juli2020
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Posts posted by juli2020
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There was a very valid reason for posting what I did but, unfortunately, I cannot explain (rules are rules). In terms of Crystal, the handful of posters on this thread that feel that this is such an important issue might want to try another luxury line. You can get "foo foo drinks" and small cabins. We all have our priorities!
BTW, you can get any fresh fruit drinks that you want at the Pool Grill during breakfast.
To tell others that you can get handcrafted/specialty cocktails (or in your words "foo foo" drinks) and small cabins on Crystal is not being truthful.
We were on the Mariner last May in a Penthouse A suite and on the Crystal Serenity last month in a Penthouse Suite. The Penthouse Suite on Crystal was a little bigger and better laid out. Plus the bathroom on the Serenity was great compared to the bathroom on the Mariner which badly needed updating. The bathroom on the Crystal Serenity had double sinks, a separate shower, a jacuzzi tub and a separate area with a door for the toilet and bidet. So I am comparing apples to apples and Crystal (Symphony and Serenity) wins over the Mariner's bathrooms in the Penthouse A. The only thing that Mariner had over Crystal was the Hermes bath products which my husband loved but from my understanding they do not offer them this year.
On another thread about the Voyager......someone mentioned that bar service on the pool deck was not great. On Crystal.....there are servers coming around the pool deck all the time asking you what you would like to drink. We found the service on both the Crystal ships to be a step above Regent.
I am no cheerleader for any cruise line but do not like it when someone posts misinformation about a cruise line that they have never sailed.
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While I do not know the answer, the first thing that comes to mind is the stability of fresh juices without preservatives on a cruise ship. OTOH, they do have fresh orange juice on the pool deck in the morning. I wonder if other luxury cruise lines use fresh lemons and limes in their cocktails. Also, can you imagine how many gallons of juice would need to be squeezed each day to make drinks? I know that when we requested Sangria for a Meet and Greet, they used fresh fruit and had to prepare it at least a day in advance (and this was for only 50 or so passengers). BTW, it was the best Sangria that I have ever tasted!
It is a good point. Perhaps someone that is familiar with storing fresh fruit on a cruise ship will chime in. IMO, having enough fresh juice for 500-700 passengers each day is simply too labor intensive.
Crystal uses fresh squeezed juices in their handcrafted cocktails......they use a muddler when adding berries, sugar, spices, herbs (mint) etc. in your drink. Crystal wins hands down with their specialty/handcrafted cocktails compared to Regent.
Plus on our last cruise in May on the Serenity....we took along our eight year old granddaughter and every night she would order a fruity mocktail that was freshly muddled with different fruits such as strawberries or raspberries.
Plus the rims of the glasses on their specialty drinks were dipped in sugar and cinnamon.
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Not to stir anything up here, but what do you think about the $350./day private Spa Retreat on the Seabourn Encore?
Anyone sailing on the Seabourn Encore can reserve one of the private cabanas (retreat) for the day no matter what type of suite you are staying in....you just have to be willing to spend $350 for the cabana.
Reminds me of Las Vegas.......and not in a good way.
All these things will dilute luxury cruising in my opinion. It is starting to blur the lines between luxury, premium and mainstream cruising.
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I know about this and dined there on our last cruise in an attempt to understand the concept . We could not be more against having this type of dining venue When we asked if we could have someone join us, the answer was no. While it was nicely decorated, it felt like we were eating in a closet. Not only do you have to walk past other diners, you enter through what looks like a wall (that opens by a pressing a button). Only guests in Grand and Master suites have access to this place.
We were the only guests in the restaurant that holds about 16-18 people. Now that more suites have been upgraded to the "Grand Suite" level, there will be more passengers permitted to dine there.
If anyone from Regent management is reading this, please considering doing away with this place (I don't even want to refer to it by name). If I wanted this type of "suite/cabin distinction", I could sail on mass market cruise lines, premium cruise lines or even Oceania.
Perhaps it can be turned into a reservation only dining venue for large parties (at no charge).
P.S. The menu is a choice from P7 or Chartreuse.
THE STUDY
The Study is the most intimate and sumptuous dining option aboard Seven Seas Explorer located on Deck 10 aft between Chartreuse and Prime 7. Offering three nightly seatings for just six privileged guests, The Study is exclusively reserved for the guests of Explorer, Grand and Master Suites, as well as the residents of the Regent Suite. For your decadent dinner, you may choose from either the menus of Prime 7 or Chartreuse. Reservations for The Study should be made directly with your personal Butler.
Shocked that Regent is doing this now......not any different than Cunard except it is still on a very small scale. Just the beginning with changing the ship to a class system.
On Oceania.....Anyone can pay to eat at La Reserve or rent Privee for the evening.....there is a difference.
Let's not conflate boarding at different times or the executive/concierge lounges on Oceania with being denied in eating at a certain restaurant on board for people only staying in the upper suites.
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As we are thinking of trying Crystal, I would like to hear from others who have cruised on both - especially recently.
The pros & cons for each cruise line as well as how they are similar and how they are different, please.
TIA
PS My search did not reveal much on this subject on these boards.
Paul,
My last Oceania cruise was in 2014 on the Marina. My last Crystal cruise was in 2015 on the Symphony. My last Regent cruise was in 2016 on the Mariner. On all three cruises we booked Penthouses.....I like space and the service that comes with having a butler.
My take on all three.....Crystal has the best enrichment program and included computer classes compared to the other two lines. There is so much more to do on a sea day on Crystal. We had former Senator Alan Simpson and former Secretary of Transportation (under Bush) /former Secretary of Commerce (under Clinton) Norman Mineta do numerous lectures and a round table on our cruise. No other line has this caliber of enrichment speakers and we have done over 30 cruises on many cruise lines.
Crystal's specialty restaurants are excellent. I know they charge for a second visit but it is easy to get into the specialty restaurants compared to Oceania unless staying in an Oceania Suite (2013) where we could eat in the specialty restaurants every night if we chose to.....On Regent....we could not eat in the specialty restaurants more than once.
Even though the Crystal Symphony is an older ship....it is being kept up. The bathroom in the Penthouse was like brand new with double sinks, jacuzzi bath tub and a separate shower. I thought the decor in the suite was very nice.
The "O" ships are beautiful ships but the service doesn't quite equal Crystal's. The lido buffet on the Symphony out does Oceania's Terrace buffet in selection and service. Plus the Bistro was a nice plus on Crystal.....a nice selection of food and a great coffee Bar. Crystal also has a movie theater plus the show room.
My husband and I do not care for the "R" ships on Oceania.
With regards to Regent....we found the Penthouses dated and the bathroom small and not to our liking. Not much different than Oceania except more stuff is included such as tips, alcohol, and excursions on Regent.
The only way to know if you will like Crystal is to try it. My only suggestion is if you are used to staying in a Penthouse on the "O" ships....stay in a Penthouse on Crystal. I did look at the veranda staterooms on the Symphony.....our friends were in one....they are small but well appointed and the bathroom was small but well appointed also. I would not be a happy camper as to the size. But if you are used to staying in a veranda cabin on the "R" or "O" ships....I don't see much of a difference.
In regards to assign seating at dinner on Crystal....we did not have an issue at all. We got to know our servers and saw it as a plus not a minus. We usually eat at 8:30PM.
On Crystal....the excursions were a lot less compared to Oceania. In Asia we took many excursions on Crystal and they were well run. We did not feel comfortable going on our own.
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According to the crew on this cruise, this is a new rule. There were lots of other people besides me who had been there before and been closer who were disappointed.
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
Rachel,
Someone just posted a review of their cruise to Alaska on the Oceania board during the same time frame as your cruise.
"We were at the Glacier from 12 – 2 pm.
The Captain turns the port-side of the ship towards the glacier for 30 mins & then the starboard side for 30 mins.
We were so close & there was so much calving...it was breath-taking".
As I stated in a previous post:We got up very close to the Hubbard Glacier on the Regatta (Oceania) in 2014 and spent a few hours at the Glacier. Don't think that the rules have changed. We have never gotten close to the Hubbard Glacier on either of our two Regent cruises to Alaska.
Either the crew on the Mariner were misinformed or not telling the truth.
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Because I have travelled with several lines, i.e. Silversea, Seabourn and Regent, I do read the threads on each with interest.
I have to say that I find the Regent fans much more likely to be dismissive and sometimes positively rude about adverse comments on Regent than you ever see from the devotees of Silversea or Seabourn.
I agree.....We have sailed on all the luxe lines and do not see the dismissive and rude comments on other boards if you post anything negative. After all this is Cruise Critic not a fan page for Regent.
One thing I forgot to mention on our May 8-18 cruise to Alaska.....the passengers next door to us had a bunch of silver magnets posted all over their door given to them by Regent. It showed all of their many cruises on Regent. We thought it was very tacky...something you don't expect to see on a luxury ship.
People passing by their door would look and just shake their heads and laugh.
We were on the pool deck and there weren't many suites on our deck. Why the need to do this is beyond me. I have never seen this on any other luxe or premium line.
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As Jackie pointed out, if you mean the specialty restos on Regent, then they ask for your number to be fair, and to be able to get in touch if you're a no-show. I have *never* been asked for my room card or number in the non-reservation restaurants like Compass Rose.
As for key cards, yes, they are coloured by loyalty tier. Not sure if it makes a difference at all, since you are so rarely asked to show your card.
I believe that status on Regent is somewhat less important than on Oceania, but agree that neither line has much in the way of classism. And the only lines (or crowding) that we experienced on Oceania was at the bars during happy hour!
Wendy,
We were a party of four traveling together. We were always asked for our suite numbers in Compass Rose (dinner). I saw other passengers being asked for their suite numbers also in Compass Rose.
This had nothing to do with the specialty restaurants.
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I do feel that there is a "class system" on Oceania but less than on main stream cruise lines. We are not concerned about benefits afforded to passengers in upper suites - only in things that are visible to other passengers.
Before even arriving at the ship we knew that there were different boarding times based on your stateroom/suite. While some people have boarded the ship before their assigned time, I cannot understand why there needs to be early boarding at all. Note: I understand that this is not necessarily "visible" to other passengers...... unless there are people sitting and waiting and you get to bypass them because of your status. When you arrive to board the ship there are separate lines for different categories. IMO, boarding should be first come, first served.
The lounges are clearly another indicator of "differences". The lounges have glass doors so people look into where they cannot enter.
The card key to your room is another indicator. Anyone that swipes your card knows the type of stateroom/suite you are in. I am not saying that this will affect the way you are treated, however, I question the necessity of everyone knowing this information in the first place.
Despite the above, we have had two very good cruises on Oceania and would pick Oceania over the competition (Azamara and Viking Ocean).
Jackie,
We just came back from a ten night Alaskan cruise on Regent Seven Seas (Mariner) and there was quite a line to board in San Francisco and we were the only ship at this pier.
Spacing out the boarding makes more sense to me and it is not a class thing....just prevents long lines.
In regards to the two lounges on the Riviera/Marina....anyone not staying on those two decks would have no reason to pass the lounges.
Since you are a frequent Regent cruiser....maybe you know the answer....why the need to always ask our suite numbers when going to any of the dinner venues on board the Mariner? We and the party we were traveling with were both in a Penthouse A suites and always seemed to get good tables for the four of us. I got the impression that they put you in certain areas depending on your suite location.
All the key cards are not the same color either on Regent.
Even on luxury lines...the more you pay the more amenities you get.
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May 26,2016--cruising to Hubbard glacier
The seas continue to be totally smooth and calm. Another bright sunny day with temps in the low 60s and minimal breeze. We were on open ocean until about noon. Lots of people were out on the decks, walking on the track and enjoying the sun. They even put water in the pool, though I didn't see anyone swimming. There were lots of activities scheduled-bingo, wine tasting, lectures, cooking demo. Or you could just relax and enjoy the fresh air.
We had lunch in CR for the first time this trip. They again had fresh salmon and halibut on the menu in addition to the regular offerings.
After lunch, we started seeing land ahead with Hubbard glacier far in the distance. No trouble seeing it this visit due to weather, though we didn't nearly as close up to it as I remember on the previous trip. That was over 10 years ago, so I am thinking it is probably some sort of potential liability issue now. There are a lot more rules than there were back then.
There was a special event for Gold, Platinum and Titanium passengers where we could go out on the deck space at the front of the ship on deck 7. 'T go.They had crepes Suzette, apple strudel and a chocolate fountain. The weather was perfect, but we were too far from the glacier to see any calving or real detail. George was really disappointed.
A win for us at trivia with a perfect score. Tied for first with two other teams, which tells me the questions were too easy, particularly since I knew all but 2 right off the top of my head.
Tonight was captain's welcome which we never attend as it is just too crowded. Dinner in Prime 7 was delicious, but just too slow. A long wait between the salads and main course. My lamb was perfectly prepared however.
Due to the slow meal in prime 7, the show was half over by the time we finished, so I didn't go.
BYW, for the first time the whole cruise, the Internet was off, from the time we left the glacier until sometime during the night. Also no ship to shore phone. I talked to Davor about of it, and it has to do with the heading of the ship being such that the smoke stack of the ship blocked the satellite receiver with us being so far north.
We got up very close to the Hubbard Glacier on the Regatta (Oceania) in 2014 and spent a few hours at the Glacier. Don't think that the rules have changed. We have never gotten close to the Hubbard Glacier on either of our two Regent cruises to Alaska.
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I'll bite, again. Regent tipping policy is a suggestion, not a rule. No smoking is a rule not a suggestion. If Regent wanted a no tipping rule then they would just tell their crew members not to accept tips. Or they could clear it up by saying "No tipping allowed."
We have gone down this path before; I tip extra most of the time. I wouldn't or couldn't ever do the hours of work the crew put in, particularly the cabin and wait staff. A few extra dollars in their pocket is just really not a big deal to me.
j
With regards to tipping....if no tipping is Regent's policy then the staff receiving the tips would say " I can not accept the tip". I did not see this happening on this Regent cruise or on our prior cruise on Regent. People will tip if they want to and it happens on all the luxury lines regardless if the tips are already included.
My impressions: May 8-18 on the Mariner
We just got off the Mariner. We have been on two Regent cruises now. Both cruises we had a penthouse A on the pool deck. The other ship was on the Navigator back in 2011.
Thought the food, service and butler were very good. The public lounges were very nice. Found the Mariner much more spacious than the Navigator.
The penthouses A was a nice size but the decor was very blah and needs an update. I was under the impression that the penthouses had been updated recently on the Mariner. The bathroom was very small and dated. We had a tub/shower combo with the dreaded shower curtain. The other couple we were traveling with took a Penthouse A with just the walk in shower. Wasn't impressed with their bathroom either. The one nice feature of the penthouse was the L-shape couch.
The bath products that Regent gives you are very generous.
I just don't find that much difference between Regent and Oceania except one is all inclusive and the other is a la carte. The food and service in Compass Rose and the buffet are a step above Oceania.
We were on the Crystal Symphony last April in a penthouse....it was a little smaller than the penthouse on the Mariner but the decor was beautiful and the bathroom was much larger and great....looked brand new with a separate jacuzzi bath tub, separate shower and double sinks. The Symphony is an older ship but it has been updated to look like new when it comes to the suites/bathrooms.
Where Crystal shines over Regent is their excellent service, decor of the suites, enrichment programs, computer classes, and their buffet in the lido with many more choices than on Regent. Assigned seating at dinner on Crystal is a turn off for many people. The one thing I did noticed on Regent....on some nights there was a line to get into Compass Rose...On Crystal with assigned seating there weren't any lines to get into their main restaurant. Just an observation...nothing more.
There are always going to be pro's and con's with every line.
We have been to Alaska many times and find the scenery beautiful. We were not able to get close to the Hubbard Glacier on the Mariner or on the Navigator. We have been up very close to the Hubbard Glacier on the Regatta (Oceania) back in 2014. We have sailed up to Alaska on Silversea (2009 and 2012) and got up very close to the Sawyer and Dawes Glacier. So it wasn't a big deal for us not to get close to the Hubbard Glacier this time. If this was your first time cruising to Alaska....it would have been a disappointment not to get up close to the glacier.
We did take one paid excursion in Wrangell that was excellent.....Went up the Stikine River to Shakes Lake to see the Shakes Glacier in a small jet boat. Was a lot of fun and got very close to the Shakes Glacier. I would highly recommend this excursion if you are going to Wrangell.
Overall the cruise was very enjoyable.
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For NO other reason than “what we can afford” and “where we wanted to go” we have decided on a Regent cruise in 2016 rather than our dearly loved Crystal.
MIAMI TO BARCELONA
CELESTIAL CROSSING | 14 NIGHTS | DEPARTS MAR 17, 2016
We are staying in a Master Suite. #901 on the Navigator.
And our questions are these:
1.) Have we made a mistake?
2.) How will Regent compare to Crystal?
3.) What if anything should we be forewarned about regarding Regent?
4.) How will the Navigator compare to the Symphony (we have not sailed on Crystal Serenity)?
5.) Navigator is going into dry-dock immediately after our cruise. Is that a concern?
6.) If you have sailed both lines, what would YOU say are the main differences?
7.) What are some special secrets we should know to make our cruise on the Navigator better?
8.) Should we ask for a specific butler?
Thank you, any and all of you, who will answer these questions. I'm sure there will be LOTS more before we sail.
:D:D:D,
Scott
Scott,
I have been on the Navigator in a Penthouse (I know it is the same size suite as the lower suites but we picked a PH for the location-pool deck and butler service) and we have stayed in a Penthouse on the Crystal Symphony.
My experience: Crystal Symphony surpassed the Regent Navigator in terms of service, food, (specialty restaurants/The Bistro/Lido Cafe), decor, entertainment, computer classes, enrichment, the different lounges, staff, and the Lido crew.
I was on the Navigator after one of their dry docks...the ship/suite/bathroom felt dated.
The Crystal Symphony on the other hand was in pristine condition and the lounges were not crowded compared to the the few lounges on the Navigator.
I have been on other small luxury ships and they were great. (Silver Cloud, Seabourn Legend, and the Paul Gauguin). Those three small ships never felt crowded like the Navigator did.
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Interesting comments about Hong Kong. This made me remember that a lot of food was not permitted on board in Brazil. The Executive Chef was having a heck of a time getting fresh veggies and fruit during our multiple stops in Brazil. He talked to passengers about I during the galley tours. Obviously this was not Regent's fault either but it did not stop us from missing some necessary ingredients in salads.
The question still has not been answered regarding whether or not there was an alternative Sauvignon Blanc on board. It is also important to note that Crystal did not have Sancerre either. Sometimes when you are traveling the world there are items that are difficult to get. There is really no place to put the blame..... but, IMO, blame is not the issue -- it would have been nice for the passengers if their preferred wines had not run out.
I never said that Crystal did not offer Sancerre!
As I posted in a previous post: Sauvignon Blanc was available every day/night on Crystal.
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Suggest that you ask this question on the other luxury cruise lines (specifically Crystal, Seabourn and Silversea). It has been our experience that Regent always has Sauvignon Blanc.
We are booked on the November 2016 TA crossing and are not at all worried about this issue. Also, it would surprise me if this cruise was not fully booked in the near future. A friend of ours booked that cruise this week and was unable to book the suite that they hoped to book.
flossie009 wrote: But for us white wine drinkers............
Last year we bemoaned the fact that New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc had been removed from the complimentary wine list. Now on this voyage they have managed to run out of Chilean Sauvignon Blanc, Sancerre and Californian Sauvignon Blanc......!!!
Gilly wrote:When Voyager left Hong Kong, we were told that the HK customs decided to "reinterpret the rules", possibly in the hope of what we in the UK might call a back hander. As I understand it, that's not the way Regent does things and as a result, quite a few crates of alcohol were left there. For much of our cruise (HK to Singapore), there was no Sancerre but thankfully, there were other choices
Crystal did not have this problem. Sauvignon Blanc was available every day/night. We left Hong Kong on April 11 on the Crystal Symphony.
There are no cost cutting complaints about Crystal.
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Once you have to pay in full, there will be no refunds from O. This just happened to us. They discounted our cruise and offered more OBC than we were originally offered. When TA asked O what they could do for us, we were offered an upgrade to a higher category. But this offer doesn't come close to the amount discounted plus the perks.
I don't remember this much "play" going on with O before they were acquired by Norwegian. I don't like these games. Really not fair to the person who booked early.
I told DH that I don't want to book anything early again - just wait for the reduced rates! This is our 13th cruise with O but we'll be considering other cruise companies now.
This happened to us on our last cruise on the Marina. Several months before final payment was due Oceania was offering much lower fares to certain travel agencies in Los Angeles. We could not get the new fare. We were going with another couple and we both had booked suites. There were still suites available in our category.
Then to make matters worst...when I got to Amsterdam....I pulled up Oceania's website and found out that the European market fares were half compared to what the passengers in the U.S. were paying in all categories including the Owner's suite. We always do our own air as we book with miles so I was comparing apples with apples when comparing the fares. I even copied several other cruises months out so I could compare the fares when I got back home. The fares were half compared to what was offered to the U.S. market. Plus I subtracted the airfare in the U.S. so I could compare yet again apples to apples.
We got tired of the games Oceania was playing and decided to try Crystal this year. It was refreshing that Crystal did not play these games. Crystal has now set the bar high for us in regards to service, food, enrichment, entertainment, decor etc.). The fixed seating was not a deal breaker for us as we usually eat at 8:30PM. Plus the dress code was not much different than Oceania except for two nights where people dressed up....not much different than going to La Reserve where most men had on a blazer with a tie. The Crystal Symphony might be 20 years old but was in pristine condition. It is a beautiful and classy ship. The staff/crew knew our names by the second day and this was our first cruise on Crystal.
Plus the up sells, down sells, move over offers that Oceania offers in my opinion cheapens the experience.
When we first started sailing with Oceania.....the fares would only go up....never down as you got closer to your sailing date.
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I have hundreds of nights on SS. Though I do not feel unsafe on SS ships (apart from possible sanitation matters), I too have looked elsewhere in the luxury category. The ships are a bit run down, in my opinion. Food and beverage quality has clearly declined in the past several years. This is not, I feel certain, a problem with staff: Instead, it's a problem with the ingredients, cuts of meat, etc., that are provisioned.
Much is made of the "addition" of butlers. It's really a matter of recostuming, I think. There used to be a housekeeper and an assistant. Now there's a housekeeper and a butler. I have had several very unsatisfactory experiences with butlers -- especially as they are responsible for delivering on time all of the room service meals in their area at nearly the same time on port days.
As you could see, I have been a SS booster/defender over the years. Now, however, you ask for an honest opinion: Mine is, look elsewhere.
My husband and I sailed on the Shadow in 2012 and found it run down/shabby since our last time sailing on the Shadow in 2009.
The first thing we noticed was the water carafes (chilled tap water) in the suites in place of bottles of water. Something you do not expect to see on a luxury cruise line.
Everything else was not up to par (food, service) with our previous cruises on SS.
We haven't been back since our last cruise. I still follow the SS boards and it looks like the Shadow has not been redone and it was showing it's age in 2012.
We cruised when everyone did not have a butler on SS and we found that the butlers on SS are just glorified room stewards.
Been on the other luxe lines and you do not see a butler making the bed or cleaning the bathroom.
Just got off our first Crystal cruise and the ship is 20 years old and is in pristine condition. We knew about the small window/veranda staterooms and so we took a Penthouse so we could compare apples with apples after sailing on Seabourn, SS and Regent.
Crystal exceeded our expectations (food, service, enrichment etc.) and we will be back.
It is too bad that SS is not keeping up their ships.
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People have already posted here that there are cruises that are being offered to UK residents at less than 50% of the price being charged to Americans. Exactly what type of investigation is necessary? It is not comparing apples to oranges, - the EXACT same cruise with the same benefits and inclusions is being offered to the UK market at a substantial discount. Most of us who are regular readers and posters understand that you do not like to read these things because anything negative written against Regent causes you to immediately respond with some type of excuse, most of the time indicating that the OP or others must be wrong.
No further investigation is necessary.
gnomie :)
Gnomie,
Last Sept.(2014) my husband and I and some friends were on a very popular Amsterdam-Barcelona cruise on the Marina. We both had suites....our friends took one of the owner's suite.
I was able to get on the Oceania European website while in Amsterdam and saw the fares that were offered to the European market was half to what was offered to the American market minus the airfare. We never use the included (not free) airfare as we have lots of miles. So I was comparing apples to apples.
All the perks were the same except for the included airfare.
All the suites/cabins were half price. We were not pleased at paying double compared to what the passengers in Europe were paying.
We always take our laptop with us so I had the U.S. fares for my cruise on my computer.
This had nothing to do with the cruise not selling well.
I also compared some other future cruises and the fares were half also. I had copied a couple of future cruises while I was in Europe and was able to compare those same cruises when I got back to the U.S.
This has nothing to do with the different sales/perks that are offered to the U.S. market if the cruise is not selling well.
Regent seems to be doing the same thing as Oceania offering fares that are a lot less to the European market.
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Okay -- let me state some facts. Yes -- I did tour the upper suites in June ..... of 2013. Fact #2 -- we paid full price for this suite -- no upsell. In fact, I posted that we paid around $24K which, for a suite on this caliber would easily be 2 1/2 to 3 times the cost on Regent. Actually, upsells of the top three suites on Oceania are very rare as they sell out months in advance.
Yes -- this ship is the most luxurious we have sailed on. However, Mr. Del Rio has repeatedly said Oceania is a premium plus cruise line. The difference, IMO, would be that luxury cruise lines do not typically have inside cabins. If this were built as a luxury cruise ship, my guess is that it would be all suites with the smallest suite being perhaps 300 sq. feet. Also, not everyone loves the "feel" of the Riviera. Many Oceania customers prefer the smaller Oceania ships. We love the country club feel of Regent. Everyone has different tastes. My tastes look lean towards Regent more than Oceania but this does not mean I cannot appreciate this beautiful ship.
Quick comment about the mosquitoes that Poss referred to. No -- nothing discussed on the ship at all. The biggest "threat" is in St. Barts -- a port where we already planned to stay on the ship
Food explanation next.
We have been offered very reasonable up sells to either an Owner's Suite, Vista Suite or Oceania Suite in 3 out of 5 cruises (the last one was on a 12 night European cruise-Sept. 2, 2014). All the cruises have been at least 10 days. We always book a PH.
Plus we travel with another couple who have been offered the up sells to the larger suites also.
When we first started sailing on the "O" ships in 2012.....the larger suites did sell out fast. But not so in 2013 and 2014. We took two cruises on Oceania this year and were offered up sells to the larger suites.
I would take an Owner's suite except there will be some vibration. Our friends did take an up sell on deck 8 and experienced vibration but the suite was gorgeous.
I like the location of the Oceania Suites on deck 12. You are close to an elevator or stairs and you are very close to the pool area. When we had rough seas....we felt very little movement on deck 12. Plus the veranda is usable while at sea even in rough seas.
In my opinion the Vista Suites are too far forward and you will feel more movement even on deck 8 or 9. Plus if you do not use the exercise room...it is a waste of space. While you are underway....the veranda is totally useless as it gets windy and they have to tie down the furniture.
Up sells to the larger suites are not rare at all. Maybe at one time when the fares were lower they were...but not now.
I do agree with you about the Terrace Cafe...not a favorite of ours either. The food in La Veranda on Regent was better.
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Yes, PG and Windstar were top of the line experiences ten years ago, but both of those Lines have aged out of the luxury marketplace, because they haven't invested in new ships.
This is particularly true in the Tahiti realm, because it takes Warren Buffet money to keep a "beach-house" pristine beyond the first ten years.
You also wrote in another post:
2014 reviews on Cruise Critic are mostly glowing, but also reference serious issues such as moldy smelling cabins (an ongoing issue which seemingly cannot be corrected), spotty air conditioning (which would completely ruin a Polynesian cruise for me), and an ongoing problem with the stability of the ship (this often becomes the case with aging cruise liners).
One review, indicates that the popular stern marina was not deployed for at least one entire cruise, while another points out continuing issues with diesel exhaust fumes and soot on the passenger decks; if that does not smack of operational problems, I don't know what does.
It's one of those sad but true ironies about running a shipping concern in that part of the Pacific that provisioning and maintaining the ship to American standards is so expensive that building up a reserve for new tonnage is nearly impossible. Therefore, they run the old ships on and on and on...
I have an inkling that is why Regent sold the PG in the first place.
You seem to know so much about the Paul Gauguin but have yet to sail on her.
My husband and I sailed on the Paul Gauguin in 2012 right after they totally redid the ship. It is a gorgeous ship and a luxury experience. The ship was in perfect condition and the service was amazing. On that ship...when you embark....you are greeted and escorted to your stateroom/suite. If we were going back to French Polynesia....the P.G. is the way to go. I can't imagine sailing on a ship with 1200 passengers in French Polynesia.
Plus the Paul Gauguin has a shallow hull and can get much closer to the islands to anchor than a larger ship such as the Marina. Their inclusive beach day on a private motu is similar to what Seabourn does in the Caribbean.
The Paul Gauguin ship's excursions were very reasonable and the groups were very small.
My husband went scuba diving with the dive team on the P.G. right off the marina on the back of the ship.
Speaking of older ships....Crystal has two older ships and seems to win all the top awards year after year in all the travel publications and the Berlitz's Complete Guide to Cruising gives it top ratings along with the Europa 2. Same can't be said about Oceania.
Sailed on the Regatta in June after the redo and was not impressed at all. The public rooms were nice but the Penthouse Suites were not up to par. We were a family of 7 and had taken a few suites. The bathrooms were overlooked in the redo. There was black crud around the tub which was gross. The track on the veranda doors were corroded and had black crud also. Some of the drawers and closet doors were broken. Butler service was a joke. A luxury experience not.
The service and food were below the standard that we are used to.
We had problems with the air conditioner when we first sailed on the Regatta in 2009 in the Caribbean.
Never had an issue on the Paul Gauguin with the air conditioner.
We have sailed on Oceania five times and have enjoyed sailing on the Marina and Riviera.
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My experience within the public health field and dealing with the early stages of an epidemic in the US lead me to be very sympathetic with the concerns expressed here. That is why I have posted more in this thread than usual.
Epidemics affect populations in ways that go far beyond the effect of the disease on the individuals directly infected. To continually try to convince people based on tidbits from the internet that their concerns are over-blown or unwarranted or otherwise unjustified can be very demeaning and disrespectful. Tidbits from here and there do not negate the serious, real concerns that individuals and public health officials have.
Public health officials are caught in many dilemmas during epidemics. The best approach to stopping the spread of disease, for example widespread restrictions of one kind or another, may carry huge economic, political, or personal side-effects than can't be wholly justified. So officials try to balance what they know with what they don't know and only impose restrictions that can be reasonably justified based on the latest info about an epidemic.
Many of the knowns may change in a few days. Epidemics may spread quickly and sometimes in erratic ways. My guess is that public health officials would prefer that all non-essential travel to endemic and nearby areas be stopped in the case of ebola, but they can't justify that based on what they actually know at this time. One test in an epidemic is to ask officials privately if they would tell a family member to do something and see what they say. They may be far more cautious than public announcements suggest.
Passengers on Regent are justified in not wanting to go to Senegal, even if the risk can only be said to be slight or non-existent today. This is a vacation. It is non-essential travel. Who needs this kind of worry, made worse by a cruise line that can't be bothered to respond to its customers and posters who subtly or not so subtly belittle their concerns.
Telling people that they are not open to other views seems harsh and untrue to me. Who on this board wishes to not hear that things are fine? What they want is for a public health official who is familiar with the situation on the ground to tell them good news without a bunch of qualifications like porous borders and high risk of transmission. What I assume they don't want is for a non-health professional Regent cheerleader to repeatedly tell them everything is fine and seemingly imply they are deficient for not believing that--or speaking for myself that is what I don't want because things are not fine.
+1
The poster that you are referring to doesn't seem to get it. Threads get closed or posts get deleted on the Regent board more often than not because of her.
She needs to give this a rest and not try to persuade the passengers that are booked on this cruise that their concerns are unwarranted.
This is Cruise Critic not a fan page for Regent.
Responder and others booked on this cruise have every right to post their concerns on this forum.
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After sailing exclusively with Holland America for many years we tried Crystal just before discovering Oceania.
Their ships are beyond immaculate, and the public rooms are lightfilled, airy and generally stunning.
Once on the ship, we found the service to very attentive. So attentive, in fact, that it sometimes bordered on the odd. As an example, we had a cabin attendant who had his assistant scrub our veranda floor -on her hands and knees-, for a solid hour on every blessed morning of the voyage. We never DID find out what all that scrubbing was supposed to be in aid of.
The staff on Oceania ships have a much younger, "California" vibe IMHO, and it carries over into all aspects of the service and the general ambiance of the ships.
After finding Oceania, we also realized that Crystals' choice of stateroom and Suite layouts is pretty darned basic. Four layouts make up the entire stock of cabins; Veranda, Penthouse, Penthouse Suite and Crystal Penthouse. On the Symphony, the ship on which we sailed, there were no forward or aft facing suites or cabins - a huge design omission on a so called luxury ship!
The Specialty Restaurant system does not carry over into In Suite dining on Crystal, so we feel that the whole idea is much better handled by Oceania.
The one area where Crystal has a distinct edge is in the variety and quality of live evening entertainment, with the exception of Crystal Cove, their piano bar, which was just plain bad.....think karaoke singalong
Things have changed since you last sailed on Crystal:
We are sailing on Crystal in April:In the Penthouse, Penthouse Suite or CP
Personal Butler Service:
In-suite afternoon tea service
In-suite pre-dinner cocktail and gourmet canapé service
In-suite dining, including menus from Silk Road and Prego, served by course
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Dlouise,
Oceania is an Adult oriented cruise line. It is not designed for 5 and 6 year old kids. For the sake of the many passengers on Rivera do them and the many passengers who do not want to deal with them and their parents a favor-cruise with those 5 and 6 year old children on Disney. Leave Oceania to the adults. Thank you.
You do not get to decide whether one should bring their children or grandchildren on Oceania. Oceania allows children....plain and simple.
Maybe you should look for another cruise line that does not allow any children on board along with Noxequifans.
The staff and crew were wonderful to the children on board the June 7 sailing on the Regatta. The cruise director set up a meet and greet(ice cream social) with the Captain for all the children on board.
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There are specific cruises that are setaside for specific groups, singles, families, children, adventurers etc. Oceania is set aside for adults.
Taking kids on such an adult ship is like boys being signed up to join Girl scouts. You can do it I suppose but is it productive?
With so many choices and options choosing Oceania is clearly without care for the feelings of others. Respect goes both ways and clearly a family from 5 years to older should have had the manners to respect that.
Adults need their space
Seeing a 5 year old being introduced to fine dining is laughable....kids need to be kids not little adults.
Thrusting them into inappropriate environments is the fault of the parents who fail to grasp the reality of what they are doing and the disservice to the child or children as well as those forced to endure them.
You show such disdain towards well behaved children.
Just got off the Regatta with my well behaved 7 year old grandchild. There were 14 children on board and all were well behaved except for another multi-generation family that Laraine seemed to have the pleasure of running into them.
Not all children need children's programs, babysitters, a pool for children etc.
There are children that enjoy playing bingo, trivia and chess as my grandson did.
When my children were young my husband and I took them on many cruises and land trips in Europe that did not have children's programs.
The staff and crew on Oceania were wonderful to the children on board. If Oceania really does not want children on board...there would be a policy in place.
The cruise director arranged for an ice cream social with the Captain for all the children on board.
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Just got back from the Venice to Rome cruise , lovely , great ship and fantastic crew. Although one wonders how the crew some times puts up with the odd extremely rude and arrogant passenger !
A few observations about the ship
1) sat internet is extremely slow
R 2) Room and bed (PH suite) comfortable
3) very well looked after by the butler and maid
4) food was of a very high quality
5) preferred the. Toscana restaurant over polo , I think polo is to similar to the main dinning room fare prefer to see something more like Jacques or Red Ginger as the other option
6) the coffee bar is nice , but it's location is poor , it's just sort of plonked in a corridor leading to the main dinning room , with little or no separation and identity
7) our balcony needed some TLC, the teak deck needed re-sanding and re-caulking , the paint around the deck was in poor condition , the teak hand rail needed re-sanding and re-varnishing
8) the lock plate and bottom tracks of the balcony door were corroded , dirty and in need of attention [/b]
9) wardrobe door catches and the door operation was a bit hit and miss ! Felt like you might land up with the door in your hand after opening [/size]
10) would be nice to have one UK 240volt socket for chargers etc to avoid the necessity of adapters
11) TV is of poor quality and the menus for picture adjustment locked , our TV was in dire need of adjustment , but to be honest just couldn't be asked to get it sorted as we didn't watch it much
12) thought films in this day and age would be on demand rather than by DVD player
13) the TV if pulled out to watch it in bed would present a sharp corner , the wife managed to collide several times with it
14) the wash basin tap needed to have the pressure reduced as if one forgot and turned it on fully you landed up soaked as the water rushes in one side out the front and all over you , we did ask to have this sorted but I think the reception staff couldn't get their head around the problem result in shower pressure being reduced , we lived with it in the end and became used to it
15) the lift/elevator interiors are a bit shabby , the brass hand rails look like after thoughts of poor quality and are all loose , the operating panels look like dogs breakfast of numerous revisions and up grade over years , some of the buttons are missing legends , and some do not illuminate
16) brass staircase handrails need a good application of Brasso and some el bow grease
17) Despite Oceania,s best endeavour s to get passengers to disinfect their hands before entering restaurants etc it was amazing to see a number of passengers making deliberate efforts to avoid this requirement
18) I thought the cost of shore excursions was extortionate and to my mind without justification
Non the,less an excellent cruise and lovely staff and fellow passenger , would return again.
We just got off the Regatta on Tuesday.
We had a couple of Penthouse Suites on deck 8. We were a party of seven. We took our 7 year old grandson with us and he was very well behaved.
The Penthouse Suites were not nearly as nice as the Penthouse Suites on the Riviera/Marina. I am not even sure why they are caused suites on the "R" ships.
Not even in the same class.
Bathrooms: The caulking was disgusting all around the bath tub. There was black crud around it. We asked for the caulking to be replaced and it was replaced in only one of the suites after four days.
The cabinetry: Some of the drawers were coming apart, one of the closet doors was warped and you could not close it. When it was rough....the door made a lot of noise. This wasn't addressed during our cruise in any of the suites.
Veranda: The track from inside and outside was corroded and needed to be either cleaned or painted....there was a lot of black crud and it was not pleasant to look at. In one of the suites...it was very hard to open and close the veranda door.
Oceania should have addressed these issues in dry dock.
Specialty Restaurants: Food came cold. Food was not great in either of the restaurants this time. We never went back to Toscana.
The Terrace: The service was not up to par this time. You had to ask someone to clear your dishes if you wanted to go back for something else.
Dishes were not labeled as prior cruises. Went there once for dinner and did not go back.
The salad selections were poor.
We had most of our dinners in the main dining room where the service was excellent and the food came hot.
TV: The "R" ships should have movies on demand like they have on Regent. Poor selection of movies and TV channels. They did not even have CNN. The TV's were small and not good quality.
The staff and crew around the ship were excellent. Our room stewardess was excellent. The butler tried his best.
I would not sail on the "R" ships again. We were offered an up sell to an Owner's Suite and I am glad that we did not take it. One night...there seemed to be a lot of vibration in the back. I would not take a Vista Suite either on a "R" ship as when the seas are not calm...you would really feel the movement in the front of the ship on the "R" ships. So if we sail on Oceania in the future we will only sail on the "O" ships in a Penthouse Suite or above.
We were in an Oceania Suite last year on the Riviera and had one day of rough seas but did not feel much movement being up towards the front.
Overall we had a great time as we were a multi-generation family traveling together.
BTW...we were not the family of the so-called screaming toddlers that is mentioned on the thread "Live from the Regatta".
There were about 14 children on this cruise. Very well behaved children. There was another multi-generation family on this cruise with 3-4 small children. They were in suites down the hall from us. Once in a while you heard one of the toddlers cry....did not impact the cruise at all.
The staff and crew were wonderful to the children on board. The Captain met with the children for ice cream on one of the sea days.
Cruise director was excellent.
Cocktail Sweet & Sour Mixes
in Regent Seven Seas Cruises
Posted · Edited by juli2020
Jackie,
What is off topic to you is not off topic to others that post on this board.
I was comparing a Penthouse A on the Mariner with a Penthouse Suite(PS) on the Serenity......Not a Crystal Penthouse Suite(CP)!! You are mixing up the Crystal Penthouse Suite which there are only four of them on the Serenity and two on the Symphony. There are three types of suites on Crystal: A Penthouse, Penthouse Suite and a Crystal Penthouse Suite.
I wasn't comparing the lowest suite on a Regent ship to a PH or PHS on Crystal. I was comparing apples with apples.
The fares are about the same when comparing the Penthouse A's on the Navigator and Mariner to a Penthouse or Penthouse Suite on the Serenity and Symphony. No one will be blown away with the fare comparison. I would subtract the air on Regent as we use miles to fly abroad.
Please read what I was comparing before commenting in the future as you to tend to get things mixed up.
The Crystal Penthouse Suites are expensive and would be comparable to a Master Suite on a Regent ship.
BTW we cruise on Regent.......so I am not coming over here to advertise for Crystal.