Mini Blog from the Mariner - 8/30 - 9/8/2017

[BarbarianPaul]

Flossie, I agree with you 100%. Unfortunately United States customs are control freaks (with good reason). I sincerely hope that we never embark in Vancouver again.

 

Below is a photo of me at Hubbard Glacier. I am showing the device that I'm beta testing. I'm one of 30 people in the U.S. in the program. The device can help you stay warm or cold. I was using it to help stay warm (obviously)

 

The bathtub/shower combo is so deceiving. The step down out of the shower is really steep. It reminds me how blessed I am to have a "new" knee that can handle it.

 

Goldenrod, so glad to hear a that you were schlepping 6 bags. This should make my husband happy since we are generally schlepping only 4:-)

 

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My wife and I bought those exact jackets for an upcoming Christmas market river cruise in December! Sitka sounds like an adventure...glad you guys got out of there. Continued a happy sailing!

 

 

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[RachelG]

Wow, Sitka sounds quite exciting. I do love that otter tour.

 

What in the world is that thing on your wrist??

[Travelcat2]

Wow, Sitka sounds quite exciting. I do love that otter tour.

 

What in the world is that thing on your wrist??

 

It is called "Wristify". It will hit the market at the end of the year. I use it in both warm and cold weather. It looks a bit weird but is effective.

 

Paul -- you two will love your jackets. We see many of them onboard. It will be perfect for your Christmas cruise!

[poss]

Hey, Tc and BP,

 

I'm having trouble seeing that jacket on Amazon. Can you tell me, please, exactly what it's called or how to identify it? Thanks!

[BarbarianPaul]

Here are some links to a selection of men's and women's packable "puffer" jackets on Amazon.

 

https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_i_8_10?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=men%27s+puffer+jackets+light+%26+packable&sprefix=Men%27s+puff%2Caps%2C212&crid=3BFW9MF001Y4I

 

https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_c_1_23?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=women's+packable+puffer+jacket&sprefix=women's+packable+puffer%2Caps%2C197&crid=15BRS4AJB84H6&rh=i%3Aaps%2Ck%3Awomen's+packable+puffer+jacket

 

They collapse down to a ridiculously small size when compressed and are great for travelling...

 

 

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[RJ2002]

Here are some links to a selection of men's and women's packable "puffer" jackets on Amazon.

 

https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_i_8_10?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=men%27s+puffer+jackets+light+%26+packable&sprefix=Men%27s+puff%2Caps%2C212&crid=3BFW9MF001Y4I

 

https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_c_1_23?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=women's+packable+puffer+jacket&sprefix=women's+packable+puffer%2Caps%2C197&crid=15BRS4AJB84H6&rh=i%3Aaps%2Ck%3Awomen's+packable+puffer+jacket

 

They collapse down to a ridiculously small size when compressed and are great for travelling...

 

 

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Thanks for the links! Seriously considering a purchase.

 

Not intending to go too much off topic as this is TC's trip report, but it appears not all of these type of jackets are water resistant, so be sure to dig into the details if that is important to you (it is to me).

[Travelcat2]

Don't mind discussing jackets at all. I really don't have much to write about. Our jackets are not water resistant - that isn't what we purchased them for. I wonder if the water resistant jackets are as light and airy as ours. If/when it rains, we use an umbrella. There was light rain the other day and the water didn't penetrate the jacket.

 

In terms of this cruise, as I always say, nothing is perfect.

While the service and crew could not be better, we are finding lunchtime food in La Veranda mediocre at best. This includes the special buffets on the pool deck. CR is almost perfect but they need to work on the side dishes which were arriving lukewarm (a simple request has solved the issue but this should not be necessary).

 

I am definitely going to write this up on my final questionnaire. Sincerey hoping that this improves before our 25 night cruise on Mariner in November.

 

The ship definitely needs refurbishment. This shows mostly in the suites. After four consecutive Explorer cruises, we cannot help but compare her to Mariner (which we did several consecutive cruises on prior to going on Explorer.). I am in the theater now and absolutely love the theater on Mariner as compared to Explorer. We have always found Stars lounges to be a waste of space.

 

We prefer the layout of deck (4?) on Explorer. Having the Boutique, lounge, casino and CR on the same deck is much better than on the other ships. Mariner has a particularly weird Boutique set-up with two small Boutiques on two different decks (one hidden in a corner).

 

While this is personal preference, Mariner's small regular suites will always be a negative in our eyes. Even her wonderful public areas cannot make-up for this.

 

So, those are my thoughts for the morning. Time for a lecture.

[JPR]

Re bathrobes on Explorer, the only time I would wear one outside of the room after 6 pm (or otherwise, other than to and from the pool and jacuzzi) would be to and from the Spa, and then from our suite on 7 would walk down one flight to 6, then to the back entrance to the gym and spa, so as not to offend anyone....

[Phillygirl3]

We did Alaska in May and for some reason we signed up for two crab feasts in one day--but, hey, more crab. While we enjoyed both, the boat ride to Silver King Lodge was lengthy, but interesting. However, the big difference was the amount of crab you got to eat. At the first crab you could eat as much crab as possible. When you finished a bunch of legs, they would just keep dumping more on the table. Also, you got a piece of cheese cake at the end instead of a warm cookie as they did at Silver King Lodge. At the lodge they dumped crab, shrimp,corn etc. on a table that was share with about six people, so once you ate what they dumped, that was it--no refills. At least it wasn't offered to us at the time. You can't go wrong with any of these trips and the Salmon Feast, is also not to be missed and you can eat all the salmon that you want. Enjoy!

[Travelcat2]

We did Alaska in May and for some reason we signed up for two crab feasts in one day--but, hey, more crab. While we enjoyed both, the boat ride to Silver King Lodge was lengthy, but interesting. However, the big difference was the amount of crab you got to eat. At the first crab you could eat as much crab as possible. When you finished a bunch of legs, they would just keep dumping more on the table. Also, you got a piece of cheese cake at the end instead of a warm cookie as they did at Silver King Lodge. At the lodge they dumped crab, shrimp,corn etc. on a table that was share with about six people, so once you ate what they dumped, that was it--no refills. At least it wasn't offered to us at the time. You can't go wrong with any of these trips and the Salmon Feast, is also not to be missed and you can eat all the salmon that you want. Enjoy!

 

I learned from the other poster that both crab feasts are not the same. We have not gone to the one where they dump crab, shrimp, corn, etc. on the table. We sat at tables for 4 and they kept walking around with crab until you were stuffed. All we ate was a salad, small piece of potato, a ton of crab and the fabulous cheesecake for dessert (we one piece to go and gave it to our driver/tour guide). It include one glass of wine or beer.

 

We had booked the salmon excursion but cancelled because we wanted to take a crew member to lunch. Maybe next time (if there is a next time -- think we've done Alaska pretty well but I never say never).

[Travelcat2]

I learned from the other poster that both crab feasts are not the same. We have not gone to the one where they dump crab, shrimp, corn, etc. on the table. It was about a half an hour drive and then we went for a boat ride for about an hour where I volunteered to pull up the basket of crabs (not the ones we were going to eat - just their relatives). We sat at tables for 4 and they kept walking around with crab until you were stuffed. All we ate was a salad, small piece of potato, a ton of crab and the fabulous cheesecake for dessert (we asked for one piece to go and gave it to our driver/tour guide). It also included one glass of wine or beer.

 

We had booked the salmon excursion but cancelled because we wanted to take a crew member to lunch. Maybe next time (if there is a next time -- think we've done Alaska pretty well but I never say never)

[Boatmans Lady]

Thank you for posting, I'm really enjoying your blog and the insight into cruising with Regent. It will stand us in good stead when we take our first cruise with Regent,

I read with interest about your DH's aversion to red/green/yellow/orange bell peppers as I'm actually allergic to them and will heed your advice about finding a waiter/waitress that we like and stick with them.

[lonestarlady53]

I am enjoying your thread Jackie, as we will be cruising Alaska on the Mariner next summer. Getting some good ideas for shore excursions. We only cruised on Mariner once before (we did the Circle South America in one of the standard suites - it was pretty cramped for a 70+ day cruise!), so thanks for the photos of the PH suite - it looks MUCH roomier! We are trying a Horizon View for Alaska (just so we have the great rear facing balcony), but we are signed up for a PH suite for the 2020 World cruise. Hope they keep adequate storage a priority on the upcoming refurbishment!

[Travelcat2]

Am I in the Twilight Zone? Okay - so I don't watch what everyone is wearing - unless it is really strange. However, just now (8:30 p.m.) we finished dinner and I wanted to stop at the room. We got on the elevator with a man in a bathrobe. This was particularly disturbing because the C.D. specifically said "no bathrobes after 6:00 p.m". So, when the elevator stopped at deck 8 (we are on deck 9), I got off - just to avoid this person. Low and behold, the next elevator that arrived had a woman in a bathrobe. She mentioned that she had a facial - I was very cordial but in my mind wondered why one must have a facial in a bathrobe. What is Regent becoming.

 

Sorry to be so negative but this is definitely a weird cruise!

[Mudhen]

Ut oh.....I love the idea of the "relaxed" dress code on Regent, but are they sinking to a lower level? A year or so ago, the Cunard board went into "overdrive", "panic mode", "controlled hysteria" over someone in a bath robe in an elevator!!!

Guess that means shorts for ladies in the dining room and tenament tees for the guys......(giggle!)

[Paul&Shark]

Am I in the Twilight Zone? Okay - so I don't watch what everyone is wearing - unless it is really strange. However, just now (8:30 p.m.) we finished dinner and I wanted to stop at the room. We got on the elevator with a man in a bathrobe. This was particularly disturbing because the C.D. specifically said "no bathrobes after 6:00 p.m". So, when the elevator stopped at deck 8 (we are on deck 9), I got off - just to avoid this person. Low and behold, the next elevator that arrived had a woman in a bathrobe. She mentioned that she had a facial - I was very cordial but in my mind wondered why one must have a facial in a bathrobe. What is Regent becoming.

 

Sorry to be so negative but this is definitely a weird cruise!

Jackie

Welcome into the real (Regent) world! We had the same experience last year on Mariner AND Navigator.

However everything was topped by the gentleman that entered the special James Bond party on Voyager wearing flip flops, shorts and an Hawai shirt. He insisted on having his picture taken with one of the Bond girls. CD Jamie just smiled..... And then, on another Voyager trip, thee was a guy in shorts, sandals and Bermuda enjoying himself on the front row during crew capers!

[Travelcat2]

Jackie

Welcome into the real (Regent) world! We had the same experience last year on Mariner AND Navigator.

However everything was topped by the gentleman that entered the special James Bond party on Voyager wearing flip flops, shorts and an Hawai shirt. He insisted on having his picture taken with one of the Bond girls. CD Jamie just smiled..... And then, on another Voyager trip, thee was a guy in shorts, sandals and Bermuda enjoying himself on the front row during crew capers!

 

Okay - your experience takes the cake. Somehow, I do not think that the current officers onboard would have been as kind as Jamie.

 

I "sort of" get going from the pool in a bathrobe but most women would simply wear a cover-up which is 100% more attractive than a bathrobe. Not sure what the equivalent is for men.

 

Today we are in Victoria - warm weather but not as clear as it should be due to fires. We live very close to Canada and were affected by fires for 2 weeks last month. It appeared cloudy when it was really smoke and those that are sensitive did have breathing issues.

 

We will attend the Gold and above event in a half an hour. It was suppose to a party where we sail into Victoria but we are already here. Still, it should be nice. Later we'll do high tea at the Empress Hotel and will have our first dinner at Sette Mari where we pre-ordered osso bucco (misspelled). So, that is our day.

 

My mind is already going into my review - one which I will only do on this board. My criticism of this cruise (food mainly) is amongst the harshest that we have given on any of our cruises. Based on our long history with Regent, we find this unusual and hope to not experience it again.

[BarbarianPaul]

Jackie...

Thanks for posting on your cruise. Your commentary is always interesting!

 

 

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[UUNetBill]

Ut oh.....I love the idea of the "relaxed" dress code on Regent, but are they sinking to a lower level? A year or so ago, the Cunard board went into "overdrive", "panic mode", "controlled hysteria" over someone in a bath robe in an elevator!!!

Guess that means shorts for ladies in the dining room and tenament tees for the guys......(giggle!)

At the risk of shifting this into a 'dress code' thread, I really do with they'd enforce the dress code more consistently. It's really not that difficult.

 

I guess that's one benefit to sailing in the Baltic; we didn't see any dress code violations on our last cruise - we weren't really looking, to be honest, but there are some that just stand out - and we didn't see any. In fact, we saw more jackets and ties in this group than you see in your typical Med cruise. I even took two, which is unheard of for me. :D

[goldenrod]

Okay - your experience takes the cake. Somehow, I do not think that the current officers onboard would have been as kind as Jamie.

 

 

 

I "sort of" get going from the pool in a bathrobe but most women would simply wear a cover-up which is 100% more attractive than a bathrobe. Not sure what the equivalent is for men.

 

 

 

Today we are in Victoria - warm weather but not as clear as it should be due to fires. We live very close to Canada and were affected by fires for 2 weeks last month. It appeared cloudy when it was really smoke and those that are sensitive did have breathing issues.

 

 

 

We will attend the Gold and above event in a half an hour. It was suppose to a party where we sail into Victoria but we are already here. Still, it should be nice. Later we'll do high tea at the Empress Hotel and will have our first dinner at Sette Mari where we pre-ordered osso bucco (misspelled). So, that is our day.

 

 

 

My mind is already going into my review - one which I will only do on this board. My criticism of this cruise (food mainly) is amongst the harshest that we have given on any of our cruises. Based on our long history with Regent, we find this unusual and hope to not experience it again.

 

 

 

Ok, so it's osso buco who cares? It's a great dish no matter how you spell it so enjoy! I laugh when I hear about people wearing bathrobes, my daughter was on Princess three years ago and her luggage did not show for five days and had to wear her bathrobe just about everywhere, she was so embarrassed!

The worst part was explaining to people looking at her with destain why she was wearing it!

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Edited September 6, 2017 by goldenrod

[irishwitchy]

Sorry to hear the food has been an issue, because that is very important to me! As for the bath robes, lets face it, seeing a robe is better than seeing what is or isn't on under it! I can actually understand a late night hot tub run and the robe! Jackie, I'm hoping we hear more about your watch and what it does in the future.

[Bigdogwon]

Okay - your experience takes the cake. Somehow, I do not think that the current officers onboard would have been as kind as Jamie.

 

I "sort of" get going from the pool in a bathrobe but most women would simply wear a cover-up which is 100% more attractive than a bathrobe. Not sure what the equivalent is for men.

 

Today we are in Victoria - warm weather but not as clear as it should be due to fires. We live very close to Canada and were affected by fires for 2 weeks last month. It appeared cloudy when it was really smoke and those that are sensitive did have breathing issues.

 

We will attend the Gold and above event in a half an hour. It was suppose to a party where we sail into Victoria but we are already here. Still, it should be nice. Later we'll do high tea at the Empress Hotel and will have our first dinner at Sette Mari where we pre-ordered osso bucco (misspelled). So, that is our day.

 

My mind is already going into my review - one which I will only do on this board. My criticism of this cruise (food mainly) is amongst the harshest that we have given on any of our cruises. Based on our long history with Regent, we find this unusual and hope to not experience it again.

 

We will be very interested in your Mariner review. On our April cruise we had some issues with food/service etc. it willl be interesting to compare.

[Travelcat2]

We will be very interested in your Mariner review. On our April cruise we had some issues with food/service etc. it willl be interesting to compare.

 

All I can say is that people who mistakenly thought that I only defend Regent and am perhaps not truthful about what I say may be surprised by my "review". Actually, I am always honest in how I feel about Regent and our experiences on the ship.

 

We spoke to a couple that took a cruise on the Mariner a year ago and loved it (their first Regent cruise). Their thoughts mirrored ours regarding this cruise. One has to ask ..... what in the heck happened in one year (or in our case two and a half years)

 

Now that our expectations have been altered a bit, we still look forward to our November Mariner cruise as well as our Voyager cruise in March. At the moment I wish that I was the woman on "Bewitched" and could blink my eyes and be on Explorer.

[Wendy The Wanderer]

...

Is it more important to you to have a spacious suite (especially on long cruises) or more pubic areas than exist on Voyager and especially on Navigator. I'm truly interested in your responses.

...

 

As you know, we loved Mariner last winter, and it became our favourite ship. Of course, haven't done Explorer and probably won't. I love a large, roomy, well laid-out suite, but am content with a compact one, as long as it's well organized with lots of storage. We loved the expanded feel of the public spaces on Mariner, so would be willing to do that trade-off to sail on this ship again.

 

All I can say is that people who mistakenly thought that I only defend Regent and am perhaps not truthful about what I say may be surprised by my "review". Actually, I am always honest in how I feel about Regent and our experiences on the ship.

...

 

Is it mostly just the food, TC? I realize that you're anticipating the refurb, but initially said the ship was in good shape. Being the end of the Alaska season, do you think the staff is just tired perhaps?

[Cool Fool]

TC2, I always enjoy your insights whether you're on the ship or not. I assume you are going to supply some details about the current cruise that will put the "weirdness" into perspective. We are getting on the Mariner for the first time in one month, having loved our previous cruises on the Voyager. I'm getting a bit concerned, though, reading the current posts.