Just Back from Mariner of the Seas 9/27/09

[Cruisedreamer1]

Here is a quick review of our cruise:
embarcation and disembarcation: fast and easy! We arrived a bit too early(10 a.m.) at the port due to our shuttle driver arriving 40 minutes earlier than previously agreed to by us. The wait was not difficult and we are in the terminal quickly and had a seat until the check in desk was ready. All though we were schdeuled to leave the ship at 9:40 a.m. security let us leave earlier than scheduled. The only snag in the departure were the custom officals. They actually needed many 4 instead of 2 at the door to take the custom declarations.
stateroom: We had a deluxe ocean balcony cabin(6310). It was comfortable and clean. The full size sofa was great for lounging and for our suitcases as we packed our clothes. The closet was adecuate. I brought extra wire hangers for my clothes since the drawers are small and by having everything hung the clothes did not wrinkle and were easy to see. One can receive announcements from outside the cabin if one turns the knob on(it's on the leftside of the walled mirror(behind the ice bucket). The cabin attendant took out upon my request the expensive Evan water so I could put my water bottles and Diet Pepsi in the mini refrigerator. I used the water bottles while I was exercising in the gym. No problems bring the water or the diet pepsi on board. The only ammenty in the bathroom is a wall mounted soap/shampoo? dispenser. Be sure to bring your own shampoo, conditioner, lotion,q-tips,cotton balls,etc. The general store does not carry much for this area and what they do carry is expensive. They do carry all of the standard motion sickness medications.
Meals-We were assigned early dining(6 p.m.) at a table of 8 in the MDR. Jeffrey was our waiter. He was knowledgeable and charming.The food for the most part was good. RC makes its passengers eat in the Windjammer for lunch when the ship is in port. These meals were not as good as the MDR. The waiters in the Windjammer were a mixed lot in terms of service. Initially, they were there to help and serve the drinks but as the cruise went on they seemed to disappear during the lunch hour. During sea days the MDR was open for lunch and we always ate there. They have a set menu there every lunch day. The MDR has a salad bar which was wonderful. You tell the server what kind and quality of lettuce you want and then move around the U selecting veggies,meat and cheese and finally the salad dressing. The server then uses a pizza cutter to chop the salad up for you.
Bars-We only ordered one drink from the pool bar(he ordered a name brand cabernet ($6.50) for my husband and a Bloody Mary($5.00) for me)Both were tasty. We LOVED the Vintages Bar which features CA wines. At 5p.m. they offer a free plate of cheese,crackers,grapes,walnuts & dried apricots when you order a glass of wine. We went three times during our week. It is a great place to sample wonderful CA wine.
Entertainment-The RC dancers and singers were a bit of a disappointment. The male singers were weak but there was one great African American female singer who was outstanding. The production shows look like they were cheaply put together in terms of sets and costumes(some of the costumes looked ready to be retired).The entertainers brought on board the ship were outstanding. If Finnos Henderson is on board doing a show,don't miss his vocal impressions of everyone from Frank Sinatra to Michael Jackson. The 4 man group Spectrum gives a great show singing all the big hits from Motown.
The Ice Show is great but be sure to go when the doors open since seating is limited. The Quest and Love and Marriage Game show are outrageous but not to be missed.
Tours-We took a ship's catamaran cruise out to Land's End in Cabo and surrounding areas. We enjoyed it but thought we could have easily booked it off ship saving money. Matzatlan-we stayed on the ship since we have already spent a week there. Puerto Vallarta-we went off the ship and booked a private tour in an a/c van with another couple. We went downtown,along the malacon,out into the "jungle" and along Mismaloya.It cost us $25 each plus a tip.
Sea Days- They were wonderful and relaxing. No problems finding lounge chairs in the shade. We tried to be in the solarium to avoid the noise of the large pool areas.
Spa- I had my hair washed and styled($38) for the 1st formal dinner. The stylist was fast and did a nice job on my hair. This was a treat to myself.
Gym-I went to the gym everyday at 6 a.m. except both Sundays and ran on the treadmill. I did my personal best while on the ship of running 5 miles without stopping! I think eating 3 meals a day helped! On sea days I walked the treadmill for 4 miles and then walked 1 mile outside on the track. It can be very windy on the outside track at times pushing on along. The spa has very nice tiled showers with shampoo and liquid soap available. I took my showers there in order not to distrub my husband. Nice yellow bath towels are plentiful. The gym has lots of exercise equipment which are readily available.
Passengers- There were people of all ages. I was surprised at the number of toddlers on board. There were school aged children on board but there were usually out of sight and well behaved when observed.
Cruise Director-Dave Chapman is young but very talented. He is quick witted and humerous. His morning show on tv probably is directed at the under 30 age group passengers.

Overall, we enjoyed the cruise more than we expected in terms of crew service, food and interesting passengers. Would we cruise RC again? Yes and we bought FC for another cruise!

[MamaLyn]

Thanks for your review. We were on the Sept. 13th sailing and experienced the cruise about the same as you did. I almost fell asleep during both of the RC dancers & singers shows. The ice show was amazing and very well presented. We had different entertainers but they were good. Oh, I'd love to be back on the ship!

[sailingawaysoon]

Thanks for your review. It sounds like you had a wonderful time.

[Cruisedreamer1]

I stepped on the scale this morning and the batteries are dead! I will have to replace them to see how much I gained on my cruise.

[briguy7]

Did anybody know if they still do the 70's/80's dance party on the Mariner cruise anymore? My friends and I are sailing in November and are dying to know!!

[Cruisedreamer1]

The 70's party is still held in the promenade of the ship. The 70's party was held Tuesday and the other on Thursday in the Dragon's Lair.

[Florida Cruisin' Couple]

I will agree with you. The RCL singer and dancer shows were difficult for us to sit through. We've seen many of them and never really enjoyed them. They pick too much music we have never heard before and don't recognize, we just wait for them to be over. Now we've learned to skip those shows.

However, we love nearly all the entertainment they bring on the ship from outside. I think our favorite is Rebecca and Kuba. I loved Nelson. We loved the guy who sang Happy Days. Lots of comedians we really enjoyed. They really do bring in some fantastic entertainment!