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Happy experience for a first time cruise

12 of 13 people found this review informative
 
Reviewed By: Vincent, Ely on 12th Nov 2011
Cruise Line: Regent Cruises Times cruised before: 0
Cruise Ship: Seven Seas Navigator Sailed: June, 2011
Destination: Alaska Age: 36-45
Cabin: Balcony
My partner and I took our first cruise from Seward to Vancouver with Regent Seven Seas onboard the Navigator, back in June.
We chose Regent for their All Inclusive philosophy and smaller ship size..

Regent had scheduled us to fly from the UK to Anchorage on Continental Airlines via Houston. This would have entailed a ten hour flight to Houston with just over an hour transfer before another nine hour flight to Anchorage. That would have been a very long transfer from the UK plus the hour at Houston felt too tight for comfort, having also to pass through immigration so we changed our flights for the £50 fee each. We decided to fly direct to Vancouver. Spend a couple of days there, and then transfer up to Anchorage. To Vancouver was a ten hour flight with Air Canada. We were happy to find our own flights and were pleased Regent had no issue with changing them. We also changed our flights on the way back to suit our own schedule.

The Navigator is a relatively small ship with under 500 guests, and we’re glad we chose a smaller ship for our first cruise. We arrived at the ship to a warm welcome from some of the crew and scampered off like excited school children to find our cabin. Our first impressions were positive with wood panelling, polished brass and glass giving an air of luxury and space. We were happy with the size of the cabin, having I imagine a standard layout of bathroom with separate shower, storage room, bed and lounge. The balcony was relatively small but ample for sitting outside to watch the scenery.

The Navigator has a dress code after 6pm of smart casual. We wondered if this would be taken up by the passengers and were relieved to see it was. We went to one of the bars for a pre dinner drink, and it was a pleasant feeling to be able to order drinks without having to sign anything. The drink selection was impressive with premium brands available. I’m partial to vodka and was surprised to see they stocked both Grey Goose and Belvedere.

There was no timed seating in the restaurant and we wandered down when we felt ready. We were seated on a table for two and enjoyed our first meal onboard, with all the attention you could wish for.

Retiring for the night was our only real issue. The mattress seemed to have a large depression in one side, that my partner would keep rolling into. We did mention it the next day to housekeeping and they did manage to drastically improve it for the rest of the cruise. Settling down to sleep, it became very apparent that the cabin seemed to have a life of its own. It creeked and groaned with every slight movement of the ship. The patio doors, roof panels and even parts of the wall all seemed to join in together. Being our first cruise, we were not sure if this was standard for being onboard, but we mentioned it the next day and someone was sent down to listen to the room. They said some noise was inevitable, but sent a maintenance man down to see what he could do. He must have done something because the room was much quieter from then on.

We were impressed with the choice of food at lunch and sitting down to a served four course lunch felt very decadent, although we only managed it twice due to the excursions we were on.

Excursions were as we expected and the Alaskan scenery was amazing. The helicopter ride landing on a glacier with a trek over the ice was very special.

We ordered breakfast in our room on two occasions due to early starts and were very happy with the quality and quantity of the food delivered.

All in all we were glad we chose a smaller, all inclusive ship. We felt well looked after and the staff we met were professional and polite. For us the destinations were more important than the ship itself. We wouldn’t go on a cruise for the sake of cruising. We would go with Regent again, but also like the look of Seabourn.
Quality of Food4
Compass Rose restaurant provided a good selection of food and the service was always good. Sitting down to lunch there was a treat.
Entertainment2
We only saw two shows. They were competent but limited but the size of the stage.
Shore Excursions4
Our favourite excursion was the helicopter trek on the Mendenahll Glacier. All excursions we went on were well organised.
Staff4
Our housemaid was very pleasant and had the time to chat to us, which was good. Bar staff also were relaxed and I believe this was down to the lack of pressure to sell and to try and get tips off you.
Children's Facilitiesn/a
Very few children on board.
Onboard Activities2
Onbord activities felt limited, but they were not what we came for. It's a shame the sauna/steam rooms were split into his/hers. We would usually share these together.
Cabins3
Cabin was fine aprt from the constant noise at the begining of the cruise. It was a good size and the seperate bath/shower was a bonus. It was clean and comfortable.
Overall Rating4
12 of 13 people found this review informative
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Comment by Cooke, Ashby-de-la-zouch (13 Mar 12 10:58) about this REVIEW
We sailed on SS Navigator last September and, after visiting the Cruise Show, got a good deal on a trans Atlantic on Seabourne. I would recommend both companies, as they have different strengths. The ambience on Seabourne Spirit, is like that of a large house party, with Navigator being very friendly, but a bit more reserved. We intend to sail on both as many times as funds permit - we'd like to try Silverseas too! Judith
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Comment by horton, chipping campden (13 Feb 12 23:30) about this REVIEW
A very cogent & accurate review.We love cruising & have cruised with Regent many times.We have circumnavigated S America twice & we also enjoyed the Japan/Australia journeys.Even after 59 days we were sad to see the lovely journeys come to an end.We hope to continue enjoying these amazing vacations for many more years - Regent fulfils all our expectations!Joanne H
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Comment by Barbara, Lee-on-the-Solent (29 Jan 12 12:17) about this REVIEW
Thanks for a very interesting review. We are booked on this ship for a week in Alaska this June - could you give us an idea of what to expect weather wise please, as I am unsure what to pack. Barbara.
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