Mariner of the Seas, 05-12 Oct 2008

[startraveler]

Just back last night, and am catching up to work. More to come later, but some points:

 

Grand Cayman's Pirate Encounter is not just for kids. I and my wife had a great time - her even more so because I opened up my big mouth and got tied to the main mast (and dunked with sea and icewater....) I played along; when one of the pirates told me I could get out of it and to name a number between 1 and 10, I said 25....

 

Guest Relations told me Monday night that I could leave my (U.S.) passport with them, and local authorities willing, they could get my passport stamped in Ocho Rios, Grand Cayman, and Cozumel, just come back next afternoon. Yup, I came back, different person said no can do. Still, on my own I got my passport stamped in Grand Cayman (no date by mistake - then again it was 08.00 for them), and in Ocho Rios, instead of a "permitted to stay as long as vessel remains in port" stamp, I got a regular stamp which allowed me to stay for two days!

 

Loved the high speed cruise tour in Labadee - get zipped around in a rubber boat (not the Thriller Powerboat) to different places, where the driver/guide explains different things. Got to see the wrecked remains of a freighter (suspected drug boat) as well as Saint-Michel and the failed start of a resort there. Nice way to dry off and keep cool (and yes, we were among the group for whom the tender was waiting for, not our fault....)

 

That tour was recommended by the Explorations staff, and we will thank them for it.

 

Got to drive a wave runner for the first time, also in Labadee. We were told to check on the beach for wave runners, since the recent hurricane caused a gasoline shortage there. I had a bit of a problem with the machine - sorta had to steer right in order to go straight - and was really not impressed when one of the chase people asked me, "Are you trying to kill yourself?" when I was having problems.... I won't do that excursion from them again.

 

Any monies placed on your Seapass card from the Arcade does not get refunded. We had a few extra dollars left over and never got a chance to use it up. (The full $10 showed up on our account.)

 

Didn't like Dunns River Falls with all the pushy sellers. We got a group of five together so we could run the gauntlet toward the exit. At the end, there were two women sellers who said to us that they'd leave us alone and let us browse in peace, but it was too late.

 

Just for the experience, we used Cayman dollars and Mexican pesos while in those countries (though they also posted prices in US dollars); we didn't have an opportunity to use Jamaican dollars in Ocho Rios, since the places we were at took US dollars only.

 

The helicopter deck is the best "open secret" for watching the ship come into port.

[startraveler]

Oh, and while I'm thinking of it.... do NOT buy the $14.95 tote in the ship's store. We needed an extra bag for all the souvenirs we bought; one zipper pull broke five minutes after we used it, another the next day. We're writing a letter to RCI and sending them the pulls - they're badly connected between the emblem and a ring that's around the zipper mechanism....

[startraveler]

Oh, while I'm putting cruise photos and memorabilia into photo albums:

 

In Labadee, you can use a locker to store your stuff in while you're on the wave runner or whatever. It's a $4 rental. (Don't remember whether it was cash or SeaPass.)

 

Here's the thing: we had somebody trying to tell us that it was a one-shot thing, that is, you can only use the locker once, and not make multiple entries. One guy and I were ready to "dispute" this with a higher-up, since paying $4 every time we need to use a locker is ridiculous. (The locker is locked and opened with your wristband, which has some sort of proximity circuit.)

 

"If that's changed,that's new to me," the person said.

 

As it turns out, you can use those lockers more than once (now, watch they change it....) I was able to get in and out of the locker at least three times.

 

And if you get a wristband and the lock doesn't turn, get a new wristband. My first one was bad and they replaced it. After I was beating up the locker and thinking the locks were bad due to the salt air.

[startraveler]

Also wasn't happy with Jamaica because they herded (and yes, that's the right word) everybody who had an excursion into this Quonset-type hut. Picture all those photos you've seen of Ellis Island at its peak. Now picture a few hundred cruise passengers INSIDE a room where the fans didn't help, and no one knows what's going on. We got our excursion tix looked at, told to stand in one area, waited for a good amount of time, then went to someone else who told us to go stand somewhere else. Which we did, only then to be told to go outside.

 

In contrast, Grand Cayman had this spacious space outdoors. Since our excursion wasn't until 13.00, we asked someone if this is where would meet them later. She pointed to an area with a huge banner clearly marked as to the name of the excursion (other excursions had the same set up.) It was a lot more calmer than Jamaica.