Oceania vs Regent

[ToxM]

6 minutes ago, MEFIowa said:

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.  

I think the trivia crowd enjoy her. 
 

 

[EJL2023]

I guess I fall into the category that the CD pretty much has zero impact on my cruise.  Some probably because I don’t typically do the trivia.  Otherwise I hear few of their announcements while onboard as usually either off the ship or in room and can’t hear much of it from the hallway.  Showtime prelude seems very short and if I am not interested just tune it out.  

[edgee]

2 hours 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. 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. 

Agree, but not sure Dottie and Tom will still be on Sirena in November. I believe they will be joining Sirena in May embarking in Barcelona. Possible they will be off the ship by then, or maybe will have joined it again after a break.

[edgee]

1 hour ago, edgee said:

Agree, but not sure Dottie and Tom will still be on Sirena in November. I believe they will be joining Sirena in May embarking in Barcelona. Possible they will be off the ship by then, or maybe will have joined it again after a break.

Let me offer a correction/clarification to above. Here is schedule for Dottie and her husband Tom Drake for rest of 2024:

Disembark Insignia Feb 23. 

 

Oceania Sirena                            

May 25-August 10, 2024

Oceania Sirena                             November 19, 2024- March 19.2025

 

 

[Hlitner]

WOW, very interesting thread with all the differing opinions.  As one who also cruises many different lines (often in the same year) we would offer up one additional factor.  Price!  When folks lump together various lines in terms of food, quality, etc. what often gets ignored is price.  If I were to do a simple comparison of Seabourn to Regent, there are many SB cruises that cost about 1/2 the price of the Regent cruise.  Toss in O (their pricing is all over the place) and Silversea and things become even more interesting when it comes to one of my favorite cruise terms which is "Value."  By value I do not mean cost but the value one gets for a price.  Is Seabourn a good choice for under $400 per person/day if a similar Regent cruise is $800 per person day?  etc. etc.

 

By the way, a new player on the block is Explora Journeys.  This line puts a lot of emphasis on food which might interest many O fans who have long favored O for its cuisine.  From my perspective, as a equal opportunity cruiser who readily enjoys many lines, it is becoming increasingly difficult to find good value.  Why?  The cruise lines (and sometimes ships within a single line) seem to be changing so fast that it is difficult to know what to expect on any cruise.  These days, whenever DW and I walk up the gangway onto another cruise ship, we truly have no idea what to expect in terms of food, entertainment, and overall service.  Despite having spent years onboard ships, we now feel like cruise novices with each cruise being a new adventure.

 

Hank

[ToxM]

1 hour ago, edgee said:

Let me offer a correction/clarification to above. Here is schedule for Dottie and her husband Tom Drake for rest of 2024:

Disembark Insignia Feb 23. 

 

Oceania Sirena                            

May 25-August 10, 2024

 

Oceania Sirena                             November 19, 2024- March 19.2025

 

 

Ahh so it looks like they will embark as we disembark. A light in an otherwise dark tunnel.

[edgee]

1 hour ago, ToxM said:

Ahh so it looks like they will embark as we disembark. A light in an otherwise dark tunnel.

Wave hi as you hear her loud voice walking up the gangway. 👋 

[EJL2023]

45 minutes ago, edgee said:

Wave hi as you hear her loud voice walking up the gangway. 👋 

Like ships passing in the night.

[ak1004]

On 2/15/2024 at 2:34 PM, Hlitner said:

WOW, very interesting thread with all the differing opinions.  As one who also cruises many different lines (often in the same year) we would offer up one additional factor.  Price!  When folks lump together various lines in terms of food, quality, etc. what often gets ignored is price.  If I were to do a simple comparison of Seabourn to Regent, there are many SB cruises that cost about 1/2 the price of the Regent cruise.  Toss in O (their pricing is all over the place) and Silversea and things become even more interesting when it comes to one of my favorite cruise terms which is "Value."  By value I do not mean cost but the value one gets for a price.  Is Seabourn a good choice for under $400 per person/day if a similar Regent cruise is $800 per person day?  etc. etc.

 

By the way, a new player on the block is Explora Journeys.  This line puts a lot of emphasis on food which might interest many O fans who have long favored O for its cuisine.  From my perspective, as a equal opportunity cruiser who readily enjoys many lines, it is becoming increasingly difficult to find good value.  Why?  The cruise lines (and sometimes ships within a single line) seem to be changing so fast that it is difficult to know what to expect on any cruise.  These days, whenever DW and I walk up the gangway onto another cruise ship, we truly have no idea what to expect in terms of food, entertainment, and overall service.  Despite having spent years onboard ships, we now feel like cruise novices with each cruise being a new adventure.

 

Hank

 

I had a similar discussion with Crystal cheerleaders. 

 

I mentioned that paying $650-700 USD per person per night for a 210 sqft cabin with no veranda on a 25 years old ship is not my definition of value when I can pay $500 on SB and get a 290 sqft cabin on a ship half age, with similar level of inclusions, service and food.

 

They disagreed of course.

[MEFIowa]

On 2/15/2024 at 12:58 PM, edgee said:

Let me offer a correction/clarification to above. Here is schedule for Dottie and her husband Tom Drake for rest of 2024: Disembark Insignia Feb 23. Oceania Sirena May 25-August 10, 2024. Oceania Sirena November 19, 2024-March 19, 2025.

Too bad, we're on Sirena from 28 Aug-19 Sept 2024 in the Baltic. I enjoyed Tom's comedy and Dottie's assistance during our 2022 cruise on Sirena.

[Sthrngary]

2 hours ago, ak1004 said:

 

I had a similar discussion with Crystal cheerleaders. 

 

I mentioned that paying $650-700 USD per person per night for a 210 sqft cabin with no veranda on a 25 years old ship is not my definition of value when I can pay $500 on SB and get a 290 sqft cabin on a ship half age, with similar level of inclusions, service and food.

 

They disagreed of course.

@ak1004 I agree with you in principle.  I remember all me interaction with the Crystal Cruise line faithful.  The one thing I give them back then was loyalty to the brand.  Yet they complained all the time like they owned the brand.  If anyone would say an unkind word it will be like a group of folks that would come at you verbally. That made me uneasy but I pushed through the feeling.  Glad I did.  

 

That said, the age of the ship was and is not an issue.  The personalized service by the crew was outstanding.  The corporate office was a bit shaky though.  People make the brand. People who care about the guest truly make the brand.  I will give up a new ship for a great crew any day of the week.  

 

Cheer leaders for ANY brand really don't help the brand.  They tend to create unrealistic expectations.  A new guest cruises the brand and what they read and reality don't match.  The folks that help a brand are those that say something like, "This was not great so you might want to avoid it.  But this made up for it".  My experience on Oceania was like that.  Red Ginger was to me great over the top.  My experience with the Polo Grill was underwhelming.  So I cancelled my second reservation for Polo Grill and had it changed to Red Ginger.  Everything can't be perfect but having realistic expectations makes the entire experience better.  My next cruise will be on the Oceania Vista, will I go to the Polo Grill, you bet I will.  People make the cruise and that is a big unknown.

 

Cruise well and enjoy every moment. 

[ak1004]

36 minutes ago, Sthrngary said:

@ak1004 I agree with you in principle.  I remember all me interaction with the Crystal Cruise line faithful.  The one thing I give them back then was loyalty to the brand.  Yet they complained all the time like they owned the brand.  If anyone would say an unkind word it will be like a group of folks that would come at you verbally. That made me uneasy but I pushed through the feeling.  Glad I did.  

 

That said, the age of the ship was and is not an issue.  The personalized service by the crew was outstanding.  The corporate office was a bit shaky though.  People make the brand. People who care about the guest truly make the brand.  I will give up a new ship for a great crew any day of the week.  

 

Cheer leaders for ANY brand really don't help the brand.  They tend to create unrealistic expectations.  A new guest cruises the brand and what they read and reality don't match.  The folks that help a brand are those that say something like, "This was not great so you might want to avoid it.  But this made up for it".  My experience on Oceania was like that.  Red Ginger was to me great over the top.  My experience with the Polo Grill was underwhelming.  So I cancelled my second reservation for Polo Grill and had it changed to Red Ginger.  Everything can't be perfect but having realistic expectations makes the entire experience better.  My next cruise will be on the Oceania Vista, will I go to the Polo Grill, you bet I will.  People make the cruise and that is a big unknown.

 

Cruise well and enjoy every moment. 

 

I don't disagree. Ship age is just one of the factors, but to justify their prices, Crystal has to be in a different league compared to SB and SS. The only area that they are really in a different league is entertainment and enrichment. The best we had on any ship. But this is more relevant for Caribbean where ship is the destination most of the time. For European port intensive cruises, this is less relevant since you are in the port most of the time - at least this is true for us. So to me, to pay 30-40% more for better entertainment and enrichment that I won't use most of the time, and maybe a slightly better service (but sacrifice the size cabin and the ship age) doesn't make sense.  

[Sthrngary]

3 minutes ago, ak1004 said:

 

I don't disagree. Ship age is just one of the factors, but to justify their prices, Crystal has to be in a different league compared to SB and SS. The only area that they are really in a different league is entertainment and enrichment. The best we had on any ship. But this is more relevant for Caribbean where ship is the destination most of the time. For European port intensive cruises, this is less relevant since you are in the port most of the time - at least this is true for us. So to me, to pay 30-40% more for better entertainment and enrichment that I won't use most of the time, and maybe a slightly better service (but sacrifice the size cabin and the ship age) doesn't make sense.  

@ak1004 We are on the same page.  That is the reason I have passed on Regent Seven Seas, Ritz Carlton, and Crystal.  When the value does not meet the price, I pass.  

 

Cruise well and enjoy every moment. 

[ORV]

On 2/15/2024 at 11:57 AM, ToxM said:

I think the trivia crowd enjoy her. 
 

 

Well, not so much, or maybe if it wasn't for the obnoxiously grating tone of her voice. I don't tolerate East Coast brash that well. 

[Tsunami74]

On 2/16/2024 at 7:06 PM, Sthrngary said:

@ak1004 We are on the same page.  That is the reason I have passed on Regent Seven Seas, Ritz Carlton, and Crystal.  When the value does not meet the price, I pass.  

 

Cruise well and enjoy every moment. 

At this point in our (relatively long) lives, when we fly long distances, we really appreciate (or I might say "need") business or first class flights. Otherwise, it would take 2 days to recover from a 10 hour + fight.

So value wise, Regent always comes out on top for distant cruises  

From our non gateway city, adding business air to Asia on even a Princess cruise makes it more expensive!

Otherwise, for a Caribbean cruise in/out Miami - both Oceania and Regent are great choices.

[Sthrngary]

2 minutes ago, Tsunami74 said:

At this point in our (relatively long) lives, when we fly long distances, we really appreciate (or I might say "need") business or first class flights. Otherwise, it would take 2 days to recover from a 10 hour + fight.

So value wise, Regent always comes out on top for distant cruises  

From our non gateway city, adding business air to Asia on even a Princess cruise makes it more expensive!

Otherwise, for a Caribbean cruise in/out Miami - both Oceania and Regent are great choices.

@Tsunami74 I also am no spring chicken.  Business Class to Europe in many ways is more important than the cruise itself sometimes.  My comments about Regent are based on strictly my budget evaluations.  Prior to taking any cruise especially on outside of the United States, I look at all brands.  I compare the aspects/amenities each brand provides.  I wish I could say this is an easy task but it is not.  Your reference to RSSC providing business class airfare is one and it makes they quite unique. RSSC will always be a bucket list brand but so will Ritz Carlton Yacht Collection.  

 

The comparison of what is provided compared to other brands simply makes hard to justify. Tempting but hard.  All that said, I seem to always be able to find great Business Class Air Options on my own based on my status with Delta which is lifetime Diamond.  

 

Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

[Harters]

1 hour ago, Tsunami74 said:

Otherwise, it would take 2 days to recover from a 10 hour + fight.

Indeed. We'll have two nights in Miami pre-cruise, so should then be fine. At least, UK to US is better, jetlag-wise, than the reverse. Cruises are significantly expensive holidays for us so, unfortunately, the option of other than economy seating is beyond our means. 

[Hlitner]

2 hours ago, Sthrngary said:

@Tsunami74 I also am no spring chicken.  Business Class to Europe in many ways is more important than the cruise itself sometimes.  My comments about Regent are based on strictly my budget evaluations.  Prior to taking any cruise especially on outside of the United States, I look at all brands.  I compare the aspects/amenities each brand provides.  I wish I could say this is an easy task but it is not.  Your reference to RSSC providing business class airfare is one and it makes they quite unique. RSSC will always be a bucket list brand but so will Ritz Carlton Yacht Collection.  

 

The comparison of what is provided compared to other brands simply makes hard to justify. Tempting but hard.  All that said, I seem to always be able to find great Business Class Air Options on my own based on my status with Delta which is lifetime Diamond.  

 

Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

Just a word about "providing business class air."  That comes at a very hefty price.  We can  cruise on Seabourn, Silversea or some other luxury lines and buy our own business class (where we choose our airline, schedule, etc) at a far lower cost then the package deals provided by RSSC.  In fact, the CCL brand lines (including HAL, Seabourn, etc) have an excellent online air search engine which will often (not always) have some amazing international business/first class air deals.  As an example, in the spring of 2022 we cruised to Euope on a long Seabourn cruise that ended in Monte Carlo.  DW and I eventually made our way to Prague where we finished the independent land portion of our trip. Using Seabourn's online air booking engine (where one can get all kinds of deviations) we were able to book one-way Business Class (lay flat seats) through United for about $1000.  And this was from Prague!  Last year we cruised around Japan on HAL and were able to get one-way Business Class (using HAL's similar online site) to Tokyo for about $2000 per person (British Air and JAL).  

 

There are other cruise lines (Oceania is a good one to cite) that do not offer good air deals for Biz/First.  In those cases, folks are often left paying the really big bucks (for air) if they want comfy travel.  I once calculated that we could take a short 12 day Princess cruise in Europe, and the money we saved on their Business Class fares (the same online system used by HAL and Seabourn) would actually be enough to pay for the cruise!  Go figure.

 

Hank

[PaulMCO]

On the air issue -- it really depends on when you book and whether their are good consolidator contract rates.  For our next cruise this March our air allowance for Business class RT was $4200.  Now try to price anything anywhere today for under $6500 and that was Air Canada.

 

As far as the topic --  Regent by far.  Yes I do not like buffets.  I think Terrace on O is overrated, especially tiring for long cruises.

 

If I were to rate the lines as far as food

1. Regent (lots of variety, on bigger ships and best GDR/MDR of any line

2. Old Crystal (where new Crystal is see me after June)

3. Explora Journeys  (good basis but they need to rotate menus)

4. Seabourn

5. Oceania (last 2 were disappointing food wise)

6. McDonalds (I hate them -- and its better than my last SS cruise)

7. Silversea (only the caviar was decent)

 

An yes we generally look for value.  We did old Crystal in the Amazon and it was cheaper than Marina.  Seabourn can have rates that are lower than Oceania.

 

We like Seabourn for their small port itineraries.  So while Seabourn may be number 4 in food -- they are higher in overall experience (probably 2 versus Regent as 1) as we are itinerary driven.

 

Edited February 20 by PaulMCO

[ToxM]

We always book biz where possible. 

 

I am just about to pull the plug on our O cruise in November. I crunched the numbers at the weekend and the results pointed squarely towards Vegas. 

 

When we stripped down our needs on a vacation it was decent accommodation, good food, a casual atmosphere and access to poker games if possible. This is why we did TA’s as the extra sea days allowed for this. Our blip on Regent has ruined cruising for us for a while, which is a shame as the things we saw and the trip was amazing, just let down by the operation/hotel side of the ship. Marital Unit no longer wants to cruise for the near future and we both agreed we want more access to food choice in case we find a blip somewhere we are staying. It really seemed like we were trapped on the ship (in my case for 14 days with no time onshore) with food choices that were frankly, terrible and were ridiculously cumbersome to even get the easiest of meals. When you feel anxious about what could go wrong every mealtime (and to be fair my anxiety was correct, it did) then the enjoyment of any meal is ruined. Regulars on this board will know I am pretty easy going so the above isn’t nit picking. 

 

So I’ll happily save 8k GBP (the difference in price for our trip) and go to Vegas for 9 days.

 

I won’t say it is easy giving up PH 8000 on Sirena for a TA - it’s my favourite ship and favourite cabin (a hidden gem), but I can find no enthusiasm for a cruise at the moment. I am upset at Regent over this, but understand that to an extent the cruise I was on with them was a huge blip (although complaints about Voyager have been ongoing), but the blip was big enough for me to reconsider cruising at least for the foreseeable. Would I recommend Regent? Not even if I didn’t like you. 

Edited February 21 by ToxM

[shepherd really]

On 2/19/2024 at 2:53 PM, ORV said:

Well, not so much, or maybe if it wasn't for the obnoxiously grating tone of her voice. I don't tolerate East Coast brash that well. 

As a lawnguylander, I resemble that remark.

[Sthrngary]

2 hours ago, ToxM said:

We always book biz where possible. 

 

I am just about to pull the plug on our O cruise in November. I crunched the numbers at the weekend and the results pointed squarely towards Vegas. 

 

When we stripped down our needs on a vacation it was decent accommodation, good food, a casual atmosphere and access to poker games if possible. This is why we did TA’s as the extra sea days allowed for this. Our blip on Regent has ruined cruising for us for a while, which is a shame as the things we saw and the trip was amazing, just let down by the operation/hotel side of the ship. Marital Unit no longer wants to cruise for the near future and we both agreed we want more access to food choice in case we find a blip somewhere we are staying. It really seemed like we were trapped on the ship (in my case for 14 days with no time onshore) with food choices that were frankly, terrible and were ridiculously cumbersome to even get the easiest of meals. When you feel anxious about what could go wrong every mealtime (and to be fair my anxiety was correct, it did) then the enjoyment of any meal is ruined. Regulars on this board will know I am pretty easy going so the above isn’t nit picking. 

 

So I’ll happily save 8k GBP (the difference in price for our trip) and go to Vegas for 9 days.

 

I won’t say it is easy giving up PH 8000 on Sirena for a TA - it’s my favourite ship and favourite cabin (a hidden gem), but I can find no enthusiasm for a cruise at the moment. I am upset at Regent over this, but understand that to an extent the cruise I was on with them was a huge blip (although complaints about Voyager have been ongoing), but the blip was big enough for me to reconsider cruising at least for the foreseeable. Would I recommend Regent? Not even if I didn’t like you. 

@ToxM In reading your comment, I personally fully understand your feelings.  I had never gone on a Europe Cruise before Oceania Cruises. The cruise was really great.  Part of it was the excessive planning done prior but the main thing was we were with our best friends.  People make the cruise whether guests or crew, people. The one thing I notices was on every port, I wish we had more time, I always felt just a bit stressed to get back to the ship, and we wished we could have had dinner in the port.  Yet I always remembered I paid a premium to eat on the ship. Still the experience exceeded my expectations so much so, I booked another 10 day Mediterranean Oceania cruise for end of 2025.  

 

The older I get the more worried I get that my hips and legs will one day soon give out.  My adult daughter has been on my case for a decade to go to Europe with me.  So I used my only two regrets from my Oceania Cruise which was 1) Not enough time in the ports and 2) Eating all meals in the port city to make my decision.  I am taking my daughter to 9 days in the Mediterranean at the end of April 2024, no cruise we fly, High-Speed bullet trains, small local plane between some cities, hotels where we want to be and some special dining choices without limiting ourselves.  Not Vegas as you are doing but strategically focusing on what we think would make a great trip for us.  This will be the first and most likely last time my Daughter will fly business class.  She is so very excited. I let her choose every place we go, hotel we stay at, and attractions we will see.

 

The moral of the story. We Mix and Match our vacations allowing us to have different experiences.  Know the up/down side as best you can and avoid downsides if avoidable.  Have a great plan yet stay flexible.  Have realistic expectations.  This non-cruise trip will allow me to be even better at planning my Oceania cruise in 2025, yet have a really nice time now with my daughter.  Best of both worlds.  

 

Have a great time in Vegas.  Crush the poker tables.  

 

Cruise and Vacation well and enjoy every moment.