Just got back from the Nick Family Cruise on the Mariner of the Seas

[WendyKroy]

We just got back yesterday from the Nick Family Cruise. I only had one cruise to compare this to (this year on Carnival Paradise). A few notes...

Embarkation - very easy process. Employees were helpful and friendly getting us checked in. We peeked into our stateroom even though it wasn't totally ready yet, and we met our amazing stateroom attendant. Grabbed lunch in the Windjammer, and we were on our way. Our bags were delivered to our room at about 2ish.

The Mariner itself - decked out with Nick decorations including a huge Spongebob statue in the Promenade. This ship is really comfortable and well-designed. There was always a place to go and party and have fun, as well as plenty of places to just chill out and watch the ocean. It was easy to get around once you figured out where you needed to go. Everything was always clean and gorgeous.

The stateroom - we got a room with a balcony on the 7th deck. The room was really nicely set up. The pullman bed was over our heads, not over our feet, and the life jackets were well-stowed in the closet unlike on the Carnival ship where they were in a big, bulky compartment in front of the bed. The room was only a few square feet bigger than the one we had on Carnival, but it felt twice as big because the layout was better. The couch was handy but the coffee table was a bit large for the room, IMHO. It was easy to move off to the side though. The shower was a trillion times better than Carnival's; it had an actual door and not that nasty curtain. Plus the water pressure was good, and the water didn't change temperature constantly the way Carnival's did. I was dreading 7 days with a bathroom similar to the one we experienced on the Paradise, so we lucked out. The balcony? The balcony! I don't think we'll ever be able to cruise without one. We saw dolphins, whales, I even saw a shark at one point. It was gorgeous at sunset. It was such an experience to just relax out there in the morning with a cup of tea (or in my better half's case, a cup of coffee).

Main dining room - fantastic service, and really great for kids. They had someone making balloon animals. They had special Nick-themed placemats for kids. Food wasn't always as good as Carnival's main dining room, but it was close. Breakfast was fun because they Nick cartoon characters paid a visit, and all of the kids got pictures & their autograph books "signed" (stamped, actually).

Windjammer - this buffet was great. Much better than what I had experienced on Carnival.

Specialty dining - Chops was fantastic. We didn't get a chance to try Portofino's.

Vintages - this was a nice bar because you got to see all of the action on the Promenade, but the wine menu seemed really lacking. We did the wine flight on one day, and a bottle on another. I guess I can't complain too much, it was enjoyable enough. The cheese/fruit/chocolate/dipped strawberry plate they bring is a nice bonus.

Gym - I didn't try any fitness machines but I did take a yoga class and the instructor was h-o-r-r-i-b-l-e, but hey, it can't all be great, y'know? Lesson learned. I should have taken the spinning class because the people leaving that class were all raving about how great it was. People were actually getting up and walking out of the yoga class, mid-class.

Nick extras in the room - every night there'd be some little extras, like a Spongebob bath sponge, a toy, a Nick drawstring bag, etc. Very cool to come back to after dinner. Between that and the towel animals, our kid was always looking forward to going back to the room.

Adventure Ocean - our son didn't spend much time at Camp Carnival, but he liked it. He didn't ask to go back though, and when we tried to get him to go back a second time, he wasn't really into the idea. He LOVED Adventure Ocean, on the other hand, and actually begged to go back. The counselors were great, and they seemed to be pretty organized in terms of activities.

Nick-themed activities on board - there was never a shortage of this. iCarly was taping all over the place the entire time, so we caught some glimpses of it as we passed from one area to another. Everyone got a chance to get slimed, and take a picture/video of it. There was at least 1 Nick event by the pool every day. They screened Nick cartoons & shows in the screening rooms, as well as in the Savoy Theater. At 2pm every day, they had arts & crafts in the Ellington Lounge. That was really fun family time, and it didn't hurt that mom & dad got to enjoy a drink while kiddo did a color-it-yourself-bandana or molded a Spongebob out of kiddie clay.

Mexican Riviera - this was a good itinerary for families. Mazatlan was my favorite port. We did tons of walking and sightseeing, but managed to get in plenty of beach & margarita time. The food in each city was also good. We enjoyed Mama's in Cabo, and I highly recommend their stuffed French toast.

Debarkation - we decided to carry off our own bags so we wouldn't get stuck waiting. That worked out really well. We packed up at about 6:30 am, left our bags in the room. Headed to the Windjammer for one final breakfast, and then at 7:30 or so we reported with our bags to the Schooner lounge. There weren't too many people there. Within a few minutes, they let us walk off the ship and straight to our car.



We got so many fantastic pictures. My son could not stop talking about all the great stuff he saw and did. This was a really special cruise.

If anyone has any specific questions about the Mariner or about Nick - please ask away! I kept all of our Cruise Compasses.

[jjb415]

As a fan of the Mariner of the Seas, I was anxious to hear about last week's charter. Thanks so much for the report !! It sounds like you were treated really well, I am glad that you had such a good time.

[PrincesScuba]

After all of your pre-cruise anticipation, I am glad that it turned out so well for you!

[akcruz]

Thanks for the wonderful review, glad you had a good time. We only have one more sailing to go before its our turn. We were on Mariner 2 years ago Western Caribbean and loved it, can't wait to try Mexico.

How was the weather on your sailing? Heard it can be hot in Mexico but chilly the first and last day at sea. Was this the case for you?

[WendyKroy]

Originally Posted by akcruz

Thanks for the wonderful review, glad you had a good time. We only have one more sailing to go before its our turn. We were on Mariner 2 years ago Western Caribbean and loved it, can't wait to try Mexico.

How was the weather on your sailing? Heard it can be hot in Mexico but chilly the first and last day at sea. Was this the case for you?

It was VERY hot in Mexico. We were able to keep busy and keep cool though, so it didn't bother us too much. Here in CA we can get a little hot, but it's usually dry. The humidity would probably make it difficult for some.

It was beautiful on the sea day going out, but on the 2 sea days returning it was chillier. Didn't keep people out of the pools and the jacuzzis though. I think the captain did a good job of avoiding the uber-cold, and routed us into mere "slightly chillier than usual", if that makes sense.

[kaseyoz]

Sounds like a fun trip for the kiddies.
I hope you will post some photos. I loved our time on the mariner but it was a normal christmas cruise. Well as normal as cruising the caribbean at christmas on the mariner can be!!!

[WendyKroy]

Here's a photo of the Promenade, done up by Nick. Sorry for the bad picture quality. I have 1400 pictures. I'll try and find a few better ones soon.

[WendyKroy]

Every day there was a note from Nick with a different gift. Day one was the autograph book.

[WendyKroy]

Some cheese & some goodies at Vintages to enjoy with wine. Check out the Nick napkins.

[X]

Awesome! I really wished I could have gone on this cruise, but I couldn't schedule it.

More pics please!

[stimpy1]

Thanks for the report! We're going on the East Coast Nick cruise tomorrow and were hoping to get some news about the West coast one.

Did they have constant Nick stuff going on? I think both my kids will love the Adventure Ocean but they don't want to miss any of the Nick stuff either.

[willyguy]

So are their going to do this again next year?

[WendyKroy]

Originally Posted by stimpy1

Thanks for the report! We're going on the East Coast Nick cruise tomorrow and were hoping to get some news about the West coast one.

Did they have constant Nick stuff going on? I think both my kids will love the Adventure Ocean but they don't want to miss any of the Nick stuff either.

You should check the Cruise Compass the night before - they'll list all the Nick activities. For stuff like meet & greets, getting slimed, etc., they sent tickets for each event to the stateroom so you went in groups (Track A, Track B, etc.). Some of the Nick stuff they do isn't as major like the poolside shows, but those are still fun to attend at least once.

[WendyKroy]

Originally Posted by willyguy

So are their going to do this again next year?

I hope so! I don't know that they plan that far in advance, since it's a charter. But it seems like it's something they intend to do at least once a year on each coast. There was talk of it happening twice (again in February), but I'm not sure whether that will happen.

[arnmka]

Is the Nickelodeon theme something that is year round or is it seasonal?

[hohoz]

My daughter is begging me to take her because she seen Sam & Freddy were ther from icarly. Did you see them? Did they do any autograph sessions?

[Me76]

My kids too! They love iCarly. It makes it harder, because they know I am going on a cruise at the end of Oct. without them. I'm going on my first "mommycation". First vacation in 18 years that I won't have to watch kids, do laundry, dishes, prepare food, and the general anxiety of planning and keeping up with the family for vacation.

I do have 2 kids going, but they are 18 and 16, and responsible enough to keep up with themselves.

[rubrrick]

My grandkids wanted to do the Nick cruise, and we promissed them if they wanted to do another cruise.....their 3rd, with my now 7 and 5 year old grandsons........next year they will be 8 and almost 7.......a perfect age for their 3rd cruise that we would take them.

Adventure Ocean is so awesome for them..........it's hard for them to be with us!!

Thanks for the intro for your Nick cruise!! Nice commentary!

Rick