Mariner of the Seas Review: 20 FEB 2005

[Sailfish]

One silly question...

Is there toothpaste, razors, etc. in your room when you board? Carnival always had welcome packs with all that stuff in them, and I learned that was one less thing to bring. Since space is a premium, need I bring toothpast, razor,etc?

 

You will find low grade shampoo in a dispenser in the shower and a few bars of low grade soap in all non-suite cabins aboard the Mariner. People with suites receive better shampoo, conditioner, body wash, lotions and soaps in nice, large bottles. Better room equals better toiletries. With that said, Royal Caribbean does not provide a basket of samples like Carnival, so the answer is, NO toothpaste or razors or body wash. I didn't think Carnival refilled their "samples" - at least they didn't last year. I don't know about you, but the toothpaste sample I got last year aboard the Pride lasted two brushings!

 

A while back, my luggage didn't make it onto the ship right away (I got it two days later at our first port), thanks to massive airport delays and cancellations. Suffice it to say, I made it to the ship, but I didn't have any of my toiletries with me and was forced to purchase what I needed in one of the shops. They have toothpaste, razors, ect. there, but it's all going to be quite expensive. I believe I spent $3 for a small tube of toothpaste. It's good to know that if you lose or forget something, like contact lense solution, you can probably find it in the gift shop. But I'd make a point of packing what you need.

 

I hear where you are coming from...I too don't like to pack any more stuff than I will use. I found the shampoo makes a great body wash, but the stuff is just too drying for my scalp and hair. I used it for a few days, thinking I'd live with it, and bought a tiny bottle of hair conditioner from the salon for $15 (which I loved) but I ended up getting my bags, and what a difference my shampoo made! I also would bring your own hair dryer, as the one in the room requires you to depress the button constantly to make it blow - a pain to say the least.

[Sailfish]

From a balcony room, which side of the ship would you recommend for when we are in port? or pulling out of port? We are still deciding on our room location and need some input. Would you recommend towards the front or the back of the ship? Thanks so much!

 

Our balcony cabin aboard the Mariner was located mid-ship on the Port side of the ship, meaning we could see the dock in every port. My sister in law's room was on the starboard side, so when we were in port, she had a view of the water. We didn't spend much time in our room while in port, but I will say, it was very enjoyable to sit out on our balcony (like everyone on the Port side does I'm told) and watch people running back to the ship. We would be sipping our champagne as we pulled away from the the port - very cool.

 

In 2003, we had an aft balcony aboard the Navigator - the sister ship/twin of the Mariner. Our balcony was huge - at least three times the size of what we had on the Mariner. At one point we crammed 26 people out there for a sail away party!! But we didn't have the same experience of people watching like we did aboard the Mariner. The aft is great for privacy and for parties. But the port side is probably best if you enjoy sitting out there as we pull out of port.

 

Hope this helps.

[JTJ]

RCCL should go to Nassau on the way back and visit St. Thomas first. Funny I went on the Zandaam out of Canaveral and it went to BVI 1st then to St Thomas and had no emigration/custom stop at St Thomas. On the way back we went to a Bahama island.

[Jim M]

As the OP mentioned we were about 3 hours late getting to St Thomas. If we had docked at the normal 6:30 - 7:00 AM, the line going through customs would have been MUCH shorter.

 

As it was everyone who had scheduled excursions was in a major hurry. Some of our tablemates who had scheduled a day sail on their own missed it and wound up going to Coki beach with us.

 

Going through customs last year on the Navigator was a 5 minute process from start to finish after a leisurely breakfast.

 

Jim M

[Sailfish]

As the OP mentioned we were about 3 hours late getting to St Thomas. If we had docked at the normal 6:30 - 7:00 AM, the line going through customs would have been MUCH shorter.

 

As it was everyone who had scheduled excursions was in a major hurry. Some of our tablemates who had scheduled a day sail on their own missed it and wound up going to Coki beach with us.

 

Going through customs last year on the Navigator was a 5 minute process from start to finish after a leisurely breakfast.

 

Jim M

 

It's funny, as I asked a couple staff people while I was in line if the reason the lines are so long was because we were indeed running late. I was told that it's like this every time the Marnier visits St. Thomas. The only difference, people begin to line up earlier in the morning. They said the only time the lines go faster is when there are fewer people on the ship.

 

I initially attributed much of the problem to the fact we had a medical emergency departing Nassau, and had to go back, which in turn delayed our arrival into St. Thomas by about 2 hours. But the guy assigned to watch the lines of people in the Promenade and promt them to have their documents ready said the lines were always slow and just as long. He said mostly it depends a lot on how many people are on the ship.

[Nano]

What a great and thorough review...I'm glad someone from our sailing finally got around to posting one! I agree with most of your comments about the ship, although we actually enjoyed the transportation art theme on the Mariner more than you did. Our cabin was on Deck 7, mid-ship and (at the insistance of my husband) we would walk aft to the Windjammer or forward to the Savoy Theatre on a different decks so that we could see the various pieces of art displayed on each floor.

 

I also think we enjoyed the food in the Main Dining room more than you did, but part of the reason was that our head waiter heard us raving about the lamb chops one night, and he told us we could order them (or anything else on the menu except lobster) on any subsequent nights if we wanted to. So once we stumbled upon a couple of favorites, we just ordered them again. We were also impressed with the Windjammer's food - especially at dinner. We went there only one night (after we returned from a full daysail in St. Thomas and were too tired to dress for the dining room), but the food was surprisingly delicious and we really enjoyed the classical guitar player who performed there that night.

 

Speaking of St. Thomas - I think the reason our debarkation was so long was because we were late arriving. Our family went on the Mariner for President's Week in 2004 and we didn't wait in line more than a total of 15-20 mintues. This year, I went downstairs about 9:30 and got in line for our family. Once the line started moving at 10, we got through the line pretty quickly. We were a bit worried because we were supposed to depart on our daysail at 10am, and we didn't get to where the boat was until closer to 11am. Luckily, I emailed the Jester's captain the night before to tell him we were running late, and he waited for us. Speaking of our daysail, it was absolutely fantastic! I told my husband before we booked it that several people on these boards said the daysails were the best thing they had ever done in their lives. He didn't believe me...that is, until we went ourselves. Now all he can talk about is "when can we do it again"?!

 

We also enjoyed all of the activies on board (ice skating, roller blading, golf, etc.). Everyone in my family but me tried the rock climbing wall (I watched and took pictures). But, I've promised my family that I would do it next time...it really looked like fun!

 

Thanks again for doing such a great job of organizing our group cruise...and hope to see you on board another one soon!

Nancy

[Lisa & Rane]

Thanks again for the great info!

 

Lisa

[wdwmmdd]

Sailfish Thanks for the information. I just got my cruise documents today for my trip on April 17. Did you carry your passport off of the ship in St Thomas? I was hoping to keep it on the ship. And if you have to carry it with you when you leave the ship, where can you hide it if you go swimming? Thanks again.

 

Scott ºoº

[bevo]

Thanks Sailfish. Guess I'll pack it all afterall.:(

Oh well...maybe another LARGER suitcase is in order?! :)

Thanks for your help....we head to Orlando tomorrow....sail on Sunday. :) :) :)

[Sailfish]

Sailfish Thanks for the information. I just got my cruise documents today for my trip on April 17. Did you carry your passport off of the ship in St Thomas? I was hoping to keep it on the ship. And if you have to carry it with you when you leave the ship, where can you hide it if you go swimming? Thanks again.

 

Scott ºoº

 

After going through immigration, we put our passports back in our safe as we headed downstairs to the exit - our room was on the way. We didn't want to risk losing them while diving.

 

We had dry bags with us, that we could place things like our money into. We went off the ship with our driver's licenses, our ship ID card and a little cash. We knew we would be using our credit card to pay for our scuba diving.

 

Upon our return, only one port of call - Nassau - asked to see our drivers license; officials in St. Maarten and St. Thomas only asked for our cruise ID card.

[Sailfish]

What a great and thorough review...I'm glad someone from our sailing finally got around to posting one! I agree with most of your comments about the ship, although we actually enjoyed the transportation art theme on the Mariner more than you did. Our cabin was on Deck 7, mid-ship and (at the insistance of my husband) we would walk aft to the Windjammer or forward to the Savoy Theatre on a different decks so that we could see the various pieces of art displayed on each floor.

 

I also think we enjoyed the food in the Main Dining room more than you did, but part of the reason was that our head waiter heard us raving about the lamb chops one night, and he told us we could order them (or anything else on the menu except lobster) on any subsequent nights if we wanted to. So once we stumbled upon a couple of favorites, we just ordered them again. We were also impressed with the Windjammer's food - especially at dinner. We went there only one night (after we returned from a full daysail in St. Thomas and were too tired to dress for the dining room), but the food was surprisingly delicious and we really enjoyed the classical guitar player who performed there that night.

 

Speaking of St. Thomas - I think the reason our debarkation was so long was because we were late arriving. Our family went on the Mariner for President's Week in 2004 and we didn't wait in line more than a total of 15-20 mintues. This year, I went downstairs about 9:30 and got in line for our family. Once the line started moving at 10, we got through the line pretty quickly. We were a bit worried because we were supposed to depart on our daysail at 10am, and we didn't get to where the boat was until closer to 11am. Luckily, I emailed the Jester's captain the night before to tell him we were running late, and he waited for us. Speaking of our daysail, it was absolutely fantastic! I told my husband before we booked it that several people on these boards said the daysails were the best thing they had ever done in their lives. He didn't believe me...that is, until we went ourselves. Now all he can talk about is "when can we do it again"?!

 

We also enjoyed all of the activies on board (ice skating, roller blading, golf, etc.). Everyone in my family but me tried the rock climbing wall (I watched and took pictures). But, I've promised my family that I would do it next time...it really looked like fun!

 

Thanks again for doing such a great job of organizing our group cruise...and hope to see you on board another one soon!

Nancy

 

Hi Nancy:

 

I was wondering how your sailing trip went - gald to hear it was fun! I had a hunch everything would be fine. Michele and her friend went to St. John and although they too had a lot of fun, from the sounds of it, it was a whirlwind tour. One day, they decided is just not enough time to take the ferry across and tour St. John!

 

When we were on the Navigator in 2003, I found I could pre-order things I liked from the menu by asking our head waiter liek you did. But this time, our head waiter said NO to my request to have the beef tenderloin more than once! This was not a huge deal, as like most people, I too eventually found things on the menu I liked. I was most impressed with the buffet, though. Mike went up there just about every evening for iced shrimp, which he brought back to our room to share! They didn't have as good a selection of food in the Windjammer in the evening on the Navigator as they did on the Mariner.

 

My "issues" are pretty minor, and probably have a lot to do with the fact that I tend to over analyze situations. Take my complaints with a grain of salt. I had a great vacation and would go again in a heart beat. I'm pretty sure our next Carbbean Cruise will be in the Western Caribbean on the Freedom of the Seas.

[Nano]

Suzi,

Now that you mention it, I was surprised our head waiter offered to let us re-order entrees we liked on a different night. Obviously they couldn't possibly do this for everyone! I guess our head waiter really earned that extra tip we have him (lol)! Oh dear, now I'm really spoiled!!!

 

We also enjoyed the HUGE chilled shrimp in the Windjammer with our pre-dinner cocktails just about every night. As a matter of fact, we sat with your family/group enjoying the sushi, shrimp, etc. before dinner on the first or second night. You must have been in the cabin relaxing from those 3 trips up the rock climbing wall! :-)

 

We haven't booked our next cruise yet, but I'm going to have do something soon so that I can quit obsessing about our last cruise (and these boards)!

[azipod]

Sailfish, thanks for the great review. I am considering doing a Mariner sailing about a year from now and combining it with a trip to Disney/Orlando. Right now, I am finding cabin selection for next March/April to be few and far between so wish me luck! :)

[Sailfish]

Suzi,

Now that you mention it, I was surprised our head waiter offered to let us re-order entrees we liked on a different night. Obviously they couldn't possibly do this for everyone! I guess our head waiter really earned that extra tip we have him (lol)! Oh dear, now I'm really spoiled!!!

 

We also enjoyed the HUGE chilled shrimp in the Windjammer with our pre-dinner cocktails just about every night. As a matter of fact, we sat with your family/group enjoying the sushi, shrimp, etc. before dinner on the first or second night. You must have been in the cabin relaxing from those 3 trips up the rock climbing wall! :-)

 

We haven't booked our next cruise yet, but I'm going to have do something soon so that I can quit obsessing about our last cruise (and these boards)!

 

We have a cruise to Mexico over President's week in 2006 planned, but I've already told Mike I want to back to the Caribbean soon. I think we are going to give Celebrity a try this October - a short, inexpensive 5 night cruise out of Seattle for just the two of us (our anniversary is in Oct). We have AA air miles, so this trip should be nice cheap getaway for us; prices on this mini Inside Passge cruise were reasonable - about what we would have spent for a week somewhere else on land. It should be kind of cold, though, and I know the ship we are going on can't compare to the mariner. But Heck, we're going for the view and to relax.

 

I already have my hands full with the cruise to Mexico; I sort of wish the group had selected the Caribbean! I'm already experienceing withdrawl!

 

Take care. It was great meeting your whole family!

[MCazer]

People with suites receive better shampoo, conditioner, body wash, lotions and soaps in nice, large bottles. Better room equals better toiletries.

 

So, if you are in a Junior Suite, do yo get the better shampoo?

 

I would love to upgrade from a Junior Suite to a Grand Suite, but with the discount I got orginally, there is now a $1,500 difference for me and dh, ds & dd.

 

Would love the concierge service and not to wait online for iceshow tickets.

[Sailfish]

So, if you are in a Junior Suite, do yo get the better shampoo?

 

I would love to upgrade from a Junior Suite to a Grand Suite, but with the discount I got orginally, there is now a $1,500 difference for me and dh, ds & dd.

 

Would love the concierge service and not to wait online for iceshow tickets.

 

You'll have to check with your travel agent or the cruise line to see which category of suites qualify for the conceirge lounge, but my gues it will NOT. I also don't know if you'll get the better toiletires. The suite our friends occupied had nice large 8oz bottles of shampoo, but they also had an upper end suite. Hope this helps.

[SoonerDan]

Great review!!!

 

We are taking our first trip on the eastern side this year.

 

I was wondering what night was the night they had Caribbean food in the dining room as this is the night that we normally go to Chops??

 

Any help would be appreciated.

 

SoonerDan

[shelbylook]

Great review! Brings back a lot of memories from a couple of weeks ago. I was just telling my DH how we screwed up by not checking out the Windjammer for dinner. Oh, those shrimp!!! What were we thinking! Next time. Late seating, piles of shrimp as a appetizer on our balcony along w/the martinis I thought I'd make this trip but never did.

 

I agree that the food was good, but certainly not as good as our first cruise on the Grandeur in 2001. I was pleasantly surprised at the bread selection though. This board had me believing we'd be served cardboard everynight, but on most nights, the yummy sourdough rolls were still warm from the oven when they were served! (We had main seating for dinner).

 

Out of the 14 in our group, my DH and I were the only ones to venture to St. John. Trunk Bay WAS incredibly beautiful but it was a rush rush trip. Mainly because we had to allow enough time to take the tram up to Paradise Point to drink a few Bushwackers!

 

We loved St. Maartan. This was our second time to all the ports. In fact, we are seriously considering a landbased vacation to St. Maarten sometime in the next couple of years. There is so much we want to do but it's just impossible doing much more than just one thing in just one short day.

 

Oh, as for the immigration thing in St. Thomas..... we went down to the dining room at I think around 8:00 or 8:30. We walked right in and right out, but the line was forming and getting quite long as we exited the dining room.

 

As for the liquor business... We packed a few airline size bottles right in our carry on and had no problem. We also had a carry-on suitcase that consisted of nothing more than a 12 pk of CF Diet Pepsi and a 12 pk of Michelob Ultra. Not one word said. We had a small cooler that was filled w/bottled water as well. I won't do the beer thing again. We drank exactly 2 from that 12 pk. I felt bad for having our cooler iced every day and not drinking the beer. It was just easier ordering a beer when we wanted one from wherever we were.

 

For all of you w/Mariner plans, I'm real jealous. It's very hard not having a cruise planned after having plans for one for over 14 months!

 

Enjoy.

 

Cathy