Just off the Mariner (4/12-19)

[emen822]

In Mazatlan, the officers could also have something to do with the Navy base next door. Just a thought.

 

That's a definite possibility. I didn't even notice when we got off. Just when we were pulling away from port was when I saw him. :D

[GoodAsGold]

Or on another cruiseline. ;)

 

I agree, though, about the price being right! We really lucked out with the last minute reductions!

 

 

for the compasses. they are perfect.

i think the people who complain about the food are people who have taken cruises 5 years ago and before when the quality was better.

on a cruise for $599 you cannot expect prime beef.

:rolleyes:

[GoodAsGold]

They had them at Guest Relations in a box. Someone is in charge of handing them out. I went back and exchanged mine for different nights a couple times. I always went at 1:00 am so it was easy to get a ticket then. You can also show up without a ticket and if they have room you can go in.

 

If anyone here has ever seen Sarge, don't expect the same. I can tell when a comedian is hilarious when I have tears streaming down my face and my ribs hurt. Didn't happen with these guys, although the last one was definitely the funniest.

 

I have a question regarding the comedy shows. Do you have to reserve tickets on the first day to attend the night of your choice......or do you reserve the tickets on the night of each show?

[GoodAsGold]

They were there back in 1988 on my first cruise (on the Golden Zone).

That's a definite possibility. I didn't even notice when we got off. Just when we were pulling away from port was when I saw him. :D

[IBookHePays]

One more thank you...reading the compasses has my heart pounding!:):D

[casandbliz]

:confused:I'm sorry..what is "MTD"????

[emen822]

MTD is my time dining.

MDR is main dining room.

:D

[msett1]

Thanks again emen822! Reading through all the compasses is making me so excited to be back onboard the Mariner.

[azdmelani]

They had them at Guest Relations in a box. Someone is in charge of handing them out. I went back and exchanged mine for different nights a couple times. I always went at 1:00 am so it was easy to get a ticket then. You can also show up without a ticket and if they have room you can go in.

 

If anyone here has ever seen Sarge, don't expect the same. I can tell when a comedian is hilarious when I have tears streaming down my face and my ribs hurt. Didn't happen with these guys, although the last one was definitely the funniest.

 

Sarge is one of my favorites!!

[kathylynnt]

Hello-we just got back from the 4-12---4-19 sailing, along with emen22 (Mary), earthdog (Dave) and Daycareprovider (Angela). It was a really wonderful vacation!

We live near LA, so we drove down to the pier and parked there- ($12.00 per day). It was cheaper than taking a shuttle. We got there about 11:45 and got right on. They have the hallways blocked off, so that you can't walk by your cabin (until around 1:00). So we went up on deck and ate in the Windjammer and then walked around. I hadn't been on a RCI ship since the late 1990's and was very surprised by the size and amenities. The Promenade was so awesome. We went into Mary's daughter's Promenade View room and looked out the window into the promenade. That was really neat. I would imagine that you would want one on the 7th or 8th deck so that some of the noise wouldn't be so loud (if you are a light sleeper).

The ship was so large that you never really felt crowded. During the sea days, it was the "usual"-you couldn't find a deck chair near the pool because of all the people saving chairs. But you could usually find one on deck 12 (above the pool), but it was windier up there. Speaking of wind-make sure that you bring a jacket or sweatshirt, as it got quite chilly a few times during the "sail aways" and of course at night. The wind seemed worse on the 2 days back, because we were sailing "into the wind". They even closed the inline skating course on Saturday due to the wind. So we played miniature golf and the wind blew the balls here and there! They were still letting people climb the rock wall in the wind, though.

The shows in the Savoy Theater were quite good. We always got there about 1/2 hour before the show so that we could get a good seat. The singers and dancers were quite good. I really enjoyed the cruise director, Ken Rush. He seemed like a really nice man. There were many activities for everyone! We saw the comedy show 3 times. You pick up the tickets for the whole week's shows at the same time. I think that it was Sunday night. We really enjoyed the comedians. We saw the second set of comedians twice and someone a few posts back asked if their shows were the same. They were similar. They used some of the same jokes (material), but also jumped from topic to topic depending upon who was in the audience and where they were from. Also, you have to remember that since it is an adult comedy show-some people could get offended. If you are easily offended by off-color stuff, it may not be for you.

If you want to see the ice skating show, you need to get down to the line at least 1/2 hour before the show. We didn't get in until Friday because it filled up so fast. I almost was going to skip it, but I'm really glad that we went. It was fabulous. If you have children, make sure to go. They will really enjoy it.

 

The 2 parades on the Promenade were cute. The 70's show on the promenade was great. If I had known that they would have a 70's night, I might have brought along a tie dyed shirt. The male dancers dressed up like the Village People and of course, we all did YMCA.

 

All the lounges were very nice. I only went into the Disco once, and left right away because it was so smokey. You can sit in the various bars on the Promenade and listen to the music or just watch the people.

 

We did MTD. I also liked the Head Waiter- (Magic) He didn't spell it that way, (I think it was like Macie), but he said it like Magic. He tried very hard to please everyone. We asked for a 6:30 reservation for each night. We didn't sit at the same table, but were in the same area. There were only 2 waiters-Rock and Madan. They both were very nice. I thought that the food was okay to good. I'm not that hard to please and of course, always found something to eat, but it was just okay. My husband liked the rost beef. The jumbo tiger prawns had a green sauce on them-maybe pesto. I liked them, but my husband didn't. The prime rib was fine, the lobster was good, the New York steak (I think it was Saturday night) was good. The people sitting next to us said that all of them had bad New York steaks and they all sent them back. But the "everyday selection" Angus steak was not too good. We didn't try the $14.95 filet, as there was always something else to eat. My cousin had the salmon and said that it was very good. I probably enjoyed the appetizers more than the main courses. You can get a caesar salad every night, even though it is not listed on the menu.

The Windjammer was a typical ship (or Las Vegas) buffet. There was always something that you could find to eat. The salad bar was always good.They had a lot of pork dishes (stew, chops) and some of them were quite good. You could get an omlette or fried eggs up there for breakfast.

We went to Johnny Rocket's and that was a blast. The hamburgers were very good and the servers were delightful. They bring you a plate of french fries and onion rings as soon as you sit down. They were cold, so were asked for some hot one and they brought them.

 

We didn't do any excursions. In Cabo, we just walked around and looked in all of the shops. My cousins went to the hotel (Finnesteria-sp) that Mary (emen22) talked about back on page 1 or 2 of this thread and really enjoyed it. In Mazatlan, we just took the tram to the little pink shopping area and looked in those shops. In PV, we walked over to the Krystal Vallarta, and used their pool. I wanted to get a massage, but since I didn't book it online ahead of time, they were totally full. So we just swam in the pool, and got some beer and nachos. Then we walked down the beach and looked at all the new hotels and timeshares. When we came back to the ship, I bought my little "junk items" in that shopping area. If you want to walk over to the Krystal, you just go straight off the ship and head down the street toward 3 large high-rise towers that are "under construction". If you look that way toward those towers from deck 12 of the ship you will see some palm tress and a yellow dome right past the 3 new condo towers. That's the Krystal. When you walk down the street and get to the towers, the road curves left and there is a gate with a guard. You just tell them that you are coming for a massage and they let you right in. They don't really care if you come. We saw lots of people from the ship. You can tell by the beige beach towels!

 

Anyway, I'm out of time-my family keeps saying, "What are you doing on the computer for so long?" I love the Caribbean and don't think that these ports compare to the Caribbean ports, but the price of the cruise was sooooo much less, that it was worth it. The ship was awesome. I would go on the Mariner again in a heartbeat. I'd love to try another of the Voyager or Freedom class ships. I'm sure that we will in the future.

Kathy :)

[BabyDntGotBack]

Thanks everyone who is posting all the information. I can't wait until 05/31 when I get to go on the Mariner. In Cabo did you need to get tickets for the tender. I was looking for it on the Compass, but I did not see anything about it.

[emen822]

We did not need tickets for the tender in Cabo. Then again we did not have an excursion planned. We just went down when we were ready and waited maybe 5 minutes. This tendering was the quickest than any other island where we have had to do it.

[NWWanderer]

I was on this cruise--it was my first and I had a great time! It's very fun and interesting to read other people's perspectives on the same trip.

 

Among my favorite things were the ice show (although I do wish they still gave out tickets so you wouldn't have to get there so early), all the 70s Disco night activities (including "Name that 70s Disco Tune" which I thought I would ace but it was harder than I expected!), Quest, and karaoke.

 

Had great service and really enjoyed talking to and getting to know some of the crew members.

 

I thought the food was quite good in the MDR given how many people they have to serve--having read reports on here that the food on the Mariner wasn't that good, I was pleasantly surprised. I also had dinner at Chops and Portofino which were excellent.

 

I enjoyed cruising so much I've already booked my next one! I wasn't sure I would, especially on such a big ship but it was great.

[kerrydee]

mary, thank you for posting the compasses. on day one, page 2 and page 4 appear to be the same. am i missing something?:D

[Fitnessmaniac]

Thanks so much for posting the compasses. :) That was so nice. :)

[emen822]

mary, thank you for posting the compasses. on day one, page 2 and page 4 appear to be the same. am i missing something?:D

 

 

:eek: ooppss.. You are correct I will post the correct 4 pages tomorrow. ;)

[emen822]

As promised, here are the 4 correct pages of the Day 1 compass.

Corrected Day 1.pdf

[AZRussells]

As promised, here are the 4 correct pages of the Day 1 compass.

 

Thanks so much for posting all of this!!

[VoicePDX]

Hi, everyone...just finished writing and submitting my review this morning (not sure when they'll post it on that side). There's a photo link in there as well - nothing fancy, just the basics.

 

NWWanderer, I'm with you - it's fun to see all the different takes on the same trip as filtered through other travelers' expectations and previous experiences.

[embradley]

Just wanted to add that I finally uploaded my cruise pictures. :) If anyone is interested, I added a link to my signature. ;)

[GoodAsGold]

Oh good! I was hoping someone else knew he was. :)

Sarge is one of my favorites!!

[Montana]

I was also on this cruise, attended the entertainment each night and ate in the 2 specialty restaurants. Both good, but Chops was great and neither of us had beef. We were amazed at how the ship never seemed too crowded even with 1300 children on board. Good job RCCL. We loved the whole week, and are planning a return on this ship.

[embradley]

I was also on this cruise, attended the entertainment each night and ate in the 2 specialty restaurants. Both good, but Chops was great and neither of us had beef. We were amazed at how the ship never seemed too crowded even with 1300 children on board. Good job RCCL. We loved the whole week, and are planning a return on this ship.

 

 

I agree..Chops was wonderful! They also had the best chocolate dessert I have probably ever tasted..I believe it was the Mississippi Mud Pie or something like that. Also, the children were NEVER an issue in my opinion. We rarely saw them all week :)

[emen822]

Just wanted to add that I finally uploaded my cruise pictures. :) If anyone is interested, I added a link to my signature. ;)

 

Great pics. Thanks for sharing. :D

 

I was also on this cruise, attended the entertainment each night and ate in the 2 specialty restaurants. Both good, but Chops was great and neither of us had beef. We were amazed at how the ship never seemed too crowded even with 1300 children on board. Good job RCCL. We loved the whole week, and are planning a return on this ship.

 

Wow, 1300! They told me there was about 700 teens so I guess the rest was under 13. Amazing. Didn't seem like it at all. And that's a good thing! ;)

[Gypsy509]

The C&A gift was two baseball hats for me and my husband and my daughters got navy blue messenger type bags. I know I have heard gripes about the baseball hats but this was the first time we got them and was glad we got 2 of one gift, and 2 of the other.

The coupon book was ok...I guess it varies for different categories. I noticed I actually got a free drink rather than the buy one, get one coupon in the gold book. I wish the kids book would be better. All that Del Sol stuff is garbage (IMO). I gave my kids books to two year old twin boys that we met on the ship so they could do the coloring.

I knew of a few smugglers who used the good old rum runners and did not have any issues.

We had towel animals every night except the first night...but no chocolates.

The loyalty ambassador was a sweetheart and let me tell you, some people really try her patience. I watched one woman get totally nasty with her and then decided to cancel her cruise over a crown & anchor number that was wrong!!! I went to book my cruise with her and she was still so irritated about it. She said the worst part about it was that she knew the woman was going down to guest relations to complain about her. :mad:

Also, right before we left we received a resident discount but I needed to put an adult in each room in order to qualify twice. So I put me and one daughter on one reservation, my husband and other daughter on the other reservation. I was told that I could change this once I got onboard. Not this time. They told me I had to keep it that way in case of an emergency. :confused: So I was able to get an extra key to their room and they had one to ours :o. (They were told to make sure they called or knocked! lol) And when I went to book the cruise for next year, I was told I had to do the same thing (one adult/one child per stateroom for anyone under 18).

 

Not sure if you are still looking at this board but I was wondering what the advantages are for booking a future cruise while onboard the current cruise?:confused:

thanks

Diane