Which line to choose?

[Waswo]

Thank you for all of the responses. They help, of course, but they also make me want to try everything, I am glad to learn about Regent air.

[Toryhere]

Thank you for all of the responses. They help, of course, but they also make me want to try everything, I am glad to learn about Regent air.

I hope you enjoy your cruise. You sound like you would be a great couple to meet.

I agree with the poster above who said that just about all the lines you mentioned could suit you, but itinerary is obviously an important factor.

We Tories abound on luxury ships, but like you we leave all that behind when we’re on holiday.

[Cyber Kat]

We have done 1 Viking ocean and 1 Viking river cruise and in general have been very happy with Viking. Lately we have been getting brochures from Oceania and Regent. I’m finding Regent intriguing for a few reasons - namely that it seems a good fit for us.

 

Mostly we will probably stick with Viking because we really do like their product. The scones at their Afternoon Tea are amazing [emoji39] BTW. But I do like a change now and then, and Regent has some interesting itineraries.

 

What we like about Viking is that they are totally unpretentious. Not a butler in sight [emoji2]. Nicely casual dress code. No ties, nor jackets required. There isn’t even a formal night to make you feel like a bumpkin, or require that you find somewhere else to eat if you choose not to get all dolled up.

 

I’ve kind of crossed Crystal and SilverSea off my list for that reason. I just don’t want to deal with it. They may be wonderful lines that offer fabulous experiences, but I just don’t think it’s a good fit.

 

I liked the Regent and Oceania set up, ships, and room size. We tend not to book a suite, but we do go for the more roomy class of cabin. We were in a Penthouse Veranda on Viking and it was splendid! From what I’m reading the onboard culture seems to fit as well.

 

Good luck with your quest and future cruises. For now we will be on Viking and we have 1 Azamara cruise booked strictly for the unusual itinerary - NYC to Charleston, SC to Hamilton (not Dockyard) Bermuda and back to NYC. But one day - probably sooner than later - I think you will find us on Regent.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

[Texas Tillie]

We have done 1 Viking ocean and 1 Viking river cruise and in general have been very happy with Viking. Lately we have been getting brochures from Oceania and Regent. I’m finding Regent intriguing for a few reasons - namely that it seems a good fit for us.

 

Mostly we will probably stick with Viking because we really do like their product. The scones at their Afternoon Tea are amazing [emoji39] BTW. But I do like a change now and then, and Regent has some interesting itineraries.

 

What we like about Viking is that they are totally unpretentious. Not a butler in sight [emoji2]. Nicely casual dress code. No ties, nor jackets required. There isn’t even a formal night to make you feel like a bumpkin, or require that you find somewhere else to eat if you choose not to get all dolled up.

 

I’ve kind of crossed Crystal and SilverSea off my list for that reason. I just don’t want to deal with it. They may be wonderful lines that offer fabulous experiences, but I just don’t think it’s a good fit.

 

I liked the Regent and Oceania set up, ships, and room size. We tend not to book a suite, but we do go for the more roomy class of cabin. We were in a Penthouse Veranda on Viking and it was splendid! From what I’m reading the onboard culture seems to fit as well.

 

Good luck with your quest and future cruises. For now we will be on Viking and we have 1 Azamara cruise booked strictly for the unusual itinerary - NYC to Charleston, SC to Hamilton (not Dockyard) Bermuda and back to NYC. But one day - probably sooner than later - I think you will find us on Regent.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

 

You have a false (or at least obsolete) view of Crystal. It isn't "fancy". On BTO nights, men should wear a jacket, but no tie is required. I've done over 30 Crystal cruises and the "fanciest" I've ever dressed is black slacks and a top with a few sparkles.

[knotheadusc]

If you haven't heard of Hebridean Island Cruises, you may want to give them a look. I've sailed with them four times. Yes, you'll spend a lot of money to get onboard, but everything is taken care of... and I mean EVERYTHING. You don't even have to give them a credit card when you board.

 

I have blogged extensively about a couple of our cruises on Hebridean and the links to my blog are on Hebridean's board, should you be interested in checking it out.

[calliopecruiser]

What we like about Viking is that they are totally unpretentious. Not a butler in sight [emoji2]. Nicely casual dress code. No ties, nor jackets required. There isn’t even a formal night to make you feel like a bumpkin, or require that you find somewhere else to eat if you choose not to get all dolled up.

 

I’ve kind of crossed Crystal and SilverSea off my list for that reason. I just don’t want to deal with it. They may be wonderful lines that offer fabulous experiences, but I just don’t think it’s a good fit.

I have not been on SilverSea, but I can tell you that either you're really uninformed about what Crystal is really like (as opposed to their advertising image), or you're letting your own insecurities blind you to reality. I sometimes have worn a simple cotton dress with a bit of ($25) jewelry on "black tie optional" nights and never felt like a "bumpkin" because I didn't get "dolled up". (Sometimes I have worn a cocktail dress, and, honestly, I didn't feel like I fit in any better in a $250 dress or a $50 dress.) So, either you don't know what is acceptable to other Crystal passengers, or you've built up an insecurity that makes you believe people are looking down at you when they're not.

 

 

I have almost always found other passengers on Crystal to be very welcoming and relaxed about themselves and the people they meet.

[Cyber Kat]

You have a false (or at least obsolete) view of Crystal. It isn't "fancy". On BTO nights, men should wear a jacket, but no tie is required. I've done over 30 Crystal cruises and the "fanciest" I've ever dressed is black slacks and a top with a few sparkles.

 

 

 

Wearing a jacket is fancy as far as my husband is concerned. Docker type pants and a collared shirt are his limit since he retired. [emoji16]

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

[Cyber Kat]

I have not been on SilverSea, but I can tell you that either you're really uninformed about what Crystal is really like (as opposed to their advertising image), or you're letting your own insecurities blind you to reality. I sometimes have worn a simple cotton dress with a bit of ($25) jewelry on "black tie optional" nights and never felt like a "bumpkin" because I didn't get "dolled up". (Sometimes I have worn a cocktail dress, and, honestly, I didn't feel like I fit in any better in a $250 dress or a $50 dress.) So, either you don't know what is acceptable to other Crystal passengers, or you've built up an insecurity that makes you believe people are looking down at you when they're not.

 

 

 

 

 

I have almost always found other passengers on Crystal to be very welcoming and relaxed about themselves and the people they meet.

 

 

 

I’m not in the least insecure, but your answer confirms that Crystal wouldn’t be a good fit for us.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

[calliopecruiser]

I’m not in the least insecure, but your answer confirms that Crystal wouldn’t be a good fit for us.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

Glad I could help :)

Your post confirms my opinion of Crystal passengers as well.

[Heidi13]

I have not been on SilverSea, but I can tell you that either you're really uninformed about what Crystal is really like (as opposed to their advertising image),

 

We recently researched all luxury & premium Lines, with attire for dinner being one of our considerations. The Crystal dress code, as published on the website, seemed overly stuffy. Whether they actually enforce those guidelines is a different issue.

 

Having worn uniforms or suits for 50 years at school and my entire working life, in retirement I enjoy a more relaxed lifestyle. Having worked on pax vessels in the days we wore mess kit every evening, I am not adverse to dressing up. Still dress for dinner, but it extends to open necked shirt, trousers and possibly a jacket. The dark suit or tux, as recommended on Crystal's website, just isn't happening any more.

 

When using a new cruise line and deciding on our dinner attire, we only use guidance from the cruise line policy or FAQ, making our own determination of the standard. As this subject normally receives a wide range of responses with respect to interpretation, we base our opinion solely on what the cruise line publishes. The Crystal guidelines on attire were the primary reason we eliminated them.

 

This was one of the reasons we also opted for Viking.

[wripro]

What a shame to make dinner attire one of the determining factors for choosing a cruise line! Could there be a less important issue than what others are wearing? Perhaps the color of the carpets? How many tines there are on the forks?

 

One is supposedly traveling to experience other cultures, see important sights, meet new people. But I guess for some people the kind of shirt or jacket they will be wearing is more important.

[Texas Tillie]

We recently researched all luxury & premium Lines, with attire for dinner being one of our considerations. The Crystal dress code, as published on the website, seemed overly stuffy. Whether they actually enforce those guidelines is a different issue.

 

Having worn uniforms or suits for 50 years at school and my entire working life, in retirement I enjoy a more relaxed lifestyle. Having worked on pax vessels in the days we wore mess kit every evening, I am not adverse to dressing up. Still dress for dinner, but it extends to open necked shirt, trousers and possibly a jacket. The dark suit or tux, as recommended on Crystal's website, just isn't happening any more.

 

When using a new cruise line and deciding on our dinner attire, we only use guidance from the cruise line policy or FAQ, making our own determination of the standard. As this subject normally receives a wide range of responses with respect to interpretation, we base our opinion solely on what the cruise line publishes. The Crystal guidelines on attire were the primary reason we eliminated them.

 

This was one of the reasons we also opted for Viking.

 

Don't know how long ago you read the Crystal SUGGESTED dinner attire, but ties are not required on the nights that they request jackets. (And I can tell you from my eye witness, I have seen men in the dining room without jackets on those nights.) Also, 7 day cruises have no nights with jackets requested and most other cruises have either 1 or 2 of those nights. Please note, it's requested, not required.

[calliopecruiser]

We recently researched all luxury & premium Lines, with attire for dinner being one of our considerations. The Crystal dress code, as published on the website, seemed overly stuffy. Whether they actually enforce those guidelines is a different issue.

 

Yes, they do enforce the dress code requirements, but there are very few requirements! The Crystal dress code is mostly made of suggestions and recommendations, not requirements (and a lot of passengers know they are just suggestions). The only actual requirements of the dress code are there are no swimsuits (with or without coverups), cut offs, or ball caps allowed in the dining room, no shorts or ball caps after 6 pm, and no jeans on Black Tie Optional nights.

 

 

Doesn't seem stuffy to me.

[Heidi13]

What a shame to make dinner attire one of the determining factors for choosing a cruise line! Could there be a less important issue than what others are wearing? Perhaps the color of the carpets? How many tines there are on the forks?

 

One is supposedly traveling to experience other cultures, see important sights, meet new people. But I guess for some people the kind of shirt or jacket they will be wearing is more important.

 

We have a long list of preferences and dinner attire is simply one of them. I recall the days when every evening was formal night - mandatory, not optional. Personally, I have lived that life for way too many years and have no desire to return. So, yes dinner attire is one of our considerations.

 

If you haven't experienced that lifestyle, you probably wouldn't understand.

 

Having spent 40+ years at sea, although I have been around the world many times, I still enjoy experiencing new cultures and seeing new & old sights. The more casual experience on Viking just provides more time for enjoying and less time getting dressed up.

[Heidi13]

Yes, they do enforce the dress code requirements, but there are very few requirements! The Crystal dress code is mostly made of suggestions and recommendations, not requirements (and a lot of passengers know they are just suggestions). The only actual requirements of the dress code are there are no swimsuits (with or without coverups), cut offs, or ball caps allowed in the dining room, no shorts or ball caps after 6 pm, and no jeans on Black Tie Optional nights.

 

 

Doesn't seem stuffy to me.

 

Thanks for the clarification, it seems more relaxed that what I read.

 

Crystal was one of the ones on the top of our list, but the dress policy I found online, which if memory is correct was from 2014/15, still stated Dark Suits c/w tie, or Tux for men and formal cocktail or evening dresses for the ladies. I recall the option to not dress up was to use the Buffet.

 

If we find an interesting itinerary we may give them a try in a few years.

[Texas Tillie]

Thanks for the clarification, it seems more relaxed that what I read.

 

Crystal was one of the ones on the top of our list, but the dress policy I found online, which if memory is correct was from 2014/15, still stated Dark Suits c/w tie, or Tux for men and formal cocktail or evening dresses for the ladies. I recall the option to not dress up was to use the Buffet.

 

If we find an interesting itinerary we may give them a try in a few years.

 

Crystal has never had a buffet in the evening, so I believe you've miss-remembered a lot about them. They do have 2 casual restaurants now on the Symphony and 1 on the Serenity with another added after the dry dock this fall.

[Cyber Kat]

What a shame to make dinner attire one of the determining factors for choosing a cruise line! Could there be a less important issue than what others are wearing? Perhaps the color of the carpets? How many tines there are on the forks?

 

 

 

One is supposedly traveling to experience other cultures, see important sights, meet new people. But I guess for some people the kind of shirt or jacket they will be wearing is more important.

 

 

 

With so many cruise lines to choose from, and many offering the opportunity to experience other cultures, see important sights, meet new people, why would one choose one where the onboard ambiance doesn’t suit one’s preferences.

 

I don’t care what color the carpet is, nor do I care what others are wearing. It only matters what the cruise line expects their guests, myself included, to wear. A another consideration, for us anyway, is the type of people we would be encountering onboard.

 

I think I’ve had my decision to keep Crystal off my list of possibilities confirmed.

[calliopecruiser]

 

One is supposedly traveling to experience other cultures, see important sights, meet new people.

 

To be fair, those aren't the reasons I cruise. I cruise to be on a comfortable ship for long days at sea; if I do any of those things while cruising, it's a pleasant surprise but not the reason I cruise. There are a few exceptions (such as the Panama Canal, which can really only be experienced by ship), where I'll do more port days than sea days.

[Toryhere]

None of the luxury lines require the full formal rig any more. At most for the blokes it’s a jacket and business shirt with a pair of decent trousers. In other words it’s what a gentleman would wear out to a decent restaurant n dry land.

Why are so many men these days so afraid of looking smart and stylish? Are they concerned that they won’t be comfortable unless they’re in shorts and t shirt. If you have the wish and the lolly to voyage on a luxury line one would think you’d know how to still be comfortable in some decent schmutter.

[calliopecruiser]

None of the luxury lines require the full formal rig any more. At most for the blokes it’s a jacket and business shirt with a pair of decent trousers. In other words it’s what a gentleman would wear out to a decent restaurant n dry land.

Why are so many men these days so afraid of looking smart and stylish? Are they concerned that they won’t be comfortable unless they’re in shorts and t shirt. If you have the wish and the lolly to voyage on a luxury line one would think you’d know how to still be comfortable in some decent schmutter.

I know it's off topic, but I hate the idea that someone would dare tell someone else how they could be comfortable in which clothing. Just because person A can be comfortable wearing X, Y, or Z, it does not follow that person B or C should also be able to be comfortable in those clothes. And, if they're not, they're lying to themselves or they don't know what "comfortable" means.

 

 

And that doesn't even get in to the idea that somehow if someone can afford a luxury cruise then they can afford custom tailored clothes to make them comfortable. Because not everyone fits or looks good in stylish off the rack clothes.

 

 

OK, off my soapbox now.

[wripro]

None of the luxury lines require the full formal rig any more. At most for the blokes it’s a jacket and business shirt with a pair of decent trousers. In other words it’s what a gentleman would wear out to a decent restaurant n dry land.

Why are so many men these days so afraid of looking smart and stylish? Are they concerned that they won’t be comfortable unless they’re in shorts and t shirt. If you have the wish and the lolly to voyage on a luxury line one would think you’d know how to still be comfortable in some decent schmutter.

 

Everyone has a different idea of what smart and stylish is.

[Travelcat2]

Actually Toryhere, Silversea is quite formal which some people just don't like. So, while we enjoy many things about Silversea, we generally avoid them due to their dress code (Note: This does not mean that my DH doesn't want to dress up -- he occasionally wears a tuxedo on "formal optional" nights but does not want to dress up to that extent numerous times on one cruise).

[English Voyager]

Is the comfort being referred to physical or psychological?

[Cyber Kat]

All I can say is to quote Bob Dylan, “the times they are a changing.”

 

Most people just don’t dress up for anything any more - not church, not restaurants, not weddings and not cruises. Maybe opening night at the opera in NYC, but around here, that’s about it. Dressed up seems to stop at long pants and a collared shirt.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

[Texas Tillie]

All I can say is to quote Bob Dylan, “the times they are a changing.”

 

Most people just don’t dress up for anything any more - not church, not restaurants, not weddings and not cruises. Maybe opening night at the opera in NYC, but around here, that’s about it. Dressed up seems to stop at long pants and a collared shirt.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

 

And more's the pity!