1/20/13-1/27/13 Mariner of the Seas Review--with pictures!!

[cruiser1956]

This was our first Caribbean cruise. We went to Passion Island at Cozumel; stingray, snorkel and Rum Point through Nativeway at Grand Cayman (it was great!); and Irie Mon Beach Break at Falmouth -- we are in our mid to late 50s and were looking to relax.

 

 

Could you give me some information on your Passion Island and Irie Mon Beach Break, We are also looking to just relax when we board on the 17th of February. Were there lots of children? We are just looking for a nice beach with a comfy place to sit and read.

[cruiser1956]

ckmommy,

This is the best review !! I have been anxiously waiting everyday for the next installment.

You have a beautiful family. Thank you for taking the time to share your adventures.

[hawk1972]

Such a small group sounds wonderful! Do you know if just two of us could contact them and have them add us to a tour with other people? I would assume so, but I guess I will check out their site. Also, about how long did you get to stay at Stingray City? Can you also tell me about how time changes work on the ship--is the ship time the same as the port's time so that you know when to get to the excursions?

 

I would contact Nativeway and ask them. I think they try to be very accommodating. But still, it's only a $5 difference and still well worth it.

 

We were at Stingray City for about 30-45 mins. It was plenty of time.

 

The ship told us to just stay on ship time, which we did for the whole trip. We were on CST -- Galveston time. I think Grand Cayman and Jamaica are both on EST, but the tour operators allow for different time zones. At Falmouth, some people on our tour were on CST and some on EST, but everyone got back in time..

 

Could you give me some information on your Passion Island and Irie Mon Beach Break, We are also looking to just relax when we board on the 17th of February. Were there lots of children? We are just looking for a nice beach with a comfy place to sit and read.

 

Passion Island was nice -- we did this through the ship excursions. It was all-inclusive except tips. The water was too cold for us to swim in, but the beach was nice. White sand. Water kind of cloudy so I don't know about snorkeling. A few people were swimming. The boat trip took about 30 mins. We were running 30 mins. late so we got there about 11:30 and stayed for 3 hours.

 

They have lounge chairs and places for shade or you can be in the sun. There was a buffet and the food was good -- chicken, fish, fruit, guacamole, etc. It was open bar for mixed drinks but not frozen drinks. I'm not much of a drinker but they were a little light on alcohol, though several people got plastered. One woman from another ship said she got cut off by the bartender after 13 drinks! She could barely stand up. About half the people left at 1:00, so there were only about 70 of us for the last hour and a half, but it still wasn't crowded at any time. Very few kids, probably because of school. They have waiters who bring your drinks.

 

Irie Mon (Cornwall Beach) was nice too. We also did this trip through the ship. I think "Irie Mon" means "Everything is all right, man." It's in an urban area (Montego Bay) and adjoins other beaches (Dr.'s Cave Beach) but is nice. Again, all-inclusive buffet lunch (burgers, hot dogs, BBQ beef, jerk chicken, rice and beans, fruit, cakes, etc.) and open bar (they were much more generous on the alcohol than Passion Island). There was a trampoline and a climbing wall in the water. A DJ played reggae all day. There was a volleyball court but no one played. They had umbrellas but we sat under a tree. It was about 30 mins. from Falmouth. We stayed there 4 hours. Again, few kids, which was probably good because one woman went topless! Snorkeling trips on catamarans came and went while we were there. Weather was warm (80s) and water wasn't too cold for swimming. One bad thing -- there were some rocks on the bottom of the swimming area so you need to watch out. We could watch planes land all day at Mo Bay airport.

 

On the way back our driver stopped at a souvenir shop where he said we could get some deals, but I don't think they were so good. Prices just as good at the port. Best prices by far are in Cozumel.

 

Both beaches are fine for relaxing and reading.

[cruiser1956]

hawk1972

Thank you so much for your review. It is very helpful.

[Megan07]

Loved the review! Thanks for sharing!

[cruiser1956]

And thanks for the tip about Blackhorse Limos. We might try them next time. .

You might also try Extreme Elegance Limo. I received a great price from IAH to the port. They have good reviews on the ports board here on CC. :)

[ckmommy]

I remember seeing you on the ship -- out by the pool I think.

 

Thanks for such an extensive review. Gives me ideas about future excursions.

This was our first Caribbean cruise. We went to Passion Island at Cozumel; stingray, snorkel and Rum Point through Nativeway at Grand Cayman (it was great!); and Irie Mon Beach Break at Falmouth -- we are in our mid to late 50s and were looking to relax.

 

My wife and I didn't experience any illness -- norovirus or seasickness or otherwise, luckily I guess. Didn't even know it was going around the ship. We did use Purell all the time.

Every time the captain made an announcement he concluded with a reminder to wash our hands.

 

That is neat that you recognized me!

 

Relaxing is what we normally like to do on vacation, but with the kids in tow--it was fun to do excursions that got us running!!

 

So glad you escaped the Noro. On Day 6 , they were telling people walking into the WJ they HAD (mandatory) to wash their hand with Purell, if you had already washed your hands, they would not have said anything to you. They family ahead of us was trying to go in the WJ without using Purell.

[ckmommy]

Thanks for the review. We are booked for March 31 (Easter). This will be my 4th time on the Mariner. We will have the new menu on this cruise, which I think has the lamb chops in addition to the lamb shank. And thanks for the tip about Blackhorse Limos. We might try them next time. We've used Supershuttle for our group of 10, and they are pretty good and cheap, but a limo would be so much more fun. I assume the limo driver's tip was not part of the $175 price. I ask because Supershuttle's price includes the tip.

No that was without the tip. Although, I may have to take away my praise for Blackhorse Limo. My mom just go the bill and they charged her $299 each way. According to the the Blackhorse Limo lady the $175 was for the small limo not the stretch limo. My mom is still trying to figure this all out. Luckily she has all the contacts with her. We will see how this plays out.

[ckmommy]

ckmommy,

This is the best review !! I have been anxiously waiting everyday for the next installment.

You have a beautiful family. Thank you for taking the time to share your adventures.

 

Awww--this makes my day!!:o

[ckmommy]

End day 5 and Day 6:

 

Some things I forget about day 5--night 5 really:

 

I was not too impressed with the selections for dinner this night. The only thing that looked halfway good was the Turkey dinner. Jason ordered this and I was glad I did not. I like turkey one a year--Thanksgiving, and that is a stretch.

I ordered Veggies and a baked potato. I Eat a bite of the potato and a few veggies. I think by this day, I had just eaten too much and nothing was appealing anymore.

 

The Newlywed Game was that night. I believe it was at 10 pm. I always enjoy this game. I think the couple married the longest always have the best answers. This time did not disappoint. If you go to a late night show, try not to miss this one.

 

The ship started rocking pretty bad tonight. Lots of creaking and noise in our room. The curtain on the stage for the Newlywed game was swaying pretty hard during the show. I was happy that I had sea sick pills (100 count of 25 mg Meclizine--same active ingredient as Bonnine--$4.50 at the Kroger Pharmacy--you need to ask the pharmacist) if we needed them--which we did not.

 

The teens stayed out till 1 am again and were really enjoying this super late curfew. I never felt that they were unsafe or unsupervised.

 

Day 6--

 

At this point, I knew that the cruise was winding down to a close. The vacation dpression was already trying to creep into my still going on vacation. I tried as hard as I could to try to forget that the end was coming. I hate the end of the vacation. That is why I love the planning part--it makes the vacation last a whole lot longer!!

 

Anyhow, the boat was still rocking a bit today. No real big deal for any of us though. The seas calmed down by the afternoon. This morning Jason and I headed up to the jogging track and walked 3 miles. While we were walking, we noticed a lot of cleaning being done on the deck. Lots of cleaning! The wind behind the jumbo pool screen Television was whipping this morning. It was fun to make it around the track during that part of the walk.

 

After our walk, we ate breakfast in Chops. Prior to going in, it had become mandatory to use Purell before going to the buffet. It was at this point, we decided not to use the WJ again. We got our food from Chops and neve set foot back in the WJ buffet line. I am not sure if this helped protect us from Noro, but I thought this would help us.

 

After breakfast we went down to the photo area to look for our pictures taken on board this week. I had pre ordered the unlimited photo CD before we had boarded the cruise. I paid $179--It was $199 once on board for this same package. I was unsure how this package worked. On our sea pass, the photos that we did on board with the photographer showed up, but none of the photos from the ports or doing the rock wall showed up. The photo person told us to collect all of our photos for the week and give them to her. She made a file and would put them on our sea pass. The last day of the cruise, verify that all the photos are on the sea pass. Then I could pick up the CD after 9 pm on the last day. OK, we did all of that. We were still unsure if this was going to work. We'll see tomorrow.

 

Today, the ice rink opened for a lot of free skate times. This became the place where we hung out for most of the morning and some of the afternoon:

 

IMG_6284 by ckmommy4, on Flickr

 

My kids made fast friends with the ice skaters that were handing out the skates. The guy (Alexander) gave some great pointers to the kids. He was so helpful and really enjoyed my kids and their questions. I think it broke up the boring time of giving out skates to the other people on board. My kids ow want to go to the Galleria to go skating every day!!

 

For lunch, we went to Cafe Promenade. The pizza was OK nothing great, but the sandwiches were very good. They also had the BEST granola bar. I wish that I would have discovered this before day 6!! Go daily to see if they have these bars--you won't be sorry. The cookies that everyone raves about were just ok to me as well. Food is so subjective. I am a baker (for my family at least) at hoe, so I have a thing for cookies. I have to say a make much more yummy cookies. But this of course is my opinion.

 

After another ice skating time, we went back to the cabin and changed into some swimsuits. The sun was not shining on our balcony, so we went and enjoyed the sun deck by the pool. We had missed the belly flop contest, so the pool area was pretty deserted. We spent about an hour and a half on the pool deck enjoying the warm day and the sunshine.

 

Diner tonight was lobster and shrimp for me. I do not think the lobster was very well prepared tonight. It was chewy and a bit rubbery. The shrimp was very good though. For dessert, my sister had ordered a cake for her oldest (the sick one--who was not just fine). But, they had the dessert trio on the menu. I knew the chocolate dessert they had on this plate was to die for. So I ordered this, My mom, dad and Jason all had a bite of it. Just what I wanted. If they still have the dessert trio when the new menu comes out, be sure to order it.

 

We went to the show tonight. It was a singing and dancing show by the RCCL singers. It was just OK. I left for a minute in the middle of the show and bumped into a lady looking for her friend that had just gotten sick in the show--ahhh this was not what I had wanted to hear about.

 

After the show, we headed to Studio 9 for Quest! Another thing you just have to do while you are on the cruise. But--NO KIDS!!! We have done The Quest before. This one was by far the most racy one we have done. It shocked me because I had thought we were sailing with mostly 50-70 year old people. I guess all the young folks were hanging out in places I was not. They all showed up for this show. Just to say why kids are not allowed--a full breast was shown for all to see!! It was really a fun and funny show!! Don't miss this!!

 

Day 7 next...

[SeminoleFan]

Enjoying your review. Thank you for sharing.

[ckmommy]

Day 7--

 

Slept in a little today. I got up and started the putting things in the suitcase routine. It is so much more fun packing for the trip rather than packing from the trip. I got my things packed, and worked on the boys suitcases. The teens were still asleep. Jason said he would pack later--delaying the inevitable, I guess. We all headed to Chops for breakfast. We all stayed in Chops for our meal. No heading to the WJ for us. We noticed all day yesterday that the ship was constantly being washed. All the handrails were being wiped, elevator buttons, bathrooms, sun chairs, you name it. The same was happening today.

 

I had done sit ups in the room today. I do not know if I was allergic to something on the carpet, but the backs of my legs were really itching and had started to develop some hives on them. I went back to the room and put some cream on my legs. I got the teens up and sent the little guys to the AO club. Jason, myself, parents and sister had a bridge tour lined up for 9:40 am. We also had a backstage tour set up for 12:30. We were supposed to have a tour of the galley, but with the Noro going around the ship, they would not let us in the galley. I was pretty bummed out about that, but I understood.

 

The bridge tour was amazing. The 2nd Officer did the tour and was really informative. I guess he was better than the 1st officer--according to Luca that is. I was not sure if we could take pictures, so I did not. I wish I would have asked though. It sounds like you could take pictures on other ships.

 

We left the bridge tour and caught up with the little guys. We took them Ice skating again. After ice skating, we checked the photos and saw that all of our picture were uploaded to our sea pass--including the picture of the whole group we had taken on night 6:

 

RMA-130125-White-2nd-4250975 by ckmommy4, on Flickr

The little guys wanted to do Family Bingo today at 12 noon. Jason and I went with them. There was only one other family that was there. Each family one one game. The kids picked out a Magna Doodle as the prize. It was fitting to get that toy, since right before we boarded Mariner, they broke their etch a sketch. After bingo, it was time for the back stage tour.

 

The tour was very nice. We got to see the backstage area behind the Savoy Theatre. The Lighting director was also on stage to answer any questions. Jason was really excited about this. He is the Audio guy for ur church. He used to be the lighting guy too--our church here in TX is very large 10,000 people--so he knows lots about production tech stuff. The lighting guy and Jason had a great conversation--both in their "element!!"

 

Following the tour, we headed back to Cafe Promenade for Lunch:

 

IMG_6443 by ckmommy4, on Flickr

 

They did not have any of the Granola bars today, but some more yummy sandwiches. After lunch we went to the arcade to spend the rest of the money on Jason's card--but once we got up there, we found out that we had already spend all the money. The little guys went and found something they wanted to do, while Jason and I sat by the pool for a bit. We went back to the room so I could finish packing the teens. Jason decided that he was going to pack as well. The cruise was really coming to an end.

 

After packing--we went out on the balcony to enjoy the last bits of sunshine before the sun went past our cabin--then we smelled it!! Marijuana!! Someone on the deck below us was smoking it and it the smoke was coming onto our balcony and into our room--it stunk!! I called Luca in the Concierge looking for a number to guest services. I did not want to bother Luca with this. But, he wanted to help out, so he sent security to help! Not sure if anything was done, but we did not smell the marijuana again!

 

We finished all the packing and figuring up how much extra to tip our waiters, concierge, etc. and meeting with security. Then decided to do one last exploration of the ship. Jason and I played a round of mini golf, watched the in line skaters, then went to Deck 4 and played a couple rounds of shuffleboard.

 

We enjoyed ourselves but noticed something very odd with the crew. It was very noticeable that most did not care about the passengers anymore. We saw at least 20 crew members passing us while we were playing shuffleboard. None of them smiled or said hello--even after we said hello. The really odd thing we saw was 2 sets of 4 crew members were sitting in the chairs on deck 4 (less that 15 feet from us) smoking cigarettes. I did not like this at all. It almost felt like they were saying--it's the last day, you have already given me my tip and screw you. Maybe I am all wrong, but that is what it felt like to us.

 

I knew the Parade in the Promenade was starting soon and i had wanted to watch it. Turns out, we ran right into my little guys and parents with a prime view. It was a really fun little parade:

 

IMG_6441 by ckmommy4, on Flickr

 

IMG_6475 by ckmommy4, on Flickr

 

IMG_6477 by ckmommy4, on Flickr

 

Go to this if you have time.

 

There was only one show tonight. We decided to go to the show and go to dinner late. The show was OK. Glad we went, but not something to be sad about if you miss it.

 

Dinner was again, just OK.

 

I had the seafood brochette. It was overcooked and rubbery. I only ate 1/2 of it. I had ice cream for dessert. While the food was just OK tonight and on a few other nights, I never left feeling hungry!

 

After dinner we got our photo CD --easy peasy!!

 

The older kids had decided to go hang out with the other teens early tonight--so they did not come to dinner or the show. We were fine with this. After dinner we finished putting the last items in our bags and got them outside our door. SAD,SAD, SAD!!

 

We got our final payment notice and saw that my account was set up as a cash account. We had to go to guest services and get a credit card put on the account. That took about 30 minutes, but was pretty easy.

 

The little guys wanted to watch TV and then go to bed. Jason and I went to the late Adult only comedy show. It was OK, but I think we were just tired and were ready for bed.

 

We sadly walked back to our room for the last time--the tears were ready to start falling. Our vacation was done!!

 

Last moments and final thoughts....Next

[geoblond]

Great review-thank you for taking the time to do this. We'll be on the Mariner soon but reading this makes me want to go tomorrow!

[happymom88]

Thanks for your awesome review, but now I am sad with you! I keep reading these reviews and I go on the emotional ride with the writer, excitement, fun and then, finally sadness at the end of the week. Sounds like you had a ton of fun, but it is always so sad when it is over! :p Thanks for sharing!

[TexasAggieCruiser]

No that was without the tip. Although, I may have to take away my praise for Blackhorse Limo. My mom just go the bill and they charged her $299 each way. According to the the Blackhorse Limo lady the $175 was for the small limo not the stretch limo. My mom is still trying to figure this all out. Luckily she has all the contacts with her. We will see how this plays out.

Oh no! You will have to update on here once it is finalized, hopefully in your mom's favor!

 

Thanks for the outstanding review!

[GabbyGal63]

How does one acquire a Gold Sea Pass Card? I just found out I'm a gold C&A member - is that what that means? And if so, the other 2 in my party are not Gold C&A members - will that be allowed to join me in the concierge area?

 

Thanks.

[live2cruise2011]

How does one acquire a Gold Sea Pass Card? I just found out I'm a gold C&A member - is that what that means? And if so, the other 2 in my party are not Gold C&A members - will that be allowed to join me in the concierge area?

 

Thanks.

 

By gold card I am pretty sure the op is talking about the card they get for being in a suite as the concierge lounge is for suite guests and I believe diamond level and above c & a.

 

Ckmommy thank you so much for taking the time I am so excited we board Mariner tomorrow.... We have spent the last couple of days in Galveston... Having fun...

[hunt182644]

Great review will be on the Mariner in a couple of weeks. The days have really started passing slowly waiting for this trip. Not quite sure what pot smells like :eek:perhaps you could elaborate so we will know how to tell if we smell something strange.:D

[Clarea]

By gold card I am pretty sure the op is talking about the card they get for being in a suite as the concierge lounge is for suite guests and I believe diamond level and above c & a.

 

Ckmommy thank you so much for taking the time I am so excited we board Mariner tomorrow.... We have spent the last couple of days in Galveston... Having fun...

Gold colored SeaPass card is for full suite (GS and above) guests and Pinnacle C&A members.

[ARCruisinNana]

By gold card I am pretty sure the op is talking about the card they get for being in a suite as the concierge lounge is for suite guests and I believe diamond level and above c &

 

Yes, the gold card people are talking about are for those staying in a full suite or are Pinnacle Club members. D+ members are able to use the CL.

[ckmommy]

By gold card I am pretty sure the op is talking about the card they get for being in a suite as the concierge lounge is for suite guests and I believe diamond level and above c & a.

 

Ckmommy thank you so much for taking the time I am so excited we board Mariner tomorrow.... We have spent the last couple of days in Galveston... Having fun...

 

Livetocruise2011--

 

Hope you are having fun in Galveston. The Marti Gras celebration is in full swing! We went down there yesterday for a meeting and lunch. Saw the Disney Magic in port. Wanted to stay for the festivities, but the needed to get home for the kids!

 

Have a great time. Please report back when you get back.. I'll be thinking of you in the fun ports this week!

[katerkat]

On our cruise, the kids 6-11 were all in the same room. It was not a cruise filled with lots of kids. That worked out great because my 8 yo wanted to be with his 10 yo twin brothers. As for being babyish--the events are the same for 6-11 year olds. I think he will enjoy it.

 

We're going during spring break, so I don't think we'll luck out on a low number of kids! Good to know that the AO events aren't too young. Of course, he's of the opinion that anyone who doesn't know about Minecraft is too young to hang out with. :rolleyes:

 

Really enjoyed the review! Now I'm sad it's over, too. ;)

[Topo Gigio]

I met your parents in the diamond lounge in December on the Liberty and they were telling me that they were going with the whole family on the Mariner in January.

[ckmommy]

I met your parents in the diamond lounge in December on the Liberty and they were telling me that they were going with the whole family on the Mariner in January.

 

That is too funny!! You guys are neighbors in real life too-- they live in Boca as well!! It's a small world.

We had a great time together on this cruise. We are so appreciative that they took us on this cruise. Of course, we are already taking about the next vacation together!! You can't finish one vacation without starting to plan the next one!

[ckmommy]

Day 8 and final thoughts...

 

Day 8-- woke up to the reality that this was it! We got up early--about 6:30. The teens were dragging due to the fact they did not get home till 1 am again.

 

I did get the report that my 12 yo son won Prom King the night before. He always tend to be left out of things and can be a bit annoying--as most 12 yo's can be--so this was so nice for him.

 

We made one final check of every drawer and cabinet in the room to make sure we had packed everything. I swear, I discovered new storage places even on this last day.

 

We got ourselves out the door and in Chops at 7:30. Luca was meeting us at 8:15 to get us off the ship in a special line. My diet started today, so no breakfast today--everyone else enjoyed one last cooked to order breakfast. At 8:15, Luca met us (along with all the other gold pass holders--more than we had ever seen during the cruise) and led us to the aft elevators and then out the door. It was amazing how fun the gangway was to be on the week before. And, how sad it was today. One of my twins was seriously crying his eyes out by this point. He was so sad to be leaving. It was the saddest moment ever. Rippped my heart out!!

 

Getting our luggage was quite easy. Then, we had to wait in line for customs. SInce we only had birth certificates, we went to a separate line. A super short line--I guess there was a benefit for having only birth certificates!!

 

The limo came to pick us up at 9:15 AM. We were home in Cypress by 10:45 and the first load of wash was going by 11 AM--Back to real Life!!

 

A few photos to say good bye:

 

IMG_6515 by ckmommy4, on Flickr

 

IMG_6420 by ckmommy4, on Flickr

 

IMG_6415 by ckmommy4, on Flickr

 

IMG_6259 by ckmommy4, on Flickr

 

IMG_6158 by ckmommy4, on Flickr

 

IMG_5938 by ckmommy4, on Flickr

 

Last thoughts--next post...