Which line to choose?

[worldtraveller99]

You are right Heidi - they don't. But I am not sure that Regent provides that for UK customers. Plus my 7 night cruise is part of a long 3 week trip, with a number of connecting flights, so their flights may not fit for me.

 

I worked out that Regent averages £1000 a day and Silversea £500 a day, and for what I want that is enough!

[Jacqueline]

The only time I would look at a per diem of $1000 a night per person is on an expedition ship, as there is a lot of value provided in all the included activities on zodiacs with specialists. 

But this is a luxury CC board, so the sky is the limit and your mileage may vary. I’m sure that many people have no interest in expedition ships, for example, but it’s an interesting trend that many lines are participating in. Driving it, I believe are a demographic that has done all the European m Baltic, etc cruise and wants to explore further in comfort.

[Jacqueline]

And when we posed this question to the scientists they laughed.

A few hundred visitors to the Kamchatka Peninsula in The Russian Far East are not at the top of the lists of threats posed to these regions. Most people who take these trips are ardent naturalists on careful managed expeditions.

 

Even most all the trips to Antarctica are just for a few days to the outermost edges of this continent. If people are lucky they might get off the ship twice a day for 50 minutes l. Even then, landings are highly regulated and people can walk along a very narrow band of the earth. Pull up a map and you will see how minuscule footprint is and where the South Shetland Islands are. Ice and weather preclude most travel to points beyond. The reason that landings are never listed in itineraries is that there are no guarantees. 

Special fuel that is many times the cost must be used. And all garbage is carried out.

 

All your cruising outside these areas uses polluting marine grade oil, a true environmental hazard. I wouldn’t make an argument that cruising is a low impact environmental vacation. Heavy fuel has such a host of negative impacts, including the air quality. For example, Southampton has a high source of air pollution exceeding air quality guidelines as the engines run even in port . We had 21 days of lectures by scientists on my last cruise. I can talk about the cigarette butts thrown into the water in Asia and  how they are poisoning the reefs with carcinogens l.

 

Then, we can talk about those places being ruined, like Venice not just by water but by excessive tourism especially by cruise ships

 

I’m not criticizing anyone’s choice to spend $1000 a day. I’m going to Africa in March and the per person per diem in Botswana easily exceeds that.

[calliopecruiser]

Yeah, I understand you believe it won't be a problem.  I will continue to believe that cruise lines are minimizing, if not outright ignoring things when they plan and sell these voyages.  The only thing I haven't decided is whether they're also kidding themselves, or they know differently and don't care. 

[Stickman1990]

On ‎1‎/‎5‎/‎2019 at 4:59 AM, wripro said:

Everything posted on CC is nothing more than an opinion.

 

Including your post 🙂

[wripro]

8 hours ago, Stickman1990 said:

 

Including your post 🙂

Couldn't agree more!

[Travelcat2]

On 1/4/2019 at 7:33 AM, worldtraveller99 said:

PS As I had said previously this will be our 1st ocean cruise. It just occurred to me for the future to start having a look at the tone and content of the other CC Boards as well as our own very friendly SS one. Maybe the things they like to talk about are interesting to you - or not? That would perhaps give an idea of how much at home you will be on those ships?

 

PPS Am researching at the moment for a future trip to Australia. I see that Oceania has a circumnavigation 30 days ono for about £10K in a window cabin, whereas Regent is £30K for the same cruise length and cabin. I am still not convinced that a few free excursions - not always the ones you would want to take - is worth the Regent mark-up?

 

I have sailed Oceania and Regent. Suggest that you price them out as Oceania is not as inexpensive as it appears.  While Regent does not provide Business Class air from the U.K. (But do within the U.K.), they will give an air credit that can be used towards your flights.

 

Then there is alcohol.  Without the alcohol package on Oceania, you will pay high prices for tiny drinks (tiny by U.S. standards).  The alcohol package is $69.99/person/day.  

 

Excursions are are expensive on Oceania and included on Regent (as is alcohol).

 

Three Regent ships are all suites/all balcony and the size and layout of the suites are quite a better than Oceania.  

 

My my point simply is that there are many costs on Oceania that need to be considered. Regent and Oceania are sister cruise lines and both have excellent service and food.  

[wripro]

To add to what Travelcat 2 has posted in order to get a similar size accommodation on Oceania to a standard Regent suite you have to book a penthouse, Ince you do that, add alcohol, tips and excursions you will most lily be paying more on Oceania than on Regent.

[Toryhere]

4 hours ago, wripro said:

To add to what Travelcat 2 has posted in order to get a similar size accommodation on Oceania to a standard Regent suite you have to book a penthouse, Ince you do that, add alcohol, tips and excursions you will most lily be paying more on Oceania than on Regent.

I recently saw a price comparison for an Alaskan cruise, between Regent and one of the premium mass market lines. Once you factored in drinks packages, excursions, airfare and other things that were included with Regent, the prices weren’t that different.

This made me ask whether Regent was really any better than the other line, or was it a matter of how the pricing was structured? In other words is Regent just the same as Princess or Celebrity, but with all passengers enjoying the full range of services built into the price?

from what I read in Travelcat 2’s excellent review of her experience on Celebrity, it would seem that the answer to that last question may be “yes”.

maybe one of the real differences between luxury lines and the others is that all passengers on a luxury line get 5 star treatment as standard, whilst those on the mainstream and premium lines can have a 3, 4 or 5 star experience depending on how much they want to pay. This means that luxury ships tend to be smaller and provide more of a feeling that you are actually at sea. 

[Travelcat2]

17 hours ago, Toryhere said:

 

from what I read in Travelcat 2’s excellent review of her experience on Celebrity, it would seem that the answer to that last question may be “yes”.

maybe one of the real differences between luxury lines and the others is that all passengers on a luxury line get 5 star treatment as standard, whilst those on the mainstream and premium lines can have a 3, 4 or 5 star experience depending on how much they want to pay. This means that luxury ships tend to be smaller and provide more of a feeling that you are actually at sea. 

 

Hello Toryhere - I would not consider my review of Celebrity to be excellent but we did have a lot of fun on the ship.  The food cannot touch the food on the luxury lines unless you dine in the "suites only" dining venue which can get boring.  The food at the buffet (no other dining choices at lunch) was such poor quality that we had to go ashore every day to have lunch.  The worst part was people trying to sell you things at every turn.

 

Having now sailed a mainstream cruise line - NCL (had even more fun than on Celebrity) and a premium cruise line - Celebrity as well as Oceania (premium plus cruise line), I can state that there is definitely a difference between the ship categories.  Just the crew to passenger ratio on luxury lines is very different (speaking of Crystal, Regent, Seabourn and Silversea as these are the lines that most North Americans sail on if they want luxury).  

 

Food and service on luxury lines are head over heels above premium and mainstream cruise lines.  We have sailed on Regent and Silversea and will be trying another luxury line this year.  While I enjoy testing the waters so to speak, we always return to Regent.

[Toryhere]

12 hours ago, Travelcat2 said:

 

Hello Toryhere - I would not consider my review of Celebrity to be excellent but we did have a lot of fun on the ship.  The food cannot touch the food on the luxury lines unless you dine in the "suites only" dining venue which can get boring.  The food at the buffet (no other dining choices at lunch) was such poor quality that we had to go ashore every day to have lunch.  The worst part was people trying to sell you things at every turn.

 

Having now sailed a mainstream cruise line - NCL (had even more fun than on Celebrity) and a premium cruise line - Celebrity as well as Oceania (premium plus cruise line), I can state that there is definitely a difference between the ship categories.  Just the crew to passenger ratio on luxury lines is very different (speaking of Crystal, Regent, Seabourn and Silversea as these are the lines that most North Americans sail on if they want luxury).  

 

Food and service on luxury lines are head over heels above premium and mainstream cruise lines.  We have sailed on Regent and Silversea and will be trying another luxury line this year.  While I enjoy testing the waters so to speak, we always return to Regent.

Thanks for the post, Travelcat2. It was very informative.

so would I be right in concluding that one could get the most expensive cabin on Celebrity or NCL and still not get the luxury experience one would get on Regent?

If that is the case, I’d be fascinated to know why people would choose to pay for a suite on a non luxury ship.

[Travelcat2]

10 hours ago, Toryhere said:

Thanks for the post, Travelcat2. It was very informative.

so would I be right in concluding that one could get the most expensive cabin on Celebrity or NCL and still not get the luxury experience one would get on Regent?

If that is the case, I’d be fascinated to know why people would choose to pay for a suite on a non luxury ship.

 

I wonder the same thing.  We had the second to the top suite (would have booked the top suite if it had been available).  The suite was strange (lots of  cupboards but the depth was only enough to put books in).  The jacuzzi on the balcony did not work but the jacuzzi in the bathroom did.  As I said, the lounge and restaurant for suite guests was really good but on Celebrity, your suite is not set apart from the others so you are mixed in with everyone (note:  NCL's Haven is different - the suites, restaurant and lounge are all behind locked doors - I read that the new Celebrity Edge is configured this way).  

 

We did not have to pay for the specialty restaurants but they were not that good.  We enjoyed one specialty restaurant (gimmicky but fun) where they served steak and lobster with a video show but you can't have steak and lobster every night (at least we can't).  We had one breakfast in the MDR and the tables were so close together that you felt that you were sharing the table with the people next to you.

 

Your conclusion is correct - book the most expensive suite but don't expect the same experience as on a luxury cruise line.

[wripro]

I think a lot of people who book expensive suites on Celebrity or NCL are not even aware of the luxury cruise market. They think a top  suite on those lines is as good as it gets.

[Jacqueline]

I have often wondered the same thing. I agree that some cruisers may not know of the options. Others may just be fond of and loyal to aspects of their ling time lines and have a preference for a certain type of cabin. One big drawback is the sameness of the itineraries, but then not everyone has been taking cruises on a regular basis for decades.

 

For myself, when I take my kids and at some point grandkids, I could see taking a suite on some of my old favorites. 

We did this in HAL (treated the newly weds) and it the suite was lovely, with a terrific lounge. I enjoyed it much more than I thought I would. I like the chill elegant feel of Hal and the fact that there is no vibe at all. The kids had a nice interior cabin that they were fine with. A lot of the amenities on the large ships are well suited to children. The clubs are usually really fun for them. 

 

[Toryhere]

2 hours ago, Jacqueline said:

I have often wondered the same thing. I agree that some cruisers may not know of the options. Others may just be fond of and loyal to aspects of their ling time lines and have a preference for a certain type of cabin. One big drawback is the sameness of the itineraries, but then not everyone has been taking cruises on a regular basis for decades.

 

For myself, when I take my kids and at some point grandkids, I could see taking a suite on some of my old favorites. 

We did this in HAL (treated the newly weds) and it the suite was lovely, with a terrific lounge. I enjoyed it much more than I thought I would. I like the chill elegant feel of Hal and the fact that there is no vibe at all. The kids had a nice interior cabin that they were fine with. A lot of the amenities on the large ships are well suited to children. The clubs are usually really fun for them. 

 

I think you have hit the nail on the head. When family groups travel, I can understand they would want the children to have a good time and so would travel on the big ships.

In other cases, I’m sure it will be a case of actually having a preference for big ship cruising and the concomitant frisson of being of higher status than others.

[wripro]

20 hours ago, Toryhere said:

I think you have hit the nail on the head. When family groups travel, I can understand they would want the children to have a good time and so would travel on the big ships.

In other cases, I’m sure it will be a case of actually having a preference for big ship cruising and the concomitant frisson of being of higher status than others.

Unfortunately, there are too many selfish parents who do not consider their children' needs and book luxury cruises for themselves, then bring kids along  who get bored easily, do not supervise them,  and they make the voyage unpleasant for other passengers.

[Toryhere]

4 hours ago, wripro said:

Unfortunately, there are too many selfish parents who do not consider their children' needs and book luxury cruises for themselves, then bring kids along  who get bored easily, do not supervise them,  and they make the voyage unpleasant for other passengers.

I’ve been lucky enough not to suffer from this phenomenon, but others have told me some sad stories about unsupervised children causing problems on luxury cruises.

[wripro]

20 hours ago, Toryhere said:

I’ve been lucky enough not to suffer from this phenomenon, but others have told me some sad stories about unsupervised children causing problems on luxury cruises.

Unfortunately, I have too many of those sad stories to tell. That's why I never book cruises during the holidays or summer months unless they are long voyages which parents with children are unlikely to take.

[cruising cockroach]

On 1/18/2019 at 10:08 AM, wripro said:

I think a lot of people who book expensive suites on Celebrity or NCL are not even aware of the luxury cruise market. They think a top  suite on those lines is as good as it gets.

 

On a long HAL cruise, we were sat next to a couple at dinner who sail (or sailed) regularly on HAL, and in suites.  I asked why they didn't go on RSSC or another luxury line (we were on the Prinsendam which that had sailed on when it was the Royal Viking Sun).  His reply was, "I can cruise twice as much".

 

Both having been executives of a once-leading Fortune 100 (or even 50) IT company, I'm sure they had done their math.  Maybe the all-inclusive wasn't worth it to them and they enjoyed being among those even in inside cabins (they had sailed regularly with their sometimes-tablemates on the same TATL every year who always booked a cheap cabin).

[Toryhere]

 

 

9 hours ago, cruising cockroach said:

 

His reply was, "I can cruise twice as much".

 

That reminds me of the old Cockney tailor’s phrase when extolling the virtue of an inexpensive cloth: “Never mind the quality, feel the width.”

[English Voyager]

2 hours ago, Toryhere said:

 

 

That reminds me of the old Cockney tailor’s phrase when extolling the virtue of an inexpensive cloth: “Never mind the quality, feel the width.”

' Never Mind the Quality, Feel the Width' was also the title of  a TV comedy series that ran from 1967 to 1971.

 

OK, I'm a Nerd!

[Unibok]

On 1/2/2019 at 11:33 PM, worldtraveller99 said:

We will be taking our first ocean cruise next year (now!) to Alaska. I chose Silversea because it does a 7 day trip and was half the price of the same itinerary on Regent - and though we will be paying extra for excursions, some of ours are with local 6 passenger whale boats anyway, so the "free" excursions with Regent would not be worth the extra £3,000 each for the 7 day cruise. I quite liked the idea of Viking and Oceania and Seabourn, but didn't want to do 11 days for the cruise part of what will be a 3 week holiday to Vancouver and Alaska.. So that was what made up my mind for me - I don't think Crystal or other luxury lines do Alaska, but maybe I just missed that?

 

I sincerely hope we will love it. Are we "formal" people - no (it's a 3 week trip to Alaska! so why would we drag a dinner suit for one night?) but I like to wear a nice dress and DH is fine in a jacket over a shirt, though if it is hot (optimism) he trusts that everyone would put their jacket over the back of their chair? He doesn't intend to take a tie, and on the one (I believe) formal night we will eat in La Terrazza and be fine I hope. I don't think people look down on others who dress simply, but maybe I am wrong?

 

 

Hi worldtraveller99, I've not read this forum for a while, and just found your post. I'll be on the first Silver Muse voyage through Alaska this May, and will be able to report back to you. I have heard (and have every reason to believe) that Alaska cruises on Silversea tend to be less formal than other locales; they say the same about the Caribbean and Mediterranean as well. I can tell you that when I was in the Caribbean last year on the Wind, there were many of us who booked La Terrazza for formal night and we all had a wonderful time. At no point did I feel out of place for not going formal on formal night. Want even more casual? Book the Grill for fun lava rock cooking -- it is always casual -- or drop in at Spaccanapoli for pizza.

 

I also saw men taking their jackets (no ties) to venues on hot informal nights, and leaving those jackets on their chairs as you suggest. 

 

Bottom line, based on my experience with Silversea, you and your husband have nothing to fear. You've done your homework, and you know where to go and where not to go. There will be plenty of others dining informally with you at La Terrazza on formal night, and no stigma for dressing more simply throughout the voyage, as appropriate for Alaska. If I find otherwise in May, I will let you know!!!

 

Cheers,

[worldtraveller99]

Brilliant Unibok, I look forward to hearing all about your trip! have a fabulous time!

 

Just to clear up the Cockney slogan thing. The actual slogan was "Never mind the width, feel the quality" ie so what if it didn't fit, it felt nice! It was the TV show which swapped that around for comic effect.

[cruising cockroach]

On 1/21/2019 at 1:22 AM, Toryhere said:

That reminds me of the old Cockney tailor’s phrase when extolling the virtue of an inexpensive cloth: “Never mind the quality, feel the width.”

 

To be fair to the former fellow pax, the guy has a stroke so his mobility was impaired (and may have wanted to have enough remaining funds if a decent-quality care home was in his future).  Enough so that he could not get off the ship in the Azores (tender only - and he knew his limits unlike, seemingly, some cruisers). It was his second miss of the destination much to his disappointment.  They took private (chauffeured) excursions too so the included ones wouldn't be of interest, and didn't drink that much to make it worth it.

 

Not sure how my upcoming semi-luxury semi-inclusive will turn out but I rather cruise well very infrequently than be stuck on a mass-market line (with the experience seemingly on a constant and cyclical deterioration (as in, "things will go from bad to worse.  The cycle will then repeat itself").

[Sailing12Away]

On 1/18/2019 at 1:08 PM, wripro said:

I think a lot of people who book expensive suites on Celebrity or NCL are not even aware of the luxury cruise market. They think a top  suite on those lines is as good as it gets.

Hi, that's me right there. We haven't taken many cruises total, but with each vacation we seem to be splurging more and more. I'm glad I found this thread as there is a ton of information to help get me pointed in the right direction to see if this will be our next upgrade. It all comes down to what you personally enjoy.

 

For us, similar to the OP from several years ago, we're a couple in our late 30's early 40's, no kids (outside of our 80lb furry dog), who enjoy fine wine and drinks and appreciate that the difference between a fine steak at Wolfgang's versus what a chain restaurant will pass off as 'steak'. However, hubby wants to be in shorts 90% of the time and when we're on vacation, we have zero interest in dressing up or putting on airs for other passengers. So it sounds like most of the luxury cruises will fit our needs for food/drinks and exotic ports of call, but not so much for the day to day. We're shorts/t-shirts type of people, I don't want to HAVE to wear a cocktail dress or him a polo/khakis every night. So the search continues.

 

As far as the quantity vs quality - just a quick (albeit not apples-apples) comparison, 7 day Mediterranean cruise in September 2020:

* Regent Deluxe Veranda Suite (353 sf + 33 sf balcony) = ~8K/per person

* SeaDream Admiral Suite (375 sf + 35 sf balcony) = ~10K/per person

* NCL Haven Deluxe Owners Suite (852 sf + 121 sf balcony) = ~6.5K/per person

 

Not sure about the SeaDream, but the other 2 lines included air, drinks and excursions. Again, I know it's not identical comparisons, but they're not even close in terms of room size. Personally, I'd rather have a bigger room and bigger private balcony than eat caviar while wearing a ball gown and my finest jewelry. Hence why we haven't made the switch yet.