Oceania vs. Regent

[Tarpeian Rock]

The discussion of the possible acquisition of Prestige by NCL got me to wondering: As someone who fell in love with O after our first cruise this year, (having given up on HAL), I never have given any thought to O's sister company Regent. My only understanding is that Regent is, or is close to, all-inclusive. In what other ways do the sister lines currently differ? Are they essentially appealing to the same cruising demographic but on different levels of inclusiveness?

[Noxequifans]

We have sailed on both and in our opinion the food on O is superior.

[ChatKat in Ca.]

I have been on both multiple times.

 

Food is subjective and I think it depends on venue and the ship. There are more offerings on Regent in the main dining room. On the older R ships there are less choices. I think the steakhouse is identical.

On the Crossing we did last year on Oceania's Riviera for 28 days we never tired of the menu. We loved Red Ginger and Jacques. Comparing Jacques and Signatures on Regent - Jacques was spectacular. And all that said there was also a meeting on board where the Executive Chefs were meeting to work on new menus for both lines.

 

Regent's passenger makeup is more understated and sophisticated and can be less social. There is a slight demographic difference.

 

We have enjoyed both and we booked our next cruise on Oceania. We are no longer as inclined to be on Regent because we think that the value for our travel dollar includes things we don't want to pay for. Excursions and Alcohol being the main cost. We love good wine - and we find the included or packaged wine on both lines are not what we prefer. We buy bottles of our choice onboard. Most other amenities and certainly service is comparable to us.

[Paulchili]

I agree with ChatKat in general.

I don't see any point in paying for things I will not use - i.e. alcohol or their pre-paid excursions.

I prefer the demographics on Oceania (more down to earth and friendlier, less pretentious) and O's less formal atmosphere. Big difference in my book is that O's food is definitely better, especially on the O class ships.

Each line has its loyal followers and one can hardly go wrong with either one - just a matter of personal preference.

You are likely to get a very different point of view if you post this on Regent boards :D

[Mura]

I can't make a judgment about Regent since we haven't sailed with them but I was impressed by a comment a Regent passenger made on one of our port stops on last November's BCN-RIO cruise on Marina.

 

Our van taking us to the city gave her a lift to their ship (docked next to us) and she commented on how much "livelier" the Oceania passengers appeared to her. I would say the demographic was pretty much the same -- we were on exactly the same cruise with one exception (they did Gibraltar, we did Cartagena), but other than that one day we were in the same ports at the same time. Some days we left before them, others they left first.

 

And I would say that we had more people than usual on our cruise who were using scooters or walkers. So the comment interested me.

 

I wouldn't try to generalize more than this was one time!

 

Someone also posted here a while back about how they were on their first Regent cruise and when asked about their cruise history were cut dead when they said this was their first time on Regent. They weren't happy with their cruise but perhaps they were just unlucky. (I wouldn't avoid Regent because of this comment!)

 

Mura

[Travelcat2]

I disagree with much of ChatKat and Paulchili's post. I feel that comparing Oceania to Regent is like comparing apples to oranges. I have sailed Regent 18 times and Oceania once with one cruise booked for November.

 

I agree with part of the ChatKat's post that "Regent's passenger makeup is more understated and sophisticated and can be less social. There is a slight demographic difference." Regent passengers, IMO are understated and can be "sophisticated" but would rather use the term "well-traveled". They are definitely not less social .

 

In terms of Paulchili's post, I disagree a bit more. He stated "I prefer the demographics on Oceania (more down to earth and friendlier, less pretentious) and O's less formal atmosphere. Big difference in my book is that O's food is definitely better, especially on the O class ships.". Firstly, as stated by ChatKat, the demographics are basically the same. We find some people on Oceania friendly and some definitely not -- the same as Regent. In terms of food (which I understand is subjective), Oceania's specialty restaurants - Jacques and Red Ginger are far superior to any dining venue on Regent. However, their main dining room is not and the Terrace Café in particular is far below Regent's offerings. They offer a huge variety of meats and fish that Regent does not but we feel that the quality is not up to Regent standards.

 

After reading the OP's post again, I suspect that we are using the term "demographic" differently. My comments above are regarding age. If the OP means whether they draw from the same segment of the cruising population, my response would be different. I have read Oceania posts for about a year and find that there are many people cruising Oceania have sailed on HAL and Princess in the past. Regent, on the other hand, tends to draw the majority of new cruisers from Silversea, Seabourn and Crystal. This makes sense since Regent is considered a true luxury cruise line while Oceania has amazing luxury ships (Riviera and Marina) but is considered a premium plus or luxury lite cruise line.

 

While we thoroughly enjoyed our Riviera cruise (but do not think we would like the ships with small staterooms), and are booked on another, we are admittedly Regent loyalists. When reading the Oceania board (which I enjoy), we find subjects that would never appear on the Regent board such as..... how much alcohol can I bring on board......... what is the corkage fee......... can I have a hot breakfast in xxx suite? All of these things are part of the Regent experience -- we simply would not even think to ask about it.

 

Bottom line for us is that Oceania is far and above anything in the non-luxury arena. I would recommend them to anyone that wanted perfect service, incredible ships (Riviera and Marina) and the best food at sea (in the specialty restaurants).

 

I highly suspect that there will be a lot of disagreement with this post:)

Edited September 2, 2014 by Travelcat2

[computerworks]

I highly suspect that there will be a lot of disagreement with this post:)

 

You may be correct.

 

The 'categorization' of luxury, near-luxury, luxury lite, premium plus...is all self serving...and makes the industry media comfortable.

 

My opinion is that the two lines are incredibly similar, with one being all-inclusive and the other is not.

 

The good news is that you can't go wrong with either. Simply decide if inclusive is your deciding parameter. The rest is pretty much the same.

[Mura]

TravelCat,

 

With all due respect ... I appreciate your comments here. But I would also say that of course Regent passengers wouldn't ask about "can I bring wine and liquor on board" or "what is the corkage fee" because it's all included. It's a nobrainer ...

 

And in general things that are included on Regent (such as a hot breakfast in the cabin) but not necessarily on Oceania -- again, of course a Regent passenger wouldn't ask those questions.

 

But there is a good reason why Oceania passengers DO ask those questions.

 

 

Mura, an Oceania loyalist (who doesn't discount your opinions because you are a Regent loyalist!) -- we had booked a Regent cruise last year for a significant anniversary but cancelled when we realized the dollars just didn't work for us. The cruise was very sold-out and the room we got was just ridiculously expensive -- as would have been the airfare to the Far East. So we did Oceania instead.

 

That doesn't mean we won't do Regent some day!

[Travelcat2]

TravelCat,

 

With all due respect ... I appreciate your comments here. But I would also say that of course Regent passengers wouldn't ask about "can I bring wine and liquor on board" or "what is the corkage fee" because it's all included. It's a nobrainer ...

 

And in general things that are included on Regent (such as a hot breakfast in the cabin) but not necessarily on Oceania -- again, of course a Regent passenger wouldn't ask those questions.

 

But there is a good reason why Oceania passengers DO ask those questions.

 

 

Mura, an Oceania loyalist (who doesn't discount your opinions because you are a Regent loyalist!) -- we had booked a Regent cruise last year for a significant anniversary but cancelled when we realized the dollars just didn't work for us. The cruise was very sold-out and the room we got was just ridiculously expensive -- as would have been the airfare to the Far East. So we did Oceania instead.

 

That doesn't mean we won't do Regent some day!

 

Mura,

 

Good points. I suppose my post didn't convey what I wanted it to. Totally agree with your comments about why comments on the Oceania board do not appear on the Regent board. In my own way I was trying to point out how different Oceania and Regent are because that is how different NCL and Oceania will be (if this goes through). For that reason, I was trying to say that Oceania passengers need not worry about what NCL does or does not do since it will likely not impact Oceania.

 

Do hope that you sail on Regent someday.

[Mura]

TravelCat,

 

I'm sure we will sail on Regent not in the distant future.

 

I think we agree on the major points! And since I tend to be of the "glass full" population, I'm not necessarily concerned about an NCL take-over of our two favorite lines (although I would prefer that the deal not go through just to be SAFE). NCL's recent management seems to have had their heads on their shoulders and I like to think they won't spend a lot of money to destroy Regent and Oceania!

 

Crossing my fingers that I am right,

 

Mura

[ChatKat in Ca.]

Jackie, please do not quote me because you are putting words where there are none.

 

Paulchili is right on. I totally agree that the Oceania passenger is more to our liking - friendlier, and equally if not more well traveled with out any pretense. The passenger make up on Oceania is well educated. We met many professionals on both lines. While we made many friends on Regent over the years, we have found that the passengers on Oceania are more gregarious.

[Paulchili]

TC2,

We'll just have to agree to disagree on just about every topic being discussed here on CC.

That's OK with me. We apparently see the world with different eyes. Everyone is entitled to their opinions.

Peace - vive la différence.

Paulchili

[MV21]

Having sailed twice on Regent and once on Riviera I would agree with TC2's comments about food. I thought the specialty restaurants on the Riviera were superior to Regent (Mariner and Voyager) but Regent was better in the MDR. Mainly this was to do with the amount of choice offered.

 

With regard to the social inclinations of the patrons of each line, I think that is so dependent on the particular cruise one is on. On a recent cruise on the Riviera I read on these boards that the Casino would be probably empty on our 7 day (port intensive) cruise. Nothing could be further from the truth - it was packed every night.

 

I have to be careful about making generalisations about a line or its clientele based on a quick elevator conversation or waiter experience. I keep reminding myself that I'm hardly conducting empirical research!

 

Either way I would cruise either line again in a click.

[MV21]

Regarding how one should describe each line, "luxury lite etc." I was interested to receive an e-mail from both Oceania and Regent about the impending sale.

 

The e-mails are virtually the same except for the last paragraph or so.

 

In the Oceania e-mail it states:

For the Oceania Cruises brand, our mission will be to preserve the distinct offerings, guest experiences and unique onboard culture our guests cherish onboard our ships while always exploring ways to further enhance our upper premium experience.

 

In the Regent e-mail it sates:

For the Regent Seven Seas Cruises brand, our mission will be to preserve the distinct offerings, guest experiences and unique onboard culture our guests cherish onboard our ships while always exploring ways to further enhance our luxury experience.

 

I guess those are the terms they use to make any distinction.

[Travelcat2]

Jackie, please do not quote me because you are putting words where there are none.

 

Paulchili is right on. I totally agree that the Oceania passenger is more to our liking - friendlier, and equally if not more well traveled with out any pretense. The passenger make up on Oceania is well educated. We met many professionals on both lines. While we made many friends on Regent over the years, we have found that the passengers on Oceania are more gregarious.

 

Um, ChatKat, I quoted you and then gave my opinion clear differentiation. The words came out of your post.

Edited September 3, 2014 by Travelcat2

[cotto22]

Having sailed twice on Regent and once on Riviera I would agree with TC2's comments about food. I thought the specialty restaurants on the Riviera were superior to Regent (Mariner and Voyager) but Regent was better in the MDR. Mainly this was to do with the amount of choice offered.

 

With regard to the social inclinations of the patrons of each line, I think that is so dependent on the particular cruise one is on. On a recent cruise on the Riviera I read on these boards that the Casino would be probably empty on our 7 day (port intensive) cruise. Nothing could be further from the truth - it was packed every night.

 

I have to be careful about making generalisations about a line or its clientele based on a quick elevator conversation or waiter experience. I keep reminding myself that I'm hardly conducting empirical research!

 

Either way I would cruise either line again in a click.

 

I heartily agree with this post, in that different cruises on the same line can seem like night and day. We have been on two Regent cruises, one an Alaskan cruise, and one a transatlantic. We found our fellow cruisers on the Alaskan cruise to be somewhat aloof and less than gregarious, but it was a whole different ballgame on the transatlantic cruise. Everyone was very warm and friendly and outgoing. Maybe it was the climate!

The same can be said on some of the Silversea cruises we have been on; some had very pretentious guests, and some had the nicest and almost rowdy characters that kept us entertained nightly-much better than than what was on stage.

I don't know what to expect on our first Oceania cruise, but sometimes what you put into an experience is what you get out of it. We would not hesitate to do another Regent, if the itinerary was what we wanted. But we are very much looking forward to our Oceania cruise in...29 days and counting!

[Aloha 1]

My 2 cents for what it's worth;

 

Sailed on Regent Voyager in a standard F class suite last year for a 15 nights Western Med cruise. Ages ranged from 40's to 80's. There was a small group of past Regent cruisers who "seemed" to be ( my opinion) a bit snobbish but they were the exception to the rule. The Captain was the most personable, ever present ship's Captain I've ever had the pleasure of sailing with. Our group of 9 inadvertently commandeered his table in the GDR the first night of the cruise and he was most gracious to allow us to remain there for the entire cruise. the Executive Chef created not one but two special dinners for us to celebrate birthdays, one Indian and the other Portuguese. The Casino was busy, the shore excursions excellent, the wine very good, and Prime 7 ( steak house), plus Signatures ( french) specialty restaurants superb. Our cabin stewardess was first rate. All in all, a wonderful experience.

 

Now, all should know that BOTH lines are provisioned from the same sources (economy of scale). Learned this from the GM on board Voyager. We even had the Red Ginger Sea Bass one night in the GDR complete with banana leaf! Any differences in perceived cooking must be put to the individual chefs of both lines.

 

We are truly looking forward to our first O experience on Riviera as a way to compare. My guess is that we'll find more similarities than differences. One more thing. In comparing the base costs between the two cruises, we find that there is about a $2K difference between the prices

(both include gratuities and beverages)and that can be attributed to the higher cabin category we have booked on Riviera. I'm leaving out the included shore excursions on Regent since we have booked everything on our own for the O cruise. I'll post more after.

[pacheco18]

I heartily agree with this post, in that different cruises on the same line can seem like night and day. We have been on two Regent cruises, one an Alaskan cruise, and one a transatlantic. We found our fellow cruisers on the Alaskan cruise to be somewhat aloof and less than gregarious, but it was a whole different ballgame on the transatlantic cruise. Everyone was very warm and friendly and outgoing. Maybe it was the climate!

 

The same can be said on some of the Silversea cruises we have been on; some had very pretentious guests, and some had the nicest and almost rowdy characters that kept us entertained nightly-much better than than what was on stage.

 

I don't know what to expect on our first Oceania cruise, but sometimes what you put into an experience is what you get out of it. We would not hesitate to do another Regent, if the itinerary was what we wanted. But we are very much looking forward to our Oceania cruise in...29 days and counting!

 

 

Every Oceania cruise is different

 

There is no rule of thumb

 

We manage to enjoy them all

 

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums mobile app

[hypercafe]

We would take Regent in the trip was right. We like to take the lines shore trips so if we were going to a place I really wanted to tour around I would take regent as the trips are included.

 

Sent from my XT1032 using Forums mobile app

[pacheco18]

We would take Regent in the trip was right. We like to take the lines shore trips so if we were going to a place I really wanted to tour around I would take regent as the trips are included.

 

Sent from my XT1032 using Forums mobile app

 

LOL

Different strokes

I would NEVER sail Regent as we would NEVER do a ship's excursion.

 

That's why there are different cruise lines for different people.

[JPR]

One advantage of Regent is that it prepare special order meals on request in Compass Rose with advance notice. Oceania will not do that, in our experience, other than the set choices from its Kosher menu.

[Travelcat2]

LOL

Different strokes

I would NEVER sail Regent as we would NEVER do a ship's excursion.

 

That's why there are different cruise lines for different people.

 

Agree about "different strokes" but not everyone on Regent takes their included excursions. Yes, we technically pay for it in the fare but no one forces us to use it. There are also Regent passengers that do not drink alcohol. They cruise Regent for the experience which, IMO, is very different than Oceania (although we do enjoy Oceania).

[pacheco18]

Agree about "different strokes" but not everyone on Regent takes their included excursions. Yes, we technically pay for it in the fare but no one forces us to use it. There are also Regent passengers that do not drink alcohol. They cruise Regent for the experience which, IMO, is very different than Oceania (although we do enjoy Oceania).

 

Good for them

I am never going to pay for included excursions and then shell out hundreds (maybe thousands) more for private excursions. We drink verylittle, but we have sailed the PG and are sailing Seabourn where alcohol is included because we want[ed] to sail on those lines.

 

I really have no interest in the Regent "experience." Reading the Regent threads is enough Regent experience for me. LOL

[dorisis]

For me, the biggest difference is cabin size. Even the OV cabins on Regent navigator are much larger than on The R class on O. But wirh excursions and liquor included I feel Regent can be the better value.

[Wendy The Wanderer]

FWIW, I found my single Oceania Riviera cruise to be *more formal* than any of my recent Regent cruises. I too believe that the Regent passenger demographic skews a little to the more sophisticated--there are no inside cabins on Regent, after all, so the minimum price of entry is higher. I noticed no difference in the age demographic.

 

When Regent went all-inclusive with alcohol, the ships got much livelier and more social, with the lounges full before and after dinner. I found the only really social bar on Riviera was Martinis. And during half-priced happy hour it was so crowded that it was impossible--we retreated to Horizons which was a lovely place, although not very social at all.

Edited September 4, 2014 by Wendy The Wanderer