LIVE from the Mariner of the Seas Barcelona to Dubai

[jkspringtexas]

Rico, thank you so much for doing your daily blog - it's absolutely wonderful!

 

My husband and I had planned on taking this cruise, but got our grandaughter's high school graduation date mixed up and just couldn't get back from Dubai to Arizona in time. We spoke to Capt. Flemming about it in January and he even said it would be cutting it too close.

 

So, we are truly enjoying being able to follow along with you - it has been so amazing! We look forward to every day - thanks again for taking the time to share this adventure with all of us that couldn't be on the Mariner with you. Your pictures and narrative are so perfect - we feel like we are there with you.

[Rassa]

Thanks for the live. So interested in this cruise for next year but RCL has nothing out yet. May-be there won't be one.

[Clarea]

Thanks for the live. So interested in this cruise for next year but RCL has nothing out yet. May-be there won't be one.

To my knowledge, Mariner will be in Asia for several years.

[Keith1010]

Enjoying your blog.

 

Keith

[TPCRUISER2]

Waiting to hear the details of the drill and the nights of darkness. Hope it has gone with out any problems

[BecciBoo]

Guess Rico is having toooo much fun....;)

[2catfamily]

Waiting to hear the details of the drill and the nights of darkness. Hope it has gone with out any problems

 

They are just starting to have the night of darkness. Going through the Gulf of Aden starting tonight.

[2catfamily]

Guess Rico is having toooo much fun....;)

 

I bet the internet connection is horrible.

[3DobermansDZS]

This is great. Thank you for spending the time on your vacation to take all of us along for the ride!

 

Royal Caribbean really should sponsor people to do detailed reviews like this for their more "exotic" offerings. I would never have considered an itinerary such as this, but now I'm researching trips and wondering if I'll ever have the vacation time saved up for this!

 

Thank you, again!

[RicardoC]

Hey everyone! As some of you mentioned yes, I was busy and yes, connection isn’t the best. I finally was able to catch up on writing and you will have your missing days with me. We are now cruising on our way to Dubai and, believe me, it is HOT, almost unbearable, outside. It has been a different couple of sea days; the first two were very windy so waters were “stressed”, today it has been calm but there seems to be fog in the horizon, which only complements the desert heat. Anyways, enjoy!

 

Sunday, May 12 - Suez Canal, Egypt

 

 

First of all, Happy Mothers day to all follower moms! Our approach to the Suez Canal was at around 1am, when we passed the city of Port Said (the entrance for the Canal). I decided to sleep before then so I could wake up earlier (than I would If I had waited, that is) and enjoy the experience with daylight. I knew it would be dark and tough to see, after all, and my dad confirmed my hypothesis: he left the Casino to see it and was there for an hour staring at the endless dark. He did say, as many others that I heard the following day, that it was interesting to see the way Captain Flemming maneuvered the Mariner to enter the Canal, so I did miss on something. Apparently there was a decent amount of people watching it, actually the whole day too. We woke up (spontaneously) at around 8. Since the father wanted to sleep more (obviously, he went to sleep at almost 3!), I had a mothers' day breakfast at Chops with (guess who) the mother. It was funny because I doubted we'd see any other cruise ship on the Canal and we saw not only one but two! We were anchored in the lake (so the Northbound ships could pass and clear our way Southbound) and then both Oceania's Nautica and Azamara's Journey sailed next to us back to back! Same ships (as of layout) one right after the other...I thought it was cool. Too bad I only had my phone to take pictures, after all I never expected more cruise ships. Captain Flemming announced Azamara Journey was to sail next to us and, since she is a sister ship, they would salute each other. He asked for people outside to cheer at our "lil sister"...that was also fun.

 

Now, the Suez transit took some 14 hours to be completed (from 1am to 3pm) but we were only awake for the second half of it. The first half seems to be pretty cool with the modern bridge that crosses over it and all but we needed sleep since we knew the following two days would be busy. At around 9 we anchored in the lake and stayed there for a bit over two hours; it was a different sight as there were dozens of cargo ships anchored waiting for another dozens of them to finish passing through. All that with a city, vegetation, and then endless desert mountains as a background. We took this time to take my dad to the Peek-a-boo Bridge overlook since he hadn't been there yet. This place is great, as I have previoudly heard, especially when doing such a different itinerary. For you to have an idea it was my third time there in six days onboard, and it was cool to see the captain and officers "in action" waiting to continue our way through the Suez. Today was also the day they made the pool bbq (and all outside areas were packed) but we chose to go to the MDR for mothers day lunch.

 

 

 

The Suez Canal is something else; we have been to the (somehow comparable) Panama Canal and it is cool but more like an engineering achievement. The Suez was carved by the bare hands of Egyptians (when as many as 100 thousand men died) and that is why they fought to get it back. Today, it is the country's main industry and we could see on the last part. We went down to deck 5 fwd where you have access to the helipad as I had previously thought it would have a great view of the Canal. From there not only we could see how incredibly narrow it is (sorry Oasis, I think you are not "Suezmax" heheh) but also the several military bases on its banks. After all it was a very interesting day; not many people can say they have been through the Suez Canal. In fact, our guide (Hend) in Alexandria told us she has never been through it, just crossed it, and she is Egyptian. We watched the Mariner meet the waters of the Red Sea for the first time while having an espresso up on deck 14 and found Suez to be probably the nicest town (as in clean, organized, well taken care of) we have seen in Egypt.

 

 

 

We had reservations for the wine tasting dinner so we headed to Chops Grille at 7pm. It was great; from the smoked duck salad to the AHmazing filet with tomato sauce, from the Mer Soleil to the Caymus, from the presentation to the taste, all worth it. It was a shame in a ship like this only 14 people did it (they had two tables set for everyone); I thought the whole restaurant would be "reserved" for it...not really. I would highly recommend, though, since just a bottle of one of the wines costs the price for the whole meal per person.

[RicardoC]

Monday, May 13 - Safaga, Egypt

 

 

This was our last day in Egypt, and we docked nice and early (as always). Safaga (pronounced Safega, with an accent on the E, by Egyptians) is an important port on the Red Sea, but the city itself didn't seem to be very developed (especially for the tourism industry). Our tour, once again with Alex City Travels, would meet as soon as we were cleared so we finished breakfast as the Mariner docked. Our tour "staff" (guide, assistant, security, driver) turned out to have driven from Alexandria to Safaga to meet us, and our guide turned out to be Hend, the same lady from our second (half) day in Alexandria. We quickly started the long drive to the Valley of the Kings, most of it through arid valleys and plane deserts. It has been interesting to see the landscape and weather slowly change as we sail from Europe to Africa and the Middle East. We had a minor problem with the bus' air conditioning but Alex City's "staff" was great immediately deciding to have us join the other two buses (which had empty seats) while they called on another bus. Obviously it wasn't their fault but they felt somehow guilty all day apologizing; in my opinion they couldn't have dealt with the situation in a better way. Like Hend later said, we should thank her for the adventurous experience of stopping in the middle of the desert to change buses...heheh we enjoyed her sense of humor.

 

 

We got to the Valley of the Kings under a burning sun; this place was chosen to substitute the Old Kingdom's tradition of building pyramids (such as the ones in Giza) as the Pharaos' tombs. By building them "hidden" in the valley robbers wouldn't find them, and so the rich objects surrounding the Pharaos' mummies would not disappear as happened in Giza. There is also the idea of the Valley being away from the Nile's "flood zone", which Hend talked about, and the shape of one of the mountains in the Valley that looks like a pyramid, which I have previously read about. After all it worked since the tombs were only found some 90 years ago (with all objects we saw at the Egyptian Museum) after thousands of years kept in secret...amazing in my opinion. Our ticket enabled us to visit three tombs (Tutankhamun's being sold separately) so we visited Ramsess III's, IV's, and IX's. It is such a different experience as they are all different (based on how long the Pharaos lived, socio-economic situation at their times, etc.) but so well preserved considering their thousands of years of age. We also visited King Tut's (we are that close, after our four days in Egypt) Tomb, which was an additional $20 per person. Come on, we came all the way here and won't visit it for twenty bucks!? Surprisingly not many people decided to go and many thought (as I might have overheard some who visited) it wasn't worth it because of the small tomb (because he died young). I thought it was great; not only it has all the mystery of deaths after Carter's finding in 1922 but also Tut's mummy which is really creepy (but awesome). Unfortunately we can't even take out cameras inside (to preserve the wall paitings) so no pictures.

 

After the Valley of the Kings we headed for lunch, but first drove by some other recently found temples and monuments. Like my father said Luxor is like the new Rome with all ruins in the middle of the city. After lunch we spent the remaining of the afternoon at the place I was most excited to visit: the temple of Karnak. As I mentioned I did some research on ancient Egypt before the trip so I had an idea of what to expect from the largest religious complex ever built. It was beautiful, and very impressive to see the art still very preserved (again, considering its age) on the pillars, for example. We only spent about an hour and a half there...we needed more...another reason to go back.

 

 

 

 

The drive back was, as expected, very tiring since it extended for another three hours until it was all dark out. That might be one of the "pros" of actually flying to Egypt and doing it all by land with a Nile cruise. Don't get me wrong, I love cruises, but the fact we spent a lot of time on buses for not enough in each stop wasn't that good. I would definitely do the same itinerary again but would probably stay closer to the port and try to explore those areas. Off course we had to do it all because we had never been to Egypt before but I would strongly recommend flying there. Like Hend said on her "closing speech" don't watch the news; Egypt is a very peaceful and safe country with priceless historical sites but the media's misjudgement (which influences potential tourists) is really affecting the country's economy. From what I understood, and I didn't want to ask more since I think it's a delicate subject, Hend hadn't been called on to guide since the revolution, which shows how low tourism has been. She finished her speech thanking us for going to Egypt, for trusting them, and believing in their country. I have to be honest with you and say that touched us; we had a great time in Egypt and can't wait to go back in the future. It felt good to be part of the country's history and to know we made a somehow positive impact by going there.

[RicardoC]

Tuesday, May 14 - Aqaba, Jordan

Today we had some very welcomed extra sleep since the ship was only supposed to dock at 9. Last night we would not change time zones before arriving in Jordan (which is in a different time zone 1 hour ahead). I had been emailing a taxi driver whom I read about around here and agreed to schedule a day with us, so I rushed to my phone and send him an email explaining we would only arrive at 10am, their time. Fortunately Abdulla got it and, as I found out in the morning, answered me at midnight saying it was fine. We got off the ship as soon as it was cleared (btw no passports were needed; they had collected them when we got back from Safaga, probably to do the UAE stamps) and took the free shuttle to the city center since they didn't let us walk out to meet Abdulla.

 

This guy, Abdula Qabaa, was a great finding. First of all hiring him, even not including the tickets to Petra, was cheaper than the ship's tour. We didn't mind not having a guide because we knew it would be an open air museum that we could explore on our own. Another thing that we prefer is the freedom to do whatever we want, when we want, and change our schedule accordingly, so we already loved the idea even before docking in Aqaba. He turned out to be even better than expected; his taxi was the nicest/newer we saw all day, he was very welcoming and helpful with anything we asked about Petra and Jordan in general, and he seemed very passionate about his job and showing his country to tourists. Just as an example of the details that make all difference, before we left Aqaba he had to stop for gas (included on the price for the day) and came back with three bottles of lemon & mint juice, since he knew we most likely weren't used to the very warm weather. I strongly recommend him so please let me know if you'd like his contact.

 

Aqaba is Jordan's only port; actually the city is pretty much the country's only land by the Sea. The Gulf of Aqaba is a piece of water stretching from the Red Sea; it basically has Egypt's Sinai Peninsula to the North(ish), Saudi Arabia to the South(ish), and both Israel's Eilat and Jordan's Aqaba all the way back to its end. So the result is an important port, Resort town, and tax-free area with three borders within miles of its center. I feel like we could have stayed an overnight here as well since it has so many attractions (Petra, Wadi Rum, the Dead Sea, and apparently really nice spots for diving/snorkeling). It's our first time here so, as much as I'd love visiting the Dead Sea, we opted to go to Petra, which is about two hours away, and stop by Wadi Rum for sunset on the way back.

 

 

This place...petra...impossible not to be astonished. Keep in mind that you will walk...A LOT...but I'll talk anout that in a bit. So you get to the visitors center, get in, and make your way down a path which is already beautiful. The path, then, starts to narrow down as the stones (not sure if one can call them canyons?) get taller and taller and create a natural covering from the sun. At this point I thought we would never feel the heat of the sun since we are 1000+ meters from sea level and it's actually cool, especially in the shade. It was funny because Abdulla first said we needed five hours to do it and we thought it was too much so set to meet him three hours after he dropped us there...little did we know that "just" to get to the entrance we'd take one hour! So we walked, and walked, and stared at the amazing formations, and took pictures, and then, one hour later, our of nowhere.

 

There it is: Petra's mysterious entrance and most preserved and impressive building, the Treasury.

 

 

This is just too surreal, now that we are here. Once you see it you forget all the stone steps that are already making your feet "stressed", you forget about the donkeys and camels and horses and their smell, you just want to stare at it...and so we did. After the Treasury we continued walking, saw some more interesting buildings, tombs, the amphitheater, and then the parents decided they were too tired to keep going and would grab a donkey to go back. I wanted to go up to see the Monastery, another very preserved building, so I continued alone, though I would gi e anything to see my parents riding the donkeys heheh. Well, after all, I was there and could not miss the Monastery...it can't be that far right? Sure...

 

 

I start going up, and up, and more steps, and more donkey feces to watch out for. Turns out I meet Tyler, who was on all our tours in Egypt, around half way up. He gives me the news that it's supposed to be thousand steps up, takes over an hour, and we are only halfway there. Detail: I was supposed to meet the parents and Abdulla just over an hour later. I obviously wouldn't make it, but ai couldn't just turn around and leave, so it became my personal challenge to go up and then rush back. I knew Abdulla was taking us to lunch at a local restaurant near the meeting point so they could start and I'd meet them...no need to worry. We finally got up and it was amazingly beautiful (come on, we needed to reward ourselves for the effort!), but I only stayed there for about five minutes as I was supposed to be all the way (two hours walking) back in half an hour...ok hahah. I started going down, and the irregular steps weren't helpful, and I started feeling the head I previously thought would never be that bad, and I had no water...fun stuff. I ended up taking about an hour and twenty minutes to go back (rushing), was sure I'd faint of dehydration at times, but got back about fourty minutes late. At least I can say I almost died in Petra...heheh.

 

 

After I met Abdulla and the parents at the restaurant we headed to Wadi Rum for a quick drive around (before the tourist gate) during sunset. The desert (or valley, as the name "Wadi" suggests) is beautiful, the color change at sunset creates a varietu of colors in the stones that makes it special. Yes, it reminded us of Arizona, but also has it's uniqueness. It was another amazing day, and as a result we really want to go back (this time flying) to Jordan and tour the whole country. We were amazed by the welcoming people, the infrastructure of roads and what not, and all that good stuff. Abdulla said he wishes we will be back and see him again, we also hope so!

 

[RicardoC]

Wednesday, May 15 - At Sea

Today was the first of six consecutive sea days, something completely new for us since the most we have done was three days at sea. It was mostly spent with housekeeping duties: sorting laundry items after all ports, checking (and eventually answering) important emails, and obviously trying to start catching up on writing for you guys! Today was also the scheduled date for the "Safe Heaven Emergency Drill", which took place at 10:30am. It pretty much says to run away from open areas and/or windows in the unlikely event of piracy activity. Those in their inside cabins should stay there, outside/balconies go to the hallway, and public areas will be directed by the crew. We are not worried at all since we know the Mariner is completely opposite of the kinds of ships they usually get (cargo and/or with few people). Worst case we can use the mini golf balls as canons!

 

Today was also the first time they offered the "Ice Under the Big Top" ice skate show, so se decided to have a nice lunch at Giovanni's Table (always great and worth the $15 pp, a shame it was completely empty) and head to Studio B. The show was amazing, as I had previously heard. Everything from the skaters to the scenery to the special guests, who did the "magic" of changing clothes in a matter of seconds while skating, was great entertainment.

 

Besides that it was a pretty uneventful day, as I was still recovering from my "walk" to the Monastery in Petra. At night, at around 3am, someone from the Guest Services talked on the general speakers asking this lady to please call 911. I had never heard the speakers in the middle of the night, and I'm sure several others also thought it was (already) a pirate ship, since we were supposed to enter "the zone" that night. He said it twice, and everyone off course wondered what might have happened to the lady. The crew said her husband woke up in the middle of night and she wasn't in the room, but turned out to be talking with relatives in their stateroom...really? At 3:30am?? Before I even heard this I thought "Oh, no pirate? Ok, back to sleep".

 

Thursday, May 16 - At Sea

 

Today was much more "chill" than yesterday. We actually got to the pool and stayed there for a while (despite the terribly hot, desert burning sun). Captain Flemming slowed down so a boat could bring the security staff for our Straight of Aden crossing, and all outside decks were supposed to be closed at 6pm, before sunset. So it all happened; decks and curtains kept closed, lights off, and all that mysterious stuff. I went up to Chops to make reservations for tonight and saw they even closed both restrooms on deck 11 (which have windows but with no blinds). It was so weird looking out to the pool deck and seeing plain darkness...and so we survived our first of many "pirate watch" nights.

 

Friday, May 17 - At Sea

"Good morning everyone this is Captain Flemming from the bridge and it is another beautiful day out onboard the Mariner of the Seas!". I will miss these words...can't believe it's "kinda" getting towards the end of our cruise. Do you know this feeling? Well, we do have four more days at sea so better enjoy while we make our way around the Straight of Aden, Arab Sea, Indian Ocean, and finally reach the Persian Gulf.

 

I know there have been many comments I haven't responded yet, including questions and favors. I have been trying to work on those, and so this post will be to answer all comments (which I took screenshots so I could respond without being online). There you go!

 

 

wolfcathorse – Captain is Flemming, Hotel Director is Gordon Shenk, Cruise Director is Steve Davis, Chief Engineer is Thomas Stjernhav, Food & Beverage Director is Christophe Poitevin, Loyalty Ambassador is Carolina Hardman, and Concierge is Luca Iorio.

 

 

TPCRUISER2 – Thanks for following along! You might be the most active follower, thanks! Which bar was Celia used to stay? I hope you make it to these places in the future, never say never!

 

 

kruzinkel – she really is. Thanks for following!

 

 

tertour – Thank you for reading & following, I’m glad it’s turning out ok.

 

 

gaechann – the Mariner has a two year contract in Asia, so she will be there until then. Australia is supposed to continue with Voyager, Radiance, and Rhapsody this year, if I’m not mistaken. You also have the Solstice now, which is an amazing ship.

 

 

Cindy – Thanks for following! Don’t get me wrong, Luca has been great (just like the whole crew, which I will write about later), he was really mad about the coffee machine constantly breaking and maintenance not fixing it completely.

 

 

I-Cruiser – sorry the pictures of Suez took so long, hope you enjoyed them!

 

 

High C’s – Glad you liked them, thanks for reading!

 

 

Susyq 1967 – we have been to cancelled cruises to Egypt, too, and it is a disappointment. Russia is awesome, one of my favorite places, I’m glad you enjoyed it too! Hope you make it Egypt soon now that it’s all good.

 

 

foxesden1 – I’m planning on posting them in one of these sea days. Soon!

 

 

jkspringtexas – Thank you! Too bad you couldn’t make it, but I agree it wouldn’t be worth risking it. I’m glad you’re enjoying it, and congrats to your granddaughter!

 

 

Rassa – Glad you’re enjoying it…I think Royal won’t have this itinerary in the next year…but you never know!

 

 

clarea – you’re right, she’ll be there for at least two years.

 

 

Keith1010 – Thank you!

[Cindy]

 

Cindy – Thanks for following! Don’t get me wrong, Luca has been great (just like the whole crew, which I will write about later), he was really mad about the coffee machine constantly breaking and maintenance not fixing it completely.

 

 

 

No worries -- I love Luca and wish he could transfer to the Navigator!

We also did the Chops wine pairing dinner on our cruise and thought it was great, especially because they were very generous with the wine. We only had one table of 10 people for our dinner!:eek:

[High C's]

OMG, Ricardo, your thread is fantastic! :D I snuck on here at work just to see if you had been able to post - and I was rewarded with all your photos! I have just emailed my husband and told him we have to sit and read it together tonight, and then promptly start researching a similar trip for 2015.

I love your descriptions, and your enthusiasm. Just delightful. :)

[Seas the Day]

I'm following the thread because I'm getting on in Dubai. Any tips?

[TPCRUISER2]

Rico: Thank you! The pictures made me speechless. Thanks for showing me that part of the world. Not what I thought it would look like.

 

Celia: Was last on mariner 2012. You could just ask any server or bartender. I do remember you are not 21 so if not comfortable I understand.

 

Like the pirate info also. Not many will experience that either. Ha!

[BecciBoo]

WOW!!!!!!!! Absolutely incredible!!!!!!!!!!! To see Mariner with the dunes in the background when we were just on her last month!

My hubby was in Arabia during the Gulf War and he said it was routinely 130 degrees out there!

Stay safe Rico and thanks again for your consideration to keep us so well informed and entertained...loving this!:D I never put the middle east on my bucket list, but thanks to your pics I just might!;)

Edited May 17, 2013 by BecciBoo

[smoosh21]

Wow, now I am jealous. I really wish we could have stayed on for this second leg. Maybe someday

[scottishwee35]

Hello

 

I was reading your trip report and photos. I must tell you that I really enjoyed it and wow your photos look so amazing and so beautiful...

 

I had been in Barcelona twice for Disney Cruise and your photos bring back my memories...also I have been Panama Canal 2008 too but your photos oh wow something different:p

 

Thank for showing the photos...

 

Scottishwee35

[wales4ever]

We are joining the ship in Singapore. Have you any news on the onboard bands, singers, musicians etc.

 

Thanks :)

[rednancy1]

Rico, your review is just fabulous and your photos are the best. Thank you for sharing. :)

[gaechann]

gaechann – the Mariner has a two year contract in Asia, so she will be there until then. Australia is supposed to continue with Voyager, Radiance, and Rhapsody this year, if I’m not mistaken. You also have the Solstice now, which is an amazing ship.

 

 

Thank you Rico for responding! I've been loving your review and photos! We would love to do the trip through the Suez Canal so it's on our bucket list though it's a long, long way from home!

 

Enjoy the rest of your cruise!

 

Gae

[mais318]

Great Review! it was a lot of fun to read and bring back some memories of my time in Barcelona. It is such a great city. It is also awesome to see someone else my age on cruise critic, with the same love of travel that I do. I will be doing a complete Oasis trip report after my cruise in July, hope to see you there!

[RicardoC]

Thanks for all the great responses! I tried to upload the past couple days but internet was in a bad mood...sorry :/

 

We are LIVE, though, from Dubai, United Arab Emirates! Hopefully our hotel in Delhi will have good (free) wifi and you'll get the last few days of our cruise. I will also, most likely, have a surprise for you. Stay tuned!