My take on RCCL-Mariner July 13th

[Hamburg Avon Lady]

Thanks for the very encouraging review - we are doing our first RCCL next Jan.'09 on the Mariner (South America around the Cape) on her way to Calif.

Have read both pros and cons about the ship and the food - we last sailed with

Celebrity (Summit) through the Panama Canal which was marvelous !!! If Celebrity had the same itinerary as this one in January - probably would have booked that one first. But there are sooooo many repeat, loyal RCCL cruisers on this repositioning cruise - that has to be a good sign, too!!

[CL-JW]

Stateroom: Our best yet. We always stay in a regular balcony if available, and on this cruise we decided to try the aft. We were lucky enough to book 1688 (corner aft deck ten) and we loved it!! We will probably always book aft in the future. The stateroom and balcony were much larger than comparable D1 cabins, and the long walk was definitely worth it. Our attendant, Mark, was terrific and always willing and ready to please.

 

 

Thanks for posting your review - we just booked this cabin for a Mexican Riviera cruise next October and your comments have us very excited!

[Glenn90]

We've skimmed Cruise Critic extensively for each of our two cruises, so I want to give back our own review of our Mariner of the Seas cruise July 13-20, 2008 to the western Caribbean.

 

Before getting into the details, I should summarize that WE LOVED OUR CRUISE!! Cruising is a wonderful vacation, and Royal Caribbean overall is a very professionally run group. I'll get a bit picky below, since that's the fun of being a critic. But we had a fantastic time and highly, highly recommend RCI and Mariner of the Seas.

 

About us: We're both 39, with two girls, ages 12 and 9. We cruised with my parents and both of my brothers (both single).

 

The highlights:

 

* Stayed in a junior suite on deck 9 (room 9570). Wow, it was huge (for a cruise ship!). The sofa folds out to a queen bed, which both girls found very comfortable (more than the sofabed in our hotel the night before the cruise). Of course, we never lifted a finger - each night after dinner, our stateroom attendant Andy had made all the beds, complete with clever towel animals, and every morning we found our bed magically folded back into a sofa when returning from breakfast or port. The bathroom was also roomier than we expected. The room has tons of storage space - a walk-in closet, drawers, and lots of surprising little shelves here and there. We were able to put everything away and keep the room quite orderly, which is a challenge with 4 bodies.

 

* We arrived at 11am on the button Sunday. Glad we did - got a great parking spot in the garage, minimal check-in lines, one of the first people on the ship by about 12pm. Jumped right in the pool with the kids! The hallways leading to the rooms are all closed off with a sign saying they open at 1pm. By sailaway time at 4:30, we were onboard veterans. I think the RCI documents tell you to show up at 12:30pm, which is dumb - you'll run smack into the big crowd.

 

* Labadee - terrific island. We caught the first tender over (hey, we're like that - we get up early and beat the crowds - it's a personality defect). Nice to have the island to oursleves for awhile. Wife and I took the waverunner tour - our first time on these things - WOW! I had no idea how fast & powerful they were. My cheapskate side balked at $119 for the two of us, but it was absolutely worth it - a major, memorable cruise highlight. Our excellent guides took us down the Haitian coast with interesting stories during our breaks along the way. And plenty of opportunity to floor the gas - scary how fast these things are. Rest of the day spent under a palm tree on the beach. I remember our first cruise on Princess, we had a beach day at Princess Cay and it felt crowded. But at Labadee, it never felt that way - plenty of beach chairs, lots of room to spread out.

 

* Ocho Rios - we did the Dolphin Encounter - the pricier option, where you get fully in the water and get a little dolphin ride. Again, expensive but still managed to exceed all expectations - the whole family (parents, brothers, kids) did this, and we were just buzzing afterwards. Hung around Dolphin Cove awhile in the gift shops, then headed to Dunns River Falls. My 68 year old mom who's afraid of water somehow had done this climb on a previous visit, and now that I've done it, I'm not quite sure how! It's actually fairly intense. But a must-see attraction in Jamaica. The shops near the port were skippable, unless you have a jewelry fetish.

 

* Grand Cayman - we skipped the usual (7 Mile Beach) and rented a car, based on Fodors recommendation. Glad we did - we drove to the Botanical Garden, then moved on to Rum Point. This may be the most beautiful beach I've ever seen in my life. Only had about 90 minutes to spend there, but we seriously want to return to Grand Cayman on a future vacation. The car rental was a breeze, we walked north about 500 yards on the main road at the port to Cayman Auto Rental. They had Sentras for $85 USD/day or Jeeps for $105/day (inclusive of all taxes/fees). We took the Jeep. My brother & dad did a Stingray City snorkel and reported it was great too.

 

* Cozumel - again rented a car. Multiple rental companies right at the port gate, we got a Jeep at Budget. Total cost $79 USD. Drove south to Punta Sur (again per Fodors recommendation). Parked at the Celerain lighthouse. Climbed to the top, then back down and boarded a bus that takes you to the beach. Also did a boat ride on the marshes supposedly to see alligators, but saw just one. This can be skipped. Beach was quiet until invaded by hundreds of snorkelers! Had to wait 45 minutes for return bus, a bit frustrating. Went up the eastern shore to Playa Bonita, had a late lunch in the outdoor restaurant which has a spectacular view of the big waves. If we could do it over, I'd probably opt for one of the western shore beaches, e.g. Chankanaab, although our day still was fun and felt adventurous.

 

* The ice show was by far the best entertainment on the ship, an a stunning show. Absolutely, positively do not miss this. We went at 5pm on Thursday - the theater wasn't quite filled.

 

* Chops is a first-rate steakhouse, and definitely the best dinner of the week. The service was beyond impeccable, and the food was marvelous. We still cannot figure out why the place was relatively empty - not 1/3 of the tables were taken during our time there (about 6-8pm) - we went on Wednesday night.

 

* Johnny Rockets was also delicious, especially after a week of Windjammer lunches. We went on Saturday around 2:15pm. About 15 minute wait for a table, although it cleared out while we were there. Waiters sang and danced, and it's kinda neat that they bring out heaping plates of onion rings & fries before you even order! Apple pie for dessert is highly recommended.

 

* The rock-climbing wall was a big hit with the kids. The instructors are encouraging, and although we expected big lines, the wait was minimal. My 9 year old did 5 climbs in a row with no waiting.

 

* The sea days seemed filled with lots of activities. We took a swing dancing class and had a great time! Also did trivia, shopping/lingering on the Promenade (what a cool area!), and the girls did hip-hop dancing. Plenty of things onboard for every age.

 

* The Cafe Promenade is a good idea and just the right "cozy" place to grab a (free) snack or coffee at night after the shows. Their cookies were addictive.

 

* The ship itself is in immaculate condition. We were in awe how the crew kept such a huge space so incredibly clean and sharp. You never, ever see a piece of trash, a chip of paint, a speck of dust. Amazing.

 

Some other random observations:

 

* We did the "diamond wine package" which let us pick a different bottle from a selected list each night. Glad we did this - I'm not a real wine expert but it was fun to make the pick each night, and the wines were all excellent.

 

* As a matter of policy we always took the stairs, to work off at least a few of those calories! The kids complained a few times but a "no elevator" policy is a good idea.

 

* The gym was very nice with a great view in front of the ship. My 9 year old was frustrated to learn the minimum age was 16 - she was having fun jogging next to me on treadmills until an attendant booted us (I honestly didn't see any signs/info about age limit).

 

* The two main pools are actually saltwater. They're very clean though. The adjacent hot tubs are freshwater. In comparison with Princess, the pools were not as crowded. (Although the giant tv/movie screen at the pool on Princess was awesome.)

 

* Disembarkation was easy enough, and they let you trade your color tags for any available color, so you can basically leave when you want. We departed at 8:20am. The RCI part is efficient, but the US customs part was tedious with pretty long lines. Finally in our car heading home at 9:30am.

 

Some other specific tips for future MOS travelers:

 

* Don't bring towels. They have a gazillion of them.

* Room service is free. Getting breakfast delivered so you can eat on your balcony is kinda neat.

* If you're going with kids or relatives, bring walkie talkies.

 

Okay, now time for my nitpicking. As I mentioned above, we had 99% great time, so take these in the spirit of "everyone's a critic."

 

* We had lunch each day at Windjammer, and food is bland at best, bad at worst. I really want to see the animal used to produce the hamburgers. I've eaten a million hamburgers in my life, and this was the singularly worst burger I've ever had. There just isn't a huge variety of food choices. The desserts are limited and awful. Compared to Princess, this is the most disappointing aspect of our RCI cruise.

 

* The cruise director, Drew, made no secret that he was "going on vacation" after this cruise. Frankly this is not a great thing to tell a bunch of people who are already on THEIR (expensive) vacation. His overall presence was minimal (rarely spotted off stage), I personally didn't find him terribly charismatic, and he has an annoying habit of demanding audience applause about 5 times before and after every performance. Please let the performers and crew "earn" applause!

 

* The shows were, ummmm, "okay." I remember the level of the singers & dancers on Princess being notably higher. The lead male singer (I forget his name) was particularly grating - not much of a voice (think of a bad karaoke singer who thinks he's good because he's loud), and I don't think he smiled once all week. (That said, the comedians were all outstanding.)

 

* We did first seating (6pm) in the Top Hat & Tails dining room. We really like the whole idea, getting dressed up, etc. Our service overall was good, but the beverage service in particular was pretty spotty and the food was mediocre, with a few downright poor dishes (the roast turkey, some of the steaks).

 

* Okay, now I'm really nitpicking, but the captain, Per, made frequent, very long announcements and always sounded out of breath. I actually like hearing "some" interesting things from the captain, but someone needs to give this particular captain some public speaking pointers.

 

Okay, now that's worked out of my system.

 

In summary, we loved our week aboard MOS and will remember it forever. Re-entry to the "real world" was painful for a few days!!

[Fun@C]

what kind of walkie talkies did you bring?

[B-52]

Wife and I will be taking our 2nd mariner cruise in September. Love the ship, will hate to see it leave Port Canaveral for a larger ship.

 

Yes, the Windjammer gets old quick, IMO.

 

Yes, we also like the open spaces giving that roominess, less crowded feeling.

[2drummerboys]

About us: We're both 39, with two girls, ages 12 and 9. We cruised with my parents and both of my brothers (both single).

 

I enjoyed reading your review. It was very thorough and helpful. My family is going in October. Did you keep the Adventure Ocean daily compasses for your two girls? We have two boys, ages 15 and 9, who will be going with us. We will also be staying in a junior suite, so I really enjoyed reading your comments. If you have the Adventure Ocean daily activities, I would like to get a copy, if possible.

 

How did your children enjoy the cruise? Did they meet friends and stay active the entire time?

 

Thanking you in advance for your response.

[Glenn90]

what kind of walkie talkies did you bring?

 

We brought some older Motorola Talkabouts. There a bunch of different models available on Amazon.com for under $50.

[Glenn90]

I enjoyed reading your review. It was very thorough and helpful. My family is going in October. Did you keep the Adventure Ocean daily compasses for your two girls? We have two boys, ages 15 and 9, who will be going with us. We will also be staying in a junior suite, so I really enjoyed reading your comments. If you have the Adventure Ocean daily activities, I would like to get a copy, if possible.

 

How did your children enjoy the cruise? Did they meet friends and stay active the entire time?

 

Thanks! Sorry, we didn't keep the Adventure Ocean Daily Compasses. To be honest, I intentionally omitted mention of the Adventure Ocean programs in my review, because both of my girls bailed out pretty early, and in my opinion they didn't give the programs a fair chance. The 12-year-old thought the group was too mixed with the older kids - more of a 12-17 group than separate 12-14 and 15-17 groups - and too unstructured. The 9-year-old just didn't think her program was "fun."

 

But again, take this with a grain of salt because neither girl stayed long enough to get a fair view. (It looked fun to me.) They both did have a great time anyway, and definitely stayed active, and occasionally met other girls their age at the pool. If you asked them today what they thought of the cruise experience, they'd both gush about it.

[Merion_Mom]

I enjoyed reading your review. It was very thorough and helpful. My family is going in October. Did you keep the Adventure Ocean daily compasses for your two girls? We have two boys, ages 15 and 9, who will be going with us. We will also be staying in a junior suite, so I really enjoyed reading your comments. If you have the Adventure Ocean daily activities, I would like to get a copy, if possible.

 

How did your children enjoy the cruise? Did they meet friends and stay active the entire time?

 

Thanking you in advance for your response.

 

Just search on webshots.

 

This cruiser has the AO compasses for 9-11 (Voyagers): http://family.webshots.com/album/554947127wsiHAS

[Merion_Mom]

15-17 compasses are a lot harder to come by.

 

Here are sample pages from the Liberty: http://travel.webshots.com/photo/2135066390030907909KSUmoz

 

http://travel.webshots.com/photo/2643622740030907909YkpimV

[Hombre59]

Cruising on the Mariner on Sunday!!