Seabourn, Crystal, or Regent?

[bdnuggin]

Hello,

I'm looking to take a Mediterranean cruise in April or May, and I think I have narrowed it down to the aforementioned 3 lines (Seabourn, Crstal, or Regent).

 

Any advice / opinions between the three?

 

HELPFUL HINTS

Just going with my wife, we're still relatively young (30s). Would love a romantic feel, and we don't need to dance or see shows on the boat (though we may). Don't need every stop to be spectacular, but one or two jaw-dropping stops would be great.

 

I love the fact that Regent includes airfare and gives options for off-shore excursions, but feel like Seabourn or Crystal may be better for us.

 

Lastly, we are looking for a 5-12 day cruise. Thoughts?

 

Thanks....

[Hambagahle]

Since I have not cruised Seabourn or Crystal I cannot answer your main question - but hte reason I have not done so is because I am so perfectly happy with Regent I am actually afraid to try another line in case it doesn't measure up!!

 

ow to the next part of your question - my husband and I did a 10 day Monte Carlo to Venice cruise on Regent almost 2 years ago. It was terrific. Very port intensive though but in the Med there is not much choice about that! We went to Livorno (for people who wanted to go to Florence and Lucca), to Civitavecchia (for Rome), then Sorrento, Taormina, then a Greek port - and I forget the name - for a visit to Olympia. Then on to Corfu, and a miserable stop in Albania for half a day. They no longer include this stop as everyone hated it!!. Finally Kotor in Montenegro (Amazing!) and Dubrovnik before docking in Venice. The last night of the cruise was spent on board in Venice so the ship turned into our Venetian hotel and that was great.

 

The excursions that we took we excellent and we saw and learnt a lot. Smallish groups and good guides. We did not go to Florence or Rome since we live within a 5 hr drive of Florence and had recently spent a week in Rome. But people who did were delighted with what they saw, though both excursions were long days.

 

Finally while the majority of people on a Regent ship are most likely 60+ there ARE still younger people and everyone seems to get along nicely.

[fairbourne]

Hello,

I'm looking to take a Mediterranean cruise in April or May, and I think I have narrowed it down to the aforementioned 3 lines (Seabourn, Crstal, or Regent).

 

Any advice / opinions between the three?

 

HELPFUL HINTS

Just going with my wife, we're still relatively young (30s). Would love a romantic feel, and we don't need to dance or see shows on the boat (though we may). Don't need every stop to be spectacular, but one or two jaw-dropping stops would be great.

 

I love the fact that Regent includes airfare and gives options for off-shore excursions, but feel like Seabourn or Crystal may be better for us.

 

Lastly, we are looking for a 5-12 day cruise. Thoughts?

 

Thanks....

 

Hi bdnuggin

 

There's a thread running right now with some interesting posts (!) on the Seabourn Cruise Line forum which is discussing the 3 cruise lines you are interested in. Now a word of warning;), there are stalwards to all 3 cruiselines, but I'm sure with your own research and the personal opinions posted, you'll get lots of info from this thread!

 

Whichever you choose, enjoy and late spring is a lovely time in Europe.:)

[martinsfo]

I have never sailed on Regent or Seabourn, but would love to try them. I have sailed on Crystal 4 times. My take on the lines are as follows

 

Regent-Mid sized all inclusive.

Crystal-large mid sized line with big cruise ship activities

Seabourn-Small and intimate.

 

Crystal's service is about the best I've ever experienced. However, I understand that the others have great service as well. Crystal also works in sea days for you to enjoy the ship. For us, the ship is as much a part of the vacation as the destinations.

 

This may not help, but I hope it does.

[alexandra cruiser]

both are top of the line ,,,went on SB Sojourn,,,a 400 passenger new ship with entertainment,inclusive ex.for shore excursions,and passengers tend to be older...on Regent went on both Voyager and Mariner and 700 passengers,,shore excursions inc.,,and all inclusive...also tends towards older passengers,,but would feel perfectly comfortable if in my 30 s since there is a mix and everyone seems to fit in fine...even a few children..

 

Haven t tried Cystal since I like smaller ships,,less crowded,,less lines,,easier to embark and disembark...but do check ALL for price,dates,itinerary,,etc...then decide...To me,,ANY sound good,,just a little different.good luck.:)

[martinsfo]

You should try Crystal, just I should try Regent and Seabourn. Even though Crystal has up to 900 passengers on a ship, it does not feel crowded, in fact it can even feel empty. There are no crowds anywhere, including buffets, shows, embarking or disembarking.

[Travelcat2]

We have sailed Regent and Silversea and have not considered Crystal due to their set seating (which has changed a bit -- to seating by same day reservation or set seating) and their rather small regular cabins. Also, they will become all-inclusive this year but have not been in the past.

 

Although we are Regent loyalists, we really enjoyed Silversea. Great service, food and their medium size ships (Legend and Whisper) are wonderful. The main differences between Regent and Silversea is the formality on Silversea. Regent is more like country club casual. Silversea includes airfare on most itineraries while Regent includes airfare on all itineraries.

 

Seabourn does not include airfare - also a bit formal for us. We would consider sailing on their new ships but not on the older, small ships. A recent review made it sound like one of the small ships is falling apart (plumbing issues, broken door, cigarette burns on the sink - yuck!)

 

Smoking is another issue -- very restrictive on Regent (no smoking on balconies or in suites).. .. similiarly restrictive on Crystal. On the other hand, Seabourn has smoking in suites and balconies and Silversea allows smoking in suites but not balconies.

 

You could have a wonderful experience on any of the luxury lines -- it really depends on the itinerary, size of shop you are comfortable with, suite size, etc.

[bdnuggin]

Thanks to everyone! Looks like some differing opinions.

 

After comparing costing, the fact that REGENT includs [some] off-shore exclusions makes it quite attractive.

 

Still, will check out the other forums. Any last opinions between ISTANBUL-GREECE or BARCELONA - ROME ??

[Travelcat2]

Thanks to everyone! Looks like some differing opinions.

 

After comparing costing, the fact that REGENT includs [some] off-shore exclusions makes it quite attractive.

 

Still, will check out the other forums. Any last opinions between ISTANBUL-GREECE or BARCELONA - ROME ??

 

Istanbul is one of our favorite ports in the world. Although it depends upon your personal preferences, Istanbul and the Greek Islands are not to be missed! :)

[alexandra cruiser]

the next choice for #2....but agree with Travelcat...would do Istanbul and Greek Islands...first..then Barcelona(which is also great) to Rome(not to be missed either).So dont chose,do BOTH,,just one FIRST..hahaha:D

[newlondon]

Have sailed both Regent and SS. You can't go wrong on either. TC has it right SS is more formal, but some like that as it gives a different approach to what we normally experience.

As to itineraries, Istanbul is numero uno; don't miss it. We did Venice to Istanbul on Regent Voyager and absolutely loved it. I would not start in Athens given the current situation, but try to find a cruise with as many Greek islands as possible. If the cruise possibly includes the opportunity to see Ephesus don't miss it.