August Mariner Alaska cruise

All,

I have been investigating the merits of a regent cruise vs. other cruises to Alaska.

We are well traveled and fairly adventurous and typically book independent vacations. We are a family of 4 with 2 teenage sons. We do not like crowds.

We had a neighbor with kids our kids ages (though they are girls) who sailed on Regent in Alaska a few years ago and gave it a big thumbs up. Another neighbor is taking a Celebrity cruise in August and they are very excited. It is certainly less expensive than Regent, so I am curious about Regent for our family and the value you believe it provides.

I would love your perspective on sailing Regent on these items:

1. Will the ship be ok for our boys? I know that July/August cruises to Alaska have a lot of families, but really - will they enjoy this ship? Will the ship (staff and clientele) be ok with teens?

2. We are a bit worried about sea sickness - how rough will the Anchorage to Hubbard Glacier be and can the Mariner absorb the rough seas?

3. Are the included excursions interesting, engaging and active? Or would we need to buy the choice excursions and potentially negate the "free excursion" benefit? Do you have recommendations for excursions?

4. My friend had a very hard time getting reservations in the signature restaurants any earlier than 9pm (and thus missing the opportunity to see a show). Is there any flexibility while on board for specialty restaurants?

5. There are concierge rooms available but right under La Verandah - will it be noisy? Will we be unhappy spending the premium because of the noise?

6. Any tips that you would recommend for the time on board?

7. Any other tips we should know?

I recognize this is a Regent forum so many are fans of Regent but would like your perspective.

Thank you in advance!

Lynn

Lynn, we've done 5 Regent cruises and only taken our daughters on one - to Alaska when they were late teens - I'll try and answer your question below...

I would love your perspective on sailing Regent on these items:

1. Will the ship be ok for our boys? I know that July/August cruises to Alaska have a lot of families, but really - will they enjoy this ship? Will the ship (staff and clientele) be ok with teens?

 

A lot of this depends on your boys - our girls were social butterflies and we went in May so there weren't a lot of kids their age - they spent quite a bit of time in their cabin enjoying reruns of 'Glee' and room service. But they also liked getting out and drinking Shirley Temples in the lounges and doing afternoon tea...as well as the jigsaw puzzles, the putting greens, etc. The crew was fine with them, and they still talk about how much fun that trip was.

2. We are a bit worried about sea sickness - how rough will the Anchorage to Hubbard Glacier be and can the Mariner absorb the rough seas?

 

Mariner is one of Regent's most stable ships; none of us have ever had any issues on any of their ships, let alone Mariner. That said, try and book lower decks mid-ship if you're concerned about motion.

 

3. Are the included excursions interesting, engaging and active? Or would we need to buy the choice excursions and potentially negate the "free excursion" benefit? Do you have recommendations for excursions?

 

We all greatly enjoyed the excursions (three generations, from teens to early-70s) but we did spring for some added cost trips, mostly the off-road karts and the helicopter to the glacier...and yes, these cost extra, but they're a surcharge, not so much a complete fee...what I mean is that say there's a $199 per person charge for a particular excursion - that would probably cost $400 or more on another line. So you still get part of the benefit of included excursions.

 

4. My friend had a very hard time getting reservations in the signature restaurants any earlier than 9pm (and thus missing the opportunity to see a show). Is there any flexibility while on board for specialty restaurants?

 

I've never had problems with earlier reservations, if you're in a PH or above and have a butler, they can help with this. I'd book whatever you could online and then call before you depart...worst case, keep checking on board. Things change.

 

5. There are concierge rooms available but right under La Verandah - will it be noisy? Will we be unhappy spending the premium because of the noise?

 

I'd be somewhat concerned about being under La Veranda - but again, different people have a different noise tolerance. We were just below the pool deck on Navigator once - never again!!

 

6. Any tips that you would recommend for the time on board?

 

Enjoy, enjoy, enjoy!!! Again, this is very subjective, but as I said, our girls spent a bit of time in their cabin with TV and movies, but they also did the teas and other activities.

 

7. Any other tips we should know?

 

The only thing I'd add is that when you compare Regent to other lines, it seems WAY expensive up front. :eek: But when you add it all up, it's really not that much more. We sailed on another line once - once - and will never sail on anything other than Regent (or maybe Seabourn/Silversea/Crystal or similar) again. There's just no substitute, in my mind, for being able to do just about anything on board and not having to sign or swipe a card everywhere you go. You CAN spend more money on board Regent, but you don't HAVE to spend more money on board Regent.

 

Yeah, I'm a bit of a cheerleader...but you asked. :D

 

If you book it, I'm sure you'll enjoy it.

 

I recognize this is a Regent forum so many are fans of Regent but would like your perspective.

 

Thank you in advance!

Lynn

All,

I have been investigating the merits of a regent cruise vs. other cruises to Alaska.

We are well traveled and fairly adventurous and typically book independent vacations. We are a family of 4 with 2 teenage sons. We do not like crowds.

 

We had a neighbor with kids our kids ages (though they are girls) who sailed on Regent in Alaska a few years ago and gave it a big thumbs up. Another neighbor is taking a Celebrity cruise in August and they are very excited. It is certainly less expensive than Regent, so I am curious about Regent for our family and the value you believe it provides.

 

I would love your perspective on sailing Regent on these items:

 

1. Will the ship be ok for our boys? I know that July/August cruises to Alaska have a lot of families, but really - will they enjoy this ship? Will the ship (staff and clientele) be ok with teens?

 

There is a children's program on Regent during the summer. Not sure if your teens would want to be in a group but it is available. Other than that, there are few areas for teens to hang out. There is an area with games that they could play if they are into that. Alaska is very port intensive and it is likely that they will be quite tired at night and will probably have to be up early every morning for excursions so this may not be a problem.

 

The crew love children but some passengers may give some "looks" if they are noisy, running around or dive bombing in the pool (the pool is quite small). It is important to know that your children can behave and be comfortable with long dinners. Another point for your teens is that they need to wear slacks and a collared shirt at dinner - no jeans, shorts or t-shirts.

 

2. We are a bit worried about sea sickness - how rough will the Anchorage to Hubbard Glacier be and can the Mariner absorb the rough seas?

The Mariner handles the seas very well. I would not expect any sea sickness issues on the Mariner in that area of the world.

 

3. Are the included excursions interesting, engaging and active? Or would we need to buy the choice excursions and potentially negate the "free excursion" benefit? Do you have recommendations for excursions?

Take the time to read up on Alaska excursions. Just go into any of the Alaska summer itineraries for this year on the RSSC.com website and check out excursions -- the explanations are quite detailed and you can probably find what you are looking for at no additional cost. CC members will likely give you many suggestions.

 

4. My friend had a very hard time getting reservations in the signature restaurants any earlier than 9pm (and thus missing the opportunity to see a show). Is there any flexibility while on board for specialty restaurants?

 

The key here is to book online as soon as reservations become available (this is true for excursions as well as dining reservations). There will be some availability when you get onboard but on 7 night itineraries with approximately 700 passengers on board, dining reservations can be difficult.

 

5. There are concierge rooms available but right under La Verandah - will it

be noisy? Will we be unhappy spending the premium because of the noise?

 

We would not book a suite under La Veranda or under any dining venue, lounge or the pool deck.

 

6. Any tips that you would recommend for the time on board?

 

7. Any other tips we should know?

 

We have not sailed on Celebrity but have friends that do and they enjoy it. On Regent, you have open seating which makes dining a bit easier and more flexible. Of course there is no charge for soft drinks or alcoholic drinks. You could easily go on a Regent cruise and not spend one penny more than the cruise fare which, in my opinion, is a big plus

 

I recognize this is a Regent forum so many are fans of Regent but would like your perspective.

 

Thank you in advance!

Lynn

I'll give my input above - in red - under your questions.

Here is a link to excursions for an upcoming Alaska cruise. https://www.rssc.com/cruises/MAR160727/activities/regent-choice-plus-free/day-1/default/default.aspx You'll need to click on "Select a Port" (the brown button on the right side of the screen) to see the of excursions in that port. Hope this helps.

You are correct that the Regent forum has many Regent fans, however, most of us have taken multiple cruises - not all on Regent and return to Regent. That says a lot about the Regent experience.

Bill, you and I did the same thing at the same time:D

Thanks.

We were planning on this August so passed the point of early booking for excursions and dining.

Also, the only concierge rooms were under the pool or La Verandah. Sounds like it will be awful. Why would the higher priced rooms be in bad locations??

Our younger son is VERY social. The older one, it is more sporadic. (our kids are well traveled and well behaved) I would not want them though to be spending their time in the cabin playing video games or watching movies. I was hoping for engagement - and by engagement I do not mean a gaming room. Does anyone have experience with the Kids program? I heard that Alaska in the summer there are so many kids that the kids program is more robust and cruisers are more tolerant.

They are used to long dinners - probably not 7 nights in a row, but are definitely used to fine dining. And the dress code is not an issue - they are used to having to dress. The younger one though loves to wear bermuda shorts though.

The older one is definitely interested in Prime 7, he is a steakhouse affianado. One other nights, would they be ok eating at the Pool Grill - and then doing an activity while my husband I eat in the dining room. Is that doable?

I dont think we would like the big ships, but want to ensure that this will work for all 4 of us.

Thanks again for your insights!

Lynn

The pool grill is not open for dinner - only lunch and breakfast.

If you post what date in August you are looking at, I can check on the website to see what suites are available (or you can do it yourself by "pretending" to make a booking but not completing it).

I believe that the later in August that you sail the less children there will be as some children go back to school in August (they do where we live).

I don't know if I'd go so far as to say 'awful' but if you're noise sensitive, it can be an issue. When we were under the pool deck, it normally wouldn't have been an issue but there was a group on board that stayed out on the pool deck WAY past normal hours and kept moving chairs, clomping around, etc...it took several calls from the desk to finally get them moved elsewhere. But on a normal cruise, it probably wouldn't have been that much of an issue.

As to the kids, I'm not familiar with the kids program (Club Mariner, I believe it's called) because I think it's geared to a younger crowd, but I could be wrong. Not quite sure what kind of 'engagement' you're looking for - I know our girls were up and ready to go by 7:30-8:00 most days, we'd have breakfast, and spend the entire day on excursions. Many of these were physically demanding, so when we got back on board, we'd hit the cabins to clean up and then find a place for the group of us to sit and have cocktails (sodas or juice for the kiddos) before dinner. After dinner, it was usually show time, or we'd sit on the deck watching the scenery. Some evenings we'd go out for nightcaps or dancing, and the girls would binge on TV. Believe me, there's plenty to keep them busy if you're doing excursions every day. But unlike the mega-ships, there are no areas that are geared toward kids, like amusement centers, wave-things, ziplines, etc...

So I think that if you fill your days, by the time you have dinner and chill a little, there's not going to be a lot of downtime to fill.

Thanks.

We were planning on this August so passed the point of early booking for excursions and dining.

Also, the only concierge rooms were under the pool or La Verandah. Sounds like it will be awful. Why would the higher priced rooms be in bad locations??

 

Our younger son is VERY social. The older one, it is more sporadic. (our kids are well traveled and well behaved) I would not want them though to be spending their time in the cabin playing video games or watching movies. I was hoping for engagement - and by engagement I do not mean a gaming room. Does anyone have experience with the Kids program? I heard that Alaska in the summer there are so many kids that the kids program is more robust and cruisers are more tolerant.

 

They are used to long dinners - probably not 7 nights in a row, but are definitely used to fine dining. And the dress code is not an issue - they are used to having to dress. The younger one though loves to wear bermuda shorts though.

The older one is definitely interested in Prime 7, he is a steakhouse affianado. One other nights, would they be ok eating at the Pool Grill - and then doing an activity while my husband I eat in the dining room. Is that doable?

 

 

I dont think we would like the big ships, but want to ensure that this will work for all 4 of us.

 

Thanks again for your insights!

Lynn

Perfect. thanks. We are planning on being active on port days, so the boys will probably be fine. We were going early August since that is the "no contact" period for HS sports.

If you are looking at the August 3rd sailing, it looks very full (very few suites). My concern is whether you could get the excursions that you want. The August 10th sailing has a lot more availability.

Agree with bill and Jackie's comments. Our sons started cruising on Regent when the were 12 and 17. They loved it, and both still love Regent cruises. They are now 25 and 30. They liked the kid program. It is divided by ages, so the teenagers are together, but not with younger kids. They did a pizza party night, a burger night, both where they watched movies and played video games. They also did a scavenger hunt and got to visit with the captain and other ship officers. They did karaoke . They had several contests going and earned Regent rewards for those, which they exchanged at the end of the cruise for t shirts.. My boys are also quite good at trivia, so we had a winning trivia team almost every day.

It sounds like your kids would be fine.

As far as Celebrity goes, wo of my very good friends, who have also sailed on Regent, went on a celebrity cruise to Alaska on the millennium this year. They were very disappointed, mostly in the quality of the food which was very poor. They swore to never do that again. The food was so bad that one of them got sick with a GI thing the 2nd day, which she knows she got on the ship since the first day was a sea day. She vomited and had diarrhea the entire cruise.

Thank you, Rachel. Sounds like it will be an ok choice for our kids.

One additional question, how dressed do we have to be for dinner? It is not a problem for my husband who could wear a sports jacket -- no tie required - correct?

But for me, do I need to wear a dress? I was thinking with the potential for chilly weather I would not want to wear a dress - which would also require some sort of heel. Do women wear dresses and heels? are pants appropriate? flats ok? I do not mind dressing up but also want to be comfortable.

Thanks for the replies!! Love getting your insights.

Copied from Regent website:

The recommended onboard dress in the evenings is Elegant Casual. Dinner dress includes skirt, or slacks with blouse or sweater, pant suit or dress for ladies; slacks and collared shirt for gentlemen. Sport jackets are optional. Jeans, shorts, t-shirts or tennis shoes are not to be worn at dinner. Ties are not required.

We are onboard Mariner now with 2 kids - 11 and 14. Just sailed from Vancouver yesterday. Our daughter is in the younger Mariners club. They are supervised by 2, I think, youth hosts. We are at sea today. She went down for an hour or two this morning and they did crafts. This after is a sporting themed "event" and she wanted to go for that. Our son is in the older group. This morning was basically just an opportunity to gather with other teens -- nothing organized. This afternoon is a board game tournament. I think the teens are pretty much on their own to keep things moving.

So far, our kids (and DW and I) have been enjoying things. As our previous experience, the ship does not feel crowded at all. No problem today finding a blanket and lounger on deck. Some of the public areas seem almost deserted (that's a good thing from my perspective) even though we are at sea. May feel more crowded tomorrow as we all try to get off for excursions.

Only one day in but most of the kids seem well behaved/controlled. Last night for dinner, quite a few boys/teens including our son were wearing sports coats which was nice (we were dining in Prime 7).

We are doing a couple of included excursions, bust most of our choices require additional payment. But that was ok with us since we wanted our kids to experience some of same things we've done in the past.

I wear dresses and heels most evenings, even in Alaska. On our recent cruise, I also took some leather pants, and paired them with a couple of sparkly tops and a velvet top for evenings. But with heels. Took 12 pairs of shoes on the recent 14 day cruise. But as anyone who knows me will tell you, I am sort of a fashionista. It is not required at all.

Yes, it's easy to see that Rachel is a fashionista-- and she always looked wonderful. Moi, otoh, has never cared much about fashion, and took exactly two pair of "evening" shoes, one of them flats, the other low heels. I virtually never wear dresses, always pants of some sort, all tailored, nothing especially fancy. Come to think of it, I do have one dressy-ish top and one pair of slacks which are a little bit dressy. My husband, otoh, enjoys wearing jackets, especially as he is sometimes cool in restaurants (as am I). Since he virtually never has occasion to "dress up" anymore, he enjoys wearing jacket (sometimes even tie) on Regent. I think we both fit in with the general ambience. I.e. no one is going to put us in any fashion mags, but I don't think that either of us was a sore thumb either.. About 99% of the passengers on Regent look very nice (imho), and, most important, things feel relaxed and unpretentious (for the most part). In short, you do not need to wear a dress, nor heels, though the large majority of women do, I suppose, wear heels.

Btw, Sette Mare (La Veranda in the evening) tends to be less dressy than the other three dinner venues. Still no jeans or shorts, but somehow more casual. Your boys might enjoy that restaurant a lot, especially as it has quite a bit of buffet selections, as well as a nice menu.

We love Alaska on Regent (have done it twice, both on Mariner). While we've not cruised with our family, we've been onboard when there were lots of kids/teenagers: all seemed to be having a wonderful time. I hope and suspect the four of you will too.

Btw, we think the excursions in Alaska are terrific, the included ones as well as a number of the up-charge ones. The excursions in Alaska are so unique and memorable that each person will have her/his favorites. Still, there are some that pretty much everyone seems to enjoy. You might want to take a look at some of the posts from people who've been on Mariner this summer in Alaska; there are half a dozen or so, some of them quite detailed. When you get a sense of which excursions are still available (even if they're not now, they often become available once on board) and which your family is most interested in, don't hesitate to ask specific questions.

You're in for a real treat!

Thanks, all!

mborchgardt, is your cruise fully booked? Or is it feeling empty because it is not a full sailing? .

Could you post some updates on what your kids like as you go? My kids are just a little bit older but it will give me a better perspective.:)

Poss, you always look great. Very classy appearance.

Thanks, all!

 

mborchgardt, is your cruise fully booked? Or is it feeling empty because it is not a full sailing? .

Could you post some updates on what your kids like as you go? My kids are just a little bit older but it will give me a better perspective.:)

LynnRuns: happy to post some updates as the cruise progresses particularly as it relates to the kids. I am not sure about how full this particular cruise is, although it doesn't feel different than our previous two R cruises. The public space ratio is pretty high so generally you don't feel like there are 800 on board.

Our family of 4 is in a Penthouse B which has been working great so far. However, we did book very early and my recollection is that there were limited Penthouse suites that had a sleeper sofa and a shower -- which were both requirements for us. They also bring in a rollaway bed at night during turndown and remove it in the morning. The suite is quite roomy -- it seems like the Penthouses on Mariner are some of the most beloved R suites -- but your kids may prefer the privacy of a separate suite.

I will also say that we did not book R for the kids programs, so we didn't expect or require a lot in that regard. We booked for the smaller ship size and passenger count along with fine dining and other "luxury" touches.

We have our first excursions tomorrow in Ketchikan so we are looking forward to that.

Thank you for updating me.

Our agent had held 2 side by side concierge staterooms for us. A Penthouse would be nice since you get a Butler too!

You mention being on 2 other Regent cruises - were those with kids too? Would you say that having 2 concierge staterooms would be ok? I am a bit envious because the extra living space looks so nice in the Penthouse!

When we were with our 2 sons, we got two cabins side by side. Mainly because then you have 2 bathrooms!

LynnRuns: happy to post some updates as the cruise progresses particularly as it relates to the kids. I am not sure about how full this particular cruise is, although it doesn't feel different than our previous two R cruises. The public space ratio is pretty high so generally you don't feel like there are 800 on board.

 

I.

Is there really 800 on board (on a ship that is recommended to carry 700?) If so, this is the first time I've heard of a ship being "stuffed" since a few years ago in Alaska when children sailed free. Hope that was a typo.

Rachel, my concern for the OP is that all excursions will be full as we are only a few weeks out from the date of embarkation. As you know, there are limitations on certain excursions in Alaska where adding buses won't help. What do you think?

When we were with our 2 sons, we got two cabins side by side. Mainly because then you have 2 bathrooms!

We did the same when we took our daughters. But we took my in-laws, too, so we had a block of three cabins side-by-side with the girls in the middle, just in case they made any excessive noise. Which, fortunately, they didn't. At least, not that I'm aware of!

Jackie, I think there will still eve enough availability on excursions. We changed a couple after we boarded, and had no problems getting what we wanted, even with the ship being full. Most of the whale and wildlife watching tours are on large catamaran style boats run by Allen Marine. They have plenty of room. The hiking tours do have some limits, but none of ours were totally full. There is such a large number of different tours in most ports that they should be able to find something.

Jackie, I think there will still eve enough availability on excursions. We changed a couple after we boarded, and had no problems getting what we wanted, even with the ship being full. Most of the whale and wildlife watching tours are on large catamaran style boats run by Allen Marine. They have plenty of room. The hiking tours do have some limits, but none of ours were totally full. There is such a large number of different tours in most ports that they should be able to find something.

:)

Thanks!

We did the same when we took our daughters. But we took my in-laws, too, so we had a block of three cabins side-by-side with the girls in the middle, just in case they made any excessive noise. Which, fortunately, they didn't. At least, not that I'm aware of!

I was thinking extra bathroom and separate bedrooms is good way to go.