WE chose this cruise to celebrate a special birthday and because we only had to fly one way! We flew to Barcelona and Regent put us up at the Hilton which was a very nice modern hotel. We only stayed one night and were taken to the ship which had come from a 3 week refurbishment in Marseilles. We had only sailed Regent once (on the Navigator) and we were not fond of that ship. The Mariner was beautiful. There were still small touches that needed to be finished (maintenance men came in our suite a couple of times to do work)

We visited Malaga and Cartegena Spain and Funchal in the Canary Islands. We took tours provided by the ship and they were fine.

The dining experiences were very good. One could indulge in myriads of offerings. The "every night offerings" in Compass Rose included Dover Sole, Maine Lobster, lamb chops, steaks. Specials each night were also offered. Prime 7 and Chartreuse were elegant and the food was presented beautifully. We ate in the Veranda for breakfast and lunch and there were different offerings for lunch every day including themed lunches (Indian, Asian, Mexican). Read more