We're back, it's rick & ron on the ss mariner--miami to san francisco (april 18,2018)

[Onkel_Ken]

It is sad that the included excursions don't match even in a little way the luxury setting of the cruise itself. Hopefully input from Regent cruisers will prompt Regent to take more effort in making the included excursions somewhat better than have been reported recently.

[Johnthesailor]

Onkel_Ken,

How have the excursions you have been on matched up with expectations? On the majority of those that I have taken, recent and not so recent, they have been fine. It is unfortunate that there appears to be a recent issue but I think it is the exception rather than the rule. Don't you agree?

[ronrick1943]

Cruising the Pacific Ocean too Mazatlan

 

Sea day to Mazatlan I heard it started with a beautiful sunrise. I didn’t get up until 7:30 this morning which is fine with me. Same breakfast was coffee, rolls and fresh fruit serviced in the cabin. This was a really nice way to start the day.

 

Had my meeting with Destination Service Manager about yesterdays van used for tour bus number 20. She showed interested and took notes. I told her not to take my word alone but ask others who took that tour what their feelings about the vehicle used. She said she would look into it and send a report to Miami. That’s about all you can ask for and hope they follow through. I know we won’t even get into any tour vehicle that is unsafe or uncomfortable in our opinion.

 

Lunch good again with our Canadian friends at the Pool Grill, the wait staff is just outstanding!

 

They had a County Fair look good and people enjoying themselves. But I took a nap on the deck which was a nice way to spend an afternoon. I saw about a dozen big turtles swimming passed the ship. And then saw a bunch of dolphins off the side of the ship in and out of the water for about 10 minutes before swimming off.

 

Dinner in the cabin, very good and we did see the sunset to makeup for missing the sunrise. And that’s about the end of a perfect day IMO at sea.

 

Most cruise lines can provide a good hard product, but Regent really does provide a superior soft product (their people truly make the cruise what it is).

[GOARMY]

Regarding issues with lack of uniformity as to Destination Services' attention to onshore excursions requiring use of contract vehicles--which is most of the time excluding those rare situations where a walk off/walk on escorted tour in the immediate port area has been offered.

 

Fortunately, my wife and I have never experienced a situation where a contractor conveyance whether via boat, car, van, or bus has been deficient as to basic safety, let-alone comfort on a Regent cruise. Bottom line is that we have never had the need to abandon a tour, mid-tour over concerns as to whether that vehicle, or the driver, was impaired.

 

Sure--busses have broken down. This happened on a Navigator cruise some time ago doing the Montreal-NYC St. Lawrence Seaway itinerary. But, that occurred while at an intermediate stop. The Tour Guide instantly communicated the situation to whomever. Result: a back-up bus arrived about a half-hour later. The ship did not leave without us.

 

I would offer this perspective to Regent management. Consider every vehicle hired under contract to provide onshore transportation to be no different than--

 

A Tender. Those Tenders we have to take from time to time when anchored offshore to get onshore. Have never had one of those malfunction. The drivers are trained; they are crew members. How many times have we witnessed these Tenders going through drills while that particular ship is in port. No passengers; just the drill of lowering each to the water; starting the engine; and running those Tenders round and round.

 

Regent cannot rely on a "contract" with an onshore tour company to shield it from liability should that bus, or van, or sampan come to grief. It will take only ONE such incident involving injury, or worse, to passengers to put the entire company at risk.

 

So--Regent should not spread its Destination Services (DS) staff so thin that it is not possible to, literally, do a walk-through of each and every conveyance that lines up at the pier prior to boarding paying guests. That walk-through should be in the basic contract. Maybe it is; but might be observed more in the breach than the practice. Such a preboarding inspection is no guarantee; but there are few guarantees in life. It just puts the odds in the favor of guests.

 

In the best of worlds, a Regent representative--whether from DS; a cast performer; one of the onboard lectures--will be on the bus. Of course, realize this is not realistic when 20 or 25 busses show up at various times of the morning or early afternoon on port-intensive itineraries. As others have noted earlier on this Tread, it is common to see such ships' personnel onboard a bus, simply to take the tour. I do not recall any with a clipboard. Of course, they are, no doubt, taking mental notes.

 

What is realistic is conducting that preboarding inspection. If this minimal safety check cannot be conducted for whatever logistical reasons--then do not schedule that tour. Find another contractor; or do not offer the tour in the first place.

 

Best,

 

GOARMY!

[ronrick1943]

Onkel_Ken,

How have the excursions you have been on matched up with expectations? On the majority of those that I have taken, recent and not so recent, they have been fine. It is unfortunate that there appears to be a recent issue but I think it is the exception rather than the rule. Don't you agree?

 

If you think going in a dirty unsafe van is the expectation and your OK with that, fine however I don't. And honestly their should be no expectations period, Regent agents that saw saw this but turned their head should have stopped it at the deck.

[ronrick1943]

Regarding issues with lack of uniformity as to Destination Services' attention to onshore excursions requiring use of contract vehicles--which is most of the time excluding those rare situations where a walk off/walk on escorted tour in the immediate port area has been offered.

 

Fortunately, my wife and I have never experienced a situation where a contractor conveyance whether via boat, car, van, or bus has been deficient as to basic safety, let-alone comfort on a Regent cruise. Bottom line is that we have never had the need to abandon a tour, mid-tour over concerns as to whether that vehicle, or the driver, was impaired.

 

Sure--busses have broken down. This happened on a Navigator cruise some time ago doing the Montreal-NYC St. Lawrence Seaway itinerary. But, that occurred while at an intermediate stop. The Tour Guide instantly communicated the situation to whomever. Result: a back-up bus arrived about a half-hour later. The ship did not leave without us.

 

I would offer this perspective to Regent management. Consider every vehicle hired under contract to provide onshore transportation to be no different than--

 

A Tender. Those Tenders we have to take from time to time when anchored offshore to get onshore. Have never had one of those malfunction. The drivers are trained; they are crew members. How many times have we witnessed these Tenders going through drills while that particular ship is in port. No passengers; just the drill of lowering each to the water; starting the engine; and running those Tenders round and round.

 

Regent cannot rely on a "contract" with an onshore tour company to shield it from liability should that bus, or van, or sampan come to grief. It will take only ONE such incident involving injury, or worse, to passengers to put the entire company at risk.

 

So--Regent should not spread its Destination Services (DS) staff so thin that it is not possible to, literally, do a walk-through of each and every conveyance that lines up at the pier prior to boarding paying guests. That walk-through should be in the basic contract. Maybe it is; but might be observed more in the breach than the practice. Such a preboarding inspection is no guarantee; but there are few guarantees in life. It just puts the odds in the favor of guests.

 

In the best of worlds, a Regent representative--whether from DS; a cast performer; one of the onboard lectures--will be on the bus. Of course, realize this is not realistic when 20 or 25 busses show up at various times of the morning or early afternoon on port-intensive itineraries. As others have noted earlier on this Tread, it is common to see such ships' personnel onboard a bus, simply to take the tour. I do not recall any with a clipboard. Of course, they are, no doubt, taking mental notes.

What is realistic is conducting that preboarding inspection. If this minimal safety check cannot be conducted for whatever logistical reasons--then do not schedule that tour. Find another contractor; or do not offer the tour in the first place.

Best,GOARMY!

 

Thank you and couldn't agree more, we've been on other tours (a few) with no problems. However even once is to many when it's unsafe, and to have a seat that isn't bolted in the front to the floor isn't safe for us or the people behind us. This van stood out from the rest as it pulled up (as not good). We're still having a great cruise, one or two things wrong won't change that. But they do need to correct this and it should never happen again. For us we'll never get in a van like that again. I believe the manager I talked with is looking into it, she has the tour number and said she would talk to others that were on the van (I asked her not just listen to me but ask others). I hope she does.

[macbest]

 

Time to get ready for dinner, tonight it’s Prime 7 and invited to dine with Captain Serena Melani. She really is pleasant person to talk with, she interesting and knowable. No one talked about the Regent, The Ship or anything that may have gone wrong during the cruise. Just a very pleasant evening getting to know each other, one of the most enjoyable dinners during the cruise.

 

Food and service was good as always (but why wouldn’t it be this time with the Captain seated at the table).

 

I’ve always wondered, when dining with the ship officers (especially the captain) do they serve better/different wine vs others in the restaurant that night?

[ronrick1943]

I’ve always wondered, when dining with the ship officers (especially the captain) do they serve better/different wine vs others in the restaurant that night?

 

Sorry I can't really say because we don't drink, but it looked like the same bottles. Wish I could help.

[mrlevin]

I’ve always wondered, when dining with the ship officers (especially the captain) do they serve better/different wine vs others in the restaurant that night?

 

Sometimes; Ricardo (destinations manager on Voyager) chose a very good Amarone on our cruise last year; however, dinner with the Captain was normal wine. I have found F&B and GM often go for something off the reserve list; more so than the Captain.

 

Just my experiences (remembered through too much wine).

 

Marc

[WesW]

Marq, we have also enjoyed very nice fine wine selections chose for us by the GM (Ralph De Klijn, when he was with Regent) was especially generous.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[Johnthesailor]

If you think going in a dirty unsafe van is the expectation and your OK with that, fine however I don't. And honestly their should be no expectations period, Regent agents that saw saw this but turned their head should have stopped it at the deck.

 

Ronrick,

If you reread my post you will find that I acknowledge that there have been recent problems but I said that this was an EXCEPTION to my experience. With respect to expectations, I was asking Onkel_Ken how his experiences Compared to HIS expectations as he had made a pretty broad statement about tours on luxury cruises.

 

I do not disagree at all with you on your experience. I've never had a dirty and/or unsafe tour on any cruise line and I would not be fine with it. I probably would not even have gotten into a van in that condition.

[ronrick1943]

Ronrick,

If you reread my post you will find that I acknowledge that there have been recent problems but I said that this was an EXCEPTION to my experience. With respect to expectations, I was asking Onkel_Ken how his experiences Compared to HIS expectations as he had made a pretty broad statement about tours on luxury cruises.

 

I do not disagree at all with you on your experience. I've never had a dirty and/or unsafe tour on any cruise line and I would not be fine with it. I probably would not even have gotten into a van in that condition.

 

Sorry, I was trying to say with a Regent person on duty, there shouldn't even be an exception. And big cities in Mexico aren't 3rd world. I just didn't say it right.

[ronrick1943]

Mazatlan

 

Here we are a day in Mazatlan, not a pretty place but better than the last place Acapulco. Today’s weather nice, warm but not too hot. We got off the ship about 10:00 AM, grab a taxi and took off for a little sightseeing. After a while we stop at a downtown bakery, really good looking baked goods and the locals we’re lined up to buy. After a short visit we returned to the ship for lunch.

 

Dinner was in Prime 7, now my favorite. Food was good and service excellence, nothing much more to say about tonight. No show for us tonight.

 

In the morning we’ll be in Cabo San Lucas, we’ll be doing the Swim with the Dolphins. Should be fun and something we haven’t done yet. We’re looking forward to a nice day in Cabo!

 

Sometimes we wonder why we cruise the lines we do, but this morning in port what do we see The Carnival Cruise Ship. The tour of the day getting off the ship,believe it or not was “THE BAR HOPPING TOUR”. Saw about 40 to 50 people taking the tour. At that very moment you know why you cruise Regent.

 

Today was a great day, we’ll still have great days at home but cruising is special and that is way we take one day at a time. When you have one bad day from time to time,the next has to be better.

[poss]

Actually Regent does have some pub crawls/bar hopping tours on some of the itineraries. I don't think people choose such excursions in order to get drunk. I think they probably just want to experience the pub culture in a particular place.

 

I'm appreciating your thread and am especially impressed by your enjoyment of just hanging out and relaxing. I hope you enjoy the dolphins too.

[ronrick1943]

Actually Regent does have some pub crawls/bar hopping tours on some of the itineraries. I don't think people choose such excursions in order to get drunk. I think they probably just want to experience the pub culture in a particular place.

 

I'm appreciating your thread and am especially impressed by your enjoyment of just hanging out and relaxing. I hope you enjoy the dolphins too.

 

You'd have to see this group, this group was already drinking--I'm sure they had fun,but I think also seeing the group leader??????

 

The Dolphins, super fun--tell more later, but well wroth the price.

[whenyoudream]

We once went on a 3-day Carnival Cruise to Mexico from L.A. They thrust a cheap free drink upon everyone as we arrived on the deck for the bon voyage party (it was "red" and "tropical"??), and people of all ages and from all walks of life were having the time of their life. The food, cleanliness and safety were all below adequate, but no one seemed to notice! Carnival is the FUN ship!! Wasn't our thing.

 

May I say we are very much looking forward to our first Regent cruise! Really enjoying your posts and your relaxed cruising style. We would like to be far away from the madding crowds of L.A., no hoopla, no hassles.

[ronrick1943]

We once went on a 3-day Carnival Cruise to Mexico from L.A. They thrust a cheap free drink upon everyone as we arrived on the deck for the bon voyage party (it was "red" and "tropical"??), and people of all ages and from all walks of life were having the time of their life. The food, cleanliness and safety were all below adequate, but no one seemed to notice! Carnival is the FUN ship!! Wasn't our thing.

 

May I say we are very much looking forward to our first Regent cruise! Really enjoying your posts and your relaxed cruising style. We would like to be far away from the madding crowds of L.A., no hoopla, no hassles.

 

No, you said what I was trying to say-- We cruised Carnival once also, like you it wasn't our thing. And everyone has the right to enjoy cruising the way they want too.

[Onkel_Ken]

Ron & Rick,

 

Really enjoying following along on your latest Regent cruise!

 

Thank you for providing such an insightful perspective!!

[ronrick1943]

Cabo San Lucas

 

Another great night sailing with smooth seas! This morning we had to use the tenders to get into town. No long line to get on board and very helpful crew to help you get on and off.

 

We did the Swim with the Dolphins Tour; have to say Regent did a great job on this one. We were greeted on the pier by Regent, all tours marked and easy to find where one should go. Once the tour company was ready (on time) the Regent person turned us over to them. This was a paid extra tour from Regent, and really worth every extra dollar.

 

Once inside the area we we’re processed very fast without waiting in the line. Taken to a shaded waiting area, our Dolphin hostess met us and explained how this event would take place. Next we’re off to the pool to get more safety and how to protect the Dolphins.

 

Our Dolphin was Frida, a 15 year old female. After we met her we got to spend about an hour in the pool with her. Frida would circle the group in and out so each of us would pet and feel her. We each got to ride and interact with the Frida ourselves. She loved giving hugs and really loved the camera. Small groups were in the tour. In ours 7 people!

 

It was really nice to see how they are treated, cared for,(they let you know in a nice way Dolphin first, you second) the Dolphins are the priority.

 

All in all a Great Day, much more than we expected from this tour. Would we do it again, yes!

After the tour you got to see the photo’s they took. Once you see them, you buy them. Most of these types of photos we wouldn’t purchase them. So not only did we buy in, we purchased the full package. I know what you’re thinking, but Frida really is cute and next to her in the water, you want those photos.

If you’ve never done this, do it next time it’s worth the experience.

 

Oh, one last thing yes we purchased a Dolphin toy for our dog. She will love it. It makes sounds of a dolphin. Frida did talk to all of us. Overall amazing mammals!

 

Back to the ship in the tender and again the crew is helpful and professional.

 

Late lunch on deck was good, but we really just had salad and a nice chat.

 

Of course I took a nap and Ron did manage to write Chapter One on his book of “How to Do Nothing,” he states I got the heading done“Chapter One”, at this rate he should finish up in 20 years or whatever.

 

Dinner tonight in Compass Rose, We both had Dover Sole really good-service fair to good tonight.

 

Another sea day tomorrow, now that’s great news.

[ronrick1943]

Ron & Rick,

 

Really enjoying following along on your latest Regent cruise!

 

Thank you for providing such an insightful perspective!!

 

Thanks for reading, glad your enjoying it. We are!

[RachelG]

Thank you for your report on the swim with dolphins tour. I have always been a bit skeptical of them, because I was worried how the dolphins are treated. But this one sounds great. My son and daughter-in-law did one on their honeymoon in Moorea and loved it as well. Their dolphin was actually retired from the US Navy, so my son (Marine veteran) and he immediately connected.

[ronrick1943]

Thank you for your report on the swim with dolphins tour. I have always been a bit skeptical of them, because I was worried how the dolphins are treated. But this one sounds great. My son and daughter-in-law did one on their honeymoon in Moorea and loved it as well. Their dolphin was actually retired from the US Navy, so my son (Marine veteran) and he immediately connected.

 

RachelG, Have to say it was so much fun. We also were not sure about the treatment of the Dolphins, but really wan't to do this. I think the Dolphins enjoyed it as much as us. Later in the day we talked to people that did the same tour later and they had differed Dolphins, we asked them the Dolphins name--all had another name so the Dolphins maybe do one or two groups a day. Anyway it was a fun day.

[ronrick1943]

Sea Day to San Diego

 

A little bouncy last night and today, but not enough to keep me from getting a good night sleep. In fact I think the rocking makes you sleep better.

 

Since its a sea day nothing really to report, it will be the same thing today. Breakfast in cabin,lunch at La Veranda and dinner will be Sette Mari. Sit around and talk a little. Of course a nap later today and Ron will sit and do a little pondering of his book about nothing so it should be an easy day.

 

It is cold today but it is a smoother ride today. We did sit outside today for lunch, the back deck was open and service was lacking. If you’re going to leave it open then you should staff it properly.

 

Let’s do a little housekeeping for now.

First we have a great butler, Varun. Really you can set your clock by him, you ask and it happens, you mention something is wrong and it’s right.

Steward/Stewardess, Annalyn and Patrick are always doing a great job with a smile. The suite is always neat and clean, you never have to ask for anything and never in your way.

 

Inter-net, it’s been good for us and meets our needs.

Cable TV, is a little spotty. Had to call a few times as it goes out and they don’t know. We don’t watch TV most of the time so we don’t know how bad the service is, but we had to call at least 4 times.

 

Lounges, all of them are really nice and comfortable except for the low furniture. Service is always very good.

 

Restaurants; All the food was fair to very good. Service was good to excellence. We found the service to be better at Prime 7, followed by Chartreuse, Setti Mari, and then LaVeranda followed by Compass Rose. Rose is just too big.

 

Coffee Connection, great service, nice snacks through the day! They still don’t have French Press(still on the menu), just maybe next cruise.

 

Destination Services, mixed because of what happened earlier, however the Dolphin tour was perfect. Also the front desk staff was informative and very nice to deal with.

 

Reception desk is very good and on spot, helpful when needed.

 

Medical Services don’t know and thank full for that. We did talk to two people that did have to use them and had nothing but good things about that department. However, very expensive!

 

Pool and Jacuzzi’s; very nice and useful, pool deck clean and lounge covers replaced as needed. A few lounge hogs, but not a big deal.

 

Gift Shop; Nice, has some things you may need, some things you don’t. Yes we made a purchase today of something we didn’t need but wanted to use up some OBC. And the shop is getting busy as the cruise comes to an end. Staff was very nice and very helpful.

 

Casino; not yet maybe we’ll go tonight. All in all a day of doing nothing! Remember this is our opinion only and not the opinion of others.

[ronrick1943]

A quick note

 

Tonight we had dinner at Sette Mari. If you remember last time we ordered the Veal Milanese and it came about ½ raw, not rare but raw. Well tonight they had a Veal Parmigianino,same type of Veal Chop but different topping. Well, this time it was over cooked, greasy and burned on the edge. Not a good night one would say.

 

However service was good, our waiters name is Tomas---one word to some him up, Excellent. This is the second time he waited on us and took care of the problem right away; you could see that he was surprised of what came out of the kitchen.

 

After this I would put Sette Mari on the bottom of the list for restaurants on the ship. This is my opinion.

 

Another thought, desserts on the ship really look great, but the taste is not a wow as it should be. This is my opinion.

 

Now thinking back during the last 14 days on the Mariner is kind of a hit and miss. Sometimes the food is very good and sometimes not so. In reality it should always be a least good.

 

Didn’t make the Casino tonight, but I did try—but walking by it was empty and I mean empty. I just couldn’t be the only one in the place.

 

And one last thing for tonight was Formal Optional and yes we saw not so great looking jeans in Sette Mari.

 

Plus we have a Bridge Group on the ship, throughout the cruise most of players wore name tags not just in the card room but throughout the ship day and evenings. Honesty I don’t need to know their name and the city and state they live in. This was not a few, but most of them. Nice people but they shouldn’t be walking around the ship like at a convention.

 

Well, tomorrow San Diego—we’ll be having guests on the ship for dinner. Will let you know how that goes and yes we filled out all the forms months ago.

[ronrick1943]

Earlier some of you asked about the Cruise Director on this cruise, her name is Lorraine.

To be honest we saw her at the Cruise Critic Party, other than that we haven't seen her around the ship at all. We've seen the Captain around the ship talking to people on the cruise than the Cruise Director and we get out and around. Except during nap time, but during The Do Nothing Time we're out and about.