New to luxury cruising

[ranchcruiser]

We have cruised many times on RCCL, Celebrity, Azamara and Princess.  Most recently we have been on three Oceania cruises which we enjoyed.  We enjoy a more relaxed cruise and on previous cruises will occasionally opt to stay informal (me in shorts) and just go to the buffet for dinner rather than country club casual.  We enjoy good wine with live music.  Food is high on the list too.  Not interested in shows.

 

Which luxury cruise would fit us? 

 

 

[LHT28]

1 hour ago, ranchcruiser said:

We have cruised many times on RCCL, Celebrity, Azamara and Princess.  Most recently we have been on three Oceania cruises which we enjoyed.  We enjoy a more relaxed cruise and on previous cruises will occasionally opt to stay informal (me in shorts) and just go to the buffet for dinner rather than country club casual.  We enjoy good wine with live music.  Food is high on the list too.  Not interested in shows.

 

Which luxury cruise would fit us? 

 

 

Not sure any "luxury" line allows you go to dinner in shorts

Crystal have  a dress code for after 6pm that include long pants for men

have not tried other luxury lines  ..Oceania works fine for us

[ranchcruiser]

Sorry for the confusion.  I said we go to the buffet in casual attire sometimes.  We know we would never go in shorts to the MDR or any specialty restaurant.

 

How about Regent?  Are you allowed to go in shorts in the evening occasionally? 

[LHT28]

Crystal  does not have a buffet at night like Oceania does   it is a Brazilian steakhouse concept  where the sides are buffet style & they bring skewers of meat around

Either way no shorts in evenings

copy of newsletter dress code top right

[Gourmet Gal]

I think in general you will not find an evening buffet on any of the true luxury lines but some of them do an outstanding room service, course by course for dinner...Silversea comes to mind.  Works well for formal nights or any night you prefer to be casual.  But don’t let dress codes be a turn-off.  It’s really just a matter of creative packing!

[ranchcruiser]

17 hours ago, Gourmet Gal said:

I think in general you will not find an evening buffet on any of the true luxury lines but some of them do an outstanding room service, course by course for dinner...Silversea comes to mind.  Works well for formal nights or any night you prefer to be casual.  But don’t let dress codes be a turn-off.  It’s really just a matter of creative packing!

 

We loved our first two Oceania cruises, but this last 18 day one on Marina was a bit of a disappointment.  It just didn't seem to be up to par.  We do love the very relaxed atmosphere on O and enjoyed their buffet.  We also enjoy the elegant atmosphere in the evenings with live soothing music everywhere.  But, we are presently exploring other lux lines.  

[LHT28]

not sure if Seadream is Luxury  but they seem fairly casual

 

[LHT28]

1 hour ago, ranchcruiser said:

 

We loved our first two Oceania cruises, but this last 18 day one on Marina was a bit of a disappointment.  It just didn't seem to be up to par.

We have done several O cruises  some were very good  some not as good   

but overall  we enjoyed them

There is no perfect cruise line

Enjoy whatever cruise you choose

[wripro]

Sea Dream is considered luxury but their ships are very small (100 passengers) and have limited itineraries int the Caribbean and Med.

 

I'd say the best luxury line for the OP would be either Seabourn or Regent as they have the most relaxed dress codes. They're are still codes though and need to be complied with.

[1982CruzStart]

20 hours ago, ranchcruiser said:

Sorry for the confusion.  I said we go to the buffet in casual attire sometimes.  We know we would never go in shorts to the MDR or any specialty restaurant.

 

How about Regent?  Are you allowed to go in shorts in the evening occasionally? 

On Regent, if the pool grill is open then i believe you can eat there in shorts at night. The pool grill is open at night when cruising in warm climes.  Other than that there is no where else you can be in shorts after 6 pm other than your cabin. 

[ranchcruiser]

2 hours ago, wripro said:

Sea Dream is considered luxury but their ships are very small (100 passengers) and have limited itineraries int the Caribbean and Med.

 

I'd say the best luxury line for the OP would be either Seabourn or Regent as they have the most relaxed dress codes. They're are still codes though and need to be complied with.

 

I am looking in to Seabourn right now!!!  Looks very interesting!!!  Thanks!!!

[Silver Sweethearts]

4 hours ago, 1982CruzStart said:

On Regent, if the pool grill is open then i believe you can eat there in shorts at night. The pool grill is open at night when cruising in warm climes.  Other than that there is no where else you can be in shorts after 6 pm other than your cabin. 

 

By "no where else...", that means in addition to restaurants (other than the Pool Grill if indicated) that shorts are also not acceptable in any public rooms or lounges after 6 p.m.

Edited February 4, 2020 by Silver Sweethearts

[Silver Sweethearts]

10 hours ago, ranchcruiser said:

 

We do love the very relaxed atmosphere on O and enjoyed their buffet.    

 

In thinking about it, we have heard that the buffet dinner on Oceania is rather ample.  On the other hand, Regent's Pool Grill is very basic.  We found it by no means sumptuous and, as far as we know, the menu does not change.  It is a place to come to when you return from a day of touring for instance and a great idea if you need to drop in for something quick and simple to eat.  

[wripro]

21 hours ago, ranchcruiser said:

 

I am looking in to Seabourn right now!!!  Looks very interesting!!!  Thanks!!!

It's my favorite!

[Travelcat2]

On 2/3/2020 at 12:21 PM, ranchcruiser said:

We have cruised many times on RCCL, Celebrity, Azamara and Princess.  Most recently we have been on three Oceania cruises which we enjoyed.  We enjoy a more relaxed cruise and on previous cruises will occasionally opt to stay informal (me in shorts) and just go to the buffet for dinner rather than country club casual.  We enjoy good wine with live music.  Food is high on the list too.  Not interested in shows.

 

Which luxury cruise would fit us? 

 

 

 

None of the major luxury cruise lines (Crystal, Regent, Seabourn or Silversea) allow shorts or jeans after 6:00 p.m........ with one exception.  You can dine on the pool deck on Regent (weather permitting) but if you want to go anywhere on the interior of the ship, you would need to change.

 

We have sailed on Oceania (Riviera) and were disappointed to see shorts in the evening.  IMHO, it is so easy to put on long pants and a collared shirt (like a polo shirt) and be able to dine anywhere and go anywhere on the ship.  

 

We have one 34 Regent cruises (with our 35th coming up next month), 3 cruises on Silversea and 1 on Crystal.  We have not sailed on Seabourn for reasons that it is not necessary to go into on this board.  

 

The food on Regent is amazing.  The service is wonderful and. the two newest ships are beyond anything that we have ever seen.  Give it a try - you won't be disappointed.

Edited February 16, 2020 by Travelcat2

[Texas Tillie]

5 hours ago, Travelcat2 said:

 

None of the major luxury cruise lines (Crystal, Regent, Seabourn or Silversea) allow shorts or jeans after 6:00 p.m........ with one exception.  You can dine on the pool deck on Regent (weather permitting) but if you want to go anywhere on the interior of the ship, you would need to change.

 

We have sailed on Oceania (Riviera) and were disappointed to see shorts in the evening.  IMHO, it is so easy to put on long pants and a collared shirt (like a polo shirt) and be able to dine anywhere and go anywhere on the ship.  

 

We have one 34 Regent cruises (with our 35th coming up next month), 3 cruises on Silversea and 1 on Crystal.  We have not sailed on Seabourn for reasons that it is not necessary to go into on this board.  

 

The food on Regent is amazing.  The service is wonderful and. the two newest ships are beyond anything that we have ever seen.  Give it a try - you won't be disappointed.

 

Crystal does not mention jeans under their "Crystal Casual" code and you see jeans on men and women every Crystal Casual evening.

[Travelcat2]

7 hours ago, Texas Tillie said:

 

Crystal does not mention jeans under their "Crystal Casual" code and you see jeans on men and women every Crystal Casual evening.

 

I shocked by the way people dressed on Crystal (no - not talking about jeans of which there were some ........ not many).  For dinner one night (in a speciality restaurant) four guests at a table wore matching t-shirts.  Also saw a man decked out in a type of workout clothes (the kind of thing that a basketball player would wear after a game).   This would not fly on Regent or Silversea.

[Texas Tillie]

2 hours ago, Travelcat2 said:

 

I shocked by the way people dressed on Crystal (no - not talking about jeans of which there were some ........ not many).  For dinner one night (in a speciality restaurant) four guests at a table wore matching t-shirts.  Also saw a man decked out in a type of workout clothes (the kind of thing that a basketball player would wear after a game).   This would not fly on Regent or Silversea.

 

I'm inclined to believe that if someone took a "hidden camera" around Regent they'd find some of the things that "horrified" you on Crystal. 😏😲

[Travelcat2]

18 minutes ago, Texas Tillie said:

 

I'm inclined to believe that if someone took a "hidden camera" around Regent they'd find some of the things that "horrified" you on Crystal. 😏😲

 

You certainly could be right about that.  I don’t notice what people are wearing very often but it was hard to ignore on Crystal.

[Texas Tillie]

3 hours ago, Travelcat2 said:

 

You certainly could be right about that.  I don’t notice what people are wearing very often but it was hard to ignore on Crystal.

 

Finally, an honest response from you. You don't pay attention to "details" that might offend you on Regent, because Regent good. You went into your Crystal cruise bound and determined to find as many things as possible to offend you. 😎

[Travelcat2]

2 hours ago, Texas Tillie said:

 

Finally, an honest response from you. You don't pay attention to "details" that might offend you on Regent, because Regent good. You went into your Crystal cruise bound and determined to find as many things as possible to offend you. 😎

 

I always give honest answers but some people don't want to hear "my truth" vs. theirs.  If you look back at my Crystal review, you will find it fair and well balanced.  I definitely did not go onboard Crystal (or Silversea) looking for problems.  One would have to be sight impaired in order to not notice what I did in terms of people in t-shirts, etc.  IF there were people similarly dressed on Regent, I would have noticed (assuming they were within sight of where I was sitting).  I have criticized Regent in the past for not sending everyone that challenges their dress code (by wearing different color jeans for instance) back to their suite to change.  

 

My expectations of Crystal was high since some people think that it is the best luxury cruise line of the top 4 (Crystal, Regent, Seabourn and Silversea).  So, my expectations were that the food, service and passengers would meet or exceed Regent's.  These were similar to the expectations that I had for Silversea (perhaps my expectations were a bit lower for Silversea)..

 

 For better or worse, the food on Silversea was better than Crystal overall.   The service on Silversea was equal to Regent.  The service on Crystal was interesting.  We had the worst Butler that we have ever had but there were a handful of crew members whose service was better than either Silversea or Regent.  As I mentioned (but my computer choose to misspell it on a previous post), the Australian Waygu steak in a specialty restaurant on Crystal was the best that we have experienced in our lives.  Silk restaurant and the Brazilian restaurant were the worst that we have experienced.   Food is subjective so other people may disagree.

 

Since I am the luxury board, I want to wish health and safe sailing to everyone as the world goes through very sad and horrific challenges.

 

 

[vistaman]

Hapag Lloyd does offer a buffet for diner on both the ms Europa as on the ms Europa 2. on the 2 it is more elaborated with daily oysters and lobsters. 

Informal dining is offered on Seabourn , and Silversea . I do not know Regent - caused by its onerous single policy. 

I did not like the "Brazilian" style food on Crystal , i am afraid.  I hope Crysal will introduce something better on the new ocean ships as those "meat skewers"  . Probably some people like it as well...

[LHT28]

2 hours ago, vistaman said:

I did not like the "Brazilian" style food on Crystal , i am afraid.  I hope Crysal will introduce something better on the new ocean ships as those "meat skewers"  . Probably some people like it as well...

we found  that concept  a joke on Crystal 

took us 45 mins to get 2 meat options

 

[CruiserFromMaine]

We enjoyed the Brazilian restaurant on our Crystal cruise in January. It helps if you know the concept before going, as is true for any Brazilian steakhouse. We thought the food and service were both very good. It was somewhat busy that night there. 

 

So, opinions vary. 

[wripro]

16 hours ago, CruiserFromMaine said:

We enjoyed the Brazilian restaurant on our Crystal cruise in January. It helps if you know the concept before going, as is true for any Brazilian steakhouse. We thought the food and service were both very good. It was somewhat busy that night there. 

 

So, opinions vary. 

And opinions are all that you will find on these boards.