Just back from Mariner (loved it!)-any q's? Plus review.

[trajan]

Any q's? This board helped me a lot in setting this up. Ty and hope I can return the favor sometime.

 

Our review follows. This was our first RCI cruise after exclusively using Princess in the past. Adios Princess! :)

 

http://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=59859.

Deal of a lifetime! We got this cruise at an amazingly low rate. I had heard about RCI making some cutbacks and with the aggressive discounting they were doing I feared the experience might not be the best. After 7 nights in their care those worries were fully quashed. Some info about us; 30-ish professionals who have cruised a few times before (including our honeymoon) but exclusively on Princess. No kids. Just the two of us wanting to experience a mix of romance and adventure.

Disembarkation from LA was very smooth. We got there at about 1:30 and there were no lines in the warehouse like reception area. Heard a lot of friendly good afternoon's and we were on board. Easiest embarkation we've done. Our room was an interior on deck 8. The layout was great and included a small sofa and coffee table. The rare time we ate a meal in the room this setup made it easy to do so. Everything was very clean. Room was in great condition. One hitch it was setup for two singles. We talked to the steward and right away this was fixed.

LA-San Pedro is definitely not the most beautiful port and leaving and coming in is no big thrill. One highlight for people like me who like this kind of stuff, keep an eye out for the old WWII era Liberty ship that is permanently moored close by.

Our first meal at the Windjammer buffet was unfortunately disappointing. Tasteless burgers, bland deserts. We tried the buffet a couple more times and every time were disappointed. We would eventually go out of our way to not eat there. Fortunately the other dining venues more than made up for this. The main dining room is stunning to look at and the service we got was superb. Props to our waiter Savio! I can't recommend him enough. We had just two table mates tho staff told us the ship was full. Couldn't have been. Crowds just weren't there. Anyways these two guys had won the cruise in a golf tourney and were really living it up. Just a blast to hang out with. As I learned from them if you are in the night club order an AMF. 1 is all you need! Food in the dining room was very satisfying. Nothing like finishing one lobster tail and another appearing before you instantly. Johnny Rockets was worth the $5. Just don't fill up on the fries and rings early. If you sit inside the staff puts on a bit of a show but after seeing it once you may want to do the outside booths next time.

The ship and the entertainment staff kept us well entertained. We ice skated, did the climbing wall, played mini golf, saw the shows (ice show was definitely the best, the singer and impressionist Fines was also very entertaining) and still worked in a lot of naps. We were our group leaders for The Quest, which I knew nothing about before hand, and omg it was wild! Insanely fun time! Do not miss this. I don't know exactly why but after that some women got really flirty with me. I have eyes for my wife only but a tip to the single guys; I guess some girls like a guy who can get a lil crazy sometimes. Pools are nice and open 24 hours. The screening room where they show movies is small, projector is crummy and it's hard to find so don't even bother looking.

Casino was decent. Nice that they had a craps table. We actually came out ahead a couple hundred bucks which basically took care of our tips.

Overall in comparison to our past cruises on Princess this was definitely a more 'fun' ship. Younger crowd. More kids which was fine. More activities. More action in the night club. I stuck to drinking Budweiser because it was reasonably priced and the quality of mixed drinks varied. Princess has better food. Service levels are comparable tho our dining room staff was particularly awesome. In the future I would look for an RCI cruise first before doing Princess again.

 

 

Cabo San Lucas - trajan's Rating: 4.0

 

Tendering here was relatively painless. Wow this little harbour gets busy. Lots of action. Easy to find something to do. If you have not booked through the ship just walk onto the causeway and there are guys there who can sell you all kinds of trips. The rock formations on one side and beaches on the other make the port quite beautiful. We did some shopping, ate at an old favorite of mine The Shrimp Factory (spend the money and buy the big shrimp, so worth it) and found a little hole in the wall spa right off the causeway. 50 min massage for $25 and it was not a bad massage at all.

 

 

 

Mazatlan - trajan's Rating: 4.0

 

Not a pretty place when you first see it from the ship. Once you get a ways away or out of town it is beautiful. We headed down to Playa Bruja to visit Ginger's Bi-Lingual Horses. Cab ride = $20 each way. Horseback riding for two on the beach with a very friendly guide was about $60. After that we made a short walk to the club at the end of the beach. Playa Bruja is a great place to swim and you can even do a bit of surfing there. The beach club has good food at almost normal Mexican prices.

 

Puerto Vallarta - trajan's Rating: 5.0

 

Puerto Vallarta was the best port we did by far tho we did not go into the town itself. We booked the Outdoor Adventure through the cruiseline. This was $130 pp. For that you get a 25 min fast boat ride in a big Zodiac style open boat. This takes you on a very scenic ride up the coast to a small secluded bay. There's a little beach, village and some vacation houses. From there it is a pretty wild 4x4 ride up to their base in the hills. Then a mule ride (wear bug spray, bugs love the mules and you by association!) higher up followed by a short hike. They give you some training and then you work your way down the mountain via zip lines and rappeling. It was wild! Rappeling down into the base of a cool mountain waterfall is something I will never forget. And the staff maintained a mix of friendliness and attention to your safety that was very impressive. And then you do the trip in reverse back to the ship with a stop at a rural tequila plantation. Here they literally will give you as many free tequila shots as you want. 5 was my limit. Afterwards back at the ship I was kind of stunned and left thinking did that really happen? It was that good a day. Tips: Bring a camera. You can't take pictures at the zip lines and stuff but you can everywhere else. And bring a snack or get food at the bay. It's a 6+ hour tour and they only provide a snack about 3/4 of the way along.

[Stvandon]

We are going on the Mariner in December...can't wait! What was the entertainment in the main theatre each night? Do the RC singers and dancers still do 2 shows?

[wolfganghowell]

Glad you had a great time - welcome to Royal Caribbean. Can you elaborate on some of the nightlife options? Thanks again for your info.

[trajan]

Lucky you! I know you will have a great time!

 

The first and last night was a welcome aboard and then farewell show. We did not attend either. There were I think 2 showings of each for the convenience of the 2 different dinner seatings. I'm kicking myself that we didn't see these as I heard later they were both great, especially the farewell show.

 

We saw one show by the RC singers and dancers that showcased a variety of musical and dance styles. They did a second one, a tribute to the '80's that we did not see. Lot of energy from these guys, some performers were ehh but they do have a few really outstanding talents.

 

We also saw a show by the singer and impressionist Fines and a late night adults only comedian. Both were excellent. It's nice running into these guys later on the ship and being able to say 'grats and ask some questions. Yet another thing I love about cruising.

[NY212]

Sorry to be so ignorant, but what's an AMF?

 

I'll be on Mariner next year. My fare is so low that, like many others, I've been wondering about cutbacks. To some extent, I'm not unhappy if the quality or quantity of the food has declined - maybe I'll eat less and gain fewer lbs! Glad to hear that they're keeping up with cleanliness (which is more important than food) and service.

 

A few more questions:

 

I've never done Quest. Can you describe it?

 

Do you recall how much the drink of the day was?

 

Do you know many days the skating rink available?

 

Thanks for the tips.

[trajan]

Glad you had a great time - welcome to Royal Caribbean. Can you elaborate on some of the nightlife options? Thanks again for your info.

 

Ty and ty!

 

Sure. Dragon's Lair, the nite club, hosted a few different dj's. They spun a good mix of party music; a little bit of cheese now and then but mostly they kept it modern and fresh. The club itself is nicely laid out. I like the upper level where you can retire to the bar, chat, take a rest, hang out and watch the dance floor. Lower level has the dance floor, comfy booths and a good spread of tables. Good fx lighting here too. Very impressive club. Better than many I've been to on land. A fair number of staff like to visit so if you want a chance to get to know a staff member this is the place. Great bartenders here too. Place is pretty lax about closing time.

 

Ellington's up top has a nice view of the pool area. Service here can sometimes be sloooow but the music was always excellent. Like the name suggests it's all jazz and it's classic jazz. No acid or experiemental. For a late night place to relax and have a drink this was my favorite.

 

Bolero's had a decent band playing latin dance music. A regular group of dancers camped this place every night. The couple who ran the ballroom dance classes regularly hung out here. It was fun watching the range of skills on display.

 

The piano bar looked really happening at times. So much so that because of the crowds we never stopped in. Looked like a good time.

 

The 19th Hole is kind of disappointing as sports bars go. 3 small screens. Few seats with many of them separated from the screens by the pathway through the bar from outside to Ellington's.

 

Wig and Gavel (I think?) was frequently smoky so we stayed away.

 

For special events they did a dance party around the adults only pool that was very impressive. Good time and of course people end up jumping in the water.

[nodaksvt]

We will be going on the MOS in Jan. Was wondering if it seemed crowded at all. I know for shows and dinner it can get somewhat packed, but what about throughout the day?

[trajan]

Sorry to be so ignorant, but what's an AMF?

 

I'll be on Mariner next year. My fare is so low that, like many others, I've been wondering about cutbacks. To some extent, I'm not unhappy if the quality or quantity of the food has declined - maybe I'll eat less and gain fewer lbs! Glad to hear that they're keeping up with cleanliness (which is more important than food) and service.

 

A few more questions:

 

I've never done Quest. Can you describe it?

 

Do you recall how much the drink of the day was?

 

Do you know many days the skating rink available?

 

Thanks for the tips

 

AMF = Adios Mother BLEEP.

When I first tasted it I seriously thought this is no big deal. Another so called killer drink that is actually over priced juice. I was so wrong. Do not chug one of these!

 

You are in for a fun time! And re the food; dining room food was usually decent to very good. Never had a bad meal there.

 

The Quest? It's an adults only scavenger hunt. That's all anyone would tell me and that's all you need to know. The surprises are part of the fun!

 

Drink of the day was usually just under $8.

 

Skating rink was open on 4 days I believe. On the last day it was open the most, nearly all day long.

[trajan]

We will be going on the MOS in Jan. Was wondering if it seemed crowded at all. I know for shows and dinner it can get somewhat packed, but what about throughout the day?

 

Grats! Have a fun trip!

 

We heard early on from staff the ship was full. I suspected they said this to head off requests for upgrades. Later a staffer indicated they were at about 80 to 85%.

 

I was regularly checking out crowd size. Everytime we were waiting for an elevator on a higher floor I would step out onto the little balcony there that overlooked the long interior atrium. It was a nice view and I was curious as to how busy it was. It was rarely crowded. Around the pools, at the shows, at dinner, crowds were light. Ship was definitely not full but also the layout helps to spread people out. Also if you are concerned about crowds the late dinner seating is definitely less crowded.

[nodaksvt]

Awesome, I hope ours is similar

[trajan]

I hope so too!

 

And since somebody just asked me this in real life I'll add; between Cabo, Maz and Puerto Vallarta, PV was the only port where the port personnel did a real check of what you were bringing back to the ship. At the other 2 as long as it didn't look dangerous on the xray on board you could carry on whatever booze or cigars or etc.

 

heh At PV the guy behind me in line is getting his stuff searched and the lady opens his big water bottle full of some kind of clear liquid. She takes a sniff and says 'Sir, you have not finished your cocktail.'