Lots of questions!

[happily single]

I’ve decided we need a vacation, and stumbled on to Mariner of the Seas. I’m looking at a 3 or 4 days cruise out of Orlando In August.

the 4 day has two stops at their private island. The price difference is pretty small.

i can’t seem to find any information on the real difference between a junior suite and a regular suite. I will be traveling with my dd23, ds21 and ds15. I will be getting 2 rooms with adjoining doors. Any recommendations?

if I books two suites can one room get the adult beverage package, or would both suites have to purchase?

lastly any suggestions for a travel agent? i know a lot of times You can get on board credits, using an agent

 

[CynBeth]

We never use a TA always book trips on our own. The one time we did a few years ago for a non cruise vacation to London and Paris it was a disaster. With a trip so short and the uncertainty if it will really happen you are better off not using and going on the website or calling yourself. I have heard bad stories on cruise message boards I go on from people who used one and are having all sorts of issues with them in dealing with cancelled cruises. When booking a drink package I believe it is not per room. There are 3 of us and have never gotten 2 rooms. When we are in our reservation in the cruise planner part when we go into the beverage category and select the refreshment package and hit add to cart everyone’s name comes up and we click on the people who are getting that package. As far as your suites question try doing a google search for the name of your ship and the type of rooms you are deciding between and you should find info describing them including measurements and even photos. Good luck!

 

[CaleCakes]

There are several differences between a junior suite and a full suite. We always book a grand suite on Royal. They're spacious enough for my family of 4 (kids are 4 and 2), and we get an attached balcony stateroom for my parents. One of the biggest differences in a junior and a full suite is the points and perks. You earn double points for a full suite, access to the suite lounge, the use of specialty restaurants for breakfast, priority boarding and disembarking, bathrobes in the suite, and some ships even have suite guest areas by the pools. Also there tends to be loungers on the balcony of a grand suite which I am not sure is true for a junior. If you search the suites and click on details you can see the perks listed usually. We also cruise Princess and I would say a junior suite on Royal is like a mini suite on Princess, although I haven't stayed in a junior before, but picture wise they look similar and they both have bathtubs.

As far as the beverage package, there is supposedly some rule they have that if 1 person in the room orders the alcohol package then everyone over 21 in that room has to have it, but they cannot force that on anyone. 2 of my aunts came with us on our last Royal cruise on Freedom, they had a grand suite like us, and 1 had the alcohol package and the other didn't have a package at all. She did provide a doctor's note in advance to Royal because she is diabetic and didn't want there to be an issue when the other aunt brought the package on board. It was not an issue and wasn't even brought up when purchasing just the 1 package. You don't need to purchase all the same package for different guests or rooms.

As for the travel agent question, I prefer to be my own agent. I still get on board credits when booking and I feel more in control of my booking. I used an agent once many years ago and I didn't see any benefit from it.
Hope this helps some. Happy cruising 🛳

 

[happily single]

Thanks for the responses. I’ve planned all our own trips, including a Carnival Cruise, so I’ll probably do that and call to get details on suites. I’d love to get a suite and a regular adjoining balcony room.

 

[starvenger]

Keep in mind that Mariner is an older ship, so not as many amenities as some of the newer, bigger ships. But on a short cruise like this, probably not that big a deal.

Two rooms might be a good idea for you, given that you've got older kids. That extra bathroom will come in handy.

Hopefully cruises will open back up in August and you'll have fun.

 

[John VN]

I’ve decided we need a vacation, and stumbled on to Mariner of the Seas. I’m looking at a 3 or 4 days cruise out of Orlando In August.
the 4 day has two stops at their private island. The price difference is pretty small...............................

We cruised Mariner in January and she was fine. Had the Double Dip Coco Cay but bad weather prevented day 2 so had Day@Sea which is DW's preference anyway. Have a Mariner 4 cruise set for Jan 2021 and still holding breathe. Doing another 2 Bedroom/2 Bathroom Aft Suite with the separate Concierge Lounge Perk that only Mariner has in the RCCL Voyager-class cruise ships.

DW regretfully cancelled our late August cruise since sailing in 2 months just doesn't seem to be going to happen and even if it did we would not be comfortable with expecting 100% compliance with the rules by other cruisers. NOTE -- This was a MSC Yacht Club level and even with 5,000 other cruisers Seaside's Ship on a Ship is truly a level where we could be comfortable spending the entire cruise on the YC Decks without venturing out.

ENJOY your cruise

 

[happily single]

the Mariner seems to offer a lot. The Flow Rider, the trampoline, laser tag and escape room As well as the water slides. That will keep the kids busy. Our first and only cruise was on the Carnival Sensation which didn’t have much and they loved it

 

[starvenger]

Cruises are all about what you make of it. Despite what all the cruise lines have been adding, it's not an amusement park. You go, you relax, you take your time, you enjoy.

 

[Frozen2014]

We just cancelled our Mariner cruise end of August (double CoCo Cay as well). So sad, but even if cruises start up, the borders and currently closed so no way to get there. We have been on Mariner once before though and loved the cruise. Great ship!

For the alcoholic drink package, if one adult in a room gets it, then the remaining adults must get it (I think adult means 21+). There have been exceptions if the other adult doesn't drink to get the refreshment package but you would have to call and see if they will make the exception.

I personally never use a TA as I prefer to deal directly with Royal and have more control over my booking (I check rates daily, etc). But it's a personal choice as I hear they sometimes have additional benefits and some prefer to deal with a TA than Royal agent (which is someone different when you call each time).

Can't comment on the suites.

 

[mevelandry]

the Mariner seems to offer a lot. The Flow Rider, the trampoline, laser tag and escape room As well as the water slides. That will keep the kids busy. Our first and only cruise was on the Carnival Sensation which didn’t have much and they loved it

I've done the Sensation and the Mariner. The Mariner is the clear winner in this competition. I would also recommend the Mini-Golf and the Sky Pad (trempoline park with virtual reality).