help me decide

[debdiva]

Gee, and here I was considering a HAL cruise to NZ some day!

I had one bad experience on HAL Amsterdam and didn't think I would ever do HAL again. Then I did 22 days in the Med on Zuiderdam and it was spectacular. Even with the drink package and shore excursions (not by the cruise line for the most part), our cruise was significantly less on HAL. I think it depends on priorities, preferences and personalities. I'd love to do a Regent cruise someday when I win the lottery, but I love cruising and I'll cruise what I can afford.

 

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[UUNetBill]

Maybe I'm spoiled, maybe I'm old and cranky, but I just don't think I could handle the crowds. I know people say it isn't all that bad, but I don't take vacations to be 'not bad', I want them to be 'very good' - and the one time we sailed a larger ship, it was not bad...but not very good, either. Personally, I'd rather cruise less often and enjoy it more, but that's just me...

[Wendy The Wanderer]

Maybe I'm spoiled, maybe I'm old and cranky, but I just don't think I could handle the crowds. I know people say it isn't all that bad, but I don't take vacations to be 'not bad', I want them to be 'very good' - and the one time we sailed a larger ship, it was not bad...but not very good, either. Personally, I'd rather cruise less often and enjoy it more, but that's just me...

 

You bring up a good point, Bill. I remember a ferry ride across North Sea, the Hook of Holland to Harwich, long before we ever cruised. I had done this trip once back in the early 70's and remembered it fondly--no more! It was a party boat, with a disco and a casino, and nowhere to sit to get away from all of the glitz and glamour. We hated every minute of the trip, and it's why we shied away from cruising until we did the Paul Gauguin in 2000.

[SeaBunny]

When it comes to passengers/crowding, the key is more space for more passengers, then crowding is not an issue. Proportional space is VERY important.

 

We went on an Azamara ship that had the same passenger capacity as Mariner, but was 20% underbooked. However, inside public space was jammed! In the bar area where they held trivia, people were packed so tight, the waiters just stood on the edges looking sad, unable to reach anyone to serve them. In bars before meals and in the coffee area all the time, it was always SRO. And, remember, it was 20% underbooked.

 

It also took far longer to disembark -- there was only one station for that final card reading and it kept malfunctioning because it was not a permanent location and the extension cord kept getting knocked lose by passenger carry-ons.

 

When we got home, I looked up the size difference -- Mariner is 30% larger for the same maximum passenger count. Now we look at total space on the ship as well as passenger count.

 

It's the relationship of physical size to passenger count as well as smart ship design that makes for crowding or lack there of.

 

The benefit of a smaller passenger count is a better chance of making friends. The most crowded we've ever been was on that AZ ship, but we also made friends we continue to see.

Edited August 9, 2016 by SeaBunny

[warburg]

Greetings from South Beach, South of Fifth, UUNetBill. When we lived in Manhattan we also sailed Cunard's QM2 so many times that we are within three days of diamond. That was before we took our first Regent on Navigator when we moved to Florida. It was not only that flying back to NYC is a drag, The class structure on the ship is extremely noticeable. There are at least 30 stateroom levels on QM2, and each one has a different terry cloth robe. As one drops through the price points, the robes get noticeable shabbier. Insides on the lowest deck come with stiff, too short one-size-fits no ones. Not my cup of tea anymore. Speaking of tea, for Queen and Princess, there is a special lounge with quick service and an always full cart. Lower levels go the food court or a gigantic lounge for tea, and usually get to eat sometimes by it's end.

 

Mary

Edited August 9, 2016 by warburg

[UUNetBill]

Greetings from South Beach, South of Fifth, UUNetBill. When we lived in Manhattan we also sailed Cunard's QM2 so many times that we are within three days of diamond. That was before we took our first Regent on Navigator when we moved to Florida. It was not only that flying back to NYC is a drag, The class structure on the ship is extremely noticeable. There are at least 30 stateroom levels on QM2, and each one has a different terry cloth robe. As one drops through the price points, the robes get noticeable shabbier. Insides on the lowest deck come with stiff, too short one-size-fits no ones. Not my cup of tea anymore. Speaking of tea, for Queen and Princess, there is a special lounge with quick service and an always full cart. Lower levels go the food court or a gigantic lounge for tea, and usually get to eat sometimes by it's end.

 

Mary

Robes notwithstanding, I just didn't care for the number of passengers on board. Although it is a beautiful ship, it's not for us. I think our biggest challenge is that we started cruising in 2009, on Regent, and that set the bar for us.

 

I think the best way I can describe it is that on Cunard I felt like a passenger. On Regent, I feel like a guest. To me, that's worth the extra money.

[freddie]

SeaBunny - We emphatically agree with you regarding the importance of passenger/space ratios and smart space design to make the best use of space, particularly of indoor space. Indoor public space becomes critically important when the ship is full or nearly so and the weather is not conducive to passengers hanging about around the pool.

 

Our experiences both on Regent Navigator and on Crystal Symphony when most passengers are indoors have not been positive with respect to comfortable space, while even on fully-booked cruises on Mariner and Voyager, there always seems to be adequate public indoor space and no sense of crowding whatever.

 

Bill - While, in principle, we, like you, would normally consider the QM2 vastly too large for our taste, we remain drawn to that ship for the opportunity to make an Atlantic crossing on what is arguably the closest vessel to the grand ocean liners of the past. So far, we haven't figured out how to make that crossing work with another trip; but I will admit that the QM2 remains on our to-do list, despite its size, class structure, and (lordie, how I hate to even ponder the matter) formal dress code.

 

Cheers, Fred

Edited August 10, 2016 by freddie

[rarin2go]

.... I think our biggest challenge is that we started cruising in 2009, on Regent, and that set the bar for us.

.

 

Yup - that's our problem too! ;)

[UUNetBill]

Bill - While, in principle, we, like you, would normally consider the QM2 vastly too large for our taste, we remain drawn to that ship for the opportunity to make an Atlantic crossing on what is arguably the closest vessel to the grand ocean liners of the past. So far, we haven't figured out how to make that crossing work with another trip; but I will admit that the QM2 remains on our to-do list, despite its size, class structure, and (lordie, how I hate to even ponder the matter) formal dress code.

 

Cheers, Fred

 

Fred, I'll agree with that - our one QM2 trip was a Christmas Caribbean cruise from NYC, and the first two sea days, through rough seas, were arguably the high point of the trip. The QM2 is a gorgeous ship, more of a classic, art-deco look, and we enjoyed exploring her details. But on port days, with the masses all trying to funnel off of the ship...that's where the magic ended. :)

 

Crossings, yes. Port-intensive cruises, no.

[SeaBunny]

SeaBunny - We emphatically agree with you regarding the importance of passenger/space ratios and smart space design to make the best use of space, particularly of indoor space. Indoor public space becomes critically important when the ship is full or nearly so and the weather is not conducive to passengers hanging about around the pool.

 

Our experiences both on Regent Navigator and on Crystal Symphony when most passengers are indoors have not been positive with respect to comfortable space, while even on fully-booked cruises on Mariner and Voyager, there always seems to be adequate public indoor space and no sense of crowding whatever.

 

Glad you shared that about Crystal Symphony. We'll think twice before booking a trans-Pacific on her now. We had fortunate weather on the Navigator but decided we would stick to Regent's larger vessels in the future because of the public spaces.

 

One thing we always look forward to on Regent is that crew members recognize us. It's not like we go on them often or exclusively, but we've had that happen every time. Makes you feel good.

[Suite Travels]

Crystal has more indoor passenger space and they do remember your names as well. The Symphony and Serenity are gorgeous ships and highly maintained. The new ships will be mind blowing when they are launched.

[freddie]

ST - Although I will certainly agree with you that the Symphony is a lovely ship, I will also state that when the weather is bad and the pool deck is not an option for passengers, the inside space can become woefully crowded, with people sleeping on the settees in The Cove, as well as in the comfy armchairs in our favorite venue on the ship, the Palm Court.

 

On sea days on our last cruise on the Symphony, the Palm Court was essentially not available for anyone who had not staked out their chairs very early in the day. Not quite the luxury experience that Crystal (and eRod) are touting, no??

[1982CruzStart]

We have traveled both HAL & Regent. Since going to Regent we have had only 1 cruise on HAL. Though we had a fun cruise and enjoyed ourselves we are not likely to go back to HAL. We have had pretty good luck with excursions on Regent so are happy with that inclusion. We find Regent a better value for us because by the time we add in everything included with Regent to a HAL cruise they are almost the same price and Regent is a better experience. I like the smaller ships Regent has. The older smaller ones on HAL aren't too bad but the last one we were on was definitely showing her age. I spend 100s of hours doing research every time i use a non-Regent line to get smaller excursions and they are not always better than the Regent ones.

 

We have tried Celebrity in their suite class when our $ tanked and Celebrity was still charging a really good exchange rate as well as having an itinerary that Regent didn't offer. We had mixed results on our first one. The suite experience was very good with the separate suite dining room and lounge and other perks that gave us the smaller ship feel but the suite we had though large was old and worn. We booked a 2nd one with them before we tried the first. If i could have found a reasonably priced alternative when i got home i would have changed to another line. Unfortunately Regent was just priced out of the market for us when you add in 35% exchange rate. We have stuck with our Celebrity one this year and i am going with much more realistic expectations than i did the first one. We had a very active roll call so were able to get private excursions for all the ports.

 

We love the fact that Regent is now offering a more attractive exchange rate so we have booked another one for next year. So looking forward to returning to Regent though with a little trepidation because we are on Navigator and we love Voyager. Navigator was the only option for the itinerary and timing that we wanted.

[warburg]

SeaBunny - We emphatically agree with you regarding the importance of passenger/space ratios and smart space design to make the best use of space, particularly of indoor space. Indoor public space becomes critically important when the ship is full or nearly so and the weather is not conducive to passengers hanging about around the pool.

 

Our experiences both on Regent Navigator and on Crystal Symphony when most passengers are indoors have not been positive with respect to comfortable space, while even on fully-booked cruises on Mariner and Voyager, there always seems to be adequate public indoor space and no sense of crowding whatever.

 

Bill - While, in principle, we, like you, would normally consider the QM2 vastly too large for our taste, we remain drawn to that ship for the opportunity to make an Atlantic crossing on what is arguably the closest vessel to the grand ocean liners of the past. So far, we haven't figured out how to make that crossing work with another trip; but I will admit that the QM2 remains on our to-do list, despite its size, class structure, and (lordie, how I hate to even ponder the matter) formal dress code.

 

Cheers, Fred

 

Greetings from South Beach, Freddie. During our many cruises on QM2, we developed a format for formal nights. My husband didn't want to buy a tux only for the ship. So he rented one on the ship. It came with everything except shoes. One cruise had three segments. For each one, he got a new rental at the start. We had our TA request this service, and everything was available upon boarding. For women, it is easy to put together formal outfits. For us, since we don't really like to be loaded down with luggage, this was an excellent solution.

 

The QM2 is a gorgeous ship. However, it's elegant main hallways are clogged with tables covered with merchandise at every opportunity. At dinner time, on every formal night, the photographer occupies said hallways with cameras and wires all over the place. Again, class matters. Queen and Princess dining rooms are high above the fray, as is the exclusive lounge. The drinks service there is fast and personal. The staff remembers repeaters. At present we do not plan to return to NYC to sail on QM2. The offerings here are tempting enough.

 

Mary

Edited August 12, 2016 by warburg

[mariners]

We have sailed HAL and Regent, although it has been a few years since our last Regent cruise. TrailorMex, to provide you with the information you are looking for, you would need to provide the category of cabin that you would typically sail on HAL.

 

As I don't know the category that you have sailed, here is information I think you should consider. If you are looking at suites, Regent wins hands down. If you are considering the MDR, Regent wins hands down. If you are looking at specialty dining, we have had amazing experiences on both HAL and Regent. If you are considering the level of personal service, Regent wins. However, if you go to the same lounge/specialty dining, etc. on HAL, IMO, it would be a tie.

 

If you are looking at excursions, it totally depends upon what you are booking on HAL and also what you would book on Regent. If you are looking at itineraries, then you would have to go with which cruise line provides you with the itinerary that captures you the most.

 

Our expectations are based on the price we pay for what we get. We have yet to regret taking either a HAL or a Regent cruise (or any other cruise we have booked).

[beavergal]

We have sailed on Regent 7 times and on Cunard 3. We do prefer Regent but Cunard does

have a lot going for it. The class system part is not any problem at all. We feel that the rest of the ship is great and we don't even see or worry about the grill bars or restaurants. The music around the ship is exceptional. The speakers have been wonderful. Love to watch all the dancing in the evening. Two things that might be deal breakers,required suits or sport coats every night. And assigned seating for dinner, the same people every night can be difficult. But we would go again.

[JPR]

We actually enjoy Oceania Riviera and Marina, and would strongly recommend them over HAL. The amenities on those ships are superior to those on Regent's, other than the size and layout of the basic Regent suites vs those on Riviera and Marina--which we did not care for.. Aside from the greater choice of excellent restaurants, there is a spectacular spa, espresso bar, art room and classes, and cooking classes, and a well-designed and attractive 18-hole putting course. We like to pick our own bottles of wine from the list or bring them from shore, and have maybe one or two cocktails at most, so even with paying for drinks we end up ahead with the lowest cost Penthouse Suite on the "O" ships, which is the first category that is larger (significantly so) than the Regent ships.

 

However, the new (and significantly more costly) Regent Explorer offers the best of those ships and Regent's. However, if you're like us and want a bath tub and not just a shower, plus a walk-in closet, note that you have to get at least a Superior Suite on Explorer--which is larger than the largest basic suite on the other Regent ships.

Edited August 14, 2016 by JPR