Mariner of the Seas From Singapore 10/22/15- Complete Picture Review!

[Clarea]

Hey Kim, I was wondering. How do you quote more than one post in a post? It gets annoying in reviews trying to respond to people but having to start a new post every time.

 

Thanks so much! Haven't gotten caught up as I just got home from Splendor a few days ago and started my review, but I hope to soon!:D

Instead of clicking the "Quote" button, click the "+" button right next to it. Do this on all the posts you want to quote, then on the last one, click the "Quote" button.

[cruisexlife]

Instead of clicking the "Quote" button, click the "+" button right next to it. Do this on all the posts you want to quote, then on the last one, click the "Quote" button.

 

thank you so much!

[gapearl]

This review and the one of Navigator are a great lead-in to my cruise in January!

 

For sure! You're kind of in the same boat (pun intended lol) I was in- sailed Royal Caribbean once a few years ago with a lot of Carnival cruises since. It'll be interesting to hear your thoughts when you get back.

 

Kim,

 

A wonderful review and trip blog. The pictures, i am sure, did not do justice to the live experience, but they were some fantastic PICS! I appreciated your open-mindedness to all of your experiences and I am pretty jealous that you get to take enough time off to do a long trip like this.

 

Thanks for taking the time and devoting all the effort to this great review.

 

Thank you so much! I tried for my pictures to do some justice but they didn't fully. Where I was is such a beautiful area of the world and I hope I encouraged some people to step out of their comfort zone to maybe visit some place new. I actually had a full 4 weeks off work, so in addition to the 2 week trip, I had a week off before to prepare and pack and a week off after to relax and get back to reality. Believe it or not, I was more than ready to go back to work!

[gapearl]

Hey Kim, I was wondering. How do you quote more than one post in a post? It gets annoying in reviews trying to respond to people but having to start a new post every time.

 

Thanks so much! Haven't gotten caught up as I just got home from Splendor a few days ago and started my review, but I hope to soon!:D

 

Thanks CLAREA for answering! :) I saw your question last night when I was on my way to bed but didn't see there was a response here, so I posted it on your review also. I know the struggle all too well of wanting to read a review but you have one to write yourself. Go finish yours and come back to read this one later. It's not going anywhere. ;)

 

Kim, thanks for a fabulous review. I'm booked on Mariner at the end of January for their itinerary that goes to Bangkok and Vietnam but I loved the posts and photos of the ship (and I am in a Promenade view as well so great to see actual photos). Out very first cruise on Star cruises (Superstar Virgo) visited the ports you did so it was good to see them again. BTW I think they are Star cruise ships in the photo in HKK as they dock there frequently.

 

Awesome! I was initially going to book that itinerary. It ran the week after my cruise and I really wanted to see Vietnam, but the one I booked was cheaper and had 4 ports instead of 2 and I still had 2 days in Thailand. Will you be writing a review when you get back? I'd love to see pictures from your ports. I've got to check out Star Cruises and see what they have to offer. If you didn't notice in my Cruise Compasses, the Windjammer had hot food available late at night from 10:30 pm to sometimes as late as 4 am every night. I thought this was typical of all Royal ships, but everyone has said it's not, looks like it's exclusive to this ship or maybe the Asia sailings. So if you ever get hungry late at night, head up there. Have a great time on your cruise next month! :)

[cruiserinsg]

Our first cruise was with Star Cruise (Virgo) on the 9th August 2013 (Singapore National Day) and since then sailed on Virgo twice and Gemini twice. Star Cruise catered more for Asian market ie Casino and Asian Cuisine. Very different experiences and do give it a try if you have the opportunity.

 

We would like to try Carnival but it doesn't come to my port in Asia, maybe oneday :). All the best to you and if you ever pass by Singapore again, do let us know. Cheers!!! :)

[Barrheadlass]

I came across your posts on the solo cruisers board and just enjoyed all 22 pages of the thread, all at once! Your postings and pics were fabulous! I love your adventuresome spirit and all the work you put into pretrip planning. You're truly an inspiration!

[gapearl]

Our first cruise was with Star Cruise (Virgo) on the 9th August 2013 (Singapore National Day) and since then sailed on Virgo twice and Gemini twice. Star Cruise catered more for Asian market ie Casino and Asian Cuisine. Very different experiences and do give it a try if you have the opportunity.

 

We would like to try Carnival but it doesn't come to my port in Asia, maybe oneday :). All the best to you and if you ever pass by Singapore again, do let us know. Cheers!!! :)

 

Carnival is sending a couple of ships to China in the next 3 years. You never know, they might put one in Singapore one day!

 

I came across your posts on the solo cruisers board and just enjoyed all 22 pages of the thread, all at once! Your postings and pics were fabulous! I love your adventuresome spirit and all the work you put into pretrip planning. You're truly an inspiration!

 

Awesome! I'm glad I posted it over there. Thanks for all the kind words. I'm glad you enjoyed. :)

[cruisexlife]

Finally catching up on your review and I have to say that it was GREAT! I loved reading about the ports in Malaysia and Thailand, as well as the pre cruise in Singapore and the post cruise in Hong Kong. Hong Kong is very high on my priority list, and I cannot wait to see it one day.

 

It seemed like you immersed yourself deeply into the culture in Asia, and enjoyed it. I love Asian culture, it is truly one of a kind. I am very optimistic about these cruise lines moving to Asia, because that opens more doors for me to get out there.

 

Thanks for taking the time to write this review, it was very detailed and interesting, and I really enjoyed reading it. Beautiful photos and your writing always kept me hooked!

 

I see your next cruise is on the Pride from Charm City, do you have any pre/post cruise plans in Baltimore / Annapolis / Washington DC?

[bigmama9224]

Hi Kim, I simply love all of your reviews, this is how I do most of my traveling thru your eyes. You do things that I would never be able to do, first because of my age and second my disabilities will not allow me.

 

People please this is my opinion so no head bashing. Like I said Kim I love all your reviews, but this one just seemed like it was missing something. Maybe it was Royal Caribbean Ship, Carnival just seems like you have more fun. I simply love all of your modeling at night you didn't show us your clothes and shoe, we expect that from you.

 

Will I ever do an Asia cruise no, so that is why I love reading yours cause I just went thru your eyes and the land vacation was just wonderful.

 

I have been on Royal and it seems that the night life tends to end pretty early, or maybe it was the crowd. Either way thanks so much for your review it was wonderful.

[gapearl]

Finally catching up on your review and I have to say that it was GREAT! I loved reading about the ports in Malaysia and Thailand, as well as the pre cruise in Singapore and the post cruise in Hong Kong. Hong Kong is very high on my priority list, and I cannot wait to see it one day.

 

It seemed like you immersed yourself deeply into the culture in Asia, and enjoyed it. I love Asian culture, it is truly one of a kind. I am very optimistic about these cruise lines moving to Asia, because that opens more doors for me to get out there.

 

Thanks for taking the time to write this review, it was very detailed and interesting, and I really enjoyed reading it. Beautiful photos and your writing always kept me hooked!

 

I see your next cruise is on the Pride from Charm City, do you have any pre/post cruise plans in Baltimore / Annapolis / Washington DC?

 

I'm glad you enjoyed this one! Going to Asia and experiencing all the different cultures was such an amazing experience. I always love having you here to read. I haven't even gotten that far ahead to start thinking about the Pride yet. I'm bringing my mom, so I'll probably spend a couple of days taking her around DC and letting her see all the monuments since she's never been. I also looked at the Sunshine Bermuda cruise from New York, but that would have been too much for her and I think she'll really appreciate DC so much more than The Big Apple. Feel free to offer me any Baltimore suggestions, keeping in mind my mom is a not so active senior citizen. :)

 

Hi Kim, I simply love all of your reviews, this is how I do most of my traveling thru your eyes. You do things that I would never be able to do, first because of my age and second my disabilities will not allow me.

 

People please this is my opinion so no head bashing. Like I said Kim I love all your reviews, but this one just seemed like it was missing something. Maybe it was Royal Caribbean Ship, Carnival just seems like you have more fun. I simply love all of your modeling at night you didn't show us your clothes and shoe, we expect that from you.

 

Will I ever do an Asia cruise no, so that is why I love reading yours cause I just went thru your eyes and the land vacation was just wonderful.

 

I have been on Royal and it seems that the night life tends to end pretty early, or maybe it was the crowd. Either way thanks so much for your review it was wonderful.

 

Thanks for reading Big Mama! I love having people tell me how they live vicariously through my pictures so I'm glad you enjoyed.

 

You're absolutely right. This cruise didn't have that "fun" vibe like all my others. Honestly though, I wasn't expecting it. I kind of figured an Asia sailing would be a little quieter and I was prepared for that. I have never gone to bed on any cruise as early as I did this trip. Even when the nightlife hasn't been as good on some of my Carnival cruises, I've at least met other travelers that I was able to hang with around the ship, and that just didn't happen this cruise at all. I mean you see how my dinner mates ditched me. :rolleyes: I didn't come home with not one new FB friend from the ship. I did bring some dresses, but didn't wear half of them since I skipped the MDR half the trip. I do wonder how the nightlife on RC compares to Carnival on a standard Caribbean sailing since both of my Royal Caribbean trips were from overseas. It was all good though. I got a lot of good sleep. :D

[cruiselife4me]

I loved this review. Thank you Kim!! Now going to read some of your others. I could do this on my own but don't think my hubby would agree. lol.

Mary

[windjamming]

Count me in as another fan, Kim. I started following along at the beginning, but life got in the way, and now I've just finished it all at a go.

 

What an amazing, thrilling, breath-taking adventure you had !!

 

Thank you for taking us along and for being so detailed with every taxi ride, every meal, every weather change. As I mentioned earlier in the thread, you have a real beautiful way with words. After reading the entire thread, I'll add that you have a real beautiful way with life !

[gapearl]

I loved this review. Thank you Kim!! Now going to read some of your others. I could do this on my own but don't think my hubby would agree. lol.

Mary

 

Thanks Mary! You never know. Hubby might say go ahead. ;)

 

Count me in as another fan, Kim. I started following along at the beginning, but life got in the way, and now I've just finished it all at a go.

 

What an amazing, thrilling, breath-taking adventure you had !!

 

Thank you for taking us along and for being so detailed with every taxi ride, every meal, every weather change. As I mentioned earlier in the thread, you have a real beautiful way with words. After reading the entire thread, I'll add that you have a real beautiful way with life !

 

An adventure it was for sure! Thanks for taking the time to read. I really enjoy sharing my travels with everyone. I appreciate all of your kind words. :)

[SharkCruiser24]

GAPearl, you did it again!!! What a wonderful review! We were planning a trip to Southeast Asia and I wanted to do a three week land adventure which would be tons of money, but we would be able to go to 8+ countries. My husband who has very little interest in the area said lets do a back to back cruise to different locations and come back to visit our favorites. I loved reading your review, as always, it was so detailed with lovely pictures! Thank you os much for taking the time to share with us!

[gapearl]

GAPearl, you did it again!!! What a wonderful review! We were planning a trip to Southeast Asia and I wanted to do a three week land adventure which would be tons of money, but we would be able to go to 8+ countries. My husband who has very little interest in the area said lets do a back to back cruise to different locations and come back to visit our favorites. I loved reading your review, as always, it was so detailed with lovely pictures! Thank you os much for taking the time to share with us!

 

Thanks so much for the kind words! I would think a three week trip around SE Asia wouldn't be too terribly expensive since there are cheap hotels and food. I guess when you add in the cost of flights, that's where it adds up. I love the idea of the back to back cruise and going back to your favorite places. Honestly some of the places I visited I could stay for days, but others I really just felt like I only needed the one day, so you'll be able to make a better informed decision with the cruise. Good luck with your planning!

[top golfer]

Thanks Kimberly for a great review.

[Krissfon]

Thank you for this review, I traveled to Indonesia in 2001 for 3 weeks. My cousin and her husband were ex-pats for an oil company and love when people would come and visit. Your pictures brought back so many memories and I could actually feel SE Asia again! I'm a little sad because I cancelled my plans for 4 days in Malaysia at a resort on Langkawi Island due to a small respiratory infection from Jakarta's air quality. Your pictures are simply amazing and I'm glad you had a great time while alone. My 4 days in Bali alone wouldn't be how I would choose to do that island again :)

 

PS Because of my very limited Indonesian vocabulary I was able to greet my room steward, who was from there, on my first cruise and made his whole face light up. Travel rocks :p

[hlb76]

Well I know I was late to the game but I finally got a chance to read this!! I enjoyed it very much! Another beautiful review. Thanks so much for letting us CCL'ers know about it.

 

Not sure Asia is on my list for anytime soon but I am now intrigued. I love to travel and would see the whole world if I could (can).

 

Please go on another trip soon so I can live vicariously through you again.

[gapearl]

Thanks Kimberly for a great review.

 

You're so welcome! Thank you for reading.

 

Thank you for this review, I traveled to Indonesia in 2001 for 3 weeks. My cousin and her husband were ex-pats for an oil company and love when people would come and visit. Your pictures brought back so many memories and I could actually feel SE Asia again! I'm a little sad because I cancelled my plans for 4 days in Malaysia at a resort on Langkawi Island due to a small respiratory infection from Jakarta's air quality. Your pictures are simply amazing and I'm glad you had a great time while alone. My 4 days in Bali alone wouldn't be how I would choose to do that island again :)

 

PS Because of my very limited Indonesian vocabulary I was able to greet my room steward, who was from there, on my first cruise and made his whole face light up. Travel rocks :p

 

Thanks for such nice words! I had originally contemplated traveling to Vietnam at the end of the trip, and briefly considered Bali as well before deciding on Hong Kong. I've heard it's so beautiful there. I never travel to another country without learning at least a few words in the local language (such as hello and thank you) to be polite. In Thailand, I loved greeting people with sa-wa-dee-ka with the simultaneous praying hands and bowed head. Locals truly appreciate your effort. :)

 

Well I know I was late to the game but I finally got a chance to read this!! I enjoyed it very much! Another beautiful review. Thanks so much for letting us CCL'ers know about it.

 

Not sure Asia is on my list for anytime soon but I am now intrigued. I love to travel and would see the whole world if I could (can).

 

Please go on another trip soon so I can live vicariously through you again.

 

Hey girl! Thanks for venturing over here to read this. It's definitely a blessing to be able to see the world. I tell everyone go to another country if you can, and if you can't go to another state, and it you can't do that go to another city in your state. My unofficial motto is God created this world way too big to not see it all. My next cruise is a whole 9 months away. :eek: I'm gonna find some motivation to get back to my travel blog (that I haven't posted on in months) and make it something really special and memorable. I've also changed my mind and decided that even with my braces, I'm going to apply for the season of The Amazing Race that's filming next summer. Who knows, you might be able to live vicariously through me on tv! :D

Edited December 12, 2015 by gapearl

[JoePatNYCT]

 

I appreciate everyone taking the time to read this. It took a lot of time and effort to put together. I have to admit that after all the work I put into it, I still didn't get half as many views or feedback as my reviews normally get. Maybe not as many people aren't interested in reading about an Asia cruise because it's not on their radar, I don't know. In any case, thanks to those of you who left positive words along the way and took the time to read some or all of it. :)

 

I certainly appreciate it. I just got back from cruising for 6 weeks so this was my first opportunity to read it. Like you, I generally travel solo.

 

I'm currently deciding between Australia and SE Asia for my next adventure and you've done an amazing amount of groundwork for me.

 

Thanks again,

 

Joe

[Rock_ON!!]

Your review was refreshing! It was nice to read about a new ports outside of the Caribbean for a change. Im glad I saw your post on the Carnival site that showed the link to this review or I would never have found it. I think traveling to this area of the world would make a good land vacation, there is so much to see, so much culture to experience. I think I'll have to save up for this one! Thanks again for another great review. Jenn

[BettyPC]

Very excited to see a GAPearl review on the RCCL boards!! Wasn't expecting anything this exciting early on a Sunday morning. Thanks for all the beginning detail about Singapore & where it is (lol)

 

Betty

[BettyPC]

4 hours later & I read the entire trip. Fabulous memories and your pictures were great of the temples and gods.

 

Betty

[cruisexlife]

I'm glad you enjoyed this one! Going to Asia and experiencing all the different cultures was such an amazing experience. I always love having you here to read. I haven't even gotten that far ahead to start thinking about the Pride yet. I'm bringing my mom, so I'll probably spend a couple of days taking her around DC and letting her see all the monuments since she's never been. I also looked at the Sunshine Bermuda cruise from New York, but that would have been too much for her and I think she'll really appreciate DC so much more than The Big Apple. Feel free to offer me any Baltimore suggestions, keeping in mind my mom is a not so active senior citizen. :)

 

 

 

Thanks for reading Big Mama! I love having people tell me how they live vicariously through my pictures so I'm glad you enjoyed.

 

You're absolutely right. This cruise didn't have that "fun" vibe like all my others. Honestly though, I wasn't expecting it. I kind of figured an Asia sailing would be a little quieter and I was prepared for that. I have never gone to bed on any cruise as early as I did this trip. Even when the nightlife hasn't been as good on some of my Carnival cruises, I've at least met other travelers that I was able to hang with around the ship, and that just didn't happen this cruise at all. I mean you see how my dinner mates ditched me. :rolleyes: I didn't come home with not one new FB friend from the ship. I did bring some dresses, but didn't wear half of them since I skipped the MDR half the trip. I do wonder how the nightlife on RC compares to Carnival on a standard Caribbean sailing since both of my Royal Caribbean trips were from overseas. It was all good though. I got a lot of good sleep. :D

 

Baltimore has some very interesting museums, like the Babe Ruth Museum, and all of Fort McHenry. Fort McHenry is a very interesting place. The "Top of the World" Trade Center is a very cool museum, I went last weekend with friends. Great views! Apparently, our aquarium rival's Atlanta's in terms of having good displays, so that may be an option. Walking the Inner Harbor is a lot of fun too. If you're renting a car, maybe a lunch in Downtown Annapolis would be nice too, with all of the yachts and old buildings. DTA (as we call it) is a very pretty place.

 

However, the weather could effect everything. I know they are having some March cruises from Baltimore to Bermuda, and March is our heavy snow season, because the spring moisture comes back, but the cold doesn't go anywhere. But if you're going in the fall, that will be the perfect time to walk DC, as well as see some of the places in Baltimore. That is my favorite time to do either, is September-October.

 

You will love both cities, as well as the Pride :D

[babsee101]

Girl, the people on this board don't know what they are missing! I would read any review you write because you could make a 7 day cruise on a beat up dingy a blast ... and look fabulous the entire time! I haven't hung out on RCL boards much but, first glance, it seems the in-depth cruise picture reviews are more common and popular on the Carnival boards. Also, just so you know, when I searched RCL board for GA Pearl nothing came up. I had to click on a link to this review on your signature on an older review on the Carnival board. Kind of a pain to find it for some reason.

 

Thanks so much for putting in the work to provide us with yet another excellent Ga Pearl review! I look forward to the next one!

 

 

Barb

 

PS - It's hard to believe you need braces? You have a beautiful smile. I guess your orthodontist knows best though. Hope they are getting more comfortable.