Mariner of the Seas Cruise Reviews - Reviews

I must say that I've set a HIGH standard for RCCL, and they almost met them all! Let me explain. I've been on two other cruises with you and enjoyed myself sooo much that I must do this EVERY YEAR. On this particular cruise, we were a party of 8, ranging in ages 28 through 90. The ship met every need for everbody! and then some. We came away refreshed, and already planning a family reunion in 2009 ( but I will be sailing again before that) When I said almost met every need, the only thing I would change is that they have popcorn at the movie theater :) So after saying ALL that, let me say what a wonderful job you and your staff provide for soo many people and always with a smile. God Bless you! Debra Hampton

excellent, too many kids unattended using elevators

Fantastic children's program catered to all age groups with fun-filled activities. The kids had a fantastic time with pirate night and superhero dress up day.

This was my eldest daughters first cruise, we celebrated her 22nd Birthday. I simply cannot sing the praises enough of the service on the Mariner. From our stateroom attendant to our Waiter (who was simply THE best!!!!! This cruise RCI really put the Royal in Royal Caribbean International. This ship is a sure thing for families as well. Other travelers with children we met and my observations or lack of them as we rarely saw children...was great. If a first time cruiser is unsure....there is no need to be. My advice, it may not be a good idea to book a cruise that is in port every day. Make sure you have time at sea as well. You will not regret it. Thanks bunches to the staff of the Promenade Bar/cafe, our stateroom attendant as our cruise really would not have been the same if not for her, ALL of the spa Gods have my luv....they know who they are lol, the art auctioneers were superb and last but certainly not least, our waiter in Tops N Tails Dining Room....He is truly the epitome of what first class service is all about. Food was good to excellent, excepting the windjammer as their food was a bit ohhh tastless at times without a huge difference day to day, I will however, take some of the blame for the food issue, I am diabetic and well, as such am dificult at times with food, RCI is the ONLY cruise line I will cruise with....already booked the next cruise-taking the two youngest (13 &15) this time. I will be sure to review the childrens activities in more depth in Dec. 07. Ya know, there is one more thing for me to mention, my daughter and I were so pleased that our cruise was a great mix of cultures and peoples. I had so much fun meeting and getting to know those from other locales. Bon Voyage!!!!!! We loved the entire trip!

EXCELLENT CRUISE SHIP AND WONDERFUL PORTS WISH WE HAD MORE TIME AT CERTAIN PORTS

I have been on other Royal Caribbean ships, this was the worst! The food was of diner standard and the wait staff was less than satisfactory. The state room attendants were however, fantastic as was the programs offered to our children of varying ages (5-16 years). The port experiences were okay, the Cococay being horrible but St Thomas and St. Maartin were good but gave little to no cultural exchange. The Cococay Island was obviously a manmade disneylike island that lacked creativity and splendor. The worst experience by far was waiting on line in the very hot sun for the ferry, which there were only two running. It was worrisome for those with health conditions or other impairments.

All the "shipmates" treated us like royality. The food was wonderful the ship was beautiful and the ship's agenda was perfect!

To sum it all up.....we will be going on another Caribbean cruise next year and only, I repeat only, on the Royal Caribbean..no other cruise line compares to them.

The ship is wonderful, the food is great, the staff/crew put it over the top! We took 7 and 11 year old sons and two adults, The cabin was a little cramped, but who wants to spend time in the cabin when the ship is so great!?!?! Our ports were fun, our excursons were a blast for the whole family! The crew was friendly and more than accomodating. We are already thinking of waht trip to book next!

The crew was very friendly and the ship was beautiful

This was my first cruise and I have already booked 2 more next year one to Bermuda and a 14 day to Alaska.I absolutley would recommend this to everyone I travel alot and I am now hooked for life.The ship was great and the people who worked on the ship were outstanding.

This was the first cruise that I've been on. It was my honeymoon & my birthday came while I was on the ship. It was one of the most pleasurable experiences I've ever had in my life. My wife stated that she feels the exact same way. This was her first cruise, as well. The buffet was amazing. The food was amazing. The staff were very pleasurable and insightful. There was always something to do while on the ship. We were occupied from the time we left the room until the time that we returned to the room. We plan on going on another cruise next year and will probably bring our 4 kids along.

I have now taken two Royal Carribean Cruises, and I don't know how other cruise lines work, but I cannot see myself taking any other cruise line in the future. The Mariner itself was a great ship with a wide variety of activities for all ages. Every evening you receive a "Cruise Compass" which is basically a schedule of all of the activities and events that are going on the next day. This helps you plan your day. The nice thing was that even though there were a lot of children on board their activities were kept completely separate from the adults. The crew on board were extremely friendly and helpful with any problems that occurred. And did I mention the food?! Food 24 hours a day and the dinners were spectacular. Its like eating at a 5 star restaurant every night. Then there are shows after dinner with everything from dance troops to concerts to comedians. Royal Carribean really is the life.

Although there were >3600 guests, it never felt crowded. Dinners were well organized, there was enough exercise equipment, the are enough decks for everyone to spread out. Departure and arrival were also organized well to avoid long lines.

The ship was one of the most beautiful ships we have traveled on. My husband and I have cruised approx. 12 times, with 2 of them being on Royal Caribbean. We generally travel on Carnival due to the less expensive cost for a family of 4, but the difference in cost is well worth the differences on the ship. I was impressed with all of the fun things to do for teenagers, such as rock climbing, in line skating, ice skating, basketball, and mini golf. The restaurant was beautiful - very elegant - and the food was delicious. Even the buffet food was delicious, with a wide range from pizza and sandwiches, to chicken marsala and pasta dishes. We enjoyed the quaint promenade cafe in the late evenings, just to share coffee and dessert. The parades were an unexpected surprise, and the ice show was outstanding.

The Mariner of the Seas is a large cruise ship. It was built to hold up to 3,114 passengers, so getting around at times can be a challenge, especially around the two elevator areas. Really, for a ship this big, they needed to add additional lifts. Also, returning to the ship off of the private island took a long, long time due to the crowds. I don't want to sound too negative, so I'll try and list the pluses first. The staterooms were nice, and the bathroom shower stalls were roomier than the other ships I have been on. They incorporated a curved glass door that slid out of the way when the shower was not in use. That added floor space (and more importantly, elbow space) to the bathroom. The two twin beds that made up the bed in the room were comfortable, and you didn't notice that there were two beds under you that often. The ship is lovely, and very tastefully decorated. It was more Romanesque than neon. The headwaiter came around to the table every night and was very informative and helpful. This was in addition to the waiter and the assistant waiter that served the table. Down on Deck two they had a screening room with about 25 seats where they would show movies that were recently released on DVD. Because most passengers didn't know about it, it was quite comfortable. There is an ice rink in the lower center section of the ship, which I thought was nice. It was smaller than a normal one, but they had open skating for the passengers and it was a fun activity if you wanted to try it out. They seemed to have more activities for teenagers on this boat than on some of the other ships I have been on. They had the rock climbing wall, basketball court, put-put, an arcade, rollerblading track, and a few other things geared for the youth. All of which was located at the aft of the ship, grouped together so that they could have their own place to hang out. For the younger passengers they had several play areas in the same vicinity and scheduled supervised activities. The Mariner of the Seas also has an Adults Only pool and hot tubs area. Of course, like everything else on a cruise, it wasn't policed that well, but the teenagers that were in that area generally were not disruptive. For a ship this size, we really were disappointed that there were not more activities during the day for passengers. I guess I should say for the adult passengers. There was generally one show a night (repeated for the early and late seating dinner guests), and of the four shows we caught one was real good (the comedian), one was good (the Love and Marriage game show) and one was OK (the variety show .... with a comedian.) Actually, for that one the comedian and the aerial gymnast were the only things remotely entertaining about that show. The other one was a musical Broadway-style show, but it wasn't that good. The ports of call were nice, with the private island (Cococay, Bahamas) and St. Marteen being the standouts. Most of the shore excursions centered around swimming or sightseeing, so if you are looking for anything outside of that you may be disappointed. I think we sorted though about ten very similar shore excursions before deciding on the Golden Eagle snorkeling and Catamaran tour. It turned out to be a good tour, and we enjoyed it, but I really couldn't point out the differences between that one and the other snorkeling excursions. In all, it was a nice cruise, but I prefer the other cruise ships I have been on to this one. For the price, size and itinerary, I was expecting more.

This was our 3rd cruise, but the 1st with Royal Caribbean...and our best yet. Really, I don't see how additional cruises could be better! Right from the beginning: embarkation was easy, quick & worry-free. Our first sight of the ship was amazement...she's a beauty -- inside & out. While we waited for our luggage to be delivered to our stateroom, the Windjammer/Jade served a wonderful array of food....and the eating didn't stop until a week later!!! The crew were friendly & accommodating. The entertainment was ceaseless: Las Vegas-style shows with dancers & singers, comedians, ice shows, trivia games in the bars, poolside entertainment. (I'm sure there's something I'm missing...just so much fun!) One thing that really impressed me, however, is the attention paid to sanitization. There are hand sanitization stations posted at the restaurants & gangplank; and, at the main dining room, a crewmember uses a sanitization gun (likened to a child's water pistol). Our stateroom was cleaned twice a day & I mean CLEANED! The ports were good, the water like a giant pool. We took an excursion in St. Thomas called "Best of St. Thomas Tour", which I was disappointed with. In St. Maarten we chose "Explorer Cruise & Grand Island Tour", which was much better due to a more knowledgable tour guide. The week flew by & I was saddened for the fantasy to end. This is definitely a cruise I would recommend....we saw all ages on this ship, from babies to the elderly.

Very good service, Only food average.

I have been on the Mariner once before, so I knew what to expect. It is a beautiful ship! Couldn't ask for better. The crew is absolutely great! It is extremely clean and the food is wonderful.

The ship was beautiful and had something for everyone *including a library and a 24 hr cafe. Keep in mind, it is a better ship for those who are willing to wait and walk. The only negative I can think of is that too many handicapped folks drove those motorized "jazzy" scooters. I saw people pinned inside elevators (literally), one formal dress was ripped when one rolled onto the dress ripping it. I know accomodations are made for all types of people, but I really feel it was at the expense of others. Perhaps non motorized wheelchairs would be more in keeping with crowds and other passengers.