Regent vs. Silversea vs. Crystal

[Lucca30]

I have sailed on Crystal a total of seven times variously on the Symphony, Serenity and the late Harmony, Regent three times and Silversea twice.

 

I rank Regent number one and the best value for us. Crystal is the most expensive of the three. Silversea did not have the advantages of the other two. As I explain below Regent is the line that most meets our requirements. That does not mean that one of the other two would not provide a better experience for cruisers with different objectives. All three lines are well run and luxurious. On every cruise our fellow passengers were pleasant, friendly and often fun.

 

Crystal is great for people who like to go to the lectures and participate in the many wonderful programs such as the computer instruction and enjoy a structured environment. The evening shows are enjoyed by many. There are hosts to dance with ladies. The food is the best of the three; however the other two are not far behind. Crystal service is the best. Negatives for me are Crystal’s relatively small cabins and a fixed dinner seating. When I say Crystal is the most expensive it is because I add the prices for very pricey drinks that are about the same as those in a top Manhattan restaurant and the tips to the price of the Crystal fare. Regent and Silversea include both tips and drinks and wine in the fare, a nice touch if only because one does not have to calculate to whom one gives how much. The home office of Crystal is inept and ineffectual. Dealing with the home office of Regent or Silversea is like calling Ritz-Carleton or Four Seasons with a crisp response, compared to calling Crystal where one often gets an answering machine; a strange deficiency from Crystal’s otherwise excellent service

 

The minimum Regent balcony cabin I had was just a bit larger than a Crystal suite and better laid out. It was also several thousand dollars less expensive all inclusive. On Regent there was a huge walk in closet and the bath had both a separate shower and bath tub. Unlike Crystal, two people could be in the bathroom without squeezing by one another. The living area on Regent is divided by a heavy curtain from the bedroom so that one person could nap or sleep while the other read or even watched television without disturbing the other. The ship was smaller than the two Crystal ships, so there was less pool area etc., but it was fine for our needs. Not as much variety on the menu but we had everything we wanted. It was such a pleasure not to have to sign for anything. The tip inclusive policy did not diminish the service in any way. The rooms may not be made up as quickly as on Crystal because I guess the stewardess had more cabins to take care of on Regent. The excursions are far less expensive than on Crystal although I expect they were from the same purveyors.

 

Silversea was the least attractive of the three. Large cabins, but small bathroom. Good wine and champagne all inclusive, but limited dinner menu. Service and food was excellent. Embarkation and debarkation was as tedious as on Crystal - odd for a much smaller ship. Unlike on Crystal and Regent the staff seemed a bit dispirited.

 

All in all for our requirements Crystal is too expensive for what I get and do not use. Silversea was too expensive considering what I got. For me Regent is just right. Regent probably has weak shows compared to Crystal; however we do not go to shows. Regent has smaller ships, but better libraries open 24/7 on an honor system. Regent has lower Internet prices and unlimited free access after having sailed 21 days.

 

We love having a large Regent cabin that can be divided so one of us can sleep and the other of us read. We like going to dinner when we want to. We bring DVD’s that we want to see. We have very busy lives and just want to “chill out” – Regent is perfect for us but it might not be the first choice for others for the reasons that I have detailed above.

 

Basically I do not think one can go wrong sailing on any of the three lines, it is just a matter of choosing the kind of experience that one wishes to have.

 

Good sailing.

[Travelcat2]

Very good comparison. While we have not cruised Crystal or Silversea, I have done considerable research for the past couple of years. Set seating, non-inclusivity and cabin size are the only reasons we don't try Crystal.

 

Your insight of Silversea is particularly interesting as we plan on trying SS (probably in 2010). The only downside I anticipated is the size of the ship.

 

It is also refreshing to read balanced comparisons:)

[crusinbanjo]

I love Regent You can not go wrong with them.

 

Silversea ia fantastic as well, Air Dept was lacking, last time we cruised with them.

 

Don't know about Crystal, but have heard good things about them

 

 

All smiles here!:)

[wripro]

So which does everyone like better....banana cream pie, chocolate cream pie or coconut cream pie?

[Donaldm]

Thanks for the good writeup comparing the three cruise lines. I might add that the regular cabin sizes (excluding the balconies) on Crystal are significantly smaller - they are around 200 sq. ft. Although Crystal lists the Serenity cabins at 225, I measured them at around 200 or so. Silversea is either 240 or 270 depending on the ship and my measurements confirmed this. Regent is either 250 or 300 sq. ft. depending on the ship. This extra space is a nice luxury.

As to food, Silversea had very good food when I was on the Shadow in June. They often had all you can eat sushi at the lunch buffet; I was in heaven. With a lapse here and there, we have had good food on all three lines.

I enjoy the open seating on Silversea and Regent and much prefer it to the fixed seating on Crystal. The included gratuities and liquor on Silversea and Regent are a great added bonus.

Disembarkation from the Shadow last June was very easy. In fact, you could leave pretty much whenever you wanted so long as it was before 10 am.

Internet pricing is much better on Regent than the others and is free after 21 days. Silversea charges 50 cents a minute even if you are just playing solitaire (package pricing is available). As I recall, Crystal is higher than Silversea.

[jhp]

I can't comment on Crystal, never sailed with this line, (hear it is wonderful) but after many many cruises on Regent, and maybe 25 days on SS, I say these two lines are interchangeable, just pick by price and itinerary between the two.

 

Have to disagree with OP's comment about bathrooms on SS being smaller than Regent. I've only sailed on Whisper and Shadow, but those are identical in size to Regent, except on SS there are 2 sinks, not one. Cabin layout identical to Regent.

 

Yes, depends on what kind of pie you prefer, but there ARE some objective points to be made about the differences (albeit subtle) in luxury lines that are of interest to those who come to research on message boards such as this one. First time cruisers doing research for luxury cruises might not realize that Crystal, in spite of costing what Regent and SS do, has an assigned seating for dinner, is not all inclusive, and has smaller cabins at the introductory price. Or that Silversea charges a huge premium to eat at their exclusive alternate venue with wine pairings. Or that, according to what I've read over the years, Crystal excels in their lecture and entertainment venues. Seabourn not even mentioned here, but apparently excels in service and food. Just depends on what is important to you. For me, I have a lot of nights on Regent, and have so many perks for this and that for free (that I USE) I start there first.

[ORV]

Having only sailed on Regent and Silversea I think it comes down to which ship you are on. I would give the Silver Whisper better marks than the PG but knew that before I sailed on PG.

 

I would also put the staff on SS above Regent. But both have fantastic service and employees and both have some average employees.

 

One difference I noticed is that on SS by the second day most of the officers called you by name while the Regent staff never called you by name. Not that it is that important to me but the fact SS takes the time and effort to do that and that it is important to them shows a difference in their culture and approach.

 

Food was great on both lines. Although breakfast meats on the PG were pretty dismal. I really wasn't wowed by any of the desserts but much of the other food was fabulous.

 

We plan on trying one of the other Regent ships sometime in the future before passing final judgement. At this point given the same itineraries and comparable prices I would choose SS

[NJBelle]

Hi, I think a lot of my observations are included in the above notes. My family and I have cruised on Crystal for 7 cruises (on the Harmony, Symphony and Serenity), for Silversea on 2 (the Cloud and Whisper) and on Regent (Voyager, Mariner, Navigator and PG) for 5 cruises. For us, at this point, Regent is our preferred line. We are a family of 3 - including a 13 year old daughter. We like Silversea and Regent similarly - although Regent has a kids' program usually when we are sailing. Crystal was a favorite (and may well become one again) when we first started cruising. But now that we have experienced the beautiful large staterooms (even at entry level) on Regent and Silversea, it will be hard to go back to Crystal when it is the 3 of us. Crystal offers very good single fares (only 125%) compared to the others, so there are some very loyal Crystal fans in that category. But, since Crystal charges full fare for kids above 12 (except on some rare cruises) vs the 50% that Regent and SS charge, we are committed to Regent and Silversea for now. For us right now, we look at the ports, time of year, etc and then decide on Regent vs SS.

 

Best, NJBelle

[Travelcat2]

ORV: Just a comment about the PG -- she is managed by Regent, however, she is not part of the fleet and, in the opinion of some, does not qualify as a true "luxury" cruise line (it is doubtful that she will sail under the Regent name beyond 2009). We loved our PG cruise in 2004 (under different ownership), however, since 2005, reviews have been mixed!

 

I like what you said about SS staff remembering names. . . Regent does try in that area (particularly when you sit in the same general areas in Compass Rose). With 700 passengers, it may be a bit more difficult. JMO

[Dolebludger]

We've sailed Regent and Silversea. We like smaller ships, so Silversea gets a "plus" in that area. But we also like the convenience of taking the ship's excursion -- at least sometimes. Silversea gets a big "minus" there. Not enough variety. To much concentration on early morning excursions. (When we are on a cruise "early morning" does not exist!) As said before, rooms are a bit smaller on Silversea, but we can live with them fine.

 

Never sailed Crystal, and never will. Set dinner seating times ans seats is a deal breaker for us.