1st time on Mariner....help please

[LoveChops]

Hello

My husband and I sail on the Mariner 30th May for 10 nights. Very excited about this cruise!

1) What is the block party? I have read this several times but not sure what it is or when?

2) We fly into Rome, arriving around 10.30am. How long does it take to get from the airport to the port and will we be allowed to board straight away?

3) Are linen trousers and a smart short sleeved shirt OK for my husband to wear on an evening or is more formal dress required?

 

Any help, hints and tips would be appreciated!

 

Thank you.

[Travelcat2]

Hello

My husband and I sail on the Mariner 30th May for 10 nights. Very excited about this cruise!

1) What is the block party? I have read this several times but not sure what it is or when?

2) We fly into Rome, arriving around 10.30am. How long does it take to get from the airport to the port and will we be allowed to board straight away?

3) Are linen trousers and a smart short sleeved shirt OK for my husband to wear on an evening or is more formal dress required?

 

Any help, hints and tips would be appreciated!

 

Thank you.

 

How exciting that your cruise is so soon. I will try to give you the best answerse that I can:

 

1. It depends upon the itinerary as to when it is held but it is one of the few times an announcement is made by the Cruise Director on the loud speaker so you will definitely know about it. People go outside of their suite, empty wine glass in hand, and wait for the Captain, and other officers to practically run through every deck shaking hands. In the meantime, wine is poured and canapes are passed around and you meet your neighbors. It is really a nice event.

 

2. Linen trousers and a short sleeve shirt are fine for your husband. Although not required, some men do take a sports jacket to wear on "special" evenings like the night of the Captain's Reception. You will see some men wearing suits and also some wearing polo type shirts (polo shirts aren't my favorite thing to see -- but that is just my feeling).

 

3. Last Sunday we book the Regent bus from the cruise port to the airport in Rome and it only took 50 minutes. However, there was no traffic as it was fairly early on Sunday. I understand it can take an hour and a half.

 

Have a wonderful journey:)

[OrpingtonT]

Travelcat has covered the points you raise, but to amplify about the trip from the airport to Civitavecchia. If you land at 10.30 as you say, by the time you are all off the plane, gone through the formalities and claimed your luggage, it will be 1130 or later. Your very pleasant journey to the port will take 60 to 90 minutes and you will find you will be able to check in and board straight away, though your suites won't be ready until 2.30 to 3pm. You can have lunch though and explore Mariner, a beautiful ship.

 

Not long o go before a wonderful cruise. Have fun.

[LoveChops]

Hello

 

Two more questions :-)

 

1)Is it champagne or sparkling wine on the ship? If it is champagne, can anyone remember the name?

 

2) My husband is a real ale fan - does the ship have any real ales or just lager?

 

Thanks again!

[Travelcat2]

Hello

 

Two more questions :-)

 

1)Is it champagne or sparkling wine on the ship? If it is champagne, can anyone remember the name?

 

2) My husband is a real ale fan - does the ship have any real ales or just lager?

 

Thanks again!

 

They serve champagne. According to the bar list it is Montaudon Champagne Brut. Not sure about real ales -- someone else will probably know. You can request an ale to be on board (request through your travel agent). If Regent can obtain it, they will have it on hand for you.

[kvisf]

Both "real" champagne and sparkling wines are available. I recall the champagne was Deutz on my last cruise in 2011, but they may change labels depending on availability etc. I thought the sparkling wine was also very good, and there should be a chilled bottle in your suite when you arrive. If you prefer the champagne just ask.

 

The available beers run heavily toward lagers. However, in other recent postings charltonkerry (you could do a search), who is also a fan of English beers, has reported success in requesting Regent to stock some of his preferred bitter for his cruise. You might try doing so. With the apparent increase in the number of our British friends cruising with Regent, they should consider adding some representative English brews to their regular list.

[RachelG]

Linen pants and short sleeved shirt are fine for your husband for dinner. My son wore his several times on our last cruise.

[charltonkerry]

Lovechops, the chances of getting real ale on board is frankly nil, it doesnt travel well and it certainly won't like being tossed around at sea, add to this the problems encountered with pipes etc. your best bet and what I seemed to be famous for was to make a request that they put on board some either bottled (my preference but there is a glass bottle problem which regent was thinking about) or tins, I phoned Regent UK and they asked my what my preference was, I requested Spitfire or London Pride, they wouldn't promise anything, but they did send me an email stating that my request was submitted to the ship.

 

Oh when I made the request there was an element of disbelief that with all the selection of fine wines and lagers on board, that some idiot should like a pint of bitter. That's always been my problem a rebel without a clue:p

 

Hopefully they will come good and magically a few bottles or tins will find there way on board, I will find out on Sunday when I start my cruise, I won't promise anything, but if I remember then I will let everyone know the outcome.

 

Regards

Kerry and Marion

[rarin2go]

Both Montaudon and Jacquard are available on board Mariner at present (although we've done our best to finish both off ;) - no sign of sparling wine unless specifically requested.

[TheSeaAroundUs]

I agree with charltonkerry.

 

"Real ale" is not something you can find in a tin or a bottle, and not even in a keg.

 

It is something that is delivered in casks, and hand-pulled (with multiple pulls on the tap; the barkeep is providing the energy to pull the ale out of the cask, very different from a keg where they just open the tap and the pressure of the carbon dioxide forces the fluid through the pipes).

 

I *love* real ale, but I don't think you'll find it on a cruise ship anytime soon.

 

BUT, do go ahead and contact Regent to make a request for your favourite bottle or tin to be available for you on board!

[kvisf]

I have a very vivid memory of my first taste of a cask conditioned ale -- years ago in London in a sleepy men's club -- it was a revelation. If Regent could reproduce that, the ships would be full of Brits!

[TheSeaAroundUs]

Well there is a at least one cruise ship with a brewery onboard!

 

http://www.meyerwerft.com/page.asp?lang=e&main=3&subs=0&did=1722

 

It's German, though, so no ales, but still a step in a good direction....

 

I had second-guessed my statement that you wouldn't find real ale on a cruise ship; thought perhaps I had actually seen something about it being done on a small scale, perhaps by one of the mass-market lines in an exclusive venue. BUT, I can find nothing about it now. The consensus of cognoscenti seems to be that the motion of the ship would make it impossible to keep a cask in proper condition.