Mariner (4nt) vs. Independence (3nt)?

[Gatordad815]

Hello! I recently received a casino offer for a free interior room on Independence or Mariner and am weighing options. Both stop at Nassau and CocoCay, but Mariner has an extra day which is a sea day. While prior cruise experiences have always been on Oasis class ships with my wife and kids, this would likely be a last minute solo getaway (wife isn’t ready to take kids on a cruise quite yet).

 

Looking at both ships, they seem quite similar, so I’m considering Mariner just for the extra day. For food I’d just do free dining on both ships. I’d likely do most entertainment options (although Grease on Independence doesn’t really appeal to me so that’s not a factor).

 

Independence goes over a weekend and Mariner goes out on a Tuesday, so my assumption is Mariner would have fewer people. While that’s normally a huge plus, since I’ll be solo it would be nice if there are at least a few people around to chat with, so I’m hoping the ship isn’t a complete ghost town!

 

Based on the above, can anyone who has cruised recently comment on the Independence weekend cruise vs. the Mariner midweek cruise? Is there anything that I’m not thinking of that would set one apart from the other? 
 

All input appreciated- I can’t wait to get back out to sea! Thanks…

[dianajo67]

I’ll just say that Mariner is an amped ship and I’d definitely take the 4 day on her if it was free.  In fact, I am doing a solo in Jan on her for the 4 day right after a 7 day on Harmony with hubby.  Super excited about that getaway!  Might even use the fitness facilities!

 

LOVE independence too, but there is virtually no difference between Freedom and Voyager class except the Voyager class is a bit shorter.

[Tree_skier]

4 is better than 3 🙂

[CruisingNole]

I was just on Mariner over the weekend. Was told the weekend sailings have had about 1,500 passengers and weekdays are more like 900. This was a server in the dining room telling me this so I have no way of knowing if that’s accurate. I would assume numbers on Independence are similar. So if you’re looking for smaller crowds, the weekday itinerary is the way to go. If you’re looking to socialize, go with the weekend.

 

To be quite honest with you, the ship was depressing at times with the reduced capacity. The shows suffered horribly. And I was on a weekend cruise. Can’t even imagine what it’d be like with less than 1,000 passengers.

[PhillyFan33579]

Based on the ship I would pick Independence. However, 4 days instead of 3 days is tough to ignore. Plus even though Independence is a nicer ship in my opinion, I also like Mariner and sailed on her a few weeks ago. 

[Gatordad815]

Thanks all for the feedback! I’ve decided to go with Mariner, as I’d like to have a sea day! Although Independence has a little more to it than Mariner, for my needs as a solo cruiser, I think Mariner will be just fine. Now the countdown begins….