Seabourn-cruises should try Regent!

[Camillus112]

Isklaar, I read you, my first language is Spanish, and I laughed when, in a previous thread, there was a witty remark about the pronunciation of the "Silver Moose"...exactly how I would pronounce it!! And then, the person, I think, spoke English... But let witticism surround us...we need to lighten up!

[frantic36]

Sorry Julie, did not mean to paint everyone here with that brush. Just a few, as is usual on a website like this.

 

And apologies for breaking my own rule (about being civil.)

 

 

Thank you for your apology Wendy.

 

Now we can all move on. It is dawn here in Perth but it looks like it is going to be a lovely Fall/Autumn day with sunshine and a nice warmth in the air.

 

I'm indulging myself in CC and world news before I clean the house. Sigh, only 14 weeks till I can go away and be pampered.

 

Julie

[peaofsweetness]

Well we travel with both depending on itinerary, dates, price etc. We always favoured Seabourn (as we felt staff morale was so high and loved the Seabourn ways), until we went on Encore during one of its first itineraries. It was having many teething problems and if it had been my first Seabourn Cruise, I would have said Regent was better. However we knew what their usual practice was like so we’ve booked another Seabourn for this November. We went on Regent Explorer in January and it was absolutely fabulous! The staff were amazing. Both brilliant and we feel lucky to be able to travel with them.

 

 

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[Wendy The Wanderer]

Thank you for your apology Wendy.

 

Now we can all move on. It is dawn here in Perth but it looks like it is going to be a lovely Fall/Autumn day with sunshine and a nice warmth in the air.

 

I'm indulging myself in CC and world news before I clean the house. Sigh, only 14 weeks till I can go away and be pampered.

 

Julie

 

Julie, I've started housecleaning too, prior to our drive north from our Florida home to Canada. I've got 23 weeks before pampering, but first I have the whole glorious summer ahead of me.

[TxnAquarian]

Well we travel with both depending on itinerary, dates, price etc. We always favoured Seabourn (as we felt staff morale was so high and loved the Seabourn ways), until we went on Encore during one of its first itineraries. It was having many teething problems and if it had been my first Seabourn Cruise, I would have said Regent was better. However we knew what their usual practice was like so we’ve booked another Seabourn for this November. We went on Regent Explorer in January and it was absolutely fabulous! The staff were amazing. Both brilliant and we feel lucky to be able to travel with them.

 

 

And we sailed with Regent in June 2016, and hated everything about it. The staff were rude and incompetent and the ship was old and, literally, falling apart in the rooms. This was not long before the ship (Voyager) went in for a complete overhaul, and also the summer that their new ship debuted, so we assumed the great crew had been sent to the new ship and we were stuck with poor or new crew. But for $30k we paid for this cruise, we were beyond disappointed. We are doing our first cruise on Seabourn this summer, on the Encore, so we are interested to see how this experience compares to Regent. Like your bad Seabourn trip, maybe our Regent experience was a one-off. We can't wait to try Seabourn - and we would possibly try Regent again, depending on itinerary and a reasonable price this time lol

 

Michael

[Roxburgh]

We also cruised on Regent Voyager some years ago. It was good but not as good as Seabourn and we did have issues with cigar smoking at the only outside bar.

 

Since then we have cruised numerous times with Seabourn and have never had a bad cruise.

 

Unless Seabourn makes a royal foul up, we will continue to cruise with them. I'm not going to drop $20k or more on a Regent cruise on the off chance that they might now be better.

 

If, on the other hand, Regent offer me a free cruise so that I can give them another shot then that might work.

[Les Picantins]

Here's the deal. The same twenty or so people who keep posting about the differences between these two cruise lines do not represent either Regent's or Seabourn's vast majority of passengers. They are simply people with enough time on their hands and enough inclination to keep beating the same horse to death over and over. So let's give both cruise lines a break. Perhaps instead of calling it cruise critic we should call it Passenger Critic.

 

Let's start with the poster with enough time on his hands to keep remarking over and over again that these "lawsuit" threads are useless.

[wripro]

Let's start with the poster with enough time on his hands to keep remarking over and over again that these "lawsuit" threads are useless.

Indeed they are. You will always find enough people on both sides of the aisle to keep them going though because some people LLOOOOOOOVVVVVVEEEEEE to be heard over and over saying the same things.

[Mr Luxury]

Dress code anyone?

 

 

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[brenecke]

Dress code anyone?

 

OR: I like to sit on the starboard side of the Sky Bar, but people are always smoking there....

[Les Picantins]

Indeed they are. You will always find enough people on both sides of the aisle to keep them going though because some people LLOOOOOOOVVVVVVEEEEEE to be heard over and over saying the same things.

 

And the kettle calls the pot black

[florisdekort]

And still people demand an apology from someone calling certain regular posters on this forum “a bit snobbish” lol. You all just proved her point.

 

 

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[lincslady]

I can't be bothered to work out who is getting at whom, but please just put a sock in it, all of you, and just post when you have something helpful, interesting, or genuinely witty to say, would you.

[frantic36]

And still people demand an apology from someone calling certain regular posters on this forum “a bit snobbish” lol. You all just proved her point.

 

 

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Ummm floris, I didn't demand anything. Wendy was kind enough to offer her apology......then we exchanged pleasantries over the joys of housework :).

 

As I said earlier, let's all move on and enjoy the upcoming weekend. I for one, am going to a local Farmer's Market this Saturday. Always good to get the fresh produce in season.

 

Julie

[Laylam]

I can't be bothered to work out who is getting at whom, but please just put a sock in it, all of you, and just post when you have something helpful, interesting, or genuinely witty to say, would you.

lincslady, I'm with you.

[markham]

I haven’t been paying proper attention. Sorry. But I am all tuned in now...

 

Should I be offended by something? If so, then I am offended!

 

Happy and healthy sailing!

[marazul]

Please! Enough is enough!

[Mr Luxury]

I have just received the brochure on the new Seven Sea Splendor.

It does look very luxurious.

There is so much included ‘Free’ that there is a whole page itemising it all.

I don’t know how Regent make any money,could it be the ridiculous high prices that they put on their cruises.

Is it all too good to be true.

 

 

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[wripro]

I haven’t been paying proper attention. Sorry. But I am all tuned in now...

 

Should I be offended by something? If so, then I am offended!

 

Happy and healthy sailing!

 

By all means be offended. If you are not people haven't done their jobs here.

 

Over and Out!!!!

 

Happy sailing to you too.

[lincslady]

I have just received the brochure on the new Seven Sea Splendor.

It does look very luxurious.

There is so much included ‘Free’ that there is a whole page itemising it all.

I don’t know how Regent make any money,could it be the ridiculous high prices that they put on their cruises.

Is it all too good to be true.

 

 

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Sadly, this on its own is almost enough to put me off Regent completely, if I had not already been put off by our most recent cruise with them, after many years, by the fact that Regent simply does not appeal to us at all after Seabourn . However I know that we do not all have the same feelings as to what we like or dislike about different lines. E.g. the so-called 'charity' donation added to your account on Silversea was enough to put me off them for ever.

[Sunprince]

I think Keith said it best in an earlier post...there are many choices and we all gravitate to what we are comfortable with and enjoy. Sometimes that means we travel with multiple cruise lines but have a line of primary preference. I have been viewing the refurb pictures of the Regent Mariner and I think Regent has stepped up the design/elegance a bit. Although it is not a style I would have in my home, it is “current”, but different than Encore and Ovation’s style. I agree with the comments that Regent has priced itself at an incredible premium. Too high IMO for what is offered. “Luxury” is not defined as super all inclusive. And in Regent’s case you pay a high premium for all the free/included items that you might not want. It’s a shame because we would really like to try Regent again. I do prefer the passenger mix on Regent to that of Seabourn (no offence), as Regent passengers are more interesting whereas Seabourn guests are more “new money” types. Yes, this is a gross generalization but is simply an overall observation. Again, no offence to our many Seabourn friends we have met and enjoyed.

 

 

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[Kevnzworld]

I’m glad that both Regent , Viking and Seabourn are building new ships, it helps keep the prices down.

I recently received a Regent catalogue and looked thru it. I’ve sailed on Regent perhaps 7 or 8 times a decade ago, but I tired of the ships and atmosphere . Old and older. The new Regent ship looked interesting until I saw the prices..., and it’s still old, just old on a new ship. Next.

Viking Ocean is also interesting except the itineraries are boring...the same big ship big port stops we’ve all been to a million times.

So for now I sail on Seabourn, happily. I’m on Sojourn now as I write this and I couldn’t be more satisfied.. Simple, clean, modern...good food, interesting itineraries, on a well run small ship.

[markham]

I agree with Kevnzworld in that small ships - as in Seabourn's Odyssey class ships at max 450 guests - is ideal for us. What can a more expensive product with "free" nothing offer that Seabourn can when those ships are a few hundred people larger?

 

That said, I want Seabourn to maintain and improve its standards. You know, settle down once it gets it fleet expansion over. Encore and now Ovation doubled (!) the line's size in 17 months and it would be hard for any cruise line to maintain crew training and standards with that

challenge.

 

Our next cruising event is a crossing on QM2 in QG that will be followed 3 weeks later by a crossing back on Odyssey. QM2, with 2600 guests including 200 in QG, is not Seabourn and yet it is iconic because what it offers on crossings, with the different price points, gives you exactly what you expect. The QG dining room experience with its comprehensive and professional sommelier service tops Seabourn's and, as you may have read on the Cape Town to Singapore thread, was very disappointing to me.

 

Which takes me back to my earlier point: I hope that Seabourn learns from the feedback it received from many guests and restores the pre-Cape Town wine service for those, like us, who preferred it. No more "wine of the day for you?" waiter pours, but a short visit by a sommelier to discuss and offer wine periodically during the dinner hour- as it is still done at the TK Grill restaurants on Seabourn.

 

Happy and healthy sailing!

[oregon50]

Have you noticed the newly installed wine glasses used for premium pours? Slightly heavier, a bit inferior to what they replaced. A very subtle difference. Another notch down, nonetheless.

[wripro]

I agree with Kevnzworld in that small ships - as in Seabourn's Odyssey class ships at max 450 guests - is ideal for us. What can a more expensive product with "free" nothing offer that Seabourn can when those ships are a few hundred people larger?

 

That said, I want Seabourn to maintain and improve its standards. You know, settle down once it gets it fleet expansion over. Encore and now Ovation doubled (!) the line's size in 17 months and it would be hard for any cruise line to maintain crew training and standards with that

challenge.

 

Our next cruising event is a crossing on QM2 in QG that will be followed 3 weeks later by a crossing back on Odyssey. QM2, with 2600 guests including 200 in QG, is not Seabourn and yet it is iconic because what it offers on crossings, with the different price points, gives you exactly what you expect. The QG dining room experience with its comprehensive and professional sommelier service tops Seabourn's and, as you may have read on the Cape Town to Singapore thread, was very disappointing to me.

 

Which takes me back to my earlier point: I hope that Seabourn learns from the feedback it received from many guests and restores the pre-Cape Town wine service for those, like us, who preferred it. No more "wine of the day for you?" waiter pours, but a short visit by a sommelier to discuss and offer wine periodically during the dinner hour- as it is still done at the TK Grill restaurants on Seabourn.

 

Happy and healthy sailing!

 

I too have booked a QM2 crossing in QG for next year. I have done many of these on both the QE2 and QM2. No, they are not Seabourn but the QG is very nice, the suites are large and comfortable, the food is as good if not better than SB and it's something different. Much as I like SB I have found lately that I am getting bored by the same old routine.

 

I hope you enjoy your crossing.