Tried Seabourn---DEFINITELY prefer Regent

[Leejnd4]

Hi Boatman - nice to chat with you again! Been a while, huh?

 

Yes, we did enjoy the Windstar cruise, for what it was -- meaning, it sure wasn't Regent...but then it was a HECKUVA lot less money, and we knew how that would impact the experience. I wrote a detailed review on it, which is in the ship reviews section for the Windstar, detailing the things I liked and disliked about it. However, for the price I'm going to pay for this upcoming cruise, there is no way in hell I would put up with some of those annoyances. I think we paid something like $1400 pp for the Windstar cruise (maybe even less)...we're looking at paying upwards of $7500 pp for this cruise. For that much money I expect something on a whole 'nother level!

 

Another difference is that I did Windstar with my husband, where I have built-in entertainment, so the size, entertainment options, and passenger mix isn't nearly as important. Wait, that didn't come out right...how do I explain this...what I mean is, when I'm traveling with my Mom, while I love her to death, frankly I need some other social interaction and entertainment options or I'll start climbing the walls! Whereas when I'm traveling with my husband we tend to keep more to ourselves. While quiet, romantic moments on the deck in the moonlight are great with hubby, they're not so great when I'm traveling with Ma. See what I mean? To be honest, if I was taking this trip with hubby, I wouldn't have a single concern about Seabourn, as the entertainment and opportunities for socializing would fall far lower on the list of priorities.

 

After reading the Seabourn board and reviews, it does sound as if the service issues that Ste. Michelle experienced were abberations - at least I HOPE they were! But that doesn't resolve my concerns about boredom on sea days. Although I'm not yet convinced that's even going to be a problem. Hey I'm still in discovery mode here.

[Jaffa]

Hi LeeAnne,

 

I just thought l would chirp in here with some added info and advice.

 

Don't rule out Silversea to quick.

 

With lots of sea days, Silversea would be my choice over Seabourn.

 

The main reasons:

1/ The pool and pool deck. This is one of the biggest differences between the Two.

 

My last Silversea cruise was for 54 nights from BA Argentina, Rio, South Atlantic crossing of 16 days, Africa west and east coast and disembarked in Port Louis Mauritius. I had a total of 25 sea days with 9 sea days back to back.

The pool deck and its entertainment ended up being very important to me.

This was true both day and night.

There are no real area's on Seabourn for the whole ship passenger compliment to gather simultaneously.

On cruises with many seadays Silversea runs a number of crew versus Passenger fun competitions eg pool volleyball, mini fun Olympics, deck sports ect. These were suitable for all ages, and even the Captain and senior officers

participated.

This comradely and sense of fun led into the bars at night.

 

2/ suite Verandas

This is the biggest difference and would be a great benefit for your mum.

 

3/ I am 44 so we kind of fit in the same age bracket. The night time entertainment on Silversea would suit "you" perhaps more than Seabourn. The way the ships are laid out is a better system for a younger passenger, who still has some "energy" to let go.

Silversea's gentleman hosts are both gracious and enterprising in the way they entertain the single ladies and were very popular.

If you were to look at the entertainment from the perspective of your mum then either would do ok.

 

4/ I could very rarely fault the service on Silversea at all. please remember that sevice is a subjective issue.

I recently sent my mum and dad on a month long cruise on Seabourn. It was there very first cruise. It was a hard choice for me to make, wether to use Silversea or Seabourn. In the end it was the age demographic of Seabourn that won me over.

Mum and Dad raved about the service being exactly what they loved. They both have just turned 70.

 

For me the Silversea service is the exact reason why l keep going back. On these boards people are very loyal to their own choices and "good on them" for that. I would not read too much into negative reports on service at all, for every neg report on Silversea, l could show you another on Seabourn or any of the luxury brands for that matter. I really don't think there is a great deal of difference between the lot.

 

Only a small 2% of people who cruise the luxury brands are represented here on the boards they estimate, so what you read here is only a small sample.

 

I would finish by saying, think what is the most important things to "you" that "you" seek from "your" cruise experience.

Then go through the same process for your mum.

 

I now cruise primarily as a solo mid 40's male, l meet many like minded and aged solo male and female friends on Silversea and love the experience.

 

Personally, l think the size and layout difference of Silversea may make a big difference to "your" experience.

 

Cheers and good luck with whatever choice you make.

The differences really are not that big, it is the subtleness of the differences

that will offer the unique experience.

 

Happy cruising,

Colin........................

[JoAnne B]

Batsea

 

See you on the crossing! I'm ready for some relaxing days at sea. Oh, wait, we're too busy on the crossing to spend time resting!

 

By the way, you can get single supplements on Sea Dream, but they're few and far between. I managed one for the fall crossing. But then I tried to add a segment to avoid the problem getting to Tenerife and it was prohibitive. I guess they don't want us solo sailers. As it stands I'm considering changing to the Voyager from Funchal.

 

JoAnne B

Housotn

[wishIweretravelling]

 

Silversea - I've read that the service is a step below Seabourn - yet the price is similar. Is this really true?

 

I've only been on Silversea once, and have not been on Seabourn, but I can say that the service on Silversea is comparable to what you'd find on Regent (and I've usually had excellent experiences with Regent service). Unfortunately, a reasonable single supplement is harder to come by on Silversea (at least on the itineraries I want). Also, I had a rather bad experience with Siversea's front office--a problem that ultimately was resolved, but in a most grudging manner. The one time I needed to involve the Regent front office, the problem was handled quickly and with grace.

[Travelcat2]

At the risk of getting "flamed"........ I have yet to see a poll which rates Seabourn above Silversea or Regent.

[Leejnd4]

Thanks for continuing the discussion. I realize this is not exactly a "Regent" conversation anymore, but it is a conversation comparing luxury lines, which includes Regent, and hey there isn't exactly a forum designed for doing this type of multiple-line comparisons anyway. So thanks to Host Dan for letting it continue!

 

Well as it turns out, there IS in fact a Silversea itinerary that might fit the bill perfectly - it visits Port Said instead of Alexandria, but we can visit the pyramids from Port Said so that solves that problem. And it's actually LESS than the SB itinerary I've been looking at.

 

Colin your description of the differences between SS an SB struck a nerve, and are making me look more closely at SS. If it's true that the level of service really is comparable between the two lines, then it sounds like SS may be a better choice for me. While the idea of free-flowing caviar is awfully appealing, I could forgo the caviar in order to have a ship that lends itself to more sea-day socialization and activities to keep us occupied and entertained. I mean, I'm totally down with the whole concept of doing little more than relaxing, reading, and napping on sea days...but I just don't think I could handle NINE DAYS of nothing more than that!

 

As for Mom, honestly she's just so darn happy to go at all, it really doesn't matter to her which line we're on. And I'm footing the bill so I get to call the shots. :D

[Jaffa]

Lee Anne,

 

Silversea has the same style of caviar policy as Seabourn does, so don't worry you won't miss out.

 

On my cruise l made reference to, each and every Sat and Sun regardless of sea or port day, l had placed a special order of Egg's Benedict topped with a dollop of caviar, fresh squeezed juice, freshly sliced apricot and skinned lychee's and a Turkish espresso.

For just under 2 months it arrived each and every time.

Taking breakfast in bed made my weekends extra special and a nice slow start to the day.

 

I miss those weekends.

 

Have a look at your available shore excursions for the cruise you have found.

I think Silversea does a good job with these.

Silversea has a complimentary return shuttle bus in every port on all their itin's to take you into town and they run all day and into the evenings.

I used these a lot.

 

Good luck.

 

PS if there is anything you would like to know more about just PM me.

 

jaffaozman@yahoo.com.au

[CruisePhan]

Lee Anne,

We're also sailed with Silversea and the cabins are superior to those aboard Seabourn. The larger ships also offer more activities. You might want to consider one of their Terrace Cabins, as they are typically priced well and provide an open (shared) verandah that might be appealing to you and your mother. We enjoyed this layout aboard the Whisper and believe it is available aboard their other ships.

 

IMO, the service of Silversea is inferior to that of Seabourn - but it's much better than anything we've experienced on most other lines.

 

Have a wonderful cruise!

[Goofyisme]

Isn't it wonderful having the "problem" of choosing between Regent, Silversea and Seabourn.

 

I have my favorite but for the right itinerary at the right price you could throw me on any of these tubs and I would be a very happy camper.

[Leejnd4]

Goofy, you are absolutely right!

 

I'm definitely leaning more towards the SS itinerary right now. I WISH I could do the Regent one in the same region, but at $3000 more per person, I just can't justify it. I would be willing to pay more for a "known entity" - but not THAT much more! I am still wondering what the heck is up with their pricing. I've been out of the cruise market for a year or so - I didn't realize they'd gone up so much.

 

I'm thinking that the size of the Silver Wind will be perfect - just a bit smaller than the PG, which we LOVED, and never felt at a loss for things to do, and people to hang out with.

 

I was surprised to hear that SS includes the caviar. SB makes such a huge deal of the whole caviar experience - curious why SS doesn't?

 

And at $3000 more pp, Regent oughta be throwing in BELUGA, if ya ask me!

[Pookie2]

Hi LeeAnne. We are booked on the first segment of the Discovery series on the Regent Voyager (Athens to Dubai) in Oct. of 2009. It's a 15 day cruise. We are in a cat G. Our cruise fare (not including insurance, port taxes or rebates from our TA) will be $8060 pp. I checked both Seabourn and SS before booking this cruise and couldn't find a cheaper fare on either that includes a balcony cabin. The cruise gives you a $100 pp ship credit and at least one complimentary shore excursion. They are offering a trip to Cairo to see the pyramids as well as a trip to Petra. It's a spotlight on photography cruise as well.

[comettgirl]

I just want to say...... I have been on 35 cruises (various lines - Princess, Celebrity, Holland, RCL.....) and have my first luxury cruise booked on Regent for this coming Dec. and I LOVE this thread!!!! It is so nice to read about the Available luxury lines all together, in a comparision. I know Regent will be the first one we take, but not the last! I think it will be very difficult to go "back" to a non luxury line. This is great information!

[Leejnd4]

Pookie,

 

That's the exact itinerary we want, on Voyager. I just did a deeper check into this, and the pp price I get for that from my TA for Cat H (including all fees, past-passenger discount, and a cash bonus from my TA) is $8275. The price for the Silversea itinerary (also 15 days, including all fees and a TA cash bonus) is $6461. So the difference is actually $1814. But times two that's $3628...still a lotta Beluga caviar! ;)

 

I like both itineraries, although they are different - the Regent cruise starts in Athens, visits Crete, and ends up in Oman and Dubai, whereas the Silversea cruise starts in Port Said, skips Oman and ends in Kenya. Both itineraries get me to the Pyramids, as well as Safaga (Luxor), and Aqaba (Petra). So either one would be perfect...although the Regent itinerary has a bit of an edge, with only 5 sea days vs 7 on SS. Still, I just don't see that as worth that much more money. It's really only one addtional port stop, as it spends two days in Dubai at the end.

 

I WISH I could justify it - then my agony over deciding would be moot!

 

Editing to add: I should point out that the SS cruise is NOT a balcony cabin, it's an ocean-view. I'm not as tied to a balcony as others may be. I'm just trying to get ON the damn ship! ;)

[Margate Cruiser]

Seabourn has 31 days grand cruise on the spirt for $12,848.00 for 31 days on the spirit leaving Nov. 1 08

[Wendy The Wanderer]

LeeAnn, what cabin category are you comparing on SS? A veranda, or window?

[Leejnd4]

Wendy I edited my post above - it's not a veranda. I'm just looking at the least-expensive way to get on the ships.

 

Margate, I would LOVE to do that cruise - but I can't be gone that long. And 12K pp is rather out of the price range. :)

[Host Dan]

Wendy I edited my post above - it's not a veranda. I'm just looking at the least-expensive way to get on the ships.

 

Margate, I would LOVE to do that cruise - but I can't be gone that long. And 12K pp is rather out of the price range. :)

Lee Anne,

First of all "nice seeing you!"

 

I too have noticed the incredible fare increases in the past year or so. With the weak dollar, and fuel charges, Im not terribly surprised. We are actually looking to cruise closer to home, eliminating the astronomical air fares and long flights.. I wish Tampa port offered a luxury line to sail, but alas, that doesn't seem like its going to happen any time soon. :(

 

Its so nice that at least we all have different lines that we love, and have options we all can take. Not everyone can say that...

 

Host Dan

[Pam]

This has been a very interesting thread, indeed. Many things to learn, about three lines, all together with no extreme angst.

 

Now, as one of the fore-mentioned Regent lovers, let me point out one little thing. If I asked for iced tea on a Regent ship, and was told "no, we don't have any", I certainly wouldn't wait until I got home to start my caterwauling all over every board I could find. This Southern woman loves her iced tea, and won't be doing without it without major protest.

 

As to not writing letter, if the problem is great enough, I wouldn't write a letter, either. I just wouldn't want to chance a repeat experience. Several years ago, we booked a 4-night cruise for all our kids and grandkids on RCCL's Majesty of the Sea. Before any enhancement. The "Royal Family Suite", which was the ONLY cabin on that deck that RCCL allowed four people in at that time, and was AA in price (since dropped to C), was a small balcony cabin beside the elevator, and a space behind said elevator that they had walled in and put a second small bedroom/bathroom in. We paid the God-awful price for that hole-in-the-wall because our daughter and her husband had two children. When we got to the pier in Miami and were checking in, the lady working with us glanced at the screen, and said "that's strange, they just put two families in one suite; I hope they know each other". Our youngest son was standing with us, and he could see her screen. He said "DAD! That's Sonja's suite!!". Mark stayed on the dock to try to see what they could do, I took off at a dead run. The other family (a grandmother and two teenagers, who had been miraculously upgraded from an inside cabin) had locked themselves inside the suite, were consuming the gift basket our TA had sent, and it took security to forcibly remove them. I told my TA, her rep said she'd buy me lunch sometime, and that never happened. There wasn't much RCCL could do to make me happy. We had had that suite reserved for over a year, because, again, only that one would they allow four people in. It wrecked our entire first day, my little granddaughter was in hysterics because she thought she wasn't going to get to go on the cruise.

 

The people at the purser's desk were very nice, but the person(s) I would have been writing a letter to obviously couldn't care less. I do know that, because by way of another board I was contacted by them. We had several conversations, they sent vouchers for a couple hundred dollars, and said "Sayonara".

[Leejnd4]

WOW! Pam that is some story! This is totally off-topic, but it reminds me of the time years ago when I was on a business trip somewhere (I think Atlanta) and had checked into my hotel room and hopped in the shower. Upon exiting the bathroom, nekkid as a jaybird, I wrapped my hair in a towel and then flung my head back, only to see a couple standing at my open door, holding their luggage, staring at me with enormous eyes. To this day I have no idea why I did this, but instead of screaming I simply said, "Welcome to the Sheraton, I'll be your room attendant!"

 

She hit him HARD and then literally pulled him out of the room. Otherwise I'm not sure he would have left.

 

The hotel offered to pay for my dinner that night, which frankly meant nothing to me since I was on an expense account anyway. But at least I've had that great story to tell all these years. :D

[Goofyisme]

LeeAnne,

No need for agony there is no wrong choice in what you have to decide. Both are great just little differences here and there. I prefer Regent, wife prefers SS, haven't done Seabourn yet but some of their "hardware" short comings are important to me. But again the right places at the right price could change my mind.

[DebbieH103]

While I like the increased dining choices on Voyager so much but prefer the service on SS, I, too have moved into needing to save and sometimes find the "cheapest way on the ship" or itinerary. We are booked for Voyager for Christmas because it is a lot cheaper than the SS cruise I wanted. However, the SS one was several days longer, and we would have also been on for New Year's Eve.

 

Next year, we picked SS over Regent for our first cruise because its Vietnam cruise goes to more places than the Regent one. I was thinking this cruise was a cheaper than our Seychelles/Africa one in December for Christmas 2009, but I see that one is really cheap, but I also picked vista. We have never NOT been in a balcony. I booked that since SS would have our money for 2 years, and I might keep it.

 

Something else I noticed in looking at my Regent 2009 book just now is that except for Navigator, the other ships have few 7 night cruises. This in of itself will limit some that can't get the days off or can't afford the longer itineraries. With "O" having longer itineraries, I wonder if Regent will keep moving more and more in this direction.

[freddie]

Hi, Lee Anne - Welcome back to CC. We've missed your lively commentary.

 

As for the negative comments about your very funny story of being caught in the buff by an unfortunately misdirected couple, I merely will echo the previous comments about "getting a grip, people, and finding at least a hint of a sense of humor". I think your story was hilarious and something that all of us road-warriors would understand (and depending upon what kind of interesting person was misdirected to our room, might appreciate).

 

Jeez, this forum is not a some sort of discussion of "proper decorum" . It's about cruising. We (my partner & I - sorry if that offends anyone) are also looking into the alternatives of Regent vs. Seabourn vs. Silversea. We love Regent but are leaving in a couple of weeks on the Silver Whisper from Dubai to Athens. And we're booked on Seabourne on a Panama Canal cruise next January. At this time, we think that we must look among the offerings of the several luxury lines to find the best itinerary-price combo for whichever trip we want to take.

 

Now, Lee Anne - If you can arrange for some delightfully inappropriate guests to show up at our cabin door, we'd appreciate it. Otherwise, we'll just enjoy the caviar...

 

Cheers, Fred

[Leejnd4]

Hey Freddie! Great to see you here! Yes we've certainly had some lively conversations in the past, haven't we? And if anyone could appreciate the humor in my situation, of course it would be you. ;) Lordy, imagine if I told a dirty joke in here...we might have to find the portable defibrillator! ::GASP:: LOL!

 

As for sending inappropriate passengers to your cabin...hey, if you're hosting the party, I'll show up! Of course if it's on Regent, we'll have to buy our own caviar, won't we? Then we can sit around and have inappropriate conversations about all the times we've been...:ahem: cough cough "nekkid" in our lives... :D (In the SHOWER folks...don't have a coronary...)

 

But anyway...back to the cruise discussion...I had a nice long chat with Mom today and we're moving closer to that Silver Wind itinerary. I have many questions, which I suppose I'll have to take to the Silversea forum, since this really is the Regent forum...for example, I've read a lot about the entertainment, but I'm curious how it differs between the larger SS ships vs. the smaller ones like Silver Wind. And since you brought up caviar - what exactly IS the deal with SS and caviar? I do love the stuff, and I'm wondering what type they serve, and how liberal are they with it. I usually buy several servings of it on my Regent cruise - as I recall, they serve Sevruga - do they still? It would be awfully nice not to have to sign a chit for it!

[Iamboatman]

Silversea announced earlier this month that both of its smaller ships are going to be substantially upgraded so that the SS product is more consistent across all its ships.

 

BTW, I think it is great for there to be a real discussion about the stronger and weaker points of 5 different lux lines and the acceptance of each person's perspectives, opinions and comments about what is more important to them as well as their experiences.

[Leejnd4]

Well Boatman that's certainly good news for me, and helps me lean even further towards the SS itinerary. I have to acknowledge that I've read more reports from experienced luxury cruisers that SS falls behind SB than the reverse, so anything they are doing to improve things is great. Considering the itinerary I'm looking at isn't even until late 2009, that gives them plenty of time to complete whatever upgrades they're considering. I look forward to reading more about this on the SS board. And I really do need to get over there...this has just been such a lively and informative thread here.

 

And I agree that it's terrific to see all these comparisons in one thread. It's certainly been a great help to me in my current search. When I'm looking to contrast lines against each other, I usually have to do a ton of searching in multiple boards, looking for line-to-line comparisons...and then it's usually only a discussion contrasting two specific ones. It's been really helpful to have so much feedback and opinions about ALL the luxe lines in one place.

 

Freddie, I meant to ask, what ports are you visiting on your upcoming Athens to Dubai cruise? One downside to switching from the SB itin to the SS is that we miss Dubai and several Oman ports, which I was rather looking forward to. The scuba diving in Oman is supposed to be fabulous. And I know NOTHING about these Kenyan stops - ahhh, more travel research. What a hardship, huh? :D (Don't worry, Goofy, I used the term "agony" with tongue firmly planted in cheek!)