Regent vs. SD--Med/Italy

[dag39]

Hey all! I'm seeing several threads comparing Regent with SB and/or SS (and Crystal, which I'm not as interested in), but not much on Regent vs. Seadream. My wife and I did our honeymoon on Seadream in Turkey and Greece in Aug '07 and I'm now looking at Regent for Venice to Monte Carlo this summer on Navigator. We absolutely loved SD (and haven't cruised any other lines), but Regent sure looks nice even if Navigator is 2x the size. Also, my math puts Regent as about $3000 less than SD for a comparable cruise this summer when you factor in the air credits and/or free airfare. And this is before the free shore excusions! (Although, we'd probably only do an excursion on one or two days--we like wondering around on our own)

 

So, given that info, and I realize this board might be Regent-biased a bit, does anyone have any advice? We sure did love the small size of SD, but the Navigator seems reasonably intimate, and perhaps we'd even enjoy the additional offerings a bigger ship can provide.

 

Lastly--we're on the young side for this kind of stuff--we're both 30 years old.

 

Thanks!

-Dan

[Wendy The Wanderer]

Dan, I haven't done Seadream, but my impression is that it's very relaxed and intimate. But that it would depend on the mix of pax on your particular ship. Navigator certainly is not that intimate, although it's a lovely ship and a very nice size. I would imagine that the advantage of the larger size is a bit of anonymity and availability of a few more diversions. The suites on Navigator are great, although get a balcony, in the Med it's worth it. We had an F on deck 6.

 

My other comment is that if you want intimacy and relaxed ambience, the Paul Gauguin is perfect. It's got abou 350 pax. Not sure how the prices compare with Navigator.

 

Assuming you go in summer, on Navigator or the PG, you will have a mix of ages, but the average skews higher than yours considerably, although there will be families on board. In spring or fall, the average age with go up further.

[dag39]

Thanks! On SD, there was one other twenty-something couple, then it jumped up to middle age. We were fine with that, though! Sounds like a tough call (and I'm not as interested in PG, b/c I want to do Europe again, not the South Pacific).

 

This sounds like one of those "well, we know we like x, but y could be better, but it also could be worse." The price difference may be determinative, however.

 

Thanks again!

[Ragnar Danneskjold]

Below is my comparison of SD vs Mariner. I have not been on Navigator and it has fewer dining venues than Mariner, but from what I've read most of my Mariner observations would apply to Navigator:

 

SeaDream/Regent Comparison

 

Ok, as promised, here is my comparison of SeaDream and Regent. You can find more “reviewy” comments on our SD trip over on the SD board.

 

Here are some of the facts of our two trips, so you can see my point of view of the two trips:

 

- Regent cruise was a 10-day Caribbean out of Ft. Lauderdale on the Mariner in a Penthouse “C” cabin, in March 2007.

 

- SeaDream cruise was a 9-day Caribbean out of San Juan, PR, in a standard cabin, 12/12/08-12/21/08.

 

 

Observations and Opinions

 

We loved our Mariner cruise and liked our SeaDream-1 cruise. I realize this needs some ‘splainin.

 

The Mariner cruise was pretty much perfect and had most of the elements to make a great trip. There were some weak points, as to be expected. The Seadream cruise was very nice but there were a few things that prevented it from attaining the “nearly perfect” rating.

 

Mariner provided a good mix of things to do (or not do), while SeaDream is more about just chill’n out. I’m not talking about shore excursions here, as they had similar offerings on both. SeaDream is good for relaxing and reading a book, lots of quiet places to hang out, great pool area, but nothing really in the way of activities or entertainment (other than the beach BBQ, which was more fun than Regent’s!). We are not into “relaxing” while on vacation (we have an ocean view and a big pool at home in warm, sunny SoCal and can relax aplenty there). SeaDream does have the swim/watersports platform available sometimes (though not often enough).

 

Seadream provides a congenial environment where you can easily mingle with others, and it is one of SD’s biggest strengths (though those that had to mingle with ol’ Ragnar might not agree…). We quickly met a lot of interesting folks on SD, had dinner with them most nights (one night we had dinner for eight under the stars). On Mariner, we really only met a few of the folks the we chatted with on CC. We had a nice dinner with them, but if not for CC we may not have meet anyone.

 

The cabins on Mariner are far superior to the ones on SD (and I’m not using the Mariner “C” cabin as a comparison). The bathrooms on SD are *tiny*, as are the beds. The couch/chair are very uncomfortable on SD. The cabin alone would prevent us from doing another SD cruise (Ragnar is 6’4” and Mrs D is 5’11”). Not to mention Mariner has balconies and SD doesn’t. Oddly though, SD is such a intimate, pleasant ship that you want to be on deck or at the bar, etc. most of the time and so we did not really miss the balcony that much (other than as a great place to put wet stuff). So don’t let the lack of a balcony stop you from a SD trip.

 

Mariner and SD are comparable food-quality-wise, though the variety of items and venues on Mariner was much appreciated. The SD dining room is very nice though, quiet, subtly decorated, and with comfortable seating (even for a big oaf like Ragnar…). SD only served dinner at either the main dining room or at the open-air Topside dining area, depending on weather, ship motion, etc. (i.e. the two venues were not open at the same time). Room service on SD is very limited, and what little we tried wasn’t that great, but again, on SD you don’t want to stay in the cabin. Mariner room service was great (only the room service pizza was bad, but maybe that will improve with the new pizza oven I’ve heard about). Can’t say enough good things about the Mariner room service waiters – polite and efficient!

 

Service was about equal on the two ships, with the nod going to Mariner. SD concierge did a good job of handling rental car requests etc. while Mariner was hit or miss. On SD, they do quickly learn your name. With only about 100 pax, this is more manageable. But in the restaurants, bars, etc. I just felt the Mariner service was overall more polished (but then again, SD is a more casual environment). A couple of the waiters on SD were extremely good. On Mariner, we dined in such a variety of places, and locations in the various venues, I have no memory of individual waiters (but maybe that is a good thing, as it shows consistency). One Mariner anecdote, we were dining in Signatures and I mentioned to our tablemates that a restaurant at home made some dish I was having better. A waiter must have overheard, for within a few minutes the food service manager for the entire ship was at our table asking how they could improve the dish J

 

Wine, and wine service, on Mariner was far superior to that on SD. The sommelier on Mariner really knew her stuff and was actually happy to get you an alternate wine if the ones that evening were not to your palate. On SD, they served $4/bottle wines and made a big fuss if you wanted the previous night’s wine, etc. On SD, plan on buying, or bringing, your wine. Loved the port they served with the cheese course on Mariner.

 

There were no children on our SeaDream cruise. There is literally nothing for children or teens to do on SD, so they would hate it. I do not recommend anyone under 21 going on SD, as there is a lot of drinking, etc. that goes on, and many opportunities for kids to get into un-attended wine/champagne bottles, etc. And the atmosphere would be pretty hostile towards youngsters, from talking to folks on board. Most folks are there for relaxation, and for peace and quiet. A passenger brought some guests on board (had family in one port) for a couple of hours to show them the ship. They had one well-behaved 10 year old boy with them and you would have thought they had brought Typhoid Mary on board from the reactions of the other passengers… Mariner has more things for families (ping-pong, bigger pool, shows, etc) even when there is no children’s program, so people are more inclined to bring children. There was a family on Mariner with three out-of-control kids that really spoiled a lot of things. But at least you could go somewhere else to avoid them…. mostly. Later in the cruise, I think the Mariner staff tried to provide some activities for them but the parents still let them rampage a lot of the time. It is amazing how disruptive just three out-of-control children can be, even on a ship the size of Mariner. Just these same three kids would completely ruin a Seadream cruise, due to the intimate nature of the ship. There would be no escape, and hanging out in a SD cabin is just not doable. This is one reason we would not go on SD again, the risk of a bad experience is just too high (they need to make this ship adults-only). We got lucky on our SD cruise…

 

The pool deck on Mariner was rather hectic, crowed and uninviting. We only dropped by there for an occasional drink or bite to eat, at the side tables. The pool deck experience on SeaDream cannot be beat. There are only 16 loungers, and two tables with four or five chairs. The pool and Jacuzzi have wood seating around them. We never had a problem getting a lounger. None of the “chair saving” shenanigans you see on Mariner. The SeaDream guests are good about tossing their used towels when done with the loungers and the crew quickly straightens the area, putting out fresh towels neatly folded on the lounger. As there is usually no more than 10 – 20 pax out on the pool deck, drinks are easy to get, though sometimes you have to order from the bar and police your empties. There are also tables and loungers in many other areas of the ship, so you can get out of the sun, be by yourself, etc. If lounging around and sipping well-made drinks is for you, SD can’t be beat. Plus, the layout of the outdoor decks seems to bring the surroundings into the ship, so you really feel that you are on a yacht, there is a nice view from everywhere and a breeze (though you can get out of the breeze if desired).

 

Mariner went to some nice ports and SD went to many of the same. SD also went to some less visited islands. While this is appreciated, they did not really provide for the optimum experiences there. The time allotted and the choice of landing spots often did not allow taking full advantage of the opportunity. ShoreEx on Mariner had more variety, but SD handled requests/reservations in a more concierge-like manner. Tender service on SD was excellent, never had to wait for the tender to fill up. They would go when it looked like no one else was walking toward the tender.

 

The beach party put on by SD was more “fun” than the one put on by Mariner (on Princess Cay). But the Mariner one was really nice too. The food and drink were similar. SD had some of the non-motorized water toys available. The loungers, the lunch seating, the open bar etc. were more concentrated at the SD function, right on a sandy beach. This made for more of a party atmosphere. SD had towels already on all the loungers when the guests arrived, and they took care of retrieving them (they have a contractor that brings all the loungers, etc to the beach on a small barge-like boat and sets everything up before the guests arrive). Plus it took place towards the end of the cruise, when everyone was relaxed and people had gotten to know each other (another plus of only 100 pax). Plus, they kicked off the function with the caviar and champagne in the surf thing, which got the party started.

 

Dress on SD was more casual than on Mariner, which was good and bad. Mrs D likes to dress up once in a while. SD is country club casual all the time. Mariner seems to strike a good balance, can dress up for certain things or be CC casual all the time if you want (La Veranda, etc.). Some of the SD guests had obviously never been to a country club J

 

 

Conclusion

 

Both ships have their strong and weak points. We would sail Mariner again, but would not sail SD 1, or SD 2, again, mainly due to the cabins, lack of activities, and the risk of un-escapable children being on-board.

 

What I would really like to find is a cross between SD 1 and Mariner! We would like a ship with 100-200 pax (adults-only preferred), but with a minimum of 300 sq ft cabins and good, king-sized beds, with balconies. We would like a pool deck just like SD 1 and a good watersports platform, with more waverunners, etc. We’d like some nice shows or other entertainment in the evening, but big productions not required. Also some interesting lectures, etc. We would like polished service as on Mariner but in a friendly, comfortable environment like on SD. We’d like a somewhat increased level of service over what either ship provided (not that they were bad, just needed to be a bit more seamless). Would like two dining venue choices, with maybe a third, fair-weather outdoor one.

 

I may start a thread about the “perfect” ship :-)

 

 

Ragnar

[LOVE@CRUISE]

The navigator cruise from Venice to Monte Carlo is awesome! We have done it, it was superb. There were a few children onboard; however. Nothing that bothered us. Be absolutely sure you get a balcony suite, best to be forward or mid ship. The Portofino restaurant we found to be so so, but the dining venues at the pool and main dining room were absolutley terrific! You will love it!;)

[dag39]

Ragnar and Love,

 

Great advice--thanks! And thanks for reposting that full review--great stuff!

[dag39]

Lovecruise--one last question: would you describe the pool deck on Navigator as hectic and unpleasant as Ragnar described the deck on Mariner? We loved hanging out on the SD deck, where you can chill out and have 270 degree views. Thanks!

[Wendy The Wanderer]

Hmm, I'll jump in and give my own opinion about the Navigator deck. It's very nice. The only time it seems to get hectic is at lunch, when the weather is lovely and there's one of the yummy lunch buffets being served. Gets a bit crowded, and sometimes hot. When this happened (and it happened on Voyager too), we just took our plate into Portofino's, or had their buffet instead. Indoors at lunchtime on these ships can be cool, calm and very inviting.

[Kagehitokiri]

IMHO the main thing you should consider about regent is that some ships are all balcony with 2 chaise lounges.

 

depending on budget you might also check out The World for a different experience.

[OrpingtonT]

The pool deck on Mariner was rather hectic, crowed and uninviting.

 

My own impression of Mariner's pool deck is quite different from the above, based on two sailings, one on the Alaskan run and the other FL to San Francisco via the Panama Canal. We lunched most days when we were on board at the Pool Grill, had superb service with the staff remembering our wishes for drinks. There was no lounge hogging, in fact plenty of room. There were lines for the speciality buffets but they were easily manageable perhaps because the Captain and senior crew members were usually there. On hot days staff came around with cold towels and cooling sprays.

 

I cannot make comparisons with other lines, but hectic, crowded and uninviting Mariner's Pool deck was not. (IMO)

[Ragnar Danneskjold]

To add color to my pool deck comments, we have only been on Mariner and SD, both in the eastern caribbean. I guess I really should have said "comparably hectic and crowded". We have not been on mass-market lines, etc., so "crowded" may be a relative word....

 

If someone had asked about Mariner before we went on SeaDream I probably would have said the pool area was nice :D However, even with nothing to compare it to at the time, the Mariner pool deck did not "invite" us to lounge around there. We did enjoy the special lunches they put on there, and having a drink (or two) at the pool bar (when you could get a seat at the bar). But the pool area proper seemed crowded and a bit "disheveled", with loungers scattered around at all angles and full of peoples' stuff (and people!).

 

In comparison, the SeaDream pool deck is a place of zen-like tranquility.