Regent vs Seabourn vs Silverseas.

We are considering a Scandinavian cruise in 2011. We are 60 and 48. Prefer small ship (no larger than 700 and that's pretty large for us.) Excellent food and wine, port intensive itinerary, decent ship excursions are our primary wishes. Neither of us smoke and spouse refuses any hotel room or cabin which smells of smoke. Prefer a larger basic cabin rather than a smaller one. Spouse prefers casual dress, although he'll wear his bespoke suits to the dining room, if necessary. We do enjoy spending time in the cabin. Entertainment, spa, casino, pool deck, internet: not important to us.

My question is: we've narrowed down our choices to Regent, Seabourn, Silverseas due to reputation on the important points, size of ships.

(1) I've heard Silverseas is more "formal," whatever than means. Spouse can bring and wear his bespoke suits but prefers not to, in favor of a dress shirt or silk sweater. I like to wear black slacks and nice designer tops for dinner. We don't plan to bring tuxedos or ball gowns.

(2) I've heard smoke can be an issue for some on Seabourn and Silverseas. Have any nonsmokers been assigned to a cabin which obviously smelled of smoke when you boarded? This would be an absolute disqualifier for us. Any other onboard experiences regarding the smoke?

(3) Any experiences with the ship excursions on any of these lines? Specifics to Scandinavia? We just came off 2 weeks in western Europe on Oceania, and the private excursion arrangements were nightmares IMHO. You just can't please some people so I've vowed never again to try to arrange shared private excursions.

(4) Personal observations on the dining? I prefer fine dining, creatively prepared dishes, heavy emphasis on seafood and table service. I dislike buffets, since I have to cook and serve meals all year at home--I want to be waited on when on vacation.

(5) Any other observations based on personal experience with any of these lines? We are using a TA who has told us all three are great.

Specific personal experiences would be most welcome.

They all do a very good job with de-smoking the cabins after a smoker has been on board. I'm quite sensitive to smoke, and I've not had a problem on any of the three. The problem I found on the smaller ships is that unless they greatly restrict smoking in the public areas, you can smell it in a lot of places. Silversea and Seabourn do tend to take their formal nights seriously and I don't believe a sweater and slacks will do it on those lines. The women will be in cocktail dresses or feminine evening slacks with very dressy tops and the men will be in tuxes or dark suits. A sweater and slacks is casual wear, even on the mass market lines. Food is VERY subjective and you'll get all sorts of opinions on that. For me, I'd rank them as Seabourn, Silversea and Regent, although Regent's specialty restaurants are beyond excellent. But I found Regent's food to be lacking in many areas, but again, my personal opinion. I find service on Seabourn and Regent to be excellent, but I found the service on Silversea to be lacking and at times, surly.

As for ship's excursions, I found Seabourn's to be very creative and excellent. They try and not allow more than 20 per tour group. When on Regent, we did our own thing and did not take any ship's tours. On Silversea, the tour groups were a bit larger than on Seabourn, but the tours were very good.

If cabin size is important, you don't get any better than Regent. IMHO, they have the best cabins at sea. They are very large, well laid out with great amenities.

I agree very much with what Kitty9 has posted. We are going on our first Silversea cruise next week and are very concerned about their liberal smoking policy. On the other hand, when you severely restrict smoking as they do on Regent, you find too many smokers at the pool bar since they have nowhere else to smoke.

Personally, I think the older Seabourn ships are too small (at 208). I do not need to sail on them to understand that. Crystal is too big and is too convoluted in terms of what they perceive as being all-inclusive. Unless I have severely overestimated Silversea, it may be the best choice (along side Regent).

may regret it due to smoking policy,,,check out all the responses I got on SB site re this,,,,,just type in smoking policy under search.....

So booked Regent for this month for eastern Caribbean...liked the cabins,all inclusive tours,free drinks,and restaurants,,,,plus tubs in bathrooms...

RE;;; formal dress,,,have always worn dress slacks and fancy tops with heels and felt fine on all ships so far....

Besides just ships,,check out which timeline and itinerary best too....good luck...;)

Thanks, we are skipping the cruise and traveling independently. I'm interested in experiences, fine food and like the small ships. We also like to travel with other down to earth, burnt out baby boomers who need the vacation to recharge. I don't think we'd find kindred spirits on any of these lines and the discussions about dress and smoking issues turned me off.

Thanks, we are skipping the cruise and traveling independently. I'm interested in experiences, fine food and like the small ships. We also like to travel with other down to earth, burnt out baby boomers who need the vacation to recharge. I don't think we'd find kindred spirits on any of these lines and the discussions about dress and smoking issues turned me off.

Regent is full of burnt out baby boomers! CC represents 5% (or less) of the people who cruise on the luxury lines. Most of the people we have met on our 10 Regent cruises have been down to earth. The "arguments" you read on some of the boards are usually between a few regulars on the board with strong opinions (I tend to be part of that group). Once on board, however, the discussions tend to be about traveling in general. What we find particularly nice after a day in port is to sit in the lounge with a cocktail and listen to the stories of what others did in port that day. For the short time we are on the cruise, we have a lot in common with other passengers.

Really think you ought to give luxury cruising a try. On the "general" boards, I try not to be a Regent cheerleader. However, Regent is the most casual and most inclusive of the luxury lines. . . . and, smoking isn't an issue (except at the pool bar as mentioned earlier). The concerns you have are similar to the ones we have about cruising on Silversea this week. . . . .

Hey Travelcat,

It sounds like you are the type of passenger we'd enjoy meeting. As you see from my signature, we've cruised a variety of idiosyncratic venues. We consider the cruiseship as our "floating hotel," making it easy to visit certain areas (in particular Scandinavia and the Mediterranean.) Hence a vacation is a way to get away from the everyday push. Some of the comments about "luxury" cruises versus such downscale "mass lines" like Oceania, convince me that we would not be happy on Seabourn, Silverseas or the like.

One of the biggest determinants of a cruise for us is the size of the ship. We consider a 700 passenger ship "huge," with a big ship feel. My spouse in particular hates the mob scenes and absolutely detested the Holland America cruise to Alaska.

I did find a line, Compagnie du Ponant, which is French and appears to fit our needs. I'll keep an eye on that one. We both adore France, French culture, food and wine and speak French, so that line may be a good fit and it runs stunning, new small ships. Some of its cruises run with primarily US passengers but we like to meet Europeans, they are always thoughtful and interesting.

Winegirl,

Please be aware that 90% of cruisers have never heard of Cruise Critic and are blissfully unaware of many of the issues which obsess posters here on these boards. You would meet great people no matter which of these three lines you chose.

I had similar concerns with a luxury cruise line but in working with a great TA have decided on Silverseas. We will be skipping the formal nights as I am only carrying on luggage and there is no way I am traveling with formal wear. But in room dining, pool side dining, plus La Terrazza are great non formal options. I think as long as you stay with a main luxury line you would be very happy. I decided to focus on the itinerary as the key decision maker for us, we use the ship as a way to eat and sleep on the way to great ports. And when you want to see a number of sites in Europe in only a few weeks cruising is a great options.

 

I did find a line, Compagnie du Ponant, which is French and appears to fit our needs. I'll keep an eye on that one. We both adore France, French culture, food and wine and speak French, so that line may be a good fit and it runs stunning, new small ships. Some of its cruises run with primarily US passengers but we like to meet Europeans, they are always thoughtful and interesting.

As you can see by my avatar, which is Le Ponant, my favorite ship, although an older one, I have been on Les Compagnie. A few high end US companies charter their vessels regularly. They are Zegrahm and Tauck.

We are probably going to Antarctica on Le Boreal with Tauck in Dec 2011. The emphasis on the culture, and the ambiance of the tiny ships is why we have chosen to use Tauck to do the Med, and are also interested in the Costa Rica immersion on Le Levant.

Thank you, Anni, for that useful information. I did find out that Tauck uses Ponant, but unfortunately, they are "sold out" next season for the cruise I wanted to take. I'll look into the other company. This line sounds perfect for us. We have many travel options and may stick to travel on land next year.

small,luxury ship with no formal nites, great food and service,,,rated #3 for small ships on CondeNaste....starting Scandanavian routes in 2011...took one in July....only 200 guests,,,check their website...we took Adriatic cruise,,,only problem for us was smaller cabins with no balconies...but worth a look......

problem with driving or bus tour in that area,,,very expensive for hotels and food,,plus car and gas....plus cities not too car friendly.....;)

Sea Dream only carries 100 passengers.

Would probably love SeaDream given the small passenger count. However, for an 11 day cruise, even with a discounted fare, the lowest priced cabin goes for $ 8500 per person, plus they add $ 825 per person port charges/taxes. Then you add in your air fare ($ 3,000 coach RT last summer,) hotels pre and post cruise if needed, excursions, liquor. They aren't offering any deals, inclusions on the Baltic cruises. I'm seeing a $ 25,000 to 30,000 cruise there and that's definitely out of our budget.

I also saw comments on the boards about the ships looking a little "tired." I'd be incredibly disappointed if the ship looked "tired" after spending that much.

We have no intention of doing a driving trip in Scandinavia. It would definitely be a cruise up there. I'd like to see St. Petersburg sometime. It doesn't have to be right now. It also appears that the cruises up there, and cruise lines we'd consider are already either "wait list" or sold out so we've decided to skip the cruise this year. We'll do a couple trips elsewhere.

I am thinking of taking my daughter ankd son-in-law on a mediterranian cruise and they looked interesting

Westbeach: Windstar is not one of the luxury cruise lines. You may want to go to the Windstar board on CruiseCritic and also check out their reviews. It is difficult to compare luxury all-inclusive cruises with premium cruise lines.

Just to add to the discussion. . . . we completed our first Silversea cruise and have another one booked. It did seem that there were too many "formal" and "informal" nights. . . . too much dressing up. We did not have difficulty with smoking on the Spirit. However, the Silver Wind was in port and we visited her. The stale smoke odor was quite overwhelming on that ship. On a positive note, the food and sevice on the Spirit was exemplary. Silversea is going through a change in policy regarding smoking on balconies. Although guests are currently fighting the new policy, the Silversea website indicates that smoking is no longer allowed on balconies.

Hey Travelcat,

It sounds like you are the type of passenger we'd enjoy meeting. As you see from my signature, we've cruised a variety of idiosyncratic venues. We consider the cruiseship as our "floating hotel," making it easy to visit certain areas (in particular Scandinavia and the Mediterranean.) Hence a vacation is a way to get away from the everyday push. Some of the comments about "luxury" cruises versus such downscale "mass lines" like Oceania, convince me that we would not be happy on Seabourn, Silverseas or the like.

 

One of the biggest determinants of a cruise for us is the size of the ship. We consider a 700 passenger ship "huge," with a big ship feel. My spouse in particular hates the mob scenes and absolutely detested the Holland America cruise to Alaska.

 

I did find a line, Compagnie du Ponant, which is French and appears to fit our needs. I'll keep an eye on that one. We both adore France, French culture, food and wine and speak French, so that line may be a good fit and it runs stunning, new small ships. Some of its cruises run with primarily US passengers but we like to meet Europeans, they are always thoughtful and interesting.

When we were in the Adriatic last October (Dubrovnik and Hvar) one of the Ponant ships - Le Boreal - was in port and it was indeed stunning. We spoke to some of the passengers and they absolutely loved the ship.

DH and I have traveled on Seabourn four times and Seadream once. We have enjoyed each trip and never had a problem with cabins that smelled like smoke. Rarely did we ever even notice the smoke in the outside areas. I heartily agree that the people you meet primarily talk about traveling and are generally very down to earth and regular people. Like many groups, some are very well off and others simply like to use their discretionary incomes to travel. Of the close to 1000 people that we have met on the cruises, I can think of less than five who I disliked meeting. In my life outside of cruising, the number is higher!! Options to formal night attire exist on all the trips. We were on a Seabourn trip in the Caribbean in late January and formal night attire ranged from evening pants with tops to cocktail dresses to gowns. Men wore suits or tuxes in the main dining room only. Don't let formal night attire keep you from taking the ship that you want. You will be comfortable.

We have traveled on Silverseas and Seabourn here is what I can add:

Cabins : Silverseas have by far better cabins that the old Seabourn ships ( have not sailed in the new Seabourn ship)

Food : Seabroun has superior food in my opinion. Their alternative restaurant Tasting at 2 is a gourmet daily changing menu restuarant with outdoor dinning where there is no need to dress up but still elegant and romantic vs Silverseas alternative restaurant which was italian menu.. if my memory does not fail and not very appealing for dinning everynight.

Our favorite line though: Seadream, to our taste: best food, best ambiance, more intimate feeling, a very personal service.

Good luck!!

Ele

Just booked on Silverseas Silver Whisper after receiving a brochure in the mail yesterday with some really good prices. 7 day cruise to Scandinavia and St. Petersburg, with 2 nights over in St. Petersburg.

On this cruise, can anyone advise what our options are with regard to "formal" nights? Will there be any on a 7 day cruise? We would not be attending shows or events after dinner, just looking forward to a nice meal with a nice bottle of wine every night. Spouse can bring a bespoke suit or silk sportcoat. I normally wear crepe trousers and dressy tops. Plan to be off the boat most of the day on tour, will not be using spa, internet, pool. We need to plan the wardrobe carefully due to our desire to travel light and bring only one suitcase apiece.

Also any information we need to know about the Silver Whisper, the possibility of smoke on board, in suite dining, including room service breakfast, and specifics/tips with regard to this specific itinerary. We were told we need "visas." I know that Russia requires a visa but if you plan to use ship tours, that a blanket visa for the group is covered? Visas needed for Sweden, Denmark, Finland or Estonia? Any comments on ship tours? I plan to use ship tours rather than private tours. I was not happy with at least half the private tours on my cruise last summer--sharing private tours with people you don't know is a crap shoot.

Why not post your questions on the Silversea board where you will get many more repsonses.

Just booked on Silverseas Silver Whisper after receiving a brochure in the mail yesterday with some really good prices. 7 day cruise to Scandinavia and St. Petersburg, with 2 nights over in St. Petersburg.

 

On this cruise, can anyone advise what our options are with regard to "formal" nights? Will there be any on a 7 day cruise? We would not be attending shows or events after dinner, just looking forward to a nice meal with a nice bottle of wine every night. Spouse can bring a bespoke suit or silk sportcoat. I normally wear crepe trousers and dressy tops. Plan to be off the boat most of the day on tour, will not be using spa, internet, pool. We need to plan the wardrobe carefully due to our desire to travel light and bring only one suitcase apiece.

 

Also any information we need to know about the Silver Whisper, the possibility of smoke on board, in suite dining, including room service breakfast, and specifics/tips with regard to this specific itinerary. We were told we need "visas." I know that Russia requires a visa but if you plan to use ship tours, that a blanket visa for the group is covered? Visas needed for Sweden, Denmark, Finland or Estonia? Any comments on ship tours? I plan to use ship tours rather than private tours. I was not happy with at least half the private tours on my cruise last summer--sharing private tours with people you don't know is a crap shoot.

Based on what you are looking for, I think Silversea is the right choice. The disappointing excursions you had on Oceania would be the same on Regent -- they are contracted with the same companies. On our Silver Spirit cruise in November, the excursion (only did one) was handled well.

The only place a visa is required is St. Petersburg. Estonia was our favorite port (followed closely by St. Petersburg). We spent two days pre-cruise in Copenhagen and only 1/2 a day in Stockholm -- both lovely cities. Did not go to Finland.

We will be on the Whisper in May (transatlantic departs from NYC with stops in Newport, RI, Halifax, Sydney, Nova Scotia, Newfoundland, Cork, Ireland, Waterford, Ireland and Fowey, England). If this thread is still around, I'll let you know more about the ship. Several friends feel that the Whisper is the best ship in the fleet. We found the service exemplary on the Spirit but was not fond of the ship itself.

I agree that you'll receive more responses if you post this on the Silversea board. I'm pretty sure there is at least one formal night and one informal night on a 7 night itinerary. The folks over there will know for sure.:)

Based on what you are looking for, I think Silversea is the right choice. The disappointing excursions you had on Oceania would be the same on Regent -- they are contracted with the same companies.

The disappointing excursions that winegirl had on Oceania were not ship tours. She had bad experiences with private tours booked with other Oceania passengers.

The disappointing excursions that winegirl had on Oceania were not ship tours. She had bad experiences with private tours booked with other Oceania passengers.

Thank you for clarifying that. Guess I was just making an assumption that the ship tours on Oceania are the same calibre as Regent which isn't a fair comparison. Regent tours, for the most part, are "free" which encourages hundreds of passengers to sign up. This causing crowding, etc. Oceania uses the same tour operators but are probably less crowded:o

Thank you for clarifying that. Guess I was just making an assumption that the ship tours on Oceania are the same calibre as Regent which isn't a fair comparison. Regent tours, for the most part, are "free" which encourages hundreds of passengers to sign up. This causing crowding, etc. Oceania uses the same tour operators but are probably less crowded:o

While Regent tours may indeed be fuller due to their free nature, and while Oceania probably uses the same tour operators as Regent, winegirl reported problems with private tours booked with other passengers, using most likely completely different tour operators. I had the impression that the problem was not with the tour operators but as she said, "sharing private tours with people you don't know is a crap shoot."