Pinksunset

I am a vegetarian (and animal lover) and went on our first Regent cruise on the Mariner to Alaska last year.  Wonderful menu selection in all restaurants.  I was SO careful in watching my weight that I actually lost a few pounds.  Grateful for that scale in the bathroom.  HOWEVER I am a major chocolate and dessert connoisseur and I entirely missed the afternoon teas!   I look forward to our next Regent cruise where I will worry less about my weight and enjoy those treats more!😊

Appreciate the interesting info and your account of your fascinating day in Costa Rica, ME!

Thank you for all your posts! We are all vicariously enjoying your cruise!

Dennis is SO handsome!  We need a pic of the birthday couple!

We took our first Regent cruise in May, 2018 to Alaska, on the Mariner.  All of your insight helped us with our trip.  We were in a “named” suite, that I only mention because it had the required 1 1/2 bathrooms!  I feel forever spoiled.  It was perfect.  The cruise, the ship, everything was fabulous.  So, of course, the Mariner is my favorite ship.  So far. 😊.  

Just want to take the opportunity to thank Jackie, Bill and all the other helpful “regulars “ who were so kind and patient with my questions as a newbie.  It is a shame that you often have to reiterate the same answers to the same questions, but until there is a solution, your experience is very appreciated!  And Happy Birthday to Dennis!

I’m a little late to the party in commenting that I appreciate your posting pictures of your cabin and your trip, Jackie.  I love, love the piano, and wish I was there to play it!  I don’t think I will be able to be in that particular beautiful suite, but I am enjoying your cruise, and I wish you and Dennis the very best birthday cruise ever!  

Becknal, the Regent bus gets you to the ship anytime from 11:00 to 2:00.  It depends on which bus trip you leave on.  We were assigned to leave at 11:00, and arrived about 1:00 pm.  We walked right onto the ship, greeted by champagne.  Whatever option you take,  I hope you have a wonderful anniversary cruise!

I didn’t know the Alaska Railroad would do that, jeb_bud!  That’s the way to go! 

Shoveling snow places unusual stress on the cardiovascular system.  Look it up. The older one is, the greater the risk.  It isn’t worth it.

We were on the wonderful Mariner in May, 2018, Seward to Vancouver.  We took the Regent sponsored bus to the port in Seward.  It takes only two hours, less time than the train.  

However, we arrived in Anchorage two days in advance and toured Anchorage one day and took a beautiful round trip train ride from Anchorage to Seward the other day, which you could just take one way to Seward.  The Coastal Classic is a four hour beautiful (!)  trip to Seward.  It leaves at 6:45 am, arriving at 11:05 am.  It would be perfect to take it to Seward for the Cruise, or for a day trip.  We took a return trip at 6:00 pm, arriving in Anchorage at 10:15 pm.  We paid for Goldstar Service, which included first class seats, meals and two alcoholic beverages, in a dome car.   In Seward we took a Major Marine Kenai Fjords Cruise, a fabulous excursion which included whale watching and a salmon and prime rib buffet.  

If if you are at all physically compromised like I am, a bit,  I would have had difficulty with our luggage, walking from the train to the ship.  However, if you are in good shape, you will be quite fine!

Our first and only (so far!) Regent Cruise was on the Mariner, Seward to Vancouver, May of last year. Fabulous, perfect cruise!   We loved our suite, which had a bathtub/shower combo.  (Mariner suite.). Have a wonderful trip!  We can’t wait to cruise Regent again!   

My husband and I went on one Regent cruise this year, on the Mariner, and fell in love with Regent!   One important criteria for a suite, though, on any cruise line, would be the 1 1/2 bathrooms we enjoyed in the Mariner suite.  Does any other line offer comparable accommodations, or shall we just remain with what we are immensely pleased with!

I am a vegetarian and mostly eat “healthy “,  but do splurge on special chocolate deserts. And sometimes multiple deserts!   I had plenty of vegetarian options on the Mariner.  On our one (so far!) wonderful Alaska cruise I walked a lot on excursions, always took the stairs and worked out in the gym whenever  I could.  I also walked around the ship a lot.  Surprisingly I came home a couple pounds lighter. It is possible to be health conscious and completely enjoy your cruise!

We were in 1010, which I believe is mid-ship. Perfect suite!

I am late in thanking you, Z and TB, for your wonderful description of your trip and in particular, your NYC visit!  I miss NYC and very much appreciate your fabulous writing style of your experiences!  Continue on with your excellent adventures!

Hambagahle,  forgive me for wandering slightly off subject, but my favorite country to travel to is Switzerland, and I believe the very best airline is Swiss! No problems ever. Excellent service always.

Please note that there are reviews for multiple decks on the Mariner, as well as other ships. Since Bill is the only person maintaining this great spreadsheet, let us be patient and wait for him to update it!

Thank you, maryogreen, for your blog with the beautiful pictures and notes! I don’t think I could physically handle that long day, but very much enjoyed you sharing your experience!

If there are no scheduled classes, you can always work out on the exercise machines or do walking laps outside on the deck. I did this plus walked up and down many flights of stairs as much as possible and returned home a pound thinner.

I tried the Mexican Butterfly and really enjoyed it! Otherwise I stick to G & T’s.

Good to hear, Nanook21. We are back from our fantastic May 23 cruise on the Mariner from Seward to Vancouver. The distilled water was waiting for us in our cabin, and my DH had no problem using his CPAP machine with the outlet next to the bed. The plugs were conveniently located throughout our beautiful Mariner cabin. We were very pleased with our first Regent cruise, and look forward to another some day!

I just saw this thread, and I feel compelled to post my far different opinion of my May 23 Alaska Mariner Cruise. How interesting that the same cruise can be experienced so differently!

This was our second cruise, first luxury cruise. We stayed in a Mariner suite, and loved everything. The one and one half bathrooms were beautiful, the entire cabin was elegantly decorated and fresh and clean. There was one glitch the first day with the heating system that needed repair, but that was attended to quickly.

Overall the crew was outstanding. Our butler, Samita, the first female butler, provided excellent service. The Steward and Stewardess were equally helpful. All crew we encountered were friendly, were helpful and yes, said hello. Perhaps a friendly and positive attitude begets a friendly and positive response? The crew work hard, and a smile may be all they needed to smile back. They all seemed to go above and beyond to treat us as well as possible the entire week.

We too, had high expectations with respect to the culinary experience. The food was not as superb as we had hoped. Compass Rose was good, however we had to send food back on several occasions because it wasn’t warm enough. Prime 7 was very good, however I am a vegetarian that will occasionally eat fish, and therefore we did not try any red meat. (My husband will eat chicken.) Chartreuse was also very good. Sette Mari was exceptional, and we ate there quite a few times. There was always a long wait, however, the maître d’ took our names and cabin number or lounge area and simply called us when a table was ready. The wait was always less than stated.

With respect to the spa, we only used the nail salon. We both had our nails done, yes, even my husband, which he thought was quite fun. We did several excursions in Sitka and Skagway, however preferred to simply walk around in Juneau and Ketchikan. The very best excursion was one prior to embarkation in Anchorage, where I arranged for an Alaska railroad trip to Seward, then a whale-watching catamaran in Kenai National Park.

Our Mariner passengers were friendly, although we didn’t engage with anyone else at dinner. The entertainment was fine; we were not expecting Broadway productions. Overall the ship was beautiful and had a peaceful vibe, which is what we wanted. We were not looking for a “Carnival” type of atmosphere! We were there to celebrate our 20th anniversary and were very happy to enjoy the elegantly decorated and refurbished ship and our beautiful cabin. We were extremely saddened when the cruise was over and look forward to another cruise on Regent. I’m now partial to the Mariner, however I am a bit curious about the Explorer; I know TravelCat prefers the Explorer.

Hello,

Regarding our fantastic Mariner cabin on our May 23 cruise from Seward to Vancouver:

#1010, 1.5 baths, comfortable shower, large, high tub (it was great, but we are tall!), very quiet, great location, absolutely recommend, beautiful cabin, only minor negative was the relatively small (89 square ft) balcony. Fine for two people. Heating system needed repair the first day. Otherwise perfect! Thank you for your work in compiling the spreadsheet, Bill.

Thank you for all your great posts! I now realize I have made a grave error in scheduling our first Regent cruise on the Mariner for only 7 days. We will cherish each day!