Help deciding between Norwegian Epic versus RC Mariner of the Seas

[Nolesmln]

My kids (15,13,10) have never cruised before. I want to make sure they love it. Both ships have nearly the same itinerary: Nassau, private island, 3 days. Price on RC a little higher. The Epic looks more fun for the kids but is in March, the Mariner of the Seas is in July and is about to be refurbished. We are native Floridians so no cold water tolerance. Advice. Better ship - colder water versus lesser ship-warm water???? Thank you. I am holding a cruise for 24 hours so any quick advice would've greatly appreciated.

[Keith1010]

Temperature wise I would go in June.

 

I would read reviews on each ship.

 

Keith

[Capt_BJ]

EPIC has WAY more 'wiz-bang' ... your kids would like EPIC better from the SHIP perspective

 

But we've enjoyed the same 'class' ship as MARINER on RCL (Voyager-class). It has less 'wiz-bang' (but does have gyro stabilized pool tables!)

 

in general MUCH prefer RCL over NCL so far as cruise line .... we were an NCL customer until a cruise where there was a problem and they totally dropped the ball. Customer service is NOT job one with NCL IMO. We will not go back there.

 

NCL pioneered 'freestyle' cruising and frankly we prefer the more traditional style (dinner at 8 every night is just FINE for us ... that's what we do at home!) But again, your kids would probably prefer EPIC, less structure and more choices. They won't 'see' poor service.

 

Water temp?????? I'm a Floridian too ..... on our last 5 cruises we never got in the water, beach or pool! Will beach/pool time be a priority for your Floridian kids?

[Cruzaholic41]

Mariner over Epic any day, especially with Epic’s odd room layout.

[SuiteTraveler]

Are you going to be in a regular cabin or suite? If you are going in a suite then, Epic by far. If your kids like water slides, then Epic is much better. IMO, NCL food is better in the specialty restaurants and buffet than on RCCL. Mariner is a fairly old ship (2003), Epic is from 2010 and looks up to date. Personally, I prefer to go on newer ships. Epic is a Mega Ship, Mariner is not. The one thing people don't like on Epic is in Mini-Suites and below the European bathroom arrangement with the shower leading into the vestibule of the room and toilet behind a sliding glass door - not especially private. However, once you get into, say The Haven 2 bedroom suite, that is no longer an issue at all and Haven guests are really pampered with butler service, private dining room for Haven guests and many amenities. RCCL does very little for suite guests by comparison. Non-suite, you might prefer the bathroom arrangement on Mariner.