Need help deciding between RSSC and Celebrity

Hello all! I'm hoping someone here can offer some input to help me decide. My husband and I are going to do a Mediterranean cruise next October to celebrate my 40th birthday. I'm trying to decide between a Celebrity Reflection and Regent Seven Seas Voyager. We have not been on either cruise line and since we're looking at a suite on celebrity the price is about the same. I think my main question for all of you Is the shore excursions. How crowded do they get? I'm sure it all varies, but I'm looking for an estimate. I'm considering private tours if we do celebrity, but if some of the shore excursions through regent are on the smaller side that could sway our decision on which line to go with.

Thank you all in advance for your input. Any info will be helpful.

Tonia

After looking at your travel history I would say go for Regent. Celebrity is very good but not in the luxury category by comparision.

We have close to 20 cruises on Celebrity and a handful on Regent. Even though we are not Regent loyalists, there is really no comparison. On Celebrity you pay for every breath you take! LOL. On Regent you don't pay to breathe! Celebrity may have flashier ships, but Regent has some really nice sized staterooms. You don't pay to go to the specialty restaurants...on Regent you don't pay much at all.

About the tours...I don't know where you are going. I agree with you...some might be crowded more than others. If you said where you were going people could get you up to speed on that. We do not like group tours at all, so Regent is a waste when it comes to that.

Bottom line is, don't try to compare the two. We have soooo many benefits on Celebrity, but we do not cruise them any more, basically because in addition to all the other charges they also charge for water in your room...bottled water. I know that sounds small...it is, but when you add everything up, something has to break your back! I posted on their board the other day and I had some very horrible answers...no one knows a person like you know yourself!

Regent is quality really compared to Celebrity.

We have cruised celebrity a couple of times, back in the day when we were newbies and didn't know better. As someone stated above, you have to pay to breath.

Once we were with regent (and silversea for that matter) there was no going back.

Thank you all so much for the responses. We're between either the Barcelona to Rome sailing or the Venice to Istanbul sailing. Both are intriguing. I guess if there are locations that we really want to make sure we had a better excursion experience we could do a private tour. I know my husband would appreciate the smaller ship atmosphere and not be surrounded by a ton of people. I love the idea of the all inclusivity of everything....and not paying to breath:D

... I think my main question for all of you Is the shore excursions. How crowded do they get? I'm sure it all varies, but I'm looking for an estimate. ....

Hi there

As for shore excursions, the Regent buses are generally sent out with about 30 - 35 passengers on a bus with seats for 50 -60, so the buses are not usually crowded. Certainly that is our experience in the Med anyway. Unfortunately that doesn't mean that the destinations won't be crowded! If you are in a popular port with other cruise ships in and only a limited number of sites to visit, then you will find some congestion - including multiple groups from Regent.

As others have said above, the great attraction of Regent is that it provides a very high quality cruise and really is 'all inclusive' - that is what first attracted us to them and continues to attract many others! :)

I'd say that it depends which other features matter to you, apart from the tours.

You will have an entirely different experience on each ship/line. If you like the benefits if a bigger ship, more deck space options & a variety of evening entertainment each day then Celebrity may be a great choice for the Med. If you reckon you'll be spending little time inside, more outside & on trips that also favours the larger ship IMO. Regent offer good dining options, but all very high end and less "casual" whereas Celebrity provide a far wider range dining options and venues.

We are trying Regent next year (in April, so weather may not be that good) because we want to try the smaller ship, lower guest numbers and enjoy the quality of service, cuisine and comfort/style of the facilities. We are less bothered about sun bathing on deck or using the pool, which we would generally do on a larger ship in the Med, because the ports of call and the ship itself are the main attractions this time.

The inclusivity of Regent is very appealing too. I'd avoid all incisive hotels on land because they seem to attract masses if beer swilling Brits who just "Hoover up" all the food & drink they can grab and then make a lot of noise! Regent clientele do seem to be a very different breed - luxury all inclusive is a far more attractive proposition.

The "all inclusive" is wonderful! But A BIG difference is you are sailing with a few hundred pax instead of several thousands! That's priceless!

Happy Birthday!

We have found, what we want and need in a cruiseline/ship has changed as we age. At 62, we don't need a lot of activities/lounges/entertainment. We prefer a small ship to a large one. There is a huge difference that you can't imagine until you experience it.

If I were 40, I would go with Celebrity. There will be more people your age and lots more evening activities. If you like to plan your own excursions, that's another plus. The shorex on Regent may not be as crowded (but that can vary), but they are still ship excursions.

Regent is great....but at your age, I think Celebrity would be a better fit. Unless you are going to be fine with a small ship, with more older people.

I have done both and I like them both. I would chose by itinerary first, then price. Agree with what has been said here before, they are two different experiences. Another "pro" for the smaller ships is disembarkation at ports, specially if tender is required. On our resent cruise in South America we had many tender ports and the wait time was never more than ten minutes. Now tender to shore was a different story, we had a couple that lasted 30 minutes or more. On the large ships sometimes you have to wait in a long line to board the ship even if docked.

I would run the numbers, before deciding on that South America cruise I compared Regent's Marners standard suite with a Sky suite on Celebrity Constellation. By the time I added gratuitis, beverage package, specialty dining, Internet cost, tours,etc., Regent was less expensive. We could have saved money booking a standard balcony, but had to compare suites to suites to be fair.

We had friends going on the Celebrity ship and at the end of the 14 day cruise their shipboard account was over $2,000, our shipboard account at the end of a 15 day cruise was a little over $100, and was because all the laundry and dry cleaning we had done.

I agree with a previous poster. Choose based on itinerary first especially on a port intensive cruise like the Med. We have been on 2 Regent cruises and had good overall success with the shore excursions. The buses were not crowded and the guides generally very good. You can have good or bad guides whether on a ship excursion or a private one. We have our 3rd Regent cruise booked for this fall/winter. Can't wait, 30 days on Voyager, heaven.

As far as cost goes I find Regent a good value so on the right itinerary would always go with Regent first. However we have booked a Celebrity cruise for next fall because Regent didn't offer the same itinerary or time of year that we wanted. It will be our first Celebrity cruise and am looking forward to seeing what it is like. We booked a suite to get closer to the Regent suites. Celebrity is going with a Suite Benefits program as of April 2015 which i hope will give us a more Regent like experience as more things are included. I personally don't like ships much larger than Voyager but just didn't have another option for what we wanted.

Good luck in your decision making and have a great time regardless of who you choose to sail with.

We also agree with the last 2 posters. We've cruised on both lines & enjoy them both, but they definitely are different experiences. With trying to avoid repeating their posts, we do choose itinerary first. There is a big difference between a big ship, generally with better entertainment & activities, but less personal service (look at the pax to crew ratios) and you may never run into the same pax again. Smaller ships have better service, generally better food, and can be more personal. Depending on which size suite you are considering on X, the smallest suites on RSSC probably are bigger. As far as excursions,are experience with RSSC is that they do not fill up the buses (around 30 to 35 in a 50 pax bus). On the other hand, if you would like private excursions, you can do it on your own with X (of course you could do it on RSSC, but the tour fare is already built into you overall fare). One other factor is that air is included with RSSC (f you wish or take a credit) & often you vcan upgrade to business class for a reasonable amount.

BTW, if you plan to lay by the pool, generally you will find more "chair hogs" on X.

We've taken 5 Regent cruises. We loved all of them. However, with Regent fares going up, up, up, we decided to give Celebrity a try for next year on Eclipse. We found just the itinerary we were looking for. Our great TA offered some fantastic discounted pricing for an Aqua cabin upgrade, paid gratuities, paid beverage package and substantial shipboard credit. We couldn't believe the fare for two of us! For a comparable Regent cruise we could take 3 Celebrity cruises!

We couldn't believe the fare for two of us! For a comparable Regent cruise we could take 3 Celebrity cruises!

One thing is for sure, there many more deals to be found on Celebrity for the cabin price. However, many times those deals apply to itineraries not so interesting and or at the wrong time for us to travel. We search itineraries for the time we want to travel then compare.

One thing is for sure, there many more deals to be found on Celebrity for the cabin price. However, many times those deals apply to itineraries not so interesting and or at the wrong time for us to travel. We search itineraries for the time we want to travel then compare.

We were really lucky. We found the itinerary we wanted and snagged a really great deal offering many great perks....for a fraction of what Regent fares are!

Celebrity and Regent are totally different experiences and expectations should not be the same for the two lines. IMO, people should not think that they will get a Regent experience on a Celebrity cruise.

Shore excursions should be viewed the same way. For a typical shore excursion, IMO, there is no way that a ship excursion can offer what you get when you book a shore excursion privately. We have had good and poor excursions on both lines. Our shore excursions we have booked privately have all been excellent, but our private shore excursions have always been for a maximum of 6 people. Our expectations change accordingly. Our expectations also change according to the port and the area of the world in which we are cruising.

Look at the shore excursions offered by both cruises. Which ones are you interested in and what are the costs associated with those excursions? Which excursions do you think you would like to take as a small group or just the two of you? What are you expecting for your onboard experience?

I would suggest that the OP contact a few cruise agents who specialize in these cruise lines. Take the information that you have gathered from this board and any other places where you have researched. Work with someone who will sit down with you, or talk with you via Skype/FaceTime/phone to help you figure out what is best for you.

Wishing you a wonderful birthday celebration!

I really disagree with itinerary being the deciding factor. If the OP has never been to the Med., all of those ports are going to be new and wonderful. That part is easy.

I may not be the most experienced cruiser here...around 30, I believe. But, a Celebrity newer ship will be an entirely different experience than a Regent ship, if only for the size. We have met so many people who really dislike small ship sailing. There's not enough to do is the biggest complaint. If the OP has never sailed on a small ship, chances are they could go either way. Actually, someone we met on Regent who sailed twice with them, now stick with Celebrity. They needed more activities, even on a port intensive cruise.

I am a small ship cruiser, so I'm not trying to bias the OP in favor of Celebrity. But, the size of the ship is going to be the most important consideration for the OP, even if she had not thought of it. That is what a good TA would advise.

And, I disagree with the comment about paying to breathe on other lines. We are paying for it on Regent, only we are paying for it upfront. We don't have to pull our our keycard, which is a plus. But, in actuality, how bad is it to pull it out? You get used to it.

I agree with NYFEDS. We sailed both Celebrity and Regent and just got home yesterday from Regent.

They are very different ships and very different class of service and it also depends if you are interested in Ports or just cruising and how much you drink etc....

Suites:

The suites on Regent do not compare to Celebrity. The suites are larger, plenty of storage room, walking closets etc...

Celebrity is a tight fit with storage almost non existent

Service:

Pretty much the same on both

Atmosphere:

Because Regent is a smaller ship, by the 3rd day you tend to know a lot of your fellow cruisers which makes it very nice

We sailed Celebrity Equinox in the Aqua class and enjoyed it very much. We picked Celebrity for the choice of Ports and we booked private tours at some ports and did some on our own. Bottled water was included in the Aqua class and wine at dinner is included. We spent no time at the pool (we were always enjoying the ports) so we never ordered drinks at the pool and after dinner we were too full to order anything at the bar. Would we do it again? Absolutely...It's about half the price but I would miss Regent suites

We just got off the Mariner Seven Seas and our experience was not very good. Loved our suite but not as much as the voyager. Suites need update. Service was good but officers quite arrogant. Has a lousy check in and an even lousier check out. So, at the moment not very happy with Regent. We were on a 10 day cruise but in reality an 8 day cruise. The two days in venice at $1800@night, we could have done without and instead spent it in a nice hotel in Venice. They offered no shuttle to town and made the entire experience in venice a bad one. Compare that to Celebrity two days in Venice and Celebrity wins, hands down

Tours:

Regent free tours are ok, but nothing special. They don't crowd them. The ones we were on no more than 20. Most of the time we opt for private tours.

Hope this helps

I have been on both cruise lines numerous times, but more on Regent. I prefer Regent. Food, service, general ambience of the ship, cleanliness and size of the cabin, and several other factors make being on Voyager a more pleasant cruise. However, if you are doing mostly private tours, Celebrity might be better financially. Regent's shore excursions vary. The past several years Med ports have become very crowded. Not knowing the exact itinerary and dates, I can not comment further about the ports on your cruise. My last Med cruise on Voyager was for 32 days in the fall of 2012. Most ports were so crowded, it really didn't matter how many were on the Regent bus.

Thanks you all for all of the information. It has definitely given me something to think about and some very good perspectives. I think my husband would really enjoy the smaller ship atmosphere. He doesn't like being corralled into lines at the buffet, waiting for tenders, etc.

I do really like the idea of the smaller private excursions. Most would probably be just the two of us or maybe another couple if we found someone who was interested in sharing the coat with us. I just don't think that you can get any better than that.

I will do some more research, compare itineraries and ships and then decide which will be the beat. You have all given great advice and I really appreciate it.

RSSC or Celebrity ///////////////

For us there's no question its Regent every time

Food, service and everything you could wish for thrown in

go for it

Gee, I am a little late to this party but read the entire thread... First thing I thought was someone was pulling my leg ;)

I don't think there is any choice...Regent of course! And you'll save money too !!!

Be prepared to never go back :)

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

Gee, I am a little late to this party but read the entire thread... First thing I thought was someone was pulling my leg ;)

I don't think there is any choice...Regent of course! And you'll save money too !!!

 

Be prepared to never go back :)

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

Never too late for input!! Thanks for your thoughts. Promise....no pulling legs :D

I'm also late to the party. It is really difficult to compare a luxury cruise line with lines that are not luxury. Many ships have sections that are special -- upper class or whatever. These sections give passenger privileges that are not afforded to other guests. IMO, this is a "class system" that is quite common amongst mainstream cruise lines. While some of the amenities may compare with luxury cruise lines, when you look at the whole picture (or the entire ship), you are still on a very large ship (typically) and, once you leave your "special" area, the luxury is no longer there.

I feel that you need to do more research. Obviously, the amenities on a smaller ship (such as the 490 or 700 passenger Regent ships) are not the same as what I presume is on Celebrity. There is one boutique, a small gym and less dining choices. The shows are not as grand and the atmosphere is very sedate. Only you can decide which cruise line fits your needs the most. My instinct is to say Regent..... but, Regent is not right for everyone.