Your comparison opinions please

I realize that opinions are personal and varied, but that said, this is what I am asking you for, your personal opinion.

For those who have cruised with more than one of these cruise lines, could you please compare and give any particular reasons?

Seabourn

SeaDream

Regent

Crystal

Silversea

FYI.

I will be sailing in the Caribbean.

I love good food and service.

I have sailed on Seabourn Legend, don't know whether to stay with Seabourn or try another line.

Thank you in advance for any input you can give.

L

I have sailed the Caribbean many times on several ships. The only luxury ship I will repeat a Caribbean cruise is Seabourn, for its Caviar in the Surf day (and for the ship and the group of friends with whom I travel).

Obviously I sail the Caribbean for the ship, not for the ports of call, many of which are interchangeable. If you are cruising the area for weather, beaches and islands any ship will do.

Wow. Where to start. You will see that there are cheerleaders for all these lines so each one clearly pleases its hardcore audience.

I can only compare with Silversea and Seabourn/Silversea are very similar products such that unless you knew which line you were on it would take a while to work it out. Each has its own character and the differences in food, accommodation etc are minor and a matter of personal taste.

We prefer Silversea but it's for 2 reasons which are probably irrelevant to many. Firstly they have a dedicated smoking room (The Humidor) which we prefer to the outdoor spaces on SB. Secondly, SS have awesome coffee. There you go. If those are important factors then it matters, if neither is of any interest then, of course, what I have said is irrelevant!

I always think that there are a handful of posters who are only truly happy when disparaging any line other than their pet line. I really think one would have to be very spoilt/ignorant/grumpy not to enjoy the product offered by the companies you list.

Whatever you choose, enjoy.

As you sailed Legend, if you do choose Seabourn again your experience is going to be quite different because you'll be on a bigger and more modern ship now that the triplets have gone.

I started cruising with Silversea and was very happy with SS. Sailed on the Silver Spirit each time, which is much maligned here at CC but is a pleasant enough ship. After a very enjoyable 21 night cruise on Spirit we decided to give Seabourn a try for our next cruise. Since then we haven't been back to Silversea. I've sailed the Caribbean on both lines.

We find the service on Seabourn to be more intuitive,enthusiastic and cheerful. The crew appears to be more empowered, so for me I feel as I'm being treated as an individual and they're not just engaging with me as per their training manual. There's a time and place for service to be done "by the book" and Seabourn crew understand this, but the whole experience just feels more personalised to me.

As far as food, I find Seabourn is generally better quality and I definitely appreciate the choice of dining venues available for dinner and the freedom to make that choice on the evening in question. On Silversea the alternates to the MDR are ones that have to be reserved in advance, plus some carry a surcharge which may be an issue for you.

Embarkation is fairly similar on both lines now that Seabourn only has the big sisters. I believe on the triplets the embark day lunch consisted of sandwiches in one of the lounges. On the big sisters you'll have lunch in the Colonnade, on Silversea it's a similar set up.

I like that there's a bottle of Champagne and little plate of canapés ready in the SB suite on embarkation, just a nice welcome that sets the tone. That's how SS used to do it too, but you have to request it now.

On SS you have a butler, but we've always found that the suite attendants on SB do a sterling job and we haven't really missed having a butler.

I very much like the Seabourn Square, and would miss it if I went back to SS.I did enjoy the Stars Supper Club on Silver Spirit, I don't think they offer it on the older SS ships.

I also prefer the modern decor on Seabourn. This is of course very much a matter of taste, but I find the ships feel light and airy, whereas the SS ship feels quite dark to me.

What were your likes and dislikes about your Legend cruise? Knowing that would help to give a better comparison, I think

It depends very much on what is most important to you. If that is a small ship, which goes into ports not usually used by the major lines, then Seadream is the one, particularly if you are into swimming and other sporting activities, and are (comparatively) young.

We do not personally like Seadream, but it does have the above attributes. Otherwise, I would recommend our favourite, Seabourn, for the service, can do attitude of the staff, and everything else - apart from the much mentioned problem of smoking, which we find easy to avoid as everything else about this line is in our opinion superior to Silversea and Regent. Of course you will hear different from the Regent and Silversea fans!

We are sailing with Seabourn for the first time in August. Having only sailed with Silversea previously it will be interesting to compare food, service, suites, Etc, really looking forward to it.

You will not be disappointed sailing Seabourn ~a 6* line.

Martita B

I realize that opinions are personal and varied, but that said, this is what I am asking you for, your personal opinion.

 

For those who have cruised with more than one of these cruise lines, could you please compare and give any particular reasons?

 

Seabourn

SeaDream

Regent

Crystal

Silversea

 

FYI.

I will be sailing in the Caribbean.

I love good food and service.

I have sailed on Seabourn Legend, don't know whether to stay with Seabourn or try another line.

 

Thank you in advance for any input you can give.

L

I've been on: Seabourn, Regent (and its FAR superior predecessor Radisson), Crystal and Silversea.

SB wins on size and service and limited food. Silversea has some small sizes but they couldn't cook food properly to save their lives (pasta/rice/starch) further when caught hiding food in staff rooms they rolled over...

Regent IMO over charges and is run by someone who again IMO thinks **** culture is cool. I don't think they currently have a clue what actual luxury is (look at oceania... faux aligator and rhinestones seats in a bar...)

Crystal... Large, set dining times and staff that near assault you on the last few days for tips. Where Crystal excels is their (for cruising) expansive menu. And they do what they do right.

I've been on: Seabourn, Regent (and its FAR superior predecessor Radisson), Crystal and Silversea.

 

SB wins on size and service and limited food. Silversea has some small sizes but they couldn't cook food properly to save their lives (pasta/rice/starch) further when caught hiding food in staff rooms they rolled over...

 

Regent IMO over charges and is run by someone who again IMO thinks **** culture is cool. I don't think they currently have a clue what actual luxury is (look at oceania... faux aligator and rhinestones seats in a bar...)

 

Crystal... Large, set dining times and staff that near assault you on the last few days for tips. Where Crystal excels is their (for cruising) expansive menu. And they do what they do right.

I don't know when you sailed Crystal last. Tips are included and not expected and Crystal is not considered a large ship but is in the medium category. Crystal now has a form of open dining called dining by reservation in the MDR which we use and never had a problem with our selected times. The ships never seem crowded even if they are full.

PS: We have never been assaulted for tips in our 25 cruises with Crystal even before they became all inclusive.

I posted more extensively on the Crystal Board.

In the end, each cruise line will give you a six star experience.

There will be quite a few similarities on each line with some differences.

Size of each ship is part of the reason the experience will be different and that is true on Cruise Lines which sail different size ships.

No different than even a hotel where the experience say even at one Ritz Carlton or Four Seasons Hotel can vary based on the size of a particular hotel/property.

There are very few people who have sailed on all cruise lines mentioned.

And unless you have sailed them all in the last couple of years even a comparison can be outdated such as inclusive on Crystal or even what is included now on say Silversea which wasn't even a few months ago.

I would pick up a copy of the Ocean Cruising Book written by Douglas Ward. It is well written and not very biased. It gives you a lot of facts.

I would go to each cruise line internet site. Read the facts on each site. It tells you so much.

Study the deck plans of each ship and also the rooms.

Read what is included.

Get a copy of the brochures for each line. While it is marketing even marketing tells you a lot about each product.

Read reviews and posts with an eye towards the 80/20 rule which is if 80 percent of the people say something is positive or negative about a certain item accept it as fact until you experience it yourself.

Try and it is not easy to narrow your choice to two lines after you do the research and then come back with more questions but I would not ask for comparison questions but rather some pointed questions for items that need more clarifying.

Again for the best comparison read the Douglas Ward book which gives you enough facts to make a comparison.

I would do the same thing if I was deciding between a luxury car such as Lexus, BMW and Mercedes ( I would do the research to create the comparisons and find some authors who also could assist with their writeup) and I would do the same thing when it comes to other products.

I took this same approach when we decided to try another luxury line a few years after our first Crystal Cruise and that is how we chose the Seabourn Pride.

Good luck.

Keith

We have done only Seabourn & Regent in the luxury category.

We loved the Seabourn “little sisters” & sailed 9 weeks on them. For us, it defined what a luxury cruise should be with never a miss with food or service.

We were sad when they were sold & were skeptical of the newer, larger ships. We did a 10 day trip on the Sojourn and were pleasantly surprised. It was outstanding in every way important to us.

We have only done one week on Regent (Voyager.) It was disappointing & definitely not a luxury experience although it had a luxury price. We had one good meal, one horrible meal & the rest were mediocre. Service ranged from surly to indifferent. My sense from reading the Regent board is that they are capable of delivering a luxury experience but seem inconsistent & we must have experienced them at their worst. There was visible crew discontent with public arguments between officers & staff in dining areas. I don’t think our experience was typical. If it were, they would not have so many loyal followers. I’m not sure what makes a cruise line inconsistent.

Keith1010 offers some good advice. Whatever line you pick, I would focus on enjoying the experience & not spend time during the cruise comparing it to other lines.

As a past Regent cruiser -- 6 or 7 cruises going back to the Radisson days -- and recent first-timer on Seabourn, I found Seabourn offered the best of what Regent/Radisson did in the "old days" in terms of uniformly great service and food. Read my recent post here about our first Seabourn cruise: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2229979 If I were looking for a Caribbean cruise today, I would look to Seabourn first.

Eric

The only thing that keeps us away from Seabourn is that they still allow smoking on the balcony.

As a past Regent cruiser -- 6 or 7 cruises going back to the Radisson days -- and recent first-timer on Seabourn, I found Seabourn offered the best of what Regent/Radisson did in the "old days" in terms of uniformly great service and food. Read my recent post here about our first Seabourn cruise: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2229979 If I were looking for a Caribbean cruise today, I would look to Seabourn first.

 

Eric

The problem is that Caribbean cruises are becoming somewhat rare on Seabourn.:eek:

I don't know when you sailed Crystal last. Tips are included and not expected and Crystal is not considered a large ship but is in the medium category. Crystal now has a form of open dining called dining by reservation in the MDR which we use and never had a problem with our selected times. The ships never seem crowded even if they are full.

 

PS: We have never been assaulted for tips in our 25 cruises with Crystal even before they became all inclusive.

Every Crystal cruise I was on that tipping bit was a problem.

From reading other reviews and speaking with people that still sail with Crystal it seems not all their staff got the memo that tips are included.

As to Crystals dining by reservation, its apple and oranges compared to the open dining on Seabourn, Regent, or Silversea.

I have sailed on SeaDream, SilverSea and Seabourn - Seabourn is the clear winner in my book. We did like the small size and personal service of SeaDream, but the itineraries are limited and there are no balconies - plus I imagine the ships must be getting pretty old by now. I did not like SilverSea at all -- the Italian restaurant is good but the service is nothing like Seabourn. The staff seemed more concerned with taking care of the captain and officers than the guests. We started on the Pride with Seabourn, and were a little worried about the size of the big sisters, but now have cruised on both the Sojourn and Quest and loved every minute of it. Food, service, ship layout - we're hooked!

The only thing that keeps us away from Seabourn is that they still allow smoking on the balcony.

So, what other option do you prefer?

Admittedly, we are not as experienced as many in the luxury class, but have sailed four times on Crystal. We never felt any pressure whatsoever to tip and we had extraordinary service. Are there some who probably get tables in nicer locations, additional perks, or more influence, most certainly. But if you have sailed a line 20-50 times, stay in premium suites, etc. you earn rewards, and among those is perhaps more attention. So long as I get good service, I could care less if someone gets a better seat in the dining room. What bothers me are those who flaunt their influence or whine to get what they want. Unfortunately those folks often get much more attention than they deserve. And I hate to see how they sometimes belittle the staff, treating them like servants. But that happens everywhere.

Seabourn, Silversea & Regent. I like all of them. I would rate Seabourn a couple of notches above the other 2 because of the very warm & "family" feeling. If you like a bit larger ship then Regent is fine & the cabins quite spacious. We've only sailed the Shadow & Wind on Silversea & they're beautiful ships also with the requisite accommodating staff & we've had only nice experiences. If smoking is an issue for you, then you should look at the comparison of policies since Seabourn still allows it on balconies & on a couple of decks while the other two do not. It's annoying for us, but not enough to keep us from booking future cruises & hoping that we have no neighbors who smoke. Check the myriad of threads on this subject. I really HATE & find it demeaning that Regent promotions advertise FREE AIR, FREE EXCURSIONS & on & on since anyone who has ever cruised understands that NOTHING is ever free...just prepaid. I wonder if they really think we're all that dumb. There are worse things in life than having to choose between the lines you mention. Enjoy whichever you choose! Isn't it a privilege to be in the position to make that choice?

isn't it a privilege to be in the position to make that choice?

+1000 :)

I stopped sailing on Regent in 2011 after 5-6 cruises. Why? The all inclusive excursions turned port days into pandemonium, especially when tendering. The food quality had declined over the five years I sailed on a Regent as the three ships continued to age. They have to be almost 15 years old now. Maybe more.

Lastly, the clientele was a little too old for me...though now I'm somewhat older haha.

Just sailed on Seabourn Odyssey May 2015 Venice to Athens and it was terrific. We were on Deck 8. We also sailed Azamara Journey Christmas/New Year's South America cruise-- and it was also wonderful-- if you book a Club Continent suite (same price as regular suite/cabins on other luxury lines) you can dine free at the specialty restaurants and sit in the "special" spa area on deck and you have a spacious bathroom with a tub-- my husband and I love to relax in a bathtub after we walk around port towns/environs 5-7 hours. Seabourn Odyssey is about 450 pax, while Azamara is about 680 pax. We decided we really like somewhat smaller ships. Many of Silverseas ships, however, are just too small, although admittedly we were on the Silver Wind some time ago, it's size hasn't changed. We were also on Crystal a while ago-- lovely food and ship, but we so much prefer being able to eat whenever we want, as is the case on Seabourn and Azamara. We've also been on Windstar, Celebrity, HAL and RCCL, but not as recently and that would be off-topic. Anyway, another nice feature of Azamara is that they are not in and out of every port from 8am-5pm-- they stay quite late in some ports (or overnight), so you can experience the night-time vibe, or just people watch in a cafe as the sun sets. Besides great food and very nice accommodations, we also loved the staff's genuine friendliness on both Seabourn Odyssey and Azamara Journey. While we are very itinerary driven in our cruising decisions, these two are now firmly our lines of choice, and we will be on a December 2016 Azamara trip to Singapore, Bali and Indonesia.

Forgot to say the Azamara cruise was Dec 2014-Jan 2015, so also very recent. Also Azamara is re-doing both its ships, which you can read about ad see pictures of, on the Azamara thread.

I have sailed on all except Regent. I think Seabourn is #1 as it has the best service, cuisine and suites. Next would be Crystal. The food and service are almost equal to Seabourn. Their enrichment programs are better then Seabourn. Their cabins are way too small for me. Silversea would be in third place for me and Sea dream would be last as their cabins are too small for me and the ship is too small for me personally.