Just off Mariner (April 6-13) (Western)

[kmtoner]

Thanks to all here for so many helpful posts as always. Here are some random thoughts about our Spring Break cruise on the Mariner last week. I was traveling with my two boys, ages 16 and 11. We had adjoining inside Promenade cabins 7601 and 7603.

 

Transfer from Orlando - Slow. We waited at least 45 minutes for the bus to arrive. Also our names were not on the RCI manifest, but luckily I had torn the page out of our cruise documents and was able to confirm that we'd paid for the transfer. The bus was very comfortable despite the downpour in central Florida. We arrived in Orlando at 12:50 pm but ended up on the last bus and did not arrive and enter the ship until almost 4pm.

 

Cabins. Very comfortable. I liked the bay windows quite a bit and did not miss the lack of an outsided balcony. The bed was pretty hard but the linens were high quality. So were the towels. I was surprised that the shampoo/conditioner was so good, but I suspect some of the good results were related to our lack of soft water at home. The safe in my cabin was malfunctioning but I was able to use the one in the boys' cabin. When it's choppy, the hangers in the cabin rattled, so I can see why a couple of shoestrings or bunge cord could be handy. My kids put all hangers on the floor of their closet.

 

Cabin Steward. I don't know her name. She never introduced herself. She was never around. She never responded to my notes to replace a nonfunctioning TV remote control. Then, the remote disappeared. I made calls to her, to the Ship's engineer, and to Guest Relations over three days before giving up and just passing the remote back and forth between the cabins. She did create some nice towel animals for us though.

 

Ship. Descriptions on the Boards are very accurate. The ship is gorgeous and very well maintained. Not surprisingly the pool deck is crowded at times but there were always good places to find sun or shade with just a little searching. Smoking on the port side and in casino was annoying, but that's just a business decision that didn't surprise me much. I thought the gym was very good and very popular. Elliptical machines were too popular every morning. The hot tubs were hot and very big. My kids hated the salt water swimming pools but I had warned them in advance. The sports deck was much fun and both boys enjoyed the big arcade, rock wall, in-line skating, TV, and movies.

 

Crew. Everyone was very friendly and competent. Not every crew member loves their job but they did a respectable effort at hiding that. I watched quite a few passengers behave rudely to the staff and I was very impressed at how well they handled the obnoxious guests. I also watched some crew members get pretty grumpy with one another about job duties but it never got out of hand. No significant complaints about the crew, other than our particular cabin steward. We did not use the main dining room the entire week so I have no comments about the wait staff there. The waiters at the two specialty restaurants were excellent. A woman became ill and had to be ferried off the ship by helicopter perhaps for surgery. This was handled expertly as near as I could tell. The wind blew my son's SeaPass out of his hand and into the ocean as we crossed the gangway at Cozumel. He was very upset and embarrassed. The security folks couldn't have been nicer to him and Guest Relations gave him a new card with soda sticker within 5 minutes.

 

Food. We ate too much but except for Portofino's and the apple pie at Johnny Rockets we never raved about anything we ate. (JR ran out of apple pie on Saturday. Very sad.) We also definitely got our money's worth at the Promenade Cafe. Terrific snacks and convenient beverages there. Portofino's should not be missed. I had a bad NY strip steak at Chop's. (Costco would have been better meat.) But my kids had great filet and lamb at that restaurant. Those who appreciate the old days of cruising will probably be disappointed in the food, but I bet every one of them will still eat way too much.

 

Activities. Plenty of good fun to be had. We enjoyed all trivia and name that tune contests, a little bit of bingo, a little bit of casino, etc. Some musicians were great. Other performers were very average. My kids did not enjoy Adventure Ocean but I think that's a reflection on their shyness or attitude. Many other kids just loved that program. I thought Labadee was pretty but the extra charges for the inflatable equipment, water slide, and the endless liability waivers made me extra grumpy.

 

Disembarcation. We were off the ship in the blink of an eye after upgrading our tags a couple of levels. The bad news was the newish carousel of luggage in the port building. We had to watch others' bags go past us for 35 minutes. I never thought I'd say this but I truly miss the old method of putting the bags in groups in giant warehouse for passengers to sort through. Much faster.

 

Comparison to Princess. Our 2007 Spring Break was on a Princess western itinerary. I think the food is just a little bit better on Princess, but that's a very subjective view. Both lines are very, very similar. I liked the outdoor movies on Princess, but I like the size of Mariner and the layout of the ship much better. Both companies deliver an excellent product.

[reallyitsmema]

Thanks for the review. We sailed the Mariner last June and are going again this June so I love to see what is up. Have the boys put a towel through the hangers next time, keeps them quiet, our steward did it for us the last night of our last cruise when all our stuff was packed.

 

I have a quick question on food, one person has posted that the Mariner had no escargot or scallop risotto, is this true? It was only one poster from the week before yours so just wondering, thanks for any information.

[johnlcruise]

Sounds like you had an excellent time.

Thanks for posting your review.

[Wine Luvuh]

I have a quick question on food, one person has posted that the Mariner had no escargot or scallop risotto, is this true? It was only one poster from the week before yours so just wondering, thanks for any information.

 

I was on this cruise as well and they did have the escargot and the scallops risotto ~ I actually had a meal sized portion for my dinner and it was YUM!! Thanks Uncle Milty!! :)

[reallyitsmema]

I was on this cruise as well and they did have the escargot and the scallops risotto ~ I actually had a meal sized portion for my dinner and it was YUM!! Thanks Uncle Milty!! :)

Great, thanks for the reply. Usually, when there are big menu changes, there are lots of people reporting it. When I saw this post,

 

ok -- here is some info --- just got off the cruise today April 6 -- MOS

 

No more scallops risotto, no escargot, don't remember any lamb (though there WAS lamb in the Windjammer), no crab cakes, no tortellini with bleu cheese sauce, no garlic soup, the duck and the chicken marsala,

 

I got a little concerned that some of our favorites are gone. Hopefully, that is not the case and we will enjoy them in June.

[Wine Luvuh]

There also was lamb (several at our table had it), crab cakes (I had them), garlic soup and some kind of tortellini (not sure if it was Bleu Cheese). I think they had Marsala on Venetian night but I am not sure. The menu is quite different but lots and lots of the regualr items that are so popular are still there.

There was one night (the Get out There night) was the least appealing...

[reallyitsmema]

There also was lamb (several at our table had it), crab cakes (I had them), garlic soup and some kind of tortellini (not sure if it was Bleu Cheese). I think they had Marsala on Venetian night but I am not sure. The menu is quite different but lots and lots of the regualr items that are so popular are still there.

 

There was one night (the Get out There night) was the least appealing...

We didn't love the get out there menu either, that is the night we have planned to go to Portofino.:p Thanks for the info.

[JetsJetsJets]

Was get out there on Wednesday?

Steve

[Wine Luvuh]

It was either Wednesday or Thursday...I can't remember...

[knuckles]

I too was on this cruise and agree that Portofino's should not be missed. Best meal anywhere in a long while. Overall had a great time. Made $5400 profit in the Casino and we ate at JR's twice. I'm already looking to book another trip some time over the summer vacation. I was able to use any coupon I tried, regardless on my level (Platinum) that I purchased on Ebay, never gave me a second look.

 

On the down side, I thought that many areas of the ship including my stateroom was very warm and the AC was not working great. Also, has anyone heard of the condition of the woman taken off the ship by helicoptor. We were in JR's when the helicoptor was circling the ship and then after, we were able to watch her being put on borad as we had a front facing cabin. Hope she is doing well.

 

The service was first class and I'm having a serious case of PCD.

 

Knuckles

[Wine Luvuh]

knuckles...I was in the casino when the heli landed taking home my $350 profit. Not $5400 :eek: but something none the less!!

I agree about the warm ship! I was joking with one of the bar managers in the Dragon's Lair and told her the only downfall of the trip was that I started going through "the change" at 34!! :D IT WAS HOT!! She said that they were having AC problems throughout.

Lots and lots of kids on board but very well behaved....

[lephysteria]

Tar baby, I'm glad to hear you had a good time !! Did you enjoy the aft cabin?

 

I still have some hormone pills left over if you want to use them, I am sorry you're going through the change sooo early :D

[Sooner-b-Crusin]

Hey Jen, our friend.............. Haven't had time to check out your preg blog. Hope all is GOOD.

 

Tar baby IS NOT going thru the change..... Just AC problems on the Mariner. Altho she about froze our ARSE off at night.

 

We had a great time. Our balcony was Ginormous. Totally awesome.

 

Wish you and Frannie had been with us. Oh what fun and new friends we make.

 

PP

[kayguz]

, has anyone heard of the condition of the woman taken off the ship by helicoptor. We were in JR's when the helicoptor was circling the ship and then after, we were able to watch her being put on borad as we had a front facing cabin. Hope she is doing well.

 

Knuckles

 

Just checking on this cruise--- I had friends on this cruise who knew the teen who was airlifted out. She was injured while riding a scooter in Cozumel. The Mexican dr's said all she had was a broken collar bone. Once back on board, it became apparent that she suffered severe internal injuries and was bleeding internally. Within hours of arriving in Miami, she underwent 2 surgeries and is in very, very critical condition. A broken pelvis and broken collar bone are currently the least of her worries. Shame on the Mexican dr's for not noticing this, but in a way it was a blessing as she made it the U.S. for the surgeries and continuing medical care. They could use any prayers sent their way.

[kmtoner]

Sorry to hear of that passenger's unfortunate accident. We passed lots of scooters on our taxi ride to the beach and remarked on how dangerous it might be to be going so slow next to so many cabs and trucks. I second the kudos to the Mariner medical staff.

 

During our '07 Spring Break cruise my son caught the norovirus and was quarantined for two full days. I was not dazzled by the Princess medical procedures. Given that experience, we were giddy that none of us caught the norovirus last week on the Mariner. I also saw no signs of others getting sick, but then it's a very large ship.

[SPF 350Z]

We had a great time. Our balcony was Ginormous. Totally awesome.

 

PP

 

 

Pat -

 

So glad to hear that you, Roy and Tara had a good time on your cruise! Did you win Quest? I have amazing video of my 18 year old son playing on the Sovereign. He was such a great sport!:p

 

Miss you guys!

Edie

[Wine Luvuh]

Thanks Jen...no more hot flashes since I have been home. :D

So sorry to hear about that young girl. I hope she is on her way to recovery.

Edie...Absolutely!! When I download the pics, I will send you the link. The whole winning team got a Bingo card as well which was nice!

[SPF 350Z]

Tara - Can't wait to see the pics. Still have not downloaded mine from the SOS cruise.

 

Mom and I are going on another in the fall - just haven't settled on one yet!

 

The kids want to do the SOS final cruise but I'm not sure I'm up for that one!