Queston HAL v Regent

[mariner]

Apologies if this has been asked before, but we're just not feeling the love from HAL anymore.

 

Frankly, the onboard expenses are getting so far out of hand it doesn't make economic sense to keep cruising them. Their recent foray into As You Wish dining really has us on edge. The dress code is getting loser and they even cut the Captain's welcome aboard and table.

 

Any HAL cruisers here switch to Regent? What does Regent do better/worse than HAL.

 

Guess what I'm asking is: Is a Regent cruise money well spent?

[Kwaj girl]

especially the PRINSENDAM, but haven't sailed with them for about 2 years now. We understand the "nickel & dime" concept as applies to most cruiselines these days; seems like everything's a Profit Center on board. And cruiselines are building them bigger & bigger...from a financial standpoint they can make more money with the larger vessels relative to percentage-wise lower crew & fuel costs-per-passenger, to name a few.

In the last 2 years (among other ships & cruiselines) we sailed in the RSSC VOYAGER (Scandinavia/Russia), the RSSC MARINER (Alaska) and are deposited on 11/20/08 Capetown-to-Rio on the RSSC NAVIGATOR. Both times on RSSC we really came to learn that size really does matter! The smaller the ship, the more intimate the atmosphere. RSSC has a high crew-to-passenger ratio and more "space per passenger" than the mass-market lines. You never feel crowded and rarely will you see a line waiting for anything...not even on embarkation day! We really enjoyed the in-room bar set-up (which this year has been replaced with a shipwide "open bar"), the "no tipping" concept and minimal numbers of those annoying shipboard announcements. The room stewardesses and dining room waiters seem more "polished" in their level of service & attitude, and the word "NO" is not in their vocabulary! We have nothing against HAL but feel that we prefer the "yacht club" atmosphere of RSSC. But I don't mean to imply a "snooty" atmosphere. So based on these personal observations & preferences we definitely feel we "get what we pay for".

Hopefully you'll join the ranks....

[Island Cruiser]

After taking several mass market line cruises which we thoroughly enjoyed, we decided to try a luxury line. That was in 2003. We booked a cabin on Regent's Voyager. It is very unlikely we will return to a mass market line unless we win the cruise or host a large family event. We pay more on a luxury line, but not alot more. And here is what the extra bucks pay for: a better crew/passenger ratio and therefore better service, a better space/passenger ratio hence no lines and no crowding, no tipping (the crew is better paid and like it that way), all inclusive respect to beverages therefore no checks to sign, open dining--you dine when and with whom you wish, better quality food--true five star cuisine, almost no announcements on the PA system, and the absence of "no" from the crew's vocabulary. Want a special dish prepared for a special occasion? Give them 24 hours notice and it's yours if the ingredients are in stock. On my last Regent cruise (Mariner, Alaska, 06), I was sitting in the theatre waiting for the crew show to begin. A waiter I didn't recognize approached me and asked "Mr. Kennicott, will that be a manhattan up?" If that sounds good to you, give a luxury line a try. We've got two Regent cruises and one Silversea cruise booked over the next eleven months.

[Shipless in Seattle]

I sailed about 100 days with Holland and then tried Regent for the first time back in 2003; I have only sailed with Regent and Silversea since. I've got 3 weeks booked with Regent for later this year and another 2 booked for 2008. HAL was great and I enjoyed myself on their ships, but Regent's approach of fewer passengers, smaller ship size (all balcony on Regent), all-inclusive environment plus better quality food and experience is definitely worth the bigger tariff.

 

The open seating allows you to meet more people at dinner (and you don't have to worry about getting stuck at a bad table for the whole cruise). Best part is you don't end up with a frightening bill at the end for thousands in sodas and wine and drinks and tips and junk. It actually ends up being a better deal if you enjoy wine and cocktails each night with dinner.

 

I remember on HAL the constant hounding with intercom announcements and flyers under the door to buy stuff at jewelry sales and watch sales and gold sales. You just don't have to deal with that on Regent or similar (although they do have those art "auctions"). The lectures on board tend to be on interesting topics (history, astronomy, etc.) instead of telling you what store in the next port you can get the ship's "special discount" on tanzanite. (although I do remember HAL did have some good speakers sometimes).

 

Only caution is that if you try one of the better lines, you won't want to go back.

 

hope this helps,

Kent

[parisbully]

I am not quite as eloquent as the previous posters, but I really feel there is no comparison in the two lines. We have cruised RSSC Caribbean 4 times and Mediterrean 3 times. Radisson/Regent wins hands down. We were in the Penthouse Suite with HAL. The service was horrible. One night decided we did not want to eat in the dining room and just wanted a baked potato with all the trimmings from room service. After about 45 minutes got a baked potato wrapped in foil and that was it. Went to the concierge lounge and requested again and it never did came. That is just an example of the service. Regents food, service is great. I think Carnival is rubbing off onto HAL.

[harbormaster]

We have sailed both HAL and Regent and to us, the difference is in the amenities, yes, but mostly in the approach to the customer. Our most recent HAL cruise was a wonderful itinerary, but the problems with the Crow's Nest being closed to Parkwest, and the problems with leaking pipes in our suite were enough to negate any good thoughts we have had with HAL in the past. The biggest problem in our opinion, was the Rotterdam staff's unwillingness to tell the truth about the problems or to simply take responsibility for bad things happening and just get them fixed. The Hotel Manager was basically totally unavailable and the front staff was a gatekeeper who was afraid to pass on bad news. This ultimately resulted in HAL giving us a very large credit for a future cruise which we are very reluctant to even use.

We have however, booked two more cruises on Regent this year totaling 26 days. We happily anticipate them.

We are concerned that the HAL experience has basically become that of a "shopping mall" concept where everything costs money - extra cost for water for suite guests for example, not to mention liquor, the mandatory tipping policy at the end of the cruise, even when service is abysmal, and the fact that most every onboard enrichment experience costs extra money. About the only thing that doesn't cost are trivia and some games. But the staff is less than enthusiastic in leading these activities. Any cruise with more than 2 sea days is frankly boring. On Regent the staff enthusiastically enjoy their customers and stage events for the fun of it.

The food on Regent is exceptional as well as the service. The size of the cabins and the fact that on Voyager and Mariner all are balconies is a huge advantage. The Regent experience is simply one where one feels comfortable that everything will be taken care of.

Apparently HAL was better before Carnival purchased it. I know many people are loyal to it. I don't think it is what it was, nor do I think the current management has customer service as its primary mission.

[TedC]

We have more than 200 days on HAL, and enjoyed them. Hal is the best of the mass-market lines, we think. I especially like the wrap-around teak decks for walking on all HAL ships and that HAL ships seem to us more like ships than floating hotels.

 

But Regent is in a dfferent league - comparing HAL to Regent is an apples to oranges thing.

 

Regent is a class act - we have two Regent cruises booked but wouldn't rule out HAL if the price and itinerary were right. One misgiving about Regent is that we'll never get our money's worth in the drinks department as many people do.

[mariner]

Thanks to all of you so much.

 

Im assuming recent post had to do with not drinking too much.

 

Haven't made a decision yet. But you've helped.

 

 

Will say, if the board is any indictation, we're there.

[mariner]

One more thing: Mrs M wants to dance. Disco? Possible?

[dougburns]

Regarding dancing, Voyager has good dancing in the Voyager Lounge and the Horizon Lounge before and after dinner. Mariner has same in the Horizon Lounge with disco in Stars. After 2230 they go to disco in the Voyager Lounge. Voyager also has dancing in the Observation Lounge on the longer cruises. On cruises with a lot of sea days both ships have excellent dance instructors who teach after lunch. Lynn and I usually dance 3-4 hours/day.

[Mary Ellen]

Thank you for asking the question. I'm also here from the HAL board looking for a different line - for the same reasons. We have 40 days booked on HAL next year and we'll keep them (because of the itinearies and fellow CC'ers we're sailing with), but other than those cruises all bets are off. We won't be able to sail as much with Regent, but there is a trade-off - quality vs. quanity.

 

We've been cruised HAL since 1980. Carnival bought them about 14 years ago. I don't attribute the changes to Carnival, just a sign of the times. :(

[Travelcat2]

I can't believe I'm saying this...... but, according to many posts and Conde Nast Traveler, Crystal is about the best there is in their class (meaning -- assigned seating, not all-inclusive but still luxury). The only reason we have not tried Crystal is our preference for all-inclusive, smaller ships and larger cabins (Regent). Stll think it would be worth looking into.

[Iamboatman]

I have cruised on both lines.

 

Unlike many, I am not bothered that much with being charged for this or that; I look at the bottom line. (Amex even has made a huge industry in flashing your card meaning something.) That just isn't as big a factor for me as is, say price and service.

 

Regent has, hands down, some of the nicest suites (cabins) which far exceed most of what HAL offers. Also, Regent doesn't bother with the faux suite amenities like a private lounge, but with no drinks.

 

There is also much to be said about smaller being better. I have been able to "lux up" Celebrity with its various upscale areas, but have been frustrated when making similar attempts on HAL.

 

There are a number of things that Regent used to do better, and its service does have its issues, but it is significantly superior to HAL in most every respect (individual standouts aside).

 

One thing where it can make a big difference is that Regent's prices have risen substantially and on some itineraries it might even seem like it is double the price...after taking all the extras into account. You need to determine if you find enough value.

 

All that said, I have clients on HAL World Cruises that simply will not try Regent because they like what they like, so obviously HAL does some things quite well.

[ChatKat in Ca.]

I recently was on HAL's Amsterdam in a Penthouse and I can tell you that there is very little comparison to Regent. There were few activities during the sea days, food was acceptable, but not near the quality of RSSC. Service was good, but, there were definitely lines for the dining room. And I can't handle fixed seating meals since I've been cruising Regent.

 

If I were to pick between HAL and Celebrity, I'd go with HAL's smaller ships. My one Celebrity Cruise sent me running - NEVER AGAIN with the maintenance of a brand new ship with mildewed showers, tiles falling off the wall, and long lines to wait in.

 

If I can't cruise Regent, then I would consider HAL but the itinerary would have to be one I couldn't do on Regent. Also, for me, the fact that I will have 86 days on board Regent and get free internet and telephone are a big plus too.

 

All that said, we really like Oceania, but that is another thread....

[JunaluskaLady]

Regent and Crystal vie for the top spot in the Conde Nast poll every year. I absolutely love Crystal even though we are booked on Regent for our next cruise due to the itinerary and personal time requirements. I truly expect the Regent experience to be a great one, but I can't understand why many on this board never even consider or try Crystal. The service is simply superb.

 

We've always been pleased with our cabin even though it isn't as large as those on Regent. And we never feel nickled and dimed. We usually have generous shipboard credits. On our last cruise we only paid about $100 in additional costs for wine, excursions, purchases, etc. Due to various parties with free drinks, we rarely feel the need to purchase drinks.

 

We like assigned seating and are frankly not looking forward to open seating on Regent. I think it's what one is accustomed to.

 

Both cruise lines are fine ones, and both deserve mentioning and serious consideration when "moving up" from HAL and other mass market lines.

[JDRMYS]

Regent and Seabourn are our favorite cruise lines. We took a cruise on the Noordam last January because it sailed from New York and was only a 5 minute drive from our house. Our suite was wonderful (almost the equivalent of our favorite Seven Seas Aft suites on RSSC). Our steward was excellent --but nowhere near as good as RSSC butlers. The concierge staff in the lounge for suite passengers did take up some of the slack, however. On the whole, we enjoyed the cruise alot.

 

The biggest problem was the food in the main restaurant: To our taste, it was terrible. We ended up eating all of our dinners in the Pinnacle Grill (at an extra cost of $30 per person per meal ($540+tips for our 9 dinners). The food and service in the Grill were excellent, and the room got more and more crowded as the cruise went on and other fussy eaters also decided to pay up for quality.

 

The other big problem was that the ship was crowded. There were crowds everywhere, especially on the pool decks. There were also unsupervised children and children in diapers whose parents took them into the pool against the specifaically stated signs that prohibited children from using the aft pool. We love the spaciousness and quiet on RSSC ships, especially on the Mariner and the Voyager, where one can always find a seat on deck or in any of the lounges and dinng rooms.

 

We were planning on taking another cruise on the Noordam this coming winter, but we have now decided to spend our winters in Miami Beach and we can take RSSC from Ft Lauderdale instead.

[traveller333]

We like assigned seating and are frankly not looking forward to open seating on Regent. I think it's what one is accustomed to.

 

I'm guessing that you're in the minority here. Most like to eat when, where, with whom they want to. I don't get hungry at the same time each evening so like the flexibility. Some times I may want a small intimate table, other times a larger table with friends. The fixed seating doesn't work for me. Also, I want a bottle of wine with dinner each night and this can add up$.

 

You too may find that once you've tried it, you prefer open seating.

[Iamboatman]

HAL has actually started open seating. It is conjunction with its fixed seating, so you can have your choice.

 

I have to say that I agree about the HAL food. Much of it was simply inedible. That was quite shocking. I also opted for the Pinnacle Grill in lieu on quite a few nights.

[linda_22003]

We like assigned seating and are frankly not looking forward to open seating on Regent. I think it's what one is accustomed to.

 

Open seating on Regent is exactly like any dressy restaurant on land. You speak to the maitre d' at the podium when you arrive, indicate what kind of seating you'd like, and voila. It's not the cattle call that people on larger ships have described.

 

We enjoyed meeting new people, so we always indicated we'd be happy to start or join a group table. If you'd rather dine a' deux, that's available to you as well.