Review - Mariner of the Seas 4/13-4/20/08 Eastern

[Mysticks1]

This was our third cruise but our first experience with Royal Caribbean and our first trip to the Eastern Caribbean. It was my husband, my daughter (14) and I. Traveling with us also were my husband’s parents. We had sailed twice on Carnival on the Conquest from Galveston in Oct 2005 and the Fantasy from New Orleans in Nov 2006.

 

We left home on Friday at lunchtime and drove to Ocala, FL where we stayed at Sleep Inn (approx. 10 miles south of the main Ocala exit.). It was a very nice hotel for the price, spotless and great service. The next morning we drove to Cape Canaveral and took the tour of the Kennedy Space Center before driving to Port Canaveral to check into Country Inn and Suites. This hotel is a great place to stay. Very nice, clean, excellent service and continental breakfast including make your own waffles. I had purchased the park and cruise package and received free parking for the week a two room suite w/2 queen beds and shuttle service to and from the port. When we checked in I asked to be on the first shuttle the next morning and we were put down for 10:00 AM. They will give you vouchers for your trip to and from the port. I had asked for and received a room with a view of the port so we had a view of the Carnival Glory at the terminal from our windows.

 

After checking in daughter and I went down to Jetty Park (front desk provided a map and directions) to watch the Glory leave. It was $5 to park there but it is a great place with a long fishing pier and access to the beach. We watched the Glory sail out into the Atlantic and were able to see some sea turtles and a stingray from the pier as well as watching a raccoon steal snacks from one of the trash cans there.

 

We arrived at Fishlips for dinner around 5:30 and waited about 20 min for a table. Everything there was really good and there is a nice view of the ship channel from there. You can also watch the ships sail from their decks if you arrive early enough. They have a website with menus if interested.

 

We awoke to the view of the Mariner in port from our bedroom window. After a nice breakfast we headed down to meet the shuttle. We saw several there dropping off passengers from the week before and had to wait about 15-20 minutes for the shuttle to the port. We arrived around 10:30 and lined up outside the building as they were not yet allowing incoming passengers into the terminal. At 11:00 they opened the doors and the process went fairly quickly as they were very efficient at processing. We were on the ship and in the Windjammer for lunch at 11:25. We were some of the first ones there and had a table by the window overlooking the Disney ship. We watched them load luggage and supplies as we ate.

 

I visited guest services to rent a DECT phone and the Cyber Cabin equipment for internet service in our cabin. The DECT phone was $25 for the week and the Cyber Cabin was $100 for the week. The phone worked great all week. I tried multiple times over 2 days to get the Cyber Cabin to work but I kept getting an error message stating that the computer wasn’t answering the modem. I took it back to guest services and they refunded the full amount.

 

We explored the ship until checking to see if our room was ready around 12:45. We were in the much sought after 7688 which is the aft corner port side on the 7th deck. The library is the only thing on this deck other than cabins. The hallway fire doors were closed until 1:00 (signs on door stated the opening time) so we waited in the library until then. The library has a fair selection of books, large windows overlooking the promenade and very comfortable leather chairs (some facing the promenade).

 

Our cabin being in the aft was a long walk from the elevators and it was just as expected in size from the photos I had seen. The beds were together as requested and the third bed was hidden in the ceiling when we arrived. It was dropped down the first night and just folded back against the wall during the day. The cabin was very clean and had adequate storage for the three of us with all of the smaller items in the shoe organizer that I placed on the bathroom door. The beds are high enough for my suitcases to slide underneath and they are quite large. The balcony is oversized for the E1 category with it being approx. 10’ x 11’-12’ The view to the aft is somewhat obstructed when sitting but you have clear view when standing. The view port side from the large port-hole type opening is unobstructed and allowed some very nice views when pulling into ports. There were two lounge chairs, four regular chairs and two small round tables and there was plenty of walking room as well. There were a couple of support poles but they didn’t get in our way. During our cruise the balcony was shaded the majority of the time.

 

I only spoke to our room steward a couple of times but he met our requests to empty the refrigerator (we checked two 12-packs of sodas w/a luggage sticker) for our drinks and left extra towels when requested. The room was kept very clean all week. The other stewards that we passed in the hallways always spoke to us with a smile as we passed.

 

Muster Drill was promptly at 4:00. We walked down at 5 minutes till 4:00 and arrived just on time. It took approximately 10-15 minutes to go through it and listen to all the announcements (in several different languages). Daughter and I went to the bow (heli pad) for sail away. It was quite cold so we only stayed until we passed Jetty Park then headed back to get dressed for dinner. To reach the Heli Pad – go outside on deck 4 (under the life boats) and walk forward to a stairway that leads to the upper deck.

 

Our waitress was Lynell from the Phillipines and asst. was Donovan from Jamaica. They were excellent all week. After the first night Lynell learned everyone’s names. We were seated with my in laws, another older couple and an older single lady and an older couple from the Netherlands at a table for 10. The Head Waiter was Medic from the Phillipines and he came by our table nightly and did tricks a couple of the nights for our entertainment. He seemed to really be involved with the servers in the area and made sure everything was as it should be. He is the most personable and involved Head Waiter that we have met so far.

 

Dining - Dinner : We ate in the dining room 5 of the 7 nights and the food was good but was not as good as the food we had experienced on Carnival on our past cruises. I had the prime rib twice and it was very good the first night but slightly overcooked and tough the 2nd night. Formal nights were on Monday and Friday nights and the lobster tails were served on the Fisherman’s Platter on Friday. I didn’t have it but everyone said the lobster was fairly good and most everyone had a 2nd lobster tail delivered. The desserts were fair but nothing that I had was outstanding.

 

Due to our late arrival in San Juan we didn’t make it back in time for our early dining time so we ate in the Windjammer – it was fairly good with a good selection of items. We also stayed late on St. Martin and tried Johnny Rockets that night. There is a $3.95 per person cover charge and a charge for cokes/milkshakes. The fries/onion rings and burgers that we had were all very good – we didn’t have room for dessert but we saw some very good looking sundaes go by that were included.

 

Dining – Lunch : We had lunch in the WindJammer every day but one. There was a greeter at the doorway every time handing out antibacterial wipes for your hands. A trash receptacle was just past them to deposit the used ones. The selection of foods was good with choices that appealed to everyone. The traffic flowed fairly well due to the layout but the front station was always more crowded since it was the first one you passed. We generally went to the back areas first. lThe burgers/hot dogs were there every day in case the other choices don’t appeal. The salad bar was not large but had a good selection of items for us. The breads were all quite good – there was not a large selection of desserts but the cookies were there every day as well as Jello for the kids. Milk was available at lunch but you had to ask the attendant at the dessert station for it. I also enjoyed the fresh cut fruits that were available every day. There was tea and ice water at the drink station. It was sometimes very crowded but the tables were being cleared off and cleaned as soon as anyone left so we were always able to find somewhere to sit.

 

The lunch we had in the dining room was nice but the menu didn’t offer much that appealed that day. The New Orleans style jambalaya that we ordered was nothing close to that – the dessert we had there was the best we had all week. It was a peanut butter and chocolate pie that was excellent.

 

Dining – Breakfast : We had breakfast in the WindJammer all but one day ( greeters w/ antibacterial wipes were again there every time we entered) and there was a good selection of the most common breakfast items (eggs, bacon, sausage, potatoes, etc.) There were cold cereals in several varieties, pastries including doughnuts, croissants, hot grits and oatmeal and the fresh fruits were available every morning as well as orange juice, ice water and coffee available. I saw a waiter with hot green tea circulating one morning as well.

 

We used room service for breakfast on our last sea day. I called in the order and it was there within 15-20 minutes. Same food quality as the WindJammer but nice to eat on the balcony and enjoy the view.

 

Snacks - The Café Promenade was the place for snacks and coffee. There was a large self serve coffee station there with regular and decaf available with all the sweeteners/cream/milk as well as tea bags to make your own hot tea. The cups there had the covers so it was easy to take a cup to go. They had nice pastries, wonderful cookies and great mini sandwiches there at all times. There was also cheese and pepperoni pizza that was okay but nothing special. There was also food out in the WindJammer at 3PM each day – a small selection of things to tide you over until dinner time. There were chips there with cheese/guacamole/salsa/ sour cream, etc to make a plate of nachos that were a good afternoon snack.

 

The Ship/Crew – The ship is very well kept with maintenance and cleaning being done constantly. There are a few areas with stained/worn carpet as can be expected on ship this age with that many passengers aboard each day but nothing major was noticed. Every crew member that we met was extremely friendly and helpful. I had to visit guest services several times and every time my questions/needs were taken care of. Even with a line you didn’t have to wait long as there were always several working the desk. The captain was Captain Johnny and I though he was very personable and enjoyed his daily reports at noon as well as his additions to the question and answer session and the shows. I saw him several times walking around the ship verifying that everything was as it should be and that the passengers were happy. The crew seems to genuinely love their jobs as they were always laughing and smiling and many times I could hear them humming or singing as they worked. They seemed to be the happiest crew that we have had so far. Drew Devine was the cruise director and he was good with the shows and things that we attended. He has a good voice/personality and he has a good group working with him. Justin was one of the assistants and he was also very good. He hosted several of the activities that we attended.

 

The pool areas were usually crowded and the chair hogs got out early. Before 8:30 in the morning the prime chairs in the Solarium already had their collection of towels, books and other items even though there were few people actually there. We used the upper deck around the pool several times and always found a chair. They did have pool patrol that were going around and collecting towels from chairs on the upper decks if there were no personal items there and no one near could state that someone was still using them. There were always waiters near to bring a cold drink to you and the music around the pool area was nice. There was a band there many times as well.

 

Ports – San Juan – We didn’t arrive until 3PM so we decided to walk through Old San Juan to El Morro. It is a fairly long walk and is all uphill. The traffic there is terrible and the streets are very narrow as are the sidewalks so you must really use caution when walking. The streets are brick and uneven as well so if you have trouble walking or for those who use canes/walkers/wheel chairs it would be best to take the trolley (free) or a cab. The fort is very interested and the views from there are spectacular. There are a lot of steps with no handrails and areas with drop offs and no rails so you must take care and watch children closely while here. After viewing the fort we made our way back to the ship for dinner. We enjoyed the rest of the evening on our balcony and were able to watch the Celebrity Millennium which was docked next to us as they sailed and we sat out until after we sailed. It was very nice to look over the city as we left.

 

Ports – Saint Martin - We docked early but the Carnival Glory and Caribbean Princess were already there. We docked back to back with the Princess ship so our view from the balcony was mostly just of their aft balconies. To our side was a dock for container ships. We had nothing planned for the morning so we had a nice breakfast and waited until the early crowds had left before walking off to view the shops at the port. There were just the normal tourist type shops there so we were soon back onboard for lunch.

 

We had booked a private tour with Joyce Prince for the afternoon. She met us on time just as arranged and took us on a 3 hour tour of the island. She is wonderful and is able to tell you all about the area and answer any questions that you might have. I was also pleased with her communication before we left. Emails were always answered promptly. On our tour we went to Maho Beach making a couple of stops at scenic areas to take photos and were able to see a couple of planes land from the Sunset Beach Bar. We drove to the French side and made a brief stop to see Orient Beach. It was very beautiful there but it was very crowded. We drove by the marina there and saw how the people on each side of the island lived. We made a stop at Rima’s for a couple of souvenirs (great pricing for tourist trinkets) and then asked that Joyce drop us downtown for some shopping before returning to the ship. She drove my in laws back to the ship after dropping us off and recommending shops for what we were searching for. I would recommend Joyce highly as she really made our trip there by showing us the entire island and giving us information on their culture rather than just the tourist areas. The downtown area has a lot of shops with jewelry and purses/leather goods, restaurants and bars. The pricing there is fairly good. You can get there from the port by regular taxi or the water taxi. We took the water taxi back to the ship.

 

Ports – St Thomas - This is probably the prettiest port we have been to. We docked straight in at Havensight right next to the mall area and were the only ship at that pier. There were two ships at the other pier which required a taxi ride to get to the area we were docked next to. We had a wonderful view from our balcony and could sit and watch the large sailboats and yachts sail out during the early morning. We had to go through immigration before we were allowed to go onshore. We went as soon as they announced it early and we walked right through with no wait at all. There was a good sized line later that morning though. We didn’t book any excursions here so we had breakfast on the ship and waited for the crowds to disperse before we left. We walked through the mall area to the Skyride - you must go out of the mall area to the street (left) to reach it. (Watch traffic closely as they drive on the left side of the road there.) We were approached by several cab drivers wanting to take you on tours but we declined. The Skyride takes about 7 minutes and we had a 10 min or so wait. The view from the top at Paradise point is absolutely beautiful. We arrived before the crowds and had a table on the deck with a view of the ship and port below. We stayed about an hour before heading back down to the mall. There are lots of shops with many different items and good pricing at most. The liquor that I saw was priced a little lower than the ship but not a lot lower. We returned to the ship for a late lunch and spent the rest of the afternoon on the ship while it wasn’t crowded and enjoyed the beautiful view of the island from our balcony. We sailed away as we were getting dressed for dinner so we watched through the windows and from the balcony as we left.

 

Entertainment - We went to several of the shows. They were all fairly good but Dominick Allen from Foreigner was outstanding. His show contained many different types of music and was very good from beginning to end. The Love and Marriage Show was hilarious due to picking the right “older” couple. The farewell show was good as well with the comedic juggler and a comedian that had everyone in the theatre laughing. The good seats in the theatre were usually gone 30 minutes before so get there early to get a good seat. The ice show was the best by far. Every one of the skaters was wonderful – the special entertainers were from Russia and our show was their first one on board. The ice show is not to be missed. You must pick up tickets in advance for this one. Check the Compass for the times. We arrived 30 minutes before the time listed and the lines were very long and the tickets were going fast. If you wait until the time listed you might not get your preferred day/time. Also when arriving for the show we arrived 30 minutes before and the line stretched all the way into the main dining room. If possible arrive very early in order to get a good seat.

 

Teen Club - Daughter (14) went the first night and didn't find any girls her age to connect with so she didn't go back. She did comment that she really liked the counselors though.

 

Disembarkation – The color tags are delivered by your room steward on the last sea day. If you don’t get the color/time that you want you can go down to guest services and change them out. We put our luggage out by 10:00PM and I never heard them when they picked it up. We got up early and I watched the ship sail back into port from the balcony. It was still dark outside. We got dressed and gathered all of our carry on bags and headed to the WindJammer for our final breakfast. We then went down to deck 4 and sat in one of the bar areas until our color was called. They started calling colors a little later than listed but we were off the ship by 7:30 (our tag was 7:00 – 7:20). The luggage area was very efficient using the belts like airports. We walked right up and saw our luggage coming around so we didn’t wait for it at all. Customs was very quick. We handed the agent the form, he asked if there were three of us as stated on the form and we walked through pulling our luggage. The shuttles were lined up outside and we quickly found the one for Country Inn and Suites. The driver took our voucher and loaded our luggage. We waited about 10 minutes and he left for the hotel. We had our luggage loaded and were on our way home before 8:00.

Photos to follow as I need to resize them before posting.

[babysangel]

Great Review!!! I'm so excited about my up coming cruise in August!

[ken_nyc]

Thank you for your review. We were on here last August and enjoyed our cruise.

[pmfan]

Thanks for your detailed review. I enjoyed reading it. The Mariner is my favorite ship.

[Sooner-b-Crusin]

Donna, we were in that very cabin just 3 weeks ago. It's "THE" most sought after cabin. The balcony is unbelieveable.

 

Did you have LenRoy for your room steward? He was top notch and we actually saw him several times a day. I think the reason you prob didn't see him much is because his other cabins are down the "middle inside" I didn't realize there was a "middle" corridor. One Port, One Starboard and one in the "middle"....

 

Glad you had a great cruise, and thanks for the review.

 

Pat

[Merion_Mom]

This was our third cruise but our first experience with Royal Caribbean and our first trip to the Eastern Caribbean. It was my husband, my daughter (14) and I. Traveling with us also were my husband’s parents. We had sailed twice on Carnival on the Conquest from Galveston in Oct 2005 and the Fantasy from New Orleans in Nov 2006.

.........

 

Donna, this was just an outstanding review. Thank you for all of the time and care that you put into it for our benefit.

 

I have had this cabin three times on Voyager and Explorer. It is a nice cabin with an incredible balcony, as you described. To me, it's like having a two-room suite. ;) My daughter and I would "lock" my son out on the balcony while we changed, and I think that he got a pretty good deal! :)

 

I will be on the Mariner for the first time in December, and I can't wait!

[cruisegal58]

hi donna, thanks for the great review! think i will change my reservation to country inn instead of comfort inn...if they have room, we r sailing the mariner in 3 weeks, western, our 1st rccl after 8 carnival, ready for a change!! do they have free skate rentals as well? ice and inline skating r great, wondering how they handled the skates?? thanks, cindy:)

[Merion_Mom]

hi donna, thanks for the great review! think i will change my reservation to country inn instead of comfort inn...if they have room, we r sailing the mariner in 3 weeks, western, our 1st rccl after 8 carnival, ready for a change!! do they have free skate rentals as well? ice and inline skating r great, wondering how they handled the skates?? thanks, cindy:)

 

no fee for the skates, but you MUST be wearing long pants.

[Loves_Dogs]

Thanks for the great review. I booked Country Inn and Suites for our up-coming Mariner cruise so I was glad to read that you had a good stay there. I dont know how I will make it till June!

[Mysticks1]

hi donna, thanks for the great review! think i will change my reservation to country inn instead of comfort inn...if they have room, we r sailing the mariner in 3 weeks, western, our 1st rccl after 8 carnival, ready for a change!! do they have free skate rentals as well? ice and inline skating r great, wondering how they handled the skates?? thanks, cindy:)

 

If you change your reservation ask for a room as high up as possible and with a view of the port. We didn't use the skating - DD wanted to ice skate but she had worn her jeans in the car and intended to pack them into the larger suitcase but forgot and put them in the bag that we left in the car.

[Mysticks1]

.........

 

Donna, this was just an outstanding review. Thank you for all of the time and care that you put into it for our benefit.

 

I have had this cabin three times on Voyager and Explorer. It is a nice cabin with an incredible balcony, as you described. To me, it's like having a two-room suite. ;) My daughter and I would "lock" my son out on the balcony while we changed, and I think that he got a pretty good deal! :)

 

I will be on the Mariner for the first time in December, and I can't wait!

 

I spent quite a bit of time on the balcony as my goal for this cruise was just to relax. We had the most wonderful view in St Thomas as we were the only ship at the Havensight. I took over 1000 photos but they are large files and too big to upload as is. I will probably upload them to webshots and post a link to them. I am still trying to go through them as we went back to work the Monday after returning and I haven't had time to go through them all yet.

[nzdisneymom]

Sounds like a great trip - thanks for the review. We have plans to stay at the Country Inn and Suites in December. Do they have a separate area in their parking lot for cruise-parkers?

 

Reports from cruisers on Disney's April 13th cruise indicate that it was a rough ride for them that week, including missing Castaway Cay after two days attempting to dock.

 

Thanks for the port reviews, too - we'll have our first visits to St. Thomas and St. Maarten in December 2009 so I'm already starting to read to learn about them.

[daisy7113]

Thanks for the review. We leave on the Mariner Eastern route in less than 2 weeks. WooHoo!

[referee]

good job...great review. we are on the Mariner 7/0/08....can't wait....jay

[Celebrating29years]

Donna

 

What a wonderful review - we're on the Mariner May 11th and it will be our second time and we just can't wait. I was wondering, do you remember any of the spa deals for the in port days?

[Mysticks1]

Donna

 

What a wonderful review - we're on the Mariner May 11th and it will be our second time and we just can't wait. I was wondering, do you remember any of the spa deals for the in port days?

 

I saved every bit of paper that we received so I am sure I have it. I am going to scan everything in hopefully this week including all the Compasses and the flyers that came with them. I am at work now but will try to remember to look that up when I get home. I know there were several tempting deals late in the week.

[Mysticks1]

Sounds like a great trip - thanks for the review. We have plans to stay at the Country Inn and Suites in December. Do they have a separate area in their parking lot for cruise-parkers?

 

Reports from cruisers on Disney's April 13th cruise indicate that it was a rough ride for them that week, including missing Castaway Cay after two days attempting to dock.

 

Thanks for the port reviews, too - we'll have our first visits to St. Thomas and St. Maarten in December 2009 so I'm already starting to read to learn about them.

 

There was no special parking area - there seemed to be cars parked in an empty lot directly in front of the hotel but we were told to park anywhere except the spots in the very front of the hotel.

We had one night and one morning that it was a little rough but not enough to bother us. I didn't hear anyone mentioning being sick because of it. All of the piers that we docked at are in protected harbors so we didn't have any problems at all in docking. I watched each one from our balcony.

[kittymom65]

Thanks for the excellent review, Donna, it brought back lots of happy memories of our Mariner Eastern cruise last year.

[Mysticks1]

Donna

 

What a wonderful review - we're on the Mariner May 11th and it will be our second time and we just can't wait. I was wondering, do you remember any of the spa deals for the in port days?

 

Below are the coupon specials listed in the Compass for each day.

Day 1 - Seaweed Wrap ($160), Hot Stone Massage ($160), Ionithermie Treatment ($109) Micro Dermabrasion Facial ($120)

Day 2 - Teeth Whitening $199

Day 3 - Puerto Rico was $50 Off Ionithermie Algae-Detox ($109)

Day 4 - St. Maarten was $50 off any signature treatment booked and received that day.

Day 5 - St. Thomas was Teeth Whitening $199

Day 6 - At Sea - complimentary eye and neck collagen treatment with every signature facial booked today.

Day 7 - At Sea - $40 off any signature treatment booked and received today.

Flyer specials - last sea day combine any of the following for $99 (This is the one I should have taken:( )

20 min back massage

20 min scalp massage

20 min mini facial

20 min foot massage

20 min seaweed wrap

20 min hot stones massage

[Yvonne]

Thanks for sharing your terrific review, I really enjoyed reading it.

 

DH and I cruised on the Mariner in January '06 along with his two sisters and their husbands and we had an absolutely fantastic time.

 

Now, my Mom and I just booked the Mariner TODAY for October 26th. We were able to snag a "hump" junior suite so I'm really excited about that, and looking forward to being back on that beautiful ship one more time before she leaves for California.

[PH8]

Donna

 

What a wonderful review - we're on the Mariner May 11th .

 

 

 

We leave on the Mariner Eastern route in less than 2 weeks. WooHoo!

 

 

Us too................4th time on the MA and we LOVE the ship..........

 

Great review!!

[TxStacey]

Thanks for the the review..I saw in your signature that you have been on a couple of CCl cruises, specifically the Conquest. I have also sailed the Conquest and the Glory and I am wondering how you would compare them to the Mariner? I am sailing the Marnier in July after 5 CCL cruises. I am really anxious to see the difference. What did you like better on RCL and what did you not like about RCL compared to CCL. Thanks!! Stacey

[Mysticks1]

Thanks for the the review..I saw in your signature that you have been on a couple of CCl cruises, specifically the Conquest. I have also sailed the Conquest and the Glory and I am wondering how you would compare them to the Mariner? I am sailing the Marnier in July after 5 CCL cruises. I am really anxious to see the difference. What did you like better on RCL and what did you not like about RCL compared to CCL. Thanks!! Stacey

 

The decor on the Mariner was different than on the Conquest. It was a little more upscale in that respect. Not so much like a Vegas Casino - more woods and more muted colors. I missed the grand atrium when we first boarded but the Promenade was great.

The service was wonderful but no better than what we received with Carnival. The only thing that was better in that area was the guest service desk. On the Conquest there was always a long line but not on the Mariner. They always had several people working so you didn't have to wait. They seemed a little more informed as well - quick to handle problems and answer questions.

I also thought the food was better on Carnival. I did like the hot items on the room service menu with RCI better but I missed the deli and pizza from the Conquest. I preferred the main dining room food on the Conquest. The Cafe Promenade on the Mariner is something different that I really liked- great little sandwiches and cookies/dessert anytime.

The cabin size is different on Mariner in some categories - My inlaws had an inside room that seemed much smaller in comparison to the inside we had on the Conquest and is listed as a lower square footage but there seemed to be more storage areas. There are cabinets behind the mirrors in the bathroom and vanity area.

Entertainment was very similar on both ships but RCI has the ice show which was outstanding and they have the parades down the promenade. They both have the belly flop contest, newlywed game, ice carving, etc.

Embarkation/debarkation was much quicker in Port Canaveral than what we experienced in Galveston as well but we sailed just after the ship moved there due to Hurricane Katrina. We were supposed to sail from New Orleans. The process might have improved since we were there.

[ERTHDOG]

thanks for the great review , i am going in 5 more days

 

i will attempt to write my first review when i return

 

dave

[michelle319]

Thanks for the review! DH and I were on the Mariner 3 years ago and have another planned on her this September. We, too, had 7688 and absolutely LOVED it!

 

I booked the Country Inn & Suites for the night before we sail. Looks like you had a good experience there as well.

 

For ken_nyc, not sure if you remember me but DH and I were supposed to be on the Glory with you back in '04 but he broke his nose right before we sailed and we had to cancel. I got excited to see your post! I still keep in touch with Liz & Jerry from that trip (though we haven't talked in a while). That was a great group that you sailed with! Hope you and your wife are doing well:)