Mariner of the Seas Cruise Compass Holy Land?

[ludde]

Anyone has the Cruise Compass for Mariner of the Seas Holy Land cruise?

[richstowe]

I second that request!

[danglish]

I'd like to see these too.

[SAS21]

I have the compasses. My problem is my scanner is not working. If you have any specific questions I may be able to answer them. I just returned on May 11th from this same trip so the compasses I have are recent.

 

Let me know if I can help any.

[stipmom]

Hi, I am on the June 16 sailing. Can you just let me know when showtimes are.? I have mytime dining and want to plan around the shows. Thanks

[richstowe]

Wondering what night the mystery theatre was at Portofino. Did you go?

Love to read a cruise review from you.

thanx

[SAS21]

Day 1 Welcome Aboard 8:15

Island a GoGo parade 11:00

Day 2 7:30 & 9:30 Headliner Show (Rat Pack Returns) pretty good

Day 3 3:00 & 5:00 Ice Show

9:30 & 11:00 Headliner Show ( Front Row with RCL entertainers)

Formal Night Captains welcome aboard 8-9:00 pm

Day 4 7:30 & 9:30 Headliner Show (Violinist)

10:45 Battle of the sexes game show

Day 5 7:30 7 9:30 Headliner Show (Juggler)

Day 6 8:15 Headliner Show ( Violinist)

Day 7 8:15 Headliner Show ( Austin Drage-tv 's x factor)

Day 8 7:30 & 9:30 Headliner Show ( Count Dimas- piano virtuoiso)

Day 9 7:15 & 9:15 Ice Show

11:00 Love & Marriage Show

Day 10 7:30 & 9:30 RCL Entertainers Show

Day 11 7:30 & 9:30 Headliner Show (Soul Satisfaction-Motown) very good

 

Hope this helps. I am looking for the Mystery dinner. I did not go . I will post as sson as I find it. Let me know if you need more info.

[SAS21]

I have never written a review, but I do use this board regularly. I read more than anything. This cruise was a very last minute trip for me (long story). I traveled with my father, stepmom and her mother. We spent 4 days in Rome prior to the cruise. I can answer more questions if you like.

 

Both the Rat Pack Show and Motown Show were very good. The headliner show on Day 1 was okay. We also went to the Headliner show on day 3 which was pretty good. This is a very port intensive cruise and after the first few days we were too tired to stay up very late. Love & marraige was funny as it usually is, We did not go to bingo, dancing classes or get any sun on the pool deck. Sea days we rested or I went to the Spa. This was the 1st cruise that I have ever gotten sea sick. It hit me the night we left Naples. The crew said even some of them were sick.

 

The only negative I can say is after sailing on 10 RCL cruises this is the first time that I can honestly say that I did not enjoy the food. Some nights were good, but there were a couple meals that were not so good. There were some different items on the menu's than I've seen on the 7 night sailings. No lobster if that's an item you like. I think the food supply for the European cruises affects the overall taste of the food. I could not eat the bacon it tasted so strange to me. We ate at Chop's 2 night's and actually ordered the filet that they offer in the MDR one night.

 

All the ports were great, it rained the day we were in Naples. All other days were good, cool in the morning and warmed up in the afternoon.

We booked all RCL excursions since this was the first time any of us had been to Europe. We had no problems with any of the excursions, very informative and interesting. We could not do the very strenuous excusrions, since my stepmom's mom is limited but we still saw some incredible and interesting things. We did the full day excursions in Israel, we went to Nazareth & Gallilee the first day and Jerusaleum and Bethlelem the second day. This was very emotional for me.

 

Just ask if you need more info.

[SAS21]

Wondering what night the mystery theatre was at Portofino. Did you go?

 

Love to read a cruise review from you.

thanx

 

I have looked thru every compass, I can't find anything about the Mystery Dinner. I have the daily planner that they gave us at check in also and no where on it either. Maybe they don;t have it on the Holy Land cruise??? Sorry.

[chloe kitty]

Day 1 Welcome Aboard 8:15

Island a GoGo parade 11:00

Day 2 7:30 & 9:30 Headliner Show (Rat Pack Returns) pretty good

Day 3 3:00 & 5:00 Ice Show

9:30 & 11:00 Headliner Show ( Front Row with RCL entertainers)

Formal Night Captains welcome aboard 8-9:00 pm

Day 4 7:30 & 9:30 Headliner Show (Violinist)

10:45 Battle of the sexes game show

Day 5 7:30 7 9:30 Headliner Show (Juggler)

Day 6 8:15 Headliner Show ( Violinist)

Day 7 8:15 Headliner Show ( Austin Drage-tv 's x factor)

Day 8 7:30 & 9:30 Headliner Show ( Count Dimas- piano virtuoiso)

Day 9 7:15 & 9:15 Ice Show

11:00 Love & Marriage Show

Day 10 7:30 & 9:30 RCL Entertainers Show

Day 11 7:30 & 9:30 Headliner Show (Soul Satisfaction-Motown) very good

 

Hope this helps. I am looking for the Mystery dinner. I did not go . I will post as sson as I find it. Let me know if you need more info.

 

Thank you for all your info. We also have MTD and wondered when the show times were.

Do you remember hot late the buffet breakfast was served?

We usually cruise on either Princess or Celebrity. A friend of mine loves RCC. She always tells me how good the food is. From what I read here, I hope it improves by July.

A few questions about shopping. We are on a full day tour in both Haifa and Ashdod. Do you remember if there were any souvenier shops near the dock. I understand that the dock in Ashdod is a closed dock, so it might be difficult to have any shopping. In Athens we are also on a full day tour, are there any shops near the pier?

 

Thanks a million.

 

chloe kitty

[danglish]

Thanks for the information so far.

 

Which nights were formal?

 

Thanks

[wednesday]

I have never written a review, but I do use this board regularly. I read more than anything. This cruise was a very last minute trip for me (long story). I traveled with my father, stepmom and her mother. We spent 4 days in Rome prior to the cruise. I can answer more questions if you like.

 

Both the Rat Pack Show and Motown Show were very good. The headliner show on Day 1 was okay. We also went to the Headliner show on day 3 which was pretty good. This is a very port intensive cruise and after the first few days we were too tired to stay up very late. Love & marraige was funny as it usually is, We did not go to bingo, dancing classes or get any sun on the pool deck. Sea days we rested or I went to the Spa. This was the 1st cruise that I have ever gotten sea sick. It hit me the night we left Naples. The crew said even some of them were sick.

 

The only negative I can say is after sailing on 10 RCL cruises this is the first time that I can honestly say that I did not enjoy the food. Some nights were good, but there were a couple meals that were not so good. There were some different items on the menu's than I've seen on the 7 night sailings. No lobster if that's an item you like. I think the food supply for the European cruises affects the overall taste of the food. I could not eat the bacon it tasted so strange to me. We ate at Chop's 2 night's and actually ordered the filet that they offer in the MDR one night.

 

All the ports were great, it rained the day we were in Naples. All other days were good, cool in the morning and warmed up in the afternoon.

We booked all RCL excursions since this was the first time any of us had been to Europe. We had no problems with any of the excursions, very informative and interesting. We could not do the very strenuous excusrions, since my stepmom's mom is limited but we still saw some incredible and interesting things. We did the full day excursions in Israel, we went to Nazareth & Gallilee the first day and Jerusaleum and Bethlelem the second day. This was very emotional for me.

 

Just ask if you need more info.

 

We could not eat the bacon on the Navigator out of Barcelona, only way I can describe it was that it had a very strong musky taste. I was hoping our Mariner sailing out of Italy would mean a different supplier and it would taste better :( guess not. NCL managed to have decent bacon on our Med cruise with them (and lobster!) not sure why it is so difficult for RCI.:confused: Thanks for mentioning this, it will save me from trying it and about gagging LOL

[SAS21]

Sorry it took me so long to get back to you.

 

Formal Nights: Day 3 at Sea, Day 8 at Sea, Day 11 Port of Crete

 

Windjammer Buffet open till 11:30 am for Breakfast

 

Haifa Shopping: We did the Nazareth and Galilee tour. I loved this tour. Shopping at the port of Haifa was limited to a couple shops. We did not use them since there were several oppurtunities for shopping during the tour. We returned to the ship at 6 pm.

 

Ashdod Shopping: We did the Jerusalem & Bethlehem tour. I am not sure about shopping at Ashdod port since we did a full day tour again and got back to the ship at 7 pm. Very long day. The only time we shopped this day was in Palestine at a designated shop. It was a very expensive shop and we were not allowed to shop elsewhere. In Jerusalem we were not able to shop at all. We actually were disappointed with this as the excursion stated that there would be shopping time allocated at both destinations. The cruise line gave us a small credit towards the charge for the excursion. I still loved this tour.

 

Athens: We did the Ancient Athens, Plaka and shopping tour. I loved the Plaka area of Athens. Great shopping, Restuarants and sightseeing. There were only a couple of shops at the port with the typical souvenir items.

 

Hope this helps, I really loved this cruise. I went for the ports more than the ship. While I was disappointed in the food overall, I did not go hungry.

 

Happy Cruising!!

[MindyM]

Did they have the laundry service where you can fill up the small bags? Do you know the cost? Also, was everyone dressed up on formal nights or not very much like the Caribbean cruises?

[chloe kitty]

Sorry it took me so long to get back to you.

 

Formal Nights: Day 3 at Sea, Day 8 at Sea, Day 11 Port of Crete

 

Windjammer Buffet open till 11:30 am for Breakfast

 

Haifa Shopping: We did the Nazareth and Galilee tour. I loved this tour. Shopping at the port of Haifa was limited to a couple shops. We did not use them since there were several oppurtunities for shopping during the tour. We returned to the ship at 6 pm.

 

Ashdod Shopping: We did the Jerusalem & Bethlehem tour. I am not sure about shopping at Ashdod port since we did a full day tour again and got back to the ship at 7 pm. Very long day. The only time we shopped this day was in Palestine at a designated shop. It was a very expensive shop and we were not allowed to shop elsewhere. In Jerusalem we were not able to shop at all. We actually were disappointed with this as the excursion stated that there would be shopping time allocated at both destinations. The cruise line gave us a small credit towards the charge for the excursion. I still loved this tour.

 

Athens: We did the Ancient Athens, Plaka and shopping tour. I loved the Plaka area of Athens. Great shopping, Restuarants and sightseeing. There were only a couple of shops at the port with the typical souvenir items.

 

Hope this helps, I really loved this cruise. I went for the ports more than the ship. While I was disappointed in the food overall, I did not go hungry.

 

Happy Cruising!!

Thanks again for all the info. We are also on all day tours that return even later than yours. They are private tours, so hopefully we will have a little shopping time. How was the CD on the Mariner? As asked above, we would also like to know about laundry.

 

Thanks again,

 

chloe kitty

[SAS21]

Yes, they offered the laundry bags midway thru the cruise. $25 per bag.

 

Formal nights most everyone was dressed nice. The area of the dining room we were seated, deck 3 right hand side was very empty most nights. We were seated at a table for 4, while there was a table for 8 next to us which was empty most nights, except for 2 people. I was sea sick the first formal night, only stayed at the table for maybe 20 minutes, then went back to the cabin, so I don't remember much of that night.

 

Private tours are probably a better option, you have more options available to your liking. I was with my father and he wanted the cruise line excursions since this was our first time in Israel and wasn't sure what to expect. The tours were good but it does restrict your time to do more.

 

I am happy to help. I have used these boards in the past and have gotten tons of information to help with my planning and am glad that I can finally return to favor.

 

CD was good, Kieron Buffery.

[Texasbloom]

Were the seas unusually rough to cause seasickness? Now I'm nervous - my hubby has such a fear. Sorry you got sick, SAS.

 

I am a little disappointed that ABBA and the Beatles are no longer in the lineup. I'm on the June 16 sailing, too.

[SAS21]

The seas were pretty rough, but not much more than I have experienced before. It was the night we left Naples and were sailing around the tip of Italy, when I woke the next morning I felt awful, then we were at sea all day. I usually have Bonine with me in my travel pharmacy kit as I call it, but not this time, it was expired and I threw it out before I left. I won't sail without Bonine again.

[BeeBerry]

Hi all. I just got back yesterday from the following Holy Land cruise on the Mariner, so let me know if you have any further questions but I'll just add to a few previous questions....

 

There was some sort of Beatles show on the second from last night. We only saw a couple of shows, not really our thing. There was a group of four guys singing though (Four ever) who were very good. At first we were a bit bored but they got better and better throughout their show and we were glad we didn't leave.

 

Formal Nights - Our formal nights were supposed to be the same as SAS21, according to the daily planner which we got in two parts, but the last one for Chania changed so they ended up being Day 3, Day 7 and Day 10 (all sea days). make sure to check the Cruise Compass each day, it was the only way we learnt that last formal day had changed. Lots of dressed-up people too!

 

Food - no problem with the food, you never get lobster on any European cruise. We didn't notice much of a difference in the dining room from either the Liberty or Adventure last year. There are more European dishes on offer in the Windjammer but thats the same on any European cruise. Can't comment on the previous mention of the bacon as I can't eat the fatty American bacon and was disappointed they didn't have English bacon as they did on the Adventure out of Malaga last year. :(

 

My Time Dining was the best of any ship. They had the whole of the 5th deck from what we could tell and were so well organised, we were very impressed! I think we ate in there about 9 nights out of the 12 and only waited once for a table when we needed a table for four to eat with another couple. Every other time we were seated within seconds and the dining room was usually very busy for MTD even on the last night (the set seatings were not so busy from what I could see).

Oh, we also had a buy one get one free for the speciality restaurants for the first or second night. This was only offered to people on MTD.

 

We ate in Chops once and Portofino once. Found Portofino the best for service and food. In Chops the Filet was great but my BF thought the mushroom soup was like something from a tin and we both thought the Mud Pie everyone raves about was bland beyond belief. There were better desserts in the Windjammer and Promenade Cafe. Actually we ate a lot of late night snacks in the Cafe and I guess everything tastes good at 3am. ;)

 

We spent a lot of time in the Champagne Bar as the staff were so nice. Free canapes and/or caviar with drinks in the evening and free chocolates/mini cakes after 9pm.

 

Ashdod - Yes, the port was completely closed and very very industrial. Royal Caribbean offered a frequent free shuttle to the beach and a shopping mall. Again, we only saw this listed on the cruise compass the night before (in the port explorations document it was listed with a $14 charge).

 

Haifa - Unlike Ashdod you can walk into town from the port but we didn't see any touristy shops and didn't like the area very much at all, not sure if it was where we were docked but there was hardly anything just outside the port (if you look at google maps we were docked in Haifa Bay. We walked up to the lower part of the Bahai Gardens, which were beautiful, but were not impressed otherwise.

 

Athens - We were docked really far from the main port terminal and there was a free shuttle bus back and forth. A HAL ship was the closest to town (boo). There isn't a huge amount in Piraeus but there were definitely some tourist shops and cafes, banks etc just outside the port. We walked to the Metro station and got the train into Athens.

 

Naples - As with Athens we walked to the train station from the port and got the train to Pompeii. It's a fairly long ride on the train as it stops a million times. We definitely recommend getting the audio guide for Pompeii as it lets you go at your own pace and you can skip the bits you aren't as interested in. The site is huge and it would take all day to see it but after 3 hours we had had enough. There were lots of guided tours while we were there and OMG I'm so glad we didn't take one. It was hot and humid and there isn't much shade. Inside there is one cafe (place to get drinks) so bring bottled water or buy it for 1 euro from the shops outside the site which you'll pass from the train station (2-3 mins walk from the site entrance).

Naples is so dirty!!! The walk from the port to the station is not pleasant, there are piles of rubbish littered everywhere and it smells awful. However, I did not find it scary or menacing as some people said it was.

 

Rhodes - the closest port to town, Rhodes old town was lovely! This is a good port to watch for runners. ;) You'll see why when you see the size of the beers in the bars and cafes.

 

Kusadasi - we did a CC organised tour to Ephesus which was really good, the Terrace Houses were the best part so make sure they are included if you do this trip (someone who did the ship tour didn't get the chance to do this and were very disappointed) and then had a wander around the port. LOTS of shops, restaurants etc right outside the port terminal including a big market thingy. They prefer euro's to dollars.

[Texasbloom]

Thanks for the report, BeeBerry.

 

No one has commented much about the swimming pools - are there plenty of chairs, etc.

[richstowe]

Great report BeeBerry. Lots of good info. What time did embarcation start. We have a 1 PM flight.

[BeeBerry]

Thanks for the report, BeeBerry.

 

No one has commented much about the swimming pools - are there plenty of chairs, etc.

 

Yes, lots of chairs around the pools and on the deck above (deck 12). You’ll also find quiet spots forward and aft on deck 12. The pools were very cold and it didn’t help that although the weather was really warm, 25-28c most days, it was VERY windy, even while in port. Most people were in the hot tubs. :)

We had very calm seas despite the wind and thunderstorms which seemed to kick-up every time we left port! I really suffer with sea sickness but just continued to take the free tablets from Guest Services and was fine.

 

 

Great report BeeBerry. Lots of good info. What time did embarcation start. We have a 1 PM flight.

 

 

Did you mean Disembarkation? Embarkation was very quick at Civitavecchia, we got to the port about 12 noon and must have been on the ship within 20 minutes. The porters will come up to you as you arrive and take your cases and after you’ve checked in the staff will take your passports. We didn’t get them back until the sea day before Ashdod. Absolutely hated not having my passport at the ports before Israel as I have no other photo ID (I don’t drive) and the whole palaver with having to meet with the Israeli immigration officers on the ship the morning beforehand was annoying.

I can’t comment on the day we departed the ship as we stayed on-board with the late departure option and left the ship about 1-1.30pm. We had an evening flight so it was easier to do this than hang around in Rome or the airport with our cases. I have to say it was quite upsetting getting off the ship when everyone was just arriving, especially when we were welcomed onboard in the windjammer. :(

[stormyitaly]

Were the seas unusually rough to cause seasickness? Now I'm nervous - my hubby has such a fear. Sorry you got sick, SAS.

 

I am a little disappointed that ABBA and the Beatles are no longer in the lineup. I'm on the June 16 sailing, too.

 

Just back this Saturday from the Mariner. The Beetles were on the ship and it was a great show. I think it is luck of the draw. Also, the seas were very smooth this time out. It is a great trip. I wish I were still on the boat :)

[danglish]

Great information so far BeeBerry.

 

the whole palaver with having to meet with the Israeli immigration officers on the ship the morning beforehand was annoying.

 

Can you elaborate on what you mean by this - thanks.

[SAS21]

Great information so far BeeBerry.

 

 

 

Can you elaborate on what you mean by this - thanks.

 

On the sea day (day 5), prior to getting to Israel on day 6, we had to go to the dining room on deck 4 and retrieve our passports and get a Israeli shore pass (this is what they called it). They basically just match your face with the photo on your PP and then you leave. You have to carry with you your PP and shorepass along with your seapass card when you leave the ship in Israel. On day 8, we had to return our PP back to RC. Then we got them back the last day of the cruise.

 

We had not realized that you had to relinquish your passport to the cruiseline when checking in. We felt a little uneasy with this but had no choice. It all made sense afterwards with all the different countries we visited.

 

Embarkation went smoothly for us also, we got to the port about 1:30, you have to stop and fill out the paper about being sick, then go to the check-in. We had a handicap person in a wheelchair so ours went a little more quickly but the lines did not look very long at the other windows. We were checked-in in about 20 miuntes. Then walked right on the ship. Cabins were available at that time.

 

Disembarking also went smoothly, we walked out the cabin took the elevator down to Studio B, the cruise rep said they were about to call our number and to go ahead and exit the ship. Took us about 5-7 minutes total, getting an elevator took the longest.