Just Back from the Mariner/Alaska

[Jamietravelstheworld]

I just returned from the Mariner (8/31 - 9/7), Seward, Alaska to Vancouver, BC. This was my 2nd Regent cruise and probably my last as I just don't feel the experience justifies the cost. My first Regent cruise was in 2020 and was wonderful, even with it being aborted midway due to COVID. We booked this cruise to use our FCCs from the aborted cruise. While there was nothing terrible or really bad about the Mariner or the Alaska cruise, here's my feedback:

 

The food was generally mediocre to poor, with the exception of Prime 7. Fish was the worst, and we were in Alaska. Most of the fish was clearly frozen, but given we were in Alaska, I would have expected fresh salmon and halibut. In fact, I never saw halibut and the chefs did not know how to cook salmon. (I live in Seattle and my son was a cook at a seafood restaurant here so I know what salmon should taste like). The texture of the fish was all wrong. Meats were generally under or overcooked, sometimes served cold, and rarely seared properly. Food was usually seriously under seasoned and vegetables seriously over cooked. 

 

The Wi-Fi was beyond terrible, worse than any cruise ship I've been on, and I paid for the upgraded streaming quality (which I did get a refund on when I complained about it). The Internet Manager was out sick the last few days of the cruise and there was no back-up crew person to help passengers or to help with the Internet Cafe computers, most of which had issues on the last day when everyone was trying to check-in for their flights. My friend found the one computer that seemed to work and we helped several people with their flight check-in. I totally get that crew get sick (which supposedly was not COVID) but there should have been someone from Guest Relations who could step in to help.

 

The bathrooms in the Deluxe Veranda Suites (not sure about other suite types) were seriously outdated and in my mind fairly unsafe. There was only a tub/shower combo. To get in the shower, you had to step over a tub side that was at least 2 feet high, which when the ship was seriously rocking was dangerous. And if you were tall, once you were standing in the shower, your head hit the ceiling. My estimate was the ceiling was 6 feet from the tub bottom. With a rocking ship, I literally had to hold onto the safety bars with one hand to not fall while in the shower and then had only one hand free to shampoo, etc. I had peeling material in the bathroom sink and there was a constant chemical smell, I assume coming from the toilet.

 

The ship was not full - I think there were around 560 passengers. Compass Rose was never busy, and the sommeliers seemed bored. We literally had 2 to 4 sommeliers offering to refill our wine glasses every 2 minutes. It became quite bothersome as we couldn't even finish a sentence with each other.

 

This was my 4th trip to Alaska and my first late in the season. My first trip was to Juneau and was land only, in June 1995; my second was land only Anchorage to Fairbanks in June late 2000's; my 3rd was an NCL cruise in June or July early 2010's. The weather was great on all of those. I mention that because on this cruise the weather was pretty crappy. From Seward to Sitka the weather was rough - 50+ mph gusts and pouring rain at times - many people with seasickness and we had to skip Hubbard Glacier. From Sitka to Vancouver we had on and off light rain and gray skies, but much calmer waters. So if you're planning an Alaska cruise for late August/September, be aware of the weather potential. Lots of shore excursions were cancelled due to weather, especially those with helicopters or flights.

 

Alaska is an amazing state definitely worth a visit, and a cruise is a great way to see it. I just didn't really enjoy this cruise, other than hanging out with my friends and seeing some wildlife.

 

 

 

 

[cwn]

Sorry you didn’t enjoy your cruise. But your complaints are well reported on.
We spent 70 odd days doing a grand voyage in the Mariner, Circle SA, as our first Regent cruise. We are signed up for. WC on the same ship. We really like the ship, size wise and the fact it has lounges forward and aft. Granted it is an older ship in the Regent fleet but we like the standard suites and public space.  We are Platinum so have done several Regent cruises and have aways found the service, experience and food very good to excellent from ship to ship.

As to your complaints, someone earlier complained about no fresh fish on an Alaskan cruise. The chef has bought fresh local fish on board for a special deck buffet on our various cruises. But the food served in the CR and Prime is pre-stocked. I imagine this is for safety and  quality control. Food taste after all are very subjective.

It is widely reported that some baths have an old style tub shower combo best avoided if you can. Your TA should have advised you especially since the ship wasn’t full. Though some don’t mind that set up, I would not take a tub combo bath on the Mariner.

Internet on all ships is terrible compared to home internet. This a constant complaint of most cruisers. Regent is not exception.

We love Alaska and have sailed to Alaska 6 times and driven our RV twice’ during the months of June, July, Aug and Sept. Agree the time for a good chance of sunny days is June and July. It is wet in Aug and Sept every year. But as you say it is a great place to visit.

If you are going to spend the time and money on a Regent cruise or any cruise 

for that matter you should check out the destination and the reports from other cruisers on your ship choice and destination.

  

[CruisetheCs]

Did the San Francisco to Alaska cruise in May.  I thought it was a fairly typical Regent experience.  Overall, restaurant staff and housekeeping were excellent as I  would expect from Regent. Food in the restaurants was very good overall, sometimes excellent, sometimes just good or very good.  I went to the wine-tasting event early in the cruise and got a list of wines from the tasting, so I used that to try different types in the restaurants.  My experience on this cruise and in the past is that the sommeliers' descriptions are limited to 2 or 3 wines at any one time and don't necessarily help that much.  I've never been troubled by too many interruptions from sommeliers, but sometimes been troubled by getting someone's attention for wine, especially at lunch in La Veranda.

 

I agree with most of the comments on another CC thread about the ridiculousness of not having a readily available list of included wines.

 

I agree with OP about the the internet.  Perhaps the Internet Manager was just sick of listening to all the complaints and had to take a mental health break on the OP's cruise. 🙂   The internet service is simply unacceptable for a "luxury" cruise line--actually unacceptable most anywhere!.  The Internet Manager was available in May, but hours were very limited and lots of problems occurred when no one was available.  Complaints are mostly shrugged off by staff because no one seems to know what to do (and they hear the same thing over and over and report it to "Miami" and nothing changes).

 

There often appears to be a lot of luck associated with events on cruises from staffing issues, to food, or weather.  In May, we lucked out with great weather, for example.  

 

[SWFLAOK]

On our Alaska cruise on Regent, there might have been "fresh" fish, but it was terrible. I'm a fish person, and after a few tries of Alaska fish, I went for something I expected to be frozen - tuna, which was good. My first try was salmon which was totally dry. My second was rockfish which was good, but when I ordered it again a few days later, it was tough and fishy. At the end of our trip, we visited family in Anchorage who had fresh caught salmon. It was terrible. We ate a few bites, and said we were full. They later fed the rest of it to their dogs. In late summer, the salmon are easy to catch as they swim upstream. They've also used all of their fat to make it to their breeding crowds. At that point, they're easy to catch and to serve as "fresh" salmon.

On our other 3 Regent cruises since then the food has been much better than our Alaska trip, and I still eat mostly fish and seafood.

We still love Regent, and will finally be back onboard next week, but Alaska just did not do it for us even before Covid.

19 hours ago, Jamietravelstheworld said:

My first trip was to Juneau and was land only, in June 1995;

I was wondering how the OP got to Juneau by land? It's my understanding that there's no road that goes there. I will say that our favorite part of Alaska was borrowing our Anchorage family's small RV and spending 4 nights and 5 days exploring Denali, Fairbanks and Valdez. But the cruise to Seward from Vancouver was the least favorite cruise we've ever done on any cruise line. We didn't hold it against Regent.

[Jamietravelstheworld]

2 minutes ago, SWFLAOK said:

 

I was wondering how the OP got to Juneau by land? It's my understanding that there's no road that goes there. I will say that our favorite part of Alaska was borrowing our Anchorage family's small RV and spending 4 nights and 5 days exploring Denali, Fairbanks and Valdez. But the cruise to Seward from Vancouver was the least favorite cruise we've ever done on any cruise line. We didn't hold it against Regent

 

We flew to Juneau. .

 

[SWFLAOK]

5 minutes ago, Jamietravelstheworld said:

Flying to Juneau isn't going there by land.

 

[flossie009]

On 9/8/2022 at 5:55 AM, Jamietravelstheworld said:

The bathrooms in the Deluxe Veranda Suites (not sure about other suite types) were seriously outdated and in my mind fairly unsafe. There was only a tub/shower combo. To get in the shower, you had to step over a tub side that was at least 2 feet high, which when the ship was seriously rocking was dangerous.

Many (most?) of the bathrooms on Mariner were converted some time ago to shower only; with the walk in shower occupying all the space formerly occupied by the shower/tub combo.

The shower only suites are designated with an asterisk on the deck plans and are preferred by many guests, ourselves included.

 

Sorry you did not enjoy your cruise.

[RJ2002]

7 hours ago, flossie009 said:

Many (most?) of the bathrooms on Mariner were converted some time ago to shower only; with the walk in shower occupying all the space formerly occupied by the shower/tub combo.

The shower only suites are designated with an asterisk on the deck plans and are preferred by many guests, ourselves included.

 

Sorry you did not enjoy your cruise.

 

Yes, it seems most suites were converted to shower only ("star" on the deck plans).  Always helps me to review previous guest suite comments here on CC, and of course review Bill's Suite Guru spreadsheets, in order to select our preferred suite.

 

As to Wifi, I'd say that was the main shortcoming on our recent Explorer cruise.  Regent has to do better.

 

OP, also sorry you didn't enjoy your cruise.

[petlover]

So sorry you were disappointed with your cruise. We are on the Mariner Vancouver to LA cruise in less than 2 weeks. I personally am not a fish eater (my husband is).  As for the tub/shower combination, this is what we actually prefer. We like having the choice and use both about 50/50. Our upcoming cruise cabin on the Mariner only has a shower. This is what makes life interesting...we all have our personal preferences. We've spent many nights on the Mariner...I hope we're not disappointed.

Welcome home 😀

 

[ChucktownSteve]

We too will be on the Sept 21 cruise to LA.  We have a shower only cabin which I prefer.  I'm hoping the cruise will be a wonderful experience.  However since several of our excursions include a salmon meal, I can do the scallops, lobster and Filets in the restaurants and still be happy. 😄

 

This is our third try attempting an AK cruise.  Hopefully this will be the charm.

[jessandarnie]

Oh gee, we are booked on the YVR-LAX cruise also. We are from Australia, and of course a cruise like this with Regent is not cheap for us!
We have high expectations as we have heard of Regent being a leader in this class of cruise experience.

We have done an Alaskan cruise previously in September, the weather perfect, but realise this is not always the case. This was a cruise line that was a fraction of the cost of Regent but met all our expectations back years ago.

 

We are older now, and probably have expectations of spoiling ourselves on this cruise. And of course Alaska being famous for its seafood, Salmon and Halibut and crab, we were hoping to enjoy the fruits of their seas. Also we are looking forward to some of their rundown culinary delights, and wines throughout the world whereas we are not normally exposed to.

 

I certainly hope this Regent cruise lives up to what we are hoping for??

after reading this..I am now a little anxious.

 

[pingpong1]

30 minutes ago, jessandarnie said:

Oh gee, we are booked on the YVR-LAX cruise also. We are from Australia, and of course a cruise like this with Regent is not cheap for us!
We have high expectations as we have heard of Regent being a leader in this class of cruise experience.

We have done an Alaskan cruise previously in September, the weather perfect, but realise this is not always the case. This was a cruise line that was a fraction of the cost of Regent but met all our expectations back years ago.

 

We are older now, and probably have expectations of spoiling ourselves on this cruise. And of course Alaska being famous for its seafood, Salmon and Halibut and crab, we were hoping to enjoy the fruits of their seas. Also we are looking forward to some of their rundown culinary delights, and wines throughout the world whereas we are not normally exposed to.

 

I certainly hope this Regent cruise lives up to what we are hoping for??

after reading this..I am now a little anxious.

 

Hello Jess and Arnie - If you go into it with a positive/upbeat attitude (as I know most "Aussie" do), you should have a great time!  Different folks look upon events and circumstances in different ways.  If your expectations are reasonable, you should/will have a great time!  Enjoying Alaska is very "weather-dependent to" too, as you know.  You could have "glorious weather" for the entire cruise (to quote one of our favorite CD's - Ray S.), or it could be just absolutely blustery/cold/wet (a hint - "it never rains inside a pub or a lounge").   You should find the meals to be generally fantastic, the service wonderful, your fellow cruisers fun and interesting to talk to, and you'll generally find the whole ambience onboard Regent to be the luxury experience you've been hoping for.  Please post some of your experiences online, so we can all enjoy them.  Safe travels across the Pacific!

 

((I'm "half-Aussie", myself.  My Mom was a "war-bride" from Albany)).  Best Regards.  

Edited September 10, 2022 by pingpong1

[rcandkc]

We have been on 3 Regent Alaskan cruises.  Since we prefer longer than 7 day cruises 2 have been late in season and last one first in season.  Our first 2 had tons of rain but we still had good time.  Last one was first in season..we couldn’t believe the great weather and we had a good time.  The cruise line can’t make the weather.  We have learned we won’t go on 7 day cruises.  Everyone needs to learn from their experience what is right for them. 

[jessandarnie]

3 hours ago, pingpong1 said:

Hello Jess and Arnie - If you go into it with a positive/upbeat attitude (as I know most "Aussie" do), you should have a great time!  Different folks look upon events and circumstances in different ways.  If your expectations are reasonable, you should/will have a great time!  Enjoying Alaska is very "weather-dependent to" too, as you know.  You could have "glorious weather" for the entire cruise (to quote one of our favorite CD's - Ray S.), or it could be just absolutely blustery/cold/wet (a hint - "it never rains inside a pub or a lounge").   You should find the meals to be generally fantastic, the service wonderful, your fellow cruisers fun and interesting to talk to, and you'll generally find the whole ambience onboard Regent to be the luxury experience you've been hoping for.  Please post some of your experiences online, so we can all enjoy them.  Safe travels across the Pacific!

 

((I'm "half-Aussie", myself.  My Mom was a "war-bride" from Albany)).  Best Regards.  

Thank you for your reassurance. On our viewing here in this forum not only have we got this cruise on Regent, we have another booked down the track.

 

we are prepared for different weather experiences, that’s part of the fun. We are hoping for the “Regent” experience and ambiance , we sincerely hope we enjoy both. We’ve come a long way to get here.

 

(And we certainly know where Albany is)

 

Thank you for all reassurances.

[SireDoime]

I have always assumed that the food was consciously prepared with the much older passengers (70+ years and older) in mind, given that their pallets are likely to be "more sensitive" than younger cruisers (60 and younger).

 

This is what I've always thought, anyway; as your dining experience is consistent with every review I have read. Older cruisers have wonderful things to say about the food preparation; younger cruisers, very much the opposite.

[wcsdkqh]

Seems like an overly general and highly questionable statement.

[RetiredandTravel]

On 9/8/2022 at 12:55 AM, Jamietravelstheworld said:

 

 

The food was generally mediocre to poor, with the exception of Prime 7. Fish was the worst, and we were in Alaska. Most of the fish was clearly frozen, but given we were in Alaska, I would have expected fresh salmon and halibut. In fact, I never saw halibut and the chefs did not know how to cook salmon. (I live in Seattle and my son was a cook at a seafood restaurant here so I know what salmon should taste like). The texture of the fish was all wrong. Meats were generally under or overcooked, sometimes served cold, and rarely seared properly. Food was usually seriously under seasoned and vegetables seriously over cooked. 

 

 

 

Unfortunately we had a similar experience on our Japan cruise in 2019.   We also hoped that because the cruise was around Japan that the fish would be exceptional, it wasn't.  The Branzino I had at Sette Mari IMO was awful and should have never been served, the Corvina I had at CR was also very poor.   I will say the Dover Sole (which I understand is usually frozen) was exceptional.

 

 

[SireDoime]

On 9/8/2022 at 12:55 AM, Jamietravelstheworld said:

To get in the shower, you had to step over a tub side that was at least 2 feet high, which when the ship was seriously rocking was dangerous.

 

I read a lot of reviews about the tub rim being too high.

 

I have always wondered: rather than stepping into the tube, one should sit on the rim, swing their feet over the top, then lower themselves into the tub.

 

This is what I have read is the preferred way for getting into tubs with high rims.

[Gcto]

23 hours ago, jessandarnie said:

 

 

I certainly hope this Regent cruise lives up to what we are hoping for??

after reading this..I am now a little anxious.

 

no worries... it should be great... if not... there are ways to make it great (can't guarantee the weather).  Many years ago, we were on a cruise in the med, met a great couple from BrisVegas and connected. Great friends ever since.  Enjoy your trip and meet great people. 

[SusieQft]

On 9/10/2022 at 3:06 PM, SireDoime said:

I have always wondered: rather than stepping into the tube, one should sit on the rim, swing their feet over the top, then lower themselves into the tub.

I agree, but I am pretty sure that I have read here somewhere that there is not enough room to swing your legs around because the sink cabinet is in the way.  Perhaps someone who has sailed in one of these cabins could let us know if that is the case or not.  

[ChatKat in Ca.]

For the tub, you do the hokey pokey.  Put your left foot in put your left foot out....you put your right foot in and you shake it all about.

[pingpong1]

9 hours ago, ChatKat in Ca. said:

For the tub, you do the hokey pokey.  Put your left foot in put your left foot out....you put your right foot in and you shake it all about.

And then, just walk up to the pool deck with your soap, shampoo, and a glass of wine!  🤪

[ChatKat in Ca.]

3 hours ago, pingpong1 said:

And then, just walk up to the pool deck with your soap, shampoo, and a glass of wine!  🤪

Actually, I met a couple who would go to the spa to shower on the early sailings before the retrofit.  They'd go for a steambath and then shower in the spa. 

[mnocket]

On 9/10/2022 at 3:20 PM, SireDoime said:

given that their pallets are likely to be "more sensitive" than younger cruisers (60 and younger).

I think the quotes should have been around "younger" rather than "more sensitive"😁 

Nonetheless, those of us in our 60's appreciate being referred to as younger - even if it is in relation to those in their 70's!

[Pcardad]

17 hours ago, mnocket said:

I think the quotes should have been around "younger" rather than "more sensitive"😁 

Nonetheless, those of us in our 60's appreciate being referred to as younger - even if it is in relation to those in their 70's!

How about those of us in our 30's, 40's and even 50's!