Mariner Europe Review

[moakes]

Just back from Europe where we sailed on board the Mariner of the Seas. Overall a good cruise but at the same time it didn't feel like a "typical" cruise. We sailed July 23 - July 30 and inter-ported out of Genoa. The cruise stopped in Cannes, Ajaccio (Corsica), Barcelona, Palma de Mallorca and Rome with one day at sea. I had done a lot of research and planning before our trip and with the exception of Cannes we were DIY traveller (we are a family of four 2 adults and 2 DS ages 12 &9). Here is our review (broken into several posts.)

 

We picked the Genoa departure because we wanted to spend a few days in the Cinque Terre. We spent 3 days in Manarola and it was perfect. A great way to unwind and enjoy Italy before the port intensive cruise. We stayed in an apartment with an amazing view and despite our fears of overcrowding, our experiences in the towns and along the trails were great. Of course we got up early to do our hikes between the towns and that probably contributed to the trails being less crowded and less hot. We did have to deal with a one day train strike, but that's Italy. You just make do. One note for those planning on visiting the 5 Terre, the trail between Manarola and Corniglia is still closed due to a landslide. Also, don't come if you are intent on bringing lots of suitcases or heavy bags. With the exception on Monterosso, getting to hotels or apartments will involve climbing up or down lots of steep steps. We packed for 2 weeks in carry ons and we were so glad we did (did not bring formal wear for the cruise). Europe is casual. We ate dinners in Manarola and all meals were great. Trattoria Billy, Marina Picola, and La Scogliera. The walnut sauce in Marina Picola was unbelievable. We ate breakfasts in several of the small cafes in town and it was a lot of fun as this is when the locals are out. The locals are out in the early am and the late afternoon to evening. We visited all towns except Corniglia. Vernazza is the poster child and is beautiful. Monterosso is the resort town and we enjoyed an afternoon on the beach as well as the market on Thursday am. Riomaggiore, Corniglia, and Manarola are quieter of the 5 towns. Each are beautiful and have there own charms.

[moakes]

We took the train to Genoa on Saturday morning to meet our cruise. We pre-bought our tickets on the Trenitalia website. Though the site has an English version, the purchase system is in Italian. Common sense and Google here is your friend. For the most part you can understand the prompts, if not copy and paste the word/phrase into google and the word “translate” and it will translate it into English. A little work but going through Trenitalia will give you more journey options than Rail Europe does. Also had no problem with credit card usage. Visa or Mastercard. Also, while many say 1st class is not worth the price increase over 2nd class, I am glad given the height of tourist season that we spent the extra money. The 2nd class carriages were overfull with many people and bags "camped" at the ends of the carriages. Where as the 1st class carriage was calm, plenty of room and more serene. We arrived in Genoa Principe Station and made the 5 min walk to the pier. This was really easy when compared to having to make your way to Civitavecchia pier. Highly recommend cruising out of Genoa.

 

Embarkation:

This was an inter-porting cruise, with 2/3rds of the passengers boarding the day before in Rome. For inter-porting cruises, you are unable to pre-book shore excursions and make My Time dining reservations before boarding. Initially we were a little concerned that those boarding in Rome ahead of us would have a leg up on those boarding the next day, but those fears proved unfounded. The whole checkin process was smooth and we were on board and in our cabin in 10 min. We boarded at 1:15pm for a 7pm departure (note that our documents indicated a 4pm boarding). We dropped off our stuff and headed into Genoa for a couple of hours.

 

Genoa:

As we only had a couple of hours, we walked along the promenade towards the aquarium and Il Bigo. It was a nice walk. We were surprised to see an Eataly, which is Chef's Mario Battali's Italian shop/restaurant experience. It makes sense in New York where the store brings a little piece of Italy to America, but bringing Italy to Italy seemed weird. We went up on Il Bigo for the panorama of Genoa which was nice, and then we walked to Cathedral San Lorenzo which was beautiful. The narrow streets and piazzas are great for exploring, but unfortunately we had to get back to the ship for muster.

 

Interestingly, they do muster only on the 2nd night, so those that boarded the day before in Rome, would be maybe a little clueless as to what to do or where to go if there was an emergency.

 

That night ate in Windjammer and the food was (given that it is a buffet) pretty good.

[moakes]

Cannes:

We had hired Sylvia de Cristo to take us around for the day, and she lived up to all the good reviews. She surprised us with croissants and baguette as we jumped in her car. We had an wonderful day exploring Antibes and Eze. The market in Antibes was great, with lots of action. We visited an Absinthe parlour in the basement of a shop that harkened back to the days of the fin de siècle. Eze was stunning and we had lunch at a creperie restaurant which was fantastic. The vistas along the way were amazing. All in all a wonderful day and a place to definitely return to.

 

Ajaccio:

What a charming place. There is a morning market near to the pier which can set you up for both breakfast and lunch if you choose. There are also many cafes where you can while a way the day. We enjoyed the market for some treats, and headed for the beach adjacent to the fort. The beach was very nice with aquamarine water. It is not very wide and as the morning went on got more crowded. Time for lunch. Instead of the overpriced cafes fronting the marina we picked one on the pedestrian street 2 blocks up from the pier and had a wonderful simple lunch. All the cafes on the street looked good and prices were reasonable. We wandered around a bit longer, exploring the stores and then headed back to the ship.

 

Barcelona:

We had a pretty busy day lined up. But first a major grumble. I did not like the fact that we had to pay to get out of pier complex and into town. If you bring us to Barcelona and the pier is in Barcelona, then the shuttle system to exit the pier should be free. The cost is $10pp for a day pass, but it is really inconvenient to go back and forth to the ship. This is not per se a RCCL problem, as the shuttle is run by the pier. BUT given the amount of business that RCCL (as well as the other cruise lines) generate on a weekly basis, a free pier shuttle system it should be negotiated. There were a handful taxis but they were only interested in Taxi Tours on a day-long basis. Now, if it has to be a for-pay system, then make the process of buying tickets more orderly. It was indicated you could buy on board, but the lines for the Shore Excursion desk was always very long (remember you couldn't pre-book before boarding) nor did the interactive TV system work (for us anyway). They had a small little desk with a mob of people crowding around. No line. On the continent, lining up is not the fashion. Very unorganized. Anyway, the Shuttle drops you off at the World Trade Center near the base of Las Ramblas. We walked the Ramblas, visited the market La Boqueria which with it's sights and smells is amazing. The Ramblas was very crowded, and is a place to be aware of your surroundings. We then headed to FC Barcelona and the Camp Nou Experience. If you are a football (soccer) nut, then this is a must. They have made a fantastic experience that really showcases the club and the stadium. There wasn't enough time to see all the Trophies on display (so many!), interactive audio/video tables, and visit all of team areas of the stadium. Caution, this is a hugely popular place and was very crowded. We decided for time sake to cab it around Barcelona. We found it reasonable from a cost perspective and saved our feet. We headed to Parc Guell and unfortunately, had to imagine the creativity and genius of Gaudi. It was soooooo crowded that it was very hard to enjoy the parc. I know it's summer; height of the tourist season, but it was worse than Disney World. We then cabbed it to Sagrada Familia. We had pre-booked tickets and it was a breeze to get in. The line for non-reservation visitors was around the corner. Another Gaudi creation, this was simply stunning. We ended up upgrading our tickets (at the "will call" ticket booth) to include a visit to the top of the church (it is a timed ticket) where you are taken via elevator to the top of one of the spires for an up close view of the other spires as well a great view of Barcelona. Dinner was a few blocks away at Taller de Tapas, which was a lot of fun. Good food in a nice environment and at a reasonable cost. We made it back to the ship around 10pm for 11:59pm departure. We were exhausted.

[moakes]

Mallorca: Next day the same shuttle scenario as Barcelona, but even more chaotic. They NEED to improve this system. We awoke to thunder and huge lightening. But by mid morning it had cleared up and the sun came out. We visited the cathedral, awe-inspiring, and wandered the old town, before catching a cab to Port de Soller. While Palma was crowded and busy, Port de Soller was less so and calm. We had lunch at a cafe (Domenico) along the promenade (there are many and they all looked equally as good) that overlooked the bay. Very good pizza and pasta. We then went for a quick swim before hopping on the trolley to Soller. The trolley is an old style carriage and makes for a pleasant ride to the inland side of the town. Soller, was equally as charming with a picturesque square surrounded by many cafes and makes a nice place for a drink. We ended up taking the 211 bus back to Palma (it goes to the train station), and it worked great. One note - as the bus starts it's journey in Port de Soller, we got 4 of the 7 seats available (they don't allow standing) so we got lucky - get on at PdS to have a better chance at a seat. The bus stop is a short walk away from the main square next to a bocce court and cafe. When we arrived a game was happening and it was fun to watch. The bus drops you off in Palma at the train station and we decided to get a cab (rather than walk) to the Cathedral. We ended up at a real tourist oriented restaurant below the cathedral for a drink that ended up costing almost 50 Euros. The drinks were large but costly. Oh well. Back to the ship

 

Day at Sea: Perfect. At this point we needed a break as well as to get ready for recuperate for Rome. We mainly stayed in the Solarium and surprisingly there always seemed to be seats available. The outside main pool and upper decks were more crowded and noisy with the belly flop contest etc... It was also fun to see the Captain and several of his Senior crew judging the Belly Flop contest.

[moakes]

Rome:

As 2/3rds of the ship were disembarking we weren't quite sure how this was going to impact those that have Rome as a port day. But again, no issues. We were off at 7am, jumped on the pier shuttle (Note to Barcelona and Palma - the Rome shuttle is FREE) to the pier entrance and made the short walk to the train station. All in time for the 7:33am train to Rome. BIRG ticket for 9Euros and we were off. As this is a commuter train it gets progressively more crowded as we get closer to Rome with some locals grumbling about tourists. Our plan is to visit St. Peters and the make our way to the Colosseum for a 1pm tour of the underground. We get off at San Pietro, drop into a cafe for a quick cappuccino and pastry and walk into a practically empty St. Peters's Square. There was no more than 100 people in the entire square. It was amazing. As we proceeded through security (right side of basillica) to enter the Church we noticed no line for entrance to the Cupola. We asked if there was a wait and was told there was none, so we bought tickets, went through a side door and into an elevator that took us to the interior base of the dome. What a great perspective! Looking down at the high alter and looking up at the Dome (being so close) was unbelievable. We then continued up by stair (350ish) that was very narrow and slightly angled to the cupola. I could not imagine doing this in the heat of the day with the big crowds. We were lucky to be in there with just a handful of people. We emerged out onto a tiny balcony with 360 degree views of Rome and the Vatican City. We had visited Rome and the Vatican before, but had not really seen what the Vatican grounds look like. This was really cool. We then headed back down to the roof the Church where you could look back and up at the dome as well as the backs of the statues that front the top of the church. Simply amazing. There is a gift shop and place to get a drink up there. The gift shop as compared to the one(s) at ground level was considerably less crowded. We then headed down to the Basilica and in the span of an hour we were amazed at how crowded it had became. After touring inside, we headed out past the Castel Sant Angel, Piazza Navona, The Pantheon and onto the Trevi Fountain to toss our coins in to the fountain to ensure our return to Rome. Of all the places in Rome, this has go to be one of the most crowded. The fountain takes up a large part of a very small piazza, and with everyone jostling to get their picture and throw their coins it certainly loses some of it's natural beauty. Of course, we contributed to that chaos, so can't complain. We then headed to the Colosseum (via taxi) for our tour. If you can get tickets to this I highly recommend it. The underground tour was fascinating and to be on the bottom floor looking up at the expanse of the Colosseum was a very unique experience. The tour also takes you to the very top behind locked gates so another unique view. We had planned on going to the Forum after, but another strike had closed it. Oh well, we took the Metro to Barberini and had a drink (expensive) on the Via Veneto. Then it was back to Termini for the train back to the port. I am so glad we got on the train and got seats at Termini as well as when they announced the platform. The train filled up fast. By the time we pulled out there was standing room only and not much of that either. Those that got on at subsequent Rome stops were squeezed in. Made it to Civitavecchia - one last Gelato on the walk back to the port entrance and then onto the bus to the ship.

 

Our last night was spent packing and having a last drink. The next day back at Genoa, an easy departure off the ship and we were in the train station awaiting our train to Milan in under 10 min. Again, 1st class travel was worth it. We had a 6 person compartment to ourselves (we are 4) while the 2nd class carriages were packed to the gills. Transferred in Milan to the Malpensa Express to the airport for flight home.

 

All in all a great trip. As mentioned at the very start this was a cruise that didn't feel like a cruise. We never saw any shows. Because of 2 late port days we only ate in the MDR twice, and the WJ twice. Ate 4 out of 7 breakfasts off the ship. One lunch on ship. Didn't do many of the activities or use many of the recreational facilities. We look back on this particular cruise as a sampler platter. We know what we want to go back to (South of France) and where we do not (Barcelona). We had been on the Mariner in November 2010 and enjoyed the same great service as we had received then. Ship is showing a little more wear and tear but overall is a great ship.

 

Any questions, please ask.

[Cour10ay]

Thanks so much for the review!! My sister, cousin and I are doing the same itinerary (but embarking Civitavecchia).

 

Our plan is much like what you and your family did, so your review helps a lot.

 

Glad the ship is holding up okay. :)

[moakes]

Thanks so much for the review!! My sister, cousin and I are doing the same itinerary (but embarking Civitavecchia).

 

Our plan is much like what you and your family did, so your review helps a lot.

 

Glad the ship is holding up okay. :)

 

Glad it helped. As you are leaving out of Civitavecchia, I would suggest heading to the port earlier as opposed to later in the afternoon if you are coming from Rome center via Train.There were many people with suitcases on the 4:09pm train that had to hold a bag in their hand as they had no where to put it down. Mixed in with commuters it was quite crowded train.

 

Enjoy.

[Bobal]

Thanks for the review - very informative. We'll be on the same itinerary next month but this time only a 6-night cruise (we don't stop in Palma). Just a heads up for those who are doing the same cruise - you do not have to pay $10 in Barcelona, the port runs a bus for 3 Euros return ($4) - obviously RCL don't tell you about this :rolleyes:

 

I have a question about formal nights. Can you remember which night these were held. Normally on a 7-night cruise formal night is on the second night and second to last night. However since the 2nd night of our cruise is also the night that people come onboard and we only have 6 nights, I suspect we may have only one formal night - unless they decide to have a formal night on our second to last night (in Barcelona) where we depart at midnight.

 

Thanks

[moakes]

Thanks for the review - very informative. We'll be on the same itinerary next month but this time only a 6-night cruise (we don't stop in Palma). Just a heads up for those who are doing the same cruise - you do not have to pay $10 in Barcelona, the port runs a bus for 3 Euros return ($4) - obviously RCL don't tell you about this :rolleyes:

 

I have a question about formal nights. Can you remember which night these were held. Normally on a 7-night cruise formal night is on the second night and second to last night. However since the 2nd night of our cruise is also the night that people come onboard and we only have 6 nights, I suspect we may have only one formal night - unless they decide to have a formal night on our second to last night (in Barcelona) where we depart at midnight.

 

Thanks

 

The formal nights were Cannes and Palma. For a Rome departure that would translate to nights 3 and 6 (For Genoa nights 2 and 5). I was a little surprised with this schedule especially that Cannes was selected as the formal night. Cannes is a tender port and we left at 6pm. I would have thought that Ajaccio the following day made a little more sense (from a time perspective) as we left port at 4pm.

[moakes]

Thanks for the review - very informative. We'll be on the same itinerary next month but this time only a 6-night cruise (we don't stop in Palma). Just a heads up for those who are doing the same cruise - you do not have to pay $10 in Barcelona, the port runs a bus for 3 Euros return ($4) - obviously RCL don't tell you about this :rolleyes:

 

You are right they don't mention it. But even if they did there didn't seem to be any around. Didn't see or pass one bus that did not indicate itself as a for fee bus. Not sure of how often it runs, but we were on the pier for at least 20 min buying our RCCL Shuttle passes and waiting for the bus departed and did not see any other bus for that period.

[Bobal]

The formal nights were Cannes and Palma. For a Rome departure that would translate to nights 3 and 6 (For Genoa nights 2 and 5)..

 

Thanks for that, I suspect that we may only have 1 formal night in that case as we don't call in Palma which would make night 5/6 the last night, which I doubt very much they would have as a formal night since they ask for all the cases to be outside the cabins during the late evening.

 

You are right they don't mention it. But even if they did there didn't seem to be any around. Didn't see or pass one bus that did not indicate itself as a for fee bus. Not sure of how often it runs, but we were on the pier for at least 20 min buying our RCCL Shuttle passes and waiting for the bus departed and did not see any other bus for that period.

 

When we called in Barcelona on Grandeur last month there was always a port bus which was replaced as soon as it filled up. Perhaps there were other big ships in port that day which meant there was more of a demand for buses. In Malaga they had the same thing $10 return RCL bus, 3 Euros port bus - and they were parked alongside each other.

[moakes]

When we called in Barcelona on Grandeur last month there was always a port bus which was replaced as soon as it filled up. Perhaps there were other big ships in port that day which meant there was more of a demand for buses. In Malaga they had the same thing $10 return RCL bus, 3 Euros port bus - and they were parked alongside each other.

 

That could have been. There were at least 4 other ships plus several ferries in port that day. Oh well. Enjoy your trip!