nzdisneymom

Welcome back. Does the Mariner adjust to the local time zones or stay on *shop time*? We sail Sep 3 and wondered for when we go to Bermuda. Was there fresh orange juice available in Windjammers for people with the various drink packages? How was the safety drill check-in? Any suggestions for what not to miss for 1st-time-Mariners?? Thanks again for your review.

Oh yeah, I didn't think about that as I don't associate washing out dishes with a restroom. I need to add a small dish soap to my packing list.

Is there a place to rinse out / wash the freestyle cups? We will be on the Mariner in September and were wondering about this. Also, where are the freestyle machines located for self-serving? Someone mentioned above that the fresh OJ machines had been removed from Windjammer on the Mariner. Is there a place to get fresh OJ in the morning in the Windjammer (is there a bar that would be open for juice)? Part of why we opted for the Refreshment package over the Soda package was the inclusion of fresh juice (and yeah, JR milkshakes, too). Speaking of JR milkshakes, how do you order them if you're not also eating a meal (paying cover)?

We have a tour booked with her early next month. I will come back and post a review. So far she has been responsive to all of our questions.

Because you have not tested before and have some concerns about the process, you can always get a test now so you can see for yourself what the test is like, how long it takes for results, and what the paperwork looks like with your results. There is a NOMI site in Bradenton and one in Port Richey on your side of the state. Might be a little more of a drive than you want. Before things changed on the first of July, we were planning to just use Walgreens. I had a visit with my parents soon so I did a practice run to see how it worked.

@mickeychicky your profile leads me to believe you are in Florida. Depending on where you are in Florida, you can get a free test from the NOMI Health sites (https://nomihealth.com/fl). They do both PCR and Rapid tests that are approved for cruising, and no questions asked about the purpose of the test when you register. I have used them for testing when there were several people in my immediate office who had undiagnosed COVID and were in the workplace (but obviously once they knew they had COVID, they stayed home). The rapid tests have results back in 15-30 minutes and you can download/print the results. The PCR tests take about 36 hours to get results back (in my experience). There is information at the NOMI link if you scroll down towards the bottom that may answer some of your questions/concerns (even those you may not know you have). As for the test itself, like others have described, it's like a long-handled Q-Tip that is placed in your nostril and swabbed for a few seconds, then removed and placed into your other nostril (that part just kinda grosses me out, but it is what it is). When someone else is doing the test for you, they usually have you wear a mask and just pull it down so your nose sticks out, tilt your head slightly back, and they swab you. Some places have you swab yourself under their supervision, just depends on where you go (like Walgreens was drive-up, stay in your car). The NOMI site in our city is walk-up, so you park, then go to the window where they scan your pre-registration code, ask you if you want PCR or Rapid (or both), then they get it ready and send you to the next window. It's all outdoors in a parking lot. I hope this helps. My biggest concern at this point is we sail in 32 days, so I am beginning my extra-vigilance about social distancing again so we still have time that if we are going to get Covid pre-cruise, we have time to get it, get well, and still sail, but it won't be long before we are too close to our sailing date to be sick.

@jamesnnb I noticed the same thing on the app the day before we were supposed to be able to check in (also July 20th). Then after midnight on the 20th, it was all fine. FWIW, I did our check-in on the computer because of needing to enter information like passport numbers which is easier to type on the computer for me than on the phone. But I didn't upload the vaccine cards on the computer; I did that on the app which was pretty easy to do. I took the pictures of the front and back of our cards, cropped them so the background of my desk wasn't showing, and had them ready to upload. We also did not do the boarding photos at the time we did the online check in. You'll need your passport, your emergency contact, and your onboard payment method when you do the check-in.

We called to change from My Time Dining to early dining because even though we were able to make the 6:45 reservations, it was still too late for us. If I had realized that when we booked, I would have selected Early to start with.

You can fill out the request form here: https://www.royalcaribbean.com/resources/guest-special-needs Or email special_needs@rccl.com. Or call and have them note it on your reservation. If you used a travel agent, they can do this for you.

Thank you for the detailed post about your experience with Rapid Test and Trace. We don't sail until September but I've been nearly overwhelmed by the various options for testing. Before things changed the first of July, we were all set to just schedule at Walgreens and be done! But I'd rather save my $$ to spend on something fun on the cruise if I can get the Covid testing for free or minimal cost. We have a couple of NOMI sites in our city, but I want to have some back-up options as well. (And for the previous poster who was concerned about the gov't tests not being sufficient for RTT, I had the same hesitation when I first read the package labeling!)

Since some of you have just recently paid for your TAs, I hope it's okay to jump in and ask this question. When you paid, did you get charged a foreign transaction fee on your card? (I haven't checked our cards to see which ones may not have FTFs but thought I'd ask while it was on my mind.)

We are sailing about two weeks after you, and it will be our first time in Bermuda as well. We are planning to do the Mini-bus tour through RCCL on the full day, and then we have scheduled with Heidi at Bermuda Byways for a shortened version of her usual tour on the 2nd day. While we will cover a lot of the same ground, I'm looking forward to the opportunity to re-visit some of the places we see the first day. This is assuming weather cooperates and we get the full time in port! I would recommend that you continue to check the availability of the Hidden Gems excursion in case people's plans change and you can snag the spots you need. And if you don't have something else already booked, be sure to check with Shore Excursions once on board in case something becomes available. You never know if they have saved some spaces back.

When we were new to cruising, we wanted the extra assurance of booking shore excursions through the cruiseline. Once we had some cruising experience, we became more comfortable booking 3rd party or going out on our own. If it were our family, we would spend the money for the ship sponsored tour this time, but pay attention to details with an eye towards doing our own thing next time.

What did your daughter end up doing?

I was just looking for updates to the Bermuda travel authorisation process and noted it says: For cruise passengers sailing on a Norwegian, Royal Caribbean or Carnival cruise line ship, you will receive an approved green waiver as long as you upload your vaccination card. Your negative COVID-19 test result will be checked at the pier when you board the ship; you do not need to upload it. https://www.gotobermuda.com/travel-requirements/cruise-passenger-travel-authorisation We are going in September so the requirements have already changed from when we booked the cruise earlier this month. I think we will wait until closer to our sailing time before sending our $40 in case it changes again. We are sailing on Royal Caribbean so I am glad at this point we don't have to try to upload our negative Covid-10 test results along with all the other last-minute document checks we do before leaving for the port.

We are scheduled to arrive late one afternoon, spend the whole next day and night, and leave mid-afternoon on the following day. So we've scheduled a ship excursion for the first morning that is a mini-bus tour of the island so we can see the area and hit the highlights. Then in the afternoon we plan to go to the National Museum of Bermuda (https://nmb.bm/) that is right there near the ship. The following morning, we have booked another tour of the island only this time with a local tour guide so we can "re-see" the island from a more personal basis. Of course we're going in September, so who knows if we'll get actually stay the whole scheduled time, or even make it to Bermuda. But we knew we wanted to see more than just the area where the ship docks.

I was recently deciding between the soda package and refreshment package and came across this review of mocktails on RCCL: https://travelmamas.com/royal-caribbean-mocktails-drinks

Thanks for the tip about airplane mode, then connect to RC. I was trying to remember how to best connect to the app without using my data while still at the port.

@Diver2014 thx for taking time from your vacation to respond.

We were wondering if there are any of the lounges or other places onboard the Mariner that offer late-afternoon / pre-dinner, or late night snacks that are included with the cruise (no extra charges/fees). Like chips/salsa, or other light fare. And if so, where have they typically been available? We have sailed other cruise lines that have a light offering in one or two lounges that were included, so we were wondering if the Mariner (or RCCL in general) have this, too.

Thanks @Biker19. I haven't been able to see pricing in the app yet and everything I found online was a little dated. I'm also trying to determine if the shakes at Johnny Rockets will incur the cover-charge (so you can only get them if you're dining in rather than just getting one to "carry out").

We're deciding about getting the Refreshment package instead of just the Soda package. Any idea what the ala-carte pricing is for the non-alcoholic mocktails?

@megsterl here is the link to where you can request a mini fridge, sharps container, indicate cpap (they provide distilled water and extension cord), etc. https://www.royalcaribbean.com/resources/guest-special-needs

Maybe you can eat dinner twice each night, then??

Thanks for the response and ideas. I had that happen at Disney World when I inquired about a GF version of their buttermilk fried chicken - it was basically grilled with a little ranch seasoning. Which was too bad because I used their recipe but just subbed in GF flour at home and it came out really good. Do you know what Sorrento's does for the GF pizza? What brand of crust do they use?