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Seven Seas Mariner

Seven Seas Navigator

Rostock (Warnemunde)

This was our 6th cruise with Regent Seven Seas and it may well be the last. What was once a high end luxurious cruising experience has now been diminished to cost cutting. The service, the cuisine, the excursions are all sub-par now. 

For example, although most regular excursions are "free" we wanted a more memorable experience and so paid over $600 a person for the "Private View of the Vatican" with Smithsonian expert in attendance.(She was not permitted to speak). We were run ragged by two inept guides who did not even have the foresight to prepare our audio ear pieces and entrance tickets ahead of time. Five members of the group got lost in the fray and we had to chase them through the Vatican! 

Another huge disappointment was the Captain's rather abrupt decision to skip the first port of call,Trieste. We had been so looking forward to it. We were scheduled to dock at 8 am and at precisely 8:05 after only 5 minutes of attempting to sail in he gave up claiming there was too much wind. It would have been much more intelligent to wait an hour or two and try again as other ships we have sailed with have done. This demonstrates some consideration for the passengers who wait all year for specific ports.

Regent seems to be aiming for the lowest common denominator now. We are going back to Seabourn.

Seven Seas Mariner has gone downhill

We are long time Regent cruisers and do enjoy our trips. We have always enjoyed the excellent service and food. 

This year there was an obvious problem with the service. The current staff was wonderful and worked very hard but they needed more help.

Some examples

 We had breakfast every morning in Veranda. We ordered cappuccino every day and it never was delivered until we had finished our meal. Why don't they have a machine in the kitchen?

 We arrived at Compass Rose at 7:15 for dinner. We let the staff know we wanted to be done in time for the 9:30 show. It seemed a pretty reasonable request but we missed the first 15 minutes of the show and never ate dessert.

 We had dinner in Signatures and the dirty dishes from our first course remained on the table  for more than 15 minutes.

 We had pre dinner cocktails in the Observation Deck Bar. They had one bartender and 2 wait staff working. The bar was generally full and it meant if you wanted a drink you had to go to the bar to order it and go back to pick it up.

I realize none of the complaints are earth shattering but it is a big slide for Regent. We heard several negative comments from other guests regarding the lack of staff. 

Regent positions itself as a luxury cruise line and they need to restore luxury service.

Great trip, but the ship was very understaffed.

I am a solo traveler, by choice, and when I saw that Regent was offering a 25% single supplement, I called my wonderful travel agency and inquired.  I also learned that there were discounted business/1st class air accommodations if I wanted to pay for the upgrade.  I did and was very pleased that I did.

Flights were smooth, pickup in Venice, Italy was simple.  Off to the ship.  Spent about an hour being wined and dined as the last touches on my suite (890--a great balcony suite) were being attended to.

Met my two (2) stewards:  Nelma and Dinesh.  Gave them each a couple of extra buck$ and asked them just to look out for me.  And they did  My suite was attended to each and every time I ventured out, whether for food, a walk, or an excursion.  I never knew they were there but could tell when I returned to my suite.

Good was great.  My first night I dined at Sette Mare for my first pounded veal chop Parmigiana.  It was delightful and several couples around me asked what it was that I ordered.  What a wonderful way to start my cruise from Venice!

Visited Croatia, Montenegro, and Korfu over the next several days.  The excursions, free (but obviously included in the cruise price) were excellent.  Back on the Mariner, tried the Compass Rose for a wonderful Osso Buco, escargot, great wines, etc.  Did Prime 7 and was able to pull off two (2) nights at Signatures.  Prime 7 was a minor let down, but the duck breast at Signatures made up for my poor choice on the prime rib at Prime 7.

Missed Sicily due to rough water for our tenders; passed on Rome (did it two years ago) and ventured to Lucca; passed on Florence (been there/done that) and took a different excursion, one well worth the change.

Monte Carlo, Cannes, Nice, St. Tropez--the wine tastings were spectacular! 

The Pool Grill gave me great lunches and some mixed cocktails which I really did mix on all my days!  I think I had one of everything!  The big BBQ on one of the nights was grand--great BBQ and a great band with lots of dancing and singing.

I had free wifi and enjoyed this and I did have some nice on-board credits, which I did take advantage of.  Can't say that I was 100% happy with the price of a massage.  Very expensive for a so-so rub down.  Probably will never venture there again unless they offered me a great price.

Disembarkation was a piece of cake.

I love this, my 2nd Regent cruise.  (Did the Navigator in 2007.)  I hope Regent continues to wake up and offer good, reduced single supplement deals in the future, and if they do, they will continue to have a loyal customer.

2nd Regent Cruise/Top of the Line

This was our seventh cruise, having previously sailed with Celebrity, Azamara and Seabourn.

I liked the layout of the ship and thought the food in all of the restaurants was of a very high standard and could not be faulted. Service however was patchy and we often had to go up to the bar and ask for a drink as there did not seem to be enough waiting staff in the pool area or horizons lounge. There was quite often only one member of staff on duty in the Horizons lounge.

We did not use the free excursions as we had visited many of the ports before and were mainly looking forward to the 'on-board experience', unfortunately this was mediocre at best. Considering the cost, Regent do very little to make the experience in any way ‘special’, compared to e.g. Seabourn. There is simply no comparison between the two and I have had more memorable cruises on Celebrity at a third of the cost.

There are no cold towels on arrival back at the ship, no ‘treats’ offered around the pool e.g. sorbet (Celebrity) or fruit sticks (Seabourn) in fact in 11 days I was only once offered a cold towel by the pool.

The cabins are a good size and the beds are very comfortable, cabin stewards were superb however be warned that crew doors do not show up on the deck plans so if you are unlucky to be in rooms 765 or 763, you will have a crew door opposite that will slam all day and night. You will become familiar with the sound of rattling trolleys and crockery being pushed through it continuously. In fairness, Regent did offer to move us but the room offered was not to our liking. They said that the door would be put out of commission for the duration of the cruise so we saw no point in going to the upheaval of moving (and to an inferior room) since the door was to be put out of use, but this was unfortunately an untruth which was repeated several times throughout the trip. We eventually gave up mentioning it since it was obvious that they were just telling us whatever we wanted to hear with no intention of doing anything about it.

We don’t tend to go to the theatre when we cruise so I can’t comment on that but we do enjoy a flutter. On this cruise we only managed to do this once, since there is only one blackjack table, a poker table and a roulette which inexplicably was closed some nights. There are quite a lot of slot machines which seemed mainly unused. Perhaps they could open up another blackjack/roulette table occasionally? There was certainly the demand for it.

Canyon Spa ranch was excellent, expensive but you know this before you book. Entertainment was ok although I have never been on any cruise with such a low-profile cruise director. Officers were very low profile too, other than the one who sat in the smoking area with his children (!).

In summary, Regent is a 3.5/4 star experience at 6 star prices. We didn’t have an awful time and there were some good things about the trip – mainly the food. It’s back to Seabourn for us.

Underwhelmed

Before taking this cruise, I read a couple of negatives about embarkation and organization of excursions. I was a little nervous, but having cruised for many years, I realized that my experience could be far different on the same ship and the same itinerary. I was right. Embarkation was a breeze. Maybe we got there at the right time, but we breezed right on board with no problems. The excursions couldn't have been more organized. We arrived in the theater at the designated meeting time, maybe waited ten minutes, and we were off the ship heading to meet our guides.
With the exception of one guide, we were treated to knowledgeable, interesting people assigned to take us touring. The guide to Pompeii was more interested in getting us to visit a furniture store at the end of our tour than he was showing us Pompeii. Since I chose this particular itinerary because of Pompeii, I was extremely disappointed. I wanted my friends to see the rich man's home and garden, and when I asked him, he said it was closed. We learned later that people with other guides were treated to this experience. OK, Maria, you need go get past this. lol..........
As far as the food on the Mariner, it was wonderful. We did eat at the two specialty restaurants, but honestly, we enjoyed Compass Rose just as much. The entertainment was great...very talented people...and the staff onboard this vessel is extraordinary. Our cabin was kept spotless, and I mean spotless. This was a great experience for us, and we would definitely cruise with Regent again.

Exceptional Ship

As some had mentioned, prior negative reviews had us feeling uneasy about our choice, but once on board we were blown away... This was our first time with Regent and our 2nd cruise. We were the youngest couple on board, but it did not matter. The level of people that Regent attracts are some the best and friendliest I've ever met. The food was 4-5star all around, we really enjoyed Compass Rose and Sette Mari, the premium dining was over the top. Pool grill was great during the day, however when you get back from an excursion they are packing everything up. We feel they could extend pool-grill hours. There is this awkward time in the afternoon before dinner when you cant get a decent snack or meal unless you are in your room and order room service. Embarkation was a breeze, as were the shore excursions. Perfectly executed and organized. Entertainment was cheesey at best, but we got a laugh out of it, I can see that the older crowd liked it. loved the camaraderie of the connoisseur club, enjoyed a cigar their almost every night. Our room was stocked with a french bottle of champagne every day and our mini bar was kept stocked to our liking daily as well. AND IT'S ALL INCLUDED ;) 5 star!

AMAZING ALL AROUND EXPERIENCE

Recommended by travel agent. This was our 12th cruise and first with REGENT. We are use to first class travel and accommodations and having sailed first class on the QE 1, I will have to say REGENT far exceeded our expectations. The shore excursions were first class and went off without a hitch. The food and beverages were as good as any 5 star restaurant on shore and the service was outstanding. What we really appreciated was the lack of lines, photographers, "special" jewelry sales, screaming kids, being nickeled and dimed plus the usual bill at the end of the cruise. As my wife stated, the cruise and guests were both very civilized. The entertainment was excellent and the crew to guest ratio meant the service over the top. We loved the REGENT cruise so much, we are booked on the brand new EXPLORER in September 2016. We can hardly wait. We feel the value of the REGENT cruises is definitely worth the expense.

A cruise for people who appreciate the best in life.

First time cruiser on Regent and all in all we were very satisfied. The Mariner is a lovely well-designed ship. Her crew is delightful, the entertainment quite good and the food is excellent. The all-inclusive wines and liquors were top shelf and I rarely ordered a premium bottle with dinner. We were in cabins 732 & 734 which are a little tired. But, the AC worked, the bed was comfy and the shower rocks. They may well be some of the best located cabins on the ship.
We arrived in Venice 2 days early and stayed at the Bonvecchiati Palace, a nice hotel tucked between the Rialto Bridge and St. Marks; meals were at the sister hotel and they were quite good. We toured on our own and planned to tour the day of departure but, and this is a big but, Regents planning department pulled a major fail, both here and in Istanbul.
Redentore is the 500 year old celebration of the end of the plague and they build a pontoon bridge from Zattere to the Redentore Church. Also hundreds of party boats cover the lagoon. This in turn closes the passenger terminal and redirects us to the commercial terminal which required water taxis, buses and a long hike in the heat of the day. This was all done pretty efficiently but consumed most of the day. It also precluded the traditional cruise by the Lagoon and St. Mark’s.
This planning failure paled in comparison to the end of the trip in Istanbul. We arrived at the end of Ramadan which is followed by a 3 day celebration which closes the Grand Bazar, the Spice Bazar and many other sights. Of course we had booked three nights in Istanbul which coincided with the celebration. There was never a mention of this in the Regent material when booking. Had I known about these conflicts, we would not have taken this cruise. PPPPP – Prior Planning Prevents Poor Performance and Regent failed this one.
Back to the review; Ports - Dubrovnik, Kotor, and Corfu were lots of fun and the Regent tours were pretty good. Our first guide was very knowledgeable but inexperienced as a guide so we bailed and followed Rick Steve’s. Most of our other guides and tours were quite good. Well, the Santorini leader was pretty hung over and kept telling us where she would meet us after a two minute spiel; LOL. Zakynthos was a dull port and kind of wished we had made it a sea day. Athens and the New Museum were simply spectacular. We obtained a private guide and driver for the day and it was money well spent. Mamaris was like Miami Beach and we walked and taxied around. Ephesus was everything we had hoped for and our travelling companions found a couple of rugs for their new home.
Arrived Istanbul at 2 PM and managed to work in a short tour. Disembarkation the next morning was smooth and we bus toured until we could check in at the Ceylon Intercontinental, a very nice hotel for the end of our trip. Spent the afternoon hitting whatever sights we could in the Old City as we had book a driver and guide for the next day.
Departed the following afternoon for Dulles via Turkish Air, an outstanding airline. Their Business Class Departure Lounge is far and away the nicest lounge I have ever seen.
The Mariner is a great ship and we will probably cruise Regent again. We like the all-inclusive aspect onboard; not so sure about shore excursions. We will definitely pay more attention to local events and their impact on our itinerary since it appears Regent didn’t.
 

A wonderful cruise with one major exception...

This cruise was my fourth. I've sailed Princess, Celebrity, Royal Caribbean. I'm an avid traveler and chose this cruise based on the terrific itinerary. My DH and I traveled with my parents who have sailed on Regent Seven Seas Mariner five previous times. Bottom line: The wonderful ship environment was not matched with equally above average excursions. Since the excursions were included in the price, we felt that we should take the offered excursions. Regent did not offer a credit for any excursions not taken. I selected this particular cruise because of the outstanding itinerary, but the excursions left so much to be desired that I will search for an upscale cruise that doesn’t include the excursions in their prices. I want to use Cruise Critic and TripAdvisor to find better quality independent excursions. In general, the tours were too crowded to be effective.
We planned a pre-cruise excursion in Rome and Venice and did not use Regent for hotel or air arrangements.
Embarkation: Regent was unable to tell us the terminal area in Venice until the very last minute. As we were to depart Venice on a major holiday, the ship was directed to a different port on the outskirts of Venice. (Port Marghera). Three days before departure, they informed us we were to go to the usual terminal (Port Maritima) and then take a bus from there. As a result, my privately arranged transfer had to be re-arranged due to the late notice. There was no way to drop off luggage and return to Venice without paying the exorbitant Venice transfer fees. The Embarkation process was quick and easy, with buses waiting for the 45-minute drive to the other port.
Ship: The ship was in lovely shape. The rooms were amazing. They were significantly larger than any of the previous cruise ships I've sailed. We stayed in a standard veranda room. The bathroom was huge, although as noted by others, the bathtub ceiling and shower head were low. The public areas were very nicely appointed and comfortable everywhere. One afternoon, the toilets would not flush on the port side. These were fixed by the time we returned for the day.
Service: All of the personnel we met were friendly and seemed truly committed to doing a good job. I particularly appreciated the cruise director and her staff. We noted that bar service was sometimes slow to take an order or forgetful to bring a napkin with our drinks. The wine stewards were not as attentive at times as well. Waitstaff were very good about getting the orders right and offering great suggestions for the meal.
Activities/Entertainment: We enjoyed trivia and tea most afternoons. (Tip: look for diversity on your team). We won enough points to get some logo'd gear at the end. The gym was never too crowded and had a very sufficient set up. We didn't use the spa or pool, but there were always plenty of lounge chairs available. Dr Paula Smith provided terrific lectures on Corfu, Athens, Ephesus, and Istanbul. They were presented when the ship was underway so that all passengers could attend.
Dining: My parents noted that the dining was improved from their previous Regent experiences. I appreciated the variety and quality of the food. Naturally, I didn't like everything I was served, but that's true anywhere. Sometimes what you order isn't what you expected. The Prime 7 and Signatures food was as good as hoped. I appreciated that a Signatures or Prime 7 dish was on every Compass Rose dinner menu also. I was disappointed in the sound level at Signatures. We could barely talk for the first half an hour of our meal. We had a late seating and the sound level improved after the room emptied by half. I'm not certain if there was another location in the room that would be quieter. Be wary about planning a romantic dinner there. The Prime 7 maitre d' did a nice job of arranging a Happy Anniversary surprise for my parents. La Verandah was lovely for breakfast. We ate outside virtually every day. The selection was broad. My husband enjoyed the liberal servings of smoked salmon that he had daily.
Excursions: The excursions disappointed me significantly. Regent’s cruise questionnaire was not designed to solicit feedback on individual excursions. My observations:
Venice: No tours offered for embarking guests
Dubrovnik: City Tour. 25+ guests on the tour with no earphones. You could only hear the tour guide if you got very close to her. In order to try to be heard she stopped in places that were in the full sun. About half the group abandoned the tour in disappointment, making it fine for the rest of us. The tour was short enough to allow for a hike on the city walls prior to returning on a Regent bus.
Kotor: We were unexpectedly tendered at this port. Tendering was a mess that day. We waited for nearly an hour before we were taken ashore. Again the tour was too large for the guide to be heard unless you huddled around (Town of Kotor and Bay of Kotor Heritage). People abandoned the group again.
Corfu: Unless you paid for a Regent Select tour, there were only two tours on Corfu. So 700 passengers went to two places. Plus every other cruise ship in Corfu went to the same places also. There was no staggering of the starting times within one tour, so people on the last bus had to wait significantly longer than those on the first. At the Achilleion Palace they provided the “whisper units” that made it easier to hear the guide.
Zakynthos: The tendering was much smoother on Zakynthos. This island is off the beaten path for most Greek Isles tours, but we enjoyed it very much. We were also lucky enough to be in a small group due to a large number of no shows. The local taverna stop with traditional dancing was a highlight.
Athens: We took the long Acroplis, Plaka, and New Museum tour. The Acropolis was a madhouse. Again, we were in a very large group with no audio support provided. The group probably waited 45 minutes for people taking a pit stop or being inconsiderate in returning on time. This didn’t extend the trip, just reduced the information presented. The Plaka lunch provided was good although everyone was disappointed that the “free wifi” at the restaurant didn’t work.
Santorini: We paid for the Food and Wine Trails upgrade. We didn’t get what we paid for. It was to include stopping at two wineries, but instead it stopped at only one. We only tasted three wines and that was during lunch and not separately as stated. These were tasting pours, not lunch pairings. At the end of the meal, dessert wine was tasted without dessert. The tour was to include two town tours as well. One stop just walked us to a square with instructions to meet there in 1.5 hours, the other location was just a drop off and a chit to take the gondola back to the port. I went to the Destinations Desk upon our return to report that the tour did not meet the advertised plan. I asked for some consideration as we paid $179 per person for this tour. The manager was sympathetic as appropriate but he needed to discuss this with the “head office”. Three days later we received a courtesy discount of 10%. I’m surprised the manager wasn’t empowered to take action right on the spot. 10% seemed an insufficient discount as well. The letter we received did not acknowledge the detailed problem or any planned corrections, just noted the discount as “goodwill”.
Marmaris: Daylan River and Caunos. The River tour included an interesting boat ride. Note that there are only a few rock tombs to see. The photos on the website are basically all of them. The one-hour extension of the river cruise to Istuzu beach was a waste of time. The boat just cruised among the reeds and you couldn’t see the beach. The river runs behind the beach and the boats didn’t stop to let us out to see the beach. The Caunos site wasn’t very interesting compared to Pompeii or the upcoming Ephesus. The water was lovely here, I wish we had gone to a beach instead.
Ephesus: Regent didn’t offer a tour that included both the Virgin Mary’s house and the Terrace houses, so we did an excellent private tour instead. Some people on a Regent’s tour passed us in the Terrace houses. I watched for a bit and realized they spent only 1/3 the time that we spent visiting these amazing houses and again it was a large group. The people near the back couldn’t hear at all. We were glad did not have to attend the carpet sales pitch either.
Istanbul: Although we overnighted in Istanbul, we didn’t arrive until 2:00pm and couldn’t take any excursions with Regent on debarkation day. The tour guide for our Blue Mosque and Topaki tour was rude, he walked faster than people could keep up, told everyone that it is usual for people to be left behind, and begged for tips at the end.
Debarkation: Fine as we were the first off the ship as we arranged a private transfer.
 

Ship was lovely, disappointing excursions

Six of us sailed with Regent from Venice to Istanbul, with stops in Croatia, Montenegro, and various ports in Greece and Turkey. We all enjoyed it very much, and thought Regent did its usual excellent job of taking care of us.
We embarked in Venice, where we'd spent a comfortable night at the Hotel Luna Baglioni. We took a water taxi to check in for the cruise (this is Venice, after all! Check-in was straightforward. Because of the Festival of the Redeemer, we checked in at the cruise ship terminal, but had to ride a bus to the ship, which was docked over on the mainland. That was easy, though. We had lunch on the ship, and before we were finished, our suites were ready. We then attended the mandatory lifeboat drill. (I really appreciate that Regent takes this part quite seriously. When in Vancouver, BC earlier this summer, I observed two other ships getting ready for departure, and supposedly having their drills = most passengers were out on the deck totally ignoring the drill. Regent takes safety very seriously.)
I won't go into detail about every port, except to say we enjoyed our excursions, and felt they were worthwhile. Also hugely worthwhile: the Enrichment Lectures given by Dr. Paula Smith. She gave four talks on board: Corfu, Athens, Ephesus, and Istanbul, and they were all informative and enjoyable.
We found servers and waiters to be professional, courteous, and possessed of good memory. They remembered things such as drink preferences after the very first order.
Food was outstanding. We had one dinner each in Signatures and Prime 7, and one of the Prime 7 waiters remembered us from our Baltic cruise in 2012! Other venues (Compass Rose, La Veranda, Sette Mari) were all excellent as well. And, when in port in Athens, the ship threw a big BBQ on the pool deck, which was great fun.
The shows on board were better than I expected - that doesn't sound very complimentary, and I don't mean to disparage the entertainment on my other cruises. I did think, however, that this cruise's company was even better. The orchestra, in particular, was fantastic.
We disembarked in Istanbul, after spending a night on board in port. Disembarkation was straightforward, and Regent had arranged for a city tour, which helped fill the couple of hours in between disembarkation and when our hotel would be ready. That was a very good tour, in that we visited a small mosque and our guide was able to spend time explaining things to us. The tour the day before to the Blue Mosque wasn't quite as nice because of the crowds, and the smell of dirty feet. :-( Anyway, when we reached the Hotel Ceylan InterContinental at about 11AM, they were ready for us, and Regent had prepared a brochure for us, outlining what else we could do in Istanbul, and how we'd get to the airport when we left two days later. In fact, even though we had to leave the hotel at 0600, Regent had a representative who went with us to the airport and helped us all the way to security. We were pleased at this unexpected level of service.
Bottom line: I won't sail with anyone but Regent. Their service, professionalism, friendliness, and the all-inclusive policy, just make it for me, and my family. We've already booked the next one: New England on the Navigator!
 

Loved our Adriatic to Aegean cruise on Regent

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