Dining Aboard the Regent Mariner

Part 5 – Cape Town to Rio on the Regent Seven Seas Mariner

Room Service Chef Salad
Room Service Chef Salad

There are two specialty restaurants on the Mariner, Prime 7 (steakhouse) and Signatures (Le Cordon Bleu). There is no extra charge for these restaurants, however reservations are usually required. You can book once in each of the specialty restaurants on line pre-cruise. However, you can also go there directly and ask if they have any openings; if you are lucky the table is yours. We were lucky to get into Signatures the day we boarded the ship just by asking since it wasn’t busy. The following night we asked again and we were also able to get a reservation in Prime 7.

The main dining room is Compass Rose and seating is open, you go anytime during its breakfast, lunch, and dinner hours and opt to sit alone or join a table of other cruisemates. The menu is varied and we were never at a loss for something good to order. Steaks and seafood were always on the menu, along with varied other choices like veal, lamb, and occasionally lobster tails. By virtue of not having “early” and “late” seatings like some cruise ships, you are never rushed away from your table to make room for the next seating.

La Veranda is open seating buffet for breakfast and lunch and Bistro and buffet at dinner. At dinner, you order your main course from the menu but can select your antipasto items and desserts from their buffet. Lobster tail seemed to be on the menu just about every night. A pizza kitchen operates in La Veranda during lunch hours.

The pool grill and patio has hot dogs, hamburgers, salads, etc. Adjacent to it is an ice cream bar featuring a selection of hand-scooped ice creams.

On sea days, there are also theme lunches at the pool grill, such as Tex-Mex, German, Asian, etc. One of the best was Brazilian, which featured a nice range of grilled meats and sausage.

In addition to these, Room Service is available 24 hrs. There is a room service menu but you can also order anything that is currently available on the menu from Compass Rose. Current menus scroll on the television. Room service delivers in about 10 minutes and of course there is no tipping. (Try the Macoroni & cheese!) The food and service has been consistently very good in all of the restaurants as well as via room service. We mainly used room service for late afternoon snacks (when the restaurants were closed) and breakfasts on days with early tours.

Our Suite on the Regent Mariner

Part 4 – Cape Town to Rio on the Regent Seven Seas Mariner
regent-mariner-suite
Every cabin aboard Regent Mariner is a suite. We had been upgraded one level (maybe a different area of the ship?). Our suite was located in a great place. Middle deck, midship. Not far from the elevators but far enough that there was no noise. Compared to other cruises the room seemed very large to us. As you entered there was a full bathroom, with tub and shower, marble sinks with tile walls and floors,lots of mirrors and plenty of shelf space for two. It was very well lit. And of course the toilet that sounds like it’s sucking in everything in the room. (It actually seemed a bit quieter than most). Outside the bathroom was a small vanity (fits one comfortably). There was a make-up mirror on a stand and two good size drawers. We were also supplied with a hair dryer and a long shoe horn (very handy). We also had very nice soft, large white robes and slippers waiting for us! After the vanity came the walk in closet. Plenty of room, including the safe. The bed is 2 twins together (no gap), with a bedstand (two drawers) on each side. Each side also has a reading light. And there is a stand alone clock which is a very nice touch. There is a curtain you can close between the sleeping and living area if you so choose.

We had a couch (with a mirror over the whole area of the couch), chair, & table on one side, and a hutch, desk, tv, refrigerator (stocked with bottles of water,beer, and pop) on the other. You could also get a bottle of your favorite “spirits” to keep in your room but we didn’t feel the need to do that when all you had to do was ask any waiter or bartender for a drink and it appeared. Flat screen TV with CD/DVD player (DVDs available in the library). The table had a welcoming bottle of champagne chilling in an ice bucket and a beautiful orchid in a crystal vase. The balcony wasn’t huge but certainly sufficient with a table and two chairs. The bottom of the balcony was open (with just a few horizontal rails) unlike some with a plexiglass barrier below the main rail.

All in all, for being one of the less expensive suites on the ship, ours was very pleasant and comfortable.

Regent Cape Town to Rio de Janiero Cruise

regent-mariner

We’re live-blogging (well, semi-live) our cruise from Cape Town, South Africa, to Rio de Janiero, Brazil. We’re on board the Regent Seven Seas Mariner, and will blog about our experience on this ship and the ports it visits.

Regent is a premium cruise brand (the Mariner is an all-suite, all-balcony ship), and we’ll be letting you know how it measures up to its reputation. Just about everything is included in the cruise price: food (including the two premium restaurants), alcohol (excluding only ultra-premium brands), most shore excursions, fancy coffees, gratuities, and so on. Theoretically, we’ll be able to complete the cruise without ever pulling out our cruise card or signing a charge ticket.

The itinerary is:

Day 1 – Cape Town, South Africa
Day 2 – Cape Town, South Africa
Day 3 – At Sea, International Waters
Day 4 – Walvis Bay, Namibia
Day 5 – Walvis Bay, Namibia
Day 6 – At Sea, International Waters
Day 7 – At Sea, International Waters
Day 8 – St. Helena (Jamestown), United Kingdom
Day 9 – At Sea, International Waters
Day 10 – At Sea, International Waters
Day 11 – At Sea, International Waters
Day 12 – At Sea, International Waters
Day 13 – Vitória, Brazil
Day 14 – Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Day 15 – Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Watch this space for updates!