Regent vs Celebrity suites

[islandchick]

We are considering trying Regent cruises. We are foodies so food is really a highlight of the cruise for us along with the ports. We just got off of a Celebrity cruise in the suites class and had our own restaurant Luminae. The food and service were very good. Has anyone been on both that can tell me the differences in food and service?

[travlr21]

We have done many Celebrity cruises, for the most part in Aqua class. Last fall we did 63 nights on the Regent Voyager, in a G category suite. We are just back from a B2B on the Summit, and our first time in a Sky Suite.

 

We have always enjoyed the service and food in Blu, and similarly enjoyed the food and service in Luminae. In Luminae, on occasion some of the daily menus did not appeal so we ordered from the main dining room menu. The service and food on Regent were excellent. Where Regent shines, at least for me, is in the 'always available' menu. You can have virtually anything any night in the main dining room. I loved the scallops from that menu. Also, you get (at least) one night per cruise in each specialty restaurant on Regent, we enjoyed the Prime 7 seafood offerings very much, not so crazy about the Chartreuse menu.

 

Bottom line, in the restaurants the service on both is great; I give the edge to Regent on the food.

 

I must add, based on overall cruise experience, we are looking at Regent for our next cruise.

 

Linda

[islandchick]

We have done many Celebrity cruises, for the most part in Aqua class. Last fall we did 63 nights on the Regent Voyager, in a G category suite. We are just back from a B2B on the Summit, and our first time in a Sky Suite.

 

We have always enjoyed the service and food in Blu, and similarly enjoyed the food and service in Luminae. In Luminae, on occasion some of the daily menus did not appeal so we ordered from the main dining room menu. The service and food on Regent were excellent. Where Regent shines, at least for me, is in the 'always available' menu. You can have virtually anything any night in the main dining room. I loved the scallops from that menu. Also, you get (at least) one night per cruise in each specialty restaurant on Regent, we enjoyed the Prime 7 seafood offerings very much, not so crazy about the Chartreuse menu.

 

Bottom line, in the restaurants the service on both is great; I give the edge to Regent on the food.

 

I must add, based on overall cruise experience, we are looking at Regent for our next cruise.

 

Linda

 

 

Thank you Linda, that is just the kind of info I am looking for

[Silver Sweethearts]

Bottom line, in the restaurants the service on both is great; I give the edge to Regent on the food.

 

You have probably noted already that the food and service mentioned on Regent were available to everyone, and not just those who were in a suite.

[SadieC]

Great Question! We've done many cruises on Celebrity, but have become tired of the "extras" that are now not so cost effective. Dining Room has changed and even Specialty Restaurants and just not what they used to be. Last cruise was a Royal Suite on Celebrity for the Panama, but once you add in all the extras and excursions I'm just not sure of the value anymore. Looking forward to trying something new with Regent and enjoying a smaller ship. :)Thanks in advance for any advice for this newcomer to Regent! :D:D:D

[Dolebludger]

We just returned from a Celebrity cruise in Alaska in a Royal Suite. We have also cruised Regent numerous times. We actually preferred the Luminae and other small specialty restaurants because they are much less crowded and noisy than the MDR on Regent, and we found the food to be comparable. We also found the Butler and Conceriege to be more helpful on Celebrity than on Regent. The main factor for us was the 550 sq. ft. Suite on Celebrity (plus big balcony) instead of the 257 sq. ft. "suite" (plus small balcony) on the Regent Mariner -- for a slightly lower price. At our suite level, it was as inclusive as Regent, except for shore excursions, for which we had a $950 on-board credit. Also, Celebrity does not have included air. But for this cruise, Regent air would have been economy class, and the price reduction for not using it would have been small.

 

But I must point out that Celebrity rises to the level of a luxury cruise only if you book the Royal or Penthouse suites. Lesser suites have fewer inclusions. And those in non-suite accommodations appeared to be having nothing more than the usual "mass market" cruise (but at a much cheaper price). Also, on Celebrity's current ships, the suite area is not separated from the "general population" of the ship, as it is with the MSC Yacht Club. However, starting next year, new Celebrity ships will be introduced with a separate suite area and (I was told) current ships will be so retrofitted.

 

In considering Celebrity vs Regent the fact that Celebrity offers a greater choice in itineraries must be considered.

[Travelcat2]

We are considering trying Regent cruises. We are foodies so food is really a highlight of the cruise for us along with the ports. We just got off of a Celebrity cruise in the suites class and had our own restaurant Luminae. The food and service were very good. Has anyone been on both that can tell me the differences in food and service?

 

Food is so subjective that I'm not sure that anyone's response will be accurate since it is based on individual taste. On Regent, for instance, we like Chartreuse (the French restaurant) while other people prefer Prime 7 (our least favorite specialty restaurant). I would rather have a lobster tail in Compass Rose than anywhere else on the ship. In fact, most of the time we prefer CR over all of the specialty restaurants. The only unique specialty restaurant in my opinion is Pacific Rim on the Explorer and not everyone likes that either.

 

In terms of Celebrity, I studied it for a couple of months because we are trying to do one non-Regent cruise per year on the West Coast of the U.S. (that is hopefully not Alaska). Our goal is to learn whether or not one could have a luxury experience on a non-luxury cruise line. Our journey began with NCL's Bliss. We stayed in a Haven Suite in May. I did a review of that cruise on the "luxury" board.

 

Celebrity ran a special (still running it I think) that includes the premium alcohol package, internet, included specialty restaurants and a $300 OBC. The 7 night itinerary is from Vancouver to San Diego and the price for one of the top suites was less than half of what we pay on Regent or Oceania. So, while I cannot compare my experience of Luminae yet, I will do a review of Celebrity and discuss whether or not we feel it is a luxury experience in early September (on the "luxury" board).

 

While we will always remain Regent customers, we've learned that fun can be had on other ships ...... However, we are most looking forward to our November 2018 and February 2019 Regent cruises!

[Dolebludger]

TC2,

 

And by the way, we got al our laundry done, included, in the Celebrity Royal suite. It is not my intent to start another "laundry thread" but just to mention it for those who care about it. We also had included wifi that actually worked!

[pdaniel]

We are platinum on Regent and Elite on Celebrity. On Celebrity we are always in a suite.

 

Our opinion is they are very different products. Celebrity is a mass market line and we go in with different expectations and an understanding that the experience will not be the same luxury experience found on Regent. We typically cruise Celebrity in the Caribbean on “spur of the moment” or family cruises.

 

We enjoy both and will continue to sail both. Our view is we love Regent but also enjoy Celebrity and think of it as Regent Lite.

[Dolebludger]

If Regent and Celebrity were the same price for the same sized suite and same degree of butler and concierge service, of course we would take Regent. But our Celebrity Royal Suite was over twice the size of a "suite" (?) we could have booked on the Mariner for the same itinerary and price, and some service elements were better on Celebrity too. To book a suite on Regent the size of our Royal Suite would have cost much, much more. Perhaps suite size isn't as important to some as it is to us. But we hardly consider the 257 sq. ft. interior space on the lowest five categories on the Mariner to be real "sutes". And it is our firm opinion that the 217 sq. ft. interior room Cat H on the Explorer is a suite in name only. I agree that food is too subjective a subject to discuss beyond the fact that we felt the food in Celebrity's suite restaurants was on a par with Regent's.

[rcandkc]

Does Celebrity allow smoking on balconies? This is a deal breaker for us and curious.

[Dolebludger]

No sir, no smoking is allowed on balconies. I don’t know if this information is a deal breaker or deal maker for you, but those are the rules.

[rcandkc]

I hate smoking! Thanks for info.

[Travelcat2]

We are platinum on Regent and Elite on Celebrity. On Celebrity we are always in a suite.

 

Our opinion is they are very different products. Celebrity is a mass market line and we go in with different expectations and an understanding that the experience will not be the same luxury experience found on Regent. We typically cruise Celebrity in the Caribbean on “spur of the moment” or family cruises.

 

We enjoy both and will continue to sail both. Our view is we love Regent but also enjoy Celebrity and think of it as Regent Lite.

 

From what I have read and heard, Celebrity is a premium cruise line (like Princess and HAL) rather than a mass market line. Our expectations are that it will be better than NCL which is a mass market line.

[Dolebludger]

On this subject, I would like to comment that lines like NCL, Carnival, and RCL (I think) are just off of my consideration list. In 2015, we were on NCL in the Haven for a music cruise where we had no choice in lines if we wanted the music! The suite was great, but otherwise NCL showed it had no idea of how to present a luxury cruise. I won’t go into detail, but other than the suite, it was a pure budget cruise with a “state fair” atmosphere anywhere outside the suite. Then in January 2018, we went on another music cruise in a Celebrity Suite and we were pleasantly surprised —really shocked, at how good the cruise was, disregarding the music. So we booked Celebrity in a Royal Suite this month —July 2018 —for Alaska. We just returned and know Celebrity has nothing in common with NCL and the like.

 

So what I am now saying is you can book a top level suite on Celebrity for about the same cost as a lower level suite on Regent, and depending on your desires, get as good or better cruise. If the size of your suite is a priority to you, you’ll likely prefer the Celebrity top level suite option.

[Dolebludger]

rcandkc,

 

On Celebrity, there are designated smoking areas. Though we have been on Celebrity twice this year, I don’t know where they are, as we don’t smoke either. All I can say is that I never encountered anybody smoking, and never smelled any smoke anywhere onboard. And the same is true of Regent as well.

[pingpong1]

Dolebludger - Thanks so much for taking the time to post on this subject. It's nice to know that there is something "in between" Regent and......Carnival or Royal Caribbean.

[chuckw]

Celebrity, in a suite, was our line of choice for several years, before the new suite only included items, we changed to Radisson before they became all inclusive, and have never wanted to return to a ship with three times the number of guests.

[Dolebludger]

chuck.

 

Understood that we all have to find a cruise that fits us. But cruise lines change their offerings over time. Now, it appears that Celebrity is offering including premium drink package, free internet, including super priority boarding and disembarking, use of all specialty restaurants, and included laundry in all their Royal Suites and Penthouse suites. So if one books one of those suites (for about the cost of a lesser Regent suite,) It would now seem that Celebrity offers benefits that Regent does not for about the same price.of a much smaller Regent suite (if you can call it that) on Regent. I mean, if you are willing to pay $1000 per deim, why not have a 550 sq. ft. interior suit plus a large balcony with an outside hot tub0\?

 

There is undoubtedly a certain cache invoked with cruising on Regent and if that is important, go. But if you want a 550 sq. ft. real suite with living room, dining area, ang bedroom , look into a Celebrity Royal Suite. We were treated like Royalty in that suite.By far the best treatment we have received on any ship (including Regent and Silverseas). And that's about all I can have to say. Not saying we will never cruise Regent again. Not at all. Just saying that I like competition, and I think Regent (and similar lines) now have some. I think that is good. We never fekt we were lost in a crowd. The Luminae suite restaurant was much less crowded, quieter, and offered more "party of two" seating than the MDR on Regent. Our priority boarding and disembarkation offered us an easier experience than on our many Regent cruises.

 

On our very recent cruise, we hardly ever felt the fact that we were on a 2000 guest ship. Given our private vneues, matters were very uncrowded. Especially the Luminae restaurant Our priority embarkation and disembarkation was much easier than on any of our many Regent cruises.

 

I feel that Regent is getting some competition here, which is good, as I like competition. Will we cruise Regent again? Probably. But we recall when Regent (then Radisson) used to pick us up at our house and take us to the local airport, and all was in their hands after that. . No more. Cruise lines change procedures, so we cruisers have to keep checking alternatives.

Edited July 26, 2018 by Dolebludger

[Dolebludger]

Pingpong,

 

Yes, there are alternatives. Celebrity suites are discussed above. Also, the MSC Yacht club is worth a mention. It is a separate and controlled area (unlike what Celebrity is now) But lacks the huge suites and the open bar anywhere except the Yacht Club Bar. It also lacks hot meal room service. And MSCs itineraries seem limited to the Caribbean and the Mediterranean. But it is relatively inexpensive the last time I looked. I understand that HAL and Princess also have such upscale programs, but have yet to check them out. I certainly will do so.

 

The thing we liked about Celebrity Royal Suite cruising was the huge suite for the same price as a small "suite" (room?) on the Regent Mariner, and the inclusions of laundry, better butler and concierge service, better embarkation/disembarkation service, comparable food to Regent in a more intimate setting, wifi that actually worked. We actually enjoyed the personal attention we received, which was over and above that which we had received on Regent.

 

But you must realize that ships like Celebrity are very much "class oriented" ships, like the ocean liners of old. So, in the main parts of the ship you will encounter guests who have paid "mass market" fares and got what they paid for. So you must go with the attitude I did -- that they are just like I was 40 years ago -- unable to afford anything better. But they caused no problems and in some cases were dressed better than me! And Ceeibrity has almost no dress code, except for no bathing wear or bare feet in restaurants during the day, and no flip-fops, shorts, torn jeans, or "T" shirts in the dining rooms at night. If you like formality in fellow guests, this is the wrong line for you.

 

But as the mass market lines have become more restrictive, less inclusive, and more "nickle and dimming" over the last 20 years, I think they are realizing that there is a big cruise market that they have driven away. So they are adding more inclusive and luxurious and spacious parts of their ships at a higher price but with conditions that some of us can stand -- and even enjoy. And generally below the price of Regent/Silversea/ Seabourn.

 

The "mass market" lines are also facing competition from European River Cruises, which also generally offer more inclusions.

 

I generally favor competition as a control over prices and diminishment in inclusions and content. I like to think that the case of Celebrity Senior suites vs Regent is a case where competition is working.

[Got2Cruise]

I would try the new Celebrity ship coming out shortly, The Edge to try Celebrity Suite life. Ship built specifically to maximize the enjoyment for Suite pax. That said, you’re still going to be surrounded by thousands of pax in the common areas.

 

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[pdaniel]

Pingpong,

 

Yes, there are alternatives. Celebrity suites are discussed above. Also, the MSC Yacht club is worth a mention. It is a separate and controlled area (unlike what Celebrity is now) But lacks the huge suites and the open bar anywhere except the Yacht Club Bar. It also lacks hot meal room service. And MSCs itineraries seem limited to the Caribbean and the Mediterranean. But it is relatively inexpensive the last time I looked. I understand that HAL and Princess also have such upscale programs, but have yet to check them out. I certainly will do so.

 

The thing we liked about Celebrity Royal Suite cruising was the huge suite for the same price as a small "suite" (room?) on the Regent Mariner, and the inclusions of laundry, better butler and concierge service, better embarkation/disembarkation service, comparable food to Regent in a more intimate setting, wifi that actually worked. We actually enjoyed the personal attention we received, which was over and above that which we had received on Regent.

 

But you must realize that ships like Celebrity are very much "class oriented" ships, like the ocean liners of old. So, in the main parts of the ship you will encounter guests who have paid "mass market" fares and got what they paid for. So you must go with the attitude I did -- that they are just like I was 40 years ago -- unable to afford anything better. But they caused no problems and in some cases were dressed better than me! And Ceeibrity has almost no dress code, except for no bathing wear or bare feet in restaurants during the day, and no flip-fops, shorts, torn jeans, or "T" shirts in the dining rooms at night. If you like formality in fellow guests, this is the wrong line for you.

 

But as the mass market lines have become more restrictive, less inclusive, and more "nickle and dimming" over the last 20 years, I think they are realizing that there is a big cruise market that they have driven away. So they are adding more inclusive and luxurious and spacious parts of their ships at a higher price but with conditions that some of us can stand -- and even enjoy. And generally below the price of Regent/Silversea/ Seabourn.

 

The "mass market" lines are also facing competition from European River Cruises, which also generally offer more inclusions.

 

I generally favor competition as a control over prices and diminishment in inclusions and content. I like to think that the case of Celebrity Senior suites vs Regent is a case where competition is working.

 

 

Dolebludger,

Excellent description of the mass market reference I alluded to in my post. It is impressive how Celebrity attracts and serves all classes. We board Equinox in a couple of days and look forward to a fun experience with family enjoying the suite class and accompanying perks.

It ain’t Regent but it ain’t bad.

We have cruised all the other “premium” lines and Celebrity, for us, is the best in the class.

[John182]

A very interesting discussion. The one thing that I take away from it is that there is no single answer! My own experience in choosing a cruise for DW's significant upcoming birthday was that a standard suite on the Voyager was actually cheaper all in than a Sky Suite on Celebrity, which is the equivalent in terms of space. I am sure we can all find examples of where either line is a cheaper option. Whether it is a better value option is, of course, in the eye of the purchaser. We all have different needs and preferences.

 

If I may I would like to point out that people may be cruising in the standard Celebrity cabins not because that this is all they can afford but because it is all they are willing to spend. Some people have other vacations that they would prefer to spend more on after all. (spoken as someone who is fighting a losing battle and whose golf holidays are moving ever closer back to home soil).

[Travelcat2]

A very interesting discussion. The one thing that I take away from it is that there is no single answer! My own experience in choosing a cruise for DW's significant upcoming birthday was that a standard suite on the Voyager was actually cheaper all in than a Sky Suite on Celebrity, which is the equivalent in terms of space. I am sure we can all find examples of where either line is a cheaper option. Whether it is a better value option is, of course, in the eye of the purchaser. We all have different needs and preferences.

 

If I may I would like to point out that people may be cruising in the standard Celebrity cabins not because that this is all they can afford but because it is all they are willing to spend. Some people have other vacations that they would prefer to spend more on after all. (spoken as someone who is fighting a losing battle and whose golf holidays are moving ever closer back to home soil).

 

You make some good points - especially about people that cruise in standard Celebrity (or Regent) cabins is not because that is all they can afford but rather how much they are willing to spend. We book higher suites but take fewer cruises because we like the large spacious suites with 1 1/2 - 2 bathrooms.

[1982CruzStart]

We did 3 Regent cruises and loved them. Love that it is all inclusive and it was important for us to be able to fly business class which was included or reasonably priced. Then due to foreign exchange issues as well as itineraries that were more appealing we jumped ship to Celebrity for 2 cruises. We did both of them in suite class. The food in Luminae was very good with the ocassional bump in the road but have had the same issue with Regent. They were both very good and the service level was extremely high on Celebrity at least with the suite services.

We had a much bigger suite which we enjoyed a lot. The suite in the first one was large but not well maintained, not anywhere as nice as our Regent ones. The one on the second cruise was very nice. It is evident to me that Celebrtiy does not spend the money Regent does to keep their ships updated.

 

On itineraries where we do a lot of shore excursions and we have to fly long distances, Regent has far more value for us. If we added everything we get with Regent to a Celebrity cruise they would be similar in cost or even more expensive so to us Regent is a better deal as we have the benefit of a smaller ship.

 

Regent is our go to cruise line and are back on them later this year. We are considering a Celebrity cruise for Alaska next year. I have been a number of times though this will be DH's first trip there. No flights to take and limited shore excursions to deal with so Regent came out just a little too much more.

 

With Celebrity you are on a large ship which can have some advantages over a small ship as far as things to do etc and with the perks the suite life provides, you can really avoid the large crowds. We have met lovely people both in suite class and not on Celebrity. We have enjoyed the company of the passengers on both cruise lines.

 

It is great to have choices and i think Celebrity suite class can be a good alternative.