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Live from Mariner, October 7 - 17


Cool Fool
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Just about midway through Montreal to New York. The itinerary changed suddenly once again because 60+ mph winds and very rough seas were predicted for Corner Brook, Newfoundland, so we delightfully spent a previously unplanned overnight in Quebec City. Regent did a very nice job of adding new excursions for the second day in Quebec City, and they were able to shift all of the Saguenay excursions previously scheduled for Monday over to Tuesday. Today, a bright and sunny sea day and finally some seasonably cool temperatures on the way to Sydney, Nova Scotia.

 

Following up on the threads from the previous cruises, the side dishes seem to be warm enough, but the servers seem to be flummoxed by simple requests. We also had a bizarre experience on our first night in Compass Rose when 2 of us were given menus in French that were for a different day, so we were trying to decide what to order and didn't realize we had the wrong menus until comparing what we were going to order with the rest of our group. The staff seem like they are trying very hard, but are very inexperienced. The food has been consistently good, and we like the new Compass Rose menu.

 

 

Unfortunately, we went on code red this morning. Fortunately, we did all of our laundry before the announcement!

 

 

We really enjoy the Mariner (previous cruises were on Voyager). The suites are a bit smaller but we got used to that very quickly and the public areas on this ship are wonderful (I hope they don't mess with them too much when they renovate the ship next year).

 

The Smithsonian lecturer, Dr. Ralph Nurnberger, is terrific. He did a presentation on Halifax the first day, and today a presentation on Alexander Hamilton that started in the Constellation Theater and continued for a full additional hour in the Observation Lounge with great and insightful questions and answers.

 

Last add - I have learned so much from reading entries by other CC members, but now I'm doubly impressed. It's so hard to find the time to do it! Thanks to you all who have taken the time to help me learn more about Regent and its ships.

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So glad to hear that you are enjoying your cruise but it is almost unbelievable that the ship has gone code red yet again. I have no words (unusual for me).

 

We also sailed on the Voyager a few times before trying the Mariner and while we appreciate the public spaces on the Mariner, we still prefer the Voyager (and the Explorer more than the Voyager).

 

It seems that inexperienced crew members is an issue on most cruise ships right now (I've read about this on other boards). Too many ships and not enough experienced crew members? Hopefully the experienced head servers and managers will get the inexperienced crew members up to speed quickly. Actually, they should have training before ever boarding the ship..... not sure if this happens or not.

 

Had to laugh about the French menu. We haven't seen one of those but suspect that, since you are sailing in an area where French is spoken as a first language (Quebec and Montreal), Regent feels it necessary to prepare menus in French.

 

Thank you for taking the time out of your busy schedule to post. Those of us on land do love hearing from CC members onboard the ships. Enjoy the rest of your cruise and will keep our fingers crossed that code red will only be for 48 hours.

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Yes - that is true -- we live about 20 miles from Canada and see everything in dual languages. I don't believe that this law pertains to cruise ships. If it did, all menus would be in English and French. The French menu sounds like a simple mistake.

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Hello Cool, Sorry to hear about the code red. Do you know whether the current code red is linked to the previous one, or is it something new? Also, can you give me some insight regarding the temperature of the common areas of the ship? We will be boarding Mariner soon and I'm trying to narrow down what I pack and want to make sure I have clothes suitable for off and on the ship. When we went to French Polynesia in 2015 I only packed super lightweight clothes and the interior of the Mariner was freezing!

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While I am not currently onboard, we were on the Mariner last month and I carry a small digital thermometer because I'm always too warm on the ship. I mainly pay attention to the temperature in Compass Rose because it starts out cool (6:30 p.m.) and gets quite warm (73-74 degrees) by the time the restaurant fills up.

 

I don't know where you live but how the ship feels tends to have to do with whether or not you live in an area where you have air conditioning on a lot. It seems to be the air conditioning that bothers some people (not me - I love it). Anyway, instead of adding to the amount pounds in your luggage, I suggest taking a sweater and/or pashmina. This should keep you warmer if you are cool and you can easily take it off if the area you are in gets a bit warm.

 

Hope this suggestion is helpful!

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I was on the Mariner on the prior segment from NYC to Montreal 9/27 - 10/7, and we we on Code Red the first two days, apparently a continuation from the prior segment due to flu outbreak. Apparently there was also a death associated with the Flu outbreak on prior segment. We were off Code Red for a couple days, then back on a modified Code Red due to several cases of GI infections. My gut reaction to the GI issues reported (no pun intended) is people are eating the half cooked burgers on the pool deck. It seems the default is rare to medium-rare, and you have to ask for a burger that is well done. Even then, it is pink. Hope all the health issues get resolved.

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Thanks for taking us along on your trip. Have a great time in spite of the Code Red.

 

I suspect that the French menus have more to do with how many French speaking people are on-board. On one of our cruises there was a fair size group of people from Quebec and so they tried to accommodate them by providing french language copies of information.

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I think that is right. And they also have (or say they have anyway) menus and information in German as well...Regent and Oceania are really trying hard to market in Europe. I get a lot of publicity from the German office (even though we are French speaking down here...)

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The Code Red began on our cruise - just before it ended on September 9th. It was flu related. I believe that every cruise since then has had a Code Red. This time it sounds like a combination of flu and gastrointestinal issues. Definitely not good for the passengers.

 

The last time this occurred on one of our cruises (Voyager), when the ship arrived in Sydney, Australia, everyone had to get off of the ship - and boarding/re-boarding was quite late in the afternoon. This gave enough time for the ship to be thoroughly disinfected. Perhaps Regent needs to do this again. On the flip side, the same sick passengers got back onto the ship (those continuing on for the next segment).

 

The Mariner has a couple of cruises coming up where it is unlikely that anyone is doing a B2B (Miami to Miami followed by Miami to Miami) so that may be a good time to clean all surfaces that may have been touched by anyone that was ill on the previous cruise. Hopefully, this will be contained way before the November cruises.

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Thanks TC, pashmina is a great idea, especially over the dressier things. Appreciate your insights regarding the dining rooms. As far as the code red situation.....UGH! We made sure to get our flu shots, so hopefully that affords us some protection, but dodging the GI issues are a total crap shoot (pun intended!) I can't seem to get a chef to cook my meat medium well to well anywhere, even when I tell the server my favorite beef is jerky! I am already pretty fanatical (some say neurotic, I say extremely conscientious) about food safety, and I can only hope the strict protocol on board will resolve any food related issues quickly. I'll stay tuned to this thread for updates.

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Pashmininas, wraps, etc are my friends on cruises. I refer to them as my "blankets". They take up no room to pack and will dress up anything. I use them all the time. If I need it for warmth (think the theater) it's there. If I don't need it, it's off my shoulders or simply folded. I usually take at least 3-4.

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Guess someone else will by putting salt and pepper on your food and cream in your coffee for you. Also paper menus that will only be used once.

 

Yes - that is exactly how it works. Also, the puzzle and games are not available nor is the self-service laundry. The library is also closed and bread will not be left on the table and you will be served from the buffet. Really a lot of work for the crew and a pain for passengers.

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http://www.providencejournal.com/news/20171015/ris-tall-ship-oliver-hazard-perry-loses-power-in-newport-harbor-drifts-into-boats-runs-aground

 

Tall ship blocking the entrance to the harbor and so we sit within sight of Newport RI, unable to launch the tenders and visit the town. Another disappointment on a cruise full of them. A more complete critique will follow.

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I don't wish to be cryptic, and I certainly understand that there are many things over which Regent has no control, unlike the significant food and service issues about which I will write later. This, however, is the second time in three days that our shore plans have been scrubbed.

 

In Halifax, we were looking forward to the Lobsters and Lighthouses tour. After waiting on the dock outside of the ship for 30 minutes, during which there was no explanation as to the delay, we were informed that the boat that was to take us was having mechanical issues, and therefore we were given approximately 75 minutes to wander aimlessly around downtown before a prearranged lunch. After lunch, we were told the boat hadn't been fixed, so no tour. No option or chance to take another excursion.

 

 

This was on top of losing our originally scheduled port of Charlottetown and the Malpeque Oyster tour in which we had been interested. "Included" ports and excursions aren't great when they don't happen.

 

Understood, Regent has only so much control over these events, but added to the code red and many dining issues and I don't think many of the passengers, newbies and veterans included, will consider another Regent cruise for a while. It's really disappointing. We save for these infrequent splurges and I live this stuff through this board every day. Sigh.

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Cool Fool,

I am sorry to hear of the 'color' of your cruise.

 

Does anyone know the approximate number of days that Mariner has been on code red..e.g. # ___/30 or 60 days.?

 

While Cool Fool may be able to get the number of days, I know that it has not been consecutive. A couple of days after we disembarked the ship, the code red ended only to begin again. At least part of the last four cruises have been code red. It seems that Cool Fool's cruise may not have been code red when they boarded but has been for quite a while.

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I was trying to get a sense of how lingering or repetitive these codes were. For what probably encompasses more than a month, I guess that I would not think B2B pax first but rather crew or food contamination source.

 

Hopefully whatever the source, it soon ends.

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