Loved our RSSC Mariner Panama Canal Cruise

[travelerchris]

On 12-20 we boarded RSSC Mariner in Los Angeles to go South along the Mexican Riviera and through the Panama Canal to Fort Lauderdale. Having read a few negative reviews, we were a little apprehensive. The apprehension continued, when boarding and check in were pretty unorganized and long lines had formed leading into the Constellation Theater. The ship had arrived a few hours late from Australia, and therefore boarding was delayed. Add to that the fact, that wi-fi in the terminal wasn’t working, and check in had to be done in the Theater. Some people were pretty upset, but what’s a cruise line to do? After checking in, we took the elevator to the 10th deck where we were greeted and asked for our cabin number. Just as we gave the information one of the stewardesses walked past, heard our suite number and said “Mr. & Mrs. DeRose, welcome aboard”, We were amazed since she had obviously memorized the suite numbers and names she was responsible for. Maria Cecilia then walked us to our cabin, and said “You’ve been on this ship, so you are familiar with it, but are there any questions I can answer, or is there anything I can get for you?” Now that’s service! She was among the best stewardesses we ever had, if not the best. Our suite was nice and spacious with a walk in closet, safe, flat screen TV and plenty of room. We ordered a bottle of Ketel One for the room and it was delivered within a couple of minutes. Since RSSC is now all inclusive, they only deliver the bottled liquor on request, which is fine. After a few Margaritas in Cabo, we had room service dinner and it didn’t take long at all to get it. In Huatulco we ordered room service breakfast for between 7:00am and 7:30am and it arrived promptly at 7:00am, even before our wake up call. Normally we ate breakfast in La Veranda. The food was very good. Although Eggs Benedict weren’t on the menu, I ordered them a couple of times and they were delivered with a smile. Signature is still fabulous, but difficult to get into. When our reservation increased from 2 to 5, they did their ultimate and finally were able to accommodate us. We ate at Latitudes twice. The food was good and we enjoyed it. By the time this review arrives on Cruise Critic, Latitudes will be gone and it will be replaced by Prime 7. The ship is in dry dock now. All the staff was very well trained, friendly and went out of their way to make sure we had a great cruise. I can’t say that a single person was ever the least bit unfriendly. The Captain, officers, staff and crew were all very nice. Entertainment was really good and we enjoyed most shows. The shows were split between before dinner and after dinner, which made it pleasant to pick one or the other. They also had some shows in the Horizon Lounge, after dinner, which was nice. Since this was our 4th trip along the Mexican Riviera and through the Canal, there were some ports where we never got off the ship. In Huatulco we had gone on the snorkel cruise and ATV ride before, so this time we tried the rafting. We really enjoyed that. In Puntarenas we had enjoyed the zip lines before, so we decided to do that again. This time I did some research and we did it independently. We went to Turu Ba Ri Adventure Park. Initially there were 3 of us from the Cruise Critic Board who planned to go to Turu Ba Ri, but as the cruise went on, 2 others joined us. I emailed Turu Ba Ri and they immediately confirmed the new number of people. On arrival we were picked up in a van at the end of the pier by our guide Carol. The drive took about 1 1/2 hours because of construction on a bridge. The park is fantastic, with clean facilities and friendly people. As part of the package we got 2 activities and lunch. We chose the Canopy Tour and Nature walk. Rapelling, Horseback riding and other things are available. Then we all decided to add the “Superman” cable. It’s a 1 km straight line and your speed is around 50-60 mph. It was incredible fun. The nature walk in the park was very enjoyable even though we are not the “nature” types. There were beautiful plants, butterflies, some Iguanas and other “critters”. Turu Ba Ri exceeded our expectations and we all highly recommend it. One thing very important is that you should be in good physical shape, as it involves quite a bit of walking and stair climbing. Pricing is very competitive. Our lunch was very good, too. Then to finish it all off we took a couple of rides in a tram to get from point A to point B. Carol and her driver took us back and this time the bridge was open and it only took about an hour. If you’d like more info on Turu Ba Ri, you can Google them and there are several videos on Youtube. You can also contact them direct at info@turubari.com. We had been to Cartagena a couple of times, and again decided to stay aboard. You may be able to tell by now that for us the ship is the destination. In Grand Cayman we did the ship snorkel tour and it was lots of fun. Disembarkation was very organized and pleasant. Everything would have been perfect if the infamous airlines hadn’t messed things up on the way home. 16 hrs from Fort Lauderdale to OC, California. We didn’t have Regent air, so they had nothing to do with that part. So, after the negative comments I just wanted to reassure everybody that “Regent is back”. We’ve been on all of the Regent ships from The Diamond on, so we have something to compare it to. We’ve also been on all the other cruise lines and just as before, Regent is our favorite

 

:)

[cruzndiz]

Chris: thanks for a wonderful review and also thanks (again) for the emails while you were onboard. Greatly appreciated!!:D

[canadagal]

That's more like it. A positive review of the Mariner. I have to admit though that I thought I was going cross-eyed by the time I got to the end as your font is so small.

Thanks Pat

[cruzndiz]

Thanks for that Pat ;) I actually had to copy & paste it into another document and then bring up the font size so I could read it -- thought it was just me!! But, no matter Chris....we all still appreciate it :D

[OrpingtonT]

I enjoyed your review too, travelerchris. You clearly have a positive aspect on life and enjoy it to the full. It made me wish that my wife and and were a few years younger to participate in the Turu Ba Ri excursion.

[symarb1]

My husband and I were also on this cruise and had a wonderful time.

I must add that Regent came though for us as well. My husband luggage was “delayed” by Virgin America, after numerous unproductive contacts with the airline we were convinced that we would never see it again. Upon arrival at the pier I talked with a Regent representative who immediately fired up her walkie talkie and got on the case. Regent not only located my luggage, they wrestled control from Virgin American, placed it in a cab and got it to our cabin 1 hour before departure. Regent also wrote a letter for me stating the time I received the luggage so I could file my insurance claim for replacement garments.

Kudos! Yea…!

 

The cabin stewardess was a marvel, the food in Compass Rose and La Veranda was very good. We had room service 2 nights and I found that I miss the Compass Rose menu scrolling on the TV screen.

 

At the pool grill one server actively ignored us. To rectify the situation I made it a point to sit in his area and quietly but pointedly demand service. He got the message loud and clear and we had no further issues. Other than that, all wait staff were pleasant, efficient, and made us feel at home, especially Maria in La Vernada.

 

Some of the excursions were bordering on terrible. One of ours was cancelled, it happens, no problem there. Another excusion was a snorkel trip, it was suppose to have a boat with a bathroom. Well not only was there no bathroom, the boat was only a little bigger than a dingy. The captain and pilot did not speak one word of English and there would have been problems if one of the guests had not spoken fluent Spanish. Despite all that we had a ripping good time.

 

Travellerchris, we were scheduled for that snorkel but I came down with a cold and my husband turned the tickets in after the deadline for cancellations. I chalked it up at a loss but the travel desk called and told us that they were able to sell our tickets. Please tell me if I missed a great time.

 

In conversations with other passengers, I found that some were extremely angry regarding the quality of the excursions. One couple complained to the travel desk and were able to recoup their costs, another couple actually left a tour and caught a cab back to the ship. Personally I would have happily traded some of the ports for extra time in Cartegena (sp?). So much to see and no time!!

 

 

The entertainment was iffy at best, and the comedian they brought in...stunk. His humor was geared for comedy central 20 somethings, not the demographic he was performing for. I would call this a big time bomb. The guest lecturers were excellent, especially the astronomer; I loved the 10:30 pm star gazing. My only complaint was that it wasn't long enough, but I guess the ships captain gets nervous with the lights out.

 

I have to agree with the assessment of Ray, what a talented gem. I did see him out of uniform one morning at 5:30 am. He was wearing a polo shirt!

 

All in all the trip, the ship, and the staff were fabulous and while a few bumps were experienced, that can and will happen no matter where you go

 

Ya’ll have a GLORIOUS day!

[OrpingtonT]

Great post, symarb1, and I am so pleased that Regent is able to go "one better" with your luggage problem.

[Jim B]

Great report. Thank you for sending it to us.

On March 11th we will be on the Navigator for the 1st time

and also will be able to say we have been on all the ships in the

Regent Seven Seas Fleet. (except Song of Flower which was gone

before we started sailing with Radisson/ Regent)

[travelerchris]

Something happened when I pasted the review into the form. I noticed later it took out the paragraphs too, but couldn't figure out how to get back in. I can't read small print either. Could that be an "age thing"? :)

 

Symarb1, we were supposed to go Scuba diving but then I thought about me being on Coumadin and we cancelled that. The night before the Caymans we called and asked if there was space on the snorkel boat and there was. I guess we took your space. That's why you weren't charged. That worked well. The snorkel was nice, but I wouldn't say you missed a "raving good time".

 

I also agree with the one comidian Bruce Fine was useless. The magician was really good though.

 

Cruzndiz, no problem on answering your emails. Now I'm jealous because your trip is ahead of you and ours is over. It seems you wait forever and time drags. Then you get onboard and I swear the time races. Oh well, we'll just have to wait for the next one. :)

 

One thing I forgot to mention is that there was no photographer on board. That was fine with us, because we have plenty of pictures. We took our own and it was nice not to have to pose for pictures in every port. That is probably a matter of taste though.

 

Have a Happy New Year Everyone!