LIVE from Mariner Bermuda & Perfect Day, Oct 13, 2023

[GetToLivin]

Our flight was relatively smooth, just a few bumps along the way but that's always to be expected. Here are a few pics of our ascent and as we were nearing a storm over the ocean.

 

 

 

 

We landed in Orlando around 10:30am, had our luggage by 10:50am, found our shuttle space by 11am, and were on our way around 11:30am. I can't say enough good things about Cruise Control Shuttle! They provided outstanding directions regarding where to go and how to find them, including pictures in a nicely laid-out PDF. They emailed me this info immediately after booking and followed up again this week. Additionally, today they communicated via text letting us know our driver's name and a link to view their route. While they said the driver would call us upon arrival, the gentleman actually came in and found us in the waiting area and helped load our luggage. These shuttles only hold 8 people so you won't have to wait long for it to fill up and be on your way! 

 

 

 

Our first stop was dropping off the other passengers at the MSC port, and next, our hotel! We ended up at the hotel around 1pm and happily they allowed us to check-in early. Here are a few pics of the room, plenty of space and a nice layout.

 

 

 

The common areas are very nice, plenty of seating and some cozier spaces as well. 

 

 

 

 

The pool area looks nice, unfortunately, we have a lot of wind and rain so we won't be using it! There is a hot tub in the far right corner.

 

 

The Splashdown Lounge and Pool Bar was one of the reasons I booked this hotel. While we're looking forward to dinner at Grills tonight, I'm really glad we have the option for a light lunch here instead of going back out right away. They open at 2:30pm and here are their offerings:

 

 

 

Lastly, the hotel offers cruise shuttle service for $10.80/per person/one-way. They offer the shuttle starting at 9:15am and every hour until 1:15pm. To find the shuttle, you will walk down the hallway toward the pool and gym and you'll see this sign:

 

 

I think that's it for now! I'm ready for some food and maybe a Caribbean Cruise cocktail 😁

 

 

[Tree_skier]

29 minutes ago, GetToLivin said:

Our flight was relatively smooth, just a few bumps along the way but that's always to be expected. Here are a few pics of our ascent and as we were nearing a storm over the ocean.

 

 

 

 

We landed in Orlando around 10:30am, had our luggage by 10:50am, found our shuttle space by 11am, and were on our way around 11:30am. I can't say enough good things about Cruise Control Shuttle! They provided outstanding directions regarding where to go and how to find them, including pictures in a nicely laid-out PDF. They emailed me this info immediately after booking and followed up again this week. Additionally, today they communicated via text letting us know our driver's name and a link to view their route. While they said the driver would call us upon arrival, the gentleman actually came in and found us in the waiting area and helped load our luggage. These shuttles only hold 8 people so you won't have to wait long for it to fill up and be on your way! 

 

 

 

Our first stop was dropping off the other passengers at the MSC port, and next, our hotel! We ended up at the hotel around 1pm and happily they allowed us to check-in early. Here are a few pics of the room, plenty of space and a nice layout.

 

 

 

I think that's it for now! I'm ready for some food and maybe a Caribbean Cruise cocktail 😁

 

 

Thanks for this referral. I just went and booked them.  I haven't had much success over the years with shared shuttle services.  Hopefully this one is different.

[GetToLivin]

Ahh the food posts, here we go! Lunch at Splashdown was great, I got a strawberry salad and the DH had a margherita pizza. Food was surprisingly good and fresh (you never know with hotel food).

 

 

 

I settled on the tequila sunrise - very smooth and a great first drink on vacation. The bartender was phenomenal, super conversational. Learned he hunts alligators and ended up more educated about that process than I ever thought I would be 🤓

 

 

Took a little nap and before I knew it, it was time to get up and ready for dinner. We went to Grills and it did not disappoint! We sat in the lower level of the restaurant which looks out onto the harbor. 

 

 

 

DH ordered a blended something with rum on top, very refreshing.

 

 

We both ordered the catch of the day which was absolutely amazing. The marinade they used was sweet and salty, perfect on the cobia, hearty and filling. 

 

 

DH is a peanut-butter-fiend so when he saw they had peanut butter pie, this happened....

 

 

Even with a nap, we are full, happy, and tuckered out. See you tomorrow reporting from Mariner of the Seas!

 

[perfect match]

I’m another one who really wants to get to Bermuda, so I’ll be following along with you. 
 

I’m glad to hear that your flight and shuttle service went well and that your hotel lived up to expectations. Sorry our Florida sun ☀️ wasn’t shining brightly for you. Hope Bermuda does better!

[GetToLivin]

After a good night's sleep, I woke up refreshed and hit the gym. I didn't partake in breakfast but it looked pretty good and the lounge area was full of people. Our shuttle through the hotel was ready right at 12:15pm and left on time. After a short 15-minute ride we arrived at our unloading spot and the driver took care of getting the bags off to the porters. We walked up a ramp which led to the check-in area. There was a long line outside of the building itself which wasn't the most comfortable waiting situation in this humidity, I've never had to wait outside of the building before so it just wasn't expected. Now I know!

 

Here is our neighbor, Disney Wish:

 

 

Once inside, I found the Suites line directly to the left and we were on the boat within 5-10 minutes. I chose a 12:30pm - 1pm check-in time because I honestly don't see the draw of getting on the ship any earlier than when rooms will be ready, it's just too much chaos for me. Once we boarded we went up to Deck 14 to the beloved Viking Crown Lounge. I miss this space on the Oasis class ships! We went ahead and ordered a couple of piña coladas and enjoyed the quiet of the space.

 

 

On the way up we passed Deck 11 and the line to the windjammer was wrapped around into the hallway - again, I don't see the draw of getting on early just to go into that mess but to each their own.

 

The Diamond Lounge is no more! They wasted no time renaming it to the Crown Lounge (Deck 14 on Mariner). I like getting my coffee and having a space to go to in the morning before I hit the gym. 

 

 

I LOVE that it's located on Deck 14, great views no matter where you sit, however, it is really small compared to Allure and Harmony Diamond (Crown) Lounges and seating is minimal, in my opinion. 

 

 

Rooms were ready around 1pm. I booked a Suite GTY in August at a decent price and was assigned a Jr Suite on Deck 9 around 30 days out. At the time, there were several GS's and OS's available and I was a little hopeful they'd just throw one my way (lol), but of course, I received the RoyalUp email instead 😉 I did bid on a Grand Suite, and for the heck of it, the Royal Suite. Aaaand like I assumed, here we are on embarkation day and I woke up to my rejection email 🫡 Everyone made their flights or I was outbid, either way, you gotta try! On a serious note though, I love having the additional room in a Jr Suite, the extra space in the bathroom and closet really does make the cabin experience more pleasant. While we enjoy the common spaces on the ship, there are times we just want the quiet of the cabin so space does matter to us.

 

 

Lunch was at Playmakers and this was our first time in the venue. We're big college football fans so we'll be down there tomorrow for the Michigan game (DH's team). It's a really fun atmosphere, several TVs set to different stations and spaces to sit, a pool table, foosball, etc. DH ordered the truffle burger (pictured) and I got the impossible burger. Fries were thick-cut and piping hot!

 

 

We are still waiting on our luggage and I think for dinner tonight we're going to keep it casual and probably go to the Windjammer. We have 5 nights of specialty dining for this trip so I've placed my wishes with the rep in the Crown Lounge and now I wait to see what days/times I'll actually get. We are just now leaving port, weather is clear making for a lovely departure. See you later, Florida!

 

 

 

Edited October 13, 2023 by GetToLivin

[PompeySailor]

I forgot about Playmakers being on Mariner - 😃 YaY!

How was your impossible burger 🍔? 
 

Interested to know who the Concierge is and if they will still be onboard end of November 
 

Happy Cruising 🍹

 

 

[GetToLivin]

2 hours ago, PompeySailor said:

I forgot about Playmakers being on Mariner - 😃 YaY!

How was your impossible burger 🍔? 
 

Interested to know who the Concierge is and if they will still be onboard end of November 
 

Happy Cruising 🍹

 

 

The impossible burger was quite good! I don't always like the heaviness of meat and we're heading to Chops tomorrow night, so I opted to try it out. I'd get it again 😊

 

Concierge was great, poor guy got stormed for a good hour+ with dinner reservations but I went up early, grabbed a seat and luckily was able to catch him first thing. He was able to secure all dates and restaurants I wanted, but I needed to be flexible with times, not a big deal for us. Here is his info:

 

[SteelCityCruiser10]

Love Bermuda!  Don’t be afraid to take a trek all the way down the Horeshoe Beach.  There’s some great little spots to set up camp or just explore if you walk past the main beach.  

 

Our Bermuda got diverted to NE/CA over Labor Day on Liberty.  Guess i’ll just need to book another Bermuda! 🥳

[PompeySailor]

26 minutes ago, GetToLivin said:

The impossible burger was quite good! I don't always like the heaviness of meat and we're heading to Chops tomorrow night, so I opted to try it out. I'd get it again 😊

 

Concierge was great, poor guy got stormed for a good hour+ with dinner reservations but I went up early, grabbed a seat and luckily was able to catch him first thing. He was able to secure all dates and restaurants I wanted, but I needed to be flexible with times, not a big deal for us. Here is his info:

 

Thank you so much - You are a ⭐️ 

[maggieq]

39 minutes ago, GetToLivin said:

The impossible burger was quite good! I don't always like the heaviness of meat and we're heading to Chops tomorrow night, so I opted to try it out. I'd get it again 😊

 

Concierge was great, poor guy got stormed for a good hour+ with dinner reservations but I went up early, grabbed a seat and luckily was able to catch him first thing. He was able to secure all dates and restaurants I wanted, but I needed to be flexible with times, not a big deal for us. Here is his info:

 

Was this the suite concierge ?

[Silvery Seas Cruiser]

19 minutes ago, maggieq said:

Was this the suite concierge ?

Gonsalves was the Diamond (Crown) Lounge concierge on our very same cruise last week. He was very helpful to us.

[GetToLivin]

41 minutes ago, maggieq said:

Was this the suite concierge ?

Crown Lounge Concierge... we're in a Jr Suite so we're banned from that side of deck 14 😉

[ShillyShally]

19 hours ago, maggieq said:

Was this the suite concierge ?

Suite Concierge is Kumar K - KK - I need to find his card to spell his last name but he goes by KK!

 

just got off Mariner where we royal upped to a GS, so sorry to get off yesterday!!

[ShillyShally]

Playmakers was our favorite bar last week! Tell the crew “Tito’s and water” says hi! 🙂 I adored that crew!

 

Have an absolute blast, this will make ship withdrawals easier - thank you!!

[GetToLivin]

Last night we were in a casual mood so off to the Windjammer we went. It was around 8pm when we went up and it was nice and quiet with plenty of hot food still available. Now, I get that food is subjective but DH and I are seasoning people. We cook with fresh herbs. Salt. Heavy Pepper. You get the idea 😉 The main point is, when we go to the Windjammer we have zero, and I mean, ZERO expectations. But last night it really was good and piping hot. I opted for fish, veggies, salad, coleslaw, and something called a 'seafood cake' with aioli (I admire how they did NOT call it a crab cake, no false advertising here!). Desserts were good too: key lime bite, cheesecake bite, and a beignet set on top of a mug of hot chocolate. The desserts didn't just look pretty but actually tasted how they should. I have sailed on certain ships (Harmony comes to mind) where that was not the case, so I'm glad Mariner came through. All in all not disappointed at all with yesterday evening's offerings.

 

After that we went to the Barnacle and Barrel Pub for some live music and look at this gem of an Espresso Martini, doesn't take much to impress me sometimes 😁

 

 

For our nightcap, we hit the Bamboo Room. What a fun little venue! So colorful and festive, and if you need a break from the noise, it's a nice quiet space to end your night. 

 

 

I had one of the Mai Tai's, best I ever had: fresh, smooth, not too sweet and it went down a little too easy. Kenneth from Kenya is a great bartender!

 

 

Ship was a bit rocky last night but it rocked us to sleep and we woke up to calmer seas. The plan for today was to enjoy some coffee in the Viking Crown Lounge then head to Playmakers to watch the Michigan game since it was listed on their lineup. We arrived around 30 minutes prior to game time and we were able to find seats. By noon, it was packed.

 

Now, I'm going to be a little blunt here because this is a review after all. My DH and I have been on 12 cruises and we always say to each other how remarkable it is that the staff always remains so friendly although it HAS to get old acting happy, smiling, and accommodating day after day after day...month after month...we're all human. We always tip, we're friendly, and if they seem like they want to chat we ask about their home, families, etc. My point is, we know their job is demanding and we sincerely appreciate how they make us feel welcome, which is why I'm really surprised I'm even typing this story.

 

So the Michigan game isn't anywhere to be found on any of the TVs, and DH goes up to the bar and simply asks a certain bartender if he knows which TV it's going to be on. He doesn't get a straight answer from the guy so DH looks up the channel it'd be on via his phone, and the bartender put his hand up and told DH, "you're on vacation, you need to relax and go sit down."  Whaaaaaaaaat. 👀 

 

So we digress and eventually someone started changing all the channels and the game appeared to many waiting fans. Yay! Then someone changed them all again, we lost the game, and DH went back up and just mentioned the game was turned off and could they please change it back. The same bartender told him, "Okay. Go sit down." 

 

Ya'll. What? It wasn't a, "Hey man, no problem, we're working on it, have a seat and we'll get it going." His response really killed the mood. I'm all for people having a bad day, I get it, but this guy was just rude. If someone is drunk or obnoxious *I guess* I could see this being a somewhat understandable response, but we just came from coffee...we come in peace Mr. Bartender! I got his name, he'll be mentioned on the survey.

 

Anyway, game channel was eventually sorted and we tried some wings and they were great:

 

 

It was cloudy for the majority of the day and very windy, so I skipped the pool deck but I'm hoping there's pool weather in store for tomorrow. Meanwhile, our stateroom attendant left a little something silly for us:

 

 

Tonight we have dinner reservations at Chops! It's our 7-year wedding anniversary and this is where we wanted to celebrate. Will report back on the food quality since it's always a hot topic. For now, I'll leave you with our "it's 5-o-clock-somewhere" sunset.

 

 

Edited October 14, 2023 by GetToLivin

[perfect match]

4 hours ago, GetToLivin said:

Tonight we have dinner reservations at Chops! It's our 7-year wedding anniversary and this is where we wanted to celebrate. Will report back on the food quality since it's always a hot topic. For now, I'll leave you with our "it's 5-o-clock-somewhere" sunset

Congratulations on your 7 year anniversary!  🥂🍾

 

Your 5 o’clock somewhere sunset picture is beautiful!

[ShillyShally]

Happy Anniversary! We celebrated our 10th last week on Mariner at Izumi 🙂

[SilkySal]

If you return to Playmakers, please tell Ryan (waiter) that Tom & Sal will see him next week and staying through Halloween!! Ryan was our favorite waiter on Mariner. We also liked the Playmakers manager, Robert, but not sure if he'll still be there. A friend told us last week that Ryan was still there though. Happy anniversary and enjoy Bermuda!

[Luckynana]

@GetToLivin  Happy Anniversary to you and your DH!🥂💖🥂

 

Enjoying your live thread.  Looking forward to hearing about your time in Bermuda.  We haven't been there for many, many years.  Time to look into booking a cruise there!

[GetToLivin]

Dinner at Chops last night was great as expected. They were pretty full and we arrived a bit earlier than our reservation but had no issues getting seated. The appetizer was the crab cake for DH and I which was outstanding and reveled the "seafood cake" I had the night before in the WIndjammer 😉

 

 

DH had the Crispy Goat Cheese salad which I normally get as well, but when I saw the Lobster Bisque I opted for that instead. Big mistake, it's definitely not like the lobster bisques I've had before and while it had a fishy type of taste, it was just a broth, no hint of lobster at all. Not creamy. The waiter came over and asked how I liked it and I told him it was okay and smiled, he mentioned that people usually comment it's not what they were expecting 🫠

 

 

On to the main course, DH got the Bone-In Ribeye cooked medium and he said it was perfect. I had the Grilled Branzino which was outstanding - the lemon and salt ratios were perfect on the sear. For the sides we had asparagus, creamed spinach, a baked potato and mushrooms for the steak. Everything was cooked as expected and flavored quite nicely, no complaints.

 

 

 

Dessert was the Warm Chocolate Cake (not too sweet at all so I liked it) and Strawberry Ice Cream with Pineapple Sorbet. 

 

 

 

All in all it was a relaxed day, very low key and we appreciated the nice little touch at the end:

 

[GetToLivin]

Today we entered yet another time zone change and we are now two-hours ahead of Texas time which threw me for a loop when I woke up at "11 am" (really, but not really). Down to Starbucks I went and after I was revived I noticed it was gorgeous weather outside. Clear skies, minimal wind, couldn't ask for a better pool deck day! I'm not one who wants to be right by the pool so I never have to worry about seating. My ideal spot is right here, up on one of the higher decks with a chair facing the ocean.

 

 

I happened to be there when the belly flop competition was going on. The crowds were participatory and the MC did a great job creating an interactive event.

 

 

Dinner tonight was at Jamie's! We love this place. The aesthetic of this venue on Mariner is a little more coastal v. formal atmosphere. Only thing I wasn't a fan of was the music, an odd array of pop music from the early 2000's to today. I wanted some Sinatra, a nice standards playlist of sorts, it's Italian after all 😉 We had the meat plank and crab and avocado for the appetizer. Salmon for me for the main (absolutely delicious), with Penne Vodka (shared) and Penne Carbonara for DH. 

 

 

 

 

Our waiter spoiled us with dessert and brought us Tiramisu, Lemon Cheesecake, and Chocolate Brownie. We were already full at this point but sometimes they just insist and what can you do but oblige them 😉 

 

 

Entertainment was Scott Record and I know we've seen him before and quite recently, but I can't recall which ship. He is a classic entertainer, does a little bit of everything: sing, dance, comedy. Some of the show is cheesy, sure, but you have to admire someone who has been able to make a long career out of making others smile so all in all, I appreciated it and it was a nice way to end the night.

 

Up next: Bermuda! The plan is to catch a shuttle to Horseshoe Bay. We're not docking until 9am but we're not going to get off the ship until noon or so to avoid the morning crowds. We just want a couple of hours at the beach and the afternoon is fine with us. After that, we plan to come back to the ship, freshen up, and go to the Frog & Onion for dinner. We always enjoy a good pub. Will share some hopefully lovely pics of the beach tomorrow!

 

For tonight I'll leave you with one last pic - this right here is my peace. We went on a land vacation to an AI in Mexico in 2020 and I so badly wanted to love it, but all I could think of was how we weren't on the water. I'm a cruiser for life.

 

 

Edited October 16, 2023 by GetToLivin

[seadog67]

"For tonight I'll leave you with one last pic - this right here is my peace. We went on a land vacation to an AI in Mexico in 2020 and I so badly wanted to love it, but all I could think of was how we weren't on the water. I'm a cruiser for life."

 

This and your last picture are a perfect summary of our feelings regarding vacations as well. Glad you are having a great time and nice weather so far. Thanks for taking the time to bring us along!!

[ShillyShally]

13 hours ago, GetToLivin said:

For tonight I'll leave you with one last pic - this right here is my peace. We went on a land vacation to an AI in Mexico in 2020 and I so badly wanted to love it, but all I could think of was how we weren't on the water. I'm a cruiser for life.

 

Same - I said that to my husband too, there is just nothing like it to me, the being at sea.  I also love there is always something going on if you need activity, but quiet if you don't!  I've found resorts can be very hit or miss with crowds and quiet places when there are crowds (I'm more of a quiet place person).

[GetToLivin]

We woke up to Bermudiful sunny skies with a bit of a breeze and once we tackled our workouts, we left the ship around noon to start our adventure. There were a handful of shuttles waiting to fill up and once we had 6 people in the cab the driver started us on our trek to Horseshoe Bay (this is one port where the shuttles are basically next to the ship, we didn't have to walk far at all and that was nice). Bermuda is such a beautiful island! Everything is so well-manicured, green, and lush, and the building architecture and colors were just gorgeous. The drive to the beach will go down as my number one favorite drive on an island, the scenery was second to none.

 

When we arrived at Horseshoe Bay the driver took us all the way to the entrance at the bottom of the hill and we easily found the stand where we could purchase chairs/umbrellas. Chairs were $20/each and umbrellas were another $20. Since it was cloudy when we arrived we opted for two chairs and the attendant set them up for us. It looked like it was going to rain but never did and within 45 minutes everything cleared out and we had some lovely sun. Here are a few photos I took before the clouds rolled out, I love how gorgeous the sand and water look against the dark clouds!

 

 

 

I walked a ways down the beach and followed the path to grab some secluded pictures (which I read about on CC, thanks to the Bermuda Board!), the sand was so powdery and soft that I went barefoot 😊

 

 

 

 

And once the clouds rolled out...

 

 

We stayed for a couple of hours and then the next set of storm clouds started to roll in, so we decided to get back and get ready for dinner. We did not partake in the drinks or food on this beach so I can't comment on that, but if you come hungry or want an adult beverage, you'll have the option to purchase something. They also have bathroom facilities and plenty of places to wash off the sand on your feet before you get in the shuttle. On the way out there were several shuttles waiting, though they were more stringent on trying to get them as full as possible, which is fine when they run the AC. When they don't, the wait seems like forever and the drive back was less glamorous than on the way there as we were fanning ourselves for the whole thing, so be aware.

 

For us, this beach is in our top three. It reminded us of Aruba and Cayman Islands from the velvety sand to the silky warm water and scenery. We feel so lucky to have visited Horseshoe Bay! One last pic before we left...

 

 

Dinner tonight brought to you by The Frog and Onion: what a cool pub! Very easy to get to and just a 5-10 minute walk from the ship.

 

 

 

 

 

DH chose the fish sandwich and I chose the fish and chips, we finished with a sticky toffee pudding. Glad we worked out earlier because I was full as can be after that meal. Very generous portion sizes and the fish was lightly breaded, so the pieces were actually full of fish and not just breading.

 

 

 

 

I should note that if you have kiddos or are traveling in a group, there is an arcade located in the back of the restaurant. Nice little touch if you want to enjoy some conversation and send the kids (or husbands) somewhere distracting 😉

 

 

We walked (waddled) around for a bit after dinner which was maybe around 6:30/7pm and it was pretty quiet, all the shops were shut down but there were a couple of restaurants open and this most interesting bar:

 

 

Tomorrow we're in port until 3 pm but from what my weather app is showing, there will be weather, so I plan to sleep in, get a coffee, and maybe get in a little writing. The Starbucks on this ship has a cozy nook right behind it with three little tables that look out of the port holes. If you need a quiet space to disappear to this is where it's at (and where you'll find me!). 

 

I'll leave you with tonight's photo - I'm always humbled by the size of these ships and blessed that these vessels bring us to some of the most beautiful places in the world. Today I was grateful to be able to say, "I've seen beautiful Bermuda, what a way to spend a Monday!"

 

 

[GetToLivin]

8 hours ago, ShillyShally said:

Same - I said that to my husband too, there is just nothing like it to me, the being at sea.  I also love there is always something going on if you need activity, but quiet if you don't!  I've found resorts can be very hit or miss with crowds and quiet places when there are crowds (I'm more of a quiet place person).

 

This! I'm more on the introverted side and what I love about the RCI ship layout is that you can enjoy the people-watching and activities, OR find a space where you just want to feel like it's you and the ocean. One of my favorite things to do on each cruise is to find "my spot" where I know I can go and write, reflect, etc. Then, when DH is ready to meet up we head to the venues with more activity going on (DH is extroverted). We each get our fix 😁

 

Back in 2021 (I know I said 2020, typo! Where did anyone go in 2020, yeesh...) we tried the Hyatt Ziva in Cancun which was absolutely gorgeous, lots of restaurants, bars, pools, etc, and I remember being grateful to even go somewhere but also...I just kept looking out at the ocean wishing I was in the middle of it on a boat. Like, my heart ached for it. That's when I knew I'd probably never spend my hard-earned money on a land vacation again 😂