Just back from the Mariner of the Seas

[Disneycrazymom]

We so enjoyed our cruise on the Mariner. I will be happy to answer any questions about the ship or the cruise. After much compaerison over the week our bottom line is that we enjoyed both our DCL cruise and our Mariner cruise equally. Disney has the Characters and that is awsome! The Mariner has LOTS of, I mean LOTS of sports activities. We enjoyed the roller blade track, the ice rink and the mini golf almost everyday. They are different but both really good. Any questions, ask away!

 

[VAgal76]

I'm glad you had a wonderful time. I do have some questions. What did you think of the kids club and their hours? They don't operate all day and is broken up in blocks, right? Did the kids club operate while in port? How was their private island?

 

[Disneycrazymom]

I liked the kids club better! Am I allowed to say that? I liked the way it was set up in 3 sections each day. For example on day 2 for the 6 -8 year olds they had: The clubs were open in port.

9:00 am to 11:45 Western Welcome
9:15 Wanted Posters
9:45 Western Style Flinch
10:00 YEP DRill - they practiced taking the kids to the lifeboat stations
10:45 Nutty Nicknames
11:00 Rattlesnake and Buffalo
11:30 Ga Ga Ball
11:45 Morning wrap-up
12:00 Parents pease pick up your Cowkids

2:00 - 5:00 Circus on the Seas Afternoon

7:00 - 10:00 Alien Invasion

Each of the 3 sections each day had a Theme and the games and art projects went along with that theme. Kids could go to the whole session or drop in for one event. The kids clubs are all in one section of the ship and there is an outside deck that is sectioned off for them to use for outside play. DD6 really enjoyed the club activities althought she did not choose to go to all of them.

Ds 13 had an absolute blast. The best vacation ever in his words. The teens really were catered too by the counselors and they enjoyed all the activities. I was very please to see so many (most really) hanging in the club and not running around the ship. While they would have activities at certain times they could hang in the club all day long, it never closed and they enjoyed having the space to themselves. One of his favorites was the "Prom" on one of the Formal nights. Really fun for all of them.

I can't tell you about the priviate island as the weather caused us to miss it. Good excuse to go back I think!

 

[pgfour]

Hi!

How about the RCCL cabins? Would a family of four (DH, me, DS 15 & DD 5) fit comfortably into one cabin, or would we want/need two? Or would we need a suite (or whatever their larger cabins are called?)

I'm intrigued by RCCL's newer ships, but while DD is obsessed with the princesses, we may stick with DCL.

Thanks for any input!

Cheri

 

[CaptainJack]

We so enjoyed our cruise on the Mariner. I will be happy to answer any questions about the ship or the cruise. After much compaerison over the week our bottom line is that we enjoyed both our DCL cruise and our Mariner cruise equally. Disney has the Characters and that is awsome! The Mariner has LOTS of, I mean LOTS of sports activities. We enjoyed the roller blade track, the ice rink and the mini golf almost everyday. They are different but both really good. Any questions, ask away!

How big is the ice rink? Do you have any pics of the ice rink you can post?

 

[ricka47]

We've sailed RCI four times and my DD13 loved the kids programs when she was younger. They did a very good job and the counselors were excellent. We found that Celebrity, HAL, and Princess were not quite as good although, overall, Celebrity, is our favorite cruise line at present.

I would be interested in your price to value comparison. Many have said here that on DCL you " get what you pay for." I've not quite found that to be true and wonder how you feel after your recent cruise on the Mariner.

 

[Masonpips]

Hi!

How about the RCCL cabins? Would a family of four (DH, me, DS 15 & DD 5) fit comfortably into one cabin, or would we want/need two? Or would we need a suite (or whatever their larger cabins are called?)

We've cruised DCL 3 times (1 Cat 6, 2 Cat 9's) and Mariner once in a JS. We paid less for the JS (and it was aft with a HUGE balcony) that we did for a Cat 9, however the Cat 9 was over NYE.

The JS is HUGE in comparison to the Cat 9 (much wider) and the bathroom, although not split, is a great size. TONS of storage. If the price compares, I'd go with a JS over a Cat 9 anyday. On a non-holiday week I think the JS may run a few hundred dollars more (probably $3300 for 4 for the weeks I've usually looked at in mid-Oct) but is well worth it.

 

[nextcruz]

I would love to hear MORE! Photo and details, please!

 

[GreatDaneMom]

We really enjoyed Mariner, too. It won't stop us from cruising Disney but it has given us variety and choices for the future. I guess we'll be bouncing back and forth. Glad you also enjoyed her!

Cheryl

 

[pgfour]

Thanks for the cabin info Masonpips!

I enjoy learning about other cruise lines and their offerings.

We did cruise on Sovereign of the Seas way back in 1997 (right before Christmas - got engaged) and we've also been on Carnival (Ecstacy - honeymoon)and Big Red Boat -- all were pretty good (expectations were rather low thanks to reading review book!)

Any additional info would be great!

 

[misseulalie]

Which do think would be better for younger kids (4 and 6)? We are debating between Voyager of the seas (which is comparable to Mariner) and DCL for the med. next year.

From what I am reading, RCCL sound better for older kids (10+) while DCL is still the best choice for younger ones.

What's your opinion since you have been on both?

 

[SpideyHulk24]

Glad to hear you enjoyed RCCL. We are cruising Disney but are wanting to try the Mariner in the future. Do you think younger children (6 and 2) would enjoy it as well?

Thank you!

 

[Masonpips]

Which do think would be better for younger kids (4 and 6)? We are debating between Voyager of the seas (which is comparable to Mariner) and DCL for the med. next year.

From what I am reading, RCCL sound better for older kids (10+) while DCL is still the best choice for younger ones.

What's your opinion since you have been on both?

Our kids were 3/5, 4/6 and 6/7 on the 3 DCL cruises. They were 6/8 (birthday came around) on the Mariner cruise. I do think DCL is "perfect" for the 4/6 ages (and beyond obviously but the Magic is REALLY there at the younger ages). Mine will be 7/9 this year and after a year on RCCL they're sold on the "extra" stuff like golf, inline skating and the rock wall. We're also determined to get on the ice rink this year (didn't have time last year).

Some of it is age and some is cruising experience. After 3 DCL cruises we felt we had done most of the activities and were ready to try something else. But I wouldn't trade those DCL cruises for anything - they rocked!

 

[VAgal76]

Okay, we're going to give RCCL a try. It'll be a while since DH wants to try Caribbean Princess for the anytime dining option and we heard service on Princess was slightly better than RCCL.

Did you feel the ship was too large? We really enjoy the size of the Disney ship and thought the Radiance class would be perfectly suited for us. Now you've got me thinking Voyager class would be a better fit for DS (10/11).

 

[Masonpips]

We actually loved the Voyager series because although it's big, the crowds stay small that way and we never felt over-crowded on the ship. I've heard nothing but good re: the Radiance class and we almost booked the Jewel this year for the NE/Canada cruise but decided we wanted the warmer ports so went w/the Navigator. The ship is really laid out well and the only "long" walks are if you're lucky enought to get an aft balcony (we did) to mid-ship. Once you're up on the upper decks for activities, it's a very easy walk anywhere and once you're in the Promenade it's easy to get to the theater, dining room, etc.

 

[VAgal76]

We actually loved the Voyager series because although it's big, the crowds stay small that way and we never felt over-crowded on the ship. I've heard nothing but good re: the Radiance class and we almost booked the Jewel this year for the NE/Canada cruise but decided we wanted the warmer ports so went w/the Navigator. The ship is really laid out well and the only "long" walks are if you're lucky enought to get an aft balcony (we did) to mid-ship. Once you're up on the upper decks for activities, it's a very easy walk anywhere and once you're in the Promenade it's easy to get to the theater, dining room, etc.

Get out! We almost booked the Jewel for the NE cruise, too. If you tell me mid-month in October I'll die. We went with Disney since pretty soon DS is going way over the Disney thing and I'm hanging on by my fingernails. I've wanted to celebrate my b-day at Disney but the stars just wouldn't align. Well, it did this year but then we went on a cruise and became instantly hooked on cruising. The rest is history.

Well, I guess we'll have to do both the Mariner and Jewel of the Seas then because I won't be able to make up my mind. Maybe in 2008 we can do the NE cruise on the Jewel in the fall and the Mariner for the spring/early summer?

 

[Disneycrazymom]

We had 2 Promenade Cabins 7575 and 7577 connecting to each other. We paid $1595.38 for each cabin. $797.79 per person. That included insurance. We liked the location and the cabins were as comfortable as the ones on DCL. On DCL we had 1 cabin cat 5 with a balcony. We paid more for it 2 years ago than we paid for 2 cabins this cruise but we didn't have a balcony this trip. Given the choice again I would go with 2 cabins. The extra space, both kids having a bed, (no sofa to be made up) and the extra bath were just too nice to pass up again. I might go with 2 balcony cabins and still would spend less than DCL prices today. To price check a cabin just go to Royal Caribbean.com. Click on a reservation and go through the process.

DH and I had a conversation about what was the most for our money. For us there was no doubt that we will choose RCI again. We can for the same money have both a cruise and a trip to Disney World. DD6 still loves the Characters but even she said she liked the activities on RCI better. I felt like we spent a lot of time standing in line for the Characters but oddly on the Mariner we never felt like we were waiting in line. The ship never felt crowded at all.

My 6 year old had a great time on this trip. When asked what ship for our next trip she could list good things about both but thought it was fun that her and Mom and Dad could skate together. She enjoyed the roller blade track so much. The ice rink too. It is about 1/2 of regulation hockey ice.

We do have pictures but they are not downloaded from the camera. If you want to see the ship just type in Mariner of the Seas. Lots will come up or try cruise critic.

Happy Sailing Everyone!

 

[Mjasp]

Ds 13 had an absolute blast. The best vacation ever in his words. The teens really were catered too by the counselors and they enjoyed all the activities. I was very please to see so many (most really) hanging in the club and not running around the ship. While they would have activities at certain times they could hang in the club all day long, it never closed and they enjoyed having the space to themselves. One of his favorites was the "Prom" on one of the Formal nights. Really fun for all of them.

Did you travel with another family or was your son solo and the kids were friendly and he made friends? Curious as we are going on the Explorer of the Seas out of New Jersey next year and that is our only concern. We usually travel with other families but this cruise is solo, they have other obligations.
Thx
Joanna

 

[Disneycrazymom]

We were solo this trip. We were seated at dinner with a very nice family. They had 2 beautiful girls just his age and they hit it off right away. They all went to the teen club the first night and met many other teens. From then on they were a "group". My best advise is to send your teen the first night to the club right after dinner. I think the counselors worked hard that night to include everyone and to draw out the shy ones. Have fun!

 

[Mjasp]

Thanks