Boarding Rituals & Other Memorable Experiences on Board

[mborchgardt]

My wife and I are now just 2 months away from our 9/15 sailing on Mariner from Athens to Instanbul. Still a little ways to go, but not too bad considering we've been booked since May of 2009. Air, excursions and dining are now all taken care of, as well as most of our plans for sightseeing in the various ports. We'll be celebrating our 15th anniversary (without the kids!).

 

We are arriving in Athens a day early and plan to board the ship promptly at Noon on the 15th to maximize our enjoyment of the ship. We have been on Voyager before, but not Mariner.

 

Any tips for making spa reservations after boarding? Any other boarding or pre-sail away rituals that any of you enjoy to start your cruise?

 

Also, for those of you who have been on Mariner, I'd be interested in hearing about your most memorable experiences or favorite things to do on board, favorite areas of the ship, etc. We only do an "adults-only" big vacation about every five years, so we want to make our trip as enjoyable and memorable as possible.

 

Thanks in advance for sharing your experiences.

[ededmd]

 

Any tips for making spa reservations after boarding?

Any other boarding or pre-sail away rituals that any of you enjoy to start your cruise?

 

1. Spa - if bodywork (i.e. massage) is important to you, book it as soon as you board. Bodywork was locked up quick on our recent cruise. Or if you have a butler, have him do it.

 

2. Champagne!

 

Congrats on your anniversary and here's to a "grown up" trip!

[ChatKat in Ca.]

I love the Mariner. I always stroll around the ship and see what's changed from the last visit - after I have my spa appointments. Champagne on boarding is a ritual too.

 

There is a promenade that I like on Mariner that Voyager and Navigator don't have. It's one reason I like that ship the best. You can run into people as well as people watch there. Voyager and Navigator have pockets where you can miss people you meet one day and then you never see them again.

[colomom]

Maybe one reason the bodywork was booked up so fast is because you can make those reservations 75 days in advance.

 

Check my post on our roll call:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showpost.php?p=24957962&postcount=39

[cruiseluv]

Once you do your spa reservations you should find your way to the pool deck for lunch at la Veranda, hopefully seating al fresco.

[Wendy The Wanderer]

We too like to walk the ship, checking out any changes and going past the excursion desk and the spa to see when things can be booked or changed. Breeze by our suite to see if it's open or ready, and sometimes leave our carry-ons in the room if the stewardess is there. Then to the pool deck for a light lunch and relax.

 

First time, we would do a thorough deck walk, spotting the lounges, restaurants and outdoor spaces.

 

We haven't been on Mariner, so I look forward to doing this some day.

 

I do remember sitting up on deck on Diamond in Athens, just enjoying the view of Piraeus. Not terribly interesting, but hey, it's Greece!

 

Have a wonderful cruise--what a great time of year to be in the Med!

[poss]

If there's anything from the library that you think you might want, try to get there early (and maybe enjoy one of the hot or cold drinks from the coffee bar, contiguous) (but don't go to the computer room, also contiguous-- just enjoy the ship!). E.g. the guidebooks for the ports that will be visited are whisked away pretty quickly. If you need to do any port research, you need to get to the travel section of the library sooner rather than later. There's a video library as well. (We've never used it-- never have time to watch a flick.)

Enjoy your trip! We're just back from a horribly hot Med cruise on Mariner. Loved it anyway, but enjoyed our earlier cruise in September a good deal more.

[Travelcat2]

If you have been participating in Roll Call, there may be a time and place set up to meet up for drinks during the sailaway.

[bev'sid]

Agree w/ what's been posted, and also if you're interested in any Salon services, they offer 25% off for the 1st day treatments. I like to do a couple things early onboard (hair, nails) between lunch & dinner, but I hadn't run into that discount before. I was the only one in there in May, so it was quick & easy...

 

Boarding is quick & easy as well, and is facilitated usually by the dancers & performers - sort of fun to meet them.

 

We also use this time for any tweaking needed on shore excursions.

 

Great to get there early enough to do all these things...and relax!!

[dixiechick]

We spent a month on the Mariner and loved it. My favorite things on board were the Observation Lounge, special ordering chateaubriand for lunch in Compass Rose, my favorite drink "kiss on the lips" everyday at 5 at the pool deck bar, fantastic lunch buffets on the pool deck, dinner at Prime 7 and meeting fantastic friends. You will have a wonderful time!

[mborchgardt]

I didn't realize that you could pre-book spa treatments. Must have missed the earlier post about it. I have never read anything about that in Regent materials or on the website. I called the 800 number given in the post and the Canyon Ranch service rep took my request. Apparently they foward the request to the spa manager (maybe on board the ship??) who will confirm with an email. I have not received the confirmation email yet, but anticipated it might take a few days since I called on a Friday afternoon.

 

If that all works out, it will be great. More time for relaxing after boarding rather than standing in line at the spa! Glad to see Regent is making progess in the pre-booking area. For our last cruise, dining, spa, and excursions, I think, had to be done once on board which made for a not-so-relaxing first couple of hours on the ship. But that was several years ago.

 

Thanks to those who posted suggestions.