Another Mariner review 2/10-2/17

[mivama]

Kittymom inspired me to jot down my groups experience on the Mariner. We had a group of 10, including a couple first-time cruisers, and a fantastic time was had by all. While the menu was familiar, the food was still good quality. I don't think there were any dishes that weren't enjoyed. Some of the desserts were a bit gelatenous and bland, but most were good. We were disappointed in the white chocolate mouse and agreed it was more like Cool Whip. The scale registers 6+ lbs more, if that is any proof of the food quality. Johnny Rockets was great and greasy. I had read about their peanutbutter milkshake on the boards (not on the menu) and it was freakin' fabulous. Low-cal, I'm sure.

The ship was in great shape and we really enjoyed exploring and checking out all the interesting artwork scattered about. Our main hang out was the Champagne Bar--Karina and Angela took excellent care of us and were some of the best mixologists we found on the ship. We also had a great time in the Wig and Gavel listening to the accoustic guitar player. He lured us in one night and kept us there for hours and even dedicated a set of New Jersey inspired music to us. Everybody was singing along and feeling good. We found the Windjammer to be very crowded and it was sometimes difficult to find a table at peak times. The food was as expected, but there was always something to eat. We really enjoyed the sushi at Jade as a pre-dinner snack--nothing fancy, but very tasty with nice spicy wasabi.

We had adjoining balcony cabins on the hump and, after a little persistance, got the cabin steward to open up the dividers on the balcony. It was awesome have a great stretch of open space looking out at the sea. Our cabin attendant was fair, but didn't really go out of his way and we had to ask for fresh ice daily. No problems otherwise.

In Labadee, we tried the Snorkel Safari. It was a nice ride in the boat and the staff on the boat were excellent, but we weren't very impressed with the site. There were a few fish and some nice coral, but overall it was lacking.

As for excursions, we did the tour with Marva Shaw in Jamaica and had a blast. The White River Rafting was exhilarating and pretty fast moving. There is a hard plastic sheet tied to the bottom of the tubes to protect your bum from any bumps on the rocks. Dunns River falls was overcrowded (we didn't bother to climb) but interesting to see. They also took us for an authentic Jamaican jerk lunch that was delicious and spicy. I highly recommend Marva Shaw's tour--it's a great value and very flexible to your needs.

In Grand Cayman, we rented a car and drove out to Rum Point. Wow, what a beautiful beach. I could have spent a week there. There were a few interesting fish to be seen snorkeling and we even saw a barracuda hanging out under the pier. It was smooth white sand and water so clear it looked unreal. It was sunny and beautiful where we were, but we could see across the water to the pier and apparently it was raining there. We got a late start and had a tense ride back and just made it on the 2nd to last tender. The seas were very rough and getting out of the tender back on the ship was troublesome.

In Cozumel, we had hired a private driver to take us around and had an okay experience. The island was great, but it seemed that our driver was more interested in taking us to spots where he got a kick back (pretty obviously) rather than listening to our needs. My group just wanted to hit a nice beach and there were many unnecessary stops along the way. He also drove extremely slowly, which lead us to think he was wasting time to run up his hourly rate. Despite the driver, we did have a very nice time and got to see a lot of the island. Next time we'll just hop a taxi from the pier and head straight to a beach. We did go to Playa Palancar which had excellent food (fish tacos, guacamole, fresh salsa, etc) and drinks and so-so snorkeling. You saw more fish if you got close to the buoy but not a lot otherwise. We did see a cool brown w/ white spots seasnake.

We had a great time participating in ship-board activities and won several prizes at the Meet and Mingle and the 70s music trivia contest. My husband also came home with a medal for "Most athletic legs," which is ironic since he rarely exercises. The biggest bonus was that my friends won the final jackpot bingo and got to split a pot of close to $8K with another cruiser! I really miss daily life on the ship, hanging out on the pool deck, strolling along the promanade window shopping and eating cookies from the cafe, having pre-dinner cocktails watching the sunset over the water. Ahhh, can I go back now?

[wantacruise]

Thanks for your review. I am definitely going to try the peanut butter milkshake. How did you like your "hump" cabin? I will have one this June and I'm very excited!

[Jesuslovesyou]

thanks for sharing ... every review helps!

[skatie]

Thanks for your review - we'll be on same ship in 3 days! We also have a hump cabin - 9322 - what cabin # were you in? We are also doing the White River tubing. I thought it was a leisurely event - a little nervous to hear it's fast moving- wondering if my 8 year old will freak! Also, wondering if you think we need to take bug spray - have read here that some others got bitten during that excursion - maybe its only certain times of the year?? Thanks,

[SailingBird]

This excursion is great fun - my family did this last week including my son of 11 - he had a blast - the guys there really look after you - don't worry and as the jamaicans say - yeah man -no problem.

[birdylady]

I'll have to try to remember to ask for the Peanut Butter milkshake since you say it's not on the menu (what's up with that?).

 

Thanx for the great review. And congrats to hubby. LOL

 

Erika

[mivama]

Yeah, no worries about the White River tubing. There were several younger children on the trip who had a great time. One young boy no more than 10 even jumped off the cliff. The Jamaican guides to a great job making sure everyone is on track. We had several non-athletic people in our group, including one with a sprained ankel and one with a rheumatoid condition and they all loved it and felt very safe. We had no issues with bugs at all. I had brought bug spray but never needed it.

 

We were in hump cabins 6614, 6616, and 6618. Great location, close to the elevators and just a short flight of stairs to the Champagne Bar. Our room was 6614 and we definitely had extra space between our bed and the sliding glass door (about 2+ feet) that really helped the room feel less cramped. The other 2 cabins did not have this extra space.

[mobgirl]

How do you know if you have a "hump" cabin? You've got me kinda worried.

[kittymom65]

Hey Michelle!

Thanks for sharing your review, I don't think we ran into you any more after the meet and mingle, I am glad you had a great cruise also!

Gotta agree about the peanut butter milkshake--one of the best sweets I had all week!

[paggerscorvette]

Did you do the luggage valet service? I read somewhere that if you use this on the Mariner you are the first off the ship. When we used it in San Juan we were called according to our flight time. Does anyone have any input:rolleyes: I need to schedule a shuttle and not sure what time to tell them to pick us up. Thanks

[duluthga]

Yeah, no worries about the White River tubing. There were several younger children on the trip who had a great time. One young boy no more than 10 even jumped off the cliff. The Jamaican guides to a great job making sure everyone is on track. We had several non-athletic people in our group, including one with a sprained ankel and one with a rheumatoid condition and they all loved it and felt very safe.

 

Thanks for the review, how would the tubing be for somewhat active 70 year olds?

[mivama]

I think the tubing would be fine. The trickiest part is getting into the tube, but even my friends with mobility issues had no problem. At worst, you might have to use your feet to kick off if you get too close to the side of the river, but it's not strenuous at all.

[sports4fun]

Mivama, Thank for the review. We leave on her in two weeks and are staying in the cabin right above yours. You really gave us some great excursion ideas. Thanks