Geezer Of The Seas Posted November 6, 2023 Report Share Posted November 6, 2023 So, as the sun sets and Port Canaveral disappears, thought I'd share this. Mariner's crew had to have set a new land speed record for cabin turnaround today. We boarded around 1230, went to our assembly station, and barely wet our whistles at the Schooner Bar while fighting with Voom setup when the announcement was made cabins were ready for occupancy..... at 1pm! Bravo Mariner! Also......there was apparently some IT infrastructure upgrades along with Starlink conversion. First trip on Mariner of February '22, the internet was abysmal to the point a plug in WAP was placed in our cabin. This time our phones are displaying WiFi 6 icons and the service quality is smoking........ Why, we even received our C&A platinum pins. I feel so impotent..... WAYNO, KJ777, asquared17 and 3 others 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FionaMG Posted November 6, 2023 Report Share Posted November 6, 2023 4 minutes ago, Geezer Of The Seas said: So, as the sun sets and Port Canaveral disappears, thought I'd share this. Mariner's crew had to have set a new land speed record for cabin turnaround today. We boarded around 1230, went to our assembly station, and barely wet our whistles at the Schooner Bar while fighting with Voom setup when the announcement was made cabins were ready for occupancy..... at 1pm! Bravo Mariner! Also......there was apparently some IT infrastructure upgrades along with Starlink conversion. First trip on Mariner of February '22, the internet was abysmal to the point a plug in WAP was placed in our cabin. This time our phones are displaying WiFi 6 icons and the service quality is smoking........ Why, we even received our C&A platinum pins. I feel so impotent..... Did auto correct get you on that last word...? Bazza, Cactus527, texaskstar and 11 others 14 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geezer Of The Seas Posted November 6, 2023 Author Report Share Posted November 6, 2023 No that was deliberate. That's the gin and tonic typing....... Eyeonhevn, Neesa, KJ777 and 10 others 1 11 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GatorCruiser Posted November 6, 2023 Report Share Posted November 6, 2023 2 minutes ago, Geezer Of The Seas said: No that was deliberate. That's the gin and tonic typing....... Man I’d love to be there with you ! Enjoy that amazing salty sea air ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bob Burd Posted November 7, 2023 Report Share Posted November 7, 2023 I was on Anthem last week. They had some upgrades with the Starlink in the middle of the day instead of at night. So they were down at least a couple of times that I noticed. But I guess the upgrade was worth it! RCIfan1912 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geezer Of The Seas Posted November 10, 2023 Author Report Share Posted November 10, 2023 Another WOW! moment. Day 5 here at beautiful, deserted Coco Cay. Mariner is the only ship here. Weather is not perfect, but we'll take it. JohnK6404, CrimsonCruiser, ScottD and 3 others 5 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OCSC Mike Posted November 10, 2023 Report Share Posted November 10, 2023 2 hours ago, Geezer Of The Seas said: Another WOW! moment. Day 5 here at beautiful, deserted Coco Cay. Mariner is the only ship here. Weather is not perfect, but we'll take it. Enjoy your run of the island! I've been there on Wonder as the only ship and there was plenty of space everywhere... can only imagine how nice it is for you. KJ777 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geezer Of The Seas Posted November 10, 2023 Author Report Share Posted November 10, 2023 1 hour ago, OCSC Mike said: Enjoy your run of the island! I've been there on Wonder as the only ship and there was plenty of space everywhere... can only imagine now nice it is for you. Third visit to PDCC first ever to be the only ship. Docked with Wonder and 3 of their "closest friends" in Cozumel Wednesday. Probably totaling 15-18K passengers. It was a zoo. DoomSlayer and FionaMG 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DoomSlayer Posted November 10, 2023 Report Share Posted November 10, 2023 1 hour ago, Geezer Of The Seas said: Third visit to PDCC first ever to be the only ship. Docked with Wonder and 3 of their "closest friends" in Cozumel Wednesday. Probably totaling 15-18K passengers. It was a zoo. I remember docking in Costa Maya while on the Allure. Wonder was there and a 3rd ship too (can't remember which one), but the port terminal was packed with the 2 full Oasis class ships. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geezer Of The Seas Posted November 11, 2023 Author Report Share Posted November 11, 2023 Home again. Enjoyable cruise, other than some rock and roll ocean on the way down and then the Yucatan Channel heading back to the Gulf, the weather was great. Think we've ruined ourselves with suites though. The "Extra Spacious Balcony really spacious, nor was the balcony. Missed a table to sit and eat, however big or small, and Mrs. Geezer missed a bathtub. Ship and crew were wonderful, but the vapers vaping where they shouldn't, the disciples of smokable herbs, and the falling down drunks, not so much. Had a 'carnivalesque' air to it. Now for Royal Caribbean, who screwed the pooch on 2 counts. We selected 5:30 MDR seating (on the reservation receipt), we got My Time. Talked to the dining room manager to try and get what we requested and received the venerable "there's nothing we can do" response. Completed our disembarkation procedures preferences, we received luggage tags for Group 8, the info. on the app which is allegedly gospel said Group 26. And Royal should hire me to prepare the Chicken Parmesan and Mrs. Geezer to do the Chicken Cordon Bleu. What a profound, bland disappointment. However, I discovered how to get the paper thin NY strip in the MDR cooked to perfection. Just asked our waiter to bring it out still mooing! Way better than the shoe leather that was served in the MDR on Wonder & Jewel. DoomSlayer and Robert M 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smokeybandit Posted November 11, 2023 Report Share Posted November 11, 2023 15 minutes ago, Geezer Of The Seas said: Think we've ruined ourselves with suites though. Happens to the best of us. WAAAYTOOO 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OCSC Mike Posted November 11, 2023 Report Share Posted November 11, 2023 15 minutes ago, Geezer Of The Seas said: We selected 5:30 MDR seating (on the reservation receipt), we got My Time. Talked to the dining room manager to try and get what we requested and received the venerable "there's nothing we can do" response. Wow, sorry to hear this. The same exact thing happened on Allure late last month (the always reliable computer system switched a bunch of people from traditional to MTD) but the managers handled it very well. They couldn't give us an actual early seating table but on night one they said just go to deck 5 at 5:30 and you'll be seated as quickly as possible (it took maybe 10-15 mins). After that, they said to do the same thing but on deck 3 for the rest of the cruise... and we were seated within 5 minutes for the other 2 nights we ate in the MDR. So we sort of wound up with 5:30 MTD reservations which was fine with us. Having 3 different servers didn't matter. Robert M and DoomSlayer 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DoomSlayer Posted November 11, 2023 Report Share Posted November 11, 2023 1 hour ago, Geezer Of The Seas said: ...We selected 5:30 MDR seating (on the reservation receipt), we got My Time. Talked to the dining room manager to try and get what we requested and received the venerable "there's nothing we can do" response... That's interesting. On Voyager, my wife and I were assigned seats at a large table for the 5pm dining (we like eating with others). Another couple that ate with us told us their reservation had been changed from the 5pm dining to My Time dining too. They were able to get it worked out with the dining room to get switched back to 5pm dining. I thought it was a fluke, but it sounds like there may be more to it as you experienced the unexpected change in dining too. WAAAYTOOO 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geezer Of The Seas Posted November 12, 2023 Author Report Share Posted November 12, 2023 Shame on me, I didn't mention the last WOW moment on Mariner. Despite the conflicting disembarkation group tag/app info, it appears Royal Caribbean has perfected the disembarkation process (at Port Canaveral anyway). Left our cabin at 7, Windjammer for breakfast at 7, reported to Star Lounge at 745, waiting on our 815 group call which came at 8. Off the ship and through baggage claim/CBP at 815. Walked to the shuttle parking area where the Portparkingspace.com bus was waiting. Luggage loaded, Mr & Mrs Geezer aboard, back to the parking lot and on our way out of the port and to Death Race SR 528 at 845. Our best embarkation/disembarkation experience yet. Saw the southbound Brightline train hauling the mail west of Cocoa. How I wish there was at Station in North Cocoa.............NOW!!! OCSC Mike and WAAAYTOOO 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OCSC Mike Posted November 12, 2023 Report Share Posted November 12, 2023 1 hour ago, Geezer Of The Seas said: it appears Royal Caribbean has perfected the disembarkation process (at Port Canaveral anyway) I've found parking, embarkation, and disembarkation to all be run extremely smoothly at PC for quite some time. WAAAYTOOO 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geezer Of The Seas Posted November 13, 2023 Author Report Share Posted November 13, 2023 9 hours ago, OCSC Mike said: I've found parking, embarkation, and disembarkation to all be run extremely smoothly at PC for quite some time. Our experience last November on Jewel at CT 5 influenced our decision to use portparkingspace.com. Not huge savings ($21 less than official port parking) but the convenience and the stress free ride to the terminal and NOT being in that hideous line of cars futilely seeking parking in the garage was worth it. And, since the bus entrance is different, I was treated to views of a dope sniffing dog doing his thing with the luggage carts at the Carnival terminal. Also noticed contractor is preparing to sink pilings for a new parking garage in what was an overflow ground lot in front the CT 5 garage. OCSC Mike 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OCSC Mike Posted November 13, 2023 Report Share Posted November 13, 2023 4 minutes ago, Geezer Of The Seas said: Our experience last November on Jewel at CT 5 influenced our decision to use portparkingspace.com. I should have mentioned all my experiences are with Terminal 1... which now has even more surface lots and was able to accommodate me parking for Allure's first cruise from PC while people were already parked for both Wonder and Indy and no one was disembarking that morning. That was a one-off, of course. Now two Oasis class and eventually an Icon and an Oasis class shouldn't be a problem at all. I do know Terminal 5 now has people paying as they enter, like Terminal 1 always has, which supposedly has made a welcome difference. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geezer Of The Seas Posted November 13, 2023 Author Report Share Posted November 13, 2023 Supposedly, allegedly, the parking garages (like CT 3) will be equipped to accept E-Pass & SunPass; even better than stuffing a credit card in a slot. An attendant at the CT-1 garage told us last year that was the plan and it was shelved because of the precipitous drop in port revenue due to the Pandemic. But anything other than a paper ticket will be a welcomed improvement. WAAAYTOOO 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OCSC Mike Posted November 13, 2023 Report Share Posted November 13, 2023 7 hours ago, Geezer Of The Seas said: Supposedly, allegedly, the parking garages (like CT 3) will be equipped to accept E-Pass & SunPass; even better than stuffing a credit card in a slot. An attendant at the CT-1 garage told us last year that was the plan and it was shelved because of the precipitous drop in port revenue due to the Pandemic. But anything other than a paper ticket will be a welcomed improvement. I’ve never had a problem paying via CC and quickly getting into a garage spot at Terminal 1 around 10am. WAAAYTOOO 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bazza Posted November 13, 2023 Report Share Posted November 13, 2023 On 11/10/2023 at 3:04 PM, OCSC Mike said: Enjoy your run of the island! I've been there on Wonder as the only ship and there was plenty of space everywhere... can only imagine how nice it is for you. Just had a look at the schedule for our B2B on Oasis in Jan & Feb - same day as Freedom both times = up to 11,000 passengers! Different WOW! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OCSC Mike Posted November 13, 2023 Report Share Posted November 13, 2023 2 hours ago, Bazza said: Just had a look at the schedule for our B2B on Oasis in Jan & Feb - same day as Freedom both times = up to 11,000 passengers! Different WOW! Hideaway Beach will add some capacity if open by then. I’ve been there with Indy/Freedom 3X & Allure/Adventure once… slightly less than your combo but zero issues getting chairs in our favorite spot by the pool as long as we got off the ship early (which we always do anyway). Bazza 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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