Comparing the Regent smaller ships with the Splendor?

[artlee]

We are on our first cruise with Regent. I am curious with any regular Regent cruisers how you would compare the two size ships, pros and cons? Wondering if the coziness of the smaller out ways the additional venues etc of the larger? Any thoughts?

thanks

art

 

[Portolan]

It's always a trade-off.  We think the F2 suites on Explorer/Splendor/(Grandeur) are the best suites for the money on any of the ships.  Likewise, we are VERY fond of Pacific Rim.  That said, for us the deciding factor is always itinerary.  Because of that, we'll be on Navigator (NYC to Iceland) in June.  Were Explore or Splendor doing the same itinerary at the same time (obviously, they don't do this), we'd choose them over Navigator.  But we want to go where Navigator is cruising.  Voyager and Mariner are also chosen (2 currently booked on Voyager) when they go where we want to go.  So, as an example, we have 1 cruise booked on Navigator, 2 on Voyager, 2 on Explorer and 1 on Grandeur.  And our cruise last month was on Splendor, so the ship is only a tie-breaker.

[Pcardad]

To provide a different perspective....

 

The smaller the ship, the better for me. The less people, the better. Plus, I greatly prefer the décor on the older ships....I find the new ones to be excessive for my taste. Please note that I am not saying that I am right, merely providing a contrasting point of view.

 

I like the ability to sit out back and still get drink service...this is a HUGE shortcoming on the new ships.

 

Plus, the smaller the ship, the faster the staff will learn your name if you are new (or if they are).

[daetchief]

As a general statement "There isn't [shouldn't be] any difference between the larger and smaller ships." Truly, once aboard any of them, you will feel like you're on a Regent Cruise.  But, as Mark Twain once stated: "It is opinions that make the horse race interesting."  What is preferred in one's mind, might be opposed to in another's.   There are intimate spaces on the Explorer and also grand venues on the Mariner.

Keep in mind that even between the Splendor and Explorer [soon Grandeur] or the Mariner and Voyager there are enough subtle differences to opine about that which is better or best is again one's opinion.  The best ship is the one my keycard displays my name on.  The best suite is the one my keycard opens its door to...   

[cwn]

40 minutes ago, daetchief said:The best ship is the one my keycard displays my name on.  The best suite is the one my keycard opens its door to...   

So true!!!

[artlee]

Amen to that!

 

[artlee]

Infinity pool is pretty amazing! Maybe when its a bit cooler this could be a good hang out all day. 

The last one seems upside down, who knows why. I only had one drink today.

[ronrick1943]

Just an opinion - but I don’t think you can compare the ships, each one has it’s good and bad points. Some people like the extra glitz of the larger ships and some like the smaller  with a little leaf glitz.  To us it all depends on where we’ll be going (but I love sea days) and what crew you have on the ship.

[Lonedaddy]

“A bad day fishing is better than a good day at work”. 

[rcandkc]

My husband and I love Navigator.  We have made more cruise friends…both crew and fellow sailors…on that ship than the other ships.  We have also cruised on it more.  We pick by itinerary and it just worked out this way. BUT, I have to say there is an initial shock when you come aboard after Explorer, etc.  The difference in size hits you immediately.  But, after that..off to fun cruise with no regrets. 

[mj_holiday]

DH and I really enjoy the Navigator, but we do select our cruise by itinerary. 

[Wendy The Wanderer]

I'll be curious to compare how those "smaller ships", Mariner and Voyager stand up to the slightly larger Splendor, since we hope to be on her this summer.  Don't like large ships, but then there's not a huge difference there that I see in the stats.  Now we did notice the difference on Oceania Riviera for sure, but I'm hoping that Splendor still has an intimate feel.

[2012_Alaska_bound]

3 hours ago, Wendy The Wanderer said:

I'll be curious to compare how those "smaller ships", Mariner and Voyager stand up to the slightly larger Splendor, since we hope to be on her this summer.  Don't like large ships, but then there's not a huge difference there that I see in the stats.  Now we did notice the difference on Oceania Riviera for sure, but I'm hoping that Splendor still has an intimate feel.

 

Wendy,

 

This is my first time on Splendor and don't seem to be having problems meeting people. Having marvelous luck sharing tables, chatting on tour, informal meet and Greet etc. Several crew that I have met on other cruises are here now like Murphy.

 

I've sailed on Navigator twice and Voyager and Mariner once each. Hardest one to get connected with people was 10 night Alaska cruise on Mariner the week of 4th of July. Tammy and Andy Heath were on board and they couldn't figure out why either. We thought maybe because there were so many families onboard.

 

So I feel Splendor is very friendly.  We currently have 560 passengers per Reception.

[UUNetBill]

I don't think there's a solid answer to a question like this - there are so many things that factor into one's enjoyment of a cruise that it's hard to say one ship is 'better' than another.  As others have said, we sail mostly based on itinerary and our schedule.  Looking at our account, it seems that we've sailed about an equal number of times/nights on each ship (except Splendor which we've only sailed on once so far - thanks, Covid).  Each ship has it's pros and cons but most of our best cruise memories come from the places we've gone and the people we've met.  It's about the experiences, the feel, the overall trip - and the ship is just a part of that equation, IMO.

 

True, Navigator shakes and doesn't have Pacific Rim (or a Connoisseur Club), base cabins on Mariner are a bit smaller, etc.  Those things are minor to me - it's more about where that ship is taking me and how the crew and officers make me feel while I'm onboard...our upcoming cruises are on Splendor and Navigator so it's obvious that we'll sail on any of them - apparently what ship I'm on doesn't really matter...   😄

 

Caveat:  There are some people who absolutely refuse to sail on Navigator, and I'm sure there are those who will only sail on the newer, larger ships, period.  You may be one of those people, you'll never know until you try.  But for us, it's a non-issue.

[1982CruzStart]

unlike some others, the ship i avoid is Mariner. I know people rave about it but as i care more about cabin size than public spaces and won't spend the money on more expensive cabins , i am reluctant to go on it unless it was doing an itinerary i was dying to do and there was no other choice.  We were booked on Navigator, though never made it because we had to cancel.   

Like many others we sail based on itinerary.  All but 1 of our cruises have been on Voyager just because it happened to be going where we wanted to go. Our next 2 booked cruises also happen to be on Voyager.  We had 1 Explorer cruise, enjoyed the newer ship and extra dining venue but went on it because, once again, it was going where we wanted to go.  If i ever sail just to sail, i would probably book on a newer ship just because of the extras they have.