Regent vs Silversea to Alaska

We are planning to go to Alaska for our 30th anniversary in June 2016. This will be the 1st time to Alaska and also, our 1st luxury cruise line. We're leaning towards SS for a couple of reasons. The 1st being Shadow is smaller than than the Mariner and also, excursions are a la carte. On ss website, I have not been able to find anything about formal nights, so originally I assumed that there aren't any formal nights. But after researching a bit on these forums I have found I assumed wrong :eek:!

My questions...on a 7 nte cruise in Alaska how formal are the formal nights? And how many are there? We're going up 4-5 days ahead of the cruise, so I'm trying to keep packing minimal.

Thanks for any help.

You can wear a blazer and tie for men and a simple dress for women. No need to get glamorized unless you want to. And I definitely agree with your decision to go with SS. ON Regent you'll be paying a lot more for excursions which are basic and you may not want.

Thanks wripro. I appreciate your input.

Enjoy your cruise.

We have sailed to Alaska on both Regent and Silversea. While the majority of our cruises are on Regent, it would be difficult for us to pass up a cruise on the Shadow (or Whisper). The only issue we have with Silversea is the dress code but, IMO, it is worth dressing up.

Happy Anniversary in advance:)

You will see some people in tuxedo/long dress and some people in suit/regular dress/palazzo pants on SS formal nights. If you don't want to go that "formal", simply reserve Hot Rocks or La Terraza instead.

We did Alaska Shadow with SS and it was great: found a 10 day round trip from Vancouver a few years back. As we flew from the East Coast, luggage was a consideration: husband took 1 suit and the jacket was worn with other pants on non-formal nights. I took 1 dress and lots of boleros/jackets. That's the plan for this fall's Canada SS cruise too: USAir has a very small plane getting us to Montreal.

Happy Anniversary…it's our 30th in June 2016 too. We are looking at France for our celebration.

Melissa

When I sailed SS to Alaska they were very good about enforcing their dress code. It was far more formal than Regent and I found the number of tuxes was higher than any line I've been on other than Crystal. It could be annoying to come back from shore and try to get a drink only to be reminded that the evenings dress code has set in and that in order to be served you need to go change.

IMO Regents "free" (lies) tours aren't worth it. If you take their extra charge tours you're paying twice, first for the "free" tour then for the upcharge tour.

There's also the smaller size of the SS ship and passenger capacity which to me is a big plus.

I think SS, especially in Alaska, has become a little less formal.

When I sailed SS to Alaska they were very good about enforcing their dress code. It was far more formal than Regent and I found the number of tuxes was higher than any line I've been on other than Crystal. It could be annoying to come back from shore and try to get a drink only to be reminded that the evenings dress code has set in and that in order to be served you need to go change.

 

IMO Regents "free" (lies) tours aren't worth it. If you take their extra charge tours you're paying twice, first for the "free" tour then for the upcharge tour.

 

There's also the smaller size of the SS ship and passenger capacity which to me is a big plus.

While I agree that some "free" Regent excursions are not worth it, I did a comparison with Silversea excursions and Regent came out to be a better deal. When Regent was including excursions with a cost of $129/person or less, I looked at an identical excursion offered in Alaska by both cruise lines. Even when adding the upcharge to the $129/person for the Regent excursion, Silversea's price was approximately 30% higher per person.

Must agree that most men on Silversea wear tuxes on "formal" nights (followed by dark or black suits). Also, the passenger mix is more international on Silversea than on Regent (neither a negative or a positive). Actually, posters on the Silversea board is good representative of Silversea passengers.

While I still enjoy Silversea (only on the Whisper or Shadow), we still prefer Regent overall.

P.S. I find that when I ask a question about formal nights on the Silversea board, I do so at the risk of receiving a very harsh reply. Silversea cruisers take their "formal" dress code very seriously (too seriously IMO).

You can get private excursions throughout Alaska for far less than either SS or Regent charge (with their up charge and the extra money you pay in your fare.) Plus you're not on a bus with forty other people.

IKJ, congrats in advance on your upcoming 30th anniversary!

The SS Shadow to Alaska was lovely when DH and I did it. There will be casual nights ( which is smart casual usually first and last night and sometimes more; informal ( jacket but no tie required in MDR) and probably one formal night per week, typically. Formal night for the MDR requires either a suit and tie or tux, but a dark jacket and upscale dark travel pants and tie is fine. Closed shoes are implied. To minimize packing, you could bring a black travel blazer (Eddie Bauer has nice ones) and black travel pants, then wear the blazer on informal nights too, to MDR, OR, if you are uncomfortable around people in tuxes -- our preference -- reserve in advance online to dine in La Terazza on the rare formal nights ( or Hot Rocks). You can also get served in your room off the MDR menu any night including formal night ( perhaps with anniversary champagne?), a delightful option for two. Just let your butler know.

Pay for excursions you want, with SS, or you can arrange in advance in ports on your own ( a helicopter and/or float plane flight or two if weather is good, though expensive, is highly recommended)

But life is definitely good when you can cruise Alaska on any luxury line with a spouse of 30 years. Have a terrific cruise.

Forgot to mention, we did all non-ship excursions. Helicopter tour of glaciers then public bus to Mendenhall in Juneau. Float plane tour of Misty Fjords and landing on lake. Rented a car instead of taking the Yukon railroad trip. All easily researched and bookable on-line. Our plan was usually to be off ship quickly and return early afternoon, thus minimizing possibility of missing sail away.

Happy cruise browsing…it's part of the fun!

Melissa again

Hi again - I've changed my mind since my previous post. While I did love the Shadow, reports on the Silversea board about the Shadow failing a health inspection for the second time along with posts regarding food going downhill, I no longer can recommend Silversea.

Regent's Mariner will be returning to Alaska in 2016. We prefer her over the Navigator (the ship that has been doing Alaska for the past several years) and have booked a 2 week Alaska cruise (Vancouver to Vancouver) for next May. So, I not only changed my mind about sailing on the Shadow, I've put my money where my mouth is:)

P.S. Regent is Elegant Casual every day - no need for even a sports jacket. IMO, this is important in the casual environment of Alaska!