Regent verses Oceania...

I'm wondering what the pecking order is for these 2 cruise lines. We're presently booked with Regent on the Istanbul-Dubai route leaving Oct 31st. Oceania has almost the same cruise leaving Istanbul-Dubai on Nov 2nd.

Price for our cheapest Concierge cabin is $12,499. On the Oceania cruise, their cheapest Concierge cabin is $7,899. Oceania upgrades to BC are about the same. When we booked the Regent cruise, we didn't know about the Oceania similar cruise. Even some of the Oceania Penthouse suites are cheaper than our Regent Concierge cabin.

I'm wondering what we're going to get on the Regent cruise that is worth $4,600 more EACH. About the only thing I see so far is the Oceania cruise does not include the pre cruise hotel room in Istanbul.

I also note that both lines then cruise on to Cape Town from Dubai with once again, similar stops. Does Regent and Oceania operate like this in tandem on several routes?

A little basic research will disclose that Regent includes all basic alcohol (in-cabin bottles too) and excursions, which are extra on Oceania. Also, Regent basic outside window and verandah suites are significantly larger and have nice walk-in closets. Even Regent Mariner's somewhat smaller basic suites are significantly superior in layout to those on all of the Oceania ships.

That being said, Oceania's "O" ships are larger, newer, and have more state-of-the-art amenities.

We cruise with both, based on itinerary. We prefer to bring wine or order off the wine list and to book our own excursions, and love the much larger variety of top cuisine, cooking classes, huge spa, putting course, larger pool, art room, espresso bar, etc. on the " O " ships so, if the itineraries are equal, a PH3 on Marina or Riviera is our sweet spot. YMMV.

While I agree with most of the last post, your cruise is on the Nautica -- one of Oceania's small ships. Their staterooms (and particularly the bathrooms) are tiny compared to the Voyager. They do not have the cooking classes or the variety of specialty restaurants that the larger Oceania ships have. Our two favorite dining venues on Oceania, Jacques and Red Ginger are not on the Nautica. They have Polo - very similar to Prime 7 on Regent and Toscana - an Italian restaurant that is similar to Sette Mari.

While I am the first to criticize some of Regent's excursions, on this particular itinerary, the excursions are good to excellent. Plus, you would not want to venture out on your own in most of the ports on your itinerary. As you have probably seen, the prices of Oceania excursions are very high which is why most Oceania passengers group together to do private tours.

You can save a couple thousand $$$ each of you move to a lower category concierge suite and have the same size suite and amenities. I checked your cruise on the Regent website and there is availability.

While I would recommend Oceania's larger ships for some itineraries when the price difference is significant, I definitely would recommend Regent for this one.

And I second that recommendation.