We expected a little more "exotic" fare, and more of a selection each night. The food that was served, though, was fresh and tasty
Our cabin attendant, Kevin, was exceptional. So was my attendant, Inge, in the spa after I hurt my back horseback riding in Cozumel. Very knowledgable, and professional
The ship was huge. Our room was centrally located on the ship, but being at one end, or the other, would have meant a lot of walking. Also, the ship was broken up in the center on all decks, so one elevator might leave you at the wrong end of where you wanted to go, meaning that your destination is not always obvious, and left us asking for directions once we got to the appropriate deck.
We had a junior suite with a balcony. It was perfect. Can't speak for the staterooms
Beautiful place and friendly people. I took the dolphin swim (not encounter) at Dolphin Bay, and it was the best. Well cared for and happy animals (I was worried about that). Afterwards, you are free to hang around the cove as long as you want, with continual shuttles to serve you your entire stay in port. They'll take you to Dunn Falls, shopping, or back to the ship. If you go looking for local food, be sure to ask what part of the animal is in it. We found that the pork stew with sweet peas was the pork tail. Everything on the menu was similar. We left and went to Margaritaville. They offered local fare, an addition to traditional, and had a great atmosphere. My daughter, who is 25, took the river tubing expedition, and loved it. Overall, we found the best excursions on this island
Don't Miss: dolphin cove, river tubing
Labadee (Cruise Line Private Island)
Beautiful beach, but small with limited swimming because of the roped off areas for paid for activities. Local musicians played on the beach, but every few minutes approached everyone to buy their CD. I didn't feel that my belongings were safe when I went in the water and left them on shore. The ship provided free barbeque lunch, that was very good. Too much of a "sell you something". No interesting local culture, except for the market place where the sellers were very pushy. Transportation from the ship to port was by boarding "tenders" which are ferries. On such a large ship, with so many passengers, this is an excursion in itself. Time consuming because they will wait until every square inch is filled to take you back and forth. Remember, it's HOT there while you're waiting. Some ports may be worth the tender experience, but not Labadee, to me.
Cozumel, Mexico
Great for shopping, & bars, but not much else. We found the island to be be flat, and uninteresting. The people were friendly in a "I want your dollars" sort of way, and after the sale, ignored us without so much as a "thank you". Our most anticipated excursion was here. A guided 4 hour tour on horseback through Mayan ruins. It started with a 45 minute bus ride to Buena Vista Farms. Again, the scenery was flat and unexciting. The guides were on the bus with us, and they were funny and entertaining. They were sure to mention that "gratuities" for the driver was OK, but there was also a sign in the bus. The ride iteself was a drag. Besides being very hot, which was expected, it was boring. The same old scenery, except we saw several Iguanas. The few Mayan ruins were a joke. They were small, and most were described as replicas, which was never disclosed in the brochure. The horses were NOT well cared for. The tack was in disrepair. Tips for the guides were requested
George Town, Grand Cayman
Pros: Beautiful Jr. Suite with baclony was spacious, comfortable and well attended
Cons: Lots of extra charges, ie. internet and SODAS. Paid $100 for internet in our room, and it was VERY slow, outdated dial up. Not the high speed internet you could pay 50 cents a minute for in other parts of the ship. Low casino odds. Losing is expected, but at least would like to play for a while!
Recommends Mariner of the Seas? Yes!
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