Mariner Review - July 1st Western Caribbean

[rayrdh]

We have just returned from the July 1st sailing to the Western Caribbean on the Mariner of the Seas. It was a wonderful time!!!! We are a thirtysomething married couple celebrating our 15th year wedding anniversary, we traveled with two other couples in their thirties and forties. All 8 kids between us were left at home, yeah! This was our second cruise, we sailed on the Radiance to Alaska in 2002.

 

Here are some comments on our sailing on the Mariner.

 

Precruise: We flew into Orlando the day before and rented a car from Budget. The line was long at the Budget counter and they initially didn't have the car we reserved (an Expedition), but the gentleman was very helpful in finding other options for us. Eventually though they found they did have the Expedition and off we went to Port Canaveral. We stayed the night before at the Country Inn and Suites (very nice) and enjoyed a good dinner at Fishlips. It was great having a rental car so we could drive to dinner and we made a couple trips to the grocery store for last minute things.

 

Boarding: We headed over to the cruise terminal at about 12noon. My husband and I dropped off the two other couples and all of our luggage. The lines looked long heading into the terminal building. We headed off to return the rental car while the two other couples got in line. They called us when we were at the Budget office and told us the line was starting to move at a good clip and they didn't have to stand out in the sun for long. When we made it back to the terminal in the Budget shuttle, we too found that the line moved quickly and we were soon on our home at sea for the next week!

 

The Ship: Of course, the ship is beautiful as everybody says. After a lot of anticipation though leading to this trip, initially I was a slight bit disappointed. Compared to my memories of the Radiance some areas felt a bit more closed in and the color schemes I didn't like as much as Radiance. But these feelings quickly disappeared and I really came to enjoy the design of the Mariner. Some of our favorite areas of the ship: The Royal Promenade, The Savoy Theater, A window seat in the Windjammer, our table for six by the window on the Sound of Music deck in the dining room (though often there was a slight vibration to the floor here - I don't know why), the Solarium Pool (loved the chairs in the shade right by the big floor to ceiling windows). We had an inside cabin on deck 8, it was plenty spacious for us and we found spots to put all of our stuff. One of the couples traveling with us had a balcony on deck 7 and they really enjoyed it (maybe we will have one someday!).

 

Food: Overall we all were quite happy with the food especially in the Dining Room and Portifino. I found the food in the dining room to be very good. We all especially enjoyed ordering several appetizers, maybe more then one entree or dessert, and getting seconds or thirds if we really liked something. There were a few time when I had something I didn't care for, but then it is easy to just try something else. Probably my absolute favorite thing was the scallop risotto appetizer. We dined in Portifino on Wednesday night and enjoyed it very much. The food there was definitey a cut above and more hot in temperature, since it is cooked right there. I felt bad though because I ate so many appetizers and a pasta before my main course, I could barely eat any of my entree though it was very good. Funny thing, I was able to eat all my dessert ;-)! We enjoyed the Windjammer also and finding a table was usually no problem. The food here a little more hit and miss, but we had no trouble filling our bellies. A couple times I came to the Windjammer at about 6pm (we had late seating) and enjoyed some of the sushi and Asian dishes offered at Jade in the evening. We used room service a couple times for breakfast, they were always timely, though each time they forgot one thing we ordered, but nothing major (like butter or gave me Raisin Bran instead of Granola - no biggie). We ate in Johnny Rockets once. We had to wait a little while for a table (was about 4pm on a port day), there aren't many tables in there. We enjoyed the food especially the fries and onion rings. Be sure to use your C&A coupon that pays for the cover charge of $3.95. Milkshakes and drinks other than water were extra, but I was happy to see that the oreo sundae was not extra - yummy! We enjoyed getting snacks all day long at the cafe promenade - I especially enjoyed the pizza and desserts. As far as alcoholic drinks go, I think you get your money's worth, I found the drinks to be plenty strong. Be sure to use the C&A coupon for 2 for 1 on mixed drinks, that's a good one! We did the wine tasting in the dining room one day (free with your C&A coupon - love that coupon book!), which was interesting. We also enjoyed ordering some wine flights in Vintages - they provide complimentary hors d'oeuvres most evenings when you purchase a glass of wine.

 

Service: All of our main servers were great. We had Manmohon (India) and Johnson (Peru) in the dining room - they were excellent and very eager to make us happy. We saw a lot more of our head waiter then we did on our previous cruise. Probably because we had a wine and dine package and he would come by each night to open our wine. He was also from India, so we asked him how to say Thank You in Hindi, so the next time Manmohon brought us something we all said thank you in his native language. It was great, at first he did quite a double take and then he laughed, he said he really enjoyed that. Our stateroom attendent was Troy from Trinidad and Tobago, he did a great job (we never lacked anything we needed) and he was quite a jokester and made us laugh every time we spoke to him in the hall. Overall, we had great service all over the boat. Only a couple complaints. My husband felt that some of the bartenders made it known they didn't like getting requests for Cokes when you had a Coke sticker. Also, some of the workers in the luggage area of the terminal were a bit rude.

 

Entertainment: We really enjoyed the Cruise Activities staff. Becky was full of energy and quick witted (especially during the Love and Marriage Show). We played Bingo several times (though we never won) and really enjoyed Dollar Bill Phil (even though he needs to work on his throwing skills! And we learned a lot about all of his many brothers and sisters!) Of the shows we saw we really enjoyed the vocal impressionist (I think his name was Michael Dube -had an amazing range), the ice show, Love and Marriage game show, and the farewell show (Becky tap dancing quite well, an amazing aerial artist, and a very funny comedian). We did not enjoy so much Pure Energy or the late night adult comedy show (a bit to adult for our tender ears).

 

Ports:

Labadee: We really enjoyed Labadee, beautiful area and so cool to see the ship anchored right there, great for pictures. We walked down to Hideaway Beach and enjoyed this more secluded spot. I rented a floating mat, very relaxing. The BBQ was very good. We watched the zipline for a while, looked pretty fun. I didn't venture into the Haitian flea market, though I heard the vendors were pretty aggresive there. I did go into the Artisan Market (the blue and white building next to the flea market) and in there merchandise was marked with prices and no pressure to buy - so go in there if you don't feel like haggling.

 

Jamaica: I was a bit nervous about going ashore in Jamaica after hearing all the bad talk lately about Jamaica on the boards. But all of us really enjoyed our day here. My husband and I did the Original Canopy tour. The ride up their was an adventure in itself. A one lane dirt road going straight up the mountain with huge potholes, which our driver deftly maneuvered around. Driving is an experience in Jamaica, but we felt in good hands with our driver OneBlood (I think that was his name), he knew what he was doing. He kept us entertained teaching us all the Jamaican sayings (Everything is Everything). On our drive up we really got a glimpse of how some live in Jamaica, these little houses up in the mountain side up this awful road, but they have a terrific view! We really enjoyed the Canopy Tour, friendly guides, beautiful surroundings, lots of fun. Though the walk to the first platfrom is a bit long with some uneven terrain. There was a gentleman with us on the tour having some difficulty going down all the uneven steps, but one of the guides stayed back with him to be sure he was okay. After the tour they drove us to the Chukka tours farm where we were able to buy pictures and they had a nice store there to buy souveniers. A funny story (which could have been not so funny): After we were done with the zips, there were two guys helping take our equipment off and then they told us to wait on this platform by the river for everyone to finish and we would all walk back to the vans together. Well, we missed this bit of instruction. We saw another couple heading off down the trail, so we followed after them. I had a feeling we should not be doing this, but we kept on going. The vegetation and flowers around us was beautiful and we were enjoying our surroundings. While we were walking, up ahead I could see a young man stepping out of the bushes and soon saw he had a machete. Oh no, I thought, we are going to become one of those Jamaica horror stories. He crosses the path and sits down under a tree by the side of the path. As we pass him he says very friendly like - "I'm going to make you a stingray!" and he starts carving away at this large piece of wood with his machete. We smile and pass on buy. Further down the trail we decide we must be making a mistake and turn around, we pass the guy again where he is still working on his carving. He tries to help, saying we are on the right path but we decide to go back to where we where. Everyone we came across in Jamaica was very friendly, even the man with the machete! Though when we did meet back up with our group, one of the guides chided us a bit for wandering off and said "What, do you think you are Jamaicans?!" After the tour, we went back to the ship and freshened up a bit then walked to Island Village to shop. The walk there was easy with no one hasseling us, and the shopping there was just as pleasant. The other couples traveling with us also really enjoyed their tours, one with Marva Shaw and the other did the Taste of Jamaica tour through the ship.

 

Grand Caymen: Here we did the 3 stop snorkle and Stingray City tour with Captain Marvin. This was great. Very nice boat and equipment, and friendly guides. The snorkeling was great, especially the barrier reef area. Stingray City was great. When you first get there they immediately dump some squid in the water, so as soon as you get out of the boat the stingrays are on you, bumping into you and coming up out of the water and looking at you. Initially people are screeching but then you get used to them and relax a bit. Everyone gets a chance to hold, kiss, and get a back rub from a stingray. After the food runs out most of the stingrays move onto the next group, so this give you a chance to just enjoy the beautiful water and sand.

 

Cozumel: Here all of us headed to Chakanaab Park. Three of us did the Royal Dolphin Swim (booked through Dolphin Discovery) and it was the experience of a lifetime. We bought the DVD for $50, which turned out very nice. Some of us snorkeled here and saw a lot of fish. The facilities here were new and beautiful, even the bathroom was gorgeous! We ate at the restaurant and the food was very good.

 

Weather: I was a little concerned about cruising in July and running into storms, but the weather was great all week. It was very hot at times, but certainly bearable. We had one early morning lightning and thunder storm while at sea. At least we heard about it, we had no idea since we were in an inside cabin. Also, as we were getting off the ship at Cozumel, we felt a few sprinkles. But other than that, it was sun, sun, and more sun.

 

Leaving: :-(

We had a late flight out of Orlando, so we weren't too concerned about when we got off. I think they were running a bit late in calling out the colors. I heard some people complaining about possibly missing their flights. Once off, my husband took the Budget shuttle to pick up our rental car, while we waited and took the chance to work on our tans one last time. Soon, he was back and we were off to Orlando. A word of advice, try not to get lost around the airport in Orlando! We had some time to kill so we were trying to find International Drive so we could look at the shops or possibly see a movie before our flight. We got some bad directions and went the wrong direction at first. Long story short, we ended up paying a fortune in tolls! They have toll booths every 5 feet there it seems!

 

The Last Word: We had a great cruise and would do it again in a heartbeat! One last story and then I better wrap this rambling review up. I was a little worried at first we were a bit cursed on this cruise. At sailaway, I suggested we all go up to Ellington's and enjoy the view with a drink. One of our party was up at the bar paying for our drinks while we sat in some chairs in the sports bar right beside Ellington's. Suddenly, we hear a loud groaning of metal and a big crash! The large circular lighting stucture above the bar had come crashing down. Thankfully, no one was hurt - especially the bartender who could have been seriously hurt if he had been standing at the other end of the bar. They also lost a lot of money in alcohol, many smashed bottles! The next day during formal night, my husband and I waited a long time in line to get pictures. We finally get to the front of the line and the photographer's camera breaks! Finally, the next day at Labadee we are in the tender about to head to the beach. The tender starts to pull away, then stops, and comes back to the ship. Oh Oh. There is still a rope tied to the tender. As we tried to pull away something was bent or the rope was pulled too tight, so they couldn't get the rope off. The captain of the tender called for a big ax and chopped through the rope and then we were off. Thankfully, the rest of the week was mishap free!

 

We miss you all ready Mariner and hope to see you again soon!

 

Feel free to ask me any questions and I will try my best to answer.

[Lyncruiser]

Excellent review! Thanks! We'll be on the Mariner later this year. Sorry for the few mishaps. Glad your luck changed (and you had no rogue waves!).

[Toddcan]

Excellent review.. thank you! We are doing the same cruise next March.

 

I do have a question, if you dont mind me asking.

 

How much was it to rent your car (Ford Excursion) from budget? Please quote me as best you can including taxes, fuel, etc.

 

We are a family of 5, and will have about the same amount of luggage as you. We are also flying in the day before, and my only hesitation on taking a private shuttle to the Port is that we will be without a car from 5pm onwards on the Saturday night.

 

Also, even with the long lines, how long did it take you to get your car, and on your way on the highway? One of the HUGE advantages IMO is that with a private limo service, they meet you, take you right to the car, and off you go.

 

Thanks in advance!

[missliad]

What a great detailed review! I wanted to ask you about the Country Inn & Suites - you wrote that it was very nice, how far of a drive from the port was it and what types of shopping/restaurants were nearby? How were the rooms, any problems? We are deciding between the Country Inn or the Radisson for our pre-cruise stay. Thanks so much!

[ken_nyc]

rayrdh, thank you for the great review. You helped wet my appetite even more and cannot wait for our August western cruise.

[ari1ana1]

Great review!! I'm looking forward to sailing on the Mariner. What room did you have on Deck 8?

[kittymom65]

Great review!

Thanks for taking the time to share with us!

[sea-cruise]

Now that was a great review! We're interested in the Mariner for a near future booking. Thanks for posting!

[rayrdh]

ari1ana1 - We had room 8655 which was in the aft part of the ship. Next time I might choose a room more centrally located, though it was nice being so close to the Windjammer and Dining Room.

 

Toddean - We paid 103.27 (with a 5% Costco discount) for the Expedition plus the price of the gas to fill it up before we turned it in. One thing we found out is that the Expedition doesn't have a very big luggage area in the back, but we just layed down one of the back seats and it worked out fine. I'd say it took about 20-30 minutes to get the car, so not terrible but Budget could use some more people working the desk in Orlando. I was happy we had the rental though to be able to go to Fishlips and the grocery store. And split between 3 couples the price was right. Also, the drive from the airport to Port Canaveral is an easy one, not confusing.

 

missliad - Our room at the Country Inn and Suites was clean and roomy. We had a king size bed. It looks like a fairly new hotel. Our room was on the eastern side and we had a nice view of the pool and the water beyond. They serve a free continental breakfast, which was fine. It is about 5 minutes or so from the cruise ship terminal, but not within close walking distance of shops/restaurants. We hopped in the car to go eat and shop.

[jillybabes]

What a great detailed review! I wanted to ask you about the Country Inn & Suites - you wrote that it was very nice, how far of a drive from the port was it and what types of shopping/restaurants were nearby? How were the rooms, any problems? We are deciding between the Country Inn or the Radisson for our pre-cruise stay. Thanks so much!

 

We stayed at the Country Inn and Suites in May and it is a new hotel...If you have a car it is right by Cocoa Beach and there are many restaurants and shops up and down the highway...

rayrdh: Thanks for the great review, we will be doing the Western itinerary in February having sailed the Eastern itinerary 3 times...Wanted to get in at least one more time on Mariner b4 she heads to the West Coast...Glad you and your friends had a great time...Later, Jill:cool:

[Mickeylee]

Thanks for the review. We are going on this itinerary in December (our first cruise ever!), so I love reading reviews (especially positive ones).

[kimark]

Thanks for the review. You mentioned that it took a while to get your car when you arrived. How was the return and how long did it take?

[villager70]

Thanks for taking time and sharing your cruise. Glad your group had a great time. Looking forward to ours in Nov.

 

Bob & Nancy The Villages, Florida:) :) :)

[rayrdh]

kimark - The Budget office in Port Canaveral was also very busy, there was a NASCAR race that weekend also. The lady behind the counter said they were running out of cars fast. They didn't have time to clean up our car, so we discovered many Gatorade bottles rolling around on the floor! At least they had the car we reserved, a big passenger van this time, more roomy than the Expedition. When my husband got there, there were about 4 groups ahead of him, he probably waited about 20 minutes. Didn't seem that long to us waiting back at the pier.

[Chez957]

Excellent Review, I have one (1) Question? What night is "Lobster Night"? I want to book "Portofinos" around that and formal nights.

[rayrdh]

Lobster night was Friday night, Formal nights were Monday and Thursday. We originally wanted to do Portifino on Tuesday (since it was my birthday) but they have the Mystery Dinner Theater there that night. We ended up going on Wednesday. Our Dining Room waiter commented that this was a good night to go since Wednesday had the weakest menu in the Dining Room.

[Travelitis]

Great review! I love it when people get to the point, say enough to be interesting but do not give a longwinded play by play of each day. I appreciate you dividing it into categories so I could read everything but the ports, as I'm going on the Eastern Carib itin.

[akcruz]

We did this same cruise on 6/17 and had a very similar experience. I did post a review after returning, but it quickly made it to the 2nd page and not sure too many saw it.

 

One thing to add, if you are booking through budget, enroll in their fast break program. It doesn't cost anything and helps out at the Orlando airport. You bypass the line inside the terminal and go right to the kisok in the garage where they have your keys. Sign the papers that are waiting and go to your car. We were out of the airport within 15 minutes of getting our bags. Well worth the few minutes to enroll. Of course doesn't help in Port Canaveral, but hey at least its better than standing in another line (which was lengthy when we passed it).

[akcruz]

Double post

[TDOTCRUISR]

Was on the same sailing as you & on the Jamaica canopy tour too. Glad you had as wonderful a time as we had. I have a question: did you purchase the DVD of the tour? I wasn't even thinking straight--only ordered the CD with the pics & didn't even look at the DVD.

[tamh57]

What is a C & A coupon booklet? and where do you get one?

 

Thanks - Leaving Sunday - July 22 - Eastern Caribbean!! Yeah:)

[rayrdh]

Were you on the 9:30am tour also, in Oneblood's or Garfield's bus? We bought the CD with pictures also. We thought it had some video of the zips on it, but we couldn't figure out how to see that. But I just put the CD in my computer and watched it with Windows Media Player and the video of the zips played. You might try that with yours.

 

Are you going through some bad cruise withdrawl? I sure am!

[rayrdh]

tamh57 - C & A stands for Crown and Anchor Society, which you can become a member of once you have completed at least one cruise with Royal Caribbean. There are different levels depending on how many cruises you have completed. This was just our second cruise, so we are gold. So if you've already sailed before with Royal Caribbean, just sign up online to be a member, and the coupon book should be waiting for you in your cabin.

Have a great cruise - I'm jealous.

[IworkIcruise]

Thanks so much for a great review! Questions.....What days and times were the ice skating shows? What time was the last tender to the ship from Grand Cayman? And.....Do you know what night the Gran Marnier Souflee (sp?) is served in the dining room?

[rayrdh]

IworkIcruise - I'm afraid I don't know all the answers to your questions, but I'll tell you what I do know.

I know the ice shows were Wednesday and Thursday. Wednesday the shows were 7pm(late dinner seating) and 9pm(early dinner seating). Don't remember the times on Thursday. I should have kept those Cruise Compasses!

The last tender back to the ship at Grand Caymen was 3:30pm.

Don't remember what night we had the souffle' in the dining room. I do know that I had it (so it wasn't Wednesday when we dined at Portofino) and I do know it was delicious!!! One of my favorite desserts.

Hopefully others can fill in the blanks in my answers :)