auntie.emily94

I actually feel it was better than Indy this year. Not as good as I've had on previous longer cruises, especially Oasis class, but noticeably better than Indy.

You can get to it by going up to deck 12 forward and walking outside towards the front, like you're walking in front of the gym/spa

Hey Ya'll! Wanted to share some photos and thoughts after being home for a few days. Some background, DH and I took this trip with a small group from his company, a nice mix of newbies and seasoned cruisers to see different perspectives. Starting off with our room, 8642 Spacious Balcony Very similar to a recent stay on Indy OTS this year. Something about these older boats feels like bigger rooms. Oh and we were on the boat by 11:15. Maybe a new record for us. Rooms were ready by 1:30 First stop was the Flowrider, hubby checked in with the team there to get his white band, signifying he was cleared to do the stand up sessions the whole cruise. This was helpful later on when they had special sessions for "advanced" riders only. Spent about 20 minutes surfing with out a single other guest there. New to us was the Bamboo Room, aka the Tiki Bar on the promenade. Quickly a favorite spot on the ship for our group. If you heard us playing aggressive games of Rummy cube in the evening. Sorry not sorry. Nice little hidden gem is the spot to look down into the bridge. It was particularly windy this day so no one else was up there, also has a couple screens to see your location and sea conditions. Honestly wish we went up there more. Room attendant opened our balcony door to our friends room next door, nice little perk of having a neighbor you know. Room service coffee and morning chats were so nice. Back at full capacity obviously but still plenty of seats on the deck above the pool deck on sea day. Ellingtons was a great view and fairly quiet if nothing was being hosted at the time. Best espresso martini I've had on a ship too. I heard she is slated for dry dock in 2023, will be intresting to see what changes. General wear and tear was there, but nothing out of the ordinary. Everyone in our group regardless of cruising history had a great time with no real negative issues. I don't think the service was quite up to the levels of most of our previous cruises, but it was never bad service either. I think in direct comparison, Indy I liked slightly better. But I wouldn't hesitate to book on Mariner again.

We have a group cruise coming up (typical Caribbean 5 day on RC) and one person on our group that has never cruised. She is a seasoned traveler otherwise. Without overwhelming her, as my personality tends to do, what are so good basic tips we should relay to her? Anyone have anything put together thats a crash course style? I'm tempted to sit her down with a power point but I also don't want to scare her 😆