Anyone sailed both Mariner and Grandeur??

[rpmljm]

Hi

We are looking at taking a cruise on the Grandeur this year. (June 23). We have sailed only once before on Mariner 2 years ago. I know that Grandeur is a smaller ship, but I was wondering, does it seem a lot smaller? What are the common areas like? eg. shopping area, dining, theater, etc. Is there lots of room for deck sitting? Is the food better, worse? How's the crew?

 

Are there inside cabins that overlook the prominade like on Mariner?

 

Any comparisons you could give, we would appreciate very much. Thanks!!

 

Laurie

[cruisinfanatic]

Hi

We are looking at taking a cruise on the Grandeur this year. (June 23). We have sailed only once before on Mariner 2 years ago. I know that Grandeur is a smaller ship, but I was wondering, does it seem a lot smaller? What are the common areas like? eg. shopping area, dining, theater, etc. Is there lots of room for deck sitting? Is the food better, worse? How's the crew?

 

Are there inside cabins that overlook the prominade like on Mariner?

 

Any comparisons you could give, we would appreciate very much. Thanks!!

 

Laurie

No prominade on the Grandeur. It's been a long time since I've been on her. It's a beautiful ship, but much smaller than the Mariner.

[LLindaC]

The Grandeur was my first cruise and the Mariner (twice) was our last RCCL cruise. You will find many differences. About a third of the bars. No Promenade, just a white marble atrium. A couple shops. Dining room is not tiered and open. One buffet, no Jade, no specialty restaurants or Johnny Rockets. Don't know about the crew now. However, I've had good crew/staff on all 9 of my RCCL cruises. Food is okay- there will be fewer choices on Grandeur. Facilities are better and more abundant on Mariner, and the ice shows, productions, Quest , etc are first rate. In June, expect to see lots of kids on board.

[scarborough]

We were on Mariner 2 years ago and just got off Grandeur Saturday. Yes, there is a big difference in the two ships but each is a great ship. On Grandeur there is no Prominade, only an area with 5 to 6 shops. There are no specality restaurants, only the dinning room and Windjammer. You can still get hamburgers, hot dogs, and pizza in the Solarium. There is a theater where the shows are held and the South Pacific Lounge host Quest and the Rock & Roll show as well as others. We never had any trouble getting seating on the pool deck. The crew was wonderful. The Cruise Director announced the Grandeur had been voted the friendliest ship for the past several years. It makes a difference when you have less passengers. The food seemed to be alittle better also. I know our Waiter was so much nicer than any we have had on our past 5 cruises. The Mariner has more activities if that is what you are looking for. It has the ice rink, inline skating, putt putt golf and a large basketball court that the Grandeur does not.

 

The cost is also less on the smaller ships. You won't go wrong with either of these ships. If you have any more question, I will be glad to answer them for you.

[Buccaneergirl]

I was on Mariner last May and Grandeur three weeks ago. I have to say I love the promenade on Mariner and the ship just felt more alive!

Grandeur is smaller and more intimate compared to Mariner, but that is not a bad thing! We had the best cabin steward on Grandeur that I have ever had on any cruise (Thomas - deck 7 aft). He always greeted us by name and asked how our day was and could he do anything more for us. Our waiter at dinner was hilarious and always cracking jokes. I could definitely see why it has been voted the friendliest ship! They are very different ships, but both are unique and wonderful in their own way. You will have a great time!

[jillybabes]

We just got off the Grandeur on Saturday and met D&J.....We had a fantastic time on the ship and it is friendly. As you can see from my signature we have been on the Mariner 2 times and enjoyed each for a different reason. We found the food in the Windjammer to be better this time on the Grandeur. Our steward Anderson from Trinadad could not do enough for us and called us by name too. Our waiter Robert was also very good as was his assistant. The comedian was hilarious and the best we have seen in quite a while. If you have any questions I will be more than glad to answer.....Jill:cool:

Hi LLindaC how are you and Rick????;)

[LLindaC]

Jillybabes!! We just got off the Caribbean Princess on Saturday. Decided to try something new- check out my CP vs Mariner review. Rick and I are great- can you believe that we didn't sing on last cruise? We danced a lot, though. We took our land vacation to Switzerland in June for my 50th eeek. Going back in June again! We're going on the Freedom next January- want to join us? Gotta agree, bot Enchantment and Grandeur are friendly ships with great staff.