Mariner of the Seas Review.........WITH PICS (YEA!!!)

[T_Bone2012]

 

I've heard Belize is really a sad port. Is it best to just find a beach or do they have good land/adventure excursions?

 

We went out to Caye Caulker, then snorkeling on the Barrier reef- it was fabulous.

[BonTXNY]

Belize is an exceptional port if you snorkel. We don't. Not my DH, not myself nor friends we will be cruising with. I SHOULD try it sometimes but I just never did have the desire ....sigh. Not sure what we'll do in Belize. We saw enough ruins to last a lifetime so we'll keep our options open. Last Jan we stayed on board when the Voyager tendered in Belize. Had to stay on board and nurse a nasty fall :( Your pictures of Nachi really made me think. Hmmmm that or Paradise Beach which we truly love but it CAN get crowded. Nachi looks heavenly and I see nothing but raves about it on this board.

[cruisn4bruisn]

The way people talked about it was what made us decide to give it a try last year. I have nothing to compare it to so there may actually be something better, but for as much fun as we've had, I don't think I could take the chance.

[MichelleChell]

I have Nachi booked for end of March on Mariner. I am so excited about this stop. I know the kids will love it too. I am looking forward to trying the guac!

Did they just sit you where ever or did you request a palapa? I have the 2 kids and want to be at one by the water.

[cruisn4bruisn]

Last year we were one of the first there and just kinda sat us in the middle up front. This time there were 8 or so groups already they and they sat us towards the end up front. Even being at the "end" you aren't far away from anything. I'm sure if you have a preference when you get they won't have a problem accommodating you.

[BonTXNY]

Was the food in Nachi spicey? I should be used to it by now living in TX for 9 years but my friends make fun of me and tell waiters that I don't eat anything spicier than cottage cheese :rolleyes: Maybe this will be the time to try something other than Paradise Beach. Glad to see there's an abundance of shade. I would also like to know if you can choose where you sit. Thanks for all the great info!

[cruisn4bruisn]

So far I've had nachos, champagne chicken, hamburger, fries, and fajita chicken and none of it has been spicy at all, and I can't handle much spicy either.

 

As far as I know, they show you to a spot, but it is usually up front first unless you want to be further back. I'm sure they wouldn't care where you sit. There is nothing assigned before you get there so they probably have a "chart" where most people want to sit first. I haven't heard them say no to any request so I'm sure it wouldn't be a problem.

[GHarkness]

I've heard Belize is really a sad port. Is it best to just find a beach or do they have good land/adventure excursions?

 

Depends on what you are looking for. They have an animal sanctuary tour that is interesting, but not if you want to hang out on the beach (I am not a beach person). Lots of unusual species in a very natural setting. Bus ride 30 miles to the sanctuary, during which you get to see a lot of countryside.

 

But it is a poor country and yes, there are some sad sights.

 

Oh, and I fogot to add: it's a LONG tender ride, since the ships have to stop way offshore due to the reef.

[cruisn4bruisn]

Thanks for the info GHarkness.

[sross6019]

Belize may be poor but it is one of our favorite ports. The people have been so nice and the country has a wonderful history. The zoo is great, in poor shape but very interesting. The ruins are wonderful. Country side is beautiful. Going there again in April and can't wait. Least favorite port is Jamaica mainly because of the people. But everyone has their favorites.

[cruisn4bruisn]

DAY 4

 

The stop today is Grand Cayman. I love this stop also because 1) we get there a little later so you can sleep in a bit and 2) it's modern so getting around is really easy.

 

We started off the day with some donuts in the cafe and headed to the theater to wait for our tender to shore. We booked the Island Tour & Turtle Farm excursion through RCI. And what as surprise, we were the last excursion called to the tender. No big deal though. We were on the shore by 11:15. We did, however, notice a huge crowd waiting for this excursion when we got there. Apparently the boat overbooked the tour. What made it worse, when we got it line and they noticed about 15 extra people, they weren't quite prepared as the boat didn't seem to relay the overbooking. We were in the last group and you could tell that the lady that they asked to do our tour was a bit upset. Understandably, she was about to be done and go home. She did agree to do our tour and she was extremely wonderful. Very nice with great information. Karen Bush was her name.

 

The tour was great and a bargain for the the price. We made a quick stop to the governor's mansion and a quick stop at the oldest house in Cayman (built in 1936). stopped at Hell for about 20 minutes, stopped at a Tortuga Rum shop for about 20 minutes, and then went to the turtle farm. Let me tell you, that place was pretty darn cool. I had read a few posts about the water being murky and algae filled. We must have caught them right after cleaning day because the water was clear. Some of those turtles are HUGE!!! It seems they use the tourguides as helpers so there weren't many workers around. Karen gave us lots of information as we were walking around and took out a little turtle for us to hold (see pic below). My son loved that.

 

We headed back to the pier after that and did some walking around and a bit of shopping. We stopped at the candy store on the pier (pretty cool) and got some gelato and headed back to the boat. As we tendered in, the line was long to get back off the tend and onto the boat so a nice gentleman whipped out a bag of balloons and started making balloon animals and things (see below). That kept my son's attention for a good 20 minutes!

 

Back on the boat we rested a bit and walked around the promenade. This week it seemed they always had something out in the middle "on sale". I don't remember things being out in the middle so much last year. There were always crowds of people around it though so it worked.

 

Dinner tonight was a bit uneventful for us. It was italian night so that got me excited, but when I got the menu, nothing seemed appetizing. "What is wrong with me," was my thought. I had a ceasar salad, chirizo pasta, and tiramisu. My wife had garlic soup, (ask her about that and she will tell you it's heaven in a bowl!) another chicken dish, (the mushroom sauce was AWESEOME) and a chocolate cake.

 

After dinner is when the real action started. It was Love & Marriage Game Show night. This is a really great show. The "contestants" and wonderful but the CD really makes the show. Last year Casey on the Voyager was great and this year Kieron was just as good if not better. The way they spin the answers and the facial expressions are priceless. DO NOT MISS IT!!!

 

Since we are apparently old farts now, we went straight to bed after the show. I miss my early 20's.

 

Hell

 

+

Iguana living in Hell

 

Chicken family living in Hell

 

Sparky weighing in at 579 lbs.

 

Some of the other big ones

 

us with a little one

[cruisn4bruisn]

The babies

 

They kept trying to get over the wall. They must have seen someone in the other pool they liked.

 

A pirate ship sailing around with the Majesty of the Seas in the background.

 

My son with his balloon toys

[OKC Cruisers]

For those still asking about Nachi: There is no "assigned" seating. If you get there early enough, you can have your choice of where to park yourself. You can sit under a palapa, by the pool, or just hang out in the "dining room" seating near the bar...just let them know when you arrive. As to the food, I have not had anything that is overly spicy, and I know spicy. The chicken fajitas are well flavored with just a little hint of spice. The guacomole is made fresh and is delicious.

 

As to Belize: Even though it is a poor country, it is indeed very friendly. There are a number of excursions available...haven't done it, but I understand they have a fantastic zip line tour. On our Voyager cruise last year we sat in the MDR with a group of 6 who were together. They were in their 60's and 70's. They did a zip line in Belize and couldn't stop talking about how much fun they had.

 

Pete

[cruisn4bruisn]

Garlic soup (a must try)

 

Chicken

 

Pasta

 

Wife's dessert

 

My dessert

 

Our towel animal (elephant)

[cruisn4bruisn]

 

The brave couples

[OKC Cruisers]

Cruisn4Bruisn: Man, I gotta take more photos! Seems I used to photograph everything, now, not so much. You have some great photos of the food! It's only 8:45am here right now, but you're making me hungry! :eek:

 

Pete

[cruisn4bruisn]

Thanks OKC. I actually felt like I didn't take enought pictures this time around. Some would have been the same but we always get the food. We are not foodies by any means but when we cruise we act like we are. I think we stayed at a Holiday Inn Express the night before we left.

[OKC Cruisers]

I think we stayed at a Holiday Inn Express the night before we left.

 

:D:D:D

 

Pete

 

That's the problem, we stayed at Hampton!

[cruisn4bruisn]

Day 1 Cruise Compass pages 1-5. Sorry couldn't get pdf file to upload

[cruisn4bruisn]

Day 1 Cruise Compass Pages 6-8

[OKC Cruisers]

Hey, Cruisn4Bruisn: So, I am showing my wife your thread and photos and when she sees the photo of you and your son (w/ turtle) she says to me, "I think that's the boy who brought the beautiful conch shell up to the palapa next to us at Nachi." The boy told her (with a lot of pride in his voice), "My Daddy found this in the water." He had brought it up to show his mom before putting it back, cause it was still occupied. Was that you guys?

 

Pete

[cruisn4bruisn]

OKC - Sure sounds like us. We were picking shells all day long. Although I kinda find it surprising that my son would actually walk up to somebody and just start talking. He's not much of socialite but maybe he was just having that much fun!

[cruisn4bruisn]

Day 2 Cruise Compass Pages 1-5

[cruisn4bruisn]

Pges 6-8

[cruisn4bruisn]

Day 5

Our last stop, Falmouth, Jamaica was our anticipated stop. Because of our stop last year in Montego Bay, we were a bit turned off of Jamaica. I know, I know you have to get away from town and into countryside of Jamaica, but nothing caught the attention of our minds or wallets. We had heard about the new port that was being built and were just hoping it lived up to the expectations. Whatever RCI spent on it, $500 million, $2 billion, it seems to me it was money well spent.

We started off the day in the MDR for breakfast. This was our first time trying breakfast in the MDR. The food was great, including the french toast. I swear the piece of bread was 1 ½ inches thick. The buffet they have in the middle area is awesome too. Losts of pastries, donuts, fruits, cereals. You could pretty much serve yourself up there.

On to shore!

The shops were gorgeous, the vendors were very nice, and the scenes around the port were great. There are plenty of places to pick up gifts and souvenirs as well as your fine jewelry (where are you Diamonds International lovers?). We walked around the place for 3 or 4 hours, bought lots of shirts, hats, wood carvings, you name it. My wife had her eye on a Movado watch. I don’t think I’ve seen a place throw that many salespeople into one sale. As time went on they got more and more charismatic. The last guy convinced me I wanted it and it was a girls watch and I wasn’t even interested in buying anything. Nevertheless, she held them off and decided against it. We tried some jerk chicken and it was surprisingly normal. Don’t get me wrong, it was good chicken, but the flavor was not unlike what you find here. Maybe you have to go outside the gates to get better stuff. I did have a red stripe though and it was good.

Back to the boat!

We played a little bit more putt-putt and our son went swimming for a bit. Man the water was still pretty cold but if you stayed in the sun, it was bearable. The show tonight was again before dinner. It was the RC singers and dancers again. They did a nice set of songs and then the MOS orchestra did a tribute to John Williams. If you don’t know who John Williams is, you certainly know his music. He was the creator of movie music for Star Wars, Indiana Jones, and Superman, just to name a few. They did a great job.

On to dinner!

Tonight might have been my favorite dinner. Mushroom soup to start and of course a ceasar salad, followed by Lasagna, and coffee ice cream. My wife had the sirloin from the alternative menu.

Tonight was THE QUEST night. Unfortunately, since we had the little one, we did not go. We made sure the rest of the family went though. We saw it last year so we knew the gist of it. What we didn’t know was that my father-in-law was going to get in on the action and proceed to run down the aisle taking his shirt off. I won’t give away any more than that but if you haven’t seen The Quest, YOU HAVE TO GO! Talk about a time you won’t forget.

Early night for us. Watched some movies and played some games. Ready to enjoy the sea days as we head home.

 

Jamaica (part of it at least)

 

i don't know if it's man-made of natural, but there is some type of sand bar out a bit from shore that breaks all of the waves. It makes thewater much clamer along the shore. Very interesting.

 

As you walk into the new port

 

On the other side where you can walk into the city.

 

 

You can see most of the port here. Carnival Destiny parked on the other side.