We are in our late-40's and have travelled extensively to a number of 5-star destinations in North America and the Caribbean - we have high standards for our vacations! This was only our 2nd cruise and we were a bit nervous because our first cruise experience (Royal Caribbean) was only mediocre. Instead, our 10-day "Aegean Allure" cruise aboard the Mariner was totally above and beyond all of our expectations.

On-board, the attention to detail and excellence was almost mind-numbing. The food was delicious, perfectly-presented and plentiful - at first we were a bit concerned about having only 2 dinners at the reservation restaurants (Steakhouse and French) but the food/service in the 2 non-reservation restaurants, especially the main Compass Rose, was so excellent that it totally didn't matter!). Drinks were as advertised (all-inclusive and plentiful: many different premium beers from around the world available and all top-shelf liquor - I asked for a bottle of Grey Goose to be delivered to our suite and it was there an hour later). Our room was spacious and beautifully appointed - the walk-in closet was awesome. Tons of space throughout the ship - never felt crowded. Theatre and casino provided great entertainment opportunities.

Off the ship, the ports we visited were unbelievable - couldn't have asked for a better itinerary. We did only 2 of the Regent Choice excursions (where you pay extra) and 7 of the free/included ones - all of the trips were extremely well-organized and staged in order to minimize time in line-ups etc. Our guides were obviously elite ones with tremendous knowledge and passion. We also never had to stand in line at any of the sites - our guides just wisked us to the front of the lines! Read more