Grandmas having the kids, where off!!

Spent some time investigating a family cruise earlier this year, wanted high end line and it became apparent that although not impossible it would be better to wait. Grandma has now offered to have the kids so it is back on with just the current Mrs and myself.

Having looked in to the cruise lines before Regent, Seabourne,Crystal etc feel that they all would provide service which would give a great holiday.

What i am trying to work out is which one fits our personality best.

We are 43 and 40 and like dressing for dinner and things to be done properly but more important have a laugh in a relaxed atmosphere

Not bothered about age groups since you can get pompous arrogant people at any age.We want refinement not stuffiness nor people who consistently moan and think they are a cut above

Thanks

Any of the three you mention would be great. Just find an itinerary you like, see if it fits your schedule and off you go. You'll enjoy whatever ship of the three.

All three cruise lines would be fine for you.

I would try to narrow this down further by looking at the Itineraries that each one is offering.

Keith

I am only really familiar with Regent. It would definitely fit your requirements IF you cruised during the American summer break or other school holidays when Regent runs children programs. Aside for those times of the year, Regent has few, if any, children on board.

Seabourn, from what I have read on CruiseCritic, does not have any activities for children and prefer to have only adults on their ships.

I am not familiar with Crystal, but, know that they accommodate children.

Whichever you choose, have a wonderful cruise!

TravelCat2, if I am reading the OP's initial comments correctly, while they had investigated a family cruise earlier in the year on a luxury line, they ruled that out for now and plan on taking a cruise just by themselves and leving the kids with Grandma. So, no children's programs are necessary, unless the adults need them. :eek:

Keith

TravelCat2, if I am reading the OP's initial comments correctly, while they had investigated a family cruise earlier in the year on a luxury line, they ruled that out for now and plan on taking a cruise just by themselves and leving the kids with Grandma. So, no children's programs are necessary, unless the adults need them. :eek:

 

Keith

You are correct -- I was speed reading again! The only luxury cruise lines that are relaxed luxury are Regent and a rather small yacht (cannot think of the name at the moment - but they are highly rated).

In my opinion, Crystal is too large with small cabins and set seating. Seabourn is too small -- quite formal -- excellent service. Silversea is quite similiar to Regent, but, with smaller ships. And then there is Regent -- medium size ships, largest "regular" cabin at sea and are known for relax elegance.

Tavelcat, with all due respect there is really more than one nice luxury cruise line. The answer for everyone is not just Regent, nor is it just Silversea, nor is it just Seabourn, and nor is it just Crystal. While there are some who only prefer one of the lines there are many who prefer two or more of these lines.

They are all luxury lines. They provide many similarities and of course many differences.

I guess when I read the original posters thread what I gleamed from it is that crestofawave is looking for a luxury cruise line that offers a very nice atmosphere.

I guess based on what I read, I don't see why Seabourn ships carrying 200 passengers should be ruled out, nor do I see that Crystal Ships with fixed seating should be ruled out, nor do I see that Regent ships with open seating or with ships of different sizes should be ruled out. And if the OP had listed Silversea I would not see it being ruled out with its ships that carry 270 and 350 passengers respectively.

What the OP has to do now is the kind of research that many of us had to do when we selected the cruise line(s) that we travel on. In short the OP should go to each cruise lines respective web sites and maybe pick up a brochure to see how each line markets themselves and to study the ships including the deck plans and the various amenities provided. The OP can also go to the respective cruise critic web sites to read first hand some of the comments that past passengers have said. And finally, I always recommend that people pick up a copy of the complete guide to cruising written by Douglas Ward and published by Berlitz who does a very nice job of putting together a nice writeup on most every ship. I certainly did this research and it worked well for me.

If Regent was the only luxury line then everyone would be sailing that line and not Seaborn,While the size of the staterooms is obviously important to you and the idea of open seating is also important to you that is not going to be the case for everyone. And there will be folks like me who enjoy both equally well.

For some, Seaborn might be too small and for many others it is a perfect size. And, the new Seabourn Odyssey will carry 450 passengers relative to the current triplets so that can be considered by the OP.

And many people who like Seabourn also like Silversea and many who like Silversea also like Seaborn.

I guess the bottom line is that each person needs to figure out what is important to them. For me, the original poster didn't provide enough information for me to gleam that. They certainly didn't talk about the size of the rooms nor open vs fixed seating, nor medium size ship or small ship. Therefore, all of the lines they mentioned sounded good. Now, they need to do more reading and research and then possibly come back with more questions.

Keith

It is so interesting to read what appeals to different people in a cruise line, as I suppose, with everything else in life. I have only sailed Crystal and Regent once each but have sailed Seabourn countless times and Silversea many times. For me, other things aside, the Crystal and Regent ships are just too big. I prefer a smaller ship which is more intimate, where you meet ALL your fellow passengers and develop relationships with them. I like that these ships can go into smaller ports where the bigger ships cannot and that many times they will dock right in the center of town instead of a long bus or taxi ride away. I like not having to walk long distances to get from one end of the ship to the other or from one public space to another. I understand that the space ratio may be the same but a 50,000 ton ship (or 68,000 in the case of the Serenity) is too vast for me. Of course, this is all just my opinion.

wripro. that is why we are so fortunate to not only be able to sail on these wonderful lines but to have choice. As I like to say, if we all had the same tastes then life would be boring. We would all wear the same clothes, drive the same cars, listen to the same music, read the same books, etc.

We know some folks who only would sail on small ships. And we know others who would only sail on medium or large ships. Others who only want open seating while others we know only want set seating. Some want to get dressed up at night. Others want the casual atmosphere.

Then there are some like my wife and me who actually adore both the small ships and the medium size ships. We are fine with the open seating and also fine with the fixed seating. We see the positives in both types of cruise lines and we actually like the variety. For example we prefer Seabourn for certain itineraries and we certainly enjoy the intimacy on the triplets. At the same time we prefer Crystal for other cruises. For some of the very long cruises we've gone on Seabourn would not have worked for us.

But in the end because I realize that each person has their own preference I don't try to push them on something just because I like it. And in terms of the OP, we don't know enough on what the poster would like to be able to say this one is better than that one.

Again, I pinch myself each time we go on a cruise. Because I know we are fortunate and to some extent lucky to be able to sail on the cruise lines we do sail on.

I think all cruise lines are good with some being better suited for one person than another person. And I always hope that the cruise lines will not mimic one another even within categories such as Luxury lines knowing that it's wonderful to be able to choose the cruise lines(s) that work best for each of us.

Happy Cruising.

Keith

Keith,

Perfectly worded. As always you state the case diplomatically and clearly. And as I always say, there is no perfect cruise line or best cruise line....there is only the one you prefer.

Keith, my last post did not explain why I suggested Regent for the OP. It was words like "relaxed atmosphere" that made me think of Regent. Crystal passengers have stated that the atmosphere is a bit more formal than other luxury cruise lines.

To be honest, I do have a rather negative view of Crystal. This view comes only from passengers who have been quite pompous about their cruise line and a bit negative about others. There was a time that I was quite interested in Crystal -- even thought that we could find a way to cruise on Crystal in spite of the set seating, tipping, buying drinks, etc.

I truly hope this post does not get removed, as I would like to see Regent and Crystal passengers give open and honest reviews of their cruise lines without hostility. When on the Regent board, people ask questions about Silversea vs. Regent and Seabourn vs. Regent. They get balanced, calm reports from all sides. However, if the same question is asked about Regent vs. Crystal, the thread goes ballistic and the end result is usually the thread being removed.

There are significant differences between the luxury lines. IMO, CC members on the boards are simply trying to learn what the differences are and which ships would best meet their desires. For instance, someone who enjoys small ships would probably prefer Seabourn over Regent or Crystal. People who enjoy set seating would prefer Crystal over Regent. Hopefully, in the future, we can see posters, no matter what their preference is, simply state the facts and let the OP's decide which is best for them.

TravelCat2, I can only speak for myself.

I do enjoy my Crystal cruises a great deal having taken many of them including two full world cruises. At the same time, I have also greatly enjoyed my Seabourn cruises. I enjoy both the similarities and the differences that each ship and cruise line offers. I look forward to additional cruises on both lines.

We have had memorable cruises on both these lines. I don't see that Crystal is any more formal than Seabourn. I find that there is a very nice ambience on the ships including on formal nights. I do not find either ship or cruise line to be stuffy in any way and we have met some of the nicest passengers on both ships/cruise lines. In general, I find that the people we have sailed with are experienced travelers and cruisers and share a passion for sailing and for travel as my wife and I do.

At some point I plan to take a cruise on both Silversea and Regent. I have never said anything bad about either of these cruise lines.

In fact, in my years of posting I have only been critical of one cruise line but it is not a luxury cruise line and we experienced many problems on that one cruise so numerous that we said one strike and they were out.

At the same time we know that each person is different. I have read many positive things about the cruise lines that we enjoy but have also read posts from others or have actually spoken to others who do not share our same views and were critical about each line. I have no problem with that because in the end, there is only one opinion that truly counts, and that is our own respective opinions.

Keith

Keith,

I do respect your opinion very much. You are not part of the group that goes on the Regent boards to cause problems (and I go to the Crystal board to respond -- not particularly politically correct).

To my knowledge, I have not said anything negative about any other cruise line. Some people feel I am being critical when I say that there is set seating, it is not all-inclusive, etc. This is not criticism -- it is fact. I always mention the awards Crystal has won as the #1 cruise line, etc. There are many, many positive things to be said about Crystal.

To be perfectly honest, I do not necessarily think you would enjoy Regent as much as Seabourn and Crystal. The lack of formality and the fact that the staff may not call you by name is an issue with some people. Some people feel that Silversea and Regent are almost clones. Most Silversea ships are considerably smaller -- and, again, their staff remember passenger names.

For us, we need large cabins (not used to sharing small spaces -- not even a bathroom for that matter):rolleyes: I love the balcony. We may not spend a whole lot of time in our suite, however, the time we spend needs to be comfortable. Included drinks and tips are important to us for what I think is a rather interesting reason. My DH is British -- the majority of Brits are not big on tipping -- Americans are -- that is an interesting discussion we have at restaurants -- would not like having those discussions on board. Drinking is similiar. We limit ourselves to two drinks per day at home. . . . on board, we don't want to think about it (signing for drinks makes you not only think about it, but that darn tip thing comes up again).

Everyone has their own likes and dislikes as well as opinions. Some people on CC want to argue with them. . . . this does not make sense to me. Unfortunately, there have been several people from the Crystal boards that have been judgmental. As a result, as I said, I have been put off of Crystal (as I am sure many Crystal customers have been put off some of my rather strong comments).

Now I have gotten this thread totally off topic. I do enjoy reading your posts -- even though I tend to give the Regent side of things.;)

I have not been on Crystal yet due to the non-inclusive but have considered it many times, and if the opportunity arose with the OBC of up to $2200 or even without if the right cruise came I would jump. I do know hubby doesn't love fixed seating, but that could be solved with mixing it up iwth the specialty restaurants.

We meet many from Crystal on Regent and Silversea, and they fit right in on those ships and are delighted to try another luxury product like I would be on Crystal. I really think you would find more like minded on all of these than the casual observer might think. I personally think the enrichment on Silversea is just a touch ahead of Regent and that Crystal would be ahead of Silversea on this. My only other concern with Crystal is the standard cabin size. Above all that is what has kept us off.

We find Silversea refined and not stuffy just like what was mentioned by the OP. I love Regent, but the service is not as good and does leave me at a 95% satisfaction when I go with reduced expectations. I do not think I would feel that way on Crystal when they are collecting all those chits. I am sure service is over the top like Silversea.

I really think I would consider one of these two lines for the OP but am pretty sure they would likely adore Regent, too due to age and interests.

Debbie, maybe it is us but we have no problem on either Crystal where we sign for our wine or on Seabourn where we don't. For us while different we enjoy both of them. So, I never try to pre judge.

But in the end each person has their own opinion.

We know folks like us who like Seabourn and also Crystal. We know folks who like one better than the other.

We met folks who like both Seabourn and Silversea and think they are very similar and we have also met folks who only prefer one.

I've met folks who have said the food on Regent and Cyrstal is the same and folks who thought there was a difference.

We all see things through our own set of eyes.

And, the other thing just like a fine restauarnt on land sometimes the experience between two cruises on the very same cruise line are different. Could be the crew, could be the itinerary, could be the passengers. Who knows.

For those who can try things I always say keep an open mind because you really won't know till you try it yourself.

And in the end, the only opinion that really counts is our own.

Keith

I don't mind signing, I just know the opinions of my husband and what I would hear, so it is more relaxing to avoid. He just likes one price and don't think of it even if it is more. I would have to really work with him on this. We have been to plenty of resorts with the signing and without, so I know how this goes. For me regarding Crystal, I have no doubt my only problem would be I might like it too much. That is if I went alone or with my mother. I know, myself I would likely love SeaDream, also. I have seen the ships and know it would be a unique and exciting experience.