My review: Mariner of the Seas 8/9-8/16/2009

[ASeaPrincess1]

Holy cow.........you posted while I was checking out your pictures and doing my own post.

OK.........gonna go read it now:D

[silentbob007]

Nice review so far!

I was on the PNW cruise with you, and I checked out your pictures.

Awesome sunset pics, how did I miss that?...and I even saw my mom in one of your pictures.........thanks for not getting me in there...:D

Brought back memories. I really enjoyed that cruise, and I would do that itinerary again in a heartbeat.

I am going back on Mariner in January, can't wait to get onboard that beautiful ship again.

Looking forward to the rest of your review....

 

I think the sunset pictures came when we were cruising back from Seattle. I remember being in the WJ for dinner, seeing some mountains and other shots, then rushing out, down to the cabin, and outside for the shots. :)

[Host Kewlguy]

You may be happy to know that the water was not yellow. ;)

 

Ha-ha. That's always a plus. (Inside joke folks).

[cruizin_again]

Hi Bob-

 

We're enjoying your review a lot and have a related question. We're on the Mariner in October and already have a Fly & Sail Package booked with the Crowne Plaza. We are, however, staying a night after the Mariner and getting onto a Carnival cruise the next day in Long Beach. We'd like to stay that in-between night at the Crowne Plaza too. Can you tell on Priceline that you're bidding on a specific hotel or are there exact criteria that you're putiing in to get only the Crowne Plaza as a result? Right now, the rack rate for the CP is at about $130 including tax, and we're really hoping to get it at closer to the $65-$70 price range that you mentioned.

 

Any help or tips you can give us will be greatly appreciated.

 

Happy sailing.

 

We sailed last week at the same time as Bob. I had booked Crowne Plaza via Priceline. I think I paid $174 for 2 nights all in. Just select San Pedro and 3plus stars. I think PC has about 3 hotels designated as 3.5 stars in the area. Crowne Plaza has a free shuttle to the pier. You just show up in the morning starting at 10am (I think). When we arrived there around 10:30, they seemed to be busy. Then the bellman came and started another shuttle for us and another family. It was very nice of him and we didn't have to wait. I gave him a tip as it was great service.

[cruizin_again]

Ports

 

 

 

Cabo

 

 

I don’t have the exact time in my head, but I believe that tendering started in between 9-9:30 AM. There are no tender tickets as you just board when you are ready to go. Morning tours usually had specific areas in the ship to meet and tender over. There was an announcement made about 11 AM or so that there was a glut of people trying to get off at once, so it seems like either before 11 or after 12 or so is probably the best time to get off without having to wait in lines.

I believe we started to tender just before 9:00am. I was watching the first tender from my balcony. Of all of the stops, Cabos had the clearest and bluest water. We took a water taxi to Lover's beach ($5/person return) and we had a blast. The waves were a bit high, but with all of the water taxis coming in and out, we could not really do any snorkelling. Otherwise, we loved being the water as an escape from the heat.

[cruizin_again]

I echo Bob's review. Even though we did different shore excursions, we had a great time. It was our 2nd cruise, first with RCI. We were part of a family reunion with about 30 people. Everyone had a fantastic time. We had great service. The food was great most of the times. Only on a couple of occassions, the food was allright. We ate in the dining room every night. The waiters went out of their way to make everyone happy.

 

We would cruise with RCI again.

[funcky]

We were on same cruise and lucky to not hit any forecast rain. Here is my take:

 

Our first usable tip from CC forums. We skip the line for luggage tags and stop the first available porter for them.

 

Pros: Beautiful promenade. Good shows for cruise except for magic show with Siegfried and Roy lookalike. Flow on Windjammer buffet, embarkation, and debarkation very good in compare to other cruiseline. Staff will not hesitate to get on kids for their unruly behavior!!!Excellent. Problem is they also apply this to adult who is just ignorance because they on vacation. One server repeat 5 times to me because i drop some ices on the floor. I started to say sorry but then told him to clean up the mess after his fifth repeat. He then walk away and never bother come back to clear my table or clean the spill ices.

 

Cons: At 5pm or 11pm when Windjammer closed and you are up on pool decks. To get water, ice tea, or something to munch. 2 options:

1. Ask for it at the bar if it is still open and hear bartender crack joke on how he does not serve water to make you feel like cheap skate for not buying alcoholic beverage.

 

2. Travel 6 floors down to promenade. This is a huge ship and i'm out of shape.

 

I get the impression they try really hard to nickel and dime you every chance they get. Gone are the days of totally all inclusive.

 

No flat screen TV. Still giant eyesore/space hogging tv tube in room.

 

Overall, good ship and will go again without hesitation.

[Happy ks]

Good job on the review! We'll be on Mariner for Christmas this year and are excited. It's our second Mexican Riviera cruise and we hope to do some different things this time.

 

Since we travel with family we find it a lot less pricey to hire a taxi after getting off the ship. We did a tequila excursion and had stops wherever we wanted and the driver didn't give us any time restraints getting back. $25 per person, but we did have to buy our own meals, he took us to a great little restaurant. Same thing in Mazatlan, but we weren't impressed with Mazatlan at all, kind of like Ensenada only cleaner. Perhaps we'll look into getting a massage at one of the hotels in the area this year. We're looking forward to Cabo this year and will definitely make plans, last time we met up with friends in town and ended up shopping....I'm not fond of shopping on vacation, I'd rather see some sights.

 

Your comments regarding peoples behavior on excursion buses can pretty much be the same if you insert different ships and destinations. We try to avoid ship sponsored excursions any more.

 

I agree with your assessment of carry ons on airplanes! We're not fond of the fees either, but refuse to be burdened with large heavy bags to manuever in a narrow airplane aisle. I get weary of being pushed from behind or smacked in the head/shoulder by people getting their too large and heavy bags from the overhead. I think people just need to learn to pack lighter and leave all the gadgets and extra wardrobe choices at home. Unless you are driving to port, keep it simple. There...done with that ;)

[PrincesScuba]

Hi everyone. I'm working on my Mariner review but thought I'd go ahead and put up what I have. The beginning is more narrative than review, but I'll get there. Hope you enjoy and I'll add more as I get it written. Feel free to ask any questions and I'll answer what I can.

 

 

You are flat out BRILLIANT!

[silentbob007]

Dining

 

My Time Dining

 

Since we booked so late, early dinner was filled. We took late seating but figured we’d look into MTD on the ship as our gratuities were supposedly prepaid and because my dad was extremely reluctant to start dinner at 8:30. When we arrived onboard and found the WJ closed, we headed to look at our assigned table on deck 5. On the way out, we spoke to Gary, who was in charge of MTD. Upon speaking to him, he urged us to sign up for MTD if we were leaning towards it as he only had 20 spaces left (only 420 MTD spaces) and figured that many other people would also be trying to get into MTD. We filled out the prepaid gratuities form and he switched us on the spot, giving us a reservation for 6:15 that first night.

 

So the question is, I’m sure, how was MTD?

 

Well, I found it to be a mixed bag. Let’s start with the positives. We were able to keep a standard 6:30 reservation each night, and Gary immediately recognized us whenever we came up to his podium. We found the service to range from good to excellent, spending a few days with different waitstaff though they all seemed to work the same area every night. For those of you who wish to have tables for two, that seemed to be the primary function of MTD as there were many set up (though for some tables you might as well be sitting with other people as you are close enough to them to eavesdrop on their conversations and snatch food off of their plates). If you come to the table at the right time in the waiter’s rotation of order-taking and serving, you can also eat much faster meals … a few nights we were in and out in 1-1.25 hours.

 

There were some negatives with MTD though. The first night we sat at a table for 6, then afterwards constantly were assigned tables for 2. We probably could have rectified this by requesting bigger tables, but evidently few people want to eat with strangers. Another problem was the line that would form to “check-in” for MTD. On some nights there seemed to be several hosts while other nights it seemed that Gary was in charge of checking the computer, printing a seating assignment, taking guests to their table, and then handing them menus. Even if that process only takes a few minutes, it meant that if two parties were ahead of you, you were standing around for what seemed like an irritatingly long time to be seated. There were also some faults in service a few nights where it seemed like our orders were held until the waiter took the orders from people who arrived 10-15 minutes after us, which meant at some points we’d be sitting with empty plates in front of us for 10-15 minutes.

 

**Pet Peeve: Those of you who have read my reviews before know my dining room pet peeve, but I’ll reiterate it just because I like ranting sometimes. ;) In this age where people are hyper-sensitive to using hand sanitizers and are otherwise germophobic, WHY IN THE WORLD do people insist on twirling their napkins above their head when the waiters dance through the dining room? I mean, all you are doing is FLINGING YOUR CRUMBS at other people using a napkin sling. In understand “getting into” the situation, but isn’t clapping enough? Oh well … with MTD we did manage to avoid most of the dining room “shows” (one thing that RCCL truly has over Carnival … only a few routines as opposed to every night).

 

**Interesting side note: We talked to Gary about the seemingly laborious process of MTD and he flat-out stated that in six months or so he believed that all dinners in the dining room would be MTD. I’m not sure how this would work with tips and timing, but I thought that was interesting.

 

Food Quality

 

I’ve been a bit of a nay-sayer on RCCL’s food for a little while and I suppose it will continue though with a caveat. I think the food is very good considering how mass-produced it is. If we want to compare it to the “glory days” of cruising, then of course belts have been tightened. On a few nights in the dining room I wasn’t sure what I wanted to order for a main course while on other nights I had to pick-and-choose. For the “lobster” lovers the fisherman’s platter made an appearance on Friday night, the last formal night, replete with a tiny tail and a few scrawny shrimp (that were well cooked, however). Desserts tended to be disappointing in the dining room in my opinion though there had been a few improvements along with a cake dessert suspiciously similar to Carnival’s chocolate melting-cake (though unfortunately not offered every night like on that other line). I’ll reiterate my RCCL dessert rule:

 

**The Jiggle Test: If you tap your dessert and it jiggles (and is anything other than Jello), immediately discard the dessert so that you don’t offend your palate with the mushy, gel-like substance that RCCL sometimes fills desserts with instead of a cream-based mixture. Cheesecake should not jiggle. Chocolate cake should not jiggle.

 

The biggest drop in food quality in my eyes really seemed to be in the WindJammer. I ate several lunches there and was just underwhelmed every time. The salad and fries were fine, but the burgers and hotdogs had their traditional weird tastes and textures and the rest of the food seem to vary very little and was overcooked and under-seasoned. I know that’s what you get with buffets, but I was still less than thrilled. Breakfast in the WJ still offered an egg station (except on debarkation day) that was well-run and appreciated.

 

Service

 

As I mentioned before, service in the dining room was good to excellent. The same was true in the WJ as most of the waiters were very quick to clear plates and offer to fetch plates. Only on one morning did everyone seem to be walking around as if they were in daze making me get the feeling there had been a crew party the night before. I did feel that the greeters for the WJ seemed less enthusiastic than the ones I’ve encountered on other ships.

 

Lunch in the MDR

 

Lunch in the main dining room was only offered on sea days and seemed to be a fairly popular affair. In my eyes, the best bet was the “get in line and select your ingredients” chopped salads as I loved loading my salad with fresh mozzarella and prosciutto. The menu options were mostly fixed and there didn’t seem to be a beef hamburger on the menu, only a turkey burger.

 

**Introvert warning: Lunch in the main dining room is open seating in that you don’t have a set table but the waitstaff seats you to fill the tables. Evidently this was a horrible idea to many people as EVERY TIME my dad and I were seated at a table, the other already there would stare at each other for a second, put down their napkins, and then get up and leave or request a private table. Seriously, this has happened to me about 4 of the last 6 times I’ve gone to lunch in the MDR and I find it a tad aggravating. I’m assuming it’s nothing personal, but either people need to be more vociferous that they want a private table or the dining room needs to somehow explain how seating works. I’ve not eaten in the MDR for breakfast in several cruises but I’d imagine that the same ratio would hold.

 

Chops

 

My first experience in Chops was on the Brilliance a few years ago and it was less than worth the cover-charge. I was reluctant to go again, but I like visiting a specialty restaurant once a cruise and Chops was the only restaurant available on the last night due to a Portofino wine event. Thankfully, Chops this visit was excellent. I strayed from beef to have the halibut and found it to be an extremely well done, if small, portion. My dad had a NY strip that was also perfect as well as a baked potato that he’s still raving about. By the end of the meal it was hard to fit that too-decadent mud pie but I managed (good thing I had a small fish portion ;)).

 

Café Promenade

 

The café is always a great snack stop on the Promenade with breakfast items in the morning, cookies, sandwiches, and pizza (though I find RCCL’s pizza bad enough that I haven’t touched it in three cruises). Free coffee is also available at the other end of the café (ie, self-serve) and there was also a station setup for self-serve water next to the cookies. The café (especially the back part) seemed to be a hangout for the older teens in the evening as it offered free food and the illusion of privacy (though their conversations would carry).

[mothwoman]

Loving your review, can't wait to hear about sea days.

[critterchick]

I'm enjoying your review and comments!

 

A few observations about bus tours:

 

Here’s my problem with cruise bus tours in general … you always get at least one person out of 40 who does not care about anyone else and try to make the experience worse for everyone else. Thankfully with my experience and skills I can instantly spot most of these people (perhaps a self-fulfilling prophesy, but who knows). The basic gripes however tend to fall into these categories:

1. The person who is always late or otherwise make everyone wait on him/her.
   
2. The person/people who decide to change seats in the middle of the tour, usurping someone out of the seats they’ve already claimed.
   
3. The loud talkers who make everyone on the bus listen to their in-person or phone conversation.
   
4. The kids who are being dragged along on the tour and would rather be anywhere else.
   

We were lucky enough to have one family take up all 4 positions which was a new record in my book.

 

I don't think the seats are reserved....:) But the rest of your comments are part of the reason we avoid the ship's tours whenever possible (almost always). That and the "opportunities" to shop.:rolleyes:

[silentbob007]

 

I don't think the seats are reserved....:) But the rest of your comments are part of the reason we avoid the ship's tours whenever possible (almost always). That and the "opportunities" to shop.:rolleyes:

 

No they aren't in a literal sense, but with few major reasons to switch and people leaving some belongings on the bus, it seems better to just stick to your seat in most cases.

 

I agree about bus tours but with only two people, a fairly small roll-call, and visiting new ports, it just seemed like the best option at the time.

[silentbob007]

Staff and Crew

 

Except for the one small incident mentioned earlier, I thought that almost every crew member I encountered on the Mariner acted both professionally and friendly. I never felt pressured to buy drinks and as I observed others, bartenders didn’t seem as disinterested as I’ve seen in the past to fill soda card orders.

 

My dad and I both enjoyed the cruise director’s staff members we encountered in our multiple trivia encounters. Our favorites were Laura from Canada and Sara from New Zealand as both kept the games interesting even when there were few players. We got some time to talk with them and both had some very interesting stories about their time with the company, how they’d gotten there, etc.

 

The cruise director was Abe and I enjoyed what he brought to the stage. I didn’t see him quite as much as I saw Ken Rush in May, but Abe seemed approachable and honestly enjoying his job. The captain was Captain Per and it was quite obvious that he had a sense of humor as well.

 

Shows

 

As usual, there was only one Welcome Aboard show between both dinners which is a pain considering the amount of people who want to attend strains the capacity of the theater. The acts were a juggler and RCCL staple Ivan Pecel (who I still find hilarious) and a comedian who was successful in driving me from the theater. That same comedian gave an adult show later in the cruise that I had heard was better but his humor was not exactly my cup of char.

 

There were two production shows and quite frankly I skipped both of them as I’ve finally cruised enough that my threshold of entertainment for these “variety” shows has dipped below what it takes to motivate me to attend. One thing that I’m interested in with Oasis is the production of a cohesive show (Hairspray) … that kind of theater I’m definitely more interested in than random dancing and singing from Broadway and then pop that has existed on just about every cruise I’ve ever taken.

 

The show on another night was the magic of LaRaf. I had seen these guys in May and thought it was a decent show. As I watched this time I wondered just how many drinks I had downed in the concierge lounge in May because this time, the show was horrible. A PowerPoint played while people took their seats and it featured spelling errors along with font choices so horrible that some of the information was rendered unreadable. Unfortunately the show was no better and felt more like a guy who invites you over to his apartment to show you tricks he just bought off of eBay. Every single one of them was easy to figure out, and Larry and Rafael just didn’t seem to be very enthusiastic. Comments like “we just performed for the Queen” (which I assumed was probably the name of their cat or something) only made my eyes roll even more.

 

The other specialty act was Mosaic, which is an acappella group of guys. I must say that their show was extremely impressive and received quite a great reception from the crowd. Sitting on the far side of the balcony, I found it interesting that a large number of officers snuck in to see the group perform so interest had obviously been stirred. This show was definitely one of the entertainment highlights.

 

The one certain entertainment highlight on a Voyager-class or above ship, though, is of course the ice show. Mariner’s show is called “Ice under the Big Top” and was once again excellent. There are about four shows offered: one on the first formal night and others throughout the week. No tickets are needed as it is first come, first serve. The costumes are fun and the skating was very good with some stunts that were truly amazing. The special guests were a quick-change act which was good but perhaps less exciting than the ring act I’ve seen on several ships.

 

**Side entertainment: Every venue, including the ice show, had announcements stating that the saving of seats was prohibited. This, of course, was ignored because there were many special people onboard who are exceptions to this rule (and I’m not talking about holding a seat while someone goes to the restroom here … I’m talking about two people trying to hold down a whole row). Here is my description of what I saw without having any idea what “really” happened. There are three ladies: Lady A, Lady B, and Lady C. Lady A shows up at the show and claims 6 seats for the two of her party that are there in the first row along the side of the rink. Lady B is sitting in the second row and, as far as I know, is a stranger from Lady B. Lady C is sitting in the section facing the front of the ice. As Studio B fills, for something like 20 minutes, Lady A explains to people that come down to the seat that they are reserved … after all there are 4 empty seats, ending on the main aisle, in the first row along the ice … pretty attractive to everyone. The lights go down and the people in Lady A’s party still have not arrived. More people come into the area which now has no or very few seats together, see those empty seats, and are still shooed away by Lady A. By this point, people are sitting in the stairways and the lights are dimmed as the show has started. Lady C gets up from her seat, crosses the gap to the side section, and tells the couple sitting in the aisle that they should sit in the empty seats as there is no seat-saving allowed. At this point Lady A says that the seats are still hers. Lady B, behind Lady A, then gets into it with Lady C and both scream and point at each other with Lady B jabbing her purse into Lady A. Lady C eventually goes back to her seat, but Lady B is still screaming at her across the ice and making gestures (remember, the show is also going at this point). A minute or two later security arrives along with a large male waiter and they talk to each lady individually (and take their SeaPass cards, I think). After about 5 minutes of back-and-forth with security, the ladies are allowed to stay and the people in the aisles are given the empty seats that still haven’t been filled 10 minutes into the show.

 

So what can be done? Does RCCL need Seat Patrol positions as well as the Deck Patrol ones? For some reason, passengers on this cruise seemed to run hot and self-centered. In a completely different situation at the same ice show, two ladies were trying to reserve the entire row in front of where I was sitting. People tried to sit there and were sent away. A waitress came up and said told the ladies that there was no saving of seats, at which she was told that they were part of a party of 35, paying a lot of money to the company, so she could mind her own business. Of course what happened? The rest of their party was sitting elsewhere so after shooing people away for 10 minutes, the ladies then went to join everyone else, leaving the row open. Just fly-on-the-wall observations but the way people act and treat other people always fascinates me ….

 

The Farewell show featured Ivan Pecel again along with a new comedian, both of whom I enjoyed. I also enjoyed Abe’s video about “his” cabin. I wished that the sales pitch for the Cruise in Review DVD were a bit shorter, but that’s the price for going to the last show.

 

As for other entertainment, sorry to say that I didn’t really attend any other live music or performer events. My dad was less than enthusiastic about the singers in the Lotus Lounge. The parades are fun but not worth lining up for more than an hour ahead of time as some people appeared to be doing (I’ll admit that parades of any kind are not really my thing anyway).

[Kurbanfan]

What happened to Captain Johnny:confused:

[silentbob007]

Captain Johnny and Captain Per have a 10 week on/10 week off rotation.

[Kurbanfan]

Captain Johnny and Captain Per have a 10 week on/10 week off rotation.

 

Do you have any idea when Captain Johnny will return:confused:

[cruizin_again]

Bob,

I know what you mean about the saet savers. We had a large group of about 30 people. At most, we saved about 5 seats (for about 5 minutes at most) while some of the older family members with limited mobility arrived.

 

We enjoyed the Ice show the most as well. Except for one incident which really made our large family very upset. Before the start of the show, 2 of the kids (ages 6 and 8) were selected to be part of the show and told to sit in a specially marked area. They were supposed to be picked and seated in the train that the clowns run on the ice. Anyways, as their turn came, some kids came from no where (actually from the top of the side aisles) and pushed aside our 2 kids to get on the train. The clowns were pointing to the guard/floor manager to stop this, but he seemed helpless. When the kids were let off the train, the 2 kids ran upstairs to the proud rantings of their parents. Needless to say, the 2 kids were so upset that they couldn't go on. They were even more upset as they sat away from their families during the show. They didn't ask to be in the show, they were selected and then denied their opportunity. Sorry for the rant, but this one incident is our sore point on the whole cruise. I wander what these parents are teaching their kids - not to respect others and not to respect queues.

 

To the credit of the production manager, they offered to have the kids return for the next and last show or to meet the cast. Unfortunatley, we could not go to the last show as we had reserved a photopgrapher for family portaits at the same time as the show.

 

We went to most of the shows and this was by far our favorite.

[critterchick]

Do you have any idea when Captain Johnny will return:confused:

 

I'm not sure that he will return to Mariner. I think that I read on CC that he is going to take over Oasis when the first Captain (who is actually a corporate VP in Miami) is finished.

 

Comments like “we just performed for the Queen” (which I assumed was probably the name of their cat or something) only made my eyes roll even more.

 

 

OK, that made me laugh out loud! As for the seat hogs and pushy children (and adults), it's really a shame that RCI doesn't enforce their rules and pay some attention to their own procedures.

 

We're sailing on Mariner in a little over 2 weeks, and it sounds like I should bring some good books to read in the safety and solitude of my cabin.:eek:

[silentbob007]

Bob,

I know what you mean about the saet savers. We had a large group of about 30 people. At most, we saved about 5 seats (for about 5 minutes at most) while some of the older family members with limited mobility arrived.

 

We enjoyed the Ice show the most as well. Except for one incident which really made our large family very upset. Before the start of the show, 2 of the kids (ages 6 and 8) were selected to be part of the show and told to sit in a specially marked area. They were supposed to be picked and seated in the train that the clowns run on the ice. Anyways, as their turn came, some kids came from no where (actually from the top of the side aisles) and pushed aside our 2 kids to get on the train. The clowns were pointing to the guard/floor manager to stop this, but he seemed helpless. When the kids were let off the train, the 2 kids ran upstairs to the proud rantings of their parents. Needless to say, the 2 kids were so upset that they couldn't go on. They were even more upset as they sat away from their families during the show. They didn't ask to be in the show, they were selected and then denied their opportunity. Sorry for the rant, but this one incident is our sore point on the whole cruise. I wander what these parents are teaching their kids - not to respect others and not to respect queues.

 

To the credit of the production manager, they offered to have the kids return for the next and last show or to meet the cast. Unfortunatley, we could not go to the last show as we had reserved a photopgrapher for family portaits at the same time as the show.

 

We went to most of the shows and this was by far our favorite.

 

Thanks for your story and comment. I was trying very hard not to paint all groups in a negative light and I understand some "necessary" seat saving. That's sad about the kids ... frankly, I think ships are full of 95% great people, but the other 5% know that they can push other around and generally can get away with it.

 

For example, in debarkation, I saw a younger girl (12ish) push her way through the crowd then go to the side and cut in front of everyone, giving a signal for her mom to come up. Later her mother pushed her way through to the front because "her child was up there." Of course, this lady also was the one who got to the checkpoint to get off the ship and held her side of the line up for a few minutes because she had "lost" her SeaPass and had to be checked out manually.

 

Sorry to everyone if I'm portraying all fellow guests as being rude or selfless. I had many good experiences in meeting and chatting with people, but it always seems to be the negative experiences that make better stores, though they tend bias the review and make me look like a fuddy-duddy.

[wolfganghowell]

Thanks Chris - now every time I twirl my napkin I will think of you. :D :D

 

And you're right - the hideous people make much better stories but the nice people make much better traveling companions. And I agree about the stink eye in the MDR at breakfast - hey people, I didn't ask to sit with you either but I at least make eye contact and say hello - and will carry on a pleasant conversation if welcomed.

[elleluv]

Do you have any idea when Captain Johnny will return:confused:

 

 

Captain Johnny started his 10 weeks off on July 12, so by my calculations, he's due back September 20...

[elleluv]

I'm not sure that he will return to Mariner. I think that I read on CC that he is going to take over Oasis when the first Captain (who is actually a corporate VP in Miami) is finished.

 

 

I actually had a conversation with Captain Johnny about that during our July 5 sailing... He said he's expecting to have about 3 more rotations on Mariner before going to Oasis. Apparently it won't be until next Fall.

[elleluv]

Loving the review, Chris... You are doing a great job! Thanks so much for sharing it with us.

[silentbob007]

Thanks Chris - now every time I twirl my napkin I will think of you. :D :D

 

Great to know. ;)