Mariner Review E Carib. May 16-23 (long)

[cusegirl]

My fiance and I took my parents on this cruise for their 30th wedding anniversary. They are first-time cruisers, we are first-time RCI cruisers (2 previous Carnival cruises, so I only have that comparison).

 

We arrived at Orlando Airport Sunday at 8 a.m. and rented a car to drive to Port Canaveral. We used Budget and easily found their office on Astronaut Blvd. After breakfast and a quick trip to Walgreens for last minute purchases, we took the Budget van to the pier. It was approximately 10:30 a.m.

 

The line to check-in was fairly short, maybe 5-7 minute wait. We checked in and waited to board the ship, which began around 11:30 a.m. Once on board, we tried to go to our stateroom to drop off the luggage -- this was a success on Carnival, so we thought we'd try it. All the fire doors were closed and RCI staff were at all stairwells preventing you from accessing your room prior to 1 p.m. No big deal, we hiked up to Windjammer and had lunch by the pool.

 

At 1 p.m. we went to our rooms (6504 and 6506). They are oceanview rooms at the very front of the ship. We loved everything about the rooms. They are about the size of Carnival rooms (180 sq ft or so), but the decor and layout was better. The rounded shower door is a hugh improvement over the curtain. There was plenty of closet and storage space. Afterward we toured the ship until muster time.

 

There were several posts about ship movement and I will say that when we left Nassau it got bad. The relative wind was 50 mph and the seas were 9' high, so it's not the ship, it's the ocean. It also didn't help that we were at the bow -- that's where you feel the most movement. Captain Johnny did mention when we left Nassau and during our first sea day that we would have that kind of weather until we hit the islands. None of us took Dramamine, but the boat did move quite a bit those days.

 

Activities:

The ship is as beautiful as everyone said. We loved the Solarium, Viking Crown Lounge and Promenade -- Carnival doesn't have anything like it. Even though the ship sailed full, we never encountered lines or had to wait for deck chairs. Yes, the chair hogs were in full force, but there was plenty of space to go around (we usually got to the pool around 9:30-10 a.m.)

 

We climbed the rock wall twice and played mini golf. We ran out of time for inline skating and ice skating (next time!). The ice show is not to be missed. The singers/dancers were great. The comedians were hit or miss.

 

My mom and I visited the spa when we were in Nassau. I had a hot stone massage ($138) and she had a facial ($100). They were good, but we both agreed that it really wasn't worth the money and the product sales pitch is annoying.

 

Our goal was to hit every bar on the ship at least once, but again not enough time! That's probably because we ended up at Ellingtons after dinner each night. We just loved the view from up there.

 

Food:

Always the topic of such debate. I was a little nervous given the negative postings, but was relieved that the food was excellent. We ate breakfast and lunch in the Windjammer each day and dinner in the dining room each night. The fish dishes were wonderful -- Cod, Tilapia and Sea Bass. The lobster and prime rib were excellent. It was nice to have different salads and bread choices each night as well.

 

My only real food complaint was the dessert selection. They weren't terrible, just not great. They lacked flavor/richness. Some were good, but in general they didn't wow me. I will say that the cookies in the Windjammer and in the Promenade Cafe are fabulous and we managed to eat at least two a piece every day.

 

Also, those of you who have sailed RCI and Carnival will agree that the pizza on RCI pales in comparison to Carinval. No big deal, just an observation.

 

We did eat at Johnny Rockets the last day at sea. I knew about the service charge before we sailed, thanks to the many posts out there, but didn't fully understand that they charge both a service charge and for drinks. Our bill was around $25 for four of us and the food was average. I'm sure the burgers and hot dogs in the Windjammer were just as good and the servers didn't sing/dance or whatever they're supposed to do. Next time, I'll skip JR.

 

Ports:

Nassau -- went there during a Carnival sailing and wasn't really impressed so we stayed on the boat, went to the spa and sat by the pool. The boat was pretty empty.

 

St. Thomas -- booked the Buck Island Sail/Snorkel through RCI. Highly Recommend! Each tour is limited to six people, so it is a very intimate sail. It's about a 30 minute trip to Buck Island and then you snorkel in a cove. The snorkel is guided and then they give you time to check things out yourself. We saw sea turtles, stingrays and lots of fish. Back on the boat there were sodas, beer and rum punch, along with pretzels. The cost was $50/person through RCI. Well worth it and we all had a great time.

 

St Martin -- we are airline buffs so we got a cab to Sunset Beach Bar on Maho Beach to watch the planes come in. It was $6 per person cab fare each way and drinks were cheap at the bar. We stayed there for a few hours and then had the cab driver drop us off in PHillipsburg to walk around/shop. If you like airplanes, definitely make the trip to Maho. If you search www.airliners.net and type in St Martin you can see what I'm talking about. The cab ride was about 15 minutes and the Simpson Beach Bridge goes up at 11:30, 1:30 and 3:30 so those are the times to avoid being on the road. We left around 2 p.m. and got back to downtown in no time.

 

Debarkation:

We chose the express departure option, which has made me a loyal RCI fan forever. We were off the boat before 8 a.m. and back to the airport for a 10 a.m. flight. All the horror stories about carrying off your luggage are true. You must be able to physically carry your bag in one hand while holding the handrail with the other or they will make you take the elevator and the lines are long!

 

Final thoughts:

My parents are now addicted to cruising and want to know where we are going next. My fiance and I are thrilled with RCI and will sail them again in the future. The week went by too fast. Just to give you an example, on our last cruise I finished four good size books during the week. On this cruise I didn't even finish the first book. There's that much to do on this ship!

 

We thought Carnival was great and don't have anything negative to say about our two sailings with them, but there is a marked difference between the two. We would sail Carnival again, but we'd sail RCI first.

 

To all future Mariner cruisers -- you're going to love it!

 

Thanks to everyone out there for your posts and helpful information. I'm not on this board very much, but sincerely appreciate how much it helped plan my vacation.

[vickisteve]

Thank you for a great review. Glad you all had a great time. We can't wait untill our 11/7 cruise on her.

Steve

[PhoenixCruiser]

Welcome back!!! Glad to hear you had a fantastic vacation

 

Thanks for your review!

 

Navigator of the Seas 6/26/04

 

 

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[TBRay]

Thanks for an excellent review. It's funny how a couple of negative reviews can really make first timers nervous. I've said since February that the Mariner is the #1 ship sailing (except for Queen Mary?) and I've already lined up the next two cruises aboard her. Maybe it's not everyone's cup of tea but it is an active ship for active people.

 

With three Voyager class ships under my belt, our last trip was probably the first time I could say "I almost did it all!" (public ice skating, rock tower, roller blading etc.) but still find new things to do each time (slot tournament... which I won!).

 

And yes, I only got to read part of "Seabiscuit", the book, while on board. Doubtful I'll get to finish it next time either

 

9/19/2004 Mariner of the Seas

*** Royal Hounds Cruise ***

 

 

1/30/2005 Mariner of the Seas

**Our First Balcony (Corner Aft of Course!**)

[ED MARY ANN]

Welcome back so glad you had a wonderful cruise with rci.

 

7/10/04 MARINER OF THE SEAS CRUISE

[aucruiser]

Thanks for posting your review.

 

Is Ellington's in the Viking Crown Lounge area?

[photonut4]

What is the express debarkation option? We need to be off first thing. We have a long drive home (12 hours), and my son just joined the army. He has to report that evening to the hotel for morning departure to basic training. Any info would be appreciated. Thanks.

 

Liz

[photonut4]

Sorry double post.

Liz

[LLM]

I'm so glad you had a great time. My sister and her husband have been on a couple of Carnival cruises are are trying their first Royal Caribbean cruise with DH and I soon on the Mariner. You made me think that they should enjoy themselves. I know they have enjoyed Carnival so I wasn't sure how the two would compare.

 

Lisa

 

Until Mariner of the Seas

 

 

Voyager of the Seas - Oct. 2003

[synewton]

Thank you very much for telling us about Maho Beach and the airliners.net website. My little boy is thrilled!! I guess I know what we'll be doing on our next cruise.

[cusegirl]

aucruiser -- yes, Ellingtons is on Deck 14 in the Viking Crown Lounge. We went up there for after-dinner drinks. It's quiet at that time (8 p.m.). They usually have Jazz or live music after 10.

 

Liz -- On Friday evening they gave us the Cruise Compass with a note about debarkation procedures. There was a section about express check-out. If you are willing to carry your luggage off the ship you would be let off immediately following the customs inspection. There are a limited number of tickets available and we had to be at the guest relations desk at 10 a.m. Saturday to get tickets. You don't put your luggage in the hall the last evening, just take it with you Sunday morning and they will make an announcement that those people holding express departure tickets may leave the ship. It was 7:45 a.m. -- we were the first ones off. We had a 10 a.m. flight, so this was a huge help.

 

LLM -- I was nervous about my parents enjoying their vacation. My mom is a bit claustrophobic and my dad is the type who doesn't like to sit still. The Mariner did not disappoint and we had a great mix of activity and relaxation. My dad even climbed the rock wall and loved it. I'm sure your sister and her husband will have a great time.

[imatarb]

Thanks for the review..we are looking into sailing on the Mariner next May, so any info is helpful!

 

Lisa

 

Monarch of the Seas - 1994

Royal Majesty - 1996

Carnival Victory - 2004

 

<MARQUEE>A day at sea is better than a day at work</MARQUEE>

[sandyk]

Thanks for the great review. We are going in Sept and can not wait. Just a few questions. Do you remember what the dinner theme was on Tuesday night? Was it Carribean by chance. Was hoping to do Chops the night of Carribean night or Italian night and was not sure which day was which in the dining room.

Did you get a discount on the spa services since you were in port or was that the regular prices? Thinking aout a spa treatment, but not sure if it is worth the extra money?

 

Sandy

 

Email address kopp6466@hotmail.com

 

Costa Flavia 7/81

NCL Norway 7/83

Carnival Celebration 4/90

Carnival Ecstacy 5/92

Royal Carribean Sovereign 10/00

Royal Carribean Navigator 9/03

Royal Carribean Mariner of the Seas 9/19/04

[WeirdEyes]

Thanks for the review. We sail on Sunday and CAN'T wait.

 

Shelia

Sailing the Mariner in.......

 

<font color="#003399" face="Benguiat Bk BT">Carnival Destiny 2002</font>

 

[cusegirl]

Sandy

 

Monday was formal night, Tuesday was casual, Wednesday was Caribbean night, Thursday was Italian, Friday was formal, Saturday was casual. The Caribbean/Italian nights were the days we were in St. Thomas and St. Martin, respectively. Both theme nights were good.

 

There were spa discounts on port days. We received $20 off any treatment. There also were other discounts toward the end of the cruise. Even with this discount, I thought $138 for a 50 minute massage was too expensive compared to the same service at a spa at home.

[photonut4]

Thank you very much for the info about express debarkation. We will definately try to use that. Great review. Thanks for taking the time to write it.

 

Liz

[CrimsonCruiser]

Sandyk,

 

If the Mariner Eastern cruise just before this one (the one that Radio was on) then the dining schedule went like this (according to the compass on Radio's website):

 

Sun ..... casual

Mon ..... Formal

Tue ..... Smart Casual

Wed ..... Casual

Thu ..... Casual/Caribbean Colors

Fri ..... Formal

Sat ..... Casual

 

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HAL Zandaam 06/2000

RCCL Voyager 07/2002

RCCL Mariner 05/2004

[sailor moon]

Great review! It is so hard to wait until October, 2005

 

JB

Sun Viking 8/83,Premier 8/86

Disney 8/01, Rhapsody 8/03, Monarch 12/03, Splendour 4/04,

 

UPCOMING CRUISES:

Enchantment of the Seas 9/04

Rhapsody of the Seas 11/04

Radiance of the Seas 5/05 - Alaska

Mariner of the Seas 10/05

 

[Family of 14]

I am so pleased with your positive review...thank you!

 

One more question about the Express Departure. Do you have to hold the hand rail? I don't even do this at the mall. YUCK! Can you have a shoulder strap type bag on you and held up by your shoulders or does the bag have to be held in your hand? How many escalators are there to get off?

Once off the ship, how did you get to the airport? How long a drive was it for you?

 

<MARQUEE>Are you sailing on the Mariner 7/18/04?...Click here!

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Disney Wonder 3/2000 ~ Disney Magic 9/2000 ~ RCI Vision 2/2001 ~ Carnival Victory 12/2001 ~ Celebrity Millennium 3/2003 ~ RCI Adventure OTS 9/2003 ~ RCI Mariner OTS 7/18/2004 ~ RCI Serenade OTS 9/26/2004

[briternik]

Great review!!

I am another of those needing off the ship early to catch a flight. Are there escalators coming back down right beside the ones going up? I'm wondering if my hubby can take up a suitcase, hop back down and take up another one? The kids and I are weaklings. Thanks

[Family of 14]

Good question!

 

<MARQUEE>Are you sailing on the Mariner 7/18/04?...Click here!

or HERE!

 

</MARQUEE>

 

Disney Wonder 3/2000 ~ Disney Magic 9/2000 ~ RCI Vision 2/2001 ~ Carnival Victory 12/2001 ~ Celebrity Millennium 3/2003 ~ RCI Adventure OTS 9/2003 ~ RCI Mariner OTS 7/18/2004 ~ RCI Serenade OTS 9/26/2004

[flyfan]

Thanks so much for taking the time to write a great review!

 

 

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[Seagarr]

Great review, We were on the same cruise and I wanted to add a couple of comments. We had a 1130 flight out of Orlando and I was worried about making it.... based on what several people on this board told me. We got first departure tags (White)... didn not carry our luggage off. We also are Platimum members so we were able to wait in the Melodies dining Room wich was comfortable and a quick trip up the stairs to the gangway. We were shocked to be on the curb with my Luggage at 815am....and that was 4 people with 7 pieces of luggage! I could not reccomend carrying off your own luggage unless your healthy and travel light. I had arranged for a Limo to pick us up at 900am... we made it to the airport had breakfast and made our flight in plenty of time.

 

Seagarr

[cusegirl]

Family of 14 -- Technically, no, you don't have to hold the hand rail. But the agents directing you to the escalators and elevators try to demand that. There were two escalators and my mom/dad's suitcase was HUGE. He carried it down the first escalator and when we got to the second one the agent made him take the elevator because she said he couldn't hold the hand rail and carry that suitcase -- even though he had it off the ground and in one hand to demonstrate. She wanted nothing of that. He got on the second elevator so it wasn't a big deal. My fiance had our large garment bag over his shoulders, I had a roller bag and backpack, my mom had a roller bag and my dad had the huge suitcase. It worked out well and I'd do express departure again in a heartbeat.

 

We waited about 10 minutes for the Budget van and once we had the rental car we were at the airport in about 40 minutes. The rental car cost us about $40 from the airport to the pier and about $60 from pier back to airport (partly because we didn't fill it up with gas and they charged us $10 for 2 gallons). We found this to be much cheaper than the RCI shuttle ($38 per person round trip) or a van/cab (most of the quotes were over $125).

 

Briternik -- I honestly don't remember if the escalators were close together, but for one couple, the agent made the woman take the elevator while her husband took the escalator -- again the agent thought this woman couldn't handle the luggage. When we got to the bottom of the escalator, the husband was going to go back up and carry her bags down the escalator, so I assume it was fairly close by.

 

CrimsonCruiser -- that sounds about right for the dress codes each night at dinner. The Caribbean themed food was Wed. and the Italian themed food was Thursday. We didn't get to Chops but one of our tablemates went during the second formal night and even though they missed lobster, they raved about Chops.

[ronpes]

Thank you for taking the time and trouble to write a this very good review.

My family and I will be “doing†this trip in Oct and we simply cant wait.

 

Regards

Ron.