"The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south and is bounded by Asia and Australia in the west and the Americas in the east.
The ocean's current name was coined by Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan during the Spanish circumnavigation of the world in 1521, as he encountered favorable winds on reaching the ocean. He called it Mar Pacifico, which in both Portuguese and Spanish means "peaceful sea".
Just a reminder, we are on The Mariner, a smaller and older vessel. This vessel is 710 ft in length. There are 700 guests and 450 crew from 38 Nationalities. We are in a Deluxe Veranda Suite.
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| These beds are so comfy |
Cuisine All the restaurants are included, however the Mariner only has two specialty restaurants (Chartreuse & Prime 7) and you do need reservations for those.
Chartreuse a classic French fare with a modern twist and ocean views.
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| Champagne & Sunset |
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| Bisque de Crustacés Garniture d'Avocat, Miettes de Crabe et Tomate Fraîche Crustacean Bisque, Crabmeat & Avocado with Tomato Garnish |
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| Terrine de Foie Gras, Marmelade aux Pruneaux Foie Gras Terrine & Prune Marmalade |
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| Crème de Champignons à l'Ail Confit Creamy Mushroom Soup & Candied Garlic |
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| Filet de Flétan, Sauce Pistache, Pousses d'Epinards et Tomates Marinées Filet of Halibut, pistachio sauce, baby spinach, herb marinated tomatoes, black olive tapenade |
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| Tournedos Rossini, Bouquetière de Légumes Glacés, Sauce Périgueux Beef tournedos rossini, sauteed duck liver, glazed vegetables with truffle sauce |
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| Crème Brûlée à la Vanille de Tahiti, et Fraises Marinée, au Vinaigre Balsamique Tahitian Vanilla Crème Brûlé with balsamic Marinated strawberries 🍓 🍓 🍓 |
Compass Rose is the main dining room, it is smaller than on the newer ships 🚢, but it never felt crowded.
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| Table is set each evening with Versace dinnerware (they do remove the chargers) |
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| Left side of the menu aalways available |
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| The dreaded bread basket 🧺 The salted breadsticks are the best |
Each evening there is a featured white & red wine 🍷 🍷. There is also the option to purchase a "Reserve" red & white wine.
Appetizers
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| Black Angus Beef Tartare Crispy fennel bread & condiments |
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| French Onion Soup Toasted baguette & gruyere cheese |
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| Kohlrabi Slaw & Baby Spinach with a coriander lemon 🍋 dressing |
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| Classic Caesar Salad |
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| Black Mussels |
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| Paccheri Pasta al Ragout |
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| Seafood Spaghetti Clams, mussels, calamari, shrimp with a pinot grigio & cherry tomato sauce |
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| Coq au Vin Pearl onions, mushrooms, croutons & fondant potatoes |
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| Grilled New York Strip Steak Blue cheese butter, sour cream mashed potatoes 🥔, green beans & roasted tomato |
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| Tandoori Chicken Basmati rice, Curried cauliflower Naan bread & mango chutney |
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| Barramundi Filet with a potato waffle, fig hibiscus jam, chive beurre blanc sauce |
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| Roasted Chicken Breast with a cranberry brioche stuffing & sauteed spinach |
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| Callebaut Chocolates Meringue & white chocolate Ganache ring & strawberry sorbet |
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| Gran Marnier Souffle |
Another one of my favorite desserts is the Kahlua Coffee Souffle with Caramel Cream Sauce.
We previously made plans to have dinner with Steve & Dale who we met on our last cruise. That quickly changed when I received a phone call and asked if we would like to have dinner with the Captain. "Why yes, of course." So, yes, we blew off Steve & Dale and never looked back. Dinner with the Captain was not planned or expected.
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| Our Official Invitation |
So we put on our Sunday best and prepared to be social.
Our dinner was held in Compass Rose.
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| Miso Glazed Sea Bass |
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| Our Chef |
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| Callebaut Chocolate Mousse Crème Brûlée Center |
How did we get invited? We were asking the same question 🤔. In fact, another couple at the table asked the Captain, We are no one special. Why were we invited? He said, "Of course you are special" and said we were all chosen because we looked like a fun group. I think he fibbed! Rob thinks it's because we're relatively young (for Regent), have several cruises behind us and three future cruises booked and that we were picked via an algorythm to keep us happy and coming back for more. Either way, it was quite an honor and totally enjoyed the captain's sense of humor. Half the table were Android users (us, the captain and another couple). The others were iPhone. There was naturally quite the debate on which one was better.
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| We received a thank you letter ✉️ the next morning |
La Veranda is the ship's breakfast and lunch buffet. Each morning they offer a Special of the Day. Friday mornings is Sangria & Frittatas. Saturday is Saturday Mary's. Sunday is Caviar & Champagne.
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| Caviar no champagne |
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| Breakfast in Acapulco |
Pool Grill
Prime 7 is their version of a steakhouse.
Sette Mari at La Veranda is their version of an Italian restaurant with a first come first served basis. We normally line up about 10 minutes before opening. Service always begins with the antipasti served at your table (bread, olives, cheese, etc.). We normally decline and help ourselves to the buffet.
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| Antipasti |
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| Polpette Forno Baked meatballs |
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| Spaghetti Alla Carbonara |
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| Saltimbocca Alla Romana Veal scaloppini, parma ham, sage & veal jus |
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| Coda Di Rospo E Cozze Con Zafferano E Limon Monkfish medallions, black mussels, saffron, & lemon 🍋 |
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| Le Scaloppini Di Vitello Al Limon Sauteed veal scaloppini simmered in a lemon 🍋 parsley sauce |
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| Costata Di Vitello Alla Parmigiana Breaded & golden fried milk fed veal chop, tomato sauce, mozzarella with a side of spaghetti 🍝 |
Sette's left side of the menu is constant and the right side changes Nightly.
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| Left side |
Tea Time is held daily in the Horizon Lounge.
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| Kerti was my favorite |
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| Featuring Callebaut Chocolates |
Entertainment
Shows are held in the Constellation Theater mostly at 9:30. There are some presentations and shows that take place earlier in the day/evening.
Divos & Divas starring The Mariner Production Company. A concert style review that celebrates some of the greatest singers & songwriters of all time.
Future Voyages Presentation with cruise consultant Daniela Acosta Espejo. Discover more about itineraries, future voyages, and the Regent Seven Seas Cruises fleet. There was also a chance to win $250 onboard credit.
Guest Entertainer Nina Skyy All Around Motown. This was her second show.
- That'll Be The Day: A Tribute To Buddy Holly & The Crickets
- Early Rock & Roll Radio Review - Golden Age Rock & Roll
Pastry Demonstration with Callebaut Chocolates Cristina Boulos & Pastry Chef Roshan.
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| Pro tip: Use a melon baller to make tips on the meringue |
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| The Finished Products Meringue & white chocolate ganache ring White chocolate wasabi ice cream |
We also received a copy of the recipes.
Seven Seas Society - Upon stepping onboard you are automatically welcomed into the Seven Seas Society. The more you sail, the more rewards you earn. Each cruise there is a Seven Seas Society Party, we attended one in the past and was not impressed. The party is held in the Constellation Theater and there are so many people invited.
We decided to attend because this cruise we earned Gold status.
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| Captain Abhi |
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| Our Gold Pins |
Ultimate Music Trivia - Two teams go head to head as music trivia meets live concert.
Where In The World Party - Join friends and fellow guests in the "Lounge Where You Live" for conversation and a present dinner beverage. Discover who from the Mariner family onboard lives in your neighborhood as we celebrate the corners of the world 🌎.
Our meeting spot was the Observation Lounge. We actually met 2 couples who live in Vero Beach.
Our first speaker was Dr. Sherry Hutt an internationally recognized cultural heritage preservation expert who has served as a college professor, judge, museum trustee, head of the US cultural property repatriation program and adviser to two US presidents.
- The Edible Banana Republic - discover how the humble banana 🍌 changed the course of Costa Rica - Enter the World of the Maya - In Guatemala, enter palaces of Maya rulers and temples to the gods
- Enjoy A Little History of Mexico - be entertained by Mexican history you never learned in school
- Sunny Side Of The Mexican Riviera: Acapulco & Cabo
- Becoming A World Heritage Site - be entertained by Mexican history while enjoying a seaside playground
- Royal History Of Hawaii - enter the glamor age of Honolulu in the venue of celebrities
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| I loved her closing picture! |
Dr. Tom Jones is a former NASA astronaut, scientist, speaker, author, and consultant.
- When Rocks Attack: Defending Earth from Asteroids - the threat posed by rogue asteroids - and what to do about them
- Seeing Earth In A New Way - experience space exploration: blast off, orbit, spacewalk, & reentry
- Space Shuttle Stories - new, first hand astronaut tales highlighting the shuttles 30cyear career
Prof. Michael Sears holds a Bachelor of Science degree from the United States Naval Academy. A veteran of California’s Silicon Valley where he worked in both large and small technology companies.
- Lights, Camera, AI - How Films Shapes Our View Of Artificial Intelligence
- The Singularity - When Will The Robots Take Over? - examine the concept of the singularity, questioning whether we've reached a pivotal point in technological advancement
Lounges
Horizon Lounge
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| Setyabudhi |
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| Chocolate Martini |
Mariner Lounge
Observation Lounge
Pool Bar
Ports / Excursions
Puntarenas, Costa Rica we had visited here before but only to get on and off a ferry.
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| Our view |
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| Our first bridge |
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| Rob loves when I choose excursions high up |
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| You know what happens when you head down, you must come back up |
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| This was our second bridge that had a 20 person max |
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| Rob was thrilled |
Crossing the bridge videos:
It was not that strenuous for me but we did have a participant who probably should not have joined us. Rob did pretty well with the heights.
On the return trip we got to see some monkeys 🐒 🙈 🙊.
Our sister ship The Grandeur was docked next to us.
Puerto Quetzal, Guatemala 🇬🇹 (the size of Ohio) was supposed to be our next port and we had the Colonial Antigua at a Glance excursion booked. We were excited since we had not been to Guatemala before. There was civil unrest and for our safety, we were skipping the port and enjoying an additional sea day.
Acapulco, Mexico 🇲🇽 tourists golden age began mid 20th century, drawing Hollywood stars and jet setters like Frank Sinatra and Elizabeth Taylor, solidifying it's reputation as the "Pearl of the Pacific".
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| Our first view of Acapulco |
For whatever reason we did not have an excursion booked so we decided (stupidly) to walk around on our own.
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| My artistic art 🎨 picture 🖼 |
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| Playa La Angosta |
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| Another artistic picture 📸 |
The reason for the 'stupidity' comment above was because when we returned to the ship we were told it was not safe. The excursions had armed guards escorting them.
So I looked at the State Departments website: Level 4 Do Not Travel
State of Guerrero Do not travel due to terrorism and crime.
"There is a risk of violence in the state from terrorist groups, cartels, gangs and criminal organizations.
Armed groups are active independently of the government in many areas of Guerrero. Members of these groups frequently maintain roadblocks and may use violence towards travelers.
U.S. government employees may not travel to any area in the state of Guerrero, including tourist areas Acapulco, Zihuatanejo, Taxco, and Ixtapa."
I know it's our responsibility to ensure where we are going is safe but I never thought a cruise ship would stop in an unsafe port.
Cabo San Lucas, Mexico 🇲🇽 at the sun-drenched tip of Mexico's Baja California Sur peninsula. Our excursion for this port was Land's End Boat & Cabo View. We returned our tickets in advance in case someone was waitlisted for the excursion. We were meeting our friends, Tom & Teri, who we met in Barcelona in 2023.
In Cabo we had to take a tender into the port. While on the tender the whales 🐋 were in a playful mood. Great show!
A short video of a whale 🐋.
Tom & Teri gave us the grand tour of Cabo & San José.
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| Artesano's Craft Store There was so much I could have purchased for the house I do not have 😁😅😂 |
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| Teri & I |
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| Rob & I |
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| Rob, me, Teri & Tom |
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| View from their condo |
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| The Mariner |
Lunch break delicious 😋 sushi 🍣
We had a great time. Thank you for showing us parts of Cabo we would not have seen.
Oh look the Cabo sign and there were not hundreds of people in front of it like the last time we werre here.
Back on the tender! More pics
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| Dolphin in front of tender |
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| Our next "boat" it even had a helicopter pad |
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| Mariner awaiting our return |
Cabo was one of the shorter port stays that we wished would have been longer.
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| Us waving goodbye to Tom & Teri |
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| The iconic El Arco |
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| Photo credit to Cathy King |
One night we had a a little rough seas, some thought it was really bad but we didn't think it was. Made for a good night's sleep 😴.
Strike a Pose
Sunsets
This portioned covered three ports of call and six sea 🌊 💙 days!
Dates: January 16 - 24, 2026
"Man cannot discover new oceans unless he has the courage to lose sight of the shore.”
