We’ve just finished up a May 2014 cruise ending in Stockholm on the Silversea Whisper having previously completed three cruises on the Regents Mariner in 2013, 2011, and 2010. A Silversea crew member mentioned that they considered Regents their biggest competitor, so I decided to write this review comparing the two cruise lines. My wife and I are well-traveled, experienced in the culinary world, and focused on detail. Some of the distinctions I make below may not matter to you; you should evaluate my comments in light of our backgrounds, our cruising experiences to date, and your personal requirements.

First, the ships. We prefer the greater spaciousness of the Mariner. The fact that it holds twice as many passengers makes no difference with the logistics of restaurant seating or anything else on board; it does make a difference given the size differences in docking in ports. My wife thinks the Mariner is “prettier”; I have little idea what she means by that. I like the larger gym in the larger ship. We learned that noise generated in docking procedures is greater in the smaller ship and also depends greatly on cabin location; this is not a problem unless these procedures begin at 4:30 in the morning. As a classical pianist I prefer the Mariner because it has an acoustic piano on board whereas the Whisper has only electronic pianos which I thoroughly dislike. There were a few opportunities for me to entertain some of the passengers with music on the Mariner and they seemed to be very appreciative.

The staff. The staffs of both cruise lines are trained to be courteous, helpful, friendly, and they succeed. I did not find any real differences between the two cruise lines other than a casual observation that the Silversea crew seemed to be a bit friendlier and more personable. Read more