Alanah Eriksen and her mother Mary with sangria at breakfast on Regent's Seven Seas Mariner. Photo / Alanah Eriksen
How to achieve favourite daughter status? Embark on a luxurious Regent Seven Seas Cruise with your mother, writes Alanah Eriksen.
Our hardest decision was deciding what restaurant to eat at every night.
No wrestling with luggage, no frantic airport transfers, no fighting over who gets the master bedroom in the Airbnb, or over whose turn it is to cook.
Regent’s luxury Seven Seas Mariner became mum’s and my floating palace for 12 nights, and convinced us that cruise ship holidays are the best style of multi-generational travel.
I took her on the Spectacular Asia at Night leg of the Mariner’s voyage (some passengers were doing a full round-the-world tour from Miami to Miami). It elevated me to favourite daughter status immediately.
The cruise sailed through Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand and Singapore.
The appeal of cruising with a parent was immediate. We weren’t in each other’s own spaces. Not me telling her her home is too cluttered (why so many display cabinets?). Not her reminding me I need to clean out the vacuum cleaner filter every few months.
And we weren’t fighting for each other’s attention. My two sisters weren’t there, struggling to get a word in. Mum’s three rowdy grandsons weren’t around to “Hulk smash” us. But best of all, her mischievous poodle, who once stole the family’s lamb shoulder dinner off the bench before escaping out the front door and terrorising the neighbourhood kids, was nowhere to be seen.
We unpacked once - into our shared walk-in closet. Our washing was cleaned and pressed every night. Our favourite Champagne, the Heidsieck & Co Monopole brut, was delivered to our mini-fridge every day.
Our lovely stewardess Dora serviced the room, leaving chocolates and personal notes.
The poolside was quiet, the seafood at the seven restaurants was endless, the cocktails were addictive.
When we could tear ourselves away from caviar and lobster tail, we took advantage of the dozens of all-inclusive excursions available.
It removed the stress of logistics in destinations that can feel overwhelming with dense traffic, sticky weather, unfamiliar languages and customs. Mum could relax into the experience rather than worry about navigating it. I could enjoy my role as favourite daughter, not tour manager.
Vietnam was probably our favourite place; the sampan boat ride in the Mekong Delta before drinking Saigon lager and eating elephant ear fish prepared by locals; the “Chanel” and “Louis Vuitton” hauls at the Ben Thanh markets in central Ho Chi Minh.
Later, the bags would provide the laughter when a well-heeled woman at our favourite ship bar, the Observation Lounge, admired our haul. Mum doubled down in her response, telling her that back home I’d built a new wardrobe just to showcase my collection of designer handbags (untrue). Her response? “Oh, you must, darling. Did you install good lighting?”
Cruise life accommodates differences well. While one lingers at a historic site, another can browse a market. If energy levels dip, the ship isn’t far away to rest and recharge. Independence without separation.
But mum and I discovered most of our interests were the same - attempting exercise despite the array of goodies on offer, trying local delicacies, live music, swimming and collecting knick-knacks at markets.
We started how we meant to go on, exercising in the ship gym every day - often finding ourselves the only passengers in pilates, spin and HIIT classes. But as the ship’s signature cocktails became addictive, the gym became less so.
Singapore, our final port, felt like a gentle re‑entry to the modern world — sleek, efficient, orderly. And outrageously expensive.
We bonded over our communal decision to just get a photo in front of the famous Long Bar at the Raffles Hotel, rather than head inside and spend nearly NZD$50 on a Singapore Sling cocktail (we could get them for free back on the boat anyway).
We laughed over our shared mischief in agreeing to pay the entry fare to get up to the top of Marina Bay Sands resort (a miniumum spend of USD$30 at the bar/restaurant), only to come straight back down the lift after getting photos. We were miffed when another group was seated before us despite us arriving first and thought pure defiance would teach them a lesson.
We were also unaturally tickled over a dog being wheeled around in a pram which I swear smiled at us.
And we longed after the fluffy robe dress (price on request) in Gucci’s store window.
Travelling with the person who has known me longer than anyone else in the world meant there were no awkward silences. You could say what you wanted without worrying about offending a partner or a friend. You could be your true self and not worry about getting judged.
Travelling with a parent offers a chance to see them not as mum or dad, but as a fellow traveller. Awestruck. Curious. Tired. Drunk.
Long after the details blur — the names of ports, the order of excursions — what remains are the shared moments.
Checklist
DETAILS
The journalist and her mother flew courtesy of Cathay Pacific and sailed through Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand and Singapore courtesy of Regent Seven Seas Cruises as part of its 16-night Spectacular Asia at Night leg.
The Mariner’s Isle Crossroads’ 10-night cruise (Singapore to Bali), departs November 27, 2027. The voyage includes up to 34 shore excursions in Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Langkawi, Penang, Jakarta, Semarang, Surabaya and Bali.
A deluxe Veranda Suite costs from NZD$14,540 per person.
For more information, see RSSC.com
GETTING THERE
Fly from Auckland to Singapore with Cathay Pacific via Hong Kong.