RCI - Mariner of the Seas First Cruise!

Hi,

I have booked a cruise in the Western Med on 7th July for 7 nights. Travelling is my wife and three "children" 20yrs, 17yrs and 13yrs.

I have requested and been alllocated forward balcony cabins that have a connecting door. On deck 10.

There are only a few of these connecting balcony cabins available so I think we are fortunate.

BUT I read from most posts that the aft or the "hump" is better.

Was I wrong to request forward cabins?

Thanks

Welcome to Cruise Critic. Although your question does involve cabin selection, it is bvetter to ask it on the Royal Caribbean board, where the Royal experts reside. That can be found under Cruise Lines P-Z. EM

For the Voyager class ships I prefer a balcony near the aft elevators - these elevators service the MDR, the Windjammer,pool, sports deck, Studio B, Dizzy's, etc etc. If you are forward, you will be walking every time you need to go to one of these places. The connecting balconies each lose a couch to accommodate the connecting door. Your kids are older, so adjoining balconies with a larger couch in each room would probably work well. If you are budget minded, putting the kids across the hall in an inside room would be more economical - many folks do this.

If seas are rough, the forward portion of the ship can bear the brunt of the sea....and you may feel more motion there. However, you won't be in those rooms 24/7....you'll be out and about.

The "hump" area is certainly more convenient to stairs and elevator and is a more mid-ship location.

You'll be fine where you are...no worries.

138east. Thanks for your advice. Can you please explain the elevator info?

We are near the forward elevators but you infer that they don't service all decks. Would we need to still use the aft elevators for some areas?

Originally I chose to be near the elevators for ease of getting around and also in case the ids cabin was on another deck they would be quick to get to. Sounds like I should have requested two D1 in. The hump that we're near to each other horizontally or vertically.

Would it be possible to change our request?

Would this make my chances for an upgrade any better or as first time cruisers do we have zero change of an upgrade.

Hmmm

Andrew

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Hey CB. Thanks to you too!

Would also appreciate any input from you!

Cheers

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138east. Thanks for your advice. Can you please explain the elevator info?

 

We are near the forward elevators but you infer that they don't service all decks. Would we need to still use the aft elevators for some areas?

 

Originally I chose to be near the elevators for ease of getting around and also in case the ids cabin was on another deck they would be quick to get to. Sounds like I should have requested two D1 in. The hump that we're near to each other horizontally or vertically.

 

Would it be possible to change our request?

Would this make my chances for an upgrade any better or as first time cruisers do we have zero change of an upgrade.

 

Hmmm

 

Andrew

 

 

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I see from other posts that you are aware of the price drop on your cruise. Hopefully, you will be able to take advantage of it in some way. IMO reducing the cost of your cruise can be more important than getting crazy about your cabin location. I'd focus on that this weekend.

The forward elevators service almost all the decks, but you have to walk all the way to the aft to get to the MDR, the Windjammer, and the sports deck. The pool deck is on deck 11, but the forward part is the solarium and the main pool area is towards the aft. Look closely at the deck plans. Dizzy's (deck 14) is serviced by only one bank of aft elevators. The part of the MDR dining room on deck 3 and Studio B is only serviced by the aft elevators (no walk through on Deck 3). So if you want to get to these destinations, the best way to do it is to walk aft on deck 10 and take the aft elevators.

The main forward destinations are the fitness center/spa, Cafe Promenade, and the theater. For me these are not places that I go to multiple times a day.

Another consideration is where your 5th person will be sleeping. Some cabins have a sofa bed and some cabins have a pullman.

Check a big online travel site to see cabin availability on your cruise. If you see something you like, contact your TA or RCL if you are booked directly. If you're using a TA, folks have recommended putting a 24 hour hold on cabins to ensure they don't disappear on you. You're getting close to final payment, so cabins may start opening up as folks decide not to take the cruise. Keep checking.

Don't worry if you decide to keep your cabins. It's a port intensive cruise with only one sea day so cabin location won't be a deal breaker. It also looks like you might have a D1/E1 combination with a sofa bed in the D1. This is a unique arrangement and is likely to be cheaper than 2 D1's, so that could be a factor as well. You may already have a cabin combination that best suits your family from a price standpoint.

My favorite ship so far! I love the Mariner. We stayed in hump cabins and loved them. We went with two other couples and we all stayed on the hump.

Can anyone advise me on;

1. Sailing time is 7pm, what time will we be able to board?

2. Do you recommend the "sail away dinner" at Giovanni's Table? Would we be able to watch the sail away from an alfresco table, if so how would we reserve an alfresco table?

As this is our first cruise would you recommend a sail away dinner or something else for our first night ever at sea. We have three teenagers with us...

Thanks

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