Mariner Wold Cruise in 2020

We've sailed with Oceania a number of times but, for a very special voyage, just booked the Mariner World cruise for 2020. We'll be in a Mariner Suite #916. Any pros or cons you can provide are gratefully sought about our accommodations and/or the ship ... plus this is our first World Cruise (131 days) so are looking for tips in that area too. As we are a bit on the elderly side, thought if we're ever going to enjoy a World Cruise, this would be the time ... but is this the right ship and accommodations to do it on? 1000 thank you's for any info you can provide! Catherine

Mariner is best Regent ship (IMO) and 916 will be a fantastic suite. Ship is very comfortable; you might find yourself hanging out in Deck 6 most of the time (great garden promenade) and then the observation lounge for sightseeing (Mariner is only Regent ship with outdoor wings adjacent to Observation Lounge for picture taking). Real easy to navigate this ship regardless of physical capabilities.

We will see you towards the end of your cruise; we will be boarding in Rome for the leg to Miami.

Marc

We've sailed with Oceania a number of times but, for a very special voyage, just booked the Mariner World cruise for 2020. We'll be in a Mariner Suite #916. Any pros or cons you can provide are gratefully sought about our accommodations and/or the ship ... plus this is our first World Cruise (131 days) so are looking for tips in that area too. As we are a bit on the elderly side, thought if we're ever going to enjoy a World Cruise, this would be the time ... but is this the right ship and accommodations to do it on? 1000 thank you's for any info you can provide! Catherine

Hi Catherine and welcome to the Regent board!

The Mariner suite is our favorite suite on the ship - we will be in a Mariner Suite for 25 nights this coming November. What we like the best is what we call the "wall of windows". The suite is really open, light and stunning (and will even more so after it is refurbished next year). The Mariner has the second most lovely open spaces (second only to Regent's newest ship - Explorer).

Although Mariner is not our favorite ship, it is dramatically better than the Navigator - the ship that is currently doing World Cruises. While I know that some people enjoy the Navigator, most will agree that it does not do as well as Mariner in rough seas. Actually, even Explorer does not do as well as Mariner in rough seas.

We have also sailed on Oceania's Riviera twice and while we find the ship absolutely gorgeous, we prefer Regent over Oceania.

Hopefully other World Cruises will chime in and give their opinions!

Thank you so much for the good reports -- looks like we've chosen a good ship with an equally good accommodation! Now, is there anyone out there who has done a world cruise with tips on that? 131 days is 4 1/2 months which may be too long? We're assuming all domestic bills are paid before you eave home, like electric, phone, etc.? Am sure there are many hints out there for undertaking such a long cruise ;-)

The longest I've done is 120 days (and before that 72 days). I did not find it too long. There is something very pleasant about settling in and letting this be your home for an extended period. It just so happens that your home takes you exploring. And it is easy to get spoiled with someone attending to your every little want or need for several months.

You can find quite a few pointers on world cruise subjects large and small in the World Cruise forum at http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=833

A few odds and ends that come to mind:

-There are many bills that will come in while you are gone. Start now in arranging for them to be sent electronically, so that you can view and pay them online. You might even want to set them up for automatic payment. Just make sure you leave enough money in your account to cover them.

-Even with that, you will miss one or two. I had the post office forward my mail to a trusted family member, who sorted it and let me know of anything that required immediate attention. I also left a few signed checks for him, just in case. My travel buddy gave power of attorney to her relative. Same idea--there's someone there to cover the unexpected.

-Do notify your bank and credit card companies of your travels. If not, they will likely freeze your account at some point due to "suspicious activity."

-And do monitor your credit card accounts to make sure there really isn't suspicious activity on them. This can be done online. Cruise ship internet is painful, but necessary.

-Your income tax returns will come due while you are away, but your year-end statements will arrive after you've departed. File for an extension, and deal with it when you get home.

-Want to know what quantity of toiletries to take? Start now counting how long it takes you to use up a container of each. For example, next time you open a toothpaste tube, write down the date. Then note the date that you finish it off. That will tell you how many days a tube will last, and thus how much to bring.

I'm sure there are many others, but that's a start.

Wow I am excited for you. You will have a great trip. One of my bucket list things is a world cruise, but unfortunately it is not in the foreseeable future. Please post about your cruise so I can live vicariously.

Well if I sold one of our 9 rentals we could do it, but we decided after a 47 day b/b we are happier doing 30 days or less. But we wish you a great time! And we have pretty much been all over the world (179 countries) and it would be just to long for us with our rental properties!

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Who knows, maybe some of us will see you on a segment. I can't imagine a world cruise. Three weeks is enough for me.

I'd probably find a way to tolerate it if I was given a World Cruise. :D

Only a few things keeping me from doing a WC - a job, a dog, a thin bank account, and....well, that's about it. My biggest issue, though, is my pup - I can't imagine being gone that long while he's still alive, and since he's only two, well, probably no WC for me until I'm close to 70. And then I probably won't have the disposable income to be gone that long.

More power to you - you take that WC and enjoy every second of it - we'll live vicariously through you!

As much as a world cruise sounds great, I can't image writing out that check and being on a ship that long. Now if I could get dropped off a few times and meet the ship a few weeks later I may be able to do that, but that requires even more money and planning! I also have a dog that would be very unhappy with us! Enjoy your cruise!

I believe that the person that we have sailed with before and was on the world cruise this year is on another cruise. I'll try to contact her and see if she can add her words of wisdom to this thread.

There is a thread posted on the Crystal board with good information for first time cruisers. Worth reading.

Peggy

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2463018

We also have some helpful articles on the editorial site:

• How to Prepare for a World Cruise
  
• How to Prepare Your Home for a Long Cruise
  
• 12 Tips for Packing for a Long Cruise
  
• World Cruises: What You Need to Know
  

Enjoy!

Thank you so much each and every one of you for all the really good advice and places to find out even more. But you know what really got to us? The two writers who have pets and can't leave them just now! We have a special needs cat who could have been put to sleep several years ago but there's no way we would ever do that -- instead we give him special medication every day along with a lot of love. So, no, we won't go around the world right now. Rather we'll take shorter trips until he passes away naturally and then perhaps we'll explore the world for four months! Your answers were really a help -- not sure what we were thinking ... except maybe only about ourselves :-(

Thank you so much each and every one of you for all the really good advice and places to find out even more. But you know what really got to us? The two writers who have pets and can't leave them just now! We have a special needs cat who could have been put to sleep several years ago but there's no way we would ever do that -- instead we give him special medication every day along with a lot of love. So, no, we won't go around the world right now. Rather we'll take shorter trips until he passes away naturally and then perhaps we'll explore the world for four months! Your answers were really a help -- not sure what we were thinking ... except maybe only about ourselves :-(

I can really identify with your post. The last three years of one of our kitties life, he needed shots (for diabetes) twice a day. Thankfully our pet sitter is an angel and this allowed us to take short cruises. After he passed away our home was quiet. We discussed how we could now do longer cruises. We thought long and hard about it for four days. Then we went to the shelter and adopted two kitties. Today, we still have the same pet sitter (and one more kitty) and take cruises for up to a month. No amount of cruising can bring the joy to our lives than animals can. As you can see from my signature, we still do lots of cruising.

For your 2020 world cruise, may I suggest that you start a Roll Call. This will enable you to 'meet' people that will be sailing with you:D

I have determined that when my current kitty passes, hopefully not anytime soon, but she is special needs, I am not going to get any more animals at the house. At the ranch, our son takes care of them, but getting someone to come three times a day to the house is just too difficult, and our last house sitter was a mess. So Missy will go to our vet to be boarded when we travel for the rest of her days. Fortunately she adores the vet office and they adore her.

We've sailed with Oceania a number of times but, for a very special voyage, just booked the Mariner World cruise for 2020. We'll be in a Mariner Suite #916. Any pros or cons you can provide are gratefully sought about our accommodations and/or the ship ... plus this is our first World Cruise (131 days) so are looking for tips in that area too. As we are a bit on the elderly side, thought if we're ever going to enjoy a World Cruise, this would be the time ... but is this the right ship and accommodations to do it on? 1000 thank you's for any info you can provide! Catherine

Catherine, we also sail on the 2020 WC as Mainer is our personal favorite ship in the fleet after having been on all of them. We are also booked in a Mariner Suite on deck eight. You will definitely enjoy have a separate bedroom and additional half bath.

We did the Navigator WC in 2017 in a Grand Suite albeit the GS locations on the Navigator are not optimum as they are all the way forward. We never felt it was too long establishing a "shipboard" routine quickly. Enjoyed every minute.

If you provide your email address I'm happy to forward a preparation list I used and have enhanced since returning from the first WC.

See you on board!!

Im also envious of anyone taking a WC, it’s kind of a bucket list item for us (now in late 60s early 70s). But we also have a high needs 18-year old Himalayan cat, so even 30-day jaunts are a challenge as we lost our last pet-sitter. Plus we have a second home in Arizona where we spend our winters, so a WC usually falls at a bad time for us. Maybe some day! Until then, we’ll stick to the grand Voyages or shorter at most.

Crooz_N,

we are also booked on the 2020 world cruise and although we have done one world cruise and I have a major list of what we took :D I would be grateful for a copy of your list, also. This will be our first Regent cruise unless I can find sometime before then to take a week trip, so reading a lot of the cruise critic boards for hints regarding Regent. Many of our friends have sailed with Regent, so I fill very comfortable that we will enjoy the mariner.

I have started a roll call for the 20 20 world but there are very few posters. We would like to take an overnight perhaps in Sydney- we have been there often- to visit the Hunter Valley wine region.

My email is ruth at gopublic dot com thanks in advance for your list.

Mzcat369, we are in the Houston area, also. I am one of the few actual native Houstonians.

Crooz_N, I also would be grateful for your list. We are booked on 2021 Mariner WC and would appreciate learning your thoughts.

Please email me:o nacpa at cox dot net.

Thank you also in advance for you kindness!