Regent vs. Mass Market Cruise Line (Princess)

[Midwest Engineer]

For those wondering if the high cost of Regent is worth it, keep reading. My wife and I have cruised four Regent cruises since 2007, and due to schedule constraints, took a Princess cruise this holiday season. Our travel agent warned us about going back to a "mass market" cruise and what it would be like. She was right.

Cruise Review
Caribbean Princess (3600 passengers), 26 Dec 10 to 2 Jan 11. San Juan - St. Thomas - Tortola - Antigua - St. Lucia - Barbados - San Juan. My wife and I had taken three previous Princess Cruises, back in 2000 - 2002 time frame. This is our first since then. Beginning in 2007, we have taken four cruises on Regent Seven Seas cruise line, three of them on the Navigator (490 passengers) and this past September one on the Mariner (700 passengers). These are the basis for our comparison.
We decided on a holiday cruise last August as a way to spend time with our two daughters, who are both poor starving graduate students. Regent did not offer a cruise that matched Christmas break times, and thus we looked at "mass market" cruises, selecting Princess as we had favorable experiences in the past.
Regent takes your money up front in one big cruise reservation payment. Princess takes less money up front but nickels and dimes you all the way from start to finish. Princess charges for your club soda at lunch, your espresso at breakfast, your sodas and bottled water in your room, and every bit of alcohol you consume; Regent hands you bottles of water as you go ashore each day with a smile, no charge.
The key difference between Regent and Princess is that Regent is a relaxing cruise, while Princess is a stimulus-laden cruise. The common areas on the small Regent ship are never crowded, while on the Princess ship it often feels like Times Square with a juggler or gymnast as entertainment (think Key West Mallory Square at sunset). The pool deck on Regent is a place where people sleep or quietly read a book, with occasional (soft) entertainment. The pool deck on Princess offers a variety of sensory overload options, from a big screen movie (loud) to musical entertainment (loud). Princess does offer a "sanctuary" high on the forward deck, but of course you have to pay to enter, either on a day pass or a cruise pass basis. Princess wants to take your picture, often, and charges $20 per print. Regent has no ship's photographer.
My wife smokes, and I enjoy a fine cognac after dinner. On both Regent ships there is a Connoisseurs Club that is quiet, with dark wood paneling perfectly suited to both desires. On the Caribbean Princess, there is a place called Churchill's Cigar Bar, also with dark wood paneling. We were looking forward to this after dinner our first night. We went there, and found instead a sports bar - TV screens from every wall blaring football, football, football. We never went back.
Dinners get a decidedly mixed review. The first night we dined in Islands restaurant (anytime dining). I had a salmon fillet that was perfectly done. My wife, who ordered the same thing as one of our daughters, received something completely different than what she had ordered. The beverage service was awkward, and the whole experienced was rushed. The second night we dined at Crown Grill, which tries to be like Morton's Steakhouse with the steaks on a tray presented for selection. My Kansas City Strip was very gristly, and my wife's fillet was overcooked. The wine list was extremely limited, and did not contain as many selections as the main dining room wine list (and don't bother looking for a fine Burgundy or Bordeaux anywhere on the ship). I asked the waitress if a large format bottle, like the ones in the display case, was available for our party of five. No, there weren't any (but there were three on the main dining room list). I then asked if there was a special sommelier's list, and she said that yes, we could get wine by the glass. I gave up. The third night was in Sabatini's, the Italian theme restaurant. At first the service was very slow, and the Maitre'D was running around as if they were short handed. Once we got started, the service was much better, and the food was creative and good. We dined several more nights at the regular Islands restaurant, and I must comment that overall the menu was uninspired compared to what Regent offers in its main dining room. One dessert offering in Islands restaurant was an English Stilton Cheese plate. The Stilton was presented as a formed ball, it was very salty and not with the distinctive Stilton flavor. It was garnished with fried onion straws, also very salty! We dined New Year's Eve back at the Crown Grill, and this time the steaks were much better. I may sound like a snob, but if one has ordered their top end Cabernet Sauvignon at $150 per bottle, it would be nice to enjoy it in a real Bordeaux glass and not a cheap Chardonnay glass. In comparison, the food in the Regent main dining room is inspired and every night one must make hard choices to compose 3, 4, or 5 courses. If you order a good wine, you get a good wine glass to enhance the experience. The wait staff makes you feel like serving you is a passion for them.
Our favorite place on the Caribbean Princess was the Vines bar each night before dinner. The two bartenders were very nice, and we enjoyed decent champaign. Overall, the wines and other liquor were very reasonably priced (although champaign and most drinks at a bar on the Regent ships are free). On the other hand, table service at the restaurants was much less attentive and not as polished as on the Regent ships. Water glasses don't get refilled, the wait staff gets you in and gets you out, and they don't make you feel like a valued customer. In the middle of dinner one evening, someone came by our table and tried to get us to sign up for a wine tasting two days hence, at a charge of $25/person. I said we'd decide later. He kept pushing us to sign up with him. It was like being interrupted at dinner by a telemarketer! In contrast, on our most recent Regent cruise, we had an issue one evening where the wine steward handed me the wine list but neglected to come back to get our order, and I was compelled to comment to the Maitre'D about wanting to order a fine bottle of wine and not being able to do so. By the time we got back to our cabin that evening, a complimentary bottle of nice champaign had been provided to say "sorry for the poor service."
Our end of cruise bill on the Caribbean Princess was $4,600, which consisted of the shore excursions for 4-5 people x 5 days, 30 photos for $600, internet access, nice bottles of wine each night, and all the nickel and dime stuff previously discussed. Our 10 day Regent cruise this past fall had an end of cruise bill of about $200, as shore excursions were included, bottled water and soft drinks were included, liquor except top shelf and expensive wine was included, decent table wine is poured at dinner free of charge, and what wine we did purchase from the wine list was off-set by our American Express credits. On Regent, our Silver status got us free internet, while our Gold status on Princess got us a gold-colored stateroom entry key.
Princess has at least four things going for it over Regent: (1) you can smoke on your private balcony, which is nice for my wife; (2) the ship has a real promenade deck all the way around the ship that is great for exercising; (3) the larger size ship is much smoother in rough seas, which again is appreciated by my wife; (4) the fitness center is well-outfitted, although for many special exercise events there is a charge and the fitness instructor made it a point of asking for tips.
One final observation: on the Regent cruises, you met people and made new friends - while waiting to board the ship, at dinner, at the bar, at the smoking areas. People were open to conversations with strangers. While we didn't go out of our way to try, that didn't seem to be the norm on the Princess ship. Maybe it was because of the predominance of families vs. older couples, I don't know. Don't get me wrong: the Princess cruise wasn't a bad experience, and if you have never taken a Regent cruise, you'd never know what you are missing. So make your choice and enjoy either one!

[joandbun]

Thanks for the review-comparison. Very interesting.
We will be trying our first Regent cruise in Sept on Mariner.:D
Have sailed several times with Princess (as well as Celebrity, Azamara etc)
& certainly for us part of the attraction of booking Regent has been that excursions, flights and drinks are included. You're right these things can add up. We've enjoyed our Princess cruises very much but wanted to try something more upscale.
Maybe it didnt help with being on such a large ship this time and over the festive season. Just not able to give that extra something special .
Cant wait for Sept.:D

[Wendy The Wanderer]

Wow, this is very helpful to me, as a Regent loyalist who anticipates taking a "lesser" cruise some day. The worst part of what you mention, for me, is the reference to the public spaces being "stimulus-laden". This we first experienced on a ferry in the North Sea from Holland years ago--it became our template for an experience we did not want to repeat, and kept us from cruising at all until 2000 when we did the Paul Gauguin. So I would now look very hard at Princess before ever booking them.

[cruiseluv]

Thanks for your report. The experiences you describe are not at all surprising. In 2008 after a long hiatus from mass market ships I went with my family on a transatlantic cruise aboard the Emerald Princess (I think it's a twin of the Caribbean Princess). Given that it wasn't a Holiday cruise the atmosphere was more sedate but still a totally different experience from Regent. I didn't care for the sheer size of the ship. Sometimes it felt like I was at a big hotel. However, the very low price we paid for a mini suite (similar in size to Regent cabins) compensated for it!

[cwn]

Thanks for posting, I found your comparison interesting as we like Princess best of all the mass market lines and have been sailing with them since 1984 on the large ships, Sapphire to the small ships, Ocean Princess. We do have elite status so we get free internet and free laundry and dry cleaning plus a couple of other things reguardless of cabin size. We have also sailed on other mass market ships plus Silversea and Seabourn and will board the Regent Mariner on Jan 11 for 71 days.

I have to say, in all fairness to Princess and HAL too (we were on the Rotterdam for 31 days in Sept), you can't fairly compare the Caribbean Princess, or any large ship, carrying 3100 passengers, 1200 crew and geared to families to the small luxury ships of 400 to 700 passengers that are not really promoted as family ships. You should not have expected the mellow experience of Seabourn, Silversea and I hope Regent with their small ships, on a ship that is basicly a floating family resort.

Your pre paid fare is less on Princess and other mass market lines, yes, and you should get on board knowing you will have a bill at the end of the cruise for liquor, special dinning, other services and tips. On Regent and others like them, you pay up front with the much higher fare knowing that liquor, special dinning, some other services and tips are included. For us it doesn't matter when we pay, we don't mind having to sign a ticket and having a cruise bill at the end...lower fare and a bigger bill at the end or higher fare and almost no bill at the end...it all comes out of the same money pot.

For those of you who have sailed Regent or other luxury lines and are thinking about trying one of the mass market lines, you will enjoy experience most if you travel on one of the 6 -700 passenger ships, Princess and others have that size; pick a suite as it usually includes laundry, internet, and a few other nice things in the fare; and most impotant, stay away from 7 day cruises especially out of US ports during school vacation times as the mix of passengers is very different! In 2009 we did a 23 day Ocean Princess cruise, Sydney to Hong Kong and then two months later did a 24 day cruise on the Seabourn Pride, Dubai to Istanbull. They compared very well in good experiences and actual dollars spent on both ships. We had good service and good food on both ships. I have yet to sail on Regent, but am hoping we will have as good an experience as we did on those cruises and on the Rotterdam this fall.

The Rotterdam is a bigger ship, at about 1600 passengers, but their Neptune Suites set up gives those passengers some of the small ship feel and service experience. Though we still like the ships carrying less than 700 the best.

As always do you homework on the cruise ship. Pick one that offers the things that are the most important to you. For us it is a small ship, a good fare for a good itinerary and generally good food (for us so far that is Princes because they willing accomodate our request for mostly Italian fare and make special items if nothing is to our liking on a menu...better than any other line including Silversea and Seabourn...again we will see with Regent.

[Wendy The Wanderer]

All well and good. Sometime it amazes me, however, that a quiet experience could not be had on a larger ship. Sure, avoid school holidays etc., but surely there are large ships that treat their passengers in a civilized manner.

(Just talking about ambience, not inclusiveness.)

[cwn]

Wendy, I definitely didn't mean that people don't behave in a civilized mannor on large mass market ships, it has been our experience that they do! There are just more people around you. The passengers were very civilized on Carnival this past summer when we took our grandsons on a short cruise. The dinning room and cabin service was outstanding and the food was very much OK, just not 5 star. However, we didn't pay for 5 star either! There were 800 kids in the 1600 passenger mix. For the most part except for meal times and around the water activities we never saw many children and none were really misbehaving. The main nightime show was also always crowded, but we could always fine a relaxing little spot for a cocktail. I was very surprised based on what you hear about Carnival...we will difinitely do a Carinval cruise again with the grandkids.

We have had good to great experiences on the larger ships...actually we had a wonderful cruise on the Sapphire Princess...we had a great aft balcony and never heard another person in the hall. We also were able to find uncrowded spots for cocktails etc and the staff was very good and attentive.

However, on big ships there are times when crowds build, like tendering and just getting back on the ship at any port when it is getting close to sailing. Plus the dinning room has a much busier feel to it, but that is just part of a large ship. You have got 3000 people instead of say 700! Even when they have two gangways working or four dinning areas it is still crowded and tends to be louder than on the small ships. A bus tour on a small ship might have 1 or 2 buses, the same tour on a large ship will have 4 to 6 buses all leaving and getting back at the same time.

For just the 2 of us, we will stick to the small ships, luxury or mass market, as we don't really like crowds. If we are traveling with the grandkids we will look at the larger ships mainly for the other children that will be on board and the great range of family activites.

[Threechicks]

I have cruised on four Princess ships and have enjoyed myself immensely. However, a lot depends on your destination and how you are travelling. My first three cruises were with a tour group so we had our own table for dinner and all our excursions were arranged privately and included in our fare. One of the trips was the inaugural cruise of the Emerald which in 2007 was one of the largest ships launched. I was concerned about the size but, much to my surprise, I had a wonderful time. Lots of exercise too whenever I made a wrong turn in one of those endless corridors. The last cruise on Princess was on the Sapphire in 2008 to Alaska. This was different as it was a special cruise for my three daughters. I was fortunate to obtain the Grand Suite which is perfect for four persons and for Alaska as your balcony is half of the aft portion of the ship. Because it was daylight until almost midnight we spent hours on the balcony. The suite gave us our own computer, free laundry, and any room service came directly from the restaurant menus. While enclosed in the suite we were pampered, however, once we ventured out we were main stream and it was like going from a lovely boutique store to a huge mall but we had a wonderful time because we had our own company. My point of all this rambling is that how you enjoy yourself on any cruise depends on circumstances. I had great cruises on Princess and would not hesitate to book again if it was a family group. However I would not consider it if I was travelling alone as I usually do on Regent. Both are excellent cruise lines but there is a totally different atmosphere on each. On the large Princess ships you have to be a very outgoing person to mingle and find friends while on your own amongst 3,000; on Regent with fewer passengers it just seems to happen.

In answer to Wendy's query - Some of the corridors have quiet spots with comfortable chairs for reading but there is usually a fair amount of foot traffic. The Atrium on all the ships is set up with good chairs too but there again there is a lot of traffic. Also, most of the ships have installed "The Sanctuary" for adults only but there is a charge and limited access.

[cwn]

I have cruised on four Princess ships and have enjoyed myself immensely. However, a lot depends on your destination and how you are travelling..........Both are excellent cruise lines but there is a totally different atmosphere on each. On the large Princess ships you have to be a very outgoing person to mingle and find friends while on your own amongst 3,000; on Regent with fewer passengers it just seems to happen.

In answer to Wendy's query - Some of the corridors have quiet spots with comfortable chairs for reading but there is usually a fair amount of foot traffic. The Atrium on all the ships is set up with good chairs too but there again there is a lot of traffic. Also, most of the ships have installed "The Sanctuary" for adults only but there is a charge and limited access.

So true...many of the mass market ships are developing a ship with in the ship to cater to people wanting some of the small ship feel and or luxury.

[byrds_eye_view]

All well and good. Sometime it amazes me, however, that a quiet experience could not be had on a larger ship. Sure, avoid school holidays etc., but surely there are large ships that treat their passengers in a civilized manner.

(Just talking about ambience, not inclusiveness.)


Oddly enough, we had a nice, quiet experience on a Disney ship (several times - the only mass market line we usually do). Guess you never know...!

The adult sections (pool, spa, restaurant) are peaceful & almost reminiscent of Regent in terms of ambiance and even other passengers we meet. There is also a quiet open deck with cushy teak loungers where DH reads (um, naps) often, with no noise whatsoever. The suites are lovely & concierge is great as well. Really large ships, but you never know it...of course we know to avoid the family pool on a sea day, lol, but I'm amazed at how they manage the separation of age groups.

[Sunviking]

We returned in late November from our first Regent cruise (the Voyager transatlantic) and I posted about some of the comparisons I saw between that voyage and our Princess cruises. While we have not sailed on the Caribbean Princess we have cruised several times on the Ruby and Emerald Princess (they aren't twins of the Caribbean BTW). Our voyages on those have been transatlantics as well and there were few families with children. While in each instance the ship was essentially full, we didn't feel the same crush of people that was described by the OP. On that class of ship there are a couple of lounges in which one can find quiet. Adagio is a lovely lounge next door to Sabatinis Restaurant. There have been many times in the evening when my husband and I have been the only ones in there listening to a pianist play. During the day Skywalkers Lounge all the way aft and almost at the top of the ship is a great place to read, play Scrabble or just watch the sea and sky. In terms of outdoor spaces, there is a full promenade deck with lounge chairs one can relax in. The Lotus Pool is forward and there are chairs around it and on the deck above which are not part of the Sanctuary. At both that pool and the aft pool there is no noise from the Movies Under the Stars system.

There were a number of things we liked very much about Regent. There are also many things we like about Princess. We will cruise both again in the future, I'm sure.

[Threechicks]

"Adagio is a lovely lounge next door to Sabatinis Restaurant. There have been many times in the evening when my husband and I have been the only ones in there listening to a pianist play."

You are right Sunviking. I had forgotten about this lovely space. It's one of the nicest lounges on any ship of any cruise line I have been on.

[Threechicks]

"Adagio is a lovely lounge next door to Sabatinis Restaurant. There have been many times in the evening when my husband and I have been the only ones in there listening to a pianist play."

You are right Sunviking. I had forgotten about this lovely space. It's one of the nicest lounges on any ship of any cruise line I have been on.

[Colonel(Ret.)Wes]

Hi Ann,

Thanks for your perspective, it is wonderful (and we are very fortunate) we have cruise choices that match well our cruise preferences.

[mariners]

Thanks to all of the posters. We are taking our granddaughters on Princess in March. The youngest would not currently enjoy a Regent cruise so we had to look elsewhere. I now feel more confident that we have made the right choice for them and for us.:D

[Robroy]

Thanks, Midwest Engineer, for some excellent insights into the main differences between Regent and Princess. My wife and I have been on many Princess cruises prior to our first trip on the Voyageur in 2007 and most recently Silversea's Silver Spirit in November. I think you hit the nail on the head in terms of Regent offering a "relaxing" vacation versus the Princess "stimulus-laden" variety. It really all depends what you're looking for and willing to put up with. Once we saw the difference, we both decided that the days of vacationing with 3,000 people we didn't know were over. The overall ambience of a Regent or Silversea cruise was just what the doctor ordered for us: superb service, no rushing or feeling rushed; staff having/making time to ensure your needs/wants are fulfilled; no lineups or hawking of cookbooks/wine-tastings etc during meals; no announcements about bingo/special sales/etc.etc.... One amazing thing is to compare the view down your corridor on the Caribbean Princess versus the Voyageur - really an interesting perspective!!

From a cost perspective, we didn't feel that Regent was that much more expensive than a Princess cruise - although we noticed that with the addition of all-inclusive tours, Regent has significantly increased their pricing (which was a factor in us choosing Silversea this past time out). We hope to return to Regent soon (and also hope they will eliminate the shore excursions allowing passengers to select what they want to pay for) but fear that a return to Princess or Celebrity won't be in the cards for us - we've been too spoiled!
(By the way - is Martin Cliff still the Dining Room Manager on Voyageur? He really did a great job in Compass Rose when we were aboard!)

Rob

[cruiseluv]

All well and good. Sometime it amazes me, however, that a quiet experience could not be had on a larger ship. Sure, avoid school holidays etc., but surely there are large ships that treat their passengers in a civilized manner.

(Just talking about ambience, not inclusiveness.)

Actually, I didn't have any issues with service and even quality of food on my last Princess cruise. It's more the number of people onboard and size of the ship. It's really apples and oranges to compare to Regent.

[cruiseluv]

"Adagio is a lovely lounge next door to Sabatinis Restaurant. There have been many times in the evening when my husband and I have been the only ones in there listening to a pianist play."

You are right Sunviking. I had forgotten about this lovely space. It's one of the nicest lounges on any ship of any cruise line I have been on.

Yes, I forgot about Adagio! What a lovely bar/ lounge. WE also enjoyed Sabatinis the time we went for dinner.

[Travelcat2]

Thanks, Midwest Engineer, for some excellent insights into the main differences between Regent and Princess. My wife and I have been on many Princess cruises prior to our first trip on the Voyageur in 2007 and most recently Silversea's Silver Spirit in November. I think you hit the nail on the head in terms of Regent offering a "relaxing" vacation versus the Princess "stimulus-laden" variety. It really all depends what you're looking for and willing to put up with. Once we saw the difference, we both decided that the days of vacationing with 3,000 people we didn't know were over. The overall ambience of a Regent or Silversea cruise was just what the doctor ordered for us: superb service, no rushing or feeling rushed; staff having/making time to ensure your needs/wants are fulfilled; no lineups or hawking of cookbooks/wine-tastings etc during meals; no announcements about bingo/special sales/etc.etc.... One amazing thing is to compare the view down your corridor on the Caribbean Princess versus the Voyageur - really an interesting perspective!!

From a cost perspective, we didn't feel that Regent was that much more expensive than a Princess cruise - although we noticed that with the addition of all-inclusive tours, Regent has significantly increased their pricing (which was a factor in us choosing Silversea this past time out). We hope to return to Regent soon (and also hope they will eliminate the shore excursions allowing passengers to select what they want to pay for) but fear that a return to Princess or Celebrity won't be in the cards for us - we've been too spoiled!
(By the way - is Martin Cliff still the Dining Room Manager on Voyageur? He really did a great job in Compass Rose when we were aboard!)

Rob

As you know, we were on the Silver Spirit with you. It is interesting that you chose Silversea for the same reason we did. . . . cost. Apparently Regent raised their prices again (3rd or 4th time in a year). While we prefer Regent to any cruise line, we will not pay the extra money for the included items that we would prefer were not included. Silversea was a wonderful alternative! In terms of Princess (to stay on topic), it is not a luxury cruise line and therefore the comparisons don't hold a lot of weight with me. As has been said before many times, "it is like comparing apples and oranges".

[TWG_ag]

I could have written this same review, but it would have been Regent and Celebrity. After a dozen Celebrity Cruises and Elite status we moved to Regent for ship size and passenger number. We are a month away from our fifth Regent and we intend to stay there. We did Celebrity last in Dec 2009 with a big group. We were in a Penthouse Suite and got the best treatment on the ship and still, we will likely not be back. If you have not done the small upscale ships, the mass market is fine. It was for us when we did not know better. It is not about cost, it is about experience. If you like crowds, like you find in Orlando go mass market, if you like B&B's and remote resorts, move on over to the small ships, the experience for us is worth it.

[Travel2Learn]

School holidays, especially the Christmas/New Years break is a terrible time to take a cruise if you want service or quiet. My last mass market Caribbean cruise was on the Celebrity Solstice, Concierge class, not during a school holiday. Service was not good, the room service selection was terrible, and there were other issues. However, there was a very nice indoor, quiet, more like silent, pool area.

[briar14]

Yes, agree!! We have just returned from a cruise to the Amazon on Pacific Princess, which we chose because of the interesting itinerary. We have 2 previous Princess cruises, the most recent 10 years ago when I vowed I'd never be a Prisoner of Princess again. Ship was same class as Mariner. Excellent was main dining room service and food in that room. Not so good was having to find our luggage at 3 am with no staff available to help, condition of ship, lack of attention to detail, being "nickeled and dimed" for everything, photographers, smoking; the disgusting Panorama Buffet--unattractive, had to ask, repeatedly, for someone to clean the Corian tabletops between diners. Also loved the Spa Deck, which we won admittance to in a ship's contest, would not have paid the $250 to use it. We have never had these experiences on several Regent cruises. The cost comparison was just about equal. Princess--less attention to detail, not well maintained, sanitary conditions questionable, not all inclusive. Looking forward to our Regent cruise in July.

[C_Worthy]

I couldn't help but read this thread, as my wife and I are planning 2 cruises for the upcoming year: a Regent cruise in the Mediterranean (a 10-year anniversary gift to ourselves) and a NCL cruise in the Caribbean (a family reunion). The planning of these two cruises could not be any more different! On the Regent cruise, we are debating which fine on-board restaurants to reserve. On the NCL cruise, we are planning our strategy around packing our own bottled water, sodas, snacks, etc.

Our philosophy is that there is a time and circumstance for both types of cruises. They offer totally different experiences and require different mindsets. We actually loved our Princess Cruise several years ago, but I expect we will be spoiled rotten after our Regent experience. ;)