Regent Vs. Princess - Help Please!

[Robroy]

My wife and I have been loyal Princess fans for the past 17 years but have seen the product change substantially to the point where we would like to try a more up-scale experience. Regent consistently rates very highly yet at the same time seems quite affordable.

Can anyone offer some thoughts as to the major differences we might note? We are late 50's - enjoy good food/quiet music/excellent service and are ready for something different. I should mention we're looking at the Voyageur in November/December 2007.

Thanks in advance!

 

Rob

[TedC]

Princess is a good mass-market line and Regent is a good luxury line - apples and oranges

[cruiseluv]

I haven't been in Princess in several years, so i would be hard pressed to make a meaningful comparison. Suffice to say that after our last Princess experience ( Grand Princess, New Years 1998-1999) my husband forbid me to book another Princess cruise. In 2000 we cruised Regent ( then Radisson) for the first time and we have kept cruising with them.

 

I suggest you read some of the many reviews written here. You'll get a good idea of the product.

[Wendy The Wanderer]

We have a Voyager trip booked this December, our second on that ship. We've been on the Paul Gauguin three times. I have never been on Princess, but met a couple who were on the PG for the first time, in 2003 and were regular Princess cruisers. They were blown away by the experience, and said that they would keep cruising on Princess, but would splurge on Regent when they could afford it ever few years because the experience was so completely different.

[Travelcat2]

I went to the Princess website to get some idea of the ships and cabin size. I looked at two Princess ships (picked at random) -- Regal Princess and Sapphire Princess.

 

Regal Princess 1,590 passengers Regent Voyager 700

Sapphire Princess 2,670 passengers Regent Navigator 490

 

The cabin sizes on the two Princess ships (did not look at inside cabins as Regent does not have any to compare) --- 158 - 168 square feet (least expensive oceanview cabins).

 

Regent Voyager -- all suites -- all balcony -- least expensive suite 350 sq. ft. (incl. balcony). (The Navigator has mostly balconies -- think there are one or two decks that do not -- suite size is the same).

 

According to recent travel magazine articles, you can easily spend 50% more than the base cruise price on extras (everything from bottled water, soft drinks, alcohol, speciality restaurants to tipping). Princess, to my knowlege, does have charges for these items. Regent is all-inclusive and does not.

 

The music depends upon which lounge you are in. Regent is certainly not a party ship -- most venues have soft music -- there are also plenty of opportunities to dance if you wish.

 

Don't think you'd be disappointed in Regent's service -- they make you feel very special.

 

The only warning I have about the Voyager is the vibration (written about endlessly on these boards). I suggest getting a suite mid-ship and possibly on one of the lower decks.

 

Reading these boards is helpful. Just keep in mind that, just like the Princess boards, many Regent customers that post here have been on many Regent cruises and sometimes we sound a little bit picky about our latest experiences. Even with our few negative comments, we are extremely pleased with Regent:D

[Dolebludger]

No, Regent is not a "perfect" cruise line -- in the same way Mercedes-Benz is not a perfect car. But overall, Regent generally does everything well, and this has earned it a large number of repeat cruisers. With it's new all beverage inclusive policy, it ranks right up there with Silver Seas (which is generally more costly, unless one catches the right special). And yes, I've cruised them both.

 

As is the case with one who choses the Mercedes over, say a Buick, there may be a higher cost to pay for Regent than Princess. The reason I say "may" is that you'll have to upgrade accomodations on Princess to compare with Regent's cheapest suites. You won't have much of a ship's bill on Regent, and tips are included and there is really no tipping. So the cost for Regent may not be as much more as first appears. In fact, it might not be any more. And it might even be less! And how do you put a price tag on Regent's "no crowds or lines" atmosphere?

 

Cruise fares have generally risen more than a bit in the last four or so years, and this is true of Regent. But the fares on Regent's Paul Gauguin, which cruises French Polynesia year round, have risen much less than industry average. Even so, the cruise experience has remained top notch. A cruise on the Paul Gauguin might be a good "introduction to Regent" for you -- as it has been for many of us who are now regulars. And if you can take only one cruise in a lifetime, take the Paul Gauguin.

[Robroy]

Thank you all for your insights. As suggested we've enjoyed the reviews and threads and been very impressed with what we've learned. Our Princess experience has been primarily in mini-suites and most recently a suite so the Regent suite size will be comparable. I suspect however the service will be a real treat. We're not high maintenance people but do appreciate good service and a smaller ship.

We've gone ahead and booked the Voyageur for December - complete with vibration! We do enjoy some movement just as a reminder that we're not on a land-based resort and don't anticipate any motion issues. I will continue to monitor this board with great interest over the next few months!

Thanks again for your assistance!

 

Rob

[Wendy The Wanderer]

Congratulations! Don't know what kind of cabin you booked, but midship is good. We have a G on deck 6, on the December 14th Voyager trip. We've had a G cabin before, and the only noise issue was some creaking in the cabin walls in heavy seas. I like the motion too--although I am surprised by that, since I initially was very fearful of cruising because of my history of motion sickness. But I have fared better than others on some of our cruises. I definitely enjoyed being rocked to sleep last December on Navigator.

[TravelMac]

In my most humble opinion Princess is just about the worst cruise line there is. The service was god aweful last cruise in Alaska and the food was not fit to eat. We just ate on shore every time we could. Half of our cruise population in August of 06 was ill, and the ship was not clean. I might add that you cannot compare Regent to Princess in any way.

[JoAnne B]

Haven't cruised Princess for years. Probably never will again. It was fine in it's time, but compared to Regent....let's just say Ilve become too spoiled to go back.

 

I love the open seating and restaurant options sans add-on fees. Meet somebody on a tour and you can share dinner to talk about the port. Want to dine alone. No problem. Want to dine early, or late, or in your cabin. No problem. Hate your dinner mates (which seldom happens) or have nothing in common...you aren't stuck with them for two weeks. The flexibility makes all the difference in the world.

 

Not to mention the lack of lines...I don't think I've ever been in a line on Regent except maybe to buy bingo cards.

 

And finally, you are treated like a guest...not a credit card. Want to bring a fine bottle of wine onboard. No problem. Drink in your cabin or on the deck. No inflated bar bill...in fact, no bar bill.

 

Perfect? No. Better? You bet!

 

JoAnne B

[Admiral Horatio Nelson]

In my most humble opinion Princess is just about the worst cruise line there is. The service was god aweful last cruise in Alaska and the food was not fit to eat. We just ate on shore every time we could. Half of our cruise population in August of 06 was ill, and the ship was not clean. I might add that you cannot compare Regent to Princess in any way.

 

I think this proves that one's experience is very subjective. I have read reviews of people who have been very contrary. It all depends on one's personal experience onboard and also what you are accustomed to. I, for instance have worked on a far worse cruise line than Princess.

 

A regular Regent cruiser or somebody whom is accustomed to a high level of service might possibly find Princess to be below standard whereas somebody on their first ever cruise or somebody whom is not used to the service industry might have the best time ever.

 

As a former employee of Princess who now works for Regent, I can say from my personal experience that the service on Regent is well beyond what is practicable on Princess because of the crew to guest ratio and the shear scale of most of the ships in the Princess fleet. Regent's crew to guest ratio is far higher than most other lines.

 

Whilst Princess is a very good cruise line in it's 5 star class, Regent is a 6 star luxury cruise line which prides itself on customer care and service.

[crusinbanjo]

In my most humble opinion Princess is just about the worst cruise line there is. The service was god aweful last cruise in Alaska and the food was not fit to eat. We just ate on shore every time we could. Half of our cruise population in August of 06 was ill, and the ship was not clean. I might add that you cannot compare Regent to Princess in any way.

 

IMHO, You can only compare Princess with Regent if you are on one of the Three small ships, Royal Princess, Tahtian Princess, or Pacific Princess, (700 passengers of less). On a recent voyage in the Med, (on the Royal), Princess compared favorably given the obvious differences of the Dinning room system, and the nickel & diming, pay as you go stuff.

 

I have cruised extensively on both Regent and Princess. I did leave Princess for a while when they only had the BIG ships, but have returned with the introduction of the smaller ships.

 

I always prefer Regent, they are just better, but you do pay more to cruise on Regent. I look for the itinerary and ship first then decide if it is going to Princess or Regent.;)