Regent vs. Silversea vs. others?

My husband and I (mid-60s, artsy and outdoorsy) are trying to plan a Northern Europe luxury cruise for next year and wonder which cruise line to choose. I have found itineraries I like, but have questions about the lines/ships. FYI, I have taken probably 15 mid-level cruises, one river cruise (loved it!), and many land-based trips all over the world.

Which ones are non-smoking? I don't think I could stand to live in a stateroom smelling of smoke for 2-4 weeks :(!

How "all-inclusive" are they? Is tipping truly not expected? Are shore excursions too crowded or fully booked to be accessible?

When airfare is included, is it on a decent plane with a good itinerary (not 17 stops in airports along the way)? We are on the west coast, so trips to Europe are exhausting.

Are there other differences I'm not thinking to ask about? I have read reviews (both positive and negative) on both of the lines we're considering, but some are too old to be relevant. If there are other ships/lines that stand out, I'd like to hear about them, too. We are not big into dressing up, but could manage to bring a nice dress/tux. We enjoy wine and great meals, shows (but not essential) and lectures, and some hiking/kayaking,but not gambling or dancing. We are both very "into" photography, but will only bring point-and-shoot or similar gear on a cruise.

As an addendum, I'm also deciding between Celebrity and Silversea for a trip to Galapagos/Machu Picchu this year. If you have any thoughts on those, let me know.

I appreciate any input or opinions you have. Thanks!

for a few reasons. First,its REALLY all inclusive(no tips needed,all shore excursions inc.etc....)then the formal dress...there IS NONE.Love that and one of the main reasons I prefer that line.Also,smoking very well limited to certain areas.Loved Seabourn,but HATED both the smoking and formal wear policy(SS too)

As far as air,we ALWAYS do our own because I like TOTAL control of all the details and usually cheaper(they discount the amount from total when not booked with them).

Have to really research and look at brochure to find all the details,like room size,bathtub,drinks inc.etc.??).lots of variables.

These are considered "luxury" lines,while Celebrity is just mass market.But we re TRYING it for E.Caribean just for dates and itinerary,but will upgrade to a suite for services.,,etc. So lots to consider.;)

Thanks for sharing your experience. It's difficult to know how realistic a brochure or website portrayal of a ship or line is, so it's nice to hear from someone who has been there.

The Celebrity Expedition, which sails the Galapagos only, appears to be designed as a luxury cruise - sort of a departure from their usual. I've sailed on Celebrity several times and liked them until they merged with RCCL and lowered their standards. Just wish I knew if the experience will truly be luxury there (as much as possible on that type of very active vacation). As far as I can tell, Celebrity and Silversea are the only ones that really do Galapagos cruises, per se (there are obviously many boats cruising around there, but not specifically as cruises).

Anyway, thanks for your observation. Hopefully some others will post as well.

We have 200 nights on Regent and 24 on Silversea. While I enjoy Silversea's food and service very much, the formality is a bit much for us. There are more formal and informal (jacket but no tie required) than casual nights. Regent is always Elegant Casual (with "Formal Optional" on itineraries longer than 15 nights).

Regent and Silversea have the strictest smoking policy with no smoking in suites, balconies or restaurants. Silversea does allow smoking in at least one lounge while Regent just changed all of their lounges to non-smoking.

We have booked air with Regent many times and most of the times the flights are fine. If you do not like the flights, you can deviate (pick your own flights -- as long as they are with a contracted air carrier) for $300/couple. Silversea also allows deviation.

If you select an itinerary with sea days, there are plenty of lectures. For obvious reasons, there are few lectures on port days.

Regent's included excursions mean that almost every passenger is on an excursion on port days. In my opinion, the crowds are a bit much. However, if you are used to larger ships, 500+ passengers will seem like very few people:-)

In terms of going to the Galapagos, I recommend Silversea. Although I have not sailed on Celebrity, it would be difficult to beat an all-inclusive luxury experience in the Galapagos.

Thanks for that very helpful reply. The formal nights are fine with me but DH doesn't care for them. I guess we can always plan our own shore excursions for days we want to see something specific. Oh, and on the Galapagos, Celebrity seems to be trying an upscale offering. I'm not sure how good it really is, but it looks different than the typical Celebrity offering. IN any case, we've decided not to go there, so I won't have an update.

Thanks again for your response.

I've been on all 3 sizes of Silversea ships and on Regent Navigator and Voyager and am getting ready to board a Seabourn triplet at the end of this month.

The formal on SS is fine with us, but it's nicer to do just two dress codes vs. 3. SS often deviates from the number of formal nights they send in the docs and will have less. That is true in the Med and Caribbean but have seen it happen in other parts of Europe.

I am glad Regent changed their smoking policy because their lounges were not really set up for the mixed way they were doing it. We've not had much issues with smoking on Silversea except here and there. I'm a bit worried about Seabourn with them letting people smoke in the cabins.

We like the more formal service on Silversea but love Regent, as well. The smaller a ship, the more intimate it usually is, so that is understandable.

I like the way Silversea does excursions and the service level of their tour staff.

Regarding tipping, we've always felt on both lines that nobody expected an additional tip, and we liked the equal footing it gave around the ship and drew more people out to lounges than mass market/premium (though some now have beverage packages, such as Celebrity).

We've only used air on a line when it was included, but we've been able to respectfully suggest a schedule over the phone and were accommodated every time. You can always take an air credit with Regent and then do your own.

Thanks, Debbie. It seems like both lines are fairly equal, all things considered. It may just come down to which itinerary looks better. Have a good cruise, and I'll look forward to your review of Seabourn.