Mariner questions

[mommybunny21]

I have a couple questions re Mariner of the Seas...Is there a childrens pool??I can't get this info anywhere....Are they strict about no children under 13 in specialty restaurants? I have a well travelled and well behaved 6 year old who has dined in some of the finest restaurants in the world- I can't imagine leaving him with a babysitter..Thanks

[GMoney]

MB - You are all over the boards this morning! :)

 

No dedciated kids pool on Mariner, but you will find it on sister ships Voyager, Explorer and Adventure. Kids can use the main pool obviously (which is bigger than the Noordam's, per your HAL post, but not covered).

[mommybunny21]

Actually I am all oveer the boards because of your comment re the Noordam and children. I'm now trying to find a cruise in Jan or early feb to the carribbean that my 6 year old would enjoy. Any other advice??

[GMoney]

Well, I would really encourage you to consider any Voyager class ship. I think that gives you a lot of great options to ensure that you and your family all have a great cruise. Prices in January look decent too.

 

The kids pool on the 3 Voyager class ships that have them is small, so I'm not sure how much of a selling point this would be anyway.

 

Again, I am just 1 person, and I do not have kids. See what other posters think. Most seem to say that RCI has a great kids program, and when I've sailed with family & friends with kids, they'll all had a great time. Maybe check how CC ranks these ships for kids too.

 

I love the Noordam, but I honestly do not think that is a kid-friendly environment, especially on longer itineraries.

[mommybunny21]

I appreciate your advice. The problem is I know my husband and i would love the Noordam and its convenient port in NY where we live. our little guy, who is an angel, would do anything we chose but I would like for it to be great for him. He loved NCL Spirit but we HATED it- so now I'm trying to find a compromise>

[GMoney]

I appreciate your advice. The problem is I know my husband and i would love the Noordam and its convenient port in NY where we live. our little guy, who is an angel, would do anything we chose but I would like for it to be great for him. He loved NCL Spirit but we HATED it- so now I'm trying to find a compromise>

 

Totally understand. I love the convenience of NYC too, and also will not go back to NCL after sailing the Dawn.

 

The Crown Princess is down sailing from SJU in early 2007 (which is too bad, as she might have made a nice compromise), and RCI's Explorer has yet started sailing from Bayonne to the Caribbean. I'm looking but can't find anything else from NYC. Sorry. :(

[mommybunny21]

Thank you for looking. I've been doing this for hours. I searched Port Canaveral and found the Mariner but not the other RCI ships you mentioned. I figured we could do a cruise and then Disney.I don't want a disney cruise though-too many crazy kids! I think I'll have to go with the Mariner. Thanks. If you have any other advice let me know.

[GMoney]

The only ships I show sailing from NYC this winter are HAL Noordam, NCL Spirit and Dawn, so I can see why you honed in on the Noordam so quickly.

 

I think your Mariner / WDW idea is great. I went to WDW for the first time last January (3-7). Crowds were not bad, We stayed at Port Orleans French Quarter which was also decent.

 

IME, January - especially early Jan - is a great time to cruise. I would pick the Eastern itinerary over Western, but that's just a personal preference. The Mariner is the newest of the Voyager class ships. Very nice, beautifully appointed, and probably your best option to find other kids the same age as your son.

 

Take care and good luck with whatever you choose.

[katiel53]

We were told by Crown & Anchor that children under 13 were NOT allowed in Chops or Portofino. I think it's hard on the cruiseline to allow younger children as not all are well-behaved. When we were on Brilliance we were asked when making reservations how many children were under 13. We told them none, and they said fine. I'm sure they ask so that they can tell you in advance that children aren't allowed in there.

 

There have been a lot of comments on the boards too where children were allowed in the specialty restaurants and the adults were very upset having them there. I'm sure your child is well-behaved and by the time my grand is 6 she will be too. We are taking her to restaurants and she is only 1. (Not to gourmet places yet though.)

 

Maybe other people can give you advice regarding the specialty restaurants, but it is doubtful that the Mariner will allow your child there. (I did hear that on one ship, I can't remember the name, allowed children if they were out of the dining room by 8, but I don't know if this is the policy.)

 

Good luck.

[sanditoes4]

Hi...There is no kids pool on her. And we didn't do the specialty restaurants?? I did however take 5 kids on this cruise in Jan-06 and we all loved it!!! We went Western, I thought it had more for a family to do...I viewEastern as a more romantic trip...never been there, just an image in my head??

 

If you go on Mariner you will have a great time...lots of daily family activities going on, scav hunts, family bingo, family karoke ect. ect. ect. Lots of fun things going on all day everyday....my kids BEG to go back about once a month....after looking at our 400+ pictures and our 6-two hour DVD's they get the itch!!!:D So do I!!!! My kids had a blast in the Kid Clubs too....2-13 year olds, 2-10 year olds and a 5 year old...the 13 yo girls came to supper every night in the main dinning room with us and loved it, they ate and went back to their clubs.....we only got the 3 boys away from the clubs for 2 nights dinner...they were so hooked we had to pull teeth those 2 nights!!!

 

good luck, I have to say I think any cruise would be awesome???

[sshuttle]

Just to put my opinion out there, Disney is REALLY great for kids, especially your 6 year old. We've done Disney and the Mariner with our son, he was 4 when we did Disney and 6 on the Mariner. He couldn't use the 6 year old room on the Disney but we were allowed to visit it and he loved it because there were Legos, KNEX, games, computers, a huge screen for video games, you name it. The ship was elegant and changing restaurants every night was exciting. He didn't like the Mariner quite as much but he still had a great time.

 

I do not think they do, or should, allow children under 13 in the speciality restaurants. You may think your 6 year old is well behaved but what about the other person who also thinks their child is, when in fact, they pick that night to be tired and cranky? They can't pick and choose. From a personal point of view, as a parent, I would be upset if I walked into the speciality restaurant that has rule of no one under 13 and I saw a child sitting there. I want a kid free dinner.