Reports from Alaska

[JMARINER]

 

"...Are we going to be disappointed in the Regent food?" Just how, in any imaginable or realistic way, would it be possible for the rest of us to have any chance of answering a question like that for you? We have no idea of what you like or don't like - when it comes to food...........

Sailed on Regent 5 years ago. Liked the food. Sailed on Oceania 3 years ago and did not like the food. Disappointed to have someone say today the food is identical. Has Oceania moved up to Regent standards or has Regent moved down to Oceania standards? Been reading on this Regent board for the last 6 months and everybody is raving about the food. Now somebody says it is like Oceania. Food does not make a cruise for us. Just prefer to know what to expect before we board. We were hoping for the good food we had 5 years ago..

 

Regent and Oceania (and NCL) now have the same food sources/supplier. I think the food is just as good now as it has ever been. However, to me what can make a big difference in the whole dining experience is the Executive Chef. IMO the Executive Chefs are not all the same in how they run the kitchen and this greatly affects the final product. Most are good, a few are exceptional. One is absolutely horrid.

 

 

J

[xrvlcruiser]

Regent has a new menu in CR for dinner - I think it's been 2 years now. One side changes daily and the other has virtually unlimited choices - basics, sauces, cooking style, vegetables etc etc. I'm sure someone has posted it but I don't know where.

 

Anyway - I never got tired of it and I was on a long cruise.

 

Yes - food in very personal but this is the best I've seen. And just to add - the quality was top notch.

Peggy

[Travelcat2]

 

Regent and Oceania (and NCL) now have the same food sources/supplier. I think the food is just as good now as it has ever been. However, to me what can make a big difference in the whole dining experience is the Executive Chef. IMO the Executive Chefs are not all the same in how they run the kitchen and this greatly affects the final product. Most are good, a few are exceptional. One is absolutely horrid.

 

 

J

 

Agree with your observations but do not know who the "horrid" one is (but do have a good idea). As you know, Regent, Oceania and NCL have had the same food sources/suppliers for a while now but it is important to state that the quality of the food is not necessarily the same. I learned this from local restaurant owners. While they may serve one level of food, their supplier can give them a lower or higher quality of the same product. So, I assume that the quality of food on Regent, Oceania and NCL are not the same (and we have sailed on all three lines and did find major differences).

 

What is difficult for me to believe is that Oceania food is now as good as Regent (but I respect and believe what Rachel posts). Their MDR was so far below Regent's that we would not dine there. And, the lobster that people rave about on Oceania could not be more disappointing (in the Terrace Cafe). In my opinion, expectations are a key as to what people like and dislike. For instance, people that live in Maine would likely not enjoy Florida lobster and people that are used to Texas steak would likely find Regent lacking (partly because of the equipment that they are forced to cook with). As someone who has spent their entire life near an ocean, my criteria for seafood may be different than someone from a land-locked state.

 

The biggest challenge for Regent (In my opinion) is to serve shellfish that is delicious since tit has to be frozen. Sometimes their shrimp and crab is watery. As we know, fish needs to be dry before cooking and I'm not sure that Regent is able to obtain the dryness that is necessary for grilled shrimp (for instance).

 

I never say never when it comes to cruising so it is possible that we will once again sail on Oceania (only if Thierry Tholon is the G.M.). So we will likely have another opportunity to compare the food on Oceania to Regent.

 

P.S. I know that parts of this thread are off topic but this isn't a "live" report from Alaska so, kayjo, I would look for a "live from Alaska" thread that is bound to be upcoming in the near future and will be dedicated to the experience onboard the Mariner in Alaska.

Edited June 25, 2018 by Travelcat2

[SweetMemories]

Look, squirrel!!

 

Back to Alaska anyone?

[Travelcat2]

Look, squirrel!!

 

Back to Alaska anyone?

 

 

"squirrell"????? While slightly off topic, anything regarding Regent - food, service, etc., is applicable to cruises in Alaska. Unfortunately (and not unusual), there are no current postings that are live from the Mariner.

[SweetMemories]

Squirrel is referring to the severe ADHD of this thread! It's a joke, just keeping things light.

 

While I agree that food does apply since we will be eating in Alaska, this conversation veered off topic because it focussed mainly on comparing to O, quality, etc.

[Pam]

If I knew which Regent ship served Florida Lobster, I would/might be very tempted to book a cruise. Nobody else in my family likes seafood, and lobster in Memphis is pitiful Little Maine lobsters.

[pingpong1]

If I knew which Regent ship served Florida Lobster, I would/might be very tempted to book a cruise. Nobody else in my family likes seafood, and lobster in Memphis is pitiful Little Maine lobsters.

 

Just want to make sure that I did not misunderstand your post. Is it actually your assertion that cold water Maine lobster are "generally" smaller than warm water Florida lobster?? Just wondering. :)

[tallship]

Back to Alaska... ;-)

 

For those who have taken an Alaskan Cruise with Regent:

 

-What was your favorite thing about your trip?

-What was the least favorite thing about your trip?

-What was your favorite excursion you took?

-What is a "must do" thing to do on this trip?

-What is a "don't bother" thing on this trip?

 

 

edited to add:

-What item do you wish you had packed?

-What item do you wish you left home?

-What item is a must have to bring?

(sorry, in packing mode now :) )

 

We can read everything that Regent publishes on it's website, but it is great to hear from people that have actually experienced it! Feel free to add to this list.

 

 

I will answer your questions having been there on Regent 6-7 times, can’t remember how many times now.

 

-What was your favorite thing about your trip?

Whale watching, scenery

-What was the least favorite thing about your trip?

The vibe on the ship in Alaska is very different from any other Regent cruise. More kids, First timers, etc

-What was your favorite excursion you took?

Pre-cruise in Seward - Kenai Fjords tour - Some more wildlife in one afternoon then we saw on the entire cruise.

-What is a "must do" thing to do on this trip?

Sea Otter excursion in Sitka

-What is a "don't bother" thing on this trip?

Skagway town tour is super boring. Train excursion only slightly better. Good place to pay for a private excursion

 

 

edited to add:

-What item do you wish you had packed?

First cruise to Alaska I found out about Smartwool socks. Bought some in Ketchikan.

-What item do you wish you left home?

Winter jacket. A down sweater, fleece, and rain jacket are fine

-What item is a must have to bring?

(sorry, in packing mode now :) ) - a rain jacket with removable fleece. Dress in layers. Also bring good runners/hiking shoes, sunscreen, hat and mosquito repellant. Don’t wear anything nice if you attend the crab feast as you will be a bit soaked with crab juice if not from how you eat but from your tablemates

[DeepFreeze63]

Thanks Tallship

I've started planning for Tokyo to Vancouver; have done Seward to Vancouver (Celebrity) cruise before.

 

My must pack includes: knit hat that covers the ears and woolen gloves - for days on deck. I also plan to purchase thermal undies from Uniglo

[SweetMemories]

-What was the least favorite thing about your trip?

The vibe on the ship in Alaska is very different from any other Regent cruise. More kids, First timers, etc

 

-What item do you wish you left home?

Winter jacket. A down sweater, fleece, and rain jacket are fine]

 

*********************************************************************************

 

Thanks Tallship! We are taking most of the excursions you mentioned. Also in Skagway we have two excursions booked, but may cancel one formal excursion but do it on our own (gold panning).

 

Interesting about the winter jacket! This has been a debate with our party of 7. My BIL is wanting to not bring one. Have you done anything like the dog sledding? My concern is, we have several excursions where we will travel a distance (by helicopter or seaplane) where the weather may be colder.

 

As for your least favorite part, well, we are that newbie with one kid vibe :D But I do understand what you mean.

 

Thanks again for your feedback, yours and the few other comments/tips are the kind that help us plan!

[rcandkc]

We are been on Regent in Alaska twice...both times late August. First time it was sleeting and freezing while watching Hubbard Glacier. We were cold with our winter jackets.

We have panned for gold in Juneau. We would not have known the right way to do it without being shown. Be sure to wear water proof boots.

[cmac cruiser]

Hi all,

I was on Mariner in May this year in Alaska. We had a wonderful time, loved the ship and the people. Bad weather caused us to miss Hubbard Glacier, but Hoonah was substituted instead, and it was fabulous. We saw brown bears there. Food was excellent, though we found servers in CR to be a bit overwhelmed, leading to long wait times between courses -- or even to order. As always, Prime 7 was a favorite. I enjoyed Chartreuse immensely.

The crew were wonderful, and we thought the refurbishment was lovely. The lower-end suites are beautifully done and look modern, and the public spaces that were redone are light and bright. (Upper-end suites weren't touched in this refurb.) Answering some questions below.

CMac

-What was your favorite thing about your trip?

Alaska. Honestly, it's the star. The ship was beautiful, and the scenic cruising was great, thanks in large part to the embedded guest lecturer Terry Breen. She's a wealth of knowledge with a keen eye. Loved her.

 

-What was the least favorite thing about your trip?

It's a packed "short" itinerary and we had a hard time getting dinner reservations for Prime 7 and Chartreuse. We got the eventually, but I wish we would have acted earlier to get preferred times/days.

 

-What was your favorite excursion you took?

A 28-mile "advanced" bike ride in Sitka. It was advanced but took us around incredibly scenic areas. Second-fave was a bear watching tour in Hoonah.

 

-What is a "must do" thing to do on this trip?

Grab a good seat early for the scenic cruising, and be prepared to run out fast for those wildlife pics. It gets crowded, especially in the Observation Lounge. Also, leave yourself some time to explore the ports on your own. The shuttle bus was a great option after formal excursions.

 

-What is a "don't bother" thing on this trip?

Tough to say. We had a packed scheduled because it's a cool trip and didn't want to miss out on anything. We elected to skip a lot of the ship's activities in favor of more time in port (though we did manage to make 4:30 trivia most days!).

 

 

edited to add:

-What item do you wish you had packed?

More waterproof items. We thought about cold but didn't consider rain. When it rained during a canoe excursion, our pants got soaked, and we were freezing.

 

-What item do you wish you left home?

Binoculars. Regent has them for use during the trip. If you've got super high-end binoculars, bring them, but if they're just OK (like ours), use Regent's.

-What item is a must have to bring?

My husband would say a good camera, but I got along just fine with my cell phone camera. So I go with clothing and insist layers are the best route. I like layers you can strip off easily and cram into a daypack. I also like lots of zippers/pockets because you have so much stuff you need in port: port maps, keycards etc. I also carry little paper/pen so when I hear about something I should check out, I write it down. Yes, cell phone note feature would work, but I like the old-fashioned option.

 

Enjoy Alaska!

[tallship]

You are most welcome

We have done the Tracey Arm Excursion a few times for an additional cost. Well worth it if offered