Oceania vs Regent

[Vallesan]

20 hours ago, ToxM said:

 

The Regent cruise has actually made us reconsider whether we want to cancel our November TA on Sirena - I don’t want to be stuck on a ship again with poor food choices if we have another “blip” cruise.

 

The Regent trip has made me realise that we really enjoy the evening buffet on O, and dressing up for dinner is a bit of a faff and we want to relax when on a cruise.

 

Food was so hit and miss on Regent that mealtimes became a chore as to what mis-step we would inevitably experience. We’ve not had that experience on O, but are wary as to whether we want to take that roulette chance.

 

Currently feeling very wary of cruising again after an experience I would have been disappointed with if it was P&O! I feel like it has actually put me off cruising, which is really sad as I love O as a brand, and have adored my time on Sirena, but not sure I want to take that chance. 

 

We are actually thinking of cancelling and going to Vegas for a poker holiday as we will be more in control of potential food blips.

 

It’s quite upsetting for me to feel like this. I wouldn’t recommend Regent to someone who enjoys O. 

 

 

So sorry your experience was so dire. We aren’t fans of Regent either. In fact when we were on board we actually cancelled a future cruise we had booked with them!

 

I can understand your reluctance to cruise again. 
 

We’ve sailed on the Sirena several times and never had bad food. Our last cruise on that ship was February 2023 but things may have altered since then. Why don’t you ask a question to see what the experiences of recent Sirena cruisers are. Then of course you would still have to calculate the risk of a ‘blip’.

Edited February 13 by Vallesan

[ToxM]

13 minutes ago, Vallesan said:

So sorry your experience was so dire. We aren’t fans of Regent either. In fact when we were on board we actually cancelled a future cruise we had booked with them!

 

I can understand your reluctance to cruise again. 
 

We’ve sailed on the Sirena several times and never had bad food. Our last cruise on that ship was February 2023 but things may have altered since then. Why don’t you ask a question to see what the experiences of recent Sirena cruisers are. Then of course you would still have to calculate the risk of a ‘blip’.

 

I love Sirena, we have booked our favourite PH for our trip in November and it’s also a TA (which we love). I just feel ambivalent about cruising at the moment, it’s actually rather distressing for me and certainly a very new experience for me when I think about the prospect of a cruise. We have a while before final payment and I have yet to arrange our return flight, so we have time to contemplate. I will say that currently 10 days in vegas at a casino that will fit our poker needs and casual eating choices and is not in a strip location (done all that don’t need to do it) with biz class flights from the UK and a hefty food budget is still cheaper than what I will price our final costs for the Sirena TA to be, so it’s a tricky decision at the moment - one which I am wrestling with a lot 😞

[Harters]

59 minutes ago, ToxM said:

it’s a tricky decision at the moment

I understand that. We've been looking at an upmarket resort hotel in Cyprus which would sort of replicate the hotel/restaurant experience of an O cruise - nice suite, a variety of included dining options, entertainment, inclusive booze, etc. And it'd be about 50% of the price of an O cruise. So, the "value for money" question is how much do we consider a cruise itinerary is worth. 50% - maybe not. Lots to think about, generally, as well as switching lines (hence this thread). 

Edited February 13 by Harters

[Vallesan]

I can see the dilemma you both have. I think this may be our last year cruising. Long haul is just tooooo long now and we have almost exhausted Europe so we are also thinking about land based trips. Lots to consider.

 

We are sailing on Seabourn Quest in April with only 450 passengers so the smallest we will have done yet. Maybe that could become a better fit. Will wait and see.

[Harters]

27 minutes ago, Vallesan said:

Long haul is just tooooo long now

It is. And such a faff.  We're doing a transatlantic in a few weeks. That means a flight to Heathrow and a overnight hotel there. Then the long flight to Miami - and two nights there (one night isnt enough "just in case"). Fortunately, doing west to east means any time difference issues are at the beginning of the holiday and we don't end up arriving home wrecked after a night's lost sleep. 

[ak1004]

2 hours ago, ToxM said:

If you enjoy the option of a buffet in the evening then Regent shouldn’t be on your radar. I was worried about the lack of a more informal venue for evening meals before I went on the cruise, and I was right to be concerned. Sette Mari is a nice dining venue, but you can’t just wander in unless you are there at opening or can judge when second sitting will roughly start to take place, the options for the antipasti/mezze don’t really change and the mains seem to be on a 3/4 night rotation. It only utilises half of the buffet area and it’s not really a relaxed venue as a buffet proper would be. 

 

Regent has taught me that I like the casual and informal nature of The Terrace. I enjoy the choice and the convenience - add to that the pizza venue where Waves is in the evening and it’s a real winner. I know Regent has a more casual eating area outside in the evenings using their pool grill area for the duration of their World Cruise on Mariner, but they really need to bring that back to all their ships. 

 

Someone wrote on one of the topics that "Dinner on luxury lines doesn't mean a buffet."

 

I'm not sure why a line like SS can have a casual Pizza place as one of the dinner options, but not a buffet, but this seems to be the case, based on our experience on SS and Crystal (and I believe Regent and SB also don't have dinner buffets). So if this is a deal breaker, then none of the "luxury" lines would be a good fit. We like to have an option of dinner buffet too, but not a deal breaker for us.

[Vallesan]

14 minutes ago, Harters said:

It is. And such a faff.  We're doing a transatlantic in a few weeks. That means a flight to Heathrow and a overnight hotel there. Then the long flight to Miami - and two nights there (one night isnt enough "just in case"). Fortunately, doing west to east means any time difference issues are at the beginning of the holiday and we don't end up arriving home wrecked after a night's lost sleep. 

Yes! You’re right … a faff! Must admit I hate that commuter flight to Heathrow. We tend to drive now and stay in the Sheraton Skyline overnight because they have a fantastic Indian restaurant in the hotel.

 

We should have been in Asia now having just got off the Riviera in Bangkok then flying down to Penang. To get good priced business class flights I opted to fly Manchester/ Frankfurt/ Singapore, then it would have been Bangkok/KL/Penang as I couldn’t get non-stop at the right time. Then returning was to have been Penang/Singapore/Frankfurt/Manchester. 

I booked this 12 months ago and I’m afraid when it came to a week before my OH had a horrendous panic attack. End of trip. I guess 7 flights was a bit ambitious!

Fortunately we had visited all but one port and have been to both Singapore and Penang before. Very disappointed but I think had we gone it would have been a nightmare.

 

Such is life, especially when you want to do long haul from the Northwest.

[Vallesan]

3 minutes ago, ak1004 said:

 

Someone wrote on one of the topics that "Dinner on luxury lines doesn't mean a buffet."

 

I'm not sure why a line like SS can have a casual Pizza place as one of the dinner options, but not a buffet, but this seems to be the case, based on our experience on SS and Crystal (and I believe Regent and SB also don't have dinner buffets). So if this is a deal breaker, then none of the "luxury" lines would be a good fit. We like to have an option of dinner buffet too, but not a deal breaker for us.

Seabourn does have the Colonnade at night but like Silversea’s La Terazza, the lunchtime buffet becomes waiter service in the evening. So yes not a buffet as such but still more relaxed than the MDR etc. 

[Harters]

31 minutes ago, Vallesan said:

it would have been a nightmare.

Those flight arrangements just seem horrendous. I'm with your OH on that.

[ToxM]

54 minutes ago, ak1004 said:

 

Someone wrote on one of the topics that "Dinner on luxury lines doesn't mean a buffet."

 

I'm not sure why a line like SS can have a casual Pizza place as one of the dinner options, but not a buffet, but this seems to be the case, based on our experience on SS and Crystal (and I believe Regent and SB also don't have dinner buffets). So if this is a deal breaker, then none of the "luxury" lines would be a good fit. We like to have an option of dinner buffet too, but not a deal breaker for us.

 

Dinner on any line is whatever we fancy that night - I think luxury means what you want and choice.

 

But then again the definition of Buffet is very different in reality between say Celebrity and Oceania. 

 

I tend to slow right down on TA’s and regress to extremely casual, and after a long day on a tour, I don’t really want a drawn out sit down meal. Also I like to dip into a few things. It was definitely a learning curve for us on Regent. 

 

 

[ToxM]

1 hour ago, Harters said:

It is. And such a faff.  We're doing a transatlantic in a few weeks. That means a flight to Heathrow and a overnight hotel there. Then the long flight to Miami - and two nights there (one night isnt enough "just in case"). Fortunately, doing west to east means any time difference issues are at the beginning of the holiday and we don't end up arriving home wrecked after a night's lost sleep. 

 

I do think the overnights pre and post can wipe you out and possibly negate the positive effects of a cruise. But then the thought of hopping on a plane for a long haul right after disembarking is also quite horrendous. 

 

I think I was just unlucky, we had a fabulous precruise tour, then hubby was very ill with an allergic reaction to some food the night we embarked, (asthma attack, the works) then I got Noro - this wiped about 4 days from the start of the cruise til we were both back up and running, then I caught covid at the end of the trip (I think I caught it onboard) and was just at the edge of feeling awful on the flight home (I put it down to two flights and dehydration til I tested two days after we were home). Cumulatively with the less good than expected cruise it’s just become a bit like a distinct aversion to a particular drink when you have had a terrible hangover from it. 

 

 

[Vallesan]

39 minutes ago, Harters said:

Those flight arrangements just seem horrendous. I'm with your OH on that.

Yes! When I see them written down I wonder what on earth possessed me to do that. The only defence was that we were flying business from/to Frankfurt with Singapore Airlines! 
 

The other point in my defence is that I organise and book the trips when I make a suggestion to OH he doesn’t really listen just says ‘yes’. Anyway, won’t be doing that again!

[Vallesan]

5 minutes ago, ToxM said:

 

I do think the overnights pre and post can wipe you out and possibly negate the positive effects of a cruise. But then the thought of hopping on a plane for a long haul right after disembarking is also quite horrendous. 

 

I think I was just unlucky, we had a fabulous precruise tour, then hubby was very ill with an allergic reaction to some food the night we embarked, (asthma attack, the works) then I got Noro - this wiped about 4 days from the start of the cruise til we were both back up and running, then I caught covid at the end of the trip (I think I caught it onboard) and was just at the edge of feeling awful on the flight home (I put it down to two flights and dehydration til I tested two days after we were home). Cumulatively with the less good than expected cruise it’s just become a bit like a distinct aversion to a particular drink when you have had a terrible hangover from it. 

 

 

See exactly where you’re coming from. Sounds like you were really very unlucky health wise. No wonder you didn’t enjoy the cruise. 

When we sailed Regent we were both well so ‘feeling rotten’ didn’t make our cruise a ‘never to be repeated’ trip! We just didn’t click with the ‘brand’.

In saying that we have never had a problem on their Oceania sisters. I don’t even think our expectations were any higher than on Oceania it just wasn’t for us. Doubt it will be even at their vastly discounted prices, which in fact just brings them in line with Seabourn and Silversea both of which are far superior to Regent.

 

[FeliciaLee]

On 2/12/2024 at 9:56 AM, ToxM said:

I was very disappointed with Regent, and really can’t justify trying them again to see if it was a blip.

 

The Regent cruise has actually made us reconsider whether we want to cancel our November TA on Sirena - I don’t want to be stuck on a ship again with poor food choices if we have another “blip” cruise.

It probably was a blip cruise. While we absolutely love Oceania more than Regent, it is solely due to subjective reasons. Regent is an excellent product and you got very unlucky.

 

Sirena is a great ship that has Red Ginger and a combo Polo/Toscano. You are in for a real treat! Both were excellent on our trip.

 

Also, Dottie will be your cruise director and she is a treasure.

[MEFIowa]

18 minutes ago, FeliciaLee said:

...  Sirena is a great ship that has Red Ginger and a combo Polo/Toscano. You are in for a real treat! Both were excellent on our trip. Also, Dottie will be your cruise director and she is a treasure.

And if Dottie is there, her husband, the comic Tom Drake, likely to perform. We were blessed to have them both on the Sirena Caribbean cruise 11/2022.

[NewSalty]

22 hours ago, ak1004 said:

 

Yep, found it, thanks!

 

I think two reasons to explain it in this case:

 

First, longer cruises are typically cheaper per day (so 14 nights would be cheaper than 11, all other factors equal).

 

Second (probably less impact) is that O cruise is on Vista, the newest ship, while SB is on a 13 years old ship. 

 

But yes, good find, and it proves once again that it's worth to shop around even if it seems like in general one line is significantly more expensive. Regent and Crystal are the only two lines where I was never able to find anything even close to O prices. So they are out of the picture at this point. To me, no cruise is worth $1,500 USD per couple per night. But I'm sure many people will disagree..

Not sure that the Vista thing is less impact... from my perusings (sic?) of Oceania's offerings, Vista always seems to command a premium.

[ToxM]

11 hours ago, FeliciaLee said:

It probably was a blip cruise. While we absolutely love Oceania more than Regent, it is solely due to subjective reasons. Regent is an excellent product and you got very unlucky.

 

Sirena is a great ship that has Red Ginger and a combo Polo/Toscano. You are in for a real treat! Both were excellent on our trip.

 

Also, Dottie will be your cruise director and she is a treasure.

 

An expensive blip, which was unfortunate. 

 

Am a big fan of Sirena, love the ship, not such a big fan of Dottie, so thats another factor to take into account. 

[janecambridge]

Just over the last 12 months we have cruised with 4 different companies. 
Best Food;

1st Saga

2nd Oceania

3rd Regent

4th Seabourn

 Seabourn was tasteless and having watched a chicken being sliced in front of us that was oozing blood, never again. 

[basenji56]

As a non drinker, Regent doesn’t make any sense for me given the large price difference. I love Oceania and am trying the new Crystal this December. 

[edgee]

On 2/13/2024 at 4:57 PM, MEFIowa said:

And if Dottie is there, her husband, the comic Tom Drake, likely to perform. We were blessed to have them both on the Sirena Caribbean cruise 11/2022.

Not sure how Dottie and  hubby Tom Drake are a "blessing" to have on your cruise. She and Tom are wonderful people but Dottie makes announcements that are too long and unnecessary. Also she makes everything in the ship about her. She makes an appearance and expects applause every night in the theatre. Talks too much during trivia.

 I just completed two recent cruises on Vista. CDs were Ray Carr (who is succeeding Dottie when she leaves Insignia in a few weeks.)and also Leslie Jon. Two real professionals who kept announcements to a minimum and did not make the evening shows about them with a big deal introduction. (and, yes Dottie and Tom will be returning to Sirena for summer and fall cruises.)...I am a regular listener to Tom Drake's daily podcast about the cruise and travel industry.

[MEFIowa]

11 hours ago, edgee said:

Not sure how Dottie and hubby Tom Drake are a "blessing" to have on your cruise. She and Tom are wonderful people but Dottie makes announcements that are too long and unnecessary. Also she makes everything in the ship about her. She makes an appearance and expects applause every night in the theatre. Talks too much during trivia. ... (and, yes Dottie and Tom will be returning to Sirena for summer and fall cruises.)...I am a regular listener to Tom Drake's daily podcast about the cruise and travel industry.

Always fascinating to see how people differ in their opinions.

 

But it does sound like you're OK with Tom, since your issues are seemingly with Dottie. Loved Tom's two regular comic shows on Sirena 11/2022 as well as a special afternoon one that was added where he discussed the idea of "comedy" and the "joke". He dissected some of his work. He could show how a subtle change in tone or a word could completely change the intensity or direction of a joke. He was easy to approach on the ship and a joy to talk to.

 

As for Dottie, on Sirena I appreciated that she hosted the ecumenical Christian prayer services we had. AND I asked her early in the cruise if there was going to be a Veterans' meet & greet. She said she was not planning on having one, so I asked to host one on a sea day in Martinis. She did the PR for it. The announcements she made led to about 25 people being at it. (Off our B2B on Riviera, where little PR happened to the scheduled Veterans' meetings, we only had about 6 both times, though we had twice the number of passengers.) Ran into her in Old San Juan at a local grocery store, as I was looking for inexpensive Puerto Rican rum and beer. Had a nice chat with her. She was always friendly and approachable.

[ak1004]

15 hours ago, basenji56 said:

As a non drinker, Regent doesn’t make any sense for me given the large price difference. I love Oceania and am trying the new Crystal this December. 

But Crystal also includes drinks. And their prices are higher than SB and similar to SS while SS includes excursions.

[edgee]

1 hour ago, MEFIowa said:

She was always friendly and approachable.

Both Dottie and Tom are great people. During time off from O, Tom also works on Princess and is doing his second gig on Crystal soon, when he and Dottie disembark Insignia in about two weeks.

[ToxM]

Dottie’s storytime reading of the daily activities grates on me, they are too long and are really intrusive. Tom was a bit racist in his comedy act last time I was on Sirena and I didn’t appreciate it at all. You can be funny without being racist - this is not the 80’s!

 

Knowing Dottie is going to be the CD on the cruise in November will probably be the death knell for us for it. I haven’t told marital unit she will be CD in November, but guessing when I do we will be actively looking at Vegas flights. 

[MEFIowa]

12 minutes ago, ToxM said:

Dottie’s storytime reading of the daily activities grates on me, they are too long and are really intrusive. Tom was a bit racist in his comedy act last time I was on Sirena and I didn’t appreciate it at all. You can be funny without being racist - this is not the 80’s! Knowing Dottie is going to be the CD on the cruise in November will probably be the death knell for us for it....

You certainly have your strong subjective opinions on both of them. BUT they must be doing something right, since (1) they keep coming back on board O ships and (2) Tom keeps performing in them.

 

Though who knows about "a bit racist"? The devil is in the details. And in your perception.

 

Tom admitted in his special "educational" set that he can tweak jokes to an audience and that minor changes in tone and a single word make all the difference. He could take a very clean joke and make it harsher or vice versa, depending upon the crowd. One involving a photograph, a pharmacist and murder still sticks in my mind. But "racist"? I didn't hear that in 3 sets. He did have fun changing an infamous mean joke to either a RC Monseigneur or a rabbi, for example. Tom seems to know his audience, esp. on cruise ships.