Regent vs. Silversea

[LOVE@CRUISE]

Thinking about trying out Silversea after racking up 74 days with Regent. Anyone done both? My main questions pertain to Food comparisons and service/ ammenities; as well as overall atmosphere We are in our late 50's and on the last Regent sailing (segment 2 and 3 of World Cruise) the guests were much older than previous sailings. Thanks in advance for your thoughts!

[Dolebludger]

We've done both lines, and find them very similar. The SS ships tend to feel like smaller "scale models" of Regent ships. SS tends to be a bit more formal on formal nights, so this can be bad or good, depending on your preferences. Indeed, we've found just about everything to be comparable between these lines. So much so that we make our choice between the two based on timing, itinerarty, and price and not on the identy of the line.

[Dreps]

We just returned from our first Silversea cruise (Dubai to Athens) on the Whisper after having spent 71 days on Regent ships. I put together a lengthy comparison, which I posted on another forum. My bottom line is that though I agree with Richard that there are more similarities than differences, if everything else was equal, I would choose Regent. Even though the Regent Mariner and Voyager have more passengers, they are sufficiently larger than the Silversea ships that I don't think you ever feel more crowded. In fact we had longer buffet lines in The Restaurant on Silversea--not that they were particularly long--for breakfast and lunch than we ever experienced on Regent. Furthermore, I prefer the more strict no smoking policy on Regent. I did not like smelling smoke in the hallways, which I often did, when we returned to our cabin after dinner. Fortunately, this was not a problem in the cabin (though it sometimes was on the balcony). We also thought the food was a bit more consistent on Regent, though on some occasions, Silversea dishes were truly memorable. We also had one really bad excursion in Saudi Arabia, and though I readily understand the difficulties here, I know based on past experience that had this occurred on Regent, things would have been handled differently. I will be glad to answer any other specific questions you might have: dreps@comcast.net.

[Travelcat2]

I've read your discussion on your Silversea experience. Based on reviews in the past year, your comments seem right on! Your cruise, however, seemed to have particularly insistent food. I believe they is a new Head Chef on the Whisper that is having some challenges.

 

Thank you for the indepth information:)

[Travelcat2]

From reading recent posts, as well, as the latest reviews on the Mariner, it really seems that luxury cruise passengers tend to prefer either their first luxury cruise line or the one they sail on the most. When they compare their experience on other lines, they are good. . . just not good enough.

 

The cruise that Dreps was on had quite a few "Regent" regulars. Most had really good things to report (except for food) but still prefer Regent. One couple particularly enjoyed Silversea. No one bashed Silversea at all -- pehaps just preferred Regent because it is what they are used to.

 

Debbie103, on the other hand, (who has been on both but prefers Silversea) enjoys Regent (according to her posts) but, based posts and future cruises, prefers Silversea.

 

The recent reviews of the Mariner were from Crystal/Silversea. Their review was a bit critical. This only surprises me because the Mariner is the one ship in the fleet that rarely receives negative comments.

 

There was a recent thread about Regent vs. Seabourn -- the poster "DEFINITELY" preferred Regent.

 

The food comments I read on about Silvlersea only pertained to the Whisper. Some passengers find the food on Regent ships to be inconsistent or not to their liking. Food is so subjective -- we could give identical meals to 200-300 people and not receive the same feedback. I'd guess that 70% of passengers think that Lattitudes (Mariner and Voyager) is outstanding. The other 30% would never go back.

 

If we decide to try another cruise line, our goal will be not to compare it to Regent -- just as I would not compare my favorite Italian restaurant to my favorite Japanese. . . they are just different.

 

 

 

P.S. Please note that in my above post, my comment "right on" was based on recent reviews, etc. -- not my opinion!!!!!

[Cattravel10]

My BF and I did the Silver Whisper about four years ago and it did not suit us. It was way too formal for our liking and a bit on the stuffy side, very unlike Regent. Just remembering a few details, as it has been awhile, the pool bar bartender never smiled. Our lobster one night was raw in the middle. You could not walk away from the buffet without someone insisting on carrying your plate. Overall we had a good time and met some really nice people but was just not our style. Regent reigns supreme for us!!!!!!!!!!!

[wripro]

This thread, whether on the Regent board or the Silversea board, is consistent with all threads asking for comparisons. Most, not all, but most people are highly partisan and do not suffer critiques of their preferred line lightly. You would be safer criticizing their grandchildren. Therefore all responses should be taken with a grain of salt. The truth is there is no such thing as the best cruise line, only the line you prefer. Between Regent and Silversea in this case I would let itinerary and price dictate the decision. Both lines are excellent.

[LOVE@CRUISE]

well said ... It's always hard to make a change :)

[jhp]

Having just enjoyed 15 nights aboard the Whisper, and 10 nights a couple of years ago on the Shadow, I would happily go back and forth between the lines. I have to say, however, that the perks I enjoy on Regent being newly Platinum, are quite an advantage.

 

Contrary to some other commentary, I did not find the atmosphere the least bit stuffy on SS. I was with a group of about 25 (most of whom have cruised together multiple times) who were on the Dubai to Athens cruise with our TA, and so perhaps that set a different tone, but the staff could not have been more cordial. I was fortunate to have had the same wait staff almost every night on the cruise, and they were the best I've had. Yes, food was hit and miss at times, but I left the Restaurant happy each evening.

 

I'm looking forward to getting back on the Voyager again next week, and look forward to seeing old and new faces again on Regent.

[JunPOA]

You would be safer criticizing their grandchildren. Therefore all responses should be taken with a grain of salt.

 

:D LOL:D Good one.

So true, for those who do travel beyond their respective "favorite" boards - the same pattern holds true, beit mass market or luxury.

[Dolebludger]

Absolutely! If Regent is to your liking, there is no reason to go elsewhere except for price and itinerary. We cruised Regent exclusively for many years because their prices were considerably lower than SS, and the cruise quality was very much the same. Then, a couple of years ago, I noticed some SS "specials" priced way below Regent's best prices. So we took a couple of SS cruises, for these reasons.

 

I decided our next cruise would probably be Regent, but then I reviewed their itinerary/fare schedule, and found that Regent had literally priced themselves out of our market! I then looked at SS's itinerary/fare schedule and found much the same problem. As we have no desire to subject ourselves to the mass market line situation, our frequent cruising days are over for now, for economic reasons.

 

IMO, the price levels of both Regent and SS are not sustainable. So, we'll keep an eye out for a "break" in this situation. In the meantime, we are seeing some domestic sites we've been putting off during the time when lux cruises were a bargain.