Greetings from the Mariner

[cAPS lOCK oN]

Well, out cruise is nearly done. We skipped St. Tropez because it was inaccessible to our tenders, and instead are overnighting in Barcelona. That's ok with us.

 

I'll eventually post a full review, but here's a few likes and dislikes...

 

Likes:

 

This is the cleanest ship I've ever been on. Our room and all of the public areas are absolutely spotless. There are lots of glass table tops, and I've never once seen a fingerprint or a ring from a coffee cup.

 

The foods has been good to very good in all of the venues.

 

As I said from the start, this is a happy ship. Especially the bartenders, as well as Reception and Destination Services.

 

The entertainment was better than our last cruise.

 

Dislikes:

 

Our Smithsonian speaker was below average at best.

 

There were some service issues, especially when we dined late.

 

The Med is way too hot in July. 90 degrees with high humidity is brutal.

[tjeffery]

Hi again and thanks for the theatre information. This is my first ocean cruise (done a few river cruises and, no doubt do a few more oceans) and have a couple of more questions:-

 

1. What is the dress code like in Prime7 and Signatures? I've watched a few videos and it seems like suits are favourite - does anyone go for a Dinner Jacket (Tuxedo) and bow tie? I was a bit embarrassed on my first river cruise as I turned up for the 'big' meal in a suit and only a couple of other passengers had even bothered to put on a tie.

 

2. Excursions - The Regent web site stated there must be a gap of 90 minutes between excursions to book them on-line. Is this set in stone or, if a morning excursion returns early, can you partake an afternoon excursion?

 

Almost a month to go and I can't wait :)

 

Terry

[cAPS lOCK oN]

Prime 7 was maybe 50% men in suits and sport coats, and 50% without. I was in the second group, as I didn't even pack one this time. I didn't see any tuxedos, anywhere.

 

I know that the website won't let you book a second excursion without a 90+ minute buffer. But I imagine that Destination Services would make an exception if you talked to them onboard. The DS team was extremely helpful and friendly on this cruise, and Luke, the head of DS, was the nicest person we dealt with. And that's saying something.

[RachelG]

My husband doesn't pack jacket for cruises on Regent anymore either.

 

As far as excursions, the website won't let you book 2 without 90 minutes between, but if there is availability once onboard, destination services will let you do them closer together. I have done this in St. Petersburg and somewhere else which I can't think of right at the moment.