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All Things Mariner Of The Seas

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soccermommie

soccermommie

Posted
Posted

We were on Mariner in May, and she looks lovely - very well maintained. We had absolutely no problems at all with anything. The service was great. The ship was fabulous. Embarkation was painless. Debarkation was the absolute best we have experienced in 10 cruises with 3 different lines.

 

We were on the itinerary that included Sicily, Athens, Rhodes, Ephesus, Istanbul, and Naples, and it was a fabulous cruise - definitely ranks as one of our best vacations ever. We loved all the ports; although Istanbul was our least favorite, and we would have been fine with one day there rather than two. Leaving from Civitavecchia and, therefore, being able to easily spend some time in Rome before and after the cruise was the absolute icing on the cake.

 

Crowds were not horrible at any of the ports/sites, and the weather was perfect in mid-May. I'm not sure you would have the same experience in July though.

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Rutheth

Rutheth

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Thanks - that's good news about the condition of the ship. We would be on a different itinerary - Genoa, Ajaccio, Cannes, Barcelona, Palma. Unfortunately we are restricted to holidays as we are both primary school teachers so just school holidays for us!!

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  • 2 weeks later...
CruisinDawn

CruisinDawn

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Thinking about a Mariner cruise once it comes to Galveston but had a few questions.

 

Does it have a Diamond Lounge or just the Concierge Lounge? Looked at the deck plans and didn't see one. Parents are Diamond and we enjoy hanging with them for a coctail before dinner.

 

Is there a "Sweet Suite" and if so what cabin# is it?

 

BonVoyage

Dawna

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Cuizer2

Cuizer2

Posted
Posted
Thinking about a Mariner cruise once it comes to Galveston but had a few questions.

 

Does it have a Diamond Lounge or just the Concierge Lounge? Looked at the deck plans and didn't see one. Parents are Diamond and we enjoy hanging with them for a coctail before dinner.

 

Is there a "Sweet Suite" and if so what cabin# is it?

 

BonVoyage

Dawna

 

There is no Sweet Suite, that is only on the Freedom class ships.

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Jimnbigd

Jimnbigd

Posted
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I'm booked for March 25, 2012. I've done the Voyager OTS 5 times from Galveston.

The Voyager had fixed dining times of 5:30pm and 8pm. I looks like the Mariner will be 6pm and 8:30pm.

I wonder if the MDR waiters will sing "Deep in the Heart of Texas" like they did on the Voyager?

I will miss Derek Lewis in the English pub. I heard the Mariner's pub is smoking and that is why Derek is staying with the Voyager for now. I wonder how much the smoke smell drifts into the main Royal Promenade area? Hopefully not any more than the smoke from the casino drifting up the middle staircase to the Royal Promenade. If the pub ever changes to non-smoking, I hope Derek comes back to Galveston and the Mariner.

Mariner has Chops, and Jade in the buffet (Asian food). I believe it has a larger teen area too. Anyone know of other differences between the Mariner and the Voyager?

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wolfganghowell

wolfganghowell

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Differences -

 

Instead of the sports bar on the promenade it has Vintages Wine Bar.

 

The pool decor is quite festive - I liked it a lot. I forget the artist but its very "mod" in a good way. :)

 

The disco is Dragons Lair and it has a medieval castle theme to it - different from The Vault on Voyager.

 

The sports bar is located in the aft corner of the Viking Crown Lounge.

 

The casino does tickets instead of coins on the machines.

 

That's all the changes I can think of.

 

I am with you on Derek - he will be sorely missed by the Galveston cruise regulars. I emailed RCCL to ask about the entertainers for Galveston but they aren't releasing any information yet. We got spoiled by that 8 pm dinner time, it'll be strange to do 8:30 again for some reason. Hopefully, the Mariner staff will communicate with the Voyager staff to get a feel for the Galveston market.

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joandian

joandian

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We've just booked BTBs. The Transatlantic in May 2012 and then the Holy Land/Egypt cruise. I thought we would be able to sail out of Galveston but it's leaving from Miami. Not too worried about that and I'm really looking forward to those 27 days on Mariner :D

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Cuizer2

Cuizer2

Posted
Posted
Differences -

 

Instead of the sports bar on the promenade it has Vintages Wine Bar.

 

The pool decor is quite festive - I liked it a lot. I forget the artist but its very "mod" in a good way. :)

 

The disco is Dragons Lair and it has a medieval castle theme to it - different from The Vault on Voyager.

 

The sports bar is located in the aft corner of the Viking Crown Lounge.

 

The casino does tickets instead of coins on the machines.

 

That's all the changes I can think of.

 

I am with you on Derek - he will be sorely missed by the Galveston cruise regulars. I emailed RCCL to ask about the entertainers for Galveston but they aren't releasing any information yet. We got spoiled by that 8 pm dinner time, it'll be strange to do 8:30 again for some reason. Hopefully, the Mariner staff will communicate with the Voyager staff to get a feel for the Galveston market.

 

If you are comparing Voyager to Mariner, then all the Mariner balconies are outside the structure of the ship and thus are more open. The Mariner does not have the little kid's pool in the back, so now the teen area is larger. The Mariner does not have a car in the Royal Promenade - it has a wine press.

 

Here is a link to about 130+ photos of the Voyager of the Seas ...

http://travel.webshots.com/album/572171722COXidV

 

And here is a link to over 500 photos of the Mariner of the Seas ...

http://travel.webshots.com/album/573273143cjeyif

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geoblond

geoblond

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Hi geo hope you have been well! I think you are thinking of Celebrity. maybe Oasis class has dispensers but I don't think Mariner does.

Yes Wolfie we've been well, thank you. We are excited about the Mariner and I hope we love it as much as the Voyager!

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  • 3 weeks later...
lgonquin

lgonquin

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Just off Mariner a few weeks ago and they didn't have Coke Zero. It was Diet Coke on the soda fountain and in cans too.

 

I wonder if the selections change when she returns stateside? Different availability based on distributors?

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Turtle_lover

Turtle_lover

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@swmr- Would you mind telling me what types of main courses/sides were served in the mdr/ windjammer? Seems like many of the food dishes I see photos/descriptions of on many RC cruises have mushrooms in them (which I love, but hubby is very allergic to)...and help on the newest menu choices would be really appreciated :)

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Ksma23

Ksma23

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Not sure if this question has been asked...if so I apologize for asking again. I see that the Mariner is slated for dry dock in April 2012 and I was wondering if anyone knows what will be done during this time? Is it expected to be just new linens, furniture, etc. Or is there a possibility of major changes to the ship?

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  • 1 month later...
Tazwella

Tazwella

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Just off Mariner a few weeks ago and they didn't have Coke Zero. It was Diet Coke on the soda fountain and in cans too.

 

This is my first cruise on RCCL and I'm curious if they have fountain drinks or is everything in cans (like Carnival)? I much prefer fountain sodas so that might sway me to buy a soda card. Thanks!

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Sequim88

Sequim88

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Is it expected to be just new linens, furniture, etc. Or is there a possibility of major changes to the ship?

 

I have been scouring the web and threads on this subject and have yet to find a concrete answer but...

 

Just speculating - Mariner is NOT scheduled as part of the Royal Advantage upgrade program but is listed as slated for lesser improvement. As a relatively newer ship and 2nd Generation of Voyager class it is a lot closer in many repsects to Freedom Class so in a sense already upgraded. So upcoming dry dock is probably mostly hull and mechanical and maybe some refresh of furnishings. Probably a fair amount of painting as well. Whatever they do I hope it is on-time because we sail immediatley after - hence my interest.

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