Just off the Mariner...WOW!

[Boyz3mon]

We arrived home yesterday after our week long Western Caribbean cruise aboard the Mariner, and I am still in awe of the whole vacation! Everything was just WONDERFUL, from our stateroom, to the food, to the activities, to the kids clubs!

We took our three boys (ages 12, 9, and almost-4) along, and being that we booked only 5 weeks ago, we expected to get a "not so great" cabin, but boy were we wrong! We booked a Family Ocean View, stateroom 8200, which is way in the front of the ship. It was HUGE! It is layed out the long way, instead of front to back like most cabins. In it we had a huge living area with sofabed, two chairs w/ottomans, TV, refrigerator, huge closet. Then there was the "master" bedroom, with the huge bed, vanity area, another huge closet, and tv. Lastly was the bunk bed bedroom, which was big! It even had its own door (the master bedroom had a curtain to separate it from the living area). We also had 3 huge windows that overlooked the bow of the ship. It was fantastic, and I would highly recommend it to anyone travelling with a family of 5. Looking at the deck plan, I believe it's the largest family ocean view on board. There was another one next to ours, but I peeked in and it was much smaller. Also, we were at a "dead end" sort of, so there was NO noise, no people walking by. I heard NOTHING all week!

The service is unbelievable. I couldn't get over how nice EVERYONE was! They just bend over backward to help and make it great.

The food was wonderful. We ate in the dining room most nights, but didn't try Portofino's or Chops.

The kids BEGGED to go to their "clubs", and my 12 year old had a ton of fun in his group. The kids were begging us to stay out late so they could stay in the clubs late and "party", but we were so tired, we never made it out past 10:30! I don't know how the people on board have so much energy to be out so late at night!!! We enjoyed ourselves tremedously anyway, even if we missed some of the fun late night activities and shows.

I can't say enough about this vacation. I have over 300 pictures taken, so once I have time, I will try to upload some.

If anyone has any questions for me regarding the ship or trip, feel free to ask! I learned so much from this site, and would love to give back!

 

Karen

[EggDropErin]

Glad to hear you had such a great time! Can't wait to see your pictures. :)

[vesw01]

We are cruising in Sept with 5, 4, and 3year old girls. I am curious what you did in each port. We don't have a clue what to do in Jamaica and don't want to tie ourselves down to doing nothing by taking the kids. Any suggestions?

[jules815]

Glad to hear you enjoyed your vacation on Mariner. Sounds like the entire family had a great time. Isn't cruising great?

 

:D

[scooter90]

Glad to hear you had a great time -- just a little over 10 weeks and we will be on the Mariner.

 

Can't wait to see your photos!

[wenchcat]

Great to hear as we will be traveling the same route in August.

Can you please give some more information about the 12 year's club? I have a 12 year old son now who will be 13 by the time of sailing and I am a little nervous about the club. Is there any structure for the 12-14 year old or is it that they are on their own? Are there alot of activities for them to do? or should we plan for him to be sticking with my hubby and me the whole cruise? Either way is great I just would like to know how to plan accordingly. Any information that you could provide would help.

 

Thanks

Cathy

[cruisingjon]

Glad to hear.....we leave this coming Sunday on Mariner.....Can't wait to see the upgrades.

[Boyz3mon]

As far as the ports go, here's what we did:

In Jamaica, we booked the Cruise to Dunns River Falls. My DH and two older boys (9 and 12) climbed the falls, and I walked up the stairs and took pictures with my 3 year old. I would NOT recommend this excursion for your family, with kids that young. My DH said it was hard even for him! I am not sure what else we would have done in Jamaica. We did go to Margaritaville prior to our Dunns falls thing, and loved it there- we sat and ate and drank Margaritas (the best strawberry margarita I have ever had!), while the kids played in the pool and went down the water slide.

 

In Grand Cayman, we booked the Beach Break, which was a short trip to the Beach Colony hotel, and we spent the day on the most beautiful strip of beach (7 mile beach) I have ever seen. We bought lunch on our own at the hotel restaurant. There are snorkel rentals, jetski rentals, and even kayaks there if you want.

 

In Cozumel, we went to Passion Island, which was about a 40 minute drive followed by a 10 minute boat ride to a secluded island which was beautiful. There was a Mexican buffet and open bar the whole time. The time on the island was 3 hours. It was nice, but I don't know if I would do it again. It was a bit boring! The beach was nice, but after Grand Cayman, it didn't compare!

 

Labadee was just a beautiful place. We went to three of the beaches, and loved the entire day. Perfect place for the kids.

 

Karen

[andsail]

As far as the ports go, here's what we did:

In Jamaica, we booked the Cruise to Dunns River Falls. My DH and two older boys (9 and 12) climbed the falls, and I walked up the stairs and took pictures with my 3 year old. I would NOT recommend this excursion for your family, with kids that young. My DH said it was hard even for him! I am not sure what else we would have done in Jamaica. We did go to Margaritaville prior to our Dunns falls thing, and loved it there- we sat and ate and drank Margaritas (the best strawberry margarita I have ever had!), while the kids played in the pool and went down the water slide.

 

In Grand Cayman, we booked the Beach Break, which was a short trip to the Beach Colony hotel, and we spent the day on the most beautiful strip of beach (7 mile beach) I have ever seen. We bought lunch on our own at the hotel restaurant. There are snorkel rentals, jetski rentals, and even kayaks there if you want.

 

In Cozumel, we went to Passion Island, which was about a 40 minute drive followed by a 10 minute boat ride to a secluded island which was beautiful. There was a Mexican buffet and open bar the whole time. The time on the island was 3 hours. It was nice, but I don't know if I would do it again. It was a bit boring! The beach was nice, but after Grand Cayman, it didn't compare!

 

Labadee was just a beautiful place. We went to three of the beaches, and loved the entire day. Perfect place for the kids.

 

Karen

I'm glad you enjoyed your cruise.:) Do you recommend passion island for a couple without kids just for relaxation? Also, did you book this through rccl or on your own?

[kittymom65]

Thanks for the review!

Now you are hooked, you will discover what "PCD" is, and will find that the only solution is to book your next cruise!:D

I would also love any and all details of the Passion Island excursion, we are considering this for our next Mariner cruise

[bambam2972]

Thanks for the review! I love Mariner & can't wait to be on her again in 3 weeks!!

 

Anxiously awaiting your pictures..... :D

[dagadget]

Thanks for the review!

Now you are hooked, you will discover what "PCD" is, and will find that the only solution is to book your next cruise!:D

I would also love any and all details of the Passion Island excursion, we are considering this for our next Mariner cruise

 

 

Having the dreaded PCD is a horrible thing. in fact it was so bad that anticipating the PCD made me book the next cruise during the cruise. This Passion Island excursion looks promising our next mariner Cruise is going to have to be a western. We have done two eastern cruises one on Millennium and one on Mariner Time for a change I think. Gald the op had a great cruise too. :D

[akcruz]

Not sure if RCI offers it, but DH & I did a Jeep to Paradise excursion on Carnival a few years back that went to Passion Island. DH couldn't stop talking about how much fun he had. With this excursion you drove a jeep through the 'jungle' to get to the ferry instead of taking a bus. Our guides took us through huge puddles, small little dirt roads, etc. We stalled out a few times when the water was coming up through the floor, but DH had a blast doing 360's through the mud/water. Every single jeep in our group came back covered top to bottom in mud. Heading over to Passion Island and relaxing afterwards was very nice. This is the beach where they film the Corona commercials to give you an idea if you haven't been there before. The only drawback is they watch the alchohol consumption for those driving as you have to drive the same jeeps back. Just another potential option for those who don't want an entire quiet beach day!

[timjen]

I was on the Mariner last year and loved it. We are going again on June 24. Last time we did not take our children, but this time we are. We have a little boy who will have just turned 4 the day before the cruise. Can you give me any of your thoughts on the Adventure Ocean club for that age range? I plan to use the club, as long as he enjoys it and wants to go. Did you son go for hours at a time? Did he enjoy it? Was it well organized and were they kept active/engaged?

 

Any of your thoughts would be appreciated.

 

Jen

[schnell]

I was on the Mariner last year and loved it. We are going again on June 24. Last time we did not take our children, but this time we are. We have a little boy who will have just turned 4 the day before the cruise. Can you give me any of your thoughts on the Adventure Ocean club for that age range? I plan to use the club, as long as he enjoys it and wants to go. Did you son go for hours at a time? Did he enjoy it? Was it well organized and were they kept active/engaged?

 

Any of your thoughts would be appreciated.

 

Jen

 

Read your post and we are on the same cruise! We have a party of 14, all family members of all ages, but no kids under the age of 16. Then I read your location, port orange....us too! Now thats ironic! Hope you enjoy your cruise, we are getting very excited!

[twobytwo]

Thanks for the review, we are sailing her in 1 week with 2 - 4.5 year olds (twins) and me the almost 6 mos pregnant mommy (plus hubby Im not totally insane!!) Im glad your kids had a blast, Im hopeful my two will as well- its the first vacation we have taken that wasnt just to see family etc..so Im excited to see their reaction to the HUGE BOAT!!

Any other info you can provide on the kids club for the 4 year old set would be great! Did you book the beach break thru RCL or on your own?

Thanks!

[hcviana]

Hi Boyz3mon!!! I am glad you had such a great time.

 

I have been waiting for your feedback in the Cabin Selection Forum but since I see you here, could you please confirm how many bathrooms the FOV had and whether you were granted access to the Concierge Lounge????

 

Also, I assume the bunk room had only 2 berths, therefore you had to open the sofa.......with it open was the room crowded???

 

Last, did you get any other special perks compared to the regular rooms???

[Javalava]

Hi schnell and timjen. I'm also in Port Orange...small world. We're on the Mariner June 3. Just a little more than a month, can't wait. Will be on the Liberty pre-inaugural this weekend and really excited about that.

[crazeekayaker]

So glad you had a wonderful time. my hubs and I are going on the Mariner in 12 days (5/13), but we are doing the Eastern route. My happy place is:) Trunk Bay, so we will go there again and again...but the only way for me is by boat...a great big boat! Take care!

[timjen]

Read your post and we are on the same cruise! We have a party of 14, all family members of all ages, but no kids under the age of 16. Then I read your location, port orange....us too! Now thats ironic! Hope you enjoy your cruise, we are getting very excited!

 

 

Schnell - that is really cool! This will be our second time on the Mariner, as you saw in my post. My husband & I went last time. This time we are going with our family and my sister's family. It is to celebrate my niece graduating high school this year. They are from Maryland though.

 

There will be 8 of us total, my sister and her two girls, and me, husband and our 3 kids (16, 14 and 4). They are at Creek and Creekside. Maybe we can talk offline sometime before the cruise.

Nice to hear from you.

 

To the OP - any thoughts on Adventure Ocean for the 4yr old?

 

Jen

[timjen]

Hi schnell and timjen. I'm also in Port Orange...small world. We're on the Mariner June 3. Just a little more than a month, can't wait. Will be on the Liberty pre-inaugural this weekend and really excited about that.

 

It's so weird when you realize you are talking to people who live right around the corner! How exciting about the Liberty pre-inaugural!! That will be really great, I am sure. I was hoping to book onboard this time for Freedom or Liberty... we'll see. Would love to know what you think.

 

Have a great cruise on both of them!

 

Jen

[schnell]

Schnell - that is really cool! This will be our second time on the Mariner, as you saw in my post. My husband & I went last time. This time we are going with our family and my sister's family. It is to celebrate my niece graduating high school this year. They are from Maryland though.

 

There will be 8 of us total, my sister and her two girls, and me, husband and our 3 kids (16, 14 and 4). They are at Creek and Creekside. Maybe we can talk offline sometime before the cruise.

Nice to hear from you.

 

To the OP - any thoughts on Adventure Ocean for the 4yr old?

 

Jen

 

This is my wife and my first time on Mariner and RCL for that matter. Some other family members have been RCL & Mariner cruisers for years. The "kids" in our group are not really kids. One is 16, 18 and two 21. One went to creek, but is in college now. The others are all from out of town. Our age range goes from 16 to 72, so a big range. You will most likely see us out and about the ship....no doubt there. There are 14, like I said. Of that we are celebrating one 50th anniversary, 25th anniversary, 24th anniversary, 20th anniversay, 21st b-day, another b-day and our anniversary (only 6th though). We pretty much have something for each day/dinner to celebrate. All these events just happen to have fallen within a month range and couple happen while on board. We will be the idiots walking around with all the same t-shirts :D We are getting them embroidered with a little logo we made up for all of us. Should be a vacation to remember for sure!

[timjen]

This is my wife and my first time on Mariner and RCL for that matter. Some other family members have been RCL & Mariner cruisers for years. The "kids" in our group are not really kids. One is 16, 18 and two 21. One went to creek, but is in college now. The others are all from out of town. Our age range goes from 16 to 72, so a big range. You will most likely see us out and about the ship....no doubt there. There are 14, like I said. Of that we are celebrating one 50th anniversary, 25th anniversary, 24th anniversary, 20th anniversay, 21st b-day, another b-day and our anniversary (only 6th though). We pretty much have something for each day/dinner to celebrate. All these events just happen to have fallen within a month range and couple happen while on board. We will be the idiots walking around with all the same t-shirts :D We are getting them embroidered with a little logo we made up for all of us. Should be a vacation to remember for sure!

 

Great! Look forward to seeing the shirts around! lol! The 16yr old got excited thinking it might be someone she goes to school with! Another odd coincidence, it will be our 6th anniversary too, it is the day before we leave. We have my husband bday, the 4yr old bday, one niece bday, my bday and our anniversay. The only one that is actually during the cruise is mine though. The others are 1 day, 2 days and 1 week before the cruise. We are getting very excited!! Nice talking with you! Have a great time!

[floridawannabe]

Hooked onto this thread because we are going on the Mariner in July but we did the Passion Island excursion on our Enchantment cruise in October, just the two of us, no kids. Our price was $69 per person through the cruise ship. I would classify the excursion as okay, not bad, not great. The bad part is the length, it's a five hour excursion with about one hour transit each way, with a short "tender" ride to the island.

 

The island itself is small but there were not that many people on it while we were there. There's a buffet and drinks which are fine. You can go off by yourself and be left alone or you can join in the festivities. The one other negative is that they have a small market of vendors set up where you walk though upon arriving but you can avoid them the rest of the time if you so choose.

 

I thought it was a little much for the money but you can get away from it all.

[cruiseman_tx]

Karen...glad you were wowed by the Mariner and her crew. We cruised on her in `05 and will be on her again next year. The ship and crew were marvelous, and we look forward to cruising here again.