Amazon Cruise - Choosing between RSSC, Crystal and HAL

Hi all, we're trying to determine which cruise ship to take on an Amazon cruise in Nov 2018. Right now it's between the Crystal Symphony, the HAL Prinsendam and the RSSC Mariner. As far as a regular balcony suite goes, RSSC seems to have the best price even with all the excursions thrown into the deal! However, since we have never cruised with RSSC, we were wondering how enjoyable their 25 day Amazon cruise from Miami was.

- How is the food? We've cruised on Oceania's Riviera before and loved eating outside at the Terrace Café. Does the Mariner serve great food on their buffet as well or would it be better to eat in the MDR every night?

- Do they have guest lecturers on the entire cruise?

- How is the evening entertainment and shows?

- Do they have an affordable laundry service? We saw they have free self-serve machines, but who wants to do laundry when you're on a cruise.

Any thoughts will be greatly appreciated as this decision is getting tougher and tougher to make. The good news is we still have some time before the Fall 2018 cruises are posted for HAL and RSSC.

Wow! We just read some reviews regarding the Mariner's recent Alaska and South America cruises and I must say my DW and I are definitely not feeling the love, besides the fact no one has responded to this thread yet. Last March we were on one of the 5 norovirus cruises on Oceania's Riviera and will never sail with them again, but we thought we'd give RSSC a look see. However, from the recent reviews over the past year or 2, it seems their satisfied customers aren't bubbling over with praise either. I guess our decision has now been whittled down to two unless someone comes on board and tells us we've got it all wrong.

Wow! We just read some reviews regarding the Mariner's recent Alaska and South America cruises and I must say my DW and I are definitely not feeling the love, besides the fact no one has responded to this thread yet. Last March we were on one of the 5 norovirus cruises on Oceania's Riviera and will never sail with them again, but we thought we'd give RSSC a look see. However, from the recent reviews over the past year or 2, it seems their satisfied customers aren't bubbling over with praise either. I guess our decision has now been whittled down to two unless someone comes on board and tells us we've got it all wrong.

Please give us a chance!!! This is board isn't as active as some others. (unless a bunch of folks gets fired up over something.)

We're going to the Amazon in 2017 on RSSC and haven't been on your alternative lines. So really can't give you any feed back. I've been doing some research and I can't remember where I saw it but there is an active thread for the HAL ship you're considering. Hope that is somewhat helpful.

From one Alabamian to another, I can definitely say that Mariner is my favorite ship. I have never sailed Crystal or HAL so hadn't planned on posting to this thread. I have also never been to the Amazon although I hope to go some day.

Yes to lectures; great lectures as Terry Breen will probably be onboard. The ship is wonderful with great food, service, and public areas. Self service laundry is free; otherwise laundry prices aren't bad; we are Platinum so haven't paid in a while. We always used self service prior to making Platinum.

Shows are fine; never seem to make it to the shows; but the theater is fantastic as it can hold the entire ship and all seats wonderful.

Basic cabins on Mariner are great; H all the way to D are identical; I would book an H if available. I like the shower option but then again not disappointed with tub/shower combined option; to each their own.

Grand Promenade on Mariner is a great area; been my favorite for 14 years.

Any more specific questions?

Marc (in Madison)

PS Hopefully i can tip you over to Regent ;)

Regent is a "no worries" line. No showing cards, really inclusive. I hear Mariner is nice. I have only been on Voyager.

Crystal is really all inclusive too, but they are really strict on their specialty restaurants, only one time each and if you want additional it is $30 each. This kind of sticks in my craw. In addition the staterooms are very small.

We basically cruise Crystal and Oceania and will be on two Explorer cruises next year. Even though there don't be a lot of folks doing a "snoopy dance" on everything on the Explorer, it would have to go a long way to make me unhappy. I think they just refreshed Mariner, but may be wrong.

HAL, according to what I have heard, doesn't hold a candle. Also I heard they have formal nights which are strictly old timey at this point in time.

I would definitely pick the BEST ITINERARY unless there is something that one company offers which is especially attractive to you.

Hope I have helped. This is my opinion, and I am not a cheerleader for any cruise line. Good and bad features on each one.

Hi all, we're trying to determine which cruise ship to take on an Amazon cruise in Nov 2018. Right now it's between the Crystal Symphony, the HAL Prinsendam and the RSSC Mariner.

While comparing the Symphony and the Mariner is fair, as both are billed as luxury lines, the Prinsendam is not in the same class. Do you want just an Amazon cruise or do you want a luxury Amazon cruise?

P.S. While we were busy typing our reply, Caroldoll posted her feelings, and we agree with them.

I wasn't going to post either because we have not been on Crystal (and agree that it is difficult to compare a luxury cruise line with non-luxury cruise lines).

We have sailed Oceania as well as Regent and I did read about the Norovirus issues. It must have been very difficult to go through that. It is only fair to say that Crystal, Regent and most other cruise lines have been through the same thing. I just finished a long post on the "buffet" thread (same page as this thread) and made some comments about this issue.

I have been researching a Mariner Amazon cruise the past couple of weeks. One thing that I noticed is that the number of "tender ports" there are on this itinerary. For this reason, the smaller the ship, the easier it is to get to shore. While we don't care about excursions in many parts of the world, this is one of a handful of places where included excursions is a big plus on the Regent side.''

You mentioned the buffet on Oceania. IMO, while the buffet on Oceania is larger than Regent, the quality is not quite as good as Regent. While the buffet on Regent is popular in the morning and sometimes at lunch, Compass Rose (the main dining room) is so good that most people want to dine there (or in the specialty restaurants - at no cost but reservations are required). Compass Rose's new menu (not yet on the Mariner or Voyager) offers lobster, filet mignon, shrimp and a host of other delicious items every day (again, I feel the lobster on Regent is better than on Oceania).

As mentioned above, Terry Breen will likely be the guest lecturer (at least on the Amazon portion of the cruise. I am assuming that you are looking at next year's Amazon cruise. Here is a link to the identical cruise on the Regent website for this year. On the first page it indicates that Terry Breen (the best lecturer we have ever heard) as well as lecturers from the Smithsonian Institute. https://www.rssc.com/cruises/MAR161126/summary/default.aspx You can also research some excursions on this site.

Regent regular suites are considerably larger than on Crystal. I cannot speak to the food and service issues on Crystal since we have not sailed with them.

One area where Crystal has a reputation as being better than any luxury cruise line is entertainment. I assume that the service would be equally excellent on both cruise lines.

In addition to many included excursions, there is included internet (for one passenger at a time per suite).

Unfortunately, laundry is not affordable on Regent (prices similar to on Oceania) and again, I do not about Crystal.

In terms of critical reviews, many people seem to feel that Cruise "Critic" means that you should be critical of a cruise line. When we started cruising with Regent in 2004, many of the reviews were horrible (worse than now). Last year the Mariner had mechanical issue that made a lot of passengers upset (understandably) and it resulted in some bad reviews. Again, Crystal also had issues a few years ago. While these things rarely happen, cruise ships are mechanical and are not fail-proof. Although passengers were stuck in one port for about 3 days.

One more thing to keep in mind is cost. Regent includes Business Class air in addition to excursions, alcohol (top shelf) and the only time you need to show your keycard is when you board or disembark the ship (of if you buy something in the Boutique).

I know that this is a lot of information - hope it helps.

Thanks inditravler and marq. We're actually more interested in what RSSC cruisers think about the Mariner rather than their experiences with HAL or Crystal. We've traveled on 5 HAL cruises with 2 more booked in the next few months and will be sailing with Crystal next May with both cruise lines having their share of followers and praises. However, we know nothing about RSSC other than everything is supposed to be included on RSSC cruises. But we've also sailed with Oceania before and after Norwegian bought the line and there was a marked difference in the food quality and entertainment before and after the purchase. At least that was our experience on the Riviera.

For example, have you noticed any difference in the food quality, especially in the dessert area, in the MDR or in the quality of evening shows since Norwegian bought them? For example do their desserts wow you even on the evening buffet or are they just good? Do they have 2 - 3 lectures a day by professionals on the longer cruises or does the CD perform some of them? Are the evening shows entertaining or are most of them just mediocre with just 1 or 2 standouts on the entire cruise. Now, I'm not talking about large cruise ship quality, but just good quality entertainment. Also on sea days are there a lot of things to do or do you find yourself having to come up with things to keep you entertained. Also, does RSSC take hygiene seriously or is it pretty much left up to the passengers?

Sorry for having so many questions, but these are some of the things for us that make a great cruise.

- How is the food? We've cruised on Oceania's Riviera before and loved eating outside at the Terrace Café. Does the Mariner serve great food on their buffet as well or would it be better to eat in the MDR every night?

For example do their desserts wow you even on the evening buffet or are they just good?

What evening dining venue do you refer to when you speak of a buffet at night??

Ken we are just back from our 6th cruise on Mariner. We both felt service was excellent this time compared to last year.

We didn't have any long waits for food or drinks top ups. One evening service was slow in CR but possibly waiter was having a particularly busy evening, but it was not a problem.

The speciality restruants are non pay and both very good.

As already mentioned pool deck specialty BBQ and lunches are frequent and very good. We always have breakfast in the cabin so can't comment on the venues. We don't really go to the shows except for crew capers. The show lounge is very comfortable. Horizons lounge has live music and singing and dancing in the evening which we prefer to a show.

Would we cruise on Mariner again Yes we would. It's a very comfortable ship and never seems to be overcrowded on sea days, absorbs passengers well. We only book a Penthouse suite on Mariner with shower only which is plenty room for us, very comfortable.

Hope you find a cruise that suits your itinery and requirements. Jean.

We cruised the Amazon on Regent Voyager (sister ship to the Mariner) in January. We thoroughly enjoyed the cruise and the included excursions were good (bearing in mind the lack of infrastructure at a number of the stops)

Mariner is our favourite Regent ship; by the time you sail she will have been completely refurbished

We always find the food and drink on Regent to be excellent, with a selection to suit most palates and no extra charges for the speciality restaurants

There is no evening 'buffet' as such; the lunchtime buffet area is changed to a an Italian themed restaurant in the evening with waiter service for the main course offerings (buffet for starters & desserts)

Eating outside in the evening when in the Amazon is not recommended due to the various flying insects.

Yes, there will be guest lecturers on-board

Evening entertainment and shows are generally good, but not necessarily great

Efficient laundry, pressing and dry cleaning services are available........at a price. ('Affordable' is a very personal decision; and might depend on whether your booking deal includes a slug of on-board credit)

Have fun planning your cruise and making your decision as to who to sail with................and then have a great cruise :)

Ken,

I was a five star mariner with HAL and usually sailed on the Prinsendam. We enjoyed it very much. About 7 years ago I was trying to make the same decision as you are. We ended up booking Regent although we did not end up taking that voyage as it became oversold and they offerred us a deal on another cruise that we could not pass up. Seven or so years later we did the Amazon on Regent (it may have been the same voyage as Flossie but I thought it was on Mariner- we will have to compare notes in December as I believe we are on the same cruise leaving Dubai) and had a very pleasurable and relaxing cruise.

Anyway, we have sailed hundreds of nights on Regent since and we would never consider going with HAL or the Prinsendam again as much as I enjoyed them. It is a day and night comparison. Most everything is better on Regent! Much better! Shore excursions may be the exception - most cruiselines use pretty much the same excursions although I think the Regent ones are perhaps less crowded compared to non-luxury cruiseline excursions. I don't have experience with Crystal but I'm confident they offer a comparable luxury cruise experience as Regent. Having said that, I've never had a perfect cruise on any line - there are always things that could have been better but Regent is the best I've sailed on. I'm confident that the other luxury lines are exceptional as well. If you cruise and can afford it luxury cruiselines are the way to go. Since my first voyage on Regent, I have never looked back at the mainstream cruiselines.

To answer some of your specific questions:

Laundry - Affordable is a very subjective thing - it is probably overpriced but not too expensive. We get "free" (or included) laundry as we are platinum status with Regent now so I don't know the prices. I agree with Flossie - you are likely to get "onboard credit" (enhanced chance if you use a travel agent and you should) and since most everything is included on Regent, laundry is a great way to spend the credit. And while you might not fancy using the self serve machines, the laundry rooms are free, soap included, clean, have a TV in them, and are not unpleasant (I never liked them on Prinsendam ).

Entertainment - yes they have shows on several nights. Regent is changing their entertainment as the ships get refurbed so I can't say what you will experience since the Mariner will be refurbed before your trip. Reports have been mixed about the new entertainment (on the Explorer) and if the other ships get the same shows as the Explorer I will probably be underwhelmed. However, I was also getting tired of the Jean Ann Ryan shows (except for the aerialists) so who knows. The lounges usually have a piano player sometime in the evening and there is usually some dancing at some point most evenings. When not a full blown show there are often Magicians or Violinists or some other entertainment. I don't know how many of the shows will "Wow" you - I usually end up doing something other than the majority of the shows and it just depends on what you like. I have walked out on some entertainers and I've also looked forward to seeing some of the shows again. Again, what exactly the entertainment will be after the refurb is unknown (at least to me).

There are usually several lecturers on board but I'm not sure if there is more than one lecture a day. For the Amazon, one of them is likely to be Terry Breene and she is a absolute wealth of knowledge of that part of the world and gives a narration of parts of the journey (like the meeting of the waters in the Amazon). Regent also has recently started using the Smithsonian lecturers on many of their voyages.

Food is usually fairly good. Regent does not have a cafeteria buffet like HAL. The MDR is a good choice with a good menu but there are also the included specialty restaurants as well as Italian/Mediterranean themed restaurant. I echo Flossie's comments. Also, you do not get "assigned seating" - you are free to join others or eat alone if you choose and it is not assigned times either. Provides a great opportunity to meet different people every night if you wish.

While we believe we have experienced changes over time on Regent (but that is hard to ascertain because some cruises have been 21+ days and some only 10 days and the longer more leisurely cruises always seem better to us), we have not noticed any significant changes attributable to Norwegian. The jury is still out but it is important to note that the CEO of Norwegian was the CEO of Regent prior to the merger. There are many strong feelings on these boards about him but I think he would be inclined to keep the Regent style and flavor on the Regent fleet rather than adopt the Norwegian style. Just my opinion.

We, like Flossie, think the Mariner is a great ship and, for us, our favorite - we have sailed many nights on her and always look forward to another opportunity to sail on her. I especially like the relatively large amount of "common space". In the event of bad weather, this can be very important. Also, and this is important in the Amazon, the ship has good air conditioning. Maybe it has changed on the Prinsendam but it was sometimes an issue on her for us.

Whatever cruise line you decide on for the Amazon, have a great trip!

Best,

John

We did the Amazon with Regent a couple of years ago. There are more sea days than I am accustomed to, but there were a lot of fun things planned for those days. They also had some wonderful special lunch themes on the deck for sea days. We had a great time, and the Amazon is very special.

Seven or so years later we did the Amazon on Regent (it may have been the same voyage as Flossie but I thought it was on Mariner- we will have to compare notes in December as I believe we are on the same cruise leaving Dubai) and had a very pleasurable and relaxing cruise.

 

John,

You are right................it was Mariner...............must have been having a Senior Moment :eek:

Look forward to seeing you in Dubai (on Voyager??) later this year...........hope those pesky tide-tables have settled down by then :rolleyes:

The Mariner is one of our favorite ship and we have "never" had a bad meal or bad experience. I cruised with HAL once because it was a Caribbean cruise so no big deal and never again. Verandah cabins are way too small compared to Regent, food was OK not excellent a Regent, service was good, furniture was cheap looking and finally even though I'm in my 60's I've never seen so many passengers in wheel chairs or with walkers in my life. Comparing HAL to Regent is comparing apples to oranges. If you want the luxury experience and not being nickel and dimed to death....go with Regent. We have never cruised Crystal but is not totally all inclusive as Regent. I hate having to sign for drinks. We cruised Oceania and the cabins (concierge) are small than Regent's. The food in specialty restaurants was very good. I was not impressed by food in main dining room. We have never been on a tour that is too crowded. All in all, Regent is our favorite cruise line.

Have a great cruise.

Forevertravel:)

You don't sign for drinks on Crystal.

We did the Amazon on a medical mission a few years ago on the Iberostar which went deeper into the river.

Here is a short video of what of what we did and what you will see.

What great reviews!!! Thank you all! My DW and I are still concerned about sea days since there are 10 of them on this cruise. When we were on Oceania there were no scheduled activities on sea days other than daily trivia and the odd cooking demo and lecture. We spent a lot of time watching DVDs that we had brought with us. When we are on HAL there is so much to do on sea days that we have trouble fitting in everything that looks like fun. On Crystal folks are also telling us there are over 50 things to pick from every day. So, if I might ask, is Regent more like Oceania in this respect, other than they don't have DVD players in the Mariner balcony rooms) or more like HAL and Crystal?

Regent is a "no worries" line. No showing cards, really inclusive. I hear Mariner is nice. I have only been on Voyager.

 

Crystal is really all inclusive too, but they are really strict on their specialty restaurants, only one time each and if you want additional it is $30 each. This kind of sticks in my craw. In addition the staterooms are very small.

 

We basically cruise Crystal and Oceania and will be on two Explorer cruises next year. Even though there don't be a lot of folks doing a "snoopy dance" on everything on the Explorer, it would have to go a long way to make me unhappy. I think they just refreshed Mariner, but may be wrong.

 

HAL, according to what I have heard, doesn't hold a candle. Also I heard they have formal nights which are strictly old timey at this point in time.

 

I would definitely pick the BEST ITINERARY unless there is something that one company offers which is especially attractive to you.

 

Hope I have helped. This is my opinion, and I am not a cheerleader for any cruise line. Good and bad features on each one.

No more formal nights on HAL. They now have what they call "gala" nights which I think is similar to Celebrity "chic" nights.

Crystal does have formal nights. We were on Symphony last year and had three formal nights for a 2 week cruise. I can tell you that service on Crystal is exceptional, having been on the Symphony three times. Can't speak for the Serenity.

What great reviews!!! Thank you all! My DW and I are still concerned about sea days since there are 10 of them on this cruise. When we were on Oceania there were no scheduled activities on sea days other than daily trivia and the odd cooking demo and lecture. We spent a lot of time watching DVDs that we had brought with us. When we are on HAL there is so much to do on sea days that we have trouble fitting in everything that looks like fun. On Crystal folks are also telling us there are over 50 things to pick from every day. So, if I might ask, is Regent more like Oceania in this respect, other than they don't have DVD players in the Mariner balcony rooms) or more like HAL and Crystal?

I have sailed on all three lines. The Mariner is my favorite ship for it's layout.

We were on Oceania last year during the Noro Season and I have to say I would have written them off my consideration list until I found an unusual itinerary that was interesting. The ambiance of the ship was lost and the food poor because of the issues and restrictions.

I have done sea day intensive cruises on all three lines.

Oceania has fewer options during the day for entertainment but Regent's day time options are not as robust as Crystal. There are so many things to do on sea days on Crystal that you just could not do it all if you wanted.

As far as food goes, it's subjective but the food on Crystal is comparable or better to Regent. The two specialty restaurants are over the top.

The standard Crystal Cabin is smaller than Mariner but very well appointed. And there is so much to do you won't feel the need to stay in.

No more formal nights on HAL. They now have what they call "gala" nights which I think is similar to Celebrity "chic" nights.

 

Crystal does have formal nights. We were on Symphony last year and had three formal nights for a 2 week cruise. I can tell you that service on Crystal is exceptional, having been on the Symphony three times. Can't speak for the Serenity.

Just a slight correction, Crystal has BTO...black tie optional nights. Formal has been gone several years ago. You see less and less people in gowns and men in BT.

You are correct the service is excellent.

No more formal nights on HAL. They now have what they call "gala" nights which I think is similar to Celebrity "chic" nights.

 

Crystal does have formal nights. We were on Symphony last year and had three formal nights for a 2 week cruise. I can tell you that service on Crystal is exceptional, having been on the Symphony three times. Can't speak for the Serenity.

No - they no longer have Formal Nights. They are Black Tie Optional. And like Regent - Optional. I'd say less than half "dressed" beyond cocktail attire.

Just a slight correction, Crystal has BTO...black tie optional nights. Formal has been gone several years ago. You see less and less people in gowns and men in BT.

 

You are correct the service is excellent.

Yes I know it's peculiar. On their website they say BTO but when we were on the ship the program showed formal on those nights.

However, when we went into the dining room there were all kinds of dress. Saw some tuxedo's, dresses, pants outfits, some men with just a sports jacket, some with ties. Most men had no jacket and most women wore pants and dressy tops.

 

Oceania has fewer options during the day for entertainment but Regent's day time options are not as robust as Crystal. There are so many things to do on sea days on Crystal that you just could not do it all if you wanted.

Can you possibly remember some of the events Regent does on sea days as I believe this is going to be the tie breaker as right now it's down to Crystal and Regent. Formal and informal nights don't bother us, but trying to find fun things to do besides going to the daily lecture and trivia game with 10 sea days is pretty important.

For example, does the Mariner have cooking or art classes where you actually participate? Do they have bridge classes for beginners? Do they have a putt-putt golf course, croquet and/or paddle ball court on the top deck? Do they have game shows? We really don't like hanging out in the lounges as my DW doesn't drink nor do we like laying out by the pool reading a good book. We also like taking walks around the promenade deck to burn off the calories. We noticed the Mariner does not have a covered promenade whereas the Symphony does. Do they have a reasonably sized jogging track on the top deck or some other place for walkers to get some exercise as we like the fresh sea breeze and looking at the water while we walk rather than using a treadmill in the gym.

I realize I'm asking a lot of questions and we appreciate everyone's feedback so far, but enjoying the days at sea is just as important to us, especially when the Amazon ports to be visited are pretty much the same for all the cruises. By the way did I mention Regent's Amazon cruise is about $2,000 per person cheaper than either Crystal's or HAL's Amazon cruise? That is definitely a big plus in Regent's favor!

Answers embedded:

For example, does the Mariner have cooking or art classes where you actually participate? NO

Do they have bridge classes for beginners? Yes on all cruises we have been on.

Do they have a putt-putt golf course, croquet and/or paddle ball court on the top deck? Putt putt, bocce, paddle ball, golf nets

Do they have game shows? Yes, especially if Jamie is CD but all have game shows

We really don't like hanging out in the lounges as my DW doesn't drink nor do we like laying out by the pool reading a good book. In 273 nights on Regent i have laid by pool just once but always been occupied.

We also like taking walks around the promenade deck to burn off the calories. We noticed the Mariner does not have a covered promenade whereas the Symphony does. No promenade but good walking/jogging track

Always at least two lectures a day on sea days; always activities at sea; always quite a lot of folks around Garden Promenade; wine tasting; etc.

For example, does the Mariner have cooking or art classes where you actually participate? Crystal has multiple art options day time with an artist on board, needle craft, computer lessons on Photoshop or Imovie classes

Do they have bridge classes for beginners? Yes on all cruises we have been on. Regent does not on every cruise. They have play but not lessons. Crystal always has ACBL instructors and a dedicated bridge room

Do they have a putt-putt golf course, croquet and/or paddle ball court on the top deck? Putt putt, bocce, paddle ball, golf nets Crystal usually has specialty fitness and paddleball, walking on water, spin, pilates on board

Do they have game shows? Yes

Best lectures I have seen on Crystal