LIVE on The Mariner of The Seas with BIG AL!!!

[zwanzig]

zwanzig or anyone that is on the Mariner this week. Please give Becky a message "English Shampoo" she will tell you a funny story. I thought she was going on vacation starting 8/20 but I guess not since she is your CD....:D

If Becky asks you who mentioned "English Shampoo" (which she would probably remember) tell her Debbie.....:) We cruised on the MOS 7/30 and had a great time. Well everyone have a great time wish I was still on.....:)

Hi radtech,

 

When/if I run into Becky again I will give her your message. :) I'll let you know what she says and will post back (though I probably won't post again until I get home on Sunday, because I'm only online right now because my cell phone works in St. Thomas :D).

[radtech]

Thanks zwanzig. Have a great cruise. Speak to you soon....:)

 

radtech

[Bowlersbus]

Where's Al??

 

:confused:

[big al]

Sounds like you're having a great time.............

 

Question......did you upgrade at the pier??? Or did you do that beforehand??

 

Is Chops and Portofinos both still $20PP??

 

Have fun.........I'll be on her in two weeks!!:)

 

Parrot-got an upgrade about 2 weeks before sailing..C & P still $20,both were great!!

Big Al

[big al]

Hey guys & gals-Sorry I haven't been back,but these last 2 days in St.Thomas & St.Maarten were busy....I'll try and answer some questions..first Becky IS leaving after this week for 10 weeks back to the UK..she is wonderful!! This on-line service is VERY slow..pages take forever to come up...formal nights are Monday and Friday with the latter being lobster night....The Platters were fabulous the other night..Ice show is Wed & Friday at 5 or 7 PM..CoCo Cay was very nice,buffet was so-so..weather has been good to very good and ship has been very steady and you can hardly feel the Mariner move at all....Love & Marriage show last night hysterical with a couple married 63 years leading the way......BUY YOUR LIQUOR in St.Maarten,I found it 10-20% cheaper than St.Thomas..having a great time,wife & I-we found Porifinos slightly better than Chops,but both were well worth the $20 fee.....gotta go-will try and check back once more..Oh,and Yes,Captain Johnny is here and IMO,the most personable and funniest of all Captains we've seen so far-he is terrific!! It's been almost an hour since I ate,so speak to yas soon!!

 

Big Al

[PH8]

Thanks Big Al..............hope you're running in front of that tropical mess near San Juan...........

 

Cant wait to hear "Good Morning,God Morning,Good Morning" from the bridge again........:p

[powelweb]

Hi Big Al,

 

Glad you're having a great time.

 

I'm on the 11/26 Mariner sailing, and if I'm counting the weeks, she may be back right around my cruise.

 

Can you possibly find out if she knows which ship she's on when she returns?

 

Greatly appreciate it, as I've hard amazing things about her and would love to experience her first hand.

 

Happy sailing,

Wendy

[big al]

Hey CC people-This is our last day at sea before we cruise back into Port Canaveral...weather has been GREAT..no hint of any tropical problems which are headed unfortunetly for Grand Cayman and Jamaica-hope it misses both /all!!!

Last night was lobster/formal night and I must say the lobster was the BEST of the 15 cruises I've been on with all cruise lines(Yes,I had 2!)...as for Becky,she will return around the Thanksgiving cruise and she's all over the ship-very visible.....shows have been good,though not nearly as good as the Disney Wonder..dancers great,lead male & female singers a bit too whiney and have high squeaky voices..ice show was FABULOUS-don't miss it!! Did the karoeke thing last night and dedicated my song "The Wanderer" to all CC people I've met.....overall,a great cruise,crew wonderful,Capt.Johnny best I've seen,and both Chops & Portifinos were outstanding!!! I 'm proud to say I've reached my caloric max of 10,000 calories PER DAY almost every day...dropped 25 lbs. for this cruise and one more day of eating till I'm unconscious,then back to dieting...EVERYONE going on the MOS soon-have a great cruise!!

 

Big Al

Still Cruising After All These Years

[Fran Harp]

Hey CC people-This is our last day at sea before we cruise back into Port Canaveral...weather has been GREAT..no hint of any tropical problems which are headed unfortunetly for Grand Cayman and Jamaica-hope it misses both /all!!!

Last night was lobster/formal night and I must say the lobster was the BEST of the 15 cruises I've been on with all cruise lines(Yes,I had 2!)...as for Becky,she will return around the Thanksgiving cruise and she's all over the ship-very visible.....shows have been good,though not nearly as good as the Disney Wonder..dancers great,lead male & female singers a bit too whiney and have high squeaky voices..ice show was FABULOUS-don't miss it!! Did the karoeke thing last night and dedicated my song "The Wanderer" to all CC people I've met.....overall,a great cruise,crew wonderful,Capt.Johnny best I've seen,and both Chops & Portifinos were outstanding!!! I 'm proud to say I've reached my caloric max of 10,000 calories PER DAY almost every day...dropped 25 lbs. for this cruise and one more day of eating till I'm unconscious,then back to dieting...EVERYONE going on the MOS soon-have a great cruise!!

 

Big Al

Still Cruising After All These Years

 

Thanks for the laugh and the update. Wondered where the Platters had gone, as we saw them on Enchantment five years ago, and they *were* fabulous. Must remember to try to sail with Captain Johnny sometime.

:D:D

 

Fran in Toronto

[powelweb]

Thanks so much for this info on Becky.

 

So glad you enjoyed your cruise on Mariner, and thanks for your reports during the week.

 

Wendy

[big al]

Hey folks-We just got back around 11 AM...will post a full review in 24-48 hours..we were off the Mariner by 8 AM....very smooth...as I stated in my earlier posts,all went very well,including the weather...at 5:30PM om Saturday night,Capt.Johnny was going to have a conference call with the head hanchos at RCL and decide what to do about the possibility of Ernest going thru the Western Caribb.....will answer any questions when I post my review....Bye LOVES (Becky's line)

 

Big Al

[bcsfd279]

Hey Big Al.. And other's I wanteed to let you all know that I was onboard. Execpt that I never recieved my invite, so.... I asked at guest relations, they said it was AT 4:00PM!!!!!! on the first sea day, I was so upset when I found out that I missed it. Oh well, Did you guys wake up at 4:00am this morning, the captian was on the pa system looking for a missing passenger:confused:, not good. But The vacation was awesome!!!! I got to sit down with Capt. Johnny, and recieved a IN-Depth tour of the bridge. Any questions....\\

 

 

Later,

Ryan

[titlediva]

Thanks for all the comments about the ship. Leaving on the Mariner on September 10 for Western Caribbean; worried right now about the storms and being able to stop in all the ports. This is my first cruise...can hardly wait!!! 13 days and counting LOUD.:D

[DonnaK]

It's 10pm, and I'm just back from the Mariner too - it was nice to meet you Al, as well as Steve, Lauren, Garycruz, rkr, cruise wizard and all of their respective families (I apologize for those I didn't list by name here - I met so many wonderful cruise critics and my very travel weary brain can't recall everyone else's names at the moment). Sorry we missed you, Ryan. Yes, we were awakened at 4am by Captain Johnny's page - it's not necessarily that the passenger went missing - it could have been to deliver a message from home to him or something like that. Let's hope for the best.

 

We also had an outstanding time! I will post a detailed review tomorrow (or Tuesday the latest), and will address some of the questions and concerns mentioned in this post.

[The 4 of Us]

I also was on the 8/20 sailing and the cruise was wonderful. Absolutely great weather with lakelike seas. Hurricanes/tropical storms no threat. Loved the ship and was truly amazed how the ship never seemed crowded.

 

I spoke with Becky and she thinks she will be returning to the Mariner for a short time and then going on the Liberty. Becky is the best and forms a great team with Captin Johnny.

 

Ice show was wonderful however cast is leaving in four weeks so a new crew is joining in two weeks.

 

Felt production shows by RCCL singers and dancers were very weak with no cohesion among new entertainers. After first show on Tuesday night, I passed by the theatre at around 1am and guess who was practcing? The RCCL singers and dancers. Apparently, their bosses were very unimpressed with the show.

 

Willing to answer any questions-just need some sleep and maybe another midnight snack.

[GCLHiram]

Hi all from the 8/20 Mariner! Finally got home last night after a wonderful week at sea. We were so tired we slept a total of 15 hours between last night and this afternoon. It was great meeting Big Al, DonnaK and her mom, Denise from Michigan, Cruize Wizard, Zwanzig, and a whole bunch of other great folks. It was a pleasure meeting you and sharing experiences, both good and bad.

 

Ryan, we missed you! We were looking for you at Logan but I couldn't see any tags that looked familiar -- sorry!

 

Since tonight is back to work, aka, a vacation from our vacation, I'll get a comprehensive review posted here in a couple of days. Some of it will be praiseworthy and some will be very critical.

 

I hope everyone got home safely -- with all their luggage!

 

"Bye love!"

 

.....Steve

[nlcentralchmps03]

Hi all from the 8/20 Mariner! Finally got home last night after a wonderful week at sea. We were so tired we slept a total of 15 hours between last night and this afternoon. It was great meeting Big Al, DonnaK and her mom, Denise from Michigan, Cruize Wizard, Zwanzig, and a whole bunch of other great folks. It was a pleasure meeting you and sharing experiences, both good and bad.

 

Ryan, we missed you! We were looking for you at Logan but I couldn't see any tags that looked familiar -- sorry!

 

Since tonight is back to work, aka, a vacation from our vacation, I'll get a comprehensive review posted here in a couple of days. Some of it will be praiseworthy and some will be very critical.

 

I hope everyone got home safely -- with all their luggage!

 

"Bye love!"

 

.....Steve

Sounds good.

 

Glad you had a blast!

[GCLHiram]

Michelle;

There's no separate soda card per se, it's just a small "Coke" sticker they affix to your Sign 'n Sail card. The program is very much alive as I took full advantage of it all last week. They even give you a 16 oz insulated cup included in the $48.00 cost. If you're like me, you'll get your money's worth, and it'll be less annoying than having to sign for every drink.

.....Steve

[bethleham]

Hello, fellow cruisers! DH and I had a wonderful time on the Mariner last week! It was great to meet all of you. Can you believe the weather we had, in the middle of hurricane season? We were so fortunate.

Here are just a few, quick comments I have about my experience with the cruise:

-Check-in was a breeze. We were through the line and on the ship within 20-30 minutes.

-The food was good and plentiful in both the Windjammer and the main dining room. The lobster tails were especially good on Friday formal night. We didn't eat at the specialty restaurants, but heard they were well worth the $20/ea.

-For the most part, service was very good. Our cabin steward and assistant waiter were especially great.

-Captain Johhny is wonderful...very personable and fun to listen to. (We watched him ride onto the ship on his big yellow & black Harley in St. Maarten. I wish we had our camera to capture that!)

-The ice show was terrific!

-The Platters put on a very good show.

-Where does Becky get all of her energy? She was a wonderful cruise director.

-The RCI kayak excursion on Coco Cay was sort of a let-down. Beautiful island to visit, however.

-St. Thomas and St. Maarten were lovely. We did island overview tours (RCI excursions) both places and then did some shopping and touring on our own.

-The self-disembark process was wonderful! We were in line on Deck 4 by 7am, went through Customs, got our shuttle to the Residence Inn and were on the road by 8am! No problems.

That is all I can think of now. I am still tired from the long drive on Sunday and having to be back at work at 3:30am on Monday. Also, the DH picked up a head cold before we got off the ship, and now I have it too. Not my favorite souvenir ever, but what can you do?

Hope to see all of you on another cruise someday!

 

Goodbye, Luv!

Beth

[zwanzig]

Thanks zwanzig. Have a great cruise. Speak to you soon....:)

Hi radtech!

 

I finally tracked Becky down and gave her the "English Shampoo" message. She immediately knew who the message was from and went on to tell me about how great you are and that if I ever have the chance to cruise with you to take it!

 

But...as she was kind of in a rush by that point, she didn't tell me the story!!! So, care to fill us in on the "English Shampoo"? :D

[GCLHiram]

Hello, fellow cruisers! DH and I had a wonderful time on the Mariner last week! It was great to meet all of you. Can you believe the weather we had, in the middle of hurricane season? We were so fortunate.

Here are just a few, quick comments I have about my experience with the cruise:

-Check-in was a breeze. We were through the line and on the ship within 20-30 minutes.

-The food was good and plentiful in both the Windjammer and the main dining room. The lobster tails were especially good on Friday formal night. We didn't eat at the specialty restaurants, but heard they were well worth the $20/ea.

-For the most part, service was very good. Our cabin steward and assistant waiter were especially great.

-Captain Johhny is wonderful...very personable and fun to listen to. (We watched him ride onto the ship on his big yellow & black Harley in St. Maarten. I wish we had our camera to capture that!)

-The ice show was terrific!

-The Platters put on a very good show.

-Where does Becky get all of her energy? She was a wonderful cruise director.

-The RCI kayak excursion on Coco Cay was sort of a let-down. Beautiful island to visit, however.

-St. Thomas and St. Maarten were lovely. We did island overview tours (RCI excursions) both places and then did some shopping and touring on our own.

-The self-disembark process was wonderful! We were in line on Deck 4 by 7am, went through Customs, got our shuttle to the Residence Inn and were on the road by 8am! No problems.

That is all I can think of now. I am still tired from the long drive on Sunday and having to be back at work at 3:30am on Monday. Also, the DH picked up a head cold before we got off the ship, and now I have it too. Not my favorite souvenir ever, but what can you do?

Hope to see all of you on another cruise someday!

 

Goodbye, Luv!

Beth

 

 

Beth -- Contact me via private email -- you have my address on my card --

.....Steve

[concal]

-The self-disembark process was wonderful! We were in line on Deck 4 by 7am, went through Customs, got our shuttle to the Residence Inn and were on the road by 8am! Goodbye, Luv!

Beth

 

 

I'm staying at Residence Inn for my cruise in 11 days - have question about what shuttle service you used back to the Residence Inn on last day? Thanks.

[bethleham]

Concal,

When you check in at the Residence Inn, tell them that you are going on a cruise and need a shuttle. That hotel uses Cocoa Beach Shuttle service. The desk clerk will give you a choice of times for the shuttle: 11am, 11:30am or 12noon. Pick a time and the clerk will write it down and call it in. (We took the noon one and were on the ship and in our room BEFORE 1pm, btw.) It costs $3 per person each way. When the shuttle arrives, you work out the details of your pick-up with the driver. We paid him directly, $12 for the round trip, and he gave us a receipt. Keep that receipt and give it to the driver of the shuttle that picks you up. They will be waiting in the lot right across from the terminal and should have your name on a list. We actually beat the shuttles to the parking lot and had to wait a few minutes because we got through the disembark process so quickly.

Enjoy your cruise!