I’ve Been Back On Every "Ultra-Luxury" Cruise Line. Here’s What I Found

Name: I’ve Been Back On Every "Ultra-Luxury" Cruise Line. Here’s What I Found | Open Video
Uploaded: 2025-12-01T04:32:15+00:00
Duration: 16 min 44 s

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If you're considering an ultra luxury
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cruise, these are the four key lines you
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should be considering. Seabour, Silver
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Sea, Region 7C's, and Crystal. But as
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you'll be spending at least $1,500 a day
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per cabin, you expect near perfection.
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Yet each line shines in different ways.
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And sometimes, as you'll hear, they
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stumble, too. I'm Gary Benbridge and
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I've been back on all these lines in the
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last year to see who deserves the crown
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because they're top of the ultra luxury
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game right now and who's falling short
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and why. I'll be putting these four
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headto-head on fleets, inclusions,
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cabins, dining, service, entertainment,
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and itineraries to help you see which
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delivers a top-notch experience and
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which you may want to avoid and
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importantly who they're best for. But
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first, what is ultr luxury cruising and
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what do they all have in common? Ultra
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luxury cruising sits at the very top end
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of the cruising market above resort
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mass, premium, and the small ship luxury
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category. And they're so exclusive, they
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carry under 2% of all cruise passengers
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per year. They're designed for travelers
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who want five-star personalized service,
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no lines and crowds on board, and desire
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small ships that can go to ports and
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places that larger ships cannot, like
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being able to dock, for example, in the
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heart of cities like Shanghai, while
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bigger ships are some hours out in a
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commercial container port. Even the
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largest ultra luxury ships only carry
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around 800 guests. Most carry much fewer
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and all have high crew to passenger
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ratio, a boutique hotel feel, and none
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of the bigger ship resort type
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activities. The ship sizes, while lines
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like Explore Journeys with 922
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passengers, Viking with 930 and Oceanani
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with 1,200, are not in the ultra luxury
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category. They're in the small ship
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luxury category. Ultra luxury lines also
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have more inclusive fairs than any of
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the other cruise categories. Although
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they do have several extra charge
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add-ons, but their fairs include food
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including for most specialty dining
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venues too. Accommodation of course all
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drinks including wines and spirits,
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gratuitities and Wi-Fi to get streaming
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requires added charge packages. Regent
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is the most all-inclusive line as they
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include unlimited excursions and some
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fairs and cabin grades include flights,
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transfers, and pre-stay hotels, while
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these are add-on charges for the other
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lines. They all claim all suite
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accommodation and most have a balcony.
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Although I argue that most cabins are
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not true suites with different rooms and
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they're more kind of oversized balcony
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cabins with a seating, dining and a
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bedroom area. guests because the price
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are affluent. They tend to be well
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traveled. They want comfort, convenient,
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and of course, status. These four lines
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are all owned by corporations, by the
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way. Silver Sea by the Royal Caribbean
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Group, Seabor by Carnival Corporation,
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Region 7C's by Norwegian Group, and
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Crystal by Abury and Kent, which is part
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of Manf Freddy Levverra Devidio's
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heritage group, whose family originally
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created Silver Sea. I'm going to explore
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how they differ on fleet fairs, cabins,
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dining itineries, and importantly, who
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each one is specifically best for, but
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let's start with an overview of what
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each of these lines is best known for,
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and broadly speaking, what they fall
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short on. Silver Sea carries the most
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passengers, as it has the largest fleet,
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12 ships, covering both classic and
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expedition cruising. They're best known
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for having the widest range of
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itineraries, butlers in every grade, and
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their salt program, sea and land taste,
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which is designed to give passengers the
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most immersive regional dining and drink
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experiences of all the lines. With a
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salt restaurant, bar, cooking classes,
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and excursions. On the downside, with a
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wide range of ships of different sizes,
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classes, and ages stretching back 25
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years, it's a less consistent experience
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based on which ship class you travel on.
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Seabour is best known for being the
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first small ship ultra luxury line with
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ships heavily inspired by private yachts
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and very yacht-like decor. They're
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increasingly well known for also
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offering expedition cruising with two
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customuilt ships. They're probably well
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known for their signature events and
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partnerships. things like the marina day
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when the back of the ship opens, the
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caviar in the surf, evening at Ephesus,
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shopping with the chef, and then
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partnerships with people like Tim Rice
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for entertainment, Molton Brown for
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toiletries, and Dr. Andrew Wheel for
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wellness and fitness. Probably the
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biggest downside is the ongoing
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speculation about its future because
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they've been selling ships and reducing
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capacity and therefore itineraries and
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they actually have no new builds
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planned. Region 7C is probably best
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known for being the most inclusive of
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the ultra luxury lines and has a
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reputation of having the biggest suites.
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Of all of these lines, they tend to
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appeal to a more traditional cruising
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clientele. They have a wide range of
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itineraries on the more classic, perhaps
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less adventurous side than some of the
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others. Crystal is best known these days
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as having come back from collapse after
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being revived in 2022 under Abberro and
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Kent. But they're also known for their
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incredible service with most of the crew
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having returned to the line and their
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very strong dining including the only
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Nou restaurants at sea and a really big
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emphasis on enrichment. Probably the
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downside, they're still rebuilding trust
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and consistency after the shutdown and
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their two current ships despite upgrades
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are the oldest in the category. Talking
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of fleets, how do these differ? As
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mentioned, Silver Sea has the largest
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fleet with 12 ships, and I've cruised on
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seven of them. In the classic fleet,
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they have four different classes. The
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latest being Silver Nova and Silver,
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which are very modern and unlike
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anything in ultra luxury with a unique
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asymmetrical design, which includes
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features like the pool is on one side
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and not centered. They then have other
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groups of ships which are Silver Dawn,
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Silver Moon, and Silver Muse. Then they
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have much older ships with spirit and
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then shadow and whisper all with varying
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passenger numbers. In expedition they
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have four ships which are very different
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in type. Silver cloud, endeavor and wind
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in the polar regions and the Galapagus
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origin. As I mentioned there is some
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inconsistency as you move around the
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different ships in the fleet because
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they are quite different. Seabour have a
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small fleet which is reducing to just
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five. two of which are expedition or
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carry no more than 600 guests. I've
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cruised on four of their ships. Their
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most recent classic ships are Seaborn
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Encore Innovation which are pretty
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appealing. And the two expedition ships
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are excellent and they're called Venture
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and Pursuit. Very modern. Region 7C's
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have six ships with one ship navigator
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leaving the fleet, but it's been
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replaced by a much larger ship. What I
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like is all their ships have basically
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the same layout and venue. So, as you
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move around the fleet, you get a very
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similar experience with just the decor
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slightly changing and a few
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modifications here and there. I've
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cruised on five of their ships, and I
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like getting that consistent experience
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as I move around the different ships in
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the fleet. Crystal has two older style
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ships, Serenity and Symphony, both of
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which I've cruised on, and they've
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actually been significantly refurbished
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and the capacity reduced since being
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taken over by Abocrombi and Kent. But
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they do have three new builds coming
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from 2028. The two existing ships as I
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mentioned had capacity cut when
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Abbercoming Kent bought them and they do
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have some different and inconsistency
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amongst the cabins with some older and
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some newer refurbished cabins. But based
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on these fleets, what differences do
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they have in itineraries?
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Although both Silver Sea and Seabor have
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expedition ships, I am going to focus
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from here on only on classic cruising.
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Unlike the Mass Resort, Premium, and
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even the small ship luxury categories,
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all of these lines sell incredibly
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globally. And of course, they cover the
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major regions like the Caribbean and the
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Mediterranean. But when they do, they
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call on less visited islands and ports
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that only smaller ships can visit. And
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they often call on many tender only
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ports because bigger ships avoid those
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due to the logistics. So it does take
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you to more unusual places. If you're
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looking for the widest diversity of
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itineraries, Silver Sea, I think, is
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best. Seaborn though have a surprisingly
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good global coverage even with their
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limited fleet but they do tend to focus
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a little bit more on iconic ports of the
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world while Silver Sea can offer just
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much more diversity due to the different
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ship classes and number of ships. Region
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has a smaller global footprint. It tends
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to focus also very much on iconic ports
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but generally slightly longer
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itineraries with regions like Alaska,
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Caribbean, Mediterranean, Japan, Asia,
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Australia, New Zealand being their key
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focus. Crystal, despite having a rather
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small fleet, do cover a lot of the
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world, but they do that by not
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homeporting ships in any region. And
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they sail many more one-way routes with
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fewer repeat itineraries to offer
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loyalists new routes and ports. But once
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on board, what is dining like? And are
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there big differences? Yes, more than
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you may expect. Of course, the focus is
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on elevated dining with all having at
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least five venues included in the fair.
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But I want to get one big miss for me
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out of the way before I explore the
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upsides. Ultra luxury lines all assume
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their passengers do not want a buffet
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casual dining option for dinner. None of
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those offer it requiring guests not
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wanting a multicourse served dinner to
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use room service or in the case of
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silvery they do have a pizza option on
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most of the fleet called Speak Napoli.
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While all lines offer an intimate and
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exclusive added charge chef table
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tasting venue, Silverc is the only one
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of the lines that have added charge
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special restaurants, which for the fairs
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and all-inclusive positioning of ultra
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luxury seems a little bit off to me. So,
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for example, on my recent Silver Nova
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cruise, it was $80 per person in the
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Asian Kaiski for dinner, though the
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lunch was included in the fair and well
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over $100 in the Lam French restaurant.
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But beyond that, Silver Sea does have a
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choice of five included dining venues
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and one cafe. For example, on Silver
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Nova, that was Atlantide main dining
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room, Salt Restaurant with regional
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focused dishes, Latera, which is a
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buffet breakfast and lunch, an Italian
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way to served dinner, the Grill Marquee
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featuring their signature hot rocks for
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dinner, Silverote Jazz and Music Dining,
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and the Arts Cafe. However, the venues
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and number do vary based on which ship.
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So, you kind of have to check based on
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which one you're going on. Overall, food
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on Silver Sea, while good, I do feel
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falls kind of midway in the category.
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And beyond the uniqueness of salt, it
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lacks for me some of the finesse and
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range of some of the others. For me,
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Seabor also has good luxury food, but I
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actually rate it as the weakest of the
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four based on my experience. Now all
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dining is included in the fair and
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Seaborn Ovation and Encore like Silver
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Sea have five included dining venues and
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one cafe. These are the restaurant, the
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main dining room, the Colonade which is
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a buffet breakfast and lunch and a way
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to serve dinner with a kind of American
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classic focused menu. Solace which
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replaced the popular Thomas Keller
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restaurant and is Mediterranean
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inspired. Earth and Ocean on the pool
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deck with seasonal menus which they bill
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as eclectic flavors of the world. They
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have sushi, a small venue but really
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good sushi and bento box lunches. And
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then they have the iconic Seabour Square
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which is a coffee shop cafe but also you
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have guest service and shore excursions
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integrated. Regent has extremely good
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food and menus and I rate them as the
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second best in the category. All ships
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have the same venues. There are six
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dining venues and one cafe all included
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in the fair. There's Compass Rose the
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main dining with a vast menu. Lavaranda
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which is buffet for breakfast and lunch
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and dinner becomes seti mari a waiter
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served Italian they have a pool grill
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the prime 7 steakhouse pacific rim Asian
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fusion and charterus French and my least
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favorite but it has amazing 24 cart at
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the end and then there's the cafe
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connections cafe crystal is having the
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most elevated and elegant food and again
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there's six included in the fair venues
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there's a wateride restaurant main
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dining room marketplace buffet for
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breakfast and lunch. Tried and Grill for
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daytime casual dining. Nou's Umei Uma,
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the only Nou restaurant with amazing
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Asian and sushi. Asterio Devido, Italian
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and beef bar, a street food restaurant
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inspired by a chain which has its
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origins in Monaco. Then there's the
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Beastro Cafe. Food and dining across all
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these lines is high-end, and I know some
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will disagree with my assessment of the
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rankings, but perhaps not with my
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assessment of the service differences.
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Of course, with almost 1:1 crew to
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passenger ratio, service levels across
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all ultra luxury lines is high with
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smaller ships also meaning the crew can
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usually get to know your name and
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preferences too. Saying that, I find
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Silver Sea Service is probably a little
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bit more formal and more European versus
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the other lines. And with a larger fleet
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and the recent expansion, it's also a
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little bit less consistent, I find
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anyway, across all the crew. For
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example, as every cabin has a butler,
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reports of how proactive and efficient
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they are varies. I've never had any
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issues, but friends on recent trips
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have. Also, of all the lines, that sense
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of more formality, I think, shows up in
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the greater emphasis on dress code,
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where both passengers and the line tend
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to look at people dressing up more than
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on the other lines with jackets required
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on some evenings. Seaborn service is
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definitely more relaxed. It's more
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informal. It's more casual American
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style. Though my experience, it's also
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the line where staff seem to be expected
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and learn names and preferences the
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quickest. That sense of crew interacting
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with guests and informality shows up
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with crew hosting dinner tables more
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than any other lines in my experience,
13:50
too. Region service is also friendly and
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although it has a more American style,
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it's a little bit less affusive and more
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reserved in line perhaps with the more
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traditional guests that they tend to
14:00
attract.
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Crystal is famed for having the best
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service at sea, helped by a very
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long-erving crew who've worked together
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over many, many years. And I do find it
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is the most attentive and personal
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service. Definitely helped by being a
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tight-knit family because crew, they
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know each other so well. There's only
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two ships. They work together for many,
14:21
many years. And of course, on the other
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lines, there's lots of ships. There's
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lots of crew who move around and they
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don't know each other as well. They
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don't work as a tightknit team as they
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do on Crystal. But what about
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entertainment? Entertainment on these
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ultra luxury lines is limited and have
14:38
few entertainment staff compared to the
14:40
other cruise line categories. In my
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view, there is little difference between
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the lines and I don't feel there is a
14:45
standout. Nor do I think that
14:47
entertainment would or should be a real
14:51
deciding factor when choosing between
14:53
these lines. All have live music in the
14:55
evenings. They have theater shows which
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are classic themed song and dance shows.
15:00
They have the standard guest
15:01
entertainers. They have guest speakers,
15:03
bridge classes, and the usual cruise
15:05
activities like cooking, demos, bingo,
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trivia, and the occasional party nights.
15:10
Regent and Silver Sea have cooking
15:12
classes. Crystal are the only ones with
15:14
kids club venues with programs run major
15:17
school vacation times, but they're all
15:19
pretty much the same. So although
15:22
entertainment is so similar based on
15:23
everything else, I do though think that
15:26
different lines are right for different
15:28
types of travelers who are seeking ultra
15:31
luxury cruising. For example, Silver Sea
15:34
is ideal for those wanting more choice
15:36
of innovative wide-ranging itineraries
15:38
with the added variety of being able to
15:40
have slightly different Silver
15:41
experiences by trying and moving between
15:43
the different classes of ships each
15:46
time. They're also definitely best for
15:48
people wanting more culinary immersion
15:50
into the region because of that salt
15:52
program.
15:54
Seabour for me is a good fit for those
15:56
seeking an intimate but much more
15:58
relaxed ultra luxury yacht-like
16:00
experience and who want to see the most
16:03
iconic mustsee ports. While Regent is
16:07
for those who want the most
16:08
all-inclusive experience, they
16:10
definitely suit travelers who enjoy
16:12
probably a slightly more traditional
16:13
classic luxury way of traveling and
16:15
definitely enjoy longer voyages in the
16:18
musty and popular parts of the world.
16:20
Crystal is definitely for those who want
16:23
really high levels of personalized
16:24
service. They want really fine dining
16:26
and they're drawn to more classic older
16:29
style ships. If ultra luxury is not for
16:32
you and you're more interested in
16:33
premium cruising after all this, join me
16:35
over in this video where I dive into the
16:37
biggest premium cruise lines and find
16:39
out which of them is best, which of them
16:41
is worse, and why. See you over there.

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