Cost

[ak1004]

3 minutes ago, cruiseluv said:

 

Many cruises have multiple days at sea, not a port every day ( maybe you dont take those). Many times its nice to retreat to your own spacious cabin and balcony rather than remain on deck. 

 

If you've made your calculations, and you're so sure that they're correct and that they prove your point, I guess you should go with Oceania. Rachel G gave you an apples to apples comparison in post #34 that proves otherwise. I just know that in several instances, for  itineraries Ive been interested in, Ive made the analysis(keeping cabin sizes comparable) and difference (to me) has been negligible. 

 

Yes, but this Alaska cruise was an exception. Most Regent cruises to Alaska are closer to $8k, not $6k. My comparison was with Europe cruises where I could not find anything cheaper than $13-14k for a 10 night cruise, while Oceania was around $10k for comparable cabin.

[cruiseluv]

The Regent ship you're using for your comparison is the Splendor in its inaugural season, prices tend to be higher. Not saying that makes economic sense or not, its just what it is.

[ak1004]

9 minutes ago, cruiseluv said:

The Regent ship you're using for your comparison is the Splendor in its inaugural season, prices tend to be higher. Not saying that makes economic sense or not, its just what it is.

 

Okay, lets look at other ships:

 

https://www.rssc.com/cruises/VOY200604/summary VOYAGER 13,400 CAD

https://www.rssc.com/cruises/EXP190510/summary EXPLORER 13,000 CAD

https://www.rssc.com/cruises/VOY190829/summary VOYAGER 14,150 CAD

 

There are couple cheaper, but they are during off season.

[ak1004]

Okay, I just revisited my calculations. Looks like I messed up USD and CAD. Oceania cruise only on Penthouse suite is around $7,500 CAD on average, business class flight around $3,000 CAD, and the rest (beverages, excursions and gratuities) around $2,000 CAD, so total is around $12,500 CAD, not too far from Regent.

 

My apologies.

 

So for me, if I consider the Ocean View (which is still around 240 sqft), it makes it around $3,000 CAD cheaper (less than 10k, compared to 13-14k on Regent). But I understand that many people won't consider smaller cabins and no veranda, so for them it really makes sense to go with Regent if they like the product better.

 

A quick question: how are the business class flights that they provide? Are they reasonable connections (not like 2 stops on a 9 hours flight that could turn it into 15-17 hours)? Also, are excursions unlimited, and are they good quality? 

[Travelcat2]

51 minutes ago, cruiseluv said:

The Regent ship you're using for your comparison is the Splendor in its inaugural season, prices tend to be higher. Not saying that makes economic sense or not, its just what it is.

 

Hi Maria — you bring up an excellent point.  Splendor will definitely be the most expensive ship during the inaugural season (and likely beyond that time).

 

IMO, Regent will not compare favorably cost-wise to most non-luxury cruise lines (and I certainly do not expect it to be).  If Regent costs too much, people can go down a level to Viking Ocean, Azamara or Ocean.  

 

If someone wants a truly cheapie cruise, try the ones on the Navigator to Mexico — least expensive cruises that Regent has (although there are some reasonable cruises to Caribbean).

 

Ak 1004 - all Regent suites are ocean view.  Business Class flights are great if you deviate ($175/person). Otherwise, depending upon what airport you fly out of, there could be two or more stops.  Generally there is one stop.

 

Excursions are the same as on Oceania.  Some are included, however, and some are not.  We do not care for included excursions when they have multiple buses going to the same places. Regent Choice excursions (with a cost but less than Oceania) are better.  in my opinion, the best excursions are the food excursions that are in conjunction with the Culinary Center on Explorer only.  They are pricey but worth every cent.

 

Try doing some searching on the Regent board.  There is a ton of information. Search “excursions”.  In term of flights, there is a sticky at the top of the main Regent board page with a everything that you need to know.

Edited April 21, 2019 by Travelcat2

[LadyandtheTramp]

18 minutes ago, ak1004 said:

Okay, I just revisited my calculations. Looks like I messed up USD and CAD. Oceania cruise only on Penthouse suite is around $7,500 CAD on average, business class flight around $3,000 CAD, and the rest (beverages, excursions and gratuities) around $2,000 CAD, so total is around $12,500 CAD, not too far from Regent.

 

A quick question: how are the business class flights that they provide? Are they reasonable connections (not like 2 stops on a 9 hours flight that could turn it into 15-17 hours)? Also, are excursions unlimited, and are they good quality? 

Just a quick comment, though not wanting to jump in here on either side.  You list business class flights as around $3,000 CAD.  While I cannot price flights for VOY200604 because they're too far out, pricing for this cruise with business to Athens return from Venice on the exact same dates this year, the absolute cheapest is $3,983 US, but that comes with 2 stops that makes it a 17 hour trip.  Booking a one-stop costs $8,579 US.  Of course, where you are starting out from/finishing will change that number.

[ak1004]

3 minutes ago, LadyandtheTramp said:

Just a quick comment, though not wanting to jump in here on either side.  You list business class flights as around $3,000 CAD.  While I cannot price flights for VOY200604 because they're too far out, pricing for this cruise with business to Athens return from Venice on the exact same dates this year, the absolute cheapest is $3,983 US, but that comes with 2 stops that makes it a 17 hour trip.  Booking a one-stop costs $8,579 US.  Of course, where you are starting out from/finishing will change that number.

 

You might be right for this specific itinerary and dates (I see same itinerary but different dates around $4,000 CAD and 12 hours with 1 stop).

 

 

As an example, we just booked business class from Toronto to Dublin at $2,600 (but it is obviously closer).

 

Round trip to Barcelona is around $3,200 CAD, same to Rome, around $2,000 CAD to Lisbon, $2,900 to Venice. Multi city probably makes it more expensive. So it's probably closer to $3,500 CAD on average from Toronto, could be of course more expensive from other cities. 

 

You mentioned 2 stops and 17 hours - are flights from Regent usually better?

[ak1004]

33 minutes ago, Travelcat2 said:

 

Hi Maria — you bring up an excellent point.  Splendor will definitely be the most expensive ship during the inaugural season (and likely beyond that time).

 

IMO, Regent will not compare favorably cost-wise to most non-luxury cruise lines (and I certainly do not expect it to be).  If Regent costs too much, people can go down a level to Viking Ocean, Azamara or Ocean.  

 

If someone wants a truly cheapie cruise, try the ones on the Navigator to Mexico — least expensive cruises that Regent has (although there are some reasonable cruises to Caribbean).

 

Ak 1004 - all Regent suites are ocean view.  Business Class flights are great if you deviate ($175/person). Otherwise, depending upon what airport you fly out of, there could be two or more stops.  Generally there is one stop.

 

Excursions are the same as on Oceania.  Some are included, however, and some are not.  We do not care for included excursions when they have multiple buses going to the same places. Regent Choice excursions (with a cost but less than Oceania) are better.  in my opinion, the best excursions are the food excursions that are in conjunction with the Culinary Center on Explorer only.  They are pricey but worth every cent.

 

Try doing some searching on the Regent board.  There is a ton of information. Search “excursions”.  In term of flights, there is a sticky at the top of the main Regent board page with a everything that you need to know.

 

Great information, thank you!

 

I don't think anyone should expect Regent to have prices comparable to Oceania (the same way as Oceania is expected to be more expensive than Celebrity, and Celebrity more expensive than Carnival). The question is if all they provide has a good value FOR YOU. If someone doesn't care about business class, then it's no value. If someone doesn't drink, then included drinks have no value. If someone doesn't care about veranda or cabin size, then Regent all suites has no value for them.

 

That said, I would definitely keep looking for something that does make sense to me, being fully aware that it will be more expensive than Oceania.

[UUNetBill]

"Value" is generally a concept that is different for everyone.  Many times there are certain intangibles that can make the difference between two products.  Personally, I would never consider a cruise in an inside cabin - not that I consider myself a 'cruise snob', but I enjoy my balcony too much to give that up.  There have been many, many discussions regarding the value of a Regent cruise with no clear-cut answer that fits everyone.

 

It's just like hotels or cars or clothes or anything in life, really.  I know people who are happy staying in a Motel 6.  I'm not.  A Kia Accent will take you across the country just the same way a Mercedes S-Class will.  But I know which one I'd rather be in.

 

I know that every time I've priced out a cruise comparison it comes out close enough for me to consider it a wash, cost-wise.  True, Regent is usually a bit more expensive - but for me it's worth it not to have to swipe a card or wear a wristband or whatever.  And in your comparison, be sure to include gratuities, transfers, port charges, etc. that may or may not be included in the fare.  And be 100% certain that your airfare calculations are accurate.

 

But if the cruises you're looking at are really that much less expensive than a Regent cruise, then by all means book the one that you feel is the best value.  That's why we have choices...

[flossie009]

@ak1004, I see from another forum that you have cancelled an Oceania cruise in favour of cruising on Crystal Symphony later this year.

Was cost the deciding factor?

What else attracted you to Crystal in preference to the other luxury or premium cruise lines?

Was the ship or the itinerary more important?

What caused you to want to move away from the cruise lines you have sailed with previously?

Sorry for all the questions, but intrigued.

Edited April 22, 2019 by flossie009

[ak1004]

1 minute ago, flossie009 said:

@ak1004, I see from another forum that you have cancelled an Oceania cruise in favour of cruising on Crystal Symphony later this year.

Was cost the deciding factor? What else attracted you to Crystal in preference to the other luxury or premium cruise lines? Was the ship or the itinerary more important?

 

Cost of Symphony was higher, especially considering the fact that we booked an inside cabin on Oceania. However, few factors played the role:

1. We wanted to try a line like Crystal or Regent, and this Crystal cruise was still very reasonably priced ($280/night, plus hopefully some OBC from the TA).
2. Oceania was to Caribbean which we visited many times, while Crystal is from Rosta Rica to San Diego on the West Cost. This allows us to escape from the Canadian winter, but also visit some new places.
3. When we sailed with Oceania to Mediterranean, we enjoyed it very much. However, we noticed that daily activities and entertainment are a bit weak. While not a big deal on Mediterranean, it could be an issue on the Caribbean.

What we like about Oceania is that it includes exactly the things that we need, but not the things we don't care about. We don't drink, so on the luxury lines we would be indirectly paying for something we don't consume. Also we don't care about the cabin size, and Oceania has smaller and cheaper cabins.

 

That said, I really wanted to see how line like Crystal compares to Oceania (or Azamara), so this was a good opportunity to do it. No other luxury line had prices even close to this Crystal cruise.

[ak1004]

2 hours ago, UUNetBill said:

"Value" is generally a concept that is different for everyone.  Many times there are certain intangibles that can make the difference between two products.  Personally, I would never consider a cruise in an inside cabin - not that I consider myself a 'cruise snob', but I enjoy my balcony too much to give that up.  There have been many, many discussions regarding the value of a Regent cruise with no clear-cut answer that fits everyone.

 

It's just like hotels or cars or clothes or anything in life, really.  I know people who are happy staying in a Motel 6.  I'm not.  A Kia Accent will take you across the country just the same way a Mercedes S-Class will.  But I know which one I'd rather be in.

 

I know that every time I've priced out a cruise comparison it comes out close enough for me to consider it a wash, cost-wise.  True, Regent is usually a bit more expensive - but for me it's worth it not to have to swipe a card or wear a wristband or whatever.  And in your comparison, be sure to include gratuities, transfers, port charges, etc. that may or may not be included in the fare.  And be 100% certain that your airfare calculations are accurate.

 

But if the cruises you're looking at are really that much less expensive than a Regent cruise, then by all means book the one that you feel is the best value.  That's why we have choices...

 

Agree 100%. Regent is probably a very good value if you like a big cabin with veranda, fly business class and drink a lot. Otherwise you would just subsiding other people who do use those features.

[flossie009]

3 hours ago, ak1004 said:

That said, I really wanted to see how line like Crystal compares to Oceania (or Azamara), so this was a good opportunity to do it. No other luxury line had prices even close to this Crystal cruise.

@ak1004,

Thank you for the info. 

I hope Crystal meets your expectations and is a good fit for you.

Enjoy the cruise 😎

[babs135]

I'm obviously still following this increasingly interesting thread.  I thought I would make the following personal observations.

Our concession to being able to cruise frequently has been to book an inside cabin, we've always flown economy and because the cost of drinks can be exorbitant we only have an occasional drink.  The one time we had an included drinks package we thoroughly enjoyed it and made full use of it.

So why are we (actually me) looking at Regent?  Simply this, just for once I would like us to 'push the boat out' (sorry!) and Regent caught my eye.  I've seen a cruise up the east coast of America for 2020 which appeals but I now need to do some price comparisons.  Hopefully the figures will work out.

[ak1004]

27 minutes ago, babs135 said:

I'm obviously still following this increasingly interesting thread.  I thought I would make the following personal observations.

Our concession to being able to cruise frequently has been to book an inside cabin, we've always flown economy and because the cost of drinks can be exorbitant we only have an occasional drink.  The one time we had an included drinks package we thoroughly enjoyed it and made full use of it.

So why are we (actually me) looking at Regent?  Simply this, just for once I would like us to 'push the boat out' (sorry!) and Regent caught my eye.  I've seen a cruise up the east coast of America for 2020 which appeals but I now need to do some price comparisons.  Hopefully the figures will work out.

 

This pretty much summarizes our concept of travelling. We cruise around 3-4 times a year, and we started flying business recently on flights over 5-6 hours. The economy flights just became too stressful and exhausting for us. So we concentrate on spending money on what's important for us, like business class flights, good service, good food, lack of crowds and lines etc. Size of the cabin is at the bottom of the list.

[Pinksunset]

The one quality that a cost comparison on a spreadsheet cannot account for, as Bill touched upon, is that certain “Je ne sais quoi”, that hard to describe, intangible, that really makes all the difference between other cruise lines and Regent.  We are 60 & 70 and realize now that space, two bathrooms (for us!) comfort and good service, etc., are more important than saving a few dollars.  We cannot afford to cruise very frequently, but we are saving for our next higher quality Regent cruise.  Quality over quantity for us.  Everyone has different priorities, and that is what makes life (and vacations) interesting!

[Wendy The Wanderer]

You may be underestimating the costs of biz air and excursions. Plus the standard verandah cabin on  O is significantly smaller than R.

[ak1004]

4 minutes ago, Wendy The Wanderer said:

You may be underestimating the costs of biz air and excursions. Plus the standard verandah cabin on  O is significantly smaller than R.

 

I was comparing penthouse suite on O. But you might be right about business air.

[cruiseluv]

. Frankly, this discussion is becoming the equivalent of why buy a Rolex when you can buy a Timex?? They both can accurately tell time. 

[kibutzer]

On 4/20/2019 at 6:04 AM, WesW said:

Lana; Gosh you're the cruising diva--going on so many wonderful itineraries.   We will both share (Puntarenas, Guayaquil)  Peru and Ecuador ports (tho at different days)this fall.   Would love to do longer voyages but we still have two 15 year old fursons at home.

 

SWFLAOK, sorry your were not able to find a deal on the Explorer Easter Island to Papeete.  We hope to visit both Easter Island and Pitcairn Islands in the future.

 

Tho, you are also have terrific voyages upcoming--we love the Paul Gauguin too, we just came back from French Polynesia on the Mariner last November.  Pls remember, alas, the majority  of Silversea's expeditions cruises (besides having a near $1000 day per diem) have a 100% single supplement (e.g. wanted to do Southwest Australia on the Explorer in early 2021 (Melbourne to Darwin, but a single supp of 100%, meant the fare would have been north of $50k) no way w/o my wife.  Tho Easter Island to Papette does offer either included Economy Air or reduced BC fare, all transfers and one included hotel night.

Wes were you on the PG that had a hike that started with mld streams and ended with raging river and guide cutting down tree with machete? About 15 years ago?

[WesW]

Kibitzer; yes, believe Ida and I were on that challenging hike, if it was in March 2005 yes, it was us.  The massive rain storm turned a serene river into a flooded raging river that made crossing very problematic.

 

Did you ever go back to Tahiti—we loved revisiting the French Polynesia islands last November.  We did a challenging rain Forrest hike (most demanding Regent three person rated hike we have done in near 15 voyages) with constant rain but nothing like our Raiatea (I believe) hike 14 years ago.  Here are a couple of photos from the November Moorea hike:

 

 

[Ragnar Danneskjold]

Ak1004, what website are you using to find biz class flights?  The fares seem quite nice compared to what I usually find on Kayak, etc.

[ak1004]

7 minutes ago, Ragnar Danneskjold said:

Ak1004, what website are you using to find biz class flights?  The fares seem quite nice compared to what I usually find on Kayak, etc.

 

Expedia.ca

 

But the flight to Dublin was booked with celebrity. 

[Wendy The Wanderer]

On 4/21/2019 at 4:59 PM, ak1004 said:

...

A quick question: how are the business class flights that they provide? Are they reasonable connections (not like 2 stops on a 9 hours flight that could turn it into 15-17 hours)? Also, are excursions unlimited, and are they good quality? 

 

Business flights tend to be good, in my experience, although if you pay the deviation fee (which we usually do anyways to fly in early), you can pick and choose to some extent.  The excursions are quite varied, and very good, if you don't mind groups of 20-30--the modest-cost ones are generally smaller groups.  One advantage of Oceania, I find, is that the roll-calls tend to be very active, and people book their own small group tours to share with fellow pax.  I love private excursions, with no more than 6-8 people, but hard to do on Regent since you've already paid, so to speak.

 

You might want to check out Seabourn as well.  I find their prices very competitive at times--no excursions included, and no air, although you can add it I believe.

 

18 hours ago, cruiseluv said:

. Frankly, this discussion is becoming the equivalent of why buy a Rolex when you can buy a Timex?? They both can accurately tell time. 

 

Hardly fair to Oceania.

 

23 hours ago, Pinksunset said:

The one quality that a cost comparison on a spreadsheet cannot account for, as Bill touched upon, is that certain “Je ne sais quoi”, that hard to describe, intangible, that really makes all the difference between other cruise lines and Regent.  We are 60 & 70 and realize now that space, two bathrooms (for us!) comfort and good service, etc., are more important than saving a few dollars.  We cannot afford to cruise very frequently, but we are saving for our next higher quality Regent cruise.  Quality over quantity for us.  Everyone has different priorities, and that is what makes life (and vacations) interesting!

 

I agree absolutely about the 'je ne sais quoi' factor, and Oceania did not have this for us (although Seabourn did.)  We have arranged our lives to have separate bathrooms in two of our homes, but not on cruise ships--if we'd done that, we would have taken three or four cruises instead of  18.

[Ladys Mom]

We started cruising with NCL, RCL, and Celebrity a number of years ago.  We were younger, had children  in tow, and were very price conscious.  As we got older we tried Azamara and Oceania.  We liked both of them because the ships were smaller, the crew were friendlier and more accessible, and the food and itineraries were more to our liking.  However, when we started taking longer cruises, with more ports and therefore more shore excursions, the final price of each cruise went up precipitously.  You notice I didn't mention the cost of alcohol, because on all of these cruises we would share a bottle of wine with dinner and call it a night.  In addition, with longer cruises, a typical stateroom with a typical closet, started to become uncomfortable for us.  

 

Several years ago, we started looking at Regent because they had an itinerary that included a land trip to Angkor Wat, that had always been on our "bucket list".  The price seemed "astronomical" until we costed out a comparable Oceania trip with shore excursions.  We have found that even on private tours, in Europe or Asia, $200/pp per day, is a conservative figure.  When we factored in the BC airfare and the shore excursions, Regent's price was the same or even a little less.  We took that first Regent cruise and never looked back.  In fact, we are fairly sure we are going to "pull the trigger" on our cruise in May and book the 2021 World Cruise.  I hope this helps even a little.