Regent or Viking Ocean?

[Jack_WillOH]

Hello all,

I've been debating as to whether to post on this thread as I've not yet cruised on either line. However, I have cruises booked on each next year. Viking Sea to the Carribean in February and Regent Explorer in September to the Mediterranean.

 

For background, I am a complete neophyte to cruising. I recently retired and now it's time to start enjoying my life and cruising seems like a new adventure to get things started.

 

I have been watching Regent for several years and it was definitely a "bucket list" item for me. Viking popped up as a choice due to several factors that appealed to me personally, e.g. no kids with absent parents, no nickel and diming passengers.

 

I believe a one to one cost comparison would be difficult to do. I can speak only from my experience in that Regent was 1/3 more costly at booking time for what I consider to be relatively equal cabins in size and amenities. However, in fairness, Viking will undoubtedly cost me more than originally paid because of the added cost of excursions that I plan to choose. I did purchase the silver spirits package for us so the beverage included option equals out with Regent. Airfare was also included in Viking's offering as a special promotion for this booking, albeit economy. I did deviate with the airfare at the cost of $100/person and am incurring a hotel charge for the night prior to the cruise plus taxis from airport to the hotel and from the hotel to port (estimated to be about $60). So as you can see, it gets difficult to fairly do a one to one comparison with so many variables involved.

 

In summary, I do believe that with comparable room styles, length of cruise, excursions, hotels and airfare, Viking will be cheaper. While that money tree has yet to sprout in the backyard, in either case, it was the experience, destination, personal preferences, and a chance to try something completely new that drove my choices, not the economics.

 

Lastly, I would like to thank all those posters who contribute to this board. I have been "lurking" for a long while soaking up as much knowledge as possible. I find it stimulating, entertaining, and extremely valuable as a source of information upon which to base decisions. In the internet age, it is easy to overload on knowledge and research anything to the point of analysis paralysis but you all have been extremely helpful.

 

I realize it will be a year plus until I can contribute my thoughts on comparison between Regent and Viking, but if you all are still interested, I will do so. Paying it forward, I think it's called.

 

Final disclaimer: if you put up with the length of this posting, you will note that I expressed my opinions about my bookings. Yours will differ and that's great.

 

Regards,

Jack

[Travelcat2]

Jack, hope that you have a great experience on both cruise lines! IMO, the biggest added cost on Regent is included international air. I also wonder if the level of spirits offered in Viking Ocean's package is as high quality as Regent's included alcohol. I tend to be a alcohol snob and like my tequila drinks to be made with Patron or Don Julio and vodka to be Grey Goose, Chopin or Stoly. On the other hand, I've had extremely expensive wine and champagne and have found that I prefer many less expensive brands (i.e. do not like Dom Perignon but am happy with Veuve Cliquot or even Korbel Brut).

 

Hope that you will report back after you take your cruises!:)

[BarbarianPaul]

Jack, will definitely be interested to hear your thoughts, no matter how far in the future!

 

 

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[Jack_WillOH]

Hello Travelcat2,

 

I completely agree that the international business class fares make up the difference in cost. We have to fly from a "non-gateway" city, Cleveland, so that tacks on even more ($480). In looking at making my own booking for the destinations needed, Barcelona and Rome, it was easily $5000 per person for business class. So that made up the difference between the Viking cost and Regent cost.

 

As for the alcohol, we are at the other end of the alcohol snob scale. As long as there is a good lager available for me and decent rum for my partner, we're set. I bought the silver spirits package on Viking because of the convenience of being able to grab a drink when I wanted to and not get stuck with a big bar tab at the end.

 

Thank you for taking the time to read my entire post. I'm new to these boards and looking back, didn't realize I had written such a long post. I'll shoot for brevity next time.

 

Regards,

Jack

[poss]

Jack-- please don't worry about brevity. Some posters are very succinct; some go into much more detail, or even ramble. I appreciate both, and I imagine others do as well. I think your post was excellent. And I wish you happy sails on both cruise lines.

 

And I think Tc is right-on: The included business air probably makes up for any "savings" by booking Viking. So I think that cost won't be a big deciding factor in people's choice. I guess it'll come down more to style and itinerary; and, too, how important all-inclusive is to people.

[1982CruzStart]

Thanks Jack for your post. Brevity is overrated when the writing is well thought out and easy to read. I look forward to your postings no matter how far in the future.

[wcsdkqh]

Jack- Pls keep any eye on international flight costs as soon as they are available on airline sites. For Delta, flights are available for booking 11 months out, I believe. I was able to book Atlanta -> Nice and return from Barcelona with connections in JFK each way in order for our daughter (who lives in NYC) to join us on the cruise. I booked the flights 10 months out. Took the $2700 pp credit from Regent. Cost of the flights was $2500 from ATL and daughter's was 2300 from JFK. We are going over a day early and staying an extra day. No air deviation and got the exact flights we wanted. The ATL <-> JFK legs are First Class. So by all means, assume you cant beat Regent airfares, but keep an eye open to book yourself. You may be surprised. By the way, the same flights were are on are now priced at over $4300

[Missymssy]

I agree that airfare included with Regent makes it difficult to compare costs. I have only cruised regent once and booked in 2019 for Viking first season in Alaska. But airface was included in promotion. I did pay the deviation to fly in a day early and will pay the one night hotel. I think it's about even tho.

I plan to book my own excursions, plus the train from Anchorage to Seward (embarkation), so any savings is likely gone anyway. Lol

 

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[BarbarianPaul]

Jack-- please don't worry about brevity. Some posters are very succinct; some go into much more detail, or even ramble. I appreciate both, and I imagine others do as well. I think your post was excellent. And I wish you happy sails on both cruise lines.

 

 

 

And I think Tc is right-on: The included business air probably makes up for any "savings" by booking Viking. So I think that cost won't be a big deciding factor in people's choice. I guess it'll come down more to style and itinerary; and, too, how important all-inclusive is to people.

 

 

 

Poss...

 

There's a flaw in your reasoning, in that you're assuming that most everyone who cruises in a distant locale will need to fly business class. For me, it's a bit of a needless extravagance, which can add thousands and thousands of dollars to an already pricey cruise vacation. The fact that it's "included" in your Regent fare really means that Regent is forcing you to pay for it, and no doubt making an additional profit as well.

 

On my recent Viking cruise in the Baltic, I believe I paid an extra $199 each for both my wife and I to upgrade to premium economy. The cost for the cruise was substantially less expensive than its shorter Regent equivalent. I believe the economics favors Viking, and of course that will be one of the determining factors when people are weighing the pros and cons of each cruise line.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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[Travelcat2]

Poss...

 

There's a flaw in your reasoning, in that you're assuming that most everyone who cruises in a distant locale will need to fly business class. For me, it's a bit of a needless extravagance, which can add thousands and thousands of dollars to an already pricey cruise vacation. The fact that it's "included" in your Regent fare really means that Regent is forcing you to pay for it, and no doubt making an additional profit as well.

 

On my recent Viking cruise in the Baltic, I believe I paid an extra $199 each for both my wife and I to upgrade to premium economy. The cost for the cruise was substantially less expensive than its shorter Regent equivalent. I believe the economics favors Viking, and of course that will be one of the determining factors when people are weighing the pros and cons of each cruise line.

 

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Paul,

 

Interesting thought process. While I believe that most Regent customers want Business Class air, there are undoubtedly some that are fine with Coach or Premium Economy. However, if a Regent passenger wants to save money or does not require Business Class air, they can receive a credit and likely save money by booking their own flights.

 

Earlier (and in previous posts), poss has indicated that Business Class air a requirement so she would need to add in the cost of Business Class air to a cruise that she did on Viking Ocean.

 

Oceania also has some type of reasonable way of upgrading flights to Premium Economy, however, the cost to upgrade to Business Class was very pricey.

 

Again, IMO, the expectations of premium plus passengers are not necessarily the same as for luxury passengers. While I do not follow the Viking Ocean board, I do follow the Oceania board and find their issues and concerns to be quite different than what you read about on the Regent board.

 

I am appreciating your insights (as well as your stunning photos!).

 

Jackie

[BarbarianPaul]

Paul,

 

Interesting thought process. While I believe that most Regent customers want Business Class air, there are undoubtedly some that are fine with Coach or Premium Economy. However, if a Regent passenger wants to save money or does not require Business Class air, they can receive a credit and likely save money by booking their own flights.

 

Earlier (and in previous posts), poss has indicated that Business Class air a requirement so she would need to add in the cost of Business Class air to a cruise that she did on Viking Ocean.

 

Oceania also has some type of reasonable way of upgrading flights to Premium Economy, however, the cost to upgrade to Business Class was very pricey.

 

Again, IMO, the expectations of premium plus passengers are not necessarily the same as for luxury passengers. While I do not follow the Viking Ocean board, I do follow the Oceania board and find their issues and concerns to be quite different than what you read about on the Regent board.

 

I am appreciating your insights (as well as your stunning photos!).

 

Jackie

 

 

 

Thanks Jackie, and of course all good points.

In spite of Poss's additional requirements, I think she'd still realize savings with Viking. But the best way to determine that would be to have a good TA really crunch the numbers.

 

 

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[Travelcat2]

Paul and others, check out this comparison link from the Regent website https://www.rssc.com/experience/value-comparison

 

While it is likely skewed to Regent, the comparisons to luxury and premium cruise lines is interesting. Any comments? I think that the beverage and tipping rates shown on premium cruise lines are a bit low.

[vlinbin]

As primarily a Regent cruiser, I am always curious about other lines. Viking Ocean looks appealing, but a deal breaker for us is whether any of the suites have an extra half or full bathroom?

 

Also, just checked out the cost comparisons which are interesting. But, the couple pictured must be at least twenty years younger than the average Regent cruisers. It might be interesting to include the average age of the cruisers to the comparison list along with the suite size and crew to guest ratios.

[RJ2002]

Paul and others, check out this comparison link from the Regent website https://www.rssc.com/experience/value-comparison

 

While it is likely skewed to Regent, the comparisons to luxury and premium cruise lines is interesting. Any comments? I think that the beverage and tipping rates shown on premium cruise lines are a bit low.

 

Thanks for sharing the link TC. I agree that the tips seem low. Beverage costs will depend, obviously, on the individual. Could be low, could be high. ;)

 

Would be interesting to also see a comparison with Oceania, Azamara and Viking.

 

Here is the "fine print" from Regent's comparision:

 

Asia Luxury Comparison fares and costs shown are valid as of 6/5/2017 and based on the following voyage: Regent Seven Seas Cruises® 1/17/2018. Luxury cruise lines used for average costs could include Crystal, Seabourn and Silversea. Alaska Premium Comparison fares and costs shown are valid as of 6/5/2017 and based on Regent Seven Seas Cruises® 6/6/2018. Premium cruiselines used for average costs could include Princess Cruises, Holland America and Celebrity Cruises. Mediterranean Premium Comparison fares and costs shown are valid as of 6/5/2017 andbased on Regent Seven Seas Cruises® 8/4/2018. Premium cruise lines used for average costs could include Princess Cruises, Holland America and Celebrity Cruises. All details were obtained from individual cruise line websites and reservation centers at time of printing. Assumptions have been made as follows: Bar Drinks/Wine at $25 per person/day (plus 15% gratuity). FrozenDrinks/Soft Drinks/Bottled Water at $10 per person/day (plus 15% gratuity). Shore Excursion costs are based on Regent Seven Seas Cruises average cost by destination sample ports - $135per person for Asia, $185 for Alaska and $139 per person for the Mediterranean. Air fares shown are from Dallas/Fort Worth Airport and include carrier imposed surcharges and other taxes.

[Travelcat2]

Thanks for sharing the link TC. I agree that the tips seem low. Beverage costs will depend, obviously, on the individual. Could be low, could be high. ;)

 

Would be interesting to also see a comparison with Oceania, Azamara and Viking.

 

Here is the "fine print" from Regent's comparision:

 

Asia Luxury Comparison fares and costs shown are valid as of 6/5/2017 and based on the following voyage: Regent Seven Seas Cruises® 1/17/2018. Luxury cruise lines used for average costs could include Crystal, Seabourn and Silversea. Alaska Premium Comparison fares and costs shown are valid as of 6/5/2017 and based on Regent Seven Seas Cruises® 6/6/2018. Premium cruiselines used for average costs could include Princess Cruises, Holland America and Celebrity Cruises. Mediterranean Premium Comparison fares and costs shown are valid as of 6/5/2017 andbased on Regent Seven Seas Cruises® 8/4/2018. Premium cruise lines used for average costs could include Princess Cruises, Holland America and Celebrity Cruises. All details were obtained from individual cruise line websites and reservation centers at time of printing. Assumptions have been made as follows: Bar Drinks/Wine at $25 per person/day (plus 15% gratuity). FrozenDrinks/Soft Drinks/Bottled Water at $10 per person/day (plus 15% gratuity). Shore Excursion costs are based on Regent Seven Seas Cruises average cost by destination sample ports - $135per person for Asia, $185 for Alaska and $139 per person for the Mediterranean. Air fares shown are from Dallas/Fort Worth Airport and include carrier imposed surcharges and other taxes.

 

Thanks for the fine print! For some reason, Regent always does comparisons with those three lines. At one time they said that their upper suite customers are the target since they could move over to Regent for close to the same fare. Not sure what their thinking is with the luxury-lite cruise lines. There are quite a few of us that gave dipped our toes into Azamara, Viking and Oceania. Since I only pay attention to Oceania, I do see some people going back and forth between Oceania upper suites and Regent.

 

The main reason we tried Oceania was being able to book a huge suite for the cost of Regent's lowest suite. Even with the tipping, premium alcohol package and internet (which was not included at the time), it was a good deal. However, the itineraries were some of the lower priced itineraries - nothing exotic or that interesting. Even though there are many things about Oceania that I do not like, the upper category suites are amazing (only on their two newer/larger ships) and the service is about equal to Regent.

 

IMO, some passengers from Princess, HAL and Celebrity would really appreciate Oceania while some Oceania, Azamara and Viking passengers might appreciate Regent. In some ways it makes senses to slowly move up the ladder from mainstream to premium and then premium-plus and then luxury. Going from a huge ship with tons of things to do to a small premium plus or luxury ship can be a negative for people that don't do their research. Cruisers on these ships are, for the most part, a bit older, enjoy a more laid back experience and are not looking for loud music at the pool, etc.

 

We started with a river boat, went to a very small ship in Fiji, then to Disney and then a big jump to Radisson. We are likely a bit different than some cruisers since we traveled internationally for almost 20 years before we started cruising. So, we did the crazy "stuff" by the pool, loud music and dancing on land (mostly international Club Meds.) By time we started cruising, we were ready for the slow pace of luxury cruising. Had I started luxury cruising in my 30's, I would have been bored out of my mind. Trivia, bingo, baggo, etc . would definitely have been a turn-off for me at that age. My point is that not everyone would like luxury cruising (or even premium plus cruising). It depends upon the person, their experiences, likes and dislikes.

[BarbarianPaul]

Paul and others, check out this comparison link from the Regent website https://www.rssc.com/experience/value-comparison

 

While it is likely skewed to Regent, the comparisons to luxury and premium cruise lines is interesting. Any comments? I think that the beverage and tipping rates shown on premium cruise lines are a bit low.

 

 

 

Jackie!

 

Of course I have comments! It is interesting, but my first thought is that the whole effort seems like a transparent effort to justify inflated prices. Time share pitches do the same thing, bombarding you with facts and figures on why a five or even six figure cash outlay will of course save you money in the long run. So here are a few asterisks I would add to each category:

 

Free wifi*

Not much value here because we all know that on Regent, it just doesn't work. I don't think I could send or receive a single email last summer in the med.

 

Unlimited Shore Excursions*

You've repeatedly clarified how much you dislike the included ones, and will now only consider the better ones that they charge for, right?

The ones we took were wildly hit and miss, and most of the guides were somewhat below average. Our tour of Cypress was ruined by the tour guide's complete, mumbling unintelligibility.

 

Unlimited Specialty Restaurants*

But for concierge class and below, we'll only allow you to make two in advance, and if you subsequently try to make more when on board, you'll discover that all the desirable dining times are unavailable.

 

Free 3 night pre or post cruise stay (Asia)*

In a crappy somewhat low end hotel you'd never consider booking yourself if you were planning the trip

 

Free Business Air*

But we'll determine the airline, the arrival and departure times, and perhaps include a connection when a direct flight is available. And we won't give you this information until shortly before the cruise starts. So it's just better to do this yourself and take whatever credit we offer.

 

Anyway, of course I'm being a tad harsh. Our Regent cruise was great,

and we have mostly fond memories, though I don't recall it being an amazing value.

[2onboardagain]

Thanks Paul for those points about Regent. As a newbie I was actually believing all that I read in the Regent brochure especially the one about the "Free Unlimited Shore Excursions". Apparently my definition of unlimited is different from theirs. At least I am now forewarned that our cruise next May will undoubtedly require paying some up charges to take shore excursions that we may actually be interested in. A bit disappointing to say the least and your claim about their WIFI is disturbing as we have had very good WIFI connections on many of the low brow lines that we have sailed. It will prove interesting to see what our experience turns out to be.

[BarbarianPaul]

Thanks Paul for those points about Regent. As a newbie I was actually believing all that I read in the Regent brochure especially the one about the "Free Unlimited Shore Excursions". Apparently my definition of unlimited is different from theirs. At least I am now forewarned that our cruise next May will undoubtedly require paying some up charges to take shore excursions that we may actually be interested in. A bit disappointing to say the least and your claim about their WIFI is disturbing as we have had very good WIFI connections on many of the low brow lines that we have sailed. It will prove interesting to see what our experience turns out to be.

 

 

 

The free excursions aren't all uniformly bad, they're just heavily guide dependent and are hit and miss. I was willing to overlook it on my Seven Seas Explorer cruise in the med because I thought the issue was out of Regent's control. Having just completed a Viking cruise in the Baltic, where every guide was consistently amiable and top notch, I've now changed my opinion. Clearly Viking has an effective system in place to vet their guides and there's no excuse for Regent not to.

 

The nonexistent wifi on my cruise was infuriating. There are considerably more experienced Regent cruisers who have defended it, though, so maybe they should weigh in. Some say Regent has increased their bandwidth, others say it's as bad as ever, while others say it's not Regent's fault, it's just that some locations at sea have weaker satellite reception. But on my two week cruise from Haifa to Rome, it was consistently terrible.

 

 

 

 

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[2onboardagain]

We've sailed that same stretch of the Med on at least two different cruise lines (i'll name them if anyone is interested) and do not recall any "problem" with WIFI.

[Travelcat2]

Thanks Paul for those points about Regent. As a newbie I was actually believing all that I read in the Regent brochure especially the one about the "Free Unlimited Shore Excursions". Apparently my definition of unlimited is different from theirs. At least I am now forewarned that our cruise next May will undoubtedly require paying some up charges to take shore excursions that we may actually be interested in. A bit disappointing to say the least and your claim about their WIFI is disturbing as we have had very good WIFI connections on many of the low brow lines that we have sailed. It will prove interesting to see what our experience turns out to be.

 

As Paul indicated, some of us have different opinions. In terms of WiFi, we have had differing experiences - depending upon several things: The area in which you are cruising (i.e. if it is a mountainous area like it can be in Alaska, the signal is blocked by the mountains). Also, during the day on a sea day, most passengers are on their devices which slows things down considerably. I have been able to access Wifi every day while on the ship but need to pay attention to when it is likely to have less people online;

 

2). "Free Unlimited Shore Excursions". First I need to state that I feel that including shore excursions was a bad idea. While it is a draw for new customers, many times there ends up being multiple busloads of passengers going to the same places. We have been on excursions where 5 busloads of passengers are at the same restroom stop where there are only two stalls for women. Although I haven't been on anything other than a luxury cruise line in years, I suspect that people used to crowds of people on a ship will not find this to be a problem. On the other hand, the Regent Choice excursions are, for the most part, excellent. IMO, it is most important to take into consideration what part of the world you are sailing in. When in Africa, for instance, the standard of buses and the ability of some tour guides to speak English simply isn't there (this is no fault of Regent's). Some of the worst excursions we have been on was in South America while some of the best was in the Middle East.

 

Excursions in the Med. are expensive - just because of the area they are in. IMO, many excursions in the Caribbean are a waste of time (not all - just some). I strongly suggest asking Regent cruisers on Cruise Critic about excursions in specific ports. We are going to Alaska on Wednesday (have been there before) and already know which excursions that we like which is helpful.

 

I believe that Regent is a top notch cruise line but it does a disservice to itself by offering sub-par excursions (even though there aren't better excursions available). Also IMO, Regent's warnings should be more visible in terms of issues in certain ports. Regent knows which excursions may be a problem for luxury travelers and do post warnings. Unfortunately, these warning are either not read or ignored.

Edited August 29, 2017 by Travelcat2

[GrJ Berkshire]

Just back from a cruise on Voyager. WiFi was excellent at all times, no issues at all. Depends on ship and where you are. We sailed from Barcelona to Lisbon.

[OceanPatter]

Totally agree with BarbarianPaul on the Explorer's wifi - the lack thereof. On our holiday Panama cruise (Miami to LA) the wifi was non-existent ... even at 2AM, so you can't blame it on demand. As much as we liked the Explorer, the wifi status is a deal breaker for us.

 

With all that spanking new hardware, poor wifi is really inexcusable.

[BarbarianPaul]

At least from their descriptions in my cruise itinerary last summer, the Regent Choice excursions did indeed sound spectacular. Their cost however, was spectacularly high. The I don't remember exactly, and others who have actually taken them will know better (and would love them to weigh in here too), I think the combined cost for my wife and I, should we have chosen them, was approx. $500-$1000 for each one. That was a price we just couldn't justify for a pricey cruise that was already an indulgence.

 

This is another factor that perhaps Regent should have clarified in their travel comparison. Either agree to take a sub-par excursion with hundreds of other passengers, or sign up for a series of quite good excursions that will add literally thousands of dollars to the cost of your cruise.

 

The excursions that Viking charges for, of which we took many in our recent cruise, and quite enjoyed, averaged about $125-150 per person per excursion. That also adds to the price of the cruise, but far less than they do on Regent.

 

 

 

 

 

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[Gilly]

<On our holiday Panama cruise (Miami to LA) the wifi was non-existent ... even at 2AM, so you can't blame it on demand.>

 

We did the same itinerary in reverse (ok, no, the ship didn't go backwards ;p, but we sailed LA to Miami) on Explorer in January this year and I was able to post my usual daily blog entry, filled with photographs (so not a quick process at the best of times), so I can't agree that it was non-existent for us, merely occasionally slower because, as others have noted, people are on their phones/tablets 24/7. As fast as it's upgraded, the more it is used. Yes, patience is required at times, but it will never be as fast as your (our) own home connection.

 

As for excursions, I'd expect Viking to have all services nailed in their home territory and the excursions to be top notch. We have generally been happy with our Regent excursions, whether or not we've paid for them and to be honest, I forget which we've paid for and which have been included. The best have all been memorable, as have the worst but whether they were one or the other, I have no idea. I believe that vehicles are genuinely "the best available" and know from experience that in some parts of the world, even the best will not be very good. We pay our money and we take our choice in every respect.

 

Barbarian Paul, I think you were a little harsh on your summary of Regent and I hope that readers put your comments in context. If that's not the case and you have fairly and accurately described your Regent experience, then all I can say is that it has been very different from mine. But as often said here, aren't we lucky to have choices?! :*

[2onboardagain]

So glad to hear that a number of you have had much better experience with WIFI and I was especially gladdened by GrJ Berkshire's comment about Voyager as She is the ship that we will be sailing on next May.

 

 

Travelcat2 is correct about the Free Unlimited Shore Excursions being a draw for new customers as it certainly was for me as the additional price seemed justifiable to move up from the exorbitant shore excursion prices that we experienced as "newbies" on Oceania (we learned to book private tours on our subsequent cruises on Oceania). So it is extremely disappointing, as a newbie on Regent, that I have been snookered again by a cruise line that actually trademarked the phrase "The Most Inclusive Luxury Experience". The phrase Free Unlimited Shore Excursions appears throughout their brochure (often in Bold print) and while I can appreciate the thought that some up charging for "select" tours might be excusable we happened to pick the Voyager cruise through the Suez Canal next May to celebrate a significant anniversary and among the ports are Safaga and Aqaba both of which are "advertised" as gateways to Luxor and Petra respectively. To suddenly discover that none of the tours to those real destinations are "included" among the free unlimited shore excursions has landed Regent (in my mind) as just another one of those cruise lines that will nickel and dime you whenever they can. Their "all inclusive" brochure for this cruise, highlights both Luxor and Petra yet those highlighted destinations are NOT included among the all inclusive tours??? Sad!