As I promised you at the beginning of my blog, I will never write about anything that I haven't experienced personally.. Some things will be a bit older than others, but none will be too old so that they are no longer relevant in terms of quality or importance. Therefore, I must tell you about taking the Regent Mariner to Alaska with our twin grandsons 2 years ago.
I always tell people that picking a cruise ship is NOT like choosing a hotel. If you make a bad choice in hotels, you just walk down the street and enter another place. If you pick a bad ship (and by that I mean it isn't a fit for you) you will be miserable for the entire length of your trip. Therefore, it is extremely important to do your homework before booking a cruise. What do you like to do? Are you an early-morning person or a late-night person? Do you like to gamble...do you like big, lavish nightclub shows? Do you want many choices of restaurants? Do you want to be pampered...or do you like getting lost in the crowd? And speaking of crowds, do you like small groups of people, or do you enjoy the excitement of LOTS of people? You must be honest with these questions, because they will determine which ship you pick. And that will determine what kind of time you will have.
Because we know what we like, we decided not to take a "Geared for Children" ship. We knew our grandsons would fit in anywhere, and so the issue was to find a "Child Friendly " ship that we would love. And did we ever. Regent Seven Seas Cruises has four ships in their fleet and the The Mariner is probably one of the most fabulous ships sailing today. It was a perfect choice for us.
The ship is small enough (700 guests), yet large enough to have a wonderful gym, spa, nightclub showroom, casino, and two additional specialty restaurants to the main dining room. All the cabins are oceanview suites, and they all have balconies, but, as I said before, you have to have a fit, and we fit in with the Regent Mariner.
We like dining whenever we want..no assigned times and no assigned tables. Also, there is a Steak restaurant and a French restaurant, in addition to the main dining room. In Alaska, there are no formal nights, so dress was not an issue. On some ships, a tux is a must....or at least a dark suit...so make sure you check that out. We like paying one price, and having everything included. Yes, I mean all your tips and all your drinks! This means that if you have a drink anywhere on the ship, it is FREE...and you are never handed a chit to sign. What a gracious way to travel. It is almost as if the ship were yours, and the people on board were there for you exclusively. There is also a stocked bar in your room. I mentioned that the tips are included, but if you are lucky enough to book a major suite that comes with Butler Service, they are tipped extra. Know that in 2010 the Regent is also including Free airfare on many cruises....as well as Free selected shore excursions .
By the way, we took our boys to Alaska, and they had a Jacques Cousteau program for them to partake in and they were busy all the time. The shore excursions were fabulous, as was the time on the ship when we were sailing. So we didn't care that there wasn't a Rock Wall or a Pizza Joint (however, a GREAT pizza station is up near the pool).
Cruising is a wonderful way to vacation...and it is not only for "older" people. Just remember that the shorter the cruise, usually the younger the crowd. Most 30-year-olds don't have the luxury of taking 18 days!!! But put it on your "Bucket List". A fantastic ship can make any destination memorable.
We are off to the Mediterranean in two weeks on board the Crystal Serenity. Will post more then.
Posts
