Venice to Rome 17 April A report

[Jay23]

I do hope this report will be of interest.

We have cruised for 14 years, with P & O, Princess, Seabourn and now first time with Regent. A cruise from Venice to Rome in April. What could be better.

Preliminaries. It was an easy walk from our hotel, The Papadopoli, to the People Mover train which takes one minute to reach the Cruise Terminal. We were a bit alarmed to see how far we would have to walk to the ship, with our luggage. We need not have worried. There was a bus, provided by Regent, waiting for us. So full marks to Regent for customer care. We arrived on board around 1.00pm

Yes, we were given a small glass of champagne on arrival, but contrary to what I have read on here, it was, in fact,nice and cold! Check in took place on board in the theatre. There were half a dozen check-in desks set up, and the whole procedure took no more than twenty minutes. Then off we went to the Pool Grill to have some lunch. No problem there, we were soon seated in the sunshine with food and drink and in the company of the CCers we had met on this site. All fine so far.

At about 2.30pm our suites were ready. We were not escorted, but were directed to the corridor on deck 7 and finding the suite was not a problem. Our Steward introduced himself soon after we arrived, one piece of luggage was already in the suite and the second bag came about 15 minutes later. What is there not to like.

Service Really could not fault the service. Our friends, who were au fait with the system, reserved a table in Prime 7 on board on the first evening, and six of us enjoyed a meal together.

The service was very attentive and friendly. This was the precursor to all of the care and service we received on our cruise. Everyone wanted us to enjoy our holiday with the least amount of hassle, and so we did.

Food The breakfast buffet was very acceptable. The menu was similar each day, but I found it easy to vary my choices. Lunch was served in the MDR, the Veranda or the Pool Grill. Again, the choice was more or less the same each day, but I could find something different each time, it was well presented, and often a waiter would carry my plate to my table. Drinks were ordered and brought to the table. The food in the MDR was good and not so good. Prime 7 served good steak and fish, and the whole meal was well presented and the service was very good. (Except for one occasion when the waiter forgot to take the order from one of the eight guests! She was mortified and could not apologise enough when called back). Signatures, served my favourite meal of all, on the last night of the cruise. The downside to the alternative restaurants was that although we booked the on line before the cruise, we failed to tick the correct box for a table for two, and therefore had shared tables which could not be changed. Next time we would be wiser, something newbies should be wary of. We met some lovely people though.

Ship Mariner has just had a refit. All the public areas and the top suites have been re-decorated with new colours, carpets and soft furnishings. It is very attractive and the carpets are wonderfully bouncy to walk on! The chairs and tables were obviously new. Public areas are very spacious indeed. Our cruise was port intensive and I felt we were not able to make full use of the wonderful lounges, and outdoor spaces that were available., as we were off the ship so much. The suites are extremely well designed and appointed. The walk in wardrobe, bathroom, dressing table, desk, and seating make for comfortable living. The balcony furniture is lovely, and the bed very comfortable. The theatre is beautiful, and although all the shows were not to our taste, on the whole we found the entertainment very good. Pre dinner music could have been enhanced by a singer, I feel.

Excursions This was the only disappointment to us. We found the tours too long They started very early every morning.. by 8.30am most of the tours were away, and this meant no leisurely breakfast (we had room service on those days) and they did not return till after 1.00pm. We took tours four days of the ten day cruise. Regent does not research the tours carefully enough. In Amalfi we took a return boat trip to Positano. It was raining! The boat was too small for the 70 guests. Half of us were outside in the wet. The commentary was incomprehensible as the engine drowned out the sound. The tour boat was not fit for purpose, even if the weather had been perfect. However, our tour to Budva in Montenegro was a special walk down memory lane for us We had been there nearly 50 years ago, and this revisit was delightful.

Weather Very mixed.. Rain: chilly,:sunny: and warm: April is a little early in the year for consistent weather conditions in that part of the world. Will we cruise with Regent again? There is a very good chance we will, providing we can get a good deal once more.

[Travelcat2]

Your report is definitely of interest -- thank you for taking the time to post it. Hearing impressions from first time Regent cruisers - especially ones that have sailed on another luxury cruise line is always of particular interest to me. It sounds like you really enjoyed your cruise.

 

Was there anything in particular that Seabourn does better than Regent or visa versa? Just curious!

[Jay23]

Was there anything in particular that Seabourn does better than Regent or visa versa? Just curious!

 

Thank you for your interest. :) First I must point out that we sailed on Seabourn Legend. She has 200 passengers, so perhaps a direct comparison with Mariner is not quite fair.

 

What does Seabourn do better than Regent?...... The food......... Regent's food is fine, especially in the Signatures/Prime 7 restaurants, but Seabourn has the edge. Regent's MDR was somehow not consistent and the presentation was ordinary at best.

 

I think it is generally accepted, from what I read on here, that the Regent excursions often leave a lot to be desired. We found this to be the case. The Seabourn tours we took were excellent, but of course the cost was not included in the basic fare, however, we were satisfied that we had value for money for our Seabourn tours.

 

The suite on Mariner is the same size as that on Legend. (our suite was "G"). However the layout of our Mariner suite was much better than on Legend. Bigger walk in wardrobe with eye level safe, good bathroom and both a dressing table and writing desk. Also there are no proper balconies on little Legend. I cannot work out how Regent utilises the space so well!

 

Seabourn uses small launches for Tender purposes. The back of the ship opens to release these launches. (of course she has lifeboats too!). Tendering is much more comfortable than in the usual lifeboat vessels.

 

Service and customer care is perfect on both lines. We hope to cruise with both Regent and Seabourn in the future.

[greygypsy]

Alec and Judith we really enjoyed meeting the two of you and spending time with you on the cruise. Truly delightful. Jeff

[KirkNC]

Thanks for the report!

[Jay23]

Alec and Judith we really enjoyed meeting the two of you and spending time with you on the cruise. Truly delightful. Jeff

 

Well, thank you for that Jeff (& Sue) we have such lovely memories of our time with you. You took that pic from the bus in Sorrento!!! J & A