Mariner-Oct 18-HK to Singapore- Questions

[ERParadise]

Hello all! We will be departing for HK on Oct 14 and we board the ship Oct 18 in HK. To travelers already on board and for those with experience with the Mariner I request your advice.

 

We have not sailed on this ship previously. We have a few questions?

 

Should we book a reservation at Signatures/Latitudes now before we depart? On a two-week cruise will it be a problem to make reservations after we board?

 

How do guests get seated in the main dining room? I don't think there is assigned seating, but are there two sitings?

 

What are the hours the main dinning rooms serves dinner?

 

Is the room stocked with wine and is there a charge for this wine?

 

Is wine complimentary on the deck or is there a charge?

 

Is is difficult to get a reservation for a massage?

 

Can I make reservations now ( prior to Oct 18) for massage- How do I make reservations prior to boarding?

 

What is the cost of internet on board? Is this accessible in the stateroom or just in the computer room? If the ship can provide a lap top in the stateroom, what is the cost?

 

Do cell phones work on board. I have both a verizon and AT&T phone that have international service. I read somewhere that it was necessary to subscribe to some kind of special service to have reception at sea. It is probably very expensive, but I am curious if anyone has experience with this.

 

What is the earliest we can board the ship in Hong Kong on Saturday Oct 18?

 

We're really excited for this upcoming trip! If you are onboard we hope to meet you!

 

Sincerely,

 

Steve

[DebbieH103]

I took advantage of the advance reservation system for the restaurants on Regent. Some people hang out at the last minute and see if they can join others or if anyone cancels. If you book in advance and change your mind, cancel so that others can get in that might not have been as lucky with reservations.

 

You just let them know at the time of seating in the main dining room if you want to join others or try to dine by yourselves. There are not two seatings, it is open.

 

You will receive champagne upon embarkation. You can call room service to get a bottle of wine w/o cost. I found this more affective than asking the stewardess, at least after the initial one bottle she brought.

 

Massages are easier to get when in port than on sea days. The first hour or two on board, they typically run a special, and those that didn't book online usually run down there and take up most of the slots for everything.

 

You should be able to go into your voyage at rssc.com and sign up at this time for restaurants, tours, and spa.

 

I don't know about Mariner, but on Navigator and Voyager, internet works in the cabin. I bring my own laptop. Both those ships usually allow boarding around noon.

 

Are you arriving in Hong Kong early, and if so, where are you staying?

[Wendy The Wanderer]

Last time on Voyager, we just asked to keep the bar stocked with Heineken for my husband, and white wine for me. As it turned out, I never needed a second bottle, the booze was flowing so freely on the ship.

 

You can have a glass of wine or a cocktail anywhere you like on the ship.

 

As Debbie says, if you want a massage booking on a sea day, you should go to the spa as soon as you board and see what they have available. Not sure how hard this is when there are people on a longer cruise, of which yours is a segment. You can't book in advance.

 

Open seating is really open, no sittings. Feel free to ask to be seated with others if you want to meet people. It's quite fun sometimes, but there are usually plenty of tables for two as well.

 

No laptops provided, bring your own or use the computer room. Internet charges have been posted somewhere here lately, try a search or perhaps someone will post them again. Not as bad as some cruise lines. After 21 days, it's free.

 

I'm not sure about dining room hours, but 6:30 sticks in my mind as opening time on Voyager etc.

[dfb]

Should we book a reservation at Signatures/Latitudes now before we depart? On a two-week cruise will it be a problem to make reservations after we board?

Well, if you know what you want now, there is no downside to reserving from home, you can always cancel after you board the ship. As to the 2nd question, the answer would probably always be that it just depends on your sailing. I would guess that rarely are any 2-week periods the same.

 

How do guests get seated in the main dining room? I don't think there is assigned seating, but are there two sitings? What are the hours the main dinning rooms serves dinner?

Guests are shown to tables as they arrive at the doors. You may ask to sit alone or to share tables with others. You may ask to sit in a particular area or with a particular server. The hours may vary but are somewhere within the range of 6pm to 9:30pm, in my experience. There are no sittings, you can be seated whenever you arrive within the time range that is stated in Passages for each evening.

 

Is the room stocked with wine and is there a charge for this wine? Is wine complimentary on the deck or is there a charge?

All wine and all other beverages are included in your fare. The only exclusions would be "premium" beverages. This list is a moving target, you will have to find out what brands are not included after you board your ship for your sailing.

 

Is is difficult to get a reservation for a massage?

The answer would probably always be that it just depends on your sailing. I would guess that rarely are any 2-week periods the same.

 

Can I make reservations now ( prior to Oct 18) for massage- How do I make reservations prior to boarding?

No, I don't think you can. I don't know how you would.

 

What is the cost of internet on board? PRICING

Time Plan #1: $0.25 per minute - 250 minutes for $62.50

Time Plan #2: $0.35 per minute - 100 minutes for $35

Pay As You Go: $0.55 per minute

One-Time Account Activation Fee _ $3.95 (Applies to all users on first login only)

Please note that a Time Plan cannot be used on more than one computer at the same time.

On your first cruise after sailing 20 days with RSSC, your Internet will be free.

 

Is this accessible in the stateroom or just in the computer room?

Yes, there is wifi signal throughout the ship.

If the ship can provide a lap top in the stateroom, what is the cost? No the ship does not provide personal laptops. The cost is the same no matter where you are on the ship when you logon and no matter whose computer you are using.

 

Do cell phones work on board. I have both a verizon and AT&T phone that have international service. I read somewhere that it was necessary to subscribe to some kind of special service to have reception at sea. It is probably very expensive, but I am curious if anyone has experience with this.

 

Yes, they work. We have used a Blackberry device with AT&T service with an international plan. Try the websites below for more information, or call your service provider.

http://www.rssc.com/cellularservice

http://www.cellularatsea.com/

[bigdipper]

Hello all! We will be departing for HK on Oct 14 and we board the ship Oct 18 in HK. To travelers already on board and for those with experience with the Mariner I request your advice.

 

We have not sailed on this ship previously. We have a few questions?

 

Should we book a reservation at Signatures/Latitudes now before we depart? On a two-week cruise will it be a problem to make reservations after we board?

 

How do guests get seated in the main dining room? I don't think there is assigned seating, but are there two sitings?

 

What are the hours the main dinning rooms serves dinner?

 

Is the room stocked with wine and is there a charge for this wine?

 

Is wine complimentary on the deck or is there a charge?

 

Is is difficult to get a reservation for a massage?

 

Can I make reservations now ( prior to Oct 18) for massage- How do I make reservations prior to boarding?

 

What is the cost of internet on board? Is this accessible in the stateroom or just in the computer room? If the ship can provide a lap top in the stateroom, what is the cost?

 

Do cell phones work on board. I have both a verizon and AT&T phone that have international service. I read somewhere that it was necessary to subscribe to some kind of special service to have reception at sea. It is probably very expensive, but I am curious if anyone has experience with this.

 

What is the earliest we can board the ship in Hong Kong on Saturday Oct 18?

 

We're really excited for this upcoming trip! If you are onboard we hope to meet you!

 

Sincerely,

 

Steve

 

 

Steve,

We are currently on board Mariner and I'll take a stab at some of your questions.

-Compass Rose opens 7 PM.

-I think you can get about any beverage (perhaps not some top shelf brands) stocked in refrig. and replentished.

-Cheapest internet rate is about $62 for about 250 minutes.

-RSSC can give you name of cell service provider and your carriers will then let you know what it costs per minute. In most cases you are likely better off using the GSM phone in ports if it is 4 band, etc.

-This is being done on laptop in suite and wi-fi is quite strong here and I suspect throughout ship. Lots of ship computers in and near computer room.

Look us up in 847 when you come aboard.

Ralph/Judy

[ERParadise]

Debbie,

 

We are staying at the Marriott Renaissance Harbour View on HK Island the 15th, 18th.

 

When are you arriving and where are you staying?

 

Where are you from?

 

We're flying from San Diego, CA

 

Steve

[ERParadise]

Dear Ralph & Judy,

 

We have room 761-G.

 

Do you think it is worth it for me to bring a laptop? It sounds like the cost is the same whether you use your own laptop vs. use the ship's computers in the computer room? It is just the matter of convenience?

 

Steve

[mikeIam]

On Mariner in August, the computing room had enough computers that we never had any trouble getting one. Most of the computers were PCs but there was at least one Mac. Also all of the computers that we used had a card reader attached.

However!

I found the connection speed to be very slow. There were signs posted saying that because of the terrain the connection could drop at any time (or words to that effect) In fact, several times when we were trying to respond to emails, the connection did drop.

In addition, several of the computers I used had a warning message that the antivirus software had not been updated for thirty days. Since we were not trying to save any information, this did not concern us, but it sure did not inspire confidence.

In spite of these "problems", I will still use the onboard computers in the future, rather than hauling my laptop and all the accessories.

 

mike

[bigdipper]

Dear Ralph & Judy,

 

We have room 761-G.

 

Do you think it is worth it for me to bring a laptop? It sounds like the cost is the same whether you use your own laptop vs. use the ship's computers in the computer room? It is just the matter of convenience?

 

Steve

 

Steve,

This is first time for me to have lap top on ship and it is very convenient. I have my own homepage/favorites and am using my own Outlet Express with address book, etc.

We are "silver" so internet is free but I think cost is the same if you are charged either way. As indicated above, there are lots of computers in and near computer room.

Concerning speed, it isn't as fast as home (1000k or so down) but it has generally been 3-400K even across the Bering Sea.

Ralph

[Wendy The Wanderer]

I think whether you bring your own laptop depends on what you want to do with it. If you want to be able to work on your photos while on board, for example, it's great to have your own computer to do this. If you want to write lengthy reviews or a blog, and/or want to be online every day, then it makes sense.

 

I always resist the urge--I'm a computer professional, and prying my hands from the keyboard and internet while on the ship is part of my therapy ;)

[ERParadise]

Thanks for the advice on the computers.

 

My wife told me that if I bring my computer I will be tempted to be in the stateroom too much spending time on the computer. She is right!

 

I want to avoid spending too much time online and so I'm taking her advice and not bringing my computer.

 

Steve