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Hi all. My first posting on this forum. I am a HAL cruiser with many cruises under the belt. Would like to try Regent Cruise. Can anyone tell me the pros and cons of regent compared to HAL?

 

Any other info is greatly appreciated. I know nothing at all about Regent.

 

Thanks in advance.

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Hi all. My first posting on this forum. I am a HAL cruiser with many cruises under the belt. Would like to try Regent Cruise. Can anyone tell me the pros and cons of regent compared to HAL?

 

Any other info is greatly appreciated. I know nothing at all about Regent.

 

Thanks in advance.

 

My first Regent cruise will take place this October. So while I don't have a history with the brand, I can offer you the reasons that led to my decision to book Regent over lines from the Mass Market or Premium categories.

 

1. Your fare is inclusive of beverages (with the exception of select premium wines/liquors) and specialty dining. Meaning, no constantly retrieving your room key and signing when you'd like to enjoy a cocktail or glass of wine, etc...

 

2. Excursions included in the cruise fare.

 

3. Smaller ships mean more attentive and personalized service from staff.

 

4. The many small benefits that add up sailing a Luxury line over a Premium line:

Ordering custom dishes not on the menu, appetizer portions of entrees and vice versa, suite stocked with your favorite drinks/snacks, advance spa reservations, etc...

 

5. More interesting ports- smaller ships can go to so many more places than larger ships

 

Just to name a few. You should take some time to read Regent's website. Would probably give you a better idea of what's included, the experience, etc...

Edited by towel-animal
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We cruised Regent 3 times before taking the 2013 HAL World Cruise and will never set foot on HAL ever again. Was told the crew was chosen from the creme of the crop staff and what we got was the creme of the crop, I pity those on other HAL cruises. The onboard experience is 500 times better on Regent than HAL. Would pay double for Regent on board experience compared to the don't care attitude on HAL. Hated the mandatory formal nites on HAL, none of those on Regent. Yes, some formal optional on extended cruises but, you can not dress up and not feel out of place and go anywhere on formal optional HAL cruises. Where Regent falls down and falls down hard is with Destination Services which gets bad marks on a regular basis from Regent cheerleaders, newbies and everyone else. Another failing on Regent is the home office. That said, we didn't need the HAL home office and based on other cruise lines, home offices of cruise lines have a really poor record and that's most of them. It is said you get what you pay for and if you are picky, you can find Regent cruises much below the $1K pp per day rate that some cruises are priced at, much higher than HAL but, many people leave the ship owing absolutely nothing on their on board account while that is nigh on impossible with HAL as they will nickel and dime you to death. Another annoyance with HAL is the ever present photographers who will not leave you alone no matter what you politely ask them. No photographers on Regent. On HAL, I once fell down when stepping from the pool and made a large bang within hearing of crew members and not a single crew member came over to help or ask me if I was OK. Would never happen on Regent. And the sheer numbers of people on board, 1200 on Amsterdam is fairly low for HAL but, way more than any of the Regent ships including the new Explorer. We would not go on HAL even if they comped the entire cruise and while we are currently trying several other upscale lines, but, if the home office ever gets its' act together, we would be back as Regent regulars. If you can afford the Regent fare, you will love your cruise and never go back to HAL which is dropping quickly and simply was a horrible on board experiience although glad we saw the world. You really need to experience Regent to determine for yourself which is the best fit for you. Everyone has their likes and dislikes so it is really up to you to give it a try and then decide what's next. Hope this helps,

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Rallydave, your rant had me smiling.:):D I agree with much of it except I think the ShoreEx does a good job most of the time.

 

I was a HAL client during the 90's before I discovered Regent in 2001. I never looked back. Service, food, crowds, lack of ship management concern for passengers, add on cost, are just a few of the reason HAL is permanently off our lists. I don't know of anyone who switched fro HAL to Regent that ever went back. Like is to short to save a few dollars on a cruise and come away with such poor memories.

 

J

37/563 +3 booked

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We have sailed on a smaller HAL ship for a convention. I found the dining room crowded, tables close together, once you got in your seat it was hard to leave until other people started to leave. I found the buffet very chaotic (we avoided this unless our excursion made it necessary). The crew was very professional and helpful. I ordered morning room service of coffee which always came on time. At the time HAL had on board someone to give computer classes on an upcoming windows release and always too crowded and no way to take advantage. You really noticed the crowds when it came time to leave the ship. If you should chose Regent you will definitely notice the luxury difference in almost everything.

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Here are two issues which may be relevant for you. They are certainly relevant to me.

 

1. I was with Regent (Radisson) when beverages were not all-included, and instead there were generous setups in the cabins. When they went to all-included, management said that the overall alcohol consumption on the ships didn't change very much. But the social ambience changed a lot, all for the better. The lounges became much better attended in the evenings, which made the whole social ambience much more pleasant. I sort of shudder about what an all-alcohol-included policy on a mass-market line might turn into, but on Regent it is all for the better.

 

2. Regent hires staff who like being in the service industry, and pay them a decent wage, so tipping is not part of the experience. So, the staff do not have their hands out for tips all the time, and if they do something nice for you it is not in anticipation of a tip. There is a crew welfare fund if one wants to contribute something extra: it is used for parties for the crew, and sometimes for emergencies where a family problem back home requires the staff member to fly home in a hurry. This issue with the staff also contributes to the positive ambience on the ships.

 

I"ve tried Oceania Riviera, owned by the same company, and the difference between top-tier Regent and one-tier-down Riviera were obvious, and not in Oceania's favour. For me, I was close to leaving the cruise after two days.

 

Your "mileage may vary": some adore Oceania over Regent. I'll stick to Regent (and the Paul Gauguin) for now, although we'll be giving Azamera a try in September.

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why would you sail HAL vs AZ in AU and NZ? much better on the small sip for ports.. great time going back in 2019.

 

Well Robin, I'm not sure I would, but was at least considering it, mostly for the price. I'm sure it wouldn't be a horrible experience.

 

But I too like small ships--Riviera was the largest for us, and it was too big at 1200.

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But I too like small ships--Riviera was the largest for us, and it was too big at 1200.

 

Although "size matters" there is a bit more to the equation. I was surprised to discover that I prefer Voyager to Navigator, although Voyager is larger (700 vs. 490 passengers). i'm not entirely sure why this is so.

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David, well said. I will be interested on hearing your thoughts on azamara. Since I don't follow on that board, could you give a heads up in a post here regarding that after your azamara cruise please!?

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Haven't sailed HAL but did step out of the 'Regent comfort zone' on Cunard once...and NO plans to go back. We took our first cruise ever on Regent back in 2009 and haven't looked back. We did two Regent cruises, then tried Cunard (because of a Christmas itinerary and unbelievable fares) - but when it was all said and done, we spent almost as much on Cunard as we would have on Regent, and well, frankly, it wasn't worth it. Having 2,800 passengers vs. 490 or 700 or now 750 on board is a world of difference.

 

Suffice it to say that we just finished our 6th Regent cruise with three more in the pipe. Yeah, we're hooked...

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  • 2 weeks later...

As HAL and Regent are our go-to cruise lines, I believe I can give a very unbiased and fair assessment.

 

We're value shoppers (as opposed to bargain hunters). And both lines offer solid value but for different reasons.

 

Regent is exceptional. The food is delightful. The crew wonderful. Having everything included is great -- no little scraps of paper to sign whenever you want a beverage. Also, no huge bill at the end because drinks, tips, premium restaurants, excursions, and (sometimes) wifi are included. Nothing wrong with having all suites with balconies, either. It is pretty wonderful, but people seem to be a bit dressier all the time so pack accordingly.

 

We've also had some absolutely wonderful trips on HAL. Their food is better than any other line we've been on (except Regent) -- including the oft touted Azamara. We've always had wonderful service, with every need taken care of sometimes before we knew what they were.

 

We usually just book an outside cabin on HAL (ergo the value), because DH doesn't use a balcony but loves sitting on the HAL promenades where there's the chance to talk to other passengers. (Regent suites are nicer, but we spend little time in our rooms) The on-board activities on HAL are more diverse and there are more of them. BTW, formal night has been downgraded to something vague, so no worries about that anymore. I do think the premium restaurant on HAL is lousy.

 

Neither line is great for families. I believe Regent has nothing. HAL does have kid and teen programs but on the two-week or longer cruises we prefer there are virtually no participants.

 

We've never felt crowded on any ship of either line, regardless of size (see below for details). We love them both. While the price structure for these lines is very different, we find the atmosphere and passengers to be quite similar.

 

Our upcoming cruise is our 30th anniversary. That's why it's on Regent: it's more pampering. But that isn't always our biggest consideration.

 

We're more about where the ship is headed than anything else. So when we book our SA cruise around the Cape, we'll probably go with HAL, but our west coast of Africa cruise will be Regent. All that said, we have a great time on any cruise and would go back on most lines we've tried. And we look forward to trying new ones. It's all about your expectations and your spirit.

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I forgot to address excursions.

 

We only take Regent excursions because they are included, but we have found them no better or worse than any other ship excursions we have taken (which, I admit, number about 4 in total). With Regent, we spend about 15 minutes considering and booking excursions.

 

On HAL, we figure out our own things to do -- usually with fellow CCers on the Roll Call. That means hours of researching for me. However, the results are usually far superior and far less expensive than what the ship offers, so it is worth the time.

 

But DH would curl up and die if I skipped "included" ship excursions on Regent to pay for something else. ha ha

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I forgot to address excursions.

 

We only take Regent excursions because they are included, but we have found them no better or worse than any other ship excursions we have taken (which, I admit, number about 4 in total). With Regent, we spend about 15 minutes considering and booking excursions.

 

On HAL, we figure out our own things to do -- usually with fellow CCers on the Roll Call. That means hours of researching for me. However, the results are usually far superior and far less expensive than what the ship offers, so it is worth the time.

 

But DH would curl up and die if I skipped "included" ship excursions on Regent to pay for something else. ha ha

 

Ha ha indeed, me too! Thanks for the good comparison. And even though the results of the researching can be great, it's so much easier to just spend that 15 minutes, isn't it?

 

As long-time Regent and Paul Gauguin cruisers, we have seriously considered HAL for New Zealand. Any idea which you would choose on that itinerary? I can't remember the bottom line details, but I suspect with the deals Regent has on Business Air these days, it would win out (for us).

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Ha ha indeed, me too! Thanks for the good comparison. And even though the results of the researching can be great, it's so much easier to just spend that 15 minutes, isn't it?

 

As long-time Regent and Paul Gauguin cruisers, we have seriously considered HAL for New Zealand. Any idea which you would choose on that itinerary? I can't remember the bottom line details, but I suspect with the deals Regent has on Business Air these days, it would win out (for us).

 

Are you going around NZ or to NZ? It's all so subjective. The thing is, since you love Regent, you'll likely be disappointed with HAL. It's just the nature of things.

 

Actually, we are looking at a trans-Pacific cruise to NZ on Crystal, then doing NZ via land. We either take cruises for relaxation (this upcoming one) or to check out places we're not sure about (which would be the West Africa one). That's why there are no Mediterranean cruises in our past or (probably) future. Port time is usually just too short.

 

If we were going to NZ, we wouldn't cruise (except maybe to get there). I'm a massive LOTR fan and would want to go everywhere they shot, visit WETA, etc. Plus see what normal people would want to see, too.:D

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Ha ha indeed, me too! Thanks for the good comparison. And even though the results of the researching can be great, it's so much easier to just spend that 15 minutes, isn't it?

 

As long-time Regent and Paul Gauguin cruisers, we have seriously considered HAL for New Zealand. Any idea which you would choose on that itinerary? I can't remember the bottom line details, but I suspect with the deals Regent has on Business Air these days, it would win out (for us).

 

Since I know you are trying AZ in the near future have you thought about them.thry do Sydney to Auckland or Auckland to Sydney. I loved it. Late nights and overnights.

 

I am trying Regent again for SAmerica so I am reading some of the boards . The Azamara evening was very good too.

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