Oceania vs Regent

[bohaiboy]

Oceania - Great reputation; free airfare; great food; but gratuities, alcohol, and shore excursions are extra

 

Regent - Great reputation;free airfare(Biz class upgardeable for $1400 pp), gratuities, alcohol, and shore excursions included. Rooms slightly larger

 

SO why should I choose O over R? Not trying to be smart but just scouting options.

 

Anyone can chime in on Seabourne and Crystal also.

[koko's_mom]

We are new to cruising compared to most posters on CC, but after 4 cruises with Crystal in the last 2 years (all of which we loved!), we have paid a deposit on an Oceania Riviera voyage this fall. The country club casual atmosphere appealed to us, along with nice reviews we have either read or heard from friends. We have also looked at Regent for a lot of the same reasons. For us, it came down to itinerary and price point.....we aren't major drinkers, and although we will most likely take a few shore excursions, the per idem comparison won out for us with Oceania, in addition to looking forward to experiencing the new ship. My guess is that we can all find pros and cons to the various luxury lines, but without experiencing each of them we can not choose our favorite!

[pacheco18]

Oceania - Great reputation; free airfare; great food; but gratuities, alcohol, and shore excursions are extra

 

Regent - Great reputation;free airfare(Biz class upgardeable for $1400 pp), gratuities, alcohol, and shore excursions included. Rooms slightly larger

 

SO why should I choose O over R? Not trying to be smart but just scouting options.

 

Anyone can chime in on Seabourne and Crystal also.

 

Do a search on the O boards -- "oceania vs regent" -- and you will find at least 15 threads on this identical topic. It has been discussed ad nauseam. I bet there are another 15 threads on the Regent boards

 

Here is a link to just one of them

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1287375&highlight=oceania+vs+regent

[Paulchili]

There is no simple answer to this but:

• If you don't drink much, why pay for drinks up front (as with Regent, Seabourn)
  
• if you like to do your own shore excursions why pay for them up front (as with Regent)
  
• because of this Oceania is usually less expensive/per diem, unless you choose a PH/suite
  
• I think O has the best food at sea, period (especially on the M class ships)
  
• My first consideration is ITINERARY - other things are secondary to this. All other things being equal (rarely the case),best itinerary wins.
  
• O is much less formal than Crystal and more relaxed than Regent or Seabourn
  

You can certainly do a search on this topic as there have been several threads about this topic in the past.

JMO - others will chime in :D

[VIRGINIA ARTIE]

We used to cruise only Regent until they went all inclusive. We don't drink and don't take the excursions, so it no longer became reasonable to sail with them.

We now sail Oceania. We prefer to pay only for what we use.

[MightyQuinn]

...SO why should I choose O over R? Not trying to be smart but just scouting options...

What's important to you? That may influence your decision.

 

We tried Regent last year, thinking that a 6* luxury line would be better than Oceania. Not so. Oceania had better food, better customer-focused service and more attention to those little details that make all the difference. Oceania also had more flexibility in shore excursions, since they weren't included in the up-front price. We enjoyed the open bar and larger staterooms on Regent, but overall found it lacking in several areas that were important to us. Our choice would be Oceania.

[Hambagahle]

We are regular Regent cruisers since 2004. And almost all of our cruises have been wonderful. The last one (TA in March) was less so. Food was not so good as before, not nearly as well presented, and all in all we were mildly disappointed. So we have decided to give Oceania a try.

 

What has attracted us are: lovely new ship - Riviera. A superb suite (Oceania) at less than the cost of the SS Aft suite we had on the last cruise. A drinks package so that we do not have to think whether or not we want another charge on our bill. A tips package so we do not have to worry about that. And since for us the ship is the destination and we normally do not take many excursions I suppose we prefer to pick and choose and pay for those we do want. I also noted that Oceania has an "excursion package" should one wish it.

 

We are excited about the cruise with Oceania and hope it lives up to expectations. But we do not see this as turning our backs on Regent. the two lines seem, at least to me, to be two variations of the same brand.

 

I will be reporting on the January cruise on both the Regent and the Oceania forums... so "wait and see"!!

[Wendy The Wanderer]

I'm in the same camp as Hambagahle. We have been loyal Regent cruisers for twelve years, our last cruise having been in Navigator in May.

 

There's a lot to love about Regent, but the experience was getting too expensive for us, so we're trying Riviera as well, next fall's crossing.

 

The included excursions are nice, sometimes--in Alaska in May it was wonderful to have them included since excursions there are so expensive. But in general, we'd like the choice to do private, or just wander on our own. Regent has also not announced a new build, and everybody's being very patient about this, but Navigator is definitely near the end of its life, despite a recent lavish refit.

 

One good thing Regent has going for it is it's reasonably-priced Business class air upgrades--something I fervently wish Oceania would try out! In any cost comparison, make sure you include this cost, if you like Biz, and also to compare the price of comparable cabins.

 

For our 2013 Crossing there's no comparable RSSC crossing to compare prices. But you can compare the 2013 Barcelona-Rio crossings, on Seven Seas Mariner and Oceania Marina, both 18 nights:

 

O: B4 minimum veranda $3999 (284 square feet)

R: H minimum veranda $8299 (300 square feet)

 

O: PH3 penthouse $5699 (420 square feet)

R: PHC penthouse $13599 (449 square feet)

 

You can buy a heck of a lot of booze for the difference in these prices. And buy some pretty spiffy excursions (albeit these are crossings.) Suite size differences are negligible.

 

I had to go back and check this to make sure I wasn't mistaken--I didn't know the disparity would be this large.

[pacheco18]

I'm in the same camp as Hambagahle. We have been loyal Regent cruisers for twelve years, our last cruise having been in Navigator in May.

 

There's a lot to love about Regent, but the experience was getting too expensive for us, so we're trying Riviera as well, next fall's crossing.

 

The included excursions are nice, sometimes--in Alaska in May it was wonderful to have them included since excursions there are so expensive. But in general, we'd like the choice to do private, or just wander on our own. Regent has also not announced a new build, and everybody's being very patient about this, but Navigator is definitely near the end of its life, despite a recent lavish refit.

 

One good thing Regent has going for it is it's reasonably-priced Business class air upgrades--something I fervently wish Oceania would try out! In any cost comparison, make sure you include this cost, if you like Biz, and also to compare the price of comparable cabins.

 

For our 2013 Crossing there's no comparable RSSC crossing to compare prices. But you can compare the 2013 Barcelona-Rio crossings, on Seven Seas Mariner and Oceania Marina, both 18 nights:

 

O: B4 minimum veranda $3999 (284 square feet)

R: H minimum veranda $8299 (300 square feet)

 

O: PH3 penthouse $5699 (420 square feet)

R: PHC penthouse $13599 (449 square feet)

 

You can buy a heck of a lot of booze for the difference in these prices. And buy some pretty spiffy excursions (albeit these are crossings.) Suite size differences are negligible.

 

I had to go back and check this to make sure I wasn't mistaken--I didn't know the disparity would be this large.

 

OMG - I cannot believe the price difference. I have read so many posts on the Regent board that claim that if you do the math the per diem is not that different. Must be new math.

[LHT28]

 

For our 2013 Crossing there's no comparable RSSC crossing to compare prices. But you can compare the 2013 Barcelona-Rio crossings, on Seven Seas Mariner and Oceania Marina, both 18 nights:

 

O: B4 minimum veranda $3999 (284 square feet)

R: H minimum veranda $8299 (300 square feet)

 

O: PH3 penthouse $5699 (420 square feet)

R: PHC penthouse $13599 (449 square feet)

 

You can buy a heck of a lot of booze for the difference in these prices. And buy some pretty spiffy excursions (albeit these are crossings.) Suite size differences are negligible.

 

I had to go back and check this to make sure I wasn't mistaken--I didn't know the disparity would be this large.

Does Regent include economy air in the price?

[esther e]

It does, as well as hotel rooms prior, and gratuities.

[pacheco18]

It does, as well as hotel rooms prior, and gratuities.

 

Gratuities are not included unless your TA offers them to you as a perk

[JimandStan]

Gratuities are not included unless your TA offers them to you as a perk

 

On Regent they are ALWAYS included.

[pacheco18]

True.

But if you find the right TA to book an O cruise (as I am sure you have) they will ALWAYS be included on O as well. LOL

[esther e]

I was speaking of Regent as far as gratuities.

[Wendy The Wanderer]

These prices were just the default ones shown on the websites. Nothing added, nothing taken away. Free Economy air in both cases. And yes, RSSC always includes gratuities. I got included gratuities with O, but that's instead of an OBC, to be fair.

 

Yes, the Regent prices include a "luxury hotel package" (which can be opted out of, for a credit.)

[hondorner]

...

O: B4 minimum veranda $3999 (284 square feet)

R: H minimum veranda $8299 (300 square feet)

Wendy, you absolutely nailed everything, except one minor picky thing -- the verandas on Riviera/Marina are 242sq ft with 42 sq ft balconies; the minumum verandas on Navigator and Voyager aere plus the balcony. The extra space on Regent can be felt; the bathooms are more roomy and the walk-in closets are delightful, plus the sitting area of the standard cabin on Regent is more like a suite on Oceania. The financial savings between Oceania and Regent depend heavily on choosing the smaller vernada cabin on Oceania; most Regent guests would choose the penthouses on Oceania. But, even there, the comparison gets muddy, because one gets a butler with a penthouse on Oceania and does not on the comparable standard suite on Regent. You have to spend a lot more money on Regent to get a butler (for whatever that's worth).

 

Having said that, in the interests of fairness, I totally agree with everything else you said, and for those reasons have always favored Oceania over Regent. I've only sailed Regent in the Caribbean, like the one where we met, when the price was so low that it matched the concierge cost on Oceania, therefore rendering my drinks, excursions and other included amenities truly free on Regent. Even there, it depended on my taking the more generous air credit, the hotel credit, past guest credit and ambassador credit on Regent. I haven't seen those low prices recently...:rolleyes:

[LHT28]

Thanks for the update on Regent

I have wanted to try them in the past but I do not drink much & we prefer to DIY as far as excursions go ...so adding that into the base prices sort of put us off RSSC (among other things)

Even for drinkers ...if you add the Premium drink package for 18 days @$900 pp O still is a good deal

 

You have to weight the options & see what works best your you

 

Wendy you could always book a PH @ 420 sq ft for $6037 & still come out well

[wripro]

First of all, air is never free on either Regent or Oceania. It is included and you can get a credit if you choose not to use it. That means it's not free. They are including the cost of air in the fare.

 

Second, I always find the argument that some people make that they don't want to sail on an all inclusive line because they don't want to pay for alcohol they don't drink or subsidize others' drinking. EVERYBODY uses some facility or service on a ship which others do not and by default are subsidizing that item. Personally, I never go to shows or entertainment at night which cost the company alot more than alcohol. Still I do not complain that I ma subsidizing others who attend. I have never used a Bridge consultant as I do not play. I don't begrudge that it is factored into the price of the cruise. And let's not even go into food consumption. Yada, yada, yada.

 

I choose a cruise line for the entirety of the experience. There are many things I love about Oceania and therefore overlook the things I do not. Same goes for all inclusive lines.

[Paulchili]

I choose a cruise line for the entirety of the experience. There are many things I love about Oceania and therefore overlook the things I do not. Same goes for all inclusive lines.

 

I mostly agree with you but not entirely.

As we do not drink at all, that extra expense is a significant difference to us financially.

Having said that, we have cruised on Silversea because our first experience with them was so spectacular in all other aspects that I was willing to put up even with their dress code.

We have sailed with them again and loved the smaller ships but not so much the Spirit. I doubt very much that we would sail with them again unless it was a truly special itinerary not available with anyone else.

The overall experience on Silversea made me overlook the "all inclusive" aspect and even dress code and we have no regrets; having sailed on Regent and Seabourn I would not do that again for either of them - not enough of a difference to justify leaving Oceania for them.

YMMV

[Wendy The Wanderer]

Wendy, you absolutely nailed everything, except one minor picky thing -- the verandas on Riviera/Marina are 242sq ft with 42 sq ft balconies; the minumum verandas on Navigator and Voyager aere plus the balcony.

 

Don, am I wrong? The Mariner 300 sqft includes the balcony. And the Marina 284 sqft includes the balcony--right?

 

BTW, I absolutely agree--I would do a well--priced Caribbean on Regent for sure, but they are few and far between. Gone are the days when we did a 7-day Caribbean for $350 pp/pn.

 

Wendy you could always book a PH @ 420 sq ft for $6037 & still come out well

 

That's exactly what we did, although for the Riviera TA Barcelona - Miami.

[Wendy The Wanderer]

Here's another example. Not the same itineraries, but same length and timeframe, 10 nights, Med., June 2013:

 

Regent: Venice to Rome, PHC $12,599; H balcony, $6599

Oceania: Rome to Barcelona, PH3, $7,199; B4 veranda, $5,399

 

So in this case, the balcony price is pretty similar, when you take into account tips, drinks, excursions and pre-cruise hotel.

 

Okay, I see--with a PHC and up, on European cruises, you get Business Class Air included, so the disparity will be partly explained that way.

 

So that applies to my previous example as well. It accounts for some of the PH disparity.

[hondorner]

Don, am I wrong? The Mariner 300 sqft includes the balcony. And the Marina 284 sqft includes the balcony--right?

 

BTW, I absolutely agree--I would do a well--priced Caribbean on Regent for sure, but they are few and far between. Gone are the days when we did a 7-day Caribbean for $350 pp/pn.

My bad -- I didn't realize you were discussing Mariner at 300 sq ft, which does include balcony. I thought you were discussing Navigator and Voyager, which are 301 sq ft PLUS balcony. I haven't been on Mariner.

 

Mariner is at 252 sq ft inside, and Marina and Riviera are 242 inside, so they are comparable. But, there are still some important differences -- Mariner has a walk-in closet, a true curtain that closes on the sitting area, and some cabins have a large stall shower instead of the tub/shower. I still like the standard cabins on any Regent ship a bit more than the standard vernada cabins on any Oceania ship, but this is part of the luxury standard of Regent -- more space per passenger.

 

You're sure right about the good old days -- that $350 pp/pn with inclouded open bar and included excursions was great. I can still do it theoretically in an Oceani View for less than $300 per day, per person, considering an air credit, a hotel credit and a past guest credit, but I could have gotten an Ocean View on Riviera for less than $200 per day, per person (but no drinks or excursions). I say "theoretically", because all thise categories are wait-listed...

 

...I've actually booked a 10 day Western Caribbean on Riviera in December, in a category F Inside cabin, for $155/person/day after taking off air and past guest credit. It's a guarantee, so I may get the inside cabin, and I may get bumped to a balcony, but we're planning to spend the savings on the premium drink package, partially covered with our onboard credit (and still be under $200 per day), and take no excursions, because we've already done all the excursions we like at all of the ports. We're going stictly for friends, for the food and for the ship itself.

[ChatKat in Ca.]

I found that in 2007 i did the same kind of comparison for O vs R for a Baltic in a Concierge on O vs H on Voyager; The O itinerary was 14 days and R was 7 with no air; We had miles available for flight. We did all private excursions on O and our fare was less than half per diem.

 

The math hasn't changed. The O Product was excellent. I have found the Regent Experience differential very small as far as quality and I find Regent Quality is not what it was back in the Carlson days.

[esther e]

Oh, how we miss the Carlsons!