ajgobucks

Was on NS March 17-24 and the entertainment/activity offerings were abysmal.  No welcome aboard presentation, no EXC talks and very limited use of the World Stage. Cruise Director Stephane said that World Stage was closed for new production rehearsals for 3 weeks.  Unfortunately, those new productions "Song & Dance" and "All That" were not good. Besides the 2 musical shows, there was one comedian (did two shows) and another comedian/magician once.  At least 3 of the 7 nights offered no poolside movie.  The Rolling Stone musicians were not charismatic (or good) and the Billboard pianists were so-so.  The BB King All Star band was the exception - they were fantastic and gave us something we looked forward to each night. Holland excels in many areas - their entertainment/activity programming is not one of them.

Thrilled to hear that they added a library while in dry dock.  The one on the Konigsdam was my happy place and such a unique feature.  Now if we can just convince HAL to bring back Lincoln Center Stage performances or at least some acoustic music option...

13 minutes ago, PTAngel said:

I am a little confused.  Did you need the Bahama Visa to get off in Nassau?  We leave on 10/17 on the Oasis OTS & will be stopping at Port Canaveral, Nassau, & Coco Cay.  Also, do you know if Ardastra Gardens is open during the week?  If their website is correct & current, it is only open on the week-end.

 

We only needed our SeaPass card, our passports and vaccine cards. Not sure about Ardastra hours. Nassau was, well, Nassau.  Many businesses within walking distance of port had closed.  The port is undergoing a massive overhaul, so you'll walk through a large construction zone. The new cruise port (when completed) looks like it will be impressive:     www.nassaucruiseport.com/

9 hours ago, molly361 said:

Did they have the seats back at the bars at Playmakers and Boleros since all adults have to be vaccinated?

As far as I recall,  Barnacle & Barrel had seats at the bar. Not sure about Playmakers & Boleros.

Mariner Cruise Compass Day 3

Mariner Cruise Compass Day 3.pdf

Mariner Cruise Compass Day 2

Mariner Cruise Compass Day 2.pdf

We were on the same sailing and completely agree with the OP's assessment.  The biggest issue for us was the limited dining times.  No Windjammer for dinner, soft serve ice cream and hot dogs only until 6 pm. The only options for dinner were MDR and Cafe Promenade (24 hours).  We were caught off guard because My Time Dining was only from 6:45 to 9, which overlapped the 8 pm second seating and caused some crowding and kitchen delays. Thankfully, we were able to switch to the 5:30 seating and avoided the issues. 

The new muster station procedure is brilliant - easy and crowd-free. Open the app, view the videos, get a sticker from an attendant at your muster station at your leisure before 4:30 pm.

Our personal favorites were the "Ice Under the Big Top" show and the big band music with the Mariner of the Seas Orchestra.  Fantastic 9-piece band - it was a shame that there were only a handful of guests in attendance for it. 

The amplifications made her feel like a newer ship; the only place that felt dated were our staterooms, which were not updated.  The improvements at Coco Cay were truly impressive, but the crowds in the pool and tiki bar made all of the precautions on the ship seem pointless. 

Mariner Cruise Compass Day 1.pdf

Just returned from the Sept 3rd sailing on the Mariner of the Seas - here is what they were offering to Gold members on current cruises.  

We are experienced cruisers; our first trip with HAL was to be the Feb 1st  Nieuw Amsterdam. Not a great first impression - we received notice from our travel agent but our friends who booked directly through HAL received no notice. We scrambled (after over an hour waiting on the phone) and booked the Feb 2 Nieuw Statendam. Not happy with the itinerary and we also were demoted several categories (8th floor to 3rd floor directly below the auditorium). We were fortunate to get a cabin but very disappointed in HAL's  handling of this situation. We were promised a voucher for 100% toward a future cruise, but later told it would be good for about $500 pp - nowhere near the 100%.