Just back from Mariner (5/20-5/27); WOW!!!

[jules815]

Great report!! We'll be on Mariner again in 3 weeks and we can't wait!

[bambam2972]

hahaha, thanks, Todd! You all will have a great time. I'm jealous, I wish I had another booking on her! :D :p

 

 

And yes, pictures are coming soon!

[Triplet and One]

Great review...thanks for giving us so much information. We'll be sailing on July 8th (Eastern). I feel exausted and extremely full in my stomach after reading .;)

[Hojo's redbeard]

Thanks for the great review, loved it. I can't wait until September gets here.

[blueyedkat]

Loved reading your review Amanda.. and I really loved your mom's daily blog.. each night as I read it out loud to my soon-to-be hubby, I would laugh and tell him I felt like you guys were part of the family because I really looked forward to her blog.

 

Thank you for taking the time to write such a detailed review. We are sailing on September 9th (HoJo's Redbeard.. I am Kat, Mark and I will be sailing with you, we are getting married the day before.. have you logged in on the M&M board)

 

Amanda, a few questions: 1. I know you ate in the dining room each night, but did anyone at your table eat at porofinos or chops? Which nights would you recommend missing inthe main daining room..?

 

2. I have read that they give you towels for port day and there is a fee is you lose them, are the towels pretty nice or should we just bring beach towels?

 

3. You said the zip kine was $65 for 6.. do you get to go 6 times or what?? or did I read that wrong?

 

 

Again, thanks for taking the time to write the review and reply to our our crazy questions.. almost to double digits in our coutdown.. it's not much but it is sumthin!

[akcruz]

Thanks so much for the wonderful review. Loved reading this as well as your mother's blog. Less than 3 weeks for us and the time just can't go fast enough.

[bambam2972]

blueyedkat- First, an early congrats on your wedding!

My parents tried to book Chops for the second formal night, but were on the waiting list and ended up just going to the Windjammer. I would probably recommend that night, especially if you don't want to bring 2 formal outfits. If I'm not mistaken, while you do dress nicely for Chops and Portofino, you don't need formal attire. But everyone else was in the dining room everynight, we really enjoyed each other's company.

 

I do like the towels they provide. I wouldn't bring my own towel just because it would take up room in my suitcase that I could use for bringing something else. I had seen a place to exchange the towels during the day before, but I couldn't seem to find it this time around. :confused:

 

The zip line is $65 for one time. There is the shorter line to get you started, then you ride up the mountain for the longer ride over water. There are 5 separate lines for 5 people at a time. There are 6 times to choose from, too. Hope this helps clear up the confusion. :)

[blueyedkat]

Thanks Amanda.. I really apprecaiate it! Hope you didn't ahve to work today and could relax and unwind, not to mention unpack and do laundry, after your busy vacation! Kat

[sj25]

Great Review...just made me think of my times on the Mariner...

and looking forward again in Sept....

[ken_nyc]

Thank you Amanda for the fantastic review. Makes the anticipation for our August 12th cruise more intense.

[kittymom65]

Thanks for the review, you did a great job!

I am looking forward to the pictures!

[Cassandra]

Bam - Curiosity, the belly flop contest - would the fellow board member who is also known as "Dave the Wave" on another board be this person? :eek:

[missliad]

Thanks for the great review!

 

Question: What time did the ship return to port canaveral? We are looking at return flight times and are wondering whether we would be able to get to the airport in time for an 11:50 am departure.

 

Thanks!!

[cruizinmimi]

Question: What time did the ship return to port canaveral? We are looking at return flight times and are wondering whether we would be able to get to the airport in time for an 11:50 am departure.

 

We were off the Mariner by 7:20 and on the bus at 8:00a.m. and off to MCO. We had a 11:40 a.m. flight, and we were at MCO in plenty of time for our flight. We were eating breakfast at the McDonald's (MCO) at 9a.m.

 

Enjoy your cruise.

Linda

[birdylady]

I LOVED your review. It's almost like I got to relieve my cruise from the begining of the month. I guess I'll have to live vicariously till the next cruise.

 

 

Great review!!

I noticed a Mariner review a couple of weeks ago which said only people w/ carry-on size luggage were allowed to do self-assist disembark. I know you didn't do this, but did you hear any announcements to that effect?

Thanks again for taking the time to write your review.

PS We're in Greenville!

 

I was on the Western 5/6 MOS cruise and I asked about the self assist. One person at Guest Relations insisted we couldn't do it. The other women 'over-rode' her saying since we had an 8+ hour drive ahead of us, if we could handle our luggage we could do it. BUT since my brother is Plantinum (diamond + or whatever) he insisted THEY were wrong and we should just use his beige one tags. Turned out they (5 people + LOTS of luggae) were on the road home before we even got out both pieces of our luggage. If it weren't for the excellent porter, we would probably still be waiting. Next time, we'll do self-assist.

 

Erika

[bambam2972]

Bam - Curiosity, the belly flop contest - would the fellow board member who is also known as "Dave the Wave" on another board be this person? :eek:

 

Yes!!! :D He did a good job, but didn't win. :cool: :)

[bambam2972]

missliad- Customs cleared the ship around 7ish, and they began to call the self-assisters off. The last night they put out all the color tags by the Guest Relations desk and you can pick up one of the early colors (assuming they don't give you one when you let them know you have an early flight.)

[zwanzig]

Just wanted to join the masses and chime in with more praise for your review. :D I loved reading it - it was like taking a mini-cruise from my cubicle at work! Hee hee. I can't wait to be back on Mariner in August, and reading about your trip made me even more excited. So thank you very much for sharing!

 

P.S. I laughed when you said something to the effect of "why oh why didn't I write down what I ate?" - last year I kept a log of everything I ate on the trip. Hehehe.

[jjtt]

Thanks Amanda for the excellent play by play report of Mariner. I am looking to book either the Eastern or Western Caribbean on Mariner for July or August of this year. Not sure which one yet.

Last year we cruised the Western Caribbean on Rhapsody. We also climbed Dunn River Falls ( had a blast as well ), then swam with the stingrays in Grand Cayman. We enjoyed that as well, and would do it again. This was one week before Steve Irwin died from the sting he received while taping his show.

Anyway, thanks again for taking the time to write such a detailed vacation!!!!