Should I go with Regent Seven Seas or Oceania? Thoughts?

[Hearthosesteeldrumsplayin]

I am considering going upscale from NCL Haven next year, since it seems that after factoring in additional costs, it might be close in price for the upscale lines. Can anyone tell me the basic differences between going with Oceania versus Regent? I am looking at a Concierge class cabin for a 7 day Cuba cruise. They are both out of Miami. There is about a $1,200 per person difference between the lines.

Does Regent give me a better experience? Are there costs included with RSSC that aren't with Oceania (like DSC or upscale dining, etc?) We really enjoy the quieter atmosphere in the Haven, as we like to read when we cruise. Not sun worshipers. DH wants to run every morning EARLY, while I walk. I enjoy the wake up and stretch and abs workout.

We use the spa and thermal suite when we cruise, so not sure if the costs are substantially more than NCL. Also, I like craps, and understand it is likely not available on most Oceania cruises. Not sure about RSSC.

Please help!

Thanks in advance!

Karla

[LHT28]

RSSC is all inclusive ..drinks excursions etc

Oceania is semi inclusive

you can take the O Life perk & get some excursions included or Wine & beer with lunch & dinner

or the OBC

 

Look at the options

If on the smaller ships on Oceania the concierge cabins are small 165 sq ft + balcony

[Classiccruiser777]

What's important to you? Regent is all inclusive, Oceania isn't, though on O specialty restaurant dining, all soft drinks, bottled water, and excellent coffee are all no extra charge.

 

With O-life choice Oceania comes out ahead in terms of value to us.

[Hearthosesteeldrumsplayin]

Thanks for the quick replies! One of the problems with both lines is that we are not near a "gateway" airport, so that takes some of the savings away.

[buggins0402]

Thanks for the quick replies! One of the problems with both lines is that we are not near a "gateway" airport, so that takes some of the savings away.

 

You can take an an air credit and book your own flights. For domestic flights this is usually the way to go if you prefer to go into the embarkation port a day early.

[Flatbush Flyer]

What's important to you? Regent is all inclusive, Oceania isn't, though on O specialty restaurant dining, all soft drinks, bottled water, and excellent coffee are all no extra charge.

 

With O-life choice Oceania comes out ahead in terms of value to us.

 

 

 

Exactly. When you reduce all perks (included on Regent and optional on Oceania [beyond your chosen O Life item]), Oceania's price is considerably less costly for the same cruises.

[warburg]

Greetings from South Beach, Hearthosesteeldrum. We sail both Regent and Oceania. We book Phs on both lines. and are happy in both versions. This next one is on O because we really wanted to celebrate our special occasion on the exact date, and Riviera, one of our favorite ships, has an appealing itinerary. The crew members on both lines are wonderful. We can always find something we like in the restaurants. We intend to book an Explorer cruise in March or November of 2020 with our TA. We are not onboard this time. The differences in what is included is all paid for by us customers. We look at the whole experience and book at the one that is closest to what we want at the time. No matter what anybody says, only you will know what you like after you try the product. Enjoy whatever cruise line you chose.

Mary

[ronrick1943]

We cruise both, Regent we like because pretty much everything is included so you don't sign for anything except spa. Both lines are good. We'll be on Oceania this December and just got off Regent. We don't drink or tour much so Regent cost a little more for us---but we really like that line. Service is good on both, maybe giving the edge to Regent.

[pinotlover]

Doesn’t apply to the OP, but if the cruiser is Concierge or above, for overseas flights, Regent’s price includes BC tickets. So if one is paying for the Premium Drinks Package ( either as a Supplement or full price) and normally flying BC on Long extended flights, Regent’s package can be less than O’s.

 

I’m 6’2” and my wife is 5’10”. I don’t wedge into Economy seats for 15 hours flights anymore. Those included BC tickets are huge equalizers when you compare them to the near $6K we paid to go to SE Asia this year on Oceania.

[wripro]

Why limit yourself to Oceania vs. Regent? Compare Oceania to all the luxury lines (Seabourn, Silversea, Crystal) and see what they have to offer.

[RachelG]

Exactly. When you reduce all perks (included on Regent and optional on Oceania [beyond your chosen O Life item]), Oceania's price is considerably less costly for the same cruises.

Not really. We cruise a lot on Regent and will do our 3rd Oceania cruise in June. If you lux up the Oceania cruise to the same level as what you would get on Regent (comparable cabin, all inclusive drinks, and do ships tours), you will pay the same or more to cruise on Oceania. I have done the math many times.

If you don't drink, don't care about having a small cabin without a balcony or even an inside cabin, and don't do ships excursions, then you would probably be very happy with Oceania and would definitely save money.

The reason we are going with Oceania this time is because we are with a family group. Some have less finances available for cruising, and they are just happy to be going, even if they have an inside cabin.

I think the food is pretty comparable. That would not be a deciding factor for me.

You have a nice running/walking track and gym on both.

I always take the air credit.

[Flatbush Flyer]

Not really. We cruise a lot on Regent and will do our 3rd Oceania cruise in June. If you lux up the Oceania cruise to the same level as what you would get on Regent (comparable cabin, all inclusive drinks, and do ships tours), you will pay the same or more to cruise on Oceania. I have done the math many times.

 

If you don't drink, don't care about having a small cabin without a balcony or even an inside cabin, and don't do ships excursions, then you would probably be very happy with Oceania and would definitely save money.

 

The reason we are going with Oceania this time is because we are with a family group. Some have less finances available for cruising, and they are just happy to be going, even if they have an inside cabin.

 

I think the food is pretty comparable. That would not be a deciding factor for me.

 

You have a nice running/walking track and gym on both.

 

I always take the air credit.

 

 

 

Weird...

I've done the same math many times and O has always come out at least hundreds less. This assumes adding the inclusive excursions package and the premium booze.

A different post did mention the Regent benefit of biz class for concierge/above cabins. That sort of makes sense unless you don't want to pay the higher cabin price and/or prefer taking the air credit for more flexible DIY air tix (necessary if you're using FF points for upgrade or entire bizclass tix).

[RachelG]

Weird...

I've done the same math many times and O has always come out at least hundreds less. This assumes adding the inclusive excursions package and the premium booze.

A different post did mention the Regent benefit of biz class for concierge/above cabins. That sort of makes sense unless you don't want to pay the higher cabin price and/or prefer taking the air credit for more flexible DIY air tix (necessary if you're using FF points for upgrade or entire bizclass tix).

Our big portion of the price increase is the significant upgrade in the cabin when we cruise Oceania. We did our First Oceania cruise in a concierge “suite”. No way we would do it again, so we have to go with a penthouse suite to approximate what we are used to on regent.

The other thing is that we have so much stuff, like laundry and newspaper, included with regent due to our days onboard. I didn’t put those in the calculation, but I do take off the credit for air and hotel.

Also have to add in tips for Oceania.

[Flatbush Flyer]

Our big portion of the price increase is the significant upgrade in the cabin when we cruise Oceania. We did our First Oceania cruise in a concierge “suite”. No way we would do it again, so we have to go with a penthouse suite to approximate what we are used to on regent.

 

The other thing is that we have so much stuff, like laundry and newspaper, included with regent due to our days onboard. I didn’t put those in the calculation, but I do take off the credit for air and hotel.

 

Also have to add in tips for Oceania.

 

 

Not always easy to compare when the preferences factor is considered.

We're sailors so cabin size is irrelevant -even on a long journey.

[RachelG]

Not always easy to compare when the preferences factor is considered.

We're sailors so cabin size is irrelevant -even on a long journey.

Exactly, which is why Oceania is acceptable to use when traveling with family. I just learned to accept that it is not cheaper to get what we are used to, which is fine. We like our space, separate walk-in closet and larger bathroom.

[LHT28]

Our big portion of the price increase is the significant upgrade in the cabin when we cruise Oceania. We did our First Oceania cruise in a concierge “suite”. No way we would do it again, so we have to go with a penthouse suite to approximate what we are used to on regent.

The other thing is that we have so much stuff, like laundry and newspaper, included with regent due to our days onboard. I didn’t put those in the calculation, but I do take off the credit for air and hotel.

Also have to add in tips for Oceania.

well if you shop around there are TA's that will add PPG to your cruise & now Oceania includes 3 bags of 20 items in the free laundry deal for Concierge & above

 

may narrow the gap a bit

 

JMO

[RachelG]

The 3 bags of laundry thing is new. We haven’t had the opportunity to use it yet, but will on our next cruise. Our TA sends us a rebate check a week prior to the cruise. On Oceania , that more than covers tips. Of course, on regent, we just pocket the whole thing.

[Erica@cruisecritic]

I haven't seen anyone else say this, so I'll point out to the OP that on both lines, older and newer ships are very different. I haven't looked at which ships are sailing Cuba, but Oceania's O-class ships are different from the R-class ships (regarding cabins, onboard spaces, restaurants, etc) and Regent's older ships are different from Explorer. Karla, you say that you like the spa and thermal suite, and these definitely vary greatly even within each line. So you'll want to take that into consideration as well.

 

Edited to add that you might be interested in our feature article comparing Regent and Oceania: https://www.cruisecritic.com/articles.cfm?ID=2354

Edited May 9, 2018 by Erica@cruisecritic
added a link

[sunlover12]

I've never been on Regent so can't comment on personal experiences there. But I did look at their website and compared Regent vs. Oceania for a Baltic Sea cruise which is our next cruise on Oceania. It looks like a Penthouse Suite on Oceania Marina is similar in size to a Concierge Veranda on Regent. The price difference is approximately 30-35% for a similar cruise.

 

Then I have to look at what's important to me. We're booked in a Penthouse Suite which is very suitable for us. We don't need or want more than that. I drink on average 2 glasses of wine per day on a cruise so, yes, it's nice to have wine included. However I did notice that premium wine on Regent is sold at a 10% discount, according to their website. I will assume that the wine that is included is a house wine. Sometimes a house wine is good and sometimes it's not drinkable. I don't know what Regent serves. Regarding food, Oceania is hard to beat. Are the excursions that Regent includes worth the 30-35% higher price?

 

I would need to listen to a very convincing argument why I should pick Regent over Oceania. Everyone has different ways of looking at things, but this is just me.

[hiccups]

Doesn’t apply to the OP, but if the cruiser is Concierge or above, for overseas flights, Regent’s price includes BC tickets. So if one is paying for the Premium Drinks Package ( either as a Supplement or full price) and normally flying BC on Long extended flights, Regent’s package can be less than O’s.

 

I’m 6’2” and my wife is 5’10”. I don’t wedge into Economy seats for 15 hours flights anymore. Those included BC tickets are huge equalizers when you compare them to the near $6K we paid to go to SE Asia this year on Oceania.

 

Regent advertises Business Class airfare for international flights for all suite categories, not just concierge and above. Concierge and above receives an included one night hotel stay.

 

We enjoyed our Oceania cruise very much, and are looking at Regent for the included BC air and all shore excursions. Oceania fits our wallet a lot better, though.

[RachelG]

The penthouse suite on Oceania is equivalent to just a regular veranda suite on Regent Voyager or Navigator. So a smaller price difference than you would think. On Mariner and Explorer, we do upgrade to a concierge suite as their basic veranda suites are quite small.

I just looked at the 3 bags of laundry included thing on Oceania. 3 day turn around and none accepted the 3 days prior to disembarkation--not very helpful if you are on a 7 day cruise. We might send 1 bag. Regent has same day turn around for included or paid extra laundry.

[Travelcat2]

In my opinion, it is a no-brainer - you would be happier on Regent (and yes - we have sailed both Oceania and Regent). While included Business Class air is not a factor since you will be flying from Tennessee to Florida, you will get included Economy air. In a concierge suite you get one night pre-cruise at a hotel with transportation from the airport to the hotel and the hotel to the ship. Oceania does not offer this.

 

In our opinion, the food on Oceania is no where near the quality of Regent (except for the specialty restaurants). If you drink, the drink package on Oceania is expensive and Oceania measures their drinks (less of a pour than is typical in the United States). If you do not purchase the drink package (the "premium" package - the package offered to guests as a "free" option is, in my opinion, useless) you will find yourself paying a high price for thimble sized drinks.

 

Why did we sail on Oceania twice? Because the upper suites on the newer ships (would not sail on the small, older ships) are fabulous - the Owner's and Vista suites on the Riviera are better than the equivalent suites on Regent (but the regular suites on Regent are much larger and nicer on Regent). Most importantly, we were able to dine in the specialty restaurants every night.

 

When comparing either Oceania or Regent to NCL (we will be on our first NCL "mini cruise" later this month), it is much quieter - less activities and the age skews quite a bit higher than NCL. But, if you want a great cruising experience, either cruise line will give you that.

[pinotlover]

TravelCat2;

 

Did you likewise find that generally the age of cruisers skewed higher on Oceania than on Regent?

[StanandJim]

TravelCat2;

 

Did you likewise find that generally the age of cruisers skewed higher on Oceania than on Regent?

 

LOL, exactly the opposite!

Regent is affectionately known as Gods waiting room! :halo:

[pinotlover]

Stan& Jim;

 

That was actually my thoughts, just needed it confirmed. Probably politically incorrect, but where one sits on that distribution curve may matter a lot in the decision process. While some of us wonder if we are overall to young for Oceania, Regent magnifies that issue.