Helen's First Ever Cruise

Mariner of the Seas Cruise Review

trvljet

Contributor Level: Admiral

Cruises: 7+ cruises

Reviews: 3

Helpful Votes: 128

Overall rating:

4.2 out of 5

4 Night Bahamas & Perfect Day (Port Canaveral Roundtrip)

Sail date: September 16, 2019

Ship: Mariner of the Seas

Cabin type: Balcony

Cabin number: 7330

Traveled as: Couple

Reviewed: 5 years ago

Review summary

Overall for such a shorter cruise it was positive. Having been on another cruise line 3 months earlier I had something recent to compare with. Since my traveling partner was a first time cruiser we only saw half of the ship because of taking our time with things. The upstairs buffet had plenty but was not nearly as good as my previous cruise. We went every evening to the main entertainment theater and only one show would I call really good. The others seemed to be very lacking in quality entertainment. We were unable to see the ice show. The quality of of The Key has gone down tremendously from all that was shown on YouTube when it was first introduced. Other than the unl wifi it is probably NOT AS GOOD A Value as when it was first introduced. We had to do most of the work they did in the beginning

Embarkation

5 out of 5

We had purchased The Key in advance which expedited our boarding process.

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

3 out of 5

We ate at the same time and same table for two. Anytime dining. I will know in the future to never except a table around the corner and in the back. We loved the couple sitting next to ours with a table for two. We missed out on any main room activities. The staff could not have been nicer. The menu choices and menu repeats left a lot to be desired. The deserts were terrific. We tried a couple of different entrees at each meal. We found the entrees rather bland in taste especially the steak one night. Not horrible just bland. The Salads and shrimp cocktails were ordered every meal. We ate every night there.

Onboard Activities

5 out of 5

Entertainment

3 out of 5

Was not impressed with the 4 shows we attended. Only one was well put on.

Service and Staff

5 out of 5

Would give a 5 if not for the bartenders on CocoCay which is part of RCL staff.

Ship Quality

5 out of 5

Overall clean and easy enough to get around

Cabin / Stateroom

4 out of 5

We found the room spacious for the two of us. Bed was comfortable and balcony was plenty adequate. TV placement was not the best but OK and of course never enough outlets for today's electronics. USB would be nice by bedside.

Ship tip

Bring a three way plug for your room do to limited outlets.

Thumbs up

Ports of call

Perfect Day At Coco Cay, Bahamas

5 out of 5

We absolutely loved CocoCay. The hurricane spared us and veer away. We had the helium balloon ride and full water slide pass booked but canceled before arriving because of the high winds. It was a good thing because it was to windy for the balloon and to windy when we got there for the higher water slide. We walked around, enjoyed the food at the chill grill. Hotdogs and great barbque chicken legs. We were very surprised the LARGE LAGOON pool where we spent a couple of hours in was FRESH WATER. We loved the dancing girls walking around the lagoon entertaining everyone and all the music playing kept us wound up. Met lots of people in the lagoon and everyone was having a great time. My only negative was the bartenders at the lagoon bar. They wet in such a hurry to give you your drink there was no presentation to the drink. Every drink on the ship looked as good as as it tasted. Same price but they did NOT deserve the mandatory tip that was added. They need to more training. Other than that the experience for US WAS POSITIVE AND GREAT.

Thumbs Up 1

Nassau, Bahamas

3 out of 5

We were only off the ship for an hour and walked around some. No excursions in Nassau. Not OUR cup of tea but everyone was nice.

Thumbs Up 1

Port Canaveral, Florida

5 out of 5

Was very fast and easy on and off

Thumbs Up 1