Help! Thinking of trying Regent Mariner for the first time.

[nanook21]

To all you repeat Regent cruisers, is the Mariner food & service really as bad now as I'm reading in these posts and on the Review board? I'm thinking of making the leap from HAL to Mariner for 2011 SA/Panama but now having second thoughts. Also, since drinks are comp in the bars, they say in reviews that there are no longer bar setups in the staterooms. Does this mean you can't keep a bottle of vino in your room for private enjoyment? I'm confused.

[janisegn]

we just returned yesterday from the transatlantic crossing - we were in a category D suite - so no butler service - but i just asked our cabin stewardess if she could deliver 2 bottles to us and within a few hours they were in our room - no problems, just ask! -

[Travelcat2]

First, welcome to the Regent board:) I'll try to answer your questions. Although there is not a bar set up in your suite when you embark unless you are in a Penthouse suite or above, you can certainly have a bottle or two in your room. Just ask your stewardess. We usually have a bottle of Grey Goose vodka in our suite.

 

Food is so difficult to rate because what one person likes, another person doesn't. Having said that, there are some menu items that are almost always wonderful: Filet Mignon, Beef Wellington, rack of lamb or lamb chops, Chateaubriand and fish (only when it is delivered fresh). Although the shrimp/prawns are lovely, unless they are cooked, they can be a bit watery as they have been frozen and thawed. In any case, if something comes from the kitchen that is not to your liking, you can certainly ask for something else. A fun way to taste several items to get appetizer size portions of many dishes. You can always get more:-)

 

Overall, Regent has excellent food. There can be a "miss" now and then. . . but, they are happy to fix it. Hope you give Regent a try.

 

You mentioned the Mariner in 2011 going through the Panama Canal. Are you looking at the January 11th itinerary (Ft. Lauderdale to Lima)? There are several of us on that cruise.

[hondorner]

Great reviews outnumber poor ones, as do the comments on this forum. Food is very subjective. We found the food very much to our taste, but menu variety in the main dining room is not quite as good as Oceania, which is at or near the top. So, is food bad? Of course not; especially compared to our Celebrity cruise where everything was very well prepared, but nothing was hot after sitting in the kitchen until the set dining times.

 

The bar setup in the room, however is fact, not opinion. If you have a butler, you will have the opportunity to make your in-room spirits selection ahead of time. Otherwise, tell your suite stewardess what you would like. Typically, they bring two bottles at a time, and replace if you empty one of them. It's all included.

 

Because they do not sell wines or spirits (except very top-shelf items), there are no restrictions about bringing your own wines, etc., on board. But, why would you? Unless you have access to a wine that is very special to you, personally....

[nanook21]

Thanks for the quick replies! I've been reading many threads on Regent since I started looking at this. Yes, we're thinking about the Jan 2011 from Ft.Lauderdale to Lima on Mariner. We've already booked the HAL around the cape but are rethinking that choice and wanting to try Regent. Nothing wrong with HAL, just thought we'd like to do the Panama and still get some SA. I've been concerned about the negatives on the food & service issues, hope by 2011 Regent will have them sorted out.

[Dreps]

Don't procrastinate. My TA told me this week that sales on that cruise were extremely strong, and I trust her completely. We were on the 30-day cruise that came after that one this year. It was terrific.

[Dreps]

Just to amplify a bit as I wrote the above post from my iPhone--even if you check the Regent site for availability by clicking on Fares for that cruise, you will see that many categories are closed. And you shouldn't trust that site. If you are at all interested in that cruise, have your TA book it; cancellations are easy. It is a very popular one.

 

I won't reiterate what I wrote on another current thread on has Regent changed, but there is such a difference between a line like HAL and a luxury line like Regent, that you should not place undo emphasis on the comments that you have been reading. Service was very good, the food was extremely good, and we enjoyed most of the excursions. Sure, in 30 days, not every meal is going to be perfect, but I found it amazing how consistently good and varied the cuisine was over that period. (We now have 108 days on Regent, which is not high by some standards, but I think I have sufficient experience to form a personal judgment.)

[poss]

Every time we've been on Regent we've made our in-room bar selection well ahead of time. Have always had it in place upon arrival. I simply telephoned Regent and asked for such and such to please be in fridge. (We were not in butler cabin.)

[nanook21]

I'm feeling more confident about booking this cruise, so thanks. Although we had Neptune Lounge suite booked on HAL, I don't want to pay the Penthouse prices on Regent, so think the Deluxe will do us just fine. Don't really need a butler anyway! I'll get my TA working on it asap. I really appreciate everyone's input.

[ChatKat in Ca.]

Even with the Neptune Suites on HAL - Regent is a couple steps above. The Mariner is my favorite of the Regent Ships.

[Hambagahle]

Just one additional comment - The Mariner does not have a separate shower AND a bath in the suites (except perhaps a very very expensive one). In many suites, at various drydocks, baths with showers over them have been taken out and a large marble walk-in shower has replaced it.

 

So when you make your booking, tell your TA that you either want a bathtub OR a shower. Then he or she can make sure you get a suite with what you want!

[cruzndiz]

I'm feeling more confident about booking this cruise, so thanks. Although we had Neptune Lounge suite booked on HAL, I don't want to pay the Penthouse prices on Regent, so think the Deluxe will do us just fine. Don't really need a butler anyway! I'll get my TA working on it asap. I really appreciate everyone's input.

 

 

Book confidently, Nanook!!!!!! Mariner is an amazing ship and I can say with 100,000,000% guarantee that you are going to be sailing with some awesome fellow passengers ;)

[nanook21]

Sounds like this is a great ship, so I'm feeling confident about our decision to 'jump ship' from HAL to Regent. Thanks fellow cruisers, I hope to meet up with some of you on Roll call & onboard. We'll be on the Jan/11 Panama/SA sailing of the Mariner, if all goes well. (And we just got referred, too, so thanks Janis - and all others who responded on the referral thread!) .