Mariner drydock in March?

[kvisf]

Posters in several threads have said that Mariner will be in drydock in March, possibly beginning the 23rd. Does anyone have information about what will be done in drydock? It doesn't seem that the pod propulsion issue that has reduced her top cruising spped will be fixed, because the itinerary for our April 27 cruise was recently amended to reduce some port times, which Regent said was due to "reduced cruising speed."

 

Thanks for any information.

 

Paul

[MamaQuack]

We are on the March 30 sailing. Our TA told us that dry dock time will be used to change out linens, carpeting, drapes, etc. The president of Regent will be on our cruise so it will be intersting to see what has been done to impress the boss!

[Travelcat2]

I've read on one of the threads that Regent does not intend to fix the slight problem they have with one of the pods in this drydock (apparently the ship has been a bit late to some ports -- cruising a tiny bit slower -- perhaps to keep the pod functioning). This is actually good news -- when the Voyager had mechanical items fixed in dry dock, it took a couple of weeks to long and cruises had to be cancelled. I hear the newly refurbished ships look great!

[kvisf]

Looking at the 2008 schedule that just went up on rssc.com it seems that Mariner, Voyager and Navigator all have multi-month gaps during which no cruises are currently scheduled. In the case of Mariner there's nothing after September, even though Voyager and Navigator both have schedules posted going out to December. Maybe they are planning to give Mariner an extended time out of the water to fix the propulsion issue. Voyager has a several month gap, too, so maybe they are going to tackle the vibration issue that seems to bother a fair number of posters. We'll see . . .

 

Nice to hear that the refurbishing is successful. Thanks for the information.

 

Paul

[TxnAquarian]

Like Paul, I am on the April 27th sailing, as well as the following May 12 voyage. I was disappointed to learn that the mechanical issues won't be resolved in dry dock, resulting in shortened port times for us (I was especially bummed that the hours in Seattle were shortened as I had lots of activities planned with my many friends there). But like Travelcat2 said, maybe it's a blessing in diguise because I would rather have shortened port visits than cancelled cruises. And I am looking forward to the upgraded furnishings.

 

And, Paul, the incomplete 2008 listings don't reflect dry docks. For some reason every year when RSSC comes out with the yearly itineraries they don't publish the full year. They publish most of the year, leaving gaps, and fill the gaps in at a later time. The first time I noticed that was last year when it looked like the Navigator would be out of service for several months. But they eventually announced the itineraries for those gaps.

 

Michael

[cstrick]

I am on the June 13th sailing out of Seward. Ketchikan was changed out for Campbell River. Is that because of the pod problems ?

[Travelcat2]

I am on the June 13th sailing out of Seward. Ketchikan was changed out for Campbell River. Is that because of the pod problems ?

 

 

According to some posts I've read, usually the Mariner arrives late and/or leaves early from a port rather than changing ports. It's interesting that they made this change -- it sounds like it could be a good port!

 

I've seen an itinerary for 2008 on another site -- there are several weeks when there are charters. For instance, this month, the Navigator does not show any cruises until the 28th (the one we're going on). Currently the Navigator is on a charter cruise in the Carribean -- Regent just choses not to post the charters on their site. I learned about the Navigator charters on these boards -- it's amazing how much is learned on CruiseCritic!:D

[count florida]

If you look at the availability of suites with showers, you'll see that quite a few new ones have appeared, particularly in the F catagory. This will be done during the drydock this month.

 

From another site, I learned that the Mariner's 2008 Grand Pacific and the Navigators "Grand Africa" (or whatever they're calling it) haven't been posted yet. I believe that's the reason you don't see the schedules later in the year.

 

Hope this helps - informs

[mrlevin]

Our port times for our fall cruise on the Mariner were also modified - significantly. Now, we have almost no time in Hong Kong.

 

Unless we vocalize are disapproval of Regent's failure to take the ship out of sevice long enough to fix the problem, they will continue to shorten our time in ports. These are not Caribbean cruises wherein the ship moves a only a couple of hundred miles each night. We cruise Regent to see the world and would rather have enough time in ports to actually see the ports.

 

Any others mad?

 

Marc

[kvisf]

It is annoying. I would have enjoyed more time in Cartagena, for example, but with arrival at 9:00 and departure at 1:00 (shaving 2-3 hours off the port time that was advertised when we booked the cruise) there's not much time to do anything. I suspect that Regent's parent company either doesn't have the deep pockets or doesn't want to take the revenue hit from taking 35% of Regent's capacity out of service long enough to repair or replace the pod. I'd be happy to join in a concerted effort to provide some constructive criticism to Regent.

[marylizbeth]

Our port times for our fall cruise on the Mariner were also modified - significantly. Now, we have almost no time in Hong Kong.

 

Any others mad?

 

Marc

 

Marc...are you talking about the 9/26 cruise Osaka to HK..we are booked on that and I just looked to see that we arrive at 6 p.m. and disembark the next a.m. Which means if we want time in HK it will be at additional expense at a hotel.

 

Is this the cruise you were talking about?

 

I don't remember what the original arrival time was...but it does seem unfortunate that the arrival time is soooo late.

 

Yeah, I am annoyed. Sure, I'll complain but I doubt it will have any impact.

 

As good as Regent is I think they are starting to take advantage of their success and high rate of bookings.

 

My opinion.

[easy spirit]

:rolleyes:

Our port times for our fall cruise on the Mariner were also modified - significantly. Now, we have almost no time in Hong Kong.

 

Unless we vocalize are disapproval of Regent's failure to take the ship out of sevice long enough to fix the problem, they will continue to shorten our time in ports. These are not Caribbean cruises wherein the ship moves a only a couple of hundred miles each night. We cruise Regent to see the world and would rather have enough time in ports to actually see the ports.

 

Any others mad?

 

Marc

Indeed I'm mad. The pod problems should be fixed ASAP, this issue has been going on for too muuch time. If many people show their concern on this or other forums maybe our voice will be heard & Regent will think twice. Many passengers will be affected by the late arrival at HK. Personally I'll have enough time in HK with a scheduled post cruise. But I have booked a Regent's excursion to see the Terracota Warriors & the Li River & we will arrive early afternoon at HK. Just wondering how early we will arrive & as the ship is not on port yet it will be very interesting to see what Regent will do with us. Wouldn't it be more easy to solve the pod problem & avoid all of these inconveniences. Then we all be Happy.:rolleyes: :rolleyes:

[xplrcrzn]

Well, as I posted on another thread on this Board, I have been seriously considering the Auckland to LA Mariner cruise. Originally, many sea days but some quality time in Polynesia. But the new schedule for that cruise has changed "quality time" to "minimal time." More importantly, some of the port times are odd and not very useful, such as 2:00 PM -11:59 PM in Tahiti. What are we suppose to do with that--tour the island in the dark? For a company that has tried to "rebrand" itself as a luxury, world-class cruiseline, Regent comes across as a "Mom & Pop" operation sometimes. This cruise is nearly nine months away yet Regent won't take the time, spend the money, whatever, to fix a problems that has been around for months (if not years)?!!

[kvisf]

It strikes me that if every one of us who has expressed displeasure about diminished or skipped port time were to write to Regent, they might do something about it. Apparently the Cruise Critic message boards swing some influence with cruise companies. Hitting the advertised ports on time and providing the advertised excursions appears to be a vital part of the experience for most Regent customers. Free-flowing wines and spirits and fine food are all well and good, but at these prices we could get world-class alternatives in many places around the globe. Fundamentally, the transportation that a cruise provides is a key element of the value proposition. If they can't get us where we're going on time, they have a real problem.

[piri]

xplrcrzn I agree . The changes to the Auckland - Los Angeles port times are pretty drastic !

Rarotonga, Cook Islands changed from a 10 hour visit (08:00 to 18:00) to a 5 hour. (15:00 to 20:00). What will one feel like doing from 3-7pm?

Boro Boro greatly reduced but at least Moorea has INCREASED from 10 hours to 16 hours in port.

Nuku Hiva in the Marquesas islands now only 6 hours from 06:00 to 12:00 instead of the original 9 hours (09:00 to 18:00) By the time you get off after breakfast you will be lucky to have 3 hours ashore.

Considering the number of sea days on this cruise , I am disappointed with these changes and really can't understand the reason behind them for this particular cruise, bearing in mind it has so few ports over a 19 day long leg.

Not too happy!

[marylizbeth]

Yep...I will write to Regent and yes it would be a good idea if we could organize a concerted effort of some sort to complain.

 

It is sort of ridiculous when you think of going to some of these wonderful ports and getting 2 hours to enjoy them!

 

If all I wanted was free flowing booze I could go to the local liquor store and stay home!

 

Regent needs to look at why people are going on these cruises...to see the world--not just the inside of the ship and the liquor cabinet.

[xplrcrzn]

This situation not only makes the particular cruise I was interested in far less attractive. It also makes me wary of booking anything on Mariner because the published itinerary or schedule could be changed at any time. Whatever Regent's current thinking is about "fixing" Mariner, there will be long term consequences (both in reputation and lost bookings) if they don't repair the ship asap and provide honest explanations and accurate itineraries in the meantime.

[marylizbeth]

Actually as I have thought about this today...isn't it a bit like bait and switch when a company advertises one thing..you pay for that and then after they have your money they switch it.

 

If nothing else if they do this and you decide not to go they should definitely offer a full refund.

 

Something that consumers advocates would certainly support.

 

Perhaps this should be in a new thread so that others who are affected will chime in on this.

[street96]

we are also taking the terracotta warrior and li river excursion. It is not scheduled to arrive in Hong Kong until evening so ship hopefully will be there.

the five hour later arrival in Hong Kong is the only major change on the itinerary, so while this doesnt adversely affect us I agree with the sentiment that a problem present for greater than 6 months now ought be addressed promptly

[cruise499]

The president of Regent, Mark Conroy, replied to an email I recently sent him bringing to his attention the dissatisfaction of some Regent Mariner

cruisers. Altho, the explanation is technical, it is thorough, I appreciate this CEO, who took the time to give a detailed answer:

 

Thank you for the heads up on the feedback on the changes in schedule due to the pod problem.

 

Let me share with you what we are up against here and if I may I would love your suggestion as how to further clarify the issue.

 

Rest assured we would love to have the pod fixed during the next dry-dock; unfortunately it will not be possible.

 

The Voyager and Mariner have very different technology in their pods and the problems they encountered were also quite different.

 

The Voyager pod defect was discovered by our crew before any real damage was done primarily because of the problems we encountered on the Mariner led us to do an inspection that was not suggested by the maker. Since the defect was repaired prior to failure no damage was done so it was a matter of making repairs versus replacing critical custom made components.

 

Unfortunately the Mariner had a hidden defect in the way the insulation for the motor was mounted in the pod which the manufacturer was aware of but failed to notify us or any of the other users of the system. Due to this defect a portion of the insulation on one of the pods separated from its mounting and fell in the windings damaging 1/2 of the electric motors mounted in the pod.

 

The insulation in both pods has been modified and the damaged pod was repaired and has been certified by the Bureau Veritas (the Safety Society for the Flag State) to operate but to insure a safety margin it will be run at only 50% of full power. With one pod operating at 50% output and the other pod running at full power the ship can make a maximum speed of 18 knots versus the 19.5 to 21 knots (depending on sea conditions) with both pods functioning fully.

 

We typically schedule the ships at 18.5 knots and have the extra power available to counter sea conditions or to further maximize the time in port. We are now scheduling at 17.5 knots with only about .5 knots margin so we were required to make the adjustments that we just released.

 

The guest in the note mentions the arrival change in Hong Kong. We could actually make the distance between Hong Kong and Shanghai even at the adjusted speed, unfortunately due to heavy traffic the port of Shanghai only allows arrival and departures to take place at slack tide period.

 

We have order a replacement electric motor for the damaged one but unfortunately it takes 9 months to build it and then another 4 months to install inside the pod housing.

 

To mitigate the impact of these repairs and not have the ship laid up for 3 to 7 months we have actually order a complete new pod which is currently under construction in France. This new pod will take 16 months to build and 10 days to install so to be safe and to insure we will not be forced to cancel additional cruises; we will change it either immediately after the 2008 Alaska season or in January 2009 prior to the Circle South America voyage.

 

Once to new pod is install we will ship the damaged pod back to the manufacturer and have it rebuilt and stored in a ready to install state. That way if we have any other problems with the system it will be a mater of days to make the repair rather then a matter of months.

 

In the meanwhile we have planned the 2008 schedule taking the adjusted speed into consideration so we can maximize the port visits. This speed is the same speed most other ships are scheduled at some when done in advance the adjustments will be fairly minor.

 

Again thank you for bringing this to my attention and sorry for the long response but there is no quick solution to this issue.

 

Kindest personal regards,

 

Mark

 

Mark S. Conroy │ President

[kvisf]

Mr. Conroy's explanation seems forthright and clarifies why the Mariner will be sailing at less than full speed for a while longer. It doesn't really address the situation of passengers, of whom several have posted on this thread, who booked a cruise and paid in full based on an itinerary, port and excursion schedule that Regent should have known was unrealistic when they accepted the booking, since this problem has apparently existed for a while. Thanks to cruise499 for sharing this information.

[marylizbeth]

Well that is interesting that Conroy did reply.

 

And it will be nice if in 2008 they pay more attn to making sure that the ships will be more port intensive.

 

For 2007 however they should offer some sort of compensation to those who booked their cruises BEFORE the times were shortened in ports.

 

I feel a special tie to this problem having been on the mariner when the ship broke down last year. We cruised at about 5 knots an hour for a whole day and were pulled by a TINY tug boat!

 

Quite an experience.

[kvisf]

Marylizbeth makes a good point. I can't take Regent too much to task because they probably make commitments months/years in advance based on assumptions about cruising speed. To have a propulsion problem that takes months to fix is a very tough logistical problem, and they appear to be struggling to do their best.

 

Still, there are a number of people just among those who have posted on this and a similar thread here on Cruise Critic, who bought and paid for a cruise that had itineraries that Regent should have known were unrealistic. Some have had ports omitted, others, like myself, have had port time curtailed or rescheduled for ridiculous hours. For those who paid in full before Regent acknowledged the problem, there should be an option of a refund or some other form of compensation.

 

For many, scheduling a cruise (often, as in our case, with traveling companions) requires months of advance maneuvering to clear work and family schedules and make other arrangements. Having cleared the decks (no pun intended) only to find that the cruise is something different from what we paid for, we may choose to go because of all the personal arrangements so painstakingly made, but still feel like we are getting something less than what we paid for.

[BILLP1]

We were on the March 13th Mariner with two sea days and seven port days. All were on schedule and the cruise was perfect. Great food, great service . Relax.. Enjoy a great cruise experience....