Cost

[babs135]

We really have strayed off topic and if I may I would like to bring it back to the original subject of cost.

 

Other luxury lines have been mentioned but to be honest with so much chatter going on I've rather lost track so I would like to ask a simple question (if there is such a thing). If Regent was to be considered perhaps a step too far re costs, which other luxury line would you suggest, Oceania?  Or is there no choice left other than to perhaps for us to pay a premium on for example Cunard and sail in the Grills, or what about The Haven on NCL?

 

 

[Travelcat2]

7 minutes ago, babs135 said:

We really have strayed off topic and if I may I would like to bring it back to the original subject of cost.

 

Other luxury lines have been mentioned but to be honest with so much chatter going on I've rather lost track so I would like to ask a simple question (if there is such a thing). If Regent was to be considered perhaps a step too far re costs, which other luxury line would you suggest, Oceania?  Or is there no choice left other than to perhaps for us to pay a premium on for example Cunard and sail in the Grills, or what about The Haven on NCL?

 

 

 

Cunard "Grills" or NCL's Haven (have sailed in the Haven on NCL) is introducing a whole other subject because both cruise lines are basically mainstream with a "luxury" section. There has been much written on the "General" CC board about whether or not you an have a luxury experience on a mainstream or premium (Celebrity) cruise line so you may want to check there.

 

Of the premium plus (or luxury lite) cruise lines - Oceania, Azamara or Viking Ocean, we have only sailed on Oceania and it a really nice cruise line (only speaking of the two newer ships - Riviera and Marina - would not cruise on the smaller ships).  

 

The main things that I have gleaned from reading about Azamara and Viking Ocean cruise lines is that, if they do include drinks at meals, the quality of the alcohol is less than on Oceania.  On Oceania, you have to pay a lot per day (it was $69/person/day but I heard that it has gone up). 

 

I would go to the boards for these premium plus cruise lines and ask the question about which their customers prefer.  You will likely get better answers than you will on the Regent or luxury boards.  As for us, based on what we have read about Azamara and Viking Ocean, we would sail on Oceania again if Regent was a bit too pricey (note:  they are a sister company to Regent).

[newcruiser1956]

My vote is Viking.   No children,  You can bring bottles of alcohol on the ship with you,  laundry is free,  rooms all have balconies, service is great,  An excursion every port including.  I loved my viking cruise,  wish I could afford them more often!

[SWFLAOK]

18 hours ago, Focused1 said:

Yes,  as they are renovated, they are all being “Musified.” (as they call it. )

I guess Silver Whisper hadn't been "Musified" when we took our Amazon cruise last November, and still hasn't been based on the dining options available on the Silversea website. I

t was no problem meeting the formal dress code as a woman. A dressy dress, or dressy top with a dark skirt or pants, were accepted, and much more common than a cocktail dress or gown. A dark suit with a tie was more common than a tux on formal nights. The less formal nights that required a jacket and tie in public venues was more annoying to my husband and brother, and were the only stricter dress code than I've experienced on the other cruise lines I've been on. Removing the tie after moving from the dining room to a bar did not cause us any problems.

Eliminating a main dining room is a much bigger problem for me. It will most likely eliminate me as a customer on Silversea since I don't like to have to plan for, and reserve, a time and place at  a specialty restaurant every night . If I have a cruise with a lot of excursions, I would rather not worry about what time I feel like having dinner after a long excursion. I can't afford a butler suite with room service on every Silversea cruise, and we loved the food and personal service we received on the Whisper in The Restaurant. 

[Focused1]

22 minutes ago, SWFLAOK said:

I guess Silver Whisper hadn't been "Musified" when we took our Amazon cruise last November, and still hasn't been based on the dining options available on the Silversea website. I

t was no problem meeting the formal dress code as a woman. A dressy dress, or dressy top with a dark skirt or pants, were accepted, and much more common than a cocktail dress or gown. A dark suit with a tie was more common than a tux on formal nights. The less formal nights that required a jacket and tie in public venues was more annoying to my husband and brother, and were the only stricter dress code than I've experienced on the other cruise lines I've been on. Removing the tie after moving from the dining room to a bar did not cause us any problems.

Eliminating a main dining room is a much bigger problem for me. It will most likely eliminate me as a customer on Silversea since I don't like to have to plan for, and reserve, a time and place at  a specialty restaurant every night . If I have a cruise with a lot of excursions, I would rather not worry about what time I feel like having dinner after a long excursion. I can't afford a butler suite with room service on every Silversea cruise, and we loved the food and personal service we received on the Whisper in The Restaurant. 

Every passenger cabin/suite has a butler included on Silversea. 

[SWFLAOK]

My brother's Veranda Suite had a butler, but the level of room service by the butler was not the same as our Silver Suite. Room service by our butler at the dining room table in our Silver Suite was as good as going to the Restaurant, with an extensive menu available to us at dinner. 

[Wendy The Wanderer]

Whatever possessed Silversea to get rid of the main dining room and demanding reservations every night?  Sounds horrid.

[commodore2010]

On 4/17/2019 at 8:52 AM, shuguley said:

If you think that Regent might be, "simply a step too far",  then it probably is.  Take a cruise that offers a more comfortable financial commitment and enjoy yourself.

 

The first response in this thread is perfect.    Simple and true. 

 

If you stretch yourself financially you probably won't enjoy the cruise because you are thinking "I spent $$$$$ for this cruise when I could have done ?????" 

 

You may want to think hotels.

Do you mind spending the extra money for the Four Seasons, Mandarin, Ritz Carlton or is the Marriott, Weston, Hampton Inn just fine?     

 

 

[kibutzer]

On 4/23/2019 at 12:40 PM, WesW said:

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:

 

 

We talk about it alot. Remember we had to delay leaving port.  Talked about going back on O but wondered how it could be as good as PG.  Safe travels.

[Travelcat2]

1 hour ago, SWFLAOK said:

My brother's Veranda Suite had a butler, but the level of room service by the butler was not the same as our Silver Suite. Room service by our butler at the dining room table in our Silver Suite was as good as going to the Restaurant, with an extensive menu available to us at dinner. 

 

Your brother was likely in a penthouse suite as there are no butlers in Veranda suites on Regent.  We have stayed. in a Silver Suite on Silversea a couple of times - that suite is likely equivalent to a Seven Seas suite on Regent.  

 

While I did not find our butlers better or worse on either cruise line, we had no complaints.  Regent also has dinner service in upper suites where you can choose from any of the restaurants - including specialties (you do need to order from one restaurant at a time to insure that the food is prepared and delivered at the same time).

 

Note:  I finally agree that this thread is more off track than most.  While I can connect most posts to the topic, the discussion about French Polynesia is way out there and not related in any way to the subject. 

[babs135]

27 minutes ago, commodore2010 said:

 

The first response in this thread is perfect.    Simple and true. 

 

If you stretch yourself financially you probably won't enjoy the cruise because you are thinking "I spent $$$$$ for this cruise when I could have done ?????" 

 

You may want to think hotels.

Do you mind spending the extra money for the Four Seasons, Mandarin, Ritz Carlton or is the Marriott, Weston, Hampton Inn just fine?     

 

 

If we wanted to do it we could afford it but up to now our choice has been to book an inside cabin on whatever ship we choose which enables us to cruise more often. A cruise on Regent or similar cruise line would almost certainly be a one off with a longish gap until any next cruise. This is merely an exercise to see what options are open to us and what people think about Regent.

[rcandkc]

We had no idea when we bit the bullet and went on our first Regent that we would get hooked. I don’t think you will know unless you try one.  Maybe pick a 10 day(we won’t do 7 anymore) on an easy to get to embarkation port cruise and just see if it is worth it to you.  Maybe it will be, maybe it won’t be, but then you will really know the product first hand. 

[Bellaggio Cruisers]

50 minutes ago, rcandkc said:

We had no idea when we bit the bullet and went on our first Regent that we would get hooked. I don’t think you will know unless you try one.  Maybe pick a 10 day(we won’t do 7 anymore) on an easy to get to embarkation port cruise and just see if it is worth it to you.  Maybe it will be, maybe it won’t be, but then you will really know the product first hand. 

 

Agree!!

[Focused1]

7 hours ago, Wendy The Wanderer said:

Whatever possessed Silversea to get rid of the main dining room and demanding reservations every night?  Sounds horrid.

Yes, it is.  The only option is to eat at the pizza restaurant or room service on the new and newly renovated ships. And also to respond to the previous poster about room service in silver suites differing from others, all passengers have the same room service only menu in all cabins/suites in the ships without a main dining room. There is no ability to order from a main dining room since there is none. You also cannot order from the specialty restaurant if in the upper suites, either. We really missed that option on a Silversea cruise last year in a silver suite and the room service menu is quite limited. You can order a special dinner of your choice  24 hours in advance. 

[MrMojoRisin]

On 4/19/2019 at 11:09 PM, Travelcat2 said:

Keep in mind that, while Silversea is a lovely cruise line, it is VERY formal. We sailed on Silversea three times and found the food and service to be good but the crew and passengers were no where near Regent’s level of warmth and congenitally.  

I could not disagree more. Silversea may be more formal but we always find passengers and staff to be very engaging. We are currently onboard Silver Muse and you could not hope to find a friendlier, warmer and more engaging staff anywhere. They are absolutely delightful and great fun. They are also highly professional and service is outstanding. Food is outstanding too.

[MrMojoRisin]

Just to add to previous posts, on the Muse you do not have to book Atlantide or IndoChine. Silver Note and Hot Rocks have very limited capacity and it is sensible to book. You can turn up at La Terrazza without a booking and always get seated 

It is so sad to see such misinformation being posted.

[Focused1]

26 minutes ago, MrMojoRisin said:

Just to add to previous posts, on the Muse you do not have to book Atlantide or IndoChine. Silver Note and Hot Rocks have very limited capacity and it is sensible to book. You can turn up at La Terrazza without a booking and always get seated 

It is so sad to see such misinformation being posted.

It is good to hear they have changed their reservation policy since we sailed last year for Atlantide and IndoChine. I know there were lots of complaints and it is obvious they have listened to their customers. I still would recommend making La Terrazza reservations ahead of time to ensure your time slot. And avoid disappointment as it is always popular. (We were on a full cruise and it was impossible to be seated without a reservation.j

[SWFLAOK]

9 hours ago, Travelcat2 said:

 

Your brother was likely in a penthouse suite as there are no butlers in Veranda suites on Regent.  We have stayed. in a Silver Suite on Silversea a couple of times - that suite is likely equivalent to a Seven Seas suite on Regent.  

 

While I did not find our butlers better or worse on either cruise line, we had no complaints.  Regent also has dinner service in upper suites where you can choose from any of the restaurants - including specialties (you do need to order from one restaurant at a time to insure that the food is prepared and delivered at the same time).

 

Note:  I finally agree that this thread is more off track than most.  While I can connect most posts to the topic, the discussion about French Polynesia is way out there and not related in any way to the subject. 

I totally agree that his is beyond off track. I was answering focused1 about Silversea, and both my brothers cabin and ours were on the Silver Whisper. It was a wonderful ship last November, and if they change it they're making a mistake. Since this is a Regent forum, and we have 2 more Regent cruises booked, and no more Silversea cruises booked, I won't look at this topic again.

 

Edited April 27, 2019 by SWFLAOK
off topic

[Travelcat2]

4 hours ago, MrMojoRisin said:

I could not disagree more. Silversea may be more formal but we always find passengers and staff to be very engaging. We are currently onboard Silver Muse and you could not hope to find a friendlier, warmer and more engaging staff anywhere. They are absolutely delightful and great fun. They are also highly professional and service is outstanding. Food is outstanding too.

 

Not disagreeing about food and service.  I truly do find Regent passengers (not crew) to be more open and friendlier than on Silversea but do not expect others to agree with my opinion.  Silversea is considerably more international than Regent which is good for many but perhaps not for us.  Having said that, if we can get over the fact that we have so many benefits on Regent, we would sail Silversea again.  It is our second favorite cruise line.

[ArtsyCraftsy]

13 hours ago, rcandkc said:

We had no idea when we bit the bullet and went on our first Regent that we would get hooked. I don’t think you will know unless you try one.  Maybe pick a 10 day(we won’t do 7 anymore) on an easy to get to embarkation port cruise and just see if it is worth it to you.  Maybe it will be, maybe it won’t be, but then you will really know the product first hand. 

 

The same thing happened in my case, although my first Regent cruise was 28 days on the Mariner.  I had done two HAL cruises prior to my first RSSC cruise, and while the first HAL cruise was wonderful, the second was ... just OK.  There's just something about Regent that transcends the usual "food/service/itinerary/onboard activities/games/entertainment" assessments.  There was an overall "feeling" -- a vibe -- that was a sort of unforced relaxed sense of acceptance and welcome, that whatever I wanted, someone would do whatever they could to make it happen.  Especially telling was how the staff handled a couple of issues that came up -- far FAR exceeded my expectations and further reinforced that amazing "your wish is our command; we're here to take care of you" vibe.  

 

I currently have a "trial" cruise scheduled on Oceania in July -- a 7-day roundtrip to Alaska from Seattle (it's an easy port for me; normally, I won't do anything shorter than 14 days, 21 is better).  This will be my first experience with a butler.  I got a decent deal (including the drink package), so we'll see how things go.  And I have another HAL cruise this fall (35-day Incan Empires "focused" cruise to Ecuador and Peru).

 

But for now, 2020 is ALL RSSC (131-day World Cruise, 14-day Alaska from Vancouver, and 68-day Grand Cape Horn Adventure), and it all started with that first "trial run" last fall.  I'll have to see how my health holds up before booking beyond that, but I'm looking seriously at the 80+-day Grand Arctic in 2021 (hasn't been announced yet, but I'm keeping my fingers crossed) ... 

 

Lana in Bellingham, WA

[Bellaggio Cruisers]

Lana - loved your one word description for Regent..... vibe!

sheila

[Travelcat2]

Also love that choice of words and agree very much!

[UUNetBill]

On 4/27/2019 at 3:43 AM, Bellaggio Cruisers said:

Lana - loved your one word description for Regent..... vibe!

sheila

Especially in the aft cabins.       

[ak1004]

I think comparing Regent to Celebrity or HAL is not apples to apples even if you take a suite on those line. They are still mass market. You might enjoy your little suite world, but when you go outside it to see a show, you are still on a big ship. A totally different experience.

 

So to me, the comparison should be to other luxury lines, or lines like Oceania, Azamara or Viking. Then you have to decide if you really are using or need all the extras that Regent offers (big cabins with verandas, business class flights, excursions etc.) 

 

Here is a small example where included excursions might not make sense financially. On our cruise to the Baltic last year, we selected a bunch of excursions from the ship. The total cost was around $1,200. Then we contacted a private provider, and took exactly the same excursions for $650. In this case, excursions included on Regent would not make sense as you could pay much less. 

 

Same thing regarding the cabin. If you don't need a 300+ sqft cabin, then you can take much smaller cabin on another ship (in our case the inside on Oceania) and still have a great overall experience. 

 

However, if you compare to similar level cabins on other ships, and consider all other inclusions, then the prices become comparable.

[UUNetBill]

4 hours ago, ak1004 said:

I think comparing Regent to Celebrity or HAL is not apples to apples even if you take a suite on those line. They are still mass market. You might enjoy your little suite world, but when you go outside it to see a show, you are still on a big ship. A totally different experience.

 

So to me, the comparison should be to other luxury lines, or lines like Oceania, Azamara or Viking. Then you have to decide if you really are using or need all the extras that Regent offers (big cabins with verandas, business class flights, excursions etc.) 

 

Here is a small example where included excursions might not make sense financially. On our cruise to the Baltic last year, we selected a bunch of excursions from the ship. The total cost was around $1,200. Then we contacted a private provider, and took exactly the same excursions for $650. In this case, excursions included on Regent would not make sense as you could pay much less. 

 

Same thing regarding the cabin. If you don't need a 300+ sqft cabin, then you can take much smaller cabin on another ship (in our case the inside on Oceania) and still have a great overall experience. 

 

However, if you compare to similar level cabins on other ships, and consider all other inclusions, then the prices become comparable.

Our first cruise (and all of them since, save one) have been on Regent.  Once you get used to the inclusions, you don't want to do without.