July 6 Mariner Daily Review – Great vacation!

[sweetcruiser106]

Hey Marilyn,

Thanks for your review. I have enjoyed reliving the cruise all over again (at least vicariously). I told Chris that you said hi. He says hi back and said that he really enjoyed being the bartender. BTW, he placed 4th in the belly flop contest. Anyway, again thanks for the great review and your company on the ship.

Anne:)

[Tabbymom]

Hi Anne!

 

Good for Chris on the belly flop - I knew I should have watched the reruns on TV! He was a very good bartender ... not his fault that we almost forgot two passengers LOL. This review is my way of dragging out the cruise as long as possible since I don't know when we'll do another - some day, maybe, if only to try and run into everyone I met again! :p

 

One more review to do - disembarkation - boo! :mad: Can't decide what I miss the most...

 

-Marilyn

[laseiber]

We were on the July 13 sailing and were the first persons on the ship and my 1 piece out of 6 did not arrive until 8:30 and we had early seating but had reservations for chops on departure nightat 6:00, dress on departure night is informal, because of the luggage factor. I went to dinner in the mother of the bride apparel I wore earlier. We took a change of cloths, swim wear, toiletries with us on the ship, just in case.

[Tabbymom]

Ah well, all good things must come to an end.

 

We had filled out our disembarkation card and turned it in on Thursday. It not only covered airplane flights, but also other travel commitments. We advised that we had a rental car reserved for 10:00. Our luggage tags had been delivered on Friday. Our color put us about halfway down the schedule.

 

I was awake just in time to watch us pull up to the pier at Port Canaveral and got to watch the officers get off the ship and officially hand in the papers. We were up, packed, and out of the room before the 8:00 am requirement and had a pleasant last breakfast at the WJ. We then wandered down to Café Promenade to wait and enjoy a last cup of coffee (there were also pastries and cookies available). It was a great way to spend the last little time onboard. They called our color tag at about 8:40; it took about 20-25 minutes to clear out of the ship and get our luggage. There were no issues with customs; they took our declaration, glanced at our passports, and waved us through. Apparently there were problems with luggage delivery for some of the other colors but luckily didn’t seem to affect us. . There were plenty of porters available but we were OK on our own.

 

There was an Avis shuttle just leaving as we left the terminal, but the next one was arriving. It loaded just us and another couple (honeymooners from Brazil); only waited maybe 5-6 minutes before leaving. It swung by the Carnival and Disney terminals but there was no one waiting there. As a preferred member I did not need to wait in line at Avis to pick up my car; they just gave me the papers and keys and we were off.

 

Our flight wasn’t until 4:00 but we were tired and it was overcast, so I called UAL and learned that there were seats available on earlier flights. So we headed to MCO. One warning if you need gas before turning in a car – don’t go to the first station north of the airport – they were charging $5.50. Yikes! I didn’t want to go hunting so we just returned the car without filling up and paid the $10 refill fee. (The Avis agent advised that there were more stations a little further north than the rip-off one.)

 

We were indeed able to get standby on the noon flight – in the roomy exit row in preferred class at that – so had a nice early flight home. We had the classic lakefront approach to Chicago where I was able to locate the Cell, Soldier Field, and the friendly confines of Wrigley Field along with all the other landmarks. A very friendly welcome home, and the weather was beautiful.

[Tabbymom]

OK, I just learned how to get full sized pictures on so here are a couple:

 

Mariner in St. Thomas (the classic shot):

 

[Tabbymom]

DS's panoramic of Magen's Bay:

 

[Tabbymom]

What the sofa bed looks like open in a D1:

 

[Tabbymom]

Solarium:

 

 

Or looking at this view:

 

 

Or this one:

 

[Tabbymom]

Or maybe just having a nice dessert at Portofino:

 

[Gma&Gpa]

I've just read through all of this - and it only increases my excitement for our approaching cruise on Sept 14. Thanks so much for all the detail and information.

[referee]

hi marilyn....great review and pictures you brought back some wonderful memories...as for that s.o.b gas station owner charging so much for gas, he's been interviewed so many times on our local tv, and just doesn't seem to care, saying he is not doing anything illegal..we just have to keep notifying as many tourists as possible to drive just a 1/2 mile down the road for gas more than $1:50 a gallon cheaper...nice meeting all of you....referee(jay)

[4everafter]

Thank you for your detailed review. We've sailed a few times and I've never attended the captains welcome, I loved hearing about it! And I read thru the entire posting of the compasses to make sure I won't miss the back stage tour!! Did you plan your next cruise yet??

[duncanmaria]

Thanks for the great review! Can't wait for Labor Day!!

[Kimq]

Thanks Marilyn for the great review. I enjoyed continuing the cruise and doing some things with you (virtually) which we did not do. I don’t think I even saw the solarium and I did not step into Studio B. :confused: Hope it’s not too long before you cruise again. ;)

[Tabbymom]

Hi Kim, Hi Jay!

 

I only wish we did have another cruise planned; I'm sure someday but it's not on the horizon at this time which is why I'm stretching this out as much as possible!

 

Jay - I had read about the station "across from the Hertz" and even had it in my notes but didn't remember til we pulled up at the pump. DH was all for hunting onward, but I figured it was better to ensure the stand-by than to save a couple of dollars over the Avis refill fee, which wasn't bad compared to a couple of gallons of gas anyway.

 

Kim - I have a list of things I mean to try if I ever get back - there were just too many choices! I will be posting some final thoughts, hopefully tonight.

 

This is now the background I have on my cell phone (from Windjammer):

 

 

-Marilyn

[Tabbymom]

Some of the Roll Call at sailaway:

 

 

[WISH2CRUZAGAIN]

Love the day by day details. Felt like I was right there with you. I look forward to your wrap up. We are can hardly wait for our Mariner cruise in October. Don't want to wish my life away though.

 

Hope you have another cruise in your near future. :D

[Matotex]

Can't begin to thank you enough for a wonderful and very complete trip journal. We are a family of five leaving on August 3'rd on the same trip and your information was extremely helpful. I did have a few questions that I wondered if you could answer. Our children are older as well, 19, 17, and 13. Of course they are complaining about the formal attire that we are requiring them to wear...ughh! You mentioned that most men were in suits and ties but I wanted to know how the highschool/college age kids were dressed on the trip. Any other recommendations for making this a better trip for them would truly be appreciated.

:)

[Tabbymom]

Thanks Matotex -

 

Based on my vast experience of one RCI cruise :D - some young men are in suits and tuxes, but a large number are in sports coats and ties, or even just buttoned up shirts and ties. Our son had no issues with his sports coat since he needs to dress up occasionally at college for job fairs, fraternity gatherings, etc. If they're wearing tuxes remind them that they can change right after dinner - but be sure to grab them for some photos first! Also, I'm guessing you have boys? The teenage girls get pretty fancy with prom dresses and the like, so it's nice for the guys to come up to their level.

 

For the rest - your 19 year old will be able to go anywhere except the childrens' areas, and do anything except drink - even gamble. Your 17 and 19 year olds can go to the Solarium but not sure they would want to - it's full of grown up passengers relaxing on padded lounge chairs or sitting on the side of the pool with a drink or standing around the water discussing colleges and retirement...sigh.

 

Suggest that they review the compass each night and pick out a couple of new activities to try, no matter how lame they sound. Even though DS was not able to meet up with others his age, he tried hard to fully participate in the cruise ship experience. I know some teenagers spend all morning sleeping, all afternoon on the Sports Deck, and all evening in the hot tubs. I'm sure they're having fun, but unless they're experienced cruisers and have already "seen it done it", they're missing out on some unique experiences that can't be found elsewhere. There are activities you can do as a family (maybe you'd make a great trivia team) or they can take off on their own. Take some lessons, join some teams, do a photo safari (I've never seen DS use his camera so much). Keep them off the internet or at least make them pay for their time. And encourage them to talk to people of all ages - cruising is an interactive experience.

 

Also try joining your roll call and see if there are others the same ages posting - and encourage your children to communicate ahead of time. DS set up a Facebook page for the young adults on the Roll Call but it didn't really see action. In retrospect (yes, that again), I'm sorry we parents didn't set up a meet for them - hey, they're still our children even if they are adults too!

[ToddinVA]

Thanks for the review! My fiance and I are going on this cruise Aug 17. Should be fun!

[Tabbymom]

Thank you all - I love CC!

 

You’ll read that a cruise is what you make of it, but I think a related thought might be that you will find something to suit you. Our experience was probably very different than many others on the same cruise, and that may be what makes cruising so popular. There were plenty of things I wished I had done, and some of the experiences I could have done without. But overall I was delighted.

 

So here’s what I liked best about being on the Mariner as a fairly inexperienced cruiser:

 

The ship itself was fantastic to see. The open spaces, the viewpoints, the gleaming brass, the dramatic flair – something new to see around every corner. I was amazed at the variety and quantity of art – so many wonderful surprises to find. Although the ship was big, it never seemed overwhelming because it was designed so well that you didn’t feel the scale.

 

The concept of being able to go to so many different venues with almost no effort – step out of your cabin and all the choices are there. You don’t have to commit to anything either – stop by and listen to the piano player; if you’ve heard the song before, go listen to some jazz or guitar – no worries about parking, taxis, or how long it will take to get home. Just the idea that I could go down to the Promenade on my own at midnight for a look around – there is no way to do something like that at home or even on most vacations.

 

The service – when we eat out near our suburb and get good service, I call it “city service”. I now have a new standard – “ship service”. I’m not sure where else you can get pampered so thoroughly.

 

The dining options – the food mostly ranged from good to very good and there was enough variety for everyone to find something they liked. I especially liked the reasonably sized portions – restaurants today give you far too much food but the meals on the Mariner seemed just right. I could eat everything and not feel full. And the little bites at the Café Promenade were perfect for an afternoon or evening snack. There are psychology studies that involve visual cues controlling what you eat - take a look at Mindless Eating. My lack of weight gain was probably also helped by the lack of trays in the Windjammer. I had to make a conscious decision to go select each dish instead of loading up a tray with everything that looked good in the first place. Not to mention the long walk from the entrance to the booths at the stern…

 

The opportunities to step away from the activity for quiet time – on a balcony, the helipad, the library – you didn’t always have to be in the middle of a crowd.

 

The people – the ship is your introduction to everyone else and you can strike up a conversation with anyone.

 

The endless ocean – always there to take you further.

 

I would say farewell except I know I have to wean myself off this site - may take a while! So I'll post this all in the review section and slowly slowly drift away over time...until someday when we cruise once more!

 

-Marilyn

 

[Merion_Mom]

Marilyn, I don't think that anyone has ever expressed better than you have what cruising really is.

 

Thank you not only for a wonderful thread, but for an OUTSTANDING summation!

 

:)

[tdogcruiser]

Can't begin to thank you enough for a wonderful and very complete trip journal. We are a family of five leaving on August 3'rd on the same trip and your information was extremely helpful. I did have a few questions that I wondered if you could answer. Our children are older as well, 19, 17, and 13. Of course they are complaining about the formal attire that we are requiring them to wear...ughh! You mentioned that most men were in suits and ties but I wanted to know how the highschool/college age kids were dressed on the trip. Any other recommendations for making this a better trip for them would truly be appreciated.

:)

 

Matotex, I see you are cruising on August 3 on the Mariner. Please join our roll call - there are many families going. I'm sure your children will find some friends to meet. Have you registered for the meet & mingle? We are also meeting at sailaway at the helipad and would love to have you join us!

[tdogcruiser]

Marilyn,

 

Thank you again for the detailed summary of your cruise on the Mariner. I loved your summation too. You should be a writer if you are not one already!:)

[Fun@C]

ToddinVA- come join our roll call and M&M!! We have a great group going on August 17!!

 

Mariner...August 17th 2008 .. anyone ?!?! (1 2 3 ... Last Page)

Fun@C

 

Thank so much Marilyn for your detailed report! Only 21 more days!!!