CJANDH

Hilton head Island.

There were quite a lot of people in Compass Rose which probably helped keep the crowds down at the buffet. I had a wonderful Madras Lamb curry. As good a curry as I have had outside of India. The chef is excelling so far.

Spit roasted suckling pig is the main course with lots of salads and sides. I think we will go to Compass Rose for something a little more civilized.

LOL. Great picture. Our bus was not that beat up

The weather is much improved. However, the included excursion we took today came nowhere close to a Regent shore trip standard. It was a "best of" bus tour, which are often pretty ordinary. But this one was awful and about the quality you would expect on a mass market cruise. First, the bus was old and dirty. Then it was absolutely full. Then it went nowhere of interest. (A really amateur aquarium and a grass covered fort). And finally it spent the final hour at a beach without any pre warning that would have allowed us to take swimwear and towels. The tour guide could also not find toilets for us at the beach stop. Not a good thing for a bus load of geriatrics!! On board all is still excellent. We may decide that staying on the ship is the best option.

We boarded Mariner yesterday. So far no toilet issue although the plumbing is a bit noisy (gurgles in the tub when running water in the vanity). First impressions: Staff are great. Meals so far have been excellent. Ship is looking a bit dated and needs wiring updates to get USB connections in the suites. We had to beg an adapter from our butler to connect chargers for our phones. Looks like we are in for a couple of rough and windy days at sea to kick of the cruise. But no complaints. We are at sea again!!!!

Any potty updates? We board on Tuesday and are hoping for no Christmas back-ups. 🫰

Thanks.

Can you please let us know who is the Cruise Director on Mariner right now and if he/she will be staying for the next (Holiday) cruise. Thanks.

Articles in the press state that Starlink Internet has been installed on Mariner as the first of Regents fleet to get it. It is not clear if it is up and running now or will be switched on in January for the World Cruise. Can anyone confirm?

It has gone very quiet on this thread. Has anyone stayed in a Residence and can give us a review?

You would think that MSC is already set up to handle air. Why wouldn't they use the existing teams?

Has anyone heard if Explora Journeys are going to offer air booking service and pre/post hotels? It seems that they are not competing well with the other luxury lines who all offer this service.

Please keep us posted on any information you get about the Amazon river cruise. We are scheduled to sail there for Christmas on Regent Mariner and you are an eagerly watched test for us. The Azamara Quest has just made it to Manaus, but Viking have cancelled two Amazon sailings, substituting extra stops in the Caribbean. The Zaandam is a bigger ship than the Quest or the Mariner. So if you make we should too. Love your postings. Thanks for doing it.

I too am on the Mariner Xmas cruise up the Amazon. Azamara Quest is travelling up the Amazon today. She has propulsion problems that are resulting in itinerary changes. But the cruise looks like it is going all the way to Manaus. I have been watching water levels in Manaus and they have been going higher a few feet over the last 5 days. So maybe Regent is right to "wait and see" for a while. Fingers crossed.

Please keep us posted on the condition of the Amazon as you progress upstream. Sorry to hear about the mechanical/electrical problems. Good sailing!

Are you having creaking noise problems? What suite are you in? I have heard that even the Residence Suites are having noise issues.

Which cruise was that?

On a Viking Roll Call discussion on CC.

Manus may not be open at all soon. Viking have just cancelled their next two Amazon cruises in December citing the low river levels making it too dangerous to navigate. It seems that the Azamara Quest is still planning to sail up the Amazon this week. It will be interesting to see what the next few cruises do: Holland Zaandam, Oceania Sirena and Regent Mariner. All are scheduled for December stops in Manus.

We are booked in 6089 in March. Sure hope they have fixed the noise problem by then. At the price we are paying we don't need sleepless nights! Any updates?

But the bathroom looks small by suite standards.

Does that mean that if two people book the Master Suite they only pay for the two of them, but get two bedrooms? Not a bad idea if you think you might fall out with your spouse/partner during the cruise!!!

If you have the time, I would still be interested in your review of the Residence you are in. We are booked in the Cocoon Residence in March and have heard that the bathroom layout is less than ideal.

I am on the Amazon Holiday cruise on Mariner and I too am concerned that the Amazon segment is in danger because of low water levels. So far I have not been able to find any information on cruises being impacted. However when some of the world's largest freight shippers are cancelling port calls, it doesn't look good. We need rain . . and lots of it.