This continues our series on Alternative Suppliers and why you should ask about them. This post describes what an alternative supplier is and what it means. In ocean cruises, there are several generic categories that are used to describe various suppliers. There's mass market - think Carnival and Royal Caribbean. There's premium lines like Celebrity, Princess, Holland America. And then there's luxury brands. (Oceania and Azamara would add an additional category between premium and luxury for their brands). Regent is surely a luxury brand.