Thoughts on Mariner - June 24/09

[Roland4]

I just read Raiderette's mini-review and thought I would add some of our thoughts and observations. This was our first experience with Regent and overall we were quite satisfied. Mariner has its quirks in terms of layout, but it's an easy ship to get around. Especially if you like to walk!

 

Pre-Cruise/Embarkation

 

We flew into Anchorage the day before and did the one night Regent package at the Hilton. Pick up and transfer to the airport was seamless and the rooms were ready when we arrived. The hotel is showing its age a bit, but the room (which was HUGE) was comfortable. My only real complaint is that the transfer to the ship was not well organized. It was our understanding we would be on the train but discovered at the last minute we had been switched to the bus due to overcrowding. This actually worked out better as we were onboard and in our cabin by 2:30. Unfortunately it took over two and a half hours, one bag at a time, to get our luggage. In our 30 previous cruises, this was a record for slow service, even on the mass market lines!

 

We had accepted an upgrade to a Penthouse C and I have to admit the cabin was beautiful and also HUGE! We especially loved the floor-to-ceiling and wall-to-wall glass balcony door. It made the room look much larger. One thing that struck us as unusual is that our stewardess did not drop by to introduce herelf and ask about any requirements, as we have experienced on other lines. We met her as we were leaving for dinner and she was coming in to set up the room for the night. This is a small point as she did a great job for us all week and was always ready with a smile and a greeting by name whenever we saw her.

 

Dining

 

Based on our reading on this board, this was one area we were looking forward. Over the course of the week we ate everywhere there was food and were generally satisfied. We had breakfast in La Veranda 5 days out of 7 and the food was fine, but the layout of the buffet area left us wondering what the architect had been smoking!:D It seemed there was a constant traffic jam around the buffet once you got more than about 20 people in the restaurant. We had dinner there one night and while the food was great, we're not big on buffets at dinner time, even if it is just the apps and dessert.

 

We had dinner five of seven nights in Compass Rose and were never disppointed with the food. We did find the food presentation to be somewhat "lacking" and I was somewhat surprised to find out (when I ordered a steak the first night) that if you don't order vegetables "a la carte", all you get is the meat.

 

While this may be heresy to some, a word about Prime 7 - overrated. We found the room crowded and noisy, a situation not helped by the (apparently) unsupervised table of eight children of various ages right smack in the center of the room. I had the Oysters Rockefeller and my wife had the tartar sampler. Hers was great, my three tiny oysters with a few strands of spinach were unimpressive. We also ordered Ceasar Salad "prepared table-side" (which wasn't) and got a few leaves of romaine under a few shreds of cheese with (and I counted) four croutons. If there was garlic in the dressing it was invisible. For mains I had the 12 oz New York and my wife the roast beef. Hers was absolutely perfect while my steak was somewhat overcooked. I have a pretty broad range of acceptable and the restaurant was so busy if I had sent it back we might still be waiting. I actually had much better steaks in Compass Rose.

 

In fairness, I did ask our server (who appeared to be an assistant to the Maite D') about the salad and the overall ambience. She told us that because of demand and the ship being completely full, they had added extra tables, ours being one of them and that there was simply no room to prepare salads tableside. That doesn't excuse the quality issues though. We have a couple of true steakhouses we visit regularly at home and this one doesn't measure up. Hopefully after the "novelty" of Prime 7 wears off things will improve. As to the ambience, we talked to another couple who were there the same night and they were also annoyed by the table full of children. Her suggestion was that children should not be allowed after say 8:30. As a side note, Prime 7 was fully booked for the week and second reservations were not available any time I asked.

 

Signatures was very nice but I do not understand the need for gentlemen to wear a jacket. In September we dined in one the most exclusive restaurants in Paris, Le Jules Verne, and there was not a jacket in the place. Other than the staff. And how come if the men have to "dress up", the women don't???:confused: I will leave that to your imagination.

 

Our only real complaint about the dining was the service, which we finally decided could best be described as "consistently inconsistent". When it was good, it was very good and when it was not good, it was indifferent. Sometimes you could get the staff to engage, sometimes you barely got an acknowledgement. One example will suffice; the last night in Compass Road at dessert I was asked if I would like coffee. Ten minutes later the cup arrived. Ten minutes after that, dessert arrived. Ten minutes after that the coffee finally got poured. This is not an exaggeration. I timed it. And it was not an isolated incident.

 

The bar staff, shore excursion staff and most everyone else we met were universally cheerful, upbeat and helpful.

 

A word about the free shore excursions. There were two notices asking people to notify shorex about cancellations and to return unused tickets to clear waitlists. Curious, I asked if "multiple booking" was a problem with no shows. The person I talked to said it was a problem but not a large one and most people could be accomodated. It also appears they do hold back space for onboard booking. Every excursion showed available space (even Tracey Arm) when we got onboard. We found the excursions to be well run and the staff to be highly competent.

 

A couple of general comments. The ship has an advertised capacity of 700 but there were 738 people onboard, including 138 children. The children weren't really a problem, but more than a few "over refreshed" adults we saw were. By the "show of hands" in the theatre the first night and the number of people at the "first-timers" gathering (we stumbled on it while exploring the first morning) there were a LOT of first time cruisers and first time "luxury" cruisers onboard. We talked to a lot of people (we like to chat:)) who commented along the lines of "we were able to afford Regent because the pricing was so low". We really wonder if by being so aggressive on the pricing, Regent isn't cheapening the product. This may sound "elitist", but many times we truly felt like we were on a mass market cruise!

 

As I stated at the beginning, we very much enjoyed this cruise and are perfectly willing to admit that many of our observations were likely "skewed" by the itinerary, the size of the crowd and the large number of children. We do plan on trying Regent again on a more "traditional" sailing to get a better feel for the "true" Regent experience.

 

As some of you know, we regularly cruise on Crystal and made a very conscious effort not to make comparisons, but some are inevitable. We are only human after all. The structural differences (open seating/all-inclusive/cabin size) are what they are. We enjoyed open seating, but it's not a deal breaker. I don't drink and my wife is a very moderate drinker, so all-inclusive is not an issue for us, but I will admit it was nice not having to "flag down" the waiter for the bill when the bar was busy. I did have an opportunity to check out a few standard suites and the size differential between them and a standard balcony on Crystal is noticeable but not as large as I expected to find. Having now experienced both lines I truly believe all the Crystal vs Regent "chatter" should best be described as "much sound and fury meaning nothing" and we would cheerfully sail on either line given the right itinerary!:D The only two meaningful differences we found were these;

 

- Crystal's pool grill has better french fries, but Regent has better ice cream.

- Crystal has better bran muffins. Theirs have raisins!

 

I apologize for this rather lengthy dissertation. I am sure there will be those who will disagree with me, as is their right, but I have tried to be objective in describing our experience. Your mileage may vary.

[Paint Horse]

Nice summary.

 

I agree that the Alaska cruise passengers appear to be different from the usual Regent passengers. I also agree that the difference between Regent and Crystal is very small if it exists at all.

[nancygp]

Great summary Larry! Sounds like all was well and you and your wife had a lovely trip.

 

Nancy

[MsBatt]

Great summary indeed; we were on Mariner the week before and I honestly agree with you that Prime 7 was overrated, but perhaps it had to do with the really full ship; our steaks were cooked perfectly, but the sides seemed to have been sitting for hours, and the service was rushed. I would have been more than annoyed at a table of children of any age supervising each other, especially a party of 8 - whoever made that reservation for them had a lot of nerve.

 

We really had great cruise experience, being two of those newby luxe cruisers - I do hope we behaved ourselves, because we would like to come back and cruise Regent again.

 

There were also over 100 children on our sailing, but we hardly saw them - I do wonder what will happen next year on the smaller ship.

[Travelcat2]

Really enjoyed your review of the Mariner. You are the second poster that mentioned how many people were on board that apparently had not cruised on a luxury ship before. I cannot imagine having over 700 people on board.

 

If you find the right itinerary, you may enjoy the Voyager (larger suites -- better use of space). I would recommend, however, sailing when they are not running specials for children. The experience would be quite a bit different:)

[PaulaJK]

for posting your thoughful reflections. As someone who sails both lines,I find myself in agreement with your general impressions/summary as well as the specific impressions. Although many on this board write that they have experienced fabulous diningroom service, we would agree w. the consistently inconsistent. Waiters vary considerably and the DR staff often appears harried. This does not rise to the level of 5 star or luxury sailing.

 

I had to smile at the explanation regarding the Caesar salad. We have been in Prime7 when it was half empty and the salad was not prepared tableside as advertized on the menu. This was not a problem for us but Regent really should either deliver or remove that description from the menu lest it be seen as pretentious.

 

I would be dismayed to find 738 people on a ship that holds/sails at 700. If Regent starts to draw the 'party' crowd it may be good for their bottom line but many leave some of us seeking other venues. As for the unaccompanied table of children, Regent needs to outlaw this as any fine dining establishment does.

[Paint Horse]

It is interesting how cruises so near to each other can differ so much. On our cruise which must have been the one right before this one we encountered none of these problems. I have found that as long as human beings are involved in the equation, nothing will ever be perfect. We seem to have some basic flaws in our nature. I wonder if this is why I prefer computers to people? :confused:

[Kissing Seahorses]

I actually don't like to have the caesar salad prepared tableside, to me it hinders table conversation and it's not like it is really that interesting to watch it being prepared, I think it is an antiquated custom now, along with all those flaming deserts, it always reminds me of a "supper club" with "fine dining" from the 50s or 60s.

 

I once made the mistake of ordering caviar at a famous restaurant in Hawaii a few years back and I didn't know that they prepared all the accoutrements tableside, it took about 20 minutes to get everything chopped up, etc, my dinner companion and I were doubled up in laughter by the time we took our first bite.

 

I say, let the kitchen do what they do best, the waiters do what they do best.

[dobes4me]

Roland, when we dined at Prime 7 there was also a table of 8 kids. Were you there on the 26th?

 

Also, I totally agree with you about the dining service, specifically the coffee. We had numerous times where we waited and waited and waited...so you weren't the only one. This happened both in Prime 7 and Compass Rose.

[Travelcat2]

Sounds to me like Regent should not overbook the ship. They apparently were able to squeeze 738 people on board, however, these people had to eat which meant adding tables. They probably did not add staff . . . .

 

Was this the cruise where they were offering incentives to cancel or book another Alaska cruise?

[beaniele]

We ate at the Prime 7 and were not that impressed. I ordered the table side Caesar salad and it was not made table side. My New York steak had no flavor but was cooked as ordered. We loved the Compass Rose and ate there the rest of the 19 nights on the ship. Our waiter, Revenee??, was exceptional and if you have a chance to sit at his table you will not be disappointed. (I am just not sure of the correct spelling of his name.)

[poss]

Tcat: That's the Aug 5 cruise. And I'm a little apprehensive about what it'll be like. (esp. with maybe moving rollaways into rooms to accommodate extras)

[Cattravel10]

Guess all of us on the June 10 cruise were fortunate as we only had 600 aboard. Now if only the airlines would find my luggage that has been missing for nearly 3 weeks now.

[Roland4]

Roland, when we dined at Prime 7 there was also a table of 8 kids. Were you there on the 26th?

 

Also, I totally agree with you about the dining service, specifically the coffee. We had numerous times where we waited and waited and waited...so you weren't the only one. This happened both in Prime 7 and Compass Rose.

 

We were there the same night. And I just read your post on the other thread and it would seem we were also at Signatures the same night/time. In Prime 7 we were at one of those "extra" tables in the back corner right against the service station!! To their credit, the staff working that station went "above and beyond" in trying to keep the noise down so as not to disturb us.

 

I didn't want to belabour the point about the coffee in my review, but it happened everywhere we went. It even happened in the Coffee Connection the one time we tried it out!:eek: I was beginning to think it was just me!:D

[Longhorn1]

Wow...I was on Mariner in Alaska last year and don't remember a lot of problems but, with the itinerary, I wasn't expecting a lot I guess...it seemed fine to me. We are going Singapore to Sydney in November and I will post a report. I am assuming not a lot of kids, and not a full boat for that matter. My wife is enrolled in CDB, and she is looking forward to that. As am I, as I assume it will be a nice way for us to get acquinted with some fun folks. Here's hoping for timely coffee, more than 4 croutons, and service that reminds me of my favorite state side places! I'll post a full report!

[dobes4me]

We were there the same night. And I just read your post on the other thread and it would seem we were also at Signatures the same night/time. In Prime 7 we were at one of those "extra" tables in the back corner right against the service station!! To their credit, the staff working that station went "above and beyond" in trying to keep the noise down so as not to disturb us.

 

I think we were sitting next to you. Did you come in around 6:30ish? Our group of 8 was split into two tables of 4. I was at the table closest to you. Where were you sitting at Signatures? We were split into a table of 6 and 2. My fiance and I were at the table of 2 near one of the windows when you first walk in.

 

ETA: Were you also on the Tracy Arm excursion?

[verdl]

Great summary indeed; we were on Mariner the week before and I honestly agree with you that Prime 7 was overrated, but perhaps it had to do with the really full ship; our steaks were cooked perfectly, but the sides seemed to have been sitting for hours, and the service was rushed. I would have been more than annoyed at a table of children of any age supervising each other, especially a party of 8 - whoever made that reservation for them had a lot of nerve.

 

We really had great cruise experience, being two of those newby luxe cruisers - I do hope we behaved ourselves, because we would like to come back and cruise Regent again.

 

There were also over 100 children on our sailing, but we hardly saw them - I do wonder what will happen next year on the smaller ship.

 

We sail 8-19 --- hopefully kids are back in school by then -- UGH

[Suite Travels]

I don't understand why parents would seat eight children unattended. :rolleyes:

[Roland4]

I think we were sitting next to you. Did you come in around 6:30ish? Our group of 8 was split into two tables of 4. I was at the table closest to you. Where were you sitting at Signatures? We were split into a table of 6 and 2. My fiance and I were at the table of 2 near one of the windows when you first walk in.

 

ETA: Were you also on the Tracy Arm excursion?

 

That would be us! And you ordered the 14-layer chocolate cake for dessert, right? In Signatures we were at one of the tables for two against the glass partition by the door. I noticed you and your fiance at the window table as I remembered seeing you in Prime 7. We were also sitting directly in front of you on the Tracey Arm trip. Small world!

[raiderette]

That would be us! And you ordered the 14-layer chocolate cake for dessert, right? In Signatures we were at one of the tables for two against the glass partition by the door. I noticed you and your fiance at the window table as I remembered seeing you in Prime 7. We were also sitting directly in front of you on the Tracey Arm trip. Small world!

 

Where were you sitting on the Tracy Arm? We were a group of four on the bottom of the boat. We sat towards the front on the left. I was sorry I never got to meet you. We did meet Fab Fam, Peaches and Rally. Fab Fam picked me out when I said we were big Raider fans from Oklahoma. There are not many of us. :D

[Roland4]

I don't understand why parents would seat eight children unattended. :rolleyes:

 

We were a bit too far away to be certain, but it appearred the adults were all at another table, obviously enjoying an "adult" dinner. I did see one of them at the table one time. The children weren't doing anything "out of the ordibary", like having a food fight, but they were being children, and when you get eight of them together the volume does tend to go up. And up.

[Roland4]

Where were you sitting on the Tracy Arm? We were a group of four on the bottom of the boat. We sat towards the front on the left. I was sorry I never got to meet you. We did meet Fab Fam, Peaches and Rally. Fab Fam picked me out when I said we were big Raider fans from Oklahoma. There are not many of us. :D

 

We were on the deck above, a couple of rows up from the door to the open deck, on the left side of the boat. And apparently right in front of Dobes4Me!!!!! I suspect we probably saw everyone from the roll call at one point or another, but just never made the connection.

[raiderette]

You are probably right. It was fun to put the name with a face. All in all my husband and I enjoyed seeing Alaska for the first time. There were things we really liked about the cruise and some we didn't. That being said, I think our cruise was probably not the norm. I don't think I have ever been on a cruise where we had a fire, a fight, injured children and oh of course Alex Trebek. I doubt we will do an Alaskan cruise again. But we will probably cruise with Regent only in Europe. Our cruise on the Voyager in the Med was wonderful. Hope to do it again in the not to distant future.

[dobes4me]

That would be us! And you ordered the 14-layer chocolate cake for dessert, right? In Signatures we were at one of the tables for two against the glass partition by the door. I noticed you and your fiance at the window table as I remembered seeing you in Prime 7. We were also sitting directly in front of you on the Tracey Arm trip. Small world!

 

Yep, I ordered the 14 layer cake (even got a picture of it...LOL). And I knew that was you sitting in front of us on the Tracy Arm trip! I remember you saying to someone that you were from Toronto and a travel agent. My first thought was, "Roland from our roll call is from Toronto, I wonder if that's him." I was going to say something, but I wasn't 100% sure it was you, so I didn't. Now when I was on the bus to the airport and Rally was sitting diagonally from me, I knew with 100% certainty that it was him. I wish I wouldv'e said something to you.

[Wendy The Wanderer]

Why didn't you guys do a roll call and agree to meet somewhere? :p