Mariner of the Seas 7/9/06 sailing

[NoVa Mimi]

Just a few notes on our recent sailing on board MOS 7/9/06 sailing....

 

Best overall embarkation and debarkation at this port IMHO! Utilizing the preprinted Set Sail Pass works great, as well.

 

We stayed at the new Residence Inn 1 night pre-cruise for $129. Very nice hotel and full hot breakfast for free. The rooms were very clean, as well as the dining area. The grounds however, do not compare with the Radisson. Rather drab outside, not much "landscaping". I believe we would stay there again due to it being so clean. We ate at the restaurant next door, the name escapes me, which was a family restaurant...not impressed.

 

We opted not to take the shuttle from the hotel the next morning as we wanted to be at the port prior to them leaving the hotel. We paid $7.90 for 3 of us with 6 bags in a cab, arrived at 10:45 and we were on board having lunch in the Windjammer at 11:45am :)

 

Muster drill was quick and painless.

 

Unfortunately, the cruise we were on was the last week that Captain Johnny was off. We really did hope he'd be back by the time we sailed.

 

We were on the Eastern route on this sailing. It was our first time to go to Coco Cay...what a lovely day we had there! :)

 

We did 3 excursions this trip. Wave runners and Para-sailing in Coco Cay, and Loterie Farm Zip Line adventure in St. Maarten. All 3 were wonderful. We really did enjoy the zip line excursion and I would recommend it highly!

 

Becky, the cruise director is wonderful!! To date, she is my favorite :). Very personable and full of energy!! She had recently broken her foot but continued doing everything with such energy, though one could see that at times she must have been in considerable pain.

 

The shows were very good, Quest was great and the ice show was wonderful.

 

The ship is in excellent condition. We are platinum members and were fortunate to be in an OS cabin. The suite was just absolutely beautiful, with a huge balcony! Our cabin steward did a very nice job, as well.

 

We ate in Chops on one occasion. I don't think I'd pay the extra to do that again...just MHO.

 

Our waiter, Engin, never asked us our names. I did let him know our names, but he never addressed us by anything other than Sir, Ma'am and "big boy" to my 16 y/o son (by the way this did not go over very well with my son, who is an average sized 16 y/o teenager). He addressed all the boys at his various tables as "big boy".

 

We did utilize the Concierge Club. Ricardo was the Concierge.

 

Food in the dining room and Windjammer was ok. The thought of not having to cook and do the dishes certainly outweighed any short comings there might have been. I was just very grateful for the chance to have 3 full meals daily, if I chose, and to not have to do anything but decide what I was going to eat! :) Breakfast in the dining room was very nice. Room service was always very prompt!

 

On debarkation day, I had the opportunity to chat with one of the cruise director's staff whilst waiting to get off the ship. He had some very interesting things to say about the management of the ship and the crew. Many of these things my family had individually noticed.

 

I hope that nothing I have mentioned sounds negative, as some folks really do get defensive if one mentions negative experiences that they have had.

We had a wonderful trip and I am going through some serious post cruise depression!

 

If anyone has any questions, I would be happy to answer them!

 

Next cruise Freedom of the Seas 7/07.

 

Tami

[NoVa Mimi]

One important thing I forgot to address....the chair hogs were out in full force!! On the last sea day, the last day of the cruise, by 9:15 am, many of the chairs were "reserved" with the ever present towel. There was no enforcement of the no saving rule, that I noticed.

 

Tami

[powelweb]

Hi Tami,

 

Thanks for the review! We're booked on the Mariner in Nov, so I love reading specific reviews about her.

 

It sounds like Capt Johnny is expected back this week- do you think he'll still be there in Nov?

 

Also, could you expand on your conversation with CD staff about the ship's mgmt and crew? you've peaked my curiosity.

 

Happy sailing,

Wendy

[BuilderMan]

Interesting that you mentioned the crew. We were on the MOS in May and noticed several things about the crew that kind of stood out. We also talked with Becky about our observations and she was so thrilled to hear that the passengers were noticing. It was the friendliest, most helpful crew we have ever had. Everyone smiled and greeted you. We were called my name all the time. No one looked like it was a bother to help you what so ever. The embarkation was the best we've ever had and debarkation was as painless as it could be. The ship itself was spotless all of the time. It's very apparant that the crew loves Captain Johnny (even though he wasn't there that week). One of the stewards said "he's my boy!" which told us that there is a lot of affection and respect for that captain.

[sailing sue]

I will be sailing in October on the Mariner - Eastern route. Could you tell me which nights are the formal nights? Thank you

[CruiseAwayWithMe]

One important thing I forgot to address....the chair hogs were out in full force!! On the last sea day, the last day of the cruise, by 9:15 am, many of the chairs were "reserved" with the ever present towel. There was no enforcement of the no saving rule, that I noticed.

 

Tami

Same thing happened on Freedom of the Seas. Everyone saves seats as the shows begin too.

[jetlady]

I was on the mariner on the western caribbean July 2nd. I agree that Becky was fun, wish I could have met her before she broke her foot by falling into the orchestra pit, I could see the pain in her face. She tried very hard to stay positive. I also agree that her crew was probally the best and worked many, many hours for our cruise. the group of them were everywhere. not sure how they do it, they can not sleep but for a few hours a day.

As for the rest of the crew I do not believe they were as "customer Friendly" as the first two cruises I had been on. I cannot say anyone was rude but no one went the extra step either. JMO

[jillybabes]

Sailing Sue, If memory serves me correctly the formal nights are Monday and Friday. Have a great time, Mariner is a wonderful ship:D ...Later, Jill:cool:

[pandaTO]

Hello Tami - Please share any info about dinner at Chops. Was it the food or the service that was mediocre? What dish would you recommend, if any? We are planning this as a birthday dinner with our two sons. How long did the meal last? What did your son enjoy about this experience? Thanks!

[gatordad]

Hi Tami,

We are sailing on Mariner this Sunday also doing Eastern. 1st cruise as Diamond C&A so looking forward to Concierge Club. How was Ricardo?

I thought Captain Johnny was on vacation until August. It would be great if he was the Captain this week. 4 days and wake up call to go!!

[bambam2972]

Thanks for the review, Tami! I can't wait for next May.

 

Sorry to hear about the wait staff.. when we were on Mariner last May our Waitress learned our names, and even called me Mandy, which is weird because only my great grandfather called me that. :)

 

We also had James Andrews for our CD, but I hope we have Becky since I've heard such great things about her.

 

 

Amanda

[whitsmom]

Thanks for posting your review. We are on the Mariner (Eastern) on November 12. We are looking forward to a truly relaxing vacation. I am surprised that your waiter did not call you by name:cool: .

 

Judy

[riatn]

Hello Tami - Please share any info about dinner at Chops. Was it the food or the service that was mediocre? What dish would you recommend, if any? We are planning this as a birthday dinner with our two sons. How long did the meal last? What did your son enjoy about this experience? Thanks!

 

We were also on the same cruise and had a wonderful meal at Chops. My wife and I were celebrating our 25th anniversary and both had the fillet that was outstanding. It was as good and maybe even better than a fillet that you would get at any very fine steak restaurant in the states. Our meal lasted about 2 hours since it was a full 5 course meal.

 

 

 

riatn

[michellebelle]

Glad to hear you had fun! We're leaving Sunday on the MOS...it's our second time on her.

[Juardis]

We did 3 excursions this trip. Wave runners and Para-sailing in Coco Cay, and Loterie Farm Zip Line adventure in St. Maarten. All 3 were wonderful. We really did enjoy the zip line excursion and I would recommend it highly!

 

Tami

Wow, what a great review Tami. This is our first cruise (family of 4, me, DW, DS (16) and DS (13)) and we're doing those exact 3 excursions. My son's picked them out, but DW and I are pretty adventuresome, so we had no problem picking them out. We also signed up for the BOB underwater adventure in St. Thomas.

 

Anyway, we leave in a couple of days and set sail July 23. The one question I have is, are camera's truly forbidden on the Zip Line? I have a digital SLR that I'd love to bring in a fanny pack, but if that's not allowed, maybe a disposable camera? If not, is there a place I can store my camera while we zip around in the trees?

 

Thanks much, Jeff

[FFVictor]

Tami,

 

Thanks for sharing about your trip. This forum is really great! Just wondering if you can elaborate...

 

On debarkation day, I had the opportunity to chat with one of the cruise director's staff whilst waiting to get off the ship. He had some very interesting things to say about the management of the ship and the crew. Many of these things my family had individually noticed.

 

Why did you think that Chop's wasn't worth the extra money? Was it the service or the food? What did your party order? Did you go to Portifino?

 

 

Thanks.

Vic & Lin

[NoVa Mimi]

Wendy, I am fairly certain Capt. Johnny will still be on in November :)

 

Builderman, yes I agree with you the ship was just spotless. I also agree that Becky must be one of the best Cruise Directors to work with for the staff...I suspect they really enjoy their time spent on MOS in large due to she and Capt. Johnny.

 

Sue, formal nights are Monday and Friday. Friday night is lobster night :)

 

Krystle, folks were saving seats for the shows and the pool as well. When we went to the ice show, there was a woman that was saving 8 seats! She looked absolutely ridiculous with her arms stretched out as if protecting her territory. The only problem with reminding folks that there is no seat saving allowed is that they can become very hostile. I saw this happen a few times. As a result, I took the path of least resistance and did not push the fact to anyone, we just kept looking for a seat.

 

Jetlady, I agree with you 100 %. I hesitate to elaborate as I do not want to bristle anyone's hair, so to speak. You were on the same month we were, so I am sure that you noticed many of the same things we did. We were thinking, perhaps many contracts were up, or some sort of similar thing.

 

PandaTO, the food was very good and the service was just outstanding in Chops. I really do not have complaints about Chops, I just don't think we'd spend the extra $ again. Also, I like Portofinos better...just my personal preference. Portofino's was $15 and Chops $20 per person which is no big deal at all. Portofinos serves Flourless chocolate cake, which I just LOVE, and Chops does not. Side dishes in Chops are served "family style" where individuals may serve themselves what they wish as well as how much they wish to have of a certain side dish of 3 that you may order. I do want to stress, we found nothing wrong with Chops at all I just don't think we'd do it again. The dining room was fine.

 

Howard, I think you will enjoy the perks of the Concierge club a great deal! What a treat for you that Captain Johnny will be back on earlier than you had anticipated!

 

Amanda, I hope that you will get to experience a cruise with Becky. She is really outstanding.

 

Jusy, I agree..we were very surprised as well. This was the first cruise that has ever happened to us. Kind of different, but at least it did not affect the way the food tasted :)

 

riatn, I agree with you, the fillets were outstanding! :) Congrats on 25 years!!

 

Michellebelle, have fun!! Are you all packed yet? I am excited for you , as I really have PCD badly now.

 

Juardis, you will have a blast with your family on these excursions! I especially loved the Zip line!! You may not bring a camera. They do keep your belongings secure for you, but I myself would not bring anything expensive along, but that's just me and my paranoia about leaving my "stuff" where others may have access to it. I don't bring what I can't afford to get lost. It would be difficult to take photos along the course as your hands are "busy", and also you have to keep going through the course so everyone has a chance to get through. They do not rush you, but you just can't stop for too long at a time as it backs things up. They will take a photo of each of you that you may purchase at the end of the trip (hint...my DH took a picture of the photo that they had to sell us and it turned out perfectly!;) )

 

Again, I want to stress a few things. We really enjoyed our cruise a great deal. The ship is wonderful and all will have a great time, what's there not to love about a cruise?! I just hate to bring up too many negative thoughts or opinions as many folks get very defensive when others do that.

 

Tami

[Tmmull]

We were on the 7/2 Mariner cruise and also had Engin as our waiter. We had a completely different experience! Engin not only learned, remembered and addressed us by our names,. he also recognized me from one of our cruises on the Sovereign a year and a half ago. And he wasn't even our waiter! This was our tenth cruise, ALL with RCI, it was wonderful just like all the previous!

[samsung955rep]

We were also on the 7/2 Mariner with Engin as our waiter. He couldn't have been more wonderful. There were 8 of us at the table and, while he didn't remember everyone's name, he treated us all like royalty. Sorry you didn't have the same experience with him.

[ciship]

Does anyone know if Captain Johnny will be back on the ship this Sunday??

[NoVa Mimi]

ciship, yes Captain Johnny is back on. Have a wonderful cruise, I'm sure you'll enjoy yourself! :)

[wolfcathorse]

Wendy, I am fairly certain Capt. Johnny will still be on in November :)Tami

 

Capt Per Kristofferson is going to master the Mariner in Oct or Nov (he's home now while his wife has a baby)

[wolfcathorse]

Just a few notes on our recent sailing on board MOS 7/9/06 sailing....Unfortunately, the cruise we were on was the last week that Captain Johnny was off. We really did hope he'd be back by the time we sailed. Tami

 

Who told you Capt Johhny was coming back 7-16-06? Crew? Staff? Officer? It has previously happened that crew/staff did not know correctly (ie what happened on Radiance last fall...crew expected Bowland back and got Loekling instead)

[NoVa Mimi]

wolf, of course I don't know definitely or exactly when Capt. Johnny is due back on. I am just going by what we were told, as I have had no reason not to believe it. Quite frankly, I was just trying to share information that I received with others...my apologies if the information I have given is incorrect.

[KLStacker]

Thanks for the review. We are sailing on the Mariner in April. I was wondering what time you got off the ship. We are trying to figure out what time to book our flight home. Thanks.