Mariner of the Seas Questions

[Vegas Lobster]

Good evening,

 

We are looking at trying Royal Caribbean and have some questions about Mariner of the seas out of Galveston (2013 so theres still time :)) Does the ship have 2 BR suites that would sleep 5? Are there thermal suites in the spa ( I think that is what they are called....the heated lounge things) Do they do the drink packages like Celebrity and the soda ones as well? Does anyone really use the ice rink? (I want to.....sounds like fun to me, Just wondering how many people would get to witness my lack of grace, ha!) It looks like there is no way you could be bored in the day time on that ship since there is a ton to do. Opinions on the entertainment at night would be awsome and also does anyone know if they do the scrapbooking class on the Mariner? Thanks soooooo much for reading/responding to any or all of these questions! I am researching for a group of about 20 and I appreciate the input! :)

[tropicalsun]

You'll get better responses than mine I am sure. I can't answer the question about the suites. We just got off the Mariner and can tell you that the ice skating is actually quite popular. "Rink" is probably a little generous but fun none the less. The entertainment was great. We attended every show and likes them all. I also saw something about scrap booking bit did not attend. We had a great time on the Mariner and highly recommend her.

[Vegas Lobster]

You'll get better responses than mine I am sure. I can't answer the question about the suites. We just got off the Mariner and can tell you that the ice skating is actually quite popular. "Rink" is probably a little generous but fun none the less. The entertainment was great. We attended every show and likes them all. I also saw something about scrap booking bit did not attend. We had a great time on the Mariner and highly recommend her.

 

Awesome! Thank you so much (we usually go ocean or balcony but we were thinking it might be cost effective to put 5 of us in a suite...still thinking about that one) I have read a bit about the entertainment but haven't really considered it till this evening....I think I may be the only one in the group who has ever ice skated, lol! At least I will have company.....the departure port is great and I want to try RCCL!!!! I will sell it to the first time cruisers in the family :D

[ARCruisinNana]

I can answer the question about the suites. They are called the Royal Family Suites or Two Bedroom suites. There are 4 RFSs on Mariner. They are at the back of the ship on decks 8 and 9. You have to have a minimum of 5 people to reserve it and it will sleep up to 8 people. You have to call RCCL or a travel agent to reserve. If there are available RFSs available close to sailing, they will be opened up for less than 5 people and you will see it available on the website. There are 2 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms. One bedroom is large, has a private bathroom and a window. The other bedroom is an inside bedroom which is small and has 2 pullman beds in addition to the 2 twin beds. The is also a sofa bed in the living room that sleeps 2. The living room is good sized and also has a table and 4 chairs. The balcony is HUGE. I will be sailing on Mariner in a RFS next week and we are really looking forward to it. P.S. These suites also come with use of the Concierge Lounge.

[Vegas Lobster]

I can answer the question about the suites. They are called the Royal Family Suites or Two Bedroom suites. There are 4 RFSs on Mariner. They are at the back of the ship on decks 8 and 9. You have to have a minimum of 5 people to reserve it and it will sleep up to 8 people. You have to call RCCL or a travel agent to reserve. If there are available RFSs available close to sailing, they will be opened up for less than 5 people and you will see it available on the website. There are 2 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms. One bedroom is large, has a private bathroom and a window. The other bedroom is an inside bedroom which is small and has 2 pullman beds in addition to the 2 twin beds. The is also a sofa bed in the living room that sleeps 2. The living room is good sized and also has a table and 4 chairs. The balcony is HUGE. I will be sailing on Mariner in a RFS next week and we are really looking forward to it. P.S. These suites also come with use of the Concierge Lounge.

 

Thank you as well! Maybe we can have two adults and put the rest of the children in the other room in the suite, hmmmm....I have seen some floor plans but no prices which makes sense now (thank you :) ) Do you take cabin pictures? I would love to see some when you get back! I was just thinking if we have enough cabin types we can create a cabin crawl all by ourselves, lol! (I haven't done one of those yet either) thanks again for your response!!!!!

[pspercy]

Some pics here :) :

http://www.voyager-class.com/pictures/cabins/suit_FS/gallery.html

[SeaCBear]

We booked our Royal Family Suite online, on a travel agency web site, for only three people. This was last August, and we don't sail until May 1. So sometimes you can book the RFS for fewer than 5 even if it's not last minute. The RCL booking rules seem to be very flexible! :-)

 

I can answer the question about the suites. They are called the Royal Family Suites or Two Bedroom suites. There are 4 RFSs on Mariner. They are at the back of the ship on decks 8 and 9. You have to have a minimum of 5 people to reserve it and it will sleep up to 8 people. You have to call RCCL or a travel agent to reserve. If there are available RFSs available close to sailing, they will be opened up for less than 5 people and you will see it available on the website. There are 2 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms. One bedroom is large, has a private bathroom and a window. The other bedroom is an inside bedroom which is small and has 2 pullman beds in addition to the 2 twin beds. The is also a sofa bed in the living room that sleeps 2. The living room is good sized and also has a table and 4 chairs. The balcony is HUGE. I will be sailing on Mariner in a RFS next week and we are really looking forward to it. P.S. These suites also come with use of the Concierge Lounge.

 

 

 

 

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[Sequim88]

Do they do the drink packages like Celebrity and the soda ones as well?

 

No, not like Celebrity. They do have Soda package. There are also wine packages and once picked up at dining venue bottle of wine can be taken back to cabin. There is also a pre-cruise wine or champagne cabin option. But no self serve liquor in cabins.

[2catfamily]

Good evening,

 

We are looking at trying Royal Caribbean and have some questions about Mariner of the seas out of Galveston (2013 so theres still time :)) Does the ship have 2 BR suites that would sleep 5? Are there thermal suites in the spa ( I think that is what they are called....the heated lounge things) Do they do the drink packages like Celebrity and the soda ones as well? Does anyone really use the ice rink? (I want to.....sounds like fun to me, Just wondering how many people would get to witness my lack of grace, ha!) It looks like there is no way you could be bored in the day time on that ship since there is a ton to do. Opinions on the entertainment at night would be awsome and also does anyone know if they do the scrapbooking class on the Mariner? Thanks soooooo much for reading/responding to any or all of these questions! I am researching for a group of about 20 and I appreciate the input! :)

 

The Mariner has a very good Activities Manager. with a very good crew staff. There are a lot of activities with a few that other ships don't have. Steve teaches anyone that would like to learn the "Thriller Dance" and you would then perform on one of the last days on the cruise. Also, host a few games shows that other ships don't have. Get involved and you will have a wonderful time!

[Sequim88]

Forgot to add. Web site still shows Mariner as having Portofino as a specialty restaurant but after 5/1/12 that will change to Giovanni's Table. Also expect some changes to the deck plans as shown on the RCI web site.

[Turtle_lover]

Awesome! Thank you so much (we usually go ocean or balcony but we were thinking it might be cost effective to put 5 of us in a suite...still thinking about that one) I have read a bit about the entertainment but haven't really considered it till this evening....I think I may be the only one in the group who has ever ice skated, lol! At least I will have company.....the departure port is great and I want to try RCCL!!!! I will sell it to the first time cruisers in the family :D

 

We got a pretty good rate for the 5 of us by booking 2 cabins next door to each other. One holds 3 people and the other 2 maximum. (hump area of the ship)

[Vegas Lobster]

Thank you all so much for the input!!!! That is why I love cruisecritic! I just read the post about the "thriller dance class" to my household and it was very well received :D I would totally do that! This sounds like a great ship......

[Vegas Lobster]

Some pics here :) :

http://www.voyager-class.com/pictures/cabins/suit_FS/gallery.html

 

 

Just checked them out! Very helpful! Super....... I kind of want to go myself before we all go!!!!!

[CruiseDreaming]

The Mariner has a very good Activities Manager. with a very good crew staff. There are a lot of activities with a few that other ships don't have. Steve teaches anyone that would like to learn the "Thriller Dance" and you would then perform on one of the last days on the cruise. Also, host a few games shows that other ships don't have. Get involved and you will have a wonderful time!

 

OMGosh! Loved doing the Thriller dance with Steve and Flavio--my family and I had so much doing this dance.

 

As for the Royal Family Suite--it has all the same perks as the GS and up right? Our next family cruise is a group of 7 so we need the RFS, but wasn't sure if it's considered a real suite with the suite perks and suite gratuity.

 

Thanks, Kerrie :)

[sredish]

Good evening,

 

We are looking at trying Royal Caribbean and have some questions about Mariner of the seas out of Galveston (2013 so theres still time :)) Does the ship have 2 BR suites that would sleep 5? Are there thermal suites in the spa ( I think that is what they are called....the heated lounge things) Do they do the drink packages like Celebrity and the soda ones as well? Does anyone really use the ice rink? (I want to.....sounds like fun to me, Just wondering how many people would get to witness my lack of grace, ha!) It looks like there is no way you could be bored in the day time on that ship since there is a ton to do. Opinions on the entertainment at night would be awsome and also does anyone know if they do the scrapbooking class on the Mariner? Thanks soooooo much for reading/responding to any or all of these questions! I am researching for a group of about 20 and I appreciate the input! :)

 

We just sailed on the Mariner in March and have rebooked for March 3, 2013! Join us! She's a fabulous ship! I have a little roll call started, but so far only one other person has joined me.

 

Yes they have two bedroom suites with two bathrooms, but you have to call RCI directly to obtain prices. They don't advertise the prices online for them and they usually sell out quickly, so I'd jump on them. Another route to consider would be two connecting rooms - sometimes cheaper than a suite. This works great with kids - the parents in one room and the kids right next door (with a door in-between the rooms). Not sure about the thermal suites.

 

There are wine packages, but no other alcohol packages. The drinks are fairly priced, in my opinion. My vodka tonic's with Absolut were $6.90 including tax and tip (it is included on all alcoholic drinks), and they were quite large. Soda packages are also available and are around $50 for the entire cruise per person. Well worth it for someone like my husband, but I don't drink soda.

 

Yes I saw people using the ice rink, but it wasn't slam packed. Who cares if anyone sees you! You're on vacation!

 

Yes there was a scrapbooking class, and you had to buy the little die cuts and paper. It looked cute. Yes there is tons to do at night. Our favorite was listening to the piano man Phil Anderson in the Schooner Bar. He can play anything from memory from Johnny Cash to The Eagles to Billy Joel. He's fantastic. The shows are always entertaining. We love music and there was always some sort of live music going. Plus the parades down the promenade are a hoot. The 70's night was fantastic. If you like to go late there is always the night club - and they thump until about 3 am.

 

I have a review in my signature below if you want to click on it.

 

Book it...you'll love the Mariner!

[jules815]

As you can see from my signature, We LOVE Mariner! I can't say enough good things about that ship!

[ARCruisinNana]

OMGosh! Loved doing the Thriller dance with Steve and Flavio--my family and I had so much doing this dance.

 

As for the Royal Family Suite--it has all the same perks as the GS and up right? Our next family cruise is a group of 7 so we need the RFS, but wasn't sure if it's considered a real suite with the suite perks and suite gratuity.

 

Thanks, Kerrie :)

 

My family of 5 had a RFS on Mariner in March. It was awesome. It has all the suite perks. The space is awesome, especially the balcony. One of my favorite perks is ordering Room Service from the full dining room menus. You can also request a white tablecloth. Table on balcony is huge. There are only 4 chairs but you could easily seat 7 by using the chairs from the inside table.

[CruiseDreaming]

My family of 5 had a RFS on Mariner in March. It was awesome. It has all the suite perks. The space is awesome, especially the balcony. One of my favorite perks is ordering Room Service from the full dining room menus. You can also request a white tablecloth. Table on balcony is huge. There are only 4 chairs but you could easily seat 7 by using the chairs from the inside table.

 

Thanks! I think my family would love room service from the menus--especially at breakfast, and we will ask for a table cloth too. Several of us LOVE the balcony so a meal there would be wonderful. There is a lot of storage space in this room? Closet space etc?

 

Kerre :)

[ARCruisinNana]

Thanks! I think my family would love room service from the menus--especially at breakfast, and we will ask for a table cloth too. Several of us LOVE the balcony so a meal there would be wonderful. There is a lot of storage space in this room? Closet space etc?

 

Kerre :)

 

There is plenty of storage space. In the master bedroom there are 3 closets, 2 have rods and one is all shelves. There is the typical vanity with storage drawers. The inside bedroom has a small closet with shelves and the vanity storage. There is a very large walkin closet across the hall. In the living room are tons of storage space. The bathrooms have the typical storage. The master bath has a tub.

[Jimnbigd]

If you want the added room and perks (like free drinks) of a suite, by all means go for it. But if you just want a way to take 5 people, check on 2 connecting cabins where one of the cabins sleeps 3 -- like 7606/7608, or even an inside like 7649/7651.

 

Here is a youtube video (not mine) of a Royal Family Suite on the Explorer of the Sea, which should be similar if not identical to the Mariner OTS.

 

We're on the April 7, 2013, cruise. Maybe we'll see you then.