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Is Regent worth the extra $$$$?


LindaM

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YES!! We just got back from 11 nights on the Navigator. IMHO, it was worth it to us. Everything was just a tad (or more) nicer than on the mainstream lines. To me, that alone was worth the extra cost. The service, food, cabin, roomservice (and more that I'm not thinking of) were all superior to the mainstream lines. We never had to wait for wine/bar service. At dinner, the wine steward came right after we were seated. On other lines, we would usually have to wait.

 

The people we met were all very nice, too. I liked everyone I met (for the most part)!

 

Regent is the right fit for us. I have no problem paying more for a better quality experience.

 

The only issue is....we are not rich. And, we like to travel a couple of times a year , one being a trip to Europe. We probably won't use Regent for our European cruises, particularly since we don't always do excursions at each port. (And, we usually don't "party" as much on that type of cruise. However, it will be our cruiseline of choice for Alaska or the Caribbean! We do like small ship cruising, so we will continue to sail HAL Prinsendam and Princess Ocean Princess in Europe.

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Linda: you might also like to look at Azamara. We couldn't fault our cruise on Journey which is a small R class vessel. Having said that we haven't yet tried Regent - but will be doing so at the end of next week.

 

 

We also like Azamara, but will be sailing Regent in December.

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Really glad to hear that you feel that Regent is a "fit" for you. Hope you are able to try the Voyager in the future -- it is a larger version of the Navigator -- with much nicer public spaces.

 

TC2, while it is true Voyager is larger than Navigator, saying it has "much nicer public spaces" is subjective.

 

it has been brought up in other threads that Navigator has no shortage of fans and I think your statement was narrow... and in my opinion, untrue. of course, that is my opinion.

 

LindaM - thanks for the balanced review! have been a Regent loyalist but HAL Prisendam had always looked intriguing...

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If Regent is too expensive, why not switch to the Regent's sister company and try the Oceania Marina or Riviera? You can cruise at a very reasonable price in their lower level suites, even with the added cost of alcohol and excursions (which you can, of course, control; for example, book your own excursions in advance, at a much lower cost and generally higher quality).

 

They have 1250 passengers, but we never felt it was crowded except perhaps at the lunch buffet. The ships are beautiful, with lots of excellent facilities and a choice of five alternative restaurants in addition to the main dining room.

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TC2, while it is true Voyager is larger than Navigator, saying it has "much nicer public spaces" is subjective.

 

it has been brought up in other threads that Navigator has no shortage of fans and I think your statement was narrow... and in my opinion, untrue. of course, ...

 

Hummmm well just for the record DH and I really like the Voyager too!

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TC2, while it is true Voyager is larger than Navigator, saying it has "much nicer public spaces" is subjective.

 

it has been brought up in other threads that Navigator has no shortage of fans and I think your statement was narrow... and in my opinion, untrue. of course, that is my opinion.

 

.

 

Perhaps I should have said that the Voyager has more and larger public spaces. For instance, the Navigator does not have a Coffee Connection. This is a popular area on both the Mariner and Voyager. The computer room is 1/4 the size of the Voyager. The Navigator, for the past couple of years only, is the only ship where the kitchen is too small to prepare made-to-order meals in La Veranda (this should be changing in May during the rennovation). Prime 7 is extremely small on the Navigator and Signatures does not exist at all. There is a large aft lounge on the Navigator but no forward Observation Lounge as there is on the other two ships.

 

Yes -- the Navigator has it's fans but there are passengers that will not sail on her for a variety of reasons (please don't ask me to state the reasons. . . .. they are available by searching the Regent board).

 

We have sailed on the Navigator three times. She is a charming little ship and is well suited to the port intensive itineraries that she is doing (mostly Caribbean and Alaska). Actually, I applaud Regent for moving her into the areas she is in. It is a move that other luxury cruise lines might want to consider with some of their small ships.

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Regent is worth it for us because there are NO formal nights.There is a lovely atmosphere with country club casual.

 

I agree with you. However, Silversea and Seabourn fans feel they are worth it because they are formal. It's all a matter of personal taste.:)

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We've been fortunate enough to sail with RSSC a couple of times, both times on the Mariner, with about four years between voyages. We vacation as a family -- wife, son, and me, and, given the already high prices, plus the regular and seemingly frequent price increases, it just isn't feasible for us to cruise with Regent as often as we would like to.

 

The premium we would pay to use Regent could go towards more cruises with other lines or -- gasp! -- towards non-cruise vacations. :)

 

We used our 20th anniversary and a great offer as an excuse to go with Regent last summer. Perhaps something similar will work out for our 25th!

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Glad to hear it was worth it. I just booked for next year. I've been so burned out on cruising after only 7 or so cruises, nothing compared to many of you! I'm hoping going on a luxury line instead of RCCL will make me want to cruise again! Our last trip to Europe was with Tauck (fabulous). So hoping Regent can float my boat so to speak! I don't need dancing waitors, formal nights (yawn) etc. I just want a nice room, good service and good food sort of like I would pick a hotel.

 

I almost picked Azamara as I liked the itinerary and timing for us but the old showers with curtains and stuff really turned me off. Tood bad they don't have newer ships. I LOVED their itineraries.

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If Regent is too expensive, why not switch to the Regent's sister company and try the Oceania Marina or Riviera? You can cruise at a very reasonable price in their lower level suites, even with the added cost of alcohol and excursions (which you can, of course, control; for example, book your own excursions in advance, at a much lower cost and generally higher quality).

 

They have 1250 passengers, but we never felt it was crowded except perhaps at the lunch buffet. The ships are beautiful, with lots of excellent facilities and a choice of five alternative restaurants in addition to the main dining room.

 

You are right...Oceania is an excellent alternative. The only thing is we would have to get to Chicago for a flight to Europe. If it were a direct flight from that point, it would work. We do NOT like flights with a couple of legs. I do not know what type of credit Oceania gives for not using their air. At any rate, we have the next couple of years covered for trips to Europe. After that, we might do another Regent Caribbean!

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Glad to hear it was worth it. I just booked for next year. I've been so burned out on cruising after only 7 or so cruises, nothing compared to many of you! I'm hoping going on a luxury line instead of RCCL will make me want to cruise again! Our last trip to Europe was with Tauck (fabulous). So hoping Regent can float my boat so to speak! I don't need dancing waitors, formal nights (yawn) etc. I just want a nice room, good service and good food sort of like I would pick a hotel.

 

I almost picked Azamara as I liked the itinerary and timing for us but the old showers with curtains and stuff really turned me off. Tood bad they don't have newer ships. I LOVED their itineraries.

 

Oh my you are in trouble now...once on board you will absolutely know it isn't RCCL...first off that drink served once coming on board...it's free!!! Yes FREE and you did not have to find your "Sea Pass" and sign for a thing....long lines and ships photographers are a thing of the past and best yet, it is possible (unless you like the spa) to get off the ship owing NOTHING.......

 

Hummmmm I think you and I, have had this conversation before :rolleyes:

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Oh my you are in trouble now...once on board you will absolutely know it isn't RCCL...first off that drink served once coming on board...it's free!!! Yes FREE and you did not have to find your "Sea Pass" and sign for a thing....long lines and ships photographers are a thing of the past and best yet, it is possible (unless you like the spa) to get off the ship owing NOTHING.......

 

Hummmmm I think you and I, have had this conversation before :rolleyes:

 

Slightly off topic, nana541, but am curious when you did you first Regent cruise and what itinerary you sailed on. You are a great Regent cheerleader:D

 

Back on topic. . . . posters are comparing Regent with Asamara and Oceania which is fine. IMO, the experience is not the same as on Regent. Regent has the ultra inclusivity and large regular suites. This is not the case with the other two cruise lines. (Note: Before someone asks how I know it is different since I haven't stepped foot on Asamara or Oceania. . . . the answer is simple. . . I read the literature and they are clearly not the same).

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Slightly off topic, nana541, but am curious when you did you first Regent cruise and what itinerary you sailed on. You are a great Regent cheerleader:D

.

 

Hi TC2 - we sailed Voyager in 2008 in the Baltic and then Mariner in 2010 Christmas/New Years thru the Panama Canal....prior to this we had sailed several large lines which other than Holland America to Alaska my DH hated each of those "Other" experiances....he is now hooked (thank god) on Regent...its the small ship, fewer passengers, no signing and fellow cruisers being of a certain age and similiar backround....

Now i am just looking for that winning lottery ticket to allow us to step up our Regent cruising schedule :-). Yep other than a few "back office" screw ups and hick ups....we luv luv luv Regent....can't wait to meet our Butler next week!

 

PS still looking forward to buying you a drink...Observation Lounge about 5:15 ?

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TC2: I think people have pointed out to you before there is quite a difference between experiencing something and reading about something. We've never met, and so I can't speak from experience , but having read some of your voluminous postings I'm confident you are far too intelligent to believe everything you read. But I could be wrong :)

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I definitely do not believe everything I read. However, one does the best they can to determine what product(s) seem to fit their lifestyle. There are many, many cruise lines. Everything selects their first cruise for a reason. We make comparisons based different criteria and read many articles and reviews before making a decision -- especially a decision that is going to cost several thousand dollars.

 

For a long time posters thought it was a big deal that I had not sailed or any other luxury line besides for Regent. We decided to sail on Silversea (you can only imagine how much research went into that decision). We were not surprised by anything on Silversea other than the ship (Silver Spirit:(). The one surprise was that the quality of materials used to build the ship were not what we were expecting. In 1994 we made the decision to sail on Regent. She remains our favorite cruise line. Our second choice was Silversea and it remains our second choice (not by much). If we tried Seabourn, it would no doubt be third and so on.

 

There are things that we specifically desire (or not). Regent meets it on paper -- through reviews (both passenger and professional) and by word of mouth. That's good enough for me. There are so many choices -- if someone needs to try them all to decide what they like. . . . there is certainly nothing wrong with that.

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Continuation of last post. I was rushing to get out of the house when I last posted (it was obvious). While I do not check for typos, I usually check for content.

 

Everyone has different criteria. If you simply list what you are looking for and search to see which cruise lines come closest to meeting the criteria. For instance, when we look at a cruise line we want:

 

1. All-inclusive -- no signing -- no tipping (except optional donation to Crew Fund). We would rather pay extra to have this benefit.

 

2. Suites must be large.

 

3. Upgrades to Business Class need to be better than what we would get if we booked it ourselves.

 

4. Elegant Casual dress code (a requirement for sports jackets would not be a problem).

 

5. No more than 700 passengers.

 

6. Ship less than 15 years of age and as stable on the seas as possible.

 

7. Children -- as few as possible. We have been there -- done there. On small ships, it only takes one family of uncontrolled children to ruin the experience.

 

8. Food is subjective. . . . but, if it tastes good to us -- it's fine. The same goes for wine. We have been to at least 100 wine tastings. It comes down to whether or not we like the taste of the wine. Price is not part of the equation.

 

9. Other passengers. I don't care if you are a doctor, lawyer, prince, etc. On a cruise ship most people are there to enjoy the experience. Enjoying each other's company and discussing the day's experiences is more important than who you are (or, in many cases, who you were in the work world). If you think you're better than anyone else, you need to get your head out of your rear end and learn to enjoy life. When you are on vacation, you are a human being. That should be enough (IMO)

 

nana541: Really wish we were sailing with you. We'll be in Istanbul so soon after you are (we arrive April 20th). Really hope to cruise with you in the future. You are definitely the type of person we enjoy sailing with (as are the majority of CruiseCritic posters)

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Oh my you are in trouble now...once on board you will absolutely know it isn't RCCL...first off that drink served once coming on board...it's free!!! Yes FREE

Are you kidding me? It's not free it's included at $500-$600 per person PER DAY it's over priced.

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Are you kidding me? It's not free it's included at $500-$600 per person PER DAY it's over priced.

 

Good grief!!!! The point is, it's included, no more nickle and diming, signing or wondering about just how much more will you owe before this cruise is over....

If you don't like the package Regent offers then go cruise with Carnival..... Wait in lines and sign, sign, sign for everything, and oh

ya owe them another $1000, or $2000 (or more) at the end of the cruise.

 

Ok now I've had my say....yes I think you just might enjoy Carmival

 

 

PS thanks Esimon :)

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