San Francisco to New York-Pirouette's observations

[farawaymum]

We have a good comparison to make, 20 days last November on Oceania (Nautica) from Athens to Dubai via the Suez Canal (lots of seadays too) on a ship the same size as Regent Mariner.We enjoyed that so much more, fabulous food, more diverse guest profile, better variety of activities, more energy overall.The only downside compared to this cruise was there is no proper theatre so entertainment was more low key, but it was still acceptable.Our next cruise on Oceania will be on a bigger, newer ship (1250 pax) with a theatre so I am hoping that will be a great match for us.

[Pirouette]

Farawaymum, that would be either Marina or Riviera. I have cruised on both and they are fantastic.

[Travelcat2]

 

The captain advised that we are just two people away from declaring another code red. Four people are ill presently. I wonder if it is sea sickness or something else. Another passenger confided this morning that though she was seasick last night, today she has a sore throat and general malaise. I also overheard a crew member say that she thought she was sufficiently recovered that she did not need to see the doctor???? Hand washing and sanitizing has just taken on increased importance!

 

I have been informed that certain passengers are targeted to receive top service, i.e. VIP's , titanium level and others, which could also explain some divergence in passenger experience.

 

We have enjoyed interacting with both the old and the young on this cruise. Even with the older demographic and fewer active options as offered by Oceania, we would not hesitate to cruise Regent again. It has forced us to pause and relax- something DH and I rarely are able to accomplish at home.

 

We are not in the habit of booking on board. I have no idea what I might want to do 6 months to a year from now. We have always booked our cruises within two months of sailing and it has always been fine. We have never had a bad stateroom and we have never been restricted in arranging more specialty restaurant reservations once on board.

 

 

I was thinking about the Mariner all day - wondering how she and the passengers were doing. It sounds like everyone is making the best of the situation. I'd like to address a couple of things.

 

Unfortunately there is a reason why people don't report to the doctor when they aren't well. They will be quarantined to their suite (both people - not only the one that is sick). While this is definitely the best way to keep the illnesses from spreading, I do understand why not all cases are illness are reported. There are also some "new" disinfectant products on the market that are peroxide based. They are used in hospitals and state that they prevent against noro virus as well as other viruses (this is a claim that cannot be made by most Lysol and Clorox products -- although I think that Clorox now has a peroxide based product). I wish that ships carried these new wipes and made them available to guests (in addition to what they are using). The Clorox wipes in the computer room are better than nothing but have limited effectiveness..

 

There are great benefits for booking onboard (money savings, price guarantees, immediate $100 on board credit, etc,). But, if someone isn't ready to book, they can buy a future cruise credit/deposit - not sure what it is called. It cost $3,000, gives you benefits (not 100% positive if they are the same as booking onboard but we felt it was worth it) and, if you don't use it towards a cruise, it is 100%. refundable for up to 2 years. I thought that this information was worth sharing.

 

Long term passengers do not get better service than anyone else but I certainly can see why it is perceived that way. It isn't about being VIP, Titanium, etc., but is more about the relationships that the crew have made with prior guests. Some of us become quite close with our servers, butlers, stewardess, etc. and sail with them repeatedly. When we see each other again, it is like seeing a member of our extended family.

 

We will be Titanium on our next cruise and did it the hard way (many, many shorter cruises rather than fewer long cruises). We choose to sit in the same area in CR every night that we dine there (not same table as tables cannot be saved) in order to sit with our favorite server(s). We arrive at dinner early (when they open) and aren't busy so that we can spend a few minute chatting. I suppose that this can be perceived as special attention but when other guests arrive, our service isn't any better or worse than anyone else's. So, when we board the Mariner in November, we are looking forward to seeing many officers and crew members that we've sailed with before. Also, whether we are in a top suite or a lower category suite, we are treated the same. Just want to set the record straight on that.

 

Hope that the seas calm down as you approach Miami and that the Mariner does not reach code red. As you know, code red is at least a hard on the crew as it is on the passengers.

[Travelcat2]

After a rough evening, the seas calmed in the middle of the night. It was fine this morning, we were able to enjoy our champagne and caviar breakfast outside at the veranda. The winds picked up after that. A couple of us were enjoying the pool as it sloshed from end to end like real waves. It began to create geyser-like chutes that soaked everything downwind. It was apparently too dangerous and the pool had now been closed.

 

The noon announcement from the captain advised that sea conditions would deteriorate with the ongoing effects of Maria. We may no longer be in her path but she has made her presence known and that will continue in the days ahead. We are back to roiling again, but not as bad as last night (yet).

 

Daytime activities still exist but they are mostly sedentary: bingo, trivial pursuit, card games, Bridge and lectures ( two today). There will be a 6:15 Burt Bacharach show to accommodate those who do not stay up late, then the usual music in both lounges. It is Latin night tonight. There are some other games as well: magnetic darts and ring toss which are designed to accumulate Regent points. It is usually the same small group that participates.

 

Sea days, especially an unplanned one, can be a challenge. With the sea conditions, there is not much "active" going on today. We have had some good features, a cooking demonstration, two wine tastings and a cocktail session, all earlier in the cruise. None of that is happening today.

 

The captain advised that we are just two people away from declaring another code red. Four people are ill presently. I wonder if it is sea sickness or something else. Another passenger confided this morning that though she was seasick last night, today she has a sore throat and general malaise. I also overheard a crew member say that she thought she was sufficiently recovered that she did not need to see the doctor???? Hand washing and sanitizing has just taken on increased importance!

 

Another passenger told me this morning that she much preferred Oceania for both food, service and demographic. For DH and I it is the contrary in terms of food and service, but I agree that Oceania is more active and the average age appears to be at least 15 years younger the on our present cruise. We have cruised Oceania four times, all port intensive itineraries and never longer than 12 days. Perhaps it is unfair to compare those cruises with an 18 day itinerary with two additional forced sea days.

 

As to service, I suspect we are each responsible to some degree for our own experiences, positive and negative. There have been evenings when service has been slightly off, but very few. The music and timing of evening activities is also not our preference. That being said, the good outweighs the bad. Frankly, if you like people and take the time to be friendly with crew and other passengers alike, the cruise will be very enjoyable. I have been informed that certain passengers are targeted to receive top service, i.e. VIP's , titanium level and others, which could also explain some divergence in passenger experience.

 

We have enjoyed interacting with both the old and the young on this cruise. Even with the older demographic and fewer active options as offered by Oceania, we would not hesitate to cruise Regent again. It has forced us to pause and relax- something DH and I rarely are able to accomplish at home.

 

We are not in the habit of booking on board. I have no idea what I might want to do 6 months to a year from now. We have always booked our cruises within two months of sailing and it has always been fine. We have never had a bad stateroom and we have never been restricted in arranging more specialty restaurant reservations once on board.

 

We regret the missed ports on this cruise particularly Acapulco where we had wanted to see the cliff divers. We will have to do that another time. Hurricane season has been unusually active this year, it is bumpier than we like right now, but it is all part of the overall experience.

 

Back to laundry again.....there is a bit of a rush on the laundrettes with the looming prospect of another code red.

 

I was thinking about the Mariner all day - wondering how she and the passengers were doing. It sounds like everyone is making the best of the situation. I'd like to address a couple of things.

 

Unfortunately there is a reason why people don't report to the doctor when they aren't well. They will be quarantined to their suite (both people - not only the one that is sick). While this is definitely the best way to keep the illnesses from spreading, I do understand why not all cases are illness are reported. There are also some "new" disinfectant products on the market that are peroxide based. They are used in hospitals and state that they prevent against noro virus as well as other viruses (this is a claim that cannot be made by most Lysol and Clorox products -- although I think that Clorox now has a peroxide based product). I wish that ships carried these new wipes and made them available to guests (in addition to what they are using). The Clorox wipes in the computer room are better than nothing but have limited effectiveness..

 

There are great benefits for booking onboard (money savings, price guarantees, immediate $100 on board credit, etc,). But, if someone isn't ready to book, they can buy a future cruise credit/deposit - not sure what it is called. It cost $3,000, gives you benefits (not 100% positive if they are the same as booking onboard but we felt it was worth it) and, if you don't use it towards a cruise, it is 100% refundable for up to 2 years. I thought that this information was worth sharing.

 

Long term passengers do not get better service than anyone else but I certainly can see why it is perceived that way. It isn't about being VIP, Titanium, etc., but is more about the relationships that the crew have made with prior guests. Some of us become quite close with our servers, butlers, stewardess, etc. and sail with them repeatedly. When we see each other again, it is like seeing a member of our extended family.

 

We will be Titanium on our next cruise and did it the hard way (many, many shorter cruises rather than fewer long cruises). We choose to sit in the same area in CR every night that we dine there (not same table as tables cannot be saved) in order to sit with our favorite server(s). We arrive at dinner early (when they open) and aren't busy so that we can spend a few minute chatting. I suppose that this can be perceived as special attention but when other guests arrive, our service isn't any better or worse than anyone else's. So, when we board the Mariner in November, we are looking forward to seeing many officers and crew members that we've sailed with before. Also, whether we are in a top suite or a lower category suite, we are treated the same. Just want to set the record straight on that.

 

Hope that the seas calm down as you approach Miami and that the Mariner does not reach code red. As you know, code red is at least a hard on the crew as it is on the passengers.

[Joanandjoe]

We took the same SF to NYC cruise two years ago, and it was terrific, despite our missing our first scheduled port, Cabo, due to a hurricane, and having other ports impacted by heavy hurricane rains. We hope you're enjoying the cruise despite the bad weather.

 

As for "we had a long cruise, and Oceania was better", it's hard to compare a cruise that is severely impacted by bad weather with a fair weather cruise. Our one cruise on Oceania was on the Marina from Montreal to Southampton 2 or 3 years ago, and it was nearly "the cruise from he**." The bad weather started on the second day, and got progressively worse: so bad that the two ports that were of most interest to us - Holyhead, Wales and St. Peter Port, Guernsey - were canceled. Oceania did not reimburse us for the costs of non-Oceania shore excursions that were wiped out. The weather was too bad for eating outdoors, but Oceania didn't open up the specialty restaurants at lunch time, even as auxiliary dining spaces to replace the unusable outdoor spaces. The ship was Code red due to Norovirus for most of the trip, but Oceania didn't offer free laundry. In short, bad conditions were exacerbated by failure of Oceania to do anything to make things better. We would think more than twice before trying Oceania again.

 

As for food, we thought the specialty restaurants were better than Regent (we haven't yet been on Explorer), the main dining room slightly worse than Regent, and the buffet much worse. We had to stand at the omelette stations waiting for our food, rather than having it delivered to our table, and we almost always had to carry our own plates despite Joan's bad knees. Having every item served by servers instead of passengers was a good idea, but we could never make our needs known without having problems. In particular, I'm allergic to chocolate and Joan to strawberries, and we couldn't convince the servers that they had to serve desserts with a fresh, clean fork or spoon. As a result, Joan had to be super-careful regarding desserts, and I basically gave up on having desserts (including ice cream) from the buffet. We haven't had that type of problem on Regent.

 

Service for us on Regent has been much, much better than on Oceania. The rooms on Regent are larger and more comfortable than on Oceania. Regent is definitely the cruise "product" for us.

[Travelcat2]

We took the same SF to NYC cruise two years ago, and it was terrific, despite our missing our first scheduled port, Cabo, due to a hurricane, and having other ports impacted by heavy hurricane rains. We hope you're enjoying the cruise despite the bad weather.

 

As for "we had a long cruise, and Oceania was better", it's hard to compare a cruise that is severely impacted by bad weather with a fair weather cruise. Our one cruise on Oceania was on the Marina from Montreal to Southampton 2 or 3 years ago, and it was nearly "the cruise from he**." The bad weather started on the second day, and got progressively worse: so bad that the two ports that were of most interest to us - Holyhead, Wales and St. Peter Port, Guernsey - were canceled. Oceania did not reimburse us for the costs of non-Oceania shore excursions that were wiped out. The weather was too bad for eating outdoors, but Oceania didn't open up the specialty restaurants at lunch time, even as auxiliary dining spaces to replace the unusable outdoor spaces. The ship was Code red due to Norovirus for most of the trip, but Oceania didn't offer free laundry. In short, bad conditions were exacerbated by failure of Oceania to do anything to make things better. We would think more than twice before trying Oceania again.

 

As for food, we thought the specialty restaurants were better than Regent (we haven't yet been on Explorer), the main dining room slightly worse than Regent, and the buffet much worse. We had to stand at the omelette stations waiting for our food, rather than having it delivered to our table, and we almost always had to carry our own plates despite Joan's bad knees. Having every item served by servers instead of passengers was a good idea, but we could never make our needs known without having problems. In particular, I'm allergic to chocolate and Joan to strawberries, and we couldn't convince the servers that they had to serve desserts with a fresh, clean fork or spoon. As a result, Joan had to be super-careful regarding desserts, and I basically gave up on having desserts (including ice cream) from the buffet. We haven't had that type of problem on Regent.

 

Service for us on Regent has been much, much better than on Oceania. The rooms on Regent are larger and more comfortable than on Oceania. Regent is definitely the cruise "product" for us.

 

Agree with you 1000%!:D

 

P,S. Hope that you are both well and enjoying life!

[forgap]

".....but I agree that Oceania is more active and the average age appears to be at least 15 years younger then on our present cruise. We have cruised Oceania four times, all port intensive itineraries and never longer than 12 days."

 

 

It's ironic that we sailed Oceania Marina in 2012, Barcelona to Lisbon, and I commented that I had never seen so many walkers and scooters in all our previous Regent cruises! But, we're all getting old and if the option is staying home or going for the gusto, disabilities be damned, I'll opt for cruising!

[Travelcat2]

".....but I agree that Oceania is more active and the average age appears to be at least 15 years younger then on our present cruise. We have cruised Oceania four times, all port intensive itineraries and never longer than 12 days."

 

 

It's ironic that we sailed Oceania Marina in 2012, Barcelona to Lisbon, and I commented that I had never seen so many walkers and scooters in all our previous Regent cruises! But, we're all getting old and if the option is staying home or going for the gusto, disabilities be damned, I'll opt for cruising!

 

+1 This was our experience on Oceania as well!

[SGolffan]

It is rocking and rolling on the Mariner today..

 

 

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[SGolffan]

 

 

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[Mudhen]

OOOO, EEEE, baby! Hold on! (great photo!)

[UUNetBill]

 

 

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I hope you like your martinis shaken, not stirred. ;p:cocktail:

[RachelG]

My husband will be wishing he was there when I show this picture to him. He loves a good storm at sea.

[Pirouette]

Yes, it is rocking and rolling for sure! Too bad because the lunch on deck 11 looks especially good today. Too much movement up there to enjoy it however. We will stay lower down as these seas are expected to continue. We will dock in NY tomorrow afternoon, one day early.

[Pirouette]

Great photo sgolffan! The swell outside my window in Compass Rose is not getting any smaller. The Captain says the seas are over 13 ft. They look higher to me. The winds were about 55 knots an hour ago. We are apparently 250 miles away from Maria but we have overtaken her. She has been downgraded to category 2 and we are still feeling the effects. I would hate to experience the effects of a category 5 if this is what a category 2 can bring!

[SGolffan]

I hope you like your martinis shaken, not stirred. ;p:cocktail:

 

 

 

Lol! Thankfully I like my martini shaken. [emoji136][emoji12]

 

 

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[SGolffan]

Great photo sgolffan! The swell outside my window in Compass Rose is not getting any smaller. The Captain says the seas are over 13 ft. They look higher to me. The winds were about 55 knots an hour ago. We are apparently 250 miles away from Maria but we have overtaken her. She has been downgraded to category 2 and we are still feeling the effects. I would hate to experience the effects of a category 5 if this is what a category 2 can bring!

 

 

 

No kidding, I agree and would hate to feel the effects of a cat 5 of what we are feeling now. We were in the compass rose for breakfast and they felt the swells were larger than 13 feet. We were in 30' seas off of Sydney.

 

 

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[RachelG]

As far as age demographic on Oceania and Regent, it all depends on the cruise. We did a LA to LA cruise on Oceania last year that had probably the oldest age demographic I have ever seen. I am 58 and was probably one of the 5 youngest passengers onboard, but it was a cruise where a lot of people could drive to the port both ways.

In general shorter cruises have younger ages as well.

[Pirouette]

Another half sea day. We are now safely docked in New York under clear skies and warm temperatures. We sailed past Lady Liberty- certainly a highlight. We are berthed beside the Intrepid museum and DH is very happy to photograph all the planes and submarine from our veranda. We are awaiting the immigration formalities. We can leave the ship for the evening but disembarking will be tomorrow.

 

Not much activity on board today, as is to be expected. We had a leisurely breakfast followed by two lectures, lunch and packing. We returned from breakfast to find our suitcases on our bed. All good things must come to an end!

 

We made the most of last night, dancing into the wee hours after a very nice dinner at CR. The house band was to play dance music in the lounge on deck 6. They began with old standards: New York, New York, Fly Me to the Moon etc which rallied a few of the older passengers, until it didn't. The band proposed to continue with similar music or perhaps something more contemporary.....Yes! Well, it was better but not great. After inviting requests, they declined to play a song because the would be playing it at the Beatles show today. Like they could not play the same song twice in 24 hours???

 

I do not mean to obsess about the musical offerings on board but past experiences on Oceania show just how much better it can be. The Oceania house band, also Eastern European, could and did play everything. The dance floor was never empty. It is not that the Mariner house band can't play more modern music-they simply choose not to. The atrium party was a great demonstration of their repertoire and ability.

 

It seem like younger cruisers ( and late 50's is not really young) are not a priority for Regent. I had alluded to a certain rigidity by those responsible for these activities. Regent should realize that younger passengers will be the future of this cruise line. We should be accommodated rather than made to feel like unwelcome interlopers who dare to question Regent's formula. We were made to feel that way on more than one occasion.

 

That being said, food and service is where Regent really shines. We also liked the itinerary, even with the extra forces sea days. The captain was great, approachable and kept us all safe.

 

Immigration calls. I will post some final thoughts at a later time.

[Joanandjoe]

Enjoy your night in NYC, about 10 miles from us. It's probably too late to do anything about it, but Tuesday is a particularly good night to go to a Broadway show, with fewer people than most nights and many shows having early curtains. You can get discount tickets at the TKTS booth on Broadway around 46-47th Streets.

 

We're glad you're safely in port.

[irishwitchy]

Oh regent I hope you are reading these comments about the music - so by the time We cruise in January the music is a bit more current - how about the 70s at least!

[Pirouette]

I should clarify that the duo in Stars lounge are very in tune with what their audience wants to hear. We really enjoyed their upbeat dance numbers as well as the more sultry ones. They are very talented. Once they finished their set last night, we kept going with the juke box. The staff turned up the volume to an acceptable level to allow us all to party later than we should have!

[Silver Sweethearts]

I do not mean to obsess about the musical offerings on board but past experiences on Oceania show just how much better it can be...

 

...It seem like younger cruisers ( and late 50's is not really young) are not a priority for Regent. I had alluded to a certain rigidity by those responsible for these activities. Regent should realize that younger passengers will be the future of this cruise line. We should be accommodated rather than made to feel like unwelcome interlopers who dare to question Regent's formula. We were made to feel that way on more than one occasion.

 

Who is it better for? If we had wanted musical offerings Oceania-style we would have sailed Oceania. With all due respect, younger passengers may be the future, but older passengers are the present - with the time and money to go and do now. A bird in hand here...

[Travelcat2]

I should clarify that the duo in Stars lounge are very in tune with what their audience wants to hear. We really enjoyed their upbeat dance numbers as well as the more sultry ones. They are very talented. Once they finished their set last night, we kept going with the juke box. The staff turned up the volume to an acceptable level to allow us all to party later than we should have!

 

First, thank you for your wonderful posts throughout your cruise - it was both enjoyable and enlightening.

 

As you know, we board the Mariner in November and are hoping that the "classics" will be played in all lounges. While it was great that you were able to dance until the "wee hours of the morning", if we wanted to do that, we wouldn't be cruising on Regent (or Oceania). Some (not all) of us cruise Regent for the laid back, calm, relaxing environment which includes listening to and dancing to ballroom type music.

 

IMO, Regent needs to do absolutely nothing to draw a younger demographic. My reasoning is that people in their 30's, 40's and even 50's are still working and cannot do the long itineraries that Regent offers. And, since people in this age group often have younger children, Regent would not be the best cruise line for them. Lastly, Regent's cruises are not affordable for many younger people. When NCLH purchased Regent and Oceania, they stated that their hope was to capture passengers from when they were young to when they were older (obviously this is not a quote but speaks to the essence of what they said). To me this means that younger passengers love NCL, 40's and 50' s would move up to Oceania and finally, when the kids are gone and you seek what Regent has to offer, you move up to their luxury cruise line.

[fizzy]

 

As you know, we board the Mariner in November and are hoping that the "classics" will be played in all lounges. While it was great that you were able to dance until the "wee hours of the morning", if we wanted to do that, we wouldn't be cruising on Regent (or Oceania). Some (not all) of us cruise Regent for the laid back, calm, relaxing environment which includes listening to and dancing to ballroom type Quote]

 

What are the classics for dancing that you are mentioning? We tend to agree that it can be real dull after hours and here is an example of some cruisers who are mentioning the same thing. What people want to do into the "wee" hours should be of no concern to those who prefer to go to bed or read quietly in their cabins. The house definitely wins.......less staff needed for the partygoers and less booze served.

You are right when you say...Some (not all) We agree.