Mariner of the Seas Reviews

I and my family are satisfied with the whole trip excepting the experience at Phuket. It was good for family trip with young children. All meals provided, no need to carry and move everywhere, but just arrived at another port during sleep, many activities.

As stated, I was billed twice for gratuities for 5 people. That's 500 USD.  I received no refund, or even understanding from staff. If you book this cruise, refuse to pay gratuities as your booking, you will be billed again and forced to pay again out the door. And demand an itemized invoice after you complete your booking. They don't send you one, and as prices are always fluctuating there is no way for you to prove how much of your bill was the ticket price and how much was the gratuities and the health insurance they make you pay for as you book the trip. 

 

Royal Caribbean has TERRIBLE internal communication! Just try to find out which port your leaving from, you will never find a definitive answer in English. 

Excellent staff and ship.

 

We flew in from the US and having a relaxing cruise to adjust to the jet lag was perfect.  We were told that English would be a second language and food would be completely different, but that was not the case at all.  English was first, and although the dishes had a lot more variety, it was that different from taking a Caribbean Cruise.

 

It was very comfortable and everyone was very helpful on the ship.  Good food and entertainment.

Embarking and debarking was quick and efficient.

 

This cruise doesn't happen much, but we recommend it for a comfortable way to see several parts of Asia.

it wasnt not as advertised. there were only two restaurants which while good were not outstanding. never mind johnny rockets which was a dive. there was a gay bar but nothing for straight singles to do. they did not dock in either excursion port contrary to what you are led to believe. they nickel and dime you for everything including a 90.00 fee to tour the ship!The cabin was a dump, the couch was filthy. the cabin attendant could not get it through his head i just wanted to be left alone and would call if i needed something. seeing Vietnam was wonderful but here is where they should have spent the night. as it was only five hours. after travel. i am so disappointed, especially since my last royal Caribbean was so great. too many kids as well and you would think there would be asian selections of beer. i feel like i got taken. 

We loved everything about this cruise. The cabin was bright and spacious. The food was great. Staff was friendly and helpful. Overall a wonderful experience. 

We were a group of 10 travelling with half of the people doing cruise for the first time with the other half seasoned cruiser. 

 

Upon boarding, we were immediately pressured by staff as sales people to purchase better/premium meals.

 

ALL food on the cruise was cold to lukewarm EVERYDAY. We had to ask for coffee to be reheated to get it extra-hot. This was only avilable if you were staying in Gold Suite. Which should not be the case. 

 

Horrible experience with Shore excursions

 

Rude attitude from staff and misleading marketing information - NO unlimited Ben&Jerry We read from the reviews online that when we board the cruiseline they would have Ben & Jerry’s store, and we would only need to pay an entrance fee to have UNLIMITED Ben & Jerry’s ice-cream. When we enquired about the unlimited ice-cream with one of the Chinese female staff who served us, we were greeted with frowny face and were told in a rude attitude that there is no such thing

3500 people onboard, if you like to be in Grand Central Staion at rush hour, this is the ship to be on. And especially if you like over cooked food,they have not yet heard about "medium rare". And the constant sales pitch for specialty resuarants and over priced drinks, this is for you!!  I realize that they run a business for profit but to much is to much. And $20.00 a day for WiFi come now. I do have to say that the junior suite we had was nice and roomy. And last but not least all ports of call are miles and miles from any city. Except for Phuket. Their excursions are over priced for south east Asia (Japanese prices) Kuala Lumpor is 50 miles from the port of call 1and a half hour by taxi.

The ports of calls were great. One week went by very quickly. This trip was unique for us as  we had o

one sea day and rest of the time were busy taking in the sights. We were able to visit historic,religious 

sites and beautiful beaches.  The passengers represented different ethnic groups. The Cruise line was sensitive to the needs of the guests with different backgrounds. 

We also saw some variation in the entertainment provided using local talents.

I highly recommend this itinerary,only wished it was ten day cruise. I could have done more shopping.

 

 

 

Overall, my wife and I like the ship, clean, comfortable, excellent food and room service. I can recommend to all my friends the wonderful experience we had. Everyone on the ship board from room service to food servers was courteous, friendly and very accommodating. I will make sure we will cruise again with Royal Carribean.  However, shopping time on land excursions was too short and limited.

#1 the trip to Galveston took all day from Denver.....they had to hold the ship because we were so late in getting there. #2 We could not download the luggage tags because they shut off the ability to very early and of course in Houston they ran out of luggage tags. Finally we got on the buses to Galveston a couple of hours late. My bus smelled so badly of gas fumes we finally arrived with headaches. My balcony cabin was great except for on the bed was a notice that the casino was closed for 10 days while they remodeled it so the ship would be ready for it's 3 yr. stint in the Far East. Of course they so kindly credited us with a $100 credit on our cruise. 10 days at sea was great otherwise. Loved Madere and the Rock of Gibraltar so much better than the Canary Islands on the last transcontinental I took 3 yrs. ago. Alicante and Nassau were not bad as I had also been there years ago. What can you possibly see in Barcelona when you have to leave the ship at 6:30am to get to the airport for a 10:00 AM flight. Glad I stayed over before for a week or more. Now the biggest complaint.......at 6:30 AM I got to the luggage disembarking the ship with #l tags on both of my suitcases so I could catch their bus to the airport and of course they lost, on the ship no less one of my suitcases. Waited as long as I could so I wouldn't miss the flight to Madrid, to London and home. Filled out my lost luggage report and was told that my suitcase would be found and returned to me as it is on the ship. I ran through Barcelona airport, Madrid airport and London airport as my flight schedules all said that I was on American Airlines all the way through. #1 flight to Madrid was actually Iberia, #2 flight to London was Iberia also and they are not even close to each other. I am 73 years old and I'll tell you that the schedule you sent to me confirming flights as per Royal Caribbean was so far off. Got through customs in London and of course my flight to Denver was not American A/L but British A/L.

The ship was outstanding and well maintained. Our Promenade room was excellent. The entire staff is courteous and helpful. Our only complaint was the food. Certainly not up to standards. Celebrity outshines Royal Caribbean in the food department.

I had a good experience with Royal Caribbean. The staff was very polite and attentive, helped resolve few issues that came up during the cruise. The food options were good, you could eat any time anything you want. Nice, clean, fresh with plenty of options to keep yourself busy. Or just lay in the solarium and not do anything at all. Would go again.

The Ship was excellent and well maintained. Most all of the staff was friendly and helpful and the dining experience was very good. Onboard ship activities were good, especially the evening theatre performances as well as the lounge entertainment. Classes held aboard ship were pretty good, but designed to solicit purchasing their products or services. Poolside activities centered appealed mostly for the younger generation and weather precluded these activities on two of the seven days...winds were high and temperatures in the 60's. Alcohol (drinks) was marketed heavily but not overly bothersome. There was only one venue aboard this 3000+ passenger ship for 24-hour light snacks and beverages after 9:00 pm although the light offerings were pretty good. Also, our balcony, although a smoke free stateroom, was located down wind next door to two smokers who smoked constantly on their balcony, so we were barely able to enjoy leaving the doors open or just sitting on the balcony without this experience. Royal Caribbean needs to fix this problem by making it clear during booking where one might truly be smoke free. Island excursions were typically expensive, averaging around $100 per person and the waiting lines were long and hot. However, the experiences were good and memorable. Would clearly recommend the Stingray experience as well as the Dolphins. Island tours were ok and safe although I would not recommend venturing off by yourself in Jamaca as the excessive swarming by vendors and those wanting to be helpful can be a bit intimidating if not scarey. Finally, this cruise visited only three islands, so the rest of the time you were at sea. For those who don't like getting off the ship this is great. However, for those who do like to sight-see, shopping aboard or enjoying the ships activities grows a bit old. All in all, we enjoyed the cruise, our first to the Caribbean, but probably wouldn't do this cruise again in order to experience these islands.

Great cruise. We had a wonderful time. Crew and staff were very helpful and friendly. Down side: The Jamaican band that was on board spent most of their off time and while playing trying to pick up elderly females. They were quite successful. It was the talk of the ship's passengers. It offended some of the people on board, they indicated that they would not sail RC again.

Great trip. Best food we have had on a cruise. (Been on 4 cruises with NCL, one other on RC and one on Holland.) Very friendly wait staff and managers. The art on this ship is amazing. We were told this ship will be in Asia for the next five years however. Would/will go with RC again based on this experience!

By far, everything about the cruise on Mariner of the Seas was exceptional. The ship is clean, well managed, and a beautiful picture of decoration. The meals were excellent, well portioned, and tasteful. We ate breakfast, most lunches, and all dinners in the Rhapsody In Blue dining room. Service was excellent. Everyone was very professional and attended to all requests. The meals on this ship were far superior to anything I have every had on any Carnival cruise. The salad buffet in the main dining room at lunch time was excellent. We saw the ice show on Voyager of the Seas previously but the show on this ship is far superior to any other. All of the evening performances in the Savoy Theater were wonderful. We never missed one and came away from each show with joy and happiness from the show team. The promenade is the heart of the ship and really makes this class of ship the most fun to be on. We strolled, shopped, danced, and watched the 70s disco show and had a wonderful time. The sanctuary was wonderful and we used it several times especially the hot tub. Stateroom was excellent, well maintained and the stateroom attendant was excellent. Enjoyed all of the ports of call especially since this is the first time we have been to Falmouth, Jamaica, What a vast improvement from Montego Bay. Am sorry that this ship is leaving Galveston to be permanently repositioned to the China Australia itinerary. I only hope the replacement ship, Navigator of the Seas is as good because for my money, Royal Caribbean is the very best cruise line, has the most inovative ships, and really takes good care of passengers. Can't wait for my next cruise with Royal Caribbean.

I loved the Widdem Wave Band the singer was excellent ....it put me in the mood for a true vacation. My girlfriend and I had a marvoulous time. I am going back to Jamacia what a beautiful island. The food and service was good ....I had better on the cruise we took in January same ship...but still nice...I like being waited on and I did not feel that this cruise like I have in the past.....Music made up for it......

Except for the boarding process (which was partly unavoidable), this cruise was great and I would definitely use Royal Caribbean again in the future. The entertainment shows were great, but I would like to see more entertainment in the bars around the ship. Maybe use some of the RC song & dance members to sing with the bands or something like that. All 4 singers had exceptional voices which could have been utilized more. The entertainment in the pool area was a lot of fun. I was cruising with my daughter and found very little opportunities to meet other singles on the ship. We were even seated with 3 married couples at dinner which could have been a better arrangement. I would recommend this cruise.

This was our first RC cruise and I love the interior promenade layout! There are not as many dining options that are complimentary as on the larger Carnival ships, but there was room at the pool, so there is give an take I guess! They hold out amenities (such as robes in the staterooms) for "members", which was a little frustrating, I guess I will not be as concerned about it if I become a "member" and get to use the special reserved lounges by the pool too! The service was great, my kids really miss our waitress Yen! The food was good, but not the knock out experience I was expecting from RC (past lude Carnival, Costa, Princess) The art on the ship was great and the decor was fantastic.

We have cruised a number of times. The service and food excellent. Shows and entertainment good. There may have been a problem with passengers that just came in because we had longer lines and waiting than anytime in past. Our return getting off ship smooth and much faster. Tours seemed good - did not take any since we had been there before, except for longer and more strenuous, but rave reviews to us on ones that were younger. Did notice some budget cuts, like free lotion, shampoo,etc. Ice not given unless requested, but daily after.