twangster

Both before, but not in loft suites or any suite.

A lot of people are crabby with bartenders. I've been to crowded bars on land where you have to wait and figure out who's up next. It seems some people on ships never use bars or have never experienced this so when it happens on ship they are uppity about it. "I have to wait? But I'm on vacation, unacceptable!" Being friendly with bar staff especially when they are slammed and not always but sometimes throwing in an extra tip is always noticed. With your tip showing with your SeaPass card and innocently asking "Can you make it a double?" can sometimes achieve results. Demanding or expecting it likely won't. A smile and eye contact goes a long way.

Technically, ordering a double is not covered or allowed by the drink package. Drinks such as LIIT will have multiple shots in them. In practice, many bartenders will pour into a shot glass and then add a bit more when pouring the shot glass into your glass. That's not always the case though. Ordering a drink with a single bill as a cash tip will often yield stronger drinks. The drink package includes 18% gratuity so an additional tip is not required, but more often than not a tip yields better bar service. Being generous on day one and using the same bar frequently will sometimes causes the bar staff to remember you if you tip (and that you don't). That can have a lasting effect. Maybe not a full double pour but often stronger drinks. To be honest though, there tends to be plenty of opportunity to consume drinks. Making them double may get you there faster but over the course of the day regular drink availability is generally more than enough to get the job done.

You see @JLMoran ? You are running out of time to become an Oasis believer.

So... the Thermal Spa pass is back! But... You must select a specific time of day and that becomes the time of day, every day, you can visit the spa, for 15 minutes (in theory). If you book this, make sure you are available every day at that time. I called RCI to confirm this. I had such high hopes...

Oh dear, I'm not sure you'll like a loft suite. NOT! You are spoiling yourself. Just be warned it doesn't get much better, even with a Genie. Those cabins are pretty special. I'll be on Oasis twice before then. If there is anything you want pictures of, let me know.

I feel your pain, but carrying around a series of more expensive wines that few drink becomes a business decision. Not all ships to be AMPED are destined for the Bahamas and a Tiki bar won't fit well everywhere. You've always got Oasis. Oh, wait...

For now. I've got airfare booked and it involves a group cruise on a different ship afterwards. That limits my options. I could do Disney but a solo man with a camera doing Disney has creep written all over it ?

Summary I had heard great things about Mariner and they were all true. Having now seen what "AMPED" means I'm looking forward to Navigator and beyond. There is nothing that would prevent me from sailing Mariner again. I might even do the same excursions - scuba dive in Cococay and the 737 jet simulator in Nassau. Next time I'll likely do a B2B or maybe even a B2B2B. Four nights is too short. I imagine the 3 night weekend cruises are probably pretty lively. If I lived locally, Mariner would be dangerous to my bank account. Given a choice of a small ship 3/4 Bahamas cruise or Mariner it would be Mariner every time. For short cruises like this I can see getting the drink package on Mariner. If you haven't sailed or booked Mariner yet the only question is... why not? Thanks for following along and I hope you've enjoyed it. Twangster out.

Day 5 - Miami I woke to find us at the pier in Miami. On this occasion Mariner already did the turn and was pointed East. From my aft balcony I had a great view of the Miami skyline. I went to the Windjammer at 6:30am for a final meal. Self disembark line started off at 6:45am. By 7am I was off the ship and by 7:15am through customs outside at the curb hailing a Lyft ride. At 7:37am I was at the Hertz office downtown renting my car for the drive to Port Canaveral and Enchantment of the Seas.

11pm - 80's party in the Promenade I'll refrain from adding a couple of photos from Playmakers that I can't recall taking or explain how I got them on my phone after this. At some point after midnight I decided I needed to start packing. These short cruises suck. Packing under the influence sucks worse.

Day 4 - Dinner I started with the Asian Style Pork Tacos because I've never had them before. Then I completely forgot to take more pictures.

For domestic I would do a 9:45am flight but keep in mind I have elite status with my airline. That allows me to fly standby and move to the top of the standby list. If I miss a flight because the ship is late or fog or a traffic accident they'll take care of me. You have to be prepared to accept the consequences of missing the flight. If that risk is acceptable is a question only you can answer.

It's a net. I'm not sure what the official criteria is. I was talking with the bar staff and mentioned I was bribed to remove the photo of @CruiseLifeRick. We laughed about it (and Rick in general) and before I knew it a few cocktails later I was having my picture taken.

A 9:45am flight, especially an international flight may be too tight. Technically it's doable if the stars align and every thing goes smoothly. There is no margin for error. As a frequent flier myself I think that may be a little too tight for my liking. In my case I was through customs and at the curb at 7:15am after the cruise. With Miami traffic a flight that early is really asking for something to foul up your day. Does Fast Track apply when departing from Miami after a cruise?

Freestyle drink dispensers were added to Mariner. They can be found within the Windjammer but also on the Promenade. They are coded to work with the drink cups that come with a drink package (Soda, Refreshment or Deluxe). Promenade forward on deck 5 with the Schooner Bar and Izumi just visible one deck down on deck 4. Located at the forward end of the Promenade on deck 5 is the Star Lounge A former smoking room has been converted into a Library.

Barnacle and Barrel Pub Mariner retains it's pub in the old English style found on many Royal Caribbean ships. Check the Cruise Compass for times when live music is available in the pub.

The Bamboo Room New and exclusive to Mariner at this time, The Bamboo Room replaces Vintages, the wine bar. This table features a video display with a beautiful ocean video loop playing. #itstikitime The Bamboo Room by itself just about justifies the drink package since the special bamboo cocktails are $14 plus gratuity. That adds up fast without the drink package. Since the drink package covers drinks up to $12 or $13, an extra buck or two is nothing for those with the deluxe drink package.

Playmakers The new sports bar on Mariner of the Seas is a great place to catch a game or just hang out. The bar participates in Diamond Happy Hour for those who are Diamond or higher in the Crown and Anchor Society. Menu: Pigskin sliders (in the name of research): The bar staff in Playmakers are great and super friendly. I decided to enjoy diamond happy hour here and I always tip cash for these 'free' drinks. After using my three free drinks, magically another appeared before my eyes! Playmakers is a great new addition to Mariner and I am looking forward to experiencing Playmakers on Symphony. The only thing that they need to think about is the live music in the Promenade. The bands who perform in the Promenade set up right outside of Playmakers. When they get rocking they are quite loud inside Playmakers. To compensate, Playmakers cranks up the sports featured on the larger TVs. That combination makes it an assault on your ears and it's nearly impossible to hold a conversation or order a drink without using sign language. Here is a short sample of what I am talking about: You can sort of hear the ball game at times through the music but both are very loud. Other than that, Playmakers is great.

Izumi Across from the Schooner Bar on deck4. This is a specialty restaurant that carries an additional charge.

Starbucks This Starbucks is most like a regular Starbucks you might find within a store or mall on land as any I've seen on a ship. A common question and source of confusion relates to the Starbucks app, Rewards and purchases at Starbucks on the ships that have them. This varies by ship, so this applies to Mariner only. You can use the app or rewards to accumulate stars but if you are going to walk away with something in your hand, it is being charged to your SeaPass card - period. You can't redeem rewards, use a gift card or the balance in the app for on-board purchases. SeaPass card only.

Time to move indoors. Main Dining Room Seeing how this is a sea day, all the shops were open. The main logo shop has also received an update and is very modern and fresh compared to this shop on other ships. Down to deck 4. (Saving The Bamboo Room and Playmakers for later). The elevators retain the day of the week signs on the floor. Boleros Cigars for sale in the corner of Boleros in a humidor. Starbucks is opposite of Boleros but I'm going to give it a post of it's own. Through the casino to the Schooner Bar. Some of the selections available at the Schooner Bar

No cruise on a Voyager class ship would be complete without visiting the helipad. King of the World! So peaceful out here.

The rest of this deck area is a nice, quiet sun deck for those who don't want the commotion or noise of the main pool deck. Glass dividers break the wind. This feature has been used on other ships as they have been updated such as Liberty. New to Mariner in this area are cooling showers to rinse off when sunbathing in this area. Leaving this area and heading back towards the main pool deck you can look down into the adult only Solarium pool area. From here you can climb up to a small sun deck overlooking the main pool area below. The Sky Bar has been replaced with the Sky Lounge. New seating options have been added with full relaxation oozing out of them. Down through the Solarium to check out the Peak-a-boo bridge. As a cruise nerd I'm glad to see this was retained.

Mariner Dunes is new and placed on top of the deck above the new Panoramic Ocean View cabins at the front of the ship. This is easily one of the nicest mini-golf courses in the fleet.