Mariner Review 10/4-10/11

[lyssa13]

Hi All!

My boyfriend (26) and I (24) are in the midst of recovering from our wonderful cruise aboard the Mariner and I figured I would write a review! I am trying to get back into work mode, but typing up this review seems much more exciting than anything going on at my desk.

We are from Orange County, so the trip to the port was easy. I promised my boyfriend we could watch some Sunday morning football before we got to the port so we went to the San Pedro Brewing Company where all the games were on. It was only 5 minutes from the port....we got to the port at 1:30 (which is the latest I have ever gotten on a ship) and we walked right on!

We were in an inside stateroom, 6465 - and it was just fine for what we needed. Our stateroom attendant was Pam, and although she was friendly - I didn't feel like she was very outgoingly friendly, if that makes sense. I have had some attendants that have been so much more friendly, but I can't complain - she did her job well!

We had late seating in the MDR, table 562 in the Sound of Music on Deck 5. I had requested a table for 2 a couple of months before sailing, so I was very happy to see that request had been filled. I ABSOLUTELY loved our Waiter and Assistant Waitress, Christian and Maria. They were amazingly helpful, I loved them.

Let me take this time to vent - We did prepaid gratuities, I always do - I hate having to worry about saving enough cash to tip on the last night. But I really hate having to tip the head waiter. He comes up to us to "fake chat" as we like to call it, and I don't really see him doing much at all. He never truly helped us, he never was helping any other table, he never helped the waiters - I think this is an unncessary position and would rather give that $7 a person to the waiter/asst waiter. I worked at restaurants for 4 or 5 years as a hostess, food runner, waitress - and love tipping, when I think it's appropriate, this is one position I still don't see the necessity of **END VENT**

Anyway - I don't really understand the complaints on the quality of the food in the dining room. My boyfriend and I eat at very nice restaurants extremely often - so I have a lot to compare it to. I think you need to go into it realizing you are on a cruise with food that is being mass produced. It is NOT going to be the BEST steak you ever had, or the BEST lobster ever - but it's good and it's pretty cheap in the scheme of things (with the price of the cruise). I ordered the prime rib on the first night and like mine still moo-ing (rare) so it came out perfectly and I could tell it was cooked pretty freshly. If you order it medium, I'm sure it has been sitting under heat lamps for quite some time - so use common sense!

I felt the options were at times very different from most cruises. There is the standard escargot (which I tried, and although the snail concept is gross to me, the garlic butter is AMAZING and had my boyfriend and I scraping the pan with our bread to finish it) the standard shrimp cocktail, caesar salad...etc, but there are some different dishes which were nice to see and we loved to try.

The windjammer was marginal, as most buffets are. We really liked it for breakfast, although we never pigged out. We loved the MDR for lunch, I could eat that Salad Bar for lunch EVERY DAY. I love the concept, I lived in NYC last year before I moved to California and we had those salad places everywhere, where you pick your lettuce, ingredients, dressings and have it all chopped up - and I really miss it. My boyfriend loved the Beef Tostada Salad (fancy way of saying Taco Salad) and had it twice. I really enjoyed the turkey burger, it was really tasty.

We went to the gym 4 times and that made me feel a lot better about eating! The gym is really nice, my boyfriend enjoyed the steam and sauna after working out and I enjoyed the whirlpool after my workout.

To all of those wondering about sports - it's hit or miss, but better than I expected. On Sunday when we got on board we went right to the 19th Hole (remember, I was with my boyfriend who made me go to the sports bar before going on the ship) and they had the Chargers game on and the Sunday night game, so that was very nice. They also showed the Monday night game. It was the rest of the week that was dicey, the Dodgers and Angels were both playing and sometimes they would have their games on, sometimes they would show them 45 minutes into the game, and other times they would make you confused and have pool on or soccer. We later found out that they contract out their programming to a 3rd party company and they are the ones who pick what is on and figure out all of the licensing. This is the part that made me sad because I am a huge University of Florida fan, and on Saturday we (ranked #1) played LSU (ranked #4) and instead of showing that game, they showed another college football game between two unranked teams.

ESPN is the main channel and they show other sports through that channel (TBS on ESPN, ABC on ESPN, etc.) - so if it's on ESPN/ABC, you have a great chance of catching your game.

The bartender in the 19th hole was great, Samuel (he will be in the Schooner Bar for the next two weeks - so if you will be on, look for him when you check out Matt Yee!)

That is my next topic - Matt Yee is an absolutely amazing entertainer. Although he is very pushy with asking for tips and trying to sell his CD, it definitely works for him. You can't miss him - he is in the Schooner Bar at least 3 or 4 nights.

The other shows were okay, the Love and Marriage Game Show was the funniest I have EVER been to and I think it was mostly in part to our Cruise Director, he is extremely quick and snappy and comes up with very funny jokes in a flash. My boyfriend was laughing hysterically, and that's my gauge of funny!

The adult comedian was really funny too, really dirty - but I loved that and it was hilarious!

Hmmm...what else. The weather on the way back up on Saturday was a bummer because it was chilly and windy - but it's okay...we were drinking and keeping ourselves warm inside.

Oh - the ports.

Cabo - We had just done a week in Cabo in December so we already knew we wanted to go to Medano Beach. We got a water taxi ($4 a person) and went to Billygans. Got wasted, had a great time, played some games on the beach, went swimming with our beers in the water. Oh - be cautious, my boyfriend got a mild sting from a jellyfish while in the water. He got it off of him before it really stung, but he said his fingers and cheek were really on fire. I am much more of a baby than he is, so I probably would have been freaking out - but he just grabbed it off his face and went on with the day (i'm sure the beer and tequila helped!)

Mazatlan - GARBAGE! Every comedian and cruise director staff member makes fun of this stop (i.e. - it gets prettier the further away you go). We got off and figured we would make a plan as we went, and right away we were just over it. It is grungy, you have to take a cab to go anywhere - and nothing sounded very exciting. We walked around the shops right there in the port for about 10 mintues and decided to go inside, go to the gym and eat lunch in the dining room. We were very happy we did. Luckily, we didn't have high hopes for Mazatlan, so we weren't disappointed.

Puerto Vallarta - AMAZING! We booked the Outdoor Adventure through Johann and Sandra that advertise on the boards and it was great. Be careful of the time difference if you book tours on your own. Ship time is an hour behind of PV time, so even though our tour left at 9:30, we had to really be there by 8:30 ship time. They also made it very hard to find where we were supposed to meet, so get out there early and don't be afraid to ask questions. But the Outdoor Adventure was absolutely amazing, if you have any questions - ask me.

Quick summary, exciting boat ride, open air vehicle that takes you offroading to the mountain, ridiculously amazing and unbelievable mule ride to the top of the mountain, zip lines, rapelling down waterfalls, free fall rapels....when it says hike - there is VERY little hiking. Don't let that scare you. If you are marginally physically fit and can handle going up a hill for 10 minutes, DO THIS TOUR. Oh yea, at the end we went to an authentic Tequila Distillery in a little village and got to taste all of the tequilas (Blanco, Anejo, Reposado, Amaretto and CHOCOLATE!) It was great and we bought a bottle of Anejo for my boyfriends dad.

We had brought Captain and Vodka in Rum Runners and it was PERFECT. We were a little worried because our bags didn't come until around 8pm, but our attendant told us that one of the elevators were broken and it took longer than usual. That made us sweat it out (I got REALLY anxious) - but everything came to us. Definitey recommend these rum runners.

Okay - that's a long review. If you have any questions, please feel free to ask. You can email me at alyssa.rechtman @ gmail.com

Hope you enjoyed my review as much as I enjoyed the ship. Royal Caribbean is amazing and I loved the ship (I had been on the Explorer and the Voyager in the past). I really think RCCL is a great experience, I do just enjoy the younger partying crowd of Carnival.

[novalab]

Thanks so much for your great review lyssa13! We will be cruising on the Mariner in April, our 2nd MR cruise in 13 years. I am sure some things have changed since our last visit in 1997 We loved sailing on the Mariner last June. We had the Pacific Coastal cruise & hope that RC returns to that itinerary at least on a part time basis in the near future. It turned out to be our most favorite cruise of all.

[woodburyhomes]

Great review..thanks for the posting.

[boaterette]

Thank you for th ereview. I hae done the Mexican Riveria three times. I think if you were to have taken a tour in Matzalan you would have had a beter experience. You would have probably had the same opinion of PV if you had just walked around the pier area.

Did you visit the casino on the ship and if so how was it?

[Desert Cruizers]

lyssa, enjoyed your review of the Mariner, we will be cruising on her in April of 2011 for our Calif Group Cruise and can't wait. It will be our first Voyager Class.

[lyssa13]

Originally Posted by boaterette

Thank you for th ereview. I hae done the Mexican Riveria three times. I think if you were to have taken a tour in Matzalan you would have had a beter experience. You would have probably had the same opinion of PV if you had just walked around the pier area.

Did you visit the casino on the ship and if so how was it?

We visited, but with 2 trips to Vegas planned in the next 3 weeks, we promised ourselves we wouldn't gamble! But as far as ship casinos go, it looked nice. I liked how the tables were set up - I was on the Carnival Valor last May and the tables (we play Blackjack) were just thrown in the middle and seemed very crowded!


I do agree, if we had a tour it would have been better - but there just wasn't anything that stuck out at us. We live 10 blocks from the beach in California, so we are spoiled (and very aware of that) - we didnt have an interest in lounging on the sand....or shopping...or any city tours. We are more adventurous type people (hence the Outdoor Adventure) and I tend to look for excursions that stick out like that!

[rummenroman]

Can you email me the info for the Outdoor tour in PV please. We have a cruise and a week long vaca planned and are looking for ideas! scoman@comcast.net....thanks!

[pg.]

Great review,, thanks.

Can you tell me where to look for more info on the Adventure Tour,, definately sounds like something my hubby and 17 yr old would like to do.

[pg.]

Sorry, one more questions.. is the salad bar you mention in the main dining room ,, or do you mean a salad bar in the buffet?

[slowly]

Thanks lyssa13 for the post. We are in the process of thinking abt cruising RC in March.

[jjb415]

Thanks for taking the time to write such a thorough review. I am glad that you enjoyed your sailing on the Mariner, one of my favorite ships !! . If you don't mind things a bit rustic, you could try the trip to Stone Island on your next trip to Mazatlan. There is an inexpensive ferry near the pier and a day on the local beach under a palapa or in the sun can be fun there. Lots of information in the Mexico board on how to get there.

Thanks again for the review !!

[rummenroman]

Originally Posted by pg.

Sorry, one more questions.. is the salad bar you mention in the main dining room ,, or do you mean a salad bar in the buffet?

I am assuming here but the salad bar the OP is referring is part of lunch in the MDR. They have HUGE selection of salad items (lettuces, veggies, condiments) and you pick and point at what you want and they put it together for you.

[Mickeefan]

Thanks for the review. We're going on the Mariner after Christmas for a New Year's Cruise. We can't wait. I'm definately trying the MDR salad bar. It sounds really good.

Did you have trouble getting onto any machines in the fitness center? What time did you generally go? Early, late?

My sister, brother-in-law & nephew are trying to decide which zipline adventure to book. Thanks for the positive review of the outdoor adventure. I'll pass it on.

[lyssa13]

Originally Posted by rummenroman

Can you email me the info for the Outdoor tour in PV please. We have a cruise and a week long vaca planned and are looking for ideas! scoman@comcast.net....thanks!

Hi!

You can find all of the information here:

http://www.puertovallartatours.net/o...-adventure.htm

This is the actual company that does the tour:

http://www.vallarta-adventures.com/t...door-adventure


Please let me know if you have any other questions!

[kooljamming]

Thanks for the review!
We loved Mazatlan and it was our favorite port. I think it's representative not of the tourist trap of Cabo but more of the Mexican people and culture. It's not dolled up for the tourist, it's about real people living real lives and that's not always pretty We took the city tour and went to the market, the Cathedral then watched kids in uniform marched in a parade.

[Happy ks]

I'm a bit surprised that you don't understand the reason for tipping the headwaiter, since you state you have worked in restaurants. Didn't any of them have a head waiter or maitre d'?

They are behind the scenes, making sure everything goes smoothly, if you have great service in the dining room, it is very much because of the support they have, the training they receive, from the head waiter. Just because they aren't laying the food and drink down in front of you does not mean they are not working their butts off for you. The mere $5.25 per person, per week, is well worth it.

[lyssa13]

Originally Posted by pg.

Sorry, one more questions.. is the salad bar you mention in the main dining room ,, or do you mean a salad bar in the buffet?

It's in the Main Dining Room for lunch, you will see it all set up right when you walk in. You sit down and order with your waitress, it's on the menu as the Tutti Salad - after you order, you go up and they start making your salad!

It's amazing, I would love one right now!

FYI - The creamy italian is their lowfat option and it is TASTY, it's the only one I used!

[lyssa13]

Originally Posted by Mickeefan

Did you have trouble getting onto any machines in the fitness center? What time did you generally go? Early, late?

My sister, brother-in-law & nephew are trying to decide which zipline adventure to book. Thanks for the positive review of the outdoor adventure. I'll pass it on.

We generally went around 11:00am, 11:30am - it was never too crowded. We got on all the machines fine (treadmills, bicycles and the machines). No more than 5 minute wait to let someone finish their sets.

Yes, I would definitely say the outdoor adventure is the one to do - it includes SO much. My best friend did the same tour 3 weeks ago and we all left saying the same thing, I can't believe how much you get for the money!

[yogimax]

I totally agree with your comments about head waiters. We had a useless one on our last cruise. As a result, we paid tips in cash (which I don't like to do) and gave his tips to the other waiters.

Thanks for an excellent review!

[SRAFROG]

This is Barbara...

Lyssa13, I was on the same cruise last week. I have been to Mexican Riviera
64 time and enjoy each and every one of them. I will add some comments
to your excellent review.

Head waiter. I have had good and bad ones. My head waiter last week
was lame. He only came around on lobster night and of course on tip day.
This was my second trip on Mariner and the head waiter I had in August,
Kayah, was excellent. Of course it was because I was sitting with my
friends I have sailed with before and they are all "celebritys". Mary Lou
has 200 cruises. Claude 180 cruises. Corrinne and Rodney are diamond
plus like me. I was the little kid that gets to hang around the "biggies". lol.

Ports:

Cabo is a tourist trap for the most part. I know everybody wants to go to
Cabo Wabo for a tee shirt, but it is very dead during the daytime. You can
hear "The Office" bar and grill from the ship.

Mazatlan is just what it is, a large working class city. It is good to see how
the real people live and work and socialize there. The big tourist spot used
to be the original Senor Frogs. They have moved to the El Cid Hotel and
is is pretty dead there now as I have been told. Too expensive to take
cab there and they are loosing the tourist market. My friend, Marco, used
to work there for 20 years. He now works at the terminal restaurant.

Puerto Vallarta is picturesque and tropical. Of course there are touristy
places like Hooters, Senor Frogs, etc. There is a malecon for shopping
downtown. There is a Sam's Club and Walmart across the street from
the ship. My favorite restaurant there is in a jungle by waterfalls. They
have the best fresh lobster there. Yummmmmmmm.

I am an old bat on a red scooter so I cannot get off in Cabo with the
tendering. But been there done that. That applies to all of the ports
for me. I do get off in Mazatlan and ride around the flea market there
and have a margarita at the little outdoor restaurant there. They also
make very good tacos and I have NEVER gotten sick eating there. I
also get off in PV and ride around that flea market. Sometimes I ride
over to Walmart too.