What Regent cruisers may want to know about Crystal

[Travelcat2]

4 hours ago, Wendy The Wanderer said:

Sometimes I think we need a separate thread or forum for those of us who are stuck with lowly standard verandah cabins instead of big suites.  We've been lucky enough to be in PH's a couple of times, but mainly we feel very lucky to be in a standard suite (although that has been muddied with Explorer I guess.)

 

So I'll not be considering Crystal.  Now Seabourn, wow, any time, lovely standard balcony suites!  Mariner I'll put up with, otherwise I couldn't do WC2021.

 

It is nice to have friends onboard in bigger suites; at least we get to visit once in a while!

 

As I believe you know, we have been in all types of suites on most Regent ships - not only "big suites".  However, on Crystal, while we would not call standard staterooms "lowly", they are too small for many people (but are fine for others).  I'm sure that you or anyone else could get feedback on the Crystal board pertaining to smaller suites.  For purposes of my thread(s) I can only address the one suite that we have been in on Crystal.  I really could not recommend standard suites on Crystal any more than I could recommend "G" or "H" suites on Explorer.  We enjoy spending time on our suite (and balcony) so we prefer larger suites and balconies (as mentioned, the balcony for our suite is very small compared to even a PH suite on Explorer).

 

 

[Travelcat2]

4 hours ago, AtA said:

Which is why you shouldn't go in the "tiny" cabins. Priced out as close to apples to apples, a PH on Crystal is the same price as a regular cabin on Regent in a large majority of cases. That was one reason we switched from Regent. Especially since we didn't find the included tours on Regent to our liking and even when we priced out included air, it still became pretty much of a wash. 

 

Here's just one example. It's not a 100% matchup because of course ports are somewhat different.

On Crystal: Monte Carlo - Venice 7 nights May 3-10, 2020. The lowest cabin price is $3834 pp for a window cabin.

The penthouse with a butler is $5599 pp and is 412 square feet (includes the balcony) (And no, it doesn't include airfare or excursions)

 

On Regent: Rome - Barcelona 7 nights May 21, 2020. The lowest cabin price is $7699 pp and is 335 square feet (includes the balcony)

A Superior Suite prices out at $8599 pp and is 464 square feet.

 

Now of course I do realize different ports can be more or less expensive and I'm sure that figures into it, but what this shows is that if you pay for a standard cabin on Regent, then you most likely can afford to pay for a PH on Crystal.

 

 

 

Interesting comparison.  However, you failed to mention the size of the "lowest cabin" on Crystal.  I believe that it is under 200 sq. ft. (will try to go to the Crystal website and will double check that number).  Wish that I could get a photo of the tiny staterooms but it would be rather rude to take a photo from the hallway when the door is open.  I believe you also have to add tax and port fees to the Crystal fares.

 

Going to check website.

 

Internet too slow on Crystal site so I checked Regent's site.  PH suites are different on each ship.  Our favorite ship (Explorer) has PH suite that run from 561-644 square feet with balcony.  The Voyager and Navigator have the smallest PH suites.  Did not have time to check to see which ship is being quoted above but the Mariner's PH suites are 376 sq. ft. with a 73 sq. ft. balcony.  Will check more later.

 

Note:  With the exception of 20% of the Navigator, all other Regent ships are "all suite - all balcony".  Not saying that this is necessary to have a good cruise ….. just appreciate having specific information when making comparisons since Regent ships are so different.

Edited September 8, 2019 by Travelcat2

[Wendy The Wanderer]

1 hour ago, Kwaj girl said:

WtW - we've booked a PH on the Mariner 2021 WC - you are welcome to visit for cocktails at any time! 

Sandy

 

Thanks Sandy!

[AtA]

2 hours ago, Travelcat2 said:

 

Interesting comparison.  However, you failed to mention the size of the "lowest cabin" on Crystal.  I believe that it is under 200 sq. ft. (will try to go to the Crystal website and will double check that number).  Wish that I could get a photo of the tiny staterooms but it would be rather rude to take a photo from the hallway when the door is open.  I believe you also have to add tax and port fees to the Crystal fares.

 

Going to check website.

 

Internet too slow on Crystal site so I checked Regent's site.  PH suites are different on each ship.  Our favorite ship (Explorer) has PH suite that run from 561-644 square feet with balcony.  The Voyager and Navigator have the smallest PH suites.  Did not have time to check to see which ship is being quoted above but the Mariner's PH suites are 376 sq. ft. with a 73 sq. ft. balcony.  Will check more later.

 

Note:  With the exception of 20% of the Navigator, all other Regent ships are "all suite - all balcony".  Not saying that this is necessary to have a good cruise ….. just appreciate having specific information when making comparisons since Regent ships are so different.

Yes you're correct I did because I was actually comparing the lowest balcony stateroom on Regent which is closer in size to the penthouse on Crystal and trying to show how the pricing on Regent in a lower category was comparative in size to a PH on Crystal. Meaning for about the same price you can either go with a lower category Regent cruise or a PH on Crystal. Both are similar in room size. And absolutely both have their plusses and minuses. But I did it to show that in the same size cabin on either cruise line, the pricing was almost the same.

 

People have the idea that Crystal pricing is so much more than Regent and it's not.

 

The lowest cabin on Crystal is a window cabin and is 213 square feet. 🙂

Edited September 8, 2019 by AtA

[Travelcat2]

AtA - thank you for the further explanation.  

 

The area where you can find a serious price difference is in the top suites on Regent and Crystal (not counting the 4,000 square foot Explorer suite as it is only one one ship and is $5,000/night/person - approximately).

 

We have been on Regent’s newest ship (Explorer) in their Master Suite which has two bedrooms and two full bathrooms.  We can book that suite on some itineraries for less than a Crystal Penthouse.  The Master Suite on Explorer has a piano a huge balcony (you could go skating on it) and is lovely.  While I’m not saying that the CP suite is not well appointed, the balcony is cramped (still need to post a photo on the other board), and the 1/2 bath has no room to store anything (but it is pretty - just not functional).  The Master Suite on Explorer is 831 - 994 square feet with a balcony of 1,064 - 1,114 square feet (slightly larger than the entire CP suite with balcony).

 

I am bringing up these statistics as they relate to cost - not service or food.  I suspect that Crystal’s new ocean going ship (which either launches in 2022 or 2023) will correct all of the stateroom/suite issues and it will be a ship that can compete with any of the luxury liners.  For now, it does the best that it can with the size of the staterooms and suites.

 

Just posted about 5 new photos on the Crystal board!

 

 

[Wendy The Wanderer]

1 hour ago, AtA said:

The lowest cabin on Crystal is a window cabin and is 213 square feet. 🙂

 

And the balcony stateroom is 246 sqft which I believe includes the balcony.

 

This is 55 sqft smaller than the standard Mariner suite, the smallest in the fleet.

[AtA]

2 hours ago, Travelcat2 said:

AtA - thank you for the further explanation.  

 

The area where you can find a serious price difference is in the top suites on Regent and Crystal (not counting the 4,000 square foot Explorer suite as it is only one one ship and is $5,000/night/person - approximately).

 

 

 

 

Absolutely agree with you Jackie although I've never stayed in anything higher than the PH on Crystal and an E-G on Regent. 🙂

That's about the closest I can come in comparing apples to apples. A Crystal PH to a Regent regular cabin. 

[AtA]

2 hours ago, Wendy The Wanderer said:

 

And the balcony stateroom is 246 sqft which I believe includes the balcony.

 

This is 55 sqft smaller than the standard Mariner suite, the smallest in the fleet.

Yes but that Mariner suite is still a lot more money than the balcony stateroom on Crystal and that's my point. To compare close to apples to apples, you have to compare a PH on Crystal to the standard Mariner Suite. And both will price out about the same dollars. Only difference is the Crystal PH will have a butler.

 

So if you're used to your verandah cabin on Regent, for about the same price you can get a PH cabin on Crystal.

Edited September 9, 2019 by AtA

[Travelcat2]

This has a turned into a money/cost thread (my fault).  Just want to point out the differences between Crystal and Regent and sometimes I fall into the “Regent is wonderful” place when in fact, Silversea, Crystal and Oceania are also good cruise lines.

 

Had Crystal or Seabourn had open seating and restricted smoking, we likely would have tried both cruise lines.  Admittedly, Regent did have smoking and was not all-inclusive in 2004, but they had the Paul Gauguin which, up to this day, is the best cruise line in the South Pacific (not sure about the new owners of this cruise line).  They went non-smoking and all-inclusive before either Crystal or Seabourn (With Seabourn being the very the very last of the “big four” luxury lines to limit smoking). I cannot even estimate how many cruisers that Seabourn lost with their smoking policy - especially since all other luxury cruise lines had restricted smoking which made anyone that needed to smoke in their suite or balcony Seabourn cruisers.

 

[Hambagahle]

Jackie - thanks again!   I somehow did not realise that Crystal doesn't include air and excursions automatically.  This makes Crystal FAR more attractive to us for a Mediterranean cruise where for most ports we can just take the train and we aren't really interested in excursions in Europe either (with some exceptions) because we have either been to those places before or simply do things on our own.  No language problems aside from former Yugoslavia and Greece...but English is widely spoken there anyway.

 

We had one of those washer/dryer combos in our NY apartment 30 something years ago.  And yes - it took for ever to wash and dry the clothes.   I just can't imagine doing that on a cruise but I suppose some love it.

 

Hope you post photos of Ketchikan - that is the port we missed on our Alaska cruise when the Mariner hit the growler...

take care, Gerry

[Focused1]

Enjoying your comments on Crystal. Very well done. Regarding your Seabourn smoking policy comments, we stopped sailing on them in 2012 because of it so we are one of the customers they lost.  When they finally changed it, we booked a cruise on the Ovation which departs on Saturday from Dublin. However, I just learned that even though they have a no smoking policy, they allow smoking of E-cigarettes in cabins.  

[AtA]

11 hours ago, Travelcat2 said:

This has a turned into a money/cost thread (my fault).  Just want to point out the differences between Crystal and Regent and sometimes I fall into the “Regent is wonderful” place when in fact, Silversea, Crystal and Oceania are also good cruise lines.

 

My apologies Jackie. 

I have sailed Regent and obviously liked it enough to sail them multiple times, even taking my Mom on her last cruise to Alaska back in 2010.  

I was not enamored with Oceania when we did it a few years ago, but because of pricing, I'm trying it again with my son in January on Serina. 

 

[Travelcat2]

1 hour ago, AtA said:

My apologies Jackie. 

I have sailed Regent and obviously liked it enough to sail them multiple times, even taking my Mom on her last cruise to Alaska back in 2010.  

I was not enamored with Oceania when we did it a few years ago, but because of pricing, I'm trying it again with my son in January on Serina. 

 

 

Hope that you enjoy your Oceania cruise.  I am not a big fan of Oceania (my husband is) but we would only sail on the Riviera or Marina (newer, larger ships).  My issue with Oceania is food (yes - I know that it claims to have the best food at sea).  Their French restaurant (Jacques) is to die for, the other specialty restaurants are about the same as Regent (good) but we cannot tolerate the equivalent of La Veranda (buffet restaurant during the day) on Oceania.  I would not have one bite of their food.  The MDR is okay but I am not impressed with the food.  Fortunately, if you stay in a top suite, you can dine every night in a specialty restaurant.

[xrvlcruiser]

I think the 214sq ft cabins on the Serenity are mostly mostly used for staff and entertainers. That includes the Dance Hosts, Religious people and the like as well as performers and lecturers. I don't think in general, they are used by passengers.

I'm sure Keith will know the specifics and can correct my details.

Peggy

 

 

[ClefsDor]

26 minutes ago, xrvlcruiser said:

I think the 214sq ft cabins on the Serenity are mostly mostly used for staff and entertainers. That includes the Dance Hosts, Religious people and the like as well as performers and lecturers. I don't think in general, they are used by passengers

Actually all the entry level staterooms, and that equates on Crystal to all cabins below a penthouse, are the same size. The only thing that varies is that some only have a window and these are called Ocean View Rooms and the others have verandahs. The interior size and layout are identical with or without a verandah,  although Serenity has slightly larger rooms than Symphony as it's a slightly bigger ship. The other thing that differs of course is the level they are on and the position i.e. aft, forward or midship. So whilst, guest speakers and entertainers may well be in the these cabins so are passengers as they are the only cabins available before PH category.

[xrvlcruiser]

ClefsDor,

 

I was referring to the Ocean View cabins specifically -  the ones on the same deck as Reception on Serenity. Thanks for the clarification.

Peggy

[nancygp]

24 minutes ago, xrvlcruiser said:

ClefsDor,

 

I was referring to the Ocean View cabins specifically -  the ones on the same deck as Reception on Serenity. Thanks for the clarification.

Peggy

 

Hi Peggy,

 

the ocean view cabins on deck 5/Serentiy are the same size  as the deck 7 but are not updated.  They are reserved for non passengers.

 

Nancy

[xrvlcruiser]

Hi Nancy,

 

Yes . . . . .

 

Peggy

[AtA]

1 hour ago, nancygp said:

 

Hi Peggy,

 

the ocean view cabins on deck 5/Serentiy are the same size  as the deck 7 but are not updated.  They are reserved for non passengers.

 

Nancy

Correct me if I'm wrong Nancy but those on deck 5 SYMPHONY are used for passengers?

[LHT28]

3 hours ago, xrvlcruiser said:

I think the 214sq ft cabins on the Serenity are mostly mostly used for staff and entertainers. That includes the Dance Hosts, Religious people and the like as well as performers and lecturers. I don't think in general, they are used by passengers.

I'm sure Keith will know the specifics and can correct my details.

Peggy

 

 

OH NO

 WE are booked in one of those  & we  do not entertain   I better  start practicing  my singing  & DH can bring a guitar 😅

[Keith1010]

5 hours ago, xrvlcruiser said:

I think the 214sq ft cabins on the Serenity are mostly mostly used for staff and entertainers. That includes the Dance Hosts, Religious people and the like as well as performers and lecturers. I don't think in general, they are used by passengers.

I'm sure Keith will know the specifics and can correct my details.

Peggy

 

 

Peggy, you are correct.  Deck five on Serenity are primarily used by staff, entertainers, and enrichment personnel.  I can't comment on their size as I've only been in them for a short time and didn't take a closer enough look.

 

On Serenity the smallest of the ones use by guests are 226 square feet.  These are the same for all the standard rooms with the difference being that in brochures the ones with the verandahs show a larger square footage as they include the verandah.  The other difference is the standard room on Deck 10 on Serenity which have a nicer finish out than the other standard rooms.

 

On Symphony the smallest of the ones are 202 square feet. 

 

All.

 

If your only driver is guest room space Crystal's standard rooms are smaller than the other luxury lines most notably Regent, Seabourn and Silversea.  That's reality.  There is no getting around that.  

 

I have never been able to compare per diems on space alone because speaking for myself we look at the entire package when we cruise and rooms are one of several components of that package.  For us we look at service, cuisine, enrichment, entertainment, itinerary, and a slew of other items.

 

I am reminded of an experience I had on Silversea a few years ago.  On the Silversea Spirit, my wife and I never watched as many movies as we did on the on-demand TV nor spent as much time as we had on any prior cruise in our suite. Why?  Because for us we were bored as there was limited enrichment, entertainment, and space inside and outside the ship for things such as sports and walking.  

 

If I looked at the suites only and the per diem cost it likely pointed to Silversea being the winner.

 

But what does winning on this comparison mean if we were bored stiff.

 

Again if your only driver is the suite than unless you go with the larger suites on Crystal you might not be happy.

 

Many who sail Crystal frequently and who take the standard rooms will tell you that it's not an issue because the vast majority of time they spend off the ship and on the ship in the public rooms where Crystal has more space than most cruise lines.  

 

Crystal does use the space in most of its room very efficiently in terms of the amount of storage space they provide and how the space is utilized.  No different than hotels and homes where one might find space in a smaller room could be better used than a room somewhat larger.  

 

Like most things there is no right or wrong and one size does not fit all.

 

You have to figure out what works for you.

 

I also believe that for some people multiple cruise lines work and even those with different features.  I know plenty of people now (some who post on this and the Crystal boards) who like both Regent and Crystal equally, some who like one more than other but like the other one enough to be happy cruising on either one.  They will tell me I like x, y and z about Crystal and I like a, b and c about Regent.  I also know some who have tried one or the other line and don't care for one of them.  Even within a cruise line with different ships that are not clones some people will say I favor this one over the other but can sail them all and some will say I can only sail these ships and not the other ones.

 

Anyway, in all my years of cruising other than when we sailed mass market ships which were more similar than unique from one another I don't let per diem be my driver for which line or ship I sail.  For that matter when booking an itinerary I realize that some have higher per diem costs than others but I let our interest in the itinerary as I do our interest in the total package of the ship and/or cruise line be the driver on our cruising decisions.  

 

Keith

[Keith1010]

3 hours ago, AtA said:

Correct me if I'm wrong Nancy but those on deck 5 SYMPHONY are used for passengers?

There are 19 rooms on Symphony on Deck 5 that guests can book.  This is not the case on Serenity when its  rooms on Deck 5 behind reception are primarily used by officers, staff, entertainers, and enrichment personnel.

 

Keith

[LHT28]

38 minutes ago, Keith1010 said:

On Serenity the smallest of the ones use by guests are 226 square feet.  These are the same for all the standard rooms with the difference being that in brochures the ones with the verandahs show a larger square footage as they include the verandah.  The other difference is the standard room on Deck 10 on Serenity which have a nicer finish out than the other standard rooms.

 

Very strange that  Crystal have the Ocean view cabins on Deck 7  at 213 sq ft ??

 

[Silver Sweethearts]

31 minutes ago, Keith1010 said:

I have never been able to compare per diems on space alone because speaking for myself we look at the entire package when we cruise and rooms are one of several components of that package.  For us we look at service, cuisine, enrichment, entertainment, itinerary, and a slew of other items.

 

I am reminded of an experience I had on Silversea a few years ago.  On the Silversea Spirit, my wife and I never watched as many movies as we did on the on-demand TV nor spent as much time as we had on any prior cruise in our suite. Why?  Because for us we were bored as there was limited enrichment, entertainment, and space inside and outside the ship for things such as sports and walking.  

 

With all due respect, if you looked at the entire package and knew what was on offer with Silversea, then why did you choose to bore yourselves with them??

[Keith1010]

15 minutes ago, Silver Sweethearts said:

 

With all due respect, if you looked at the entire package and knew what was on offer with Silversea, then why did you choose to bore yourselves with them??

I did look at the entire package and I did a lot of research and I sailed on one of their other ships (smaller size ship though).  Also we had a short window for cruising and wanted to get away.  Looked at all the luxury lines and that was the only one that fit the bill.

 

But like most things you often have to experience it yourself to know such as quality of entertainment, enrichment, etc., etc., etc., 

 

Keith