Travelcat2 and others who've sailed Regent and Oceania

[papa B me]

Travelcat2

I've followed your postings for several months now and know you love Regent and enjoyed your one Oceania cruise and have another scheduled. I'm planning our first luxury/upscale cruise for 2016. I've been looking at both lines for months now and have just about decided that I will choose Riviera with Oceania. The 3 main reasons are the food, the Oceania suite, and the newness and elegance of the ship. Although I would prefer all inclusive with Regent, it appears that if I add the all inclusive excursion package with Oceania(or book my own), the alcohol package, and find a TA that provides prepaid gratuities and OBC that Oceania will be close to all inclusive and still be slightly less in cost. My question for you or any others who have sailed both is to share with me the reasons I may want to go with Regent instead. Hoping this gives you a more positive thread to be part of vs the sadness of the Ebola thread. I have greatly appreciated your participation of threads on both Regent and Oceania. Again love to hear from others who have sailed both. Feel free to try and convince me of your line of choice since I'm torn between the two.

[Caroldoll]

but I have added all that and you are correct..it is still less. Cost aside, just the idea that you will have more restaurants to choose from is a plus. They also have a wonderful buffet each night on The Terrace and you can have as many lobsters as you want. Another reason I go with Riviera (or Marina) is the fact that the ships are newer. I do believe that PCH maintains their ships well, but I prefer to be on a ship that does not have pods as the Voyager does...and in fact something newer. I am older and know that parts wear out, LOL. I have found the service on Oceania is much better than on Regent (in my opinion) and in the Oceania suite you will have more than one bathroom, although the Regent ships do have suites with more than one bathroom as well. Some people don't like the fact that you have to put your card out for drinks (even if you have a liquor package) but it doesn't bother me because when we go to a restaurant here we put our card out anyway. I can not think of many more reasons. We like private tours as they are not so full, so Oceania is a plus. On some itineraries we will do some private and some with Oceania. This works and for us in a much more pleasant experience.

 

Hope I have been helpful.

[alainciao]

Hi Papa,

 

I sailed the Riviera in Jan just to try the ship because I had read such good reviews. It is new, beautiful and serves really good food. The only problem is that 1250 is too many people for what I consider (my OPINION) luxury cruising. I love both lines and have one cruise scheduled on each, Mariner (with the Senegal stop!) and Insignia, Hong Kong to Cape Town. I also like Seabourn. I am curious as to what other posters think about size vs luxury. It might help you if we knew a little more about your likes and dislikes.

[papa B me]

Caroldoll,

Thank you for your response. It was quite helpful.

 

Alainciao,

Thank you as well. As far as things that we like: We really enjoy a quality cabin with a nice balcony. That is why the Oceania suite appealed to us. Food is really important as well. We have also had really good experiences with Butler Service from Uniworld River Cruises and Sandals. We are excursion people so we really like to have a good selection of choices at each port. We are leaning toward a Med cruise that will be heavily Italy oriented. Trying to decide to lean towards Italy with Greece/Istanbul etc.. or the other direction towards Barcelona, Monaco, etc.. Obviously waiting for both Regent and Oceania to release their full 2016 schedules. At 50/51 we are probably toward the younger end of the average for both these lines but that doesn't bother us at all. We just were with Uniworld and were close to the youngest but enjoyed getting to know the well traveled cruisers. Not big entertainment people so I think it looks about equal between the two lines as far as I can tell.

With that as a back drop I would love to hear specific examples of what makes Regent with the small ship more luxurious then Ocenania(we do enjoy luxury). From most of the posts I read it just says personal services but I really don't know what that means so any specifics would be appreciated.

 

Thanks again for all who respond

[Travelcat2]

Hi papa B me and welcome to the Regent board :)

 

In terms of itinerary, we would choose any Med. itinerary that includes Istanbul. It is one of our favorite cities in the world. This opinion is shared by many.

 

We do enjoy both Regent and Oceania but must admit that we are long time Regent customers and will remain so as long as we continue to cruise. We liked the Riviera enough to book another cruise this winter (also in a large suite).

 

We found the service on Oceania to be equal to what we receive on Regent -- excellent. The food in the specialty restaurants Jacques and Red Ginger is superior to anything you can find on Regent. However, Polo is very similar to Prime 7 -- some people feel Prime 7 is better. We have not been in Polo enough to make that determination. We did not care for Toscana - their Italian specialty restaurant. Food is subjective and there are so many differences in Italian food. For us, we prefer Sette Mari on Regent.

 

While the Terrace Café is a big draw for many. We did not care for it. This is one area that feels very large (probably because it is:-). There is an amazing array of food but we did not find the quality as high as what you get on Regent (although Regent has less options). Servers in the Terrace Café appear to be new to Oceania and new to serving (this could have just been on our particular sailing). They were constantly reminded by the manager of what they should be doing.

 

The MDR (forget the name - equivalent to Compass Rose) we choose not to dine in after having lunch there once. There is little criticism of food on the Oceania board. When there is, it is usually aimed at the MDR. We'll give it another try when we are onboard again.

 

Waves -- on the pool deck had some good food but less that exemplary service (again, your experience will probably be different). The favorite of many that sail on Oceania is the surf and turf burger (steak and lobster). The popular way to order it is "surf and turf burger - hold the turf, double lobster and no bun:-)

 

In an Oceania suite, as you may know already, you can book each specialty restaurant twice (recommend doing that online). You can also have food from any of the specialty restaurants delivered to your suite by your butler. So, you really have a choice of any dining venue every night.

 

If you enjoy wine, definitely try Le Reserve. Although there is a cost to dine there, the food and wine pairings are worth every penny.

 

The culinary classes are wonderful -- even if you don't really cook. The $5M kitchen is beautiful - similar to what you would have if you were a chef on the Food Network.

 

Excursions are extremely expensive (the ones that incorporate a culinary class are worth it). You will find other passengers on Roll Call looking for people to join them in a private tour. We took an amazing tour of Tuscany with three other couples that was fabulous and the cost was about 25% of a Oceania excursion.

 

Agree with alainciao that the ship is quite large but it is stunning. And agree with Caroldoll that some of us think that it is a pain to present your room card whenever you want a glass of wine or a cocktail. While we do it at home, we know when to present our credit card. On the ship, lounges generally wanted it at the beginning of the meal but specialty restaurants did not take it until the end (probably because you have a reservation -- they know your information already).

 

I think you will have a great time on Oceania. Try not to compare everything to Regent -- just enjoy the experience. That is my advice.

Edited September 15, 2014 by Travelcat2

[dabear]

We've been on both lines and enjoyed them. I do think that O has the edge on food, but we're not saying that the food on RSSC is bad. We do like smaller ships as they are more personal and you do see fellow pax more than once. Regarding excursions, our choice may depend on how exotic are the ports of call. If they are exotic I would trust RSSC's excursions. On the otherhand, if they are more frequently visited ports and you don't mind doing a little exploration on the internet, O can be more desirable, especially if you prefer private or small tours (mostly arranged by you or fellow pax using rollcalls to connect). Either cruiseline will be fine.

[papa B me]

Thank you again for the information and advice. I have found CC to be valuable in the education process of what to look for and what to expect. Hopefully as my wife do more and more traveling now that we are empty nesters I can help others as we learn.

[alainciao]

Papa,

 

Good question about why size makes a difference. I'm glad you were on a Uniworld river cruise since we were also and I'm sure you enjoyed the intimate gathering of passengers. On a large ship I find it is much more difficult to quickly develop these relationships. You might meet someone who's company you enjoy and never see them again! Numbers also come in to play around the pool where bad manners can create unwanted situations. Lines do not add to a luxury experience. Having said this, I repeat, I like both lines, but prefer the smaller ships. Since you are looking at the Med, I would say this gives Oceania an advantage since there will be many excursion options presented by fellow passengers. The Med is a great place for independent excursions. By the way, you can't go wrong with either line! Food and service is exceptional on both.

[ChatKat in Ca.]

We no longer consider Regent our line of choice.

 

The wine at dinner is not the quality it used to be - nor do we order the Beverage packages on Oceania because we don't like their pours. We buy wine by the bottle where we can choose what we prefer.

 

We also don't care for the excursions on Regent. We like a small private excursion and would prefer to book our own with fellow passengers.

 

We agree with Caroldoll - the ships are newer and service and food on Oceania has been exceptional.

 

I am also of the opinion that a 1200 passenger ship is just right for me. You do not ever feel that the ships have that many passengers by it's design. It is quite well designed and spacious. There are times on Regent where there is no one out and about in the later evening. On the Riviera, we were on a 28 day crossing from Istanbul to Miami in November/December and we felt it was perfect.

[DaveFr]

papa B me,

 

Here are a couple of other things to consider. Since you will be cruising in 2016, remember that the new Regent Explorer will begin sailing in the summer of 2016. From public information released by Regent (IPO information), it appears that the Explorer will be about the same size as the Oceania Riviera and Marina while carrying 500 fewer passengers. The 2016 schedule for the Explorer should be released in February or March 2015. Current comparisons between Oceania and Regent may change when the Explorer begins sailing.

 

The other consideration may be the cost of flying. If you're content with flying economy or intend to use frequent flyer miles, the cost of flying won't be a consideration. However, if you want to upgrade to business class through the cruise line, then Oceania usually charges significantly more than Regent unless Oceania has a special on business class upgrades for the cruise you want to book. For example, I checked the airfare for an Istanbul to Dubai cruise in late fall this year. The upgrade charge was $1998 pp on Regent and more than twice as much, $4198 pp, on Oceania.

 

Hope this helps.

[papa B me]

Kathy & Dave,

Thanks for both of your response. They are both helpful. Dave that has been a question I've been struggling with. I know on the upper categories with Regent business is included. So I've been building 4k into my math in comparison in the hopes that would make it comparable. The difference that I can see is that I end up with a much larger suite with Oceania and end up still a little less in price with 4k upgrade on business air with Oceania. However, this is all guess work until the full schedules come out for 2016. The new ship with Regent will make it interesting. I just want to make sure I don't wait so long for them to compare that I miss out on getting the suite I want should I decide on Oceania. But again The input on this thread is really helping me.

[Caroldoll]

We always cruise Riviera lately...the size doesn't bother me at all. We have done a lot of Crystal before and they are 900 approx and 1000 approx. I don't notice a difference in size or lines at all. Have also done two Regent cruises and they didn't seem different from Oceania Riviera.

 

I wholeheartedly agree that the advent of The Explorer may or will change things. We are fervently praying that we can be on the maiden voyage, no matter what problems may arise. But for now, it is what it is...Regent has old ships and Oceania has two newer ones.

[RachelG]

We have sailed many times on Regent, once on Oceania. we will not be back on Oceania, unless my husband drops dead and I sail alone.

 

The suites on regent, even at the lowest level are far superior. We enjoy our time alone and were disappointed with the Oceania suite, particularly closet space. Also they do not have the movies on demand selection like regent.

 

My husband absolutely hated having to produce his card for a drink.

 

Excursions are the same, just prepaid on regent.

 

I thought the Internet access, which I had to pay extra for on Oceania, was terrible. I used lots of minutes just getting a connection.

 

Yes, there are more choices for restaurants on Oceania, but I did not find their quality to be better than regent, and we hated Terrace. Much prefer La Veranda. The salad selection was abysmal.

[Travelcat2]

We have sailed many times on Regent, once on Oceania. we will not be back on Oceania, unless my husband drops dead and I sail alone.

 

The suites on regent, even at the lowest level are far superior. We enjoy our time alone and were disappointed with the Oceania suite, particularly closet space. Also they do not have the movies on demand selection like regent.

 

My husband absolutely hated having to produce his card for a drink.

 

Excursions are the same, just prepaid on regent.

 

I thought the Internet access, which I had to pay extra for on Oceania, was terrible. I used lots of minutes just getting a connection.

 

Yes, there are more choices for restaurants on Oceania, but I did not find their quality to be better than regent, and we hated Terrace. Much prefer La Veranda. The salad selection was abysmal.

 

Your post was, without a doubt, the funniest on this thread - I'm still laughing :D :D The internet was poor - can't deny that - the salad selection at Terrace was abysmal - we hated having to produce a card for a drink but we did enjoy Jacques, Red Ginger and the ship itself.

 

We will be in a Vista Suite for our late November cruise. Although we will have 6 bottles of alcohol in our suite, we purchased the premium alcohol package because we don't drink in our suite. We will make sure to have some wine in the suite so when we have a guest (Peggy), we can order from a specialty restaurant and have wine with our dinner. Actually, we may switch out 4 bottles of whatever alcohol they give us for wine (not trying to say that she is a big drinker -- she isn't:-)

[Silver Sweethearts]

Your post was, without a doubt, the funniest on this thread - I'm still laughing :D :D The internet was poor - can't deny that - the salad selection at Terrace was abysmal - we hated having to produce a card for a drink but we did enjoy Jacques, Red Ginger and the ship itself.

 

Must have missed something, but did not read anything in RachelG's post that indicated they enjoyed Jacques, Red Ginger and the ship itself. Where did you get that impression?

[Travelcat2]

Must have missed something, but did not read anything in RachelG's post that indicated they enjoyed Jacques, Red Ginger and the ship itself. Where did you get that impression?

 

RachelG didn't mention that -- it was just my opinion.

[RachelG]

We did enjoy Jacques, but not more than signatures. Red ginger was just ok in our opinion, probably because my expectations were way too high based on what I had read on CC. And it was very uncomfortably warm (room temperature, not food), so that didn't help. The ship itself is beautiful, no denying that!

[JPR]

Perhaps they were attempting to recreate a Southeast Asian atmosphere....

[RachelG]

perhaps they were attempting to recreate a southeast asian atmosphere....

haha

[Travelcat2]

Agree that Red Ginger was uncomfortably warm the two times we were there. We also found it warm when sitting by the windows in Polo.

[Hambagahle]

I think Papa B Me has his maths right - when we sailed on Riviera in the Caribbean last year we were originally booked on the Navigator on the identical itinerary (Mayan coast etc - Western Caribbean) in a PH suite. For less money we were able to have an Oceania Suite on the Riviera and so we "gave it a go" - and were delighted that we did. The food was wonderful. So was the service. Our suite was far larger than the PH on the Navigator (which we had had before) and I found no lack of space in the closet! In fact it was larger than any closet we have had on any Regent ship and we have been in a Seven Seas Aft suite on Mariner, Navigator Suite on the Nav. and PH suites on all 3 of them.

 

The one drawback I found with the Oceania suite was that the balcony was not as large (wide I suppose) as I had expected. But it was plenty big enough for 2 people.

 

Comparing the restaurants - I thought Polo and Prime 7 were identical. I, too, did not care for Toscana but I don't like Sette Mari either... we live too close to Italy to really want to eat Italian food when travelling I suppose. Jacques was lovely and very different from Signatures. Jacques is provincial cuisine while Signatures tries (and sometimes succeeds) to be more "haute cuisine". We eat a lot of Asian food - and we loved Red Ginger, so much so that we had meals from Red Ginger in our suite. Lacked the lovely atmosphere of the restaurant but the food was delicious. We had lunch in the Dining Room several times and dinner there twice, plus a few breakfasts and liked the food and service better than the Compass Rose.

 

From a value for money point of view I think one gets a lot more from Oceania. Even if one does as we do and takes the full beverage package. And neither one of us minds giving our card when we order a drink... I don't suppose we would even mind signing for the drink but you don't have to!

 

We are booked on the Riviera for the TA in April '15 and are really looking forward to it. But we are also very much looking forward to the maiden voyage of the Explorer the following year... and realise we shall be paying a lot more for that for similar accomodation - perhaps offset by the fact that it is likely to be a " Med" cruise and so we can drive or take a train to get to and from the ports.

[papa B me]

Thank you again for the feedback and comparisons. From what I can tell from my months of research, following this and Oceanias forum, and talking to my TA, I believe I will be pleased with either line. I guess that is a good problem to have and lessens my chance of making a mistake. They certainly each have their strong points with each only having minor weaknesses. I believe my final decision will come down to the iteneraries each offers for 2016 for the Med. So I'm on hold until then and will keep researching and reading until I can book.

[hrprof]

I am facing an interesting choice - we have reservations in place for 2 identical itineraries from Cape Town to Singapore in December of 2015 - a grand suite on Regent Voyager or an owners suite on O Nautica. We have cruised on all R ships from the beginning, from Song of Flower and Diamond up to Voyager. We switched from R to O in 2008 because we found greater value in O given our preferences and priorities. Will be making this decision in the next couple of days.

[papa B me]

Will be very interested in what you decide. Please share what helps you decide either way. I'm bouncing back and forth daily. I'm told regent will release their 2016 itineraries Oct 15 and hopefully Oceania will release their full schedule by then. Hoping to make final decision by then. Can't believe how hard a time I'm having in making a decision. Not normally a problem for me but both look so good. Will probably come down to itinerary. If identical I'm in trouble. Lol

[spindrift]

Gee, it is nice to hear someone else sailed on the Song of Flower. We loved her. So many have no clue as to that ship.

 

Let me first say that I have not sailed Regent but have 16 on Oceania. We will be on Regent for the first time this December, Cape Town to Singapore. We were originally scheduled on Oceania for that trip a week or so after Regent.

 

The reason for the change was pre-safari offer and discounted Business air, which is important for us. After putting the pencil to paper, with the hotel, safari & BC air, it was a no brainer. Also the costs of O's excursions were quite high as well as liquor purchase on board. With Regent's inclusions, we made the change. The cost of BC booked on our own or with O was substantially more. I'm sure you are taking into consideration those factors. I had not seen any comments about air.

 

It is so nice to sail O for many reasons, but it is also nice to arrive on board and know many of the crew. It is just, overall, a great line. (Let's hope that the NCL acquisition doesn't make changes to this wonderful company.)

 

Of course I will report back following our Regent experience to which we are really looking forward. I must say that I like their communications right away when there is a change (excursions mainly).

 

The good news is you are looking at ships "in the same family." You can't go wrong. :D