Mariner of the Seas Review, April 7th – 14th, 2013 sailing

This was my first cruise in over 30 years, so this review is from a newbie perspective. I am 49 and my BF is 50, so I guess you can say we are “mature”, but we are definitely young at heart and like to have a good time. We had three days at sea followed by docking in Roatan on Wednesday, tendering in Belize on Thursday, docking in Cozumel on Friday, then one last sea day on Saturday as we sailed back to Galveston.

I decided to break the review down into sub-topics. We were too busy having fun and enjoying the meals to take enough pictures, but I will add some whenever I can. Feel free to add your comments or questions. I suspect it will take me a few days to get the entire review posted, so be patient please.

Embarkation

Being from Texas, we drove in Saturday night and stayed at an inexpensive hotel in nearby Texas City. We arrived at the Port in Galveston at around 10:45 am. I dropped my BF off at the terminal with the luggage. He found a porter to take our luggage while I parked at Park N Cruise across from the terminal. At Park N Cruise I was greeted by a lady that instructed me where to park and then was shuttled in a golf cart to the corner by a very nice gentleman. I thought we had arrived early, but the guy driving the golf cart told me they had people showing up at 9:00 that morning and the first couple lots were already full.

Once I joined my BF at the terminal, we proceeded to check-in. Lines moved pretty quickly and the only confusion we had was after going through security there was a table with a sign to check in your alcohol. There was a couple at the table asking about their wine. The lady said “I don’t know what they do with it or if you get it back once on ship, I’m only to take it”. I brought two bottles of wine as allowed and wasn’t about to lose it, so I simply by-passed the table. We were checked-in and sitting comfortably in the waiting area by 11:30. At about 11:45, they started calling for priority boarding. We had group number five and were on the ship and eating lunch in the Windjammer by 12:30.

Cabins

We were assigned to cabin 2578, an outside stateroom close to mid-ship. Although the cabin was small (as I expected), I was quite surprised that we did not feel cramped. There was plenty of space in the closet to for our items that needed to be hung, and shelves in the closet for our folded clothes. There were also plenty of drawers in the living area and shelves behind the mirrors in the bathroom and living area. We slid our suitcases under the bed, and we were able to keep everything tidy and out of the way. One tip that I found very useful was I purchased a folding drawer organizer at the dollar store and placed this on the counter top in the living area. We threw all our loose items in there and it helped to keep the clutter off of the counter top and we knew where to look for the odd smaller items that always seem to get lost. I loved that the counter area doubled as a dressing area. I was able to put do my hair and make-up while the BF was showering and we were able to stay out of each other’s way while getting ready.

We had booked a guaranteed Oceanview stateroom, so I was a little unsure when we were assigned our room and I discovered its location on the deck plans. I could see a big white space next to us, and I knew this wasn't cabin space. We were across from the Ice Skating rink, so I was a little worried that the space next to us was a storage closet, dressing room for the show, or even an ice rink maintenance area, and would therefore be loud at undesirable times. It ended up actually being a hallway, but it was corded off right past our room and for staff only. I did see carts in that area, but nothing that cause concern for noise. On a few afternoons, I heard music coming from the rink, but again, it wasn't anything very loud and didn't keep me from napping or otherwise relaxing in the room.

Our room attendant was Celso. At first, I wasn't overly impressed. We didn't see him at all until we were leaving our room the second day. A part of that was probably our doing though, as we put the Do Not Disturb sign out when we had a nap before dinner on the first day, and we weren't in the room much prior to that. The next day when we did meet him, he said they had worked a 14 hour day on Sunday and had gotten off work early (8 PM) because of that, and that he was sorry he missed us. After that, he we did see him several times and he was always friendly. Even if we passed by another cabin that he was cleaning on our way out, he would tell us to have a good day when we passed the room. After a couple of days, we had ordered some ice to our room. Once we had the ice bucket, Celso always kept it filled for us, even though we never asked. We really appreciated that. And like everyone else, we always liked the towel animals that he left.

Thanks for doing a review. I'm glad you had a good cruise.

Dining

We had the My Time Dining for dinner and really enjoyed having the flexibility of choosing our dinner time depending on the itinerary and activities. We still had the same waiters (Rudolfo and John) every night, and always sat near the window which offered excellent sunset views. We had considered making reservations for the specialty dining, but found we didn’t feel it was necessary as we really enjoyed the food in the main dining room. There was a nice selection every night. Although we don’t consider ourselves foodies, we both really enjoyed the meals. Our waiters were amazing. Rudolfo often brought us extra plates of appetizers, entrée’s, or desserts, even though we didn’t ask for them. John made sure we were promptly brought our bread offerings, our water glasses were never empty, and he quickly cleared our plates once we were finished. I thought the bar service was a bit slow, but the bar server seemed to be spread out over a larger area, so I understood.

We ate most of the other meals at the Windjammer. We found they had a great selection and the food was fresh and of good quality, no matter what the time of day it was. We did have a lunch at Johnny Rockets. While it wasn’t the best burger I’ve had (I LOVE BURGERS BTW), it was okay. My BF ordered a rootbeer float which he said was delicious. We also split onion rings and French fries. The onion rings were pretty good while the fries were pretty average. The waiters did get up and do a little dance that was cute. I had gone to the restroom and couldn’t get back to my table until they were done.

While hanging out by the pool, we enjoyed the Dog House and the self-serve frozen yogurt. The Dog House had several varieties of hot dogs. All the ones we tried were pretty good. We would also grab an occasional small sandwich from the Promenade Café if we found ourselves needing something to tie us over until the next meal or a light snack.

We ordered room service many times. On one of port days, we had ordered breakfast in the morning to eat while getting ready, and we ordered room service late at night several times. There is a charge if you order room service between midnight and 5:00 am, but we always managed to get our orders in before midnight. And for breakfast they have a door hanger in which you place your order the night before. We were very happy with the food we got from room service. My BF loved the flounder, and my favorite was the turkey panini. The only thing on the room service menu that we didn’t like was the pizza. It was very bland and left little to desire.

We were in connecting rooms on Mariner in March. Celso was our room attendant for one room and someone else (whose name I don't remember) was for the other. Still remember Celso -he was great!

Premium Alcohol Package

We purchased the Premium Alcohol package and I’m glad we did. It was wonderful to be able to order whatever we wanted, whenever we wanted, and not to have to worry about keeping track of the bill, having sticker shock if we didn’t, or having to be the one to say that we can’t have any more drinks. My BF mostly likes to drink rum and coke and that would have added up quickly. I liked my frozen drinks during the day, and to be able to have wine at night, with an occasional frozen drink or beer thrown in. I didn’t mind the house wine (Berringer White Zinfandel was my preferenc), but that could be an issue for others with a more sophisticated palate. Occasionally I’d try something new. I don’t think I drank my $55 worth every single day, but between my BF and I, I think it all evened out in the end. Even if we didn’t, it was worth it to not stress about it. And no, you don’t have to get wasted to break even on the package.

There wasn’t anything that we tried to order that we were told wasn’t on the package. I felt as if we were served just as well as those that didn’t have the package. As a matter of fact, there was one bartender (Ivan, who mostly worked in the Lotus lounge) that really went out of his way for us. He knew his liquor, and was making suggestions and giving my BF various liquors to try. Some of the liquors were very high end. He also gave me one of the nice glasses (not the cheap drink of the day ones) to keep. We made sure to tip him extra at the end of the cruise.

A couple times we were given a receipt with $0.00 charge on it. I think they may have been fishing for an additional tip, but it could have just been someone that was still learning the new program. When they did this, I simply said “I have the drink package, you don’t need my signature do you?”. They would always reply “no”, and acted as though they had made an error. You do need to watch your folio though. I checked mine daily from the TV in the room and did find a couple drink charges. A swing by the guest services desk quickly cleared it off our account.

Thanks for taking the time! Looking fwd to more as it will be my "pre-cruise anxiety" relief :p

Two weeks to go!! :D:cool:

Hey Cindy...wish we could've gotten together on the cruise.

You're doing a good job...hope we can cruise together again some time.

Hey Cindy...wish we could've gotten together on the cruise.

You're doing a good job...hope we can cruise together again some time.

Yeah, sorry we didn't get to meet you. Time had gotten away from us on the first day and we missed CC meeting onMonday morning. The only persons from our roll call that I met was Sharon (BigHairedTexan), who was on the Cozumel excursion with us, and Lynn (SRV Fan) who I saw at Bingo.

We do plan to cruise RCI again, so its possible we'll have another chance to meet! :)

Ports

Roatan, Honduras

I had booked a Zip and Dip excursion directly with South Shore Adventures, and were quite pleased. The zip lines were a lot of fun. I think there were 14 of them. The guides were great and safety was emphasized. There were also two cables for all the line. Although I have a fear of heights, I was surprised that I was never afraid while doing the zip line. They have a photographer taking pictures of you and offer the pictures when you are done. We got a CD of all the pictures of both of us for only $10. Compared to the prices of the pictures on the ship, I thought that was a good deal. There were also monkey's hanging around that we could get our picture with. They were cute and fun, and I later learned, very common on the island.

After the zip-lining, Edward from South Shore drove us to Foster’s Resort at West End beach. There was a restaurant under a palapa there, and they gave us a free drink coupon. So we ordered our lunch there. It is very close to the beach and we had an excellent view of the ocean while we ate. While I was standing in line at the restroom to change into my swim suit, I was approached by a man that said there were more rest rooms on the other side, and then took me over to a building that was turned out to be an office. I then found out that the gentleman was Foster himself. There was someone in the restroom, so he offered me his chair at his desk. As I waited, we chatted and I learned that the property had been in his family for over 200 years and he developed the resort over 30 years ago. He was very friendly and nice and I enjoyed the conversation.

After lunch, my BF and I walked down the beach. There were two ladies giving massages under the shade of palm trees, so we decided to do that. For $30, we both got 60 minute massages. And they were some of the best massages we’ve ever had. I’d dare to compare them to the expensive massages you’d get from the spa on the ship. Next to the massage area were a couple guys selling three beers for $5 USD. What a deal!

After the massages and beers, we continued down the beach to Bananarama Beach Bar. They had swinging chairs there that were a lot of fun. My BF paid the security guy that was standing nearby (I think he worked next door for Thirsty Turtle) $5 to watch our backpack, and we went swimming in the beautiful clear blue water. It was a bit chilly for my taste, but once I made it in, it was very refreshing and fun. You could see the fishies swimming around you. Then we headed back to Fosters to meet up with the group and head back to the ship. It was a great day with a perfect mix of adventure and relaxation, and made Roatan was one of my favorite ports.

Premium Alcohol Package

We purchased the Premium Alcohol package and I’m glad we did. It was wonderful to be able to order whatever we wanted, whenever we wanted, and not to have to worry about keeping track of the bill, having sticker shock if we didn’t, or having to be the one to say that we can’t have any more drinks. My BF mostly likes to drink rum and coke and that would have added up quickly. I liked my frozen drinks during the day, and to be able to have wine at night, with an occasional frozen drink or beer thrown in. I didn’t mind the house wine (Berringer White Zinfandel was my preferenc), but that could be an issue for others with a more sophisticated palate. Occasionally I’d try something new. I don’t think I drank my $55 worth every single day, but between my BF and I, I think it all evened out in the end. Even if we didn’t, it was worth it to not stress about it. And no, you don’t have to get wasted to break even on the package.

 

There wasn’t anything that we tried to order that we were told wasn’t on the package. I felt as if we were served just as well as those that didn’t have the package. As a matter of fact, there was one bartender (Ivan, who mostly worked in the Lotus lounge) that really went out of his way for us. He knew his liquor, and was making suggestions and giving my BF various liquors to try. Some of the liquors were very high end. He also gave me one of the nice glasses (not the cheap drink of the day ones) to keep. We made sure to tip him extra at the end of the cruise.

 

A couple times we were given a receipt with $0.00 charge on it. I think they may have been fishing for an additional tip, but it could have just been someone that was still learning the new program. When they did this, I simply said “I have the drink package, you don’t need my signature do you?”. They would always reply “no”, and acted as though they had made an error. You do need to watch your folio though. I checked mine daily from the TV in the room and did find a couple drink charges. A swing by the guest services desk quickly cleared it off our account.

This is great information to know, my wife and I are highly considering this package and it good to hear from recent travelers how it is working out for them and to hear that RCCL is taking care of mistaken charges without hassle or question. Thanks for the great info and pictures from the review, i really enjoyed it.

Ports

Belize City, Belize

I was a bit disappointed in Belize, but I think it was mostly my doing. With three port days in a row, I thought it would nice to have the second day be a more relaxing day with no scheduled excursions. I had done a little bit of research and found a restaurant that was recommended and thought we would go there for lunch. And since my BF is a fan of rum, I thought it would be fun to go to the rum factory and do the tour after lunch.

Belize is a tendered port, and I knew there would be a rush to the tenders in the morning for those with shore excursions, so we slept in, took our time getting ready, and then headed to the tenders around 11:00.

We got on a tender right away and rode to the pier. I think we were told the ship anchors five miles from shore. I didn’t time the ride, but it seemed to take a long time. In reality, it was probably about ten or fifteen minutes. Once we arrived, we walked through Town Center toward the gate to get a cab. While we were looking at the map, we were approached by a man asking if he could help us. I asked where I could get a cab and he pointed to the logo on his shirt that said Taxi, Tour Guides, etc. We told him we wanted to go to Bird Isle restaurant and we followed him to meet up with his driver, Leonard. Turns out the guy we met at the map was Vincent Caliz of Team Vincent Belize. I had read many good reviews about his company on Trip Advisor, so I felt safe and comfortable with him. We negotiated a fare of $35 to take us to lunch, the rum factory, and back with Leonard staying with us the entire time.

We first went to Birds Isle Restaurant. I had read good reviews about this restaurant here on Cruise Critic, as well as on Trip Advisor, and liked the fact that it was on the island point with views. As we first approached, you couldn’t really see the restaurant, and it was looking sketchy. But that is because you approach from the back side and the restaurant faces the ocean. We selected a table under the shade that provided a great view of the ocean. We were quickly greeted and given menus and had our drink orders taken. My BF and Leonard really enjoyed their food. I don’t eat seafood, so ordered rice & beans with pork and a salad. I was expecting a pork chop, but instead got something that looked like pork chop meat, but in a different shape. I didn’t like it very well, so only ate a few bites of the meat. The rest of my meal was good. Later, my BF told me he thought the pork I got was pig snout. Yuck…no wonder I didn’t like it! Other than the pork incident, we enjoyed our lunch. It was nice chatting with Leonard as well as he shared his stories about the city and life in Belize.

Next Leonard took us to the One Barrel Rum factory. This is where my disappointment really set in. All we could access was the liquor store where they sold the liquor and wine they made. There was no factory tour. At the liquor store, you had to pay $1.00 for each sample you wanted to taste. They didn’t have anything that particularly impressed us, but my BF bought a pint of their 5 year rum anyways. I think he did it more out of obligation because we made the trip there for him than anything else.

Then we headed back to the port. As agreed, we paid Leonard the $35 plus a $5 tip. We thought Leonard did a good job and what we had asked. Knowing what I now know about Belize, I think the best thing about the city are the cayes and the reef. And to get the most out of it, you really should book a tour where you either snorkel or scuba dive, or take a water taxi to a beach on one of the cayes. The city itself doesn’t have much to offer.

We did spend a little time in the town center. I paid $15 to get my hair French braided. We picked up some souvenirs to bring home from the shops in port, and had a local beer at the Wet Lizard before taking the tender back to the ship.

A view of the ship as we are riding on the tender to port

I thought this was very appropriate for my BF :-)

A view from our table while eating lunch at Birds Isle

My lunch plate of rice and beans with "pork"

A sculpture we passed driving through town

Ports

Roatan, Honduras

I had booked a Zip and Dip excursion directly with South Shore Adventures, and were quite pleased. The zip lines were a lot of fun. I think there were 14 of them. The guides were great and safety was emphasized. There were also two cables for all the line. Although I have a fear of heights, I was surprised that I was never afraid while doing the zip line. They have a photographer taking pictures of you and offer the pictures when you are done. We got a CD of all the pictures of both of us for only $10. Compared to the prices of the pictures on the ship, I thought that was a good deal. There were also monkey's hanging around that we could get our picture with. They were cute and fun, and I later learned, very common on the island.

 

After the zip-lining, Edward from South Shore drove us to Foster’s Resort at West End beach. There was a restaurant under a palapa there, and they gave us a free drink coupon. So we ordered our lunch there. It is very close to the beach and we had an excellent view of the ocean while we ate. While I was standing in line at the restroom to change into my swim suit, I was approached by a man that said there were more rest rooms on the other side, and then took me over to a building that was turned out to be an office. I then found out that the gentleman was Foster himself. There was someone in the restroom, so he offered me his chair at his desk. As I waited, we chatted and I learned that the property had been in his family for over 200 years and he developed the resort over 30 years ago. He was very friendly and nice and I enjoyed the conversation.

 

After lunch, my BF and I walked down the beach. There were two ladies giving massages under the shade of palm trees, so we decided to do that. For $30, we both got 60 minute massages. And they were some of the best massages we’ve ever had. I’d dare to compare them to the expensive massages you’d get from the spa on the ship. Next to the massage area were a couple guys selling three beers for $5 USD. What a deal!

 

 

After the massages and beers, we continued down the beach to Bananarama Beach Bar. They had swinging chairs there that were a lot of fun. My BF paid the security guy that was standing nearby (I think he worked next door for Thirsty Turtle) $5 to watch our backpack, and we went swimming in the beautiful clear blue water. It was a bit chilly for my taste, but once I made it in, it was very refreshing and fun. You could see the fishies swimming around you. Then we headed back to Fosters to meet up with the group and head back to the ship. It was a great day with a perfect mix of adventure and relaxation, and made Roatan was one of my favorite ports.

Oops - I cleaned up my photobucket account and accidentally broke my links to the last two pictures, so I'm posting here again.

Ports

Cozumel, Mexico

The day we arrived in Cozumel, there were six other ships in port, including the magnificent Allure of the Sea’s that was docked right next to us. We had booked an excursion with The Cozumel Bar Hop. They take you to four unique beach bars on the ocean side of Cozumel, where it is mostly undeveloped (no electricity even), with no crowds, and stretches of unspoiled beaches.

We were to meet our tour guide at the Starbucks downtown and we were told it was only a seven minute cab ride. We debarked 30 minutes early, only to find a very, very, long line for the taxi’s. I think it took us about 45 minutes just to get through the line. Once we arrived at Starbucks, we learned the bus had left without us, but fortunately, it was still nearby. They were called and they swung by and picked us up on the way out. Whew – we barely made it!

The bus took us to Punta Morena, Coconuts, Playa Bonita, and Rasta’s. We had a specialty welcome shot as we arrived at each bar. They were not very strong, and I was surprised I liked them all. We had enough time at each place to order food and drinks with extra time to explore the beach area. But not so much time where you were ready to leave before it was time. Even if you don’t drink I would recommend this tour. The beaches were beautiful, and the food that we ordered was all very tasty. It was nice to get away from the crowds and the usual tourist area as well. They even played fun music on the bus while driving and it was a great atmosphere for all.

They got us back to port with plenty of time to spare. There were long lines for security getting back on the ship, but they moved pretty quickly.

Just chilling at Punta Morena

Punta Morena Beach

Iguana's at Punta Morena

Beach view at Playa Bonita

This was written on the wall at Playa Bonita. I couldn't have said it better.

Have a few more pictures to post from the Cozumel excursion...

Our HUGE margarita from Playa Bonita. Its not quite as big as the picture makes it look. The angle of the camera gave it the perspective that its as wide as my BF's shoulders. It was still quite big though!

The best seafood soup from Playa Bonita

The beach at Rasta's

With Rasta's famous coconut shrimp

The Chapel at Rasta's

Our map/route on the bus

Daytime Activities

Although there were plenty of scheduled activities on the ship, we did not attend many of them. During the day, we spent a lot of time relaxing, mostly in the Solarium area. While I enjoyed basking in the sun on a lounger with a pina colada, my BF enjoyed the hot tub and pool. The pool was filled with salt water, and it made it very easy to float in. We spent several afternoons in the Solarium, and only once did I see any kids in the water or hanging in the area. That occurred on the first afternoon, and after politely telling her the area was for adults only, she left, never to be seen again.

BF floating in the Solarium pool

Solarium Hot Tub (one of two)

We did go to the main pool and hot tub area one afternoon and was entertained by the activities there. We watched the Belly Flop contest, a water volleyball game, line dancing lessons, and an ice carving demonstration. It seemed there was always something going on in that area.

The ice carver and his Portuguese Flying Fish he carved

One afternoon, we decided to play bingo. In this particular session, they played four games, and on the last game the winner won a free cruise. I enjoy playing bingo at home, so thought I’d give it a shot. I thought the bingo cards were overpriced compared to what I pay at home, but it was fun. They have you stand up when you get down to one number, so everyone knew who was getting close. You could get one computer with 33 cards plus a sheet of three paper cards for $55. They also offered paper cards for around $30 for 12 cards. I could be wrong on that though, as I didn’t purchase the paper package.

Evening Activities

I was surprised that I wasn’t particularly impressed with the evening bars. We had stopped by the disco Dragon’s Lair a couple times, but there was never much of a crowd or dancing going on. I do realize we may have just stopped by before the crowds picked up though. At the Schooner Piano Bar, they had Phil Anderson, who seemed to be very talented, but the environment and atmosphere wasn’t very lively. It was seemed to be a much older crowd, just sitting around listening to Phil. We aren’t exactly spring chickens, but we felt like we were at a retirement home or something. At the Wig and Gavel Pub they had Robert Bruce, who was another one-man show. He was pretty good, but was squished in a corner and seemed to be more background music than anything else. At Bolero’s, there always seemed to be a fun crowd with lots of dancing going on, but we never managed to stop to hang out there. The only time we made it to Ellington’s Lounge was just as they had finished karaoke, and everyone left, so I can’t really say much, except that the people leaving seemed to be having a great time.

We did see the two production shows, two comedy shows, and the ice skating show. Overall, I was pretty impressed with those. For the production shows starring the Royal Caribbean singers and dancers, you could see that a lot of work went into not only the talent, but the costumes and set design as well. I do have to say that I enjoyed them more than my BF did, but I’ve always enjoyed that kind of thing more than him. The ice show was great. A few times I had to close my eyes afraid that they were going to fall and get hurt on a jump. The two comedians were pretty good as well, and we found ourselves chuckling quite a bit.

They also had entertainment in the Royal Promenade area at night. We happen to be there for 70’s night, and had a blast. The Royal Caribbean singers get on the overhead bridge and sing 70’s songs while the crowd dances and sings along below. Then Steve and Cuddy (the cruise and activities directors) joined them with other staff dressed as the Village People. It was very funny and quite entertaining. It ended with a conga line with Steve leading the way through the Promenade, up the stairs, over the bridge, and back out into the Promenade. There was lots of audience participation and one of my favorite nights.

The Royal Promenade in the evening had a completely different feel during the day. This pic was before the entertainment activities started there.

My BF is not a gambler, but I enjoy craps, so he went with me to the casino several times. When I play, I only play with money I expect to lose, and look at it as the price of entertainment, so I was not disappointed when I didn’t leave with a pocket full of cash. :eek: I did however, play several craps sessions and did pretty well on most of them where I was able to play with $100 for several hours. We threw a few dollars in the slot and poker machines too, lasting longer some times than others. My only real complaint is that in craps you can only have single odds, so that really limits your opportunities to come out a big winner. Even so, I enjoyed my time in the casino, and have two friends that I met on the cruise did win. One won over $2,000, and the other won over $4,000, both on the slots.

I love reading your review and we also had a blast at 70's night with the crew staff!

Thanks for doing a review. I'm glad you had a good cruise.

You are welcome - thanks for reading it! :)

This is great information to know, my wife and I are highly considering this package and it good to hear from recent travelers how it is working out for them and to hear that RCCL is taking care of mistaken charges without hassle or question. Thanks for the great info and pictures from the review, i really enjoyed it.

I'm gllad you found it helpful. If I can answer any questions, just let me know.

I love reading your review and we also had a blast at 70's night with the crew staff!

Thanks for reading my review! I took a short video on my phone of them dancing the to the Village People, I will try to get that posted as well. I think I only have a few more posts, then I'll finally be done.