Regent Seven Sea Cruises
This all-inclusive, very spacious premium ship is for senior-age travelers
The Ship. Seven Seas Mariner is best suited to well-traveled couples and solo travelers, typically over 50, who seek excellent itineraries, fine food, and good service, with some entertainment, wrapped up in a contemporary, elegant ship. Its passenger/space ratio is among the highest in the cruise industry.
This was the first ship in the fleet to have a pod propulsion system, replacing the traditional shaft and rudder. The ship was extensively refurbished in 2014.
There is a wide range of public rooms, almost all located under the accommodation decks. With three sets of stairways (forward, center, and aft) it is easy to find your way around. An atrium lobby spans nine decks, with the lowest level opening directly onto the tender landing stage.
Facilities include a comfortable observation lounge, a small casino (with gaming tables and slot machines), a shopping concourse with ‘open market’ area, a garden lounge/promenade arcade, a large library (incorporating several computer workstations) and adjacent room with 14 Internet-connect computers, coffee lounge, card player’s room, conference room, cigar-smoking lounge (Connoisseur Club), and a Park West art gallery.
Seven Seas Mariner loses a few points because the dining service ranges from excellent to patchy and inconsistent.
Basic gratuities are included, as are all alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages and table wines for lunch and dinner. Premium and connoisseur selections are available at extra cost, and Internet-connection charges are high. Shore excursions and pre- or post-cruise hotel stays are also included, depending on the itinerary.
Accommodation. There are several accommodation categories. Seven Seas Mariner was the cruise industry’s first all-suite, all-balconies ship – though that’s not technically correct, as not all accommodation has sleeping areas completely separated from living areas.
Most grades have private, marble-clad bathrooms with tub or half-tub, and suite entrances are neatly recessed away from the passenger hallways to provide quiet (refreshingly there’s no music in the hallways, although there is some in the elevators).
In terms of sizing, accommodation is as follows:
Concierge Suites and Deluxe Suites: 301 sq ft (28 sq m).
Penthouse Suites: 449 sq ft (41.7 sq m).
Horizon Suites: 627 sq ft (58 sq m). There are 12 of these; they overlook the stern and have very large balconies.
Seven Seas Suites: 600–697 sq ft (56–65 sq m). They also overlook the ship’s stern.
Grand Suites: 707 sq ft (66 sq m).
Mariner Suites: 739 sq ft (69 sq m).
Master Suites: 1,580 sq ft (147 sq m).
Six wheelchair-accessible suites are located as close to an elevator as one could possibly get, and provide ample living space, together with a large roll-in shower and all bathroom fittings located at the correct height.
Dining. Four dining venues all operate on an open-seating basis, so you can dine when and with whomever you choose. Reservations are required in two of the four venues. In general, the cuisine is good to very good, with creative presentation and a wide variety of food choices (Kosher meals can be provided).
The main dining room, the 570-seat Compass Rose Restaurant, has a light, fresh decor, and seating at tables for two, four, six, or eight – although tables for six or eight predominate. With a one-and-a-half deck height, the restaurant has a nice open feeling, and there’s plenty of space around most tables for decent service to be provided.
The 80-seat Prime 7 Steakhouse is the smallest of the specialty dining venues. It features a range of superb USDA prime, dry-aged steaks as well as chops, oven-roasted half chicken, Alaskan king crab legs, and Maine lobster. It’s the most intimate dining spot – though, again, the single-deck ceiling height makes it feel busy – and it can get noisy (call it lively ambience). There is seating for two, four, or six, and reservations are required.
Signatures is a 120-seat ‘supper club’ with ocean views along the room’s port side. It is directed and staffed by chefs wearing the white toque and blue riband of Le Cordon Bleu, the prestigious culinary society for classic French cuisine. Doors open onto a covered area outdoors, with small stage and dance floor. Seating is at tables of two, four, or six, and reservations are required. However, the single-deck ceiling height robs the room of the grandeur that suits fine classic French cuisine best.
For more casual meals, La Veranda is a large self-serve indoor/outdoor café with seats for 450 and fresh, light decor. This eatery has several food islands and substantial counter display space. At night, it is transformed into Sette Mari – an Italian eatery with some excellent pasta-based dishes.
The outdoor Pool Grill and ice cream bar, adjacent to the swimming pool, is a popular eatery. It features a creative list of burgers (a choice of 11, to be exact), including Black Angus beefburger, Philly beefburger, southwestern beefburger, pesto beefburger, Portobello and feta cheese burger, Asian salmon burger, tofu veggie burger, roasted garlic teriyaki mushroom turkey burger – and others – as well as various sandwiches.
Entertainment. The Constellation Theater spans two decks and is delightful, with good sight lines from almost all seats. The proscenium arch stage also has a front thrust stage – useful for presenting more intimate cabaret acts – and an LED backdrop for dramatic show scenery images.
The Horizon Lounge, located aft, is a combination day lounge with bar, and the venue for afternoon tea and daily quizzes. A number of bands, small musical units, and solo pianists provide live music in lounges and bars.
There is also Stars nightclub, with an oval-shaped dance floor, and a stairway connecting it to the casino on the deck above.
Spa/Fitness. Canyon Ranch Spa facilities include an extensive health spa with gymnasium and aerobics room, beauty parlor, and separate changing, sauna, and steam rooms for men and women.
Sports devotees can play on the paddle-tennis court and in the golf driving and practice cages.