Mariner of the Seas Mexican Riviera : 9/13-9/20

[reddevil1179]

I’m going to try and write as much as I can from memory, so I figured I better get started today while it’s still fresh! My BF and I just returned from a great time aboard the Mariner of the Seas to Mexico. This was my 4th cruise and all prior cruises have been with RCI. This is the second time I have done this cruise, the last time being in April of 2008 aboard the Vision. I will try to give you my perspective on as many of the things we experienced as possible and answer as many questions as I can.

Pre-Cruise: We arrived in LA from Phoenix on the Saturday afternoon prior to the cruise. We used Super Shuttle to get from LAX to our hotel, the Doubletree in San Pedro. We did have to circle the airport a couple of times to fill up the van, but we didn’t mind as we weren’t in that big of a hurry to get to the hotel. I’ve stayed at the Crowne Plaza in San Pedro as well and while they were both nice, I enjoyed the Doubletree much more. The staff was very friendly, the room was great (bed was unbelievably comfortable) and it was nice being right down on the marina. We ate dinner in the hotel restaurant which was ok, but nothing to write home about. A little overpriced, but what hotel restaurant isn’t?

Embarkation: This was a relatively smooth process. We reserved the 10:30 shuttle from the hotel and arrived at the pier around 10:45. Arriving at the pier, we experienced what was probably the only negative aspect of the trip, but it had nothing to do with RCI, but with the porters at the pier. On our hotel shuttle, there was a family of 4, another couple and us. My boyfriend and I each only had one bag that we were having loaded onto the ship for us. The family had at least 6 between the four of them and the other couple had 4. When we got off the van, there was a porter with an empty cart right there. Our bags were already tagged and ready to go, while everyone else in the van had to fill out luggage tags at the pier. When we asked the porter if he would take our bags, he said “no, not yet.” Uh, ok...so we waited. He asked two other porters who passed us if they would take our bags, but they already had full carts. So we waited while the family and the other couple who had been in the van with us tagged their baggage and loaded it onto the cart. Once all of their bags had been loaded, he took our bags after he realized there would be enough room. He clearly didn’t want to waste space loading our two measly bags when he could clean up tip-wise with the other two groups who had more bags. Ok...these guys don’t make much and they rely heavily on tips...I get it. But thousands of people are about to board this ship and I’m pretty confident he made decent tips that day so what gives? On top if it all, he was pretty rude and this isn’t how we wanted to start our vacation. Ok...rant over! Luckily, things got better from here. Check in was a breeze, it took maybe 10 minutes from the time we walked into the terminal until we had our Sea Passes in hand! By this time, it must have been about 11:30 and the ship didn’t start boarding until 12:00. There weren’t enough chairs in the terminal for everyone after checking in, so we just stood around until it was time to board. But that was ok...we were too excited to sit! We boarded in groups and were assigned to group 12. By 12:30, we were in the Windjammer having lunch!

The Ship/Our Stateroom: We’ve cruised before on the Explorer as well as the Freedom so we knew that Mariner would be pretty similar. The ship is in great condition and is kept extremely clean like most RCI ships. This was our first time sailing in a balcony (#9358) room which was awesome! Some people say they aren’t in their stateroom enough to warrant spending more for a balcony (we used to think the same thing), but we loved it! We actually spent more time in our cabin because we could just go out to the balcony when we wanted to see how the weather was or enjoy the sounds of the ocean, instead of having to go up on deck. Now that we’ve experienced a balcony stateroom, I’m going to have a hard time booking anything but! Plus, it was nice to have the extra room to store our luggage and not be tripping over it! Clemente, our stateroom attendant, was excellent and he was always around in case we needed something.

Food/My Time Dining: I’ve read on CC recently that the quality of food on RCI has gone downhill. I’m not a picky eater, but I’d have to agree on this one. Presentation was excellent and service was good, but a lot of the food in the main dining room was very bland. We did eat a Chops one night and this was the exception; the food here was excellent and well worth the extra charge. We tried My Time Dining for the first time and it worked out well. We wanted to go with My Time so that we could have a table for 2 (not that we’re anti-social, but sometimes, after a long day, you just want to relax at dinner and not feel like you have to make conversation). We made reservations for the entire week on Day 1 (either at 6:15 or 7 depending on the day) and we never had to wait for a table. We were sat in different sections and had four different waiters. One in particular (Saljit and his assistant) were excellent! We were very pleased with their service. One of the other waiters we had was not as good (can’t remember the name). When we sat in this person’s section, which we did twice, the service was slow and I don’t even remember him introducing himself. Overall though, the My Time Dining option worked well for us. We ate breakfast and lunch in the Windjammer and the food was fine, but again, nothing special. One place we did find surprisingly good was Johnny Rockets, probably because nothing tops off a night of drinking like a greasy hamburger and onion rings dipped in ranch dressing! It funny too because we have a Johnny Rockets here at home, but we never go there!

Entertainment: We went to most of the evening shows in the Savoy. We especially enjoyed the Etta James comedy show...kinda like a female version of Larry the Cable Guy. We also saw the two production shows, Front Row and Pure Energy. I did not like the Front Row show; I thought the music was terrible and the singing wasn’t that great. Seemed some people shared the same opinion as I overheard them talking about it in the Windjammer the next day. However, I’m sure there were also some that enjoyed it. The second show, Pure Energy, was a little bit better. It was all 80’s music which I am a big fan of, so that’s probably why I enjoyed it more. The ice show was awesome. Our cruise director was Dave Chapman and he was pretty good.

Ports: This being my second cruise on this itinerary, we didn’t do any excursions. We just went into town in each port and shopped. Our can driver in Mazatlan tried to rip us off...the cost one way to the Golden Zone is $10; when we arrived at our destination, we only had a $20. When we asked him for $10 change, he pretended he didn’t know what we were taking about. Finally, one of his cronies came over and translated to which he responded he didn’t have change for a $20. My boyfriend said he wasn’t paying $20 for a $10 cab ride and after a minute or two; his crony miraculously pulled a $10 bill out of his pocket and gave us our change. Lesson learned: carry small bills! We thought Puerto Vallarta was the nicest and we talked about wanting to go back and visit there someday. Tendering in Cabo was a nightmare. We attempted to get off the ship at around 10:30. We took the elevator down to Deck 2, as did most people, only to find that the line started on Deck 4. So we took the elevator back up to 4 and got in line. However, as we worked our way down to 2, many people were doing what we had done and took the elevator down to 2. A few people tried to explain to them that the line started on 4, but some of them didn’t care as they just cut right in. This didn’t sit well with those of us who had done the right thing and waited in line. I really think this is a process that Royal Caribbean could have done better. They should have had someone standing in near the elevators on Deck 2 sending people back up to 4 when they came down.

Debarkation: This also went pretty smooth. We opted for the Express Checkout option where we carried off our own luggage. This was the first time I had done this and will probably do it on future cruises. It took about ten minutes to get off the ship and we were through customs and on our way to the airport by 8:30.

Overall, this was a great vacation. I personally think cruises are fool proof fun-in-a-box vacations and I can’t imagine having a bad one! Aside from the experience with the porter and the tendering situation in Cabo, everything was top notch. Royal Caribbean service was excellent as usual and we will definitely cruise with them again. We didn’t use a lot of the amenities like the spa and the fitness center, but if anyone has any questions, I will do my best to answer them. Thanks for reading!

[knew2cruzing]

Hey there,

Welcome home! I was on the same cruise and had a pretty good time as well. I have a question about one of the songs that was played in the Ice Under the Big Top. The song was played after the clown was rejected by the ballerina. During the clown's solo performance, the first song was "I will do anything for love...but I won't do that -- by Meatloaf. I was wondering if you knew what the second song was. It goes something like this...
""Your love will never reach me where I’m going
I never dreamed that I would have to say goodbye
Like a …from the other night…disappear and out of sight
Maybe I should stay and fight
You can tell what’s wrong or right
I know the many times Ive tried
I broken down and cried
I felt that I would die..."

Any idea? Thanks!

[Krayzie92]

How was the weather like in all three ports of Mexico?

[caribbeanboy]

I was on the Sept 6-13 cruise and it was really HOT and humid.

[rubrrick]

Originally Posted by Krayzie92

How was the weather like in all three ports of Mexico?

Hot and humid! The exception was Puerto Vallarta which was cloudy, with a nice breeze.

We had not tried the Mexican Riviera in September before, and found it a bit warm for our taste.

Rick

[wolfcathorse]

Originally Posted by rubrrick

Hot and humid! The exception was Puerto Vallarta which was cloudy, with a nice breeze.

We had not tried the Mexican Riviera in September before, and found it a bit warm for our taste.

Rick

Rick who was the master. There's debate on whether Capt Johnny comes back 9-20 or 10-4

[lgeisz]

Originally Posted by wolfcathorse

Rick who was the master. There's debate on whether Capt Johnny comes back 9-20 or 10-4

Capt Per was the master on this cruise... I know capt Johnny is expected to be on the Oasis

[wolfganghowell]

Aside from the shows, how was the entertainment at night in the bars and lounges? We're night owls. Is the pool band a Caribbean style band? Thanks - glad you had fun. Thank you for the review.

[Puffinater]

We also found the porters to be a bit lacking. Had to ask several if they would take our bags and one was just leaning against the wall with an empty cart.

[carkosh]

We just returned from the same cruise & had a ball! Wonderful ship! The only thing I was sorry about was that I missed the ice show (saw the one on Liberty in May & loved it). I was going to the last show & fell asleep...darn it!

I'll echo the other 2 posters on this cruise that the Mexican ports were hot, hot, hot. But then I'm from SE Texas where it's just as hot & humid so I guess we're sort of used to it. Just remember to drink lots of bottled water! The last day on board was very very windy & quite cool so if anyone wants to enjoy the outside you might think of packing a jacket. I had to go to the Logo shop & buy a jacket to enjoy my last day of the balcony.

Carol

[reddevil1179]

Originally Posted by knew2cruzing

Hey there,

Welcome home! I was on the same cruise and had a pretty good time as well. I have a question about one of the songs that was played in the Ice Under the Big Top. The song was played after the clown was rejected by the ballerina. During the clown's solo performance, the first song was "I will do anything for love...but I won't do that -- by Meatloaf. I was wondering if you knew what the second song was. It goes something like this...
""Your love will never reach me where I’m going
I never dreamed that I would have to say goodbye
Like a …from the other night…disappear and out of sight
Maybe I should stay and fight
You can tell what’s wrong or right
I know the many times Ive tried
I broken down and cried
I felt that I would die..."

Any idea? Thanks!

No, I'm sorry, I don't know the name of the song. I tried googling some of the lyrics and couldn't find anything. It was a pretty song though!

[reddevil1179]

Originally Posted by wolfganghowell

Aside from the shows, how was the entertainment at night in the bars and lounges? We're night owls. Is the pool band a Caribbean style band? Thanks - glad you had fun. Thank you for the review.

The only bar we frequented at night was the Dragon's Lair (dance club) which we liked a lot. There was always something going on into the early morning hours so the night owls will definately have something to do. And yes, the pool band was a Caribbean style band and they also had a DJ when the band wasn't playing on sea days.

[lyssa13]

Originally Posted by reddevil1179

The only bar we frequented at night was the Dragon's Lair (dance club) which we liked a lot. There was always something going on into the early morning hours so the night owls will definately have something to do. And yes, the pool band was a Caribbean style band and they also had a DJ when the band wasn't playing on sea days.

Really glad to hear! I was afraid when booking a cruise in mid-October that the bar may not full of people who wanted to have a good time! The younger crowd tends to sail spring/summer - so my boyfriend and I (26 and 24) are really hoping to find a group of people who want to have a good time

Also - really happy to hear about the DJ at the pool when there is no band. I have been on ships that don't have music when the band goes away and I always miss it!!

13 more days to go!

[wolfcathorse]

Originally Posted by lgeisz

Capt Per was the master on this cruise... I know capt Johnny is expected to be on the Oasis

No, Johnny goes to Allure. Tor Olsen and Thore Thorolvsen got Oasis.

[Shoequeen]

Does anybody know if they still have the concierge lounge on Deck 9? and if so, are they still allowing Diamond members to use it? We are booked on the 11/1 sailing and I've heard so many different rumors; one being that the concierge lounge is now only going to be available for diamond+ members. Just curious, as this will be my husbands first time as a diamond member and he's looking forward to the lounge and free drinks.

[kewlguy]

Originally Posted by Shoequeen

Does anybody know if they still have the concierge lounge on Deck 9? and if so, are they still allowing Diamond members to use it? We are booked on the 11/1 sailing and I've heard so many different rumors; one being that the concierge lounge is now only going to be available for diamond+ members. Just curious, as this will be my husbands first time as a diamond member and he's looking forward to the lounge and free drinks.

As of 9/1/09 the Concierge Lounge is only available to passengers staying in Grand Suites or above and also Diamond Plus members. Diamond members can now attend a nightly Diamond event but no longer have Concierge Lounge access.

[casidy_123]

Can you guys tell me the aprox price of a bottle of local beer? Or if they have drink specials like on carnival? I think carnival had 6.95$ run fruit drinks that came in a special class or something, does Royal caribean have this too?

[Shoequeen]

Originally Posted by kewlguy

As of 9/1/09 the Concierge Lounge is only available to passengers staying in Grand Suites or above and also Diamond Plus members. Diamond members can now attend a nightly Diamond event but no longer have Concierge Lounge access.

Damn!!!

[wolfganghowell]

Beer is reasonable (for a cruise ship). I think Miller Lite is a little below $5 a bottle - that includes the tip. Corona and Stella will be a bit more. The drink of the day is usually $5.95 plus tip. I've heard that Mariner will have drink specials like 2 for 1 as well.

[casidy_123]

Originally Posted by wolfganghowell

Beer is reasonable (for a cruise ship). I think Miller Lite is a little below $5 a bottle - that includes the tip. Corona and Stella will be a bit more. The drink of the day is usually $5.95 plus tip. I've heard that Mariner will have drink specials like 2 for 1 as well.

Excellent thank you! Can't wait to have a drink by the pool and relax!