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1/20/13-1/27/13 Mariner of the Seas Review--with pictures!!


ckmommy

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Hi Folks,

 

I want to thank all of you prior reviewers for the posts you have provided me with to read and enjoy. I wanted to do a review for others that are going on a Mariner or that class of ship soon. We did not do everything there is to do on the ship, but we did enjoy most things on the ship. Feel free to comment or ask questions along the way. I will be happy to answer any questions you might have.

 

Cast of Characters:

Me--Stay at Home Mom of 5

Husband--engineer who is usually traveling 3 or more days a week and on the phone or computer all day

Daughter-14 and knows it all

Son-12 who loves to eat

Son 10--loves to give hugs and kisses to the ladies

Son 10--sweet boy who wants to try lots of new food

Son 8--loves his mom and never strays too far away

My Mom--cruise director for the trip

My Dad--funding the trip

My Sister-divoriced--alone with her boys for the trip--uh-oh??

Nephew turing 15 on the cruise--likes to be by himself

Nephew 11--quiet but likes the other cousins

Nephew 11--singer and dancer wants to be with the teens

 

My family lives in Cypress, TX and my parents and sister/her boys all live in Florida. We have done a cruise all together out of Florida, but decided to make it easier for my family this time--so going out of Galveston. They arrived in Texas on Friday afternoon. It was just enough time for the girls to get their nails done, hair done and last minute shopping for essentials to be bought. And wine for my parents to be bought so they could bring it onboard--more on that later.

 

Sunday-January 20th

 

The day had finally come!! I could not sleep well, and was up well before the sun rose. I had watched the 10 pm news on Saturday night and heard that fog would be rolling in overnight. I was really worried that the fog would delay our trip. I got on my computer and looked at the Galveston Web cam just in time to see the Mariner backing down the channel--no fog to deal with in Galveston. In Cypress, it was very foggy though.

We got going early, showers for 13, Sweet rolls made, suitcases in the hall. Then our first surprise for my kids knocked at the door--the LIMO DRIVER. 30 minutes early, but here none the less. My kids who did not know about the limo were screaming and so very excited!! I had never been in a big limo like this either, so I was just as excited as they were. I do not have a photo because my camera bag had been put into the limo before I could snap a shot. If you are in the NW Houston area, we used Blackhorse Limos. It was $175 each way. It was a Cadillac Escalade limo. All 13 of us and our luggage fit pretty well.

 

8424921596_eda95a58fc.jpg

IMG_5735 by ckmommy4, on Flickr

 

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IMG_5739 by ckmommy4, on Flickr

 

Serious fun and relaxation before the cruise. It was fun to watch people looking at us in the limo while driving on the highway.We made great time to Galveston. Got our first glimpse of Mariner of the Seas at 11:15. We had a long wait in line to get to the port drop off. A very LONG line. To make things a bit worse, our driver--who had never been to the port--missed the MOS arrow, so we had to do the whole circle with traffic again. We finally got to the right port drop off and found a porter. The next and last bad thing of the day happened when we realized my mom had not brought the luggage tags. So we had to write out 15 tags for the luggage. After that and a tip, our luggage went away for a few hours.

 

We walked into the port building (not sure what this building is really called). After the little boys went to the restroom, we got in line--YAY!! We were almost to the ship. Our family showed our birth certificates and the rest of the family showed their passports. We waited maybe 5-8 mins till we got to the metal detector. Everyone got though just fine--except me--guess my boots zipper was too metal like. I took them off and we were all clear. THEN--my dad had a melt down. The security guys wanted to know about his wine. He gave it to them and started to give me the evil eye. I was the one to tell him RCL let you bring on 2 bottles of wine--one per person. It turned out that security was just making sure it was wine and let him go through just fine. The evil eye turned into a happy wink of thanks after that.

 

Next step--checking in!!:eek:? :D? or :mad:?

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Subbing...

 

 

We go on the Mariner this Sunday!

I'm also a mom of 5, so I REALLY can't wait to hear all about your trip! Were there many other kids?

 

Are you taking the kids? I will do my best to be informative and finished before you leave!!

 

No, there were not too many kids. The little ones did not spend much time in the Adventure Ocean club, but the older ones went to the teen club every night and did not get back to the room til 1 am. There were about 12 teens that got to be great friends throughout the trip. They are FBing and texting each other as I type!

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Check In:

 

Because we had so many people, we decided to get one of the Royal Family Suites then have 2 other cabins next to each other. We were going to be on Deck 8 Aft from the middle of the ship all the way to the starboard side. due to having a suite, we got to go in a special line. But, because all of the adults were on the suite reservation (because we all wanted the concierge benefit), check in was sort of a mess. The people listed in the suite may or may not have been given keys to open their room door. Anyhow, this took a bit of time to figure out. Paul Mitchell (I'm serious) got it all worked out, and we were ready to board. ( It took about 20-25 mins to get this all worked out.) Paul took us to a special boarding line we got our picture taken, scanned our sea pass--PING--and we got on the escalator. We were all so excited to be on that gangway!!

 

We all walked on board together (including my sister and all her luggage--not a clue why she dragged all her and her kids luggage with her--no reason to do that). The kids saw the Adventure Ocean team and got green bracelets to wear for the duration of the cruise. These were for the Muster station. Ours said D25. If the kids were at the AO club or anywhere on the ship--during an emergency--any crew member could look at the bracelet and take them to the correct muster station.

 

My husband and I got in line to get a soda package, and the others went upstairs to get lunch from the Windjammer (with the rest of the passengers for the cruise.) This is where we learned how valuable this sign was going to be:

8424780024_426fc943a1.jpg

IMG_5769 by ckmommy4, on Flickr

 

People with a gold card had a few special perks--one of them being allowed to eat in Chops for breakfast and lunch. They had a small buffet set up in Chops, but you were more than welcome to make your plate up in the Windjammer and bring that into Chops to eat. Also for breakfast and lunch on Sea days, they would let you order items to be cooked on their grill. This was so nice. I always hate going to the WJ and having my food looking around for a table to sit at. Loved this perk--even more so later in the week--more on that later. We were sitting down for lunch at 1 pm. By 2 pm we went to see if our room was ready..

 

Our room!!

 

We had the Royal Family Suite Deck 8 Cabin number 8394

 

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IMG_5747 by ckmommy4, on Flickr

"Master Bedroom"

 

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IMG_5748 by ckmommy4, on Flickr

 

Dining Area--we never sat here to eat though--good place to collect all our stuff

 

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IMG_5749 by ckmommy4, on Flickr

 

Living Area--the couch became a bed at night

 

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IMG_5751 by ckmommy4, on Flickr

 

Second Bedroom--the beds were separated and then there were 2 bunks that pulled down from the ceiling

 

8423692661_14438c753a.jpg

IMG_5753 by ckmommy4, on Flickr

 

The doorbell--wish we could have disconnected it after the first day!

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8423691327_f52c41b79f.jpg

IMG_5755 by ckmommy4, on Flickr

Half our balcony--the dining table--we just used the chairs from it for the week.

 

8423692023_63a2f5cca3.jpg

IMG_5754 by ckmommy4, on Flickr

 

The other half--tanning chairs

 

8423722243_d1c6c9ddff.jpg

IMG_6216 by ckmommy4, on Flickr

 

Storage in the master bedroom

 

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IMG_6214 by ckmommy4, on Flickr

 

Closet #1 in the master bedroom

 

8424813960_27fe83939f.jpg

IMG_6213 by ckmommy4, on Flickr

 

Closet #2 in the master bedroom--there was ton of storage--I was finding extra saces up until the last day of the cruise. We could have brought huge suitcases full of clothes and had room left over to store the clothes.

 

What's on board the Ship?? Next post...

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We got unpacked, and decided to go explore the ship. It was pretty warm on deck 11, so my husband and I got what became our drink of choice on this cruise:

 

8424780462_c433b9c47f.jpg

IMG_5767 by ckmommy4, on Flickr

 

Mai Tai!!

 

We enjoyed 2 of these at the pool bar while lounging in the chairs reserved for the gold pass holders. I do not think that anyone actually checked to see if you were a gold pass holder. Just sayin' if you want to check out these chairs;).

 

We played a game of mini golf and saw our kids running around. We put a stop to that--with a strong reminder about how to act! We had many talks about this prior to leaving for this cruise. I hope that no one encountered my kids being unruly at any point on the cruise.

 

After a bit more exploring, we decided to get ready for dinner and head to the concierge for a drink, some appetizers and to arrange for a shore excursion plus set up our time for my time dining!

 

About 10 mins. after we got back to the room, the kids came back to the room--with chocolate all over their faces. Yup, they found the self serve ice cream!! They loved that place. By day 3, we had to put a limit on how many ice cream cones they could have. If they were ever lost, we'd just stand by the ice cream machine and they'd show up sooner or later.An FYI--most days, the flavors were chocolate and vanilla plus a twist. On the first and last day they had strawberry as well as chocolate and vanilla. There was always a line for ice cream!!

 

8424832312_f181a5b5ae.jpg

IMG_6421 by ckmommy4, on Flickr

 

Our first night in the Concierge Lounge...

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A couple of things I forgot to add while writing the report:

 

As soon as we stepped on board the ship--really first foot on deck--one of my twins comes running to me saying he lost his sea pass. Really, son, you've had it for 1 minute!! A crew member saw us looking on the floor and had found it about 10 steps from where we were. A lanyard is needed for my kids!!

 

Also--in our room were the Gold and Diamond Crown and Anchor booklets. The MOS has not gone to putting them on the sea pass yet--so you'll have to carry around the book just a little longer--which we never did--hence no coupons were used.

 

On to the Concierge--

8423706357_9bfa78b851.jpg

IMG_6053 by ckmommy4, on Flickr

 

 

 

We were met by Luca the Concierge for MOS--for 2.5 months longer! He was a doll and super helpful. We were able to arrange our Amazing Race shore excursion in Cozumel and my sister was able to have him explain all the different excursions she was interested in going on. Luca was able to call the company that she wanted to book an excursion from and get her kids enrolled. They were supposed to be 12 years old. Her boys were only 11. Luca worked it out just fine. He also helped us get a bridge tour, back stage tour and Galley Tour arranged for the last sea day. He was truly fabulous!

 

The Concierge was a nice sized room, but packed to the gills on the first night. We arrived at 5:25 and could not find a seat. By 5:45 half the room cleared--people leaving for dinner or the show. we were then able to get a set of chairs and table for our family. Bobby our server did a great job getting our drinks every night. I was his first time working the concierge. Sweet young fellow. Every night, there was an assortment of cold appetizers, cheese plates, a small plate of desserts (chocolate covered strawberries, these yummy chocolate dipped cookie etc) then in another area, there was a hot selection of appetizers. All yummy!! This area was a really nice place to relax and meet some new friends. Our kids did not come into the concierge. It was not a place for them. They did wait outside the door at a pre-determined time each night for us. It worked out well for everyone. Since I do not drink much alcohol, I happily enjoyed a hot tea every night!

 

Dinner the first night was a little rough. We had 13 people and the first night they were not able to put us at one table together. No big deal. The big problem was the waiter. He was plain awful. He took our order, left, brought us our food, then left again, then brought us our dessert. No small talk, no asking if everything was alright, nothing. My oldest son did not like part of his meal. Nothing was said like on past cruises. If a waiter saw we were not eating something that would offer to bring us something different. Not this guy. I thought he was rude and unhelpful. I beileve his name was Robert.

As we were walking out, we were told that tomorrow we would be sitting at a different table--all together. I was hoping for a different waiter too.

 

During dinner, we passed by the Carnival Magic. We easily passed her like she was standing still. My little boys and I went to the port windows and watched as we passed her. That was pretty neat--my pictures did not turn out or I would have posted some.

For Dinner, I had the fish--Sea Bass--it was pretty good. I know my oldest son had the Prime Rib and loved it. The other kids had the veggie quesadillas. They enjoyed them as well.

8423682701_c7ef2dd3d2.jpg

IMG_5874 by ckmommy4, on Flickr

 

8424773970_f9a335c8d5.jpg

IMG_5873 by ckmommy4, on Flickr

 

After dinner, I had thought we would go watch the parade, but we fell asleep before it started. The teens in the group went to the ice breaker for the teens. They arrived at the room at 10:30. There were only 2 other kids that went to the ice breaker.

 

Pretty good first day. Looking forward to a wonderful week on the Mariner!!

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We'll be on Mariner in March. We will be traveling with our 13 year old son who also likes to eat and play video games. Hope you mention what your "teens" liked doing the most. Looking forward to more of your review !!!

 

My 12 year old son said his favorite things to do were:

 

Free Video Game night--all the arcade games were free for the teens for an hour at 10 pm the first day at sea (Monday night)

Teen Dinner and prom night were his favorite though--that was the last night.

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A couple of things I forgot to add while writing the report:

 

As soon as we stepped on board the ship--really first foot on deck--one of my twins comes running to me saying he lost his sea pass. Really, son, you've had it for 1 minute!! A crew member saw us looking on the floor and had found it about 10 steps from where we were. A lanyard is needed for my kids!!

 

Also--in our room were the Gold and Diamond Crown and Anchor booklets. The MOS has not gone to putting them on the sea pass yet--so you'll have to carry around the book just a little longer--which we never did--hence no coupons were used.

 

On to the Concierge--

8423706357_9bfa78b851.jpg

IMG_6053 by ckmommy4, on Flickr

 

 

 

We were met by Luca the Concierge for MOS--for 2.5 months longer! He was a doll and super helpful. We were able to arrange our Amazing Race shore excursion in Cozumel and my sister was able to have him explain all the different excursions she was interested in going on. Luca was able to call the company that she wanted to book an excursion from and get her kids enrolled. They were supposed to be 12 years old. Her boys were only 11. Luca worked it out just fine. He also helped us get a bridge tour, back stage tour and Galley Tour arranged for the last sea day. He was truly fabulous!

 

The Concierge was a nice sized room, but packed to the gills on the first night. We arrived at 5:25 and could not find a seat. By 5:45 half the room cleared--people leaving for dinner or the show. we were then able to get a set of chairs and table for our family. Bobby our server did a great job getting our drinks every night. I was his first time working the concierge. Sweet young fellow. Every night, there was an assortment of cold appetizers, cheese plates, a small plate of desserts (chocolate covered strawberries, these yummy chocolate dipped cookie etc) then in another area, there was a hot selection of appetizers. All yummy!! This area was a really nice place to relax and meet some new friends. Our kids did not come into the concierge. It was not a place for them. They did wait outside the door at a pre-determined time each night for us. It worked out well for everyone. Since I do not drink much alcohol, I happily enjoyed a hot tea every night!

 

Dinner the first night was a little rough. We had 13 people and the first night they were not able to put us at one table together. No big deal. The big problem was the waiter. He was plain awful. He took our order, left, brought us our food, then left again, then brought us our dessert. No small talk, no asking if everything was alright, nothing. My oldest son did not like part of his meal. Nothing was said like on past cruises. If a waiter saw we were not eating something that would offer to bring us something different. Not this guy. I thought he was rude and unhelpful. I beileve his name was Robert.

As we were walking out, we were told that tomorrow we would be sitting at a different table--all together. I was hoping for a different waiter too.

 

During dinner, we passed by the Carnival Magic. We easily passed her like she was standing still. My little boys and I went to the port windows and watched as we passed her. That was pretty neat--my pictures did not turn out or I would have posted some.

For Dinner, I had the fish--Sea Bass--it was pretty good. I know my oldest son had the Prime Rib and loved it. The other kids had the veggie quesadillas. They enjoyed them as well.

8423682701_c7ef2dd3d2.jpg

IMG_5874 by ckmommy4, on Flickr

 

8424773970_f9a335c8d5.jpg

IMG_5873 by ckmommy4, on Flickr

 

After dinner, I had thought we would go watch the parade, but we fell asleep before it started. The teens in the group went to the ice breaker for the teens. They arrived at the room at 10:30. There were only 2 other kids that went to the ice breaker.

 

Pretty good first day. Looking forward to a wonderful week on the Mariner!!

 

Loving your review! We will be on board 4/7. When you say Luca will be there for 2 1/2 months, do you know his departure date? I love Luca!

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Loving your review! We will be on board 4/7. When you say Luca will be there for 2 1/2 months, do you know his departure date? I love Luca!

 

I am pretty sure he said he is done the end of March. I think he will have his replacement in place by the time you arrive. I am not sure which ship he is going to--he is not sure either. I do know he has signed on for another contract. He for sure is not going to be the Mariner again though.

 

He is so sweet--he was so good to all of us!

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Day 2

 

We woke up early and walked outside to cloudy skys and a cool breeze. My husband and I decided to go up on the jogging track and go for a run, then finish off by doing a workout in the gym. The kids were going to stay in the room until 8:30 and then meet up at Chops for breakfast.

 

We got up to the jogging track and walked the first lap--boy was it windy!! We ranfor about 20 mins and had enough of the wind. We went inside and did another 25 min workout. The gym was pretty busy. We did not have any problems finding a bike or floor space to do sit ups. My sister did a spin class at the same time and really enjoyed it. I believe she paid just over $15 each time she went--including a tip.

 

We cooled off and headed to Chops for Breakfast. The kids had beat us but had found a table in the WJ to sit at by themselves. We talked to them and told them we'd be eating in Chops. They seemed to do well by themselves. We got to Chops for a quiet breakfast for 2. I was able to order an egg white veggie omelet and Jason ordered Eggs Benedict. It was nice to have a nice cooked to order breakfast.

 

After we ate, we (including the kids) headed up to the Rock Wall. I knew that this was something I really wanted to do. I have been around a lot of rock walls, but I seem to always have a skirt on and have never been able to do it. I was still in my work out shorts, so it was now or maybe never! The kids all got their waivers signed and got suited up!

 

8428821078_0e390aa8c0.jpg

RMA-130121-Decks-4230287 by ckmommy4, on Flickr

 

The kids did great and got to go several times. I got suited up and thought this was going to be a breeze. I had been doing a lot of arm strength workouts, so I was pretty confident. The girl who was holding onto the "rope" for me asked if I had ever had done the wall before? I told her I had not. She told me to stay on the green rocks and I would do just fine. I started out just fine, then not so much! I had gotten my fingernails done before the trip. Each time I moved my hands, I thought I was going to rip a nail off. But, the real problem was that my fear of heights clicked in. I was shaking so much! I had the strength to pull myself up, but I was so scared. I was about 2 feet from making it to the top and I looked down at the kids and Jason and said I was done. They encouraged me and I drove on. I made it to the bell. Then the stomach dropping drop to the ground. Super fun, and scary at the same time. I did not do the wall again, but I would encourage anyone to try it!!

 

We went back to the room and got showered and ready for the day. I am pretty sure Jason and I and the kids went and spent some (or maybe a lot) of money in the arcade.

 

I then signed up the little guys for Adventure Ocean. They got their Lanyards and their sea passes punched. They did not want to go in AO at the time. Side note--I had signed them up to be able to self check out and into the AO club. The "teacher" warned me to have a plan with the kids. Sometimes Self checkers were lost on the ship. Mom and Dad think they are in the AO club and when the parents go to pick up Junior he is not there. He explained that we should have a plan on where to meet the kids and what time to meet them. This worked just fine for us. We never lost the kids and they were always where they were supposed to be at our meeting time. It also worked out nice for us at dinner. When the kids finished their dinner, they went to the AO room and check themselves in. I did not have to leave the dining room to check them in. It made the adults have a nice relaxing dessert time.

 

The rest of the day was spent looking at the shops, reading on the balcony, doing school work.

 

Dinner that night was amazing. We met what would be our waiter and Assistant waiter for the rest of the cruise. We were on Deck 5--Sound of Music dining room. Our table was at the back (most Forward Port side). Our Waiter was Lyall and our Assistant was Joe (Joesilino). Both from India. Amazing service--the Best servers ever!! Lyall did science and magic tricks for the kids each night. We were so blest to get these two men as our wait staff on this cruise. I am sad that they will be going to Asia in a few months and we will never see them again. If you are going on Mariner before she leaves for Asia--request these two--you won't be disappointed!!

I think I had the Garlic Prawns this night. They were good. Nothing that memorable , but sill good.

My sister had the Lamb Shank and did not like it at all--she thought this was the same thing as Lamb chops--which it was not. I think Jason and my dad ate it and enjoyed it.

 

We brought the kids back to the cabin tonight after dinner and called it an early bedtime for them. Jason stayed back with them, but I went to the Magic show that night. It was quite funny-- The Magic Bob was the only show that I really enjoyed the whole week.

 

Up next Our first port day Cozumel!!

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