Enrichment and entertainment on Regent

[bitob]

I am a devoted Crystal cruiser who is about to book more than 30 nights on Regent - b2b2b   I have "almost" sailed on Regent a number of times.  My excellent TA loves Regent and has encouraged me to book a Regent cruise.

 

I have no doubt Regent will be luxurious. I have no doubt the food will be divine.  I fully expect superb service.  I am booking a top suite on one of the newer ships so I am sure my suite will be magnificent.  

 

 My main concern is the quality of enrichment on board (an area where Crystal shines).  Can you give me an idea of who has been a speaker in the past on some of your cruises with many sea days?

 

Secondary concern is entertainment.  In my Oceania days we ultimately stopped going to shows as I found the entertainment painfully amateurish.  Crystal also shines in this area.  For those who can make the comparison, is the entertainment on Regent a few steps above the entertainment on Oceania or akin to Crystal?

 

I am going to book regardless of the responses.  I just want to know where to set my expectations.

[mrlevin]

A trip to Asia and John Freedman is a fantastic lecturer.  A trip to Alaska or often South America and Terry Been is a fantastic lecturer.   On the other hand I have had some not so great lecturers.  One special lecturer of note was Alan Stern just after New Horizons passed Ultima Thule who showed us videos that had not even made it to the press yet.  

 

As for entertainment, it is hit and miss.  Production shows are very well done; a lot of invited entertainment is standard cruise fare; the locals brought on board in many ports are wonderful.

 

Marc

[mj_holiday]

I have enjoyed and appreciated the varies lectures on our cruises.  As mrlevin mentioned Terry Breen mentioned Terry Breen has provided some great lectures

 

We cannot stay up late enough for the entertainment *too much to do during the day).  When they have invited entertainment aboard, the shows were earlier and they were just great.

[Mudhen]

As a fan of both lines, I would say it's hit or miss with both lines. Luck of the draw unless there is special notice for a theme or event. There is so much to do on both lines, I've never felt slighted by missing a lecture or two...some are excellent, some are not.

[RetiredandTravel]

Our first cruise (Europe) the enrichment speaker was a women from the Smithsonian, she was fantastic, engaging, brilliant and  went on excursions.   If we missed her lecture we watched it on TV.

 

The second (Asia) enrichment speaker was in my opinion just plan horrible, he gave just 3-4 lectures on a 12 day cruise and they were incredibly boring, we walked out of the third one.  He was announced very late so maybe they scrambled to find someone.

 

 

[Jimmcdaniel]

We enjoyed Michael Scott’s wildlife lectures. We saw him in the Northern Atlantic and southern South America. Terry Bishop does great historical and cultural  lectures. Saw him last in Australia. 

[CruisetheCs]

4 hours ago, bitob said:

 

Secondary concern is entertainment.  In my Oceania days we ultimately stopped going to shows as I found the entertainment painfully amateurish.  

 

What is painful on Regent, IMO,  is the very loud sound level of music in the lounges and the theater.  Even the piano player in the lounges uses an amplifier. 

[Jlhalldc]

We did a 30 night Circle Australia and enjoyed nature lectures by Michael Scott and regional social/cultural lectures by Hugh Neighbor and Mary Atkins. All were informative AND very entertaining with good audio/visual presentations (video/PowerPoint etc) Usually were held on sea days or mornings when we got into port a bit later. 

 

The shows on all Regent cruises have impressed me greatly plus the theater is very comfortable.  The vocal talent, dancing and sets are every bit as good or better than any show we saw on Celebrity or Cunard (certainly better than Oceania).  The cast is smaller but ALL are triple threats. I have high standards because I did marketing and public relations for an entertainment company with international tours. You won't be disappointed. 

Edited September 16, 2021 by Jlhalldc
typo

[Ladys Mom]

We have truly enjoyed all of the enrichment lectures we had on Regent.  When we sailed on the Navigator from NYC to Iceland each lecture focused on the history of the area we would visit the following day.  The entertainment, for the most part, has been wonderful.  Sometimes they have a singer on for a couple of days, who gets such a positive response, that they keep them for the rest of the segment.  On one cruise, they had a singer who had done a number of Broadway shows.  He was great.  We were lucky enough to have dinner with him and since I am a theater geek I had lots of fun picking his brain for Broadway stories.

[bitob]

I appreciate the replies.

 

The entertainment feedback gives me hope!

[GOARMY]

All: 

 

Can only amplify above comments as to quality of Enrichment Lecture presenters and Entertainment Cast productions.  This is based on numerous Radisson/Regent cruises; and several Crystal extended sailings over the past 25+ years.  Unfortunately, the COVID mess limits comments relative to any cruise, on any line, for the past 18 months.   

 

There has been a "uniform" (from my former Army life) high standard maintained in both aspects on BOTH Regent and Crystal which management continues to emphasize.  That is why it is important to submit those mid, and Final Cruise evaluations.  Guests simply "vote with their feet" by not attending follow-on lectures by a Presenter who has been unprepared; or off-putting to those asking questions.  

 

We have only experienced a negative situation on one Crystal cruise (San Diego, via Hawaii, to New Zealand, and then on to Australia) which was a few year-back as to Presenters.  The Lecture's husband and wife "Team" offered an initial, and disjointed presentation which had no focus or relevance to the ship's itinerary.  Several in the audience walked out before the end.  We stuck it out.  Did note attendance at their next talk a few days later, as we walked by that venue.  Very-few listeners.   

 

Again--this was the exception.  We have been fortunate to learn from all of the named-above Regent Presenters--as well as others on Crystal.  There have been others, often with a military background, on both Lines.  Approachable.  On several occasions, had dinner with them later while on that particular cruise.     

 

As to Entertainment:  Crystal ships we have been on are larger than any of Regent's ship.  We have been on all Regent ships except Splendor.  (That particular March, 2020 scheduled cruise was canceled due to COVID.)  This offers an opportunity for more "elaborate" Broadway-themed shows and production numbers.  At this point in our lives, this is a distinction without a difference.  Glitz and glitter.  The bottom line is that the performers have been top-class on Crystal and Regent. 

 

A bit-prejudiced on this point.  Specifics:  Regent's 2018 Navigator San Diego, Panama Canal NYC cruise.  Recognized the name of the Lead singer.  Confirmed this by a quick message to our daughter--a musical theater "Veteran" at Pittsburgh, Chicago, and Seattle venues.  Introduced ourselves to him after the Cast's first performance.  Instant recognition.  Had dinner with him, accompanied by the Lead female vocalist, a few nights later.  Great conversation.  

 

Bottom Line:  High quality entertainment which extends to pianists performing at Afternoon Tea venues.  More could be said on this--but it is late.  

 

Regards to all--and hopeful to be on Explorer at Barcelona on October 31st.

 

GOARMY!

 

 

 

[ToxM]

I’d love to see some of the daily programmes if anyone has any examples? 

[bitob]

10 hours ago, GOARMY said:

All: 

 

Can only amplify above comments as to quality of Enrichment Lecture presenters and Entertainment Cast productions.  This is based on numerous Radisson/Regent cruises; and several Crystal extended sailings over the past 25+ years.  Unfortunately, the COVID mess limits comments relative to any cruise, on any line, for the past 18 months.   

 

There has been a "uniform" (from my former Army life) high standard maintained in both aspects on BOTH Regent and Crystal which management continues to emphasize.  That is why it is important to submit those mid, and Final Cruise evaluations.  Guests simply "vote with their feet" by not attending follow-on lectures by a Presenter who has been unprepared; or off-putting to those asking questions.  

 

We have only experienced a negative situation on one Crystal cruise (San Diego, via Hawaii, to New Zealand, and then on to Australia) which was a few year-back as to Presenters.  The Lecture's husband and wife "Team" offered an initial, and disjointed presentation which had no focus or relevance to the ship's itinerary.  Several in the audience walked out before the end.  We stuck it out.  Did note attendance at their next talk a few days later, as we walked by that venue.  Very-few listeners.   

 

Again--this was the exception.  We have been fortunate to learn from all of the named-above Regent Presenters--as well as others on Crystal.  There have been others, often with a military background, on both Lines.  Approachable.  On several occasions, had dinner with them later while on that particular cruise.     

 

As to Entertainment:  Crystal ships we have been on are larger than any of Regent's ship.  We have been on all Regent ships except Splendor.  (That particular March, 2020 scheduled cruise was canceled due to COVID.)  This offers an opportunity for more "elaborate" Broadway-themed shows and production numbers.  At this point in our lives, this is a distinction without a difference.  Glitz and glitter.  The bottom line is that the performers have been top-class on Crystal and Regent. 

 

A bit-prejudiced on this point.  Specifics:  Regent's 2018 Navigator San Diego, Panama Canal NYC cruise.  Recognized the name of the Lead singer.  Confirmed this by a quick message to our daughter--a musical theater "Veteran" at Pittsburgh, Chicago, and Seattle venues.  Introduced ourselves to him after the Cast's first performance.  Instant recognition.  Had dinner with him, accompanied by the Lead female vocalist, a few nights later.  Great conversation.  

 

Bottom Line:  High quality entertainment which extends to pianists performing at Afternoon Tea venues.  More could be said on this--but it is late.  

 

Regards to all--and hopeful to be on Explorer at Barcelona on October 31st.

 

GOARMY!

 

 

 

\

Now I am even more hopeful!  Thanks fo much

 

Go army here too!

[daetchief]

7 hours ago, ToxM said:

I’d love to see some of the daily programmes if anyone has any examples? 

Here's a Passages from Sept 11, 2017

Passages 9-11-2017.pdf

[ToxM]

44 minutes ago, daetchief said:

Here's a Passages from Sept 11, 2017

Passages 9-11-2017.pdf 11.09 MB · 10 downloads

Thank you - exciting to read and very useful!

[Jimmcdaniel]

8 hours ago, ToxM said:

I’d love to see some of the daily programmes if anyone has any examples? 

2020_05_18_Passages Part 1.pdfHere are some issues of Passages from our last cruise in Australia--the last Mariner cruise before Covid hit. 

[ToxM]

3 hours ago, Jimmcdaniel said:

2020_05_18_Passages Part 1.pdfHere are some issues of Passages from our last cruise in Australia--the last Mariner cruise before Covid hit. 

Thank you!

[DavidTheWonderer]

Pre-pandemic we went to a lot of live music: typically once or twice a week either in a concert setting or listening to local musicians in a bar. In general with a very few exceptions, the quality of the live music on a ship doesn't compare well with what I'm used to on land.  Of course, the ship entertainers have the really tough job of pleasing a wide range of demographics and musical tastes.
But the enrichment lecturers on Regent are usually good and sometimes excellent. We've been on 3 cruises with Terry Breen on board and she is spectacular.

[nonu731]

To be honest, I've actually found the entertainment on most luxury cruises slightly boring. There's really not that much going on that would be described as exciting or thrilling. 

 

But it's fairly obvious I'm not really the target demographic on most luxury cruises as a younger guy. If you're a young person, I probably wouldn't recommend going on a luxury cruise for the entertainment. I enjoy luxury cruises in spite of the entertainment, which tends to appeal to people like my parents/grandparents. 

 

 

 

 

Edited September 18, 2021 by nonu731

[RetiredandTravel]

11 minutes ago, nonu731 said:

To be honest, I've actually found the entertainment on most luxury cruises slightly boring. There's really not that much going on that would be described as exciting or thrilling. 

 

But it's fairly obvious I'm not really the target demographic on most luxury cruises as a younger guy. If you're a young person, I probably wouldn't recommend going on a luxury cruise for the entertainment. I enjoy luxury cruises in spite of the entertainment, which tends to appeal to people like my parents/grandparents. 

 

 

 

 

 

We're probably old enough to be your parents or grandparents and we don't like the entertainment either. 😉 A singer in a lounge sure, shows no thanks.  We do like the enrichment though.  In the pre-covid days you could find upcoming enrichment speakers on the itinerary page by pressing excursions then onboard activities. 

 

 

[bitob]

We love the entertainment on Crystal.  It's the only line where do not go back to the cabin after dinner.  Often we will see two shows a night.  On our last b2b cruise we went to the one comedian's show FOUR times.  He was hilarious (we had seen him on a cruise a few years before) and the shows were always different.  We find the production numbers (especially the dancers) close to Broadway calibre (I'm a former New Yorker and a Broadway musical fanatic having seen at least 100 Broadway shows).

 

Oceania, Seabourn, Celebrity (long ago) offer nothing appealing to us.

 

If Regent does not measure up to Crystal so be it.  Not a deal breaker at all.  I think my expectations are set quite well with all these responses.  Thanks

[Wendy The Wanderer]

Sometimes the enrichment is amazing, sometimes it's positively boring and awful.  My opinion only.  We have had some amazing speakers over the years for sure, but get started on politics, war, or someone who thinks they know something they don't, then I'm outta there (oh wait, that last was on a Seabourn cruise!)

[bitob]

Seabourn speakers on its Antarctica cruise were over the top amazing.  On standard cruises enrichment and entertainment is rather blah.  But endless caviar and Seabourn Square remain appealing when the itinerary is right.  I also love trivia on Seabourn.   For us, the inability to have a butler is a disappointment but Seabourn has some great itineraries and every once  a while it is our choice, though not our preferred line.

[boblerm]

19 hours ago, bitob said:

If Regent does not measure up to Crystal so be it.  Not a deal breaker at all.  I think my expectations are set quite well with all these responses.  Thanks

bitob,

 

These things are obviously very subjective, and it is only your opinion that matters.  Production shows are not for everyone; for us, it is an important factor.  My wife and I rarely miss them.   If you had asked this question 5 years ago or so, I would have said that Crystal is better in this regard.  Since that time, Regent has upped it's game significantly. On our last cruise (over 2 years ago! 😒😥😭), the production shows were at least as good, if not better, than any other cruise I have been on.

 

As to enrichment, this is an area in which Crystal excels, on Regent, for me, it has been hit or miss.  But this is not a huge factor for me, especially on port intensive cruises where sitting in a lecture hall is not always on my agenda.

 

One thing that you may miss on Regent is that there is really no equivalent to the Avenue Saloon.  There will be a group (duo or trio) performing in one lounge, a piano player playing background music in another, and a dance band in a third.  But nothing like the party atmosphere that there is in the Saloon.

 

The bottom line is that I have never had anything less than a fabulous time on either of these lines, and it is hard to imagine that I would.  It will be interesting to hear about your experience when you return from your Regent cruise.  I assume that you are booking on the Explorer, Splendor or Grandeur, where are you going?

 

Bob

[bitob]

29 minutes ago, boblerm said:

bitob,

 

These things are obviously very subjective, and it is only your opinion that matters.  Production shows are not for everyone; for us, it is an important factor.  My wife and I rarely miss them.   If you had asked this question 5 years ago or so, I would have said that Crystal is better in this regard.  Since that time, Regent has upped it's game significantly. On our last cruise (over 2 years ago! 😒😥😭), the production shows were at least as good, if not better, than any other cruise I have been on.

 

As to enrichment, this is an area in which Crystal excels, on Regent, for me, it has been hit or miss.  But this is not a huge factor for me, especially on port intensive cruises where sitting in a lecture hall is not always on my agenda.

 

One thing that you may miss on Regent is that there is really no equivalent to the Avenue Saloon.  There will be a group (duo or trio) performing in one lounge, a piano player playing background music in another, and a dance band in a third.  But nothing like the party atmosphere that there is in the Saloon.

 

The bottom line is that I have never had anything less than a fabulous time on either of these lines, and it is hard to imagine that I would.  It will be interesting to hear about your experience when you return from your Regent cruise.  I assume that you are booking on the Explorer, Splendor or Grandeur, where are you going?

 

Bob

Really helpful post.  We never go to the Avenue Saloon so I won't miss hot having it!  We are hoping to book the first 3 cruises on Grandeur.  There is a 5 day gap between legs 1 and 2 (for travel agents to be wowed) but we have many friends in Florida so we don't mind.