Diesel

We had a double overnight in Bermuda last September and were pleasantly surprised to see the casino open at night. It opened late (9pm as Irene said could be correct), but it opened nonetheless.

The 30% discount is cheaper than the 50% discount because the 30% discount applies to both passengers. The 50% discount only applies to the second passenger which is essentially a 25% discount for each passenger. The 30% discount for each passenger is the best discount I've ever seen. It ends up being about $70/person/day on most cruises at today's prices. Obviously, some itineraries might be slightly higher or lower.

There is a small lounge area in the casino that typically played the primetime NFL games (MNF, SNF, etc.). I would assume they would also play New Year's Day bowl games if they are available. However, the seating is very limited. You are correct that there is not a Playmakers on Allure.

I believe ScottD is referring to cartons purchased in the Duty Free shop. Individual packs of Marlboro at the casino bar were $6.95 on Mariner in September.

We are on the May 19-26 sailing out of Barcelona. It appears that there may be guests disembarking/embarking mid-cruise as there are 7-night sailings available on Oasis every 3 to 4 days alternating between Barcelona and Rome.

We were on Mariner for the first time in September and loved it. If I was forced to make a complaint about her, I would say the lack of specialty dining option. Chops Grille, Jamie's, and Izumi Hibachi were all great. Chef's Table was the only real other option for specialty dining outside of Johnny Rockets and Playmakers. I don't really consider those two specialty dining as they are very reasonably priced ala carte. Also note that Izumi only takes reservations for Izumi Hibachi and not for Izumi Sushi as there are only 6 chairs at the sushi bar available for Izumi Sushi. The rest of the restaurant is Hibachi. We had no trouble getting a seat the evening we walked in for Izumi Sushi. Would also have preferred to have El Loco Fresh versus Dog House on the pool deck. I hope this doesn't sound like rant because we would have no hesitation booking another cruise on Mariner.

We checked in on the app shortly after check-in opened up on Aug 1st and didn't have any issues.

No charge for the pool tables. Only 1 table on Navigator and it was fairly worn.

You sure can! Playmakers might now be our favorite venue for hanging out and putting our drink package to work. Watched more soccer during our week on Navigator last spring than I've probably watched in my entire life!

I agree with most of the previous suggestions so will just add some additional suggestions: Choose your specialty restaurant based on the cuisine you prefer (Steak, Italian, Sushi, etc.). They're all great. I'll add another vote for breakfast at Johnny Rockets. You need to pay for lunch at Johnny Rockets, but breakfast is free! We've rented a Jeep in Cozumel a couple times to explore the eastern side and southern end of the island. Ernesto's is an option that is a short walk from the pier and can reserve online. We bring clips to attach our beach towels to our pool loungers. We also like to spend a good amount of time in the casino which results in smoky-smelling clothes. We also use the clips to hang those clothes on our balcony furniture to air them out. There is a sign that says not to leave personal items on the balcony so take this advice at your own risk Be sure to ride the Rising Tide Bar at least once. We like to ride it up to Central Park before a dinner reservation for a pre-dinner cocktail and then ride it back down to the Royal Promenade with an after-dinner drink.

This one is sailing 3 months from today so thought it was time to get a discussion started. This will be our first time to Bermuda and our first time on Mariner. We are excited about both and also love cruises with overnight stays in port.

I see that Royal Caribbean is doing away with Sky Pad and going to replace the venue with a different activity. I've never sailed on a ship that had a Sky Pad so never experienced it. Curious what people thought of Sky Pad. Was it something people enjoyed doing? Was it a "Glad I did it but don't need to do it again" activity? Did it seem like a popular activity with people lining up to do it?

Being fairly new to cruising (first cruise in 2017), the oldest ship I've been on was Majesty of the Seas on a cruise to Havana, Cuba during the brief time Cuba was open to American tourists. Majesty is no longer in the RCCL fleet but really enjoyed the ship. Wished we'd purchased Christmas ornament during that sailing as we've started collecting ornaments for the different ships we've been on.

I don't have any insight having never stayed in a wake-view room, but do love watching the wake and have additional questions. When viewing the wake from public areas on the aft of the ship (i.e. - Deck 5 running track on Oasis Class), the wake can be quite loud. I assume it's less noisy on the balconies of higher decks, but wonder if it is noticeable in the staterooms when the balcony door is closed. Personally, the noise of the wake would probably make me sleep better, but my wife is a very light sleeper.

We loved the Southport Raw Bar when we were in Fort Lauderdale prior to our cruise. It's actually just a little walk from you hotel. It's at the west end of the canal north of your hotel. Very low key and no need to dress up. I would still recommend getting the water taxi pass. Great way to get to different parts of the city.