wbg9898

I have been on 25 cruises, mostly to the Caribbean. Carnival, Holland America, Royal Caribbean, Princess and Celebrity. I am looking to do something on a more upscale line but without going broke. I am excited about finally making it to Europe, but the ship and the whole onboard experience is as important to me as the itinerary. We are also foodies, and love fine dining and great wine lists. Right now I am vascillating between Oceania and Regent Seven Seas, omitting the other luxury lines because of price. Suggestions please on which of these 2 would be the best move up from Celebrity for a Med cruise and why. Open to other cruise lines as well.

patsy120

Regent is definitely a step (or 2 ) above Oceania. If the size of the cabin and being all inclusive is important to you than opt for Regent. If you don't drink any alcohol, wine with dinners etc. and are OK with a smallish cabin but still want a nice ship with good service I think you'd be happy with Oceania. I think you'd be satisfied with the food on either line. Smaller, less crowded ships are definitely much more desirable to most rather than large mega ships. You're moving "up" just as most of us started out. I'm now sold on Regent but still go on other lines from time to time.

wbg9898

Do you think that I would be happy being on the Navigator instead of Voyager or Mariner

abram

We haven't sailed on Regent, but we love Oceania--the 684 passenger ships, the wonderful staff, the open seating dining, no charge for the specialty restaurants, no formal nights.

patsy120

I think you'd be fine. The difference between Navigator and Voyager or Mariner is primarily the dining options. Voyager and Mariner both have 2 specialty restaurants besides Compass Rose (main dining room) and La Veranda (casual each night, usually an Italian theme).

Navigator only gives 2 dining options, Compass Rose and Portofino. You always have room service as an option on all Regent ships. We eat in Compass Rose 95% of the time anyway so we can easily do with 2 dining choices instead of 4. Compass Rose is the best IMO and always open seating when, where, with whom you want to dine with (or just a twosome).

Navigator carries fewer passengers than the other two which I think is a plus. I would opt for a cabin as close to midship as possible regardless of the cruiseline.. Also, on Regent unless you're going to go with a penthouse, the regular cabins are the same size so don't pay more to have the exact same cabin just a couple of decks higher. I would opt for a balcony cabin on the Navigator.

wbg9898

Thank you Patsy

DJE

wbg9898,

Another fan of Oceania altho I have only sailed them once, this past Jan. ( 16 day Panama Canal ) but will be doing another cruise with them next spring in the Med. and looking forward to it.

We couldn't fault them really in any area other than we felt that the ships concierge desk was not very informative unless you were booked on their shore excursions, which we were not as we prefer smaller private tours.

We really enjoy the smaller vessels and the more casual atmosphere. We found the food very good overall in the various eating venues and the service from staff was positive.

As long as you are not big fans of large show productions ( which we don't really care about ) then the entertainment onboard should be fine also.

Can't comment on Regent as we have not cruised them. Our only other experience has been on Celebrity and Windstar a number of years ago.