Seven Seas Mariner (Apr.27-May 23) Review

[TxnAquarian]

"A stunning improvement" is what I can best say to sum up my recent voyage on Regent's Seven Seas Mariner. My previous experience on this ship three years ago was an ill-fated Asia voyage that almost made me swear-off RSSC. While this is still not as "perfect" a ship as Regent would like for it be, and it still doesn't live up to the Crystal ships (for me, anyway), it finally comes pretty darn close. We sailed for 26 days (2 cruises B2B) from Ft.Lauderdale to Vancouver. While I had been to all of the ports we visited before, this was a trial run to see if Regent had improved its game since being rebranded.

 

ACCOMODATIONS: 6 years after Mariner's inaugural cruise, the suites are still the finest at sea. Plus, I was lucky enough to board just weeks after the Mariner's drydock, so the rooms were extra plush. The carpets and soft goods in the rooms were redone, while the line's new bedding is the best I've experienced anywhere. In fact, the rooms are so comfortable, I was unable to wake up early several days and would retire to my suite for afternoon naps (and I don't take naps). The bathroom products are Aveda accompanied with plush linens. And each room has a terry cloth robe and slippers. I am a long time "Crystalized" Crystal Cruises loyalists, but even I have to admit that Regent's accommodations blow Crystal right out of the water.

 

ENTERTAINMENT: The Mariner has two main entertainment venues. The primary one is the bi-level Constellation Theatre which is home to the main production shows, as well as various entertainers and regular movie showings. It is a comfortable room with good sightlines, as long as you are on the first level. It is impossible to sit on the second level without the railing blocking your view of the stage. The other room is the Horizon Lounge, located at the stern. This is a much more intimate room in which trivia, Bingo, teatime and varying cabaret acts take place. There is also a dancefloor there, but I rarely saw it used.

 

The Mariner is not a ship to sail on if you're looking for round-the-clock entertainment. The crowd is unusually low-key and the ship turns into a ghost town once the clock strikes 10pm. The production shows are alright - for a smaller luxury ship that is. The Peter Grey Terhune Singers & Dancers do three shows - "Thoroughly Modern Broadway" (the usual schtick showcasing numbers from Broadway musicals that is a prerequisite on every cruise ship), "Here, There and Everywhere" (the Beatles-themed show) and "Beyond Imagination" (a disastrous assault on the unsuspecting guests that makes little to no sense). The other nights were filled with lounge singers, ventriloquists and comedians. Compared to Crystal where entertainment fills much more time with late night Liar's Club, Name-That-Tune, buffets, 50's night and lavish shows, Regent is quiet to boring. For night owls like myself, the only real place to hangout is the casino or the Internet cafe. The most exciting night onboard was a Rock 'N Roll night that took place late and drew a crowd of, oh, about 8 people (3 or 4 of which were asleep in their seats and drooling on themselves). But Dionne, the Assistant Cruise Director, and Louise, the Social Hostess, did a great job of trying to draw enthusiasm out of the dreary crowd.

 

SERVICE: Perhaps the most improved aspect of the Mariner since my last trip is the service. During our last cruise, the service was poor most days. Servers in the dining room would ignore guests and stand around talking to each other. Other staffers were grumpy or downright rude. That was back in the Radisson days. Now as Regent, there is perhaps not a better staff at sea. Sure, there were some weak links - the sour Travel Concierge Desk staff or the Reception Staff whose only talent is to look confused and say "no" - but, overall, the employees on this ship could not do enough for us. Servers were friendly without being unprofessional, attentive without being obtrusive and genuinely cared about the happiness of all the guests. In fact, the best staff at any hotel or on any ship is the staff at Latitudes . I can't describe in words how warm, welcoming and wonderful they are. It just has to be experienced. And you can't walk past a stewardess without her giving a smile and a hello. And, unlike last time, the officers are a prominent part of the scene and make great efforts to get to know the guests. Perhaps our funny and friendly Captain had set an example for the rest of the ship. Regent finally has a strong grasp on customer service and is almost to the level of Crystal. If Regent can train it's staff to embrace Crystal's "never say no" policy, this could be the best, most polished group of people at sea. Also of note is the ship's Guest Service Manager, Berniece. As a Guest Service Manager in the hotel industry myself, I respected her ownership of all guest issues and resolve to correct anything not up to par. As a nice touch, Berniece sent me a thank you note after I filled out a mid-cruise evaluation in which I pointed out a couple of areas that were not up to expectations. And besides the note, she made sure to correct the issues immediately.

 

FOOD: Another major improvement this time around centered on the food. The food could not have been better. Everything was cooked to order and menus were inventive and appealing. It seemed as if each meal was better than the last. I'm already getting misty-eyed thinking about the duck springs rolls in Latitudes and the vegetable burritos from Compass Rose. I miss them! I also appreciate the fact that the portions that are served are small. This way you can try more of the items on the menu and still not leave the restaurant too full. My party and I couldn't decide on which line we like the food better now, Crystal or Regent. But we gave the edge to Regent. There really was not a misfire during the entire 4 week cruise.

 

PORTS: Our ports-of-call were Gatun Yacht Club, Panama; Puntarenas, Costa Rica; Huatulco, Mexico; Acapulco, Mexico; Cabo San Lucas, Mexico; Los Angeles, CA; Port Hueneme, CA; San Francisco, CA; Astoria, OR; Seattle, WA; Prince Rupert, British Colombia; Skagway, AK; Juneau, AK; Sitka, AK. We were supposed to visit Cartagena, Colombia, after leaving Ft.Lauderdale. However, a guest had to be evacuated by helicopter which delayed us and the port was cancelled. The ports we visited were mostly fine - even the reviled Port Hueneme wasn't as bad as I had heard. At that port, Regent offered a very interesting shore excursion to the Ronald Reagan Library in Simi Valley, which was a highlight. The main misses for me were Sitka and Juneau. Yes, fabulous shore excursions are offered in those ports. But the main towns are crowded, claustrophobic tourist traps. Long gone are the quaint storefronts and pubs. Now the sidewalks are full of long racks overflowing with Alaska t-shirts and row upon row of trinkets and other assorted crap in the store windows. Much like the Caribbean, Alaska is becoming overrun by ships, tourists and money-hungry locals. Ports such as Astoria and Prince Rupert were refreshing as they are enough off-the-beaten-path that you can enjoy the quiet uniqueness of the towns. And you can never go wrong with Seattle or San Francisco, both fantastic metropolitan havens. Our day in Seattle was especially wonderful. Port times on this cruise were shortened, unfortunately, due to one of the disabled pods on the ship. We knew this before sailing. However, in some ports, times were shortened even further due to rough seas that slowed us down (we only had 5 hours in Seattle!)

 

OVERALL: Regent is finally worthy of the "luxury" title. I was consistently impressed and many surprises were around every corner. Service (for the most part) is sincere and consistent, the food is amazing (the best at sea) and the suites are amazing. Plus, the intimate size of the ship allows you to get to know the staff as well as your fellow passengers (if the other passengers actually wanted to socialize). And now that everything is all-inclusive, Regent has become one of the best bargains going. I did experience service issues (such as the butler telling me I had to buy my own lint brush when I asked him for one, or the ship's photographer losing three of the four formal photos he had taken of me and my family with no apology, or the server in Signatures telling me that I could not order a plain green salad because it was not on the menu) which do stand out in my mind. Coming from Crystal where every request is a possibility, I was surprised by some of the discrepancies. But, overall, this was a fantastic trip. And I would not hesitate to sail with Regent again (in between Crystal cruises, of course!)

 

 

Michael

[Texed]

Thanks for the balanced review.

[BILLP1]

Nice review . We also enjoyed the Mariner. I just wonder with Crystal not being all inclusive and fixed times for dining , What makes it worth cruising on ther ships ?

[TxnAquarian]

BILLP1, just a quick response to your question about what makes cruising on Crystal ships worth it. Truthfully, I wouldn't recommend that anyone who has a long history with RSSC try Crystal. What I like about Crystal goes against what everyone loves about RSSC. I like the fact that the ships are a little bigger, I prefer having more formal nights onboard instead of so many casual nights (I never get to dress up on land), there are more activities onboard Crystal (I guess you could say it's a little glitzier), and the guests (eventhough at an advanced age) are more lively and there is more energy onboard. The all-inclusive that RSSC does now is fantastic and is the way that all luxury lines will have to go. But I don't drink so it's irrelevant to me personally, eventhough I think it's a great idea for the majority of people who do drink. As for the set dining times, I don't care one way or the other. But I understand that many people like to have the flexibility to dine when they want.

 

Crystal is just special to me as I've sailed on them so many times and there is such a strong sense of community onboard that I've never felt with Regent. However, I would never suggest that a Crystal loyalist try RSSC or vice-versa. It is too subjective. I personally like both and look forward to sailing with both lines for a long time.

 

Michael

[OrpingtonT]

Thank you for an enjoyable read especially interesting to me as I was on the Fort Lauderdale to San Francisco segment. As an oldie and definitely not a "night owl" the lack of activity after, I would say, 11pm, did not bother me. An excellent meal, then the show which finished around 10.30 and we would slip to the observation lounge for a brandy and half an hour or so of the wonderful Johnny Mack (if I remember his name right). It was as close to holiday heaven as I can envisage.

 

Just as an aside, I agree with your thoughts on Port Hueneme. Not a place I was looking forward to, it became a highlight when we took the added trip to Ronald Reagan's Memorial Library and Museum. A place that will live in my mind forever.

[Iamboatman]

Thank you for the very informative review. Glad to hear the areas which needed improvement are improving. Your comparisons to Crystal were very interesting.

 

(It is also nice to see that those that don't find perfection are not being flamed or criticized here anymore. It really opens up the discussions and observations, which is greatly appreciated.)

[BILLP1]

Thanks for your reply.

 

We do drink especially wine with dinner . While on our Regent cruise we also enjoyed wine with lunch and the cocktail lounges before dinner.

 

The smaller ship also was a plus for us as well as the people we met this year on Regent.

 

We are booked again next spring on Regent and for now they offer what we are looking for on a cruise.

[kvisf]

We were on the Fort Lauderdale - San Francisco part of this voyage and whole-heartedly agree with your review. The dining was really outstanding, and our comparison is not to other cruise lines (as this was only our second cruise, and both were on this very ship). Our point of reference for the dining experience was San Francisco Bay Area restaurants, and I believe that's a pretty high standard. The Mariner dining experience stands up very well to this standard. Variety, quality of ingredients, preparation, presentation and table-side service were first rate in every dining venue.

 

We also found the ship itself very comfortable. The soft goods refit was successful, the beds and bedding truly inviting, decor still elegant in a low-key way, and the public areas were a pleasure. The Internet cafe/espresso bar was new since our previous voyage and was very inviting and busy.

 

We also endorse the review's positive opinions of the staff, and would add just one other observation on that point. The cruise had an unusual number of "code blue" medical situations. These included one helicopter evacuation, one sea-born evacuation off Puerto Vallarta, one dockside ambulance evacuation at a scheduled port, and perhaps six others that were handled onboard. From everything I could learn, these were handled with complete professionalism. In addition to being a charming and funny man, Captain Alfred Romeo leads a very well-run ship.

[egret]

Michael,

As our stay on the Mariner draws to a close, I appreciate many of your observations. I have never been on Crystal so I can not compare or comment. I agree that the service has been great and a few special issues have been handled with enthusiasm. I have not met with a "not possible" yet.

18 foot swells this morning with increasing wind a swell height predicted. I guess you folks didn't have to deal with that.

[Travelcat2]

I really enjoyed reading your review of your recent Mariner cruise. It's good to hear that Regent has improved -- they seem to really work at it.

 

I finally "get" the Crystal vs. Regent issue As you probably know, it has been a very hot topic -- one that did not make much sense to me since the cruising experience sounds quite different. What you said made perfect sense and really explains why many Regent devotees would rather stay with Regent and visa versa.

 

Just wanted to say "thanks"!