What is it about the Mariner???

[Zandile]

I've been reading these boards for about 2 months preparing for our first cruise (Sovereign April 2) and it seems that hands down the Mariner is everyone's favorite! If we enjoy the Sovereign I plan to book on board for next Spring Break and would like to do a 7 nighter so the Mariner is at the top of the list. My only qualm is the fact that it doesn't have the Adventure Beach that the first three Voyager ships have.

 

But what is it about the Mariner? Why does everyone seem to get so attached to it?? Is it the convenience of the port (having to fly would definitely make a cruise too expensive for us so Port Canaveral ROCKS)?

 

Is it something about the ship itself? Is it the crew? Do they slip something addictive into the food there? Do they brainwash you while you sleep? (mariner is the bessssssst......mariner is the besssssst.......).

 

Just curious! And I'd appreciate any feedback on whether its worth the longer drive to get to one of the voyager class ships WITH Adventure beach (our son will be 6 by then).

[cruzer52]

well ive only taken one cruise thus far and it has been on the mariner, so while i think the mariner is the sweetest ship, my opinion is a biased. that being said i loved it simply because its a beautiful ship, with so much to do for everyone (im sure your young ones will find more than enough to keep them more than entertained). the staff aboard during my cruise were great, from waiters all the way up to the captain. So thats my two cents on the mariner. Oh and i think it has the coolest name of all the ships:)

[BuilderMan]

Of all of our cruises so far, we were the most impressed with the Mariner. Embarkation/debarkation was the easiest, the crew was the most friendly and efficient, and the ship was the cleanest. We had no complaints on our May '06 cruise so we booked on board for this May!

[GIMAC]

:) By far the all the staff are the best in RCCL fleet. Makes for a great relaxing cruise. Pick Mariner and you will not be dissapointed

[minimartha]

We just got off the Navigator which is the sister ship to the Mariner and we adored it! It's the first ship I've been on I would want to go on again. In saying that our next cruise is going to be on The Mariner though. I loved the Navigator so much that I know we'll love the sister ship. When you look at pictures almost everything is identical. The Mariner's port also ROCKS for us because we can drive to Port Canaveral and already have a timeshare there. While on vacation we get to watch The Mariner go out and come back in during the week and we're just dying to be on her.

[Inshape]

Have done MAriner twice and Explorer once. It was just easier flying into Orlando , doing a few days at some parks and then the short, easy drive to Port Canaveral. Just easy. The ship is so nice too. The staff is great. If your son is going to be 6 why worry about no kiddie pool? It is so shallow anyways and usually for the small kids 3 -5 yrs old. There is a nice ledge on the pools so your son can sit on that and still be wading in the water if he cannot swim. Bring swim wings, that way you have your arms free. You will not be sorry about Mariner.

[sharbil]

We've been on the Mariner and Navigator. Both are amazing and very similar. Can't say enough about both. The childrens' programs were excellent. Both boys 10, 13 loved the Mariner and learned their way around the first day. Wish I could say that for the adults. We are looking forward to 2008. Looking to try Freedom or Liberty but will always return to the Mariner.

[4bythebeach]

By far the best embarkation and debarkation that I have done is at Port Canaveral. The ship and crew.......................well, you just have to do it for yourself to see why it is everyones favorite, I don't think you'll be sorry!!

[QTMichele]

Our first cruise was on the Mariner and we loved it so much! As most people mention, the staff is incredible, the ship is very clean, the activities are plentiful, Port Canaveral is so easy to navigate, and so on...

 

Our only "concern" is what you pointed out about the Adventure Beach. My girls are 7 and 3 and would enjoy the water slide and kiddie pool that the first 3 Voyager class ships have; however, the last two ships (Navigator and Mariner) expanded their indoor children's facilities to make for a better experience (not so crowded and more to do). The pools on the Mariner are deep - over 5 feet, but they do have a splash area (just a few inches of water) that is fenced in on one side and shallow areas around the deep part of the pool. It isn't ideal for younger kids, but the water wings would solve that problem.

 

We want to do a family cruise and are seriously considering the Freedom or Liberty for their splash/spray park - my girls would LOVE that (I'm sure I would too! lol). BUT... we wouldn't rule out the Mariner as all the kids seemed to have such a wonderful time!

[Willum UK]

The question is a good one. We cruised on Mariner last year, and had previously been on Sovereign and Serenade. We adored Serenade of the Seas - Charles Tiege was the skipper at the time but he's moved on now.

I suspect that you can fly into Orlando from just about anywhere in the US as well as overseas and that, coupled with the short hop to Port Canaveral makes for a popular ship.

We thought Mariner was big after Serenade, but as the cruise wore on I grew to like it a lot. The dining room is magnificent on three levels there is a lot to do on board, She's big - she is a bit of a beast - have a look at some of my pics (ignore the more personal ones please!!!) at http://family.webshots.com/album/558023120WSmtEy

[Fitnessmaniac]

The Mariner is awesome and beautiful! The crew is amazing. Captain Johnny is the VERY BEST!!!!! You'll love it. :)

[EBFURR]

Excellent question. Our 2 cents: In August we will be sailing on our 4th annual Mariner cruise. We first sailed on the Mariner in 2004 and have booked a repeat cruise each year while on board ($100 per cabin seapass credit!!). Previously we have been on Majesty three times, Empress once and once on an "off brand" ship. We obviuouly love the Mariner. I think a previous poster touched on a major part of the equation: Captain Johnny!!!! Every single staff member that we have talked to loves Johnny and it shows in their attitude and work. Last year he was on vacation during our cruise and the staff were counting the days until his return. The substutute captain was also nice, but lacked the charisma and charm of Cap. Johnny. A happy staff means a great cruise. We also love the decor of the Mariner, but have not been on any other Voyager class ship to compare it to. We drive to the port from NC, so the location also plays a part.

 

For a mid sized ship, the Majesty is also a favorite. It was our "virgin" cruise in 1994 and we have been addicted since. That last time that we were on Majesty in 2003 we recognized several crew members from '94, so that would indicate that they like the ship and are happy there.

 

You will not go wrong with the Mariner.

[brn2crz]

We loved the Mariner...And I agree that that embarking/debarking process were pretty flawless...as far as traffic goes...Lines however were very long and a lot of up and down,through doors ets...No big deal,but a little lenghty for us.

Mariner is big beautiful ship..But not a big fan of the art work.And while I prefer the Voyager class..Rhapsody is still my favorite.

Crew on Mariner overall not nearly as friendly and caring as on Rhapsody,prefer the Solarium on Rhapsody better,and prefer the more subtle decor,and better use of glass on Rhapsody.

And of course,since Rhapsody has been parked for the pas 5 years 20 mi from my front door we prefer her...However.If Mariner and Rhapsody were both sailing from Galveston...I would probably pick Mariner just for more options....(but could we pull Rhapsody along side us for excursions and stuff :D )

[WeirdEyes]

We've been on the Mariner and the Navigator. We loved both cruises, but the Mariner is our favorite ship by far. What makes it our favorite? Captain Johnny, CD Becky Thomson, bar staff, wait staff, clean, clean, and more clean, much easier getting to Port Canaveral for us. We're cruising again on the Mariner in May and I sure hope that Capt. Johnny and Becky are on board!

[brn2crz]

We had Captain Johnny who was of course,great..However we had Ken Rush as CD...Who was well..not a rush for me :p

[cruzmax]

We were on Mariner last March, and will be again April 15th.....hope Captain Johnny is on board!! Previous cruises on Celebrity (3) RCCL (4). We were a little concerned about Mariner's size prior to our cruise, but we loved it!

Pam in KY

[katiel53]

We have been on many cruises and Mariner is one of our favorites. We love the Promenade and how friendly everyone is on the ship. Our second favorite would be the Radiance Class ship as we love all the glass on them.

 

When we were on Mariner there were many kids, but they were well behaved. Most of them were quite young and just to see the awe in their eyes was priceless. We don't have any children to have in the AO, but are thinking about when our granddaughter will be old enough to go in there. I know she will love it.

 

We didn't have Captain Johnny, but did have Becky. She was great. Everything about the ship was so good that we have 2 more cruises booked on her. Plus, we love sailing from Pt. Canaveral. It's close to home, but somehow even the passengers seem nicer than when we sailed from Miami.

 

You have to make the decision as to what you think would be best for your family, but in my eyes, you can't go wrong on Mariner.

 

 

Katie

[luv2cruz_74]

For us, it was the people we met on board and Capt. Johnny! Port Canaveral is great, too.

 

OP - I'll be on Sovereign with you on April 2nd. :D

[TDOTCRUISR]

I was on the AOS last yr & we couldn't tear my girlfriend's son (7 yrs & can swim) away from Adventure Beach, esp the waterslide. After 4 cruises, he knows well enough that the reg pool is a 'no-splash' zone, b/c of the adults in the pool. It's simply more comfortable making friends in their own water area, where they can play freely. His mom loved it, b/c it was always easy to find a deck chair there and it was much easier to keep an eye on the kids--basically ALL the parents became lifeguards for ALL the kids. Good way for moms to meet other moms too!

I am booked on the Mariner for July 2007 for a big family gathering & only just found out from these boards that Adventure Beach doesn't exist on that particular ship. There will be several young ones (6,7&8) with us and the lack of a kids' swim area will be a concern. The edges of the reg pools seem too shallow for a kid's swim. Oh well, we'll make do & have a blast anyway! Too bad FOS is still so expensive.

[QTMichele]

Too bad FOS is still so expensive.

 

I hear ya! Hopefully the price will go down in the next year or so... let's keep our fingers crossed. :rolleyes:

[kcdallas72]

I hope to book a cruise on the Mariner in September, and a coworker of mine is scheduled to depart in August on her,also.

 

Why Mariner, and not say.........Freedom?

 

We've looked at both, and here are the obvious differences to me:

 

-Port Canaveral vs. Miami

-Price of Cruise

-H2O Zone/WaveRider/Boxing Ring

-Slight size difference

-Price flying into Orlando vs. Miami

-Newness of ship

 

Anything else? Thanks in advance!

[jules815]

Since I've only been one one cruise, and it was Mariner, I don't really have anything to compare it to.

 

We booked Mariner again for a few reasons. It was simply the best vacation we had ever had together as a family. I'm sure that probably would have been true with any cruise, but we enjoyed the promenade; and thought the ship was lovely, and staff very friendly. Our girls (both teens) loved it, and my husband and I loved everything about it too. Especially the dining room experience and not having to really think about where to go to eat, etc. It was truly a relaxing vacation, even though we did a lot! (if that makes sense)

 

Another reason we decided to stay with Mariner is my parents live a little over an hour from Port Canaveral in Port Orange, so it's very convenient for us to include a visit with them.

 

Three more months; I can hardly wait!

[OGCFreddie]

I hope to book a cruise on the Mariner in September, and a coworker of mine is scheduled to depart in August on her,also.

 

Why Mariner, and not say.........Freedom?

 

We've looked at both, and here are the obvious differences to me:

 

-Port Canaveral vs. Miami

-Price of Cruise

-H2O Zone/WaveRider/Boxing Ring

-Slight size difference

-Price flying into Orlando vs. Miami

-Newness of ship

 

Anything else? Thanks in advance!

 

Why not try the Eastern Itenerary on 09/16/07? We already have quite a thread going for that sailing date and the M&M is already confirmed. Take care!

[leahmariess]

i cant wait til my dec cruise!!!

[Zandile]

Thanks for all the thoughtful feedback! The people involved really do make all the difference don't they? The Mariner is currently top of our list, I guess I'll get input from the boys before we decide (of course I'll just guide them to choose whatever I want but at least they'll feel involved! LOL! Just kidding......).

 

Luv2Cruz 74 - Come join our roll call for April 2 Sovereign!