Thinking about Mariner?

[nashkan]

We are thinking about doing the Mariner this next year. We have been on NCL, HAL, and CCL.... this is a very large ship.... and we were wondering about that, on other lines with a ship this size it has bee a little TOO big and getting on & off were a problem..... what are thoughts about the Mariner..... Thank you in advance ....... Dan

[RDeagazio]

Mariner is my favorite in the Voyager class... easy to embark/debark in Pt. Canaveral.. If you want to see pics of the ship/cabins etc.. check out:

 

http://community.webshots.com/user/rdeagazio

[cb at sea]

RCI has this down to an art! Yeah, it's big, but not THAT much bigger than the other ships! You shouldn't have any problem getting on or off. It's really amazing--with the number of folks onboard, you'd never realize it! The design really disperses everyone, so you never feel "crowded"!

[Parrothead234]

Mariner is my favorite ship. We've got our 3rd cruise booked for February. I've also been on HAL, CCL and Disney, and loved them all, but really enjoy RCCL. It IS a big ship, and there are times when the buffet is pretty crowded, but overall I would highly recommend it.

[Shappy]

is probably my favorite ship (over 30 cruises). Like Celebrity Summit too but more subdued.

 

We are taking our 3 kids who are in their 20s in a few weeks for New Years, specifically didn't care where the Mariner went we just loved it so much. I don't see how you couldn't like this ship, no complaints from me.

[JanineM]

There were a few times when I really noticed the size of the crowd on Mariner.

 

- On Sunday afternoon, when everyone has just boarded and is getting lunch in the Windjammer

- Later Sunday afternoon after the Muster Drill (it can take awhile to get back to the cabin)

- Waiting for tenders in Cozumel. Haven't noticed long waits in any of the other ports, and we have sailed both Eastern & Western Caribbean on Mariner.

 

But these were fairly brief interludes. In general, I never felt crowded or pushed or overwhelmed.

 

She is a beautiful ship with so much to do! Hope this helps.

[TomCat32174]

And book her now!

[Christy1120]

This is our first time on the Mariner but last year we were on AOS and we loved it! Thought the size was perfect. Actually, we got spoiled with AOS and vowed never to go on anything smaller than what we were on last year.

[isujim]

We finally went on our first Voyager Class ship in April on the Mariner.......you will have no problem with embarkation or debarkation.....as mentioned RC has this down pretty good. The only thing we noticed is that there are times..........and more times than not......that you will have to wait for several elevators if you use them to get from point to point.

 

The activities of the ship are literally spread out from Deck 2 and 3 all the way to the Viking Crown on top.......so sometimes using an elevator becomes necessary............be prepared to wait during peak times.

 

That said, we would definetly book a Voyager class ship again and have for a back to back in 2008 on the Voyager.

[nashkan]

Thank you all for the replies.... we are going to book for this next Fall.... We did the Radiance, a couple years back, our only RCCL cruise and we really enjoyed it.... we hope that the Mariner will be of equal quality..... The last cruise that we did was on HAL and we really expected much better service and quality.... the service (I have to admit) was the BEST we have experienced, but as for overall food & quality, and for basic atmoshere, the Radiance was top notch.... we do hope the Mariner will be right up there with that.... Can I ask another question? What about the kid's programs? thank you all..... Dan

[bigsky]

Great kid's programs...kids love this ship! We already went on her and now taking our teens cuz I know they'll enjoy her as well.

 

You won't be disappointed!

[piercetc4]

the kids area is larger on mariner and navigator than the other 3 voyager class ships from what i can tell- we checked out the mariner kids areas and there was a lot of space for the different ages of kids- there are lots of things to do for ages 3 and up- have a great cruise

[Willbcruisin]

:D We were on Navigator last December. Once my girls hit the kids program I did not see much of them after that except for dinner and excursions! I had walkie-talkies to keep in touch with them and of course, I kept an eye out. They had a blast and made many friends that they still keep in touch with via e-mail today! Their favorite thing was a "snowball" fight on the upper deck! They used the "snow" from the ice rinks machine! Who would ever think about a snowball fight in the middle of the Caribbean!

 

They are so excited to go on Mariner next! I have to "beg" them to come for dinner and then they eat fast so they can get back to the kids club!

I even had to wait up for them!!!!

[jules815]

You WILL NOT be disappointed if you book Mariner.

 

Mariner was our first cruise, and we loved her so much, we're going again this June. It was by far the best family vacation we'd ever taken.

 

Our daughters, 12 and 16 had a wonderful time; so much to do, and they met up with a really nice group of kids the first night and made instant friends. They still keep in touch via email. We loved Mariner so much, that we have a group of friends with their children, joining us next time. We all can't wait! 6 months to go!!

 

Enjoy your cruise!

[katiel53]

We had no trouble embarking or debarking in Pt. Canaveral. We got to the port about 10:45, parked the car and walked to the main building. The porters took our suitcases and we went thru security and up to the main check-in area. We waited a while before the doors opened as there was a wedding party to embark before we could. Right after them, about 11:30 or so, we went onboard.

 

Coming off was just as easy. We were the first color called and were off the ship by 8:15 and home by 9:30.

 

The only times we felt "a crowd" was on sea days in the Windjammer. We went once and the other days to the dining room.

 

When we were in St. Thomas, the ship had two exits open so people didn't have to be crowded when getting off the ship. I didn't notice if it was the same in St. Martin but we weren't in a hurry to get off the ship for a tour.

 

We loved the Promenade and spent a good deal of time there. It's fun to just sit and people watch. I know you will love the Mariner and enjoy your cruise.

 

 

Katie