Wilmsta Posted May 10, 2018 Report Share Posted May 10, 2018 Hi all Me and the better half will be coming over from the UK to Miami right at the start of April next year. If I move things about a bit we may be able to do the 4 night Bahamas cruise, stopping at Cococay and Nassau on Mariner if the Seas. Now a couple of questions if you guys could give me opinions and advice: Timing - Leaving on 1st April for 4 nights, Good time to go? Weather OK,? Not spring break or hurricane season etc Mariner - I know it’s going through an upgrade of sorts but I’ve read reviews that it looks tired - especially the cabins. Are these the sort of things that are resolved during the dry dock? I’m not overly fussy so as long as it’s clean is fine by me. Cococay - read that it’s going through a major upgrade over the next year or so - and the cruise would appear to be bang in the middle of all of that - so is it likely to ruin the experience somewhat? Price - currently its around £1400 ($1050 approx) for a Ocean View Balcony. This seems to be the base price with no promotion whatsoever - Seems to be plenty of availability so would it best to wait to see if a better deal comes along. (We can’t cancel and rebook over here in the UK as far as i’m aware) Appols for all the questions but having never cruised yet (first one in August) I like to get as much insider info as possible. Thanks in advance for any responses Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whitsmom Posted May 10, 2018 Report Share Posted May 10, 2018 April 1st will be spring break for many schools in our area (Kentucky). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monctonguy Posted May 10, 2018 Report Share Posted May 10, 2018 Weather should be good in April there so I wouldn't worry about that. Marnier will be a great ship in great shape..I wouldn't worry about that at all. Cococay is undergoing major changes.....I am not sure when it will be completed so I would expect there to be some things that would be not ready or available...not sure what the noise level will be like to be honest. I don't know what deals are like from the UK..but $1000 USD seems high for 4 nights in a balcony...I would NEVER pay that personally but... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt Posted May 10, 2018 Report Share Posted May 10, 2018 Hate to get on my soapbox but... 4 hours ago, Wilmsta said: I’ve read reviews that it looks tired Stop reading online reviews! There are negative online reviews about Star Wars, steak, baby bunnies, and pretty much everything. To answer your question, yes, Mariner's refurb work will give the entire ship essentially a face lift. You'll have a great time whitsmom 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wilmsta Posted May 10, 2018 Author Report Share Posted May 10, 2018 Thanks monctonguy. Yes that was my thinking re cost. Seems rather expensive for just the 4 nights. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wilmsta Posted May 10, 2018 Author Report Share Posted May 10, 2018 4 minutes ago, Matt said: Hate to get on my soapbox but... Stop reading online reviews! There are negative online reviews about Star Wars, steak, baby bunnies, and pretty much everything. To answer your question, yes, Mariner's refurb work will give the entire ship essentially a face lift. You'll have a great time I do take these reviews with a pinch of salt Matt, some people will moan about everything as you rightly say. In general - do you know if they do offer deals/promotions on these shorter cruises? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lovetocruise2002 Posted May 10, 2018 Report Share Posted May 10, 2018 4 hours ago, Wilmsta said: Price - currently its around £1400 ($1050 approx) for a Ocean View Balcony. Hope that price is not per person, for 4 nights... For two, it would seem reasonable. It is spring break in some parts of the US.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt Posted May 10, 2018 Report Share Posted May 10, 2018 Just now, Wilmsta said: In general - do you know if they do offer deals/promotions on these shorter cruises? I think promotions, in general, tend to favor the 4-night to 7-night sailings the most. The 3 and 4 night cruises are already fairly inexpensive since it's just a few nights. Of course, there are always exceptions. Wilmsta 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lovetocruise2002 Posted May 10, 2018 Report Share Posted May 10, 2018 3 minutes ago, Wilmsta said: In general - do you know if they do offer deals/promotions on these shorter cruises? 1 minute ago, Matt said: I think promotions, in general, tend to favor the 4-night to 7-night sailings the most. The 3 and 4 night cruises are already fairly inexpensive since it's just a few nights. Of course, there are always exceptions. I will let you know about this one @Wilmsta. I am currently tracking the prices for Mariner for August. It's not something I have to book, however, for the right price, hubby and I have decided that we will jump on it. We have one week in August blocked off and we are trying something that we have never done with cruising, booking within the 90 day window if the price is right. If it doesn't drop, then we'll do a staycation. It's a 4 night sailing that I'm looking at but I don't like the price yet. So to be continued.... Wilmsta 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wilmsta Posted May 10, 2018 Author Report Share Posted May 10, 2018 32 minutes ago, Lovetocruise2002 said: Hope that price is not per person, for 4 nights... For two, it would seem reasonable. It is spring break in some parts of the US.... Yes that's the total cost, not per person. I didn't realise that is was spring break so yes maybe that's why its a little higher Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lovetocruise2002 Posted May 10, 2018 Report Share Posted May 10, 2018 1 hour ago, Wilmsta said: Yes that's the total cost, not per person. I didn't realise that is was spring break so yes maybe that's why its a little higher It's actually not much higher. I priced out Mariner 4 night for 2 people for early September (hurricane season, usually low rates at this time) and it's $949USD (total) for a balcony. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wilmsta Posted May 10, 2018 Author Report Share Posted May 10, 2018 Just realised that i've got my conversions all muddled: £1400 is actually around a around $1875! Lovetocruise2002 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lovetocruise2002 Posted May 10, 2018 Report Share Posted May 10, 2018 Just now, Wilmsta said: Just realised that i've got my conversions all muddled: £1400 is actually around a around $1875! Yikes, that is a way bigger difference. But again, spring break prices are usually crazier... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wilmsta Posted May 10, 2018 Author Report Share Posted May 10, 2018 7 minutes ago, Lovetocruise2002 said: Yikes, that is a way bigger difference. But again, spring break prices are usually crazier... Just compared priced on the .com and .co.uk wesbites and : £925 in total ($1250 approx) for OVB cabin 6276 on the .com website which also includes $50 of on board credit. however £1340 in total ($1800 approx) for the same cruise,identical cabin, (well next door - cabin 6278) on the royalcaribbean.co.uk website Over £400 ($540 approx) difference - Doesnt seem fair to me unless i'm missing something Lovetocruise2002 and JLMoran 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monctonguy Posted May 10, 2018 Report Share Posted May 10, 2018 yeah...I can get it for about $500 person plus taxes here for that date..or about $400 towards the end of April.......I wouldn't pay almost $2000 for 4 nights on any cruise....add on drinks and its almost $2500 for 4 nights with no extras like grats and any excursions etc... It may drop between now and then....or book a different room..for 4 days you'll be spending most of the time outside of the cabin anyways?...just a thought.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wilmsta Posted May 11, 2018 Author Report Share Posted May 11, 2018 12 hours ago, monctonguy said: yeah...I can get it for about $500 person plus taxes here for that date..or about $400 towards the end of April.......I wouldn't pay almost $2000 for 4 nights on any cruise....add on drinks and its almost $2500 for 4 nights with no extras like grats and any excursions etc... It may drop between now and then....or book a different room..for 4 days you'll be spending most of the time outside of the cabin anyways?...just a thought.... Thanks monctonguy, you’ve confirmed I’m not going mad! Yes I think i’ll wait until a promotion/offer is released before reconsidering - shame tho. monctonguy 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Castle3896 Posted May 11, 2018 Report Share Posted May 11, 2018 On May 10, 2018 at 12:02 PM, Wilmsta said: Just compared priced on the .com and .co.uk wesbites and : £925 in total ($1250 approx) for OVB cabin 6276 on the .com website which also includes $50 of on board credit. however £1340 in total ($1800 approx) for the same cruise,identical cabin, (well next door - cabin 6278) on the royalcaribbean.co.uk website Over £400 ($540 approx) difference - Doesnt seem fair to me unless i'm missing something I just checked RCL website. April 1, 2019 sailing Mariner of the Seas 4-night Bahamas Cruise. Both Outside View and Balcony are showing $509 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wilmsta Posted May 11, 2018 Author Report Share Posted May 11, 2018 1 hour ago, Castle3896 said: I just checked RCL website. April 1, 2019 sailing Mariner of the Seas 4-night Bahamas Cruise. Both Outside View and Balcony are showing $509 £650 ($875 approx) cheapest over here that I can find - for balcony. I’ll wait for a drop and take my chances! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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