Mariner of the Seas Review : 12/6 - 12/13

[Jasperdo]

Thanks for the detailed review! I always enjoy reading about other cruisers experiences.

 

Can you please confirm if the Wig & Gavel is now a non-smoking pub? I have seen some posts suggesting that it has been changed since we were onboard last August. Do you know if the rumors are true? Thank you!

I can't say for sure one way or the other. We just walked past the Wig & Gavel along the Royal Promenade. We never went into it in the evening when the singer was there. I do remember the place being packed, though.

[sonoma03]

I wonder if you can answer my question. I'm booked on MOS this fall and I will be going with a few friends. We all enjoy partner dancing: ballroom, Latin, swing, nightclub 2-step, etc. I was wondering if there are any decent places to dance that have a reasonably large dance floor. A lot of ships only have tiny little floors that get very crowded with only a few couples, especially if you are moving around as one typically does with couple dances vs. just standing mostly in place as people do when freestyle dancing. It seems that the most likely places for us to dance would be the Lotus Lounge or Bolero; the disco usually plays the same pounding techno stuff all night long which is very boring for partner dancing, not to mention being too loud for my taste. I haven't seen any good pictures of the dance floors in either the Lotus Lounge or Bolero. Do you remember what they are like? Do they have dancing in the Lotus Lounge in the evenings or do they end up using it for shows?

 

Also, do they allow smoking in the lounges?

 

Thanks!

[sjb317]

I wonder if you can answer my question. I'm booked on MOS this fall and I will be going with a few friends. We all enjoy partner dancing: ballroom, Latin, swing, nightclub 2-step, etc. I was wondering if there are any decent places to dance that have a reasonably large dance floor. A lot of ships only have tiny little floors that get very crowded with only a few couples, especially if you are moving around as one typically does with couple dances vs. just standing mostly in place as people do when freestyle dancing. It seems that the most likely places for us to dance would be the Lotus Lounge or Bolero; the disco usually plays the same pounding techno stuff all night long which is very boring for partner dancing, not to mention being too loud for my taste. I haven't seen any good pictures of the dance floors in either the Lotus Lounge or Bolero. Do you remember what they are like? Do they have dancing in the Lotus Lounge in the evenings or do they end up using it for shows?

 

Also, do they allow smoking in the lounges?

 

Thanks!

My husband and I enjoyed dancing on the Mariner in November. The biggest floor was in the Lotus Lounge and there was dancing almost every evening, but the times varied each day. Bolero was good for Latin dancing but the floor is very small and it would get extremely crowded.

No smoking in the Lotus Lounge but I believe you could in Bolero.

Sherri:)

[referee]

Thanks for the great and detailed review. The Mariner is our favorite ship,having sailed her a couple of years ago when she came out of Port Canaveral. Just last night, we booked her again for the Mexican Riviera We've never been to that part of Mexico,and your review made us feel that we made the right decision.

[dommer573]

Thanks for the review, were leaving in just 9 days!!!:D

[SDPadreFan]

Thanks for the review, were leaving in just 9 days!!!:D

 

Hey dommer573, how come your not part of our roll call. We have quite a group signed up with 2 meet & mingle's (1 unofficial and 1 official), a cabin crawl and a slot pull.

 

Feel free to join us at http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=869850

[Jasperdo]

I wonder if you can answer my question. I'm booked on MOS this fall and I will be going with a few friends. We all enjoy partner dancing: ballroom, Latin, swing, nightclub 2-step, etc. I was wondering if there are any decent places to dance that have a reasonably large dance floor. A lot of ships only have tiny little floors that get very crowded with only a few couples, especially if you are moving around as one typically does with couple dances vs. just standing mostly in place as people do when freestyle dancing. It seems that the most likely places for us to dance would be the Lotus Lounge or Bolero; the disco usually plays the same pounding techno stuff all night long which is very boring for partner dancing, not to mention being too loud for my taste. I haven't seen any good pictures of the dance floors in either the Lotus Lounge or Bolero. Do you remember what they are like? Do they have dancing in the Lotus Lounge in the evenings or do they end up using it for shows?

 

Also, do they allow smoking in the lounges?

 

Thanks!

sjb317 answered your dancing questions better than I could have. My wife and I aren't dancers, although we do enjoy listening to the music and watching others dance. I do have a couple of photos that will show you the size of the dance floors.

 

The first photo shows the Lotus Lounge dance floor on the left. It is definately the larger dance floor. It is also the larger lounge:

 

The second photo shows the dance floor in Boleros. It is a much smaller area. I thought Boleros was one of the few poorly designed areas on the Mariner. The lounge is split in half by the Aft Centrum. If you are on the starboard side of the lounge, you can't even see the band or dance floor:

[Jasperdo]

Thanks for the great and detailed review. The Mariner is our favorite ship,having sailed her a couple of years ago when she came out of Port Canaveral. Just last night, we booked her again for the Mexican Riviera We've never been to that part of Mexico,and your review made us feel that we made the right decision.

Your welcome. I really like the Mariner. It is a beautiful ship. The Mexican Riviera is quite different than the Caribbean. They both have their charms. I'm sure you'll have a great time there.

[sjb317]

Nice pictures of the lounges. You're right about Boleros being poorly designed. It's not a great for dancing, if more than 4 couples are dancing the floor is crowded! But the music is usually good if you like Latin dancing. We found the Lotus Lounge was usually a mix of music, with emphasis on swing and foxtrot.

Sherri:)

[LBumb]

thanks for the review. we are looking at this cruise in may.

[AZ Karaoke Girl]

I wonder if you can answer my question. I'm booked on MOS this fall and I will be going with a few friends. We all enjoy partner dancing: ballroom, Latin, swing, nightclub 2-step, etc. I was wondering if there are any decent places to dance that have a reasonably large dance floor. A lot of ships only have tiny little floors that get very crowded with only a few couples, especially if you are moving around as one typically does with couple dances vs. just standing mostly in place as people do when freestyle dancing. It seems that the most likely places for us to dance would be the Lotus Lounge or Bolero; the disco usually plays the same pounding techno stuff all night long which is very boring for partner dancing, not to mention being too loud for my taste. I haven't seen any good pictures of the dance floors in either the Lotus Lounge or Bolero. Do you remember what they are like? Do they have dancing in the Lotus Lounge in the evenings or do they end up using it for shows?

 

Also, do they allow smoking in the lounges?

 

Thanks!

 

You could also dance during karaoke which is in the Lotus on Mariner. I for one love it when people get up to dance when I'm singing. Sometimes they just have horrible singers though but usually most people are pretty good singers.

[CruiseDreaming]

I just scanned the Cruise Compasses from this cruise if anyone is interested:

 

thanks for the compasses! These are great, it has given me an idea as to when the Pirate Parade for the kids will be. Thanks!

 

Kerrie:)

[tonyatkayak]

I have read that you can bring wine on the ship. is that true? This is my first time. well. i actually went on carnival paradise but I don't really count that one.

[Kisigi]

While some other cruise lines permit a couple of bottles per person, Royal Caribbean does not permit any outside alcohol or other beverages on the ship.

[Jasperdo]

thanks for the compasses! These are great, it has given me an idea as to when the Pirate Parade for the kids will be. Thanks!

 

Kerrie:)

Glad you've found them useful. Have a great cruise. The Mariner is a beautiful ship.