This week the focus is on two ships that present quite different cruising experiences. Indeed, they could be said to be polar opposites. Both ships are very good at providing the type of cruise experience that they set out to provide. However, that experience is quite different and whether you will be happy cruising on either of these ships very much depends upon your tastes and lifestyle. Thus, they serve to illustrate that all cruise ships are not fungible and thus it is important to investigate the type of cruise experience that a ship provides before booking a cruise.
Oceania Cruises Regatta is one of eight essentially identical cruise ships that were built for Renaissance Cruises. When that company went out of business the eight ships were dispersed among several cruise lines. Previously, Beyondships has profiled R Four, which is now Ocean Princess of Princess Cruises http://www.beyondships.com/Princess-OP-Profile.html and R Eight, which is now Adonia of P&O Cruises. http://www.beyondships.com/PO-Adonia-Profile.html Regatta was formerly R Two.
The R class ships are relatively small ships providing an elegant cruise experience in an intimate setting. They have wood-paneled public rooms that are furnished with overstuffed chairs and subtle unobtrusive art collections. The atmosphere is reminiscent of an upscale country club. Wisely, Oceania has maintained this atmosphere on Regatta.
Regatta is offered as a luxury cruise experience. It includes a gourmet dining program developed by Chef Jacques Pepin. Things like airfare are included in the fare and there is no cover charge for the two specialty restaurants. The intimate shipboard spa is operated by Canyon Ranch.
With only 684 passengers, the ship is uncrowded. Moreover, the guest to staff ratio is 1.71 to one, which allows for very personalized service.
As a small ship, Regatta is able to get into ports that the larger cruise ships cannot. Thus, her itineraries include ports that are off the beaten track.
As a result, Regatta tends to attract experienced travelers as well as those who are seeking a luxury experience. Guests are often mature and well-to-do.
Beyondships’ profile of Regatta is at http://www.beyondships.com/Oceania-Regatta-Profile.html The multi-page photo tour begins at http://www.beyondships.com/Oceania-Regatta-Tour-1.html
Carnival Dream is the largest cruise ship in the Carnival fleet. In fact, in terms of gross tonnage, she is four times the size of Regatta. She carries more than five times as many passengers.
Although Carnival still calls its ships “Fun ships,” they are not the young singles party boats that they were when the line began. Rather, the focus is on young families. Carnival provides a good quality cruise experience at reasonable rates designed to embrace people for whom cruising was not an affordable vacation option in the past.
Dream is big, bold and brassy. While her interior is more subdued than earlier Carnival ships, it is still intended to evoke a good times atmosphere. Furthermore, as a very large ship, there is space for lots of amenities and features. The spa is quite large as is the outdoor pool deck. There are also numerous bars, lounges and public areas.
Carnival Dream currently operates out of Port Canaveral in Florida. Her itineraries include major Caribbean ports where she can dock. These are popular ports that are well-developed for tourism.
I’ve added a new photo essay to Beyondships’ profile of Carnival Dream showing her in one of those popular ports - - St. Maarten. http://www.beyondships.com/CarnivalDream-photo-essay.html We have also added some more Fun Times daily programs to the profile page. http://www.beyondships.com/CarnivalDream-Profile.html
Thus, Carnival Dream and Regatta provide much different vacation experiences. Which is better depends upon what you like.
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