. We have cruised on Oceania's 3 smaller ships & are booked on Marina for Sept.2012. We found that most of the O passengers we met are, well traveled & choose O for it's great itineraries, food, and the quiet, refinement of a small ship.

[hondorner]

We've cruised with Oceania and Regent but not with Crystal. Why? Crystal is much more traditional, formal and, by some reports, stuffy, much more concerned with formal nights, etc., and is not as restrictive in terms of smoking. Oceania and Regent (which are both owned by Prestige Cruise Holdings and with the same top management) are much more casual -- no formal nights and open dining, no charge for specialty restaurants, very restrictive smoking policies and great, down-to-earth well traveled guests with few or no pretensions. Both excel at service, with Oceania holding he edge in dining and Regent catching up fast since being purchased by the same management.

 

The two big differences between Oceania and Regent are that Regent is all inclusive, including open bar, most excursions, included hotel the night before the cruise, gratuities and more. Oceania is more ala carte, meaning that one pays for adult beverages, excursions and gratuities, but the Oceania prices are usually lower. The level of service is generally the same.

 

Crystal, on the other hand, from what I have read (I may be mistaken), is not all-inclusive, but gives back a large portion of their expensive fares as a shipboard credit to cover things like excursions and bar bills. One still has to sign a chit for purchases in order to do the accounting, much like Oceania, while Regent is free of such chits.

 

Depending on one's spending habits and the level of cabin one chooses, I think all three probably come out very close in total costs.

 

The other major difference between Oceania and Regent is that the Regent ships have generally larger suites, even in the lowest category, and there are no interior cabins, In fact, all of the suites on Mariner are balconies. Oceania Marina has larger cabins than their other three ships.

 

There are other differences, but those are the major ones.

 

Which would I choose? Crystal not at all for the reasons mentioned, Regent if the prices are close enough to Oceania to make their "free" inclusions truly free, but generally, I would choose Oceania first because of the low key ambiance, the food, and the great fellow passengers. You may get a sense of that because the Oceania Cruise Critic forum has a reputation as the friendliest.

[BlewWater]

We have sailed on all three. And we would enthusiastically recommend any one of them! I certainly cannot say that for some of our other cruises.

 

It's difficult to determine a winner between them, as each one has it's own strengths. Just for starters, we love the large staterooms on Regent, the service on Crystal, and the itineraries and food on Oceania.

[gillianrose]

All three will have good food, so...

 

If you smoke (ugh) and or don't mind that your formalwear will smell like an ashtray if you go to the casino or either of the evening piano venues (the main showroom is smoke free), choose Crystal. They do have good food and service, but again, there's their much less favorable (to nonsmokers) smoking policy, so until they change that, no more Crystal for us.

 

Crystal's ships are very nice, lots of room to roam, ships never feel crowded, everyone has access to all passenger aft decks and they have full promenades, though you can't lounge out there. It's for walkers.

 

After all of the above, if your emphasis is on seeing the ports of call, and you have the energy to spend a long time ashore, I would let the times in port guide me to which cruise to take. I hate short times in port IF my purpose is to see the ports of call, and it would be for the Mediterranean.

[Frandick]

In answer to someone saying that Crystal was stuffy I never found that on 6 Crystal Cruises. In fact I found people to be very friendly.

 

I took granddaughters separately at ages 17, 23 and 25 and they thought that the cruise was marvelous.

 

The food and service is impeccable.

[JimandStan]

In answer to someone saying that Crystal was stuffy I never found that on 6 Crystal Cruises. In fact I found people to be very friendly.

 

I took granddaughters separately at ages 17, 23 and 25 and they thought that the cruise was marvelous.

 

The food and service is impeccable.

 

It's not so much the passengers on Crystal that come off as more "stuffy" than Oceania; it is the combination of the formal nights, the decor of the ships and the more restrictive restaurant seating policy (especially in the specialty restaurants, where the lack of In-Suite dining is a deal breaker for us).

 

We were treated to lengthy discussions of our tablemates assets on Crystal, but, to be honest, we might not have found that so objectionable if we had been anywhere in their league.

 

For us, and this may be an age thing, the more simple ambience of an Oceania ship, just feels more like vacation.

 

The smoking policy on Crystal was also much too liberal for our tastes (and we are the types who will sit with a smoker in "their section", just to enjoy their company). Perhaps iy was our bad luck, but we could not enjoy our veranda or the Casino because of the heavy duty fumes. :mad:

 

Oh well, to each his own. ;)

[james j feller]

CRYSTAL will be all inclusive starting in 2012.

 

JIM

[chester8]

In answer to someone saying that Crystal was stuffy I never found that on 6 Crystal Cruises. In fact I found people to be very friendly.

 

I took granddaughters separately at ages 17, 23 and 25 and they thought that the cruise was marvelous.

 

The food and service is impeccable.

Frandick,I agree with you entirely.My cruises with Crystal have always been wonderful.

[AWED23]

I agree with those who prefer the ambiance aboard Oceania & Regent over that of Crystal....For us it is not the casual dress code as I still take a dinner jacket for special nights that my spouse tells me are special...It is the passengers and there demeanor that I appreciate more on both Oceania & Regent.....I posted my displearure over on the Crystal board where this thread is duplicated. This is a more relaxed and congenial board than Crystal where they refer to there various cruises by the the number that Crystal assigns for each and every cruise....Some kinda code I guess only for those on the in....:D

[chester8]

Going on a Mediterranean cruise end of April. First Mediterranean cruise so trying to see all the "big" ports (Barcelona, Rome, Athens). I've narrowed itinerary down to Crystal Symphony, Oceania Marina and Regent Mariner. All 10-12 day cruises and pretty much go to the same ports - which one would you choose and why?

3963 golfer

Have you decided yet?

[Kane]

Going on a Mediterranean cruise end of April. First Mediterranean cruise so trying to see all the "big" ports (Barcelona, Rome, Athens). I've narrowed itinerary down to Crystal Symphony, Oceania Marina and Regent Mariner. All 10-12 day cruises and pretty much go to the same ports - which one would you choose and why?

 

We have sailed Mariner and Symphony and all Oceania ships other than Marina. Our preference is, by far, RSSC and Mariner.

 

Notable exception for you: Don't know how serious you are but, from your "handle", Symphony has an on-board PGA pro that conducts clinics and provides (free) individual swing analysis/tips. The pro also escorts golf outings ashore ... you pay transport/green fees (tip the pro).

[3963golfer]

thanks so much for all your feedback - we have decided to cruise on the marina - we are "country club casual" people not "tux formal" so your input on crystal turned us off - we're not stuffy and love food and wine so oceania sounded like a winner plus we start in barcelona and end in rome and will be spending extra days at each - oceania's itinerary worked best for us - we're just not happy that we have to wait nine months to go

 

thanks again for your help

[canuck.qc]

Golfer

Now the planning can begin. Look at the Roll Call & Ports sites for your cruise. Private/shared tours are the way to go, read all recommendations...the better company names will reappear. The success of the trip is in the details!