Tag: Cruise Cabins

Our Suite on the Regent Mariner

Part 4 – Cape Town to Rio on the Regent Seven Seas Mariner
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Every cabin aboard Regent Mariner is a suite. We had been upgraded one level (maybe a different area of the ship?). Our suite was located in a great place. Middle deck, midship. Not far from the elevators but far enough that there was no noise. Compared to other cruises the room seemed very large to us. As you entered there was a full bathroom, with tub and shower, marble sinks with tile walls and floors,lots of mirrors and plenty of shelf space for two. It was very well lit. And of course the toilet that sounds like it’s sucking in everything in the room. (It actually seemed a bit quieter than most). Outside the bathroom was a small vanity (fits one comfortably). There was a make-up mirror on a stand and two good size drawers. We were also supplied with a hair dryer and a long shoe horn (very handy). We also had very nice soft, large white robes and slippers waiting for us! After the vanity came the walk in closet. Plenty of room, including the safe. The bed is 2 twins together (no gap), with a bedstand (two drawers) on each side. Each side also has a reading light. And there is a stand alone clock which is a very nice touch. There is a curtain you can close between the sleeping and living area if you so choose.

We had a couch (with a mirror over the whole area of the couch), chair, & table on one side, and a hutch, desk, tv, refrigerator (stocked with bottles of water,beer, and pop) on the other. You could also get a bottle of your favorite “spirits” to keep in your room but we didn’t feel the need to do that when all you had to do was ask any waiter or bartender for a drink and it appeared. Flat screen TV with CD/DVD player (DVDs available in the library). The table had a welcoming bottle of champagne chilling in an ice bucket and a beautiful orchid in a crystal vase. The balcony wasn’t huge but certainly sufficient with a table and two chairs. The bottom of the balcony was open (with just a few horizontal rails) unlike some with a plexiglass barrier below the main rail.

All in all, for being one of the less expensive suites on the ship, ours was very pleasant and comfortable.

Norwegian Cruise Line’s Lack of Bathrooms an Epic Failure?

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Norwegian Cruise Line is hosting about 2500 travel agents and media on board their newest ship, Epic, prior to its first voyage with full-fare-paying customers. The practice is somewhat common in the industry just as many businesses have ‘soft-openings’ before a grand opening in order to work out any kinks and make last-minute changes. One such issue that has several on-board media members scratching their head is the lack of bathrooms in many of the guest suites on board the massive new cruise ship from NCL.

Every Epic suite will still have a sink, a shower, and a toilet, but instead of putting all these items in one room, Norwegian has separated them and placed them around the room to save space. The shower and toilet areas are both behind a translucent glass door, typically on either side of the doorway, and the sink is located closer to the middle of the room. A privacy curtain separating the shower/toilet area was added after the fact, but it may not be enough for everyone to feel comfortable.

“I think it just won’t be private enough of a set-up for many American vacationers — particularly those traveling with older children,” said Gene Sloan of USA Today who is live-blogging from the Norwegian Epic this week. “I know my own pre-teen and teen girls would feel uncomfortable preparing for the evening in such an open bathroom arrangement with me in the room.”

John Honeywell (AKA CaptGreybeard), reporting for The Mirror in the U.K., says that “a number of people I have spoken to say they would have to banish their partners from the cabin at appropriate times – which might prove somewhat inconvenient.”

Did Norwegian Cruise Line take “Freestyle Cruising” too far with their latest cabin design? Would the layout stop you from booking?

On a side note, and somewhat ironic, the smaller studio cabins on board do have a traditional bathroom setup.