new review mariner 6-10-2007

[atlantaskip]

Be patient, long review to follow as a payback for the many before me that I learned from on these boards. First a little background on our family, my wife and I have cruised twice before this trip, once on RCCL Sovereign of the Seas in 1995 (pretty new back then on the Eastern Caribbean route out of Miami) and on Celebrity Constellation (Southern Caribbean cruise ship of the year back then out of San Juan, PR, awesome trip) in 2004. Loved both trips prior, but I do agree with most that the food on Celebrity is a big step up from RCCL. We are from the Atlanta area and brought along our 9 and 13 year old daughters (first time cruisers) on this trip aboard the RCCL Mariner of the Seas for the Eastern Caribbean route on June 10-17, 2007. Have loved cruising more and more with each trip and our girls are finally old enough to go without too much drama so all can enjoy. I booked it in February 2007 through the RCCL toll free number after checking prices for a long time via travel agents, web travel sites, and RCCL. I was tired of travel agents with zero follow up. Price was the same for all consistently and RCCL refunded $300 back to me three weeks after booking when the price dropped with no questions asked. Watch the prices and book early.

 

I researched this trip extensively and chose it for the family based on good reviews here and on other sites and from friends. We drove from Atlanta on Saturday, June 9th and stayed at the wonderful Residence Inn by Marriott in Port Canaveral. It is a new property and we loved it. Came in the night before the cruise and stayed in a spotless two bedroom suite with two King beds/ bathrooms, fridge and kitchen. Great pool and hot tub we enjoyed the night before as well as a super hot breakfast, way better than the scary reviews on Trip Advisor I read about on the Radisson, which I booked earlier and cancelled. Book the first shuttle available (round trip) when you check in (11am for us) for $3 per person when you check in, serviced by an independent shuttle, and you park for free all week at the hotel versus $12 per day the pier. Ate dinner at FishLips on the water that night and saw the new Carnival ship, delayed at the port for some reason, as we ate, pretty good food and very close by. The hotel gave us free drink coupons when we asked for a recommendation. Went back for a swim and crashed early. Make sure you take your bags into the hotels at port as many stories are out there of cars being broken into. We had already separated our carry on stuff for the ship (swimsuits, meds, etc.) from the big bags that would arrive at your cabin (sometimes) late on boarding day.

 

We arrived at the port facility at 11:30am Sunday and had all our passports ready, setsail documents signed and immigration cards filled out prior to speed us through the lines. It was amazing to me how many people had not done this even though they were told to have it ready in their cruise documents. You are issued your Seapass cards here. These are your weekly charge cards for the ship and entry on and off the ship at port. My girls were breathless at the size of the ships, despite all we had told them. Disney Magic was docked at the same time, pretty ship, along with a Carnival ship. Tip for parents, don’t let your kids sign for anything on the Seapass cards if you are concerned about them losing the cards. Just charge them up for a set amount throughout your trip (game room, Johnny Rockets, etc.) and add to it when necessary. People with no passports had trouble getting on and were delayed. All together we spent about 45 minutes from drop off to on board, very smooth and efficient, bravo RCCL and Port Canaveral. Keep in mind they just let off 3000 plus passengers at 7am and had your cabin ready by 1pm, pretty impressive.

 

Three important things to do when you board, check your dining room table assignment, change with dining room manager if necessary. Book Chops and Portofino specialty dining rooms for your desired days as they book up fast. We did Chops on Wednesday, awesome steakhouse dinner, great fillet, well worth the $20 charge. Watched the lights of St. Thomas fade away as we dined. Heard great things about Italian style Portofino as well, didn’t make it there however. Book any final desired shore excursions as well.

 

We headed up to the Windjammer (casual buffet style on deck 11) for lunch which was typical buffet fare, not gourmet, but certainly adequate for all in my party. We loved the tables all the way back in the aft of the ship, great view, especially when at sea. We always migrated back there and had no problem getting a table with a great view anytime during the week. Even though over 3000 people are onboard, the design of the ship never feels cramped. After lunch our room was ready (1:30pm) and Troy, our cabin attendant, was at our beck and call for the week. He did a great job cleaning up twice per day, making great towel animals for the girls and being there whenever we needed him and keeping out of the way when we didn’t. I asked him for three things when we saw him, robes for all, empty the fridge, and keep us stocked up with ice. The small ice bucket wasn’t sufficient and Troy saw to it that we got a bigger one. He did not empty the fridge, but there was enough room in there for us to fit a few things in there so it was no problem. First complaint, fridge never was cold. Even a bottle of white wine was lukewarm at best after sitting in there all day.

 

We went to the stateroom (category D1 superior oceanview balcony cabin accommodates 4 on deck 8, cabin number 8656, port side behind the hump cabins) and changed into out swimsuits and hit the pools. Stayed until the mandatory muster drill at 4pm where you report to your assigned lifeboat station with your lifejacket (deck 4). Very smooth here too, about 20 or 25 minutes start to finish. Went to the family welcome aboard show at 5:30pm in Studio B (ice rink) after exploring the promenade and ship some more. This show was hosted by the youth staff, make sure you go if you have kids with you. It explains the entire kids program. Our 9 year old loved the kids program and begged to go each day. She even stayed on the ship in St. Thomas and St. Maarten (went with us to CocoCay). Our 13 year old (very mature for her age) preferred to hang with mom and dad and this was fine too. She attended a few events, but never really was too interested in the kids program. Tip for cabin, bring an outlet strip if you want to plug in more than one thing (curling irons, flat irons, blow dryers, I live in a sea of estrogen!) Also, bring portable radios to communicate, worked great. This ship was in drydock a few weeks ago and got new bedding, linens and a few upgrades. Very comfortable in the cabin for all of us.

 

We ordered a wine package prior to sailing (Gold 7 bottle) and it saved about 25% versus ordering separately. No great wines, just average. We never had a problem in the past bringing some wine on board in our luggage as we enjoy a drink on the balcony before dinner, but the lines have really cracked down on this. Too many kids smuggling alcohol over spring break and with people falling over the rails resulting in lawsuits and payouts. The wine package worked fine, pick what you want each night and choose to save it for the next night if you don’t finish it or bring it back to your cabin. You can also order your wine in Chops, Portofino and elsewhere.

 

We had the main seating for dinner (6pm) in the Sound of Music dining room on deck 5. The formal dining room is huge, and covers the aft parts of decks 3, 4 and 5. We checked our table assignment upon boarding and loved it. It was next to a gorgeous wall of windows, providing us fabulous ocean views and sunsets all week. Very elegant rooms with a captains table below on deck three. Other tables had views of the decks below us along the railings. Dinner typically lasted 1 ½ to 2 hours. Sheldon (waiter from Jamaica) and Valentino (assistant waiter from India) were fabulous all week. We purchased the weekly soda stickers ($42 per adult, $28 per child) for all of us and Valentino had us covered all week with beverages whenever we wanted them in the dining room (Coke products, good for us as we are from Atlanta). The cards are worthwhile if you have more than a couple sodas per day. Purchase them from any bar when you board and they put the sticker on your Seapass cards and give you a nice insulated mug for refills throughout the week. This dinner was casual dress as many people don’t get their bags until after dinner. Our bags arrived at our door around 3:30pm.

 

We were very pleased the maitre d’ sat us with a great family from Tampa. A very nice dad with twin girls who turned 13 while we were cruising and a 15 year old son. Nice to have been seated with someone we had much in common with. We enjoyed their company throughout the week and sharing stories of our shore excursions and days at sea. We saw a lot of switching of tables the second night in the dining room, but none after that. The food was good, not great. Moments of excellence, but not nearly as good as Celebrity. The service was very good all week in the dining room. The head waiter was more visible this cruise but still did very little in comparison as usual. I had prime rib day 1, pretty decent cut, you won’t go hungry. There are lots of other choices too. My wife had shrimp ravioli. Nothing too special as I said, Celebrity is a big notch above RCCL for food.

 

Our Captain was the awesome Captain Per Kristoffersen from Norway this week. Worked his way up from a deckhand 28 years ago. He explained the last night of the cruise that his 10 weeks on, 10 weeks off contract was up last week and Captain Johnny took over this week for him. He stayed an additional 11th week at Captain Johnny’s request. He did an announcement a couple times a day explaining where we were and weather conditions and kept all up to date. Very nice man, saw him many times walking around. Crew seemed to really like him. Our cruise director was great as well, Becky Thomson from England (hello love!). She was full of energy all week and very funny in the shows and events. I hear she is moving ships soon to the Liberty, she was a treat and a hoot, catch her.

 

Cruise Compass newsletters get delivered to your stateroom each night. Bring along a highlighter and check what you want to do the night before or at breakfast.

 

After dinner the first night we headed to the Savoy Theater at the bow of the ships, decks 3 and 4 for a welcome aboard show with Becky, a Cirque like aerialist, and a comedian at 7:45 for all guests. Mix and mingle then took place for preteens and teens to get to know each other in Fuel (teen nightclub) and in the living room. Karaoke went on several times in the Lotus Lounge as well throughout the week.

 

The girls crashed and I enjoyed the casino that night, having some success at both roulette and blackjack. Remember, this isn’t Vegas with free drinks and loose slots, you are a captive audience on board a cruise ship, caveat emptor.

 

Day 2 (Monday) brought us to Coco Cay, the RCCL private island in the Bahamas. We ordered room service breakfast for the only time this week. Messed up the order, left a bunch off and we didn’t do this again. The island is also called Little Stirrup Cay for you Google Earth fans. We prebooked kayaks and floating mats. Wow! It has been improved so much. We took the early tender (too shallow to pull up to pier) as we had a 9am kayak reservation. Big tenders that hold about 200 or so at a time, fortunately the weather was awesome. Many times this port gets bypassed for San Juan if the seas are too rough. The water was like glass as we paddled out to Great Stirrup Cay close by (NCL docks here). Bring a waterproof camera. Our guide pulled up huge (3 foot around) starfish to show us as stingrays glided under us. We pulled up to the shallows and explored conch shells, fish and natures beauty everywhere in CocoCay. Hammocks and chairs are everywhere; lunch (island BBQ, burgers and dogs) was fine, served by ships crew as this island has no full time inhabitants. Loved the weather and floating around in the clear blue waters, great day. The parasailing and aqua park looked like fun too. Bring dollars if you want to buy stuff from the market as they don’t accept the Seapass card there.

 

We headed back on the next to last tender around 3:30pm and got ready for dinner. This was the first formal night and the main entrée was a very good filet of beef. Shrimp cocktail was an appetizer. Duck was also available. The desserts were not great all week. The cheesecake is like regular cake, not dense at all. There are many other choices to pick from if you aren’t a meat fan for dinner. The salads were good, especially the Ceasar.

 

If you are a repeat RCCL passenger and have joined the Crown and Anchor Club (highly recommended) you can attend a welcome aboard party this night in the Lotus Lounge and have some complimentary cocktails and appetizers as the captain and cruise director and staff fill you in on RCCL future ships and hear from 40 plus cruise passengers and ask questions of the staff. The C&A Club also gets you discount coupons in the room on arrival, picture frames, etc..

 

The entertainment this night was vocalist Kenny James, former multiple time Star Search champion. He was good, put a lot into his show, but how long ago was that show on? He did mostly Motown, good for the older crowd on the ship. The comedian from the first night did a late night adults only show later on day 2 which I enjoyed after the girls crashed.

 

Day 3 was Windjammer for breakfast and lunch as usual and my favorite, a day at sea. A great time to explore the ship and eat on board since you paid for it already. Pool chair hogs laying out towels but not occupying chairs need to be walked down the gangplank by RCCL. We were fortunate enough to get chairs between deck 11 and 12, out of the wind. The winds heading south made the unprotected deck 12 very uncomfortable, but heading back north, no problem up top. Enjoyed the steel drum band and the girls came and went all day, exploring the ship and kids clubs. Get your ice show tickets this day, well worth it, great show but it sells out fast. Watch your Cruise Compass for details. Belly flop competition was a lot of fun and they had the men’s sexy legs contest too.

 

Dinner this night was tiger shrimp (very good), lamb or steak. Ask for seconds if you like something, very accommodating crew. There was a shopping show in Studio B that morning. If you haven’t been to St. Thomas or St. Maarten before (next two days), you may want to attend. Steer clear of the rip off discount books and bogus advice of the cruise shopping consultants. As always, they steer you to shops and merchants they have prior, mutually beneficial arrangements with. If you want jewelry or electronics, both ports have some good deals, but you must do your research prior to arrival to ensure you get a deal. Pay attention to what you can bring back, duty free. We got a few pieces of jewelry we really wanted and saved a good bit by researching what was available. We bought most of our purchases (jewelry and electronics) at Boolchand’s. Friendly, no hassle service at all outlets we stopped by. The merchant tent city in St. Thomas, before you hit the main shops, has lots of knock off purses, watches and souvenir junk and they will bargain with you. We rode the open taxis down for the set price and back to the ship as well. Had lunch in Drakes Passage at a burger and sandwich joint called Bobby’s Bar and Grill and enjoyed getting out of the heat. Barkers everywhere want to bring you into shops on St. Thomas. Much more laid back in St. Maarten. Liquor was cheaper in St. Maarten too, but you can’t bring as much back there as St. Thomas. Our dinner mates enjoyed the treetop adventure zip lines and the helicopter rides on St. Thomas. We only shopped here, and at the Havensight Mall next to the terminal (many of the same shops as in town).

 

Entertainment on night 3 was the RCCL singers and dancers, presenting a stage show entitled “Front Row”. Just OK, not Broadway but it was fine. There was a 70’s dance party hosted by Becky in the Promenade this night too, lots of fun for all there. The kids stayed up way late, but hey, it’s vacation.

 

Day 4 requires that you go through immigration prior to getting off on St. Thomas (USVI). Just a quick walk through and check of your passport and Seapass card. 5 minutes tops in the dining room. Did I mention the weather was awesome all week with the exception of our last day (some rain on packing day)? 80’s and 90’s with no rain all week except last day, so nice!!!

 

Day 4 had the ice show if you scheduled it, but no formal show in the lounge. We did Chops this night, it was awesome. Great steaks, sides and service. I highly recommend booking this. Enjoyed watching St. Thomas disappear in the windows as we dined. Count on a 2-3 hour dinner. Glad we hit the ShipShape Center for treadmills, circuit machines and climbers daily as the food was non-stop. The gym was never crowded and very well equipped. Saw a lot of cruise staff there. Kids hit the Windjammer and enjoyed being on their own. The Love and Marriage game show was this night in the Savoy. It was very funny, think Newlywed Game with a newlywed couple, a middle aged couple, and a long time married couple. Becky hosted and it was a great time.

 

Day 5 brought St. Maarten. Water taxi to the shopping area. We were shopped out from the day before in St. Thomas fortunately so we spent little time picking up a few Cuban cigars, drooling over jewels and watches before hopping a cab. Merchants here were much more laid back. Great selection and a very pretty and clean shopping district, unlike much of St. Thomas, where trash bins overflowed. Our cab driver took us, per my request, to Orient Beach, on the French side of the island, just a short 15-20 minute cab ride for $7 per person (fixed rate). The ship drops you on the Dutch side where the bulk of the shopping is. The French side was very nice with menus in French and prices in Euros. Not cheap for lunch ( $60 US for lunch), but shop around for beach chairs, umbrellas, etc. to lay out under. Our 13 year old (9 year old stayed on the ship in the kids program) was duly warned beforehand about the topless attitude and was fine with it. She stayed at the chairs while the wife and I headed to the nude beach close by. It was interesting to say the least. Hopped a cab around 4pm straight to the ship, picked up the youngest daughter and all cleaned up back at the room. There is some shopping right at the terminal.

 

Had the NY strip steak this night, it was fine. Mahi-Mahi looked good too, girls had it. John Pinette was the comedian booked this night. If any of you have XM satellite radio and have heard him on the comedy channel you will be familiar with his humor. He was very funny and fine for kids too. Made fun of himself, his weight, cruise buffets, etc.. Youngest was in the kids club, oldest was with us. Laughed non-stop for an hour with him, great guy.

The Quest, the adults only game, was this night later in Studio B. It was a very entertaining show. Think adults only treasure hunt.

 

The photo shop does pictures all week long. Take advantage of it each time. They cost you nothing if you don’t elect to buy, and have no sitting fee. We had not had formal portraits done of the girls or family shots in quite a while and took a bunch of pics. Ended up spending $300 on pics and the cruise in review DVD, but it was worth it. Many memories around the house and shared with the family with this.

 

Shops on board will price match with written proof, but everyday prices on a watch I bought in St. Thomas and liquor were about 25% to 30% higher than St. Maarten. Hit the 24 hour snack bar on the Promonade for pizza, sandwiches and desserts whenever you feel the urge, which shouldn’t be often.

 

Day six brought another awesome day at sea. Hit the rock climbing wall, mini golf, Johnny Rockets, movie lounge, shops, casino, pool, etc.. This is a formal night. Lobster and shrimp were excellent. Sheldon saw to it that we got another lobster tail, very nice dinner, comparable to Celebrity. We did the ice show (dressed formal) first this night, then hit dinner, then the Pure Energy 80’s dance show in the Savoy. Ice show was great, 80’s show just OK. We also did the win a cruise bingo in the afternoon, $35 tickets, but a great chance to win something big.

 

Day 7 brought our only bad weather. Capt. Per explained the front was too big to avoid and to prepare for rain. He did an interview with Becky that morning on ship life, good show in the Savoy. Rain gave us a good chance to do more shipboard activities and to pack. Fill out the information for departure left in your cabin and they will assign you luggage tags for disembarkation. If you don’t like the time, your cabin attendant will switch you. All were generally off Sunday morning by 8am. Pack your bags and leave outside your stateroom door Saturday by midnight. Keep your Sunday clothes, meds, and travels documents with you. This was a casual dinner with turkey, fillet or tilapia. Hand out your gratuities this night. The show was a review of the week and a comedian, ours was Kevin Jordan. OK for older kids, but just OK. The aerial act was back too, not really needed. Becky hosted and did a great job. Get your final pics in the photo shop and take pictures on board.

 

Windjammer for breakfast and then headed off the ship when our color was called around 8:30am. Immigration was a breeze with passports, 10 minutes tops and luggage appeared within 5 minutes. Porters are salaried and no tip is needed to get you to your shuttle. Drove us back to the Marriott and we iced up our cooler and drove home, reminiscing on the great week we all had. I highly recommend this cruise.

 

Complaints: OK, there are a very few.

 

1. Temperature. This ship was hot everywhere inside. Need to cool it off by 5 degrees everywhere. Even my wife (always cold) said it was hot. Listening RCCL?

 

2. Food was OK, take a lesson from sister line Celebrity for improvement.

 

3. Fridge did not keep anything cold (8656).

 

4. Remove towels set out to save chairs by the pool, Vegas does it, RCCL needs to also.

 

5. Door to balcony very loud and very hard to open.

 

Bravo: Quite a few way above.

 

1. Great captain, and cruise director.

2. Great shore excursions

3. Enough activities to keep all happy.

4. Great service.

 

 

I will be happy to answer any questions you may have, have a great trip!

[FitzLA]

Thanks for the good review. But you should post this on the RCI board and not the roll call board. Thanks again though.

[dachshunddoglover]

Great review. Thanks for taking the time to do that. I would, however, tip the porters. E-Beth

[EggDropErin]

Thank you for the review. I'm glad you had a good experience overall. :)

[cayenneblue]

Be patient, long review to follow as a payback for the many before me that I learned from on these boards. First a little background on our family, my wife and I have cruised twice before this trip, once on RCCL Sovereign of the Seas in 1995 (pretty new back then on the Eastern Caribbean route out of Miami) and on Celebrity Constellation (Southern Caribbean cruise ship of the year back then out of San Juan, PR, awesome trip) in 2004. Loved both trips prior, but I do agree with most that the food on Celebrity is a big step up from RCCL. We are from the Atlanta area and brought along our 9 and 13 year old daughters (first time cruisers) on this trip aboard the RCCL Mariner of the Seas for the Eastern Caribbean route on June 10-17, 2007. Have loved cruising more and more with each trip and our girls are finally old enough to go without too much drama so all can enjoy. I booked it in February 2007 through the RCCL toll free number after checking prices for a long time via travel agents, web travel sites, and RCCL. I was tired of travel agents with zero follow up. Price was the same for all consistently and RCCL refunded $300 back to me three weeks after booking when the price dropped with no questions asked. Watch the prices and book early.

 

I researched this trip extensively and chose it for the family based on good reviews here and on other sites and from friends. We drove from Atlanta on Saturday, June 9th and stayed at the wonderful Residence Inn by Marriott in Port Canaveral. It is a new property and we loved it. Came in the night before the cruise and stayed in a spotless two bedroom suite with two King beds/ bathrooms, fridge and kitchen. Great pool and hot tub we enjoyed the night before as well as a super hot breakfast, way better than the scary reviews on Trip Advisor I read about on the Radisson, which I booked earlier and cancelled. Book the first shuttle available (round trip) when you check in (11am for us) for $3 per person when you check in, serviced by an independent shuttle, and you park for free all week at the hotel versus $12 per day the pier. Ate dinner at FishLips on the water that night and saw the new Carnival ship, delayed at the port for some reason, as we ate, pretty good food and very close by. The hotel gave us free drink coupons when we asked for a recommendation. Went back for a swim and crashed early. Make sure you take your bags into the hotels at port as many stories are out there of cars being broken into. We had already separated our carry on stuff for the ship (swimsuits, meds, etc.) from the big bags that would arrive at your cabin (sometimes) late on boarding day.

 

We arrived at the port facility at 11:30am Sunday and had all our passports ready, setsail documents signed and immigration cards filled out prior to speed us through the lines. It was amazing to me how many people had not done this even though they were told to have it ready in their cruise documents. You are issued your Seapass cards here. These are your weekly charge cards for the ship and entry on and off the ship at port. My girls were breathless at the size of the ships, despite all we had told them. Disney Magic was docked at the same time, pretty ship, along with a Carnival ship. Tip for parents, don’t let your kids sign for anything on the Seapass cards if you are concerned about them losing the cards. Just charge them up for a set amount throughout your trip (game room, Johnny Rockets, etc.) and add to it when necessary. People with no passports had trouble getting on and were delayed. All together we spent about 45 minutes from drop off to on board, very smooth and efficient, bravo RCCL and Port Canaveral. Keep in mind they just let off 3000 plus passengers at 7am and had your cabin ready by 1pm, pretty impressive.

 

Three important things to do when you board, check your dining room table assignment, change with dining room manager if necessary. Book Chops and Portofino specialty dining rooms for your desired days as they book up fast. We did Chops on Wednesday, awesome steakhouse dinner, great fillet, well worth the $20 charge. Watched the lights of St. Thomas fade away as we dined. Heard great things about Italian style Portofino as well, didn’t make it there however. Book any final desired shore excursions as well.

 

We headed up to the Windjammer (casual buffet style on deck 11) for lunch which was typical buffet fare, not gourmet, but certainly adequate for all in my party. We loved the tables all the way back in the aft of the ship, great view, especially when at sea. We always migrated back there and had no problem getting a table with a great view anytime during the week. Even though over 3000 people are onboard, the design of the ship never feels cramped. After lunch our room was ready (1:30pm) and Troy, our cabin attendant, was at our beck and call for the week. He did a great job cleaning up twice per day, making great towel animals for the girls and being there whenever we needed him and keeping out of the way when we didn’t. I asked him for three things when we saw him, robes for all, empty the fridge, and keep us stocked up with ice. The small ice bucket wasn’t sufficient and Troy saw to it that we got a bigger one. He did not empty the fridge, but there was enough room in there for us to fit a few things in there so it was no problem. First complaint, fridge never was cold. Even a bottle of white wine was lukewarm at best after sitting in there all day.

 

We went to the stateroom (category D1 superior oceanview balcony cabin accommodates 4 on deck 8, cabin number 8656, port side behind the hump cabins) and changed into out swimsuits and hit the pools. Stayed until the mandatory muster drill at 4pm where you report to your assigned lifeboat station with your lifejacket (deck 4). Very smooth here too, about 20 or 25 minutes start to finish. Went to the family welcome aboard show at 5:30pm in Studio B (ice rink) after exploring the promenade and ship some more. This show was hosted by the youth staff, make sure you go if you have kids with you. It explains the entire kids program. Our 9 year old loved the kids program and begged to go each day. She even stayed on the ship in St. Thomas and St. Maarten (went with us to CocoCay). Our 13 year old (very mature for her age) preferred to hang with mom and dad and this was fine too. She attended a few events, but never really was too interested in the kids program. Tip for cabin, bring an outlet strip if you want to plug in more than one thing (curling irons, flat irons, blow dryers, I live in a sea of estrogen!) Also, bring portable radios to communicate, worked great. This ship was in drydock a few weeks ago and got new bedding, linens and a few upgrades. Very comfortable in the cabin for all of us.

 

We ordered a wine package prior to sailing (Gold 7 bottle) and it saved about 25% versus ordering separately. No great wines, just average. We never had a problem in the past bringing some wine on board in our luggage as we enjoy a drink on the balcony before dinner, but the lines have really cracked down on this. Too many kids smuggling alcohol over spring break and with people falling over the rails resulting in lawsuits and payouts. The wine package worked fine, pick what you want each night and choose to save it for the next night if you don’t finish it or bring it back to your cabin. You can also order your wine in Chops, Portofino and elsewhere.

 

We had the main seating for dinner (6pm) in the Sound of Music dining room on deck 5. The formal dining room is huge, and covers the aft parts of decks 3, 4 and 5. We checked our table assignment upon boarding and loved it. It was next to a gorgeous wall of windows, providing us fabulous ocean views and sunsets all week. Very elegant rooms with a captains table below on deck three. Other tables had views of the decks below us along the railings. Dinner typically lasted 1 ½ to 2 hours. Sheldon (waiter from Jamaica) and Valentino (assistant waiter from India) were fabulous all week. We purchased the weekly soda stickers ($42 per adult, $28 per child) for all of us and Valentino had us covered all week with beverages whenever we wanted them in the dining room (Coke products, good for us as we are from Atlanta). The cards are worthwhile if you have more than a couple sodas per day. Purchase them from any bar when you board and they put the sticker on your Seapass cards and give you a nice insulated mug for refills throughout the week. This dinner was casual dress as many people don’t get their bags until after dinner. Our bags arrived at our door around 3:30pm.

 

We were very pleased the maitre d’ sat us with a great family from Tampa. A very nice dad with twin girls who turned 13 while we were cruising and a 15 year old son. Nice to have been seated with someone we had much in common with. We enjoyed their company throughout the week and sharing stories of our shore excursions and days at sea. We saw a lot of switching of tables the second night in the dining room, but none after that. The food was good, not great. Moments of excellence, but not nearly as good as Celebrity. The service was very good all week in the dining room. The head waiter was more visible this cruise but still did very little in comparison as usual. I had prime rib day 1, pretty decent cut, you won’t go hungry. There are lots of other choices too. My wife had shrimp ravioli. Nothing too special as I said, Celebrity is a big notch above RCCL for food.

 

Our Captain was the awesome Captain Per Kristoffersen from Norway this week. Worked his way up from a deckhand 28 years ago. He explained the last night of the cruise that his 10 weeks on, 10 weeks off contract was up last week and Captain Johnny took over this week for him. He stayed an additional 11th week at Captain Johnny’s request. He did an announcement a couple times a day explaining where we were and weather conditions and kept all up to date. Very nice man, saw him many times walking around. Crew seemed to really like him. Our cruise director was great as well, Becky Thomson from England (hello love!). She was full of energy all week and very funny in the shows and events. I hear she is moving ships soon to the Liberty, she was a treat and a hoot, catch her.

 

Cruise Compass newsletters get delivered to your stateroom each night. Bring along a highlighter and check what you want to do the night before or at breakfast.

 

After dinner the first night we headed to the Savoy Theater at the bow of the ships, decks 3 and 4 for a welcome aboard show with Becky, a Cirque like aerialist, and a comedian at 7:45 for all guests. Mix and mingle then took place for preteens and teens to get to know each other in Fuel (teen nightclub) and in the living room. Karaoke went on several times in the Lotus Lounge as well throughout the week.

 

The girls crashed and I enjoyed the casino that night, having some success at both roulette and blackjack. Remember, this isn’t Vegas with free drinks and loose slots, you are a captive audience on board a cruise ship, caveat emptor.

 

Day 2 (Monday) brought us to Coco Cay, the RCCL private island in the Bahamas. We ordered room service breakfast for the only time this week. Messed up the order, left a bunch off and we didn’t do this again. The island is also called Little Stirrup Cay for you Google Earth fans. We prebooked kayaks and floating mats. Wow! It has been improved so much. We took the early tender (too shallow to pull up to pier) as we had a 9am kayak reservation. Big tenders that hold about 200 or so at a time, fortunately the weather was awesome. Many times this port gets bypassed for San Juan if the seas are too rough. The water was like glass as we paddled out to Great Stirrup Cay close by (NCL docks here). Bring a waterproof camera. Our guide pulled up huge (3 foot around) starfish to show us as stingrays glided under us. We pulled up to the shallows and explored conch shells, fish and natures beauty everywhere in CocoCay. Hammocks and chairs are everywhere; lunch (island BBQ, burgers and dogs) was fine, served by ships crew as this island has no full time inhabitants. Loved the weather and floating around in the clear blue waters, great day. The parasailing and aqua park looked like fun too. Bring dollars if you want to buy stuff from the market as they don’t accept the Seapass card there.

 

We headed back on the next to last tender around 3:30pm and got ready for dinner. This was the first formal night and the main entrée was a very good filet of beef. Shrimp cocktail was an appetizer. Duck was also available. The desserts were not great all week. The cheesecake is like regular cake, not dense at all. There are many other choices to pick from if you aren’t a meat fan for dinner. The salads were good, especially the Ceasar.

 

If you are a repeat RCCL passenger and have joined the Crown and Anchor Club (highly recommended) you can attend a welcome aboard party this night in the Lotus Lounge and have some complimentary cocktails and appetizers as the captain and cruise director and staff fill you in on RCCL future ships and hear from 40 plus cruise passengers and ask questions of the staff. The C&A Club also gets you discount coupons in the room on arrival, picture frames, etc..

 

The entertainment this night was vocalist Kenny James, former multiple time Star Search champion. He was good, put a lot into his show, but how long ago was that show on? He did mostly Motown, good for the older crowd on the ship. The comedian from the first night did a late night adults only show later on day 2 which I enjoyed after the girls crashed.

 

Day 3 was Windjammer for breakfast and lunch as usual and my favorite, a day at sea. A great time to explore the ship and eat on board since you paid for it already. Pool chair hogs laying out towels but not occupying chairs need to be walked down the gangplank by RCCL. We were fortunate enough to get chairs between deck 11 and 12, out of the wind. The winds heading south made the unprotected deck 12 very uncomfortable, but heading back north, no problem up top. Enjoyed the steel drum band and the girls came and went all day, exploring the ship and kids clubs. Get your ice show tickets this day, well worth it, great show but it sells out fast. Watch your Cruise Compass for details. Belly flop competition was a lot of fun and they had the men’s sexy legs contest too.

 

Dinner this night was tiger shrimp (very good), lamb or steak. Ask for seconds if you like something, very accommodating crew. There was a shopping show in Studio B that morning. If you haven’t been to St. Thomas or St. Maarten before (next two days), you may want to attend. Steer clear of the rip off discount books and bogus advice of the cruise shopping consultants. As always, they steer you to shops and merchants they have prior, mutually beneficial arrangements with. If you want jewelry or electronics, both ports have some good deals, but you must do your research prior to arrival to ensure you get a deal. Pay attention to what you can bring back, duty free. We got a few pieces of jewelry we really wanted and saved a good bit by researching what was available. We bought most of our purchases (jewelry and electronics) at Boolchand’s. Friendly, no hassle service at all outlets we stopped by. The merchant tent city in St. Thomas, before you hit the main shops, has lots of knock off purses, watches and souvenir junk and they will bargain with you. We rode the open taxis down for the set price and back to the ship as well. Had lunch in Drakes Passage at a burger and sandwich joint called Bobby’s Bar and Grill and enjoyed getting out of the heat. Barkers everywhere want to bring you into shops on St. Thomas. Much more laid back in St. Maarten. Liquor was cheaper in St. Maarten too, but you can’t bring as much back there as St. Thomas. Our dinner mates enjoyed the treetop adventure zip lines and the helicopter rides on St. Thomas. We only shopped here, and at the Havensight Mall next to the terminal (many of the same shops as in town).

 

Entertainment on night 3 was the RCCL singers and dancers, presenting a stage show entitled “Front Row”. Just OK, not Broadway but it was fine. There was a 70’s dance party hosted by Becky in the Promenade this night too, lots of fun for all there. The kids stayed up way late, but hey, it’s vacation.

 

Day 4 requires that you go through immigration prior to getting off on St. Thomas (USVI). Just a quick walk through and check of your passport and Seapass card. 5 minutes tops in the dining room. Did I mention the weather was awesome all week with the exception of our last day (some rain on packing day)? 80’s and 90’s with no rain all week except last day, so nice!!!

 

Day 4 had the ice show if you scheduled it, but no formal show in the lounge. We did Chops this night, it was awesome. Great steaks, sides and service. I highly recommend booking this. Enjoyed watching St. Thomas disappear in the windows as we dined. Count on a 2-3 hour dinner. Glad we hit the ShipShape Center for treadmills, circuit machines and climbers daily as the food was non-stop. The gym was never crowded and very well equipped. Saw a lot of cruise staff there. Kids hit the Windjammer and enjoyed being on their own. The Love and Marriage game show was this night in the Savoy. It was very funny, think Newlywed Game with a newlywed couple, a middle aged couple, and a long time married couple. Becky hosted and it was a great time.

 

Day 5 brought St. Maarten. Water taxi to the shopping area. We were shopped out from the day before in St. Thomas fortunately so we spent little time picking up a few Cuban cigars, drooling over jewels and watches before hopping a cab. Merchants here were much more laid back. Great selection and a very pretty and clean shopping district, unlike much of St. Thomas, where trash bins overflowed. Our cab driver took us, per my request, to Orient Beach, on the French side of the island, just a short 15-20 minute cab ride for $7 per person (fixed rate). The ship drops you on the Dutch side where the bulk of the shopping is. The French side was very nice with menus in French and prices in Euros. Not cheap for lunch ( $60 US for lunch), but shop around for beach chairs, umbrellas, etc. to lay out under. Our 13 year old (9 year old stayed on the ship in the kids program) was duly warned beforehand about the topless attitude and was fine with it. She stayed at the chairs while the wife and I headed to the nude beach close by. It was interesting to say the least. Hopped a cab around 4pm straight to the ship, picked up the youngest daughter and all cleaned up back at the room. There is some shopping right at the terminal.

 

Had the NY strip steak this night, it was fine. Mahi-Mahi looked good too, girls had it. John Pinette was the comedian booked this night. If any of you have XM satellite radio and have heard him on the comedy channel you will be familiar with his humor. He was very funny and fine for kids too. Made fun of himself, his weight, cruise buffets, etc.. Youngest was in the kids club, oldest was with us. Laughed non-stop for an hour with him, great guy.

The Quest, the adults only game, was this night later in Studio B. It was a very entertaining show. Think adults only treasure hunt.

 

The photo shop does pictures all week long. Take advantage of it each time. They cost you nothing if you don’t elect to buy, and have no sitting fee. We had not had formal portraits done of the girls or family shots in quite a while and took a bunch of pics. Ended up spending $300 on pics and the cruise in review DVD, but it was worth it. Many memories around the house and shared with the family with this.

 

Shops on board will price match with written proof, but everyday prices on a watch I bought in St. Thomas and liquor were about 25% to 30% higher than St. Maarten. Hit the 24 hour snack bar on the Promonade for pizza, sandwiches and desserts whenever you feel the urge, which shouldn’t be often.

 

Day six brought another awesome day at sea. Hit the rock climbing wall, mini golf, Johnny Rockets, movie lounge, shops, casino, pool, etc.. This is a formal night. Lobster and shrimp were excellent. Sheldon saw to it that we got another lobster tail, very nice dinner, comparable to Celebrity. We did the ice show (dressed formal) first this night, then hit dinner, then the Pure Energy 80’s dance show in the Savoy. Ice show was great, 80’s show just OK. We also did the win a cruise bingo in the afternoon, $35 tickets, but a great chance to win something big.

 

Day 7 brought our only bad weather. Capt. Per explained the front was too big to avoid and to prepare for rain. He did an interview with Becky that morning on ship life, good show in the Savoy. Rain gave us a good chance to do more shipboard activities and to pack. Fill out the information for departure left in your cabin and they will assign you luggage tags for disembarkation. If you don’t like the time, your cabin attendant will switch you. All were generally off Sunday morning by 8am. Pack your bags and leave outside your stateroom door Saturday by midnight. Keep your Sunday clothes, meds, and travels documents with you. This was a casual dinner with turkey, fillet or tilapia. Hand out your gratuities this night. The show was a review of the week and a comedian, ours was Kevin Jordan. OK for older kids, but just OK. The aerial act was back too, not really needed. Becky hosted and did a great job. Get your final pics in the photo shop and take pictures on board.

 

Windjammer for breakfast and then headed off the ship when our color was called around 8:30am. Immigration was a breeze with passports, 10 minutes tops and luggage appeared within 5 minutes. Porters are salaried and no tip is needed to get you to your shuttle. Drove us back to the Marriott and we iced up our cooler and drove home, reminiscing on the great week we all had. I highly recommend this cruise.

 

Complaints: OK, there are a very few.

 

1. Temperature. This ship was hot everywhere inside. Need to cool it off by 5 degrees everywhere. Even my wife (always cold) said it was hot. Listening RCCL?

 

2. Food was OK, take a lesson from sister line Celebrity for improvement.

 

3. Fridge did not keep anything cold (8656).

 

4. Remove towels set out to save chairs by the pool, Vegas does it, RCCL needs to also.

 

5. Door to balcony very loud and very hard to open.

 

Bravo: Quite a few way above.

 

1. Great captain, and cruise director.

2. Great shore excursions

3. Enough activities to keep all happy.

4. Great service.

 

 

I will be happy to answer any questions you may have, have a great trip!

 

 

Great review! I was on the June 10th sailing as well (our first cruise) and we had a great time!

 

I agree with all of your comments - especially about the rip-off books! :( Unfortunately, I was one of the gulible ones with a 13 year old daughter egging me on......... :rolleyes:

 

One thing you mentioned was how many people hadn't filled out their immigration cards before arriving, and we were one of those. Unfortunately, our travel agent didn't send any cruise documents (and from what I've heard, he doesn't send them to anyone), so we were stuck with filling them out there. I would have much rather had them already filled out, and not had to sit and fill out four cards when we were so excited and anxious to board!

 

One other thing to note: Make sure that the table that is "supposed" to be yours, actually is! We checked out our table, and liked it (a table of 8 or 10), but when we went to dinner, they had switched numbers, and we were at a table next to that one which seated only four. We tried to move the next day, but by the time we got there after Coco Cay, all the tables were filled. (and we got back early, just for that reason)

 

Glad you had a good time!

[kbt2]

Great review...we are going on this ship in August with our family as well.

 

Question about hotel...family is staying at Marriott as well, do they (mariott) shuttle you to and from port...so they are there day of disembarkation to pick you up and return you to hotel for your car.???

 

Glad to hear your youngest loved the Adventure Ocean program...hope mine will as well. Thanks

[thesmiths]

Great review..thanks, going 08 on this cruise and helps out alot...

 

Not sure if you or anyone knows anything about the helicoptor ride on St Thomas, but that caught my eye???

Any info???

 

Glad you and your family had a great time......

[katiel53]

Great review...we are going on this ship in August with our family as well.

 

Question about hotel...family is staying at Marriott as well, do they (mariott) shuttle you to and from port...so they are there day of disembarkation to pick you up and return you to hotel for your car.???

 

Glad to hear your youngest loved the Adventure Ocean program...hope mine will as well. Thanks

 

I'm not the OP, but when we went on Mariner in May we stayed at the Residence Inn also. They shuttled us to the ship and when we debarked, they were there waiting to take us back to the hotel. I forget the name of the shuttle service, but there is a man standing where you will be told to get the shuttle. He will direct you to the shuttle for your hotel as the shuttle service goes to other hotels as well.

 

You will love the Marriott. It's a beautiful hotel. If you get a chance to go out for dinner, Grills restaurant at the pier is really neat. We went there and watched the Carnival Glory and I think a Disney ship sail. It was fun. Enjoy Mariner.

[atlantaskip]

marriott did not operate the shuttle, cocoa beach transportation did, ask at the desk for details, worked great...our table mates did the helicopter ride and loved it!!!

[atlantaskip]

Thanks for the good review. But you should post this on the RCI board and not the roll call board. Thanks again though.

i did post it in both places, thanks

[kittymom65]

I missed your review when you originally posted it, I just saw it this morning. You did a great job, lots of details there for the first timers!

Thanks for posting it.

[Kat1613]

U posted that "People with no passports had trouble getting on and were delayed" - not understanding why that would be if passports are not required for cruise travel to the caribbean until January 2008??

Can u elaborate on what kind of "trouble getting on" they had"? Has anyone else had trouble without passports on the Mariner?

[doodle60]

Great review. Do you remember the earliest disembarkation time? We have an early flight out of Orlando (11:40 am) and are using Ace Transportation to pick us up at 8:15 am. We are planning to roll our luggage off the ship.

[JanineM]

Great review. Do you remember the earliest disembarkation time? We have an early flight out of Orlando (11:40 am) and are using Ace Transportation to pick us up at 8:15 am. We are planning to roll our luggage off the ship.

 

I'm not the OP, but we've done self-disembarkation off of Mariner. We got in line early to leave the ship (at maybe 6:45 am or so) and were sitting on the curb, waiting for our ride at 7:35 am. This was with a minor delay in immigration. An 8:15 am pickup should be doable. Please note that you must be able to carry your luggage through the port. You cannot roll it - you must lift and hold it on the escalators.