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LIVE FROM THE MARINER 11/12 (precruise)

Pootersmom

By Pootersmom,
in Royal Caribbean International

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katiel53

katiel53

Posted
Posted

Pootersmom,

Great review and pictures. Just a quick question. I read that your Meet N Mingle was on Tuesday, a sea day. Was it scheduled that way originally? (I mean on the CC site.) We are going on Mariner 11/26 and it shows that it's scheduled for Monday, which is not a sea day.

 

It shows the same for the Western, which is fine as that is a sea day, but I was disappointed that it's scheduled now, at least, for Monday when we are in Coco Cay.

 

Thanks for the information you have given and we love Portofino too.

 

Katie

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Holdindownthefort

Holdindownthefort

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I sent you a note but got a message that there was an error so don't know if you got it. Basicially it said your pics look wonderful, sounds like you are having a wonderful time & YOU ARE WARMER than we are!! Its 49 here with wind. BRR. When you get in the hot tub think of me:) The guys are gone ( Nick stayed behind- he is here) - today I am breathing a sigh..... sifting thru the rubble that collected yesterday!! Just paperwork- you know. Nothing major - just WORK. It got nuts here yesterday for most of the day but... I DID NOT and I DID SURVIVE - more on that when you return if I even remember it then!! Anyways... just enjoy- eat good food for us, get darker so I can be jealous & all that goes with being on " THE LOVE BOAT"

 

Later.....

ROS

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jillybabes

jillybabes

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Pootersmom: Enjoying your review...Thanks for answering about your cabin # we are in 1282 so you are just 2 doors down from where we will be!

One question, when you went to Portofino's who was your waiter??? Do you know if Chris was there???? He was our waiter on our first Mariner cruise and then was transferred to Portofino's where we dined last time on Mariner...Enjoy the rest of your week...

 

Katiel: The Eastern itinerary M&M is on Tuesdays, think the Western is on Mondays...Later, Jill:cool:

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SherriZ366

SherriZ366

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Pootersmom: Enjoying your review...Thanks for answering about your cabin # we are in 1282 so you are just 2 doors down from where we will be!

One question, when you went to Portofino's who was your waiter??? Do you know if Chris was there???? He was our waiter on our first Mariner cruise and then was transferred to Portofino's where we dined last time on Mariner...Enjoy the rest of your week...

 

Katiel: The Eastern itinerary M&M is on Tuesdays, think the Western is on Mondays...Later, Jill:cool:

Jill -- Hey -- how are you? Keep Mariner Warm for us. We are about 5 weeks after you.

 

Pootersmom -- did not realize that the Mariner got in so late and that you probably could not get off the ship until after 10. Hope the stores are not too crowded!!! DH does not like to shop but he gives me money during the year instead of gifts for birthday etc. and I spend it at Ballerina Jewelers.

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SherriZ366

SherriZ366

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Pootersmom: Enjoying your review...Thanks for answering about your cabin # we are in 1282 so you are just 2 doors down from where we will be!

One question, when you went to Portofino's who was your waiter??? Do you know if Chris was there???? He was our waiter on our first Mariner cruise and then was transferred to Portofino's where we dined last time on Mariner...Enjoy the rest of your week...

 

Katiel: The Eastern itinerary M&M is on Tuesdays, think the Western is on Mondays...Later, Jill:cool:

The thing double posted so I will edit and ask Pootersmom if she has gone to Vintages and if they still have 20 or 30 wine flights?

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katiel53

katiel53

Posted
Posted

Thanks Jillybabes and Sherri,

I was hoping that it would be on the first sea day. I don't know why all those scheduled now show they are on Monday. I tried to look for this week's cruise but it's gone.

 

Should make things easier for us to meet. Thanks again.

 

 

Katie

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Pootersmom

Pootersmom

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Our meet-n-mingle was on a Tuesday and it was posted on the website a few weeks in advance. When we checked in, our invitations were waiting for us in our stateroom. Our meet-n-mingle did not last very long at all (maybe 45 minutes). It would be a shame if they really do schedule it for a port day....that doesn't seem to make too much sense.

 

I'll see if I can track down the information on the Vintages Wine List.

 

Waiters names? Gosh that was 24 hours ago! It's funny....it all happens in a blur and everyone speaks with such a heavy accent that what you hear is rith tidh tonight.....eiduuvyhe rigsa.woidf.,....linquini...gyasbejko duw.oydlpp pesto sauce. Idornosyshn. kdiiuqwn rare, medium rare, or medium...sosuidn etc. LOL you are so busy struggling to catch any word or phrase that you can understand that a lot gets losts in the translation.

 

Still have to find out about Emily...but I won't forget.

 

Okay...here is the review for today.

 

Day Five, St. Martaan

 

Well today brought with it a little disappointment. We pulled into St. Martaan and the captain announced that there was “another ship” in port that had reported over 700 cases of a “GI sickness”. There are three other ships in Port….the Carnival Liberty, The Holland American Westerdam, and Radiance of the Seas, parked directly in front of us.

 

There were precautions given to not shake hands with anyone and to be very zealous about washing your hands frequently.

 

DH decided, that after being so miserable last night (he slept for 10 hours) that he didn’t want to risk getting sick again, and then being sick for the last few days of our trip, so we forfeited our tickets to the Rhino Rider excursion (major bummer for me). We did not book this tour through RCCL. Originally we’d had a different excursion that was booked through RCCL, but that excursion was cancelled by the tour company two or three days before we left home, and it was too late to book another excursion on line THROUGH Royal Caribbean. So I researched the remaining excursions and liked the sound of the Rhino Rider and booked it independently. It was about half the price of the RCCL sponsored one, so it was worth the gamble.

 

So today we have stayed on the ship. The funny thing about this “GI sickness”……you don’t HAVE to go on board to get infected……all those other passengers that go ashore could bring it back to the ship and potentially give it to anyone on board. So all those precautions will still need to be taken.

 

So, DH watched a movie in the room this morning and I went on a spy mission. I took the camera and took as many of the Carnival Liberty photos from the various decks on my ship as I could get. Our ship is much bigger, our pools are in greater number and much bigger. Our sports deck must be the envy of every Carnival passenger that is looking back at me spying on them. Two things Carnivals ship had over the Mariner. The outdoor theater (that IS pretty cool) and the water slide. I am sure the kids love that.

 

The Holland America ship is pretty (pictures attached) but I found absolutely nothing that would inspire me to want to sail on her from where I was viewing. I had looked at Holland America in the past and I think the interior is very elegant looking.

 

The Mariner is virtually empty (everyone has gone on shore to get their share of the GI bug) so I took some pictures of things I may have missed. I came back to the room and DH is on his second movie. So I’m not sure what I will do this afternoon.

 

I’m back…..we ended up going to the Windjammer for afternoon tea. DH is really watching what he eats today, having learned a bit of a lesson last night, I think. I got some great pictures that I will post tonight. The Windjammer is usually pretty well attended so unless you get there really early, it is hard to get pictures. But, once again, we are hearing that the crowd is not what it usually is, and many times we see only half of the serving stations filled, the other half roped off. We ran into one of our table mates who went to the butterfly farm. They said they learned a lot about butterflies and saw some pretty butterflies, but I think they were a little disappointed by the very primitive nature of “the farm”. Still, they had a good time. They said someone was evacuated from the ship by ambulance this morning, but I don’t know any of the details. Apparently, whatever happened, happened on the pool/sports deck.

 

Tonight we go to Chops and I will finish my review after that and then post pictures of last night’s Caribbean buffet and today’s pictures. If my internet connection cooperates, I have a lot of misc. pictures (including a couple of Carnival comparisons) that I hope to post.

 

We’re back. We ate at Chops and it was spectacular. We both had steaks, and I had the cheese and onion soup (excellent) and DH had the Lobster Bisque (better in the dining room he says) and the Dungeness Crab and Shrim Cake. We both had the berry mousse which is the best dessert I have had since boarding the ship. It is very light, very refreshing with very intense raspberry flavor. Excellent dessert after a heavy meal. I think I preferred Chops over Portofino’s, although both were excellent. The service was much more efficient at Portofino’s than at Chops, but I think I preferred the food at Chops more. I think the attendants are stretched too thin at Chops and that resulted in some disorganization at times and slower service.

 

When we got back to our room we had another towel animal intruder in our room….this one was the best one yet!......LOL…..you ain’t gonna believe this one! It’s getting crowded in our suite and we are running out of sunglasses! I wonder if our attendant has any idea how we laugh when we return from dinner each night to be greeted by her latest towel creation!!! We are going to wait until tomorrow to send this latest animal pic so we can get one with natural sunlight to show some of the detail.

 

We got a little more detail on the virus that infected so many passengers from one of the other ships. It was picked up in Europe and it is Norwalk, so we have concluded that must have been on the Holland America ship. We got to watch both of those ships depart St. Martaan and sail away into the sunset. The pictures that were taken of the sunset, however, were moments before the ships sailed and the sun had really set too much for good pictures by the time they actually sailed (drat!!). But it was still fun to watch them leave.

 

Okay, DH and I are on our way to the Concierge’s Lounge to post today’s pictures and review. When I get back (and have free internet), I will post all the pictures I have been storing up. But you’d be surprised how it eats away at the minutes. See ya in a bit.

 

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Last nights towel animals.

 

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CruiseMor

CruiseMor

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Pootersmom - Thank you for your continued review and great pictures. It's great to enjoy your cruise with you!! We may be considering a Rhino Rider excursion for our upcoming Eastern Caribbean cruise since I am claustrophobic and need to stay above the water!

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dachshunddoglover

dachshunddoglover

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The illness is onboard the Carnival Liberty. This morning on "Good Morning America" it was reported that 637 passengers and staff had the illness. And those are just the ones that reported it. The actual number must be higher because some won't report for fear of being confined to their cabin. I feel bad for the passengers. Glad it's not on RCCI. E-Beth

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SherriZ366

SherriZ366

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The illness is onboard the Carnival Liberty. This morning on "Good Morning America" it was reported that 637 passengers and staff had the illness. And those are just the ones that reported it. The actual number must be higher because some won't report for fear of being confined to their cabin. I feel bad for the passengers. Glad it's not on RCCI. E-Beth

Too bad that you were in jeopardy of infection from the Carnival Liberty. This seems like a fairly large outbreak. Some passengers brought it onboard as they had been sick in Rome and it really has spread. I think RCCL has had a lot of experience and has gotten good at containing the norovirus.

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Pootersmom

Pootersmom

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You are correct....we got the word that it was the Carnival Liberty that had the illness aboard.

 

We have the second midnight buffet, so as usual...I am rushed tonight. So here is my review of today and some pictures of yesterday and today.

 

Day Six – Sea Day

 

Today was a very lazy day.

 

Decadent = Sleeping until 9:00 with your verandah door open so you can hear the water and the ocean breezes all night long.

 

Decadent = Soft-serve frozen yogurt (choco-vanilla twist) by the pool while watching the Mr. Mariner contest.

 

Decadent = Sitting on the lounge chair on your \private verandah and dozing off as the sounds of the waves and the gentle rocking of the ship work it’s magic on you.

 

Decadent = Relaxing while really cute Stephan (Steffon) massages collagen on your face in the spa.

 

Sigh….yes, it was a very relaxing day.

 

We had both breakfast and lunch in the Windjammer. The Windjammer really is convenient and because it is buffet style, with so MANY serving stations, it is almost impossible to not find something to tempt every palate.

 

After breakfast we went to the Concierge lounge and talked to Ricardo. He is SOOOO cute. We took a couple of pictures of him for those of you who want to know what he looks like and for those of you who already know and just miss his darling face. He really is a sweet guy. He gave us the scoop on Crown and Anchor and cruise credits etc. I told him about the recent thread on Cruise Critic where someone had said that they had found a blog he had started and that it included some pictures, but that it came down suddenly and many people thought that perhaps Royal Caribbean had made him remove it. Well….here’s the scoop. Ricardo thought that loyal Royal Caribbean passengers would love to see pictures of places they would recognize from their voyages, or events that they may have participated in. But one or two people expressed some reservations about whether it violated the privacy of passengers, and Ricardo is a VERY sensitive guy and took the blog down immediately because he didn’t want to be a part of ANY controversy that might ultimately reflect poorly on Royal Caribbean. HOWEVER……..he assured me that he DOES read Cruise Critic all the time and pays close attention to comments (both positive and negative) that are expressed, particular those things that he has some control over…..like the day to day operations of the Concierge Lounge. He recited the names of a couple of Cruise Critic members whose posts he has read and remembered(their screen names) and I recognized the names from posting here. Kinda cool.

 

As far as my review of the lounge itself is concerned……

1. GREAT continental breakfast.

2. GREAT Hors d’ oeuvres

3. Free cocktails from 5:00 till 8:30 each evening.

4. He had our Ice show tickets for us early Tuesday morning.

5. “Unpublished” wireless hot spot (wink wink).

6. Friendly and attentive assistance with any questions or issues you may have while on your cruise.

7. If you want to take a look at the dining room menu’s in advance, you’ll find them there, as well as the menu’s for Portofino’s, Chops and the wine menu for vintages. For the person who ask for some pictures of the Vintages Menu, Ricardo helped me get pictures of the one he has in the lounge and I will e-mail those to you directly when I get home, if you want to post your e-mail address here.

 

The Concierge Lounge is only open to Diamond Members or guests staying in a Grand Suite, Owner’s Suite or the Royal Suite. You are given a separate key card that unlocks the door. Ricardo says he will be on the Liberty in March for the initial sailing and is really excited about that.

 

I asked Ricardo about Emily in the General Store and he said she is no longer there.

 

At 2:00 we came back to the room for a bit and that is when I went out onto the Verandah and stretched out on the lounge chair to watch the water, and I don’t even remember falling asleep but I remember some really pleasant dreams while I was out there. Gosh, it was so relaxing.

 

3:00 was my date (I mean appointment) with Stephan. I let him take creative control and he wound my hair in a one-of-a kind arrangement. THIS time I got pictures. AND….he sold me a couple hundred dollars of beauty products…..DAMN he’s good!

 

I had to race back to put on my gown and get DH ready for the Ice Show. I know it has been said here many, many times…..but you MUST see the ice show. The Costumes are incredibly beautiful and the skating was 99.9% flawless tonight. Had a near slip, but the skater caught himself before he fell. This is also one placed where you will see some of the most beautiful young men and women you are ever likely to come across. They are superbly physically fit and the grace and beauty with which they perform their craft is breathtaking. Don’t miss it.

 

Then we had to race to dinner which was in 10 minutes. Half way there we stopped to have formal pictures taken and then off to dinner. Tonight was Lobster and Prime Rib. It was very good. I also had the roasted peach soup….EXCELLENT. The garnish it with diced strawberries…..very nice touch.

 

Tonight is the Culinary Delights Buffet…..it’s supposed to be the fancier of the two buffets…..and if we can stay up that late (it’s at midnight) I’ll get some pictures.

 

We moseyed on through the casino (for the first time). DH was pretty resistant to going there. I can’t imagine why….it’s the one public room where he can actually SMOKE!!

 

Then we headed back to the room to change out of our finery and ran into the latest towel creation…..I dunno….maybe it’s just me….but I think this little guy is sexy.

 

Unless tomorrow is entirely different than what I anticipate, this will probably be my last post until after I get home to North Carolina, which will be late Sunday night or early Monday.

 

Well…gotta upload some pictures so I can post. See ya in a bit.

 

First picture taken from the Windjammer.

 

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Last night's towel animal

 

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Dessert last night at Chops

 

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Dining room Chef's,taken tonight at formal night.

 

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Pootersmom

Pootersmom

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Pootersmom -- thanks for the great reports especially the info. on the Concierge Club and the pictures of it. Ricardo sounds like he is a wonderful concierge. Could you please find out if he will still be on the Mariner on Jan. 21? Thanks

 

 

Sherri,

 

Ricardo is sitting near me as I type this and he says YES he will be here on that voyage....it will be his last for the Mariner before his vacation and then when he comes back to work....it will be on the maiden voyage of the Liberty. Definitely stop in and say hello.....he will be counting on it!!!! heh heh

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SherriZ366

SherriZ366

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Sherri,

 

Ricardo is sitting near me as I type this and he says YES he will be here on that voyage....it will be his last for the Mariner before his vacation and then when he comes back to work....it will be on the maiden voyage of the Liberty. Definitely stop in and say hello.....he will be counting on it!!!! heh heh

Pootersmom -- thanks for asking Ricardo and we will definitely spend time in the Concierge Lounge. I think I already know of two bottles of wine that I will ask Ricardo to pre-order for me!!! He sounds wonderful.

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