macmarsue

I have been on Mariner twice, the last time was May 2022. Service and food were excellent both times. We had no issues with plumbing or anything else. We were on the Voyager Aug 22 and are sailing on The Explorer next month. I am looking forward to being back on Regent. 

I will be on the Explorer next month and I was wondering the same thing? Does anyone know about th dryers on that ship?

I was on the Ruby 3/27 sailing. I can tell you that it is a rust bucket! I was shocked that they are sailing a ship in that kind of shape. I will say the inside looks good but the outside was atrocious! We were in a mini suite and it was pretty bad. Even the metal table was full of rust. Crew was outstanding, but it was very disappointing seeing all the cutbacks. Don’t even get me started on the cigarette smoke constantly pouring out of the casino. It was so bad that you couldn’t enjoy the Piazza and all the different venues that were located there. We managed to stay safe from Covid but we only ate in the  MDR and almost always wore our masks. Especially in the elevators. Princess never said a word about Covid. I only knew from cruise critic. The topping on the cake was how long it took to get off the ship and then we sat on the charter bus waiting for passengers to be let off the ship. We waited 2 hours on that bus. We were the last  bus to leave the terminal and I saw them put 2 passengers in a ambulance. That was at 12:15. I’m thinking that could have been why there was such a delay. When we pulled out I saw the hundreds of passengers lined up all the way to pier 39. I felt so bad for them. Not a great experience with Princess.

Currently on the Ruby sailing to Hawaii. The smell of smoke is so bad that you can’t even enjoy any of the areas in the center of the ship. The ship is almost full and it’s really a shame. Just can’t believe Princess has allowed this.

That is what I was afraid of.

We had the glass shower on a previous cruise and when we booked this World Cruise for 2024 all that was available were a few staterooms with the tub/shower combo. I am hoping something will open up closer to the sail date that we can move to.

I'm trying to stay positive and think about how lucky I am to get to go on a World Cruise and not worry to much about the shower. Thanks again for your input on this.

I am currently booked in a regular veranda cabin F cat. on Mariner Jan 2024 and in the past I have had a glassed in shower only on that same ship. The only cabin available at the moment is a shower / tub combo. Even the concierge cat shows only tub/shower combo available.  Does anyone have any photos of what the combo looks like? Has anyone stayed in this cat cabin on the Mariner and do you have an opinion on the tub/shower combo? Is it a regular tub or are there any steps leading into the tub? I did see the combo briefly while on board and I seem to remember that the ceiling above the tub seemed low. 

Please post. I would love to read about your experiences.

I too just got off the Regatta and I will say that something was off with the food. It definitely was not up to the quality that had been on previous cruises with Oceania. In fact I would say that certain things were not up to par for a cruise line that sells itself as the "finest cuisine at sea". I ordered veal piccata in the dining room twice at lunch. The first day I received a breaded veal cutlet with brown gravy on it. I thought maybe I read the menu wrong and I was mistaken. The very next day in the dining room again, there it was on the menu and the same thing happened. Veal cutlet with brown sauce was served. Again at the start of this cruise they proudly announced that this was the first cruise with the new menus. I don't know if the chef is just not used to the new menus or what, but piccata was described as a lemon caper sauce on the menu not brown sauce. I didn't want to complain at the time because we were with friends who were experiencing Oceania for the first time. I had been singing the praises of this cruise line to them and how wonderful the food is. Things just weren't up to par. The Kobe burger at Waves grill was definitely different from previous cruises. It used to be a hand made patty now it is a simple ready made patty and doesn't taste any different than the regular classic burger that they serve. Our friend ordered the sirloin in the dining room and he had to send it back because it was very tough. The last night we all ordered the veal on the Maitre D' recommendation and it was so chewy that we couldn't eat it. While the food was good it just wasn't like it had been. They other thing we noticed was how many times they repeated the same things on the new menu. They had mushroom soup everyday in the dining room at lunch. Lobster Bisque was served almost every night in the dining room at dinner. Food that was described in the menus were served missing things. It was very strange. Pasta that should have been on the plate came out with something else entirely.

The service is still outstanding and I thought the ship was in great shape. The cabin was just as it always is and we had no complaints about any of that. Our friends balcony door was very hard to open and after they mentioned it, it was replaced very quickly with a new door. The entertainment was very good and the guest lecture was very interesting.

Just returned from Alaska on the Regatta. Wonderful cruise. This was my fourth time on the Regatta and it looks great! My only complaint was the food. It definitely was not the same as on all my previous cruises. In all fairness they told me proudly that this was the first cruise with the new menus. Something was "off" when it came to the food. Just hoping this was a fluke since I have always found Oceania's food wonderful. This wasn't just in the GDR but also at Waves and the specialty restaurants as well. Service was excellent, as always, and I didn't

have any other complaints.

We did this a few years ago and did the van ride up and the train back to town. One of the best excursions we did.

What a wonderful report! Sailed on the Marina last year and loved that ship! This report is making me put this itinerary on my list! Looks like a great cruise. Thank you for letting us be a part of it!

I just got off the Marina and we were in a PH. Our boarding time was 12 noon. We arrived about 12:20 and they told us the PH staterooms would be ready by 1:00. We walked around the ship and headed to our stateroom at 12:45 and it was ready. 1:00 they made a announcement that the PH and the above suites were ready. The Terrace was serving lunch and also Waves Grill. The cruise was fantastic!!!!! We can't wait to do another. Everything was perfection!

We were on the Tere Moana Rome to Rome sailing 3 weeks ago and it was fantastic! The crew, food, ports, ship and staff were all wonderful! I didn't here one complaint the entire week. I only wish I could have stayed on longer. You won't be sorry to if you get the opportunity to cruise on The Tere Moana do it!

We do have a private transfer booked. Just wondering if anyone had any experience boarding the ship earlier than 3? I know that when we have done cruises in the past we have boarded the ships earlier. Even on the River cruises we have boarded the ship around noon.

We are taking a European Cruise on the Tere Moana and I was wondering if anyone has had any experience with boarding the ship. Cruise docs say 3 pm boarding time. Has anyone ever boarded the ship any earlier? Our flight lands in FCO at 7:45 am. Trying to figure out what to do until 3pm. We were hoping to board earlier than 3pm.

Thanks for your wonderful reports. I've been following your cruise blogs since your first World Cruise. It sounds like another fabulous adventure.

Gene writing here; the Port side of MacMarSue! While a passenger this morning crossing the Golden Gate Bridge, I looked westward and saw a cruise ship coming towards the Golden Gate. In the 6:15am darkness I could make out the lines of a HAL ship. Sure enough, it happened to be the Amsterdam coming towards the Gate after what must have been a voyage out from dry dock to a suitable turning point to again enter the Bay and dock at the cruise terminal. She looked radiant in the clear morning darkness.

When again around 7am we were driving eastbound on the Bay Bridge I could see her aligned to enter the cruise terminal dock. This time more clearly as the morning light was upon us and see was readily seen.

I thought of this ship and you two fortunate seafarers all day and was delighted, upon my return westward over the Bay Bridge to see the Amsterdam contently at berth awaiting her excited passengers who were in the boarding process.

Yesterday I wrote about the Lurline leaving Hawaii on 6 December 1941 with my Grandmother on board. The ship had a number of Naval dependent wives and children aboard and the blackout screenings came down when news of Pearl Harbor arrived onboard. She also said that there were a number of "ladies of the night" onboard who were very helpful to the Naval wives in safeguarding and assisting the children during this crossing to San Francisco.

Just a story from the past...

Bon Voyage and good health to all of you aboard the good ship Amsterdam!:)

Some Lurline info:

As a youth growing up in San Francisco I used to look longingly at the Lurline as it arrived and departed out of San Francisco from the cliffs of the Presidio. I longed for an adventure onboard this famous ship.

My Grandmother was aboard the Lurline as she left Hawaii on December 6, 1941 the day before the Pearl Harbor attack. She had quite a story about that passage.

We have been following your World Cruises for years and have enjoyed your wonderful writing skills as it takes us along on your adventures. I see the Amsterdam in the shipyard as I work in San Francisco and know what lays ahead for her and you two. Best wishes and Bon Voyage!

Thanks so much for taking the time to let us all tag along on your cruise!

It sounded fabulous! Really enjoyed reading all your posts.