Alaska cruise

Hello! I am new to this forum. I just booked a very special cruise for my husband and me to Alaska on Regent Seven Seas Mariner, in the Mariner suite. Does anyone have any experience on this cruise from Seward to Vancouver, the ship or the suite? Thank you very much for any input!

Congratulations on booking a nice cruise for yourselves!

Our one Alaska cruise was in the opposite direction and on the Navigator, and our two Mariner cruises are a few years back.

Not knowing what you enjoy or what you want to do, it's difficult to just spout out advice. :D

Do you have any specific questions, maybe? Or could you give us some more information on what you like to do or what interests you? The Alaskan excursions run from pretty wild to pretty sedate - I'd recommend looking through some of the recent posts here - there are some good threads on recent Alaska cruises that would be good reading. I'll see if I can post some links...

PS: Links below. Also, you can do a search for 'Alaska' or 'Mariner' and get some good info as well.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2449140

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2502320

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2471440

I have the same questions that Bill has but can tell you that we have been in a Mariner suite and will sail in one again in November. The thing I like best about the Mariner suite is the wall of windows. It is bright and airy and, of course, has the extra half bath which is great.

We will also be sailing on the Mariner in Alaska (different itinerary) at the end of next month - in a PH suite which is lovely but we miss the half bath. This will be our fourth Alaska cruise - three on Regent and one on Silversea.

When will you be sailing?

Thank you, UUNET Bill, for such a fast and lovely response! I need reassurance that I've done the right thing ($$$$) by booking the Mariner suite on Regent; that it will be superior to the nicest suite on Holland! Secondly, I'm curious about the pre and post cruise hotels. We booked several pre trip in Anchorage and several in Vancouver. We are, unfortunately, not too active anymore. I need to know about slower paced excursions (we found like walking!) and whether we can view much of Alaska's beauty and glaciers from the balcony of a port side suite. Going in May, 2018, southbound, for our big anniversary trip!! Thank you for any info you can provide!!:)

I have the same questions that Bill has but can tell you that we have been in a Mariner suite and will sail in one again in November. The thing I like best about the Mariner suite is the wall of windows. It is bright and airy and, of course, has the extra half bath which is great.

 

We will also be sailing on the Mariner in Alaska (different itinerary) at the end of next month - in a PH suite which is lovely but we miss the half bath. This will be our fourth Alaska cruise - three on Regent and one on Silversea.

 

When will you be sailing?

Hello! Thank you for your feedback; glad to hear you like the Mariner and that you enjoy Regent. We've never been to Alaska, so are open to any suggestions that are not too adventurous. Cannot zip line anymore! What are your favorite sites or things to do?

I recently cruised the Mariner on a Cat E suite from San Francisco to Vancouver. I can tell you that we had the loveliest of times whenever we sat in our balcony and watched the show. It seems that we saw more sea life during the early evenings. Although the ship is scheduled for a refit early next year, she is well maintained and looks great. As Bill stated, jot down some specific questions and you'll find plenty of folks who are more than willing to help out. Have a great cruise.

Z and TB

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Pinksunset: Being a great fan of both Regent and Alaska, I'd love to be able to help. I wrote a somewhat lengthy trip report (with give and take from other Regent folks) back on June 8, 2016. Title: Mariner: 5/18-6/1;Vancouver-Vancouver. The itinerary was different from yours, but plenty of the same ports. I agree with what others have said: read as much as you can, jot down some specific questions, and people will happily respond.

Meanwhile, since you said you're not looking for very active excursions, I'd like to suggest Sea Otter Quest in Sitka. Sitka itself is a fine little town, and that boat trip is relaxing and always interesting. The float plane and helicopter sight-seeing trips are also terrific.

I hope you can allow for 2-3 post-cruise days in Vancouver. So much to do and see. Such a great city. (There's plenty of info on my post from last summer about Vancouver. We stay at the Westin, btw. We have Starwood points and we like the hotel a lot: perfectly situated, especially as it's a 10 min walk to Stanley Park, a favorite hang-out for us.)

I don't think I could ever get tired of the Alaska itineraries-- such gorgeous scenery, and, as Zqueeze mentioned, so much of the splendor can be seen right from your balcony.

With respect to Regent, sure hope I am in the correct thread! Thank you for everyone's suggestions! I found a few excellent questions from another member (I forget who to credit!) pertaining to another Regent cruise ship (Explorer) that I would like to pose about Mariner. Additionally, hubby and I are spending a few days in Anchorage pre-cruise and Vancouver post-cruise.

We are booked for an Alaskan cruise on Mariner in May 2018 to celebrate a big anniversary, I would like to maximize our experience on board:

1) Best underutilized areas of the ship.

2) What other things did you learn on your Mariner or Alaska cruise that you wish you had know earlier?

3) Any other best advice for a Regent newbie?:)

With respect to Regent, sure hope I am in the correct thread! Thank you for everyone's suggestions! I found a few excellent questions from another member (I forget who to credit!) pertaining to another Regent cruise ship (Explorer) that I would like to pose about Mariner. Additionally, hubby and I are spending a few days in Anchorage pre-cruise and Vancouver post-cruise.

 

We are booked for an Alaskan cruise on Mariner in May 2018 to celebrate a big anniversary, I would like to maximize our experience on board:

1) Best underutilized areas of the ship.

2) What other things did you learn on your Mariner or Alaska cruise that you wish you had know earlier?

3) Any other best advice for a Regent newbie?:)

1) Most any area - with the exception of La Veranda and maybe Compass Rose, very few places on board any Regent ship are over utilized. If you're just looking for a quiet place to hang out, there are some nice outdoor areas aft of the pool deck that don't get too much traffic - indoors, there are any number of places to sit and relax.

2) Can't help you on this one - I can't really say I learned anything on the cruise that I didn't know that would have made it a better experience - just make sure you have your excursions lined up - the rest will fall into place.

3) Just enjoy the cruise - if you have any questions, don't be afraid to ask - both here before your cruise, and on board.

There are a few things that I wish I knew prior to sailing in Regent (any ship). While their main dining room, Compass Rose, offers many amazing dishes, sometimes we want more than one item but could not eat it all. You can order an appetizer size of a main course or a main course size appetizer. Of course, you can order double portions if you are hungry and want to make sure you have enough (we've done that with lobster a few times).

You can special order food 24 hours in advance (as long as they have the ingredients onboard to make the item). We've asked for Filipino and Indian dishes as well as things like Beef Wellington and Chateaubriand.

If the daily complimentary wine(s) are not to your taste, speak with the sommelier - let them know the type of wine that you like and they will try to find it in their wine cellar (and are usually successful in finding something that you like).

If there is an excursion that you wanted but it is full, try going to the theater about a half an hour before everyone that is booked on the excursion gets there and get on the waiting list. Unfortunately, almost all excursions have "no-shows".

In Alaska, I wish I knew that there can be Wi-Fi "black-out" areas due to the mountains blocking the satellite.

That is all that I can think of at the moment!

Thank you, UUNetBill and Travelcat!! I appreciate your input! As I think of more specific questions relative to the excursions I will ask those as well!

As an fyi, during our Alaska cruise last summer, we never met in the theater for our excursions. At each port we met on the respective pier. Just wanted you to know that you should check with Destination Services first.

In terms of quiet spaces, I never found any space to be overwhelming busy.

Lynn

"Overwhelming busy" is subjective. The most crowded area of any Regent ship tends to be in La Veranda before excursions are due to depart. There are times where getting a seat becomes difficult. A good alternative may be going to the Coffee Connection. It has cereals, toast, fruit and various other items (but no eggs). The coffee there is dramatically better than in other restaurant.

Not meeting in the theater would be a great thing - this is something we have seen on only one out of close to 30 Regent cruises. If this is case on your cruise, Destination Services can let you know how to get on a waiting list. I'll be interested to learn how excursions work next month when we are onboard the Mariner. I'll definitely report back.

Also confirm Lynns Alaska cruise info from last year. All our excursions met shore side. Jean

Also confirm Lynns Alaska cruise info from last year. All our excursions met shore side. Jean

As I mentioned - that is interesting. Silversea does it that way and I've mentioned it on my comment cards several times. Since we have taken four Regent trips since last summer and all of them met in the theater, I'm taking a wait and see approach. There are some posters that have been to Alaska this summer and I'd like to hear from them as well. This would be quite a major change (a positive one) to how Regent runs excursions. OTOH, it is unlikely that I'll ever be a fan of included excursions -- it reminds too much of mainstream cruise lines.

Regarding waiting in the theater for tours in Alaska. We did the Vancouver to Anchorage itinerary in late May and we never met in the theater. We were told to report dockside before the scheduled departure time for each tour. One thing that really surprised us as well as frustrated us was the amount of time spent in line to check in before boarding the ship. I and many others in line stated that they had never had to wait in line to check in--you simply walked up to a desk in the ship's terminal (usually lines were separated with alphabetical listings such as A - F, G - K, etc.) now there were several layers of check in involved, including scanning your passport at a kiosk. There were so many people in line to board ships (ours was not the only one departing that day), that it took at least two hours to check in. One poor lady finally made it to the check in desk to simply be told that she was in the wrong line and needed to go into the Holland America line which looked as if it had a couple of thousand people in it. I felt so sorry for her. So, if you are leaving for Alaska this summer which is the high season, I can't imagine how long the lines will be. I'm hoping that they hire more agents to check in people because of the increase in the number of ships departing in July/August. Good luck!

Regarding waiting in the theater for tours in Alaska. We did the Vancouver to Anchorage itinerary in late May and we never met in the theater. We were told to report dockside before the scheduled departure time for each tour. One thing that really surprised us as well as frustrated us was the amount of time spent in line to check in before boarding the ship. I and many others in line stated that they had never had to wait in line to check in--you simply walked up to a desk in the ship's terminal (usually lines were separated with alphabetical listings such as A - F, G - K, etc.) now there were several layers of check in involved, including scanning your passport at a kiosk. There were so many people in line to board ships (ours was not the only one departing that day), that it took at least two hours to check in. One poor lady finally made it to the check in desk to simply be told that she was in the wrong line and needed to go into the Holland America line which looked as if it had a couple of thousand people in it. I felt so sorry for her. So, if you are leaving for Alaska this summer which is the high season, I can't imagine how long the lines will be. I'm hoping that they hire more agents to check in people because of the increase in the number of ships departing in July/August. Good luck!

Thank you for all of the interesting news. Not going to the theater for an excursion is exciting!

I'm curious if you used Regent transportation to the port. We tend to avoid that due to the lines. On the other hand, Vancouver gets crazy busy. Our hope for our August 30th cruise is that it is close to the end of the season and it may not be as crowded. Also, we plan on arriving at the port at least a half hour prior to boarding.

Similar boarding issues last August for us. We walked to the port from the hotel as did a lot of guests and Regent transported all the luggage from Hotel.

We arrived just before 12miday and the waiting time to board was well over an hour.

It also depends on how many ships are in port, and there were only 2 . I would check the cruise port diary to give you the heads up as to how many vessels will be there to allow you more time to plan. Jean.

We were on the same Alaska cruise as Phillygirl3 starting in Vancouver.

We took a private tour that morning to Capilano suspension bridge and Grouse Mountain.

It is our practice to book a private tour for the morning we board and have done so before almost every cruise.

After our tour we were delivered with our luggage to the port at about 2:30.

We walked through the boarding process and were on board and in our suite in about 15 minutes.

I know everyone is anxious to board but we have found this to be a very successful strategy.

Sharon

I am agreeing with Sharon about waiting to get to the cruise terminal as close to boarding as you can because we did wait more than 2 hrs. and yes, you literally could walk to the terminal. We did not book our cruise directly through Regent and our transportation to the hotel in Vancouver and then to the ship was provided through a taxi as we were given vouchers to present to them from our travel agent.