Just Back From Mariner of the Seas - Very Impressed!

[Weegl]

Let me say at first that we have been loyal DCL customers for 3 straight summer vacation cruises - once on the Wonder and twice on the Magic. Since the Magic was on the west coast, plus the fact that prices have been escalating for DCL, we elected to try the RCI Mariner of the Seas this summer.

In short, it was a wonderful experience that we will likely repeat in the future, instead of sailing on DCL again. The ship is simply awesome, with so many activities and public areas to choose from. Keep in mind that it is nearly 60% larger than the DCL ships. Here's some of the highlights and where I thought it was superior or inferior to our DCL experience:

food: dining room, room service, Johnny Rockets were all very good...I thought generally better than DCL. The specialty dining did not compare to Palo's...not sure we would do those again when the dining room food was so good.

service: pretty equal across the board...all crew was generally cheerful and very helpful.

kids program: my kids loved it, but I wish they had extended hours like DCL. I loved the activities and it seemed that when my kids were there, they had more to do than on the DCL ships. Not as many kids in their age group though, perhaps there would be more as the summer season progresses.

spa/gym: incredible gym on the Mariner - as good as my club at home. Spa was very nice, although I did miss the rainforest.

cabins: we good adjoining cabins for roughly 1/3 - 1/2 what it would have cost us with DCL for the same grade. They were quite nice too...slightly smaller than DCL and didn't have split bathrooms...but had more storage room and was laid out quite nicely.

deck space: plenty of room up top on the Mariner, but kids missed the slide and split pools. I missed Quiet Cove, but still had a nice time around the family pool. I also missed the ice cream/fruit station and snack bar in the pool area on DCL.

Overall, it was a great trip and the entire family had a wonderful time. For the price difference, I am sold on the Mariner as a great and desirable alternative to DCL.

Hope this helps some folks who might be comparing the 2 cruise lines.

[tchoney]

I'm very happy to hear your comments. My family just returned from the May 28 sailing to the Mexican Riviera on DCL, and it will probably will be our last. Among other things, our boys are getting older and don't really care about the disney characters. They found the activities to be rather boring, which led us to help keep them entertained. In fact, when my 8 year old was asked what his favorite Disney Character was, he responded, "Tom and Jerry and Scooby Doo!"

If you don't mind me asking, what TA would you recommend booking Royal Carribean through? :flower:

[Weegl]

By the way, my kids are 7 & 6 and, although they missed seeing some of the characters, the putt/putt course, ice skating rink, rock climbing wall, expanded game room and other activities made up for the lack of characters!

I shopped alot of Internet cruise discounters (cruise.com, vacationstogo, expedia, cruise bros., etc.) and settled on itakeatrip.com. Then I booked via phone with them.

I'd just shop around if I were you.

[tropicalgirl]

We also have sailed both the Wonder and the Mariner. My kids loved the Mariner more. They had a great time on the Wonder, but had a better time on the Mariner. There seemed to be more to do during the day. My kids aren't big on the clubs, so they loved to be able to roller blade, mini golf, ice skating and rock climbing at their finger tips.
I did miss the split bath and the slightly larger cabin, but that was minor compared to all the pluses that the Mariner had to offer.

[DISNEYFAMILYOFFOUR]

Thank you for your comparison.

[HIHO...HIHO]

How do the cabins compare? We had a verhanda room (cat. 5) on the Wonder and loved it! Do you know how the prices compare for the verhanda rooms?

[ashtravel]

My family has sailed on the Magic 4 times and the Mariner over Thanksgiving. It is time to plan our next cruise and my 9 year old twin boys have requested the Mariner with no hesitation. They liked the Magic but loved the Mariner. I have to agree there seems to be a lot more to do on the Mariner , although I will always love the Disney line. RC usually offers some good last minute deals if you are willing to risk it . The prices are always lower for RC over Disney. They also offer military discount if you are retired are active duty.

[my3kids]

Royal Caribbean as of May 1 will not let any travel agencies sell their cruises at a price different from what they, themselves, are selling it for. If you shop around, it is basically the same price wherever you look. I booked with www.cruisequick.com who sell A LOT of RCI cruises. We would be given a Master Card gift card to use however we saw fit...bills, fun, grocery, so pretty much like a lower price or a cash rebate. These were equal to 12.5% of the cruise fare. Those were eliminated as of May 1 for any new booking. If you look around you can catch group space or some other RCI authorized promotion. I'd still recommend www.cruisequick.com because they are GREAT. You'll probably pay the same price with any agency though. (For any other cruises other than the now price controlled RCI, cruisequick.com will almost certainly be the cheapest.)

[Weegl]

For comparison, we paid about $2400 for a Deluxe Balcony room on the Mariner and booked it about 7 months out. The similar category on DCL for a 7 nighter (cat. 5 or 6) was (and is) about $3500 for the same time of year.

Our balcony on the Mariner was great and compared favorably to the one we experienced on the Magic.

[CurtS]

Weegl, thank you so much for the comparison. We've been debating on RCCL or DCL for a western Carribean cruise and it sounds like RCCL has a lot of the same amenities as DCL for a lot less. I'm glad your 6 and 7 year olds had a good time--that was a big concern for us--we have children who range from 5-13 by the time we sail and we weren't sure how well they'd take to RCCL in lieu of DCL. Did you happen to notice many teens on board or if there was a separate teen area?

Curt

[my3kids]

Yes, all RCI ships have a teen area.

We initially booked a 7 night RCI cruise for the summer(have since changed to a 9 night)

We booked a 2 bedroom, 2 bathroom verandah suite on RCI for less than the cost of interior rooms on Disney for same week. We have since changed to the 9 night and have 2 verandah staterooms. For Disney, a week later so the prices were lower that week than the week we picked, for 2 verandah rooms for only 7 nights, the price was about $5000 more for Disney. Not insignificant.

[Weegl]

The teen area is also very impressive...they have two "lounges" and an entire back of a deck to themselves - no one under 13 or older than 18 can enter.

On our cruise, there was a very large number or teens cruising with us. My guess is that the date (we departed May 29) had alot to do with that as there were a number of them on their high school "senior trip" with parent escorts. It was well controlled by RCI and I observed RCI security "clamping down" on unruly teens...I even heard that one family was sent home because their teen did something bad.

I have to assume that there would be more smaller kids as the summer progressed and more schools were out in the north.

[Dean]

Have been on RCCL several times and the Magic. But we've never been on a Voyager class ship though we are leaving this Sunday on the Mariner as well.

[Niagara2]

We have done the Wonder and the Magic a few times each. Of course loved them. We have done the Voyager of the Seas and the kids loved the programing. As they get older the Disney kids activiites are getting a bit boring to them. We maybe will get one more Disney cruise in before we need to switch to other lines and itineries. Food, staff, cabins, activities were great on the Voyager class RCL ships. I really want to try Princess next.

[AnnaS]

Thank you for your comparison. I know my kids are also ready for a change after this one coming up and we love Disney and DCL.

Dean - please also post a report/comparison. Thanks.

I think if we cruise again, it will most likely be RC - unless we do Alaska or a Mediterranean (almost impossible).

[callahanjulie10]

We too were ready for a change after our 6th DCL cruise. We had done Magic -Eastern 4 times, Western-once, and a 4 night Wonder cruise. We decided on Mariner since it also left out of Port Canaveral and because my DD-13 was not satisfied with the kids programming on DCL for the tweens. I was quite surprised how much we loved Mariner of the Seas. My DD didn't really enjoy the programming on Mariner but had plenty to do ice skating and putt putting!
We found that everything was pretty much on the same level as DCL but I really missed changing dining rooms. The only thing that I didn't like at all about Mariner was that when you went to eat in the dining room for breakfast or lunch, it was the exact same menu EVERYDAY! This came as quite a shock for me the second morning when we went to the dining room for breakfast! We usually don't do buffets in the AM since I am not a morning person and prefer quiet and someone to serve me instead of going through a cattle line for food under a lamp!
Now that DCL has redone the teen area and is going to be redoing the tween area and getting an outdoor movie screen- I will be back!
We have stayed in cats 4,7,8,10,& 11 on DCL and loved them all. We stayed in a JS on Mariner and I don't think we could do anything less since we had friends in an inside and outside which we way too small! Because of this, the cost really is about the same for us.

[Buddy Bear]

For comparison, we paid about $2400 for a Deluxe Balcony room on the Mariner and booked it about 7 months out. The similar category on DCL for a 7 nighter (cat. 5 or 6) was (and is) about $3500 for the same time of year.

Our balcony on the Mariner was great and compared favorably to the one we experienced on the Magic.

Thank you for the report. I am most interested in the room comparision. We love the split bathrooms and think that the larger staterooms DCL has to offer will be another concern when cruising elsewhere.

Can you tell me your stateroom number. I am looking on the RC site and don't see a "Deluxe Balcony" class. We are a family of four and choose either a Cat 5 or 6 when sailing with DCL depending on price.

Thanks again

[SandraLee]

Anyone out there sail on one of the Radiance class ships? Jewel? Brilliance?

Those ships are the same size as the Magic and BRAND new. I'm holding out for my next cruise on one of those ships. I'd love to hear comparisons.

[ksjayhawks]

We were on the Mariner in March and really, really liked it. We will definitely go again.

There is ice cream at the pool areas. It is kind of tucked in by the doors.

If you want fruit, just go to Windjammers buffet and get all that you want.

There is also an adult pool area that is for those 16 and older.

I liked that fact that there were four hot tubs in the pool area--all good sized--as well as plenty of deck chairs. Didn't seem to see as much "chair saving" as we did on dcl.

My ds loved the tween area and activities plus the all night cafe that he and his friends could go to late night.

We did not book any excursions until we got on board and had no trouble. There were so many excursions that you could find something at every port. If you really, really want to do something, I would recommend booking, but we played it day by day and were not disappointed. Grand Cayman is the only one that I feel has limited excursions available. That will probably be a beach day for us next time.

Highly recommend rccl. Our neighbors have gone on rccl a lot--usually radiance class--and this was their first voyager class trip. They like both, though said the mariner offers more sports wise-ice rink, inline skating, rock wall, etc--and is definitely a bigger ship with lots of activities to do.

We had about 3500 on our ship (think capacity is 3800), but it didn't feel like it. The ship is so big and with so much to do, it doesn't seem crowded. I believe their newest ship will hold about 4300. Can't wait to go on it.

:flower:

[minniemoms]

Does anyone do Princess? I heard they have dinning when you want it, no assigned seating times. Our friends have done Princess several times and loved it, but most of you mention RCCL. Want to do Alaska next year, and just wondering which was best.

[my3kids]

Thank you for the report. I am most interested in the room comparision. We love the split bathrooms and think that the larger staterooms DCL has to offer will be another concern when cruising elsewhere.

Can you tell me your stateroom number. I am looking on the RC site and don't see a "Deluxe Balcony" class. We are a family of four and choose either a Cat 5 or 6 when sailing with DCL depending on price.

Thanks again

Look at the D1 category. This is the top verandah category and is just under the Junior Suite. JS is still a single room, but larger. I would = that to Disney's category 4 and the D1 to DCL's 5 & 6.

[my3kids]

Just a note when comparing the rooms, Buddy Bear. I think DCL gives the square footage of the balcony rooms including the outside verandah square footage. RCI gives the interior room space and the exterior deck space as seperate numbers.

[my3kids]

To see a photo of the Mariner D1 go to www.royalcaribbean.com and click on "Find a Cruise" from the top bar options. From there click ships, then Mariner or whichever ship you want to see, then Staterooms for a list of options. I have no idea how to post the picture but the site has photos, 360 tours and diagrams.

The description reads: Two twin beds (can convert into queen-size), private balcony, sitting area and a private bathroom. (206 sq. ft., balcony 42 sq. ft.)

Also includes minibar, vanity area, hair-dryer, TV, phone, computer jack, vanity table with an extendable working surface for laptop computers and 110/220 electrical outlets. Some have a Pullman bed and/or a sofa bed and can accommodate 3-4 guests. Some can also accommodate a rollaway bed or Pack 'n Play.

[GreatDaneMom]

It looks like I can finally come clean on this thread! DH and I have booked RCI's new ship "Freedom of the Seas" for December 2006. I love Disney and will always return to them when I cruise with young children (grandbabies are currently in production!!) But it pays to shop around if you have tweens or teens. Some of the other lines have beautiful ships, great activities, reviews equivalent to Disney's, and very attractive pricing.

We only hope that in time Disney will begin to adjust their prices to be competitive with the other lines at their level. We hope to cruise Disney again for a week in 2007 but I have to be honest and say that as a constantly researching consumer I'll be looking at what Disney's pricing is doing. After all, I'd rather take two really cool vacations a year instead of spending it all on one! But I can't blame Disney for charging a higher price if people are willing to pay it. The adorable mouse we know and love is big business.

[goofytoo]

So,
Since RC has this fixed pricing thing going on....
Is it really worth it to use a travel agent if you get the same price?

Does anyone know is it advantageous to book early to get the best price?
I know with Dsney the earlier the better but, I have heard that if you wait to the last minute you get a better deal.
I have trouble with this because all of the disney cruise vacation I have booked I have booked when the prices first come out that way I get the cabin I want.

What if the price goes down do they adjust it like Disney does?

We too are thinking of trying a RC in 2007 after 3 cruises with Disney 1 on the wonder and 2 on the Magic western.
I first want to see what happens with the pricing and itineraries when 2007 schedule comes out.

The southern route looks fun out of PR

[my3kids]

Royal Caribbean will also adjust your price if they lower theirs and yes, booking early does seem to offer better prices. Whether you use a TA is really an individual decision, I guess. We initially used one because of the $900 Master Card we go in return. Now, that wouldn't be an option, but cruisequick has been terrific with answers to questions so I would probably use them again solely for their great service. Rates could vary depending on whether an agent reserved group space, if they held cabins at an earlier price tier, or were offered some special deal from RCI that they could pass on to the customer.

[Weegl]

We were on the Mariner in March and really, really liked it. We will definitely go again.

There is ice cream at the pool areas. It is kind of tucked in by the doors.

If you want fruit, just go to Windjammers buffet and get all that you want.

There is also an adult pool area that is for those 16 and older.

I liked that fact that there were four hot tubs in the pool area--all good sized--as well as plenty of deck chairs. Didn't seem to see as much "chair saving" as we did on dcl.

My ds loved the tween area and activities plus the all night cafe that he and his friends could go to late night.

We did not book any excursions until we got on board and had no trouble. There were so many excursions that you could find something at every port. If you really, really want to do something, I would recommend booking, but we played it day by day and were not disappointed. Grand Cayman is the only one that I feel has limited excursions available. That will probably be a beach day for us next time.

Highly recommend rccl. Our neighbors have gone on rccl a lot--usually radiance class--and this was their first voyager class trip. They like both, though said the mariner offers more sports wise-ice rink, inline skating, rock wall, etc--and is definitely a bigger ship with lots of activities to do.

We had about 3500 on our ship (think capacity is 3800), but it didn't feel like it. The ship is so big and with so much to do, it doesn't seem crowded. I believe their newest ship will hold about 4300. Can't wait to go on it.



My point in my original post was that I liked those particular features better on DCL. I did not mean to imply that it wasn't available on the RCCL ship, I was just trying to offer my fair comparisions.

We had (so they said) a record of 3700 on board for our cruise. At no time did it feel crowded.

[txaggie94gigem]

i was wondering if they charge extra for ice skating, puttputt and rock wall...plus are there long lines there since these features are only open certain times each day? We are a family of six...what hours do they have for the kids clubs on the Mariner? :confused3

[inkkognito]

We did a Radiance class ship (Radiance itself, actually) to Alaska, and while it was nice, it didn't compared to Voyager class (which we've also done). There was lots of glass, which was nice for Alaska, but the only indoor pool was the supposed adults-only pool. Of course, it was constantly packed with kids because it was too cold for the outdoor pools. RCCL doesn't enforce any adults-only areas. The things I missed most of Radiance vs. Voyager were the ice rink (the show is phenomenal!!), the evening parades, and the gigantic whirlpool (I think it's called a thelassal or something like that).
Barb

[Weegl]

i was wondering if they charge extra for ice skating, puttputt and rock wall...plus are there long lines there since these features are only open certain times each day? We are a family of six...what hours do they have for the kids clubs on the Mariner?
__________________

No extra charge for the activities you listed and it was not that crowded at all.

The "Adventure Ocean" was open (on at sea days) 9AM - 12PM; 2PM - 5PM; 7PM-10PM...this was at no additional fee.

After 10PM each night, they offered the late night club until 1AM at $5.00/hr. per child. They did not offer scheduled meals those days.

On port days, the club was open from around 8AM to 5PM and offered a lunch/dinner option at Johnny Rockets for the kids. It appeared to me that many parents went ashore while the kids stayed on board.

[minniemoms]

I AM confused. Which ones go to Alaska, I heard Voyager, Mariner??? ARe there all Royal Carribbean? Any Princess ships? I guess I have been afraid I wouldn't like any other cruise ships. I love the shows on Disney, do you others have good shows, that are clean, or are they mostly "Adults Only" ?

[my3kids]

Royal Caribbean as well as most other lines keep a couple of ships in Alaska through the summer. I know Mariner is not in Alaska as she stays at Pt. Canaveral year round.

[CurtS]

my DD-13 was not satisfied with the kids programming on DCL for the tweens. I was quite surprised how much we loved Mariner of the Seas. My DD didn't really enjoy the programming on Mariner but had plenty to do ice skating and putt putting!


Thank you for letting me know about the teens club. My DS13 is also in the 'tween bracket and almost seemed bored at times with the Magic. He couldn't get into the teen club at the time we sailed (he was 12) and some of the Disney activities in the Oceaneers Club he wasn't interested in. I think the addition of ice skating and minature golf would be more to his liking.

Curt

[marylee15]

I am so glad I saw this post. We went on DCL in January and totally loved it. It was our first cruise and we just love the way we were treated definately want to do another cruise next year but no way can we afford DCL so soon. Is it my imagination or have they gone way - no pun intended - OVERBOARD on the prices? We are looking into doing Alaska next summer compared to DCL it is like almost half the price.

[Yankee914]

So glad I saw this post as well. We just came back from one of the last Western cruises that went out before the Magic went to California. Loved it as usual (this was our 3rd cruise). Our kids still love it but we found that now they are 15 and 11 there wasn't as much for them to do on the ship. We were curious about RCCL for our next trip and especially when we saw the HUGE increase in DCL prices it has made our decision easier.

I was curious as to embarking/disembarking and also what you thought about the rooms? Any other tips you could give for people that want to do RCCL -- I was there was a board for them like there is for DCL -- the info on these boards has been invaluable and made the trip planning so much easier!

[GreatDaneMom]

To Yankee914...

Go to the Cruise Critic website and select Boards from the menu bar at the top. They have discussion boards for all of the cruise lines there.

But you have to know that DIS is the best board for Disney info! This is one of the politest (AND SMARTEST!) groups I've ever encountered on the Internet. :flower:

[Weegl]

We traveled with firends whose kids were 13,12 & 10...They all had a great time and were constantly between the sports deck (in-line, rock climbing, ping pong, putt-putt, basketball, etc.) and the pool area.

The ship was full of "tweens" and I observed them having a great time.

As for the rooms, I found them to be quite nice with plenty of storage. I will say that the split baths on DCL are better, but as far as mainstream cruise cabins, the Mariner's were very nice...we were in a category D2 balcony and loved it!

[tezb]

This was our experience also...after having done 3 DCL cruises, we tried the Mariner for the first time last summer. We now have 3 teen boys and they were getting bored w/ DCL by the 3rd cruise. We too as parents of teens, were looking for more to do on a cruise..especially at night. The night life on DCL was almost non-existent after 11pm. We are not partiers, but wanted a variety of clubs/places to go late at night since our kids are older and we were on vacation. We found that on RCCL. Disney is a great cruise line and they are what got us hooked on cruising but we need something more now. Maybe we'll come back someday with the grandkids!!

[westjones]

Is this the ship that sails out of Port Canaveral?

Also, how did you book it? Can you book directly with RCCL?

Thanks!
DJ

[tchoney]

Can anyone tell me what the smoking policy is on Royal Caribbean? :flower:

[Weegl]

Yes, it sails out of Port Canaveral on 7 day trip alternating east and west caribbean itineraries.

I booked with RCCL directly to get the cabin that I wanted, then transferred to my travelk agent and got a better price!

[Weegl]

tchoney posted:

Can anyone tell me what the smoking policy is on Royal Caribbean?

It appeared that there was not smoking in the dining areas, but many of the lounges had smoking areas and the port side of the ship was smoking permitted on the outside decks (at least that's what it looked like to me). Also, smoking was permitted in the casino.

[getoutthere]

Thank you for your post. We have sailed on RCI 4 times, one of those being the Voyager which to date has been our favorite. But we didn't take our kids on those cruises. We decided their first cruise should be Disney and I am hoping I am not dissappointed. We are huge fans of RCI (even have their credit card). I'm glad you had a great time.

[SandraLee]

Can somone comment on the shows? The nighttime shows in the theater may keep me on DCL for another cruise. We LOVE the production-style shows done in the Walt Disney theater. What type of shows is offered on RCI? Somewhere I think I saw the main show didn't start until 9:00. Is that right? Is dinner at 6:30 or 6:00.

We are not casino people and don't really care about nighttime entertainment after the primary show. But, we are looking for a great cruise experience for our family.

[my3kids]

SandaLee: The dinner seatings are 6:00 and 8:30, I think. With some nights the show for late seating is before dinner, some after dinner. For early dinner shows are after.

[SandraLee]

What about the quality and type of show? What did they have?

[txaggie94gigem]

am i missing something? you keep talking about how much cheaper it is than disney but i am not seeing much price difference on the RCCL website? am i doing something wrong?

when i search most of the rooms hold 2 people...so will i have to get 3 rooms for a family of 6?

[NCRedding]

I don't think any of the RCCL mega-ships (Voyager class) go to Alaska. The Radiance class ships go to Alaska. They are smaller--no ice rinks, fewer cabins--but they do have the rock wall and the mini-golf.

As to the show quality: We were on the Radiance of the Seas to Alaska. We saw one "headliner" the Osmond Brothers--Alan, Wayne, and Merrill (maybe--can't remember the names. It was fun and good quality. Another night, there was a more classical musical artist--we didn't go, but heard she was excellent. We attended one show that was put on by RCCL--a review--the talent was excellent, but I've seen better staging at high school productions. The stage shows just don't compare to DCL (IMHO)--of course this varies by ship, and I understand the ice shows are amazing.

[BethA]

We are on Adventure of the Seas in 2 weeks and I'm glad to read a good RCL review, but I know I'll miss disney. The shows will not be the same shows for the whole family, no Disney Magic, and I'll miss the food by the pools and rotating dining rooms. Anyone out there gone on AOS?

Beth

[my3kids]

am i missing something? you keep talking about how much cheaper it is than disney but i am not seeing much price difference on the RCCL website? am i doing something wrong?

when i search most of the rooms hold 2 people...so will i have to get 3 rooms for a family of 6?

RCI ships have connecting interior rooms, family staterooms with windows which hold 6, family suites with verandahs for up to 8. The D1 category which is like the 5 & 6 will hold up to 4 although the deck plans only show 3 at least on the ship I'll be on this summer. RCI has a TERRIBLE internet system. The rooms that hold a lot won't come up b/c they say all rooms have a maximum of 4, which isn't correct. The suites above the Jr. suite will all hold 5 with a sofa bed brought in.

[padisneyfan]

Use expedia or travelocity website to try to book rooms. You will actually see the decks and rooms available on that deck. Also all the rooms should come up that would accomodate your party.

We cruised last May on Navigator of the Sea out of Miami. She is the sister ship to Mariner. Voyager, Adventure, Explorer are sister ships, there were some changed made on the Navigator and Mariner from the orginial design. We have young adult children who were 19 and 21 when we cruise. They said this was the best cruise they had even been on. The previous ones were when they were teenagers on DCL. As an adult I did enjoy the Navigator probably more than DCL. Much more entertainment to choose after dinner plus the promenade parade. I love the Disney Broadway productions, but the comedy routines are the same. This had some really good comedians who did family and adult shows. We are not club type people, but some of the lounges had some good listening music at night. Food is available 24/7 in the promenade area and the shopping on the ship was as good as some of the ports. The adult pool area was terrific. No children allowed. Great gym area as someone mentioned it was as good as my gym at home. We had a promenade rooms which connected. We had always had balcony rooms on DCL, but loved these rooms. For the price we would get them again and save the money to spend elsewhere. We could sit in our room and watch the parade and all the activies going on in the promenade.

Someone asked about smoking. People are permitted to smoke in their staterooms, but I didn't notice any smoke odor in either of our rooms or smell smoke in the hallways. Lounge areas are divided half is non smoking, same way on deck onside of ship is non smoking. Dining rooms are smoke free. I never saw anyone smoking on the promenade area or smelled smoke. Didn't go to the Casino.


DH and I hope this winter to take another cruise on either the Navigator or the Mariner. We will be cruisng DCL Oct 2006 with all our DIS friends which is really the main reason that we cruise on DCL. If it wouldn't be for that group we would be on RCCL in Oct 2006.

[NCRedding]

padisneyfan: I've been wondering about the promenade rooms--how was the noise level? any problems day or night with noise outside the room from the promenade??

[Weegl]

Our traveling companions booked adjoining promenade rooms and loved them! They were on deck 8. They said there was absolutely no noise from below and the window gave the cabins an "outside" feel to them. One thing they had to be mindful of was when the drapes were open to make sure they were discreet!

[bengals01]

can you bring liqour and beer on the mariner, also do they charge for soft drinks

[bengals01]

also how is boarding and disembarkiing with disney they start letting on at 11:45 and usually off by 8

[tezb]

padisneyfan: I've been wondering about the promenade rooms--how was the noise level? any problems day or night with noise outside the room from the promenade??

My 2 teen boys were in a Promenade room on the Mariner last June. They were very "cool" and you could see the parade & shops from your room. We had a veradah but I wished I had one of these rooms. They only sleep 2 though. My boys said they didn't hear but then they were out a lot too. When you change, be sure to close your curtains as the PR rooms across might get a peak...you can see others!

We enjoyed the shows better than DCL. The comedy shows were great and the interactive Quest Game was a riot! We had a lot of fun on this cruise.

Anyone interested....RCCL is coming out w/ a bigger Voyager class ship in May 2006 called Freedom of the Seas. This ship will sail out of Miami and they are saying it is the largest one yet and even will have some sort of Water Park onboard.

BTW, our cruise last year on the Mariner was approx 2000. cheaper than DCL for family of 5 and that was w/ a verandah and PR rooms.

[padisneyfan]

padisneyfan: I've been wondering about the promenade rooms--how was the noise level? any problems day or night with noise outside the room from the promenade??

The only time that we heard some noise was the music from the parade. Otherwise it was no problem. The promenade area lights darken at nightime so you do get the feeling of day and night when you look out. Curtains are darkening curtains so no light comes into the room. My DH just chuckled at me when I would look out the window to check what the stores sales were for the day. Then would have to go down to the mall area to see if there was anything I wanted. I spent more money in the shops then I did in any of the islands.

RCCL also has private islands. However, on our cruise there had been policial turmoil in Haiti which is where there island is, so unable to comment about that.

I was just reading on cruise critic about the new supersized ship that will be coming out.

Embarkment we started on around 12:30. You get your paper work by the decks so that went fast. Just the usual standing in line waiting to get on. There were alot of wedding on that cruise and the wedding parties all boarded before us. We were able to drop our luggage right in the room.

Disembarkment arrangement you make on TV. You put the time of your flights or when you need off and get corresponding colors. We were off and on our way before 8am. Luggage retrieval was like the airlines (at least in Miami). We found that it was cheaper to go out of Miami than Port Carnaval. If you want to go to WDW post cruise it is 3 1/2 hr ride. Easy drive.

Nancy

Nancy

[padisneyfan]

A couple other things that RCCL does that DCL should look at doing

From your TV you can:

Look at your charges

Book excursions (You can also prebook online as soon as you have a confirmation #)

Look at the Dinner menu each day.


These seem like little things that DCL could easy do. I'm sure it is just some sort of program that is used. Even many hotels let you look at your bill on the TV.

Nancy

[HookedonMagic]

We sailed Mariner (western) for spring break, 2004. I can answer a few questions.

1. We had connecting promenade rooms. Very nice...quiet and unique to Voyager class ships. No problems with noise. Very good stateroom host.

2. The shows are not good. Very poor quality...we felt badly for the entertainers. No first run movies. Bummer. The ice show, however, is wonderful. Get tickets and attend! Great novelty to see an ice show while sailing the Caribbean.

3. The food is definitely worse than DCL. Very bland...the desserts are especially disappointing. Our servers were not very enthusiastic or especially helpful. Our tablemates were all over 60 (we're late 30's.) The dining room is very elegant...somehow too much so for the quality of the meals. The specialty restaurants, however are wonderful. We dined twice at Chops and once at Portofino's. $20 per person surcharge. They allow diners aged 13 and up. Our 14 year old daughter was grateful! Loved all three meals.

4. They charge for soda, Ben & Jerry's ice cream and it is $3.95 for Johnny Rockets. Lots of little charges that all add up!

5. Embarkation is a breeze, just like DCL. But you do not enter the foyer, like on DCL. No big deal...just kind of head in the back door. Debarkation is organized, but still takes longer than DCL. Certainly not a deal breaker.

6. I agree with TXaggie...the cost was actually HIGHER for us to try Mariner. We did it because we had sailed DCL several times and wanted to try a new, larger ship. We thought our teen daughter would prefer Mariner. Wrong! She loved our 3 day Wonder cruise this past February and can't wait to get back on the Magic next spring break.

7. We sailed spring break. The ship's drinking age is 18 (it is 21 on DCL.) There were drunk teens all over the place. The pool area is large and very nice (much better than DCL), but we hardly used it because it was overrun with kids puking and groping at each other. Really not a good family scene. Also, there were a lot of OLDER cruisers who did not like anyone sailing with children. Many made comments that they NEVER would have sailed with their kids. No big deal, but we prefer the family atmosphere on DCL...even when we sail without our kids.

8. Very friendly staff...everyone was nice. BUT, no pixie dust...even my non-Disney loving husband noticed. Something that is hard to describe unless you've experience the magic of the Magic!

Hey, to each their own. Every vacation offers something different for every family. We enjoyed our Mariner cruise...just not in the same way we enjoy our DCL trips. We had very high expectations...that may have contributed to our (minor) dissappointment. Anyway, Happy sailing to all!!! :wizard:

[BethA]

Did everyone find the servers distant? On this board you see so many good posts about excellent service, but I don't see many on the RCL board I've been watching. The CMs make the trip for us so I hope we won't be disappointed. I'll miss DCL.

[ksjayhawks]

We just sailed spring break of this year.

As other posters say, to each their own, but we had a great experience.

We enjoyed the shows--the variety shows, the ice show was wonderful, the comedians, the magicians, etc. There were all ages at the shows and the ones we saw were appropriate for all ages. We liked the way the cruise director was involved in the shows and in the parades in the promenade. Also, the captain was very visible--he showed up at the shows each night and at the promenade parades.

We bought the soda package and it was worth every penny for us. There were so many locations around the ship to get pop--we didin't have to run up to Deck 9 as on dcl. We seemed to end up going to two places the most and by the third day, if the bartender saw us coming, he had our pop ready for us! There is also a 24 hour cafe with the best cookies and ds would run and get us a couple for our treat at the shows!

We enjoyed our meals. We loved the elegance of the dining room. OUr servers were so nice to us. Had our drinks ready every night, brought us extras, made sure my ds got his meal early so he could head off to tween/tween activities, brought us a special appetizer every night--it was one that we liked the second night, the servers or chefs or kids club did something every night, we enjoyed the food--to us it was very good, but I don't expect gourment meals, after all they are cooking for thousands very night! Our servers were very concerned if we were happy with our choices or could they bring us something else, etc. As soon as my meal was over, my coffee would appear each night.

The johnny rockets surcharge was $3.95, but I look at that as going to palo's for brunch, high tea, etc. Once you paid that you could eat anything and as much as you wanted--and ds did!. You did pay for b&J ice cream, but as I don't drink many specialty drinks, that was a treat I had every day. The servings were very generous. There was also free ice cream up by the pools. We didn't eat at the specialty restaurants this time around.

We also enjoyed the high tea buffet every day from 3:30 to 5. Since we ate late, it gave us a nice snack to tide us over. It was also good for us on one of our excursion days as we just missed the lunch buffet, but could eat there instead. It had so much food--salads, sandwiches, hamburgers, hot dogs, sides, as well as scones, biscuits, etc.

I liked the embarkation. We were in an earlier group, but went down the night before and changed our color to a later one. We weren't rushed--went around and took some final pictures that we wanted. When our color was called, we went out, got our luggage and we were off. No lining up in the foyer or hurrying up to get in line to get off. OUr luggage was very easy to locate.

I thought you could only drink on the ship at 18 with parental permission. But I may be wrong. We were on board with at least 400 seniors and their families--senior trips--and didn't see the behaviors that hooked on magic did. The pools were always busy with all ages.

For us, the cruise was not nearly as expensive as dcl. And for my son at 12, it was great. He enjoyed all the tween/teen activities that they had going on. He liked going to the 24hour cafe with his new friends at midnight or after to get pizza. Since he had the soda pkg he could get drinks in their club area.

Our room attendant was much better than on dcl. We never saw the one on dcl. The rccl one made a point of coming into our room and introducing herself, finding out when we would be gone, eating etc., so that she would not disturb us. She left me sticky notes to put on the mirror if we needed anything.

We enjoy dcl and are so glad we have gone, but for us right now, rccl is great. DS has said he would like to go back another time on dcl, so we probably will in the future. Right now we are enjoying all the different itineraries that rccl has to offer--being able to see different ports of call.

So that is my 2cents worth.

:cool1: :cool1: :cool1:

[lookingforward]

I have sailed on the Voyager and the Legend. Our servers were always wonderful. We never had a problem with servers. On the Legend our room steward was awful (and we had three Cat B suites).

My kids loved the Voyager. Everyone has a different experience but we never saw drunk teens or anything like that. The worst problem we noticed was preteens pressing all the buttons in the elevators!

As for food, the Legend in Alaska left a lot to be desired. The Voyager was great! My kids loved Johnny Rockets.

[Dean]

I have sailed on the Voyager and the Legend. Our servers were always wonderful. We never had a problem with servers. On the Legend our room steward was awful (and we had three Cat B suites).

My kids loved the Voyager. Everyone has a different experience but we never saw drunk teens or anything like that. The worst problem we noticed was preteens pressing all the buttons in the elevators!

As for food, the Legend in Alaska left a lot to be desired. The Voyager was great! My kids loved Johnny Rockets.Just back from the Mariner, today. I'm not into trip reports, either reading or writing them so this will be brief. Having done the same itinerary last March on the Magic, I think I have a pretty good feel for the adult components and some for the teen and preteen approaches. In general we thought they were comparable. The main service dining was extremely similar in many ways in choices, quality, presentation and taste. The Mariner had more alternate dining choices with Chops, Portofino and Johnny Rockets but we enjoyed the dining rotation on Disney somewhat more. We thought Palo's was better than chops but didn't do Portofino. Johnny Rockets was disappointing.

Shows definitely better on Disney and the show timing was better as well. Of course no Casino on Disney and since we won about $500 between my BIL and I, that was a plus. Of course there were more public areas with more choices since it's a bigger ship. Both were nice and I wouldn't turn down a chance for either.

[logan1_2000]

KSJayHawks--

You mentioned your DS twice during your account of what seems to have been an enjoyable RCCL Mariner cruise. Tsk Tsk, for that week he was your RCS, wouldn't you think?

Just joshing with ya, keep the flamethrowers set on "low"

[Buddy Bear]

KSJayHawks--

You mentioned your DS twice during your account of what seems to have been an enjoyable RCCL Mariner cruise. Tsk Tsk, for that week he was your RCS, wouldn't you think?

It is my understanding that DS refers to Dear Son or Darling Son. That of course would also hold true for DH, DW, and DD.

[ksjayhawks]

KSJayHawks--

You mentioned your DS twice during your account of what seems to have been an enjoyable RCCL Mariner cruise. Tsk Tsk, for that week he was your RCS, wouldn't you think?

Just joshing with ya, keep the flamethrowers set on "low"

That is a good point! only rcs takes more time to type plus there are times when the "d" might stand for other than disney, dear or darling since he is 12!!!! :teeth:

[logan1_2000]

I always regards the "D" in all of the DW, DS, DD, DSIL, etc., as "Disney", but now that I see a couple of response, mea culpa, I had forgotten some folk subscribe to a different sect of DIS and believe that "D" stands for dear or darling. And this was teasing and just having fun, anyway.

Perhaps it was the first time I ever saw DMIL that convinced me "D" must be for Disney, because Dear or Darling would likely be totally sarcastic in that context much of the time.

[Suddenly realizing my DEAR DW might be reading this:]

I OF COURSE AM THE EXCEPTION TO THAT RULE AND IT WAS MY DEAR MIL WHO TOOK THE WHOLE FAMILY ON OUR FIRST DCL CRUISE IN THE FIRST PLACE...

nuf said

[sln88]

Perhaps it was the first time I ever saw DMIL that convinced me "D" must be for Disney, because Dear or Darling would likely be totally sarcastic in that context much of the time.

[Suddenly realizing my DEAR DW might be reading this:]

I OF COURSE AM THE EXCEPTION TO THAT RULE AND IT WAS MY DEAR MIL WHO TOOK THE WHOLE FAMILY ON OUR FIRST DCL CRUISE IN THE FIRST PLACE...

nuf said[/QUOTE]

too funny

[Jsme]

It is funny that I found this thread. We love DCL, but we have seriously been considering going with another line for our next cruise. I have sailed with RCCL before, but not on one of their larger ship. We were not really impressed with their food selections but I can not say it was horrible. Just different. No you do not get the same attention as you do on DCl but it was still a nice cruise.

From what I am getting most people had a nice time on RCCL. I guess we need to seriously consider this for our next cruise.

Can anyone tell me more about the children's programs? I will have a teenager the next time we cruise and a preteen. What is available for them?

[ReneeQ]

I know this is a really old thread, but I did a search for DCL vs. RCCL Mariner of the Seas, and found this thread very informative. We have sailed DCL 2x and are booked for Mariner in 10/08.

Just wondering if anyone who has sailed Mariner has any new info to add to this thread?

Also, TOTALLY FORGOT that smoking was more prevalent on RCc; than DCL and I am PANICKING!!! For anyone on Mariner lately, how bad is the smoke?

[BethA]

We sailed on RC Mariner in June and since then they have made cabins nonsmoking, so the smoking on the balconies will be much improved. the casino was very smokey, as were the bars. On the deck, one side was smoking and one non.

We enjoyed the cruise--more to do for adults and older teens. Two of the comeians were great. We all fell asleep in the first production show, so skipped the second. The food offered on the Promenade dec was great to have there all the time. We did not find the crew as friendly as on DCL.

If you have any questions let me know.
Beth

[Jaime]

How do the cabins compare? We had a verhanda room (cat. 5) on the Wonder and loved it! Do you know how the prices compare for the verhanda rooms?

We were booked on 7 day Mariner cruise in a balcony room in Nov...I believe it was cat D1 for about $2800 for a family of four...we switch to a 4 day Wonder cruise in a cat 6 for about $2500 for a family of 4....our dd's are 3 &5 and it is our first cruise...they really wanted to go on Mickey's boat...I am glad we are going on the Wonder but it is a really big price difference...we figured we wait til they were a little older to sail on RCCL. The balcony room is laid out different on RCCL...it is a double size pull out sofa and no bunk.

[DMMarla07860]

I figure after my cruise on DCL in July 2008 I'll switch to another cruise line. I figured I have never been to Disneyland and DCL is going places I want to go to on the west coast cruise so might as well go with them. But I'd love to go on RCCL, maybe as a birthday present my dad will let me lol

[BethA]

One thing I did not like on the Mariner was the shower--way too small!! You could barely bend over to rinse your hair and it was impossible to shave my legs.

They do have a lot of storage space though, but the rooms are smaller than DCL. We had a balcony room on deck 7 on the Mariner and it only had a chair--no sofa. In some the bunk is over the heads of those sleeping in the bed, so they have to step on you to get out.