Mariner of the Seas, Mexican Rivera, 9 AUG 2009

[jayceedp]

We just returned from the August 9 cruise of Mariner of the Seas to the Mexican Rivera. Others have written fine reviews of both the ship and the ports-of-call, so I won't repeat the bulk that information here.

We were sailing with our children, 21 & 15, in two cabins. We are reasonably well traveled. Our cruise experience dates to the early eighties, with seven cruises in recent years on Carnival, NCL, and RCCL. This was our fourth cruise on RCCL and our largest vessel. The ship was packed with over 3,600 passengers.

Embarkation:
We arrived shortly after noon. The terminal consists of a permanent building and an adjacent temporary luggage sorting structure. We grabbed a porter as he exited the luggage "tent" with an empty cart and he happily followed us to our luggage. We returned to the main terminal and breezed through security and check-in, and were on the ship by 12:30.

Security were confiscating items at the scanner--not just liquids, but sporting goods, knives, etc. We had the check-in agent disable signing privileges on our children's sea pass cards. The agent said it can get very crowded in the afternoon.

As others have mentioned, the life boat drill was sans life vests.

Wine and liquor:
RCCL are serious, thorough, and effective in enforcing their draconian wine policy. Bringing liquor on board is a piece of cake, but wine is a tougher nut to crack. I packed two bottles in one suitcase, and one bottle in another with the hope that one suitcase would slip by. No such luck. After receiving our other bags, and without waiting for the phone call, I went down to deck 1, aft stairwell (outside the medical office) to reclaim the luggage. You provide a cabin number; they fetch your bag and set it on a table. They have no details regarding your luggage contents. They ask you how many bottles of liquor you have. You give them a number; you open the bag and hand over the stated number of bottles. They WILL NOT touch anything inside your luggage or ask you to unpack your bag. Other than setting your bag on the table, they avoid touching it at all. They wrap a luggage tag around your bottles and promise to return them on the last evening (one of our bottles never made it back). I believe rescuing your luggage shortly after the boat drill is the best time. The whole process is no big deal.

Without an adequate supply of our own wine, we did purchase the Gold wine package. The price, before tip, works out to $22.60 a bottle. Gold package wines range from $24 to $33. These are about 4 times grocery store prices. The options include a decent pinot grigio, semillon-chardonnay, Beaujolais Villages, and a Chilean merlot. We were free to take leftovers back to the cabin, or they would hold the bottle for the next evening. Even if you eat up at Jade instead of the DR, they can fetch your open bottle for you in a surprisingly short amount of time. Snagging clean wine glasses at any bar for in-cabin consumption is easy.

The first day of the cruise, drinks were hawked at nearly the same intensity as Carnival and NCL, but that tapered off quickly. Ice water is available at any bar…I like to use the same bar in the show room every time and tip in cash for water. By the third evening, the bar tender automatically gets a couple of waters with a squeeze of lime as he sees me walk up. Wine, sparkling wine, and mixed drinks were freely served at the complementary receptions. IDs were vigorously checked. Our 21 year-old had to show her sea pass card with every drink, including when we asked for a wine glass for her at dinner. It is done very politely, and I appreciate the concern.

Dining Room:
Service was great. We had My Time Dining. I strongly recommend it. As soon as you get on board your first stop should be the My Time desk outside the Deck 5 entrance to the Dining Room. Make a standing reservation for the week. It is not nearly as flexible as NCL Freestyle. Reservations are taken in two time windows with a break in between to allow them to reset tables; we made ours for 6:15, just after the main seating crush had subsided. Formal nights were impossible without a reservation, but you might get by without reservations on port nights or when the ship is not fully booked. The My Time seating area is on Deck 5. Tables for 2, 4, or 6 are plentiful. Seating for large parties will be problematic. Deck 5 has the lowest ceilings and is the most intimate of the dining room levels.

Cruise ship dining often comes down to decoding the sometimes strange menu descriptions and knowing what not to order (e.g. shrimp=OK; ravioli=good; shrimp ravioli=very bad). Some nights, everything fell in the what-not-to-order category. My usual fallback to a salmon filet was disappointing. I believe both Carnival and NCL, neither known for exceptional food, do a better job in the dining room. NCL especially shines with cold soup selections (RCCL’s were more like watered down fruit purees). One bright spot were the vegetarian and Indian entrees. We try to eat lighter meals on cruises, so we didn’t try the prime rib or steaks.
We did not use the specialty restaurants. Their locations seem strange…just off the buffet entrance. And Johnny Rockets is so far off the beaten path, that, unless I went looking for it, I wouldn’t have seen it at all.

Casual Dining:
Again, service was great. I was initially inconvenienced with the lack of trays, self-service beverage stations, and pool-side options. But that didn’t last long. It really is a better way to go and results in cleaner decks, less food waste, and less congestion. Add the prompt, polite tableside beverage service and efficient bussing and cleaning of the tables, and RCCL has a winning service formula in the Windjammer. On Carnival, the pool-side gluttony can be disgusting. I did miss the on-deck BBQs of NCL, and the pool-side grilled-to-order burgers and chops of Carnival, but I probably ate less, and that’s a good thing. One nagging inconvenience was the lack of a poolside ice water station. The bar staff were not overjoyed with serving you water at the bar, bringing you water at your chair or lounge, or even cleaning up water glasses littering the deck. To get lemonade or iced tea, I had to put on a shirt and trudge all the way back to the Windjammer. This is not good.

The food selection was good, with something for everyone. The salad and sandwich bar were great, and the Indian entrees were all good. Most desserts were mediocre, but the bread pudding, rare crème brulee, and fruit cobblers were good. Fresh berries were not to be found. The fresh melons were under ripe and drenched in some foul-tasting fluid.

Café Promenade is a shining example of something done absolutely right. The perfect spot for an afternoon snack. Service was wonderful. Jade is also a good evening option, with tablecloths, restaurant-style beverage service, and a rolling cart of ice cream.

I like my coffee hot, strong, and black. RCCL does a great job with the coffee, even from the automats. But, the port side of the Windjammer has manual brewers, and I thought the coffee was stronger at those stations.
Not everything scales well on large ships, the soft-serve ice cream being a perfect example. Only two dispensers for 3600 passengers means lines, often long, even on port days. However, the Windjammer does have an efficient layout and there are no bottle necks.

Entertainment:
The ice show in Studio B was the best thing I’ve seen afloat, and one of the most enjoyable shows I’ve ever seen. We saw it twice, sitting once at the front of the venue, and once on the side. Don’t miss it. Arrive the full 30 minutes early to sit at the front of the venue. Production shows were merely OK. The same shows have been running on Mariner since its launch. The lead male vocalist was weak in comparison with the lead female, and that, along with a dance crew that was three performers short, may have contributed to the weakness.

Promenade parades and shows were well intended but loud. How can it be otherwise when the performers and announcers have to compete with the cacophony of 1000 guests packing the promenade.

Guest performers were a mixed bag. Guest performers are usually on ships for one, sometimes two, weeks before moving on. The juggler, Ivan Pecel, was great and is a frequent guest. We’ve seen him on another cruise somewhere, and he was very enjoyable. The comedian we had was forgettable. An a’capella group, Mosaic, was absolutely incredible, but they’ve rotated off. The magicians, LaRaf, were, in a word, horrible. They presented a half dozen, off-the-shelf, stage tricks with zero showmanship or innovation. They have been on Mariner for a long time because, with all their equipment, they are tough to move around.

The stage band was wonderful. They presented a great, but poorly attended jazz set in the Lotus Lounge one evening with the two vocal leads. I wish more parents would bring their kids and expose them to this music and teach them how to applaud after solos. The other bar and lounge acts we saw were fine as well.

Accommodations and ship features:

Accommodations couldn’t be better. We booked at the last minute with two inside-guarantees, and were upgraded to two Cat. D cabins. Located on Deck Six, portside, just aft of the aft stairwell, I couldn’t ask for a better location. Down low and nearly amidship to minimize potential pitch and roll. Above the dining room and below cabins to minimize noise from above and below. Deck six is perfect. We were one deck up from the promenade and our dining level. Easy access to Café Promenade for morning coffee. Easy to run back to the cabin for any reason. We asked for and received bathrobes and feather pillows. Our kids also asked for soft pillows, but didn't get any. Chocolates were no where to be seen. We did get canvas beach totes for the three adults and a fanny pack for my son (don't you think he was thrilled!).

Big isn’t always better, but RCCL have a good design with this ship. As I stated, not everything scales well, but these are minor inconveniences. I think older ships have more beautiful profiles. Modern vessels look like bathtubs stacked with lego blocks. I miss promenade decks. But, from the inside, these new designs are generally superior. Fully enclosed venues, such as the Café Promenade, Vintages, and the Wig and Gavel, provide intimate spots to relax. We didn’t use the main pool area, it was every bit as noisy as the main pools on NCL and Carnival, complete with hairy leg and belly flop contests. The Solarium was tranquil by comparison. Even on the sea days we could find somewhere quiet to lounge.

We did use deck 4/5 for daily walks when the sun or wind was too intense on deck 12. With the ship over 1,000 ft in length, five laps should be nearly two miles. Just hold onto your hat when you climb the stairs to the helipad. We vowed not to use elevators, and with three exceptions, we stuck to it. Climbing the 88 steps from deck six to the pool deck was tough at first, but became routine by mid week. An added advantage is not being caged with 10 other folks in a small, poorly ventilated cab as it stops on every deck.
Hand washing was openly encouraged. Sani-wipes are at food venue entrances. We avoided touching anything unless we needed to, and that's generally good advice on a cruise.

On-board shops were typical with no special sales popping up that you must wait for. They had a Citizen watch promotion late in the week. Know your prices and you might get a good deal. Liquor purchased on Saturday could be taken directly to your room, otherwise it was delivered (like your ransomed wine bottles) Saturday evening. The best deals were typical of cruise ships: Absolute vodka and Johnny Walker scotch. Drambuie was also cheap at $23 for a liter.

Our hands down favorite feature of the ship was Cafe Promenade.

Ports-of-Call:
We've been to the ports-of-call several times, beginning on the old Carnival Tropicale back in 1984. We used to enjoy Cabo San Lucas, but Puerto Vallarta is the queen among these three ports. (Alternate Mexican Rivera itineraries are available from San Diego and, sometimes, San Francisco. These often include one or two lesser known ports which can be the most enjoyable).

In both Cabo and Mazatlan, flea market prices are often in US dollars. While in PV, prices are typically in pesos. None of these ports truly feature locally made handcrafted items. Even the ironwood carvings come from a region closer to Tuscon, AZ than Cabo San Lucas. But shopping and bargaining is aways fun. Remember, just because it has a hallmark doesn't make it sterling.

We didn’t take any excursions this trip. In the past we’ve booked our own tours for early in the day, but there is always the risk of abandonment when you book your own. Despite what the ship's port guide will tell you, DO NOT use the white (newer ones are beige) taxis in the PV port terminal. They will charge $5 per person to go downtown. The metro taxis in PV are bright yellow. Just walk out the port terminal to the main street. You should be able to get a yellow taxi which holds 4 PAX from the port to downtown for $5 to $7. We’ve never met a Mexican cabbie that didn’t love to talk, or even show you pictures of his family (or movies, on his phone, while driving). State a specific destination, such as the Malecon or the city hall. For slightly more adventure, you can ride the bus for 5 pesos. One added tip: public toilets are available in the Puerto Vallarta city hall, between the Malecon and the Our Lady of Guadalupe cathedral. If you like the flea markets, the most scenic of the voyage is on the Isla Rio Cuale in PV.
I saw very little confiscation on reboarding. I had water bottles in my backpack and was never asked to open the bag.

Debarkation:
We opted for Express Departure. We arrived in our designated waiting area 5 minutes prior to the stated time, but the group had already been released. So it's wise to show up a little earlier. If you are arranging your own transportation and can lug your baggage, this is the way to go. We were curbside shortly after 8:30

For those that need a rental car, Enterprise has an office on 6th street in San Pedro, located in the Crown Plaza hotel complex.

Parting comments:
I felt a little more prodded, nickeled and dimed than I did on my last RCCL cruise which was on the Vision of the Seas five years ago. RCCL is very much a mass market cruise line, but does provide a superior product to Carnival primarily through ambiance and attention to service. I haven't sailed on any of NCLs new builds, but I do like their formula (people seem to love it or hate it!)

--J

[princesspckr]

Excellent, thanks for sharing

[Kurbanfan]

Nice review!!
Are you saying if you don't have reservations for "my time dining" you will have a long wait?........the reason we chose it is for the flexibility like we had on Princess..........

[joeyancho]

oops!

[joeyancho]

Thanks mucho for the great review!! We will be on the 9/20/09 sailing and I really appreciate the review.

[jayceedp]

Originally Posted by Kurbanfan

Nice review!!
Are you saying if you don't have reservations for "my time dining" you will have a long wait?........the reason we chose it is for the flexibility like we had on Princess..........

Yes, make a standing reservation. It is "My Time" not Freestyle or Flexible. You can always call the MyTime desk to make daily changes, and you can reserve different times for different days up front. But make some reservations, especially if you like to eat early. The formal nights are the real problem, other nights, especially port nights, you can probably wing it.

[caribbeanboy]

I had the juggler on the Liberty of the Seas in Feb and again on the Radiance in May. So I guess he travels from ship to ship a few times a week.

[Kurbanfan]

Originally Posted by jayceedp

Yes, make a standing reservation. It is "My Time" not Freestyle or Flexible. You can always call the MyTime desk to make daily changes, and you can reserve different times for different days up front. But make some reservations, especially if you like to eat early. The formal nights are the real problem, other nights, especially port nights, you can probably wing it.

We will wing it the whole week and report back........if we have to wait a few so be it.......afterall we are in no hurry.......otherwise I would have picked traditional....

[alexkrn46]

Thanks for the report it was very interesting.

[jjb415]

Thank you so much for taking the time to write such a thorough review. It is great that you enjoyed your cruise so much !!!

[Jiffymom]

Great report but I do have a few questions.
One thing we enjoy is getting to know our servers. Or should I say them getting to know you. Enjoyed arriving at our table and they have ice tea waiting or they bring my granddaughter Choc milk. Just some of the nice things. Well in My Time Dining do you get to know the waiters? What are the chances of having the same waiter if we chose to dine at the same time each evening. Do most reserve the same time for dining or just book each night for the following. I would assume if you came around 6:30 or 7 you would still get to see the waiters parade and other fun things and still get finished in time for the shows.
Also what time was the early seating. I was told 6 which is a little early for us. 8:30 no way.
I read on one of the ships it was changed to 5:30 oh my way to early.
Can't decide. There are 8 of us and the will do what ever we suggest.

[pmfan]

Loved reading your review. Very informative.

[IBookHePays]

Thanks for taking the time to post such an informative review.

[vegasres]

Thanks so much for a wonderful review!! We leave in 10 days! There will be 8 of us, two couples never having cruised before, and one of the couples celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary. I can't wait to see their expressions when they first board the ship!!! Aug 30th can't come too soon!!

[Garyorient]

For me, this was a perfect review.
It covered all the smaller details and was a "warts 'n all" analysis.

There is much for me to assimilate in this, although I am not going on MTD.

Thank you

[coolcat12]

Nice upgrade!

[jayceedp]

Originally Posted by Jiffymom

Great report but I do have a few questions.
One thing we enjoy is getting to know our servers. Or should I say them getting to know you. Enjoyed arriving at our table and they have ice tea waiting or they bring my granddaughter Choc milk. Just some of the nice things. Well in My Time Dining do you get to know the waiters? What are the chances of having the same waiter if we chose to dine at the same time each evening. Do most reserve the same time for dining or just book each night for the following. I would assume if you came around 6:30 or 7 you would still get to see the waiters parade and other fun things and still get finished in time for the shows.
Also what time was the early seating. I was told 6 which is a little early for us. 8:30 no way.
I read on one of the ships it was changed to 5:30 oh my way to early.
Can't decide. There are 8 of us and the will do what ever we suggest.

You can request the same section or table. RCCL waiters do very little song-and-dance, and the My Time waiters are excused. Up on the 3rd tier of the DR, you can't see what's going on down below unless you are against the rail. On nights with a single showtime, the show is at 7:30

Options for 8 in the "Sound of Music" dining room are limited, if available at all. I don't recall seeing any large tables in the sections where we dined, but I was not paying any attention to table size. I'd call RCCL to ensure My Time can accommodate your party on Mariner of the Seas without splitting you up.

Regardless, you'll have a great cruise. Best wishes.

[wolfganghowell]

Thanks so much for all your information. I had been considering MTD but we always choose a large table so we'll stick with our original plan. Thanks for the tip on the Enterprise location - we are renting a car and dropping it off the day of embarkation. I guess we will need to contact them about getting to the ship - if they have a courtesy shuttle, if we need a cab or if we are able to use the Crown Plaza shuttle. This helped me narrow down some important planning info.

[critterchick]

I don't see any reason that the Maitre d' in the MTD dining room couldn't assemble a table for a large party if he has advance notice. When you make your first reservation, let him know you'll need a table for 8 every night and I'm sure they'll accomodate you.

[jayceedp]

Originally Posted by wolfganghowell

Thanks so much for all your information. I had been considering MTD but we always choose a large table so we'll stick with our original plan. Thanks for the tip on the Enterprise location - we are renting a car and dropping it off the day of embarkation. I guess we will need to contact them about getting to the ship - if they have a courtesy shuttle, if we need a cab or if we are able to use the Crown Plaza shuttle. This helped me narrow down some important planning info.

It's a little over a mile from the Crown Plaza to the pier. Not a bad walk, mostly along a newly built and landscaped route. The fountain at the entrance to the cruise terminal has a Las Vegas-like water show. There's a show at Noon and I think songs play every ten or twenty minutes all afternoon. Alternatively, if it's after noon, you can wait for the Trolley car which runs just a block away from the Crown Plaza and will take you to the entrance to the pier parking area. It runs about every twenty minutes, which is about the same length as the walk. There was already a line outside Enterprise before nine on debarkation day, so I assume they have a shuttle or use the Crown Plaza shuttles.