Mariner 9/6: Mostly good......

[joyfulmarsh]

We just returned from the Sept. 6 Mariner. Since this was our third cruise on a Voyager Class ship, I will not be writing a formal, comprehensive review as I had for the previous sailings. This cruise was an unexpected surprise (for me) and a much needed rest/rehab/recovery after recent major knee surgery (for DH). Thus, I will only note a few observations, mostly good……………

 

DAY BEFORE: Utilizing HiltonHonor Points, we procured a one-night stay at the Doubletree and were provided with free parking for the duration of our cruise.

 

EMBARKATION: A breeze! We arrived around 12:30PM to no more then a 2 or 3 persons wait at the check-in counter. By the time we boarded the Mariner, we only had a less than 15 minutes wait (at the Library) for Staterooms to be available at 1:00PM to drop-off our luggage.

 

FOOD: Of course everyone will have his or her own opinion and preferences when it comes to the subject of food. It is my opinion that with so many options on the Mariner, you will be able to “work with it” and find something you’ll like. Windjammer is the very definition of this point. We are healthful eaters and I was always able to find something satisfactory with the Windjammer. Of course, depending on timing and how long something has been sitting under the heat lamp, it could be a hit or miss too. The Main Dining Room was another example. For the most part, the food was fine, but I’d wish there would be a bit more to choose from. I was surprised by how decent the various fish entrée were, but the one dish I wouldn’t recommend is the Calzone (unless you do not mine the consistency of warmed up frozen cheese and tomatoes paste wrapped in a dull doughy bun). And of course Portofino remains a must and we thoroughly enjoyed it. Promenade Café was great for a quick coffee & tea or a cookie.

 

SERVICE: Our Stateroom Attendant was very efficient and always made sure DH had plenty of ice for icing his knee. Our Waiter, while very attentive, looked overwhelmed. He had 2 tables of 10, each with it’s own Assistant Waiters. Nonetheless, our Waiter seems to have had to handle everything himself. It is our observation that his two Assistant Waiters were doing very little to help him and every time he returned to our table, his face was often covered in flop sweat. DH & I happened to have caught an annoyed look by one of the Assistant Waiter in response to being asked to do something, going against all of the other earnest and excellent customer service otherwise provided. My only guess is that these three are either relatively new or our Waiter was simply too tentative or even passive with both procuring food from the galley and with his two Assistant Waiters. I say this because for the first time, dinner every night took much longer than on prior cruises and we always had long waits in between courses. A few nights, it took us so long to finish in the dinning room (6:00PM seating), we barely had enough time to stop off in our Stateroom before having to rush to that evening’s entertainment.

 

ENTERTAINMENT: This truly was a miss mostly……. To be fair, we were on the Mariner less than 4 months ago and they had the very same Circus-themed Ice Show and RC Production Shows. Frankly, I have never been impressed with the Production Shows. Comedian Derrick Cameron now has the distinction of having been on all three of our cruises (with some recycled materials that I could practically mime along with now ;-). The other performers were decent too. Cruise Director Dave Chapman was entertaining and the perfect combination of MC/Host/Customer Service/Showmanship without going over the top. Ken Rush, the CD from our May Mariner can really tone it down a few notches. Love & Marriage still manages to induce much laughter, but The Quest is starting to get out of hand. Seriously, there’s no need for the gratuitous showing of bare butt and with some people not clearly listening to the CD’s instruction (for a specific Quest) someone will and could get seriously hurt.

 

PORTS: Cabo San Lucas was very nice. Tendering was efficient. We lounged poolside at the Playa Grande. playagranderesort.com . In Mazatlan, we each enjoyed a 3-hour package at the Aroma Spa. This is a definite recommend. It would definitely help to spell out ahead of time what service you want via eMail: AromaSpa@earthlink.net . They made sure that DH got the best Deep Tissue massage ever!! I loved the lavender salt body scrub! In Puerto Vallarta, we did a Couple’s Massage (75 minutes for $95) at the Millennium Spa at the NH Krystal Resort. This was also blissful and I highly recommend it. milleniummassage@hotmail.com . Post massages, we lounged and enjoyed the Krystal Resort's beach-front pool area. We did not do any excursions.

 

REST, RELAXATION & MISC: Objective achieved! More than anything, we needed this week and this time to restore, rejuvenate, rest and relax after an anxiety-ridden and stressful summer of hospitals, daily surgical dressing, rehab, fighting infection, pain management and all the trials and tribulations of major post-op knee surgery. This is a good place to note that finding lounge chairs in the Solarium was never an issue if you are willing to do a bit of moving yourself. Even if you do not immediately see 2 chairs together, it is quite easy to hand carry one from someplace nearby. While we did observe some chair hogs (blatantly leaving towels on a couple of chairs and then disappearing for hours!!). It did get quite crowded during At Sea Days and rather noisy. Large groups are often oblivious to the amount of loud chatter they make and while it’s great that the Solarium is Adults Only, it would have been better had people realize their own noise level as many people utilizing the Solarium want solace from the noise and music of the main pool area and to be able to concentrate on a good book. And YES, Thank You Mariner for having the USC vs. Ohio State Game available on Saturday.

 

Sorry, I did not keep any Compasses. If I' hadn't address anything you are interested in, please feel free to ask away. I am happy to help!

 

Joyful Marsh

[terrysea]

We set sail on the 27th and look forward to the cruise. Unfortunately, we don't expect the same food and service we got ten years ago.

[Bruinboy]

Thanks, Joyful. We leave Oct 4 and I enjoy reading previous cruisers' experiences.

[caribbeanboy]

I was also on that cruise and everything was great. Nothing to complain, especially for the price I paid.

[cruisewish]

You mention that the Doubletree provided parking for the duration of the cruise? I guess you took a cab or shuttle to the pier? We are using our Hilton points also, but ended up at the Hilton in town. Does anyone know if they offer free parking during a cruise as well?

[silentbob007]

Doubletree has a free shuttle to the pier.