Comparisons....

[RMS Olympic]

Please dont blast me too much for the comments I make.

I buzz back and forth on the boards for Seabourn, Silverseas ,Regent and Crystal.

I believe everyones opinion is valid and worth posting. But I have come to learn that everyone should experience more than one cruise on a given line to see what works for them and not to base booking decisions on the comments posted.

I have to think a posters impressions or expectations must stem from their point of reference...what their routine life is like. Little things (details) that might be important to someone who lives in a mulitmillion dollar home, frequents a high end country club might not even be noticed by someone who lives a differnt life style. In a comparison of Regent to Silverseas, the detail of loose tea on SS as compared to Regents bagged tea would be a detail I would not notice. Being escorted to my cabin...that would register. Being misted by deck staff.....a detail that would not be important or even of interest to me...adequate pool towels yes.

What I have learned from these posts/ comparisons is to enjoy the posts, enjoy what people found for the good, but temper the less than positive comparison when it comes to deciding whether to sail a line or particular ship.

Negative basics....rudeness, lack of cleanliness, disrepair of the ship, or misrepresentation will register with me and make me think twice.

Keep up the posts...I like to hear the good, especially when the basic good is above and beyond.....the wow factor.

Just for me....I guess the less I expect, the more I enjoy.

In the meantime...December 1st on the PG is looming......cant wait!

Tom

[DebbieH103]

I agree with you, and I loved my cruise, and as I believe Wendy pointed out, I gave it the highest rating of 5 out of 5 overall. Now my expectations are set for next time. I still think the basic service issues of embarkation, being ignored when trying to get a seat and an inexperienced stewardess are issued to be addressed, and these were common issues expressed to the VP visiting and that the HD admitted due to not being able to attrack always the experienced people due to falling $$, etc. and also that they don't have enough beds in the crew area.

 

With lots of detail, people can read what is important to them and ignore what is not, as you did. Some things were observations, not complaints.

[Travelcat2]

Really appreciated your post and agree with your comments. Just wanted to add that experiences on every cruise are not necessarily the same. For instance, in the latest review of the Voyager, there were some embarkation issues. This is not something we have experienced on our three Regent cruises. However, we did not have an expectation of being personally escorted to our suite. Most passengers have embarked prior to the 2:30 - 3:00 announcement that the suites are ready. Going to your suite is no more complicated than going to a room in a hotel. (Note: In Penthouse suites, a butler waits by the elevator to escort you to your suite).

 

I was a bit puzzled by the review by "DebbieH103" -- it was nice to see a "5" rating after reading a somewhat less than "5" review. I believe that some issues were unique to that particular cruise (if you read my Navigator review from earlier this year -- we cruised on a week when the head chef was not there. Therefore, my comments were unique and not typical of a Regent experience).

 

There have been some recent comments about Regent ships being in disrepair. Again, this is not what I have seen or heard. The Mariner had difficulty with a "pod" -- it has taken months for a new one to be built -- it's scheduled to be installed early next year (according to Regent's president). The Voyager has an "aft" vibration issue that has been there since shortly after it was built. Regent just completed a refurbishment of all three ships (the PG, managed by Regent and owned by Grand Circle Travel was refurbished a couple of years ago). Regent's ships are newer than Silversea or Seabourn.

 

Guess I'm a bit tired of Regent bashing. I find Regent ships to be extremely clean, the staff very willing to do whatever it takes to make your experience a positive one. Nothing is "perfect", however, I think the luxury cruise lines really try.

 

When you return from your great PG cruise, remember to write a review. It's a beautiful ship cruising in one of the most beautiful places on earth:)

[DebbieH103]

It was not just the not being shown to my room - it was the carrying my own heavy bag, not being shown where to get my picture, not being offered champagne and then arriving at a suite where the key didn't work and having to abandon luggage there to go deal with it. None of which would have occurred had I been escorted. On my last SS cruise, nobody's keys worked, but we found that out AFTER a nice embarkation.

 

I thought the ship public areas were immaculate and said so. I gave no rating below average and that was only to service and embarkation. All others were 5 except food that I gave a 4 only because of the salt issues at Signatures.

 

The review was actually quite favorable if you read it in the right light. Loved the entertainment, liked my suite, enjoyed the tours with local guides and local foods.

 

You read what you want to into someone's comments. Service is number 1 with me, and to anyone who is trying to get a 5 star rating, it ought to be very high on the list.

[OrpingtonT]

Yes. Your post, RMS Olympic, makes valid points. However, the cost of a luxury cruise for me means that I cannot afford to "experiment" and try "more than one line".

 

My initial choice of Regent was based on the fact that I wanted to go to Alaska. I didn't, and don't care for the tipping and additional costs on most cruise lines and, as a wine drinker, liked the idea of wine being included with dinner (as was the policy then) so with some trepidation I booked Regent. I did not read reviews on this board until later but I was more than satisfied that I got value for money. Since then, I have cruised again on Mariner and also on Voyager and frankly have no wish to try another line, even if they offer degrees of luxury which I don't aspire to.

 

I love the attitude of the staff who are friendly without being obsequious. My approach to buffet dining is that a buffet is there to help yourself and, providing you are not disabled in some way, to take your food back to your table yourself, leaving the wait staff free to clear away plates, pour wine or water etc.

 

I hope my wife recovers well enough to cruise again and that we are able to get insurance cover. If so, it will be with Regent, those other lines won't get a look in!

[DebbieH103]

I did not even comment on how important having the plate taken and shown a table would have been to my companion who was using a cane. I had a reason for every comment I made.

[RMS Olympic]

I think your post was great.

My posting was just my reaction to all the boards that address the "luxury" lines.

I guess what I was trying to say is that...and here we go on thin ice.....what maybe important to one might be nit picky for another. For a potential cruiser, they might not know how the comment relates to them.

So please do not feel you are being critiqued.

On a light note......here is a comment I heard on a Seabourn cruise that left me buzzing and still does. "I only sail this line because they will serve me caviar on toast without the crust....crackers on other lines are too messy...the crumbs you know".

Me....I appreciate the personal service of an upscale line, the smaller number of passengers and no lines. Other than that, a clean bed, a hot shower, a good steak and a good bar tender....warm weather, swimming and passengers that smile and interact.

Deb..keep up the good posts...I learn from others;)

[canadagal]

RMS Olympic, I agree with you and would also add that I certainly would not give up on any cruiseline until I had the same negative experience more then a few times and/or read about others experiencing the same shortcomings over and over again. Every cruise is different and any problems one might encounter could be a one off. So if anyone does encounter problems please say something about it to the hotel manager while on your cruise so they can try to remedy the problem while you are on board and not after the fact. Management wants you to have a good experience and it's kind of hard to do that if you don't let them know what is wrong and what is good.

Debbie, I think it was I that noted you gave your cruise review (the huge one) a rating of 5, as I read that to mean that you thoroughly enjoyed your cruise inspite of the glitches you encountered along the way. That rating to me said it all. That you did not let the negatives effect your overall evaluation and enjoyment so that's why I also thought it was fair and balanced. Some people get on CC and just whine away for the sake of whining about how bad their cruise was with no indication that they enjoyed even 1% of it. What a sad way to spend your hard earned vacation time and dollars. You thankfully were positive!

Pat

[Wendy The Wanderer]

Here's something I thought of lying in bed in the middle of the night.

 

An aspect of the partisanship we exhibit about our favourite cruiselines is that we are *familiar* with them. They are comfortable to us. We know the ships, we know what to expect from the staff, the dining room, everything. So we can relax and feel like we're at home.

 

I remember my first cruise (on the Paul Gauguin) over 7 years ago now. Everything was new, and very exciting, but sort of intimidating. Didn't know quite how to act or what to expect. I remember being quite intimidated by the maitre d' (Franco) with his very formal European manner and his beautiful tux. By the end of the cruise we were getting the hang of it, and thought, "gee, I could get used to this!" Which we have--28 days on the PG, 24 days on the rest of the RSSC fleet. And Franco greeted us warmly, by name, when he turned up last year on Navigator. May not be true for everybody, but I think this plays into my contentment with Regent. And as the prices rise, and our "home" becomes less attainable, we'll go down to Oceania, which sounds pretty familiar and comfortable to us, once we get over the first-time jitters.

[gdlamberth]

While we don't have RMS' 62 cruises experience I do agree with Tom's comments. I don't pretend to be an expert at much if anything; especially not coffee, wine, or what constitutes 6 star service, but I do know what I like and what I enjoy (at least of the things I've tried). I have learned, from work mostly, there's a lot to be said about "managing expectations." We've cruised on 4 different lines and I my review of all four woud be that the worst was wonderful. Can we tell the difference between Carnival, RCCL, and Regent? Absolutly! Would Gretchen and I choose for the two of us to go on a cruise on RCCL or Carnival, no. If another family reunion cruise was coming on Carnival or an anniversary celebration on RCCL, would we go go, absolutely. Would we enjoy it, I would certainly expect to. What Wendy proffered (sp?) about being "comfortable" with a cruise line (or I'd expand to service provider of any sort) is very insightful. Wendy and I have been on two different Regent cruises at the same time and other than a quick "grip and grin" at trivia one day we've never met; at dinner, on an excursion or anywhere. I'll offer that we enjoy somewhat different things and we both find those things on Regent and are "comfortable" there. I have seen enough on this and other boards that I believe Gretchen and I would be very happy on SS, Seabourne (we don't need a balcony), and maybe Crystal (we really like open seating) as well. Now, for us, it's down to issues of itinerery, price, and timing. And, as Wendy said, with a new cruise line will come a level of excitement and trepidation we may not have on our next Regent cruise.

 

Everybody, keep the reviews, observations, and wows coming. I really enjoy and value each one.

 

Greg

[Leonid]

gdlamberth - if you enjoy open seating, then Crystal is not for you. They have always had, and probably will always have, two, assigned seatings in the main dining room. That's is why we stopped sailing on Crystal after 8 cruises. We moved on to Seabourn and Silversea because of the open seating until we tired of the formal nights. We have tried Oceania and really enjoyed the country club casual and truly open seating environment. That is also why we are trying the PG next September. It will be are first sailing on RSSC and are looking forward to it.

[Travelcat2]

It was not just the not being shown to my room - it was the carrying my own heavy bag, not being shown where to get my picture, not being offered champagne and then arriving at a suite where the key didn't work and having to abandon luggage there to go deal with it. None of which would have occurred had I been escorted. On my last SS cruise, nobody's keys worked, but we found that out AFTER a nice embarkation.

 

I thought the ship public areas were immaculate and said so. I gave no rating below average and that was only to service and embarkation. All others were 5 except food that I gave a 4 only because of the salt issues at Signatures.

 

The review was actually quite favorable if you read it in the right light. Loved the entertainment, liked my suite, enjoyed the tours with local guides and local foods.

 

You read what you want to into someone's comments. Service is number 1 with me, and to anyone who is trying to get a 5 star rating, it ought to be very high on the list.

 

I did find your review quite favorable. The confusion, for me, was the "3" rating for service (a big part of a cruising experience -- you consider service to be "number 1") with the "4 for food (this was my experience as well) -- but, the overall rating was "5". As said before, it depends upon what is important to each individual. I am a huge Regent "cheerleader" and, like you, gave much thought to my reviews. For both the Navigator (food problems that week) and the Voyager (prior to refurbishment) I gave them a "4" overall rating.

 

Had I reviewed the PG in 2004, it would have received a "5" on just about everything. I rarely comment on the PG these days since much has changed with the ownership and the majority of "ship officers being GCT.

 

While I am very content to stay with Regent, they are just not offering the right itinerary for a particular occasion in 2009 -- so, in spite of what I read, we may give a Silversea a try. I expect the experience to be different than Regent and want to be objective about the experience. In the meantime, we are anxiously awaiting our next two Regent cruises:)

[DebbieH103]

I appreciate the understanding. CC is a funny lot sometimes. I mean if a person says, "I experienced a few service problems where at times my expectations weren't met, but overall, I had a fabulous cruise", that tells you something, but if I mention 2 or 3 things and then a few other people mention the same things, people might "get" that those things need fixed. One thing that impressed me on Voyager and on Wind both were that the Hotel Director and the CD made themselves available to guests and tried to do things for people THEN, not next time or whatever. On Whisper, the CD barely spoke to us or most people, and people still talk about that CD. Also, on Whisper last year, a few of the staff were arrogant even while giving attentive service. I think Todd or someone said that on their Whisper trip this week, also. Oddly, that did not bother me as much as that embarkation thing, and I think it was just the first impression and the first 30 minutes.

 

With the caviar and toast comment, because details were given, a person can use that or not. I commented on things like caviar even though I don't like it because I know that is important to some.

[NJBelle]

DebbieH,

 

I, for one, definitely thank you for taking the time to share with the rest of us. If you consider that there are not many luxury lines and you are able to help us understand some (small and large) differences between two of them - well, that is great. I have sailed with my family on Crystal, Regent and Silversea over the last 7 years. First we went went Crystal, but then once we tried Regent, we have sort of seen them as our new "favorite". However, we have to travel on holidays and during the summer since my daughter is 13 and goes with us. So, we went with Regent to the Caribbean for the last two holiday seasons, but we are about "done" with that area for a while - so for this holiday season, we are going with Silversea to South Africa. So, for me, your very detailed reviews have been just wonderful and very interesting to read. Our one previous SS cruise was over 3 years ago, so your insights are very helpful to us.

 

THANKS for making the effort to note the details and let us all share in the cruise with you.

 

Best, NJBelle

[Iamboatman]

I think this is a great thread. Thanks.

 

There is, by some, a belief that anything negative is "bashing", but it isn't. Those things are - as Debbie notes - observations. If the comment comes out of inconsistency, consistency or happenstance really isn't the point. The point is that it occurred and is, at least to the poster (and maybe others) worthy of note. The concept is not to sanitize...or to take a negative comment like it is an unwarranted attack on one's child.

 

While I could care less about misting, I do care about caviar. Escorting me to my suite - not of interest. Having a woman deal with her heavy bag - very important.

 

All that said, a wonderful experience need not be perfect to me (or to most others). I am not sure why there is a perception by some that the actually unachievable "perfect 10" is the only way to have a great cruise. (BTW, any push for me to rate anyone or anything a "10" is a pet peeve.)

 

It would be great if everyone just respected each person's opinions and comments...and the way that they give them. No one does it perfectly or deserves a "10+" rating...but nonetheless most are greatly valued comments.

[DebbieH103]

NJBelle, I was torn between Africa, Dubai and Seychelles when I booked our Dubai cruise, but I wanted to wait to go to Africa until there was time to do a safari, perhaps. I hope we can compare SS trips on the Silversea board.

 

I have heard that Crystal does service well even though it is larger, but my husband is really set on the all-inclusive cruises, and I like them, too.