Oceania vs. Regent

[wristband]

Of course, every cruise is different with its own merits/demerits. To generalize and extrapolate from one's personal observation of customer composition based on a single cruise seems, well duh, specious.

 

We have taken 8 Regent cruises and 6 O. I agree with Pacheco - some love an O cruise, others on the exact same sailing do not. To each, his/her own.

 

But I also agree with her that "Free Regent Excursions" are what you pay for - mediocre guides, overloaded buses, a waste of time based on our experiences. We would never again subject ourselves to a "free" ship tour but that is our preference. Better to have a small, private group to enjoy the port and obtain greater flexibility and a more personalized experience. It does not bug me that the price is inclusive for tours or booze, just as the included cost of the gym, sauna and coffee are not extra on both lines as they are on others.

 

As for Regent's free booze, big deal. We enjoy drinking but choose to pass on O's package. We want freedom to choose What we want When we want vs relying on house plonk each day in O's package (aside from the champers, the vino offered is meh). Ditto for the mediocre daily wines on Regent which cost $8-12 at a local market. Both offer basically the same premium hard spirits. For alcoholics, who are noticeable on Regent from the barking and boozing, this is a nice "free" perk...non-stop boozing all day ensures lushes get their money's worth on Regent. But, please, don't get sunburned after passing out by the pool.

 

Food is far superior at every venue on O and O's overall service (based on our multiple experiences with both) is far more friendlier, responsive, efficient and better managed than on our recent Regent cruises. Significantly superior that we did not consider Regent again after our last two unfortunate experiences on Mariner. Been there, did there, no more.

 

Will the NCL deal affect us as O customers? $3 billion purchase price - mostly debt and stock - simply translates into this: the price must be paid.

 

Either fares will increase along with customer head count or overhead must be significantly reduced, esp labor costs. However, the two lines can't increase the number of customers measurably as most ships appear to sail near capacity.

 

So, Regent & O in tandem must raise prices or reduce costs substantially... of both. Which means, whether you are an O or Regent devotee, a "tax" in the form of subsidizing the very rich purchase price will be paid by us customers.

[LHT28]

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.

 

I thought all cabins on Regent had balconies?

[1982CruzStart]

I thought all cabins on Regent had balconies?

 

Mariner and Voyager are all balcony ships but Navigator (the smallest and oldest) does have some OV cabins.

[Travelcat2]

As we all know, food is subjective. While we found the food in Jacques and Red Ginger superior to anything we have on Regent, the same cannot be said for the Terrace Café and MDR. IMO, the Terrace Café had much more to offer but was a cut below what we get on Regent. We did not care for the MDR but neither do many Oceania customers.

 

The large suites on Oceania are beautiful as are the two new ships (will tour the Insignia in early December). The décor of Oceania is completely different than on Regent. I like the look of both of them.

 

As I have stated before, the experiences on Regent and Oceania are quite different (at least for us they are). Whether we are having a drink or not, we enjoy the activity and entertainment in all of Regent's lounges. As posted above, the lounges are fairly quiet on Oceania.

[LHT28]

seems some people cannot make up their minds .... either the lounges are too busy during happy hour for all those with the drink packages (which I do not understand that one) or they are too quiet

 

Maybe people on Oceania do not sit at the bars all day watch what colour of key cards people use :rolleyes:

Edited September 4, 2014 by LHT28

[ChatKat in Ca.]

Of course, every cruise is different with its own merits/demerits. To generalize and extrapolate from one's personal observation of customer composition based on a single cruise seems, well duh, specious.

 

We have taken 8 Regent cruises and 6 O. I agree with Pacheco - some love an O cruise, others on the exact same sailing do not. To each, his/her own.

 

But I also agree with her that "Free Regent Excursions" are what you pay for - mediocre guides, overloaded buses, a waste of time based on our experiences. We would never again subject ourselves to a "free" ship tour but that is our preference. Better to have a small, private group to enjoy the port and obtain greater flexibility and a more personalized experience. It does not bug me that the price is inclusive for tours or booze, just as the included cost of the gym, sauna and coffee are not extra on both lines as they are on others.

 

As for Regent's free booze, big deal. We enjoy drinking but choose to pass on O's package. We want freedom to choose What we want When we want vs relying on house plonk each day in O's package (aside from the champers, the vino offered is meh). Ditto for the mediocre daily wines on Regent which cost $8-12 at a local market. Both offer basically the same premium hard spirits. For alcoholics, who are noticeable on Regent from the barking and boozing, this is a nice "free" perk...non-stop boozing all day ensures lushes get their money's worth on Regent. But, please, don't get sunburned after passing out by the pool.

 

Food is far superior at every venue on O and O's overall service (based on our multiple experiences with both) is far more friendlier, responsive, efficient and better managed than on our recent Regent cruises. Significantly superior that we did not consider Regent again after our last two unfortunate experiences on Mariner. Been there, did there, no more.

 

Will the NCL deal affect us as O customers? $3 billion purchase price - mostly debt and stock - simply translates into this: the price must be paid.

 

Either fares will increase along with customer head count or overhead must be significantly reduced, esp labor costs. However, the two lines can't increase the number of customers measurably as most ships appear to sail near capacity.

 

So, Regent & O in tandem must raise prices or reduce costs substantially... of both. Which means, whether you are an O or Regent devotee, a "tax" in the form of subsidizing the very rich purchase price will be paid by us customers.

 

I think this sums it up perfectly. I did notice a major reduction in Regent Quality in 2010 from my prior years and I found my experience on O more to my taste. I don't even look at Regent at all now.

[Travelcat2]

seems some people cannot make up their minds .... either the lounges are too busy during happy hour for all those with the drink packages (which I do not understand that one) or they are too quiet

 

Maybe people on Oceania do not sit at the bars all day watch what colour of key cards people use :rolleyes:

 

Perhaps I did not explain it clearly enough. Our experience on our one and only Oceania cruise (so other experiences may differ) was that Martinis was so busy during happy hour that there was standing room only. When we walked by it at some other times there was absolutely no one in it.

 

On Regent, the Observation Lounge can get crowded during sail always but there are generally enough seats for everyone. Not everyone is drinking -- some people read in there during the day, etc. People start arriving after 3:00 p.m. - music begins at 6:00 p.m. and continues into the evening.

 

The Horizon Lounge (aft) starts tea in the afternoon (similar to Oceania). Trivia begins while tea is still going on so people coming in can take advantage of some of the wonderful food that is put out at that time. Bingo follows that and then entertainment at 6:00 p.m. Horizons can be quite full during trivia as it is incredibly popular.

 

My point was that there is much more socializing in the lounges on Regent -- not only drinking alcohol. Maybe someone wants to cool off with a beer and the people they are with are drinking cold non-alcoholic drinks. We go in an hour before dinner and I sip on champagne. We're there to chat with the staff and sometimes to meet new people - not to get drunk (we tend to interact more with the staff as we love to hear about their lives).

 

In terms of finding Oceania's lounges too busy during happy hour for people with the alcohol package........ it is really simple. We want to sit down and enjoy a cocktail before dinner (we dine early). We cannot get into Martinis at 5:30 p.m. (our normal time for a before dinner drink) because it is happy hour and too crowded. So we go in search of a place where we relax have my champagne and actually be able to sit down. Because of happy hour, people on Oceania tend go there more during happy hour than any other time. On Regent there is no incentive to converge into the lounge at a specific time.

 

Hope this clarifies my view.

Edited September 4, 2014 by Travelcat2

[LHT28]

Perhaps I did not explain it clearly enough. Our experience on our one and only Oceania cruise (so other experiences may differ) was that Martinis was so busy during happy hour that there was standing room only. When we walked by it at some other times there was absolutely no one in it.

 

 

Martinis is a smaller venue & even after HH can still be crowded along with the Casino Bar & Grand Hall Bar

 

Maybe try Horizons it has much more seating & even during HH you can usually find a seat

[kiawahdon]

Perhaps I did not explain it clearly enough. Our experience on our one and only Oceania cruise (so other experiences may differ) was that Martinis was so busy during happy hour that there was standing room only. When we walked by it at some other times there was absolutely no one in it.

 

 

In terms of finding Oceania's lounges too busy during happy hour for people with the alcohol package........ it is really simple. We want to sit down and enjoy a cocktail before dinner (we dine early). We cannot get into Martinis at 5:30 p.m. (our normal time for a before dinner drink) because it is happy hour and too crowded. So we go in search of a place where we relax have my champagne and actually be able to sit down. Because of happy hour, people on Oceania tend go there more during happy hour than any other time. On Regent there is no incentive to converge into the lounge at a specific time.

 

Hope this clarifies my view.

 

One thing you did not mention (maybe didn't know) is that O's 5-6 happy hours are offered in BOTH Martinis AND Horizons. If you couldn't find a seat in Martinis, why not go to Horizons? Many folks prefer the views and seating in Horizons.

[Travelcat2]

One thing you did not mention (maybe didn't know) is that O's 5-6 happy hours are offered in BOTH Martinis AND Horizons. If you couldn't find a seat in Martinis, why not go to Horizons? Many folks prefer the views and seating in Horizons.

 

Thanks -- did not think of Horizons because we fell in love with the little bar outside of the casino. Usually we could get a seat there because there are so few seats -- not for people that want to socialize. Sitting at the bar in those gorgeous bar stools worked well for us.