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Quick post from the Mariner


golfgirls
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We are currently sitting in the Observation Lounge looking over the harbour in Halifax. A sunny but crisp fall day, very enjoyable.

 

My review of the cruise thus far would be very positive. Although we all know that the Mariner is long past its refurb date, it is really in pretty good shape. We have previously stayed in the Horizon View suites on Mariner, which are fantastic and have been more recently upgraded. This time, we are in a Concierge suite. Although we find the cabin a bit too small for our liking, it is in pretty good shape and there really isn't anything that I would complain about regarding the condition of the suite.

 

The service onboard has been very good, from the bars to the dining venues, it really has been very nice with a concerted effort to greet passengers by name in a very welcoming fashion.

 

Our real treasure this cruise is Captain Serena. She is a very engaging character with a wealth of information to share and a passion for what she does. It is really nice to see a Captain that enjoys engaging with her passengers. She is also extremely safety conscious and steered us clear(well as clear as could be) of some pretty ugly weather on the east coast yesterday.

 

The one disappointment I would say so far was the attendance at the CC Meet and Mingle on Sunday morning. Regent pulled out all of the stops with many more officers than CC posters attending - less than 10 of us. Not sure if it was due to conflicts in scheduling or miscommunications, but it was unfortunate. We had the opportunity to meet with many of the officers and staff and really enjoyed the Meet and Mingle and the effort put forth by Regent.

 

Off to St John soon!

 

 

 

 

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Thank you for taking the time to post from the Mariner. There are many of us that will be boarding the ship in the next couple of months so Mariner experiences are of particular interest.

 

We met Captain Serena when she was Staff Captain and look forward to seeing her again when we board in 2 1/2 weeks. She is a lovely person.

 

Very happy to hear that everything is going well -- hope that it continues!

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Echo the appreciations of your Mariner on board posting—thank you. Look forward to reading more. WE board the Mariner for our first time in January and your post is helping frame our suite expectations.

 

Hope the new meet & mingle registration procedure LauraS (CC Community Manager mentioned in an earlier thread today) helps ensure those Regent cruise critics who registered to attend the meet & mingle get their formal invitation on embarkation day. Very nice to hear that the Mariner leaders/staff also attended your m&m.

 

For out January Mariner voyage, we learned this week that the Captain then will be Aivo Palm, HD Michael Coghlin, tho still no word on who our CD will be. If you get a chance, can you please ask your CD (believe it is Lorraine) who will follow her as CD in the New Year

 

 

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Golfgirls, glad to hear your having a great time and great service-after all that's what a vacation is all about. We'll be on the Mariner in April after the next redo. Keep having fun and write as much as you have time for, looking forward to reading what you have to say......Rick

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Wes - have you never been on the Mariner? If this is true, I look forward to your review of the ship. We feel that the public spaces are wonderful but the suites (below PH) leave much to be desired. Regardless of the suite, hope that you and Ida have a wonderful cruise!

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I haven't commented on entertainment yet for two reasons. First is that the cast, brand new to the ship, haven't been able to perform due to poor sailing conditions. Let's hope that they are able to get the show on the road tonight, so to speak. They are ready and eager to entertain us.

 

Second reason is that the 'other' entertainment has been a pianist and a ventriloquist. Not our cup of tea but I am sure they were fine.

 

I will take a moment to comment on two great events so far from an entertainment perspective. Our first night was a Dance Party hosted by Lorraine(CD), David(ACD) and Marla(SH). It was a ton of fun and they all sang some great dance songs. They are all very talented and had the crowd moving and grooving. We are always a bit reluctant to get up on the floor but we were very happy that we did.

 

Last night, the same trio hosted a fabulous Halloween Dance Party. The entertainment crew, including singers and dancers, were all decked out in fun costumes. Stars Lounge(a bit of a weird venue from a design perspective) was transformed into a spooky site with lots of great decor.

 

Should also add that the menu at CR last night also had a spookilicious theme, with a menu decorated for the event and some cleverly themed specials and desserts. We also enjoyed seeing spectacularly pumpkins carved at both entrances - I must say they were the most beautiful, creative pumpkins that we have ever seen.

 

Bottom line is Halloween was/is alive and well on Regent if you want it to be and our Entertainment staff has made this cruise a lot of fun thus far.

 

Still a lot of days to go before Miami and am sure lots more fun ahead.

 

Wes, I will find out the answer to your CD question asap.

 

 

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Lorraine, David and Marla are wonderful! I know that Lorraine recently returned from vacation and David and Marla have been onboard since August so they may be leaving soon. Good to hear that you have fun on Halloween.

 

When you mentioned the sail conditions, may I assume that the seas have been a bit rough? Hope it calms down a bit.

 

Thanks for checking in with us!

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Stay on a few more weeks & we can revive our (partial) Trivia Group!! My dad & I will be on the Mariner over Christmas. Glad to hear the ship is doing well & we’re ready to see it soon!! :)

 

 

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Well we would love to be with you but won't be cruising at Christmas this year. We will be back on the Explorer for Christmas 2018, Capetown to Capetown. Join us then!

 

 

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Golfgirls, thank you for taking the time to post. We are brand new to Regent( not to cruising) and booked on the Mariner for next fall and am anxious to hear others thoughts. I know they are having a refurbishment in the spring.

 

I hope you continue to enjoy your cruise!

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Golfgirls, thank you for taking the time to post. We are brand new to Regent( not to cruising) and booked on the Mariner for next fall and am anxious to hear others thoughts. I know they are having a refurbishment in the spring.

 

I hope you continue to enjoy your cruise!

 

Welcome to the Regent board! There should be lots of information on the Mariner after the refurbishment. From what I've heard, of the three older ships, the Mariner will look the best after refurbishment because there is more space to work with and they are redoing some major parts of the ship.

 

In the meantime, we'll board the Mariner in less than two weeks and will be onboard for 25 nights so I'll definitely be posting and will nag my CC friends to post as well. We have high expectations for this cruise and am confident that our expectations will be met.

 

Anyway, stay tuned:D

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Welcome to the Regent board! There should be lots of information on the Mariner after the refurbishment. From what I've heard, of the three older ships, the Mariner will look the best after refurbishment because there is more space to work with and they are redoing some major parts of the ship.

 

In the meantime, we'll board the Mariner in less than two weeks and will be onboard for 25 nights so I'll definitely be posting and will nag my CC friends to post as well. We have high expectations for this cruise and am confident that our expectations will be met.

 

Anyway, stay tuned:D

 

Travelcat, thanks so much for the warm welcome, sailing on a new line feels like a brand new experience. We usually sail Celebrity but like Oceania as well. Looking forward to your posts.

 

Have you ever sailed Oceania or Celebrity? If so I would love to hear your thoughts comparisons, we always sail in suites so love the American iTunes in these other lines that come with that.

Thanks for your input

Wendy

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Travelcat, thanks so much for the warm welcome, sailing on a new line feels like a brand new experience. We usually sail Celebrity but like Oceania as well. Looking forward to your posts.

 

Have you ever sailed Oceania or Celebrity? If so I would love to hear your thoughts comparisons, we always sail in suites so love the American iTunes in these other lines that come with that.

Thanks for your input

Wendy

 

We have sailed on Oceania twice and really appreciate the beauty of their larger ships (Riviera and Marina). We stayed in a Vista suite on one sailing and a PH suite on the other. It is a lovely cruise line but we do prefer Regent. The officers and crew are a bit more friendly on Regent and we appreciate not having to sign for anything. We also find the cost of excursions on Oceania at least double the price of Regent Choice excursions (which are the Regent excursions that are not included). It will be interesting to see how you feel Regent compares to the other lines. We have friends that sail on Celebrity and really enjoy it.

 

P.S. Must mention that, IMO, the only Regent ship that exceeds the beauty of the Riviera and Marina is the Explorer. She is an amazing ship! Having said that, there is nothing wrong with Regent's other ships and we do prefer them over Oceania's other ships.

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We have sailed on Oceania twice and really appreciate the beauty of their larger ships (Riviera and Marina). We stayed in a Vista suite on one sailing and a PH suite on the other. It is a lovely cruise line but we do prefer Regent. The officers and crew are a bit more friendly on Regent and we appreciate not having to sign for anything. We also find the cost of excursions on Oceania at least double the price of Regent Choice excursions (which are the Regent excursions that are not included). It will be interesting to see how you feel Regent compares to the other lines. We have friends that sail on Celebrity and really enjoy it.

 

P.S. Must mention that, IMO, the only Regent ship that exceeds the beauty of the Riviera and Marina is the Explorer. She is an amazing ship! Having said that, there is nothing wrong with Regent's other ships and we do prefer them over Oceania's other ships.

 

We too have only sailed on Oceanias larger ships, we do not care for their smaller ones. Our first Oceania was in a Penthouse suite and we were very disappointed in the size. The Oceania suite is our go to and in our last cruise our friends were upgraded from a Vista to the owners suite which is so amazing. I too, am anxious to see the comparisons, we do like Celebrity as well and have enjoyed wonderful service however even their dedicated suite restaurant is just fair so we eat every night in the speciality restaurants which are all included in their upper level suites.

 

We have met so many wonderful people on our cruises and look forward to a new experience with Regent. Thank you so much for all of your feedback.

Wendy

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Echo the appreciations of your Mariner on board posting—thank you. Look forward to reading more. WE board the Mariner for our first time in January and your post is helping frame our suite expectations.

 

Hope the new meet & mingle registration procedure LauraS (CC Community Manager mentioned in an earlier thread today) helps ensure those Regent cruise critics who registered to attend the meet & mingle get their formal invitation on embarkation day. Very nice to hear that the Mariner leaders/staff also attended your m&m.

 

For out January Mariner voyage, we learned this week that the Captain then will be Aivo Palm, HD Michael Coghlin, tho still no word on who our CD will be. If you get a chance, can you please ask your CD (believe it is Lorraine) who will follow her as CD in the New Year

 

 

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Wes, Lorraine will be onboard to Lima and then believes that Paul Reynolds takes over from there.

 

 

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Thanks so very much golfgirls, we have sailed with Paul before. If you get a chance can u please ask Lorraine if she will be on the Mariner next December/January. We’re considering booking the Grand Voyage on the Mariner then. And most importantly keep enjoying your Mariner voyage now.

 

 

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I suppose the reason Explorer is so lovely (like Riviera and Marina) is all due to Frank del Rio and his expectations when it comes to ship design. I once saw a video of the Riviera when it sailed on the maiden voyage and Del Rio was explaining why the bathrooms all had so many drawers (not such a usual feature on ships) he spoke about people having to leave all their "stuff" on the bathroom counters or open shelves and said "it's messy. And I hate messy" !! I could not agree more but I think this shows FdR's great attention to detail and fine eye for things. The sculptures, most of the art work etc on those ships are just wonderful. AND well lit too!!

 

Can't wait to board Riviera tomorrow!!

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Agree with you Gerry - Frank Del Rio does an amazing job of designing areas of the ship. When I boarded the Riviera the first time I was blown away by the beauty as well as the functionality of the suites. When he said that the Explorer would exceed what had been done on Oceania it was difficult to believe but he obviously achieved his goal.

 

Have a wonderful time on Riviera and enjoy your suite (I have no doubt that you have a lovely one).:D

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