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Regent Navigator vs Oceania Riviera


englandsrose
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Hi All

 

We are looking at a couple of cruises in September both of which go to Israel - a place we have tried to visit many times and for one reason or another haven't managed to get there. Israel as destination is our main reason for booking to give us access to Jerusalem and the Dead Sea which is on my bucket list to swim in.

 

Anyway - Navigator and Riviera are both heading there in September within 10 days of each other. I have cruised Regent a few times on all 3 ships - Navigator being our first. We enjoy the Regent experience, although on the last cruise, which should have gone to Israel but didn't because of unrest there, we didn't take many of the included excursions preferring to go it alone. We particularly Sette Mari and on your last cruise, had the majority of our evening meals outside on the back terrace. I think we were on Mariner or Explorer :-)

 

Looking at both itineraries Israel is probably the only port stop where we would take the included excursions.

 

Has anybody done both ships and how do they compare, we love good food, nice drinks and a nice ambience. We do go to the theatre occasionally but enjoy sitting and chatting with other travellers as well.

 

I am really stuck on this one, as i am aware Navigator is having a refit in March, so will be all shiny and new when we embark. Oceania looks amazing especially with the variety of eating establishments we could try. GBP for GBP when everything is added in, there really isn't much in it in terms of cost, and the itineraries are very similar. Part of me is saying stick with what we know we like i.e. Regent, and the other half is saying try something new - i.e. Oceania......

 

Many thanks in advance.

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Your question is quite challenging. We have sailed on both the Navigator and Riviera and find many differences, the first of which is that the Riviera is more than twice the size of the Navigator which in and of itself gives a different experience.

 

You are no doubt already aware of the fact that the Riviera has four specialty/reservation restaurants while the Navigator has only one. In my opinion, the food on Oceania's specialty restaurants is far better than on the Navigator one restaurant (Prime 7). However, we find Compass Rose and La Veranda/Sette Mari better than on the Riviera. While the Riviera's Terrace Café has a much larger buffet and array of items, we did not find the quality up to the standards of Regent. The same can be said for Riviera's main dining room. Keep in mind that food is subjective and not everyone feels that Regent's food is better than Oceania's.

 

The Riviera is the most beautiful ship we have sailed on - we spent a long time at the beginning of our first Riviera cruise walking around and enjoying everything -- from the Lalique crystal by the elevators - the artwork and so much more. When it comes to the Riviera's cabins, they do not match up with even the lowest level suite on the Navigator. The upper category cabins (PH and above) on the Riviera are dramatically better than on the Navigator.

 

Entertainment is same on both ships but the Riviera has a very uncomfortable theater (the only part of the ship that I truly did not care for).

 

Since Oceania is a premium-plus cruise line (although the ship itself is definitely luxury), many of their passengers are former Celebrity, HAL and Princess cruisers as well as long time Oceania cruisers. This makes the "feel" of the Riviera a bit different than Regent.

 

Have you checked the prices of the excursions on Oceania? They are extremely expensive. On the other hand, Oceania passengers get together on Cruise Critic's Roll Call and plan private or small group tours together which can be even better than ship excursions (we were part of a group of 6 that toured Tuscany on our Riviera cruise for a great price!)

 

A big differentiator between the two cruise lines is alcohol. If you do not drink, Oceania is better in this area. If you do drink alcohol, the prices are not only high on Oceania, they measure the alcohol and the drinks can be very weak. When you are paying approximately $10 plus 18% tip for each drink, it can add up.

 

Both ships have pros and cons. While the Navigator is not our favorite Regent ship, we would probably choose her over the Riviera - at least for this itinerary (which I am assuming is port intensive).

 

Let us know what you decide:)

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If Israel is your main reason for any cruise I would think twice about booking. The way things are in the Middle East now a cruise line could cancel ports there should some kind of incident occur. Then you'd be sailing the Greek islands instead.

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Agree with everything Jackie said. They are going to be totally different experiences as far as the ship goes, though the excursions will be the same as Oceania and Regent use the same vendors.

 

Riviera is a much larger ship than navigator. It is very beautiful, but You are going to have to upgrade significantly in cabins to get anywhere near the space that you will have at the lowest level on Navigator. We were in a concierge level, and really did not like the closest situation as I could not open the closest in the morning to get dressed to go work out without waking up George. I ended up setting out my work out clothes in the bathroom the night before after a few days. Navigator has the walk in closets which are so nice for getting dressed to go workout in the early am.

 

We like the specialty restaurants on Riviera but did not care at all for the main dining room or the buffet which is like La Veranda. We enjoy eating in Compass Rose and Sette Mare very much on Navigator, and P7 is nice once or twice per cruise though the long narrow shape of the dining area is not really ideal.

 

For this itinerary, I would chose Navigator. The included excursions in this area are very good. Paying extra for the same excursion on Riviera is going to really drive the cost of the cruise up.

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We were on the Riveria in Israel last summer and had a great experience. We are former Regent cruisers, the Voyager 6 or 7 times, that have moved over to Oceania, the Riveria is our ship of choice. We have done 6 trips on the Riveria and they have all been wonderful.

 

We did not do any of the ships tours. We hired a car and driver, toured for two days with him, stayed overnight in Jerusalem and saw as much of the country as possible.

 

The specialty dining rooms are fabulous, the grill has a wonderful range of food to chose from including grilled steak,chicken and lobster, and everything is served to you!

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Oh dear decisions decisions. At this point I am favouring Regent as there are a few ports that we haven't been to before, whereas the Riviera ports we have done on numerous occasions with the exception of Israel.

 

Our TA is getting me pricing as I hate to say it but it is one of the cruises the UK has a 25% discount on.

 

Thanks everybody for your input - gratefully received. I tend to lurk on these boards and read lots of posts with interest, so knew I would get an honest opinion.

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Oceania PH3. No comparison. Cooking classes, arts room, espresso bar, world class spa, putting course, and more and better food options. Navigator is fine for smaller ports and waterways, and does have much nicer basic suite.

Edited by JPR
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I don't know if this had been posted but http://rsscblog.com/2016/01/20/just-announced-125-million-renovations-aboard-the-most-luxurious-ships-at-sea/

It looks like a lot of the recent concerns will be addressed in the dry dock. I wonder if they will also work on the propellers since it's a dry dock.

Looking forward to reviews in April.

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We have sailed on Navigator twice, 2009 and 2014. I would say for me it has been our favourite Regent ship by far. We were aware of vibration in public areas but not in cabin. Yes it's in need of the refurb and it will look great going by the photos they have released. I am sure you will have a great cruise, it feels a very welcoming ship and friendly crew. Have a great time, Jean.:)

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I don't know if this had been posted but http://rsscblog.com/2016/01/20/just-announced-125-million-renovations-aboard-the-most-luxurious-ships-at-sea/

 

It looks like a lot of the recent concerns will be addressed in the dry dock. I wonder if they will also work on the propellers since it's a dry dock.

Looking forward to reviews in April.

 

What is wrong with the propellers?

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Quoted from Mikey47 -

 

"I don't know if this had been posted but http://rsscblog.com/2016/01/20/just-...-ships-at-sea/..... It looks like a lot of the recent concerns will be addressed in the dry dock. I wonder if they will also work on the propellers since it's a dry dock. Looking forward to reviews in April......."

 

The above RSSC link has been quoted/cited several times now by various posters on different threads and over several days. The article is being used (by some) as "evidence" (or perhaps just wishful thinking) that other long standing "problems" with Navigator, which have been discussed at great length over several years, will now be "addressed and fixed", once and for all. As far as I can see, this press release only discusses/touts the many cosmetic and decorative renovations and refurbishments that are to be made in public spaces and suites, during Navigator's March 31-April 13 "dry dock" period, i.e., new furniture, draperies, carpeting, flooring, wall highlights, windows, a Steinway piano, "twinkling fiber-optic stars", etc.

 

Nowhere in the cited document is there any reference to repairs/upgrades being made to ship mechanical and structural features or infrastructure such as electrical systems, power plant/props, potable water distribution, stabilizers, etc.

 

Wishing, hoping, and speculating about other additional/needed corrective actions to be accomplished during this upcoming refit/refurbishment might promote some excitement and optimism among readers, but none of those other infrastructure repairs have (yet), in actual fact, been officially announced by RSSC....and might not even be planned at all. Realistically, only so much can be done in 13 days, no matter how skilled or efficient the shipyard is and no matter how much money is devoted to the project. There has been plenty of opportunity in the past to "fix" those other things, if Regent had thought they were "priorities".

 

In actual fact, passengers just simply might not mind occasional brown water or excessive vibration/noise as much, if they have elegant furniture, new carpeting/flooring, and inlaid wall decorations to look at and enjoy. Thoughts?

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Interesting view point - we loved Navigator when we sailed on her -- it was our first Regent cruise and converted us. Yes there was vibration but only really felt it in rough seas and when reversing out of ports. I seriously doubt that will get fixed as I would imagine it's a design flaw rather than anything easily remedied.

 

I don't think Regent are going to openly say - "we will fix the brown water issues" - as this might put others off cruising on her pre dry dock, but I would hope that this is something that can and will be rectified - I honestly don't recall any issues when we were on board however, so if there were they didn't impact on our overall enjoyment of the cruise.

 

I shall provide honest feedback once we are back on there again - but that's not until September, so it will be good to get others views.

Edited by englandsrose
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