Mariner vs. Liberty?

[EMS326]

My husband and I are looking to take a cruise on either the Mariner or Liberty this April or May to celebrate our 1 year anniversary. The itinerary's are about the same (W. Carribbean), but we need some help.

 

We dont' want more than 1 day at a time at sea (we get bored easily). We are in our mid 20's. We want GREAT dining, clean rooms, great service, LOTS of activities. Good ports of call. We went on Serenade S. Carib last year and LOVED it (5 ports for a week was amazing!)

 

Any opinions on one vs the other? We are looking at a balcony room, but perhaps an oceanview as the liberty balconies seem to be very expensive. What about shore excursions? I'm happy sitting on a beach, but my husband would like a good combo of adventure and relaxation.

 

At this point I'll take any and all feedback!! We need to book this week!

[DonnaK]

We love the Mariner! There is something very special about that ship and its crew!

 

Yes, Liberty is a bit bigger with a few more amenities, however to us, that's not worth the additional fare.

 

Maybe you should go on Mariner now before she leaves for the West Coast, and then sail on Liberty in the future when the price comes down a bit? Rumor has it that Liberty will be replacing Mariner in Port Canaveral in 2009, so it might work out that you can do both.

[katiel53]

We love Mariner. As mentioned by DonnaK, I would go on Mariner first. Liberty is bigger, but Mariner is only going to be on the east coast for another year. You could always go on Liberty next year or later.

 

The ports of call boards can help with excursions. There are excursions that are not ship sponsored so you can get some good ideas. We don't usually do cruise line shore excursions unless we are worried about time or something.

 

Mariner is less expensive than Liberty. They are on the same idea, only Liberty is newer and bigger. No matter which you choose, enjoy.

[Silvery Seas Cruiser]

I'm a big, big Liberty fan. If all other considerations are equal or nearly equal such as itnerary, cost, port of embakation, etc., then I would definitely choose Liberty because of the extra amenities. Even if you don't try out the Flow Rider, it is just so much fun to watch the others who do.

 

For me the Freedom Class ships are an experience not to be missed.

[Maxiecat3]

I looked at the May 3/4 cruises on the 2 ships. An E-1 balcony is 170.00/pp more expensive on the Liberty. To some that would make or break their cruise. In my case I have been on the Explorer OTS and the Liberty OTS and I would choose the Liberty over the Explorer/Mariner. You didn't mention how you were getting to the port. Mariner cruises out of PC while the Liberty is out of Miami. If flying, costs to one port might be higher than the other which could change the total cost.

Gregg

[amybear912]

My husband and I are looking to take a cruise on either the Mariner or Liberty this April or May to celebrate our 1 year anniversary. The itinerary's are about the same (W. Carribbean), but we need some help.

 

We dont' want more than 1 day at a time at sea (we get bored easily). We are in our mid 20's. We want GREAT dining, clean rooms, great service, LOTS of activities. Good ports of call. We went on Serenade S. Carib last year and LOVED it (5 ports for a week was amazing!)

 

Any opinions on one vs the other? We are looking at a balcony room, but perhaps an oceanview as the liberty balconies seem to be very expensive. What about shore excursions? I'm happy sitting on a beach, but my husband would like a good combo of adventure and relaxation.

 

At this point I'll take any and all feedback!! We need to book this week!

 

I would book Mariner since she is heading over to the West Coast next year to do Mexican Riviera... Liberty will be around and still doing Caribbean itineraries for you to book another time...

[Silvery Seas Cruiser]

Just want to add that I have sialed on both mariner of the Seas and Liberty of the Seas. At the time we sailed on Mariner, it was the newest and biggest ship in RCI's fleet. We thought it was just spectacular and awesome. We had a fabulous time.

 

Then a few years later we sailed on Freedom of the Seas, then Liberty. Well, I thought Mariner would be hard to top, but once we sailed on Freedom and lIberty, well, we thought those would be impossible to top.

 

But I'll cut to the chase. If Mariner is cheaper and easier for you to sail, by all means sail it, because you will be like we were. You will not have sailed on a Freedom Class ship, so you won't miss what you don't know, just as we didn't. I'm certain you will have a great time on Mariner. It is a very special ship in its own right.

[Inshape]

Been on Mariner twice , and just off LOS in Nov. LOVED the flow rider but I think MOS was nicer for the artwork around the ship. I was not impressed with LOS in that respect. I also hated where the casino was on LOS and the smoke from it always came into where the photo area was. On MOS the casino is so incredible to get to... you walk over a glass bridge with coins ... it is a special area set apart where on LOS it is just there along a corridor. DH and I lived on that flow rider and thought how are we going to do another Voyager class and not have the flow rider. Well, given we got a great price on LOS for last Nov and now the prices are about 500 more for our family... I can tell you the flow rider will not win out for us. Mariner has a great captain that is great, a staff that is happy and a beautiful ship. The bonus is the port...easy to get into and out of. LOS in Miami is a zoo. Flying into Orlando is much cheaper than other airports and renting cars fromMCO is a lot less.... hotels are less in the area too. And considering it is moving out west, I would pick MOS. What you are missing on flow rider you will not know until you go on a freedom class, so go and enjoy mariner. She is beautiful.

[MrsPete]

I also hated where the casino was on LOS and the smoke from it always came into where the photo area was. On MOS the casino is so incredible to get to... you walk over a glass bridge with coins .

That glass floor area is so cool, but my daughter and I just about broke our necks the first time we saw it! She and I were hurrying to get somewhere, and we were walking fast through the casino, laughing and talking with each other . . . all of a sudden, we were right on the edge of the glass floor area, and neither of us "saw it coming" . . . but at the same moment, we both thought that we were about to walk off into oblivion, and we both stopped in mid-step, grabbed for each other in an attempt to avoid falling, and generally looked like two people who had almost walked off a cliff. Then we realized that it was an optical illusion, and we laughed and laughed at our foolishness!

 

Having said that, which doesn't really help or hurt your decision-making process, all things being equal, I suggest that you choose Mariner, mainly for the reason others have suggested: its days on the East coast are numbered, and the opportunity to sail on it may never come again.

 

However, in the real world all things are never equal, so I suggest you look at these very practical factors:

 

Cost and ease of transportation to and from the port. Can you drive to either one? If not, what's the difference in airfare?

I assume you'll stay in a hotel the night before. Can you get a better hotel (or perhaps a free stay through some reward program) at either port?

What rooms are available on each ship? If possible, I'd choose the ship that has an available aft balcony -- even if it cost more than a standard balcony on the other ship.

[EMS326]

Thank you everyone for your replies--you have sold me on Mariner. However, I just gotta convince DH! We'd be going on the May 4th sailing if we booked.

 

Air is not really an issue as we are using miles, and plan to fly the day before.

 

What excursions have you all done those ports? (ocho rios, labadee, cozumel, caymen)

[DonnaK]

Thank you everyone for your replies--you have sold me on Mariner. However, I just gotta convince DH! We'd be going on the May 4th sailing if we booked.

 

Air is not really an issue as we are using miles, and plan to fly the day before.

 

What excursions have you all done those ports? (ocho rios, labadee, cozumel, caymen)

 

I recommend that you book excursions in each of these ports with private tour guides rather than RCI, unless you are doing something long (like visiting the ruins in Mexico) and are concerned about cutting it close getting back to the ship ontime. Private tours are less crowded so you can see/do more things for about half the price, plus it can be customized to what you want to do. You can find recommendations over on the Ports of Call board for each specific port.

 

We went river tubing in Ocho Rios, and it is one our our favorite excursions of all-time. We booked it privately through Marva Shaw and highly recommend her. We felt very safe and well-cared for. She combines tubing with a visit to Dunns River Falls which returns to the ship about 2pm. We opted out of going to the Falls, so we returned at about noon.

 

We just got a cab and went to the beach at the other ports. AGain, we got recommendations of where to go from the ports of call board.