Mariner: Is This A Great Ship Or What?

[Howlev34]

We're talking Mariner here. Just came off the 4/16-4/24 sailing, Eastern Caribbean. This is our third cruise (first with RCL). We were originally booked on Star Princess and, after the fire canceled our cruise, my wonderful TA told us there was space on Mariner. We jumped at it. I had heard such great things about Mariner and we were not disappointed.

There have been so many posts about Mariner that a long review would be boring but I'll try to include the relevant stuff. Let me start by saying I have never seen a more well-organized ship from boarding to disembarking.

 

Boarding--I dropped my DW at the pier with the luggage and returned the rental car(thanks to CC for this tip). Budget provided the shuttle back. Very easy boarding process. Port Canaveral terminal is very nice. Long lines (1 PM) but it all moved very fast (20 minutes tops). Once on board, we went to our cabin (D1 category, superior stateroom with balcony on deck 7, aft). The cabin had a sofa and more storage space than we could use. The balcony had 2 chairs and a small, low table). Nice touches-larger than usual bathroom with a plexiglass shower door (no curtain) and a shower head that had a regular spray and a massage setting. Bar soap provided and a shampoo dispenser. Excellent stateroom attendant (Donna).

 

Everything on this ship is first-rate. Captain Johnny is a very personable, very visual officer. His second career should be as a comedian. He signed copies of his book and held a Q and A session with some of his crew. You've got to love the cruise director, Becky (hello, luv). What a bundle of energy. She found time to be everywhere, including the Meet and Mingle party, which featured gifts, food and beverages. It was nice meeting the CC members who so warmly welcomed us to RCL just 2 weeks ago. I'm so glad to have met some of them.

 

Food is subjective but we decided it was excellent- well-prepared and tasty. We had second seating. The dining rooms are aft, on 3 levels.The wait staff was energetic and happy to serve. They even provided entertainment with singing and dancing. No complaints whatsoever in the dining room. We never ate at Chops or Portofinos but other cruisers told us that it was terrific. Windjammers buffet was also good.

 

There was so much to do on this ship- from entertainment nightly in the Savoy theater, music in all the lounges, ice shows in Studio B, and walking on the Promenade. The 3 days at sea were so relaxing.

Mariner was full. If you plan on cruising during a school vacation, be prepared for a lot of kids. This one had all ages-from babies to teens. We saw staff in deck patrol shirts keeping an eye on things and although we never witnessed any children misbehaving, we did hear other cruisers complain.

 

You really have to experience this ship to believe all it has to offer. We were very impressed with the high level of service, the hospitality of the officers, crew and staff. Compared to our other cruises (Celebrity and Princess) we have decided that our RCL cruise was the best. Can't wait to return.

[shipknotshore]

Thanks for your comments. It's always nice to hear that someone has had a great cruise vacation. Everyone has their own idea of what makes their experience wonderful - glad that you weren't disappointed.

Sounds like this trip has given you a good case of "cruise addiction". Enjoy it! :D

[wrp96]

I'm so glad you were able to find another great vacation after your travel plans were so unfortunately changed for you.

[Fury1995]

Howlev34:

 

I'm so happy you enjoyed your cruise on the Mariner. Remember to enroll in the Crown & Anchor Society through the Royal Caribbean web-site in a couple of weeks so you can enjoy the repeat cruiser benefits.:)

[pinkrosesdeb]

We love the Mariner too. She is our favorite ship so far. Good to hear that rccl stacks up against the other 2. You always usually hear the other way around. We have friends who wouldn't consider rccl because they think Princess is far more upscale. Thanks for the review. Deb

[cruiseblue]

Glad to see this great review of Mariner especially when we are sailing her this Sunday for our first Voyager-class ship. Since you mentioned food & drink on Meet & Mingle, I'll sign up now :D

[pinkrosesdeb]

cruiseblue, you are gonna love that ship! She is a beauty. Don't miss the ice show.

[cruiseblue]

cruiseblue, you are gonna love that ship! She is a beauty. Don't miss the ice show.

 

Thanks, Deb. This calms our nerves a bit since our last cruise was not so great. I heard the Ice Show ticket is only given out certain times, do you when the tickets are given out and where? Short term memory lost my info :confused:

[isujim]

Howlev

 

We were on your cruise........it was indeed a great cruise...........glad it worked out for you and hope you will consider RC in the future.......

[pinkrosesdeb]

They typically start ice show tickets 2nd day out around 9-10am. They are pretty easy to get so don't worry. Usually some people don't show up for their times so if you forget to get your tickets go to the door and see if there are empty seats. Enjoy!

[jules815]

So nice to read yet another favorable review of the Mariner. I can hardly wait!

[bookgirl]

Thanks for the great review. We will be on the Mariner in July and I can hardly wait.

[JrMafia90]

This is going to be my first time on RCCL in August and it's great to know that I picked a good ship!

[BuilderMan]

We just got our docs today for our cruise! I'm so glad that this is a great ship!

[jillybabes]

The Mariner was our first venture on Royal Caribbean in Jan 2005. We enjoyed he so much we did the same itinerary this past November. RCI certainly knows how to build a ship. We will be boarding the Sovereign on Monday for the 4nt cruise and will be platinum after this sailing....Glad you enjoyed the Mariner...Later, Jill:cool:

[BopRN]

Tell us more about the Meet and Mingle on the Mariner. We are boarding in 2 weeks ...can't wait....and it appears the M&M will be at 1pm on first Day at Sea......we are debating whether it will be worth it to get changed out of swimwear and cleaned up to go in the middle of the day since we enjoy the pool time so much. Any thoughts?

[Howlev34]

BopRN: Our Official "Meet and Mingle" was scheduled for 1:30 PM on the at sea day, Tuesday, in Ellington's lounge, deck 14. The view from up there is fantastic. It was very well-organized. A Mariner rep was there, welcoming everyone. Food was set up along with beverages. The Mariner rep distributed small gifts to everyone and we all had our names (real and screen) on tags. Then the cruise director, Becky, stopped by and welcomed everyone. She is so energetic. She stayed a while, we introduced ourselves and we just chatted with one another. My DW and I met some very nice CC members.

After about an hour, people started saying their good-byes and it pretty much ended. We thought it was great fun putting faces to the names of posters.

[crazycruisinmom]

Hearing your review about the Mariner is making me more excited than I already was. We are going on th June 11th sailing. Can't wait!

[jules815]

Hearing your review about the Mariner is making me more excited than I already was. We are going on th June 11th sailing. Can't wait!

 

I'll be on the June 11th, too! We should be getting our cruise docs next week. :)

[BopRN]

Howley...What were the small gifts they handed out?

[Howlev34]

I'm glad all of you who are getting ready to sail on Mariner are getting excited. If you get addicted to cruising, you can blame RCCL and Mariner. This ship will definitely do it to you.

BopRN: The small gift was a passport and document holder with a neck strap.

[Adventure Girl]

As you will see from my signature....the Mariner is my ship of choice. I love the Mariner, love Captain Johnny and Captain Gerry, the staff and crew are friendly and accommodating, I love the decor of the ship and the pool deck area....I think everything about the ship is top rate. I have also heard that the Mariner currently has the top rating in the fleet based on the customer satisfaction surveys. I'll be back on board in just three days....sailing this Sunday....and I just can't wait!!!!!

[jules815]

As you will see from my signature....the Mariner is my ship of choice. I love the Mariner, love Captain Johnny and Captain Gerry, the staff and crew are friendly and accommodating, I love the decor of the ship and the pool deck area....I think everything about the ship is top rate. I have also heard that the Mariner currently has the top rating in the fleet based on the customer satisfaction surveys. I'll be back on board in just three days....sailing this Sunday....and I just can't wait!!!!!

 

You're so lucky! Have a great cruise!!

[miksilver]

OP -- Thanks for the post. I'm going on the Mariner June 4th and can't wait! :D

[Howlev34]

Adventure Girl: Glad you share the love of this ship.

If I was to pick just one cruise, this ship would be it. I can't imagine a cruise being any better than the one I just had onboard Mariner. To all of you sailing on Mariner: Get excited! You will have the time of your life. We sure did.