Mariner Western Review 11/3

[ducker]

Time to tell how much we enjoyed the Mariner!:)

 

We had two families of 4 traveling each with two teenagers. Both parents had balcony rooms and the kids were across the hall with interior rooms. We have now tried all options interior, porthole and now balcony and I can say I would only go balcony now. We were on deck 8 rooms 8526 & 8527 which we found to be a great location for taking the stairs and close to the elevators if need be. We got a look at the rooms overlooking the Promenade and I found the layout because of the window made them very crowded and you are on display to the promenade if you forget to close your curtain.

 

The ship overall is amazing. The restaurant staff was very good at making sure everyone sanitized there hands when entering the dinning rooms or windjammers. Our waiter and busboy Agnieszka & Volkan were wonderful making everyone enjoy their dinner no matter what we ate. We ordered the wine package before we left and that worked out perfect. The RC singers and dancers I would say are not up to the star quality I remember from my last cruise but they are not the only entertainment so you have other options. John Davidson was the special performer and he was just awlful everyone was walking out luckly they only had one show that night so they had lots of people to draw from. The skating show was amazing this is a must see. Being from Canada and knowing something about ice conditions it is incredible what they can do.

 

Labadee was our first island stop and we could not have asked for better weather, it was hot and sunny with calm seas. We went to the beach at the far end of the island facing the boat and it was perfect close to the buffet yet far away from the marketplace. Make sure you walk up to the rock point.

 

Jamaica was our second stop and again we had perfect weather and we did the Canopy tour through RC. This was a lot of fun and very safe. Do it don't be scared.

 

Grand Cayman was the next stop and again another perfect day for lying on the beach and enjoying the beautiful blue waters. We grabbed a van to take the 8 of us to the beach for the day. My advice here is stay away from the beach bars where they sell chairs it is very crowded just walk the beach and sit on your beach towel.

 

Cozumel we went snorkelling with Eagle Ray Divers for a two reef tour. This was something I planned on my own and it was great because we filled the boat with our own party of eight. Did a little shopping after.

 

Two days at sea were great to enjoy all the ship has to offer. The Kids enjoyed the climbing wall, skating rink and there own sunbathing deck. Our teenagers did not participate in the organized programs but did use the teen areas to meet with friends. The only complaints were from the 12-14 age group when they were not allowed in the hot tub at night.

 

Can't wait to go next year. If you have any questions fire away.

 

gaylecas

 

Mariner of Seas

Disney Wonder

Monarch of Seas

[leahmariess]

im sailing in december. cant wait!

thanks for the review.

[slbojustice]

I heard they were putting in a zip line on Labadee. Was it done yet? We are going in the summer.

[ducker]

The zip lines are there but not open yet. I would think they should be open by summer. One looks real easy but the other is the full length of the beach and looks quite scary.

 

Have fun on your cruise.

[baileya]

My husband and I are scheduled to sail on May 6th and are booked for the Canopy Tour. I would love to hear more details about this. This is the excursion that my husband and I are most looking forward to. Thanks in advance for you comments.

[sacruizer]

Also saling is December and I also can't wait!

[ricka47]

Ducker, I see that you have been on DCL? We've sailed with them three times in a row because of the Florida resident discounts. While we like DCL, I think that they charge too much for what you get (even with the discounts). But, who can put a price on Pixie Dust?

 

Anyway, we have been away from RCI for three years and have never been on any of their ships that were bigger than the Vision class. But, we are booked on the Mariner this September. How would you compare RCI to DCL (and the Wonder to the Mariner) from your experience? Thanks!

[ducker]

Baileya, the canopy tour was a blast. Starts off with about 1/2 hour van ride on a very bumpy road to the top of the mountain. You then get your gear on and get a quick lesson on how to ride and you are off on a ten to fifteen minute hike down to where the zip lines start. The first one is of course the hardest. Why would you want to jump off a perfectly good platform? They strap you in and before you know it they have given you a little push and off you go screaming like Tarzan through the jungle. Safety is their number one concern so at no time do you feel at risk of falling to the ground, which I found took away any fear I had. I even got brave on the last line to take one hand off to hold my digital camera and take a video of my ride. It actually turned out great. You will love it!:)

[TDOTCRUISR]

I just posted a question on another thread & realized you could give me some insight. How hard is the hike up to the platforms--lots of inclines, etc? I will be cruising in the summer, so do you think the zipline in Ocho Rios or the almost finished one in Labadee, would be the better choice?

Thanks.

[jaysue]

The zip lines are there but not open yet. I would think they should be open by summer. One looks real easy but the other is the full length of the beach and looks quite scary.

 

Have fun on your cruise.

 

Agreed - I thought that one across the beach was a power transmission line when I first saw it

 

Cheers

Jason

[jaysue]

Hi Ducker, we were on the Mariner, March 11 cruise as well - our first cruise ever - recommnded by our cruise specialist TA who was right on the money with her ship and room recommendations

 

Myself, my wife Sue, our two sons - 7 and 3. First Cruise. TA recommended Mariner of the Seas (we also could have cruised out of Tampa) and the week we picked happened to be Western Caribbean. We had connecting Promenade View rooms (7595 and 7597) - middle of the deck, middle of the ship.

 

Sue had some moderate sea motion issues and I was ok after the first 2 hours or so - for 2-3 days after though on land I kept wanting to sway to the right.

 

We were in awe of the port and ship as we drove up - sure we had read about how big the ship was but it was something else to see it in person. We had a bit of a line up - about 15 minutes in the drop off queue (we had a rental car), excellent check porter service and parked the car and off into the terminal. Easy check in lines and set up and onto the ship, proceeded right to the cabin to check them out and then up for a bite to eat. The kids loved looking at the Carnival Sensation and the Disney ship (not sure which one) in the port.

 

We participated in the muster drill and obtained two kid sized lifejackets at station C-10 - we also had the muster station wristbands placed on the kids wrists as soon as we boarded the ship. Our only complaint with the muster was that people thought it was ok to saunter in late.

 

The first morning I walked up and deck and was amazed at the sense of motion - the waves, the wind, the water surging out of the pools etc. - it was amazing to watch and witness.

 

We took advantage of the facilities on the ship - Adventure Ocean, Mini-Golf, In-Line Skating, Swimming, Adults Pool area. Arcade, Theatre etc.

 

The kids really really loved the peek-a-boo bridge and seeing where the ship was, heading, direction, navigation charts etc. - they found it a lot fun especially fighting the headwind to get to the peek-a-boo area.

 

For excusions we did the following:

 

Labadee - we left the ship almost first off and obtained some chairs under some trees in a shady area on the "2nd" beach on the left after getting off the boat - you could see the Mariner directly in front - we enjoyed the beach stay, swimming, snorkerling, the buffet was decent, splashpad and the market. After all that, it was time to go back to the ship.

 

Jamaica - myself and our older son went on a plantation tour over past Bascobel (one of the ship excursions) and over to Dunn's River Falls - he was not able to climb the starting area of the falls but did some of the middle sections (which are easier) and we walked upstream of the falls where there is a nice path and some tables and a natural pool. Sue and our younger son went to Shaw Park beach which they said was very nice and calm and a good choice for them.

 

Caymans - we all went on a ride on the Atlantis submarine - I highly recommend this - it was an amazing tour and the kids eyes were just in wonderment all the time. We tried to duck into some of the shops on the walk back but we encountered significant resistance from our kids and abandoned all hopes of shopping.:rolleyes:

 

Cozumel - Sue and the kids went to Playa Mia - they said it was nice but way way too crowded to go again. I went to the Maya Sweatlodge excursion and loved it - Moses was a great host and guide and getting a chance to do a cool water plunge after the 4 stage sweat felt awesome! I would highly recommend this excursion to persons interested in the Mayan culture and looking for a good healthy sweat for the body.

 

The at sea days were fun, and our entire crew team were all top notch and did a great job and all received standard plus extra tips. Special thanks to our section head waiter (don't remember his name - we were seated at Table 288 on Deck 3 dining room - Rhapsody in Blue room I think) who always cut our kids food so we could enjoy our dinners fully.

 

Our table mates were great as well - very friendly - from South Carolina - they were veteran cruisers and a wealth of information for us as first time cruisers.

 

We are going on another RCL cruise - Explorer of the Seas - in March 2008 for a 12 night South Caribbean cruise in the exact same connecting PR cabin numbers.

 

We are hooked onto cruising and loved the experience - the staff made all the difference in our opinion.

 

Cheers

Jason

[ducker]

The hike for the Canopy tour is all down hill so not hard just a little slippery at times. Definitey do the Canopy tour in Jamaica over Labadee.

 

Enjoy

[ducker]

This is a tough question because both ships offer different things. My children were 7 and 8 when we went on the DCL and we all loved it. I picked the Mariner because the kids are now 14 & 15 and they took advantage of everything that was offered to them such as the climbing wall, skating rink, teen private areas etc.. My advice would be you will not go wrong on either ship but for the younger kids go with Disney and save the Mariner for when they are older.

[ducker]

Here are some pics to go with the review. Includes a video of the canopy tour.

 

http://community.webshots.com/album/558403134NeQjYP

[jaysue]

Here are some pics to go with the review. Includes a video of the canopy tour.

 

http://community.webshots.com/album/558403134NeQjYP

 

Thanks for posting - brings back great memories

[TDOTCRUISR]

Appreciate the info/pics/video. I believe the Jamaica canopy tour is 4 hrs long?? What else did the excursion include? I'm still scared, but slowly getting convinced it's a MUST-DO, as my daughter would put it. Thanks again.

[FMZ]

Thanks for the pics! Where do you go on the ship to get such a great view of the bridge? I've never seen that before!!

[jaysue]

Thanks for the pics! Where do you go on the ship to get such a great view of the bridge? I've never seen that before!!

 

Hi FMZ, I assume that is from the peek-a-boo bridge accessible from Solarium pool area (Deck 11) on the Mariner - my kids loved just standing there and watching the crew do their work - also they have two screens you can view showing ship position, speed, navigation depths, land masses etc.

 

There are some benches there as well if you are looking for a quiet sun sheltered place to read

 

Cheers

Jason

[Stubb]

baileya,

 

My wife and I are on the Mariner on the 6th and we booked the canopy tour as well! See you there!

[sacruizer]

Going in December and cannot wait!

[kala4]

Ducker how many people were there on the Canopy Tour? Some people say they had 12 and it was great and others say 35 and it was too many. Do you know how I can find out how many are signed up for our tour in 2 weeks? Thanks.

[ali07]

To ricka47, we've done a few cruises on the Disney Magic and we were on the same Mariner cruise as ducker last month. Your kids will like both cruiselines. My kids/teens adored Disney, but these days, they all prefer RCI. I think the larger ship (and the Mariner is a larger ship, about 50% larger) has a few more activities and hangout options for them. Also, my kids, although they like Castaway Cay, really love Labadee. They like the area better and the water is warmer.

 

However, DH and me, actually do prefer the Disney ships (the Magic is lovely and very elegant in a fun way). We often spent time in the piano bar. We don't get to the clubs/bars on the RCI ships because they are too smokey for us.

 

I find Disney is more expensive, but on the other hand, there are differences. I see you are doing both cruise lines the next while...have a wonderful time:)