Cruise Comparisons. Are you ready for the next step'
Alaska Cruise on 5 STAR Regent Seven Seas Cruises
I just returned from an Alaska Gulf Coast cruise aboard the Regent Seven Seas Mariner, what an experience! Now, I have been arranging travel for my clients for many years and have heard all the good, the bad and the ugly about cruising. All I can say is you have to experience it for yourself.
There is so much to talk about but I decided to focus on the Regent Seven Seas Mariner cruise. I will at another time write about this incredible part of our country. The only thing I will say at this time is that we had wonderful weather and the scenery was absolutely breathtaking.
would consider myself a seasoned cruiser and having sailed on many vessels from the mass market ships, i.e. Royal Caribbean Cruise, Norwegian Cruise, Carnival, to the premium brands, Holland America, Celebrity, Windstar, etc., as well as some of those companies that although are not new but are not so well known. I would have to say I never had a bad experience although there were some things I liked more than others ' but overall they were fun and entertaining, so sailing on the Regent Seven Seas Mariner was an entirely different experience altogether.
Our cruise was a southbound Alaska Gulf coast from Seward to Vancouver. We (my husband and I) arrived in Anchorage on the morning of embarkation. We met the Regent representatives at the Anchorage Hilton and boarded our motor coach for the 2 ' hour tour along the route to Seward. Our driver was extremely knowledgeable about the various sites from the animals, to plant life, to the inland waters with it's silt, to the mountain ranges and the glaciers that hang from them. Regent supplied us all with healthy snacks and bottled water for the trip.
Once in Seward, a typical coastal town (from what we saw on the way to the pier) I found the pier surprisingly to be a little primitive ' no port buildings ' but a large tent. The Regent staff were there to escort the passengers to the ramps to go aboard (those needing a little help were quickly whipped up the ramps in wheelchairs). Once on board we were offered water or champagne and escorted to the Constellation lounge for check in. The entire process from bus to check in, to our stateroom was less than 10 minutes. Not what I was used to. There were virtually no lines.
The ship, Seven Seas Mariner is a 50,000 ton vessel that can accommodate up to 700 passengers (this sailing had 640) with a total crew of 454. Every stateroom on board has a veranda. The minimum category is 301 sq. ft. with a balcony of 89 sf. Each has a large walk in closet (w/safe) and a large bathroom (ours had tub w/shower). Very generous accommodations. The decor' was a gold with brick red accents and medium oak with brass trimmings. The king sized bed was covered in white duvet trimmed with three thin lines of the red. The linen was all Anchini Italian and the bedding - I am not sure what brand it was ' let's just say we slept very, very well.
There was a refrigerator stocked with various cold drinks (all complimentary) as well as a chilled bottle of Champagne awaiting us. As a matter of fact all soda, beer, wine, and alcoholic drinks are complimentary on board. Whether you drink alcohol or not ' it is a very nice change from the constant interruption having to sign a check when ordering. You also do not have the bar crew scurrying constantly vying for your drink order. By the way, did I mention that gratuities are included in your fare' Yes it is. What's more ' it changes the entire feel of your cruise. All of the crew are at your service. Their answer to most questions is 'Yes Madame' (or sir). They go out of their way to make sure you are happy and comfortable and not expecting anything in return.
The dress code was country club casual pretty much all of the time. For dining men were not required to wear jackets unless in the specialty restaurants. Ladies were mostly in nice slacks and sweater or dress. Everyone seemed to enjoy this relaxed atmosphere.
There are two specialty restaurants Signatures and Latitudes. Signatures offers a French style cuisine with its Le Cordon Bleu menu and Latitudes has an Indochine menu with the waitresses in traditional attire. There is no additional fee for these restaurants however a reservation is required. I cannot say enough about the food ' the presentation and service made the entire experience unbelievable.
The La Veranda restaurant is available for breakfast and lunch served more as buffet ' however the evening meal has an extensive salad, appetizer, bruchetta buffet but your entree is ordered and served. Of course the main restaurant is the Compass Rose and always offered a wide variety of delectable dishes. You might decide to stay right in your stateroom (or on your veranda), the room service menu had great choices but you could ask what the Compass Rose was offering for the evening and order from that as well. One particular evening we decided to dine on the veranda while sailing the inside passage ' the sun was still out ' we both ordered a wonderful grilled salmon entree and a glass of wine and were sent an entire bottle. What an incredible journey.
There were a few lounges that offered various forms of entertainment, the Observation Lounge was a particular favorite. It was located forward and always had an incredible view. People sat and chatted with each other comfortably while the guitar player Frankie Holiday played wonderfully. Later the Mariner Five ' a five piece orchestra played some dance favorites.
The evening shows were well produced and well performed. There were three productions during the week long cruise with other varying forms of entertainment including a very entertaining magician and first run movies offered with hot popcorn in the Constellation Theater. I felt as though I was on a teenage date ' it was different and fun.
The cruise was port intensive and the ship cleared almost entirely in every port but there were on board activities for those who decided to stay aboard. But most went ashore and were happy to share their experiences with each other. Regent is known for their on board enrichment programs and rightfully so. From wine tastings, to art history, to Alaska specialists. All were well informed and interesting. If you happened to miss the seminar ' you would be able to catch up with it later on your stateroom TV.
The on board gym was spacious and had state of the art equipment, an aerobics/yoga/Pilates room with an adjacent steam room. All connected to the wonderfully Carita Spa which offered a variety of spa experiences.
How does one compare this to other mass markets' If you have sailed aboard another line in a balcony staterooms and think you would like a mini suite ' you are in the ball park of cost. Remember when making your reservation you want to make the comparisons. If you enjoy wine and/or alcohol when cruising ' you can expect a hefty bill at the end of your cruise even if you only enjoy bottled water and soda. Just the small matter of not having to stop what you are doing to sign your name on a check ' just for a soda.
Do your homework or better yet let your travel agent help you make your comparison it will be worth it.
