Mariner of the Seas – Mexican Riviera Cruise Oct 11 2009
Photos:
On-Board: http://travel.webshots.com/album/575206152MqIOtr
Cabin: http://travel.webshots.com/album/575216470JknEsk
Exteriors: http://travel.webshots.com/album/575220404Fndtak
We sailed Mariner to Mexico on Oct 11th for our anniversary. This is not intended to be a full review, rather just some observations of our cruise. If anyone has questions, we will try to answer them.
We felt that special “RCCL†vibe as soon as we boarded. We had Captain Johnny and his energy was something to see.
Mariner is in excellent shape. Maintenance was being performed daily. We got some pictures of the Champagne Bar on the 1st sea day. By the middle of the cruise, it had new carpet so we had to get new pictures, as the new carpet was totally different from the previous carpet.
Dining:
We chose to do My Time Dining. Gary at the MTD desk on Deck 5 took good care of us. We had a standing reservation for table for two by the window. Depending on the night, we always had one of two waiters – Ruzario or Mark. Both were wonderful. Service was great and the food was better than we were expecting after reading some reviews prior. We liked everything that was offered. Several nights we had another couple from Cruise Critic at a table by us (Hi Lori & Wayne!) which always made for good conversation.
The food in Windjammer was pretty good as well. We really never had anything that was bad. Note that we only had lunch or snacks there. Breakfast was typically coffee & a quick pastry at the Café Promenade.
We did Chops one night and it was pretty spectacular. Excellent food. We both had the filet. Delicious.
Entertainment:
We didn’t attend any of the parades this trip so we can’t comment on them. We did attend one production show – Pure Energy – which was fair at best. We went to Matt Yee’s Adult Sing-Along in the Schooner Bar several nights and had a blast. Matt is very personable and knows how to work the crowd. Lots of audience participation.
We really liked everyone we met. We had a great group that met up in Ellington’s each day for sail away (Hi Gary, Frances, Bill & Lisa!!). Ok – we met there on non-sail away days too
. Our friends Dianne & Bill (Hi!) who we sailed with to Hawaii also were on board and it was nice to see them.
Itinerary:
Our itinerary was rearranged courtesy of Tropical Storm Patricia. Instead of Cabo on Tuesday, we went on Friday. Mazatlan and PV were still in the normal order. We had great weather in all ports. It was hot & humid, which is to be expected this time of year. Cabo was just warm – not really humid. The water was very warm.
Diamond Lounge:
Each evening the Dragon’s Lair was used for a Diamond Lounge from 5-8PM. Free merlot, chardonnay and champagne was offered. Soft drinks and cocktails could be ordered at a 25% discount. The lounge was never very full but I think it’s because people weren’t sure where it was. Later in the cruise more people showed up. We enjoyed pre-dinner wine/champagne there most nights. Service was excellent.
Overall, service on-board was very good, from the Windjammer to the Bar Service at the pool decks. Our cabin attendant, Vivian, was wonderful.
We really enjoyed Mariner and would recommend her to anyone wanting a fun cruise.
Photos:
On-Board: http://travel.webshots.com/album/575206152MqIOtr
Cabin: http://travel.webshots.com/album/575216470JknEsk
Exteriors: http://travel.webshots.com/album/575220404Fndtak
We sailed Mariner to Mexico on Oct 11th for our anniversary. This is not intended to be a full review, rather just some observations of our cruise. If anyone has questions, we will try to answer them.
We felt that special “RCCL†vibe as soon as we boarded. We had Captain Johnny and his energy was something to see.
Mariner is in excellent shape. Maintenance was being performed daily. We got some pictures of the Champagne Bar on the 1st sea day. By the middle of the cruise, it had new carpet so we had to get new pictures, as the new carpet was totally different from the previous carpet.
Dining:
We chose to do My Time Dining. Gary at the MTD desk on Deck 5 took good care of us. We had a standing reservation for table for two by the window. Depending on the night, we always had one of two waiters – Ruzario or Mark. Both were wonderful. Service was great and the food was better than we were expecting after reading some reviews prior. We liked everything that was offered. Several nights we had another couple from Cruise Critic at a table by us (Hi Lori & Wayne!) which always made for good conversation.
The food in Windjammer was pretty good as well. We really never had anything that was bad. Note that we only had lunch or snacks there. Breakfast was typically coffee & a quick pastry at the Café Promenade.
We did Chops one night and it was pretty spectacular. Excellent food. We both had the filet. Delicious.
Entertainment:
We didn’t attend any of the parades this trip so we can’t comment on them. We did attend one production show – Pure Energy – which was fair at best. We went to Matt Yee’s Adult Sing-Along in the Schooner Bar several nights and had a blast. Matt is very personable and knows how to work the crowd. Lots of audience participation.
We really liked everyone we met. We had a great group that met up in Ellington’s each day for sail away (Hi Gary, Frances, Bill & Lisa!!). Ok – we met there on non-sail away days too
. Our friends Dianne & Bill (Hi!) who we sailed with to Hawaii also were on board and it was nice to see them.Itinerary:
Our itinerary was rearranged courtesy of Tropical Storm Patricia. Instead of Cabo on Tuesday, we went on Friday. Mazatlan and PV were still in the normal order. We had great weather in all ports. It was hot & humid, which is to be expected this time of year. Cabo was just warm – not really humid. The water was very warm.
Diamond Lounge:
Each evening the Dragon’s Lair was used for a Diamond Lounge from 5-8PM. Free merlot, chardonnay and champagne was offered. Soft drinks and cocktails could be ordered at a 25% discount. The lounge was never very full but I think it’s because people weren’t sure where it was. Later in the cruise more people showed up. We enjoyed pre-dinner wine/champagne there most nights. Service was excellent.
Overall, service on-board was very good, from the Windjammer to the Bar Service at the pool decks. Our cabin attendant, Vivian, was wonderful.
We really enjoyed Mariner and would recommend her to anyone wanting a fun cruise.
