Just Back From Mariner--June 16-26

[atlanta99]

Hard to believe that we were in Istanbul only yesterday morning, but just got home from our June 16-26 cruise on Mariner from Rome to Istanbul (with a couple extra days in Istanbul). We very much enjoyed and appreciated reading reviews and advice from previous cruisers, so we wanted to throw in our two cents' worth about our trip while it is fresh in our minds. Overall, we had a fantastic trip and would be really hard pressed to find more than a few stray things to complain about. More importantly, it seemed that everyone else on our cruise also felt the same way, so we were a very happy ship.

 

Arrival at Rome was a bit chaotic, but that is just the way it is with baggage claim at FCO. Once safely on board the Regent bus to the pre-cruise hotel (Marriott Grand Flora), everything ran smooth as silk. Becky was a wonderul Regent hostess and was very helpful with giving us info, helping my mom change her room, etc. The hotel was in a nice location on the Via Veneto and it was a pleasant surprise to find that we had rooms available even at 10:00 am. Nice staff at the hotel and the rooftop balcony setting for breakfast, overlooking the Vatican and the rest of Rome could not be beat.

 

Next morning transfer to the ship was painless (other than traffic caused by an accident on the Autostrada). We arrived shortly after noon and were whisked directly on board in literally a matter of minutes. By 12:30 or so we had a glass of champagne in hand and went up for lunch at La Veranda, awaiting the promised announcement to get into our cabins around 2:45 or so. In actuality, we were in our cabins by around 2:00, luggage already there and everything in perfect order. Our amazing steward (Lemuel) and butler (Lakshya) immediately met us and walked us through the cabin, services, beverage offerings, etc. That evening, before dinner, we had the block party for our hall. It was very nice to meet the people next door and down the way so that we would know them later on--a very nice touch (although it did unfortunately mess up our planned Cruise Critic get together). As promised, the Captain, Mark Conroy (who was on our cruise up to Athens), other senior crew members, entertainers, etc, all showed up and a good time was had by all.

 

Meals at Compass Rose were generally very very good. Unlike some previous posts I have read, there seemed to be excellent variety of offerings from day to day. Highlights were Dover Sole, the famed Scallops with Bacon (as a "greetings from Prime 7" special), Sea Bass with Pumpkin Puree, Beijing Duck and even a perfectly cooked steak there at CR. Also enjoyed the daily "exotic" salads such as Asian Fennel, Black Bean with Quinoa, Crab and Avocado, as well as the Mulligatawny and Curried Red Lentil soups. My dad's Grilled Salmon was too dry and overcooked, however. The only dish that was terrible was the Malaysian Penang Curry Short Ribs. Although they had received rave reviews in previous posts, they were literally inedible (not because of the curry sauce--that was fine and I love curry--but the meat itself was truly indedible gristle). Yes, I did mention that and, although I didn't ask for anything else in its place, our wonderful waiter Armando quickly brought me a lobster monte cristo salad instead.

 

Speaking of which, Armando and his entire team at table 45 were fantastic and we always sought them out each succeeding night at CR.

 

To our surprise, we enjoyed Signatures more than Prime 7. Our meal at Signatures was perfect in every way, from the excellent Beef Tournedos and Crab Cakes to the excellent and friendly service from Hussayn and Hekah. The food at Prime 7 was also perfect (truly a fantastic porterhouse steak, cooked precisely medium rare as requested, and my daughter's crab cakes were also wonderful). The problem at Prime 7 was that the restaurant was severely understaffed. Our waiters were working very hard, running all over the place, but there seemed to be only two head waiters and one sommelier assistant for the entire room. Everything took very long and it was the only time I ever had to ask for more wine during the entire cruise--and I had to do that twice there--and by the time it eventually arrived dessert was on its way.

 

The couple times we had lunch at La Veranda, it was quite good. Breakfast was ok, but they need a bit more variety (like any variety) in the base offerings from morning to morning. They do have cook to order omelettes and a special brought up from CR each day (such as blueberry pancakes or french toast, etc), but it would have been nice to have a little variety in the types of pastries, potatoes, cheeses, etc offered at the buffet. On the other hand, being a mango and papaya fanatic, it was wonderful to be able to stock my plate with fresh mango and papaya literally every morning.

 

The burger grill seemed to be quite popular and the one I tasted was indeed surprisingly mouth watering and perfectly cooked.

 

Maybe the best overall meal (including ambiance), however, was the Greek BBQ the night we were docked in Athens. That was a fun, festive event up on the pool deck in perfect weather, complete with a selection of meat and fish from the barbie, whole roast suckling pigs, shrimp and crab claws, Greek side dishes, Mythos beer from an ice tub, and anything else you could want. All accompanied by live music and followed by a Beatles Dance Party on the pool deck. Everyone seemed to really enjoy this night.

 

The featured wines seemed a cut above what I was expecting from previous posts. Most were quite good and they were always happy to replace the featured white or red with a different one if you asked (i.e., a chardonnay instead of a sauvignon blanc, or a shiraz instead of a merlot). The very good and friendly sommelier did try to entice you to spend some shipboard credit on his "magic book of wines", but only for a brief second--after which he happily poured the included selections.

 

The coffee at CR and La Veranda was nothing to write home about, but then again I had such miserably low expectations from numerous previous posters that it almost seemed heavenly compared to the laundry water I was anticipating.

 

The gym was well run by very friendly Mei Lei and although I went every day at some point (varied from morning to right before dinner) there was only one morning when I had to wait for a treadmill--and that was not long at all. The spa was already booked for everything for the sea day by the time my daughter tried to make an appointment (no surprise there), but the staff graciously added an extra time slot at the end of the day for her and she came back very happy. Even though we were in prime suntan location and season, there were always enough deck chairs, even on the sea day. I did notice with a groan a few chairs that were "in use" at 7:30 in the morning on more than one occasion, as evidenced by the books and sunglassses carefully placed by the otherwise invisible users, but there didn't seem to be too much of that chair hogging going on. Bar staff were always coming to your beck and call when you were on the pool deck, but on the other hand I always had to go to the bar myself when on deck 12. Even if there were twenty of us up on deck 12, in full view of the Observation Lounge, no one ever seemed to come by to check on our needs for a Mojito or Sierra Nevada (alas, but then again, such a small detail to complain about and one can always use the exercise).

 

Jamie Logan and his wife did an excellent job running everything from tendering to activities to shows. The shows were generally ok and the lead singers and dancers themselves were obviously talented and looking like they were enjoying themselves. Although I personally thought that each of the first three song and dance productions drifted at times to the hokey and awkward side, my parents and even my eighteen year old daughter (who is involved in musical theater) loved them all. The two Cirque perfomers (who were a part of each show and the main focus of the Cirque show), however, were simply outstanding whenever they were on stage. An unexpected touch was that all of the entertainers seemed to be mingling with us all over the ship at various times and we had a couple nights speaking with the singers about their life on board, Broadway audtions, etc. That was especially fun for my daughter.

 

Our prime pianist, Gavin Burke, was great and ran a couple very enjoyable late night games of Name That Tune.

 

Mark Conroy was on our cruise until Athens and he was everywhere. I saw him at CR a couple times, at Signatures, at the shows, in the lounges, at Name That Tune (we still say the fix was in since his team somehow beat us by a single point). So, he was certainly able to see how things were being run firsthand.

 

The included tours were generally surprisingly good--obviously not as good an experience as private tours, but certainly comparable to other 20-40 person tours that you pay for on other lines.

 

TV service was out the last 36 hours or so--not sure if that had anything to do with corresponding to our arrival in Turkey or just a coincidence. Given how busy we always were, not a big deal, although it did make it conveniently impossible to check your account through the interactive service right when you really wanted to on the next to last day. In the ideal world, they could have a few more channels available (given what they did have), but again there wasn't much time in which we were wanting to watch much tv anyway.

 

Oh, and there were no vibrations and I searched on three different days for the infamous odors at the rear of decks 7 and 9 and couldn't find a trace. Also, wifi worked fine the entire time even though I had feared that would not be the case since we were right next door to a cabin in which a previous poster had said he couldn't get service.

 

I have probably exceeded my word limit, but that is my report while it is fresh. In summary, we had a fantastic time and I would assign a grade of 97 out of 100. Very jealous of all you lucky people out there who still have a Mariner trip in the near future instead of just a wonderful memory in the past. If anyone has any specific questions that my review hasn't touched on, please fire away.

 

Cheers,

 

Mark

[Seabourntraveller]

Hard to believe that we were in Istanbul only yesterday morning, but just got home from our June 16-26 cruise on Mariner from Rome to Istanbul (with a couple extra days in Istanbul). We very much enjoyed and appreciated reading reviews and advice from previous cruisers, so we wanted to throw in our two cents' worth about our trip while it is fresh in our minds. Overall, we had a fantastic trip and would be really hard pressed to find more than a few stray things to complain about. More importantly, it seemed that everyone else on our cruise also felt the same way, so we were a very happy ship.

 

Arrival at Rome was a bit chaotic, but that is just the way it is with baggage claim at FCO. Once safely on board the Regent bus to the pre-cruise hotel (Marriott Grand Flora), everything ran smooth as silk. Becky was a wonderul Regent hostess and was very helpful with giving us info, helping my mom change her room, etc. The hotel was in a nice location on the Via Veneto and it was a pleasant surprise to find that we had rooms available even at 10:00 am. Nice staff at the hotel and the rooftop balcony setting for breakfast, overlooking the Vatican and the rest of Rome could not be beat.

 

Next morning transfer to the ship was painless (other than traffic caused by an accident on the Autostrada). We arrived shortly after noon and were whisked directly on board in literally a matter of minutes. By 12:30 or so we had a glass of champagne in hand and went up for lunch at La Veranda, awaiting the promised announcement to get into our cabins around 2:45 or so. In actuality, we were in our cabins by around 2:00, luggage already there and everything in perfect order. Our amazing steward (Lemuel) and butler (Lakshya) immediately met us and walked us through the cabin, services, beverage offerings, etc. That evening, before dinner, we had the block party for our hall. It was very nice to meet the people next door and down the way so that we would know them later on--a very nice touch (although it did unfortunately mess up our planned Cruise Critic get together). As promised, the Captain, Mark Conroy (who was on our cruise up to Athens), other senior crew members, entertainers, etc, all showed up and a good time was had by all.

 

Meals at Compass Rose were generally very very good. Unlike some previous posts I have read, there seemed to be excellent variety of offerings from day to day. Highlights were Dover Sole, the famed Scallops with Bacon (as a "greetings from Prime 7" special), Sea Bass with Pumpkin Puree, Beijing Duck and even a perfectly cooked steak there at CR. Also enjoyed the daily "exotic" salads such as Asian Fennel, Black Bean with Quinoa, Crab and Avocado, as well as the Mulligatawny and Curried Red Lentil soups. My dad's Grilled Salmon was too dry and overcooked, however. The only dish that was terrible was the Malaysian Penang Curry Short Ribs. Although they had received rave reviews in previous posts, they were literally inedible (not because of the curry sauce--that was fine and I love curry--but the meat itself was truly indedible gristle). Yes, I did mention that and, although I didn't ask for anything else in its place, our wonderful waiter Armando quickly brought me a lobster monte cristo salad instead.

 

Speaking of which, Armando and his entire team at table 45 were fantastic and we always sought them out each succeeding night at CR.

 

To our surprise, we enjoyed Signatures more than Prime 7. Our meal at Signatures was perfect in every way, from the excellent Beef Tournedos and Crab Cakes to the excellent and friendly service from Hussayn and Hekah. The food at Prime 7 was also perfect (truly a fantastic porterhouse steak, cooked precisely medium rare as requested, and my daughter's crab cakes were also wonderful). The problem at Prime 7 was that the restaurant was severely understaffed. Our waiters were working very hard, running all over the place, but there seemed to be only two head waiters and one sommelier assistant for the entire room. Everything took very long and it was the only time I ever had to ask for more wine during the entire cruise--and I had to do that twice there--and by the time it eventually arrived dessert was on its way.

 

The couple times we had lunch at La Veranda, it was quite good. Breakfast was ok, but they need a bit more variety (like any variety) in the base offerings from morning to morning. They do have cook to order omelettes and a special brought up from CR each day (such as blueberry pancakes or french toast, etc), but it would have been nice to have a little variety in the types of pastries, potatoes, cheeses, etc offered at the buffet. On the other hand, being a mango and papaya fanatic, it was wonderful to be able to stock my plate with fresh mango and papaya literally every morning.

 

The burger grill seemed to be quite popular and the one I tasted was indeed surprisingly mouth watering and perfectly cooked.

 

Maybe the best overall meal (including ambiance), however, was the Greek BBQ the night we were docked in Athens. That was a fun, festive event up on the pool deck in perfect weather, complete with a selection of meat and fish from the barbie, whole roast suckling pigs, shrimp and crab claws, Greek side dishes, Mythos beer from an ice tub, and anything else you could want. All accompanied by live music and followed by a Beatles Dance Party on the pool deck. Everyone seemed to really enjoy this night.

 

The featured wines seemed a cut above what I was expecting from previous posts. Most were quite good and they were always happy to replace the featured white or red with a different one if you asked (i.e., a chardonnay instead of a sauvignon blanc, or a shiraz instead of a merlot). The very good and friendly sommelier did try to entice you to spend some shipboard credit on his "magic book of wines", but only for a brief second--after which he happily poured the included selections.

 

The coffee at CR and La Veranda was nothing to write home about, but then again I had such miserably low expectations from numerous previous posters that it almost seemed heavenly compared to the laundry water I was anticipating.

 

The gym was well run by very friendly Mei Lei and although I went every day at some point (varied from morning to right before dinner) there was only one morning when I had to wait for a treadmill--and that was not long at all. The spa was already booked for everything for the sea day by the time my daughter tried to make an appointment (no surprise there), but the staff graciously added an extra time slot at the end of the day for her and she came back very happy. Even though we were in prime suntan location and season, there were always enough deck chairs, even on the sea day. I did notice with a groan a few chairs that were "in use" at 7:30 in the morning on more than one occasion, as evidenced by the books and sunglassses carefully placed by the otherwise invisible users, but there didn't seem to be too much of that chair hogging going on. Bar staff were always coming to your beck and call when you were on the pool deck, but on the other hand I always had to go to the bar myself when on deck 12. Even if there were twenty of us up on deck 12, in full view of the Observation Lounge, no one ever seemed to come by to check on our needs for a Mojito or Sierra Nevada (alas, but then again, such a small detail to complain about and one can always use the exercise).

 

Jamie Logan and his wife did an excellent job running everything from tendering to activities to shows. The shows were generally ok and the lead singers and dancers themselves were obviously talented and looking like they were enjoying themselves. Although I personally thought that each of the first three song and dance productions drifted at times to the hokey and awkward side, my parents and even my eighteen year old daughter (who is involved in musical theater) loved them all. The two Cirque perfomers (who were a part of each show and the main focus of the Cirque show), however, were simply outstanding whenever they were on stage. An unexpected touch was that all of the entertainers seemed to be mingling with us all over the ship at various times and we had a couple nights speaking with the singers about their life on board, Broadway audtions, etc. That was especially fun for my daughter.

 

Our prime pianist, Gavin Burke, was great and ran a couple very enjoyable late night games of Name That Tune.

 

Mark Conroy was on our cruise until Athens and he was everywhere. I saw him at CR a couple times, at Signatures, at the shows, in the lounges, at Name That Tune (we still say the fix was in since his team somehow beat us by a single point). So, he was certainly able to see how things were being run firsthand.

 

The included tours were generally surprisingly good--obviously not as good an experience as private tours, but certainly comparable to other 20-40 person tours that you pay for on other lines.

 

TV service was out the last 36 hours or so--not sure if that had anything to do with corresponding to our arrival in Turkey or just a coincidence. Given how busy we always were, not a big deal, although it did make it conveniently impossible to check your account through the interactive service right when you really wanted to on the next to last day. In the ideal world, they could have a few more channels available (given what they did have), but again there wasn't much time in which we were wanting to watch much tv anyway.

 

Oh, and there were no vibrations and I searched on three different days for the infamous odors at the rear of decks 7 and 9 and couldn't find a trace. Also, wifi worked fine the entire time even though I had feared that would not be the case since we were right next door to a cabin in which a previous poster had said he couldn't get service.

 

I have probably exceeded my word limit, but that is my report while it is fresh. In summary, we had a fantastic time and I would assign a grade of 97 out of 100. Very jealous of all you lucky people out there who still have a Mariner trip in the near future instead of just a wonderful memory in the past. If anyone has any specific questions that my review hasn't touched on, please fire away.

 

Cheers,

 

Mark

 

Thanks for the EXCELLENT and COMPREHENSIVE review of the Mariner.;)

[nana541]

Wonderful review and sure sums up our experience on Mariner! Thanks for taking the time to write, know you must be pooped!

[poss]

Thanks so very much, Mark.

This really was a fine review, and I'm impressed that you posted so quickly. I'm happy that you and your family greatly enjoyed your cruise. My husband and I are hungering for ours (Venice-Monte Carlo), less than a month away. Hooray!

(When I remind myself of your exact ports, I may come back with some questions.)

[RachelG]

Thanks so much for your review. Sounds like a wonderful cruise.

[OrpingtonT]

I enjoy reading all reviews but yours, Mark, was something special. So pleased you enjoyed Mariner and I love your balanced attitude to everything. Thank you.

[rph0218]

Thanks for the review! I am looking forward to my trip on the Mariner - within a three week window now!

[Travelcat2]

Really enjoyed reading your review. Glad that you didn't look for the vibration for too long because the Mariner does not have one - the other two ships do:)

[Delilah21]

Many thanks for your excellent and informative review. We are taking our first cruise with Regent on Mariner in October. Your review was extremely helpful.

[paulbjr]

Mark,

 

It surely was a wonderful cruise. Connie and I enjoyed meeting you and your family.

 

Personally, I ate in La Veranda more often than CR and enjoyed it immensely.

 

My cumulative experience both on my own in Rome and Istanbul and on the Mariner (ship excursions and on private excursions with you) have shown me the value of a private guide. That isn't to say that the free ship excursions eren't good, they were. But, the one-on-one experience with a private guide is just not available with a bus-load.

 

To everyone else who was on our Roll Call, I'm sorry that we failed to meet.

 

Heads-up, everyone - don't schedule a meet-up right after the lifebost drill. It conflicts with the block party. Well, live and learn.

 

Paul

[WesW]

moved to cc get together thread

[atlanta99]

Paul and Connie--

 

Very sorry that we didn't see you the last day to say goodbye. Really enjoyed taking those tours with you and glad you found them worthwhile. Yes, certain sites are much better seen on a private tour, regardless of the ship. I hope you were able to see just about everything you wanted to on Tuesday in Istanbul. How was the hotel Tuesday night?

 

Mark

[Snackdaddy]

Thank you very much for your very well balanced and well thought out review. It will be very helpful as we plan for our first Regent cruise next year.

 

All the best.

[EssexBarnes]

Thank you for such a well written and balanced review.

 

We travel on the Mariner for the first time in three weeks and have been a little concerned with some of the reviews and comments surrounding quality of food and "odours".

 

Following your review, i now have renewed excitement

 

Once again - Thank you!!

[alidor]

we were on this same cruise and it was a delight! No odors or any other issues. Have a great time!

[mythologist]

Thanks for the great review Mark! Having been on the Mariner in May, we too enjoyed the ship very much. It does sound however as though you may have had a more varied menu than we did. Hopefully this means they listened when so many of us put it on our comment sheets!

[paulbjr]

Paul and Connie--

 

Very sorry that we didn't see you the last day to say goodbye. Really enjoyed taking those tours with you and glad you found them worthwhile. Yes, certain sites are much better seen on a private tour, regardless of the ship. I hope you were able to see just about everything you wanted to on Tuesday in Istanbul. How was the hotel Tuesday night?

 

Mark

 

Mark,

 

It was wonderful joining you and your family in Malta and Ephesus.

 

I saw everything that I wanted except Topkapi palace. In fact, we saw Hagia Sophia twice. The ship tour had the advantage of having no crowds to contend with but we only saw the main floor so we missed most of the great mosaics. So, on Tuesday, i had our guide take us up to the balcony.

 

Additionally, we arrived there on foot from the Blue Mosque so we got a whole different perspective.

 

The hotel was great, Small but excellent.

 

I had hoped being in June we would miss the heat but that was certainly a HOT cruise. I'm not complaining, though, the first time I saw a raindrop was the day we left.

 

Paul

[vivavegas]

Really enjoyed reading your review! Glad you had a great cruise:)

[abuelita123]

We too were on this Rome to Istanbul cruise and certainly agree with your review of this ship. This is our 4th cruise on Regent SS and the 3rd on the Mariner. We were on the Paul Gauguin 6 years ago. We signed up onboard for our first part of a world tour of South America for next February. Needless to say, we love this ship and it's marvelous staff. We stayed at the Parco de Principe hotel in Rome and it was unbelievable...so sumptuous that there was no doubt that we were in Rome. We had 9 people in our little group (our 4 daughters and their husbands) and we all love this ship! We cruised many times during the 80s and 90s in the mass market cruises and there is no comparing this elegant ship with it's attention to the details that make your cruise experience 100% luxurious. We hope to continue to enjoy their ambience for as long as we can. :o

[paulbjr]

Actually, my last sentence should have been:

 

I'm not complaining, though, the first time I saw a raindrop was the day we left Istanbul for home.

[Gcto]

Mark, do you by any change have Jamie Logan's email ? I'd like to get into contact with him.

 

Thanks

F

[WesW]

Hi Franz, and pls pass Ida and my warm regards along to Beth. Below is email info for Jaime:

 

cruisedirectorjamie@gmail.com (Good now)

 

mar_cd@rssc.com (mar underscore@rssc.com)...franz, am guessing at this one, bu when Jaime is on the Voyager his email is voy_cd@rssc.com

 

When is Beth and your next cruise?

 

Finally, have y'all seen Jaime & Dana's blog.

 

 

http://www.sameshipdifferentday.com/

[Gcto]

Thanks Wes, our best to Ida

 

Franz

[Pepc]

We, too, were on Mark's cruise, as well as the follow-on cruise from Istanbul to Athens.

We agree with Mark's review overall.

Our one, big dissappointment - - unfortunately, at the start of our trip - - was when we arrived at our "pre-cruise" hotel, The Hotel Albani.

The hotel's standards are far below anything we have ever experienced when booking a cruise with Regent - - and certainly not what we expected!

We realize it was the "standard" hotel assigned to our category, but the hotel rooms were definitely "sub-standard."

Last November, we started our trans-Atlantic Regent cruise in Rome.

We were assigned to the Marriott Grand Flora. It was exceptional.

Now, that hotel is reserved for penthouse and above guests.

We were told by other passengers, and reiterated by abuelita123, the Parco de Principe hotel was very nice.

I'm not sure how The Hotel Albani made the cut!

The rooms are decorated with plastic furniture. Our tables and chairs were made of hard plastic - - bright orange hard plastic - - similar to what you would put outside on a patio!

The carpet was incredibly thin with no padding. I believe it was indoor / outdoor carpeting.

Not a nice reflection on Regent!

Not what a person expects when booking a Regent cruise!

Thankfully, once we got on-board everything was terrific.

[newlondon]

Atlanta99, Interested to hear about your daughter and musical theater. I am the Treasurer of a summer stock theater in New London, NH. New London Barn Playhouse has as a specific mission training what we call interns during a 2.5 month intense experience. If you post your e-mail I can give you more info without hijacking the thread.