Eric and Sam go Cruising!!

Eric and I had the most amazing time on our Regent Seven Seas Cruise.

We are typing this message by the pool in Santa Barbara. We decided to have add 4 nights onto our itinerary. We collected a car at the port and drove 2 hours up the coast.

Thought we would share a full blog of our trip.

Eric and I chose ”Jewels of the Pacific” on board Regent Seven Seas Mariner for our belated 25th Wedding Anniversary.

Well it was most certainly well worth the wait.

Following our flight with British Airways we were transferred to the Beverly Wilshire Hotel for our pre cruise night stay. The next morning after a leisurely breakfast we were transferred to the ship which took almost 2 hours due to the very heavy Los Angeles traffic.

The check-in process prior to embarkation was simple and efficient as within minutes we were sat having a champagne lunch in The Veranda restaurant.

The offer when we booked was a two category upgrade, so after lunch we went to our penthouse suite where we were greeted by our butler who showed us the suite and explained everything we needed to know. We had a choice of canopies and they would be in our suite at 5pm. We had a complimentary laundry service. Our in suite bar was filled daily with every drink of our choice. Mrinal, our butler, explained we would receive a passages booklet each evening when we returned from dinner. The passages booklet explained the whole programme of events for the following day as well as giving brief news on matters back home ( change of Prime Minister just one item of news )

Once we had unpacked we ventured around the ship to get our bearings. We went into the spa, the gym, and after that took in all the bars and restaurants on board. The bars include Mariner Lounge, Observation Lounge, Horizon Lounge, Stars lounge and the Pool bar. There is “Coffee Connection” where teas and coffee are available most of the day with snacks, cakes etc. We went to check out the casino and find the restaurants. Compass Rose, Sette Marie @ La Veranda. The two specialty restaurants are Prime 7 and Chartreuse where bookings are required. The Pool grill offers food until 4pm. That night we set sail at 6pm. We also visited the Constellation theatre where entertainment takes place most nights for those who enjoy a variety of shows.

Our first port the following morning was Ensenada in Mexico where we just had a wonder along the waterfront and enjoyed the feel of the lovely warm sunshine.

Day 3. We had a lovely relaxing day at sea and enjoyed the very spacious sun decks. The pool was extremely refreshing in the heat of the day.

Day 4 Temperatures still rising as we arrive into Cabo San Lucas. Our chosen activity today was to jump on a horse albeit not easy for Sam!! Our horseback ride took us through the cactus landscape before we eventually reached the most beautiful beach. Not one person on the beach but then you realise the strong Pacific waves are not very inviting – not even for surfers!!

Day 5 Having sailed a short distance overnight the Mariner tied up in La Paz. Later that morning we kayaked in the beautiful turquoise waters. The water was so warm and so after breaking in to a sweat Kayaking it was too good to miss a swim in the ocean.

Day 6 Our next Mexican port was Mazatlan where we took the blue line walking tour which starts almost immediately after you disembark the ship. A ten minute walk brought us in to the town where there is actually a full size replica of the Beatles crossing Abbey Road on the zebra crossing. Beatlemania was very evident as down the same street was a replica of the Cavern in Liverpool!!

Day 7 Due to a hurricane sweeping in off the Pacific, a decision was made by the captain to change the itinerary. Unfortunately, we were to miss our visit to Manzanillo but instead sail to Puerto Vallarta one day earlier. There would be sufficient time to spend in Puerto Vallarta but we needed to be heading north overnight to miss the incoming storm which was now a Category 3 hurricane. Eric and I walked to the beautiful Marina and returned to the ship for lunch. This was no doubt the hottest day with temperatures in the 90’s and the humidity over 85%!! Our four mile walk to the marina and back was enough in that heat so the afternoon was spent relaxing and cooling off on the sundeck of the Mariner.

Days 8 and 9 were at sea. The weather remained very good as we had left behind the stormy skies and heavy rainfall. How nice it was just to relax and take advantage of all the ships’ wonderful facilities.

Day 10 Early morning arrival into San Diego which was not on the itinerary but since we could not visit Manzanillo this was introduced as an alternative visit. Within minutes of disembarkation you are in the downtown area of San Diego – the dock is so close. It was so easy to walk around for a couple of hours although excursions had been arranged for anyone who was interested in visiting Mission Bay or the world famous zoo.

Day 11 and we were back where it all started.

Both Eric and I were amazed by the whole experience on the Mariner. The service on board was always with a smile and all the crew were so obliging. Within days they knew your name and always made you feel very special. Eric and I celebrated our belated anniversary in the Prime 7 restaurant where we were presented with a cake and a song. I was in tears!!

The shows in the theatre were superb. We think our absolute favourite was the Krew Kapers whereby certain members of the crew put together their own show and did they WOW us with their dancing and singing voices.

Well they do state they have the most luxurious fleet at sea and we would not disagree!!

We just can’t stop smiling about life on board Regent Seven Seas Mariner. Totally spoilt for 10 nights. Pure luxury!!!!

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