Mariner Alaskan cruise - an occasional blog

As much as I admire and thoroughly enjoy reading the regular blogs of many on this site, I entirely lack the discipline to post each day. What follows is roughly my thoughts on day 3 of the 7 day Alaskan Mariner cruise.

I'm on board so very happy to answer any questions.

Hard not to start with a comparison between Mariner and Explorer which is our only other experience of cruising. Overall I like both ships hugely.

On Mariner the size, layout and decor of Prime 7 makes it a feel like proper intimate upscale restaurant when compared to P7 on the Explorer. I don't know the table count in Explorer for P7 but it feels about 3 times as big. On the negative side we had a hugely disappointing meal at P7 on night one on the Mariner. The steak was tasteless and cooked to destruction despite being ordered medium rare. I know we should have sent it back but brave faces were put on things and we consumed about half of it and really didn't enjoy the experience at all.

Food in general on Mariner seems ok to poor in terms of flavour. Generally I'm very disappointed in the food on Mariner. Service in general is enormously well meaning but very random. We gave up today on breakfast in Compass Rose as we only received half of the ordered food, coffee and tea orders were totally wrong each time (3 tries to get the right tea). The staff were delightful, cheerful and lovely but absolutely nothing worked in terms of getting what you ordered let alone in a timely fashion. Its not as if they were busy. The fish lunch at pool grill yesterday was beyond unappetising.

So negative comments so far on the food on Mariner.

In terms of the cabin we are in a Penthouse which is delightful. Wonderful comfy sofa. The bathroom when compared to a Concierge on Explorer is very small as is the walk-in. I would find the bathroom in the Penthouse suite and the tiny walk-in annoying if I was on board for more than 7 days.

The pre-ordered bar setup for the cabin never appeared despite being confirmed by the TA.

Staff in general just don't seem on top of things.

So far in the cruise there have been enough annoyances to make me think twice about returning a third time to Regent unfortunately. Nothing major - just lots of niggles

Ps I forgot the spa staff who are so remunerted to up sell its positively hostile. id like a refund of my treatment on the basis it was basically a sales opportunity for the therapist.

HongKongAlan - Thanks for taking the time to update us on your cruise experience, so far. I'm sorry that things are not up to par for you.....as they certainly should be, considering that this is a "Luxury Cruise Line". And you should not have to be spending half of every mealtime sending food back, talking to F&B Managers, filling out comment cards (after the fact) or just "settling" for food (or leaving partially eaten plates) that just doesn't taste that good/flavorable to you, or are not cooked to your specifications.

When fares are as high as what's being charged by Regent, it is Regent that has "set the bar (standards)" to astronomical levels and they should be meeting or exceeding their own stated standards. At Regent's price point things should be "damned near perfect", despite what certain cheerleaders might say/defend to the contrary.

If you can have "at least as good as" (or close to) the same experience on another cruise line (dining, amenities, etc.), for 1/3, 1/2, or even 3/4 of the price (certainly, nothing is going to cost more than what Regent is charging!).....I would be completely willing to give "the others a shot". Blind loyalty to just one cruise brand be damned! I Hope other things on your cruise are still making things "okay" for you. Best Regards.

Hi Alan - so good to see that you are on another Regent cruise but sorry to hear that the food is not up to par. We have experienced this on the Mariner in the past and talking to the Food and Beverage Director helped a lot. If he/she is not available, please spend 5 minutes of your vacation to speak with the General Manager. While things should be the same on every ship, unfortunately, this is not always the case.

The Mariner is not our favorite ship for some of the reasons that you mentioned. We do love the size of the Penthouse suites but also think that the closet and bathroom are too small. Unfortunately, there isn't much that Regent can do about this and the Mariner is the second oldest ship and was not built by the current owners.

The spa has been mentioned quite a bit lately (hope that you discuss this either with the General Manager or on the mid-cruise comment card). They absolutely should not be hostile or trying to upsell anything. They are contractors and this is not the way Regent expects them to run their business.

I hope that you will not give up on Regent as the grass is not always greener on the other side (we tried two other cruise lines and returned to Regent...... it was a waste of money to try other lines).

Due to the pluses on Explorer, we have decided to only sail on Explorer and the upcoming Splendor (after our November transatlantic cruise on Voyager - our second favorite ship at the moment).

If you don't mind, kindly let me know who the General Manager is on your current voyage. And, if the Food and Beverage Director is Donald, we know him and know that he can work magic to make things better (although he shouldn't have to -- it should be the same as on Explorer).

Please keep us updated!

Hi TC

Really not happy campers here I hate to say it and we were so looking forward to the trip. GM is Anatoli and the F and B manager is something I think like Enenas. Both hard to know as the phone to the butter is unintelligible. Just another niggle but they really have mounted.

Hi TC

 

Really not happy campers here I hate to say it and we were so looking forward to the trip. GM is Anatoli and the F and B manager is something I think like Enenas. Both hard to know as the phone to the butter is unintelligible. Just another niggle but they really have mounted.

Please clarify. Not sure what this means.

Hi TC

 

Really not happy campers here I hate to say it and we were so looking forward to the trip. GM is Anatoli and the F and B manager is something I think like Enenas. Both hard to know as the phone to the butter is unintelligible. Just another niggle but they really have mounted.

Hi again, suggest going to (or calling) Reception and let them know that you would like to speak with the G.M. (or F&B Director).

Please don't let another day go by. They can fix the problem. Let us know the result of the meeting.

You definitely need to discuss the spa situation and dining with the GM. One of my ongoing issues is the constant attempts to upswell in the spa. Very unpleasant. And the food should be pretty good to perfect, not just ok.

We just got off the Mariner just this month, we had a few small problems, mainly in dining and one with the suite we had. We did talk to the GM, he was easy to get ahold of and fixed the problem. At dinner if something is wrong and it shouldn't be that way, but we pointed it out at once. They kind of over corrected the dining problem, but made it right. Sorry to hear your having a problem, but you have to speak up and let them know it in real time. Again I agree it shouldn't happen, but it does. People know I'm not a cheerleader, but I want what I pay for on a cruise and nothing less.

We do enjoy Regent, in fact we just booked another cruise Friday-so we now have a back to back coming up after our next cruise on Regent.

Hi TC

 

Really not happy campers here I hate to say it and we were so looking forward to the trip. GM is Anatoli and the F and B manager is something I think like Enenas. Both hard to know as the phone to the butter is unintelligible. Just another niggle but they really have mounted.

The F&B manager is Ennis and I found him to be very focused on customers’ issues and needs during our recent Miami to San Francisco cruise.

Z and TB

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I think that when you pay top dollar for a luxury cruise it´s the GM and F&B manegers job to see to thats you get the experience you payed for, it should not be the customers job to run around talking to supervisors to get what they payed for. In cases like that both the GM and F&B manegers are not doing their job proper!

I think that when you pay top dollar for a luxury cruise it´s the GM and F&B manegers job to see to thats you get the experience you payed for, it should not be the customers job to run around talking to supervisors to get what they payed for. In cases like that both the GM and F&B manegers are not doing their job proper!

If there is a problem on the ship, the GM and/or F&B director needs to be advised. No one suggested that the TS "run around talking to supervisors to get what they payed for". A quick phone call or a stop by Reception (which is next to the GM's office) is all it takes. I would rather spend five minutes of my time fixing a problem than sit back and be upset ....... possibly never book a Regent cruise again.

Of course you have to get past Reception first.

On our last Regent cruise, Reception flatly refused to allow me to speak to the Chief Housekeeper.

Then later in the cruise, when my husband tried to book an appointment with the GM, he was told that he would have to go through any issues with reception staff first. After a few minutes of "discussion" it was made very plain that my husband wanted to discuss matters with the GM.

Finally the receptionist got the message and the GM rang back within 5 minutes, but there really was no need for the initial hassle.

Of course you have to get past Reception first.

 

On our last Regent cruise, Reception flatly refused to allow me to speak to the Chief Housekeeper.

Then later in the cruise, when my husband tried to book an appointment with the GM, he was told that he would have to go through any issues with reception staff first. After a few minutes of "discussion" it was made very plain that my husband wanted to discuss matters with the GM.

Finally the receptionist got the message and the GM rang back within 5 minutes, but there really was no need for the initial hassle.

No, you do not have to "get past" Reception first (if you know where the GM's office is). I walk in there without checking with anyone when I see that he/she is in the office - not speaking with anyone. I simply ask if they have a moment to talk.

When the GM is busy with someone in their office, I've written a note - sealed it in an envelope and asked Reception to please deliver it (and also have left a note on the desk of the GM when they were not there).

Unfortunately, not all people in Reception give the same answer. I have also receive strange answers from Reception and had them clarified by the Executive Concierge (just steps away from Reception on most ships).

If there is a problem on the ship, the GM and/or F&B director needs to be advised. No one suggested that the TS "run around talking to supervisors to get what they payed for". A quick phone call or a stop by Reception (which is next to the GM's office) is all it takes. I would rather spend five minutes of my time fixing a problem than sit back and be upset ....... possibly never book a Regent cruise again.

The thing is that on a cruise line like Regent there should very very seldom be a problem, but here we hear that TS had multiple problems with food and service and then it is the GM an F&B to blame for falling shortI

But on this forum if you have a complain it´s very common that a few people always reply "did you adress the GM or F&B they would have taken care of the issues immediately because they are so lovely" as if it was the customers fault that they did not receive the service or food that Regent have promised them, when on the contrary it is these "lovely" GMs and F&Bs that just not are up to standard to see to that the level of food an service are equal throughout the fleet!

The thing is that on a cruise line like Regent there should very very seldom be a problem, but here we hear that TS had multiple problems with food and service and then it is the GM an F&B to blame for falling shortI

 

But on this forum if you have a complain it´s very common that a few people always reply "did you adress the GM or F&B they would have taken care of the issues immediately because they are so lovely" as if it was the customers fault that they did not receive the service or food that Regent have promised them, when on the contrary it is these "lovely" GMs and F&Bs that just not are up to standard to see to that the level of food an service are equal throughout the fleet!

The customers are not at fault if the service and food are not up to par. The bottom line is that the GM has ultimate responsibility for the food and service. Since he/she isn't everywhere all of the time, whether we like it or not, sometimes we need to bring things to their attention (this is something that we have done when necessary so I'm recommending to others what we do ourselves).

The one thing that Regent officers have stressed to passengers is that if something is not right - they want to know while the passenger(s) are still onboard to correct the issue(s) rather than read it on CC when there is nothing that they can do. It is for this reason that posters recommend speaking to the GM and/or F&B Director. In a perfect world this would not be necessary but nothing is always perfect.

P.S. Yes - the GM's that I know are very nice and caring. This speaks to the issue of them wanting to make each passengers experience the best that it can be.

We all know that a Regent Cruise should go off without a hitch and everything should be on spot. However things do happen, things don't go right--but if you don't tell them on the spot how do you except them to correct it. I'm not saying someone didn't try to talk tom the GM, but we've never had a problem reaching the person we needed to talk with about a problem or compliment. In fact you should be able to see the F&B person or GM around the ship during lunch and dinner.

TS hasn't been back for a while, and I very much hope that he's enjoying himself and that things have picked up considerably for him in the way of food, etc.

I imagine that the bathrooms and closets in penthouse suites on Mariner are surely no smaller than the bathrooms and closets in the regular ol' deluxe suites. I know that TS's disappointment was in comparing those with such on Explorer, but I just thought I'd make the comment that we find both the bathroom and the closet on Mariner fine and dandy – no complaints at all. No problem in wishing for larger spaces, but I didn't want new readers perhaps to get the impression that bathrooms are considered small by everyone.

Alan: Have you had a chance to speak with others on the cruise? I wonder if they found similar strong dissatisfaction with the food. In any case, what I most hope is that things are much improved for you.

An update from onboard the Mariner. Thank you to everyone for your replies and advice.

I did raise my concerns re service in Compass Rose at breakfast on the day with the manager in a hopefully constructive way. I must say I think they have noted the challenges and our service since in Compass Rose has been good. The morning following my post we had a very pleasant breakfast at Compass Rose followed by a good dinner at Chattreuse. I was disappointed in Chattreuse on Explorer but we had a solid meal last night with efficient service on Mariner.

I’ve not raised my concerns with the GM re food and service as it has improved but had they continued I would have done so without hesitation.

Overall satisfaction levels are coming up. I’m going to persevere with trying for a repeat reservation at P7 to see if it can redeem itself after an abysmal sail away dinner.

An update from onboard the Mariner. Thank you to everyone for your replies and advice.

 

I did raise my concerns re service in Compass Rose at breakfast on the day with the manager in a hopefully constructive way. I must say I think they have noted the challenges and our service since in Compass Rose has been good. The morning following my post we had a very pleasant breakfast at Compass Rose followed by a good dinner at Chattreuse. I was disappointed in Chattreuse on Explorer but we had a solid meal last night with efficient service on Mariner.

 

I’ve not raised my concerns with the GM re food and service as it has improved but had they continued I would have done so without hesitation.

 

Overall satisfaction levels are coming up. I’m going to persevere with trying for a repeat reservation at P7 to see if it can redeem itself after an abysmal sail away dinner.

So glad to read about the improvements. Enjoy the rest of your cruise and I hope that you sail Regent again.

These sound like many of the issues that we experienced last October on our Eastern Canada cruise (plus some botched excursions). I had hoped after the Mariner renovation and after the staff got used to taking orders on the iPad that things would improve.

I was talking about future vacation plans with one of the other couples we often travel with (usually a group of 6 or 8) and I got the sense that everyone is pretty much over Regent despite some nice cruises on Voyager in the past. A cruise that is disappointing can really put a damper on future planning.

We were on the Mariner from San Francisco to Vancouver. This was our third time in a Penthouse C on this ship. The size of the suite is great and the closet is just fine. Nothing much can be done about the size of the bathroom. Ours had the stall shower. My husband and I had plenty of places for EVERYTHING we brought. No way can the bathrooms on the Mariner compare to the Explorer but you just make it

work. We found the crew to be great and our butler was GREAT. We had 2 major complaints. One is the awful complimentary red wine that

is served. Really bad! No red wine was over $12.00. We had the same experience in January on the Explorer. We had a really hard time finding a red wine to drink and ended up buying wine two nights. The other issue is Compass Rose. It's the largest Compass Rose of

all the ships...management told me this. The decor is nice but the restaurant has no atmosphere due to the harsh lighting. The specialty restaurants have really nice atmosphere. It's not a cozy warm place to dine. Same experience on the Explorer. We found the food on all

Regents ships to vary according to who is the Head Chef. I thought the food was very good...better than what I experienced on the Explorer Service depends on the crew and who's managing them. All in all we had a great cruise and look forward to our future cruise on the

Mariner from Shanghai to Tokyo.

mrstanley: My understanding is that the showers on Mariner are in fact larger than the ones on Explorer. But I'm not speaking of penthouse suites. I'm comparing G on Mariner to F on Explorer. It seems (usually) that many more people on CC than not are in upper suites, but I'm just putting my 2 cents in for us bottom dwellers.

mrstanley: My understanding is that the showers on Mariner are in fact larger than the ones on Explorer. But I'm not speaking of penthouse suites. I'm comparing G on Mariner to F on Explorer. It seems (usually) that many more people on CC than not are in upper suites, but I'm just putting my 2 cents in for us bottom dwellers.

You're right poss. Since the shower-only suites previously had bathtubs in them, the showers are quite large. I'm surprised that Regent has not converted more bathtub suites to shower suites.

We were on the Mariner in 2001...before they converted some of the bathtub/shower combinations. It's very awkward to get in and out of that. It's like an accident waiting to happen. I've always advised anyone I know going on the Mariner to request the stall shower.

Much safer. I was on the Explorer in a Cat F1. The stall shower is really nice. Never used the bathtub.