Celebrity couple tries Regent - a review

[1982CruzStart]

Unfortunately you have to run the numbers to compare the differences between costs of each cruise of X vs R. as you well know cruise lines are always running promotions so costs will vary from cruise to cruise. Regent is all inclusive, including air (sometimes business class or can be waived for a fare reduction), , larger cabins(R's lowest category was larger than X's small suite), tours, tips, transfers, hotels, specialty restaurants (you can use them more than the guaranteed reservation by asking if there are openings as we did many times) & premium liquor. While many R cruisers were wealthy & very experienced , they were not ostentatious & did not discuss such matters unless prompted. We also did not experience chair hogs. While costly, we felt R was top notch without being approached for upsells, etc.

 

On he other hand, X is still a very good product, but IMHO has gone down a touch over the years.

 

One other big difference is the size of the ships.We prefer smaller ones as we don't like waiting in lines' or overcrowding in ports that tend to occur when on mega ships. Of course the amenities are toned down on smaller ships but service is better.

 

I agree with you 100%. I run the numbers on every cruise we take and until our $ went south Regent always came out ahead. Now that Regent is selling in CAD at a discounted exchange rate we are back booking with them. The result assumes that you take advantage of virtually everything that the all-inclusive offers.

 

One more thing i really like about Regent is with their loyalty program you receive the benefits the moment you step on the ship on any cruise that puts you at the next level. You don't have to wait until the cruise is completed to enjoy the benefits of your new level.

[jan-n-john]

What is the relative difference in cost?

 

There is no definitive answer except for specific voyages, but this may help give a flavor for it.

 

I did a quick run of pricing in the Fl-Carib market among X, Az, and Regent for currently posted "cheapest" balcony prices from Feb to April 2018. X generally ran around $150 PP per night. Az runs around $250-300. Regent runs about $360-420 (voyage only--no air fare, even though it is typically included in Regent price quotes).

 

Keep in mind the Regent price is all-inclusive so to compare you would need to add whatever you would spend daily on the others for drinks, shore excursions, specialty dining, gratuities, and internet, any and all of which may also at times be included in the others (e.g. the Az prices appear to include gratuities, "select" beverages, and some OBC). Other geographic regions are typically priced higher on all lines. [Also note, Regent has a new ship (Explorer) which is in high demand so its pricing is considerably higher than the prices above.]

 

Hope that sheds a glimmer of light. But of course it's always necessary to drill down deeply on specifics to make a valid comparison.

Edited December 17, 2016 by jan-n-john

[4774Papa]

There is no definitive answer except for specific voyages, but this may help give a flavor for it.

 

I did a quick run of pricing in the Fl-Carib market among X, Az, and Regent for currently posted "cheapest" balcony prices from Feb to April 2018. X generally ran around $150 PP per night. Az runs around $250-300. Regent runs about $360-420 (voyage only--no air fare, even though it is typically included in Regent price quotes).

 

Keep in mind the Regent price is all-inclusive so to compare you would need to add whatever you would spend daily on the others for drinks, shore excursions, specialty dining, and internet. Other geographic regions are typically priced higher on all lines. [Also note, Regent has a new ship (Explorer) which is in high demand so its pricing is considerably higher than the prices above.]

 

Hope that sheds a glimmer of light.

 

Thanks Jan,

I always try to estimate the bottom line cost of our trips, whether ocean cruise, river cruise or land tour. I love it that cruise lines always provide you will an itemized bill of your charges. I like the add up costs for alcohol, specialty dining, excursions, etc.

 

Having done this for every cruise that we have done in the past 6 years (we have done 15 ocean cruises), I know that we spend from $300-$500 total together of alcohol of all types for a two week cruise. Since we became Elite our bill dropped to about $300 on our last 14 day cruise.

For this reason, we don't ever want to pay for a beverage package. I dislike the bundled pricing that Celebrity has adopted and have moved to doing transatlantacs which don't tack on the promos.

 

Going all inclusive is not favorable to our budget. I don't care how nice Regent or Azmara may be, we are not big spenders on cruises. I generally find cheaper private tours instead of ship's excursions. I amazes me when people on cc say that the main reason they like the all inclusive (or cruises with a lot of promos like beverage packages) is so the don't have to WORRY about the individual cost of a drink.

 

Give me a break, that is just being too lazy to do the math.

 

Sure, some people go on cruises and drink a case of beer a day (one poster on cc said so). Fine, that type of cruiser would win out with a beverage package, but I know that I would not.

[jan-n-john]

Thanks Jan,

I amazes me when people on cc say that the main reason they like the all inclusive (or cruises with a lot of promos like beverage packages) is so the don't have to WORRY about the individual cost of a drink.

 

Give me a break, that is just being too lazy to do the math.

 

 

Yes, but of course now you're getting into human nature and what some would call irrational economic behavior. Even though one often spends more by taking the beverage package, for some folks not having to think about what you're spending every time you order a drink brings some "value" by eliminating the pesky thought process (the drink is "free") and that makes it worthwhile. To each his own. As an aside, it also perhaps helps the cruise line's bottom line, which I suppose helps keep fares down for everyone who doesn't think that way.

[dabear]

My experience with the all inclusive drinks on Regent didn't cause anyone to drink more (although I did try a few new liquors and scotches). On X some all inclusive pax were trying to beat the system by over drinking.

[fielddreamer]

My brother and his wife and 6 other couples are going next week on 14 day holiday cruise.They all have higher end suites w/ butler. I understand the pricing is over $20,000 w/air , limo and the works. He did this last year on another higher end ship with the same couples. I am sticking with Celebrity , if I spent that kind of $, I would have a hard time enjoying the cruise!