Dispatch from Donna: Luxury Living Onboard the Regent Seven Seas Mariner

This is travel writer Donna Hull's sixth installment of "Dispatch from Donna," a weekly update during her 52-day voyage aboard Regent's Seven Seas Mariner.

Are you wondering what it’s like to live onboard a luxury cruise ship for 52 days? This week, instead of reporting on the ports we’ve visited since sailing from Vancouver, I’ll be telling you about life in our temporary home, the Seven Seas Mariner.

Luxury Accommodations
Alan and I are staying in a typical Mariner Suite that includes a bedroom section plus small living area with sofa. Across from the sitting area, a long cabinet includes a hidden mini-refrigerator stocked with our choice of cold drinks. The wall unit also provides desk space with electrical outlets for charging laptop computers or camera equipment. The walk-in closet includes all the storage that we need, plus a small safe for valuables. There’s also an umbrella for rainy days and deck blankets for cold mornings on the balcony.

In the moderately sized, marble designed bath, a tub and shower combination satisfies my need for a long soak after an all-day excursion. Regent has provided robes, bedroom shoes, sewing kit, and bath amenities. A vanity area near the bed holds a hair dryer plus make-up mirror.

When we’re in our cabin, you’ll probably find us on the balcony. In the mornings, room service delivers coffee, or even breakfast, setting it up on the outside table when the weather’s nice. It’s also where we relax with a glass of wine in the late afternoon.

Fine Dining
You’d think that after 52 days we’d be bored with our dinner options. Not so. Compass Rose, the main dining room offers an ever-changing menu. Executive Chef, Mike Rohmild has been experimenting with a destination-themed section, giving us the chance to try Japanese, Chinese, Vietnamese, and Thai cuisine.

Two reservation-only restaurants provide more choices. Signatures is a Cordon Bleu-inspired dining venue while Prime Seven offers a casual but elegant eatery with an American Steakhouse theme.

Alan and I also enjoy La Veranda, a more casual option. Guests choose appetizers, salads, and desserts from a buffet but order soup and a main course from a menu that changes about every two weeks. It’s like eating in an upscale local restaurant where everyone knows your name. When we’re tired of socializing or it’s been an especially long day on shore, we also have the option of ordering a room service dinner in our suite. And, of course, Mariner is all-inclusive, which means that alcoholic beverages throughout the ship are “on the house.”

Varied Entertainment
Cruise Director, Jamie Logan, works hard to provide plenty of entertainment options, including humorous and informative television shows produced onboard. When Alan and I aren’t dancing to live music in one of the lounges, we’re attending a production show performed by the in-house entertainment troupe, The Regent Singers and Dancers. Special performers are also brought onboard. So far, we’ve attended shows by classical pianists, comedians, violinists, and jazz singers as well as a special opera performance by Heather Clancy who happens to be married to Executive Chef, Mike Romhild.

Interesting Diversions
Do you play bridge? Are you longing for a game of paddle tennis? Name an activity and you’ll probably find it, especially on sea days. Want to be “in the know?” We enjoy the destination expert lectures that help prepare us for our time in port. Is exercise your thing? A well-equipped gym plus an assortment of exercise classes satisfies Alan’s inner athlete. What about me? The hot stone massage I experienced at the Carita Spa is my idea of a great diversion.

Making Connections
Although we miss friends and family, Alan and I enjoy the connections that we make with fellow cruisers as passenger dynamics shift and change with each new segment. But it’s the relationships that we make with the staff that mean the most to us. After this many days, they almost read our minds, bringing a favorite coffee before I even ask or making sure that Alan has his supply of potato chips for lunch.

We’ll be sad to see our cruise end. It really does feel like a second home to us. However, we’re not finished yet. Next week, I’ll tell you what it’s like to visit Vietnam.

—Donna Hull for LuxuryCruiseBible.com

Top and bottom photos provided by Donna and Alan Hull. Middle photo courtesy of Regent Seven Seas.

Follow Donna on Twitter, visit her blog, and return here next week for the next "Dispatch from Donna" as she travels for 52 days aboard Regent's Seven Seas Mariner from Vancouver to Singapore.