Trip report Mariner 6 night Aug 26

[brdjnr]

TLDR; Mariner still has it, great ship and a great cruise.

This is my first trip report and I tend to ramble so apologies in advance.

Travel/Embarkation

(TLDR cake)

• We drove to Orlando from NW Fla.  Stayed at the Comfort Suites Orlando Airport. Good stay, unremarkable. Used points to book, felt safe, clean, shower hot, included breakfast was ok.
• This was our first cruise in a Junior Suite.  We were parked and in the suite lounge area in minutes, and tho I didnt check exact time it felt like we boarded very shortly after our 10:30 check in.  Absolute breeze.

MDR

(TLDR breakfast was amazing dinner was hit/miss service was good to great and attentive the 2 nights we ate there and for breakfast)

• We ate breakfast every day there. It was really good, and often great. 
• we tended to get there at or shortly after opening
• I had the express breakfast (2 scrambled eggs, sausage, hash brown, wheat toast) 4 days, the market vegetable bowl 1 day (it was not as good as Harmony last year) and the best was the omelet which I inexplicably waited until the last day to have. The wife (who is decidedly not a breakfast person) had the cheddar cheese grits with bacon which she enjoyed).
• We ate here first two nights. The southern fried chicken is an abomination. I advised my wife not to get it, but there was nothing else that interested her. The only thing worse than the way it looked was how it tasted. As a life long southerner I am personally offended they call this 'southern' fried chicken. I had the spaghetti bolognese first night. It looked at tasted JUST like hamburger helper spaghetti. Here is the thing, I don't mind hamburger helper spaghetti. It was hot/fresh, and took me back to middle school where the lunch room spaghetti tasted just like it.
• The peanut butter wafer/cookie thing for dessert was shockingly great. Description is not good and it looks basic, but it was amazing.
• One thing I need to mention. EVERYONE noticed my wife didnt eat the chicken and asked her about it. She was polite and didnt say it was terrible. Both servers and the head guy offered to get her something else.
• Second night in the MDR we had the beef tenderloin and it was pretty good.  Hot and cooked as we ordered. Mashed potatoes were good, not great.  
• Portions were noticeably smaller but that is fine with me. We don't tend to eat huge portions and the servers always asked if we wanted more.
• we were in/out in an hour or so both nights. Never felt rushed nor like it was taking too long.
• I will strongly consider eating in MDR every night on our Mariner cruise in Oct based on our experience here. It was solid if pretty unremarkable.

Specialty dining

(TLDR, good sometimes great)

• We ate lunch in Jamies on embarkation day and it was ok. I did it mainly to have a calm lunch and it was that. I was not worth fifty bucks plus additional tip.
• We ate Chops 3rd night (Labadee) and it was pretty unremarkable. It seemed very busy. The steak was not as seasoned as I recall. I always get my steak rare and the filet I received fit that bill. Not much of a char and it was rare.
• Jamies was 4th night (Falmouth) and it was also unremarkable. Wife had Lasagna which she enjoyed and I had the chicken parm.  Service and food was good not great.
• Izumi was 5th night (sea) and it was very very good. Food good, chef good, service and everything. I have eaten at Izumi on Harmony, Independence, and Mariner 3 times and this seems to be a pattern.  The Izumi on Mariner is very good.
• Chops was 6th night and was as remarkable as the first visit was unremarkable. Steak was rare but had a great char, and was seasoned perfectly. Maybe the best steak I have ever had on RC. Fantastic visit.

Excursions

(TLDR terrific)

• This was our first visit to Labadee and it was great. We had a beach bed on Adrenaline Beach and the service was great. The drinks were very meh (something I will touch on later) but the view was nice and the bed was a nice base.
  • we were in the water and saw some people wander into the bed area and make themselves at home. If you ever wonder what would happen if you tried that, they did not stay there long).
• We did the Chukka/Good Hope Estate excursion thru RC in Falmouth. I considered cancelling due to a number of reasons. We went and I am glad we did. It was a chill day by the pool area there. We climbed the water fall and went down the water slide. I didnt take enough cash on this excursion, but the gift shop area took cards.
• We got a South Beach bed at CocoCay and thats it. Absolutely perfect day (pardon the pun). I will have a hard not doing that the next few times we go there. Just a great beach day. Calm, quiet, amazing.
• The crispy chicken sammich is curiously great. My wife only like Chik fit A chicken sammiches, but she got one and was blown away. 

Bar/service

(TLDR meh)

• I think this is the first cruise I did not get value from the DBP
• Only a few bars had Buffalo Trace, most were out of it
• The quality of the drinks was wildly inconsistent. I always try to stick to ordering certain drinks from certain bars, but based on the person making it there was not telling what you might get. This went for tenders at the same bar. Some would make drinks differently leaving out ingredients.  Club soda for example.
• Gavin in the Schooner Bar was my far the best on the ship. I was sitting at the bar waiting when he came back in from not being there a while and several people broke out into applause.
• The Viking Crown Lounge remains one of my favorite spots on any ship we have been on. Just a great spot

Entertainment

(TLDR high and low)

• This to me is where the Voyager class ships fall far short of the Oasis class.
• Gallery of Dreams needs to be replaced
• The comedian was hilarious in the welcome aboard show. I really wanted to make the adult show with him but we didn't. 
• Ice under the big top was really fun to us. I think I have seen people say otherwise. Nothing to be said about the skaters that hasnt already been said. Amazing talents.
• Trivia in the Schooner Bar was fun

Cabin

(TLDR wonderful)

• As mentioned earlier this was our first time staying in a Junior Suite. I got a great price on it, and figured the only benefits would be priority boarding (not a huge one for us) and double points. I was wrong. The closet was astonishing. The extra room and the 'side' window that was great for extra light changed how we used the cabin. 
• Some afternoons instead of hanging out elsewhere we would nap in the cabin. 
• The only thing worn on the ship I noticed was the balcony railing. It looked like it was sanded then left. Almost seemed too uniform to be wear. It was this way as far as I could see both ways on deck 9.
• this will almost certainly change how I approach booking cabins in the future, it was that enjoyable.
• I cannot say we have ever had anything below a good steward, but Levy was great. The best we have ever had. 
• 9558 was quiet, clean, in great shape.

Accessories

• First time with a sound machine and we LOVED it. The cabin was quiet but this made it seem more so.
• cordless fan was great. Too bad I am an idiot and didnt take a micro usb cable to recharge it. So once it was past initial charge it was a paperweight. It worked great for that.
• Magnetic hooks are must do. It seems like each cruise we find more ways to use them
• European outlet adapter. Great, yes, get one for these older ships
• Packing cubes, meh whatever. Maybe we just dont know how to utilize

Assorted

• Motion. The water was pretty churned up and the first 3 full days the ship moved as much as I have ever felt on move. We didn't get sick but I understand many did. I had some pretty crazy videos of water shooting 10 feet in the air out of the pool. They postponed the belly flop contest because of it.
• Fellow passengers. It seemed we noticed more Brits on this trip. Fewer kids. I heard many complaining about the behavior of other passengers but didnt notice any myself. As always, we met several wonderful couples and had great conversation.

Sorry for the length and scattershot nature of this. If you are still reading and couldnt tell we love Mariner. We never felt crowded, the sea views are great, the value it there, and we will see her again in October. 

Brad

[Jill]

The “southern” fried chicken at Mason Jar is awful too. Zero taste. They need Publix’s recipe lol. 

[CanHardlyWait]

1 hour ago, brdjnr said:

TLDR; Mariner still has it, great ship and a great cruise.

This is my first trip report and I tend to ramble so apologies in advance.

Travel/Embarkation

(TLDR cake)

• We drove to Orlando from NW Fla.  Stayed at the Comfort Suites Orlando Airport. Good stay, unremarkable. Used points to book, felt safe, clean, shower hot, included breakfast was ok.
• This was our first cruise in a Junior Suite.  We were parked and in the suite lounge area in minutes, and tho I didnt check exact time it felt like we boarded very shortly after our 10:30 check in.  Absolute breeze.

MDR

(TLDR breakfast was amazing dinner was hit/miss service was good to great and attentive the 2 nights we ate there and for breakfast)

• We ate breakfast every day there. It was really good, and often great. 
• we tended to get there at or shortly after opening
• I had the express breakfast (2 scrambled eggs, sausage, hash brown, wheat toast) 4 days, the market vegetable bowl 1 day (it was not as good as Harmony last year) and the best was the omelet which I inexplicably waited until the last day to have. The wife (who is decidedly not a breakfast person) had the cheddar cheese grits with bacon which she enjoyed).
• We ate here first two nights. The southern fried chicken is an abomination. I advised my wife not to get it, but there was nothing else that interested her. The only thing worse than the way it looked was how it tasted. As a life long southerner I am personally offended they call this 'southern' fried chicken. I had the spaghetti bolognese first night. It looked at tasted JUST like hamburger helper spaghetti. Here is the thing, I don't mind hamburger helper spaghetti. It was hot/fresh, and took me back to middle school where the lunch room spaghetti tasted just like it.
• The peanut butter wafer/cookie thing for dessert was shockingly great. Description is not good and it looks basic, but it was amazing.
• One thing I need to mention. EVERYONE noticed my wife didnt eat the chicken and asked her about it. She was polite and didnt say it was terrible. Both servers and the head guy offered to get her something else.
• Second night in the MDR we had the beef tenderloin and it was pretty good.  Hot and cooked as we ordered. Mashed potatoes were good, not great.  
• Portions were noticeably smaller but that is fine with me. We don't tend to eat huge portions and the servers always asked if we wanted more.
• we were in/out in an hour or so both nights. Never felt rushed nor like it was taking too long.
• I will strongly consider eating in MDR every night on our Mariner cruise in Oct based on our experience here. It was solid if pretty unremarkable.

Specialty dining

(TLDR, good sometimes great)

• We ate lunch in Jamies on embarkation day and it was ok. I did it mainly to have a calm lunch and it was that. I was not worth fifty bucks plus additional tip.
• We ate Chops 3rd night (Labadee) and it was pretty unremarkable. It seemed very busy. The steak was not as seasoned as I recall. I always get my steak rare and the filet I received fit that bill. Not much of a char and it was rare.
• Jamies was 4th night (Falmouth) and it was also unremarkable. Wife had Lasagna which she enjoyed and I had the chicken parm.  Service and food was good not great.
• Izumi was 5th night (sea) and it was very very good. Food good, chef good, service and everything. I have eaten at Izumi on Harmony, Independence, and Mariner 3 times and this seems to be a pattern.  The Izumi on Mariner is very good.
• Chops was 6th night and was as remarkable as the first visit was unremarkable. Steak was rare but had a great char, and was seasoned perfectly. Maybe the best steak I have ever had on RC. Fantastic visit.

Excursions

(TLDR terrific)

• This was our first visit to Labadee and it was great. We had a beach bed on Adrenaline Beach and the service was great. The drinks were very meh (something I will touch on later) but the view was nice and the bed was a nice base.
  • we were in the water and saw some people wander into the bed area and make themselves at home. If you ever wonder what would happen if you tried that, they did not stay there long).
• We did the Chukka/Good Hope Estate excursion thru RC in Falmouth. I considered cancelling due to a number of reasons. We went and I am glad we did. It was a chill day by the pool area there. We climbed the water fall and went down the water slide. I didnt take enough cash on this excursion, but the gift shop area took cards.
• We got a South Beach bed at CocoCay and thats it. Absolutely perfect day (pardon the pun). I will have a hard not doing that the next few times we go there. Just a great beach day. Calm, quiet, amazing.
• The crispy chicken sammich is curiously great. My wife only like Chik fit A chicken sammiches, but she got one and was blown away. 

Bar/service

(TLDR meh)

• I think this is the first cruise I did not get value from the DBP
• Only a few bars had Buffalo Trace, most were out of it
• The quality of the drinks was wildly inconsistent. I always try to stick to ordering certain drinks from certain bars, but based on the person making it there was not telling what you might get. This went for tenders at the same bar. Some would make drinks differently leaving out ingredients.  Club soda for example.
• Gavin in the Schooner Bar was my far the best on the ship. I was sitting at the bar waiting when he came back in from not being there a while and several people broke out into applause.
• The Viking Crown Lounge remains one of my favorite spots on any ship we have been on. Just a great spot

Entertainment

(TLDR high and low)

• This to me is where the Voyager class ships fall far short of the Oasis class.
• Gallery of Dreams needs to be replaced
• The comedian was hilarious in the welcome aboard show. I really wanted to make the adult show with him but we didn't. 
• Ice under the big top was really fun to us. I think I have seen people say otherwise. Nothing to be said about the skaters that hasnt already been said. Amazing talents.
• Trivia in the Schooner Bar was fun

Cabin

(TLDR wonderful)

• As mentioned earlier this was our first time staying in a Junior Suite. I got a great price on it, and figured the only benefits would be priority boarding (not a huge one for us) and double points. I was wrong. The closet was astonishing. The extra room and the 'side' window that was great for extra light changed how we used the cabin. 
• Some afternoons instead of hanging out elsewhere we would nap in the cabin. 
• The only thing worn on the ship I noticed was the balcony railing. It looked like it was sanded then left. Almost seemed too uniform to be wear. It was this way as far as I could see both ways on deck 9.
• this will almost certainly change how I approach booking cabins in the future, it was that enjoyable.
• I cannot say we have ever had anything below a good steward, but Levy was great. The best we have ever had. 
• 9558 was quiet, clean, in great shape.

Accessories

• First time with a sound machine and we LOVED it. The cabin was quiet but this made it seem more so.
• cordless fan was great. Too bad I am an idiot and didnt take a micro usb cable to recharge it. So once it was past initial charge it was a paperweight. It worked great for that.
• Magnetic hooks are must do. It seems like each cruise we find more ways to use them
• European outlet adapter. Great, yes, get one for these older ships
• Packing cubes, meh whatever. Maybe we just dont know how to utilize

Assorted

• Motion. The water was pretty churned up and the first 3 full days the ship moved as much as I have ever felt on move. We didn't get sick but I understand many did. I had some pretty crazy videos of water shooting 10 feet in the air out of the pool. They postponed the belly flop contest because of it.
• Fellow passengers. It seemed we noticed more Brits on this trip. Fewer kids. I heard many complaining about the behavior of other passengers but didnt notice any myself. As always, we met several wonderful couples and had great conversation.

Sorry for the length and scattershot nature of this. If you are still reading and couldnt tell we love Mariner. We never felt crowded, the sea views are great, the value it there, and we will see her again in October. 

Brad

OK, question. "TLDR"? Driving me crazy. LOL.

How were labadee and PDCC as far as jellyfish and sea lice? Any problems?

Leaving for same ship/itinerary Saturday. Thanks.

[teddy]

TLDR means too long, didn’t read. 
 

It’s like the Cliff’s Notes version. 

[brdjnr]

2 hours ago, CanHardlyWait said:

OK, question. "TLDR"? Driving me crazy. LOL.

How were labadee and PDCC as far as jellyfish and sea lice? Any problems?

Leaving for same ship/itinerary Saturday. Thanks.

We saw several jellyfish at cococay but didnt interact with them thankfully. No sign of sea lice that I could tell (not an expert at all on that).

This was a great itinerary, we really enjoyed it. 

[JBC]

I was on Mariner two weeks ago, and I echo most of your sentiments.  MDR food was ok, not great.  Portions definitely smaller.  The upcharges for the specialty restaurants are getting to the point of them not being worth it in my opinion.  Bar service was also wildly inconsistent.  If I didn't have the DBP and was actually paying $14 for a drink, I would have definitely complained at times. 

The star lounge on mariner is huge, and it seems underused at times to me.  Trivia is wildly popular at schooner, to the point that you better get there 20 minutes before it starts or you won't get a seat.  They should hold more of those trivia sessions at star lounge instead of schooner.

Gallery of Dreams is a "original royal production", and like almost all of royal's original productions, it's just singing and dancing with some costumes, and good luck trying to discern what the story actually is or what is going on.  I actually look forward to these productions just so I can walk out and say I have no idea what that actually was.  We had two different comedians, one was laughably bad.  His adult show was not adult at all, very PG.  Not a big deal other than it not being funny.  The second comedian was Drew Thomas, and both of his shows (regular and adult) were hilarious.  One of the best comedians I have seen on a royal cruise.  We had a juggler that was great, frequent royal performer "el gaucho" who was decent, and a trio of female singers that were good.  The ice show was good as usual.  Overall for not being an Oasis ship, I was pleasantly surprised by the on board entertainment.  The reggae band that played on the pool deck a few days was really good too.           

[brdjnr]

Yes, Drew Thomas was the guy we saw. His PG part of the welcome aboard show was great. I hate we didnt make the 18+ version.

I should've specified we did NOT see Gallery of Dreams this cruise. I have seen it a couple of times previous. 

I don't think we made it to the Star Lounge a single time.

[JFCruise]

23 hours ago, brdjnr said:

• The peanut butter wafer/cookie thing for dessert was shockingly great. Description is not good and it looks basic, but it was amazing.

Is this the dessert from day 1?

I'm not much of a "bitch about MDR food", but this was a total disappointment for me on Allure. It's just a rice krispies disc with a bit of peanut butter "swirl" on top and some berries. Probably my least favorite thing in a 7 day cruise dining exclusively at the MDR. Everyone has a different taste and that's fine, just giving another perspective.

And the fried chicken also wasn't good. I mean, it didn't taste bad, but I expected it to be crispy and crunchy, I got what was essentially a KFC "regular" fry. Not crispy at all.

[brdjnr]

@JFCruise yes, that is it. I looked thru pics thinking I took a pic of it but I guess I didn't.

When I saw the description of it I fully expected what it sounds like you got. This was a neat looking wafer type thing (no Rice Krispies) layered with a peanut butter cream type drizzle in a criss cross pattern.  I hate I didn't get a pic of it, but it was very very good. And I would've never guessed.

[Ampurp85]

The fried chicken is laughable. Twice mine has been raw, so I don't bother with it. I typically try to avoid night 1 in the MDR. 

Mariner was my first Royal cruise in 2019, I was blown away by Gallery of Dreams when I saw it. Then I saw it in 2022 and it was pure garbage. Granted the talent pool was mostly the B-D team but it was just bad. The ice show has been consistent. 

I have a 5n on Mariner in Jan 2024. I really have no plans but to see the ice show. 

[letscruise]

Thanks for taking the time to write your re-cap, I really enjoyed reading it.  I was on Mariner last year and we really enjoyed the ship.  Good suggestion on moving trivia to the Star Lounge.  

Another poster (or maybe you) mentioned the frustration with drinks not tasting great if you do not have the DBP so you can easily get another--good point! I'll be sure to keep that in mind as I continue to weigh buying the DBP or not (I always buy it!).  It's a good safety net without the hassle of trying to explain why a drink doesn't taste right, etc.