Staterooms on Mariner

[Starmon]

We booked late (about 2 months before our January cruise) on the "Mariner".  Our stateroom had a bathtub/shower combo which we felt was a bit awkward to get into.  In looking at the ship's other staterooms, it appears that MOST have a glass shower only.  In judging from the other passengers, there were numerous that looked like they may be challenged by getting in and out of the bathtub/shower combo.  We were recently on the Navigator and it had a bathtub AND a separate glass shower which I thought was mostly standard on all Regent ships.  The only other Regent ship we've been on was the Voyager which I also remember having both bathing options, but on that ship we had a penthouse.

 

Wondering how many people booking on Regent take into consideration the bathing options when booking a Regent stateroom?

[mrlevin]

I usually choose shower only while on Mariner but am not really concerned if that option is not available; if desired, they will bring a step stool to help get in and out of the tub.  Since the shower is the length of the old tub on Mariner, I actually like it better than showers on Voyager or Navigator.  

 

Marc

[Travelcat2]

Bathtubs/showers are different - depending upon the Regent ship and type of suite that you are in.  Most people find the bathtub/shower suites on Mariner to be difficult to downright dangerous.  They are nothing whatsoever like the bathtubs on Voyager or Navigator (not in the lower suites or PH suites).  The Mariner bathtubs are not easy - even if you are able bodied.  Plus, if you are tall, your head hits the ceiling (even if you are not tall, when you raise your arms to wash your hair, your hands could hit the ceiling).  Anyway, for these reasons, the shower-only suites sell out quickly on Mariner.

 

Mariner is a beautiful ship but, like all ships, there are quirks.  To me, the bathtubs are definitely a quirk and the entry level suites (smaller than Voyager) is a bit too tight for us but the PH suites on Mariner are large and wonderful!

 

 

[DavidTheWonderer]

Most people prefer the shower-only configuration on Mariner, so they tend to be booked first.  But the shower-tub combo also works, just not as well.

I've heard that when Regent built Voyager, they were mindful of some complaints about the size of the cabins and the shower-tub combo on Mariner.  So they made the cabins a bit larger.  Sounds great until you realise that this meant that the public spaces on Voyager are less spacious.  They only time the public space issue becomes noticeable is when the weather is poor so everybody is inside.

[Hambagahle]

We have been on the Mariner, voyager and Navigator.   I used to prefer the bath with the shower over it on the Mariner (it was built by Alstom and that combination is typical forFrance and other countries including my own.). Now I am older I cannot get comfortably into/out of a bath.  So I prefer - now - just a shower.  The bath on the Mariner is lovely and deep.  Unlike what you normally find in the US.  IF you can deal with that it is wonderful.  If not...well...I now must have a shower.

 

Explorer and Splendour have both bath and shower in almost all categories.  Mariner had a LOT of baths removed and re-fitted as showers.  You should be fine on all Regent ships if you look carefully at the Deck Plans before booking.

[RachelG]

The bathtub/shower combo on Mariner is IMOjust downright dangerous.  I am fit and able bodied, but I have almost crashed more than once getting out of the Mariner bath/shower combo.  The problem is that the levels between the floor or the tub and the floor of the bathroom are not level.  There is a big down step, and if you aren’t prepared for that, it is easy to fall.

[Dolebludger]

We are not as young and able bodied as we were when we first cruised the Mariner 17 years ago. The main problem we have now with the tub/shower combo is that the tub floor is about 8" above the bathroom floor. This makes entry difficult, and there are no grab rails to help. Then there is the step down when getting out that RachelG reports. Then there is the fact that the tub is not as large as standard tubs in the US. 

 

Because of cruise and business/first air price increases, it is very uncertain that we will ever cruise again. But one thing is for sure. We will never book a Mariner suite with the tub/shower combo again. 

Edited February 10, 2019 by Dolebludger

[Starmon]

8 hours ago, Starmon said:

We booked late (about 2 months before our January cruise) on the "Mariner".  Our stateroom had a bathtub/shower combo which we felt was a bit awkward to get into.  In looking at the ship's other staterooms, it appears that MOST have a glass shower only.  In judging from the other passengers, there were numerous that looked like they may be challenged by getting in and out of the bathtub/shower combo.  We were recently on the Navigator and it had a bathtub AND a separate glass shower which I thought was mostly standard on all Regent ships.  The only other Regent ship we've been on was the Voyager which I also remember having both bathing options, but on that ship we had a penthouse.

 

Wondering how many people booking on Regent take into consideration the bathing options when booking a Regent stateroom?

I think the reply that mentions a stool to aid getting in and out of the tub on the Mariner would be very risky for most seniors.  The saving grace for the Mariner tub is it does have a lot of grab rails to aid getting in and out.  I felt I had to use them even to take a shower as my 80 year old legs just don't want to rise that far for the first step.

[papaflamingo]

We did our first Regent cruise on Mariner from Nov. 1-Dec.15.  44 nights in a PH with a tub/shower combo.  It was the only PH left,  so we took it.  I agree with RachelG that it tends to be dangerous, especially when considering the age of the average Regent passenger.  Would it be "make or break" for us?  No. I wasn't thrilled by it, and we had a some rough days at sea that made getting out "interesting." But honestly I didn't have too much trouble.  BUT,  I'm only 5'10" so it was ok for me.  We met one guy who was around 6'5"!  He had a lot of trouble showering as he was way too tall for the shower.   Also anyone with mobility issues had a tough time.

So bottom line...Regent needs to replace all tub/shower combo's with shower only for safety.  I know there are people who like the tub, but I think it's a safety question.  As to sailing on Mariner again?  I would book her in a heartbeat even if I had to have a tub/shower combo.  Guess it's a matter of priorities.  We spend maybe 5 minutes a day in a shower.  I can be inconvenienced for 5 minutes. Also I managed to find a handhold to get in and out.  I can't remember if I hung on to the bar holding the shower head or what, but I didn't feel any issue with it.  

[JC in CA]

We were very glad we read about the shower/tub vs shower only combinations here on CC before we booked our upcoming cruise on the Mariner!  Hubby is just over 6' 3" which would mean he would have to shower bent over if we had booked the tub/shower combo!

Definitely took the type of shower into account in booking our room!

-Jerie

[ArtsyCraftsy]

My PCC at Regent steered me toward a shower-only cabin when I booked my first Regrnt cruise.  I’m one of those ”mobility-challenged” folks, and I’ve had a few too many close calls.  That’s all I book now, but i’m usually booking a year or more in advance so availability hasn't been an issue.  Would it be a deal breaker if one wasn’t available? I don’t know but i’d sure try to find another date with shower-only cabin available.  

[Starmon]

We were on a back-to-back cruise on the Mariner with 2 different tub/shower combo   cabins. The first cabin we got, the tub faced aft while the second cabin, the tub faced forward.  Moving hands, arms and legs, the aft facing tub seemed easier to get in and out.  While I can't say for sure if it made a difference, I assume in both of our cabins, the bath/shower controls would have been "flipped" on the Port side..  Both rooms were on the Starboard Side.  Still, a PITA.

 

An unofficial count of Mariner tub/shower combos, 18 on 7, 36 on 8, 31 on 9, 27 on 10 and 4 on 11 for a total of 116 state rooms.

 

[rcandkc]

I’m not a big fan of Mariner...prefer the other three ships. One of the reasons is the tub issue.  I take a shower when washing hair and bath when not so prefer a choice that is also safe.  They really should install grab bars. 

[Floridiana]

No grab bars? Our HAL bathroom had three grab bars. If HAL can do it ….

[Dolebludger]

I can’t swear, but I don’t recall any grab bars  in the last Mariner tub/shower combo we had a year or so ago. And I was looking for some, too.

[Starmon]

2 hours ago, Dolebludger said:

I can’t swear, but I don’t recall any grab bars  in the last Mariner tub/shower combo we had a year or so ago. And I was looking for some, too.

There were grab bars on our 2 Mariner suites, but I "think" one had more  grab bars than the other one.  Regardless, it takes a bit of arm strength to lift yourself out of the deep bath tub.

[SWFLAOK]

We were on the Mariner for an Alaska cruise last August. We had a grab rail in our tub/shower. I'm 5'9 and my husband is 6'4, and we're both in our mid 60's without mobility issues. We had no problems with showering, even on the last few days of our cruise when we had high seas.

I wish all of the cruise boats would get rid of the tubs. All boats have a limited water supply. They make fresh water from seawater,  and fill water tanks in ports. With a limited water supply, there's no reason to be filling a tub. It's so much easier to get into and out of a shower stall, and it takes up much less room in the cabin's bathroom. We've had cabins  on other cruise lines with a separate tub, wasting even more cabin space, and were then left a request in our cabin to conserve water.

[Dolebludger]

I may have been mistaken when I said the tub/shower combos had no grab rails. It has been a while. But if rails were provided, I did not find them useful to me. I am 5’ 8’ tall, and I found the headroom insufficient when washing my hair. Also, the tub space was much smaller that standard tubs in the US. I know, as I have such a combo in the guest quarters I’m my house.

 

The tub/shower combos on the Mariner have been the subject of much criticism since this ship first sailed over 16 years ago. The fact that Regent hasn’t corrected it in all that time does not speak well for it.

[sctraveler04]

On 2/10/2019 at 11:12 PM, JC in CA said:

We were very glad we read about the shower/tub vs shower only combinations here on CC before we booked our upcoming cruise on the Mariner!  Hubby is just over 6' 3" which would mean he would have to shower bent over if we had booked the tub/shower combo!

Definitely took the type of shower into account in booking our room!

-Jerie

I agree.. TA just sent us options and looked close.Had been on voyager which had both so was confused and glad to hear need ot specilfy shower only..not tub opion..Thanks for post..

 

[Travelcat2]

55 minutes ago, sctraveler04 said:

I agree.. TA just sent us options and looked close.Had been on voyager which had both so was confused and glad to hear need ot specilfy shower only..not tub opion..Thanks for post..

 

 

Glad that you noticed this before booking a suite on Mariner with a tub.  I do find it interesting that, despite smaller suites and the bathtub/shower issue, that people like the ship so much.  

 

The only thing we like about the Mariner is her stability at sea which is better than other Regent ship by far.  There is a lot of wasted space on the ship (Stars Lounge, for instance - a space that was rarely used on any of our Mariner cruises).

 

I do understand that some people won't sail on a ship without a bathtub but perhaps Regent could remove a few more bathtub suites since the demand for the shower suites is significant. 

[wishIweretravelling]

Originally, most, if not all, cabins on the Mariner had only the tub/shower combo. It quickly became clear that this was a problem, so they gradually started replacing them with showers at each dry dock, such that most now have the showers only.

 

My first time on Mariner, I was startled to see the tub combos, given the ship’s demographics. The problem wasn’t just that it was a tub, or that there were no grab bars, or even the elevation. It was also that the tub abutted the sink in a way that prevented those with knee/leg flexibility problems from using the technique of sitting on the side and swinging legs over—the sink got in the way. Some people showered in the spa as a result. It wasn’t a problem for me then, but I was a caregiver for my mother who had mobility issues, so was aware of the issue.

 

Interestingly, Crystal has mostly just the tub/shower in its regular cabins. And, at the time I was on that line, I did have some mobility issues (which have since been resolved). But superb placement of grab bars, combined with the shape and placement of the tub, made it easy to get in and out of.

[Wendy The Wanderer]

Yes, despite the smaller standard cabins, we love Mariner because of the lovely public spaces. The Coffee Connection is a nice size, reminiscent although not rivalling Seabourn's Seabourn Square--just a very useful public space.  And the layout of Compass Rose is nice too.   But I agree about the Stars Lounge--a shame it doesn't get used more.  It seems to have been designed to be a nightclub as an adjunct to the casino.  So perhaps it comes alive late at night, when I'm in bed.

[Travelcat2]

2 hours ago, Wendy The Wanderer said:

The Coffee Connection is a nice size........  And the layout of Compass Rose is nice too.   

 

Don't think that you have been on Explorer but it has the best Coffee Connection of any Regent ship by far...... and, the Splendor will be even better since it will also have tables outside.

 

In terms of Compass Rose, the Mariner is one of the reasons why they only have one entrance to CR on Explorer.  On the Voyager and Navigator, all of CR is open so that you can see the entire restaurant as well as both entrances.  However, on Mariner, there are walls in the middle (may have some storage inside of the walls) so crew members could not monitor both entrances.  To me it makes the dining venue seem chopped up.  Unfortunately, Explorer is similar to Mariner but only has one entrance.

[Wendy The Wanderer]

44 minutes ago, Travelcat2 said:

However, on Mariner, there are walls in the middle (may have some storage inside of the walls) so crew members could not monitor both entrances.  To me it makes the dining venue seem chopped up.  Unfortunately, Explorer is similar to Mariner but only has one entrance.

 

And to me, being 'chopped up' like that makes it feel more intimate, and quieter, rather than one huge space.

 

As for Coffee Connection, nothing I bet can beat Seabourn Square, at least not if they're all like Quest.  But you can't have everything.  Maybe we'll be lucky enough to do Explorer or Splendor some day...

[JPR]

Must have a tub...