Silversea v. Regent

[Delilah21]

Could I have some advice please as how Regent compare with Silversea? I know that the ships are larger and they include excusions in the price but how does the overall product compare?

[gdlamberth]

Here's an extract from my Cloud review. The entire review is at:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?p=25383789#post25383789

 

 

Silversea -vs- Regent: I hesitate to take this on but here goes. BLUF (Bottom Line Up Front): We all three agree that Silver Sea and Regent provide very similar products. :eek:Our future choice of cruise lines between Regent and Silver Sea will be based on price, itinerary and schedule. Here are some small differences but none were "deal breakers."

• It came to pass that the more liberal smoking policy on Silver Sea was a non-issue as there did not appear to be many smokers on board.

• Buckwheat pancakes. Yes, I said "buckwheat pancakes." We happen to love buckwheat pancakes. On Regent it's not real obvious there is any buckwheat flour in the buckwheat pancakes at all. Not so on Silver Cloud. Here they had a rich buckwheat flavor. I know this isn't a big deal for most if any of you, but we noticed and my wife was thrilled.

• Bathroom design. There are two items here. First, there is no shower door or curtain (I know the curtain is a sanitation thing). There is a standing (unmovable) glass panel that goes about half way back. You feel like you're going to get water all over the bathroom floor. It really does a pretty good job keeping the water in but it is somewhat unnerving in any event. Second, the vanity is in the corner with a curved edge. However, the shelf underneath goes straight across the corner. This has two affects: 1)you lose a fair amount of shelf space; and, 2) it's darn near impossible to reach the waste basket under the sink.

• There seemed to be an ongoing problem with the shower water temperature constantly varying in the middle of a shower. Other guests noticed this, too.

• Hot tubs and pools. The pool on Silver Cloud was heated and full at all times. Typical temp was 88-90 F. Hot tubs were also full at all times. Regent used to drain theirs frequently rendering unavailable for swimming.

• Pool Grill. Regent ships have a real grill. Silver Cloud has a large rectangular griddle. We prefer the grill especially for the "grilled" catch of the day offered at lunch. The griddle meant the fish had to be "pan fried" essentially and hot dogs boiled.

• Dress. We can live without formal nights.

• Postcards. Regent has always had postcards of the ship available at Reception that Regent would mail for free. Silversea has the postcards but charges to mail them.

• 24 hour coffee service. Silver Cloud had no way to get a cup of coffee before 0615 or so, except through room service. We really missed the "coffee bar" machine that Regent has on their ships.

• While the "midship veranda suite" we were in is smaller (about 240sqft plus balcony) than the standard suites on Regent's ships, we really didn't notice the size reduction except, maybe, in the bathroom.

• The Executive Chef spent 15-20 minutes in the dining room each evening making 5-6 minute visits to 4 or 5 tables (tables without any "management" just seemingly random tables).

• I had been told that the ceilings on Silver Sea were a bit lower but had not said anything to Gretchen or Cheryl (they're both rather tall). On the second day Cheryl asked, "Are the ceilings were lower than on Regent?" I hadn't noticed from my position closer to the floor, but others did notice the lower ceilings.

 

Here's another extract from a question about "why we like Regent:"

 

Regarding why we like Regent; I should mention four things as background:

1. We also loved Silversea and have a Vancouver to Tokyo booked on Silver Shadow in Sept 2013

2. We also loved Paul Gauguin

3. My wife and I now travel with our cousin Cheryl so being a threesome impacts our preferences.

4. The worst cruise we were ever on (Carnival Elation) was wonderful:p!

 

 

That said, here's why we like Regent (most apply to SS too IMHO):

- We cruise as a threesome and the "standard suites" offer us plenty of room

- Open dining

- Smaller ships with less lines

- Alternative dining at "no additional charge" (this doesn't apply to SS)

- Not having to "sign" for hardly anything

- The people we've met on board

- Free internet (because of the length of your cruise you'll have that on day one also)

- Being able to try different wines and drinks (had my first chocolate martini last cruise) at "no additional charge"

- We do like included excursions (I think we may be a minority here though)

- The service in all venues

- Did I mention the shortness or absence of lines and crowds?

- We're not gourmands but we thing the food is (generally) very nice

- I love being able to order sauted spinach or steamed brocolli any night at dinner

[Travelcat2]

Although most of our cruises have been with Regent, we have done a cruise on the Silver Spirit and Silver Whisper with another booked on the Shadow next year.

 

The Silver Whisper is probably my favorite ship of either cruise line (the Shadow is almost identical so I'm sure she will be wonderful as well). The ship size is just about the same as Regent's Navigator except that the Whisper holds 383 passengers vs. Navigator's 490. This gives the Whisper a lot more open space.

 

We did not care for the Silver Spirit (nor does some of the staff). La Terrazza (the approximate equivalent of La Veranda) has the tables so close together that it is hard to walk by. It seems to suffer from the same problem as the Navigator -- not enough space for the number of passengers on board. Also, instead of the beautiful woods used in the decor of the Whisper, most items that appear to be wood are a laminate. I think of the Spirit as the plastic ship. The best thing about the Spirit is the fact that you can get fabulous sushi at lunch. Having an onboard Japanese restaurant makes a difference. The ship is okay but I would not on her again unless the itineraray was amazing.

 

I would rate the service and food on both cruise lines equally. Regent is a bit better in some areas and Silversea is in others. Specifically, we prefer Compass Rose to The Restaurant and La Terrazza is considerably better at lunch than La Veranda. La Terrazza has changed the type of food served in La Terrazza in the evening since our last cruise and Regent is in the process of doing the same thing on their ships so I cannot comment on these.

 

We much prefer not having included excursions on Silversea. IMO, excursions get extremely crowded and are not a luxury experience on Regent. Silversea has smaller groups and we have paid for excursions with on board credits.

 

Our experience with deviating our air has been a bit easier with Silversea, however, the prices to upgrade to Business Class are better with Regent.

 

Smoking can be a problem on Silversea. The Bar has 1/2 smoking and non-smoking. Unfortunately, the smoke does not recognize the separation. Smoking is now allowed on balconies -- it seems to be taking time for Silversea to enforce this rule. For the most part, passengers comply.

 

Both cruiselines are wonderful. We sail on Regent because of their loyalty program. Next year we selected Silversea because they offer an itinerary that is no longer offered by Regent. We're also looking forward to being on the Shadow:)

[Emperor Norton]

Last year I was on Regent Voyager, the year before that I was on Silver Shadow. I felt both paled compared to Crystal (shockingly in some non-kiddy related categories Disney was better).

 

Both had sub par food (only Regent had truly Inedible food including serving moldy product). Silversea despite being Italian owned and run could not get risotto right to save their life (it shouldn't go snap crackle pop like rice krispies.). Service in both MDRs was problematic. On Silversea the staff was slow and surly. On Regent unless you were a world cruiser ( or seated with one) you may as well not have existed.

 

For shore excursions there was simply no comparison. Regent doesn't vet operators or tours. Even after refunding without question everyone who asked for the Chateau Kirwan tour they still are using that to rob passengers (it's a very extra pay tour). Silverseas tours while you paid for each and every one you got what you paid for or more.

 

Were Regent Radisson I'd sail them without a second thought. However Fdr and MC seem to not get ultra luxe cruising. I'd give Silversea another chance but really am looking forward to my Seabourn cruise, returning to Crystal or perhaps giving Azamara small rooms and all a shot.

 

/from iPhone with its amazing autocorrect

[galavant3]

Although most of our cruises have been with Regent, we have done a cruise on the Silver Spirit and Silver Whisper with another booked on the Shadow next year.

 

The Silver Whisper is probably my favorite ship of either cruise line (the Shadow is almost identical so I'm sure she will be wonderful as well). The ship size is just about the same as Regent's Navigator except that the Whisper holds 383 passengers vs. Navigator's 490. This gives the Whisper a lot more open space.

 

We did not care for the Silver Spirit (nor does some of the staff). La Terrazza (the approximate equivalent of La Veranda) has the tables so close together that it is hard to walk by. It seems to suffer from the same problem as the Navigator -- not enough space for the number of passengers on board. Also, instead of the beautiful woods used in the decor of the Whisper, most items that appear to be wood are a laminate. I think of the Spirit as the plastic ship. The best thing about the Spirit is the fact that you can get fabulous sushi at lunch. Having an onboard Japanese restaurant makes a difference. The ship is okay but I would not on her again unless the itineraray was amazing.

 

I would rate the service and food on both cruise lines equally. Regent is a bit better in some areas and Silversea is in others. Specifically, we prefer Compass Rose to The Restaurant and La Terrazza is considerably better at lunch than La Veranda. La Terrazza has changed the type of food served in La Terrazza in the evening since our last cruise and Regent is in the process of doing the same thing on their ships so I cannot comment on these.

 

We much prefer not having included excursions on Silversea. IMO, excursions get extremely crowded and are not a luxury experience on Regent. Silversea has smaller groups and we have paid for excursions with on board credits.

 

Our experience with deviating our air has been a bit easier with Silversea, however, the prices to upgrade to Business Class are better with Regent.

 

Smoking can be a problem on Silversea. The Bar has 1/2 smoking and non-smoking. Unfortunately, the smoke does not recognize the separation. Smoking is now allowed on balconies -- it seems to be taking time for Silversea to enforce this rule. For the most part, passengers comply.

 

Both cruiselines are wonderful. We sail on Regent because of their loyalty program. Next year we selected Silversea because they offer an itinerary that is no longer offered by Regent. We're also looking forward to being on the Shadow:)

 

Travelcat, I find this very interesting. I've seen you mention a couple of times that the Navigator isn't your favorite of the Regent ships. We sailed on the Navigator to Alaska and while it was very, very nice, we were not blown away as we expected to be. Based on your comments, I think we will give Regent another shot.

 

However, as luck would have it, we are currently booked on the Silversea Spirit. We are not retired so the 7 day cruises work best and we couldn't find the same itinerary on any other line. Because it is a very port intensive itinerary, I don't think I'll have a problem overlooking the issues you mentioned.

 

I'm not sure why we keep ending up on ships that don't appear to be "favorites"! Next up is Crystal Symphony (again, strictly because of itinerary). I'm curious to know if you've been on this ship and how it compares to the Navigator?

[Travelcat2]

First I need to make a correction to my previous post. Silversea has NO smoking on balconies.

 

debmarie: I think you'll enjoy the Silver Spirit. If we were not impressed with Silversea's food and service, we would not have booked the Whisper. Theh only thing we didn't like about the Spirit was the physical part of it -- everything else was wonderful. We have not been on Crystal and have no plans to do so -- even though I believe that the service and food is top notch. The ship is too large for us and in order to upgrade to a suite the size of what we book on Silversea or Regent, the price would be higher (on most itineraries).

 

You are correct -- the Navigator is not our favorite ship and we do not plan on sailing on her again. Our favorite Regent ship is the Voyager (although the Mariner is a close second).

 

Looking forward to reading your review of the Silver Spirit.

 

baychilla: I know that you had mold on your sandwich on Regent over a year ago. And, this should never have happened (and has not happened to us in 13 Regent cruises). IMO, it is simply unfair to the cruiseline when a person has a bad experience and feels it necessary to post everywhere they can about it - continually -- for a year.

 

You may not have noticed that this thread is not about Crystal. Just saying.....

[newlondon]

Baychilla, I agree with TC2. It's over and you should get over it too.

[Emperor Norton]

Travelcat: between myself and another there's almost 700 days on Radisson Regent. It would be unfair for me to keep after them had issues been resolved. However as they still have problems shortcuts and cheapening issues along with IMO epic failure management I will continue to take them to task.

[Travelcat2]

Travelcat: between myself and another there's almost 700 days on Radisson Regent. It would be unfair for me to keep after them had issues been resolved. However as they still have problems shortcuts and cheapening issues along with IMO epic failure management I will continue to take them to task.

 

I'm not sure how a cruise line could resolve the issue of your moldy sandwich. Kindly explain. Also, have you taken a cruise since that one -- I believe it was a year ago? So much has changed on Regent since then. What are the odds that the person who made the moldy sandwich is still there? As has been explained on another thread, making bread fresh everyday without preservatives increases the risk of mold. Again, they were wrong. What is it that you are expecting to happen?

 

I could bring up miserable reviews from each of the luxury cruise lines. There are also reviews that give 5+ stars. Just do not see the point in doing so.

[Emperor Norton]

...

 

I could bring up miserable reviews from each of the luxury cruise lines. There are also reviews that give 5+ stars. Just do not see the point in doing so.

 

The point is that would be honest. It wouldn't be whitewashing, sugar coating, cherry picking or wearing rose colored glasses as certain posters are wont to do. More simply put, this is Cruise CRITIC. As such, I and others feel free to criticize when things aren't up to snuff. Somethings done right? That's expected. Especially at the prices these lines are charging.

 

 

Anywho as this is the Silversea forum rather than the Cheerlead/whiteknight for Regent forum Ill stick to what I've said. Id also add that I find your zealous defense of the way FDR/MC have thrashed Radisson/Regent hilarious especially in consideration of your denigration of their other line that you have yet to sail on.

[Travelcat2]

The point is that would be honest. It wouldn't be whitewashing, sugar coating, cherry picking or wearing rose colored glasses as certain posters are wont to do. More simply put, this is Cruise CRITIC. As such, I and others feel free to criticize when things aren't up to snuff. Somethings done right? That's expected. Especially at the prices these lines are charging.

 

 

Anywho as this is the Silversea forum rather than the Cheerlead/whiteknight for Regent forum Ill stick to what I've said. Id also add that I find your zealous defense of the way FDR/MC have thrashed Radisson/Regent hilarious especially in consideration of your denigration of their other line that you have yet to sail on.

 

Think we should end this conversation. I have in no way defended Regent and have certainly not mentioned Frank Del Rio or Mark Conroy. And, where have I criticized the "other line" (not even sure if you mean Crystal or Seabourn). Regent was wrong. How many times must I say that. I also criticize when things are not "up to snuff". I post a review and put the past behind me. Either I decide to try another cruise on the same line or I don't.

 

Yes -- this is a Silversea forum that compares Silversea to Regent. Apparently you're not fond of either and I like both -- I truly do not understand why you are posting here.

 

Hope others will post their Silversea and Regent experiences -- particularly if they are fairly recent.

[newlondon]

baychilla, Just to come to terms with your anger, what would it take to get you to calm down? A moldy sandwich is not the end of the world no matter what it cost and it was many months ago. Things go wrong, an example, since you are a resident of the Bay Area, is a mediocre over priced dinner at Gary Danko. If, however, my son, also a resident of your region, said "let's give it another try" I'ld be glad to. Holding a grudge does no good and in addition is bad for your health.

[Older Party]

The point is that would be honest. It wouldn't be whitewashing, sugar coating, cherry picking or wearing rose colored glasses as certain posters are wont to do. More simply put, this is Cruise CRITIC. As such, I and others feel free to criticize when things aren't up to snuff. Somethings done right? That's expected. Especially at the prices these lines are charging.

 

 

Anywho as this is the Silversea forum rather than the Cheerlead/whiteknight for Regent forum Ill stick to what I've said. Id also add that I find your zealous defense of the way FDR/MC have thrashed Radisson/Regent hilarious especially in consideration of your denigration of their other line that you have yet to sail on.

 

I happen to agree with you Baychilla regarding "honesty" and the use of the word "critic". These boards are for mostly anonymous people to post their point of view. But when someone decides against booking a voyage with Silversea, or any other line where their customers post here, simply because they read someone's good or bad opinion on these boards kind of boggles my mind. It is like those Super Pac commercials during our political seasons. Seems as if it's easier to believe what others tell you than to do indepth comparison research yourself. I came from the school that if you don't have anything good to say, you don't say it, and yes I know, I'm a DINOSAUR. :)

[phillipahain]

Silversea Rooms and service are without doubt truly excellent

Food for me is better by far on Regent

We only did one tour on Silversea and that was so bad we cancelled the rest

 

Yet every single tour we have done with Regent was superb and they only ever half filled the coaches

 

The Smoking issue is what turns us off Silversea BIG TIME as on our cruise there were 6 very large and totally arrogant selfish cigar smokers who had no intention whatever of respecting the ambiguous "designated Smoking Area " along with other smokers who lit up in Non Smoking and other Cigar smokers who smoked on Balconies

 

Cigar smoke travels like crazy and our entire enjoyment of try to sit outside Panorama Lounge was ruined

 

Add on the failure of the Hotel Manager or his staff to do anything about the issue we sure will sail Regent in preference to Silversea any day

[Older Party]

Silversea Rooms and service are without doubt truly excellent

Food for me is better by far on Regent

We only did one tour on Silversea and that was so bad we cancelled the rest

 

Yet every single tour we have done with Regent was superb and they only ever half filled the coaches

 

The Smoking issue is what turns us off Silversea BIG TIME as on our cruise there were 6 very large and totally arrogant selfish cigar smokers who had no intention whatever of respecting the ambiguous "designated Smoking Area " along with other smokers who lit up in Non Smoking and other Cigar smokers who smoked on Balconies

 

Cigar smoke travels like crazy and our entire enjoyment of try to sit outside Panorama Lounge was ruined

 

Add on the failure of the Hotel Manager or his staff to do anything about the issue we sure will sail Regent in preference to Silversea any day

 

I do agree re: the smoking. I too wish Silversea would go smoke-less.

[Keith1010]

Could I have some advice please as how Regent compare with Silversea? I know that the ships are larger and they include excusions in the price but how does the overall product compare?

 

I usually find that these comparison threads when one asks for a comparison between two or more cruise lines to be an exercise in futility. This one has gone the way most do.

 

If this was me this is what I would do:

 

-Consult with a TA who specializes in luxury cruising and has sailed on both of these cruise lines to get their take on both lines. This will also give you the opportunity to tell the TA what you like in the way of cruise lines/ships so you can have a productive interactive discussion that takes all of the emotion out of things.

 

-Read the member reviews section of cruise critic and also read the boards and consider something I do. I use the 80/20 rule. What this means is that I realize that you are never going to get consensus on pretty much anything because we all have different views. So, what I do as I read through things is that if 80% of the people post positively about something or 80% of the people post negatively about something I take that as gossip until I can experience it myself.

 

-If you know anyone who you respect who has sailed both lines talk with them.

 

-And finally, a book I like to utilize which is very well written is called Cruising and Cruise Ships written by Douglas Ward and published by Berlitz. It is update yearly and I think it's a very good source.

 

I have used this approach in my research as I made decisions to cruise other cruise lines that I had not previously sailed and for me it works well.

 

Good luck with all of this.

 

Keith

[Seafairer]

Amen to Keith's recommendation of Douglas Ward's book. Unlike some guides that only print raves, Mr. Ward will mention negatives when warranted. He is fair, discerning, highly reliable, and the book always makes for fascinating reading on many facets of the cruise experience. It's "must reading" for new cruisers!

[palamoh]

I have not Cruised with Regent, but have had 7 Cruises w/Silversea. I do believe that all Cruise Lines no matter what their 5 6 Star Ratings are have their own individual drawbacks. I would ask "Col Wes" to get into this forum. He has been a long time fan of both Cruise Lines

[WesW]

Hi Mitch, thanks very much for the Shout out. WE have nearly 100 days sailed on Regent and about 50 with Silversea. WE have 21 days planned with Regent this December and have two booked cruises with SS next year (34 days). We truly enjoy both...are they perfect..no, but as Keith and others have consistently mentioned, it is wonderful to have choices. We like the service, dining, ambiance on both Regent and Silversea--tho we prefer the fitness offers (ie. gym, pool, jogging track) on Regent, we prefer the casual dining offerings (ie. La Terraza) on Silversea and the more formal dress code, the main dining rooms (Compass Rose on Regent, Restaurant on Silversea are equal, unless you special order--then Silversea truly shines). Push comes to shove we decide on SS or Regent based on the itinerary and the our fellow pax (e.g. if Dougburns, Wellseasoned, Embtsam, Dusababy, Ging466, Phillipb are booked on Silversea--good chance we will book too). btw, now that Crystal is all inclusive we have a booking with them (Tokyo to LA) in May 2014. Ida and I are not single dish cruisers, we like to try different dishes i.e., cruiselines). Frankly, we are very, very fortunate to be able to cruise on any luxury cruise line.

[cruiseerf]

Hello:

 

Silversea and Regent are different lines in many ways. One of which is the demographic they bring in. Regent brings in 85% Americans and the rest European, AU and Asian. Silversea brings usually a crowd 40-50% American and then a mix of above. This helps me to understand the smoking policy difference as Smoking is more common (imho) in Europe. Silversea would close out a large % of their customers if they had a more restrictive policy....FYI. It is a business.

 

Food on both has declined over the past few years.....The Navigator is an old Barge, yet the Silver Cloud is not far behind....I would avoid these on any of the lines.

 

Still a nice cruise experience. I don't like traveling with groups so the included tours are a loss for us.

 

I don't think you can go wrong with either!

 

Cheers!

[Delilah21]

Thank you for all your responses. We have nearly 100 days with Silversea and have also tried Seabourn but have never tried Regent. Regent and Silversea have cruises coming up with similar itineraries and we wondered whether this was an opportunity to give them a try. I have already consulted the cruising "bible" to which you refer and which is usually my first point of reference. I was just interested in fellow cruisers opinions. Thank you once again

[phillipahain]

Delilah

 

do try Regent I doubt you will be disapointed on many frontsand the beanies after your first cruise in terms of Internet and phone time are sure worth it

 

Only the library on Regent is a tad small so take some books or your kindle

[Delilah21]

For the record, we decided to go with Regent this time. Thanks again for the advice

[dougburns]

Miss Lynn and I have over 250 days on all of the Regent ships, past and present. We also have close to 100 days on Silversea(Shadow and Spirit). We left Regent when Apollo took over for a number of reasons, which I won't elaborate on. While we really liked Regent when we cruised with them, thing have changed in the last few years and we wouldn't cruise with them again as long as Apollo is in the picture. We have thoroughly enjoyed the switch to SS. The pax are much nicer; a more international mix. Food is a subjective thing, but we find the two lines comparable. Staterooms and public areas are comparable as well. We like the staff and crew aboard SS better than those on Regent( again because of the Apollo management ).

[Keith1010]

For the record, we decided to go with Regent this time. Thanks again for the advice

 

 

Congratulations on making your decision.

 

In the end only you can decide which line(s) you prefer. It's nice from time to time to try a new line. You may discover that you also enjoy that line or you might realize how much you like the line you have already been sailing.

 

I am one of those who is truly glad that there are a number of luxury lines to choose from and I am very glad they have enough differences recognizing that we all do not have the same interests or likes.

 

If we did things would be very boring.

 

It would be great if you can let us know what you thought of the cruise.

 

I hope it all works out very well.

 

Keith