wbg9898

Can anyone compare these three cruise lines? Looking for great food and service and an elegant ship to take on a Mediteranean cruise

patandhank

Regent is an all inclusive line. Oceania and Celebrity are not. Right there is a big difference and you should take it into consideration when looking at what you normally spend while on a cruise. Regent's prices are typically higher than the other two and I'm sure that's part of the reason why. I haven't tried Regent, but have a friend who loves the line.

Celebrity's (assuming you're not talking of Azamara)ships normally have a very large passenger count (e.g. 2,000). Oceania's ships are usually closer to 700 people. We've been on both of these lines. Of the two we like Oceania better because of their itineraries and ship size. We thought food and public places on Oceania were better.

www.cruisecritic.com has a lot of threads that have discussed this isse. You might want to look there also.

We pick by itinerary first then cruise line. It's all a personal preference choice.

wbg9898

Thank you for your response, arizona traveler. I was pretty sold on Regent until I realized that the only ship of theirs that does the med is Navigator which is their lowest rated ship. Have done lots of celebrity and like them but was just looking for something a little more upscale and less crowded. Maybe Oceania would be the one. The ship I would be on is the Nautica.

patandhank

We took the Nautica in 9/06 to the Med - Istanbul to Venice. If you want my trip report, just e-mail me. We very much enjoyed the ship and itineary.

We are now scheduled on Oceania again for 9/09 for their Baltic cruise.

A lot of people enjoy Regent. The friend I mentioned was on the Navigator for a Caribbean cruise about 3 years ago and enjoyed it. Check when it was last refurbished. She also did Tahiti and enjoyed that too.

Dreps

There is no way the Regent Navigator is rated below the Oceania ships even if some rate it below the Voyager and the Mariner. Take a look at the cabins. We have been on a number of Regent cruises and are about to take our first Oceania cruise, but I am not expecting Oceania to be superior on any dimension. We are going because of the itinerary and the total cost.

wbg9898

Thank you Dreps. Does that mean that you like the Regent Line?

Dreps

Yes, we like the Regent line very much. We've been on 5 Regent cruises for a total of 71 days. We're not so crazy about the price increases over the past couple of years. Of course Oceania's recently released prices fo 2010 are approaching Regent's prices if you want similar-sized cabins (which requires a PH on Oceania), especially given the all-inclusive nature of Regent. Furthermore, Regent tends to have excellent, reasonably priced excursions.

patsy120

I think you'll love the Navigator. I have no idea what you could have read that would rank Navigator below Oceania or Celebrity. It just isn't so. Cruising on an all inclusive line is a wonderful way to go even if it cost more upfront. It is carefree and the service is great. Have a wonderful trip whatever you decide.

wbg9898

I have just been on cruisecritic and it rates Navigator with only 4 stars, and Nautica with 5. The other Regent ships are rated 5 stars.

Dreps

If you want to quote different rankings, vacationstogo, ranks the Navigator (and other Regent ships) 6 stars and all the Oceania ships 5 stars. Perhaps more important, travel and leisure ranks Regent #2 and Oceania #4 overall with a more than 7-point difference. I wouldn't put that much stock in any of these measures. If money or itinerary are not the deciding factors then it is a matter of whether you want all inclusive (including no tips) and larger cabins or not. Also, whether you want to just let the cruise line arrange excursions or you like to do your own thing.

wbg9898

Good point Dreps.