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Just back from Mariner 12/30/12-long review

Krazy4Kruisin'

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Krazy4Kruisin'

Krazy4Kruisin'

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Lots of pictures to follow this week, including a video tour of our balcony cabin with commentary by yours truly. I also asked the head waiter for copies of ALL the dinner menus for the week, and he graciously did this for me. I have all the compasses from the week. After I scan these, I will post a link. It might be later in the week.

 

But in the meantime, here is my review/diary of our cruise.

 

SATURDAY, Dec 22

We got to Galveston about 6pm and checked into the Howard Johnson Express Inn on Harborview. It is such a dumpy motel, but the beds were very comfortable. Other than that and being cheap, there is not too much good to say. The manager accused my sister of having too many people in their room, but they had lots of luggage for 4 of them. And her called her a liar. The continental "breakfast" (if you can call it that), was so meager. It was $59 for a queen-queen room. We had wanted a king bed, but the ones downstairs were sold out, so we went with the queen-queen, so we wouldn't have to lug our luggage upstairs.

We went to Gaido's for dinner. Make a reservation if you go, as it is crowded on a Sat. night. It was ok, but not as good as I expected or remembered from eating here many times as a child. My DH said my tuna was better than Gaido's, and he wasn't just saying it to be nice.

 

SUNDAY, Dec 23

About 6:30am, I heard the ship's horn signaling her arrival into port. So I opened the Galveston cruise cam and watched the Mariner pull into harbor.

We left Howard Johnson about 11:15 to drive to EZ Cruise parking lot. We paid $50+tax per car. Because 19 of us were traveling together, we all waited at the port terminal until we all were there. Porters were a little hard to come by, as they were busy carrying out the arriving passengers. It was a quick line through security. It was just like at the airport. Take out laptop and tablets, jackets, phones and purses through the conveyer. They sent us over to a table where we had to show we only had 2 bottles of wine. You could very easily bypass that table, as it wasn't well monitered. It didn't take that long to get our sea passes, as we had priority line for Diamond members. Only 4 of us were D, but they allowed the others in our group of 19 to stay with us. The same for priority waiting area. We boarded a little late, as there were several passengers from the last cruise who had contacted norovirus, and they wanted to disenfect the entire ship again. But by 1pm, they started letting the suite, and Diamond through Pinnacle passengers board.

We went to the Windjammer and had lunch. The french fries were just as I rememberd--very good and crisp. I normally don't eat fries, but I make an exception for Royal's.

Next came the muster drill. You do not have to wear those life jackets to this any more. They demonstrate how to put it on, and that's it. You checked in using your sea pass card, so they wouldn't begin until everyone was there. It started late, as some passengers were still boarding as we were supposed to start. Have no idea if this was their fault or the airlines. But RCCL did wait for them before we sailed.

We had late seating for dinner. I had the sea bass over green lentils and green beans. It was average, but with preparing food for about 2000, you can't expect a 5-star meal. So we didn't complain. We have a daughter who is GF and a niece on a no-salt diet. Each night the head waiter brought the menu for the following night and took their orders so they could prepare their meals how they requested. This was done the entire week and made it so easy and nice for both girls. I also want to say at this point that my very cute father wanted to do this cruise really badly, as he is now 91 and still in good health, but facing reality of getting older. Although my parents have always taken each of the grandkids at various times, but this was the first that every child/spouse and grandchild/spouse/SO went. My dad smiled the entire week. He even made seating charts for each night so he got a chance to sit next each of us during the week. Dad also decided he would like the repeat the family cruise each year until he no longer can.

After dinner, some of us went to check out the casino. More about that later. I played some craps and 3-card poker. Finally went upstairs about 1am.

 

MONDAY, Dec 24 - at sea

Ate breakfast in the Windjammer, then off to the gym. There are about 25 treadmills, many ellipticals, bikes, etc. Small separate area for weights and a very large aerobics room. I decided not to sign up for any of the classes that cost money, such as spinning, yoga, etc.

After the gym, I decided to walk around then entire ship again to explore. I went to see the Diamond lounge, which in in a private room, off the Viking Lounge area. You need to use your sea pass card to get in, so if you aren't at least a Diamond, you will not get in. Later, I ran into my dad and we decided to play 3 card poker again. Had fun having him to myself for a while and we even won some $.

Formal night tonight. Dinner was pretty good. I have always loved cold soups and I had the papaya-pineapple soup. I loved it. Also had the salmon for the alternative menu. The sugar free vanilla cake was delicious.

After dinner, a bunch of us went to the casino. (Do you see a pattern here?) We stayed until 2am, including my 91 year old dad. My brother and nephew are really doing well. After leaving the casino, I went with my daughter, her fiancee, and a couple of nieces to Dragon's Lair to dance. We came up to the cabin about 3am, but I read until 4am.

There was a midnight mass for Christmas eve, but being Jewish, I didn't attend.

There was a morning mass each morning.

 

TUESDAY, Dec 25 - at sea

Christmas services were held today. Also in the Promenade, Santa was there for picture taking with the kids and each one got a small gift.

We went to breakfast in the MDR and they seat you with others until a table is filled. We met 2 nice couples. After eating, I went to the gym.

Lunch in the WJ again. It is the same food choices every day: pizza, hot dogs, hamburgers, salad bar, soups, other hot items, dessert, etc.

At dinner they had a special Christmas meal, and even a Hanukah meal as well. Nice touch for the Jewish cruisers.

To the casino again till late.

 

WEDNESDAY, Dec 26 - Ocho Rios, Jamiaca

This is the first day at port. I went with my sister's family to Dunn's River Falls and Shaw Park. The tour is called Flavors. We left for the tour about 30 min late. At Shaw Park, we had a guide who told us about all the flowers and trees. It was very interesting and pretty. Next we drove to the falls. Our group was supposed to stay together, but somehow, we got split up. I was with my BIL, nephew and his SO. And my sister and 2 nieces were ahead of us by about 10 minutes. The water was rushing down so fast, and it was really cold, but it felt great. A warning-when the guide suggests you get a locker for your back pack, etc, it is for a reason. It is very difficult with something on your back when you are climbing and need more balance. I wanted my backpack because I wanted to take my phone to take pictures. I couldn't imagine doing this climb without taking some pictures. It caused me to be imbalanced a few times, and I fell backwards completely into the water a couple of times.

We were supposed to go shopping on the way back to the ship, but because this tour didn't include any snacks or food, everyone was so hungry. We convinced our driver to take us for jerk chicken and he did it. Loved it. Some of us had the jerk ribs, others the jerk chicken.

That evening our family had reservations for Giovanni's Table. I can tell you we were very disappointed. Some was their fault, some was our fault. It is supposed to be a family style served restaurant. But we have a difficult group, and everyone wanted their own meals and not to share. That caused a back up in the kitchen. No one who ordered the sole fillet liked their meal. It was mushy and way too salty. My daughter thought the rissoto was terrible and someone ordered their steak medium, but it came out still mooing, it was so rare. After complaing to the maitre d, he refunded 5 meals and all of our bar bill. We were appreciative, and felt he left a good taste (no pun intended) in our mouth after doing that. Having been to Chops Grille on other ships, by DH and I felt it was so much better, hands down.

 

THURSDAY, Dec 27 - George Town, Grand Caymans

There were 6 ships here today; 2 RCCL, 2 Carnival, 1 Celebrity and 1 Holland America. We tendered to the shore.We went to town and walked around alot, but because so many ships were here, it was too crowded. We ate lunch at Paradise Cafe, which is all the way down the main strip. You know it by its bright green roof. The food is really good, but service was incredibly slow and so expensive. There were 3 of us here. We had 3 alcoholic drinks total, 1 milkshake and each of us had a jerk shrimp wrap. The bill, including gratuity (which they put on automatically), was $86.00 By the way, the wrap is like a burrito, not a tortilla, like I expected when I think of what a wrap is.

After getting back to the ship, some of us went to the card/game room and played Mah Jongg. I know some people on CC had wanted me to check if they have sets, and they had 2 sets in here. However, I brought my own.

My DH and I finally made it to the Diamond Lounge that evening before dinner. Since everyone in our group (except us and my parents) are gold, we didn't feel it was right to leave the others behind, therefore didn't spend much time here. But that evening, it was nice. They do ask to see your card before they serve you a drink. It wasn't that crowded, but don't know about other evenings. Besides the drinks, there were a few choices of appetizers and desserts.

I had the lamb shank for dinner and it was falling off the bone tender. Also loved the roasted garlic soup and the cold strawberry bisque soup.

That evening, we went to the Adult comedy show and he was terrible. Didn't hear anything that could be considered "adult only" It was only about 15-20% full, and it reminded us of why we don't go to the evening entertainment.

 

FRIDAY, Dec 28 - Cozumel

We slept until 9:30 this morning, at breakfast, then a quick 45 minute workout. There were 7 ships in port today; 2 RCCL, 2 Carnival, 2 NCL and 1 Costa. However, they used various piers, so it didn't seem as crowded. We took a taxi van to the other end of the main street. There are set fees for the cabs and they are posted. No haggling with the drivers. We went to the Forum Shops (not like in Caesar's Palace in Las Vegas). It is basically one giant jewelry store, subdivided into various shops. My wonderful husband has a tradition of buying me a piece of jewelry on each cruise, and this was no exception. (I do know how lucky I am, don't worry). This time I got a thin diamond wedding band. I have been looking at these for a long time, but never wanted to spend the money. This is going to be my anniversary present for the upcoming anniversay in 3 months. I think we got a good deal, but will have it appraised here to be sure. Each of our other purchases have been appraised for at or a little above what we paid, so I feel comfortable.

We ate lunch at a restaurant called Jerusalem, which also has a Kosher mart within the restaurant. They provided kippot (small head coverings for Jewish men) for those who wanted one. Some of us had schwarma and others had falafal sandwiches. All was delicious. We loved the tahini, served with pita.

Six of us attended Friday night Shabbat services. They had 2 rooms reserved in the conference center on Deck 2. One room was for Orthodox services, the other for Conservative/Reform services. RCCL provided us with photo copied modified Siddurim, kippot, Kosher wine and 4 freshly baked challas. About 30 people attended each service.

This was the 2nd Formal night. We wanted a group photo, so my dad had made arrangements with one of the photographers for us to be there at 7:30 and not have to wait. Of course, besides our big group, everyone took family and couples pictures. At dinner, almost everyone had the fisherman's platter, which included a whole lobster tail and some grilled shrimp. It was very good. Our waiter brought out a few extra for those who wanted it.

Again, ending the night in the casino.

 

SATURDAY, Dec 29

There was Shabbat morning services held, which we didn't attend. It was very cold and windy today, and very few braved the weather to sit by the pool. One of my goals for this cruise was to spend time with my father learning more about his life in Poland, where he was born and then his life after coming to the United States. He is normally not that talkative about his personal life, but at his age, I didn't want to miss the opportunity to listen to him talk. I could see his face light up as he remembered so many details. I hope I committed everything to memory, since I forgot to bring a recorder.

We felt this night's dinner was probably the worse of the week. No one could find anything that just "spoke" to them. Maybe we were just so tired of eating and ready for it to end. One person in our group was celebrating a birthday, and we asked to have a surprise cake for her. It was really good. We all also had the shot of the day, which was mudslide tonight. They came in really pretty shot glasses, which you get to keep. For $9/shot, you better get to keep them. Just for these shots, it was $240.

Casino again for the eveing until about 2am.

 

SUNDAY - back home :(

Due to the strong headwinds overnight, we arrived about an hour late. We went to the dining room for breakfast, then back to our cabins to get our carry ons. Some of our group did self disembark, others waited to get off. It was not a bad experience at all. By 10:00, we were off the ship. It took just a couple of minutes to go through customs and we were off the the van for a ride back to our car.

 

A FEW THINGS TO SUM IT UP

1. You get cold water from the sink for about 2 seconds. Then it is hot. Complaint heard around the ship about this.

2. The table games area in the casino is very poorly designed. There was such limited space between the tables and the walls, you couldn't walk through the area, especially if there were some watching behind the players.

3. When handing out towels before an excursion, they only had 1 person. There were 3 people folding towels, but just one handing them out. You have to have your sea pass scanned and return the towel to avoid a $25 charge.

4. There was a reserved area by the pool for those with a gold sea pass card. I think it is D+ and Pinnacle only, but not positive.

5. Outside the top level of the Savoy Theatre, there is a bathroom with a single stall. Very poor design for such a populated area. Must have been designed by a man-LOL. Besides being outside the theatre, it was also next to a bar.

6. On both formal nights, the casino is totally non-smoking. On the other nights, there was a non smoking pit. Can't tell you about the slots area, as I don't play them. Anyway, it was much appreciated.

7. We booked our next cruise onboard for Dec 2013, Navigator of the Seas, which is the sister ship to Mariner. It goes to different ports, which was important to us. Also leaves from Galveston. The funny thing is when we booked, we also booked for our good friends without even telling them. Then I left her a text telling them they were going on a cruise next December. If they can't go, we'll cancel theirs and get the deposit back. When you book onboard, it is only $100/person for the deposit and $100 OBC. By booking again, you can tell the cruise was successful!!

 

So sorry this is this long, but wanted to give you as much info as I could. Any questions, I'll be glad to respond if I can.

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shazzie44

shazzie44

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Thanks forthe great review. We came off as you was getting on. Thanks for the information on the Norovirus. Both my husband and I woke up at 3am with gastro. So that explains it . Wondered if we got it off the ship.

Our cruise was as wonderful as yours.

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ckmommy

ckmommy

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We are leaving in 3 weeks (well, actually 20 days;)) on the Mariner of the Seas. My biggest concern is boarding. I had hoped that RCI had gotten their act together with this. It sounds better from your point of view.

 

Looking forward to no norovirus and calm seas!!

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ARCruisinNana

ARCruisinNana

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We are leaving in 3 weeks (well, actually 20 days;)) on the Mariner of the Seas. My biggest concern is boarding. I had hoped that RCI had gotten their act together with this. It sounds better from your point of view.

 

Looking forward to no norovirus and calm seas!!

 

From what I've heard, the cruises that come back from the Roatan/Belize/Cozumel sailings take longer to get everyone off because they ship has to go though extra inspections (customs?). I was on the Nov. 18 cruise with this itinerary and it did take a LONG time to get off the ship and then go through customs. As a result, the boarding for the next cruise (Nov. 25) was delayed. It was reported that people getting off the Nov. 25 cruise had an easy time getting off. Was this because of the different itinerary?

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BonTexasNY

BonTexasNY

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Krazy, sounds like you had a great cruise. The time spent with your father sounds priceless. We board Mariner on 1/13 and the anticipation keeps mounting.

 

Can you please let me know where exactly the Jerusalem restaurant is?

 

Happy future sails to you.

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reney313

reney313

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From what I've heard, the cruises that come back from the Roatan/Belize/Cozumel sailings take longer to get everyone off because they ship has to go though extra inspections (customs?). I was on the Nov. 18 cruise with this itinerary and it did take a LONG time to get off the ship and then go through customs. As a result, the boarding for the next cruise (Nov. 25) was delayed. It was reported that people getting off the Nov. 25 cruise had an easy time getting off. Was this because of the different itinerary?

 

I was on the 11/25 cruise--both embarkation and debarkation were terrible (although embarking was worse). I have also cruised on Liberty of the Seas that stopped in Belize. We had heard the same thing about taking longer, but I did not experience it on that ship/that sailing.

 

That being said, some of the most recent reviews seem to indicate it has gotten better in Galveston which is great news. I do have to take it in balance....D and above and much more priority and I don't believe their experiences in the embarkation line are the same. I was platinum (moved to emerald after the cruise..Yay!) and we waited almost a hour less than my family who were all first time cruisers on RCI.

 

To the OP-great review. Much of what you relayed mirrored our impressions as well.

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ckmommy

ckmommy

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My parents and sisiter's family are going with us on the cruise (or should I say, we are going with my parents since they are funding the cruise for our whole family). They are Diamond Members. We are lowly gold members, but we are booked in the Royal Family Suite. Well, some of us are...We have 3 cabins booked all next to each other. I think--and maybe someone can help with this--we will all be able to check in together in the priority line. That should save us some time--I hope!!

 

We have all our excursions picked out. The kids have their lists of things they want to do all picked out. My mom just changed us to MTD, so now we can go to dinner at a reasonable hour for our family.

 

Now, if we can get over the "real" flu, colds, and stomach bug that has been with us for 2.5 weeks!!:eek:

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Krazy4Kruisin'

Krazy4Kruisin'

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My parents and sisiter's family are going with us on the cruise (or should I say, we are going with my parents since they are funding the cruise for our whole family). They are Diamond Members. We are lowly gold members, but we are booked in the Royal Family Suite. Well, some of us are...We have 3 cabins booked all next to each other. I think--and maybe someone can help with this--we will all be able to check in together in the priority line. That should save us some time--I hope!!

 

We have all our excursions picked out. The kids have their lists of things they want to do all picked out. My mom just changed us to MTD, so now we can go to dinner at a reasonable hour for our family.

 

Now, if we can get over the "real" flu, colds, and stomach bug that has been with us for 2.5 weeks!!:eek:

 

Just me and my DH and my parents are diamond. The rest of the people in our group are gold. They were allowed to get their sea pass cards and wait in the priority area with us. Also allowed to board with us.

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Krazy4Kruisin'

Krazy4Kruisin'

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Krazy, sounds like you had a great cruise. The time spent with your father sounds priceless. We board Mariner on 1/13 and the anticipation keeps mounting.

 

Can you please let me know where exactly the Jerusalem restaurant is?

 

Happy future sails to you.

 

Jerusalem is upstairs at the Forum Shops. The Forum Shops is really just a gigantic jewelry store, subdivided into different stores. The main one is Diamonds International. You will enjoy it if you eat there.

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Kellie Poodle

Kellie Poodle

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Thank you so much for taking the time to do the review, scanning and posting the dailies and the menus. It's not a small task and we are grateful.

 

Can't wait for the menus. There is one menu that I do not care for at all. That's the night I go to the specialty restaurant. I normally have to wait to see the menus for each day to know when to book the specialty.

 

I'm on the alternate itinerary - Belize- Roatan and Cozumel, but I don't think the menu will change.

 

Glad you had such a wonderful cruise. You are so blessed to have parents. Do try and write down those stories. With so many of our people lost in Europe during WWII, we need to have all the anecdotes to hold on to. These anecdotes give life and meaning to 'statistics' Six million is just a number, but your father's stories are about real people.

 

Since you write so well, I'm betting you can do justice to your father's stories and preserve them for the generations. They need their heritage.

 

Thanks again.

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