What makes 6 star cruise line

[English Voyager]

14 hours ago, Travelcat2 said:

 

It seems that all cruise lines “award themselves those stars”. 

 

 

 

 

Hapag-Lloyd Cruises just cites received awards.

 

https://www.hl-cruises.com/cruise-with-us/our-awards

 

 

[wripro]

TC2,

If stating the truth is picking on Regent then yes, I am doing so, ONLY Regent called itself a six star line. 

 

Did I touch a nerve on your beloved Regent?

[Travelcat2]

5 hours ago, wripro said:

TC2,

If stating the truth is picking on Regent then yes, I am doing so, ONLY Regent called itself a six star line. 

 

Did I touch a nerve on your beloved Regent?

 

Definitely did not touch a nerve.  I read all kind of touts/bragging by luxury and non-luxury cruise lines (calling themselves luxury).  So, if Regent does the same, it is not a big deal in my world.  My point is that if you have something negative to post about a cruise line - be specific.  That is so much more helpful to other posters.  It also helps if your experience with a cruise line is recent since owners and other things change the onboard experience.

 

If Regent calls itself a six star line - maybe it is.  It has come a long way since being purchased by NCLH and having so much money put into the cruise line and into new ships.  The same thing is happening with Silversea after the majority of the cruise line was purchased by Royal Caribbean.  It is likely that Seabourn also did well after being purchased by Carnival.  After all, they got rid of their old ships and only have fairly new ones now.  

 

[English Voyager]

14 hours ago, Travelcat2 said:

 

It is likely that Seabourn also did well after being purchased by Carnival.  After all, they got rid of their old ships and only have fairly new ones now.  

 

I have great affection for 'the three sisters'.

 

The great advantage of their small size was being able to dock in places inaccessible to large ships.

 

The convenience of embarking at Tower Bridge then cruising down the Thames, and docking opposite The Hermitage.

[wripro]

21 hours ago, Travelcat2 said:

 

Definitely did not touch a nerve.  I read all kind of touts/bragging by luxury and non-luxury cruise lines (calling themselves luxury).  So, if Regent does the same, it is not a big deal in my world.  My point is that if you have something negative to post about a cruise line - be specific.  That is so much more helpful to other posters.  It also helps if your experience with a cruise line is recent since owners and other things change the onboard experience.

 

If Regent calls itself a six star line - maybe it is.  It has come a long way since being purchased by NCLH and having so much money put into the cruise line and into new ships.  The same thing is happening with Silversea after the majority of the cruise line was purchased by Royal Caribbean.  It is likely that Seabourn also did well after being purchased by Carnival.  After all, they got rid of their old ships and only have fairly new ones now.  

 

Are you serious? Mayne it is a six star cruise line because it calls itself one? So if they called themselves a ten star cruise line maybe it would be one because they say so?????

 

Putting money into a cruise line does not make it a more star worthy product, ESPECIALLY if they use an accolade which does not exist anywhere but in the marketing minds of the advertising departments.

[Travelcat2]

17 minutes ago, wripro said:

Are you serious? Mayne it is a six star cruise line because it calls itself one? So if they called themselves a ten star cruise line maybe it would be one because they say so?????

 

Putting money into a cruise line does not make it a more star worthy product, ESPECIALLY if they use an accolade which does not exist anywhere but in the marketing minds of the advertising departments.

 

Do not want to argue further.  You don't seem to have understood my point and you haven't sailed on Regent for years but that is okay.  

 

The one thing that we agree about is that much of what is written by ALL cruise lines does not exist anywhere but in the marketing minds of the advertising departments (and on a few websites).  

 

I did a search of "6 star cruise lines" because you stated that that Regent was the only cruise line that called itself "6 stars".  Well, a few websites disagree with you.  One popular travel magazine lists several "6 star" cruise lines and they include the "big four" plus Oceania (obviously not a luxury or 6 star cruise line), SeaDream, National Geographic and Lindblad Expeditions.

 

In any case, neither you nor I have really explained what makes a 6 star cruise line which is the subject of this thread.  The best I could come up with is that it is in the eyes of the beholder and is based on previous cruising experience.

 

 

 

Edited April 24, 2019 by Travelcat2

[vistaman]

8 hours ago, English Voyager said:

I have great affection for 'the three sisters'.

 

The great advantage of their small size was being able to dock in places inaccessible to large ships.

 

The convenience of embarking at Tower Bridge then cruising down the Thames, and docking opposite The Hermitage.

I had 12 wonderful cruises on 2 of the 3 sisters - i never was on the Spirit

very homesick for that period and also for the great days of the defunct Royal Viking (until Cunard took over in 1994)  

 

[English Voyager]

16 minutes ago, vistaman said:

I had 12 wonderful cruises on 2 of the 3 sisters - i never was on the Spirit

very homesick for that period and also for the great days of the defunct Royal Viking (until Cunard took over in 1994)  

 

 

The following video is a real trip down memory lane for me with another favourite ship of mine --- The Radisson Diamond:

 

 

 

 

I have fond memories of sailing on her into Venice.

 

 

Edited April 24, 2019 by English Voyager

[vistaman]

i saw that ship a few times - she was also once in my hometown but in those days i could not visit her.

[wripro]

23 hours ago, Travelcat2 said:

 

Do not want to argue further.  You don't seem to have understood my point and you haven't sailed on Regent for years but that is okay.  

 

The one thing that we agree about is that much of what is written by ALL cruise lines does not exist anywhere but in the marketing minds of the advertising departments (and on a few websites).  

 

I did a search of "6 star cruise lines" because you stated that that Regent was the only cruise line that called itself "6 stars".  Well, a few websites disagree with you.  One popular travel magazine lists several "6 star" cruise lines and they include the "big four" plus Oceania (obviously not a luxury or 6 star cruise line), SeaDream, National Geographic and Lindblad Expeditions.

 

In any case, neither you nor I have really explained what makes a 6 star cruise line which is the subject of this thread.  The best I could come up with is that it is in the eyes of the beholder and is based on previous cruising experience.

 

 

 

I don't want to argue either but you seem to persist in thinking that there is such a thing as a six star cruise line and that there are standards which qualify for that. THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS A SIX STAR CRUISE LINE. I don't have to have sailed on Regent recently to know a fake marketing gimmick when I see it. 

[Travelcat2]

49 minutes ago, wripro said:

I don't want to argue either but you seem to persist in thinking that there is such a thing as a six star cruise line and that there are standards which qualify for that. THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS A SIX STAR CRUISE LINE. I don't have to have sailed on Regent recently to know a fake marketing gimmick when I see it. 

 

For clarification only - I am not insisting that Regent is 6 stars, 10 stars or 2 stars.  I did say "If Regent calls itself a 6 star line - maybe it is". 

 

In terms of there being no such thing as a six star cruise line, perhaps you should contact the websites that list them and let them know.

[wripro]

But by saying if Regent says it's a six star cruise line "maybe" it is you are perpetuating a false premise. You cannot simply say you  are something and by virtue of that make it so. No maybes about it.

[NottheMonkey]

On 4/26/2019 at 11:55 AM, wripro said:

But by saying if Regent says it's a six star cruise line "maybe" it is you are perpetuating a false premise. You cannot simply say you  are something and by virtue of that make it so. No maybes about it.

 

Michelin stars were a construct of the Michelin Guide, star ratings were created by travel guides, Facebook created the like, diamonds value was created by Debeers and their own rating systems, Academy Awards arent really merit based, etc...  

 

None of these things give value to the subjective experience someone has and all did not exist before someone marketed them.  They are simply marketing tools for those who created them and a way for us to categorize and compare.  20 years from now, 6 stars may be the standard or no stars at all.  Does it really matter that someone hasn't given it a standardized label before?  It's all marketing anyway.  The point is to discuss what experiences drive people to assume one cruise experience over another is truly top of the line (call it 5 stars, call it 6, call it snufagalicious - who cares?).  What, to you, makes the most premium experience and why do other lines not meet that need you?

 

 

 

 

Edited April 28, 2019 by NottheMonkey

[Jacqueline]

NotThe Monkey, exactly.

i don’t know why we can’t just leave it at that. This post has dragged on and on. Who cares what some company says on their website? 

If people are going to be dropping thousand(s) of dollars a day on a cruise, I think they can dive a bit deeper, especially now that we have the internet.

 

[wripro]

15 hours ago, NottheMonkey said:

 

Michelin stars were a construct of the Michelin Guide, star ratings were created by travel guides, Facebook created the like, diamonds value was created by Debeers and their own rating systems, Academy Awards arent really merit based, etc...  

 

None of these things give value to the subjective experience someone has and all did not exist before someone marketed them.  They are simply marketing tools for those who created them and a way for us to categorize and compare.  20 years from now, 6 stars may be the standard or no stars at all.  Does it really matter that someone hasn't given it a standardized label before?  It's all marketing anyway.  The point is to discuss what experiences drive people to assume one cruise experience over another is truly top of the line (call it 5 stars, call it 6, call it snufagalicious - who cares?).  What, to you, makes the most premium experience and why do other lines not meet that need you?

 

 

 

 

All these organizations you cite are rating other products, not their own. Regent calling itself a six star cruise line is like Michelin rating itself a five star rating service even though it only awards up to three stars to others. I'm merely trying to put into perspective the fact that calling yourself something does not make it so.

[NottheMonkey]

31 minutes ago, wripro said:

All these organizations you cite are rating other products, not their own. Regent calling itself a six star cruise line is like Michelin rating itself a five star rating service even though it only awards up to three stars to others. I'm merely trying to put into perspective the fact that calling yourself something does not make it so.

 

The discussion wasn't whether they called themselves something - its what makes something 'that', if we consider 'that' to be 'six stars'.  

 

So what makes a top of the line experience to you and does Regent, Crystal, Silversea or any other line meet this and why?  If the others do not, why not? Let's dive deeper than marketing and ratings of others - lets drive to what subjective experiences make it happen for you.  Then, those of us who share those same viewpoints, can make a reasonable assumption of which attributes in those lines would appeal to us.  😉 

 

Or we can spend twenty more pages debating is marketing real or not.  

 

[kent9xxx1]

Anything that calls itself 6 stars is clearly a fraud.  There is no such standard.  

You can meet/exceed consensus standard all you want.  You cannot define your own standard and call yourself 7 moons.  It is not about the customers, it´s the deceptive practice that these cruise lines are doing.  

[NottheMonkey]

1 hour ago, kent9xxx1 said:

Anything that calls itself 6 stars is clearly a fraud.  There is no such standard.  

You can meet/exceed consensus standard all you want.  You cannot define your own standard and call yourself 7 moons.  It is not about the customers, it´s the deceptive practice that these cruise lines are doing.  

 

That is good because I am 8 moons not 7.  Thought I might be a fraud for a moment.  Whew!

 

Maybe we could talk wine standards and all the research that points to when blind tested, the true oenophile could not tell the difference between low and high rated wines with any statistical regularity.  I know that is your latest preference for discussion. 

 

But, after reading enough of your responses, I realize you are just for stirring the pot and less about meaningful discussion.  So back to the discussion at hand.  ;)  

[kent9xxx1]

7 minutes ago, NottheMonkey said:

 

That is good because I am 8 moons not 7.  Thought I might be a fraud for a moment.  Whew!

 

Maybe we could talk wine standards and all the research that points to when blind tested, the true oenophile could not tell the difference between low and high rated wines with any statistical regularity.  I know that is your latest preference for discussion. 

 

But, after reading enough of your responses, I realize you are just for stirring the pot and less about meaningful discussion.  So back to the discussion at hand.  😉

Regent gives itself 6 stars is like a random winery gives itself 120 points.  Do you understand basic analogy?  

What does wine standards and blind testing have anything to do with this?  

 

You seem to want to stir the pot here.

[wripro]

15 hours ago, kent9xxx1 said:

Regent gives itself 6 stars is like a random winery gives itself 120 points.  Do you understand basic analogy?  

What does wine standards and blind testing have anything to do with this?  

 

You seem to want to stir the pot here.

Bravo to you. Nothing makes a six star cruise line because such a thing does not exist. Some people seem to want to will that rating into existence. Where's Will Rogers when you really need him?

[Travelcat2]

Wripro - you are fully aware that you are stirring the pot and, on top of it, you don’t like Regent (but won’t say why).  You seem to be posting whatever comes into your mind and most of it is not based on fact.

[wripro]

15 hours ago, Travelcat2 said:

Wripro - you are fully aware that you are stirring the pot and, on top of it, you don’t like Regent (but won’t say why).  You seem to be posting whatever comes into your mind and most of it is not based on fact.

Sorry, but you're the one posting based on fraudulent facts. You seem to imply that maybe because Regent calls itself a six star cruise line it is one. It CAN'T be one because no such thing exists. Period., End of Story.

 

And it's not that I don't like Regent. I simply will never sail them again until they remove those obligatory included excursions which drive up their fares. 

[Travelcat2]

8 hours ago, wripro said:

Sorry, but you're the one posting based on fraudulent facts. You seem to imply that maybe because Regent calls itself a six star cruise line it is one. It CAN'T be one because no such thing exists. Period., End of Story.

 

And it's not that I don't like Regent. I simply will never sail them again until they remove those obligatory included excursions which drive up their fares. 

 

Here are more of what you call "fraudulent facts".  This is from the Crystal website " (obviously there is no "End of Story"):

 

Six-Star Dining

Savor a Michelin star-level experience - revered classics and modern creations from award-winning chefs - in a casually elegant, open-seating environment with superb, a la minute menus inspired by flavors of the places explored."

[English Voyager]

6 hours ago, Travelcat2 said:

 

Here are more of what you call "fraudulent facts".  This is from the Crystal website " (obviously there is no "End of Story"):

 

Six-Star Dining

Savor a Michelin star-level experience - revered classics and modern creations from award-winning chefs - in a casually elegant, open-seating environment with superb, a la minute menus inspired by flavors of the places explored."

Three stars more than Michelin's own maximum award?

[Travelcat2]

10 hours ago, English Voyager said:

Three stars more than Michelin's own maximum award?

 

You are making my point.  "Advertising" (at least in the U.S.) can be confusing at best and deceptive at its worst.  I was not trying to pick or Crystal because then I would be doing what I am against (blasting a cruise line with no facts to back it up*)

 

 

*wripro - thank you for explaining what your issue is with Regent.  You are not the only person that dislikes their included excursions (which we pay for in our cruise fare) but many former Regent passengers returned to Regent after trying out their competition.  Since being purchased by NCLH, money has been infused into the company which is why they have a new ship debuting in 9 months and another ship a few years after that.  The new ship(s) make Regent almost like a different cruise line.