How Does Regent Seven Seas Compare to Virgin Voyages Mega Rockstar?

Virgin Voyages Mega Rockstar is the top tier of luxury on the cruise line and, I don’t mind saying, I certainly enjoyed my time in it. Virgin is premium line, right along with lines like Celebrity and Disney. There’s another tier of cruises above these lines, luxury cruises. These are lines like Seabourn, Azamara, and Regent Seven Seas. However, there’s some overlap in experience between these categories and you can certainly pay for Regent like luxury on lines like Virgin. How Does Regent Seven Seas Compare to Virgin Voyages Mega Rockstar then?

How to compare?

This spring I sailed in a Gorgeous Suite on Virgin Voyages, so when I sailed on Regent Seven Seas this summer, I wanted to find the most similar experience. The closest category on Regent Seven Seas for an apples comparison with Virgin Voyages’ Gorgeous Suite is the Regent Seven Seas Penthouse Suites. Both products are a premium version of each line’s onboard experience, and they feature similar benefits.

To keep things clean, I’m not going to compare every element of each line’s sales pitch. Things like in-room turntables or pillow selection are not what I’ll be focusing on here. In the hospitality industry, everyone likes to boast that they have the best stuff, and this is no exception.

As a Mega Rockstar, you can order dishes from the ship’s restaurant’s, like Extra Virgin. This is how it comes to your room.

Onboard Benefits Comparison

	Regent Seven Seas (Penthouse Suite)	Virgin Voyages (Gorgeous Suite)
Drinks	Included	Under $25 are included (though, that’s almost every drink) and two bottles of wine or champagne under $90 each day.
Rooms	561 ft² to 644 ft² (specifically on the Explorer)	570 ft²
Service	A dedicated butler	A dedicated Mega Rockstar agent (equivalent to butler)
Gratuities	Pre-paid	Pre-paid
Wi-Fi	Included (very restrictive in my experience, with no video or music streaming, and there is an optional paid upgrade)	Work from Seas level Wi-Fi Included (not as fast as on land, but darn zippy for the ocean and no restrictions of video or music streaming)
Room Service	Included	Included + Ability to order from most restaurants on the ship as well as the standard room service menu.
Excursions	Excursions are included and unlimited, but there may be some paid experiences which Regent offers at a prorated price. The variety and number of included excursions was impressive.	No discounts on excursions and they are not included.
Laundry	Included	Included
Customizable In suite mini-bar	Replenished daily	Replenished daily
Spa	Unlimited Spa Access	Unlimited Spa Access

Pre-Cruise Benefits

Each line offers some pre-cruise benefits that are worth noting.

Regent Seven Seas (Penthouse Suite)	Virgin Voyages (Gorgeous Suite)
Pre-Cruise Hotel – 1-Night Hotel Package Included, along with breakfast, ground transfer, and porterage.	Private ground transfer to and from the ship.
Priority Access to online shore excursion reservations (remember, there are many included excursions).	Priority Access to shore excursion booking.
Priority Access to online dining reservations.	Priority Access to dining reservations.

Intangibles

There’s plenty about every cruise line that just doesn’t quite match up with others in a neat 1:1 comparison. I’m going to try and describe some of what makes sailing each line special but isn’t something they clearly go head-to-head on.

Regent

The Seven Seas Explorer is their largest, and most extravagant, ship. It’s smaller than most cruise ships today so It’s easy to get your bearings no matter where you are onboard. Everyone guest who sails on this ship is in a suite. Every surface you see is elegant, even the common area bathrooms are done in marble. When you are at a bar or restaurant, your glass will never go empty, and you barely need to look toward a staff member before they are asking what you need. In short, you’ll want for nothing.

Here is my full write-up about our Regent sailing.

You will be one of only 700 or so guests, depending on how full the ship is. Nothing ever feels crowded because there simply aren’t many people. The environment that Regent curates is akin to a country club. Everything is quite relaxed, but in the evenings, more formal wear is expected in the common areas. The restaurants are quiet and often fairly private dining sessions. You’re never close enough to another table to overhear their conversation or vice versa. Posh and slightly reserved is an appropriate description for what it feels like on board.

Night life on the ship is calmer than many lines, dance parties and the like aren’t a part of the typical offerings. Live music is played in various areas, but the focus is often more on elegance than entertainment. However, having a quiet drink in the lounge while a piano is played is many folks idea of heaven.

Virgin Voyages Mega Rockstar

All of Virgin’s ships are chic and modern, there’s no air of stuffiness on these vessels. Although their reputation as “party ships” isn’t quite accurate, they certainly know how to have a good time. The legendary Scarlet Nights are something that you have to see to believe, and no other line throws a bash like that! Energetic but chill reverberates through every deck.

As a Mega Rockstar, you are made to feel special – like a big fish in a small pond. There are only 15 Mega Rockstar suites, and each has their own Mega Rockstar agent. You’ll get perks that no one else on the ship enjoys. The hosts at the restaurants make sure you are seated right away. You get first choice at seating for shows. Even when you fancy a trip to the spa, you can walk right in because Mega Rockstars have unlimited access.

Sailing as a Mega Rockstar just feels different. You arrive at the port by black SUV, pulling ahead of everyone and being brought right to the entry. You’re greeted, personally, by Mega Rockstar Agents who then check in with you every day to see if there’s anything you need. When you leave, that same agent takes your bags through the ship and all the way to the front of the disembarkation line. You stand out and feel it.

Is one actually better?

So, how Does Regent Seven Seas Compare to Virgin Voyages Mega Rockstar? You may have guessed this conclusion as you read, but there isn’t really a clear winner here. These may be two products that are quite close in offerings, but that doesn’t tell the whole story.

The two lines offer hugely different products. Virgin Voyages is relaxed but vibrant, the epitome of chill. Regent Seven Seas is refined and elegant, but not, as we were told by staff, stuffy. The vibes are worlds apart.

And, despite what you may be thinking, neither one of these lines seems to be particularly youthful or wizened. On both Regent and Virgin there are plenty of young and old alike when I have sailed them. It isn’t age that separates these experiences, it’s presentation and ambiance.

I will say, I think that there is slightly more value in Regent Seven Seas’ offerings. It comes down to one thing and one thing only, included excursions. I had excursions at every port we stopped at and I certainly got between $500-$1000 dollars in value from it. That’s not trivial, but it isn’t everything.

At the end of the day, for my taste, I still enjoy Virgin Voyages more. I like the more relaxed atmosphere where I can wear shorts to dinner if I feel like it. I love dedicated running track on top of the ship. Even though I’ve never been much for parties, I still enjoy dancing my heart out during Scarlet Night.

How Does Regent Seven Seas Compare to Virgin Voyages Mega Rockstar? Well, there’s not really a comparison to Scarlet Night and that’s part of what makes this hard.

Regent was excellent, but it’s not made for me. The person who will enjoy Regent is the sort of person that enjoys a country club. If you love delicate piano played while you sip on glass of merlot, this is for you. Most of all, if you really don’t want a crowd of other passengers to share the ship with, that is who Regent is for.

The conclusion is that if you are spending enough money to sail as a Mega Rockstar or in a Penthouse Suite on Regent, choose the line that best fits your vibe.