some comments on recent Mariner by a Celebrity frequent cruiser.

[suec12]

We took a 5 day sail on Mariner for the - you guessed it - grandkids! Overall it was a great experience and exceeded my expectations (which were not very high) Fortunately we (the grandparents) were "Diamond" and really glad about our perks - esp. the coffee available and the peace and quiet in the sky lounge. We managed to get a table assigned to us after sailing as we had signed up for "my time" and that didn't work with our 8 and 12 year olds.  The dining room food ranged from rarely inedible (shrimp risotto) to not bad on most nights. I did miss the every day choices Celebrity has on their nightly menu.Choices in lido cafe very good, esp. Indian dishes.

 

Overall the kids loved it and could easily access the slides and other features. It is unlikely I will sail RCL again unless with children. It was quite crowded and actives at some of the venues did not fit! Trivia in Schooner bar way too crowded. But RCL is great as a family destination.

 

One more gripe - we received several prompts from RCL to board at our assigned time - we thought we ad an early time 1:00 pm and arrived about 12;45. We could hardly find a parking space and the ship was already a hive of activity. I think if they are going to tell people an assigned time, they should make some effort to proceed with that expectation.

Edited March 30 by suec12

[cruiselvr04]

Glad your family had a great time.  Royal is definitely a family cruise line unless you go on longer sailings. We avoid summer, holidays and short sailings most of the time.  

[Cruise a holic]

You went on an old ship.  Consider Oasis Class or Icon.  You will have so many more options for food and entertainment- all typically very good.  We have sailed on the Adventure rust bucket- stay away from the old ships.

[Biker19]

Just now, Cruise a holic said:

We have sailed on the Adventure rust bucket- stay away from the old ships.

At 15 years old, Oasis is not exactly new either.

[Cruise a holic]

6 minutes ago, Biker19 said:

At 15 years old, Oasis is not exactly new either.

Correct- but try wonder harmony or allure also.  They keep those ships in great shape!  Just did the Icon.  What an adventure!  PS love- the celebrity edge class ships also the Silhouette and Reflection S class ships. 

Edited March 30 by Cruise a holic

[smokeybandit]

Mariner is not an old ship. Actually one of the nicer ones in the fleet.

[PhillyFan33579]

1 hour ago, suec12 said:

One more gripe - we received several prompts from RCL to board at our assigned time - we thought we ad an early time 1:00 pm and arrived about 12;45. We could hardly find a parking space and the ship was already a hive of activity. I think if they are going to tell people an assigned time, they should make some effort to proceed with that expectation.

1:00 PM is not an early check-in time. For most RCI cruises check-in windows start at 10:30 AM or 11:00 AM. Even if RCI strictly enforced check-in times, which they rarely do now, you still had one of the later check-in times. 

[suec12]

Well when I filled out our docs, 1:00 was the earliest offered - earlier times must have been offered to others.

 

[marci22]

7 minutes ago, suec12 said:

Well when I filled out our docs, 1:00 was the earliest offered - earlier times must have been offered to others.

 

To get the 'earliest' time, you have to do your checkin right after midnight. I would look for recent reports based on the port you are going to, but I almost always get to the Bayonne port around 10:30a and there is a short wait time inside before boarding.

[klfhngr]

The Navigator is old, but she's beautiful and in great shape!