theotherchad

Yes, I wanted to mention this, that the length of the cruise is a huge factor completely independently of the cruise line or embarkation port, but I didn't want my initial post to be too wordy. So, given that these are similar length cruises, what are the differences that you note?

Oh, I can assure you, Jimmy's heirs have a corporate structure in place to make sure that Jimmy (or at least his bank account) lives forever. 😁 Strangely, as much as I am fully aware that the Margaritaville brand is just that, a brand, and an overpriced brand at that, I am still a little bit of a Parrothead, and I enjoy stopping into the portside locations.

Since Cruise Critic's boards are probably the best place on the web to crowdsource information, I am curious about something. My wife, family and friends have always and only sailed out of our closest cruise port in Galveston, so our experience is limited. So for those of you who have sailed from multiple ports, do you notice any significant difference in the crowd demographics and general passenger vibe between different ports within the US and internationally? I have heard that the general passenger mix sailing out of our Texas port tends to be friendlier, and maybe a bit less likely to dress up in the evenings than those sailing out of some other ports. What is your experience?

I understand your frustration, but at the same time, I'm sure those people who are relaxing and enjoying the cool water are thinking "who is this dude banging into everybody trying to swim laps while we're just chilling listening to the pool band? Somebody help this guy learn how to Google the word 'vacation'. " 😁 There are frustrating things we all deal with, but their frustrations are no less valid than your own. I would guess you'd have better luck on a cruise line that was less oriented towards party/family. RCCL and Carnival pools are definitely more oriented that way. It's not a good thing or a bad thing. It's just a thing.

I see a number of folks wondering if this is going to be a "free" option like Perfect Day or Labadee. There is no way this would ever happen in Cozumel. The local government and tourism boards would not be praising something that would essentially have a major negative impact on Paradise Beach, Mr. Sanchos, Nachi Cocom, etc. This is a new beach resort just like the existing ones, except owned by Royal Caribbean, and by the way, they own a bunch of other businesses at every port you stop at. Not to mention the fact that to be like the private islands, they would have to build a new cruise dock. Not gonna happen, given the enormous investment they already have at the existing port facility.

No offense, but for those who choose to cruise to Caribbean destinations, your view is decidedly in the minority. A lot of people love the beach over just about any other place to be. Of course the other factor is that many of the folks sailing the Caribbean are not on an Oasis or Icon class ships. Personally, I love the ships too, but I also love the sand and the sea up close.

That article contained no facts. One statistic about fecal matter, no info about chlorination or regular maintenance. It was nonsense.

Legionella can't grow in chlorinated water, at least not the relatively high level of chlorination found on cruise ship hot tubs.

This is incorrect. They are drained every single night, then refilled with hyper-chlorinated water (a level of chlorine not safe for humans to soak in) which runs through the system thoroughly, then drained again and refilled with the standard level of chlorine.

We have continued to receive excellent customer service.

We're happy with RCCL. It is true that they have raised prices, but prices everywhere (food, gas, building materials, housing, hotels, pretty much everything) have also increased tremendously. I have been cruising with them for close to two decades and I have not noticed a significant drop off in food quality and definitely not in service. Also, it would be insane not to note two things. 1) The prices they are charging don't seem to prevent them from filling the ships. This is not gouging, this is charging what the market will bear. It is still cheaper than flight, hotel, paying for every mean and every entertainment option on land, etc. 2) Does anyone have any idea how much money they have to make up for given the tremendous impact of the COVID shutdown? It was billions. YMMV. It's all in your attitude. I find that if you are looking for stuff to complain about, you'll find it.

Is that for the room, assuming double occupancy, or per person?

It's always nice to see an honest comparison. You are far from the first person to note that Carnival's burgers, fries and pizza (and sometimes desserts) beat RCCL hands down. The biggest factor that skews a perception though can be the crowd onboard, and that varies as much with the length of the itinerary as it does with the cruise line or the ship. The shorter the cruise, the younger and rowdier the crowd, in general. 7 day cruises are the most even, between young, old, the ones who dress up and the ones who definitely do not, etc. 5 Day cruises aren't too different, but go down to a 4 or a 3 day? It's gonna be a party. That can be seen as a positive, "hey everybody is dancing and drinking having a good time" or a negative, "what a drunkfest that was." In contrast, cruises longer than 7 day tend to skew MUCH older. Not that there aren't younger cruisers on those sailings, but they are in the minority.

Thank you!

I did all that, but the info wasn't specific. Thanks though! I do appreciate the efforts to help. I found the info I was looking for through some recent Cruise Compasses that were searchable.

I was able to find a couple of Cruise Compasses from the last couple of months. They were both 5 day sailings and ours will be a 7 day, so there may be minor differences, but the info gives me a good idea of what to expect. For others who may be curious about the live music aboard, it seems that the only change since our last Mariner sailing is that they don't have live music in the Star Lounge, except for a big band show by the ship's orchestra. Live music for dancing in the evenings is mostly centered at Bolero's, with events on the pool deck and the Royal Promenade, plus the Pub singer and of course, the obligatory Caribbean band on the pool deck, which by the way, I love!

How so? I haven't seen it, but I'm curious.

You are so correct. I find the quality of the bands, singers and dancers to be all over the map from cruise to cruise. Our last sailing on Allure, there was a pop/rock band (wish I could remember the band name) who were absolutely fantastic with a male and a female vocalist who were on another level from most cruise ship bands I've seen. Even though the quality is uneven, I have always managed to find someone who was really good even if some were not up to the same standard.

Thank you! That should have all the info I need!

Any notes on live music onboard other than in the main theater?

Thanks so much for the review and the pics! We'll be sailing on the Mariner in May on the first cruise after she moves to Galveston. Just a couple of questions. Other than the pub singer you noted, what other live entertainment is there aboard? Is there a band at Boleros? The Star Lounge? Deck Parties, etc? Thanks again for all the info you've already provided. We haven't sailed on Mariner for nearly a decade so i know some things have changed.

Although I did think it was a bit too long, Mamma Mia on Allure was the best I've seen in the regular theater, and it was good overall, but what made it great was the lead actress. Her voice was amazing! The aqua show on last May's sailing of the Allure was the best show on a ship I've ever seen period. I was not bored for a single second.

This doesn't work. For whatever reason, the current cruise daily activity and entertainment tabs are not showing any shows or music, just casino activities and other info that's readily available. Is there anyone out there who has sailed Mariner within the last few months?

Thanks for posting this, I appreciate it, but this Youtuber was pretty light on the details. He did answer a couple of the questions I had, but he also spent half of the 8 minute video expressing his dislike of cruise ship comedians, etc. I do typically do quite a bit of Youtube "research" before a cruise, but I'm not getting the info I'm most interested in. It can be hit or miss, depending on the Youtuber and how recent the video is. One thing in particular that I'm interested in hearing (preferably from someone who has sailed this ship within the last 3-4 months) is about live music and bands on the ship. I noted in the description of the Lounge on the opposite end of the Royal Promenade from the MDR, that they mentioned events and trivia, but not live music. In the past, there were often bands playing there in the evening and I wondered if that has changed. Thanks again for the reply, I do appreciate it.

Our upcoming cruise is all that shows on the app. There is some general information, but I can't find a search function. Even on the full PC website, I'm not aware of any entertainment info specific to a particular ship and sailing. They just show the venues and not the specific performers or shows. I'm looking for info from people who have sailed on this ship recently. Thanks for the reply, though, I appreciate it.