Mini Mariner Review

[woneill63]

Sailed on the Super Bowl 5 nighter, Jan 28th to Feb 4th, Wed to Mon.  This was my fourth time on the Mariner and she did not disappoint.  This was the first ship I have ever been on, back in April of 2004, and I have loved cruises ever since.  Even after 22 plus cruises I was excited to get back on this ship.

Embarkation:  I have never gotten on a ship this quickly before, we got out of our cab at 1:01 pm and walked into our room at 1:22.  The Port of Miami knows how to get a cruise ship loaded quickly and efficiently.  We carried on our luggage, made all our dining reservations, and were sitting by the pool by 2.  We always have lunch prior to arrival to avoid the zoo at the buffet the first day.

Dining:  We ate at a specialty restaurant each evening since I stumbled across a good deal online and jumped on it.  Enjoyed Chops twice, excellent at usual.  Izumi once, also excellent.   We did Jamie's Italian one night and were disappointed, food and service were just ok and not worth the extra charge.  We should have known something was wrong when we walked in and the place was practically empty.  This was surprising since we always really enjoy dining at Giovanni's on other ships.  The crown jewel of our dinners was easily Chef's Table.  We had very high expectations for this 'event' and loved every minute of it.  The food and wine were spectacular, the ship's exec chef personally explained each course and answered all questions, the service was spot on, and we were able to meet the captain towards the end.  I would highly recommend this dinner, it turned out to be one of the highlights of our cruise.

Room:  We had a balcony cabin on deck nine, room attendant was great, so we gave him an extra tip.

Sea Days:  We mostly hung out by the pool on deck 11, chair hogs were out in force, but we didn't let it bother us.  Since we didn't have our 12 year old son with us, we spent a lot of time in the solarium, nice and quiet.  

Ports:  Cozumel,  been here at least 10/11 times, so we tried a tour around town, with a tequila tasting, booked through Royal, it was fun and got us off the boat.

Costa Maya, never been here before.   After looking at Trip Advisor, we booked the Maya Chan Beach Resort excursion, owned by an American expat family from California.  We were so happy we booked this.  After getting out of the maze that is the Costa Maya port, we found their representative and they took care of the rest.  We had our own private little beach bungalow, which included two recliners, a table, a small bed, and a hammock.  The service was top notch, a beer was brought out to me while I was floating in the ocean, and the food was very good.  It was the perfect romantic getaway, my wife didn't want to leave.

Shows:  Were very good, as usual, especially the ice show.  

Cigar Bar:  Deck 5, forward, was remodeled into a library, very disappointed with this, as I popped in three times and there was never anybody in it.  Oh well, times are changing.

Debarkation:  We did the walk off with our luggage, and it took about an hour once were left our room to to get through customs.  They have a facial recognition scanner, didn't even have to show our passports.  

 

The Mariner is now about 15 years old and is in great shape, I can't wait to sail on her again. 

I will be happy to answer any and all questions as truthfully as possible. 

 

Just my opinion. 

[Mawelch]

On 6/5/2019 at 2:17 PM, woneill63 said:

Sailed on the Super Bowl 5 nighter, Jan 28th to Feb 4th, Wed to Mon.  This was my fourth time on the Mariner and she did not disappoint.  This was the first ship I have ever been on, back in April of 2004, and I have loved cruises ever since.  Even after 22 plus cruises I was excited to get back on this ship.

Embarkation:  I have never gotten on a ship this quickly before, we got out of our cab at 1:01 pm and walked into our room at 1:22.  The Port of Miami knows how to get a cruise ship loaded quickly and efficiently.  We carried on our luggage, made all our dining reservations, and were sitting by the pool by 2.  We always have lunch prior to arrival to avoid the zoo at the buffet the first day.

Dining:  We ate at a specialty restaurant each evening since I stumbled across a good deal online and jumped on it.  Enjoyed Chops twice, excellent at usual.  Izumi once, also excellent.   We did Jamie's Italian one night and were disappointed, food and service were just ok and not worth the extra charge.  We should have known something was wrong when we walked in and the place was practically empty.  This was surprising since we always really enjoy dining at Giovanni's on other ships.  The crown jewel of our dinners was easily Chef's Table.  We had very high expectations for this 'event' and loved every minute of it.  The food and wine were spectacular, the ship's exec chef personally explained each course and answered all questions, the service was spot on, and we were able to meet the captain towards the end.  I would highly recommend this dinner, it turned out to be one of the highlights of our cruise.

Room:  We had a balcony cabin on deck nine, room attendant was great, so we gave him an extra tip.

Sea Days:  We mostly hung out by the pool on deck 11, chair hogs were out in force, but we didn't let it bother us.  Since we didn't have our 12 year old son with us, we spent a lot of time in the solarium, nice and quiet.  

Ports:  Cozumel,  been here at least 10/11 times, so we tried a tour around town, with a tequila tasting, booked through Royal, it was fun and got us off the boat.

Costa Maya, never been here before.   After looking at Trip Advisor, we booked the Maya Chan Beach Resort excursion, owned by an American expat family from California.  We were so happy we booked this.  After getting out of the maze that is the Costa Maya port, we found their representative and they took care of the rest.  We had our own private little beach bungalow, which included two recliners, a table, a small bed, and a hammock.  The service was top notch, a beer was brought out to me while I was floating in the ocean, and the food was very good.  It was the perfect romantic getaway, my wife didn't want to leave.

Shows:  Were very good, as usual, especially the ice show.  

Cigar Bar:  Deck 5, forward, was remodeled into a library, very disappointed with this, as I popped in three times and there was never anybody in it.  Oh well, times are changing.

Debarkation:  We did the walk off with our luggage, and it took about an hour once were left our room to to get through customs.  They have a facial recognition scanner, didn't even have to show our passports.  

 

The Mariner is now about 15 years old and is in great shape, I can't wait to sail on her again. 

I will be happy to answer any and all questions as truthfully as possible. 

 

Just my opinion. 

Will be on her in October. Hope the sky pad is open by then.

[blueridgemama]

1 hour ago, Mawelch said:

Will be on her in October. Hope the sky pad is open by then.

 

sky pad is open!

[mivama]

Thanks for the review! We are on next January. 

For the SkyPad, do you have to reserve that or just line up? Also, do you know how you sign up for or reserve the Escape Room? What was your favorite spot to hang out in the evening?

 

[George C]

Thanks for review love voyager class ships.