The Cruise Report With Cruise Specialists Cruise Reporter Ralph Grizzle

Suite 834’s floor-to-ceiling balcony windows (and sliding glass door) provide a “High Definition” view of destinations on Regent Seven Seas Mariner’s World Cruise. Pictured here: St. Barts in High Def.

When Mariner launched in March 2001, she introduced a new dining concept, Signatures, which was upgraded during the January 2009 drydock. Signatures is the only restaurant at sea to operate under the auspices of “Le Cordon Bleu,” staffed by chefs trained at France’s pre-eminent culinary academy.  Read more... (101 words, 7 images, estimated 24 secs reading time)

Regent Seven Seas Mariner features all oceanview suites with private balconies. Suites range from 301 square feet to 2,002 square feet (the totals include the balconies).

The two-bedroom, 2.5-bathroom master suite, pictured above, measures 2,002 square feet and features two balconies, a side balcony measuring 71 square feet and a forward balcony measuring 727 square feet.  Read more... (83 words, 2 images, estimated 20 secs reading time)

Ting (pictured above) and Xiang (pictured below) married before coming to Regent Seven Seas Mariner several months ago. They are the only Chinese on Mariner’s staff, hailing from the city with the eponymous beer, Tsing Tao.

Ting & Xiang, who often work in different restaurants and lounges, took a job on Mariner to see the world. What a way to go: The young couple cruise on one of the best ships at sea, Xiang says, and earning a living while seeing some of the greatest destinations around the globe.

Pictured in St. Barts, Captain Philippe Fichet Delavault hails from the town of St. Malo in Brittany, on the west coast of France. He joined Mariner shortly after she was launched in 2001.

You won’t pay extra or have to sign your name and cabin number each time you have a drink on Regent Seven Seas Cruises. The company instituted a free booze policy in 2007.

Regent becomes even more inclusive in 2010 by including complimentary shore excursions.

The second port of call on Regent Seven Seas Mariner’s World Cruise, Dominica. Mariner docked in the capital, Roseau, pictured here from the balcony of suite 834.

Roseau, Dominica — I am having breakfast with Bill Krupa, the Cruise Specialists host on Regent Seven Seas Mariner, docked in Dominica.

We’re sitting aft, outside, in The Veranda Cafe, overlooking the jumble of buildings that make up this capital city and the dramatic, rain-forest-covered mountains that serve as the city’s backdrop.

Dominica, which is the most unspoiled of the Caribbean islands, is only one of the many exotic destinations that Bill will visit on this 100-day-plus world cruise. For Bill, the journey is a mix of work and pleasure.

“I have the enviable job of being the host on the world cruise, making sure Cruise Specialists’ clients are enjoying life aboard ship,” Bill tells me.

How do you get a job like Bill’s? Bill got his by dancing.  Read more... (634 words, 1 image, estimated 2:32 mins reading time)

In this post, I’ve uploaded three photos taken just moments ago showing the balcony and the view from suite 834 on Regent Seven Seas Mariner. It’s always worth it to book a balcony stateroom, and on Regent, you have a wide selection of balconies.