Fitting in with Regent?

[sofa.king]

We've sailed all the mainstream lines like NCL, Royal, Carnival, Princess, Holland.  Two adults and two kids 11 and 13.

We're not into dressing up and the kids are decently well behaved.  How much more upscale is Oceania, Regent, Azamara, Seabourn and the other luxury lines.  Would we be eye-sores as passengers?  Should we even care about what other think?  We prefer a more laid back vacation, but some of the itineraries on these luxury lines are very enticing, especially for my teen.

Edited April 2 by sofa.king

[edgee]

32 minutes ago, sofa.king said:

We've sailed all the mainstream lines like NCL, Royal, Carnival, Princess, Holland.  Two adults and two kids 11 and 13.

We're not into dressing up and the kids are decently well behaved.  How much more upscale is Oceania, Regent, Azamara, Seabourn and the other luxury lines.  Would we be eye-sores as passengers?  Should we even care about what other think?  We prefer a more laid back vacation, but some of the itineraries on these luxury lines are very enticing, especially for my teen.

I answered your question on the Oceania board, but I am actually a passenger on Regent right now. Neither Oceania or Regent are ideal for kids, but IMHO Regent is even less appropriate for kids than Oceania. No activities for kids, potential negative reaction from guests plus the fact that Regent has zero casual dinner options. All dinner service other than room service is seated service in a fairly formal restaurant surrounding. At least on Oceania there is a very nice casual really good buffet like setup with pizza options. On Regent the area which is buffet during brkfst and lunch turns into a waitstaff served Italian restaurant. Highly recommend against Regent for kids if you have other options.

[Vertygo]

Depends on the itinerary. Regent welcomes kids on Alaska & summer Med sailings (to the consternation of some here) & will provide some activities for them, but O will not. I’m taking my family of 7, including 15 & 17 year olds to Alaska next summer. I want focus to be on nature rather than water slides/go-karts & prefer being a bit spoiled on small ships.

[PhD-iva]

1 hour ago, edgee said:

I answered your question on the Oceania board, but I am actually a passenger on Regent right now. Neither Oceania or Regent are ideal for kids, but IMHO Regent is even less appropriate for kids than Oceania. No activities for kids, potential negative reaction from guests plus the fact that Regent has zero casual dinner options. All dinner service other than room service is seated service in a fairly formal restaurant surrounding. At least on Oceania there is a very nice casual really good buffet like setup with pizza options. On Regent the area which is buffet during brkfst and lunch turns into a waitstaff served Italian restaurant. Highly recommend against Regent for kids if you have other options.

You’re forgetting Waves, which is on the pool deck and is more casual. I also responded on the O thread specifically with a recent Voyager cruise where a well-behaved 10 or 12-year old was very well received. Depends on so many factors..

[edgee]

2 minutes ago, PhD-iva said:

You’re forgetting Waves, which is on the pool deck and is more casual. I also responded on the O thread specifically with a recent Voyager cruise where a well-behaved 10 or 12-year old was very well received. Depends on so many factors..

I was referring to Waves when I mentioned the pizza option. It is equally informal to Terrace..same dress code..and in the evening it operates more as an adjunct to Terrace IMHO serving pizza, flatbreads and a few other options, which most folks choose to consume inside the Terrace Cafe.

[pappy1022]

13 hours ago, sofa.king said:

We've sailed all the mainstream lines like NCL, Royal, Carnival, Princess, Holland.  Two adults and two kids 11 and 13.

We're not into dressing up and the kids are decently well behaved.  How much more upscale is Oceania, Regent, Azamara, Seabourn and the other luxury lines.  Would we be eye-sores as passengers?  Should we even care about what other think?  We prefer a more laid back vacation, but some of the itineraries on these luxury lines are very enticing, especially for my teen.

I wouldn’t give a flip what others think as long as your kids are well behaved. You will get some folks that look at you sideways because they think Regent is reserved for adults only, but it isn’t. Fortunately, those are the minority and probably the same folks who reserve pool lounges at 5 AM and don’t show up for hours. Not sure what your itinerary is but I would consider private tours for the family to get the most out of your time on shore. Some of the Regent tours are very good but others spend a lot of time sitting on a bus looking out the window. Read the tour descriptions carefully. Regent doesn’t require ties and jackets just something like Khakis and a collared shirt so It isn’t formal. 

[Jim Avery]

Here I am on my last Regent tour.  Now I know I am better lookin than most but I had no problem fitting in...l🍹

 

 

 

[irishwitchy]

You may get a few side way looks because of the kids,  but as long as they aren’t shooting water guns at guests in the pool or throwing a ball around,  you should be good.  
 

As for things to do,  I know my 11 year old grandaughter could spend hours working on a puzzle, loves to curl up with a good book, do a scavenger hunt,  add some youth knowledge to the trivia team, eat ice cream and pizza for lunch and than go have a medium rare steak for dinner.   Add a virgin strawberry daiquiri to the mix and she would be one happy kid.  Funny,  sounds like the same thing many of the adults enjoy doing!  

 

Yes,  you may need really review the excursions,  to avoid the long boring bus trip -  haha I hate them, also.  
 

Where are you thinking of going?  Good luck!    

 

[Jim Avery]

Unless kids are running around screeching they are usually better behaved than the idiots who just think FaceTiming in public is the thing to do.  How did we all manage to un learn our manners??

[fizzy]

1 hour ago, pappy1022 said:

I wouldn’t give a flip what others think as long as your kids are well behaved. You will get some folks that look at you sideways because they think Regent is reserved for adults only, but it isn’t. Fortunately, those are the minority and probably the same folks who reserve pool lounges at 5 AM and don’t show up for hours. Not sure what your itinerary is but I would consider private tours for the family to get the most out of your time on shore. Some of the Regent tours are very good but others spend a lot of time sitting on a bus looking out the window. Read the tour descriptions carefully. Regent doesn’t require ties and jackets just something like Khakis and a collared shirt so It isn’t formal. 

We agree with everything Pappy and Irishwitchy said. A little loud fun on vacation never hurt anyone whether it's from the pool or the shrieking and screaming at a trivia game .Read a lot of Regent travel boards.  Here's some tips... always call your cabin a suite, don't use a lanyard and wear attractive shoes....unless you're old and have foot problems. This trip sounds perfect for your family. Have fun.

[RetiredandTravel]

Would I prefer to be around a 14 year old interested in the excursions or a 70 year old determined to get their moneys worth at the "all inclusive" bar?  Hmm

 

Back to the OP.  I have found my fellow Regent passengers to be very receptive and cordial.  

 

This is the dress code off the Regent website.

 

"Attire ranges from Casual to Formal Optional. Casual wear consists of resort-style outfits; some examples are jeans, shorts, t-shirts, and tennis shoes. Casual wear is appropriate for daytime both on board or ashore. Casual wear is not appropriate after 6:00 PM. On the night prior to disembarkation, guests may need to pack their luggage early due to morning flights the next day. With this in mind, on the last night of every voyage, we will relax the dress code for dinner to Casual.

 

Otherwise, the recommended onboard dress in the evenings is Elegant Casual. Dinner dress for ladies includes a skirt, or slacks with a blouse or sweater, a pant suit or dress; slacks and a collared shirt for gentlemen. Sport jackets are optional. Casual wear is not to be worn at dinner. Ties are not required."

 

enjoy

 

 

[mnocket]

I would rank them from highest to lowest in terms of formality of dress code and fellow passengers expectations of compliance as follows...

 

Silversea

Seabourn

Regent

Oceana, Azamara (similar)

 

I will say that some Regent passengers would actually comment directly to the person if they felt their dress fell short of their standards.  Not many, but I'd never seen this happen before. 

 

1.  

[Pcardad]

24 minutes ago, mnocket said:

I would rank them from highest to lowest in terms of formality of dress code and fellow passengers expectations of compliance as follows...

 

Silversea

Seabourn

Regent

Oceana, Azamara (similar)

 

I will say that some Regent passengers would actually comment directly to the person if they felt their dress fell short of their standards.  Not many, but I'd never seen this happen before. 

 

1.  

There is also some weird age dynamic as well. If you appear substantially younger than the average guest they will assume you work there. I've been yelled at to sit in the back of the tender when a woman thought I was crew.

[RetiredandTravel]

Silversea has recently lowered the formality of its dress code.  Still a touch more formal than Regent but not much.

 

https://www.silversea.com/travel-informations/what-to-pack.html

[frantic36]

5 hours ago, mnocket said:

I would rank them from highest to lowest in terms of formality of dress code and fellow passengers expectations of compliance as follows...

 

Silversea

Seabourn

Regent

Oceana, Azamara (similar)

 

 

1.  

 

As a regular Seabourn passenger I would put Seabourn and Regent on par. In fact since Seabourn now allows "elegant Jeans" in the MDR I would put Regent ahead. I still like to dress up so I wear what I want and it doesn't worry me but some other people's definition of elegant jeans and mine are very different. 😆. What they choose I would wear to my sister's farm.

[labonnevie]

22 hours ago, sofa.king said:

We're not into dressing up and the kids are decently well behaved.  How much more upscale is Oceania, Regent, Azamara, Seabourn and the other luxury lines.  Should we even care about what other think?  We prefer a more laid back vacation, 

I think you might feel more comfortable on Azamara or Oceania than Regent or Seabourn. 
That said, “dressing up “ on Regent can be as simple as slacks and a collared shirt (cleaned and pressed with the free laundry)/ dress or skirt and top, for dinner.
If that is too much for you to enjoy a “laid back vacation”, Regent is probably not right for you. 
IMHO, I, for one, believe we all should care, at least a little, about what others think. Otherwise there are no norms of behavior. 

[mnocket]

49 minutes ago, frantic36 said:

 

As a regular Seabourn passenger I would put Seabourn and Regent on par. In fact since Seabourn now allows "elegant Jeans" in the MDR I would put Regent ahead. I still like to dress up so I wear what I want and it doesn't worry me but some other people's definition of elegant jeans and mine are very different. 😆. What they choose I would wear to my sister's farm.

Point taken.  You have more experience with Seabourn👍

[PhD-iva]

OP has posted on the Oceania forum that they have decided to go with celebrity.
We all hope they enjoy their cruise.