Anyone on Mariner recently?

[symphony]

Reviews I’ve found from end of 2022 were disappointing. I am considering a trip on Mariner but those reviews were mostly not good.  Covid affected sailings maybe? I’ve sailed on Celebrity and Crystal mostly, but want to try Regent and like the itineraries. Please post if you’ve had a recent experience on Mariner. Thanks.

Symphony

[rcandkc]

We were on Mariner 5/2022 for Alaskan cruise sfo to Vancouver.  We had a great return to cruising cruise.  We aren’t very high maintenance though. 
We are going on Mariner again in October. 

[symphony]

Thank you for your response.  We’ve never had a cruise we didn’t enjoy, so I expect we will be satisfied with the Mariner. 

[GOARMY]

Last on Mariner October '22.  LA-Mexico-LA.  Many previous Mariner cruises.  Also a Crystal (pre-COVID) alumnus.  

 

Did not do a detailed review.  Did make anecdotal comments on other Threads in response to cruisers whose experiences varied.  Which we have come to expect.  Some do as many shore excursions as possible; others use the ship as a destination and do fewer shore visits--for various reasons.  Thus, expectations and comments are based on different histories--even while on the same segment.  

 

Based on our long history with Regent and other 5+ lines, YMMV on any particular ship, on any particular itinerary.  As to Mariner last October:  Nothing of consequence, one way of the other.  Consistency in what we have come to expect from Regent on any of its ships.  Saw many of the same Staff we sailed with on pre-Pandemic segments.   

 

So--back aboard Navigator in late May.  

 

GOARMY!

 

 

 

 

Edited April 24, 2023 by GOARMY
context

[carolina cruisin]

Despite delays getting to embarkation, issues with local customs, and some rough weather - we enjoyed our Nov/Dec '22 cruise on the Mariner.  Experienced some very professional and personable staff throughout - especially in Compass Rose.

[2012_Alaska_bound]

There are 155 people on the World Cruise on Mariner right now. They have been onboard since January and have 5 more weeks to go.

Maybe some will comment. @gb58?

Edited April 24, 2023 by 2012_Alaska_bound
updated info

[Trunkabella]

We were also on an LA/Mexico itinerary late October 2022.  While we weren’t thrilled with the excursions, we chalked that up to post-COVID start up.  Everything on the ship was fine.  Great food, great service, no complaints.

[LoveBora]

Our most recent Mariner cruise was in October, our first cruise since Covid. We really enjoyed ourselves. The food and service was top notch. Loved being on the ship again. 

[BBWC]

We are currently on the world cruise (there are 500 of us). Frankly, the Mariner is getting a little threadbare and could use a refresh. Also, there have been some issues with things not working. Food and service are overall very good, however there have been a number if new inexperienced crew since Singapore/Dubai with the experienced crew leaving for vacation.

Personally, the Mariner is our least favorite ship based on the small regular cabins and small bathrooms/closets in even the PH suites. We will choose the other ships from now on, preferably the newer ones.

[symphony]

I appreciate all the comments. BBWC: what things aren’t working? 
I did read that Mariner is going into dry dock in November so that may help remedy problems. 

[BBWC]

Things like toilets not flushing - has happened several times. One time there was no hot water and people had to take cold showers. The ship also seems to gave problems transitioning from hot to cooler weather. It seems the air conditioning system suddenly goes into overdrive and makes the ship really cold. One time most people were sitting in Compass Rose with warm jackets on.

[rcandkc]

4 hours ago, symphony said:

I appreciate all the comments. BBWC: what things aren’t working? 
I did read that Mariner is going into dry dock in November so that may help remedy problems. 

I’m booked on her first half of November and there are cruises right after that…so when in November?

[symphony]

I’ve searched and searched to find where I read that, all to no avail. What I did find was that the ship doesn’t have a wide gap in schedule until 2025.

So sorry I scared you half to death. November should be fine.

[welshfamily]

We are booked on the Mariner in August, our first Regent cruise. Whilst we picked this ship for the ports we are hoping for decent accommodation. By this I mean clean room , plenty of storage, comfortable beds and a cool drinks in the fridge. Anything else is a bonus.

We have been in Owners suites on Princess … beautiful spacious rooms , appalling service, Poor food, overcrowded public rooms. Celebrity suites …  very class orientated.

which was not for us. 
We  do,  however, like smaller ships and have had some wonderful cruises on Oceania and Azamara on their R class ships. Let be honest the ordinary staterooms on those ships are tiny. Although we usually have Penthouse suites we once took  a veranda on Oceania as it was all that was available. The stateroom was pretty dire but we had a great cruise. We learnt, for us, cruising isn’t just about the stateroom. 
 

As with the OP we hesitated after reading the reviews but decided to give Regent a go. 
As with most cruises these days we have had some hiccups, booking Concierge for the pre night hotel and transfers only to find out none were available being the most annoying simply because the credit given was inadequate.
We are looking forward to our cruise and will post an honest review when we return.

[PhD-iva]

I was on Mariner for the 3 November 2022 16-day cruise from Los Angeles to Lima Peru. This was my first cruise on Regent, and it was fabulous in every way. I was traveling solo as I have done since Covid bc my husband will no longer travel. I was in a very low state room category, and I had a lovely walk-in closet, wonderful bathroom, and lovely state room with an excellent balcony.

I had such a smashingly marvelous time. I am generally an Oceania  cruiser; Oceania is my favorite line. But I have to say that Regent Mariner was more fabulous than Oceania’s Riviera, Marina and Sirena. 
I wrote a travel diary that is more focused on what I did, and who I met than a “review.” Let me see if any portions might be helpful here. I will post later if it could be of interest.

A few thoughts come to mind as to my experience

- Regent did a much better job of entertaining the solos. We were a group of 15 ++ and we had cocktails together every night, breakfasts on many mornings…. I made some great friends and really enjoyed the company.

- Boogie & Kashia played in the Stars lounge after the evening entertainment ended. We all danced until we dropped! Such high energy! I LOVE THEM! She is WOW!

- Regent had many guest lecturers on board. The focus was “Hollywood” producers, okay actually PBS, but same idea…… I attended the Cal State Univ Emeritus professor of history. His Lectures were interesting, informative, well presented. Plus, he joined our rollcall and introduced me to his long-time friend who was a professional Peruvian tour guide. I traveled with Ernesto Riedner for 3 days post cruise in Southern Peru while all the Machu Pichu post land tours were canceled when the airport closed for several days. 

Back in November I certainly did NOT think Mariner was “tired” - YMMV.

Edited April 25, 2023 by PhD-iva
Edit

[PhD-iva]

Ok, I remember my 1 criticism of my cruise on Regent, which I was prepared for as I had read on CruiseCritic about the non premium wine offerings. So, I was not impressed with many of the wines I tried at the wine tasting offered early on the cruise. To be honest, I had forgotten about it and I was probably in a rush to get to the bridge lesson (waste of time) and so I didn’t have a chance to savor each wine offering, take some notes and pair the wine w the offered nibbles. However, I agree w other posters who said they were always able to find a wine they were happy to drink. I found a red and a white that I liked and I would request that label if I didn’t like the wine that was offered to me.

In summary, wine is not a premium experience but it didn’t detract from my enjoyment of the cruise.

I had a BLAST! I have a So American cruise booked on Regent next year!

[flossie009]

We like Mariner and find the layout of the public areas much better than some of Regent's other ships; although the suites & bathrooms are superior on Regent's latest ships

 

We last cruised on her in October last year. Here is our blog:

Post #184 on page 8 gives a summary of our experience on board.

 

Our next cruise on Mariner is at the end of this year and we are looking forward to a Holiday cruise up the Amazon on this excellent ship.

 

 

[LewiLewi]

17 hours ago, PhD-iva said:

I was on Mariner for the 3 November 2022 16-day cruise from Los Angeles to Lima Peru. This was my first cruise on Regent, and it was fabulous in every way. I was traveling solo as I have done since Covid bc my husband will no longer travel. I was in a very low state room category, and I had a lovely walk-in closet, wonderful bathroom, and lovely state room with an excellent balcony.

I had such a smashingly marvelous time. I am generally an Oceania  cruiser; Oceania is my favorite line. But I have to say that Regent Mariner was more fabulous than Oceania’s Riviera, Marina and Sirena. 
I wrote a travel diary that is more focused on what I did, and who I met than a “review.” Let me see if any portions might be helpful here. I will post later if it could be of interest.

A few thoughts come to mind as to my experience

- Regent did a much better job of entertaining the solos. We were a group of 15 ++ and we had cocktails together every night, breakfasts on many mornings…. I made some great friends and really enjoyed the company.

- Boogie & Kashia played in the Stars lounge after the evening entertainment ended. We all danced until we dropped! Such high energy! I LOVE THEM! She is WOW!

- Regent had many guest lecturers on board. The focus was “Hollywood” producers, okay actually PBS, but same idea…… I attended the Cal State Univ Emeritus professor of history. His Lectures were interesting, informative, well presented. Plus, he joined our rollcall and introduced me to his long-time friend who was a professional Peruvian tour guide. I traveled with Ernesto Riedner for 3 days post cruise in Southern Peru while all the Machu Pichu post land tours were canceled when the airport closed for several days. 

Back in November I certainly did NOT think Mariner was “tired” - YMMV.

I also traveled solo on Navigator last month, and had a fabulous time. They certainly know how to take care of their solo travelers. My husband was not able to join me, so I decided that I would cruise on my own. From the moment I got on board, everyone was so friendly. There was a scheduled get together in the lounge with an option to continue to the CR for dinner. Our group of eight were so congenial, that we continued dining together, joining for trivia,  bridge, excursions, etc. The Asst. Social Director, Lucy, was just wonderful, friendly and joined us for dinner on many evenings. She was also instrumental in making dinner reservations for our group at the specialty restaurants as well.

I look forward to cruising as a solo again with Regent, now that my husband’s health does not permit him to cruise. My only wish would be that Regent institute solo fares for all of their cruises. 

[wristband]

I am currently on Mariner since Miami in Jan on the World Cruise and have a numerous Regent cruises under the belt.  I agree with BBWC's comments above but add....

 

The ship is understaffed and service has suffered in the dining venues and bars.  As noted, inexperienced staff has been rolling in since Taiwan and Singapore - some never worked on a cruise ship before! - which has greatly taxed captains and the remaining experienced staff.  Food in my opinon is fine but better on Oceania - lots of repetition in menu items which is disappointing.

 

The experienced remaining staff are great and work very hard.  The Internet, as you have read on CC, has been unacceptable throughout the past 100+ days.

 

Our stateroom is also in need of new carpeting and furniture replaced - sofa cushions are very thin.

[OC Cruisers]

We’re considering a fall booking and wondered if Mariner has the same amazing bedding that Splendor has? Thanks and happy travels! 

[ChatKat in Ca.]

We were on the Mariner in October.  I love the layout of the ship.  We were on Mariner a number of times and on the inaugural sailing in 2001.

 

Food was good but service in the Dining room uneven.

Excursions were terrible.  We cancelled them after our bus had no microphone and the guide walked to the front and back to talk to pax.  Our first one was a shopping stop and our 2nd was also a shopping trip with a broken bus.

Our PH suite had a stained sofa.  It was threadbare.  The took the covers off the cushions and dry cleaned them but they really should have replaced the sofa.

There were also a few times we went to the Mariner Lounge and there was no where to have a drink and listen to music.

It was our first cruise post Covid.  We didn't expect perfection but we paid for excursions that were worthless and sorely disappointed in the state of the cabin.

 

 

[marycruz]

13 hours ago, ChatKat in Ca. said:

We were on the Mariner in October.  I love the layout of the ship.  We were on Mariner a number of times and on the inaugural sailing in 2001.

 

Food was good but service in the Dining room uneven.

Excursions were terrible.  We cancelled them after our bus had no microphone and the guide walked to the front and back to talk to pax.  Our first one was a shopping stop and our 2nd was also a shopping trip with a broken bus.

Our PH suite had a stained sofa.  It was threadbare.  The took the covers off the cushions and dry cleaned them but they really should have replaced the sofa.

There were also a few times we went to the Mariner Lounge and there was no where to have a drink and listen to music.

It was our first cruise post Covid.  We didn't expect perfection but we paid for excursions that were worthless and sorely disappointed in the state of the cabin.

 

 

Was there no seating in the Mariner Lounge or was there just no drinks or music?

 

Interested to know which PH you were in since we have one in upcoming cruise and one person stated that their PH suite had alot of issues but did not state which one.

[briar14]

We were in 1114, PH-A, in June and had no issues with the suite. 
 

 

[1teach53]

On 5/6/2023 at 2:17 AM, wristband said:

I am currently on Mariner since Miami in Jan on the World Cruise and have a numerous Regent cruises under the belt.  I agree with BBWC's comments above but add....

 

The ship is understaffed and service has suffered in the dining venues and bars.  As noted, inexperienced staff has been rolling in since Taiwan and Singapore - some never worked on a cruise ship before! - which has greatly taxed captains and the remaining experienced staff.  Food in my opinon is fine but better on Oceania - lots of repetition in menu items which is disappointing.

 

The experienced remaining staff are great and work very hard.  The Internet, as you have read on CC, has been unacceptable throughout the past 100+ days.

 

Our stateroom is also in need of new carpeting and furniture replaced - sofa cushions are very thin.

This is the same experience we had earlier this year. Plus toilet that didn’t flush & flooding from bathroom into the walk in closet. Not 5 star!!

[Eno-Bob]

We spent a month on Mariner last Dec into Jan and had no problems at all -- loved every minute!  It was absolutely 5 Star for us.  We're boarding Mariner again on Sep 3 for 28 nights and absolutely looking forward to it.