Mariner (somewhat live)

[tallship]

Hi Gerry-

Just the top suites, lounges, promenade and carpeting throughout. Lots of painting still going on. Smells quite strong in our suite yesterday.

 

One thing I forgot to mention is the stunning artwork hung in the promenade and I am not talking about the Park West Art but the art on the walls across from Park West. Very nice.

 

The Gold, Plt, Titanium party was held tonight. It was fine. Looks like there might be a hosted dinner tomorrow evening which we will be passing on....

[Wendy The Wanderer]

Tina, I missed this thread somehow until today! I'm so glad you've managed to escape the end of your horrible winter, and hope that you're enjoying nice weather in the Med.

 

Have a great time, and thanks for all the pix!

[Travelcat2]

 

One thing I forgot to mention is the stunning artwork hung in the promenade and I am not talking about the Park West Art but the art on the walls across from Park West. Very nice.

 

 

 

Just an interesting tidbit about the artwork...... almost 600 pieces were hung on the Mariner during dry dock.

 

Love reading your posts and seeing photos. Wish we were there.

[Mudhen]

Please tell me that the "chicken wire headless man" if gone from the scenic elevator shaft!

Pleeeeze?

[jhp]

lol, I so agree about that chicken wire in the elevator shaft!

[tallship]

Yes, the chicken wire art is still there.

 

Had a great but tiring day yesterday. Started off in the morning with a tour to Mt. Etna. I am not sure I would do this tour to see Etna but the views of the countryside were nice. However, it is 90 minutes each way and about at 20 min stop at the viewing point. We did a bathroom stop about 2 hours in.....

 

After returning to Naxos, we hopped on the shuttle for Taormina. Had an Arancini for lunch, bought some pistachio treats (pesto, nougat, etc) and the obligatory ceramic rooster and rushed back to make the last bus/tender back to the ship.

 

Dinner last night was at Prime 7. It was very good and service superb. Today is Corfu and we are doing a Panoramic tour.

[xrvlcruiser]

Hi Tina,

 

Thanks for all the pictures and PLEASE say hello to your Mom!

 

The re-do looks great . . . have fun.

 

Peggy

[tallship]

Thx Peggy

I will try to provide somewhat of a mid-cruise summary later this evening

Lovely day in corfu...nice weather

[tallship]

Mid Cruise Report

So far we have had a fairly good cruise.

 

Here are some summary observations:

The food has been good to superb. The service in Compass Rose has been timely and very efficient. We can be in and out in 90 minutes or choose to linger longer. I like that.

 

La Veranda has a sense of chaos in the morning. The staff are very good and they try really hard but it is tough as this is a full sailing and everyone seems to descend at once. The buffet food is the same here every day.....

 

Prime 7 and Signatures were both very good. Exceptional service and Maitre'd in each restaurant. Makes such a difference in the tone....

 

Jonathan Smid, the Executive Chef is very visible and talks with guests frequently. I understand he will be departing for a break at the end of this cruise.

 

Destinations staff are superb. Great advice and friendly.

 

Internet- fairly strong and steady. Some glitches signing in from time to time. The Internet Manager's hours are very limited and his assistance is somewhat variable.

 

We have had some small glitches as well (some very minor, others more problematic):

 

Had paint smell quite heavy in our room third day into the cruise...both of had headaches that day

 

Water went off in the middle of getting ready for dinner for about two hours. They must have flushed the system because it was a brown color later....all clear after a few flushes but I would not drink from the tap (ever)

 

Ran out of scones and sandwiches half way through teatime yesterday....were told they were coming and they never did so we sat waiting for 30 minutes before giving up (first world problem, I know but annoying to wait after a long excursion and disappointing for my Mom as she looked forward to teatime and no one ever came to tell her they had permanently run out after promising to bring them to her).

 

Concessions/stores- hate the stock in these stores. It is a real disappointment (again).

 

Other random observations:

The customer demographic feels like they are > 90 % from the UK. We have never been on a cruise so heavily skewed to one country. It is a different mix and definitely less diverse. Neither good nor bad, just different.

 

There are only 38 Gold, Platinum, Titanium onboard. To me this seems like a very small number. There is someone onboard with over 4,000 nights but only 10 Platinum. What does this mean about repeat business and loyalty?

 

For the first time we have not joined the Single Travelers group. It appears very small from 1-3 folks.

 

There are a lot of sick people on the ship (passengers and crew) with some upper respiratory bug. Coughing, sneezing, sore throat....(I bet I will be taking this home)

 

The buses for excursions are very full. Our tour yesterday did not have a single empty seat.

Edited April 13, 2014 by tallship

[Travelcat2]

Thanks so much for the update. Really upset to hear about the sickness on board. As you know, we went through that on the Voyager in Dec./Jan. According to the news today, the problem of illness on cruise ships is increasing.

 

I am wondering if the demographic has more to do with the itinerary or if Regent is discounting cruises in the U.K. We personally prefer a diverse group but suspect that it will be skewed on our upcoming cruise.

 

In terms of less Platinum and Gold Seven Seas Society members, we have found this to be the case on shorter itineraries. Hope this is not an indication that Regent is losing some of their loyal customers.

 

The bus situation doesn't surprise me - Regent continues to get new customers with their included excursions (at least for now). A TA in the U.K. made an interesting post about this subject this week. Customers are flocking to Regent because of the included excursions which is good because it is giving them their first taste of luxury cruising. The TA expects that after trying Regent, they may be more open to trying other luxury cruise lines. This can be interpreted as a positive or a negative for Regent. Perhaps after trying Regent a couple of times they will book other luxury cruise lines for less money and they will have the ability to do their own excursions and not be part of a full busload on Regent.

 

On a positive note, Jonathan Smid is wonderful -- wish he was going to be on the Voyager. The food reports from the Mariner have been consistently excellent. It is no wonder that we have booked the Mariner for 2015.

 

Continue to enjoy your cruise. Hope your mom is doing well:)

[rarin2go]

........

I am wondering if the demographic has more to do with the itinerary or if Regent is discounting cruises in the U.K. .......

 

On a positive note, Jonathan Smid is wonderful -- wish he was going to be on the Voyager. .......

 

If Regent is discounting to UK customers, it is keeping it fairly quiet! Certainly once we have booked, we never hear of any price reductions :(

However, it may be that the exchange rate (US$/GBP) has improved in our favour and lowered the sterling prices. Certainly, from personal knowledge, the 'tours and all' inclusive regime is proving popular here with those who have not previously considered luxury cruising.

 

Also sad to learn that Jonathan Smid will not be on the Mariner when we board in June - the standard of the food is great when he's in charge.

[tallship]

I will post about pricing, etc post cruise but you both (Jackie and Rarin2go) post sage observations

[Anchorbuoy]

Mid Cruise Report

 

There is someone onboard with over 4,000 nights but only 10 Platinum.

 

'The Captain' Javelin is not on the Mariner. He is currently on the Navigator.

[Anchorbuoy]

 

On a positive note, Jonathan Smid is wonderful -- wish he was going to be on the Voyager.

 

Jackie

Jonathan is moving to the Voyager after leaving the Mariner. He should be onboard for your Norway cruise.

[tallship]

'The Captain' Javelin is not on the Mariner. He is currently on the Navigator.

 

I know the Captain is not on Mariner having met him many times

I was told they announced someone on this ship had close to 4K nights but since I skipped the SSS party I only heard it second hand

[Pies4u]

We still have a year to wait before our first Regent Mariner cruise - so it's helpful to see some pics of the refit, surprised that Regent haven't splashed a few around themselves!

 

Certainly not aware of price reductions in the UK, just the standard brochure/early booking arrangements.

[scuba diver]

Pies4U:

 

One week until we hit the 1 year mark.

 

Regent does have a few pictures up at:

 

http://rsscblog.com/

[Travelcat2]

Jackie

Jonathan is moving to the Voyager after leaving the Mariner. He should be onboard for your Norway cruise.

 

Thank you so very much for letting me know this. After our experience last time, he will be a welcome relief!!!!

 

rarin2go, Someone posted a few months ago that the U.K. office had an unbelievable "sale" which resulted in people sailing on Regent that would not typically do so. The poster was quite upset as the cruise was not a typical Regent cruise due to the people on board.

Edited April 13, 2014 by Travelcat2

[rarin2go]

....rarin2go, Someone posted a few months ago that the U.K. office had an unbelievable "sale" which resulted in people sailing on Regent that would not typically do so. The poster was quite upset as the cruise was not a typical Regent cruise due to the people on board.

Both the post and the "sale" obviously got in under my radar!

Perhaps Regent should consider a quota system to prevent too many ghastly Brits getting onboard :rolleyes:

Seriously, it is difficult to understand why Regent would make special efforts or concessions to sell into the UK market when it is so much smaller than its domestic catchment area.

Edited April 13, 2014 by rarin2go
Additional thoughts

[Travelcat2]

Both the post and the "sale" obviously got in under my radar!

Perhaps Regent should consider a quota system to prevent too many ghastly Brits getting onboard :rolleyes:

Seriously, it is difficult to understand why Regent would make special efforts or concessions to sell into the UK market when it is so much smaller than its domestic catchment area.

 

I believe Regent is trying to increase the number of British guests on Regent. They give incentives to get people to try the product. I recall several times when the ship was docked and people were allowed to board for lunch and a tour. This was probably a year ago.

 

My husband is British and also enjoys cruises that are diverse. I am curious how much the Baltic cruises are being advertised in the U.K. We have been inundated with emails regarding their less than full Baltic cruises.

[rarin2go]

I believe Regent is trying to increase the number of British guests on Regent. They give incentives to get people to try the product. I recall several times when the ship was docked and people were allowed to board for lunch and a tour. This was probably a year ago.

 

I seriously doubt that Regent much cares about the nationality of its guests so long as they can pay the fare. We also experienced such 'lunch and tour' visits when docked in Spain and France last year so it's not a device specifically aimed at increasing UK custom.

[Travelcat2]

I seriously doubt that Regent much cares about the nationality of its guests so long as they can pay the fare. We also experienced such 'lunch and tour' visits when docked in Spain and France last year so it's not a device specifically aimed at increasing UK custom.

 

If you do a search for the legal document for Regent's IPO filing, it mentions the specific percentage of European passengers they have now and the percentage they want to increase it to. This is obviously a very well thought out decision.

 

Excuse my use of "U.K." when I really mean Europe. My DH reminds me all the time that England is not part of Europe. So, I'm wrong if I say U.K. and wrong if I say Europe. Sometimes you can't win in a multi-cultural household:)

Edited April 13, 2014 by Travelcat2

[rarin2go]

If you do a search for the legal document for Regent's IPO filing, it mentions the specific percentage of European passengers they have now and the percentage they want to increase it to. This is obviously a very well thought out decision.

 

Excuse my use of "U.K." when I really mean Europe. My DH reminds me all the time that England is not part of Europe. So, I'm wrong if I say U.K. and wrong if I say Europe. Sometimes you can't win in a multi-cultural household:)

 

I hate to take issue with your DH but the UK is both geographically, historically and culturally part of Europe - whether it is (or should be) politically part of the "European Union" is quite another question! :(

 

But please the adjective 'British' is not the equivalent of 'European' - it's like me saying 'Californian' and meaning 'citizen of any state of the USA'!:eek:

 

And the UK cruise market is relatively insignificant in comparison to the pan-European one so the RSSC policy does make sense given the Southampton office is the UK & Europe office.:)

[journeyfan]

Wow, TC2. All the traveling you've done and you don't know what continent Great Britain is on? Maybe it's on Asia? Australia maybe?

[Travelcat2]

Wow, TC2. All the traveling you've done and you don't know what continent Great Britain is on? Maybe it's on Asia? Australia maybe?

 

My DH was born and raised in London. While things may have changed, he insists that, being an island on it's own, it is not part of Europe. Interestingly, they are not part of the European Union (or at least not part of the currency). When it comes to the U.K., I just listen. Actually, I do consider it part of Europe when he isn't listening:D

 

In terms of who sails on Regent. Passengers are mostly from the United States. The 2nd, 3rd and 4th place would be people from Canada, Australia and the U.K. (not necessarily in that order -- it changes depending upon itinerary). People from the rest of Europe, Asia, South America, etc. make up a very small percent of Regent passengers. This is why I was amazed to read that Brits make up approximately 90% of the passengers currently on the Mariner. This is more than unusual. That is why I thought back to specials that were reportedly only offered out of the U.K. (not European) Regent office.