This was my first cruise with Regent May 2014. The Mariner was very well maintained, our suite was very nicely updated and very clean (We were told that the ship just had the rooms renovated - it showed). The bathroom was all tile and marble - we did not have a tub but a full shower with a marble bench which was very roomy for a ship. The service was very fine and understated - we really liked the butler service. The food on the ship for the most part was good. I thought the Italian restaurant was actually the best restaurant but, by and large, they were all decent with a lot of variety and consistant decent quality. None of the meals were memorable one way or another but they were all served very professionally. The wines offered were all enjoyable and plentiful.

The shore excursions were poor considering the quality of the rest of the experience. I would think that people who pay for the Regent experience would want something different that what they would get on a low end cruise. More bespoke and well thought out than what was offered and certainly not a tour that ends up in a Turkish Rug store with a high pressure sales pitch (evryine on board was talking about how tacky that was).

I would cruise with Regent again. The small ship never seemed crowded, food was fine, service was good and the employees genuinely seemed happy. While the excursions were crappy its not a deal killer. I'll just arrange my own next time.