CNA Jacksonville

We recently completed a five day Mexico cruise on Mariner of the Seas.  When we booked we specified we wanted Early Dining (5:30pm) and that was reflected in the Cruise Booklet we received.  Once on board our Sail Passes said My Time Dining.  We stopped at the MDR reception deck and asked why the change.  The attendant could not offer a good explanation, instead saying that the "system" might not be updated yet.  We politely pressed the question as to who made those changes without our consent.  Again, no good answer except that we could come back later.  He continued to keystroke when we asked to speak to someone who could provide an answer.  After a minute he asked if we would be okay with Early Dining seated with other passengers.  We said that was totally acceptable.  He wrote out a Main Dining Room reservation card and said that it would be reflected on our Sail passes.  We stopped by Guest Services and lo and behold we had our MDR Early Dining specified.

Has this happened to anyone else?  Does anyone know why these sort of dining arrangement changes are done without your approval or input?

Hope it works out for you...Our scheduled stop in Costa Maya was canceled on account of high winds so we lost our Dolphin Adventure.  We did get to spend two days in Cozumel though.

We are seriously considering a European cruise which includes such ports as Barcelona, Mallorca, Florence & Rome.  Do the excursions offer enough time to see the major sites in those locations?  Looking for advice to help us plan a cruiseor opt for a land vacation.

I apologize if this has been covered before.  We are sailing on Mariner in January with stops in Costa Maya and Cozumel.  The Costa Maya Dolphin Encounter looked interesting enough for us to reserve it with Black Friday promotion prices.  It is the least expensive of all the dolphin excursions we've seen advertised.  Does anyone have experience with this excursion?  Good?  Bad?  Something in between?

Thanks in advance!

Our first Western Caribbean adventure on a ship we have sailed on twice before... Any helpful insight into Costa Maya & Cozumel?

Traveling to NJ to join my brother and his wife on their very first cruise.  My wife and I previously sailed on Mariner of the Seas to the Bahamas and are looking forward to Liberty and Bermuda.  Any suggestions for Bermuda?  Recommendations for places to see and things to do?

Now here is something curious... while scrolling through the various cruise ship pages now that this new pre-sail testing guidance is out, I read this on the Carnival pages:

Due to destination requirements, ALL guests on itineraries that include Bahamas, Bermuda and Grand Cayman must complete a pre-cruise test, irrespective of the length of the cruise.

Now as a Florida cruiser leaving through Port Canaveral, almost all of the RC itineraries stop in the Bahamas and they are not saying this.  I am thinking the real guidance has yet to be promulgated so stand by.

Hello (after a COVID induced hiatus).  We are jumping back into the water so to speak and are looking at options for a November birthday cruise out of Port Canaveral.  We have been to Nassau and Coco Cay and were looking for a different itinerary.  Jewel of the Seas with its two stops in Mexico looks appealing.  But doing some research, the ship itself may not be to our liking.  Reports I have seen suggest the ship is worn and obviously smaller than many of the other Royal Caribbean ships.  It also does not have the amenities like we enjoyed on Mariner of the Seas (Surfing and Pool Slide to name a few...).  We would appreciate any feedback, thoughts or recent experiences on this ship.  

https://www.travelpulse.com/news/cruise/royal-caribbean-to-eliminate-buffets-on-post-coronavirus-cruises.html

Having gone several months now without a cruise, we are seriously considering dipping our toes back into the water (no pun intended) once RCCL resumes sailing this Summer.  Does anyone have any insight into Windjammer dining going forward?  Or maybe a definitive source I can read?

Here is ours.  Courtesy of Royal Caribbean 

IMG_6052_photo.HEIC

We have booked our RCCL cruises directly with the cruise line itself.  But in reading this and similar posts, seems like better deals and perks might be had by using a Travel Agent.  I will plead ignorance by reporting I have no experience with Travel Agents.  What advice can you all share about finding a good one for future RCCL adventures?  We do have AAA and they do have Travel Agents but I am pretty sure not all Travel Agents are created equal.

That happened to us on our June voyage on Mariner.  Coast Guard inspection.  Our scheduled boarding time was 12 noon (first time cruisers with no perks) but we arrived early and sat around in a crowded RCCL Port Canaveral lounge.  Boarding did begin at noon but we had to wait our turn until our section was called.  But once things got moving we got onboard pretty quickly.  I think those most inconvenienced were those who wanted to get on the boat earliest. 

I just checked and we had at least 27 different backdrops for our recent three nighter on Mariner.  This includes dinner table photos.  We missed the ashore Nassau pictures as we stayed onboard that day.  Otherwise it would have been over 30 backdrops.  Also, on Coco Cay the photographers wander the beach and they'll take however many pictures you want of yourselves there.  

Like most here we pre-pay gratuities and use cash for the dining room ($5 each for waiter & asst waiter) and $2 for bar drinks.  We also tip the room attendant $5/day.  Funny in that recently I put on a pair of pants and found some crisp fives and some singles in my pocket left over from the September cruise on Mariner.  LOL

We bought the Photo Package on our two Mariner cruises this year and really liked it.  On the first cruise we took home (digitally) over 100 pictures and on the recent three night adventure 90 photos.  We made a point of stopping at each and every photo opportunity.  We thought the quality of the pictures was very good to excellent.  Usually you can see the pictures within an hour on board through the link they share with you and just the other day RCCL sent me a zip file with all of the pictures from this month's cruise.  I usually send the ones we like best to Walmart for printing and to put in a small memento photo album.  And the digital pics can be shared easily on social media and shared with family and friends.

Discounts are always available on embarkation and the first day or two of the cruise.  And when you get the package you also recieve some accessories.  In our case we got a small album and a 5x7 RCCL frame.

https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/2019/10/07/royal-caribbean-holds-first-late-night-visit-perfect-day-cococay

Looks like fun!

On 10/1/2019 at 9:17 PM, Jill said:

I was hoping you’d post a more current one. We’re going end of the month. We’re from Jax too. Should be fun doing Mariner and then the next weekend Ga/Fl game. My poor liver! Lol 

The Cruise Compass I submitted (and now posted) was for the 27 September sailing and only a week old.  

Well, since the trip is to the Bahamas we enjoy Bahama Mama, MaiTai and Pina Colada.  Oh yeah, wine with dinner too 

We returned this morning from Mariner of the Seas and I submitted the weekend Cruise Compass for posting here.  That will have the show times.  

When booking our recently completed Mariner of the Seas weekend cruise, I selected Traditional Dining and the 5:30pm time slot.  That was annotated on my RCCL cruise app too.  So we report to the appropriate dining room only to find out the "system" failed to show that.  At first they excused it as "Oh, you have My Time Dining..." until I showed them the app on my cell phone.  They scrambled around some and after much back and forth sat us with two other couples.  Obviously we were miffed.  After all, this was our wedding anniversary and we really were not enthusiastic about sharing dinner with other folks we did not know.  But after we were seated and placed drink orders, the attendant came back and offered us a table for two in the 3rd deck dining room.  By then we were not inclined to move.  We had a nice dinner with the two couples (and also picked up some travel tips as two were travel agents!).  RCCL did provide a nice anniversary cake and sang to us.

Afterwards the attendant escorted us to the 3rd deck dining room and ensured we would have the same table for two there for the next two evenings.  So now were were part of the 5:30pm My Time Dining crowd.  We went with it.

Saturday night was smooth.  We had a nice window table for two.

Sunday night we returned and when getting to our table (confirmed on the waiter's table slip) there was a couple already sitting there. At first the staff tried seating us at the next adjoining two person table.  The other couple said they had sat window-side Friday evening.  More scratching of heads.  In the end the other couple asked for a different table and we were seated where we were assigned.

I am pretty sure solving problems like that is a daily occurrence in the dining rooms.  But somewhat frustrating to us passengers.

However, through it all, the service by the waiters and their assistants were outstanding.

We just returned from the wedding anniversary weekend cruise on Mariner of the Seas.  The anniversary package I ordered was in place on our arrival.  The missus was quite surprised!

IMG_6052~photo.HEIC IMG_6056~photo.HEIC

We are getting ready to embark on Mariner for our 3 night anniversary weekend cruise (hoping those pesky storms stay out of the way).  On our June 4 night cruise on Mariner there was a Dress Your Best dinner theme in the main dining rooms.  The missus really enjoyed that.  I scanned some recent 3 night Cruise Compasses here and see no reference to the Dress Your Best evening.  

If that is not part of the three night cruise then I will leave the jacket and tie home and just pack the business casual.  As for the wife?  Well, she will dress as she likes :^)

Thanks!

We purchased the Photo Package during our June 2019 adventure on Mariner of the Seas.  We came home with 115 digital photos - superior quality too.  Photographers are typically in position at the dining rooms each evening and at various locations throughout the ship.  And of course, they are there to snap you on embarkation and on the pier at Nassau & Coco Cay.

As for the pics being exclusively digital.  We simply downloaded the ones we liked best and had them printed at Walmart for less than 25 cents each.

As a result of our last cruise my wife and I achieved Gold Status for our upcoming September cruise on Mariner.  When I signed up I was assigned a Crown & Anchor number which got us the "perks" (Priority Check in and Private Preboardling Lounge).  Do I need to sign my wife up for the program too and if so will be accumulate points/awards faster?  We always travel as a couple (duh!).

I asked a similar question the other day and was directed to the Royal Gifts section of the Cruise Planner where you could order an Anniversary Decor package for $49.  Perfect.  But now I am beginning to wonder if I should, given the reported problems.