Our comparison of Seabourn to Regent

[briar14]

58 minutes ago, Kwaj girl said:

 

WOW...if you were on Regent you (the covid-positive) would be relocated to a quarantine suite outfitted with special HEPA filters and your non-covid-positive suitemate would stay in the original suite (with daily testing and free run of the ship if constantly negative) UNLESS you decide to stay together.   Then both of you would be moved to a quarantine suite and stay put until your quarantine time is up.  We have 2 sets of friends who experienced these actions on Mariner earlier this year.

We just experienced this on Navigator. After about 8 days both of us are negative and together in our suite. Regent provided good care and clear communication concerning their Covid protocols. 

[eroller]

On 7/30/2022 at 8:44 PM, travelwell said:

 Our favorite ship ever was the very small, non glitzy, Seabourn Pride. We are all about interaction with fellow passengers and crew. We find the smaller ships fit the bill. 

 

 

I wonder if you might enjoy Windstar?  They have taken over the three original small Seabourn ships and extensively remodeled them, even enlarging them slightly and replacing engines.  It looks like they did a lovely job to me at least.  I have sailed on Windstar on one of the sail ships and greatly enjoyed it, but now I would not mind trying one of the three original Seabourn ships.  Another line with even smaller ships is SeaDream Yacht Club.  They sail the two original Sea Goddess ships, and I would love to try them as well.  Probably about as close to a private yacht as you can get from a size perspective. 

[RJ2002]

On 8/1/2022 at 2:39 PM, Kwaj girl said:

 

WOW...if you were on Regent you (the covid-positive) would be relocated to a quarantine suite outfitted with special HEPA filters and your non-covid-positive suitemate would stay in the original suite (with daily testing and free run of the ship if constantly negative) UNLESS you decide to stay together.   Then both of you would be moved to a quarantine suite and stay put until your quarantine time is up.  We have 2 sets of friends who experienced these actions on Mariner earlier this year.

On Explorer currently, some passengers are quarantining in their own suite.  I have not asked if the block of designated quarantine suites is full or not. 

[fudge]

I think I would go insane being quarantined on the ship, I would certainly have to get off, I really dont know how people cope albeit they get looked after. Thats not my idea of fun at all.

I sympathise because I contracted Covid after leaving the ship, its not nice but slowly recovering.

[kjbacon]

6 hours ago, RJ2002 said:

On Explorer currently, some passengers are quarantining in their own suite.  I have not asked if the block of designated quarantine suites is full or not. 

We have heard the SB used to have a quarantine block but they transitioned to leaving people in their own cabin.

 

4 hours ago, fudge said:

I think I would go insane being quarantined on the ship, I would certainly have to get off, I really dont know how people cope albeit they get looked after. Thats not my idea of fun at all.

I sympathise because I contracted Covid after leaving the ship, its not nice but slowly recovering.

Its been a challenge and we’ve worked hard at keeping each other upbeat ... and you find a way to manage. Like you, we always thought this would be impossible to deal with but it could be so much worse. We got out of captivity tomorrow and cannot wait!

[Mudhen]

Reporting in from the Splendor!

I'm so very sorry to hear that you and Jack have been confined to quarters, so to speak! I enjoyed your comparison of the the two lines and has helped us to make a decision. Probably no Seabourn for us in the future, although we never say never!

We will be home soon and I promise a lengthy email. Stay positive and hopefully, healthy!

L&J

[kjbacon]

2 hours ago, Mudhen said:

Reporting in from the Splendor!

I'm so very sorry to hear that you and Jack have been confined to quarters, so to speak! I enjoyed your comparison of the the two lines and has helped us to make a decision. Probably no Seabourn for us in the future, although we never say never!

We will be home soon and I promise a lengthy email. Stay positive and hopefully, healthy!

L&J

Hope you are enjoying the splendor!! I’ll look forward to your email, much to discuss. We think of you often, not just for obvious reasons but also because of this at the bars:

[Kruzngrl]

We are Diamond with Seabourn and have been around the world several times with them, however we noticed in just about every category them slipping in service.  This past April we took a two week cruise and really saw the difference and their careless handling of Covid related details.  We have taken four Regent cruises so far and have two more booked and notice a huge difference.  Even though we rarely take excursions, we love the attention to detail in every aspect.  Regent has won us over.

[2012_Alaska_bound]

@kjbacon thanks for this thread! Didn't find it until today, because just got home from Norway/Scotland cruise on Navigator on Saturday. Then tested positive for Covid on Tuesday. Boo hoo, but at least got through the whole cruise.

Glad to hear you were being treated well in isolation. Heard the same thing from those in isolation on Navigator.

 

Emily is considering a Seabourn cruise next year, so hope she reads this.

Will also go read your comments on the Seabourn forum.

 

Hope you are free and still cruising and feeling well.

 

Martha

 

[kjbacon]

19 hours ago, 2012_Alaska_bound said:

@kjbacon thanks for this thread! Didn't find it until today, because just got home from Norway/Scotland cruise on Navigator on Saturday. Then tested positive for Covid on Tuesday. Boo hoo, but at least got through the whole cruise.

Glad to hear you were being treated well in isolation. Heard the same thing from those in isolation on Navigator.

 

Emily is considering a Seabourn cruise next year, so hope she reads this.

Will also go read your comments on the Seabourn forum.

 

Hope you are free and still cruising and feeling well.

 

Martha

 

Yes, we are cleared of Covid and enjoying our freedom! SB took very good care of us when we were sick and were more than fair in offering us future cruise credit. If you like adventure like kayaking and zodiac tours, the expedition team on SB is excellent.
 

We have found that Regent is a much better all around fit for us. We enjoy Oceania too. We are very bored with the food and also find the daytime activities to be quite limited. There’s always something to do on Regent and the food is much more upscale and varied. The wine is also better and more varied on Regent.

 

As my daughter says, welcome to Club Covid! I’m so glad that you also managed well with it.

 

Any questions, please feel free.

Karen

[kkmiausa]

I am getting more worried about an upcoming cruise booked for January. So many of you ended up with covid even on Seabourn and Regent it is shocking.  We had booked a Princess cruise back in 2020 so that our son and his wife could come with us just for a simple Caribbean cruise but it was when covid was only beginning and people were being quarantined on ships for days and I cancelled and was stuck with FCC.  We have finally booked one for January 2023 and have a penthouse suite so expect to have all meals in our room on our balcony.  Hope we can avoid covid. We have not gotten it so far.  Husband is immunocompromised so it is still so riskyi.   We have now taken 4 Seabourn cruises Canada New England to Ft. Lauderdale, France (sailed down the Seine) and last one in 2019 to Alaska. We have only taken one Regent but enjoyed it very much went to many places in Spain, Portugal, Gibraltar and Morocco. Loved the included tours.  However, we find the food much better on Seabourn. I only eat seafood and even am picky about that but they manage to accommodate me every time. I have a standing order for lobster and can get it every evening if I want. Also if there is a dessert or item that you appear to like a lot, the waiter will note and make sure it is there for you at your next meal even if you didn't order it. Their galley tour is amazing.  But I agree I am not thrilled with their wine selections.   The thing I hate most about Seabourn especially was the Alaska cruise. Unless you pay for a strenuous Zodiak style tour you don't get to see the glaciers up close. They anchor about a quarter or half mile from them and unless you are on tour you don't get to see them. When I was there was shocked to see a Disney cruise ship go right by us, and put down anchor just yards from them. I am sure everyone on that way less expensive cruise got to get up close and personal with the glacier. We loved Oceania when we did a Russia cruise years ago and took another one in the Caribbean in 2019. We live in Miami so any cruises that go out of here or Ft. Lauderdale are easy for us.  We especially like to book the penthouse suites on Seabourn that are right outside the Observation Bar. We can just hop over there in a second to grab goodies and take them back to our room during afternoon tea.      Sorry you did not have a good experience but it seems hard to compare since you were in quarantine.

[zak477]

We have enjoyed 300+ days on the various Regent ships. We have also sailed on Cunard, Silverseas, Oceania, Azamara, HAL, Princess & Seabourn. We look at the itinerary first then see which is sailing to our chosen itinerary.  We have come to the conclusion that Regent is the best of the best with its all inclusive pricing, ship decor, itineraries & crew. Oh the crew are over the top the best. 

This year we sailed on the Splendor in Jan. & for the crossing in April. We plan on doing the Mariner in Oct. and the Navigator for 3 back to back in Jan. 2023. And a wow trip next Nov. Istanbul to Dubai. 

We sailed Croatia to Rome in Apr/May this yr. on Silverseas Dawn, their new ship and advertised "luxury". But definitely not at all "luxury". Seabourn comes close to Luxury but for us, only Regent Seven Seas knows what luxury means and delivers a Wow every time. 

So no more attempts with other companies. We will only sail we Regent now. They are worth every penny.

[Wendy The Wanderer]

11 hours ago, kkmiausa said:

We have finally booked one for January 2023 and have a penthouse suite so expect to have all meals in our room on our balcony.

Ours is in January too, Splendor southern Caribbean.  Going through the process of deciding right now, since it's time to buy insurance.  I cannot imagine doing an entire cruise with room service, penthouse notwithstanding.  I will cancel first.  We took are still covid-free, and yes, it's shocking to read all the positive infections on the ships and coming off them. 

 

I've only done one Seabourn, and although we loved it, we prefer the Regent product and ships.

[kkmiausa]

31 minutes ago, Wendy The Wanderer said:

Ours is in January too, Splendor southern Caribbean.  Going through the process of deciding right now, since it's time to buy insurance.  I cannot imagine doing an entire cruise with room service, penthouse notwithstanding.  I will cancel first.  We took are still covid-free, and yes, it's shocking to read all the positive infections on the ships and coming off them. 

 

I've only done one Seabourn, and although we loved it, we prefer the Regent product and ships.

I love just being on the ocean. It would be a wonderful break from the routine at home. No cooking for a week in itself is a luxury to me.  We have an aft wrap around balcony on the 12th deck and it's going to be finally cooler in January and will enjoy just sitting out there with a nice blanket and just enjoy the views. The islands are so beautiful and the water so clear.  I will venture down to the International Cafe and grab a coffee or snacks. I don't really care for shows, although husband loves them, but I will not let him go this time. Last time we took Princess he came down  with a horrible chest infection which put him in the hospital for a week. They never found out what it was but pumped him full of all kinds of antibiotics. He had never had anything like that before and he is a nonsmoker. That's why I worry about the ventilation system on Princess.  China still has lockdowns and I just feel they know something that we don't.  If you will remember in the beginning of covid even currency was destroyed and clothing and personal items of anyone diagnosed with covid. They were burning bodies in mass graves but now people are cruising in cabins where the people before them may have had covid.  That is worrisome to me.   

 

Hope you have a wonderful time and stay safe.  If it was my choice I would be on Regent or Oceania for this trip but am stuck with Princess because we had a $6,000 FCC we had to use or lose. 

[jeb_bud]

On 8/1/2022 at 5:39 AM, Kwaj girl said:

 

WOW...if you were on Regent you (the covid-positive) would be relocated to a quarantine suite outfitted with special HEPA filters and your non-covid-positive suitemate would stay in the original suite (with daily testing and free run of the ship if constantly negative) UNLESS you decide to stay together.   Then both of you would be moved to a quarantine suite and stay put until your quarantine time is up.  We have 2 sets of friends who experienced these actions on Mariner earlier this year.

Fortunately it wasn’t quite like that on Splendor last month. I tested positive and was quarantined in our suite. DW tested negative and moved to another suite so she could continue to participate in cruise activities. Thanks to Paxlovid I was well after a couple of days although I still had to wait until Day 5 to get tested. 

[Kwaj girl]

@kkmiausa- do I understand that you plan to stay in your suite the entire time and just order room service? 

[kkmiausa]

Yes, that's the one good thing about Princess when you have a suite you can get full breakfast brought to your room. Also we only dine in the specialty restaurants when we go on Princess. Usually the Crown Grill is our choice. It is only $29 per person more to have a fantastic menu with chilean sea bass, lobster, filet mignon etc.  so as a penthouse suite we can have that brought to our rooms so we don't have to go into the restaurant.  I will check to see how crowded the tables are together and if there is enough distancing will probably go there. Otherwise, no.  We will walk around the ship on the open decks but don't choose to go inside where there are lots of people. Will take stairs and not use elevators.   Will get off in the ports but probably just walk around as we have been to these locations for the most part, the only new one we haven't seen is Turks and Caicos.   So it will still be a nice trip.

2 hours ago, Wendy The Wanderer said:

Ours is in January too, Splendor southern Caribbean.  Going through the process of deciding right now, since it's time to buy insurance.  I cannot imagine doing an entire cruise with room service, penthouse notwithstanding.  I will cancel first.  We took are still covid-free, and yes, it's shocking to read all the positive infections on the ships and coming off them. 

 

I've only done one Seabourn, and although we loved it, we prefer the Regent product and ships.

I love just being on the ocean. It would be a wonderful break from the routine at home. No cooking for a week in itself is a luxury to me.  We have an aft wrap around balcony on the 12th deck and it's going to be finally cooler in January and will enjoy just sitting out there with a nice blanket and just enjoy the views. The islands are so beautiful and the water so clear.  I will venture down to the International Cafe and grab a coffee or snacks. I don't really care for shows, although husband loves them, but I will not let him go this time. Last time we took Princess he came down  with a horrible chest infection which put him in the hospital for a week. They never found out what it was but pumped him full of all kinds of antibiotics. He had never had anything like that before and he is a nonsmoker. That's why I worry about the ventilation system on Princess.  China still has lockdowns and I just feel they know something that we don't.  If you will remember in the beginning of covid even currency was destroyed and clothing and personal items of anyone diagnosed with covid. They were burning bodies in mass graves but now people are cruising in cabins where the people before them may have had covid.  That is worrisome to me.   

 

Hope you have a wonderful time and stay safe.  If it was my choice I would be on Regent or Oceania for this trip but am stuck with Princess because we had a $6,000 FCC we had to use or lose. 

[labonnevie]

11 hours ago, zak477 said:

 And a wow trip next Nov. Istanbul to Dubai. 

 

May I suggest you join the roll call for this trip?

[tnr]

13 hours ago, jeb_bud said:

Fortunately it wasn’t quite like that on Splendor last month. I tested positive and was quarantined in our suite. DW tested negative and moved to another suite so she could continue to participate in cruise activities. Thanks to Paxlovid I was well after a couple of days although I still had to wait until Day 5 to get tested. 

We are currently on Splendor.  Monday morning, I tested positive for Covid.  My dh is negative so far and was moved into another cabin.   I remain in our original cabin, and am due to be retested on Friday morning.  Dh must be tested each a.m. before he can go out.  Room service has been very good, but I can’t wait to be over this.

[RetiredandTravel]

We are fairly new to cruising but have been very fortunate in our lives to travel extensively and stay in the best hotels and eat  at the best restaurants.   Our opinion of the two cruises on Regent was one was fantastic the other very poor.   Over the next 18-24 months we plan several cruises because of the itineraries,  Australia for example seems to be a good location to go on a cruise line.  We have been to the Caribbean 40 times and have NO interest in a Caribbean cruise, I can't imagine cruising to Italy either.  Maybe it makes more sense with mobility issues or people who aren't comfortable navigating on their own.

 

Given their business models & logistics I just don't believe the cruise experience will be the equivalent to the Four Seasons or a Michelin starred restaurant, you would think given the prices it would, but it is a great conduit for certain vacations.   All these "luxury" lines have very devoted followers but after reading many trip reports is there really a big difference, I'm not sure there is.    Some what like our experience with Regent its the luck of the draw.   We compare Regent, SS, SB & Oceania based on the itinerary, ship  & cost, Seabourn at the bottom because of the limited diversity of restaurant styles.

 

Regents prices are considerably higher than SS & SB (yes I know how to back out airfare, excursions, ship etc) on many of the venues we have looked.  So given our last experience on Regent and the cost our next cruises are on SS & Oceania.  I will say Regent and Oceania generally have the best itineraries.

 

 

[Kwaj girl]

6 hours ago, tnr said:

We are currently on Splendor.  Monday morning, I tested positive for Covid.  My dh is negative so far and was moved into another cabin.   I remain in our original cabin, and am due to be retested on Friday morning.  Dh must be tested each a.m. before he can go out.  Room service has been very good, but I can’t wait to be over this.

 

What caused you to seek testing? Symptoms?

[Wendy The Wanderer]

2 hours ago, RetiredandTravel said:

... yes I know how to back out airfare, excursions, ship etc...

Just wanted to say that you can't back out of excursions on Regent.

 

There are lots of reasons to cruise on a line like Regent.  Expecting a 5-star experience similar to that on land (Four Seasons, etc.), I agree is unrealistic.  But then I rarely travel so that I can stay in the "best hotels" and eat at the "best restaurants".  I prefer a boutique-type experience, with a bit of funky thrown in. Dinner in a local pizzeria in Florence suits me just fine.  We do like to be pampered on the ship, and love the uncrowded, elegant ambience of a Regent ship. 

 

Right now just being at sea is a luxury for me, and since we're past tramping up and down cobblestoned streets in Lisbon or Rome, and really don't feel like flying much, a Caribbean cruise suits me just fine. Pre-pandemic we wouldn't have considered it either, but now, any port in a storm, as they say.

[RetiredandTravel]

1 hour ago, Wendy The Wanderer said:

Just wanted to say that you can't back out of excursions on Regent.

 

There are lots of reasons to cruise on a line like Regent.  Expecting a 5-star experience similar to that on land (Four Seasons, etc.), I agree is unrealistic.  But then I rarely travel so that I can stay in the "best hotels" and eat at the "best restaurants".  I prefer a boutique-type experience, with a bit of funky thrown in. Dinner in a local pizzeria in Florence suits me just fine.  We do like to be pampered on the ship, and love the uncrowded, elegant ambience of a Regent ship. 

 

Right now just being at sea is a luxury for me, and since we're past tramping up and down cobblestoned streets in Lisbon or Rome, and really don't feel like flying much, a Caribbean cruise suits me just fine. Pre-pandemic we wouldn't have considered it either, but now, any port in a storm, as they say.

 

 

Thanks

 

Thats correct but you need to add excursions back for Seabourn & Oceania, I estimate $400 a day.  Trust me I know how to make the cruises apples for apples on a cost basis.  Silversea and Regent are close except the air (business vs coach) which you need to back out for each.

 

Yes we also prefer smaller boutique hotels  but like from our recent trips if I say the "Charles" in Munich or Hermitage Bay in Antigua it wouldn't have had same impact as The Four Seasons well known brand for my argument.  We did recently stay in the Four Seasons Ko Olina which was probably the best service we've ever had in hotel, remarkable really.  We like a little more upscale than Pizza for dinner quite often one star Michelin (sometimes 2 or 3).  The three star Michelin restaurants IMO are completely over the top in price, I recently saw one in Paris that was like 600 euro each (just food).  Silly.

 

 

Edited August 24, 2022 by RetiredandTravel

[cwn]

3 hours ago, Kwaj girl said:

 

What caused you to seek testing? Symptoms?

My question also.  Just because you were cautious, didn’t actually feel well or someone asked you to test?

[tnr]

We brought some of our self tests with us.  I did not feel “normal” and decided to test.  Once that came up positive I notified reception.  They sent someone to do another test, which did confirm the positive.  I opted for the antiviral medication and as of today, Wednesday, am feeling great.  Dh is so far still testing negative.  The only symptoms I had were like a head cold.