Mariner 6\26\05 Review

Just returned from Mariner of the Seas June 26th, Eastern Caribbean cruise with my wife (we are 44 & 40) our 18 yo son and 12 yo daughter. We were in aft cabin 1394 (a junior suite).

Overall the cruise was wonderful. Every one had a great time and we hated to leave.

The Beginning:

We flew in on Friday to Orlando and rented a car to drop off at Cape Canaveral (the cost of renting a car before and after the cruise was a better deal than paying the $100 each way airport transfer). We spent the weekend at the Cocoa Beach Oceanside Inn. The rooms were very nice and it was located right on the beach next to the Cocoa Beach Pier very close to everything. We would stay there again. We arrived at the port around 11:30 am, went through the check in process very quickly and immediately boarded, we were on the ship by noon.

Our Cabin:

Our room was ready when we got there; it was a JS and more than big enough for the 4 of us. My son slept on the fold out couch and we brought in a rollaway bed for our daughter. The oversized deck on the aft was incredible, it was huge, about 15’ by 15’ with 2 lounge chairs, 2 deck chairs and a small table. The views were beautiful being so high up (deck 10). Lots of storage space, all the suitcases fit under the bed, and the bathroom was more than large enough with plenty of cabinet storage space. We had bathrobes for all of us and our steward was wonderful.

The Ship:

The Mariner is amazing, very beautiful with tons of space. Every one we dealt with was wonderful and very accommodating. We never felt crowded. We tried to enjoy everything, but found that to be a daunting task with so much to do. The various pools were great, although there were several “chair hogs” especially close to the water. Our daughter had more than enough to keep her busy, the kids club kept her involved in activities until about 1am. She loved every minute of the cruise. Our son spent most of his time in the Dragon’s Lair and had a blast; we typically didn’t see him roll in until sunrise, he truly enjoyed the ability to be treated as an adult in all of the clubs. My wife especially enjoyed walking down the Promenade every afternoon, there was usually something new going on or for sale. The first day I purchased a bottle of alcohol in the onboard liquor store and paid the in room consumption fee which was a great deal. The liquor prices on board are very reasonable, and with the fee it made it cost about what I would have paid for it on shore and didn’t have to sneak anything on board ( I packed the mixers in my luggage). The Casino was also nice (although had I won, it would have been wonderful).

The Food:

The food was very good. We ate most nights in the dining room (second seating) and our waiter was the best (Engin)!! He kept the food coming, especially for our 18 yo. He would bring him out seconds, thirds and even fourths. There were 2 formal nights, 1 smart casual and 4 casual. We ate one night at Portofinos, it was well worth the extra fee. The Windjammer was a nice place for breakfast and lunch. Also the Café Promenade was a great place for a snack. We used room service a couple of times and the food was not bad. We did not do Johnny Rockets, but those who did said it was very good and worth the $3.95.

The Entertainment:

The shows were very enjoyable and the Ice show is not to be missed. There was always music going on someplace and it was always good. You could be entertained as much or as little as you desire. Especially enjoyable were The Quest and The Love and Marriage Game. The Captain was also very entertaining, always coming up with something that would make you smile.

The Ports of Call:

Nassau – Personally, not my favorite. We spent a little time in town walking around and window-shopping. The locals seam much more pushy and less amiable than in the other ports of call. The Mariner will stop going to Nassau in the fall and stop in Coco Cay instead; I think this will be an improvement.

St. Thomas – We booked a tour with Sunny Liston on our own and loved it (even with the rainy weather). We spent a few hours shopping, a tour of the island and ended up at the beach (we chose Sapphire). He was a great guide and made the most of the bad weather. Every one on the island was very friendly, the island was very clean (especially in comparison to Nassau) and the shopping experience was very pleasant.

St. Maarten – A beautiful island. We spent the day at Orient Beach. A beautiful beach with great sand and surf. There were many rental opportunities for parasailing, jet-skis or boogie boards, but we just sunned and played in the surf. The occasional toplessness didn’t bother any one, and was occasionally amusing.

Tips and Tricks:

Best used tips: Pre-printed address labels for the departure baggage tags, the folding clothes hamper, bringing a travel steam iron, and the Neat Sheet for the beach’s.

Not used tips: The over the door shoe bag (more than enough room in the bathroom), didn’t use the air freshener as our room was fine as is.

Can’t wait to sail on her again! Be glad to answer any questions.

Rob & Kim

Thank you so much for this review. I cannot wait until my trip in October.

Wow...sounds like you had a great time on the ship. Sounds like there was so much to do...the shopping sounded good to me! (not so sure my husband would agree...lol) How formal were people dressed on formal nights? (tuxes for the men?) We are cruising on the Mariner on 9/4 and was going to order a tux for my husband through cruise formal wear so we didn't have to worry about packing a suit, will he feel out of place with a tux do you think, or should we just do the suit?

Sounds like you weren't too thrilled with the Bahamas, we'll have the same ports in September that you had and we have never been there, I haven't read a whole lot of good things so far about going there, maybe that's one port where maybe we should make that a pool day.

Any suggestions of things not to miss?

Kathy

As far as the formal nights it was a mix; there were many men in tux's bit probibly more in suits. The big advantage I see if you decide to rent is that you don't have as much to pack.

The Bahamas didn't thrill us, unless you want to take a trip to see Atlantis, you may have more fun staying on the ship - many people did.

If you want a tour of St. Thomas would highly recommend Sunny Liston (www.sunnylistontours.com) the price was much better than booking through the ship ($20 per person) and we got everything in we wanted (shopping, a tour, and a beach). As for St. Maartin all the beaches looked wonderful and we had a great time at Orient Beach.

Don't miss the Ice Show (or all the shows really) and at least one of the speciality restaurants, we loved Portofino's.

Thanks for the post, it helped me alot. I will be sailing with my cousin, and my aunt and i cant wait. I love eading the reviews it just gets me so excited thanks again.

NLIEDEL WHEN ARE YOU GOING IN OCTOBER??? I will be sailing october 2???

ANYONE ELSE GOING OCT 2???

For the Sunny Liston Tour, how the the beach visit work? Did he drop you off and come back or did you taxi back to the port. We would like to spend a couple of hours on the beach in addition to the tour.

Thanks,

Lou

Melanie H we have a huge group going on the Mariner on October 2. Go to roll calls and see our thread. there is also a website with alot of the cruisers pictures and we also chat on Sunday evenings on yahoo. Be sure to register with RC for the meet and mingle meeting on board. We have 125 registered already.

*Sigh*

The cruise exactly one year after mine!

For the Sunny Liston Tour, how the the beach visit work? Did he drop you off and come back or did you taxi back to the port. We would like to spend a couple of hours on the beach in addition to the tour.

 

Thanks,

 

Lou

With the tour he alots about 2 hours for beach time. He does pick you up at the beach and takes you back to the boat. Or for like us, it was raining so he just waited with us for about 20 min or so and then took us all back to the boat. But if anybody had wanted to stay he would have come back for them.

Great to hear about your Mariner cruise! We are planning a Mariner cruise for the same time next year 6/25/06. It will be stopping at Coco Cay which I like better than Nassau. I was wondering if you had any problem with wind and the ship rocking? We went on the Voyager's western route 2 years ago and never felt the ship move. I have been browsing the boards for info on the Mariner and have read a few posts on how windy it was on deck and how people felt the ship rocking. I was wondering if it was because it leaves from Port Canaveral instead of Miami....or maybe the route itself? Did you have any problems with windy conditions on your cruise? Any information would be helpful...thanks.

Great Review sounds like you had a great cruise. Do you know when RCI will switch the itinerary to drop Nassau and add Coco Cay? We really enjoyed Coco Cay and would probably prefer it over a day in Nassau only exception would be I wouldn't be able to stop and pick up my wonderful Bacardi Rum Cakes.

How did the car rental return work out? We'll be using Budget and wondered if we can drop off at the port/terminal or have to go to Cocoa beach and take a shuttle. Also, what night do you recommend Portofinos?

We felt very little rocking, at least not enough to bother either one of us. There was a bit more motion southbound rather than northbound, but again no problems and my wife does get motion sickness easily. We both started the cruise by taking Bonine as we too were worried about the motion sickness, but by mid cruise we stopped taking it as the ship was so stable. The pool deck and above were very windy a few nights (so hold onto your skirts).

Do you know when RCI will switch the itinerary to drop Nassau and add Coco Cay?

Looking at the Mariner itinerary, they start going to Coco Cay on 11/27/05.

How did the car rental return work out? We'll be using Budget and wondered if we can drop off at the port/terminal or have to go to Cocoa beach and take a shuttle. Also, what night do you recommend Portofinos?

The rental car worked great both to and from. All the companies use shuttles from town as there is no drop off at the port itself. The car was not only cheaper, but it let us be more flexible on our flights and do things in the area rather than wait at the airport all day.

We chose Wednesday night as it was Caribbean Night and the menu did not look quite as wonderful as the rest (although the waiters do dance on Caribbean night). We felt the best dining room menu nights were the 1st two and the last two so I would avoid missing those.

Thanks for the heads up on car rental!

Which night do you recommend Portofinos?

We chose Wednesday night as it was Caribbean Night and the menu did not look quite as wonderful as the rest (although the waiters do dance on Caribbean night). We felt the best dining room menu nights were the 1st two and the last two so I would avoid missing those.

Thanks for the review! It's so nice to read peoples experiances on the ship I will be going on in alittle over 200 days...augh:( At least I have some great reviews to read in the meantime.

Could you please tell me what the consumption fee is to bring alcohol bought on ship back to your room? And what is offered, do you remember the cost of some of the choices they have?

Thanks so much. MAO

Hello,

Was on the Mariner last year to Western Carribean and going on again the 24th of July to Eastern Carribean. This is my fourth cruise and we were never allowed to bring alcohol back to our rooms from the islands. They take it as soon as you step back on ship. They pack it up for you and deliver it to your room the night before you leave the ship.

You can buy top shelf alcohol on the ship for much less than you can here in the U.S. - the problem is the corkage fee of $9.95. So, if you buy a bottle of Stoli, they charge you $11 and a $9.95 corkage fee - which still is cheap. The first night of the cruise, they usually have a two for one special - two bottles of alcohol for one corkage fee.

ALSO AS A NOTE OF CAUTION - DON'T BUY LIQUOR ON THE SHIP TO BRING HOME. YOU WILL BE STOPPED BY CUSTOMS (AND THEREFORE DELAYED) AND YOU HAVE TO PAY DUTY ON IT. OF COURSE THEY PEOPLE IN THE LIQUOR STORE ON RCI DIDN'T TELL US THEM. ALSO, THERE ARE RULES AND LIMITS FOR ALCOHOL THAT YOU CAN PURCHASE ON THE ISLANDS - THE CAPTAIN OF THE SHIP ETC SHOULD EXPLAIN THOSE RULES TO YOU.

Meredith

Rob,

Did the Sonny Liston tour only include the beach? I went to his website and for Sapphire Beach, it mentions just the beach - so when you said shopping, tour of the islands and Sapphire beach, I didn't see that itenerary on this website. Did you do the shopping and tour of the island on your own?

Meredith

Thanks again VikingRob! I appreciate your time and information :)

Rob,

 

Did the Sonny Liston tour only include the beach? I went to his website and for Sapphire Beach, it mentions just the beach - so when you said shopping, tour of the islands and Sapphire beach, I didn't see that itenerary on this website. Did you do the shopping and tour of the island on your own?

 

Meredith

The tour included everything. The website does not explain it very well. If you email him he will explain the details to you.

Thanks for the feedback on the rocking of the ship....and the advice on the skirts!! I too get motion sickness easily but did not on the Voyager so I was hoping the same would be true for the Mariner. Sounds like it will be okay. Thanks for info!

.Could you please tell me what the consumption fee is to bring alcohol bought on ship back to your room? And what is offered, do you remember the cost of some of the choices they have?

 

Thanks so much. MAO

There is a very large selection of alcohol to choose from on the ship. Most normal ones ranged in price from $11-$15. My husband thought the fee to bring the bottle to your room was $9.50. Which is still a deal. And I believe that you can only do this on the first night. We bought our alcohol to bring home on St Thomas. The store we bought it at even delivered it to the ship so we did not have to carry it around all day. It showed up the day before we left the ship with no problems.

Kim

Thanks VikingRob...appreciated your review!

Was there beer sold in these stores or just the "hard" stuff? If beer is sold in the store onboard, do you remember the prices (ballpark)?