is RCCL for us???

[man3fan]

Can any one give me great recommendations???

Hello!! My 1st cruise was May 2007 on the Carnival Glory. It was okay, but my hubby and I are not "partiers" anymore. It seemed that if you didn't drink or gamble, there was nothing to do on this ship. The waters were VERY rough (no fault of Carnival), but the patchs worked wonderfully!!! Hubby said no more cruises...I was really shocked last night when he said, hey lets look on the internet for a cruise for vacation this year. But not Carnival.

First thing we noticed on the RCCL, Mariner of the Seas was the golf course, ice skating rink, rock wall, etc. ***Are these open for use all the time???**** That sounds fun.

Would you recommend this ship???to someone who was almost ruined to cruising by Carnival?? I would love to continue cruising. Please give it to me as good as you can. We are looking into Sept 28, 2008 Eastern(we have already been to Mexico enough!!)

Thanks ahead of time!!!

Also-we want to try a balcony this time,(1st cruise was oceanview on the bottom floor in the front) What is the best?

[melgray13]

RCCL is great. I haven't been on the ship you mentioned below but we've been happy with the line and so have many of friends and family that have tried crusing. You can see we like them based on our upcoming plans. I would also recommend Princess. They are much less of a party environment and offer a classy, relaxing environment with great food and service. We're not big Carnival fans either. We would if the price was right but it would have to be well below that of RCCL or Princess.

 

Be sure to let us know what you deciede

[ianturner]

My wife & I have cruised RCCL many times.

The Voyager class ships are great with lots to doooooooo, without partying !!!

TRy it you will like it. :p

[cb at sea]

On RCI, you can party as much or as little as you like. The putt-putt course is open pretty much all the time--you just go and grab a club! No charge for any of those activities: golf, rock wall, ice skating, etc... But, the ice rink and rockwall are not open 24/7. Their schedules are listed in the daily Compass and vary according to when you're in port.

I think you'll love the service on RCI--it's extremely good. The food will be comparable to Carnival.

You already know that the seas are at Mother Nature's whim. No cruiseline will be better than another, in that regard!

We aren't large partyers, either, yet we do enjoy the atmosphere on Royal. Give it a try!

[johnrobert57]

I have been on both ships. We were big Carnival cruisers up until we found the Voyager class RCCL ships. Nothing against Carnival but we too kind of moved on from the party type atmosphere and as our kids got older the Voyager class ships were a welcome upgrade. All the amenities.....mini golf, skating, rock wall, ice skating rink, promenade....were wonderful to use and explore.

 

We were on Mariner and just loved it. I would highly recommend it and highly recommend a balcony. We are addicted to aft balconies...corrner aft but lots of people suggest the 'Hump" balconies as well. We enjoy sitting out reading or having a glass of wine and the aft balcony is perfect for it.

 

Good luck and happy sailing.

[cruiseguy1016]

Can any one give me great recommendations???

Hello!! My 1st cruise was May 2007 on the Carnival Glory. It was okay, but my hubby and I are not "partiers" anymore. It seemed that if you didn't drink or gamble, there was nothing to do on this ship. The waters were VERY rough (no fault of Carnival), but the patchs worked wonderfully!!! Hubby said no more cruises...I was really shocked last night when he said, hey lets look on the internet for a cruise for vacation this year. But not Carnival.

First thing we noticed on the RCCL, Mariner of the Seas was the golf course, ice skating rink, rock wall, etc. ***Are these open for use all the time???**** The golf course and rock wall are open all day. The skating rink is not open all the time to the pax but there are several times that you cam go skate. They provide the skates. If you choose this ship (or any of the others that have a rink) DO NOT miss the ice show! It is fabulous. That sounds fun.

Would you recommend this ship???to someone who was almost ruined to cruising by Carnival?? All of the Voyager class ships, which the Mariner is a part off, are great ships. They have the Royal Promenade, a 300'+ "street" going down the middle of the ship. It has stores restaurants and bars to keep you busy. There are just too many things this ship offers to list them all here. Visit Royal Caribbean's web site and look up the Mariner. There is an virtual tour of the ship that you can view. I would love to continue cruising. Please give it to me as good as you can. We are looking into Sept 28, 2008 Eastern(we have already been to Mexico enough!!)

Thanks ahead of time!!!

Also-we want to try a balcony this time,(1st cruise was oceanview on the bottom floor in the front) What is the best? I would choose one on deck 6 -10. If you can get one on the hump (the part near middle aft that sticks out from the side of the ship), those are the best. They allow you to see forward and/or aft depending where you are located.

 

You picked a great ship. You'll love her. Enjoy your cruise!

[man3fan]

Thanks for the info and encouragement, it helps me out alot!!!!:)

[cruzobsessed]

we were on the mariner 2 christmases ago. until this past christmas.....that was my favorite cruise.

the mariner is a gorgeous ship......one thing about rc....large WOW factor without being glitzy. all the voyager class ships have a PROMENADE. this is a "mall" area that has shops, pubs, and the promenade cafe with great free snacks 24 hours a day. great place for people watching.

if your itinerary is st. martin, st. thomas and coco cay.......FABULOUS. you will not be sorry:)

[Ronrocks!]

Can any one give me great recommendations???

Hello!! My 1st cruise was May 2007 on the Carnival Glory. It was okay, but my hubby and I are not "partiers" anymore. It seemed that if you didn't drink or gamble, there was nothing to do on this ship. The waters were VERY rough (no fault of Carnival), but the patchs worked wonderfully!!! Hubby said no more cruises...I was really shocked last night when he said, hey lets look on the internet for a cruise for vacation this year. But not Carnival.

First thing we noticed on the RCCL, Mariner of the Seas was the golf course, ice skating rink, rock wall, etc. ***Are these open for use all the time???**** That sounds fun.

Would you recommend this ship???to someone who was almost ruined to cruising by Carnival?? I would love to continue cruising. Please give it to me as good as you can. We are looking into Sept 28, 2008 Eastern(we have already been to Mexico enough!!)

Thanks ahead of time!!!

Also-we want to try a balcony this time,(1st cruise was oceanview on the bottom floor in the front) What is the best?

 

You will love the Mariner. We had a deck 6 hump. Very good location. Here is my review if you are interested.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=679690

[SmileMom]

You will love the Mariner. We had a deck 6 hump. Very good location. Here is my review if you are interested.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=679690

 

For those who are not sailing the Mariner, you still need to read Ron's review. It is quite entertaining. :p

[Ronrocks!]

For those who are not sailing the Mariner, you still need to read Ron's review. It is quite entertaining. :p

 

It's even better if you are medicated!!! just like when he wrote it

[DonnaK]

WE had a disappointing Carnival cruise - it was so bad that we convinced ourselves that we'd outgrown cruising and maybe needed to consider other vacation options. Then, we had an opportunity to sail on Mariner, and recaptured our love for cruising so much so that we booked her again!

 

You can't go wrong with ships in this class, and Mariner is their shining star. There's a magical atmosphere onboard that starts with the Captain and CD, and trickles down to the crew. Happy crew = outstanding service. Plus there are so many things to do that even on our fourth Voyager class cruise, we still found things we didn't have time to try before.

[aloha of the seas]

In 1985 we decided to try RCCL and have never looked back. The only time we have gone on a different cruise line was to accomadate friends. Carnival was never a consideration or even in the same ballpark. We found Princess comparable also but always thought the entertainment and service was better on RCCL. It sounds like you are looking for a ship with a lot of activities on board. The Radiance Class ships are probably the most beautiful ships in the fleet, but they do not have the amenities that you are looking for. So I would suggest that you do not look for cruises on those ships. Good Sailing, Murf.

[piercetc4]

mariner is a great ship with lots to do- all voyager class ships are great imho- activities going on all day and into the night - inside and outside - so much to do that you will have trouble deciding what to do next-

enjoy your cruise - guaranteed to be a blast!