All Things Mariner Of The Seas

[Lowcountrygal]

lowcountrygal: question for you, i saw the neat pics of tubing in Ocho Rios. i am assuming one was your son, how old was he? my son is turning 12 onboard and wondering if this would be okay... it looked kind of rough in one of the other pics... did u book this excursion thru RCCL? was that a paddle he had or it looked like a stick ?? thanks for the info... that looks pretty cool.... we also wanted to do Dunns River.

 

Jill,

He was 13 at the time and those photos are what the 'papparazzi' took!! *LOL* (They have Jamaican photographers in place that snap your photo so you can purchase them afterwards!).

 

Trust me, the river is SO lazy except for one or two areas where it rushes just a little and that is where the photographers are stationed. Otherwise, it wouldn't be as exciting of a photo anywhere else along the river. The little rush is not enough to get you off your tube or even lose your sunglasses or anything like that. My son was hoping that the water would rush more often and for a longer period of time. It was a relaxing tour and nice family time. The guides are humorous and make sure that no breaks away from the group by floating away. They would sing alot for us and have us join in the refrain!

 

Yes, it's a paddle, but you don't really use it unless you need to push away from the bank of the river or use it for a family member to grab a hold of so you can float together.

 

The inner tubes have a plywood bottom, so you can't scrape your hind end on anything. Purchase your disposable waterproof camera at home to take on this excursion, so you can have some photos. The vegetation in the area is unique.

 

The van ride up to the entrance of the river is really unique too. You see the backcountry, schools, homes, goats, lots of dogs, pigs, chickens, etc. It's not the city! Everyone is friendly and again, the guides do a fantastic job of driving down narrow roads and giving you a narrated tour along the way.

 

We booked this through the cruise line but it's probably not necessary to do so. We had guests from nearby resort hotels there with us too -- in a different group.

 

We did Dunn's River the year before and liked that as well. My advice is that when you leave, exit through the entrance! If you follow the 'exit' signs you are set up to walk through stalls upon stalls of desperate merchants looking to sell you anything and are very persistant to the point of being harassing. When you say "no, thanks" they persist and even offered my husband drugs instead! WATCH YOUR TEENS!! The wares are souvenier quality stuff that you wouldn't likely buy anyway. That experience took away from the fun of the excursion and wish the cruise lines would warn passengers about this.

 

Hope that helps!

Rose

[Lowcountrygal]

Packing tip:

If you or your child plans on ice-skating aboard the Mariner, you must wear long pants. This is not negotiable.

 

Yes, there are roller-blades available and ice-skates too. The ice skates are those same blue figure skates you see for rental at most ice rinks.

 

Rose

[FMZ]

We are on the Mariner in 9 days, right after the drydock!! WHOO-WHOO!!! This is our 3rd RCCL cruise but first time on the Mariner so I am glad to hear so many good things about her! We are going with 2 sets of friends - one of which has never cruised before, so what a great way to break them in!

 

If only the zipline at labadee was going to be up and running! Thanks for the awesome thread!

[RCLFan]

Wife, son (15) and I have all sailed the Mariner. She and I twice in '05 and the son once in '05.

 

Both sailings were great, but I have to say I enjoyed the June sailing better. Passengers seemed a bit younger, and more fun. The Karoke Idol on board was much better in June that the Sept. sailing. And since James Andrews was the CD on both it was pretty much the same from one to the other as far as his "jokes" and such - but that is to be expected.

 

Who is the CD for the July 1 sailing, does anyone know? And who is the Captain, 1st sailing was Capt. Johnny, and I can't recall the second time out, but if anyone was on that sailing during the first week of Sept. '05, they might recall. All I remember is he sang and played guitar to "Hotel California" in the Pub one formal night - was actually quite good. But I recall his name.

 

Now we'll be on board again during the first week of July and am looking forward to it once more.

 

We love the Ice Show and Quest, and just lounging at the pool(s). We may try breakfasts on the balcony, and the spa this time around. Any suggestions on spa treatments and what about breakfast on the balcony - are there limitations as to what they'll deliver?

 

I hope all who are intending on sailing on MOS enjoy her.

[luv2travel29]

rose:

thanks for the info ~ that looks like something we would really enjoy... now to decide between that and the falls....

have a good evening !

jill

[khank]

We're on the Mariner for the 3rd time July 8 and I can't wait! She is such a beautiful ship!!! The last 2 Mariner cruises were Western (didn't drink any tequila in Cozumel the first time as we did the "educational Mayan Ruins tour", so had to go the next year). This is our first Eastern Caribbean cruise! We're planning to go to St. John's in St. Thomas. Any suggestions for St. Martin would be greatly appreciated!

[Hojo's redbeard]

We're on the Mariner for the 3rd time July 8 and I can't wait! She is such a beautiful ship!!! The last 2 Mariner cruises were Western (didn't drink any tequila in Cozumel the first time as we did the "educational Mayan Ruins tour", so had to go the next year). This is our first Eastern Caribbean cruise! We're planning to go to St. John's in St. Thomas. Any suggestions for St. Martin would be greatly appreciated!

 

St. Martin-cheap shopping and good beaches.

 

We appreciate everyone's input, can't wait to hear more. We've been trying to get back to Royal Caribbean but the last three we booked had to get moved for schedule conflicts and the two cruises over the last 18 months were on other lines due to being MUCH cheaper than the Mariner, or we couldn't get 3 to a cabin on the Mariner for when we needed to go (stinkin' Coast Guard regulations!).

 

Our 9/9/7 sailing is the week after our 10th Anniversary (DW wanted Western route and didn't care if it was the wrong week), so we used Anniversary as the "excuse" to bump Jr. Suite to Grand Suite :D

 

I'd much rather go during the summer, but too much going on!

[Peggy13]

My fave ship so far is Mariner!!! She is beautiful!!! All who are going on her will fall in love with her!

 

Anyone who is lucky enough to have cabin 7688---it's AWESOME!!!!:D

 

We are going on the Mariner for the 2nd time this June 24th - can't wait. My husband and 4 kids. We will have cabin 7688, 7690 and my daughter and her girlfriend have cabin 7388!! Love the Mariner!!

[CruiserNic]

I have a question for those who have been on Mariner before. There will be a family group of 12 of us. We plan on getting a table for all 12 of us. I have seen several pictures of the dining room, but most of them are the same angle: looking down from the 2nd or 3rd level to the bottom level. I can see in the pics that there are 12 tops in the middle of the bottom level, but the only tables I've seen pics of on the other levels are 4 or 6 tops. My question to you seasoned veterans is are there bigger tables on the 2nd and 3rd level, or will we more than likely be on the bottom level? It doesn't matter, I was just wondering since I haven't been able to see any really good pics of the two other levels. Thanks!!

[Peggy13]

I have a question for those who have been on Mariner before. There will be a family group of 12 of us. We plan on getting a table for all 12 of us. I have seen several pictures of the dining room, but most of them are the same angle: looking down from the 2nd or 3rd level to the bottom level. I can see in the pics that there are 12 tops in the middle of the bottom level, but the only tables I've seen pics of on the other levels are 4 or 6 tops. My question to you seasoned veterans is are there bigger tables on the 2nd and 3rd level, or will we more than likely be on the bottom level? It doesn't matter, I was just wondering since I haven't been able to see any really good pics of the two other levels. Thanks!!

 

The last time we were on the Mariner, we had a Table for 11 and it was on the 3rd level of the Dining Room - yes they do have different sized tables on all three levels.

[CruiserNic]

The last time we were on the Mariner, we had a Table for 11 and it was on the 3rd level of the Dining Room - yes they do have different sized tables on all three levels.

 

Thank you! I figured that they probably did, but I have only seen a few pics of the 2nd and 3rd levels and they only showed small tables. Is one level better than the rest or is it pretty much the same no matter where you are?

[ColoradoMom!!]

All you summer cruisers--is it just unbearably hot?

 

I am sooooo tempted to switch to the Mariner as it would save some $$ over the Freedom. I am also wondering if it is cheaper to fly into Orlando than Miami or FLL from Denver. When I put in fake dates for Southwest, it is cheaper into Orlando. :)

[Gingras31]

Never been on the mariner, but have been on the explorer. STill have a long way to go, we aren't sailing until 10/19/08. Has anyone ever stayed in JS 9606?

[sflinch]

On May 6th I am boarding the Mariner. Looking forward to it very much. Rm 1688. 1 week to go......YIPPY!!!

Never sailed on Mariner before. Actually, I only sailed once before, last Year on Jewel of the Seas. I do believe I'm now addicted to cruising....

[TDOTCRUISR]

Can someone tell me the difference between a reg quad room and one with a pullman? I know the pullman comes from the ceiling, but is there any diff in terms of configuration, etc? Does one have an advantage over the other? Thanks.

[kruzerci]

How did I just find this thread??? Mariner is my favorite ship, we can't wait to sail on her again next year! We're sailing on Freedom in July, but its gong to be hard to beat Mariner.

[kruzerci]

All you summer cruisers--is it just unbearably hot?

 

I am sooooo tempted to switch to the Mariner as it would save some $$ over the Freedom. I am also wondering if it is cheaper to fly into Orlando than Miami or FLL from Denver. When I put in fake dates for Southwest, it is cheaper into Orlando. :)

 

It is VERY hot, but not unbearable ;) . We had pretty mild weather on Navigator last year (low 80's), but we had mid 90's on Voyager and Mariner. The big thing about summer is not the heat, it is whether or not there is going to be a hurricane :eek: !

 

We decided to go with Freedom our cruise this summer because we plan to go on Mariner again next year. She's still my favorite ship, though!

[tahkli71]

Has anyone stayed in stateroom 7564? Any info would be helpful.

[ChrisM444]

Hi All -

 

My son, Steve and his new bride will be on their honeymoon on the Mariner also on May 6th. Couldn't have asked for anything nicer than the first cruise after dry dock. I'm trying to find out who the concierge is so I can can confirm some special requests I have made. Will Captain Johnny be back for that cruise?

 

This is a surprise for Steve and Mary Beth. They know they are cruising and that it is out of Port Canaveral; but, that is all. I'm trying to arrange as much as possible so they can have the time of their lives. Steve has cruised before; but, not Mary Beth. He has never cruised with Royal Caribbean and never a ship this large with so many amenities.

 

If anyone can help with the concierge's name it would be a big help

 

Thanks, Chris

[torpeedo]

I don't know if this question is on here or not but here goes.. considering next saturday, H cabin on deck 3..same deck as the Dragon's Lair. Is there noise? Would be up the hall a bit nearer the front of the ship..

Are these cabins smaller than other H cabins?? Never sailed on the Mariner and don't know if we should given these cabins..?

[bambam2972]

She's in dry dock this week!!! Woo hoo!!

 

 

Can't wait to see her all shiny in 3 weeks!!!!!!! :D :D

[Lowcountrygal]

We're on the Mariner for the 3rd time July 8 and I can't wait! She is such a beautiful ship!!! The last 2 Mariner cruises were Western (didn't drink any tequila in Cozumel the first time as we did the "educational Mayan Ruins tour", so had to go the next year). This is our first Eastern Caribbean cruise! We're planning to go to St. John's in St. Thomas. Any suggestions for St. Martin would be greatly appreciated!

 

Khank:

I wanted to say "hello" and tell you that I remember sailing with you on the Mariner in 2005 -- and recall your hubby performing in the Karaoke competition on that cruise.

We had a great Meet & Mingle & we'd often run into each other on the stairwells. We are from Savannah & were travelling with our then 12 y/o son.

 

The Mariner remains our favorite ship. We're doing the Eastern aboard the Mariner in May 08 -- as soon as school lets out. It saves us lots of money by not waiting til the next sailing in June!

 

Nice to 'see' you again!

Rose

[ncdebe]

1) What is "Quest"? I keep seeing this but have no idea what it is...

 

2) any secret places to lounge? Any specialities of the spa not to be missed?

 

3) What is the "mystery dinner"

 

THANKS

[Lowcountrygal]

1) What is "Quest"? I keep seeing this but have no idea what it is...

 

2) any secret places to lounge? Any specialities of the spa not to be missed?

 

3) What is the "mystery dinner"

 

THANKS

 

I can't comment from personal experience re: Quest, as I have never participated. There are numerous threads that can explain it better. It's an adult game (no children) that is wild & crazy.

 

As far as lounging places, the helipad offers a quiet and beautiful view -- often a teenage make-out area at night though. I like Ellington's way up top (Deck 14) at night, it's magical. The Meet & Mingle is usually held there in the early afternoon on the first day at sea.

 

Murder mystery dinner -- again, I've never done that. It's an interactive dinner. Reservations are needed, it's done at Portofino speciality restaurant.

 

Don't know if that helps any! Good luck!

Happy Sails!

[bsddsc]

a quick question, I am writing a review of our 15-April-2007 cruise on the Mariner. A beautiful ship, but absolutely the worst food in 11 cruises. Is this the forum for the completed cruise reviews? I found so many previous reviews in Cruise Critics helpful to me in navigating around this large ship.

Thank you,