Review of Mariner -Thanksgiving cruise

[cruizinmimi]

If I go to the Diamond event, wine or champagne is good enough! But I might take the opportunity to buy a specialty martini at 25% off! So happy to hear it was NOT in the Dragon's Lair, which is what Mariner was using when it was on the West coast. So dreary in there, unless it is functioning as the disco later at night!

 

So true, but we did have some good times at the disco in the Lair:D:D

[cruizinmimi]

I forgot to mention the wonderful cookouts at the pool during sea days. We had this twice. I think the 1st one was seaday #1 (Monday) and the second one was Saturday. The lunches were very good. The Executive Chef (Wim) that took us on the Galley Tour did the Texas barbeque one on Monday. He is a very funny guy. He kept getting out on the pool deck and dancing.

[constantcruiser]

Cruizimimi,

 

It was a pleasure meeting you at the M&M, and I agree with most of your review. However, our family ate in the MDR 5 of the 7 nights, and I would rate the food as mediocre at best. The selections were limited, and the execution was so-so. Our waiter & assistant waiter were friendly and efficient, but they stressed several times how important it was for them to get excellent ratings. We explained this was our 34th cruise and we were well aware of the sytem, but they continued to remind us every day.

 

For the first time on any cruise, we ate dinner in the Windjammer; and we were quite impressed with the selection, the service and the atmosphere.

 

Major kudos to CD Paul Rutter for arranging for the UT/A&M game to be televised on Thanksgiving. Until he walked into the Lotus Lounge in the 2nd quarter, I don't think he had any idea how seriously Texans take their football!

 

We also spent the day in Cozumel at Chankanaab and had a great time. They have improved the facilities even more since we were there 2 years ago. But the hour wait in line to get back on the ship dampened our enthusiasm. I personally put the blame on RCI, and can't imagine why they would schedule the Allure & the Mariner to leave Cozumel at the very same time...knowing passengers from both ships would have to stand in the same line to go through customs.

 

Yes, there were a lot of kids on board...but I have to say everyone we met was well-behaved and well-mannered. No teens running down the halls at night, no one pushing every button on an elevator, no one cutting in line at the buffet. Just lots of families enjoying spending the holiday together.

 

Alas, our debarkation experience was much more chaotic than on previous cruises. Although DH & I are D+, the rest of our group is Diamond so we joined them in the Lotus Lounge to wait for the "priority debarkation" benefit. There were no RCI reps in the lounge all morning; and when someone called Guest Services to ask, they were told to just wait till our number was called. We assumed that would be right after Express, D+ & Suite guests were escorted off. No such luck...TEN numbers were called at once, and literally hundreds of passengers swarmed down the gangway into a terminal that was still packed with the Express group. It took about 20 minutes to locate our bags, before we waited almost TWO HOURS to get through customs! The line made two loops completely around the perimeter of the terminal and made it nearly impossible for other passengers to get to the luggage which was all stacked in the middle. The madness could have easily been avoided had the ship called only one group at a time and waited until the line died down before the calling the next number. It appeared that all they cared about was getting everyone off the ship and out of their hair as quickly as possible.

[BecciBoo]

If I go to the Diamond event, wine or champagne is good enough! But I might take the opportunity to buy a specialty martini at 25% off! So happy to hear it was NOT in the Dragon's Lair, which is what Mariner was using when it was on the West coast. So dreary in there, unless it is functioning as the disco later at night!

Amen Kay, we'll go with you to Cloud 9! And I'll get a martini too. We'll probably be there most nights. See you in 3 days!!!:D

[BecciBoo]

It appeared that all they cared about was getting everyone off the ship and out of their hair as quickly as possible.

 

Which of course can't happen with the bottle neck you describe. Hopefully they'll learn from these two last cruises and we won't have a problem. But I'm not taking any chances, I think we'll just leisurely depart after everybody else this time. We are in no hurry to leave the ship nor get home, so we'll just take our time an avoid the rush. I certainly am not going to try to self debark with all these problems happening! I think we'll just park up in Viking Crown until we see the air has cleared.

[cruizinmimi]

Hi constantcruiser - Our waiter did keep talking about the excellent rating. But I just passed it off as we had 4 1st-time cruisers at our table. But I agree with you...it got annoying. I really have a feeling that RCCL will go to automatic pre-paid tips from everyone soon. Not that I agree with that, but it may solve the problem of people not tipping therefore, no begging for rave (excellent) reviews on the comment card.

 

P.S. Were you in the CL ever and if so, where were we?????

[Crews Virgin]

Linda - great write up - thank you. What is "Muster"?

[will773]

Great review! Thanks for posting!

[BecciBoo]

Muster is a coat of mustard they make everyone put on in case of sunburn.........:D

Just kidding! Muster is a drill that everyone must attend so that you will know where your lifeboat is and where you must assemble in case of a catastrophy! Annoying but necessary. Your muster station is listed on the inside of your room near the door. You will hear announcements of when to move to your muster station...only takes a few minutes and you can return to whatever you were doing...bon voyage

[Dbedros]

Constantcruiser, Linda (her review) stated up front that she was not a picky eater and the food on RCL has been discussed on these boards ad nauseam. It is a given that you will not starve on any cruise and if you want gourment, change cruise line or go to the pay restaurants and even this can be hit or miss. Also, I have only cruised out of Galveston twice in the past, but it is also a hit or miss propostion, depending on the weather and the personnel working (cruise line and port). Please end of subject!

 

Linda, thanks as I really enjoyed your review.

 

The band that played in Ellington's, Lotus Lounge, pool deck was called the Mickey Utley band. This was a country/western band mostly. Ever know and then they would play a Jimmy Buffet song. I'm not a huge c/w fan, but they were pretty good and I enjoyed listening to them.

 

A special thanks on Ellington's entertainment. From other reviewers I was led to believe that this was a club where they played jazz and was looking forward to it. I guess it got Texanized.

 

I have several questions. How long does it take to get to Mayan Princess? How far is it from the entrance to the beach area? Was there a large crowd on the day that you visited? What was the approximate cost of drinks and food? Did you happening to notice the cost to snorkle? I saw the sign in the video.

 

We plan to arrive about the same time that you did and will be driving from The Woodlands which is a litttle over one hour. Was there very much traffic at that time? Is it easy to get to the pier? We will be using Port parking as it will be free to us. We will be joining a large group of Bridge players but by driving figure to avoid conjestion embarking and debarking. But with our weather at that time, who can say!

[T_Bone2012]

I was about to sign up for that tour Bannister Island tour in belize!!! I think I'll look and see if there are any other options. Has anyone tried the Shark Ray Alley snorkeling by air?

[Dbedros]

Linda I forgot, what was the latest the you had for leaving the ship and what was open for breakfast on the last morning?

 

Thanks again.

[BethCarp]

Windjammer closed at 9 for breakfast. But they started pulling food out at 8:45, right when we walked in. Had to work quickly. I believe the MDR was open until 8:30.

[BecciBoo]

 

Linda, thanks as I really enjoyed your review.

 

 

 

 

 

I have several questions. How long does it take to get to Mayan Princess? About 30 minutes.

How far is it from the entrance to the beach area? About 100ft from the front desk to the sand

.Was there a large crowd on the day that you visited? It can be crowded if a lot of ships are in port.

What was the approximate cost of drinks and food?You can get fish of the day for around $12, drinks are about the same as the ship or even a little cheaper.

Did you happening to notice the cost to snorkle?No clue I saw the sign in the video.

 

We plan to arrive about the same time that you did and will be driving from The Woodlands which is a litttle over one hour. Was there very much traffic at that time? Is it easy to get to the pier? We will be using Port parking as it will be free to us. We will be joining a large group of Bridge players but by driving figure to avoid conjestion embarking and debarking. But with our weather at that time, who can say!

 

I think the beer was $3 a piece, a monkey lala was $7

[sandgrand]

Linda - thanks for the great review - I am sailing in 3 days ~~~ yea !!

 

My question is how were you able to bring the Dr. Pepper on board with you. Last time on Voyager (March 2011) they kept my suitecase until late that night and then I had a note in it that they "confiscated" the 6-pack of bottle Dr. Pepper that I stuffed in my luggage. I got them back the last night of cruise.

 

Just wondering if you carried it on or tagged it through luggage??? Thanks for your help. :):)

[Rudyard]

Great review!

 

79 days for me :)

[Cindy]

Great review, Linda! I've been anxiously waiting for some detailed reports from your sailing.:)

We are doing My Time Dining for the first time in March. I'm trying to make reservations for the MDR as well as both Portofino and Chops.

We won't go to every show, but I'd like to make the "biggies" and the ice show. Do you remember what the show schedule was so we can work around it in scheduling dinners? The only thing that we've more or less settled on at this point is Portofino on the first night. My group finds the Welcome Aboard show less than entertaining;), and the menu in the MDR doesn't excite us either. Thanks! I appreciate any help!

 

Can you just go and tell them you want a day pass for $10? How does that work? Thanks in advance!

 

That might be your best bet. They do limit attendance and it is on a first-come, first-served basis so I would go early. Last summer I had pre-paid for 11 of us, and we went to the MP after ziplining. They told us and another group they didn't have room for us even though we had already paid!:eek: It finally got sorted out, but it took almost an hour.:(

We thought the resort was lovely, but the reservation mix-up and VERY slow service (they were understaffed for the number of people) left a sour taste in our mouths.

[BecciBoo]

We wanted to prepay online this time, but they wanted me to fax them my credit card number, and I wasn't going to do that. So we will just show early, planning on leaving for West Bay around 9:00. Also Roatan Cab Tours can book for you and then you just pay them when they take you over there. Much easier. Cindy, we don't even care about the service, we just walk up to the bar to get our drinks. The front desk seems clueless sometimes, but that is O.K. It's so beautiful there and the pool is so spectacular not to mention the beach and sea that we just think it's the bomb. We have been to Fantasy Island, did not like it, old and unkept and the manmade lagoon is nasty and to Maya Key, much better there but still on the ugly side of the island. So we always go back to MP.

[cruizinmimi]

Dbedros - I see that alot of your questions were answered. Sorry, but we did not rent the snorkle equipment. We brought our own. As far as the drinks, soda (coca-cola) was $2 and beer (Port Royal) was $3 and I had a margarita and it was $8. I thought the margarita was good, but not $8 worth. Hamburger was $11, but it was large and came with chips. Chips and salsa was $10 (I think). My DD had those and I'll have to ask her.

We really like Mayan Princess and I would go back in a heartbeat.

[cruizinmimi]

Linda - thanks for the great review - I am sailing in 3 days ~~~ yea !!

 

My question is how were you able to bring the Dr. Pepper on board with you. Last time on Voyager (March 2011) they kept my suitecase until late that night and then I had a note in it that they "confiscated" the 6-pack of bottle Dr. Pepper that I stuffed in my luggage. I got them back the last night of cruise.

 

Just wondering if you carried it on or tagged it through luggage??? Thanks for your help. :):)

 

Sandgrand - the trick is not to pack water or soda in your carry on or luggage. Just put it or keep it in the grocery store bag and carry it right on. I usually put a luggage tag around my DDP just in case I leave it somewhere before I get to my room. I've never been denied bringing my soda onboard that way.

[cruizinmimi]

Thank you everyone for the kind words. Writing a review is always a little difficult. I try and just give facts, but my opinion comes out, also:D;)

 

T-Bone2012 - don't let me discourage you about Bannister Island. Here is my advice. When you get on the ship ask how many tenders will be going over. If you're the only ship in Belize and they tell you more than 3, I would not go. Because if Mariner has 3 tenders and then the other ship has a couple, egads....that's too many.

I really think the Manager was embarrassed with the running water problems and he did not expect all the tenders coming over. Then they ran out of beer.:eek: We had 2 ships at Belize. I'm sure the Manager will get these things rectified.

I did complain to RCL (the Concierge) when we returned and she admitted that the Mariner talked the Mgr at Bannister into accepting one more tender tour to the island. I think Bannister was overwhelmed that day.

We have been to Shark Ray Alley....beautiful excursion. We had a wonderful time. After the snorkeling we went to Ambergis Caye for a lunch (included in price) and a fun time there exploring the little island on a golf cart. The boat ride to Shark Ray Alley is a little rough. Alot of people were getting green. But it was just the 2 of us. We had 7 going to Bannister and they did not want to snorkel. Good Luck. The water in Belize is beautiful.

[cruizinmimi]

 

We won't go to every show, but I'd like to make the "biggies" and the ice show. Do you remember what the show schedule was so we can work around it in scheduling dinners? The only thing that we've more or less settled on at this point is Portofino on the first night. My group finds the Welcome Aboard show less than entertaining;), and the menu in the MDR doesn't excite us either. Thanks! I appreciate any help!

Cindy - we had 8:30 second seating and most of our shows were before dinner 7pm

Monday - headliner show was at 9pm

Tuesday - Production Showtime - 9pm - 3pm 1st Ice Show

Wed - Ice Show 7pm and 9pm

Thurs - Production Showtime 7pm and 9pm - 10:45 disco dancing in the street

Fri - Headliner show 7pm and 9pm - Quest 10:45pm

Sat - Ice show 5pm - Fairwell show 7:45pm

I hope this will help you to decide what time you need dinner reservations.

 

[gelo7]

Nice review.

[aunursa]

Outstanding review, Linda.

 

Soda pkgs are $5.25per day for 17 and under. $7.50 for 18 and up plus 15% gratuity.

I purchased a soda package online for me for $6 per day.

 

Two things that I found disappointing...

 

ADVENTURE OCEAN: For at least half of the daily activities the age groups were combined. I understand on cruises where there are fewer children how they might need to combine the 6-8 and 9-11 groups, and maybe even the 3-5 year-olds. And this is to be expected for the late night party zone. But not on a Thanksgiving sailing with 852 kids! Royal Caribbean promotes that they offer activities for five distinct age groups -- they should deliver. I would pick up my DD and there were 60-70 kids -- sometimes ages 3-11 -- in one activity! She was disappointed as well.

 

CHOPS: On the Radiance Class, Chops is set back from the Schooner Bar area. On Mariner, however, it's an extension of the Windjammer. And the walls are not solid, so you can hear the outside commotion. From our table we could hear all of the other guests entering the Windjammer, and especially several kids laughing and playing. It interfered with the ambiance that we expected.

 

 

Other than that, we had a wonderful time, and enjoyed meeting everyone at the Meet & Mingle.

[Jimnbigd]

...Marty Daniels (I think was his last name) was in the Wig n Gavel. He did a pretty good job also, but it was so smoky I never wanted to stay...

Smoking in the pub is the reason Derek Lewis stayed with the Voyager of the Seas. He would rather be with the Mariner of the Seas since he is from San Antonio. I hope the Mariner changes the English Pub to non-smoking so Derek comes back to Galveston. Did the smoke from the pub overflow into the main Royal Promenade?

 

Day 6 – Cozumel...I’ve been to Cozumel so many times, I’ve lost count. There were 8 ships in port that day including the mega ship Allure docked along side of us. Hubby and I said….”no way are we getting off the ship”....

I wonder why the ship does not revere the sequence of the ports -- Cozumel on Tuesday, Belize on Wednesday, and Roatan on Thursday. I'd rather have the 2 sea days at the end of the cruise. If the ports were reversed, Friday could be a sea day as it is now with the Cayman/Jamaica run. I bet having Cozumel on Friday makes it hard to get ready for the 2nd formal night, especially for those with 6pm dining. 2nd formal night is Friday for the Roatan/Belize/Cozumel run, right?