AK cruise, 11 days Vancouver to Vancouver. The Mariner had just undergone a major refit and it looked great. Lots of new teak wood decking which was very attractive and felt good to walk on compared to steel. Food and service were first rate. The house wines are quite good, not low-grade stuff designed to push you into pricey upgrades. The specialty restaurants are just wonderful. I had a steak that was as good as any I have had in my entire life. The French food was absolutely perfect. I have only one suggestion for improvement. We love espresso coffee drinks and it seemed impossible to get fresh cream or half and half aboard. The ship's coffee bar uses box packaged super pasteurized milk products which are not as good tasting as the fresh cartons you buy in stores. Several times our shore excursions included shopping for fresh cream to put in our coffee aboard. This might be an inventory or storage logistics problem, but Regent should endeavor to fix it as it is the one thing that kept the shipboard food epxerience at a 9+ instead of a 10. I was going to try several different cruise lines to find the perfect one, but my Regent experience on my very first cruise has made that comparison shopping unnecessary. My future cruises will be Regent cruises for sure.
Super well-designed cabin. Kudos to the architects. Cozy, plenty of storage areas. Pleasant, good lighting. Romantic. Great bed. Balconey was big enough to be useful. Two could sit outside comfortably.