Mariner 9-23-07 Western Review

[danya83]

Mariner of the seas, what can I say? As we drove up on her all I could think was “Wow she’s HUGE!”.

 

We started our pre cruise in St. Petersburg FL. We flew in on the 20th, as I was paranoid there would be a problem with getting to the ship had we waited until later. The weather in Fl was not as great as it usually is. We went to a Red Sox game….and we won (the Sox….we are from MA). After our brief stay in St. Pete we took our rental car and headed east. Not that bad of a drive a little over 2.5 hours.

 

As we headed to Budget to return our rental, I’ll never forget crossing over that bridge and seeing the ships all lined up. Budget was alright. Checking out of the car was a breeze, but we had to wait about 15 minutes for a shuttle to bring us to the ship. Looking back, I am glad that we didn’t try to drop our luggage off, we have been waiting hours! We sat in line with all the shuttle vans for over 20 minutes. Finally, we are out of the shuttle on our way…so we think.

 

Arriving at the terminal was a pain. The line was long at the first door, but my group didn’t want to try the “other” door. We weren’t sure if there was one and how long that line was, so we stuck it out. FYI … there IS another door and the line IS shorter! After clearing security we waited in another line…to get on the ship. We sat in a chair for a while as we were supposed to wait for some others in our group that flew in that day and were taking the RCCL shuttle. Ended up that they had to sit at the airport for 3 hours waiting for a shuttle. IMHO skip the RCCL shuttle and book a private transport, cheaper and more reliable. We got on the ship without them and good thing. They barely made it to the ship for the muster! The line to get on the ship was long, especially considering it was later in the day (around 2 or 3). As we were checking in, I had a little scare. I didn’t get my passport and had my birth certificate and license. Well, I was told had my last name not been hyphenated that they wouldn’t have been able to let me on without my marriage certificate. I found that kind of absurd seeing as how my MIL and almost every other married person was getting on without a flinch and NO marriage certificates. Enough about that.

 

Onto the ship, I was not as impressed with her insides. Don’t get me wrong, she is beautiful, but for my personal taste, I liked Jewel better. I will however recommend her to everyone to try. There were great things to do and lots to see. RCCL did not leave one detail undone. The Royal Promenade was also full of detail. The shops even though were modern had an old world flare to them. We frequented Ben & Jerry’s almost every night. Indie was our man, he knew why we were there and most of the time was ready for us with sodas and waiting for our ice cream order. Entertainment on the ship was alright. I would have loved to just listen to the cruise director Dennis would have been fine. He was one funny man and made a great director!!! I got an awesome one on one video with him before one of the shows! If you cruise with him, consider yourself lucky and his staff was great. Name that tune ended up larger than the space given with Simein (sorry if I spelled that wrong!). Katie was not great, but she did her job. I think she could use a little more enthusiasm and pull people in more!

 

NIGHT ONE

We dined in the dining room. Great wait staff and great food. Our head waiter was Budi (pronounce Booty) and he was assisted by Alexjandro. They really made our dinning experience. Since we were traveling as a large group…10 of us, we had our own table with beautiful views from Rhapsody in Blues on deck 3. I had the chicken as I am a picky eater. PERFECT! It melted in my mouth.

After dinner we headed to the Welcome aboard show. Dennis, as I said, was the best part. The juggler was kind of boring. The comedian was funny…be aware…he could offend you! LOL. We kind of drifted around the ship after this. Got a little lost, found our way and then headed for B&J then to find a nice viewing area to watch the “Island A-Go-Go Parade”.

Best viewing area is up and forward! We thought we would watch from deck 7 Aft, and all we really saw was back of heads of the parade. We could see the “main” people great, they were on the middle walkover. We were tired so we headed to bed after the parade.

 

DAY TWO: SEA DAY

We didn’t do much today other than eat and sunbathe. It was a nice change of pace. Captain Per made sure we had sun all day and took us almost 300 miles out of the way so we weren’t in a small storm. Seas were not choppy at all today.

 

Today was the big day for sexy legs and the belly flop contest. That was fun to watch, wish my DH would have tried to do it!

Tonight was formal night. I was shocked to see how many people did not dress up! My husband and I did get all decked out and had fun doing it. In the main dinning room I got the chicken again as it was so good the night before. I was not disappointed.

 

We skipped tonight’s entertainment “Front Row” and we missed the late night comedian, wish we had seen him. I did see some of it on the TV the next day though, he is funny! Time for bed…..Labadee tomorrow!

 

DAY THREE: Labadee, Haiti

I can only describe this place as BEAUTIFUL! We took the advice of our cruise compass and went to get off the ship before 9:30. NO LINE! Onto the tender and straight to the beaches. I then used some of my CC research and headed ALL the way to the left to a quiet beach. Got seats under a beautiful tree and didn’t budge for most of the day. We did wander up to Dragons Breath Point, that was cool. And on the way back to the ship I had to see what everyone was talking about with the vendors. THEY ARE PUSHY! Skip the first building if you don’t like being hounded. We didn’t buy anything, but had fun looking. The line for the tender was long, however we ended up on the same tender back to the ship as the rest of our group that didn’t go shopping, so I guess we lucked out. Got back on the ship and showered so we could get ready for dinner.

 

As I was getting out of the shower, the phone rang. It was the ship security checking to make sure my DH made it back on the ship!!! I guess his card didn’t check him back in, and they were checking it out! Good thing he made it on, as we were pulling away as they called.

 

Food in the dinning room again was superb, but the lack of dress code was amazing to me. I didn’t let it bother me, but I did take note. The wait staff sang to us tonight and they were funny. Out of all the staff no one was from Italy…and they sang an Italian song! A sound to hear.

 

“Spectrum”, a tribute to Motown and R & B was our entertainment for tonight, and they were AWESOME! If you get a chance to see them, don’t miss it.

 

Stopped by karaoke….once you have seen one night, you’ve seen them all. The kids were more fun to watch at Family Nights.

Again got the good bad seats for the 70’s Dancing in the Streets show. If you have Dennis for your director….Please don’t miss this! Your cruise staff is all ready and dressed for the 70’s!

 

DAY FOUR: OCHO RIOS JAMAICA

Beautiful weather, Beautiful sights….what more could you ask for? We booked a private tour today and did Dunn’s River and Calypso Tubing. I highly recommend it. For those that are a bit nervous about Jamaica, please don’t skip it unless you have tried it. I was very nervous myself, but I am so glad that I didn’t miss this paradise! The waterfall was a lot cooler than I had expected, but we had lots of laughs on our long climb up. After that we took a driving tour on our way to the river for tubing. Once we were in the tubes we headed down stream. Stopping half way down to look at the pictures and shop if you so chose. Then we were tempted to jump off a “small” cliff…about 10-15ft. I did it. I was scared but I did it. Vacation is all about the experiences and stories to tell! Our tour guide met us at the end of our tubing excursion and gave us a taste of Jamaica. He had breadfruit, sugar canes (raw) and their banana’s for us to taste. He also showed us their countries fruit that you CAN NOT eat raw. After that he brought for a driving tour through Fern Gully. The landscaping in Jamaica was absolutely amazing! He then dropped us off at the shops closest to the ship so we could do some shopping and walk back to the ship.

 

Once on the ship we went right for the hot tubs and watched sail away from the surprisingly unpopulated pool deck. Enjoying the views for about an hour we headed to our room to get ready for dinner. Tonight was Caribbean night. Again our wait staff was awesome, had our drinks ready for us. I wasn’t all that hungry tonight so I just had a salad.

After dinner we headed to name that tune (we really liked this), then watched the kids Pirate Parade. We then headed to the Dance Deck-A-Party with a fresh pineapple bar. MMMM, it was good.

 

 

DAY FIVE: GRAND CAYMAN

Or should I say Heaven on Earth??? I did not want to leave this paradise. Their landscaping lacked but their ocean more than made up for it. We again booked privately, taking a jet ski tour out to Stingray City. I could not believe the beautiful clarity of the blue ocean, you could see the bottom. We saw sea turtles and beautiful reefs. They brought us out to this little beach that had hundreds of star fish and then onto the stingrays. I was a little afraid at first, but once I got used to the idea of being swarmed with HUGE stingrays, it was nice. They really are soft and gentle. I couldn’t believe how heavy they were. I got a back massage from a ray and the one I was holding kept trying to kiss me….I did not go that far. We left the sting ray for land again and to head back to the ship. Before boarding the ship we did a little shopping.

 

Back on the ship we got ready for our Ice Show and we had reservations for Chops tonight.

 

The Ice show was great! And it was really neat to see a circus on ice AT SEA!

 

Chops was to die for. You could not ask for better food! I had the filet mignon with béarnaise sauce. I don’t even think words could describe how great the food was. Dessert was also rich and wonderful! I kind of wished we had made a few reservations in the specialty dinning!

 

Tonight we had something come up. As were leaving Name that tune, the captain made an announcement that we had turned around and were headed back to Grand Cayman. A passenger was ill and needed immediate attention from a hospital. We took advantage of this and headed to the helipad. Boy was it windy. I had to sit on a bench as I was wearing a dress…..a sight to see! We watched us pull back into Grand Cayman and the tender taking the sick passenger to safety. Back to ship life as normal. Since we would be arriving late to Cozumel, Mexico, Captain Per extended our stay until 8:00. On a side note, DH and I were one of the few on the ship that got TWO Cruise Compasses, the one where we arrived on time and the up to date one! Pretty cool!

 

After we returned to ship life, we attended the Gala Buffet. I did not eat anything as I was disgusted, but it was beautiful to look at. The artwork was amazing. But there were no sanitizing precautions and people were serving themselves with their own fingers! I was appalled. Especially since they were hand spraying hands as you walked into the main dinning room.

 

 

DAY SIX: COZUMEL MEXICO

I would have been fine skipping this destination, and if I find myself here again I will turn it into a sea day. Didn’t really find much to do and went shopping. Headed back to the ship early and dined in the Windjammer. That was our only dinner in Windjammer….I was not impressed. Lunches there were great if you liked fries and pizza.

 

Tonight we participated in QUEST and I am not saying anything other than you have to go! Then tried out the mini golf followed by ping pong and a short stop in the arcade…what can I say … we are kids at heart.

 

 

DAY SEVEN: SEA DAY L

Nothing much going on today, we reserved our Next cruise option…..of course we are going on another cruise we just couldn’t decide which one to bring the kids on! We played bingo, I wish we hadn’t. Watched Dennis’s interview with Captain Per….a GREAT Captain.

 

Our last night in the dinning room was bitter sweet. I loved our staff and didn’t want to leave them. It’s really amazing how seven short days you can become family! We got a few last minute magic tricks from Alexjandro and hugs from Budi.

 

After dinner DH and I did a little shopping and then headed to our room. We watched the most beautiful lightening storm from our balcony for a few hours. The seas were a bit rough and rocked us to sleep. When we opened our eyes we were back at Port Canaveral.

 

 

OVERALL:

I would recommend this cruise to everyone who asked, yes I had a few things I didn’t like, but perfection is a hard thing to find. I had lots of fun, and was able to see some beautiful places. I was able to do all of this from a top of the line beautiful large ship! The only down fall I really found onboard was that most of the main common areas were all in the same place…the Promenade, and that to me was like a mall at Christmas. I am not a mall person. Also the sports deck was part of the jazz lounge and the TV’s kept going out. I still had a wonderful time!

 

 

POST CRUISE: PORT CANAVERAL

We rented again from budget and got our car with no problems. Checked into Radisson at the Port and then headed to Kennedy Space Center.

 

Radisson at the Port I would not recommend for a stay. The rooms were dirty, there was mold on the walls and ceiling. Mildew and mold in the showers. I was not in the least bit impressed with the waterfall over the pool. Price was good, but with all the other hotels around their, I think I may try one of them!

 

 

 

Thank you for reading my REALLY long review. But I felt I owed it to you all. I have learned lots from this wonderful cruising community. Thank you everyone for your wonderful advice.

 

……………..NOW TO PLAN THE NEXT ONE!!!

 

[Mickeylee]

Thanks for the review. We're going on the Mariner (Western) in December and it will be our first cruise, so I really enjoy reading reviews.

[Mickeylee]

Oops! Duplicate post.

[English Jane]

Hi, thanks for taking the trouble to write a review.

Your head waiter Budi - was he from Indonesia because I'm wondering if he could be our wonderful waiter from the Jewel in August?

[danya83]

Hi, thanks for taking the trouble to write a review.

Your head waiter Budi - was he from Indonesia because I'm wondering if he could be our wonderful waiter from the Jewel in August?

 

 

Yes he was from Indonesia. Here's a picture of him...he was awesome!

 

[cruzeluver]

OMG Indie! He is the man! He was one of the highlights from our cruise last month. Every time we strolled past Ben and Jerry's he woudl yell out "hey James Bond! How's it going today?" (My partner's name is James). Great guy.

 

Glad you enjoyed your cruise. Love the Mariner!!

[English Jane]

We too had the pleasure of service from an awsome Budi from Indonesia - but a different person!

[dachshunddoglover]

I am doing this trip next year so can you please tell me who were the private tour opperators you used? I believe it is okay to tell who you used. (Isn't it?) It sounds like you had a great time. I enjoyed reading your review, thanks for taking the time to write it. E-Beth

[danya83]

I am doing this trip next year so can you please tell me who were the private tour opperators you used? I believe it is okay to tell who you used. (Isn't it?) It sounds like you had a great time. I enjoyed reading your review, thanks for taking the time to write it. E-Beth

 

 

Hi am pretty sure I am allowed to say the private operators as long as someone asks? I'm sorry if this is not allowed.

 

In Jamaica I used the wonderful Mark Morris (www.markstours.com). He charged 55.00pp and that included your entrance fees to the falls and tubing. Mark was wonderful. He was more than just a driver to place to place....he really did go out of his way to teach us about Jamaica. Letting us get a taste of the local flavors, showed us the schools, where people lived. He sang us their National Anthem also. I can't say enough good things about Mark. He was On time-Early to pick us from the Cruise Terminal and he dropped us at the shopping center (Where Margaritaville is) It was less than a 5 min walk to the ship. The only money you would need above what he charges is for the gift shops and for tips (the tubing guides and Falls guides ...and mark of course) if you feel they deserve it!

 

Grand Cayman we used Island Marketing (http://grandcaymancruiseexcursions.com) they charged 95.00pp for a single rider. The tour guides showed us all the sea life they could find. They would go into the HUGE ship groups and get the different rays to show them to us. They even would dive down under to find the large Starfish! The groups wont be larger than 8 jet skis (6 of the group and 2 of the guides) You can fit up to three on a Jet ski but it has to be 2 adults and 1 child. They operate out of the Grand Caymanian Resort and it's about a 15min cab ride ...about 6.00pp.

 

Hope this helps, and if you go with any private tour operators go with MARK in Jamaica....he is the best!

[sports4fun]

Thank you for the nice review. You said you would stay in a different hotel next time. Any suggestions on one? Thanks.

[danya83]

Thank you for the nice review. You said you would stay in a different hotel next time. Any suggestions on one? Thanks.

 

 

The Sherton was more in the heart of everything. Not sure on the prices though. The hotel was in much better shape too. Coutry Inns I would also try.

[cabrx]

Hi:

I've booked with Mark for Jan. so was glad to see you were impressed with him? Question , however, when you talked about tubing you mentioned you stopped at shops? What do you do with your cash etc. while you are tubing. Thanks in advance for answering this quesiton.