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Radisson Seven Seas Cruises

MS Seven Seas Mariner

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Reviewed by: Michael Bragg
# previous cruises: 10 to 20
Date of Trip: September 20, 2004
Itinerary: Orient

Radisson Seven Seas Cruises provides an upscale travel experience with a fleet of contemporary ships. Our cruise on the 3-year old SEVEN SEAS MARINER was a top-notch, white-gloved experience. Yet for all the billing as being a 5-star + ship, there were a few areas that needed fine-tuning in order to be deserving of all the accolades. Overall, a beautiful, modern ship with a European flair, and a truly enjoyable cruise, but with spotty service levels and an overly-subdued, coma-inducing atmosphere.

The SEVEN SEAS MARINER is a true ship - grand, elegant, swift - it represents the finest in shipbuilding and decor. The color palette used ranges from oranges, reds and yellows to greens, blues and blond woods. Very Scandinavian in design(although built in France and registered in the South Pacific), the MARINER is a true pleasure to look at.

From the 8 deck high atrium with its swift glass elevators to the midnight blue show lounge to the wicker chairs lining the windows on Deck 6, there is a little something for everyone's taste. Stars is the ship's barely-used disco, although the portraits of celebrities from old Hollywood and a grand spiral staircase leading up to the casino make it a must-see. Another cozy spot is the Mariner Lounge on Deck 5, which is the pre-dinner piano bar. However oddly located as it is, it makes for a social atmosphere day & night. Overall, the ship's layout is bothersome. Eventhough she is quite a sizeable ship, it often feels as if there are not many places to escape. And disembarkation in various ports was a zoo. Lines of people snaked around the Deck 5 atrium, while both sets of elevators would get clogged with guests trying to make their way ashore. And this particular cruise was barely even half full! This disorganziation was shocking for a ship of this caliber.

The most disappointing aspect of this cruise was the food and service. From Day 1 when we boarded in Tokyo, many members of the staff seemed bored, irritable and disinterested. In fact, a couple of them were downright rude. From the Filipino server in La Veranda who forbade me from eating my breakfast out on the terrace because it was "too cold out" to the South African waitress (also in La Veranda) who said, "This isn't Starbucks!" to a guest who was ordering an espresso, I was consistently in awe over the sheer disrespect of some of the staff. It was impossible to get a smile from the girls at Reception. Dinners in the Compass Rose Restaurant were chaotic and meals were served by surly waiters. Luckily, our table found some amazing servers who we tried to stick with each evening. Renata and Jerome saved the day with smiles, jokes and recommendations from each menu. The ship's main dining room is the aforementioned Compass Rose. This venue is undoubtedly one of the hippest, most elegant rooms afloat! Unfortunately, service was slow and portions were tiny. Desserts and pastries were dry and flavorless.

Besides the Compass Rose, there are 2 alternative dining rooms - one with French cuisine and one with a world fusion-style. These, too, are stunning venues with more exciting selections than Compass Rose. One of these alternative spots was turned into a "Roadside Diner" during the last week of th cruise. Appalingly bad, Europeans should not try to mimic classic American diner food - EVER! La Veranda on Deck 11 is open for breakfast buffets and lunch. Each day on the pool deck, a different themed lunch buffet was also offered, the quality of which was completely hit-or-miss.

different themed lunch buffet was also offered, the quality of which was completely hit-or-miss. Cabins : The SEVEN SEAS MARINER is known as the first all-suite, all-balcony ship. This ship doesn't just have staterooms - it has stately suites that are beyond compare. Decorated in lively colors of bright reds, blues, greens and rust, the suites are surprisingly contemporary, roomy and all-out fabulous! With a true walk-in closet, marble bathroom, mini-bar and a plethora of storage space, these are the ultimate accomodations for lengthy voyages around the world. It was way too easy to never leave your suite - and I might not have, except when each exotic Asian port beckoned.

This is one of the least lively ships I have ever been on! The passengers, which consists mainly of seniors, all go to bed right after dinner. Therefore, any sense of civilization was non-existent after 10:30pm. The public rooms sat empty and the ship's corridors were a virtual ghost town. Being a night owl, the only entertainment I could find late was Club.com, the MARINER's Internet room. The various shows on board were poorly attended for the most part, with the exception of a packed night of Liar's Club. There is a production team onboard who perform Broadway-style shows every few nights in the 2-story show lounge. These were quite good, although we didn't get to see the Beatles-themed production, as it was cancelled on our cruise due to a new cast who came onboard unprepared. On the nights with no main show, variety acts performed, such as a female duo who played the piano and sang opera, and a comedic storyteller who, frankly, was not that great. Despite an annoying Scottish Cruise Director and his equally fake wife, who was the Assistant Cruise Director, the cruise staff were fine, organizing various activities like BINGO, bacchi and paddletennis.

This was a port-intensive Asian itinerary with only 3 sea days out of the 14 days onboard. After embarking in Tokyo, we overnighted in Osaka and then spent a rainy day in Hiroshima. After crossing the Yellow Sea into China, we docked for a day in Dalian, overnighted in Tianjin(Beijing), spent two days docked in Shanghai and then spent another two days docked in Hong Kong, which is where we disembarked. The ports were incredible - especially the fabulous Shanghai whose traditional Chinese neighborhoods are dwarfed in the shadow of a raging nightlife and eclectic, modern superstructures. Actitivies onboard were kept to a minimum. This can likely be attributed to the advanced age of most of the guests, as well as all of the time spent docked in the various ports. There were always spots available at the pool, in the fitness center, in the spa and in practically every location on the ship.

Radisson's upscale, pricey product is geared towards an affluent, well-heeled guest list who's average age is probably 65 and above. These are guests who have been all over the world and enjoy trying to one-up each other with their tales of various cruises. Passengers mainly seemed to keep to themselves and were extremely civilized, if a bit gaudy. I do know that the summer cruises in Alaska have a younger group of sailors and tend to slightly liven up the ship.