Quick 6/30-7/7 Mariner review

[JohninDC]

We had too much fun to take notes for a day-by-day review :o; for good photos check out the earlier review by Ned.

 

After 3 days touring Rome we met up with friends on the same cruise and took the train from Termini to Civitavecchia for a whopping 5 Euros each :D – train was clean, on time, not crowded (2nd class was double decked) and took just over an hour to get there. From the train station we walked about 10 minutes to the port and caught the shuttle bus to the check-in “tent” building. Check-in was quick, friendly and efficient and we were able to immediately drop our carry-on luggage in our staterooms. We showed up on time for the pre-sail emergency drill and then had to wait on others to stroll up 20-30 minutes late – some things do not change no matter where on the globe you cruise. :mad:

Mariner was in great shape and the service was the best and friendliest we’ve encountered. Windjammer could get very crowded, but breakfast in the MDR was very nice. Passengers reportedly came from more than 50 countries with the largest group being from Italy. Watching the finals of the Euro 2012 competition on the big screen by the pool with 100’s of screaming Italians was fun until Spain scored early; as Spain eventually won 4-0 it was good that we had to leave for dinner. :o

[JohninDC]

Sorry - fell asleep watching the All-Star Game; here's the rest of the review:

 

Late seating for dinner was at 9:15, but worked well with our touring plans. Food and service were good, but sometimes a bit slow. We booked a 7 bottle wine package and were happy with our choices. The lamb was the best meal of the cruise and could be improved if RCI would stock mint sauce instead of sickly sweet mint jelly. The Pub was usually busy in the evenings (dominated by a group of 10 or so Scots who were great fun :D), but Vintages was empty most times I walked by – when Europeans can buy great bottles of wine for what RCI was charging for a glass I can see why. The Viking Crown lounge on deck 14 was our favorite spot for a pre-dinner, watch the sunset cocktail (say hello to Spice, our favorite waitress! ;)) if you make it there.

Our only gripe was that transportation from many of the distant port locations used by RCI to various city centers was not included in the price of the cruise. :( For $40 per person you can book ship transport for Genoa, Barcelona, Palma and Valencia – it is a total of $47 if you buy transport for each port individually. Except for Barcelona where we took a ship sponsored tour, we usually opted to walk or put 4 into a cab and think we came out ahead. Genoa was an easy 10-15 minute walk to the waterfront aquarium area. In Palma we took a cab to the beach at Palma Nova for 17.5 Euros each way. In Valencia a cab to the city center/Cathedral area cost about 15 Euros each way.

Stage shows were good to average, with the “East Coast Boys” – a Jersey Boys knock off singing Frankie Valli songs being the weakest, but the ice show was amazing and is worth seeing at least once. Opportunities for passengers to ice skate were very limited – we finally made it on the at sea day. The jazz group playing in the Viking lounge Friday night was very good. :D

We were in zone 29 to get off the ship but were allowed to leave the ship 15-20 minutes earlier than our projected time of 8:15; I think if we had gone down to deck 3 earlier we could have been off even earlier. Our bags were waiting for us and we found our limo driver (www.limousinesystem.com) waiting for us. The ride to FCO took just under an hour.

This was a great cruise with interesting ports and Mariner and her great crew made it even better than we expected. :)

[peteukmcr]

Thanks for your review, we're sailing on Mariner on what seems the same itinerary on Aug 25th, we last sailed on her in 2004.

 

Thanks for the details on the shuttle costs as we're thinking of doing a tour in Genoa and Barcelona so don't see the need to purchase the 'package'.

[JohninDC]

Pete,

We were visiting family in the Manchester area before and after the cruise and flew to Rome on Jet2 -- worked great! We used Rome Cabs to get to our Rome hotel -- another good tip from these boards. Our only issue was that we got to FCO before they announced what desk check-in would be at, so we stood around for 30 minutes before joining a huge line.

 

In Barcelona we did the ship's Panoramic tour, but if I had to do it again I would cab to the large round-about outside of the port and then catch one of the hop-on/hop-off busses from there. The two advantages of a ship's tour in Barcelona were (1) that's what my wife wanted to do :o, and (2) all ship tours include use of the port transfer busses, so you can go back to the ship and then come back out if you desire.

 

Feel free to ping me if you have any other questions. Good luck! :)

[peteukmcr]

Pete,

We were visiting family in the Manchester area before and after the cruise and flew to Rome on Jet2 -- worked great! We used Rome Cabs to get to our Rome hotel -- another good tip from these boards. Our only issue was that we got to FCO before they announced what desk check-in would be at, so we stood around for 30 minutes before joining a huge line.

 

In Barcelona we did the ship's Panoramic tour, but if I had to do it again I would cab to the large round-about outside of the port and then catch one of the hop-on/hop-off busses from there. The two advantages of a ship's tour in Barcelona were (1) that's what my wife wanted to do :o, and (2) all ship tours include use of the port transfer busses, so you can go back to the ship and then come back out if you desire.

 

Feel free to ping me if you have any other questions. Good luck! :)

Cheers John, hope you enjoyed your time in my home city.

 

We're going out the day before, but could only go on KLM via Amsterdam as the Jet2 flight is too early in the day and we can't take the whole day off.

 

In Barcelona, if it's running, we intend to use the 'blue bus' which runs back and forth to the Columbus monument for €3 for a return trip and we hope to make our own way to Monserrat. Even though we've stayed in Barcelona many times, we've never been there.

 

One question, was Spanish tax added to beverages in addition to the 15% gratuity once you hit Spanish waters?

[ChelleNJon]

John-

Thanks for the info. We are taking the same cruise itinerary in 2 weeks. Any other port suggestions?

 

I do have several questions if you have time to answer:

1. How were the crowds for the HoHo buses? We are considering this for Barcelona.

2. Valencia? Palma? Genoa? What to do? How far is it from gangway to transportation?

3. What time were you able to get off the ship on last day?

4. Any other port suggestions are greatly appreciated. We tend to stay away from the cruise line excursions, especially for simple sightseeing. Willing to spend the money if it is a really good experience though. We are looking for some ideas other than tour the town and shop in any of the ports though.

 

Thanks in advance,

Jon

[JohninDC]

One question, was Spanish tax added to beverages in addition to the 15% gratuity once you hit Spanish waters?

 

I did not notice any additional taxes added while in port. Good luck! :)

[JohninDC]

John-

Thanks for the info. We are taking the same cruise itinerary in 2 weeks. Any other port suggestions?

 

I do have several questions if you have time to answer:

1. How were the crowds for the HoHo buses? We are considering this for Barcelona. Very crowded, especially by the cathedral

2. Valencia? Palma? Genoa? What to do? How far is it from gangway to transportation?

• Genoa was a Sunday - we walked to town (15+minutes) and found the cathedral and 2 churches but no mass. The waterfront area is nice, Christopher Columbus' house was over rated.
  
• Palma we went to the beach while our cruise buddies visited with family - taxi to Palma Nova Beach was about 17 Euros each way.
  
• Valencia has a nice, walkable downtown area and a huge bull ring - but no fights the day we were in port. By then, after 3 days prior to cruise in Rome, we were tired of sightseeing. Taxi from port to town was about 15 Euros each way
  

3. What time were you able to get off the ship on last day? We were scheduled to be off between 8:15-8:30 and walked off at 8:00. Carry your onw bags and you were off about 7:15-7:30

4. Any other port suggestions are greatly appreciated. We tend to stay away from the cruise line excursions, especially for simple sightseeing. Willing to spend the money if it is a really good experience though. We are looking for some ideas other than tour the town and shop in any of the ports though. I was travelling with my wife and 2 daughters; all they wanted to do was sight see and shop. Can't help with any special tour suggestions. Skip the ship's bottled water -- easy to buy bottled water in town for much less!

 

Thanks in advance,

Jon

 

Have a great cruise - good luck! :)