Alaska Northbound Aug 29th..,Amazing trip!

[S&G@C]

I realize that this is the Cruise Critic Board...but what I frequently read strikes me as the Cruise "Critical" board. No cruise is perfect! Our experience on our recent cruise was most enjoyable despite some problems. Yes, there was a delay from Vancouver and we did spend 2 days in open and foggy waters. Yes, we did miss Ketchiken. But this was not a "deal breaker" with Regent. The morning we woke up entering Tracey Arms Sound the trip took a magical turn. Whales started spouting; the sun started shining; and the fun began. Alaska has the most amazing scenery and wildlife in the world! I have traveled the fjords of Chile and Norway and in my opinion Alaska surpasses them both! In Juneau we experienced the Humpback whale bubble net feeding and watched Orcas swim around our excursion boat! Yes we could have seen this from the balcony of a much cheaper cruise line but the comforts of coming home each day to the Mariner made it even more pleasant! The crew and staff tried to please...but please everyone they couldn't. We had minor problems but the company we kept and scenary we experienced paled any complaint that surfaced. No cruise line is capable of delivering 100%...I don't expect it and I think some of the "critical eyes" ought to search within and appreciate the beauty outside. Could Regent improve...of course; did they deliver a memorable cruise at a good value...YES!

[vitacura]

Don't you mean July 29th? :D I was on the same sailing and truly had a great time, even with the delay. The service and staff were outstanding as usual! Alaska is beautiful and I will be going back next year on the Navigator!

[jhp]

S&G, I wish you could get the host to amend your date to the proper one. There are conflicting reviews of this cruise, and all are important.

[freddie]

S&G@C and vitacura - Thanks for posting something positive about your cruise. After the late departure and the skipping of Ketchikan (not, in my opinion, a very interesting port, in any event), it is heartening to read that the cruise went well. It appears that your cruisemate, Jeremy, did not manage to salvage nearly as much of the cruise as you did. Clearly, when st**f happens on a cruise, one can either make the best of it or wallow in the mire of what went awry. While we are not by any means knee-jerk Regent cheerleaders (check our posts about problems from time to time), we also recognize that sometimes things occur on a cruise which must be endured or ignored, preferably the latter. Cruising is a sport that includes the occasional toss of the dice with respect to ports of call, weather, and even propulsion pods. Thanks for reminding us that even when that toss comes up other than 7 or 11, the cruise can nonetheless be a very good one. Cheers, Fred

[cruiseluv]

S&G,

 

Glad that overall the cruise was a good experience. Could you comment about the number of kids onboard? There have been some comments about Regent packing as many as 150 kids in some of these summer cruises. I can't even begin to imagine that!

[DaveFr]

S&G,

 

Since I'm cruising on the Mariner in less than four weeks, I'd appreciate any information you might have concerning the problem Mariner had when attempting to depart Vancouver. Was it a one-time problem that was fixed or was it the type of problem that will affect subsequent cruises? My guess is that it was a one-time problem because there haven't been any postings from passengers on the August 5th cruise now underway about such a problem. Am I correct? Once you reached your first port, did the problem in Vancouver cause any itinerary changes such a shortened visit to a port?

 

I'm glad you enjoyed your cruise. We're looking forward to ours and intend to enjoy it come what may.

[S&G@C]

S&G,

 

Glad that overall the cruise was a good experience. Could you comment about the number of kids onboard? There have been some comments about Regent packing as many as 150 kids in some of these summer cruises. I can't even begin to imagine that!

 

There were a lot of children on the ship...don't know numbers. By in large they were well behaved and seemed to be enjoying themselves. On a few occasions I noticed a table full of children sitting alone at dinner. I don't recall any unnecessary noise or disturbance. Most of the time the children were participating in the Mariner Kids program.

[S&G@C]

S&G,

 

Since I'm cruising on the Mariner in less than four weeks, I'd appreciate any information you might have concerning the problem Mariner had when attempting to depart Vancouver. Was it a one-time problem that was fixed or was it the type of problem that will affect subsequent cruises? My guess is that it was a one-time problem because there haven't been any postings from passengers on the August 5th cruise now underway about such a problem. Am I correct? Once you reached your first port, did the problem in Vancouver cause any itinerary changes such a shortened visit to a port?

 

I never heard officially what the problem was. I figured that we had to miss Ketchiken because the port times were limited and schedule tight. Everything else worked like clockwork with no shortened port time. I think it was a one time problem and you should have a great time!!!! We did!