Having enjoyed previous cruises with this company we had high expectations but were disappointed. Superficially everything looked good but quality was not deep. We saw steaks sent back in the steak speciality restaurant, some staff struggled with The English language, we saw the captain once only, on his rapid multi-deck 15 minute walk, ship's officers never hosted dinners, one usually needed to seek service rather than be offered it, wine sommeliers did not seem qualified. All these points are minor but cumulative and no where near the previous standard we experienced. Menus were good and the range of food offered was good but less than we previously enjoyed. We thought a thorough cost reduction program had been conducted to reduce expenditures across the board. I would have to downgrade Mariner to 3 or 4 star cruise, not the 6 star I paid for. The only exceptions were cabin staff and guest lecturers who were excellent and met our expectations. Read Less