Mariner Japan Cruise - March 22-30 Review

[Aquahound]

I'm sorry the OP's very interesting and informative review has become a judgmental thread, but that seems to be how so many end up these days.:(

 

I agree 100%, mostly because I know how the OP feels.

 

Tell it like it is and call out those who are responsible. If others can't handle it, too bad.

[jerseylily]

In support of the OP. I was also on this cruise. The safety issues are real and worrying. The key for me was that I purchased (what was my first cruise with RCL) based on the experience promised in the brochure and online advertising (including MTD) and I did not get the promised experience in virtually any respect except the haven of my cabin. Had I had access to a review like this I would have been able to make a more considered judgement whether or not to proceed. Thank you again OP. It was the worst experience of my cruising career to date. Please RCL - get a special brand for these cruises or at least get a separate brochure so that all, western, eastern alike know what they are paying for.

[Mac303]

I agree 100%, mostly because I know how the OP feels.

 

Tell it like it is and call out those who are responsible. If others can't handle it, too bad.

 

I totally agree, being "politically correct" should never force another to compromise the safety or health of the OP and her family, during the unsafe situations they encountered on this cruise.

Edited April 7, 2015 by Mac303

[CVU]

I believe I totally understood what you were trying to convey. I also feel you did a good job of it.

 

I get it totally.

It is a very good review, Thanks!!!:) Unless someone is in your shoes, they may not get it.:rolleyes::)

[breeze123]

I, too, am anxious to read the rest of the review and hope the OP shares it with us.

[Cruzaholic41]

OP - Do not let the feelings of a few anonymous keyboard commandos prevent you from telling the truth. Don't candy coat it, and don't change your true tone to satisfy them. If the Chinese passengers on board that ship were out of control, all of us on Cruise Critic needs to know.

 

And moreso, RCI needs to know. Someone mentioned rebranding for the Chinese market. That is an excellent idea if RCI intends to stay there. I already think RCI is screwing up by sending their newest ships to that market, but with these sort of reviews, they're also going to cruise their way right out of the pockets of one-time loyal guests.

 

Thank you OP. Please continue and whatever you do, please do not hold back from telling the absolute truth. As you can see, most of us are with you.

[Cruzaholic41]

The tourist goes to see sites and expects people to treat them in the manner they are accustomed to. On the other hand, the traveler and the people in the country they visit have positive interactions and both benefit from the experience.

 

Oh, stop it. This lecture doesn't even make sense. This is a cruise review, not a review of a vacation in China. There's a huge difference. In this case, the Chinese were also the tourists - or travelers - whatever you want to call them. Do you really not see the difference between hoards of Chinese tourists on a cruise ship and being on mainland China among those living and working?

Edited April 7, 2015 by Cruzaholic41

[oaktownboy]

I really do appreciate the OP's candid description of her cruise experience. My wife wants to book the "cruise of a lifetime" to celebrate my 70th next year and a RCCL China cruise where rude behavior is found is not appealing. We may look to Celebrity, Azamara, or Crystal since those lines seem more upscale.

[bearone]

My thanks also to the OP for an honest review of their experience on Mariner. We had considered cruising on this ship in the near future but will look at Legend instead as it appears more diverse in catering to all nationalities. Thanks again for the review. :)

[crazycatlady82]

Agreed-OP, please continue your review. I'd be discouraged also!

[Missus Makkem]

OP - Do not let the feelings of a few anonymous keyboard commandos prevent you from telling the truth. Don't candy coat it, and don't change your true tone to satisfy them. If the Chinese passengers on board that ship were out of control, all of us on Cruise Critic needs to know.

 

And moreso, RCI needs to know. Someone mentioned rebranding for the Chinese market. That is an excellent idea if RCI intends to stay there. I already think RCI is screwing up by sending their newest ships to that market, but with these sort of reviews, they're also going to cruise their way right out of the pockets of one-time loyal guests.

 

Thank you OP. Please continue and whatever you do, please do not hold back from telling the absolute truth. As you can see, most of us are with you.

 

Well said ,could not have put it better myself.

[jm485]

As others have rightly said, RCI should really consider separate branding for ships tailored for the Chinese market.

 

If the product is not going to be consistent across the fleet - and setting aside the behavior of the passengers, the way the ships are being configured and the services provided does NOT sound consistent with the experience in other areas - it's going to create confusion among loyal passengers looking for new itineraries.

 

I hope OP continues the review. I think it's important to provide information about the experience so that people can make decisions about whether it's what THEY want for THEIR vacations. Maybe it's not what YOU would do, or how YOU would react, but OP's description of the behavior is in-line with how I have seen a number of Chinese visitors acting while in the U.S. Strangely, I didn't see it much while travelling on land in China.

 

I can see how it would be tough for someone who lives in a different culture to take in close quarters.

[nyc12345]

I think what most people will experience when they go to China as a tourist/traveler is quite different from what will happen when the tourists coming from China are next to you as experienced by the OP during this cruise. I found most of them to be exactly as described by the OP. They think rules do not apply to them and their actions are not as civilized as the ones you would encounter when you visit their country.

 

I was originally planning to take a cruise abroad Anthem of the Seas, having read this post, I will need to rethink if it's a good idea to do so.

[aussielozzie18]

Another request here for the OP to return and continue her review.

 

Reviews of RCI Japan cruises are few and far between on this forum.

 

For those of us considering cruising in this region in the future, an honest review such as this with the good and bad gives us a heads up on what we may experience.

 

Plus I really want to see more port photos.

[marci22]

OP said she was busy doing tax prep for an appointment so probably hasn't had time to post.

[chermilo]

Thank you SO much for this review. I do want to take a cruise out of China and this was really a shock for me how you were treated.

 

Please continue when you have a chance! I really have enjoyed reading it.

[link99]

My thanks also to the OP for an honest review of their experience on Mariner. We had considered cruising on this ship in the near future but will look at Legend instead as it appears more diverse in catering to all nationalities. Thanks again for the review. :)

 

 

Just off the legend March 20th sailing one thing Orlando the activities guy said while talking about the move to the Pacific was that very shortly the main language and everything about the ship will be in Chinese just a heads up

[Paulette3028]

Just off the legend March 20th sailing one thing Orlando the activities guy said while talking about the move to the Pacific was that very shortly the main language and everything about the ship will be in Chinese just a heads up

 

You mention a gentleman named Orlando as the 'activities guy' -- from what I know Linda Feng should have been the Activity Manager.....was Orlando, one of the members of the entertainment staff on that sailing?

[link99]

I applaud the op this needs to be told. She is so spot on about the herd mentality of the Chinese tour groups. We experience the same in Italy last year in the cities of Venice , Rome, Milan and Florence. Every where the Chinese groups were resulted in,pushing ,shoving and cutting in line. And even worse was in the leather shops of Florence they would just push shove and grab everything they could get their hand on with no regards to anyone else. They even tried to take stuff from your hands it was that bad. (and I thought RCL'S 2 for 10 dollars tee shirt sales were bad) please finish the story people really need to know just how it is when dealing with theses groups.

[link99]

You mention a gentleman named Orlando as the 'activities guy' -- from what I know Linda Feng should have been the Activity Manager.....was Orlando, one of the members of the entertainment staff on that sailing?

 

 

Yes ran the trivia,bingo, karaoke dance classes on pool deck, so yes. Member of entertainment staff

[lalenalei]

Thank you, everyone, for your kind words. I was always planning to continue my review, but it really helps to hear this encouragement and validation that what I experienced was real to me and that I have the right to my opinion!

 

M, T, W are my work days, and I work 16 hours straight with no break. I just roll people in and out, so I only have time right now to post this, because someone is late. ;)

 

Day 5

Same routine every morning. The boys sleep in (they are staying up 2-3 hours past their normal bedtime). DH is a super early riser, so he goes to the gym first. I either go before they wake up or after getting them breakfast.

 

The morning trivia is in Chinese, so we focus on getting lunch early so we can make it to the ice show. Joel calls, and explains that we don’t need to adhere to the assigned show times (port side, first seating goes at 1:00; second seating is assigned to 3:00). We say that we would prefer 1:00 to go to karaoke at 3:00 and be ready to dock in Kobe this afternoon. He ensures us it’s no problem, and asks if we are okay with the boys being part of the show – there is a part where they will be taken onto the ice as part of a train. I don’t even ask them, but tell him they would love it! He says he will pick us up in our room at 12:30.

 

DH and I go to WJ to get lunch for ourselves and the boys (eating in the room). While getting food from the buffet, a conflict erupts between a cook and the head chef. It lasts a long time. DH is at the other end of the display, and asks, “Are you hearing this?” The chef is telling the cook that the vegetables are unacceptable (the green beans were dried out or sitting out too long), and the cook is basically telling the chef he can’t do anything about it (“What do you want me to do?”) The cook is answering back, but the chef’s original delivery was not nice. He was critical and contemptuous.

 

Then it escalates to the chef saying stuff like, “If you don’t want to do it, go home! Get your papers and get off the ship!” He is berating the cook, right in front of us. Finally, he stops and looks over at us. I ask him to please stop – that it’s uncomfortable for us as guests. He tells me that it’s none of my business; that it’s between him and his worker. I say, “Please just don’t do it in front of us.” He argues again. I ask him for his name, and he tells me “My name is Joseph. If you want to make a complaint, go over there!” Really? I have never witnessed anything like this. On DCL he would be booted at the next port! Of course, I find a manager and tell him what happened. A buffet worker is eavesdropping and after the manager leaves to talk to the chef, the worker says, “Thank you for doing that. He is so mean. He’s always yelling at us.”

 

The ice show was (once again) spectacular. Reviews are consistently positive and this one went beyond expectations. It was the first time this group had performed together. It was a new routine. The ship was really rocking, and they fell sometimes, but it was great. I especially enjoyed the guest skater, who did an amazing routine in a hoop spinning from the rafters.

 

My sons were designated to sit in the front row right at the corner entry in order to get scooped up by the skaters and put into a train as part of the show (perk of being in RS). When the cast came by and did that, the Chinese guests around us started lifting and shoving their kids in front of me and DH and over into the front row (we were sitting directly behind where the boys were sitting), thinking they could also go. It seemed very clear that they were not asking for any volunteers, but they persisted. Then some lady saw that one seat was empty (a crew member was sitting in the other one, as she was helping the skaters get the boys on/off the ice), so she tried to sit there. This is mid-show, mind you. We (the crew member and DH and I chime in) tell her "no", that the seat is taken. So she STANDS there -- right in front of us!

 

The karaoke is not fun. We leave pretty quickly. I write a two-page letter to Kumar (Restaurant Operations Manager) thanking him for his time and compassion, then drop it off at Guest Services with some gifts from home. He calls to personally thank us.

 

When we arrive in Kobe, we are excited to get off and explore the city and eat some wagyu or good sashimi. RCI totally failed here. The whole process was like a giant mob. There were two Japanese officers checking to see that we had our PLPs at the entrance. Zero personnel guiding us through the actual building. There was ONE escalator from ship level to ground level. The entire mob of 3,400 had to funnel into it. I totally thought a riot was going to break out. I get the whole “personal space” thing, but does it really have to go so far as the person behind me having his stomach touching my back? People’s private parts touching me? And this time, there were Chinese battling Chinese. A group of young adult women were joining hands and making a human barrier to (I think) create a more organized flow to the entrance of the escalator. Others were yelling at them and trying to push through them. We were super freaked out. I’ve been to the World Cup, World Series, Stanley Cup Playoffs, etc. I’ve never felt that my safety was an issue merely due to crowd control. This was nuts! 35 people died in a stampede in Shanghai on New Year’s Eve. I believe it!

 

Even after a Chinese woman (seemingly trying to help us) guides us around the barrier and we go up the escalator, we have to go through winding, roped off queues to get out to the curbside, where there are shuttles, taxis, and a train. People are cutting across the vinyl crowd control queue barriers and literally pushing my sons out of the way. It’s like rope drop on Christmas Day at Disney World, except all 3,400 people are in one line. When people in front of us stop, and we stop, the people behind us don’t stop and run into us. Numerous times. I push backward just to get them off me. Do they really have to be touching me??? DH says, “The Chinese people here are so rude!” From behind, we hear, “Not all Chinese.” DH turns around and sees a guy in his late 30’s. He explains that his wife is Japanese, but he is Chinese, and apologizes for the others’ behavior. He knows they are behaving badly.

 

We get outside and the line for the free shuttle is so long. It extends the length of the building and even continues inside. The taxi line is pretty long, too. The line to get portline train tickets comes out of the station entrance. My sons are scared and uncomfortable. One of them starts crying. Both of them say, “Can we please just go back to the ship? Get us out of here!!!” We see our Maryland friends, who are going to brave the masses and go to dinner. Had we been sans kids, we probably would have tried, too. But the boys are so freaked out, we choose to just go back to the ship.

 

There are no people trying to get back on, so it’s easy. The ship is empty. I forget what we did, but I’m sure it was relaxing haha. Later on, DH goes down to Schooner’s, where he meets the Chinese man. They talk and drink for two hours. He is getting off the ship the next day due to some sort of emergency at work. One interesting thing is that he does “cheers” to DH every single time he takes a sip of his beer!

 

I also forgot to mention that the Chinese have no problem coming into our room when the door is open. They walk right in, sometimes all the way to the piano or couch! This happened 5-6 times when Aldrin was cleaning our room and we were inside. Unbelievable!

 

The ice show

 

On the train

 

Kobe arrival

 

I'll post a couple of videos later!

[aussielozzie18]

I wondered how people get chosen for the iceshow. Now I know. Would have been fun for your boys.

 

re: Kobe - that is insane! Your poor boys.

 

Can I ask, if you had been able to disembark in a civilized manner, what was your plan for this port?

[Summerknight]

Well said ,could not have put it better myself.

 

Ditto and thank you for your review. Please don't feel the need to defend yourself.

[Tigerlily75]

I've been following along and really appreciate the review. It is not something I would cope with, and I wouldn't consider it a "traveling experience", it sounds downright awful. A cruise is a pretty confined space.

 

Citizens of any country can and do behave badly when traveling, but right now it is such an issue with Chinese tourists as a group that their own government is taking steps to crackdown on their unruly behavior.

 

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2015/04/08/china-blacklist-uncivilized-tourists/25419645/

 

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2015/01/16/beijing-is-embarrassed-about-unruly-chinese-tourists-and-plans-to-publicly-shame-them/

 

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/china/11519917/China-to-penalise-badly-behaved-tourists.html

 

http://www.news.com.au/travel/world-travel/chinese-authorities-seek-to-protect-countrys-image-by-cracking-down-of-poorly-behaved-tourists/story-e6frfqai-1227190785114

 

... etc

 

I'm really sorry your trip was ruined. I do think your review is really helpful to others who may have been considering a similar itinerary.

Edited April 8, 2015 by Tigerlily75

[Jeffrc1]

I can't respond to each post, but want to clarify that:

 

1) I never said (or intended to say) that ALL Chinese people are bad. That is a ridiculous statement. But the 3,000 "group" (which is what I said) I encountered on the ship behaved badly. I thought I made it a point to say that the hotel's staff in Pudong were very nice and that my experience at Starbucks was positive. I, too, had positive experiences on land. We met some very nice Chinese people, including Joel, some servers, our private driver after disembarking, and a fellow we met while in Yuyuan.

 

2) I don't expect to go to China and be treated in some special "American" manner. I am very tolerant and very open to different types of cultures and people. I did ask fellow travelers for their experiences and I did know what to expect. But I wasn't prepared for the intensity and severity of what I experienced on the ship. Like I said, unless you were there, it's really hard to explain. Having your 9-year-old, 5 ft. tall kid cry because the people are pushing him in a way that scares him and he feels crushed by the crowd is not something that I think typically happens on a cruise.

 

3) I asked but didn't get much feedback on the ship diversity. I never expected it to be so overwhelmingly populated by Chinese nationals. I know better now.

 

4) I think it is absolutely appropriate to expect a certain level of safety, consideration, and dignity on a cruise that purports to provide a high quality of service.

 

5) If you ask any server or crew member, I am always polite, grateful, and kind to start. I rarely complain (see original post about the water temperature in the "best" stateroom on board). I have plenty of compassion for all people (I tell people in my practice every day that "we are all just people"), but I cannot tolerate when people violate the rights of others with no apologies or self-reflection. None of us are perfect. We will make mistakes. But I don't do things purposefully without any consideration for other people. My needs don't trump other people's. That is just wrong.

 

I don't post often, but this incessant need to correct someone's feeling/opinion or observation about a cruise they were on is annoying. She was there not you. Reviews are about someone's personal perspective of their OWN experience.

 

It is possible (however unlikely) that all 3000 Chinese on the ship were rude. How do you know they weren't? Whether it was 1% or 100% this is how SHE felt .... IMHO she wasn't looking to disparage anyone or offend anyone she was just offering HER experience hoping it would help others...