To Mariner…or not.

[BBWC]

16 hours ago, cwn said:

A Chinese Dragon and a jewel incrusted egg doesn’t mean a thing to me

 

Unfortunately, that is all the current President seems concerned about. She spent five minutes of her presentation on that darn egg.

[Pcardad]

1 hour ago, BBWC said:

 

Unfortunately, that is all the current President seems concerned about. She spent five minutes of her presentation on that darn egg.

Highlighting Regent's spending habits when they are being crushed with debt and cutting back non-fuel expenses by 15% doesn't seem to be a wise move...but what do I know.

[pappy1022]

Pcardad, I agree 100% with you, except for the words after the ……. Because you do know and it’s obvious to many of us. When COVID was in full force and all of these cruise lines were taking out so much debt to stay afloat, we knew that one day the bills would come due. Well those days are here and they will be here for many years. We should expect major cost cutting and price increases because Regent has to dig out of this debt hole. Regent should focus on the soft product that impacts every customer not on expensive paintings and statues and certainly don’t tout these things when making marketing presentations.

[Pack Leader]

I think I have thrown the flyer away. They were Med cruises, 7 days £3500 and 10 days £4000 roughly. The only one that was out of the heat would have been September 10 day cruise, all from memory. Tried a quick look on Regent website and could not find it.

[1teach53]

On 5/25/2023 at 8:49 PM, PhD-iva said:

I was also concerned about similar reports about Mariner’s plumbing prior to my November 2022 cruise out of Los Angeles. I did have to call a plumber to fix my toilet as it wasn’t flushing properly once. It got fixed quickly and there never was any sewage involved or any smell. I was really pleased with Mariner. I can hardly wait until my next Regent cruise on Voyager!

We were on Mariner in October & had serious toilet flushing issues & a water leak into our walk-in closest adjacent to the bathroom. 
They had the nerve to accuse us if putting a banana peel !!! down the toilet!!! Yes,  you heard me right! We scheduled a meeting with the GM. Explaining we have 30+ years of cruising experience & know how sensitive marine/ vacuum toilets are and this accusation was totally bazaar! 
We swore we would never step foot on Mariner again!

So interesting to read this information now. At the time , we thought our situation was an isolated event! Guess not! 
The whole food and service experience was not up to RSS high level. It almost seemed they were using Mariner as a training ship. We asked the GM about this and he did not deny it. 
When we return to RSS it will not be on Mariner!! 

[Pcardad]

14 minutes ago, 1teach53 said:

We were on Mariner in October & had serious toilet flushing issues & a water leak into our walk-in closest adjacent to the bathroom. 
They had the nerve to accuse us if putting a banana peel !!! down the toilet!!! Yes,  you heard me right! We scheduled a meeting with the GM. Explaining we have 30+ years of cruising experience & know how sensitive marine/ vacuum toilets are and this accusation was totally bazaar! 
We swore we would never step foot on Mariner again!

So interesting to read this information now. At the time , we thought our situation was an isolated event! Guess not! 
The whole food and service experience was not up to RSS high level. It almost seemed they were using Mariner as a training ship. We asked the GM about this and he did not deny it. 
When we return to RSS it will not be on Mariner!! 

If they asked about a banana peel it is because they found one. No way of knowing which cabin it came from other than it was "upstream" of where they found it. This is a perfect example of guest error vs. problem with ship. And not to be argumentative but if they "asked" you then didn't "accuse" you...the difference is huge. They need to know who did it so it won't happen again. Sewage water is no joke.

Re: Training....many employees were lost to Covid and every ship has new people...including Explorer and Splendor. Who can blame them....they can't sit around with no income for 2 years. I am sorry your cruise was not up to your expectations...I warn all my returning people that although most things are the same as pre-Covid, they may see some changes that will take time to correct. The large amount of new people is the most obvious.

[1teach53]

11 minutes ago, Pcardad said:

If they asked about a banana peel it is because they found one. No way of knowing which cabin it came from other than it was "upstream" of where they found it. This is a perfect example of guest error vs. problem with ship. And not to be argumentative but if they "asked" you then didn't "accuse" you...the difference is huge. They need to know who did it so it won't happen again. Sewage water is no joke.

Re: Training....many employees were lost to Covid and every ship has new people...including Explorer and Splendor. Who can blame them....they can't sit around with no income for 2 years. I am sorry your cruise was not up to your expectations...I warn all my returning people that although most things are the same as pre-Covid, they may see some changes that will take time to correct. The large amount of new people is the most obvious.

Thanks for your input!! Agreed, post Covid things are very different! 

They accused us!! The concierge called us with this accusation, as reported to him by the plumbers. I did share with the GM that in the cabin next door was a group of young women having a great time on their veranda. ( nothing wrong with that at all ) ! Not sure if they were paying passengers or crew. The GM seemed very interested in this information & wrote down the cabin number. 

Yes, a banana peel could come from anywhere in the sewer line. Error??? A banana peel in the toilet sounds like malicious behavior! That’s not a mistake , it’s purposeful. 
 

[Pcardad]

1 minute ago, 1teach53 said:

Thanks for your input!! Agreed, post Covid things are very different! 

They accused us!! The concierge called us with this accusation, as reported to him by the plumbers. I did share with the GM that in the cabin next door was a group of young women having a great time on their veranda. ( nothing wrong with that at all ) ! Not sure if they were paying passengers or crew. The GM seemed very interested in this information & wrote down the cabin number. 

Yes, a banana peel could come from anywhere in the sewer line. Error??? A banana peel in the toilet sounds like malicious behavior! That’s not a mistake , it’s purposeful. 
 

They were not crew. They could be special entertainers on board or they simply could be young clients. Regent is affordable by many these days. I think it is more likely that stupidity caused the banana peel, not maliciousness. Either way, client error, not the ship.

[1teach53]

55 minutes ago, Pcardad said:

They were not crew. They could be special entertainers on board or they simply could be young clients. Regent is affordable by many these days. I think it is more likely that stupidity caused the banana peel, not maliciousness. Either way, client error, not the ship.

Granted, maybe, but I consider entertainers part of paid crew! We were accuse of this ! This was the ships error along with our closet being soaked in water! 
Affordable, maybe, but with the price of Regent cruise’s Plumbling problems are not acceptable! 
 

[Pcardad]

1 minute ago, 1teach53 said:

Granted, maybe, but I consider entertainers part of paid crew! We were accuse of this ! This was the ships error along with our closet being soaked in water! 
Affordable, maybe, but with the price of Regent cruise’s Plumbling problems are not acceptable! 
 

Even brand new ships come with rust. Plumbing problems caused by client's stupidity is not the fault of the ship...Regent can only fix it, not prevent it. Crew are not billeted in guest cabins unless they are part of entertainment - far more likely they just young clients having fun and did something dumb. Not everyone has the wisdom of the aged.

[1teach53]

27 minutes ago, Pcardad said:

Even brand new ships come with rust. Plumbing problems caused by client's stupidity is not the fault of the ship...Regent can only fix it, not prevent it. Crew are not billeted in guest cabins unless they are part of entertainment - far more likely they just young clients having fun and did something dumb. Not everyone has the wisdom of the aged.

Cheers 🥂!!

[wristband]

I have posted recently on CC as a passenger onboard Mariner for the World Cruise and as a long time Regent customers.  I won't repeat my criticisms but I do agree with some of the concerns voiced.

 

Personally, there is a considerable amount of work needed on Mariner and with Regent Miami on its administration to justify the prices charged and to encourage us to sail again with Regent. The cruise consultant (excellent) onboard stated Regent is raising prices every quarter.  

 

The CEO's "Town Hall" on Mariner went over like a lead balloon - she seemed unprepared and appeared surprised at the frustration and disappointment voiced by passengers publicly.  Purchasing a Fabrege egg for $1,000,000 for Grandeur while Mariner lacks basic functionality and appearance was a big contrast!

 

As for that pesky banana peel, I can't comment on that one!  But we will not return to Mariner until we can be assured basic updates and repairs (and attitudes) change.

[rcandkc]

A million dollar egg😱.  That is totally ridiculous!

 I’m getting very concerned about our fall Mariner cruise.  If it goes badly, we may cancel our 8/2024 cruise.  It will be too late to cancel 1/2024 cruise. 

[flossie009]

On 5/27/2023 at 7:15 PM, cwn said:

We really like the Mariner because it has for and aft lounges and lots of public space. 

Agreed. The layout of the public spaces on Mariner is the best of any of the Regent ships.

We sailed on Mariner last October and had no issues with the ship, its maintenance or the service we received.

 

On 5/27/2023 at 7:15 PM, cwn said:

A Chinese Dragon and a jewel incrusted egg doesn’t mean a thing to me

We like the dragon on Splendor; much better than the "prayer wheel" on Explorer.

 

 

Not sure that the Fabergé egg will be much of an enhancement for the new ship.

As to its cost, it is a minute fraction of the cost to build Grandeur .............. and the egg will probably increase in value over time, whereas Grandeur will start depreciating as soon as she is launched.

 

 

 

[papaflamingo]

On 5/29/2023 at 8:26 AM, rcandkc said:

A million dollar egg😱.  That is totally ridiculous!

 I’m getting very concerned about our fall Mariner cruise.  If it goes badly, we may cancel our 8/2024 cruise.  It will be too late to cancel 1/2024 cruise. 

The cost to build Grandeur is about $450 million (according to a 2021 Forbes article).  The Fabrerge Egg is a mere 1/450 of the cost.  Probably not that big a deal when you have a cabin like the Regency Suite that goes for $11000 per night.   That's only about 90 nights to make up the cost.  😜

Edited May 30, 2023 by papaflamingo

[welshfamily]

Gosh!!!

We sail in August on our first Regent cruise.

We selected the Mariner for its itinerary and its size. The alternative was the Explorer.

Although we should not have been influenced by the TV program, we didn’t fancy the most expensive cruise ship at ship as the entire programme was simply dreadful.

After reading these boards it seems we will enjoy

1. Ragged staterooms

2. Dodgy toilets 

3. A rusting ship.

5. Excursions which are crowded and subpar
6.Less than adequate food.

7. A Boasting CEO ( not at all surprised after watching TV programme).

 

There must be something wrong with us as we simply cannot wait😁.

 

Disclaimer.

Please take this post in the manner in which we have posted ( tongue in cheek) 

If you are sailing in August on the Mariner we will be the happy ones in the corner.

Please feel free to join us. 

 

[Turtle1948]

We are going on the Regent Mariner world cruise in 2024.  It starts in January and lasts 132 days.   Any tips from previous world cruisers would be appreciated!

[Kwaj girl]

3 hours ago, Turtle1948 said:

We are going on the Regent Mariner world cruise in 2024.  It starts in January and lasts 132 days.   Any tips from previous world cruisers would be appreciated!

 

We'll be onboard with you.....and also enjoyed WC18.  What kind of "tips" are you looking for?

[Hanoj]

If Regent is laying an egg, it might as well be a Fabergé one. 🙃

[Turtle1948]

1 hour ago, Kwaj girl said:

 

We'll be onboard with you.....and also enjoyed WC18.  What kind of "tips" are you looking for?

Hi!   Nice to meet you! 

Regarding "tips", maybe something that you wish you knew before you did your first world cruise but no one told you.

 

We are a couple in our late 60s who love to travel and look forward to meeting you.

Nancy and Steve Lamontagne

[Emdee]

Went ahead and booked the Mariner. I think we have Grandeur before and Splendor after! 

[Kwaj girl]

20 hours ago, Turtle1948 said:

Hi!   Nice to meet you! 

Regarding "tips", maybe something that you wish you knew before you did your first world cruise but no one told you.

 

We are a couple in our late 60s who love to travel and look forward to meeting you.

Nancy and Steve Lamontagne

 

Have you joined the Roll Call for WC24 on this site?  You'll find some good Intel there.  I'll post some thoughts there rather than hijack this thread.  Catch you over there!

[kjbacon]

We are booked on the 2026 WC so reports on this ship are of particular interest to us. If you are on the Mariner or have been recently, please share your impressions. Thank you.

[Pcardad]

2 hours ago, kjbacon said:

We are booked on the 2026 WC so reports on this ship are of particular interest to us. If you are on the Mariner or have been recently, please share your impressions. Thank you.

Both the ship and the staff will be totally different in 3 years...she is due for a drydock and the staff will not be green from the Covid break. You will love it!

[kjbacon]

16 minutes ago, Pcardad said:

Both the ship and the staff will be totally different in 3 years...she is due for a drydock and the staff will not be green from the Covid break. You will love it!

You’re not wrong there and we have loved all of our Regent cruises. We are so excited about the WC but admittedly, some of this concerns me.