Mulled wine & musings from Mariner

[Ladys Mom]

Have there been any other changes on the ship since 2020?  Looks like you guys are having a great time.  Looking forward to boarding on the 5th, assuming our three Covid tests come back negative.  Merry Christmas  to everyone on the Mariner now, and those who are living vicariously through them.

[pingpong1]

Mariner docked in Puntarenas, Costa Rica about an 1-1/2 hours ago.  A bright sunny morning.  In 20 minutes, we head to the Theater for our 7-hour "Aerial Tram & Rain Forest Adventure" Excursion.  Looking forward to my first time off the ship in 7 days.  A "piece of cake" after 60 to 90-day deployments during my "Navy days".  The food, drinks, and entertainment are also better on Regent than in the Navy!  😁   

[flossie009]

22 hours ago, Eager2Travel said:

Thanks for all the personnel news Susan.  We hopefully board in Singapore and we’re pleased to hear Douglas and Dennis were onboard.  They are friends from past journeys.  Will they be on for the world cruise?

I believe so.

 

…………… and how could we have forgotten to mention Kerti ……….. sorry, that should be Kerrrrrrrti (Compass Rose)

 

 

[Eager2Travel]

So wonderful that there are so many familiar people and so many new ones to meet.  Continue to enjoy every minute.  We will try to warm up California before you arrive.   We currently have some British weather going on.

[pingpong1]

A nice all day trip into the Costa Rican rain forest today.  Our weather throughout this trip has been superb, so far.  Tomorrow is a sea day (which I don't mind at all), and then on Monday, we're supposed to spend a day in Guatemala.  We'll see if the "Port gods" cooperate!  🤪  The only "Pain" encountered is having to walk around the inside the ship with a mask on....and then sit down in a lounge and take the mask off while drinking and eating.  My own personal belief is that his is doing absolutely nothing positive to improve or degrade anyone's health....but again, only my opinion!  I've left the Suite 3 times, gotten halfway down the passageway (half the length of the ship), only to realize that I had forgotten the damn thing!  And of course, I'm not the only one, others "of a certain age" are doing the same thing!  Then we "spin around", walk all the way back to the room again, put on the mask, and then head out again to where we were first heading.  Arggghhh!

 

We're now off to dinner in Compass Rose.  Stay well, everyone!

[flossie009]

Christmas Day sunset in Costa Rica 

 

 

 

[flossie009]

On 12/23/2021 at 7:56 PM, RachelG said:

I believe Daniela is the F &B manager onboard

 

On 12/24/2021 at 9:15 AM, flossie009 said:

Cruise Consultant is a lovely Mexican lady

Daniela is the Cruise Consultant on board Mariner

 

 

[Catpow]

There are two Danielas in the relatively senior Regent staff I can recall: very blonde Daniela from Romania who was head sommelier on our 2013 South American cruise, later promoted to Food and Beverage Manager and then moved into 'Corporate' when we last saw her in 2020.  There's also Daniela from Slovenia (I think) who was maître d' in Pacific Rim on our 2018 Explorer cruise.

 

Both are very competent operators so it's always tricky to determine who's who without further context. 😎

And, of course, there's possibly more Danielas I'm unaware of. 🤗🤗

[BBWC]

On 12/25/2021 at 6:29 AM, pingpong1 said:

In 20 minutes, we head to the Theater for our 7-hour "Aerial Tram & Rain Forest Adventure" Excursion.

What did you think of the excursion? We are booked on it next month, but not sure if it is worth the long drive as we have been to the rain forest in CR before.

[BBWC]

3 hours ago, Catpow said:

There are two Danielas in the relatively senior Regent staff I can recall: very blonde Daniela from Romania who was head sommelier on our 2013 South American cruise, later promoted to Food and Beverage Manager and then moved into 'Corporate' when we last saw her in 2020.  There's also Daniela from Slovenia (I think) who was maître d' in Pacific Rim on our 2018 Explorer cruise.

 

Both are very competent operators so it's always tricky to determine who's who without further context. 😎

And, of course, there's possibly more Danielas I'm unaware of. 🤗🤗

According to the WC brochure, the cruise consultant is Daniela Espejo Acosta, which must be the Mexican lady.

[Bellaggio Cruisers]

4 hours ago, Catpow said:

There are two Danielas in the relatively senior Regent staff I can recall: very blonde Daniela from Romania who was head sommelier on our 2013 South American cruise, later promoted to Food and Beverage Manager and then moved into 'Corporate' when we last saw her in 2020.  There's also Daniela from Slovenia (I think) who was maître d' in Pacific Rim on our 2018 Explorer cruise.

 

Both are very competent operators so it's always tricky to determine who's who without further context. 😎

And, of course, there's possibly more Danielas I'm unaware of. 🤗🤗

We were on Splendor two weeks ago. A Daniela is the maitre de in Pacific Rim. She is delightful!

sheila

[Brownie54]

Daniela Espejo Acosta is the cruise consultant, but she was the Executive Concierge on several sailings that we were on, most notably the WC2017. She helped us out when we needed to leave (and then return) after a death in our family. She was a tremendous help to us, and is utterly delightful!

[pingpong1]

3 hours ago, BBWC said:

What did you think of the excursion? We are booked on it next month, but not sure if it is worth the long drive as we have been to the rain forest in CR before.

Since this was our first visit to Costa Rica and our first to the Rain Forest (a beautiful slow, leisurely ride through the forest up to the "top" via an 8-person gondola ride), we really liked it.

 

I actually also enjoyed the bus ride through the port city, the countryside, and out to the park...but I don't think I'd do it a second time.  The guide was very informative and really knew his "stuff", about plants, wildlife, leaf-cutter ants, and other botanical facts of the forest.  But I would compare it to my first (and hopefully "only") tour of the Sistine Chapel.  After you've seen your first 20 tapestries of "Madonna and Child" (Sistine), and your hundredth tropical plant or butterfly...these tired old legs of mine could hardly make it to the "end of the tour".

 

I was quite happy for my ride (in the blissfully air-conditioned bus) back to the ship and the cold beer that was waiting for me!  "Glad I did it but was also glad when it was over".  😄  The Forest you saw is exactly the same forest I "saw".  Hasn't changed a bit.  Regards.

[cwn]

1 hour ago, Brownie54 said:

Daniela Espejo Acosta is the cruise consultant, but she was the Executive Concierge on several sailings that we were on, most notably the WC2017. She helped us out when we needed to leave (and then return) after a death in our family. She was a tremendous help to us, and is utterly delightful!

That Daniela was also Ex Concierge on the 2018WC. She is a delightful and took great care of us.

[flossie009]

Puntarenas, Costa Rica was an enjoyable stop yesterday. It was so good to hear the Captain announce after docking that the ship had been cleared and we could go ashore. 
 

The tour that we had originally chosen (Jaguar & Macaw  Sanctuary) was cancelled a few days ago so we opted to join a 5 hour excursion “Cultural Experience & Exotic Mangrove Cruise”. It did not disappoint and our guide was knowledgeable & informative.

 

The tour started with a folkloric show of local dancers in Esparza.

 

 

 

We then travelled to a plaza for a retail opportunity of local souvenirs. We were also supplied with snacks, fruit, beer & coffee to fortify us for the next leg of the journey.

 

On the way our sharp eyed bus driver spotted a Toucan in a tree and kindly pulled over for a good photo opportunity

 

 

 

to be continued ………… 

 

 

 

 

 

[flossie009]

We then travelled on through a large cattle ranch and transferred to a boat for a cruise along the river.

 

 

Low tide created some challenges for the boatmen but they navigated us towards many excellent sightings of the abundant wildlife

 

 

 

 

 

 

to be continued ………… 

[flossie009]

Eventually the inevitable happened and we grounded on a sandbank in the Tarcoles river.

First the assistant boatman took to the water in an effort to push us off the obstruction.
Then the Captain went in to first check his engines and then to wade out in search of deeper water.

 

 

 

 

We would not have been overly concerned, save for the fact that we had just been watching numerous crocodiles waiting for lunch nearby  😱

 

 

 

 

 

Finally the boatmen managed to free themselves and the boat from peril and we returned to the bus for our journey back to the ship; all unscathed but more knowledgable about Costa Rica, its people, economy and flora & fauna.

 

The weather was a bonus. Warm & humid but not overly hot; fortunately the forecast thunderstorms did not materialise in the locations we visited.

 

 

Edited December 26, 2021 by flossie009

[Batman's brother]

Reporting in (late). I'm on the Mariner too. Having a great time. Meet Wolfgang from corporate, who is onboard to help shake out the cobwebs. From my perspective everything is running well. Wi-FI is wonky and if you need a robust connection for a zoom meeting, you may be in trouble. IMHO Regent should pay more attention to wi-fi.

[Gilly]

Thank you for such positive reports from Mariner.   I'm still getting over the thought that the boatmen risked life and limb to get that boat refloated with those crocodiles nearby but am very thankful that they did!

 

 Stay safe and continue to enjoy the good things on board.  It's pouring with rain here and hardly light even though it's almost lunchtime.  If anyone could blow a little sunshine in my direction I'd be very appreciative 😎

[Kwaj girl]

Can anyone in board find out if they have Diet Tonic Water on board?  We will join the ship 1/5 and need to know if we'll need to bring some with us

  Thanks!

[Batman's brother]

Yes, they have diet tonic water. I'm a low card addict and avoid sugar like the plague.

[kjbacon]

On 12/23/2021 at 10:11 AM, flossie009 said:

A couple of views as we finish our climb up the Gatun locks ready to enter the Gatun Lake

 

 

 

So good to have the outside forward viewing area on Deck 12 of Mariner.
A pity the two newer Regent ships do not have this facility.

 

It is a gloriously sunny day for our enjoyment of the wonder that is the Panama Canal 😎

 

 

This is a great report and the pictures of the canal are super! We have booked 2 more already this week including a Panama Canal, full transit. I hope you continue to have a wonderful time and don’t get too close to anymore alligators!!

[flossie009]

2 hours ago, Kwaj girl said:

Can anyone in board find out if they have Diet Tonic Water on board? 

Yes, we have a stock of diet tonic in our suite and also available in the bars

 

 

 

 

[Kwaj girl]

8 minutes ago, flossie009 said:

Yes, we have a stock of diet tonic in our suite and also available in the bars

 

 

 

 

 

Thank you! And thank you, too, @Batman's brother

[1982CruzStart]

Thanks for the pictures and commentary. So envious.