cmac cruiser

https://www.cruisecritic.com/news/news.cfm?ID=8931

I saw this on another thread but thought I'd give it a headline/thread of its own. Who's in?

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!

I had one on Carnival Horizon last week. It's a decent burger -- and much better than other veggie burgers I've had on other lines. But it will take extra time to cook.

A woman flossing at the dinner table in the main dining room.

Hi there! Here's an article that compares the two cruise lines: http://www.cruisecritic.com/articles.cfm?ID=2713

Hope it is helpful,

Colleen

I haven't seen The Brat Pack since they moved it to the main theater, so the content might have changed some, but I did see it when it was the dinner theater production. That show definitely was for adults. I'd put it at PG-13. It's wonderfully entertaining, but I'd say it isn't for young kids.

I know the other Oasis class ships have Freestyle machines but since they are not popular in Europe, they may not have installed them on Harmony yet. Can a recent Harmony sailor confirm if they there are Freestyle Coke machines on the Harmony yet?

Hello,

They have two in the buffet, two by the Mini-Bites station, and two in Sorrento's.

Happy cruising!

This is really helpful and informative! Thanks for taking the time to put this together.

Colleen

I was in Tortola on NCL Gem in January. The dock is still under heavy construction, and we did tender in. The people at the guest relations booth on the island indicated the majority of the work on the dock would be done by the summer. I think that was a fairly ambitious estimate based on what I saw, but I'm hopeful. I love Tortola. When complete, the dock will accommodate two ships (according to the people I spoke with). Shopkeepers told us they are suffering mightily because of the project. :(

I'm not sailing with you, but I feel your pain. My husband and I love Euchre. I'm also from Wisconsin, so it's a game virtually everyone played while I was growing up.

Hello, could those who have used Thenford and royston give me some idea of the cost per person or per tour. Thank you.

Royston was $45 per person. It included the full tour, plus lunch, drinks (beer, soda, water and juice) and entry fee to the fortress. We stopped at the rain forest, Romney Manor, Caribelle Batik, Brimstone Hill Fortress, the black rocks, the peninsula, and Basseterre, with a final stop at South Friars Beach for swimming and snorkeling (and close up views of vervet monkeys and mongoose).

We booked with Royston and actually toured with his cousin Ashton. It was one of the best excursions we have ever taken on any cruise. Just wonderful. I wrote a review for Trip Advisor, but would happily answer any questions on this tour. As the previous poster said, they should charge more for all that is included in this trip.