My (long) Mariner of the Seas Review: 8/17-8/24

[TerpsBball]

After being home for nearly a week, I figured it was about time to write up our Mariner review. We cruised the Eastern Caribbean on the Mariner from 17-24 August.

 

ABOUT US: Me (39), the wife (39-ish), son (6), daughter (4). We’ve cruised several times (now Diamond members). We live in Maryland.

 

PLANNING/TRAVEL DETAILS: We have friends in Orlando, so we left early to stay with them for a few days. We booked flights on Airtran out of BWI (on our own, not through the cruise line). I booked these flights about 7 months in advance, so the schedule altered a few times. Therefore, I suggest keeping an eye on the flight times, as the airlines don’t always notify you of a change promptly. Also, the new 50-lb limit on checked bags STINKS! We have hard-sided luggage, so that put us at a little disadvantage. However, using the bathroom scale the night before helped. The flights were smooth and on time. We had no problems at all.

 

I took out trip insurance through http://www.insuremytrip.com. I used TravelEx (“Lite” package).

 

We took a rental car to (and from BWI) as well as from Port Canaveral back to Orlando when the cruise was over. We used Budget to and from BWI, and we had Avis at Port Canaveral. Using discount codes I found in http://www.mousesavers.com, I saved 20-25% on each rental. We paid $60 for a full-size car to BWI, $44 for a premium car from Port Canaveral to Orlando, and $60 for a mini-van from BWI to home. Our friends took us to Port Canaveral at the beginning of the cruise. If you book through Avis at Port Canaveral, the office there has a website where you can reserve a spot on the transport bus. This lets them know you are coming in on the ship.

 

We booked this cruise as soon as it opened up (April 2007), as we wanted our choice of cabins. We had #1388, an aft balcony stateroom. Looking at photos from this site as well as others, we were quite excited by the room.

 

DAY 1 – EMBARKATION: We arrived at Port Canaveral (by car with our friends) around 10:50 am on Sunday. There were already people in line. Porters were readily available to take your luggage, so drop-off was not a problem. Looking at the building, the right line was at least 3 times as long as the left line. So, we walked up to the left line. When we were nearly there, people started going inside. Within 10-15 minutes, we were upstairs.

 

We went to the Platinum/Diamond/Diamond Plus line and waited for about 5 minutes. Check-in was easy, and we were directed to a waiting area. After a bathroom break for the kids (the bathroom was right by the barrier to get on the ship), an announcement was made for Platinum/Diamond/Diamond Plus members to board. The lady by the barrier said we were in the wrong place and should have been directed to the special area for those members. We told her we were sent here. She asked who did that, we told her, and she wrote down that person’s name. That was impressive. She then said we still couldn’t board. My wife asked why not, since there were also other Diamond members behind us in the same situation. She then let us board.

 

The ship was BEAUTIFUL!!! We got on at Deck 4 and went up to the Windjammer for lunch. By this time it was about noon. Cabins were ready at 1 pm. However, our luggage didn’t arrive until 5:40. It was casual night in the dining room (we had the main seating at 6), so we just wore what we got on with (not a problem).

 

Muster drill (or “mustard drill” as my son innocently called it) was at 4 pm and lasted approximately 15 minutes. For the sail-away, we went up to the helipad. That was cool.

 

We went to the Welcome Aboard Show and saw a juggler (Jeff Taveggia) and comedian (Miguel Washington). Both were quite good.

 

DAY 2 – AT COCO CAY: Monday morning we arrived at Coco Cay. The staff told people the tenders would be most crowded between 9 and 11. We got on around 8:45 and had no problem. We got off and walked around past Coconut Willies to a beach with very few people. There were plenty of chairs and the water was nice and calm.

 

Lunch was a barbeque and was good. After lunch, we looked around at the vendor goods and then headed back to the ship. In the evening, the kids went to Adventure Ocean. We put them both in the 3-5 group. Our son is 6, but we figured our daughter might be apprehensive about going by herself at first. Plus, our son just turned 6 last month. There were many more kids in the 6-8 age group and most seemed to be at the upper end of that, so it worked out best this way. The staff was great (more on the cruise staff further down), and they had no problem bumping our son down to the 3-5 group.

 

DAY 3 – AT SEA: After breakfast in the Windjammer, I headed to get tickets for the ice show. The Cruise Compass said they passed them out at 9, but they actually started at 8:45. I got there at 8:30, and there were about 40 people in line. The staff announced Main Seating guests should line up on the left and Late Seating on the right. However, they never asked to see a Sea Pass, so I guess you could get in whatever line you wanted. There were two options for Main Seating guests – Wednesday at 9 or Friday at 5. The staff said the Wednesday show is usually quite crowded. I took the Friday show. Friday was a formal night, so we just got ready an hour earlier. After I got the tickets, we headed outside. I think we did some more mini-golf (the kids really enjoyed it).

 

For lunch, we went to Johnny Rockets. We got in line about 11:15, and there were about 10 people in front of us. When they opened at 11:30, there were about 10 people behind us. Johnny Rockets was AWESOME, and the kids loved it. The spicy ranch dressing for the onion rings rocked.

 

We then did the pool in the afternoon. Chair-hogging didn’t seem to be a problem, as we saw plenty of open chairs on the main and upper pool decks.

 

The ice cream station also opened at noon on each day and was a nice treat. The flavors varied slightly – so combination of chocolate, strawberry, vanilla, and a twist.

 

After dinner in the dining room, the kids took in Adventure Ocean for an hour or so. They went on an “alien hunt” around the ship, which was very cool. The wife and I went to the casino. We are definitely not gamblers, but we figured $20 in the quarter slots would be a nice treat. We each took $10. On her first few pulls, my wife won $21 and cashed out. I lost $9, so we left the casino with $22. We enjoyed a drink in the Viking Crown and then picked up the kids.

 

DAY 4 – ST. THOMAS: The ship docked in Charlotte Amalie. Everyone had to go through US immigration. If you had an excursion departing prior to 10, you were to report to the dining room at 9 with your tickets. Otherwise, you were told to report at 9:45. We had an early excursion, so we went at 9, but no one asked to see our tickets. The line was out in the Promenade, but it moved rapidly. It took no longer than 5-10 minutes to get through.

 

We had booked 2 excursions, the Butterfly Farm and one to Megan’s Bay. The Butterfly Farm is right beside the dock. Just walk around the building to the right of the ship and there it is. This was a great thing to do. The cost was $15/adult and $9/child. It opened at 9 and we were there shortly after this. So, there was only one other family there with us. They gave a nice tour of the facility and then left you free to look at the butterflies. The kids loved this (so did my wife and I). One butterfly actually landed on my daughter’s head, much to her delight. There were two other ships in port (Carnival and Princess), and we noticed many more people were taking the tour of the Butterfly Farm when we were leaving. They also give you a ticket so you can come back later in the day if you want.

 

After lunch in the Windjammer, we headed to Megan’s Bay. This was a 3-hour tour, with about 2 hours at the beach. Megan’s Bay was spectacular. We found a little shade beneath a tree and hit the water. The water was warm and very calm. We didn’t want to leave! During the ride to/from the beach, the driver pointed out things of interest.

 

Dinner was in the dining room. The kids did some Adventure Ocean activities. This may have been Pirate Night for them. Regardless, they all dressed up like pirates and marched around the ship chanting (not at all annoyingly). They even went into the dining room for the Late Seating, who gave them a well-deserved round of applause. My wife and I (with other parents) wound up following them on their parade.

 

DAY 5 – ST. MAARTEN: This was our last stop and was also very nice. There is some construction around the dock area (to prepare for the Oasis). Another pier is going in. However, this didn’t cause any type of disruption. We bought water taxi wristbands for $6/each and went into town. The shops opened around 9:30. We were able to get some bargains. There are 3 water taxi stops – one at the ship, one at the edge of town, and one in town. If you are at the one in town, walk 2 blocks directly back from it. There is a little open-air market there. My wife bought some nice island-made jewelry.

 

After lunch in the Windjammer, we went back on the water taxi to the beach in town. For $11, we got 2 chairs, an umbrella, and 2 Coronas. There were deals like this to be had other places, too. I had on my Maryland Terps hat and the guy in the beach chair next to me asks about it. We then find out he lives about 20 minutes from us and we know some of the same people. This was their first cruise and they loved it. They were such nice people (if you are reading this – Hi Rick, Holly and the kids!!). We then went back to the ship to prepare for dinner.

 

DAYS 6 & 7 – AT SEA: These last two days were spent at sea. There was plenty to do on the ship. The kids spent some time in Adventure Ocean. We all did some on-board shopping. There were some sales.

 

DEBARKATION: Since we made our own air reservations and had reserved a rental car, we chose to self-embark. We stocked up on some cereal and fruit the day before so we could eat in the cabin. At about 6:30 we proceeded to Deck 4. We were about 20-deep in line, which was not bad at all. By 7:00, we were off the ship. The rental car shuttle was right outside and we walked on. Our car was waiting and by 8:00 we were headed back toward Orlando.

 

SHIP: The ship is incredible. It’s very clean and well-kept. You were met at the Windjammer with hand sanitizer wipes. These were also posted at other areas throughout the ship, which was nice.

 

The only “knock” I can give it is the photo stuff. First, pictures are expensive, but we all know that. However, when they take a picture, they often put a border and some graphics around it. An 8x10 is $19.95. However, with all the graphics and stuff, the photo size is only 4x6 or 5x7. That didn’t see right. You could get a smaller size print, but you had to first pay for the 8x10 and then pay another fee to get the smaller size. Second, the embarking picture was wrong. They take your picture and then do the graphics thing with a SeaPass beside the photo. The SeaPass had August 17, 2006 as the sailing date instead of August 17, 2008. We pointed this out to a photo gallery crewmember, who just shrugged her shoulders and said the photo would still be $19.95. We did NOT ask for a discount, but we merely showing her the mistake so they could correct it on future photos. The last problem we saw was with the photo kiosks. These provide 24-hour access to your photos. They have cool face recognition software, so you always don’t have to go searching for your pictures. You swipe your SeaPass and it brings up the ones matching your face. The problems we encountered were they only worked semi-regularly. My SeaPass card would never work it one, but my wife’s did. Plus, you couldn’t edit things like the size of the picture on here. So, basically, you were forced to buy 8x10’s unless they deliberately made a smaller size. With computers and digital photography, they should be able to let you see a photo prior to printing, let you pick the size, and then order the photo. These kiosks are a great idea, and if they can get the bugs worked out and put in a few more features and locations, they should have a great asset.

 

As previously stated, our cabin was #1388, an aft corner. This was great. The balcony was large and had a nice, shaded area. The cabin was very wide. There was ample storage for all our stuff. I counted 25 hangers in the closet, and there were also some nice shelves in there, too. The TV was a regular tube type, not a flat screen. The safe was above the TV and was opened with a 4-digit combination of your choice. That was nice not having to use a credit card. The bathroom was nicely sized. The shower was round with doors. Retrieving the soap was not a problem. The shower head height was also adjustable, and you could take the head off and use it as a wand. There was also a sturdy hand-hold on the shower wall. We felt very little vibration. Yes, you could feel movement and the engine vibration, but it was not bothersome at all. The bed was quite comfortable. The sofa bed is very wide, but it’s short. I am 5’9” and my legs would hang off if I lay there. However, it was fine for my kids.

 

ENTERTAINMENT: Because our kids are small, we didn’t do the shows every night. As previously stated, Jeff the Juggler and Miguel Washington were very good. However, we saw a comedy team (I would have to get out the Cruise Compass to get their names), who were hysterical. They were clean, and we nearly cried laughing.

 

FOOD: We were very happy with the food. For me, I had one “miss” in the dining room. That was a pork dish with a mushroom sauce. I attribute the “miss” to my personal mushroom taste. I don’t like quite as much as was given. I did have the Onion Tart, which was great. I also had cod twice, and it was some of the best I’ve eaten. All of us felt the fruit was excellent. It was full of flavor and just at the right stage of ripeness. Dessert-wise, we never had a bad one. There were many to choose from, and they were awesome.

 

We used Room Service nightly (we placed a standing order) for cookies and fruit. We also had the winglets, which were not very spicy, but were good. Another item on the Room Service menu we found great for the afternoon was a chili dip of some sort. We asked for some extra chips with it and it was the perfect snack.

 

As stated before, Johnny Rockets was great. We never ate breakfast or lunch in the dining room. We used the Windjammer, although we did eat out on the balcony some. My wife enjoyed her morning coffee out there.

 

SPECIAL EVENTS: There were two events for Crown & Anchor members. The first was for anyone who had cruised before, and the second was for Platinum members and above. At each, information was given about the Oasis. The Captain attended the second one.

 

PASSENGERS: The ship had 3700 passengers, but we never felt crowded. There were about 600-800 kids, and they were mostly well-behaved. Naturally, we encountered some kids who needed an “attitude adjustment”, but we also met some adults like that too. I saw a lady take two cookies with her hands, lick the crumbs off her fingers, and then take another dessert with her hands. YUCK! My wife also saw a guy take a cookie with his hands, only to put it back and pick up another one.

 

STAFF: The Captain was Captain Johnny. He was great. His reports were ended with a joke, and he kept us well informed about many things. The Cruise Director was Abe Hughes. I thought he did a nice job, too. Our Stateroom Attendant was Beverly, who was perfect. Our waiter and assistant were Sheldon and Rohan, who both took great care of us. The Adventure Ocean staff was very impressive, and the kids loved them.

 

SUMMARY: Everything was wonderful, including the weather, and we cannot wait to go again.

[debshomespun]

Glad you enjoyed your time on the Mariner. We have that same cabin for our Mexican Riviera cruise in April/10! Did you get some sun while on the balcony? Or was it more shaded?

[TerpsBball]

There was plenty of sun on the balcony, too. The shaded area is due tot eh structure of the ship in the corner of the balcony. Enjoy!

[kittymom65]

Excellent review, thanks for sharing!

[reallyitsmema]

Has the Mariner done away with the hanging folders which have the photos preprinted for your cabin then? They had other sizes other than 8x10 in the folders. What about the package specials that they had Sunday-Tuesday? Those were a much better deal and were refundable if you didn't find pictures you liked.

[lindasuej]

Thanks for the great review. We are cruising this great ship in November. You made mention that Friday was a formal night. What other night was formal. Thanks

Linda

[hazeleyez3]

Excellent review..I am getting so anxious about our in the next couple days.

 

Would you say its best to do an excursion of any type, or to do your own thing (we really aren't beach people).

 

How was the security line at BWI? The last few times its been extremely long, so I was just curious how quickly you got through

[TerpsBball]

1. Has the Mariner done away with the hanging folders which have the photos preprinted for your cabin then? They had other sizes other than 8x10 in the folders. What about the package specials that they had Sunday-Tuesday? Those were a much better deal and were refundable if you didn't find pictures you liked.

 

-- The folders are there. There were two picture sizes, 8x10 and 4x6 (I think). The issue is you cannot chose the size or how the photos are printed. The pacakges are still there too. I guess my beef is with today's technology, you should be able to look at a photo before it's printed (it's digital to begin with) and select how you want it.

 

2. What other night was formal.

 

-- The other formal night was Monday. Also, we never had a "smart casual" night. All other nights were casual.

 

3. Would you say its best to do an excursion of any type, or to do your own thing (we really aren't beach people).

 

How was the security line at BWI? The last few times its been extremely long, so I was just curious how quickly you got through

 

-- As far as excursions go, it depends on where you are going. There are so many options. If you go on your own, just make sure you get a good outfit and can get back to the ship in time, as traffic on those islands can get bad. Some places you don't need to do a tour if shopping is your thing.

 

We had no problem at BWI. We flew mid-afternoon on a Wednesday, which also helped. We got through in about 5 minutes.

[gjc1111]

Sounds like you had a great trip!!

[KMagz]

Great review.

 

Your account of the wrong sail date printed on the photos reminded me of a similar one we also saw on Mariner.

 

A WALL of commemorative passenger photos with Mariner'esque borders around the edge -- maybe 800 or 1000 prints? -- and all of them had "St. Thomas, St. Marteen and SAINT JUAN" printed on them in the border! DOH! I pointed it out to the photo guy. For some reason he failed to see the humor!

 

Sounds like you had a great cruise.

 

- Ken

[crusieKat46]

After being home for nearly a week, I figured it was about time to write up our Mariner review. We cruised the Eastern Caribbean on the Mariner from 17-24 August.

 

ABOUT US: Me (39), the wife (39-ish), son (6), daughter (4). We’ve cruised several times (now Diamond members). We live in Maryland.

 

PLANNING/TRAVEL DETAILS: We have friends in Orlando, so we left early to stay with them for a few days. We booked flights on Airtran out of BWI (on our own, not through the cruise line). I booked these flights about 7 months in advance, so the schedule altered a few times. Therefore, I suggest keeping an eye on the flight times, as the airlines don’t always notify you of a change promptly. Also, the new 50-lb limit on checked bags STINKS! We have hard-sided luggage, so that put us at a little disadvantage. However, using the bathroom scale the night before helped. The flights were smooth and on time. We had no problems at all.

 

I took out trip insurance through http://www.insuremytrip.com. I used TravelEx (“Lite” package).

 

We took a rental car to (and from BWI) as well as from Port Canaveral back to Orlando when the cruise was over. We used Budget to and from BWI, and we had Avis at Port Canaveral. Using discount codes I found in http://www.mousesavers.com, I saved 20-25% on each rental. We paid $60 for a full-size car to BWI, $44 for a premium car from Port Canaveral to Orlando, and $60 for a mini-van from BWI to home. Our friends took us to Port Canaveral at the beginning of the cruise. If you book through Avis at Port Canaveral, the office there has a website where you can reserve a spot on the transport bus. This lets them know you are coming in on the ship.

 

We booked this cruise as soon as it opened up (April 2007), as we wanted our choice of cabins. We had #1388, an aft balcony stateroom. Looking at photos from this site as well as others, we were quite excited by the room.

 

DAY 1 – EMBARKATION: We arrived at Port Canaveral (by car with our friends) around 10:50 am on Sunday. There were already people in line. Porters were readily available to take your luggage, so drop-off was not a problem. Looking at the building, the right line was at least 3 times as long as the left line. So, we walked up to the left line. When we were nearly there, people started going inside. Within 10-15 minutes, we were upstairs.

 

We went to the Platinum/Diamond/Diamond Plus line and waited for about 5 minutes. Check-in was easy, and we were directed to a waiting area. After a bathroom break for the kids (the bathroom was right by the barrier to get on the ship), an announcement was made for Platinum/Diamond/Diamond Plus members to board. The lady by the barrier said we were in the wrong place and should have been directed to the special area for those members. We told her we were sent here. She asked who did that, we told her, and she wrote down that person’s name. That was impressive. She then said we still couldn’t board. My wife asked why not, since there were also other Diamond members behind us in the same situation. She then let us board.

 

The ship was BEAUTIFUL!!! We got on at Deck 4 and went up to the Windjammer for lunch. By this time it was about noon. Cabins were ready at 1 pm. However, our luggage didn’t arrive until 5:40. It was casual night in the dining room (we had the main seating at 6), so we just wore what we got on with (not a problem).

 

Muster drill (or “mustard drill” as my son innocently called it) was at 4 pm and lasted approximately 15 minutes. For the sail-away, we went up to the helipad. That was cool.

 

We went to the Welcome Aboard Show and saw a juggler (Jeff Taveggia) and comedian (Miguel Washington). Both were quite good.

 

DAY 2 – AT COCO CAY: Monday morning we arrived at Coco Cay. The staff told people the tenders would be most crowded between 9 and 11. We got on around 8:45 and had no problem. We got off and walked around past Coconut Willies to a beach with very few people. There were plenty of chairs and the water was nice and calm.

 

Lunch was a barbeque and was good. After lunch, we looked around at the vendor goods and then headed back to the ship. In the evening, the kids went to Adventure Ocean. We put them both in the 3-5 group. Our son is 6, but we figured our daughter might be apprehensive about going by herself at first. Plus, our son just turned 6 last month. There were many more kids in the 6-8 age group and most seemed to be at the upper end of that, so it worked out best this way. The staff was great (more on the cruise staff further down), and they had no problem bumping our son down to the 3-5 group.

 

DAY 3 – AT SEA: After breakfast in the Windjammer, I headed to get tickets for the ice show. The Cruise Compass said they passed them out at 9, but they actually started at 8:45. I got there at 8:30, and there were about 40 people in line. The staff announced Main Seating guests should line up on the left and Late Seating on the right. However, they never asked to see a Sea Pass, so I guess you could get in whatever line you wanted. There were two options for Main Seating guests – Wednesday at 9 or Friday at 5. The staff said the Wednesday show is usually quite crowded. I took the Friday show. Friday was a formal night, so we just got ready an hour earlier. After I got the tickets, we headed outside. I think we did some more mini-golf (the kids really enjoyed it).

 

For lunch, we went to Johnny Rockets. We got in line about 11:15, and there were about 10 people in front of us. When they opened at 11:30, there were about 10 people behind us. Johnny Rockets was AWESOME, and the kids loved it. The spicy ranch dressing for the onion rings rocked.

 

We then did the pool in the afternoon. Chair-hogging didn’t seem to be a problem, as we saw plenty of open chairs on the main and upper pool decks.

 

The ice cream station also opened at noon on each day and was a nice treat. The flavors varied slightly – so combination of chocolate, strawberry, vanilla, and a twist.

 

After dinner in the dining room, the kids took in Adventure Ocean for an hour or so. They went on an “alien hunt” around the ship, which was very cool. The wife and I went to the casino. We are definitely not gamblers, but we figured $20 in the quarter slots would be a nice treat. We each took $10. On her first few pulls, my wife won $21 and cashed out. I lost $9, so we left the casino with $22. We enjoyed a drink in the Viking Crown and then picked up the kids.

 

DAY 4 – ST. THOMAS: The ship docked in Charlotte Amalie. Everyone had to go through US immigration. If you had an excursion departing prior to 10, you were to report to the dining room at 9 with your tickets. Otherwise, you were told to report at 9:45. We had an early excursion, so we went at 9, but no one asked to see our tickets. The line was out in the Promenade, but it moved rapidly. It took no longer than 5-10 minutes to get through.

 

We had booked 2 excursions, the Butterfly Farm and one to Megan’s Bay. The Butterfly Farm is right beside the dock. Just walk around the building to the right of the ship and there it is. This was a great thing to do. The cost was $15/adult and $9/child. It opened at 9 and we were there shortly after this. So, there was only one other family there with us. They gave a nice tour of the facility and then left you free to look at the butterflies. The kids loved this (so did my wife and I). One butterfly actually landed on my daughter’s head, much to her delight. There were two other ships in port (Carnival and Princess), and we noticed many more people were taking the tour of the Butterfly Farm when we were leaving. They also give you a ticket so you can come back later in the day if you want.

 

After lunch in the Windjammer, we headed to Megan’s Bay. This was a 3-hour tour, with about 2 hours at the beach. Megan’s Bay was spectacular. We found a little shade beneath a tree and hit the water. The water was warm and very calm. We didn’t want to leave! During the ride to/from the beach, the driver pointed out things of interest.

 

Dinner was in the dining room. The kids did some Adventure Ocean activities. This may have been Pirate Night for them. Regardless, they all dressed up like pirates and marched around the ship chanting (not at all annoyingly). They even went into the dining room for the Late Seating, who gave them a well-deserved round of applause. My wife and I (with other parents) wound up following them on their parade.

 

DAY 5 – ST. MAARTEN: This was our last stop and was also very nice. There is some construction around the dock area (to prepare for the Oasis). Another pier is going in. However, this didn’t cause any type of disruption. We bought water taxi wristbands for $6/each and went into town. The shops opened around 9:30. We were able to get some bargains. There are 3 water taxi stops – one at the ship, one at the edge of town, and one in town. If you are at the one in town, walk 2 blocks directly back from it. There is a little open-air market there. My wife bought some nice island-made jewelry.

 

After lunch in the Windjammer, we went back on the water taxi to the beach in town. For $11, we got 2 chairs, an umbrella, and 2 Coronas. There were deals like this to be had other places, too. I had on my Maryland Terps hat and the guy in the beach chair next to me asks about it. We then find out he lives about 20 minutes from us and we know some of the same people. This was their first cruise and they loved it. They were such nice people (if you are reading this – Hi Rick, Holly and the kids!!). We then went back to the ship to prepare for dinner.

 

DAYS 6 & 7 – AT SEA: These last two days were spent at sea. There was plenty to do on the ship. The kids spent some time in Adventure Ocean. We all did some on-board shopping. There were some sales.

 

DEBARKATION: Since we made our own air reservations and had reserved a rental car, we chose to self-embark. We stocked up on some cereal and fruit the day before so we could eat in the cabin. At about 6:30 we proceeded to Deck 4. We were about 20-deep in line, which was not bad at all. By 7:00, we were off the ship. The rental car shuttle was right outside and we walked on. Our car was waiting and by 8:00 we were headed back toward Orlando.

 

SHIP: The ship is incredible. It’s very clean and well-kept. You were met at the Windjammer with hand sanitizer wipes. These were also posted at other areas throughout the ship, which was nice.

 

The only “knock” I can give it is the photo stuff. First, pictures are expensive, but we all know that. However, when they take a picture, they often put a border and some graphics around it. An 8x10 is $19.95. However, with all the graphics and stuff, the photo size is only 4x6 or 5x7. That didn’t see right. You could get a smaller size print, but you had to first pay for the 8x10 and then pay another fee to get the smaller size. Second, the embarking picture was wrong. They take your picture and then do the graphics thing with a SeaPass beside the photo. The SeaPass had August 17, 2006 as the sailing date instead of August 17, 2008. We pointed this out to a photo gallery crewmember, who just shrugged her shoulders and said the photo would still be $19.95. We did NOT ask for a discount, but we merely showing her the mistake so they could correct it on future photos. The last problem we saw was with the photo kiosks. These provide 24-hour access to your photos. They have cool face recognition software, so you always don’t have to go searching for your pictures. You swipe your SeaPass and it brings up the ones matching your face. The problems we encountered were they only worked semi-regularly. My SeaPass card would never work it one, but my wife’s did. Plus, you couldn’t edit things like the size of the picture on here. So, basically, you were forced to buy 8x10’s unless they deliberately made a smaller size. With computers and digital photography, they should be able to let you see a photo prior to printing, let you pick the size, and then order the photo. These kiosks are a great idea, and if they can get the bugs worked out and put in a few more features and locations, they should have a great asset.

 

As previously stated, our cabin was #1388, an aft corner. This was great. The balcony was large and had a nice, shaded area. The cabin was very wide. There was ample storage for all our stuff. I counted 25 hangers in the closet, and there were also some nice shelves in there, too. The TV was a regular tube type, not a flat screen. The safe was above the TV and was opened with a 4-digit combination of your choice. That was nice not having to use a credit card. The bathroom was nicely sized. The shower was round with doors. Retrieving the soap was not a problem. The shower head height was also adjustable, and you could take the head off and use it as a wand. There was also a sturdy hand-hold on the shower wall. We felt very little vibration. Yes, you could feel movement and the engine vibration, but it was not bothersome at all. The bed was quite comfortable. The sofa bed is very wide, but it’s short. I am 5’9” and my legs would hang off if I lay there. However, it was fine for my kids.

 

ENTERTAINMENT: Because our kids are small, we didn’t do the shows every night. As previously stated, Jeff the Juggler and Miguel Washington were very good. However, we saw a comedy team (I would have to get out the Cruise Compass to get their names), who were hysterical. They were clean, and we nearly cried laughing.

 

FOOD: We were very happy with the food. For me, I had one “miss” in the dining room. That was a pork dish with a mushroom sauce. I attribute the “miss” to my personal mushroom taste. I don’t like quite as much as was given. I did have the Onion Tart, which was great. I also had cod twice, and it was some of the best I’ve eaten. All of us felt the fruit was excellent. It was full of flavor and just at the right stage of ripeness. Dessert-wise, we never had a bad one. There were many to choose from, and they were awesome.

 

We used Room Service nightly (we placed a standing order) for cookies and fruit. We also had the winglets, which were not very spicy, but were good. Another item on the Room Service menu we found great for the afternoon was a chili dip of some sort. We asked for some extra chips with it and it was the perfect snack.

 

As stated before, Johnny Rockets was great. We never ate breakfast or lunch in the dining room. We used the Windjammer, although we did eat out on the balcony some. My wife enjoyed her morning coffee out there.

 

SPECIAL EVENTS: There were two events for Crown & Anchor members. The first was for anyone who had cruised before, and the second was for Platinum members and above. At each, information was given about the Oasis. The Captain attended the second one.

 

PASSENGERS: The ship had 3700 passengers, but we never felt crowded. There were about 600-800 kids, and they were mostly well-behaved. Naturally, we encountered some kids who needed an “attitude adjustment”, but we also met some adults like that too. I saw a lady take two cookies with her hands, lick the crumbs off her fingers, and then take another dessert with her hands. YUCK! My wife also saw a guy take a cookie with his hands, only to put it back and pick up another one.

 

STAFF: The Captain was Captain Johnny. He was great. His reports were ended with a joke, and he kept us well informed about many things. The Cruise Director was Abe Hughes. I thought he did a nice job, too. Our Stateroom Attendant was Beverly, who was perfect. Our waiter and assistant were Sheldon and Rohan, who both took great care of us. The Adventure Ocean staff was very impressive, and the kids loved them.

 

SUMMARY: Everything was wonderful, including the weather, and we cannot wait to go again.

How was the Ice Show ? Mhy daughter is a figure skater on the Mariner, I plan on viiting her soon to watch her show.

[Foffie232]

How was the Ice Show ? Mhy daughter is a figure skater on the Mariner, I plan on viiting her soon to watch her show.

 

 

I REMEMBER KAYLA! (I think) Was she there in May? We saw the ice show on Mariner and were truly blown away. The skaters were phenomenal! Congrats on your daughter! :)

[GoofingOff]

The Ice Shows were great. It must be difficult to do the manuvers they do on a smaller rink.

 

I'm curious, what was your daughter's skating background beforing this? My wife always wonders where the ship recruits the skaters and what they did before.

[OttoCal]

the second photo size has usually been 6x8, unless they changed it.

This is a very hard size to find frames for!!

 

We got the photo package for 6 of the 6x8s at the beginning of the week for a savings, and were happy- we had more than enough to choose from. :p

 

I ended up w/ 3 that were veritical & 3 horizontal, and I just managed to find a frame that worked- I got a 10x20 poster frame from the craft store and used a pretty colored tissue paper for the background and stuck 3 in each frame- since I didn't want 6 more frames cluttering up my house :rolleyes: 2 more frames was plenty!

 

And thanks for a great review!

[crusieKat46]

I REMEMBER KAYLA! (I think) Was she there in May? We saw the ice show on Mariner and were truly blown away. The skaters were phenomenal! Congrats on your daughter! :)

Kayla was there in May. Shes the one with the biggest smile!

[crusieKat46]

The Ice Shows were great. It must be difficult to do the manuvers they do on a smaller rink.

 

I'm curious, what was your daughter's skating background beforing this? My wife always wonders where the ship recruits the skaters and what they did before.

Thank you,

Kayla was a National Competitive Skater since she was 8 yrs old. The cost of training at the Olympic level a yr was (is) more than a yr at Brown...no kidding. Royal Carabbean hires only former National or world and Olympic skaters from all over the world. It is hard (so Kayla tells me) to do triples in the head outfits and the small rink. She is in her 4th contract. Having the opportunity to travel all over the world and have fun while getting paid should be against the law !!

[CruisePrincess51]

Thanks for the great review...sounds like you really had a nice vacation. We'll be on Mariner in about 3 weeks and have never done the self debarkation. We have a car picking us up at the port around 8:30 am, if you carry your own luggage off the ship, is there a certain time that you have to get off the ship or can you stagger the time a little. I guess in other words, if we have to get off early, then maybe I should change the time of the car picking us up to get us to the airport? I didn't know how that all worked as this will be our first time doing this. Do they make an announcement or just tell you what time to report to leave the ship? Thanks in advance for your help. :)

[TerpsBball]

I am an IDIOT!!! I can't believe I forgot to talk about the Ice Show. It was absolutely amazing. What those folks do on a small rink is remarkable.

 

However, I wasn't impressed with the free skate time. There was very limited time to do it and not enough safety equipment. Plus, the skates really smelled. There was lysol on the table where you turned them in, but the guy only wiped down the blade. He didn't use the spray.

 

Regarding getting off the ship by yourself...

 

Early in the week, they ask you to fill out a form on how you are leaving. I said we preferred self-disembarkation. They give you an early color, but you don't have to put them on your bags. The colored tags are used if you plan on letting them get your bags off the ship adn then you retrieve them at the dock. So...

 

1. Fill out the form stating you will be carrying off your own luggage and you have a car waiting.

 

2. On the morning you get back to port, be down on Deck 4 around 6:30 with all your stuff. They open the doors between 6:45 and 7. The day before you dock, a paper is handed out explaning this. It says self-disembarking passengers will leave at approximately 6:45. It also says if you are getting off yourself, only use carry-on luggage. No one pays any attention to that and takes all their stuff with them. You'll be out by 7. I'm not sure if you can wait and go later.

[CruisePrincess51]

Thanks Wayne for the information on the disembarking. Like I stated earlier, we have never done this before, we are going to try it this time to see how it works out. We may end of getting to the airport a little earlier than we had wanted, but there is an earlier flight back then that we may be able to make. I'll make all the adjustments now with the car picking us up now that I know how this works. Thanks again for the help! :)

[TerpsBball]

We wound up stopping for some breakfast at the McDonalds in Port Canaveral and then heading to Downtown Disney, which opened at 9:30. We got there right at 9:30 and spent some time looking around. The kids enjoyed that. So, if you are looking for some time to kill, that's always an option.

[crusieKat46]

The Ice Shows were great. It must be difficult to do the manuvers they do on a smaller rink.

 

I'm curious, what was your daughter's skating background beforing this? My wife always wonders where the ship recruits the skaters and what they did before.

Kayla never skated background all the skaters have principle roles. They all however do do group numbersCOLOR]H

[madndad]

What is the website for the Avis Port Canaveral office?

 

Thanks,

 

Gary