back from Mariner

[brdjnr]

Our second cruise on Mariner (this one Costa Maya/Cozumel) since late August, and it was another fantastic trip.  Some random observations:

Had the 10:30am checkin, we were on board not long after 11.

Our August cruise was in a Jr Suite so it seemed like we saw a lot of our stateroom attendant. We hardly ever saw this one but it worked out fine with the once a day cleaning.

Voyager class promenade view interiors continue to be our favorite 'budget' cabin. I know there are strong feelings to the contrary, but we like them. And for whatever reason this one (7591) may have been the quietest cabin we have ever had on a cruise. My wife said 'never again' to an interior (tho she will be in one June next year lol), but she doesnt mind the promenade view interior at all. 

Motion was fairly significant first day then calm until the last night. Captain warned us once the ship got close to turning north back to Canaveral it would get rough and he wasn't lying. They distributed bags in all the public areas which we have never seen before (this was our 8th or 9th RC cruise). It kept the wife up but not me, which she of course commented on)

Maya Chan was incredible, getting there not so much. As many commented, that port has pretty pushy vendors. It was our first time there, we found our way out eventually. The ride there took longer than it should have, our driver acted like it was his POV, slowing down much more than necessary (IMO). The guy on the ride back did not, at all.

We did Fury catamaran in Cozumel and really enjoyed it.  Bought a shirt and a magnet when getting back and got on the ship.

MDR was ok, service was quick. Im not a 'big portion' guy, but the portions were really small this time. Curiously small. The food was pretty good tho and the servers were great. We ate there 3 nights.

We ate breakfast in the MDR and that continues to be among my favorite meals. 

We ate in WJ twice because we (basically) didnt have a choice. I am not a buffet guy but the food was ok. The knifefight/thunderdome aspect of it is what I dont enjoy at all.

Izumi was not as enjoyable as past visits but good nonetheless. Chops was very good.

Bar service was occasionally busy but the drinks seemed better this trip. The Gold Rush at the Tiki Bar (I know thats not its official name) was the best drink on board so long as they had Buffalo Trace, not quite as good with Wild Turkey but still a good bourbon drink. 

The Viking/Crown Lounge is still our favorite place on board a Voyager class ship. We spent quite a bit of time there and really enjoyed it. They made a passable Old Fashioned so long as they didnt muddle the fruit as requested.

I will miss Mariner after her repositioning. As I have said many times, she is the goldilocks ship to me.

[OCSC Mike]

9 minutes ago, brdjnr said:

I will miss Mariner after her repositioning. As I have said many times, she is the goldilocks ship to me.

Glad you had a great cruise!

I prefer Oasis class now but have fond memories of Mariner from many years ago. They played this one random song before every show and event... you couldn't not hear it at least a dozen times per day, lol. It was "Love Today" by Mika. My wife and I had never heard of them before but it has been my wife's ringtone for me ever since that cruise over 15 years ago.

(That's why it says "Love Today" next to one of the Mariner cruises in my signature.)

[WAAAYTOOO]

@brdjnr, agree with you re: the Promenade View rooms.  What a bargain (as far as bargains go, these days).  We have a couple more booked including 14 night B2B on EX in April.  Very convenient and affordable.  We even downgraded one of our OV casino comps b/c I would rather have the Promenade View than a bilge OV.

[Cactus527]

@brdjnr and @WAAAYTOOO - I'm curious about your love of promenade-view room. Are you late-night people so the sound of parties/get-togethers on the promenade doesn't bother you? How can it possibly be quiet?!?!? Really would love to hear your feedback. I'm on Navigator again soon and thought "NO WAY" for these type of rooms, but now I'm questioning aaaaaall my choices. 

[USFFrank]

Whenever I'm on a Freedom or Voyager Class ship I will always get a promenade view room. Noise really wasn't much of an issue for any party's on the promenade are usually over by 11:00PM.  I also look at the deck plans and make sure the cabin I choose is not located above or near one of the bars. And if I'm in my cabin and don't want either anyone in the cabins across from me or anyone standing on the promenade to look in I simply close 1 or both curtains. That last rule also applies to neighborhood view balconies on Oasis class ships.

[OCSC Mike]

53 minutes ago, Cactus527 said:

I'm curious about your love of promenade-view room. Are you late-night people so the sound of parties/get-togethers on the promenade doesn't bother you?

Only had a Promenade View once, on Indy, and yes, they can be very loud during the parties.

We also weren't big fans of the layout and storage but everyone likes what they like.

[brdjnr]

@Cactus527 yes, during the parties it is pretty loud.  We are seldom in the cabin during those so no worries for us. If you go to bed before 10 I would say it isnt for you.

[WAAAYTOOO]

Maybe we’ve just been lucky but we’ve never had a problem with noise.  We choose rooms as close to the aft elevators as possible so maybe we’re far enough away from the tumult that we don’t get the noise.  

[Matt]

22 hours ago, brdjnr said:

I will miss Mariner after her repositioning. As I have said many times, she is the goldilocks ship to me.

Me too

[Cakemeister]

Thank you for sending her my way. I've sailed on her once, pre-amp, and I'm looking forward to sailing on her again once she is in Galveston.

[DoomSlayer]

On 11/6/2023 at 1:22 PM, Cactus527 said:

@brdjnr and @WAAAYTOOO - I'm curious about your love of promenade-view room. Are you late-night people so the sound of parties/get-togethers on the promenade doesn't bother you? How can it possibly be quiet?!?!? Really would love to hear your feedback. I'm on Navigator again soon and thought "NO WAY" for these type of rooms, but now I'm questioning aaaaaall my choices. 

We love the promenade view rooms too.  Noise has not been an issue for us in these rooms and I like sitting in the window and people watching while my wife is getting ready.  Promenade view interiors are my go-to budget room if I don't get a balcony or a suite as I refuse to stay in standard interiors (not having any windows makes me feel trapped and claustrophobic).  Now admittedly, I don't have "young ears", so I may not be the best judge of sound levels, but I do truly enjoy those rooms and they work well for me and my wife.