Regent vs Seabourn

[cuddles115]

Seabourn has been "sloppy" on the last few cruises.  We're thinking of Regent.  Hopefully, our experience will be better than on Seabourn. We would love to hear from anyone who has been on both. We noted the comparison in the Fall of 2018.  Can anyone help us with more recent reviews?

[alidor]

We were on Seabourn about 10 months ago (our first time on them) and really enjoyed them and I must say better than Regent.   We do have a Regent cruise booked for later this year but also booked a Seabourn for early February of next year.   I found Seabourn's crew very friendly and very efficient.   I think I noticed it our first day on the ship that the crew seemed happy and found out later than Seabourn does treat it's staff very well, which is very obvious.  They do a good job.   The food was also very good but then we are not totally foodies either and would be happy with either cruise line.

 

I don't think you can go wrong with either.

[boblerm]

3 hours ago, cuddles115 said:

Seabourn has been "sloppy" on the last few cruises.

cuddles115, sorry that I can't help since I have not been on Seabourn, but I am curious as to what you mean by "sloppy".  Can you site examples?  I ask because I would consider sailing on Seabourn.  I am a big fan of Regent and Crystal.

Bob

[Wendy The Wanderer]

I'm curious about the "sloppy" comment too.  We did a fall leaf-peeper on Quest just over a year ago and really enjoyed Seabourn.  They did some things better than Regent, other things not as well.  I would certainly do another Seabourn, but at this point, Regent is just more comfortable for us, familiar mostly.

 

Dining menus much more extensive I found on Regent, but the casual dining buffet I found better on Seabourn (La Veranda vs. Colonnade.) Didn't do Thomas Keller.  Fellow passengers were equally pleasant.  The standard balcony cabin was lovely, about the same as the similar ones that I know on Voyager and Navigator (Mariner is smaller, and I don't know the new ships.)   Quest is a smaller ship, more the size of Navigator, very intimate, but does lack some of the variety of locations of a ship with 700 pax.  But I loved Seabourn Square--Mariner has a wonderful Coffee Connection, but Seabourn wins on this one.  Did not like Quest's tenders (lifeboats I believe.)

[GOARMY]

Numerous cruises on both Seabourn and Regent.  

 

No "sloppiness"  (await further specifics from TS) while aboard Seabourn.  Certainly, none on Regent.  Look forward to celebrating our 50th wedding anniversary when aboard "Splendor" in just a little over six week.   Will do another Seabourn in 2021.  

 

From our perspective:  Observe a gold coin.  Heads and tails are of equal glitter and worth.  I would be hard-pressed to find much of a difference regarding service, crew attitude, amenities, cuisine, etc. between the two Lines.  One attribute which we appreciate when on Regent's newest ships (Explorer and soon Splendor) are those three reservations-required specialty restaurants.  Constant variety as to evening dining venues.  

 

To us the tie-breaker is now the itinerary--not the particular ship.  

 

GOARMY!

 

 

  

[Mahogany]

I did one Seabourn this past year, two Regent,  (also Crystal , Silversea and Viking) and am on 5-week Seabourn (South America) in March. I like both  almost equally, though I wish Regent would reduce the cruise fare and not include shore excursions. I like the Seabourn Ventures outings (last year Sydney-Singapore) and this year in South America which include hiking and kayaking for the fit, and zodiac cruising for me (not too fit). This will be my first on the smaller Seabourns; I very much like Ovation and Encore. Can't go wrong with any of the luxury lines: they all have pluses and minuses. Itinerary is usually the deciding factor. I realize I'm not telling you anything other frequent cruisers and CC contributors offer .

Still waiting to hear from Cuddles examples of sloppiness.

[cuddles115]

To all...Thanks for your input.  Let me first say that my wife and I are easy going and pride ourselves on letting things pass and rarely complain. We are far from demanding at home or on a cruise ship.We have sailed on Seabourn for many years going back to the "little sisters."   I do feel that Seabourn has become sloppy (when I wrote Seabourn i used the word "hiccups" rather than "sloppy" which IMHO can be used interchangably). We were on a 20 day cruise recently.  On six of those days, the room was NOT made as we , purposely, left our suite at a minimum of 6 hours.  We even bet each other, jokingly,  whether the suite would be made upon our return.  We were on a tour of Israel and were in a hotel for one night.  When we returned, the room was just as   we left it......unmade. I won't even discuss the evening turn down service which was non-existent for 12 of the 20 days. The service in the MDR was so haphazard that we wound up in the Colonade or Earth and Ocean.  Oh yes, we ate in the Thomas Keller Grill on 3 successive nights. I had the table side Caesar Salad. On each night , the preparation was different.  So much for TK choreography. These are the biggest foibles which have led me to distance myself from Seabourn. I won't complain that the bartenders didn't know how to mix a Negroni, or the champagne was poor, or the caviar was not to everyone's liking or the other "idiotic" "sloppy" nonsense. I realize that my complaints are, to some, miniscule. But, IMHO this "sloppy"  nonsense can be tolerated to some extent, on a mainstream cruise line.  But, not when I'm paying top dollar for a luxury cruise.

[GOARMY]

Cuddles:  

 

Thanks for providing specifics.  Good Grief!  (Charley Brown).  Our Seabourn history also dates back to the "Triplets", or Little Sisters, or whatever they were called.   Most-recent on the larger ships was three years ago.  Did not experience anything you described.   Had we--there would have been an immediate-immediate notification made up the management chain of command while onboard.  And follow-up if there was not a prompt, positive response while on that particular cruise segment.  

 

Missing a chocolate or two on the bed as part of the turn-down service is one thing; what you describe is 180 degrees different.   

I am--and for me this is a stretch--at a loss for words.  The "hill to die on" [so-to-speak] as to push-back is the room cleaning fiasco.  This is a matter of not only comfort, but basic health maintenance.  

 

To state the obvious:  we have never experienced such situation(s) as you outline on either Seabourn or Regent.  Uniform top-service.  A few glitches, of course.  Each were immediately addressed upon our notification.  

 

O.K.  I will stop now, and wait responses from others.  

 

GOARMY!

 

[cuddles115]

Thanks for your kind words. I didn't complain while on the ship as I didn't want to cause any "problems" for the stewardess, etc.  I did mention this to my TA when I got home. He forward a long letter from Kirby Lee who is a Special Adisor to the President ( I assume) of Seabourn addressing my complaints and offering onboard credits and Spa gifts and credits.  My response was Bruce Springsteen's song....Glory Days. That IMHO is Seabourn's song too.

[cuddles115]

Just now, cuddles115 said:

Thanks for your kind words. I didn't complain while on the ship as I didn't want to cause any "problems" for the stewardess, etc.  I did mention this to my TA when I got home. He forward a long letter from Kirby Lee who is a Special Advisor to the President ( I assume) of Seabourn addressing my complaints and offering onboard credits and Spa gifts and credits.  My response was Bruce Springsteen's song....Glory Days. That IMHO is Seabourn's song too.

 

[westmount]

You seemed to really get the short straw in housekeepers. Ive never had that type of sloppy service on any of the top lines. If you had put the "service" sign on the door and returned at 3 pm and the room was still a mess, you should have simply called " upstairs" and whatever misunderstanding would have been cleaned up promptly. 

 I'm on the Sojourn in two weeks and i promise i will report back if my chocolates aren't in their proper spot when i return from dinner, anything worse would be grounds for a revolt. 

[westmount]

Seabourn Square is there for a reason. You didn't mention your letter to Seabourn first off, but complaining to your travel agent afterwards and writing the post seems to be a lot more work than calling and asking why your room wasn't cleaned up. 

Bette luck next time 

 

[cuddles115]

53 minutes ago, westmount said:

Seabourn Square is there for a reason. You didn't mention your letter to Seabourn first off, but complaining to your travel agent afterwards and writing the post seems to be a lot more work than calling and asking why your room wasn't cleaned up. 

Bette luck next time 

 

As I said above, I really didn't want to complain at Seabourn Square or to higher ups as I didn't want to cause trouble for anyone. My TA asked how the cruise went and I didn't know that he contacted SB. Oh yes, enjoy the chcolates which are now 70% extra bitter Ivory Cocoa from Astir.

[wripro]

16 hours ago, cuddles115 said:

To all...Thanks for your input.  Let me first say that my wife and I are easy going and pride ourselves on letting things pass and rarely complain. We are far from demanding at home or on a cruise ship.We have sailed on Seabourn for many years going back to the "little sisters."   I do feel that Seabourn has become sloppy (when I wrote Seabourn i used the word "hiccups" rather than "sloppy" which IMHO can be used interchangably). We were on a 20 day cruise recently.  On six of those days, the room was NOT made as we , purposely, left our suite at a minimum of 6 hours.  We even bet each other, jokingly,  whether the suite would be made upon our return.  We were on a tour of Israel and were in a hotel for one night.  When we returned, the room was just as   we left it......unmade. I won't even discuss the evening turn down service which was non-existent for 12 of the 20 days. The service in the MDR was so haphazard that we wound up in the Colonade or Earth and Ocean.  Oh yes, we ate in the Thomas Keller Grill on 3 successive nights. I had the table side Caesar Salad. On each night , the preparation was different.  So much for TK choreography. These are the biggest foibles which have led me to distance myself from Seabourn. I won't complain that the bartenders didn't know how to mix a Negroni, or the champagne was poor, or the caviar was not to everyone's liking or the other "idiotic" "sloppy" nonsense. I realize that my complaints are, to some, miniscule. But, IMHO this "sloppy"  nonsense can be tolerated to some extent, on a mainstream cruise line.  But, not when I'm paying top dollar for a luxury cruise.

Did you for complain after the first day your suite was not made up. A quick word with the head housekeeper and th problem would have been solved.

[Camillus112]

I have taken several Seabourn cruises and all, but one, were very enjoyable. Unfortunately, the one-off also involved the stewardess.  She was talked-to by the head housekeeper upon our complaint, but always found ways to not keep us satisfied (extra toilet paper not replenished, etc.) .  We asked that she be changed but to no avail...seemed a logistical problem for management... We will be returning to Seabourn at some point and only hope for a better trained and better tempered stewardess.

[DavidTheWonderer]

These comparisons threads are always interesting.  But in my experience the variations between cruises on the same ship on the same line tend to be greater than the variations between different cruise lines.  So the comparisons are always based on a limited sample.

Put another way, within a category ("luxury" in this case) each line watches all the others very closely and try to make sure that they are at least competitive if not superior. Whether a particular cruise has some issues can not be predicted in advance: they happen but only rarely.  As some say, on cruises "ship happens."

Even in the worst case, it will be lovely provided your expectations are reasonable.

So my advice is: don't angst about choosing between Regent and Seabourn and Crystal and ....  They all deliver a wonderful product. If the price and itinerary work for you, go for it!

Edited January 27, 2020 by DavidTheWonderer

[UUNetBill]

On 1/27/2020 at 6:47 PM, DavidTheWonderer said:

These comparisons threads are always interesting.  But in my experience the variations between cruises on the same ship on the same line tend to be greater than the variations between different cruise lines.  So the comparisons are always based on a limited sample.

Put another way, within a category ("luxury" in this case) each line watches all the others very closely and try to make sure that they are at least competitive if not superior. Whether a particular cruise has some issues can not be predicted in advance: they happen but only rarely.  As some say, on cruises "ship happens."

Even in the worst case, it will be lovely provided your expectations are reasonable.

So my advice is: don't angst about choosing between Regent and Seabourn and Crystal and ....  They all deliver a wonderful product. If the price and itinerary work for you, go for it!

David - well said.  It just goes to show how close the overall level of service is on the major luxury cruise lines.  As you said, it just takes a few minor glitches to really stand out in this market - and not in a good way.

 

We settled on Regent when we chose our first luxury cruise - and first cruise, period - back in 2009.  It was pretty much a wash between Regent, Crystal, Seabourn, and Silversea.  At the time, Silversea was still a bit too formal for us (and I believe their smoking policy was more liberal, too), Crystal still had assigned dining and smaller basic cabins, and between Regent and Seabourn, Regent had the best itinerary for us at the time.  Over the years we've grown so accustomed to the Regent way that we haven't felt the need to try another line.  Damn those loyalty programs!!

 

Bottom line is that we could have just as easily settled on one of the other luxury lines and probably been just as happy 11 years later.  I'm sure all of the lines have the occasional 'burp' in service, just as I'm sure management takes prompt steps to correct said burps.  Would I sail one of the other lines?  Sure, if the stars aligned.  But since we're cruising toward Platinum (no pun intended) on Regent, there's more incentive for us to stay here.

 

I honestly don't think you can go wrong on any of them - it's just that some may be a better fit for your particular wants and needs.

 

Cruise and enjoy, that's my motto.

[FROM THE HIGH SEAS]

I read with interest the various opinions on Seabourn and Regent, and since we have cruised on both lines on several occasions, thought I would weigh in on the matter.  We recently cruised on the Seabourn Ovation and based on the experiences we had, would never recommend Seabourn to anyone who wanted or thought they were going to receive '1st Class or a 5 Star Experience'.  There were so many issues with our cabin having brown water and scalding hot or ice cold showers, along with malfunctioning air conditioning, inedible and raw food, no sanitary wipes in the fitness area's and a Hotel Director Helmut who had an ego bigger than the entire ship!  The lack of attention to detail, service, guests who were sick, coughing and the ship being in denial that anything was wrong was appalling!  We are going back to Regent, where at least they value you as a guest and understand 1st Class Service.

[cuddles115]

4 hours ago, FROM THE HIGH SEAS said:

I read with interest the various opinions on Seabourn and Regent, and since we have cruised on both lines on several occasions, thought I would weigh in on the matter.  We recently cruised on the Seabourn Ovation and based on the experiences we had, would never recommend Seabourn to anyone who wanted or thought they were going to receive '1st Class or a 5 Star Experience'.  There were so many issues with our cabin having brown water and scalding hot or ice cold showers, along with malfunctioning air conditioning, inedible and raw food, no sanitary wipes in the fitness area's and a Hotel Director Helmut who had an ego bigger than the entire ship!  The lack of attention to detail, service, guests who were sick, coughing and the ship being in denial that anything was wrong was appalling!  We are going back to Regent, where at least they value you as a guest and understand 1st Class Service.

Tell me more! Our experience on the Ovation wasn't as bad as yours.  Sounds dreadful to say the least.  I'll bite the bullet( so to speak) and will switch to Regent  for a cruise next month.  Friends are also leaving Seabourn and switching to Regent.  Their luxury status is very  questionable.

[FROM THE HIGH SEAS]

We have cruised with Regent on several voyages and last Summer went on our first Oceania cruise on the Marina and were very pleasantly surprised.  Food was excellent and service levels were good too, we stayed on Concierge Level and were very happy with our cabin and especially our Steward.  Since the Oceania cruise was to the British Isles we were off the ship the majority of the cruise and didn't necessarily missed the 'all inclusive' of Regent as much, although we had many extra's included as well.  The Marina reminded us of the early days on the Mariner, so we were very comfortable with the ship layout and guest camaraderie, which made the cruise very enjoyable.  But make no mistake, Regent and Oceania are both more 'guest centric than Seabourn who appears to be living on its past laurels and just doesn't measure up to today's Luxury Standards!

[cuddles115]

23 hours ago, FROM THE HIGH SEAS said:

We have cruised with Regent on several voyages and last Summer went on our first Oceania cruise on the Marina and were very pleasantly surprised.  Food was excellent and service levels were good too, we stayed on Concierge Level and were very happy with our cabin and especially our Steward.  Since the Oceania cruise was to the British Isles we were off the ship the majority of the cruise and didn't necessarily missed the 'all inclusive' of Regent as much, although we had many extra's included as well.  The Marina reminded us of the early days on the Mariner, so we were very comfortable with the ship layout and guest camaraderie, which made the cruise very enjoyable.  But make no mistake, Regent and Oceania are both more 'guest centric than Seabourn who appears to be living on its past laurels and just doesn't measure up to today's Luxury Standards!

You're right.  Seabourn, based upon my last cruise, is resting on its past laurels.  They seem to be "anchored" in the 20th century and  the triplets.  They have to wake up and accept that the competition is outpacing them.

[cuddles115]

We are on the Explorer next month.  We're thinking of the Voyager in December.  Any thoughts?  pro and con.

[Travelcat2]

4 hours ago, cuddles115 said:

We are on the Explorer next month.  We're thinking of the Voyager in December.  Any thoughts?  pro and con.

 

My only comment is that I wish that you were doing the cruises in reverse order.  Explorer is such a gorgeous, over the top cruise ship with things that other Regent ships do not have...... We loved Voyager - prior to Explorer being built.  Now, it is the only ship that we want to sail on.  The Voyager is lovely - just difficult to compare to a newer ship with an extra dining option (a great one) specialty restaurants that are open at lunch, a magnificent gym, lovely open areas to sit and relax (obviously I could go on and on about Explorer) .   I still recommend Voyager over Mariner and definitely over Navigator.

 

Have a wonderful cruise!

[Hambagahle]

I have cruised twice on Voyager.  Loved both cruises.  But of the "older" ships - Mariner, Voyager, Navigator - Ken and I far prefer the Mariner.  Especially the Seven Seas Aft suite.   We are expecting to love Splendor even more...  

 

Navigator is a great ship on an itinerary with smaller ports.  And we had the best TA crossing ever on her too - but that was more to do with the NY Theatre Guild being on board and the entertainment/lectures etc they offered.   She is, on balance, a bit small for us too.

[Emdee]

We are just off Seabourn Odyssey after 2 weeks on board. Loved some things and hated others. Shocked at the overall maintenance of the ship, uninteresting food in the Main dining room and a few other things. Loved the staff, though.

 

Will be doing a comparison to Crystal as we did a similar two weeks in the Caribbean in December and will post on the Crystal board.

 

Will be on the Explorer  for 24 days in April crossing the Atlantic and then a b2b and  will then do a comparison between our experiences on Regent and Crystal  after our planned Crystal crossing in August.