Leaning Towards Mariner

[tbennett]

My understanding is that the Mariner, and RCI in general, has higher quality entertainment and service, though Carnival backers will argue. We took Freedom in 2007, and we had a concert by Micky Dolenz. So ya, that sticks with me. They go back and forth on the food, and beds are important. We looked into Las Vegas, as we are big entertainment people, but that was going to be a lot more money than a cruise out of Galveston, as we live in Irving, TX and voila, no plane in January should be required!

 

I keep coming back to the fact that Mariner while older, is reviewed for better service and entertainment, and near equal on food. Well you guys, sell away and give me your best pitch before we fork down! Thanks Y'all.

 

-Todd

[klingoncruiser]

Carnival is not as bad as many on this board make it out to be. However... the Mariner really is a very nice ship. Eventually, it would be good to try both and find out for your self. You will not go wrong with either of them. I for one would take Mariner over Carnival but I am a port person so the run makes a difference to me. (That is why I keep going to New Orleans and ride NCL as they have 4 ports instead of 3 and for now are NOT going to Jamaica.)

[tbennett]

out a few posts on youtube it looked like Carnival Magic was much more cramped. I don't think Carnival is so bad, but my main concern is safety, We were on the 2-2010 Carnival Legend out of Tampa, and they seem to cut corners with stabilizers and the like. The menus have shifted more towards suburban American palates however, which is not particularly exciting. Perhaps this is just being over thought. After all a drink with new friends singing along in the piano bar is just plain fun on just about any ship, and not having to worry about a DUI is nice.

 

What is a bit tiresome are the ports. Same ports all the dang time. The ports of Key West and Bahamas would be new to us, but we have been warned about Nassau, and I try to filter out people who complain a lot when reading reviews. So really these two boats, Magic and Mariner, are wrastling for our $$$$ as my Grandpa used to put it. The lines they talk about on the Magic, as of now, are the biggest detractor for that ship. The ports for Mariner, I would say are the biggest detractor for it. Not bad ports, just repetitive. Consider we have practically adopted under privileged dolphins over the years at these dolphin experiences, so looking for something new.

 

One other thing it seems the boats are cutting back ports and time at the ports. I now hear Nassau is 5 hrs. What is the point? An hour off, an hour on, leaves you just enough time to shop and look at the same stores-(Got Tanzanite?) Maybe it is time to save up for a European cruise.

[ARCruisinNana]

Carnival Magic is a little smaller than RCI Mariner, but it holds more passengers. Could be why there are more lines on Magic. Haven't been on the Magic but have been on Mariner 7 times and enjoy it very much.

[masonpips]

Mariner was our first RCCL cruise and we were HOOKED. Sailed her again and loved her just as much. I haven't been on Carnival but have heard from friends that have gone and unless you go 7 nights on one of their "big" ships, there is NO comparison to RCCL.

[rharvey999]

We have sailed on the Mariner 5 times (6 after January's cruise), out of Port Canaveral, out of LA and now out of Galveston. Yeah I suppose we can give her good marks. :D

[DebJ14]

We've been on the 30 Carnival cruises and out of that the Magic twice. We're walking away from our Platinum perks over there.

We've sailed on RCI Voyager class ships 4 times. Go Carnival if you think Mac n Cheese and ribs are dining room fare . We're so done with Carnival!

[CaribeDiver]

On Mariner now well, still sitting in priority lounge for an hour waiting to board. Never had to wait out of Galveston before. She is a nice ship though and I'm hoping she's even better since retro fit.

[tbennett]

Therein lies the rub, in an effort to mass market, main dining room food is something more likely to be found in a strip mall than a fine restaurant. For me this takes some thrill out of cruising, because there is not much gastronomical learning to do.

[ARCruisinNana]

On Mariner now well, still sitting in priority lounge for an hour waiting to board. Never had to wait out of Galveston before. She is a nice ship though and I'm hoping she's even better since retro fit.

 

You will love the new Diamond Club! Have a great time.

[SLmom]

We sailed on the Magic in May 2012 and Mariner in December 2012 (over New Years. I had a great time both times but there are differences. A big difference was their entertainment. For the production shows, the Mariner had better singers and sets but I thought the shows were more entertaining on the Magic. The Mariner had a decent Beatles cover band and a Whitney Houston cover girl. No show with those, just them singing. It was easy to get a seat on the Mariner because the shows were poorly attended. The two Mariner comedians were not very funny. The first and last night only had one show seating so we missed those. The Magic has 4 different comedy shows on each of its 2 comedy nights and were much funnier. The Magic had a magician and a hypnotist that were very good. The Mariner had more live musicians and seemed very talented, just not what my family enjoys. The Mariner excels in their evening games like The Quest which is a lot of fun and their excellent ice skating show. On the Mariner, there was rarely any other entertainment choices at the same time as the main show (complaint of my mid 20's children who don't like to attend shows other than comedians). The Mariner only had karaoke 3 times (packed with people) and their song choice was very dated. I don't know why they don't have that more often.

 

One thing I really liked on the Mariner is their my time dining. You can make reservations ahead of time. We reserved a table for 10 at 6:15 every night and had the same waiters. On Carnival, there are no reservations for my time dining. This wasn't a problem for 4. We rarely waited more than a few minutes to eat around 7 PM but didn't have the same waiters. I think 10 people might have been more of a problem though.

 

Service in public areas and dining room is a little better on the Mariner. Excellent on both in the cabins. The Mariner had better service in the buffet area.

 

Food: Although the Mariner had some great sounding entrees, in reality many weren't that great. Every night on the Mariner, we got a large plate of 2 - 3 different vegetables to share which was terrific. But overall, I thought the Magic had better food, especially dessert. They have many options over the one "comfort food" offered each night.

 

The Mariner is broken up more so didn't seems as crowded where the Magic has most of its entertainment on fewer decks. The addition of entertainment and an outside deck on deck 5 of the Magic was a great improvement over the Conquest.

 

In short, mid 20's kids said definitely Magic wins, husband who doesn't really attend any entertainment said definitely Mariner wins, and me - I like them both but probably give a slight edge to the Magic.

 

One other thing, it is too cold to sun bathe on the first and last sea day in December so I probably won't do that again. I've sailed out of Galveston in mid October and that was OK so that is probably as late in the year as I would go.

[Topo Gigio]

Was on her Transatlantic in November from Rome to Galveston and everything is top notch on the ship and with a great crew. For me Royal is also a step above Carnival.

[TEXASMUNK]

give you one more difference. Carnival is a difficult ship to go forward or aft, you find yourself going up stairs then downstairs to get from one end of the ship to the other.

others, differences, but we truly prefer Mariner

[paperboys]

We sailed the Mariner in December, and have in the past sailed the five and seven day Carnival Cruises out of Galveston. Not on the Magic.

 

If your primary concern is the ship I would say you have nothing to worry about. The overall design, operation and upkeep of Mariner is outstanding.

 

Our cabin, generic balcony, was perfectly comfortable, better bathroom design and layout than Carnival, good storage, good hvac, quiet when it should be quiet etc..

 

I think the house entertainment on Mariner was of better quality than anything we experienced on any other cruise. In particular one of the female singers, the string trio, the guy who plays in the piano bar were genuinely outstanding. I really enjoyed the ice show. Thier imported talent was for the most part lacking. The female commedian (forget her name she's been on CMT) was funny, the other two were not you will laugh more at a middle school talent show. Bowzer formerly of Sha-na-na did a nice little show and as a kid a remember watching (probably reruns at the time) their television show so it was nice to see him still giving it hell but this is far from a Las Vegas (heck even Branson) headline act. RCI books him because he caters to a demographic - not my demographic - and he does it so very well.

 

RCI food is not better, its just not. You will hear (particularly from the diamond pinnacle royalty) that food is subjective (especially when one is critical of the RCI food) but the (MDR) food is bland, poorly prepared and amaturishly presented. Its institutional food served without the paper plates and plastic sporks.

 

We had one dinner each at the pay to play specialty restaurants. If I never did that again I would not feel like a missed anything. I regret not spending those meals with our tablemates. The steak house serves a good steak (they will never be confused with a prime steak, and in fairness to RCI they never call them prime steaks) and its a nice venue for a quiet dinner for two. The italian place - meh. If you were dining with a big party I could see how the family style theme could really facilitate a fun dinner. The concept does not work so well for a couple. They serve a nice tiramasu, all that does is serve to highlight how poor the MDR food is, if you can make a classic desert properly in one kitchen how can it be made so poorly in another a few decks away?

 

Johnny Rockets - this is a chain restaurant. I beleive there is one at the big airport in Detroit. There I had a better burger, better service.

 

The hot dog place by the pool is a nice detail but why in the world would you serve a New York style hot dog and not a Chicago dog?

 

Your not going to go hungry on this boat but you are not going to have a meal that you will remember for the rest of your life either.

 

My minuses for RCI out of Galveston:

 

They do a sorry job of managing embarkation.

They seem to increasingly want to proactively cater to the geriatric at the expense of everyone else (Bowzer, bland food, an over emphasis on artifical or superficial perks to there highest tier loyalty club members.) The olds have been coddled to believe that they are indeed royal. I'm hoping that they will start giving out paper crowns (Like Burger King used to do) so that they can better find each other and the non-royals can avoid them.

Like accomodations are slightly more expensive.

Until they stop the scam they are running in Falmouth I will never cruise on another ship that ports there.

 

I agree hopping in the car in the morning, cruising out of Galveston in the afternoon without worring about airport, flights, parking is pretty attractive. If you want to try RCI out of Galveston I don't think you are taking a big risk unless there is something about Carnival you just love.

[TEXASMUNK]

Carnival Steak house is outstanding. RCI Chops, nowhere near as good. Giovanni's..outstanding! If you are into really well prepared Italian , then Giovanni's is a great evening.

MDR: In days of old, the evening meal was DINING. Today, it is eating. It is not the experience it once was....and that is not just RCI or Carnival..look at the change in what was once FORMAL Nights. We still prefer RCI food. Heck when Carnival toutted Macaroni and cheese as their new additional to the dinner menu, that is a telling statement.

As for OLD PEOPLE...RCI has what is considered the best kids program at sea, so I have a hard time viewing RCI as the old-timer cruise line.

And the cheap shot at Diamonds and Diamond + passengers....what is that all about? Who cares if the guy sitting at your table is 93 years oudl with 4,000 cruises or a 22 year old with 1 cruise....

The demographics are a bit different between Carnival and RCI, but that is truly personal. Ya get to spend your $$ where you think you will have the best time and the best bang for your buck

 

Oh yeah, we are OLD, we are Diamond Plus, and we close the bars onboard!

[Ladysilver]

LOVED LOVED LOVED our Mariner cruise!!!!!! :D:D:D

[Shekim]

Carnival Steak house is outstanding. RCI Chops, nowhere near as good. Giovanni's..outstanding! If you are into really well prepared Italian , then Giovanni's is a great evening.

MDR: In days of old, the evening meal was DINING. Today, it is eating. It is not the experience it once was....and that is not just RCI or Carnival..look at the change in what was once FORMAL Nights. We still prefer RCI food. Heck when Carnival toutted Macaroni and cheese as their new additional to the dinner menu, that is a telling statement.

As for OLD PEOPLE...RCI has what is considered the best kids program at sea, so I have a hard time viewing RCI as the old-timer cruise line.

And the cheap shot at Diamonds and Diamond + passengers....what is that all about? Who cares if the guy sitting at your table is 93 years oudl with 4,000 cruises or a 22 year old with 1 cruise....

The demographics are a bit different between Carnival and RCI, but that is truly personal. Ya get to spend your $$ where you think you will have the best time and the best bang for your buck

 

Oh yeah, we are OLD, we are Diamond Plus, and we close the bars onboard!

I'm neither old nor young, and am a lowly platinum. But I agree with what you say...status has NOTHING to do with a good cruiseline.

[paperboys]

Carnival Steak house is outstanding. RCI Chops, nowhere near as good. Giovanni's..outstanding! If you are into really well prepared Italian , then Giovanni's is a great evening.

 

I'm reluctant to play this card but given the OP had a concern about food I have to take exception to this. My fathers parent's emigrated from Italy as teenagers in 1911. All they really had of value when they arrived were the recipes she brought with her. I've been eating Italian food for a long time, pretty damn good Italian food. What you get at the pay to play Italian venue in terms of food quality approximates Olive Garden or maybe a notch better. Again the family style concept seems like an attractive and fun dining alternative for a large group, if just a couple is dining it does not play out as well and its not outstanding, well prepared Italian food by any stretch.

 

MDR: In days of old, the evening meal was DINING. Today, it is eating. It is not the experience it once was....and that is not just RCI or Carnival..look at the change in what was once FORMAL Nights. We still prefer RCI food. Heck when Carnival toutted Macaroni and cheese as their new additional to the dinner menu, that is a telling statement.

As for OLD PEOPLE...RCI has what is considered the best kids program at sea, so I have a hard time viewing RCI as the old-timer cruise line.

 

The OP did not seem to have an interest in the kids program but you have peaked my interest. Could you point me to the well regarded impartial source that declared RCI kids program to be THE BEST at sea.

 

I would not dispute that many expert critics have indicated that RCI's programs (at least on some ships and in combination with similar accolades to CCL) are SOME of the best at sea. There is a difference between being THE best and being ONE OF THE best - just ask a Notre Dame football fan. I respectfully suggest that while closing the bars on board you may have been slipped a little too much of the RCI kool-ade.

 

On the last cruise school was still in so there were only very young kids on board. At one of meals in the Windjammer they had packed them in to one of the gazebo like round tables and we were sitting close enough hear what was going on. The kids were having an absolute blast and you could tell that the leaders were doing a terrific job of keeping everyone engaged and entertained. (apparently these particular tables are also a favorite of the ranking, decorated crown and anchor royals when its their turn to gobble their steam table food, as we also heard the grumbling of bewilderment from several of the senior circuit about the fact that these hoodlums were permitted to access this prime dining real estate.)

 

My kids want no part of that stuff which is fine with me, if we bring them with we do so they can have fun, if they have fun spending time with us I'll take it while I can still get it.

 

THE BEST? REALLY??? Let me know where I can find that ruling.

And the cheap shot at Diamonds and Diamond + passengers....what is that all about? Who cares if the guy sitting at your table is 93 years oudl with 4,000 cruises or a 22 year old with 1 cruise....

 

I really don't want to lay this case out again here, if you are truly interested in the point I am attempting to make you can look at the few prior posts I have made that have yet to be taken down by the mods (basically the process is I try to make the point, I offend some of The Chosen, I get dog piled for few days then the moderator takes all the posts down).

 

But you asked:

 

Not all the aging decorated Royalty believe they are bred from superior stock and deserve to be treated accordingly as a result but there is a contingent out there who sincerely do. When we encountered less than cordial and appropriate human conduct on this last cruise it NEVER failed to be by a proudly plumed Royal who felt like he/she was not getting the special accomodation that he/she deserved at the moment. And you know maybe they were not but I think it has a lot to do with the illusion of prestige and superiority The Line seems to propagate. Either way its detrimental to experience of the law abiding non-royals who are just minding their own business trying to enjoy their cruise, you won't get that vibe on CCL. I suspect its a whipping for the help also.

 

The demographics are a bit different between Carnival and RCI, but that is truly personal. Ya get to spend your $$ where you think you will have the best time and the best bang for your buck

 

Oh yeah, we are OLD, we are Diamond Plus, and we close the bars onboard!

 

In fact one of the knocks (at least as you read about it on the RCI board) on CCL is that once you get on board your loyalty status does not really get you anything, no Royal treatment, no perks, no special line to stand in, no special lounge to sit and wait in, - nothing to acknowledge your superior heritage and providence for all others to witness so they then can know of their subordination.