For fans of Regent, why?

[jjeffjb]

For those of you who are fans for RSSC, why do you choose Regent over the other lux lines?  Thanks in advance for your replies.

[Bellaggio Cruisers]

We have been avid cruisers on Regent for many years. On occasion, we have sailed on other lines because we were joining friends or family. 
There is nothing like Regent. It’s all inclusive is just that. Everything is available without hassle. We do extra gratuity for excellent service. 
We sail in a suite with a butler. Every butler has given 100%. Always there for any of our needs or requests. 
We find that the Staff and crew is warm and friendly. We love the small ship feel..

We would not consider any other line. Regent is our go-to for the best cruises. 
sheila and Herb 

[Mudhen]

One and done ! When we were younger (and much poorer...haha!) we enjoyed planning our own adventures...picking a destination, hotels, tours, flights, etc. As we got older it was really nice to have excellent "everything" all done for us. It's also nice to basically know how much cash, credit credit cards, etc. that will be needed for a trip. Not much!!!

There are other lines that are inclusive and do a nice job, but as mentioned above, the Regent staff seems to us to be a cut above.

[flossie009]

Regent provides the ships, itineraries and friendly service that suits what we want for a vacation. No reason to move elsewhere.

 

[Dolebludger]

Yep, with Regent it is one and done. On our pre pandemic Regent cruises there were no surprises, except for pleasant ones! Post pandemic cruises, I have read here about a few problems with labor and supply shortages on some ships, but am confident that these problems will be resolved. But as we have taken no Regent cruises post pandemic, I can’t comment on these. The only problem I have in searching for Regent cruises now is the price. Not that we lack the money to pay for one, as we have it. Just that we question if the result would be worth the cost. But based on our experiences with Regent, our guess is that (given inflation) it probably is worth the price. We have cruised Regent (mostly) since 2002, and have never been disapointed.

[GOARMY]

Cruised with Radisson/Regent over the past 20+ years.  Also with the other 5+star "all inclusive" Lines--on occasion.  Those occasions were with family/friends or on a certain itinerary.  

 

Basically, back to Regent both pre-and post-pandemic, the latest October/November '22 aboard Mariner.   Hard to beat benefits associated with Loyalty levels based on history of onboard days.  Cost (escalating), of course, is a factor.  But same inflationary dynamic applies for segments on other premium Lines.    

 

Another plus is meeting, again, with Staff with whom we previously cruised.  Particularly those at dining venues; and Cruise Directors.  We are a known quantity with Regent (positive, hopefully, as we are "low maintenance" guests).  These details include knowledge of beverage preferences; favorite dishes, and such.  Also, prompt and professional response to any "issue" encountered.  Yep, "stuff" does happen, on occasion.  

 

So--it has come down to reasonable expectations of receiving value for expenditure on a known entity.  Regent gets the nod.  Back onboard in '23.  

 

GOARMY!

 

 

 

[chuckw]

We have over 200 nights on Regent, from window suites on the Navigator to penthouse suites on the Explorer.  While we still cruise on Celebrity in an upper suite if we don't have to fly, you can't beat the all-inclusiveness of Regent.  Our next cruise with them is to Asia, it looks expensive, when you factor in the business air and pre cruise hotel it's competitive and we enjoy the smaller ships and the quality of service.  We have cruised post covid on the Explore and found it as good as ever.

[papaflamingo]

Honestly, a lot of it is what you're used to.  If you have sailed frequently on Seabourn or Silversea then that's what you'd likely prefer.  For us, we did over 35 cruises on a variety of cruise lines. We started on Royal Caribbean and that set the bar for us (we also tried HAL, NCL, and Carnival).  As we aged and started looking for more quiet, luxury cruises we switched to Celebrity.  We found Regent as a recommendation from our TA.  We booked (on a leap of faith) 44 nights in 2018 from Honolulu to Sydney on Mariner.  This was my retirement gift to myself.  After booking, I decided to look at options.  Royal Caribbean and HAL offered a somewhat similar itinerary if we were willing to switch ships, etc.  Comparing the cost with an equal (or so) cabin and I discovered that, after paying gratuities, alcohol, specialty restaurants, shore excursions, etc.  I found that the cost was very close to Regent and we'd still have Business Air to factor in.  So off we went.  Fell in love with the ship, the crew, and the experience. I prefer less formal so that helps too when compared to other luxury lines.  But if we had started on one of the other luxury lines, I'm sure we would have loved them too. 

So now it's long cruises on Regent that we like.  Small ship, great crew, wonderful food, included drinks, included excursions, and more casual.  

Edited December 29, 2022 by papaflamingo

[Timeflies]

Agree with all of the above comments and would add we always come away feeling we are part of the family

 

[puppyluv1]

I would add interesting and engaging passengers. We have only done two Regent cruises back in 2010 and 2012 but still talk about some of the great people we met. 
We are very excited to have 2 Regent cruises booked for 2023. 

[Scout16]

I have three reasons for going with Regent.  First, the inclusive nature of the cruises means that for all my cruises, except for this past summer, once I was dropped off at the airport I did not have to worry about connections to and from the cruise.  This past summer the problems were with the airlines and there was a bit of worry but Regent helped with the problems as they occurred.  Next, I am not thrilled to play dress up.  I have no problem with wearing respectful clothing, a button down shirt and long pants and even put on a jacket for the more formal meetings, but I remember as a child having to wear a suit to dinner every night when on a cruise.  Finally, I find it difficult to spend money.  Yes I know that Regent is initially high cost, but once I make the payment it is done.  I do not have to decide if I really want to spend money for a drink, or a shore trip, or going to a special restaurant, since I have already paid for it I will go ahead and do things that I most likely would have nickeled and dimed y self out of.   

[Wendy The Wanderer]

There is definitely an element of feeling at home with one line.  Our first Radisson cruise was in 2000, on the Paul Gauguin (still our favourite ship.) Our first post-pandemic cruise is coming up in three weeks on Splendor.  We may find that ship too glitzy, we'll see, but I doubt it.  Aside from the non-Regent Paul Gauguin, we've done one Seabourn, one Oceania and one Azamara, all nice, but on Regent all the buttons are pushed, including great cabins, wonderful service, small quiet ships, a wide variety of cuisine, and best of all, an interesting and varied passenger mix. (I must say this last was true on the others, except for Oceania.)

Edited December 29, 2022 by Wendy The Wanderer

[Bellaggio Cruisers]

18 minutes ago, Wendy The Wanderer said:

There is definitely an element of feeling at home with one line.  Our first Radisson cruise was in 2000, on the Paul Gauguin (still our favourite ship.) Our first post-pandemic cruise is coming up in three weeks on Splendor.  We may find that ship too glitzy, we'll see, but I doubt it.  Aside from the non-Regent Paul Gauguin, we've done one Seabourn, one Oceania and one Azamara, all nice, but on Regent all the buttons are pushed, including great cabins, wonderful service, small quiet ships, a wide variety of cuisine, and best of all, an interesting and varied passenger mix. (I must say this last was true on the others, except for Oceania.)

See you on Splendor in 3 weeks…look forward to meeting you.

sheila

[jeb_bud]

Our cruise life began in 2015 with a Danube River cruise on Scenic. We chose Scenic because 1) it was all inclusive so we would not be surprised with a big balance due at the end of the cruise; 2) the dress code was relatively casual, in keeping with our casual lifestyle; 3) I don’t know what #3 was at the time. Now I would say it has to do with the onboard experience and how we are treated. 
 

That river cruise was our “once in a lifetime “ cruise experience. Of course in actuality it was the starting point. In conversations with other passengers on that cruise we heard some variations of “If you like Scenic and want a similar experience in the ocean you should check out Regent”. So we did. Our reasons for choosing Regent are basically the same as our reasons for choosing Scenic in the first place. 
 

We sailed Regent twice pre-COVID, once pose-COVID and have four more cruises planned in 2023 and 2024. So far we have only cruised on Scenic and Regent. Cruises are expensive and we are not big gamblers. Until one of the lines disappoints us we will stick with them. 

[fudgbug]

Our first cruise with was back in 1992 on the Song of Flower and Hanseatic before the ships became Regent.  We were on the Mariner and Voyager complimentary shakedown cruises for Seven Seas Society members when the ships came out of the shipyard...that is when the Seven Seas Society was small.

 

We have also sailed with Seabourn, Silversea and Viking.

 

When it comes to why we come back to Regent, over and over for us its because of the  CREW, comfortable ships and no nickel and diming.

[AJCM]

As others have said, Regent provides a high quality cruise experience. The suites are very comfortable. If not for price, we’d cruise much more on Regent. However, so we could cruise a lot over the past 12 years, we’ve mainly cruised with Azamara; and had a great experience each time. We’ve tried Siversea and Seabourn once each (and doing Seabourn again in 2023) but consider Regent better than those. I don’t know why but we felt more comfortable on Regent.

 

Weve chosen Regent twice; Alaska 2012 and Japan 2019. The clincher here was that we knew we’d have to do excursions everywhere. On both cruises the included excursions were very enjoyable and the comparative cruise cost of other lines did not differ much from Regent once excursions, drinks and suite were factored in. Both cruises had a great feel, with very pleasant guests.

 

For Japan, in particular, lower price cruise lines tend to charge a premium due to demand in a very limited cruise season. Regent also included a 3 day pre/post program which was a great benefit to get some familiarisation with a very different city, as well as getting the chance to meet other cruisers pre-cruise. We’re doing Regent Japan again in 2023.

[bebop bonnie]

Good question, jjeffjb, easy answer!  Have had the pleasure of sailing every Raddison/Regent ship except the Song of Flower.   My first cruise was on the Diamond.  Couldn't imagine a better experience, but each cruise has been better than the last! Have also sailed on Silversea and Seabourn.  Both lines were excellent experiences, but Regent is special!  The crew consistently offers a unique combination of professionalism and warmth.  The food is always outstanding and  deserving of food porn photos!  The suites are luxurious and spacious and the ships are all gorgeous in their unique design, art and fine details.  The passengers are almost always lovely, friendly and happy!  We sail again on the Splendor, March 1 and are about to start the countdown!

[Bellaggio Cruisers]

6 hours ago, bebop bonnie said:

Good question, jjeffjb, easy answer!  Have had the pleasure of sailing every Raddison/Regent ship except the Song of Flower.   My first cruise was on the Diamond.  Couldn't imagine a better experience, but each cruise has been better than the last! Have also sailed on Silversea and Seabourn.  Both lines were excellent experiences, but Regent is special!  The crew consistently offers a unique combination of professionalism and warmth.  The food is always outstanding and  deserving of food porn photos!  The suites are luxurious and spacious and the ships are all gorgeous in their unique design, art and fine details.  The passengers are almost always lovely, friendly and happy!  We sail again on the Splendor, March 1 and are about to start the countdown!

I forgot to mention that my first Regent cruise was on the Raddison Diamond …New Years 1992-1993. 
count me in for the 30th anniversary!

sheila

[rkaratsu]

I recently had a "why Regent?" cruise conversation with my sister (who thought compared to most other cruise lines, Regent was pricey.  And for once, I might have to admit my sister was right! 😀) But  I basically broke things down for her from an economic point of view.  I figured that a typical Regent is about $1K a day p/p.  (The three times we have cruised on Regent, it has been in a P3 suite).  I'd say that the cabin has a value of $250 p/p a day (I really do think that it is comparable to a nice 5 star suite on land), $200 p/p a day for food/drink (emphasis on the latter...), $50 a day for the "free" tours and some kind of value for the wifi and the laundry service.  (We probably should take better advantage of this!) 

 

The above doesn't come close to $1K p/p day but I have personally found that by taking advantage of the Regent air credit (we are fortunate in that we fly out of LAX and flying west (i.e. Asia, NZ/AUS), we can save quite a bit.  (By combining the air credit with credit card points, we pretty got a 2-for1 deal on our recent flights.  And we have talked to some who have used the air credit to fly Premium Economy (maybe 20 years I might have considered this) and their savings were even more substantial).  Plus with things like the occasional "free" three day pre-cruise package (we got this for our upcoming cruise to Japan) and the one-night hotel for concierge and up, things start to look even more economical! 

 

Well maybe not.  But my wife and I are not the type who want Broadway production shows or 21 different restaurant choices or a rock wall when we cruise.  At least for use, until proven otherwise, we believe that the Regent product delivers the value that we pay for.  (And as an extra bonus, like another previous poster mentioned, we have met some pretty great people on Regent!) 

 

Of course, YMMV...

[ChucktownSteve]

When I booked our three Regent cruises during the height of the pandemic, I compared an equal square footage suite on Celebrity.  The actual PP/PN was less on Regent. That also included the Hotel, air, excursions, specialty restaurants, premium liquor set up in the cabin or throughout the ship, more OBC and as much laundry as we like.  I LUV that our luggage is picked up in our hotel room while we're eating breakfast and deposited at our cabin!

 

I saw how Royal Caribbean Group, after acquiring Celebrity and Azamara, kept cutting corners to increase their bottom line.  Regent's food throughout the ship far exceeded the diversity and quality I enjoy than I found on Azamara, Oceania and the Celebrity Resort restaurants. I expect similar bottom line changes with their SilverSea acquisition. 

 

On Celebrity, the lessor meat quality, especially in the buffet and main dining fail for me.  They wanted to drive people to the paid specialty restaurants.

 

The crew and passengers we've encountered on Regent are like no other line.  Except for a very few, I never got the impression that you were judged by others for your dress or cabin selection.  The worst I found that on was Oceania.  The Regent crew and fellow passengers have been the best we've encountered than on any of the several lines we've sailed. 

RSSC checks all the boxes for us.  BTW my DW goes along with cruising because I enjoy it so much.  Next week we fly to LAX to embark on the Splendor for 16 nights!  This week is the first time she has ever said, "I am so looking forward to this cruise."  This is our third Regent sailing.

[pappy1022]

I am not a frequent cruiser on any cruise line having cruised only on Regent (2), Crystal (2) and Oceania (1). My next trip is on Regent in September 2023 and it will be the first time that I have travelled with them under the all inclusive umbrella. I have always organized private tours and have loved every one. I am a bit concerned about group tours especially the larger bus tours but I decided to try these out since I already paid for them. We prefer a smaller ship and ships that provide a higher level of service and quality and Regent certainly gives you that. When planning the 2023 cruise, I compared the cost of Regent vs other higher end cruise lines and talked myself into the conclusion that when all things are considered the price difference wasn’t much when comparing apples to apples. For this cruise, I really liked Regent’s itinerary and that is the highest priority for me when planning a cruise. Crystal is no longer a choice and Oceania was good, especially when I was paying for 5 people but a step below Regent & Crystal. Now it’s only for 2 people and absorbing the Regent cost is more manageable. 

[zak477]

Over the years we have sailed on many different ships, from inside cabins (when we were younger!) to Penthouse suites.  Itineraries are my goto start points, then pricing. We found Regent in 2007 and comparing pricing with all-inclusive vs the nickel/dime companies, Regent is not too overpriced. Pricey yes, but look at what is included. With Regent we have been to 6 continents and did returns to Asia and Africa with Regent. We love the spring or fall repositioning cruises (they are a bit cheaper too). This year alone we did the Splendor in Jan & again in Apr. In October we did a short cruise on the Mariner. Coming up in Jan. 2023 we are doing 3 back to backs on the Navigator and in Nov. the Navigator takes up from Istanbul to Dubai.  Although all the ships are wonderful and the Explorer and Splendor are a wow, we still love the small Navigator, as it was our first Regent ship and still is special to us. 

Even if you have a problem or issue while onboard, the total experience negated the problem. Oh and the crew are all amazing. We always state: how to they remember our names!?

[bitob]

We just took our first Regent cruise in November after being loyal Crystal cruisers (no more).  We have also sailed Silversea (which we like a lot), Seaabourn and the Paul Gauguin.  We have 15 cruises on Oceania (never again) and a few on Celebrity.  We board Regent again on Jan 5 and we have several more booked.  We now only book luxury lines.

 

We were wowed.  Splendor was gorgeous.  Food, service and accommodations were superb.  Entertainment and lecturers really surprised me (I was not sure Regent could equal Crystal in that area but it did).  I am not crazy about included excursions so will book private in some ports as I have always done.

[Wendy The Wanderer]

23 hours ago, Bellaggio Cruisers said:

See you on Splendor in 3 weeks…look forward to meeting you.

sheila

Yes!  I'll be one of the ones hobbling around the ship, possibly with a cane.  My back/hip problems have quantum-leaped and I may not even be leaving the ship (which is fine with me, since I've been to four of the islands before, although I do want to get a supply of nutmeg in Grenada!) 

 

21 hours ago, AJCM said:

... However, so we could cruise a lot over the past 12 years, we’ve mainly cruised with Azamara; and had a great experience each time....

We loved our single Azamara trip.  Ship tours were pricey, but there was the option of shared private tours, and we had one of our best experiences doing that, something that I miss on Regent.  What we liked most about the Azamara cruise was the casual friendliness of everyone, including the senior staff, and the fun atmosphere.

 

I must say that Regent's "included" Business Air has been a big incentive for us in the past.  Hardly can beat their prices, unless you have points to burn.

[Bellaggio Cruisers]

1 hour ago, Wendy The Wanderer said:

Yes!  I'll be one of the ones hobbling around the ship, possibly with a cane.  My back/hip problems have quantum-leaped and I may not even be leaving the ship (which is fine with me, since I've been to four of the islands before, although I do want to get a supply of nutmeg in Grenada!) 

 

 

You will find me on my red scooter!