Questions about the mariner

I have only ever sailed Celebrity but I am thinking about booking a trip on the Mariner April 4-18, 2018. It doesn't seem to be a popular sailing, does anyone have any clues why? I know it is the first sailing after the refurb. We are choosing between a Penthouse suite and the Horizon View, Any comments would be helpful. Thank you

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Never been in an horizon suite, however on mariner can thoroughly recommend a PH C cabin, been in 902 next to master suite 3 cruises, quiet not on a long corridor, near the lifts. The suite is spacious, has a large shower not the dangerous over the bath step over. Super cabin would not look elsewhere on the mariner.

I would definitely go for the Horizon Suite. The balcony is huge compared to the Penthouse Suites. You have a lot of sea days so hopefully the weather will cooperate. Enjoy your cruise.

Hi CCMS14, We sail Celebrity and Regent and Princess our favorite is Regent. Not sure why it has low bookings, maybe because its not until next year or some people don't like the crossing but some love it. By the time you sail it will be full or close to it. Have not stayed in a penthouse but have stayed in the horizon suite. We liked it a lot its at the back of the ship with a nice balcony. If you are a foodie you will love Regent the food is to die for. If you want anything special and give them 24 hours they will make it for you. The service is fantastic and its all inclusive so no signing for anything even the specialty restaurants. Good luck with your choice and hope you will try Regent.

I think being that it will be like new after the work it should be a nice cruise----we've booked the one after yours and looking forward to it.

Agree about Horizon suites but would avoid them on Deck 10 as they are below La Veranda and can be noisy!

I agree with travelcat about the horizon suite on deck 10. You should decide if you want a bigger cabin...PH or much bigger balcony...Horizon. Or you could splurge on next category...the SS aft with 1&1/2 bath a huge balcony....but again, not on deck 10

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I may be tarred and feathered around here but I would choose an H (or a G if necessary) and add 18 more days to San Francisco. Basic cabins on Mariner are wonderful. Mariner is my favorite ship.

Marc

Agreed. Smaller but very well-designed basic suites.

You're just not in your cabin that much, other than sleeping. I even use the spa and sauna to change for dinner so my wife has the suite all to herself then.

IMO, passengers that are used to the Voyager or Navigator lower category suites may find the H, G, F, E and D category suites on Mariner too small. While we love the Mariner, my DH will not stay in these suites

And if you had a larger suite you wouldn't have to go to the spa to get ready. We find that we do use the suite a lot more than others I guess. We enjoy coming back on the ship and just relaxing in the suite for awhile. Sometimes dinner and a movie-or just sitting on your ptv deck and enjoy the sun go down. Sometimes it's just a lazy day and we don't want to do anything. And as for as the people that hog the chase's-that doesn't happen on your own deck. Plus what could be better than breakfast when you get up all set up for you-you in a robe and a cup of coffee on the deck. To us it's not always were the ship is going, but it's a sea day and you have the place to yourself-unless you want to go out. Don't get me wrong, we do go off the ship-but we don't won't 8 hours of touring-then being to tried to enjoy the rest of the day.

Rick, agree with you about larger suites. We have stayed in almost all suite levels and prefer the balcony to the pool deck. The only time that we cannot enjoy the deck is when we are in forward sites like the Grand suite on Explorer. While the view from a forward suite can be spectacular, many times the balcony is unusable.

The Mariner aft Seven Seas suites are close to perfection. Huge living room, balcony and 1 1/2 bathrooms. My DH prefers the Mariner Suite which what we will be in next.

I have only ever sailed Celebrity but I am thinking about booking a trip on the Mariner April 4-18, 2018. It doesn't seem to be a popular sailing, does anyone have any clues why? I know it is the first sailing after the refurb. We are choosing between a Penthouse suite and the Horizon View, Any comments would be helpful. Thank you

In our opinion you have made the right choices in considering a Penthouse or Horizon on Mariner. We have stayed in both and can thoroughly recommend these large, well configured suites.

You can see some reviews of Mariner Suites on this 'sticky':

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2478753

As others have said the cruise has good availability at present because:

1. It is a TransAtlantic 're-positioning cruise' with lots of sea days, which some people do not favour. We love them.
   
2. As the ship is just out of dry-dock, there is a minor risk that some finishing work may still be ongoing and there will be a high percentage of new crew members. This is unlikely to spoil the enjoyment of the cruise.
   
3. Regent altered the schedules for Mariner last year so this itinerary has not been on sale for as long as some others.
   

Since you are new to Regent, a few tips:

• Make your booking through a Travel Agent who deals with Regent to get the best advice, best prices and other perks
  
• Unless you have a real need for a tub, opt for one of the suites that are 'shower only' - designated with a star on the deck plans; the other suites have tub/shower combos which in our opinion are not so good
  
• Horizon suites on decks 8 & 9 are preferable to those on decks 7 & 10
  
• Penthouse C suites are the best value
  
• Avoid the Penthouse A suites on deck 10 - possible noise from above
  
• Make use of the Regent Ambassador Programme ( https://www.rssc.com/ambassador/ ). We are on the same cruise so would be happy to be your 'referrers'
  

Whatever you decide, we are sure you would enjoy Regent and will have a great cruise :)

P.S. Just to add to your choices, you could consider Regent Explorer on 21 March 2018 - same itinerary but in the reverse direction. D, E & F suites are fabulous and a similar size to Mariner's PH; no Butler though.

Sorry to add confusion to your choices :confused:

Thank you all for the advice and suggestions, definitely lots to think about :)

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Keep in mind that making a future booking while onboard the Mariner gives you a savings for your next cruise as well as a $100 on board credit for the cruise you are currently on. If you aren't certain about which future cruise to book, book something a year or so out -- you can change it one time and still keep the on board credit. The booking(s) you make onboard are refundable, without penalty, for 30 days. We just completed the "reverse" crossing on the Explorer that the previous poster was recommending. Unfortunately we cannot recommend it as you lose an hour on many nights which ends up making you and the crew exhausted. I do highly recommend the Explorer.

We would have no concern about sailing on the Mariner after refurbishment. We sailed on Explorer while they were finishing up items and it did not affect passengers in the slightest. The Explorer was delivered to Regent late so the "items" that needed completion were numerous.

We too find the lower Mariner category suites to be too small for anything more than a 7 might cruise. That's just a personal matter, not applicable to everyone. But those booking those suites need to be advised to avoid the ones that still have the tub/shower combination, and go for a suite that has a shower stall only. Because of the way the tubs are mounted on a raised area above the bathroom floor, there is only a little less than 6'2" headroom for those standing in the shower (I measured it when the ship was new and everybody here was complaining about this). It is inconvenient for those shorter than that, and near impossible for those taller than that. As said before, it is quite a step up for those of us who have more than a few decades on us.

Dolebludger - assume that you are following the "live" Mariner thread. A comparison was just made of how small the H, G, F, E, and D category suite are. The Voyager and Navigator have much roomier suites and the Explorer's "F", "E" and "D" suites should be a model for all luxury cruise ships (IMHO).

Could not agree more about the bathtub vs. shower suites on Mariner. The bathtub is difficult to get out of for almost everyone. If you have any issue with balance or a disability, they can be dangerous.

But what if you really want a bath? I believe there are grab bars for those of us, me included, who need a helping hand. Just think it is a to each his own decision.

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They will provide you steps to aide your entry and exit from the tub; no big deal. We like the shower just because we never take baths.

Marc

But what if you really want a bath? I believe there are grab bars for those of us, me included, who need a helping hand. Just think it is a to each his own decision.

 

 

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The issue isn't grab bars. It is the huge step out of the tub that is a concern. I suppose that you could ask for steps that would make it easier, however, the majority of cruisers on the Mariner select a shower suite. Even our CC resident doctor feels that the bathtubs suites are difficult.

The Aft Corner Suites on Deck 7 are fabulous if the weather cooperates. A crossing can have variable weather and render the corner suite useless. While I enjoyed that suite for the sailing in to the Grand Canal in Venice in perfect weather and a similar suite on Oceania's Riviera for a crossing in November - the weather was rainy and the deck not useable. The other oddity is that the bath requires you to walk through your walk in closet to get there.