Any Mariner reviews of S. American cruises?

Have posted a thread for Explorer,,but see they never went there,,,told Mariner did and put on search engine here with no results.

Any one do this one in 2018???

Sure someone posted a review somewhere and cant seem to find it.Help.

Hi Alexandra Cruiser;

We (Ida and I) and NJBelle (Janice & Eric) did Lima to Buenos Aires, along with a private Machu Picchu pre cruise, on the Mariner this January-into February.

We had an outstanding time; delicious cuisines paired with good complementary wines, and excellent connoisseur wines, intuitive service (dining venues and bars).

The Voyager was our fav ship until we experienced the public spaces on the Mariner. So, we have another 51 days (36 this Oct/Nov, 15 in Feb 2019) booked on the Mariner.

We did not do a review but did post often on this thread, and I recall you posted a few times on this thread as well:

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2585233&highlight=lima+to+ba

Glad to answer any ? as I'm sure Janice will be too when they return this weekend from their Seabourn Med cruise on the new SB Ovation.

The only downside, which seems to be a recurring problem when doing Lima to next port cruises on the Mariner is 3/4 of the time we were in Code Red. Still, the crew provided excellent service despite the hardship of extra cleaning, serving all items from any buffet (coffee connection, La Veranda, Setti Mari at nite).

Definitely concerned about people boarding the Explorer in Lima next February after their Machu Picchu visit. The Mariner has gone Code Red at least two years in a row after visiting Lima (as have other ships) and it would be a shame for this to happen to passengers on Explorer - a ship that has thus far been immaculate and free from illnesses that cause Code Red. This is the only thing of concern to us when considerig an itinerary in this area.

Wes, had a lot more positive spin on the cruise than I; we felt the cruise was rather mediocre. Still, Mariner is still our favorite ship and I have 61 more nights booked on her.

Jackie, no boarding in Lima, turnover port is San Antonio, Chile; not the post picturesque port.

Marc

Alexandra Cruiser,

We were on the Mariner Lima to Rio this January/February. I have a blog/photo site (of all our cruises, including this one) at BillinLodi.com

It is not a review, but a travel log.

Bill

Wes, had a lot more positive spin on the cruise than I; we felt the cruise was rather mediocre. Still, Mariner is still our favorite ship and I have 61 more nights booked on her.

 

Jackie, no boarding in Lima, turnover port is San Antonio, Chile; not the post picturesque port.

 

Marc

Thanks for trying to make me feel better but the pre-cruise begins in Lima and ends in San Antonio. Therefore, anyone that became sick on the pre-cruise will be boarding with us. Will keep our fingers crossed.

In terms of San Antonio, we will be spending the night in Santiago which supposedly has some great seafood. The day of embarkation we'll take Regent's private transportation from the hotel to the ship (something that you will soon be eligible for when you turn Titanium). In any case, we will not really see San Antonio.

The day of embarkation we'll take Regent's private transportation from the hotel to the ship (something that you will soon be eligible for when you turn Titanium)..

Are you sure you will get a private car? Regent has changed the wording of the Titanium benefit and specifically declines transfers from hotels.

From the Titanium Tier Level FAQ section of Regent's USA website:

We provide complimentary transfers on embarkation from the airport to the pier and from the pier to the airport on disembarkation - these transfers may not be private if other guests are on the same flight or similar arrival time.

We only provide transfers to the pier on embarkation day from the airport and to the airport from the pier on disembarkation day. We do not provide transfers to and from hotels to the pier.

Alexandra Cruiser,

We were on the Mariner Lima to Rio this January/February. I have a blog/photo site (of all our cruises, including this one) at BillinLodi.com

It is not a review, but a travel log.

 

Bill

Thanks for the link,,will look at it and appreciate the time it must take to do that. Love all the info I can get ahead of time,,to plan.

Hi Alexandra Cruiser;

 

We (Ida and I) and NJBelle (Janice & Eric) did Lima to Buenos Aires, along with a private Machu Picchu pre cruise, on the Mariner this January-into February.

 

We had an outstanding time; delicious cuisines paired with good complementary wines, and excellent connoisseur wines, intuitive service (dining venues and bars).

 

The Voyager was our fav ship until we experienced the public spaces on the Mariner. So, we have another 51 days (36 this Oct/Nov, 15 in Feb 2019) booked on t

 

We did not do a review but did post often on this thread, and I recall you posted a few times on this thread as well:

 

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2585233&highlight=lima+to+ba

 

Glad to answer any ? as I'm sure Janice will be too when they return this weekend from their Seabourn Med cruise on the new SB Ovation.

 

The only downside, which seems to be a recurring problem when doing Lima to next port cruises on the Mariner is 3/4 of the time we were in Code Red. Still, the crew provided excellent service despite the hardship of extra cleaning, serving all items from any buffet (coffee connection, La Veranda, Setti Mari at nite).

Thanks for the link, do remember reading this thread,but will read whole thing now.

We start in BA and end in SanAntonio,,,Feb.1

Know you were so much more active than we are and was so impressed.Will have to do less strenous shore exc.

First time on Explorer too.Have been on all the others,,and agree Mariner was fav,so far.

Wes. Thanks for the link. Do remember reading parts of your thread before,but will read whole thing now.

Thanks for the link,,will look at it and appreciate the time it must take to do that. Love all the info I can get ahead of time,,to plan.

Just read whole thing and looked at the great photos...Wonderful info and got a lot of info on shore exc.,,,seems I booked almost same as you and loved reading about them.

You mentioned Matt is in nursing school,,,I m an RN with many yrs.experience,so let me know if I can help him in any way. Worked most hosp dept.Do have BSN. My DH is a MD and can answer questions too.

Are you sure you will get a private car? Regent has changed the wording of the Titanium benefit and specifically declines transfers from hotels.

 

From the Titanium Tier Level FAQ section of Regent's USA website:

We provide complimentary transfers on embarkation from the airport to the pier and from the pier to the airport on disembarkation - these transfers may not be private if other guests are on the same flight or similar arrival time.

 

We only provide transfers to the pier on embarkation day from the airport and to the airport from the pier on disembarkation day. We do not provide transfers to and from hotels to the pier.

Never positive about anything but there is another couple that is also Titanium and they also are receiving a private transfer. Guess time will tell on that one.

Never positive about anything but there is another couple that is also Titanium and they also are receiving a private transfer. Guess time will tell on that one.

If you are taking both the included airfare and pre-cruise hotel, you will get the private transfer from the airport to the hotel. The following morning, you will get on the hotel-to-ship bus along with everyone else at the hotel. This has been the case for many years.

If you made your own air arrangements, you will still get the private transfer to the ship.

The thing that has changed recently (per the FAQ as least) is denial of hotel pick-up or drop off.

Wes. Thanks for the link. Do remember reading parts of your thread before,but will read whole thing now.

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If you are taking both the included airfare and pre-cruise hotel, you will get the private transfer from the airport to the hotel. The following morning, you will get on the hotel-to-ship bus along with everyone else at the hotel. This has been the case for many years.

 

If you made your own air arrangements, you will still get the private transfer to the ship.

 

The thing that has changed recently (per the FAQ as least) is denial of hotel pick-up or drop off.

We must have gotten in before the change. Just looked at a copy of our Regent invoice and it does show that we have private transportation from the hotel to the ship. Wonder why the change was made? It isn't like we will get private transportation from the airport to the hotel AND the hotel to the ship. We are sharing transportation with the other Titanium couple from the airport to the hotel.

Are you sure you will get a private car? Regent has changed the wording of the Titanium benefit and specifically declines transfers from hotels.

 

From the Titanium Tier Level FAQ section of Regent's USA website:

We provide complimentary transfers on embarkation from the airport to the pier and from the pier to the airport on disembarkation - these transfers may not be private if other guests are on the same flight or similar arrival time.

 

We only provide transfers to the pier on embarkation day from the airport and to the airport from the pier on disembarkation day. We do not provide transfers to and from hotels to the pier.

Anchorbuoy,

Thank you for bringing this item to our attention. The information was posted incorrectly on the FAQ section, as there have been no changes to the Titanium-level transfer benefit.

The verbiage under the FAQ has since been updated to read as follows:

Question

Can you explain the complimentary transfers in the Titanium Tier Level?

Answer

The transfers are private car transfers when it is "to and from home" if you live within a 50 mile radius of the pier. If you don't live within 50 miles, private car transfers from airport to pier and from pier to airport areprovided. Transfers between the ship and airport are available worldwide for embarkation and disembarkation.

The benefit is available one time on each end of your voyage, for a maximum of two private car transfers per sailing. If your reservation includes a Pre- or Post-Cruise Hotel or Land program booked through Regent Seven Seas Cruises, you may choose which transfer is upgraded to a private service; either the airport to hotel or hotel to ship. Guests booking independent hotel arrangements are eligible for private transfer benefit on embarkation and debarkation day only, and is limited to a 50 mile radius from the pier.

Titanium Members sailing voyages up to 14 days receive FREE Private Sedan transfer accommodating 2 large suitcases and voyages 15 days or longer receive FREE Private Van transfer accommodating 4 large suitcases.

Anchorbuoy,

Thank you for bringing this item to our attention. The information was posted incorrectly on the FAQ section, as there have been no changes to the Titanium-level transfer benefit.

Jason: Thanks for the update and clarification. The older FAQ was certainly a surprise when I read it. It is not like Regent to have stealth benefit cuts for Seven Seas Society members. The new wording is very clear and concise.

Back to the Mariner - As Wes stated above, my husband and I were on the Mariner in Jan/Feb on the Lima-Buenos Aires cruise. I guess our review would fall somewhere in the middle of the reviews of Wes and Marc. We love Regent (but also Crystal, Silversea and Seabourn) and we love the Mariner (despite the smaller regular suites). We had done a Buenos Aires to Santiago several years ago and liked it a great deal (we went on SS for that one), so we decided on the Mariner cruise since it started in Lima and we could work in a separate trip to Machu Picchu and the Sacred Valley (which we did and had a fabulous time). Anyway, I had read on CC that Mariner seems to get a Code Red frequently on this cruise, so wasn't shocked when it happened. What I was surprised by was that they didn't take more precautions initially (surely after all the other Code Reds, the higher ups on the ship and Regent do a "lessons learned" type of activity). Well, the Code Red happened and the staff worked hard to deal with the extra cleaning, serving of food, etc. The Code Red went on for about 2 weeks of the 3 week cruise. So, it definitely impacted the cruise. The ports were fine and we had a great time, food was good, suite comfortable, but it was still a bit of a pain and not very luxurious to use paper napkins, open 14 tiny packets of catchup, have to wait for someone to appear to use the self-serve machine (which was no longer self-serve), etc. I am not saying we didn't enjoy the cruise and that we didn't appreciate that the regular staff had to work overtime to deal with all the issues. However, there was one person who did NOT seem to work overtime. That was the Cruise Director. It is fortunate that I do not remember his name since it is bad enough that I am singling him out. But he was really very apathetic. Just phoned it in. When you have a ship-wide "crisis" - then THAT is when the CD needs to earn his/her paycheck. There needs to be a lot of senior presence and focus on enjoying the cruise, etc. But he was pretty much MIA during much of the cruise.......Also, after the Code Red was lifted, it would seem like there might have been a "good will gesture" on the part of Regent due to the the hit to our overall experience. But no (and I understand that some will point out that it is not Regent's fault, stuff happens, everyone shouldn't expect compensation, etc.). But, we did not even get a heartfelt letter from Regent about hoping that we understand, that we enjoyed our cruise, that they appreciate our business, etc. Nothing. And yes, we realize that a Code Red is a one-off, but frankly, it that had been the only Regent cruise that we had even taken, we would never be cruising on them again.

The reason that I am saying all this now - many months after the cruise - is for two reasons. This thread was started, and then Wes asked me to chime in. And I just got off a fabulous Seabourn cruise. It was great in so many ways, but I will mention two ways that stand out in reference to my comments above. The CD on this cruise was just unbelievable. He was personable, hard-working, seemed to be everywhere, was a one-man band (at one of our outdoor parties, I saw him moving chairs for set-up, then chatting with guests and then I looked up and he was singing on the stage), and he was an open person to all. We are "nobodies" on Seabourn (this was our second Seabourn cruise) and yet, he sought us out on embarkation, stopped and talked on several occasions, and even asked if he could join us for lunch one day. He certainly used our names on all occasions and made us feel special. And we really don't require this kind of treatment, but I will say, when you get it, it does feel good! The other thing that happened is that when it turned out the television/AV in the suites (just some were affected I think) were not working properly (the ship is brand new - this was only her third real passenger cruise), those suites affected got a lovely note ("this is not the Seabourn way, we are so sorry", etc) and a credit of $490 since they believed that they should refund money since part of our cruise was affected! Now since we don't even turn the blasted TV on during the cruises we take, this was just found money for us (and totally redeemable, not just OBC). Anyway, we were totally blown away by the customer service and the generosity. (And it really cemented that Seabourn is going to be more of a "go-to" line for us in the future.)

So, Regent didn't bathe themselves in glory on this Mariner cruise. Does that mean that they have not finally learned lessons that they clearly need to learn? I don't know. Turns out, some friends of ours (just met on the Seabourn cruise) have signed up for this Explorer cruise; we did not tell them horror stories/say negative things, since it is a different ship and I would like to give Regent the benefit of the doubt. We did tell them in general about the Code Red, but we didn't offer advice one way or the other.

Just read whole thing and looked at the great photos...Wonderful info and got a lot of info on shore exc.,,,seems I booked almost same as you and loved reading about them.

 

You mentioned Matt is in nursing school,,,I m an RN with many yrs.experience,so let me know if I can help him in any way. Worked most hosp dept.Do have BSN. My DH is a MD and can answer questions too.

Alexandra Cruiser,

Thank you so very much for your response. Matthew graduated from nursing school in December. He passed the NCLEX-RN and obtained his license in May (following our cruise to South America). Due to our planned future travels, he has not initiated the job search process as of yet. I'll be sure to let him know of our correspondence.

Bill

Janice, outstanding review of our Mariner South American cruise.

Wow, what a terrific testimonial for Eric and your Seabourn Ovation cruise in Northern Europe. Really enjoyed your live posts on the Seabourn thread and your pix on your Facebook page.

Ida and I, Absolutely agree with your assessment of our cruise director on the Mariner Lima to Buenos Aires cruise.

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Really interesting information about both the Mariner cruise and the Seabourn cruise. While we are still concerned about our cruise to South America on Explorer, we will pack plenty of the antibiotic wipes that are used in hospitals and do kill Norovirus.

In terms of CD's, they are as affected by Code Red just as the rest of us are and we don't know if the/she was sick or not. On our Bali to Sydney cruise, both the Captain and the G.M. were sick. Plus, they have to be careful in terms of what activities they can do that also insures that passengers are not touching the same items, etc. (which is why the library, puzzle and other things are closed during Code Red).

We need to remember that officers and crew are also human beings and can get sick too. When stewardesses/stewards are ill, it also affects service since the healthy crew must pick up the slack. Even if the sick crew wanted to push through and clean suites, they could contaminate everything that they touch.