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

[GTO-Girl]

We did this same cruise in August and loved it!!!  It was our first time to Bermuda and we cannot wait to go back!!

 

The Mariner is a favorite of ours so when you mentioned the quiet area around Starbucks I knew exactly where you were!!

 

Have fun and enjoy that beautiful island!!!

[perfect match]

I loved your pictures from Horseshoe Beach! Sure looks like my kind of beach! I really need to stop saying that I want to book a cruise that goes to Bermuda and just do it!
 

My quiet place on any ship we’re on is usually my balcony. I always hope that my neighbors are those people who book balcony rooms but never use them. 

[ShillyShally]

Horseshoe looks beautiful!  Bermuda looks like so much fun, we so should have stayed on board!

[GetToLivin]

 

Last night we found ourselves in Playmakers watching the Dallas game. Notice how with each drink the score went up? You're welcome!

 

 

 

It was a beautiful morning from Bermuda -- DH and I decided to go to the little coffee shop (Dockyard Pastry Shop) this morning and look for a Bermuda magnet. Some people collect shirts, some collect hats, and I collect magnets from each of our travels, proudly displayed on the side of my refrigerator 🤷‍♀️

 

 

We spent an hour or so walking around and then decided to head back and get the day started. This is my favorite spot on the ship, have gotten so much writing done and I just love being able to take a look out of the window to stare at the beautiful ocean when I need a break!

 

 

Dinner tonight was at Izumi -- they were a bit behind getting everyone seated and just seemed to be running behind in general, so after sitting for 10 minutes, I went across to Schooners and got a couple of drinks for DH and I. Tonight I tried the Toasted Marshmallow Old Fashioned which was delicious! Apparently, while I was gone, it was announced at the table there'd be a $15/pp up-charge to the original package and it sounds like no one expected that. The Crown Lounge concierge already alerted me to it when he booked our reservation, so I knew it was coming, but I guess it's not common knowledge? Maybe they say something about it in the cruise planner when you book, but I didn't pay attention and I guess no one else did either 🫠 No worries! John was fantastic, entertaining, and made some delicious food...

 

 

We had the Green Mix Salad as a starter (ginger dressing is outstanding). DH had the Geisha (NY Steak and Chicken) and said the steak was the best he has had on the ship yet. I had the Izumi (scallops and lobster). My food was delicious! I've had so much seafood on this trip and have yet to be disappointed. 

 

 

 

Dessert was the green tea ice cream, light and refreshing!

 

 

We are currently marinating in our dinner in our stateroom, convinced that lying flat will get rid of how much rice we ate tonight 👀 We may head down to the Quest game in a bit if we can stand upright. We've gone to nearly every Quest and always enjoy a good laugh.

 

Ship is a rockin' tonight but skies are clear. Tomorrow is a sea day so I'll try to grab some pics of the ship in general and share.

 

Here is the photo of the day: as I was writing I noticed the light starting to change and went out onto Deck 4 to snap this photo. It never. gets. old. 

 

And with that: this Quest is ::clap clap:: closed!

 

Edited October 18, 2023 by GetToLivin

[GetToLivin]

Hello from the Bahamas! We arrived on time and had the green light to get off the ship by 11:15am. Gorgeous weather, so happy the rain stayed away!

 

 

We decided to go to Margaritaville which is about a 15-minute walk from the pier. We purchased our passes on ResortPass at around $100/pp plus fees. It includes entrance into their Fins Up Waterpark and Beach, beach chairs (first come first serve), wifi, and towels. Food and drinks are an additional fee. When you exit the port area, take a right and continue walking on the sidewalk (hug right the whole way). You'll pass the old Colonial Hilton on your right, and you'll see a McD's to your left around halfway through your walk, indicating you're on the right path, but continue to stay right. Eventually, you'll come to a hard right and you'll see Margaritaville right in front of you. You will continue straight, follow the signs that say Fins Up, it is on the right side of the hotel. This is the check-in area for day passes (pic below), you do not go through the hotel. The only thing they could have done better here is to have one line for pre-purchased day passes and another for walk-ups (which take longer). When you pre-purchase it's a breeze, they confirm your name and reservation number, give you your wristband, and you're good to go. 

 

 

At the entrance, towels will be to your immediate left. To find the beach, keep right until you see the bar (you're basically walking to the other end of the resort) - you can get to the beach by walking around the bar and down the slope (left side of this pic). 

 

 

We had a later arrival today and I thought I counted four other ships in port (RCI (Hi Oasis!) and Carnival) so I was a wee bit worried we'd be outta luck finding a decent spot at noon, but I was wrong - they had plenty of loungers on the beach and we had no issues finding a spot right away. This pic was taken right from where I was sitting:

 

 

The resort is absolutely beautiful, it has such a good vibe and energy (DH said this was one of his favorite day-pass resorts we've ever done). 

 

 

 

 

The waterpark has some waterslides and a lazy river, looks like a great place to bring kids.

 

 

The drinks and food were delicious and as you can see, prices were reasonable:

 

 

 

We had a good bartender so our drinks were plenty strong and smooth, we tried the margaritas and blended drinks:

 

 

And just in case you want to burn a few calories, they've got you covered...

 

 

I don't know what beach this is (I'm sure someone here will know) but it was pretty packed out. To the left there is a place to get massages, their prices were better than what has been offered on my sailing thus far but they will ask you to go online and make an appointment. This is located directly across from the Margaritaville bar.

 

 

One word of caution (and I know this is such obvious advice), but CHECK YOUR BILL. We had a $228 bill that should have been half that. We were charged for 3 extra drinks and a $60/tip that DH did NOT authorize. Guy at the front kept telling him to, "just sign, sign" and when DH looked at the bill he said, "I think it's time you go ahead and call your manager over." The guy insisted to just, "give him the three drinks" but obviously, we didn't want them as we were heading back to the ship. So everything was refunded and then charged correctly, it's just very shady and disappointing because it seemed deliberate. Aside from that, all-in-all I would definitely come back here. The amenities are lovely, the views and ample seating will guarantee you amazing ocean views, and the food and drinks were great (food: very flavorful, drinks: not watered down). It's a short 15-minute walk so no need for a taxi unless you prefer one. 

 

One final pic...the water was so glorious to swim in!

 

 

So back to the port we went! Crowds had cleared out so the walk back was easy and quick. We haven't been here since this new area was in place so I took a couple of photos. It's really a nice upgrade, tons of shops, beverages, wares, etc. They have separate exits for those walking and for those who want a taxi, so mind the signs and they will lead you where you want to go.

 

 

 

 

For one last bit of entertainment, a couple of guys from the Carnival ship next to us had a security guard yelling down the port to hold the ship, not sure of their sprint time but something tells me they broke their personal best today 😉 

 

 

And our final picture of the evening, leaving Nassau and waving goodbye to Oasis (met a lot of nice people at the resort today sailing on Oasis, have a blast and enjoy Sabor for me!). 

 

 

Edited October 19, 2023 by GetToLivin

[Tree_skier]

Lovin' your pics and report @GetToLivin

[perfect match]

Thank you very much for all the information about your Resort Pass day at Margaritaville. I was seriously thinking about booking there when we stop in Nassau in April. Unfortunately, we have an early, short day in port and I am most definitely not a morning person, so I’m going to pass on this trip and hope that our next Nassau stop has port hours that will work for me.

 

 I wonder how many times that guy (the bartender?) has overcharged people like he tried to do to you. I’m glad you caught the overcharge and were able to get it corrected. Thanks for the warning.

[GetToLivin]

Well, we are on Day 8 and we managed to dodge rainy conditions every port day except this one! Womp womp...but two out of three isn't bad! We slept in which was much needed and by the time we had any energy to explore, the rain let up. Out we went!

 

 

And right through this path is a bridge where you can get a beautiful pic of your ship:

 

 

 

Whoever had passes for this attraction didn't have to wait long to ride the slides today!

 

 

I was amazed by the amount of seating there was, I can't picture this place being crowded at all:

 

 

 

The path to South Beach: this was so much fun to walk! Completely covered in natural shade and makes you feel like you are on a little adventure as you wind through:

 

 

This is where I had planned for us to spend our day (under better conditions). Oh well, for now, I will settle with beautiful pictures:

 

 

 

 

Food stations and bars were plentiful and well-spaced out, you didn't have to walk far before you'd run into something...

 

 

We did stop by one of the bigger food stations and they had a nice array of sandwiches, hot dogs, hamburgers, and a taco station.

 

I haven't been to the island since 2005 so it was great to at least be able to explore it. I'd love to come back and experience what a real beach day would be like! The silver lining is that I have a valid excuse to book another itinerary that visits CocoCay 😉

 

 

As for tonight, I have started to pack 😭 DH is getting a massage and after that, we have dinner reservations at Jamie's for our last hurrah. I've been pretty well-behaved this trip as far as food goes so don't be surprised if I ONLY get pasta and no protein, you know, drown my sorrows in carbs... 😉

 

But this isn't quite the end, I'll be sure to compile my final thoughts along with some photos of the ship for my final sign-off. We will self-assist off the ship tomorrow morning at 7:30am and will be meeting Cruise Control for our trip to MCO at 8:15am. Will be sure to report back on that process! 

 

The sea is like glass tonight...

 

 

...and will you look at that, leave it to Mother Nature to leave us one last amazing sunset sky! 

 

Edited October 20, 2023 by GetToLivin

[GetToLivin]

16 hours ago, perfect match said:

Thank you very much for all the information about your Resort Pass day at Margaritaville. I was seriously thinking about booking there when we stop in Nassau in April. Unfortunately, we have an early, short day in port and I am most definitely not a morning person, so I’m going to pass on this trip and hope that our next Nassau stop has port hours that will work for me.

 

 I wonder how many times that guy (the bartender?) has overcharged people like he tried to do to you. I’m glad you caught the overcharge and were able to get it corrected. Thanks for the warning.

 

I'm not sure how much time you have, but we were only in port from 11:30am - 4:30pm and because three hours tends to be our max on the beach, plus its close proximity, it was definitely doable 😊

 

And yes, as for Arthur, he'll be included in my Margaritaville review which they have asked me to fill out twice now since leaving 😉

[perfect match]

I think Margaritaville is going to get an earful in your review! They do need to know about the overcharges on your bill though. AFAIK they’re an honest company and would not want their customers treated  like you were. 
 

our Nassau hours are 7AM 😱 to either 2 or 3 PM, I don’t remember exactly. DH always wants to be back on board 2 hours early and I probably won’t want to leave the ship before 11 or so.  It would be too rushed for me. Besides, we will be at Coco Cay the day before so DH will get his fill of beach there. He’s not a beach bum like me. We do plan to go ashore and wander around the new port area a bit and see what they’ve done. It was still very much under construction the last time we were there.

 

Thank you very much for your live review. I’ve enjoyed following along with you. Hope you have a safe trip home.

[Shamrock Girl]

GTL - Thank you for your live review. I was onboard with you, I believe our staterooms were on the same deck; your photos were amazing. We stayed onboard for a second week and are currently heading for St. Thomas. We docked yesterday in CocoCay — the weather was perfect. Thanks again for your review.

[orville99]

On 10/19/2023 at 7:13 PM, GetToLivin said:

It's really a nice upgrade, tons of shops, beverages, wares, etc.

This was our favorite add to the Nassau port area:

 

[Coralc]

4 hours ago, orville99 said:

This was our favorite add to the Nassau port area:

 

MOV01762.AVI

That's really neat!

[orville99]

5 minutes ago, Coralc said:

That's really neat!

The video doesn’t do it justice. You can actually see the 3D effect all the way back on the ship. The transformation of the entire port area is outstanding.  We actually enjoy getting off the ship in Nassau now and just walking around the port area.

[GetToLivin]

The final night on board was lovely: we went to Jamie's for dinner, followed by Battle of the Sexes in the Star Lounge, and a nightcap in the pub.

 

The carbs were flowing in Jamie's...

 

 

 

 

 

This is my new favorite: Italian Martini, I had two 🤪

 

 

When we made our way to the pub for our nightcap we were spoiled with the musical stylings of one of the passengers! He brought his (fiddle, I think?) and played and sang with the talent, it was such an awesome and laid-back vibe, super cool way to spend our final night.  

 

 

Worth noting, my drink of choice in the pub is the Espresso Martini...here are a couple of the designs I received, I appreciated the extra touch!

 

 

 

WOMP WOMPPPPPPP, reality starts to set in...

 

 

Self-disembarkation was an absolute breeze and we actually opt to do this every single cruise. We like waking up, being first off the ship, and getting on with getting home. We were downstairs by 7:15am and the line moved along quickly as we were off the boat and through customs by 7:30am. Our shuttle through Cruise Control was there right at 8am and we were on the road by 8:15am. What I noticed about this company is that they also work with the other shuttles in the area, so your shuttle may NOT say Cruise Control, but they do text with the name of the driver and a pic of the shuttle that is coming, so you can rest assure you're with the right company.

 

We were at MCO by 9:30am as we had to pick up a couple more passengers at the Carnival Cruise Terminal, so I would suggest building in an additional hour of time into your flight schedule if you use the shuttle service just because you might have to go to different terminals at both the cruise port and the airport. That said, we had curbside check-in through SW and TSA pre-check so we were through security by 9:45am. If we ever do another cruise from Port Canaveral I'd feel very comfortable booking a flight from 11am (I didn't know what to expect so our flight home didn't leave until 1:15pm). No worries though, AMEX platinum cardholders who have a Priority Pass card can enter a selection of lounges. Nearest to our gate was Club MCO, Terminal B, Airside 4 (Near Gate 91, next to the InMotion store). There is a bar with a nice array of selections, light breakfast items, and a switch over to light lunch items at 11am. You can also order a small selection of food from their app. It was a nice space to spend a couple of hours:

 

 

 

 

 

First coffee...

 

 

...then somethin' a little more flight friendly 😉

 

 

We landed by 3pm at LoveField and were home before 4pm, not a bad travel day at all, and greeted by my favorite Havanese. Looks like Jack took up drinking while I was gone 😉

 

 

Edited October 23, 2023 by GetToLivin

[GetToLivin]

FINAL THOUGHTS...

 

If you've been reading my thread you will know that it was a really fantastic trip and we are so glad we booked this itinerary! We are easygoing and feel absolutely blessed to be able to vacation at all - but I did make a little, "Things that make you go "hmmm"...list". This is just my POV from my most recent experience and thought it was worth sharing:

 

Not sure if it was just our room (9258) or ship-wide, but the hairdryer requires you to hold down a button for the entirety of the hair-drying process. If you have long hair or thick hair, you know it takes 10+ minutes to get dry, especially in Caribbean weather. It worked fine but your thumb will be sore, you might consider bringing a small travel dryer.

 

The Crown (Diamond) Lounge space on this ship has me befuddled. It is a rather small space with limited seating, and for the seating they do have, there is no option for privacy. What I mean is that ALL the seating faces each other. I'd like the option to engage in a conversation if I want to or be able to sit in my own space if I'd like to work on something. I know that this isn't an Oasis size ship so comparing it to the Allure and Harmony Crown Lounges isn't fair, but like @Sea Dog mentioned in his post, they DO know how many Diamond and upward are on a given sailing. For those where it's gonna be packed, just open another venue as the crowdedness just takes away from feeling like this is much of a perk. 

 

And finally, okay, I know no one goes on a cruise to watch TV but hear me out. Can we at least get a decent line-up? On ONE channel? One of the ways we like to unwind at night is by watching something for an hour. I need to bring my Roku stick from now on but I thought they used to get TBS? TNT? It was some typical cable channel. Anyway, not a deal-breaker, just something that I did end up missing and really just because it's more of a habit for me.

 

All-in-all, this was a fantastic trip and I'm so grateful I was able to see Bermuda! I'll leave you with some ship pics....

 

Royal Promenade:

 

 

 

Travelin' Piano:

 

 

Windjammer:

 

 

Chops:

 

 

Jamie's:

 

 

Boleros:

 

 

If you know, you know...

 

 

Barnacle and Barrel:

 

 

Apparently, this was my Sbux name all week 😉

 

 

Playmakers:

 

 

Schooners:

 

 

Already miss being at sea!

 

 

Alright, folks. Today is Monday and I'm back at work, the emails are flowing, the meetings are scheduled, and taking some time to write this final post and share some photos has helped it not suck so much! Technically work does help me pay for these trips so I shouldn't be all that grumpy, right?! 😉 

 

This is my final sign-off until we're on Harmony in December with our boys! We booked a CLS for a steal and I can not wait to do another LIVE review. Until then, I'll be living vicariously through the other wonderful LIVE reviews on this board. I hope you enjoyed the review and I'm happy to answer any questions!

[GetToLivin]

2 hours ago, orville99 said:

We actually enjoy getting off the ship in Nassau now and just walking around the port area.

I wholeheartedly agree with this! They did such a great job making it a place you feel safe and welcome 😊

[travelchica915]

I enjoyed reading your review! We’re going on Harmony in Feb on the same itinerary so I will look forward to following along in December! The first day back at work is always the hardest but at least you don’t have very long until your next cruise 🙂 🛳️ 

[perfect match]

6 hours ago, GetToLivin said:

And finally, okay, I know no one goes on a cruise to watch TV but hear me out. Can we at least get a decent line-up? On ONE channel? One of the ways we like to unwind at night is by watching something for an hour. I need to bring my Roku stick from now on but I thought they used to get TBS? TNT? It was some typical cable channel. Anyway, not a deal-breaker, just something that I did end up missing and really just because it's more of a habit for me.

I completely agree with you on this one. We don’t spend a whole lot of time in our room either but sometimes we need a little time away from all of the activity going on out on the rest of the ship and a little mindless staring at the tv without watching all of the activities on the ship that we’re taking a break from. I have an Amazon Firestick that I’m planning to bring on our next cruise. I just hope that 1) I can figure out how to hook it up (I was successful on our recent land trip so that’s a good sign) and 2) that I can teach DH how to use it! That will be the real challenge! 
 

Once again, thank you very much for a great, fun review! I’ll be looking for you on Harmony in December. 

[laurieal]

Thank you for taking us along!

[cruisegirl1]

So happy you enjoyed the trip. We were happy with the cruise. Weather  on Coco Cay  could’ve been better, but the cruise line has no control over that.

m

[Jaynay]

Reviewing your report months after your cruise in preparation for our upcoming April cruise... thanks so much for a really thoughtful and helpful review. And thank you for your honest pro's and con's along the way and in your summary.

[theotherchad]

Thanks so much for the review and the pics! We'll be sailing on the Mariner in May on the first cruise after she moves to Galveston.

 

Just a couple of questions. Other than the pub singer you noted, what other live entertainment is there aboard? Is there a band at Boleros? The Star Lounge? Deck Parties, etc? 

 

Thanks again for all the info you've already provided. We haven't sailed on Mariner for nearly a decade so  i know some things have changed.