Comparison of Oceania and Regent

[Wendy The Wanderer]

Nice to hear about the string quartet--I still have fond memories of our first non-PG Radisson cruise. It was on Diamond, and it was one of the themed-cruises (remember them?). The theme was classical music, the setting was the Black Sea, and we had wonderful virtuouso Ukranian musicians onboard to entertain us. That was the first and last time we heard classical music on Regent, mores the pity.

[pacheco18]

We are also Regent refugees.......sailing on the Riviera again this summer and just picked out our cruise on the Riviera for July 2014.

We won't sail Regent again, we just love the Oceania expierence.

 

It would be a great marketing term if the two lines weren't owned by the same company! LOL

[digtexas]

That string quartet.. Playing In horizons at tea time... Now that is pure luxury. We loved it. And the widely spaced tables, everything served at your seat. So very lovely.

 

And don't forget those marvelous scones!

[VIRGINIA ARTIE]

The string quartet at tea time was the best entertainment on the cruise.

[Riviera January 13th cruise]

[LHT28]

I do not think we have had a bad quartet on any of our cruises

 

One tried to do more modern music but did not pull it off

When they stuck to their classical repertoire they were fine

 

 

Lyn

[pacheco18]

I do not think we have had a bad quartet on any of our cruises

 

One tried to do more modern music but did not pull it off

When they stuck to their classical repertoire they were fine

 

 

Lyn

 

The string quartet we had on Nautica last May was the best I have ever experienced. They not only played classical music, but they were masterful at Broadway music and standards. Some of it was whimsical. They did their own show one of the nights in the theatre -- the place was packed.

[Hambagahle]

Couldn't eat anything at tea time! But Ken did. I really appreciated the fact that when you sat down someone came by with a selection of Twinings teas. (We drink their Earl Grey). Then separate tea pots were brought with piping hot water for each of us. Much nicer than having someone circulate with "builders tea" and then having to make a special request for Earl Grey.

 

String quartet also "played us aboard". As we boarded, they were in the main lobby. What a lovely welcome. Again classical music. Very "classy" !

[Mexfolkart]

Our friends asked us last night about the compariosn between Regent and

Oceania Nautica. Everything above is for the newer larger ships..any comparisons with Nautica? They are making decisions for Fall.

Thanks,

Sherry

[LHT28]

Our friends asked us last night about the compariosn between Regent and

Oceania Nautica. Everything above is for the newer larger ships..any comparisons with Nautica? They are making decisions for Fall.

Thanks,

Sherry

 

Have not been on the Nautica but I would think it would be the same experience as Regatta & Insignia

differences =

There are only 2 specialty restaurants, no cooking school classes , no Baristas, no artist loft, no Privee or La Reserve

 

Most of the other things are the same though

Anything specific ...just ask

 

Lyn

[wripro]

And the Terrace Cafe at night is completely different. Nowhere near as good in quality, choices or ambience.

[hondorner]

Nautica. Regatta and Insignia are smaller than Marina and Riviera, 684 guests compared to 1250, around 30,000 tons compared to around 66,000. Notice that Marina and Riviera are more than twice as large physically, but carry less than double the passengers, thus there is a greater proportion of public space on the larger ships.

 

The cabins and suites on the smaller ships are also smaller, but still very comfortable. There are no bathtubs in the veranda and smaller cabins, and no stand-alone showers in the suites, only a tub/shower combo. The swimming pool on the larger ships has a staircase to enter, just ladders on the smaller ships. There is no separate jogging track on the smaller ships, and the sun deck above the pool is narrower, thus really only good for walking. There are no sports decks on the smaller ships to compare with the larger ones. The theater lounge is smaller with a lower ceiling that prohibits elaborate performances, and has poorer acoustics in my opinion.

 

Still, the food, service, and the "Oceania experience" is as good, or better due to the intimacy, on the smaller ships as on the larger ones. The beds are as comfortable. The policies and management are the same. Many guests feel the smaller size, fewer passengers and overall ambiance make up for any shortcomings due to size. One should remember that Oceania made their reputation and spectacular success based on the smaller ships.

 

It's not that the smaller ships are not as good, it's simply that the newer ships are fabulous.

[globevest]

Well written Hondorner.

[Mexfolkart]

Thanks, All..our friends are deciding between the Oceania Nautica and

Regent for their trip.I didn't make that clear.

Thanks,

Sherry

[Wendy The Wanderer]

Thanks, All..our friends are deciding between the Oceania Nautica and

Regent for their trip.I didn't make that clear.

Thanks,

Sherry

 

Which Regent ship are they considering? Voyager and Mariner are about the same size as Nautica, but have a larger passenger-space ratio, so they may feel roomier. And the standard cabins on all three Regent ships are very nice, larger than standard cabins on any of the smaller of the Oceania ships.

[pacheco18]

Thanks, All..our friends are deciding between the Oceania Nautica and

Regent for their trip.I didn't make that clear.

Thanks,

Sherry

 

Nautica is my favorite ship. I am sailing on her for the 3rd time in April and I am booking another cruise on her for 2014. I would sail her only if she went everywhere I want to go. Intimate, upscale, divine.

[Dorpana]

Interesting...Wondering if Regent is owned by Carnival, as is Seabourn. We paid rich $$$ for a Seabourn cruise in the Med (Istanbul to Athens) in 2011 and liked it so much we scampered back to Celebrity for better cuisine, wine, service, etc., at half the $$$. Sebourn is quite simply over-hyped and over-priced. It looked like they were cutting corners in staffing, coverage and morale was not what we were expecting. One of our fellow cruisers remarked that Regent reminded them of Seabourn.

[hondorner]

Interesting...Wondering if Regent is owned by Carnival, as is Seabourn. We paid rich $$$ for a Seabourn cruise in the Med (Istanbul to Athens) in 2011 and liked it so much we scampered back to Celebrity for better cuisine, wine, service, etc., at half the $$$. Sebourn is quite simply over-hyped and over-priced. It looked like they were cutting corners in staffing, coverage and morale was not what we were expecting. One of our fellow cruisers remarked that Regent reminded them of Seabourn.

Regent is owned by Prestige Cruise Holdings, the same company which owns Oceania. Prestige Cruise Holdings was formed in 2007 to manage select assets in Apollo Management’s cruise investment portfolio. Tthe Chairman and CEO of PCH is Frank Del Rio, the founder of Oceania.

[Hambagahle]

And the Pesident of both Regent and Oceania is Mr Kunai Kamlani. (Hope I spelt his name right! )

[Dorpana]

Thanks for that! We've booked Valparaiso to Papeete Dec13, hoping for the small boat experience we were expecting from Seabourn.

[sailorgirl]

Having just completed a ten day on Riviera, and having given a brief review already, on this thread I would like to comment on the excellent attitude of the crew as well. Certainly better than anything we experienced in the past on Regent, or other lines.

[gtragitt]

Glad you enjoyed your cruise

 

I only have 1 nit pic about your review

You did not give the sizes of the suites on Regent for comparison:(

The cabins on the Navigator are smaller than the Riveria with the exception of the Master suite which is slightly larger than the Oceania suites

 

The difference on the other 2 Regent ships is the PH are only 30 sq ft larger than Oceania PH suites ...which is probably a deal breaker for some Regent cruisers

 

I have not been on Regent mainly because we do not take ships excursions nor drink very much so why pay upfront for those items that are optional on Oceania

 

You have to choose what works best for you.... each line has it's pro's & con's

 

Overall I thought your comments on your experiences were what most Oceania cruisers love about the line

 

Lyn

I did take the excursions on Regent last Summer because they were included and that aspect reinforced my preference for arranging my own activities. Oceania's style fits our preferences much better.

 

I found the activities and venues to be more limited on Regent. The Mariner was also a little dilapidated in comparison to my experience on the Marina. The gym hours were ridiculously restrictive on the Mariner.

[kazu]

Just dropping in to say THANK YOU for such a great thread and great comparison. We had been considering an Oceania cruise and this is really, really helpful. Thank you:)

[PINEY10]

I read this thread with almost delight! We have sailed both (just recently off the Voyager) in SE Asia.

 

I have been a Regent fan for prior cruises and do like some of their benefits (love the larger suites and bathrooms, the service was unmatched even by Oceania), however, I was on the Voyager a few years ago and I thought the ship seemed tired. The food was ok but not outstanding even in the specialty restaurants although Prime 7 was better than Signatures and the MDR. We are not big boozers (my DH does not drink at all) but I did find many of the "free" wines to be somewhat subpar but there were others that were good. Even with all of the free alcohol, I usually never saw anyone on my prior cruises who was tipsy. This time I saw several. The free excursions are a plus but they were big (at least 25 people). One of the reasons we picked this cruise was because I was a somewhat cocnerned about scheduling my own tours (which I do on all other cruises) in SE Asia. In retrospect, I could have done better myself with smaller groups and less challenged (there was a lot of waiting for people who were unable to even with some assistance do the tours). Regent also was offering a free precruise land tour (to Angkor Wat)--that was a total disaster with close to 300 people signing up for that. Hotels were not great and flights were horrific (on one of the flights we were ona no-frills airline that charged $4 for a bottle of water and we were looking to see if the bathrooms were free--they were; the seats were not large enough for people over 5'8". However, great itinerary and excellent service.

Gym and spa are very outdated and small on Voyager (even smaller on Navigator). It is in the middle of the ship versus the top floors like O and other cruise lines. THey did have cycle spinning which I am love but there is no comparison with O on this. There are not enough rooms for spa treatments either.

 

I did find the clientele on R to be a little more mature on this Regent which frankly I was surprised as it was quite a port intensive itinerary with little assistance to those who were more challenged or needed more assistance (getting on and off the ship at some ports required the stairway and I rarely saw any R people there to help which is not like I saw a couple of years ago) and many of the cities/places we visited did not have handicap or accessible routes. IMHO--ANgkor Wat would have been impossible for people who needed assistance and yet there were people on those tours. That really is not an R issue as people choose what tours to take and are earlier advised on difficulty and some choose to go anyway. Only problem with that is it significantly cost precious time (look it will happen to me too at some point). I also saw more repeat customers on R than on O (a definite majority of those on R) but I also heard a lot of criticism of R not being what it once was. I think the holding company has to make a concerted marketing effort for R to reach a broader age spectrum to make it viable for the future. I am not faulting those who use R but it is something they have to consider to get people on the R mantra. They have a lot of work to do as it appears to me the focus is on O right now. Additionally, they need newer ships. I've only been on the Navigator (too small and loud for me although better food than Voyager) and Voyager but from this last trip, they do need to update this ship. I also think they need at least one more new ship to compete with the advantages of O noted below.

 

We are planning to take the Oceania Marina from FP to Chile next year (took the RIviera in November). Did the PG and that is by far the best but wanted to see Easter Island which Oceania is offering. Frankly, from our recent experience on Riviera, the food was far better than Regent (did not like the MDR on OCeania--too formal for us--but did like the buffet). On the Regent chatboard, some of the "regulars" were ranting about being served in a buffet. Actually we liked it better than the MDR and did not mind that the servers were providing servings (you could also ask for more or less, or to take something out). It also is more sanitary as there was some sickness on the Riviera (but there was sickness as well on the Voyager). I found the upstairs buffet more to our liking, with all choices from the MDR plus the grill and other things not served in the MDR. And particularly loved the al fresco outside. Regent's Sette Mare was lovely but the menu generally did not change but for a few exceptions.

ALso loved the specialty restaurants on Oceania Riviera--they were far and above Regent. Entertainment--I thought was better on Regent (pretty unimpressive on Riviera at least).

Service--still better on Regent.

I also thought many of the people were more low key on Regent but we did meet some nice people on Riviera.

Loved the cooking classes--can't be beat. What a treat and we really enjoyed that.

Gym was great as were the various classes (including spinning). Limited classes on R but many on O.

Loved the front of the ship in front of the spa and gym--great thalossopoly (sp?) pool with Persian Garden beds just inside. Very private and generally underutilized.

 

I am curious as we did not really see a class distinction on Oceania (unlike the die hards on the Regent board who again were ranting on that point). There are class distinctions on both. THere is the specialty restaurant reservations which can be made multiple times by O cruisers before sailing but on R, the suites and frequent cruisers can make early excursion and dining reservations (but dining is limited to one of each restaurant).

 

Frequent Cruisers: I did like the free internet on Regent (for being a frequent cruiser)--that was great for me who likes/needs to be connected. We did the internet package on O which service was generally fabulous but pricey for some (not for me). I did see they are offering discounts to certain levels of service but will see what that really is. I will still pay regardless.

Frequent cruiser program is far and above better on R than O (takes forever to get status on O) and the benefits on R are excellent.

 

If the two lines could be merged (no tomatoes please), it would be fabulous but I also understand that there are two discrete sets of people who might prefer one over the other. It probably won't happen but there are good things offered by both that could be beneficial but I am not suggesting the holding company change that unless they choose to expand some of the benefits).

 

Largely the decision on what lineto take rests on an individual's specific needs and itineraries (which is what we do). I like both--they are different and each offers unique things to that cruise line or ship. I did like the smaller O R ships (particularly for getting into hard to get ports like St. Petersburg), but found the new O ships to be outstanding. Bigger ship, nicer amenities but not a big ship feel.

 

I do have one question: I know there may be priority tendering for suites on O--does that cover concierge level?

 

Joan

[sailfar]

We have sailed 72 days on Regent and have cruised 8 times on Oceania. We have 5 future cruises booked on Oceania and a long back to back to back Regent cruise booked.

 

Our bookings, past and future, may speak more than our words. We enjoy both lines!

 

Having started out with Royal Carribbean, Princess and Celebrity, after experiencing Oceania and Regent we will never look back. We have found a match for our lifestyle: interesting and friendly people, enlightening lectures, engageing shore excursions, top rated food and a well trained staff. Add this all to an environment where you can dress elegantly casual and you are treated as respected adults, what more could one expect!

[kuldalai]

Sailed on Regent SS Voyager Bali to Melbourne last December . Some weird and wonderful things on Regent given they charge like wounded bulls, and are touted as a premium cruise line .

 

* The food standards were inconsistent, several dishes served did not match their menu descriptions . A rack of pork arrived as a dry fillet . Salads served at room temperature at outdoor bbq's whilst a refrigerated cold plate went un-used . A pretty second rate Italian offering in the buffet at night, with very few traditional Italian menu items one would expect to find.

 

* The whole ship was furnished in the most dismal stone beige colour. there was just no fun or excitement about the whole ship or the cruise experience .

 

* The staff whilst polite did not seem well motivated or that interested in their job or the guests. They largely appeared to be just going through the motions.

 

* The ships Officers were remote and aloof .

 

* Head Office wherever in the USA were distinctly unhelpful pre-cruise .

 

* Apparently Regent must be hard up for cash as an outside promenade deck on Voyager is half wood teak an the other half is just slippery painted steel, again quite weird .

 

* The whole cruise just did not feel quite right and we were happy to be off after 10 days . On our Regent experience would not rush back .

 

Booked on Oceania Regatta departing Miami on 20/04/13 for San Francisco . Based on others reports we are expecting a much more enjoyable cruise experience on Oceania .