Mariner...4/25/04 Eastern Sailing...Review

[Ocean Boy]

Well, here are my thoughts on the April 27, 2004 Eastern Caribbean sailing of Mariner of

the Seas. I hope this provides some help and doesn’t bore you. First of all, since this is a

review it means that these are my opinions. If you do not agree with them feel free to say

so but please save the flames for another thread. Also, my previous cruises were on

Celebrity’s Horizon to Bermuda and RCI’s Explorer of the Seas Western route. I may at

times compare the three cruises but what I won’t do is say that one was better, or worse,

than the other. They were all very awesome, but very different, cruises.

 

ARRIVAL

We flew into Orlando and the weather was great on Sunday with are flights on time

landing a noon and no connection glitches. This was a big change from the storms of last

year and a good start to a vacation. We used Art’s Shuttle Service and arrived at the port

at 1:15pm. We were on the ship at 2:00pm. You can do the math...45 minutes. I don’t

know if it just happened to be our timing but check in took no time at all. RCI had its act

together big time. Sailing took place exactly at 5PM. The ship was right on schedule all

week. Do not be late getting back to the ship.

 

THE SHIP

I have heard it said that bigger is better. I don’t think that is always true. But in the case of

this ship and her sisters it is true. She is, for lack of a better word, awesome. And she is big. But it all fits together so well. She is built high with her fourteen decks not counting the three below waterline. But she looks proportional because of her 1020 ft of length. Because of her superstructure design she does have a bit of the hotel look from the side as do many ships that have balconies. The changes that they made when they built Navigator and Mariner,

unfortunately, gave them the hotel look from the side which the first three sisters in the

class do not have. She is incredibly stunning inside. However, unlike Explorer which is

not gaudy at all but very tastefully done Mariner is a mixture. The forward and aft parts

of the ship had to have had two different decorators. The aft stairwell has art pieces of mosaic earth tones that are so relaxing and fit well a grand dam of the sea like Mariner. The

forward stairwell is filled with stuff that I would describe as catastrophic at best and has no place in a ship like this. I realize that art is interpreted differently by each of us but kitchen plates and cups stacked on top of one another do nothing for me. Neither do kitchen utensils made out of wire, a bucket of paint with a brush in it, or a bunch of shirt collars. Not to mention the infamous piece of sheet metal with model cars attached to it. Although with

half of the cars broken off it is more just a piece of sheet metal. If you want other

examples I can provide them. It is so easy to find your way around her just as it is her

sisters. I loved exploring her and just roaming around. If you have not seen the whole ship

by the end of the week or do not know your way around her it is only because you put no

effort into it. And you rarely feel as if there are 3400+ other guests on board with you not

to mention the 1200+ crew. And the ship is spotless even with the volume of people

aboard. There are no maintenance issues that I could see. Sometimes the Royal Promenade can get a little crowded, especially during the parades but it doesn’t happen often. We never stood in line for anything the entire week. I went to two different rock climbing sessions. I went up three times the first session and three the second. If you want a deck chair next to the pool you had better get up early. If you are not fussy about location you can always find a chair somewhere in either the sun or shade, whichever you prefer. Also, one pool and hot tub is kept open 24 hrs. a day. A lot of towels seemed to

arrive before 7AM but I can’t say the same for people. Bolero’s replaces Explorer’s Aquarium bar and is and it is a very pretty area of the ship. It is where you enter the ship when you first board and it makes a very good first impression of what is to come.

 

THE CREW

She has a good crew. They seemed quite friendly. This includes the painters and people scrubbing the decks. However, they did not exude the feeling of also being very happy which I experienced on Explorer. Explorer may have had some unhappy crew members but they and I were never in the same place at the same time. Horizon’s crew was much more aloof and often would not speak unless spoken to first. Our cabin attendant was not as chatty as the one we had on Explorer who chatted with me every evening when we were leaving for dinner. Our cabin and bathroom were kept spotless but the cabin was made up much later in the morning than ever before. No big deal. The caliber of service

was equal on Horizon and Explorer but I can’t say that about Mariner, especially when it

came to the dining room. In the past our wait staff is what always made the dining room

special to us. I would describe the service this year as friendly and efficient but also rushed. Waiters were moving through the dining room much faster than ever before. I think it is a staffing issue. Also, there was no hanging around the table and chatting or getting to know us. Never was any effort made to get to know our names. Things changed a bit the last night which is of course tip night. It was quite interesting to see how much time they had that night. This was the first cruise that I had no desire to tip above the recommended amounts. Other examples of decreased service is water and ice tea glasses not being refilled without asking for it and sometimes not being refilled even after asking. This never happened on Horizon or Explorer where the staff seemed to be

anticipating our every want. One interesting thing was that our waiter from last year was

on board Mariner. When he saw us he actually came over to say hello and addressed us by

name. I think the only one more surprised than I that he knew my name was he when I called him by his name. Another issue was in the Windjammer where the woman taking omelet orders would lean on the counter with her head resting in her hands. When you walked up to her she would just look at you and wait for you to say something.

Occasionally she would take her head out of her hands so she could rub her nose with the

same hand that would then serve you your food.. Then the head would go back in the hands. I don’t know how long she had been there but I would think that some supervisor would spot that behavior pretty quickly and fix it. It didn’t get fixed all week. Mornings when another guy was working the station were much more pleasant.

 

THE CABIN

We had ocean view cabins on the second deck. I am not a balcony fan so you don’t have to worry about competing with me to get one. The cabin was good size with plenty of room for two people as long as you like each other. It could be converted to a quad cabin but in that case you had better make sure you are all in love with each other. That would be too cramped for me. There is plenty of storage space. We moved right in and did not live out of suite cases. The bathroom is small but big enough to do what you need to in there. There is not a lot of elbow room in the shower but having a door instead of a curtain was a real nice feature. The water stayed in the shower and there was no curtain

constantly touching you. It also keeps the mirror from fogging up.

 

THE FOOD

We had all dinners in the dining room and breakfast and lunch in the Windjammer buffet.

Dinner was good but I am not a big fan of fancy food. It was of the same caliber of Horizon’s and Explorer’s dinners. I notices no decline in quality though the portions were rather small. That is no big deal when you are already eating ten times a day. The buffets were consistently good and also consistently consistent. There was little day to day variation. Fortunately, I like hamburgers with fried onions as that was lunch for me all week. There was much more variety on Horizon. The quality was certainly on par with

Horizon and Explorer. Desserts on Horizon and Explorer were better and there was much

more assortment on Horizon. Some dessert was plain not up to par. In particular the

baked Alaska was nothing more than a slab of ice cream with some hard cake on either end. I don’t know if it was hard because it was cold or stale. Either way it wasn’t “bakedâ€. The gala midnight buffet was nice to look at but not as elaborate as either Horizon or Explorer. We went to look but did not eat. The pizza on the ship is pretty bad too. It is paper thin and not the least bit crispy. It is not what this Italian boy is use to. But if you need a snack at 2 in the morning it does the trick. Cafe Promenade is open 24 hrs a day for snacks. The choices in there are not that good. Explorer’s Cafe Promenade was not any better. However, Explorer would have ice tea and lemonade available where Mariner only had water to drink. Of course, there is coffee, tea, and hot chocolate mix. Johnny Rocket’s is a lot of fun and the food and service are very good. It is open until 1am. We only went there once with the C & A coupon as opposed to multiple visits last year. The surcharge was still in place. I am waiting to see if the “test†ever ends. If the object is to decrease people’s patronage of the place it worked when it comes to us anyway.

 

ENTERTAINMENT

The production shows were ok except for one called “Front Rowâ€. I thought that was the

worst show I have ever seen at sea and maybe on land too. Explorer’s shows were better.

However, I thought the shows were actually much better on Horizon. I know Celebrity has a poor rap for shows. I don’t know maybe we were just on that ship at the right time. But....the ice show is something not to be missed. Under the Big Top was incredible. It was much better than any other show I have seen at sea with the exception of Explorer’s Planet Ice. I liked them both equally. Don’t miss the two parades on the Promenade. They are fun and so different from what you will see on other ships. The ship has a variety of venues from quiet places where you can be almost alone without retreating to your cabin to lively night life. The style of music is very different in the various lounges. We really liked the guitar player/singer in the Wig and Gavel and we spent many evenings there.

There is something for everyone. My only negative comment would be that sometimes the

music is mixed too loudly which sometimes makes it hard to have a conversation and on occasion it is uncomfortably loud. I walked into the disco one night and right back out as it hurt my ears. I am not hearing impaired and I intend to keep it that way.

 

PORTS...I will do this quickly...yeah right.

 

Nassau. It was our first time there so we did the typical tourist things walking around the

town. It was nice to experience but I would not book a future cruise based on the fact that

it stops there.

 

St. Thomas. This is a pretty island. We hired a taxi which brought us all around the island

and gave us very nice insight into the history as well as present day life on the island. We

saw Megan’s Bay. I have to say that I don’t see what all the hype is about the place. It is

pretty but nothing like what Bermuda has to offer. Even our Cape Cod beaches are nicer

in my opinion. There was a lot of litter around the island. I was quite surprised about that.

 

St. Martin. This is a beautiful island. It is very clean and the people very friendly. It was

Carnival day on the Dutch side and that was fun to watch in the morning. We rented a car and drove around the island. It was a great day and I would love to go back there. We didn’t have enough time to do all that we would have liked. We did go to Maho beach and I now belong to the exclusive group of people who have been sand blasted by the jet wash of a 747 taking off. If you are the type of person that loves riding roller coasters you will like this place. Some guy was monitoring the tower on a scanner and letting everyone know what was going to be landing or taking off. I had seen pictures in the past but you have to see these planes to believe it.

 

I wasn’t sure how I would like two full sea days in a row at the end but they actually

passed quite quickly and there was plenty to do, or not do, aboard ship.

 

DISEMBARKMENT

 

We left the ship for the last time at 7:45am. Immigration was no problem. Getting our

luggage was another matter. We didn’t get the bags until 9:30. They put some on the

conveyor belt and when there is no more room they put no more out. Apparently many people with early tags were in no rush to get their luggage. I can’t figure that one out. We had an 11:30 flight out of Orlando and we arrived at the gate just as they started boarding the plane. This whole process worked much better when we got off Explorer in Miami. My advice is if you have a morning flight keep your bags with you and carry them off the ship. We would have been out of there 90 minutes sooner.

 

SOME RANDOM THOUGHTS

 

The best time to go shopping on the ship is toward the end of the week. Many items go on

sale by Friday or Saturday. Many things never go on sale. If it looks like something is in

short supply you may want to get it early and not wait for a possible sale later in the week

as they might run out. The Logo shop does not have as much variety in items as Explorer

had last year. They also don’t have as much variety in sizing. A lot of clothing was only

available is size small. They feed people ten times a day and stock size small. Go figure.

 

The General store is mostly a liquor store. They sell very few personal items. If you forget

something you need at home don’t be surprised if you have to wait for a port call to get it.

 

Bread in the dining room is, in fact, now served piece by piece. The basket of roles is no more. Salads do not come with dressing already applied. Wait staff still comes around and

gives you a choice of dressing. There is no charge for juice in the morning in the

windjammer.

 

IN SUMMARY

 

Mariner is a great ship. My family and I had an incredible week on her though Explorer is

still the love in my life. For those going on their first cruise...if you think this might be

your only cruise then go for it. But if you are planning other cruises you may want to wait

to do this ship as any other ship might be a disappointment after being on Mariner. I don’t

know where we will go next after this ship. It is very hard to explain to someone what a

Voyager class ship is like. You truly have to experience one to understand. We were in

Nassau with Fantasy, Disney Wonder, and Regal Empress, St. Thomas with Ziuterdam, and St. Martin with Rotterdam. We met and talked with other cruisers and as soon as they heard we were from Mariner they had so many questions. Voyager class ships seem to attract a lot of interest. And it is funny, you get this feeling of pride when you point and say “that one is mine.†Docking in Nassau I was so glad that I wasn’t on one of those other ships. And it wasn’t because

she is big. It was because she is what she is...magnificent. I’m not sure, maybe it comes

from growing up on an island that I get this attachment to some ships. Well, that is about

it for now. I could probably go on forever but I have to cut this off somewhere. I’d be glad to hear other’s views of what I had to say and be glad to answer questions. I hope what I’ve had to say is helpful and you were not too bored reading this.. For those of you who are about to go aboard Mariner...you are about to have an experience of a lifetime.

 

Ocean Boy

 

Edited by request of original poster

 

[This message was edited by Host Mike on 05-07-04 at 05:46 PM.]

[mafig]

Thanks Ocean Boy.

 

We were on Explorer and will be going on Mariner in June. We'll see what our comparisons are between the two ships. Explorer is my husband's favorite cruise (although I had a great time on her, my favorite is the Coral Princess).

 

When were you on Explorer? We were on her in 2001. At that time all the reviews were glowing. I absolutely never heard of anyone saying one negative thing about her.

[gfkr2]

I enjoyed your excellent review having been on the Mariner the week before you. I have to say everthing was exceptionally clean on board, immaculate, spotless. My only complaint was the lack on any order in the buffet lines at the rear of the Windjammer. I hated waiting just to have a kid come from in from the other side. Spledid Ship, Mariner

[TMS9539]

Thanks for the great review! We'll be sailing on Mariner (Eastern) on June 13th. I can hardly wait!

 

Mariner of the Seas 06/2004

Grand Princess 01/2002

Ocean Princess 02/2001

[LLM]

Thank you for the great review. We will be going on the Mariner Eastern Caribbean Oct. 3rd and reading your review makes me more excited. We still have five months to wait!!!!

 

Lisa

 

Until Mariner of the Seas

 

 

Voyager of the Seas - Oct. 2003

[ED MARY ANN]

Ocean Boy what a outstanding repot a job well done have us packing up for our July cruise now.

 

7/10/04 MARINER OF THE SEAS CRUISE

[laurashelby]

Great Review Ocean Boy! Thanks for the info!

 

Hey Ed and MaryAnn....join us on our roll call...we'd love to have you!!

 

Laura

 

Roll Call: Mariner 7/11/04...Please Join Us!

 

 

Enchanted Seas 9/93

Atlantic 12/94

Majestic 4/95

Grandeur of the Seas 8/97

Paradise 8/99

Ocean Princess 8/00

Navigator of the Seas 10/03

 

 

 

Countdown 'till the Mariner 7/11/04!!

 

 

[Ocean Boy]

mafig...

 

We were on Explorer in April of 2003. I am thinking about trying Princess but I don't know if I am ever going to find a ship that equals or surpasses Explorer. There was just something very special about her.

 

BTW, one more thing that I would add to my above comments. I noticed no unusually servere movement of the ship as some have written about in the past. I thought she rode the seas just as well as Explorer did.

[tara5525]

We were on this sailing also and I agree with many of the things you pointed out. I was VERY disappointed with the production show "Front Row". The only show that really impressed us all week, was the ice show. That was awesome.

 

We felt that many of the employees were not overly friendly, like other ships. Our cabin steward was awful. If he wasn't going to be in our cabin all week with all of our personal belongings around, I would have complained on day one. He would not put the two single beds together on the first night, because he would have to get all new linens for that and it would have to wait until the morning. He didn't vacuum the cabin for 3 days. I don't think he ever used windex on the glass in the cabin. We had 4 people in our cabin, and midweek, he leaves 2 towels! I've never experienced such an unattentive cabin steward. His tip reflected his poor service and attitude. I heard talk about the omelette woman!

 

We were at Maho Beach watching the planes also. What a fun day! The kids had a blast, especially when that 747 landed. I agree with you on Nassau too, no need to even get off the boat if I ever go back there. I'll probably plan my next cruise to avoid that port. I don't know why RCCL even stops there. The ship was in excellent condition and I would cruise this ship again, but mostly for convenience, since we live about 3 hours from Port Canaveral.

[judie43]

Ocean Boy...I agree almost completly with your review.Our cabin steward did just what he had to and not a bit more.One night we were really rushing and I left my robe on the bed. First time I had done that.When we got back the robe was thrown on the couch.Would not have killed him to hang it on the hook on the bathroom door.Our waiter was friendly and efficient.I also feel the whole dining staff was always rushed at dinner.He did make a point of coming over to say hello whenever he saw us in the dining room for other meals.The ship is,exactly as you describe,"Awesome"

[rockyhou]

I was on this sailing also. I agree with alot of what Ocean Boy has to say. We had an amazing time and loved the whole trip and the ship. Having said that for me bigger is not better. I think the thing that tips the scale for me is the service. Although I could not pinpoint anything the crew did wrong...as it was efficient, but not personal. I atribute that to just too many people on board. Yes the ship had more amenities, but I prefer the Radiance class. They are large enough to offer most amenities, and at least on our sailing offered personal service.

 

On the Mariner our waiter,although good, may no attempt to even ask our name much less learn it. We also had to ask for more water or bread each night. These things are petty and did not keep us from having such a great time..but it was not the exceptional service I have been used to on other sailing on RCCL.

 

I didn't mind paying for JR's. We were fortunate to never have to wait and the food was much better than the burgers on the buffet. My only real complaint is the towel policy. I did not like having to tote my pool and beach towel around all week. When did they stop supplying towels at the pool? We were on the Voyager in Nov and towels were supplied when needed. I liked having the towel to take into port, but do not like having to keep track of my towel when by the pool. Is this the same on all ships now?

 

Michael

 

Soverign of the Seas Nov 99

Majesty of the Seas Apr 00, Nov OO

Enchangement of the Seas Sep 00, Oct 02

Rhaposdy of the Seas Jun 01

Elation Oct 01

Zuiderdam Apr 03

Radiance of the Seas Jun 03

Voyager Nov 03

Mariner Apr 04

 

[Seagarr]

Great review.... we are sailing on the MOS May 16 and we also have an 1130 Flight. I have never carried my luggage off the ship.... I'm assuming you just lug it down the stairs? Getting down the stairs has always been hand to hand combat at debarkation without luggage....if many people choose that option the stairwells could get pretty crowded.

 

Any comments would be appreciated.

 

Seagarr

[Ocean Boy]

Seagar...

 

You are correct. If many people decide to start carrying off their own luggage it is going to start turning into a mess. But until RCI improves the system it is what I recommend. It is infuriating to get off the ship in time and then spend so much time waiting for your bags. I was fuming. Maybe you would have no problem. If people had showed up to get their bags I probably would have had no problem either. We were five minutes away from leaving the luggage and going to catch our flight. I just was not going to miss the plane. And the RCI reps in the terminal were of no help at all.

[gfkr2]

Please note we found the level of personal service on the Mariner to be outstanding. The cabin steward literally hung outside our cabin door and replaced towels as they were used during the day. He left the room spotless. I noted he always had a helper with him to clean. Maybe, less senior staff didn't have help? We took $care$ of this gentleman at the end. Ditto for our head and assistant waiters. They took the time to know us by name and were very nice. We had nice conversation with the head waiter (Joe) each evening. Heck, he would even cut the food for our 2 girls so our food wouldn't get cold. Joe was great!!

[kruz]

Ocean Boy...sad we didn't get to meet on the trip!

Maybe next time around.

I thought you would have been the last poster but MJ took the honor! The board is still alive over on the Roll Call if you want to chat!

 

I guess we got lucky becasue our cabin attendant was the absolute BEST I have yet to experience.

Since this was our second time on the Mariner I must admit I really did notice a huge change in attitude of the crew. The December cruise was unreal. Everyone happy,smiling,singing. Not true this time around. Maybe alot of crews' 6 month contract is nearing the end and they are anxious to be home....

we did find this to be the case frequently.

 

We decided not to eat in the diningroom this trip save for the first evening. It worked out very well for us, the only thing I wished was that the Windjammer would stay open later than 9pm for dinner.We ate at both Chops and Portofinos and found the experience delightful. One evening we had soup and salad in the Windjammer and took our entrees back to enjoy on our balcony with a bottle of Merlot Very romantic!

 

The towel "threat" was another thing that bothered me and next cruise I will just bring my own and not worry about being charged $20.00 for a lost towel.

 

All in all it was my very favorite vacation...mainly due to the fact that there were a great group of Cruise Critics along and we hit it off famously! It is fun to roam a ship of 3400 and still see someone you know!

 

Song of America 1996 spring

Song of America 1996 fall

Song of America 1997

Song of America 1998

Soveriegn of the Seas 1998

Monarch of the Seas 2001

Zandaam 2002

Mariner of the Seas 12/14/2003

Mariner of the Seas 04/24/04

[Ocean Boy]

Hey Kruz...

 

Nice to see you here. I, too, am sorry that we didn't meet up. I checked out the old thread but was't too crazy about SDT's attitude and decided to stay off of it.

 

Although we ate in the dining room we did check out the Windjammer one night and I actually like the atmosphere in there much better. It was quiet and relaxing. No one was rushing around. If I do another Voyager class ship I might consider dinner in there at night. And I agree, I wish they kept it open later in the evening.

[kruz]

OB...ditto...

 

Song of America 1996 spring

Song of America 1996 fall

Song of America 1997

Song of America 1998

Soveriegn of the Seas 1998

Monarch of the Seas 2001

Zandaam 2002

Mariner of the Seas 12/14/2003

Mariner of the Seas 04/24/04

[fletchers5]

great review!!! Question. You have been to Bermuda. We went to Bermuda on our first cruise. We are now headed on a short cruise with the kids to nassau. What in your opinion is the differences between the two. Will we be dissapointed. We thought taking the kids ( 19 and 16) to the bahamas would be a better choice. We loved bermuda, but not a lot of excitement going on there.

thanks

[Feline1202]

Ocean Boy, I can't believe I packed my torture device and then never even saw you. I guess you'll always be Ocean Boy to me

 

Great review, although I loved the weird artwork. Artwork is subjective, that's for sure.

 

I probably saw your behind scurrying up the rock wall as I watched it once or twice. I would have liked to try it but wasn't brave enough. Good for you for making it to the top! And more than once. I watch a fair share who didn't make it.

 

Hard to believe it's already almost a week since we've been back. Any future trips planned?

[Razl]

Ocean Boy, here we were finally cruising the same ship at the same time and I still didn't get to meet you. Next time please don't let other people's comments keep you away from a roll call board. We'll just start another one for everyone else!

 

Enjoyed your review but unlike some of you have mentioned we had a excellant cabin steward. The evening we went to the ice show (the second formal night) we had such a busy schedule that we wanted our lobster dinner in our cabin. We called at 6:30 for an 8 pm delivery and at first were told they didn't think they could provide us with the lobster. Our cabin steward overheard this and called his supervisor and their supervisor and I think even the hotel director. I don't know if it was thru his assistance or from the kitchen staff but we had our lobster dinner at 8 pm exactly.

 

After 12 cruises we are Windjammer people and do not go to the dining room. We are here for R&R and if we are in the mood for a 2 hour dinner we'll head for Chops or Portofino which we did. In Chops we had an excellant meal and because there was 4 of us, they serviced the sides family style which was fun. We all sampled everything. Peter was our requested waiter that evening. He had been our waiter on the Splendour 2 1/2 year ago. He was excellant then and still as wonderful now.

 

The ice show as good but DH and I both thought the one on the Navigator was better. The first production show Pure Energy was just that. The second show, Front Row, we walked out of. I agree with the rest of you, it was the worst show I have seen on a ship.

 

We loved most of the art. How did you like the bi-plane dogfight that was going on in the forward centrum area?

 

For all of you sailing on the Mariner, here are my picture albums from this cruise. They are not complete. I need to have the 35mm film developed, scan the pix, and get them into their correct album. Plus the last 4 albums still need titles and to have some of the pix turned 45 degrees. But it will give you a good idea of the ship, the shows, and some of the wonderful new friends we made.

http://community.webshots.com/album/139901007WqlpKe

 

Ruthie

[Razl]

Oh, and Ocean Boy for your next cruise I would highly recommend the Radiance class ships. They are marvelous to look at and so far our favorite. We have done 2 mega ships now but we took a b2b on the Radiance in November and nothing can compare quality of the service, the food, the ship. Feel free to read my review of her. We are taking her sisters the Brilliance this November and the Jewel next April.

 

Radiance Review

 

Ruthie

[Ocean Boy]

fletchers5

 

I have been giving thought to how to answer your question but it is very hard to do especially since I am not sure what your family would enjoy doing.

 

Bermuda and Nassau are nothing alike. Bermuda has nice stores. Nassau has the straw market. Ten minutes in there and I felt so clostrophobic that I could wait to get out. Bermuda has Gibbs Hill Lighthouse to climb. Nassau has a water tower. The physical beauty of Bermuda is not even close to matched by Nassau.

 

I suppose you could go to Atlantis. But then, if you are going to do that I guess you could just do a land vacation.

 

Before we went on the cruise I was a little disappointed that the ship would only be in port about 6 hours. Well, we had more than enough time to do what we wanted and were ready to be back on the ship.

 

My advice when it comes to Nassau is this. Pick a ship that you really want to be on as that is the true destination. Nassau happens to be a place for it to stop. Don't misunderstand me. I am glad I had the opportunity to see the place and experience it. But it just does not compare to Bermuda. I certainly have no reason to go back as I didn't leave anything undone there that I wanted to do.

 

If you give me more insight on what your family is interested in I might be able to help you more.

 

BTW, I noticed that in my first post to this thread a used the date 4/27/04. It really is 4/25/04 as in the caption of this thread.

[SDT42464]

"I checked out the old thread but was't too crazy about SDT's attitude and decided to stay off

 

Hey Ocean Bouy!! Sorry you were intimadated by me. All because I don't have a problem paying to eat at Johnny Rockets? I think not. I guess that explains why you were a "no show" at the "Meet & Mingle". I just can't see how anyone wouldn't just love my carefree attitude! Ce La Vie!

 

"Next time please don't let other people's comments keep you away from a roll call board. We'll just start another one for everyone else!" This wouldn't have worked! I would have just posted to it also.

 

Have a wonderful life in Rhode Island!!

 

STD

PS: Hello Ruthie.

[Shoc369]

You should get off the ship in Nassau to check out a store called John Bull. It is an awesome store with everyting from Tiffany jewelry to Rolex to Maui Jims to authentic Cohibas and more! I hate shopping in all of these ports (even St. Thomas - with all the junk gold and tanzanite stores) but John Bull is awesome and sophisticated.

[Adventure Girl]

Ocean boy: Thanks for the review. I'm sailing on the Mariner in November and it is nice to hear your opinions of the ship. If you are looking to try another voyager class ship, I would highly recommend the Adventure of the Seas. It sails out of San Juan, so it is a little more expensive to fly there, but it really is worth it. I would be returning to the Adventure myself, but decided to try the Mariner for a change.

 

Unfortunately, after reading your review I am alittle worried. One of my favorite things about cruising is meeting and talking with the crew. I enjoy learning about their home countries and having my cabin steward and wait staff know me by name, etc. I'm hoping that the crew is a little more friendly in November. I'm sure there will be several crew changes by then anyway. Both times that I sailed on the Adventure of the Seas, the entire crew was outstanding. I had the best service, friendliest smiles, and everyone knew my name....first and last, from day one.

 

Anyway, thanks again for taking the time to post the review. I enjoy reading everyone's experiences. Once I sail on Mariner, I'll post my review and see how it compares. Thanks

 

Kimberly

Monarch of the Seas 4/02

Disney Wonder 11/02

Adventure of the Seas 10/03, 3/04

 

"Girl's Getaway" on Mariner of the Seas 11/7/04 !!