A few days ago, I came back from a 4-night cruise on Royal Caribbean’s Mariner of the Seas. Overall, we had a great time, but it wasn’t quite what I expected. So, I wanted to write a post for those of you who are considering taking the same cruise.
Since Mariner of the Seas sails from Port Canaveral, it makes for a logical extension to your Disney vacation. Royal Caribbean is also considered to be a family-friendly (and budget friendly) alternative to Disney cruise line. Let me share what I loved, liked and hated about my experience.
Price and itinerary
When reviewing any cruise or trip for that matter, it’s very important to take the price into account. As the saying goes, you get what you pay for. If you booked a relatively cheap cruise, it’s ridiculous to expect a luxury experience. That’s what private yachts are for.
You can read my detailed post on booking this cruise, but let me give you a quick summary here. In short, I got two balcony cabins, and my sister-in-law stayed with the kids while my husband and I enjoyed alone time. We paid a little over $1k for our stateroom, and $1720 for the second one. The latter was a bit of a splurge, but my sister-in-law requested to be in the back of the ship. They did get to enjoy a bigger balcony and the views of the ship’s wake.
I used Citi Thank You points for their cabin (plus $200 co-pay), and paid cash for ours. We also got a $100 in shipboard credit. So, in total, I paid $2620 for our 4-night cruise, factoring in the incentive, with $1200 being out-of-pocket. Obviously, there were other costs. My cabin’s total bill at the end of the cruise was $200. My father- and mother-in-law also joined us and they paid for their own cabin.
We bought some photos, mixed drinks, coke, and the rest was tips for the crew. I also bought an excursion for my kids in Nassau, Bahamas (my husband and I stayed on the ship). We did spend most of the day in CocoCay, RCCL private island in the Bahamas. I will review it in a separate post, per Nancy’s request.
We drove to the port with in-laws, and split the cost of parking and gas. So, our total for this trip was a little over $3k. That’s definitely not pocket change. But! Considering the fact that we sailed during Thanksgiving and got two balcony rooms for five people, I feel like I got a pretty good deal. By comparison, a Disney cruise of the same length would run us more than $7k for the exact same date.
Originally, we were only supposed to stop in Nassau and CocoCay and spend the last day at sea on the way back to Port Canaveral. However, due to medical emergency, we were diverted to Miami in order to drop off a passenger. So, we got a bonus stop, though it only lasted an hour or so. The views of Miami Beach were quite beautiful.
Overall impressions
Before I get into the review of the ship itself, let me say that sailing from Port Canaveral is a breeze. Much easier than Miami and even Fort Lauderdale!
So, if you hate crowds and long waits, I totally recommend this port. We were on the ship in less than 30 minutes after parking the van, an all-time record. If you have young kids, this is huge. RCCL lets you check in online, so you only have to take a quick photo and that’s it. If you are flying into Orlando, I recommend skipping a rental car and paying for shared bus shuttle. Some start at $13 per person one-way.
Onto Mariner of the Seas itself.
We’ve cruised on a similar Royal Caribbean ship when I was pregnant with my daughter. We enjoyed it then, but felt it was too big. Since our kids are 9 and 11, we decided to once again give RCCL a try. What really sold me on it is all the upgrades the ship has recently received. I felt like my kids would really appreciate the huge water slide, the FlowRider surf simulator and the SkyPad. I will review them in a separate section towards the end of the post.
My husband and I normally prefer Holland America cruises, but they unfortunately don’t sail from Port Canaveral. Plus, most of their itineraries are 7 nights, and I wanted to stick to a shorter/cheaper cruise this time around.
So, how was it? To quote my husband, “too loud and too many people.” The ship fits up to 3,300 passengers, and it was absolutely packed during our Thanksgiving cruise. At times, you had to wait for elevators for 10 minutes or longer, so we just gave up and walked upstairs. Believe it or not, Mariner of the Seas is one of the smaller RCCL ships. The newest behemoths push closer to 5,000 passengers. That is just too much IMO, but different strokes to different folks.
The pool area was almost always full of people, and it was hard to find an empty chair. The pools and hot tubs were filled (more like overstuffed) with kids and adults at all times.
Loud music was playing almost non-stop from morning until night, and various contests like bellyflop competition would take place in one of two tiny pools, rendering it useless for passengers. There are lifeguards, so you can use a bathroom for few minutes if your kids are older.
There was also a “sexy man” contest by the pool, which my husband and I watched on TV in our stateroom the following day. Super lame and ridiculous, but kinda fun to see guys showing off their “stud” side. In short, I absolutely hated everything about the main pool area, but all this stuff is typical of most cruise ships that cater to younger set of travelers.
Fortunately, the adults section was much more serene. I never saw anyone use the pool, but the two hot tubs were always packed. My husband and I don’t like to sit in a hot tub with 10 strangers, so we never used it.
I loved the fact that there were relaxing lounges available at no extra charge. But good luck getting one of them on a sea day!
I did find several empty ones in the evenings, so it’s indeed possible to snag one of them. The adult pool area of the ship to me is the star attraction, but you won’t be able to go here with your kids.
The ship has a mall-like promenade in the center of the ship. It’s full of shops and various bars. I don’t really care for it for one simple reason: loud parties at night.
We were staying on the seventh deck, so there was a deck between us and the atrium. And yet, we could hear YMCA song in our cabin at midnight. Thank goodness for the noise machine. My in-laws were staying on the 9th deck and couldn’t hear anything, so I recommend going a bit higher if you go to sleep early.
While I may sound negative, I totally don’t mean to. It was about what I expected the cruise to be, though noise at midnight was an unwelcome surprise. If you sail on this type of ship, you should expect crowds and mass-market experience. That’s the tradeoff for paying $1k all-in for 4 nights in a balcony cabin during Thanksgiving cruise.
If you want a more refined experience, pay more and sail on one of the luxury cruise lines. I will say that the atmosphere on this ship was a bit more family-friendly compared to our last Carnival cruise. I never saw any drunk or highly obnoxious people, a welcome thing indeed. Smoking also wasn’t a huge issue, as most folks stayed in the designated areas. We saw a lot of large families, little kids to old folks, all having a good time. That’s RCCL’s target market, not party animals looking to get wasted.
That’s not to say that all Carnival cruises are full of this type of behavior. It will depend on a sailing, of course. But if you are looking to go on your first short cruise, I would say Royal Caribbean may be a better fit. If you prefer a smaller ship like we do, I recommend researching Norwegian Sun of NCL line, which also sails to Bahamas from Port Canaveral. It fits less than 2,000 passengers. The ship won’t have all the fancy amenities of Mariner fo the Seas, but it should be a little less overwhelming. It also has remodeled staterooms. Speaking of…
Review of our stateroom
When I read that Mariner of the Seas would undergo a huge refurbishment before our sailing, I assumed it would include the rooms. I was wrong. They probably changed a few things, but apparently drapes and new carpet weren’t on the agenda. If Motel 6 and Japanese capsule hotel had an ugly baby, it would probably look something along these lines:
All joking aside, most room decor we have encountered on cruise ships is usually ugly. Once again, we didn’t pay for luxury. However, in this case, the room wasn’t just ugly, it was worn out. The carpet was old and nasty, and had a mysterious stain by the bed:
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p style=”text-align: center;”>I don’t want to know where it came from
Bring slippers. Everything was scratched up, and looked frumpy and dumpy.
The mattress was super firm, and made sleeping downright painful. Fortunately, after one night I had the sense to ask for a topper, and it was provided. Much better! But how many people would do that?
Now let’s talk about the bathroom. 
It was very small, as expected. However, the shower was something else.
Not only was it tiny, but it had solid plastic doors. With a shower curtain, at least there is some wiggle room. Not here. I tolerated it, but my very tall/large husband absolutely hated it. It was similar to showering in a coffin. Basically, think of it as a glorified camper.
There was at least enough storage for our junk:
The balcony was nice, though the sliding door would make a loud screeching noise each time I went outside. Once again, this is an old room that got very little love during recent makeover. Set your expectations accordingly.
My sister-in-law had a room on the back of the ship located on the same deck. It had a larger balcony, but the view was obstructed. She loved it, though, which is all that matters.
The condition of the stateroom was the biggest disappointment of the cruise, but we made do. It was clean, and our room steward really tried to make us happy. As my husband said, being on a cruise sure beats being at work. He said he would sail in the same stateroom if that’s what I wanted to do (not happening). He is a laid-back dude who can put up with just about anything. That’s why we are still happily married.
Note to self: do more research next time and don’t assume anything.
Food
One of the main reasons I love cruising is not having to cook. Fortunately, the food on this ship was great. I would rate it a bit higher than Carnival and NCL, but I’ve never been on a cruise where I didn’t enjoy the food.
Of course, it will once again depend on your expectations. We are a regular family who stops by Wendy’s and McDonalds a few times per week. So no complaints here. If you read reviews ranting about the quality of food, these folks must have a personal chef at home. Ignore.
Here are photos of food in the buffet:
Lunch
Dinner
There were burgers and several types of ethnic food, so I believe most people could find something to their liking. I didn’t pay extra for alternative dining on this cruise and I never will.
We ate at the Windjammer buffet for breakfast and lunch, and had all of our dinners in the main dining room. We selected “my time dining” option, so we could have more flexibility in the evenings. Despite the fact that the ship was full, we never had to wait more than 10 minutes to get a table. The main dining room is extremely crowded, the theme of this ship. Service was very good.
The kids came with us the first two nights, but got really bored of sitting around for two hours. At one point, my son has torn off a rubber sole off his shoe to entertain himself. So, my SIL took the kids to the buffet after that. I did see that they have “family dining” option which sounds brilliant.
Breakfast was really good as well, and there was an omelet station in the buffet area. They give you a beeper after you put in your order, which reduces congestion. So, all in all, thumbs up for all the dining. I really have no complaints. Well, I did miss the brick oven pizza they make on Carnival ships, but it’s not a big deal.
I truly believe that if you are a normal family, a cruise will be a treat when it comes to food.
Amenities for kids
I did not get a chance to check out Kids Club because my SIL took care of our children the whole time. That was her choice. I’m sure it’s like most Kids Clubs on major cruise lines. See more details on this website.
Some kids love them, others don’t. You won’t know unless you take them there. If you and your husband want alone time, don’t hesitate to take advantage of a Kids Club. You’ve paid for it. Nancy has highlighted significant differences between DCL Kids programs compared to RCCL. In short, don’t expect Disney-like excellence at non-Disney prices.
Basically, with RCCL, Carnival and NCL, you will have a person who will (hopefully) prevent your kids from killing themselves, with occasional game thrown in. Good enough for me. Parents, don’t feel guilty for enjoying some quiet alone time with a spouse. Your kids will survive in the Kids Club for few hours, I promise.
There is a movie theater, but we didn’t get a chance to check it out. I also wanted to watch an ice skating show with the kids, same thing. That’s the problem with large ships and short itineraries. Too much to do in too little time.
I did make sure to take advantage of FlowRider simulator and the slide. That’s literally the main reason I picked this ship. So, on our sea day, the kids and I headed to the back of the ship where all the cool stuff is located.
We didn’t climb the wall or play basketball, but there were tons of kids having fun there.
My son loved this contraption
We did have to wait about 40 minutes for FlowRider, but it didn’t disappoint:
Both of my kids loved it. In fact, it looked so fun, I went on it myself. We then checked out the fancy slide:
It was quite thrilling, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. However, when I asked the kids if they wanted to go again on the surf simulator or the slide, they said No. They didn’t feel like standing in line. They both wanted to go to the tiny/crowded pool where they spent the next two hours. What?!
So, I grossly overestimated the coolness factor because apparently, what my kids mostly wanted was a pool. My son absolutely loved SkyPad with virtual reality headset, though again, he only went once.
All in all, this particular area of the ship is a winner for families, and some kids will probably go gaga for it. I really thought mine would, but nope. They enjoyed it, just not as much as I thought they would.
Final thoughts
If you feel that my post was super negative, this really wasn’t my intention. I can honestly say despite some drawbacks, we all had a fantastic time. Travel is what you make of it. If you focus on the negatives, then you will be miserable and cranky. Simple as that. My kids loved the cruise, and my son said it’s a 10 while Hyatt is a 9. That’s the highest form of compliment from him.
None of the things I’ve mentioned (except maybe the tiny shower “coffin”) were dealbreakers. In fact, if I ever see a fantastic deal on this ship, I may go for it. But it would have to be one heck of a deal. Still, I was curious about the fancy RCCL amenities, and I’m glad my kids got to experience them. But I think it’s “once and done ” for our family.
My biggest piece of advice is to pick a ship that will be the right fit for you and your spouse. I truly believe that most kids will be happy as long as there is a pool. Fortunately, all ships have pools. Should you try Disney cruise line? That’s up to you, but I’m not going to.
The difference in price for our cruise was over $4k, so no way Jose. Parents, please don’t feel like you are shortchanging your kids if you don’t go on DCL. That’s crazy! I don’t know about you, but cruises during my childhood in Soviet Union consisted of going on rusty ferry down the river.
Check out Norwegian Sun if you want to avoid all the issues I’ve described in the post. That said, if you really want to splurge on a Disney cruise and have the wiggle room in your budget, go for it. I have no doubt that your family will enjoy it.
For my money, Holland America is the solid winner, and it’s probably what I will book next time. It’s marketed as “old folks” cruise line and there is some truth to that. But so what? Old people are quiet and go to sleep at 9 PM.
No YMCA parties at midnight or bellyflop contests by the pool, yay! The food is top-notch, cabins are relatively nice, there are fresh flowers around the ship and you can enjoy live violin music. The best part? Holland America cruises (at least in Caribbean region) usually cost just a little more than Carnival and Royal Caribbean.
My reasons for going on a cruise have nothing to do with amenities. My favorite moment on this particular ship was finding a quiet corner to watch this amazing sunset:
Or sitting on a balcony and watching a sunrise early in the morning with my husband by my side. And there is nothing like seeing a starry sky and listening to waves at night. That’s what I love most about cruising and why I will keep doing it.
Readers, which cruise line is your favorite and why?
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Author: Leana
Leana is the founder of Miles For Family. She enjoys beach vacations and visiting her family in Europe. Originally from Belarus, Leana resides in central Florida with her husband and two children.
Great overview of this cruise-my family is booked for March. We are looming forward to it and this review will help me with everyone’s expectations. Did you do anything in Nassau? Also what about the “key” upgrade you can pay for- sounds like it’s gets you to the front of some lines, etc? Did you Know or see anyone who did this? Also what about Your thoughts on the internet passes?
@DPleiss I’m very glad the review was helpful! That was my main goal. It is my firm belief that having the right expectations can translate into a greater enjoyment of a trip.
On Key upgrade: it wasn’t available by the time I saw it. I’m not sure it’s worth it unless you take advantage of it each and every day of your cruise. I know you can have special access hours for slide and surf simulator. If your kids plan to do it a ton, then maybe splurging on Key access would be worthwhile.
On internet: it’s extremely slow, but better then nothing. Make sure to prepay it online before the cruise in order to get a discount. You get a discount if you pay for several devices, but we only did one for my husband’s work emails.
On Nassau: me and my husband didn’t leave the ship. We have been to Nassau before, and none of the excursions really appealed to me. If you don’t want to spend a fortune on tours, I recommend taking a taxi to Atlantis and just walking around. If you want access to their waterpark, look into booking one night in Comfort Suites Nassau that provides passes to Atlantis. A lot cheaper that way. Google it.
My in-laws did an excursion where they swam with sea lions, and they enjoyed it.
I enjoyed reading your review and the follow-up replies.
I have sailed RC Navigator of the Seas Mediterranean cruise, Carnival Horizon southern and Western Caribbean, Carnival Elation twice to Mexico, Carnival Victory from San Juan to the southern Caribbean, Celebrity Infinity Alaskan cruise from Vancouver, and most recently Norwegian Getaway Baltic Cruise from Copenhagen. We are booked on the Mariner of the Seas this Fall.
Royal Caribbean provided the best entertainment, best food, and best service, and best overall ambiance. Carnival Horizon was a very close second. It’s a great ship. We even had a family harbor suite. It was nice! Carnival Elation was pretty plain and tired. We sailed out of New Orleans both times before the ship relocated to Mobile (Mobile always seems to get the most tired and old ship in Carnival’s fleet). This was around 2015/2016. So the Elation may have improved. Celebrity Infinity was boring, food just average, and entertainment slightly above average. I’m in no rush to cruise with Celebrity again. For the price they charge, the entertainment and food should be better. Their employees are, however, amazing and provide superior service. Norwegian Getaway was super boring. It was ridiculously boring. They should be ashamed of themselves for such blah entertainment offerings. My parents are in their mid 70s and were shocked at how little entertainment was available in the ship. The ports of call made the cruise an utterly amazing cruise. But you couldn’t pay me to cruise on that boring ship again. The Carnival Victory was good. The ports of call definitely helped make it a great cruise – having stops at about 5 or 6 wonderful Caribbean islands. My only issue is that Carnival sets its prices at a point that makes them affordable for a few cruisers who tend to be rude and uncouth. On the Horizon, there was a group of older teens that smoked weed in their cabin the whole cruise. The only ordered room service and would leave a mess in the hallways. There were also kids who weren’t supposed to be in the Family Harbor Lounge who would come in there anyway and make a mess, eat them out of house and home, and destroy the games. It was as if the crew didn’t care. Carnival does just enough right and decent enough priced to make you say, “wellllll…I’ve give em one more shot” and just enough wrong to make you say, “oh hell no way I cruise Carnival again.”
@Rich Really appreciate your comment and succinct impressions of each cruise ship! There is so much variety in this particular travel segment, it make it really easy to find what you are looking for. The question is: are you willing to pay the price? Some cruise lines (Crystal etc.) are outrageously expensive. I’m sure they are nice, but not nice enough to justify such a crazy premium (to me). So, over the last twenty year or so, I’ve been searching for the best combination of price and quality. For me personally, Holland America has everything I’m looking for. To me adult entertainment doesn’t really matter. I like finding quiet spaces on a ship and just soaking in the ambiance. That said, I’ve enjoyed every single cruise I’ve been on, including cheap Carnival sailings. Even though I’ve tried to cover some shortcomings of Mariner ship, they didn’t really ruin my experience. My husband would disagree though, so I will do more research next time.
We had 11 days on the Celebrity Edge and are probably spoiled for the rest of our cruises but still are looking forward to a short getaway on the Mariner next month.
@Lisa Everyone I’ve talked to seems to love Celebrity! Glad you enjoyed your cruise.
So I am really in the minority. My Husband and I sailed Celebrity Solstice 5/2019, Alaska 7 day out of Seattle. It was like being in a Nursing Home….and we are 71 and 72. Even the comedians were joking about the low attendance in the shows… either guests were taking a nap or had gone to bed early. The food was terrible… after 3 days we could not bring ourselves to walk into the buffet. It smelled like a hospital cafeteria. The dining room service was excellent… the food terrible. There were very few activities on board. The adult solarium was very nice and a life saver on days at sea. We are frequent cruisers but our experience is limited to Royal Caribbean, Norwegian and Carnival… any one we would choose over our experience on Celebrity.
@Angela Interesting! I’ve heard this complaint about Holland America, but not Celebrity. I believe Alaska itineraries skew older demographic.
To be honest, I much prefer elderly cruisers to a young crowd. Older folks tend to be quieter and less obnoxious, at least in my experience.
I really enjoyed reading your honest feedback. I have been a travel agent for 18 years selling mostly cruises and trying to explain to clients that not all ships are the same is hard. Most want to book based on price only and then are disappointed when the cruise wasn’t what they really wanted. I am like you and really enjoy Holland America but what is great about cruising is there are so many options that there is something for everyone. Choosing a ship based more on the experience you are looking for make take a little work but that’s where a good agent comes in handy.
@Collen Thanks for your feedback! I totally agree, there are so many options when it comes to cruises. Back when I was young (and broke), I mostly focused on price. Nowadays, I try to look at the big picture. Price is still still extremely important, but not the only criteria. I prefer Holland America, but would love to try Windstar cruises one of these days.
Just got off Mariner of the Seas 2 days ago. My family had an amazing time and had two rooms on the 7th deck with windows facing the promenade. Sailed with my wife and two kids,9 and 11. Booking two rooms is a great idea and the kids loved it. We had no issues with the music and it all stopped at midnight. The kids loved watching everyone dancing out their window and trying to communicate with kids across from us. This cruise was just for the kids and we had a great time too. We have sailed DCL and their kids club is way better if you want to drop your kids off and not see them again. We prefer to do things as a family and couldn’t have been happier with all the stuff to do onboard. Pools and hot tubs were crowded but expect that if you go around any holiday. Food was amazing and the staff was very attentive and friendly. Stateroom was clean and attendant was available every day for any need or concerns. We are only in our rooms to sleep and gone the rest of the day. I would highly recommend this cruise for the price and make sure you go to Coco Cay!!
@Jesse I completely agree that the rate on Mariner is tough to beat, especially when you compare it to Disney prices.
I’m very glad you enjoyed the cruise! Totally with you on getting two connecting rooms for a family of four. We would have done it, but my SIL volunteered to keep them in her cabin. We paid for it, so it worked out.
I really have no complaints about the food. It was excellent, especially considering the price point. All in all, I feel I got good value, despite some drawbacks. However, I wanted to point out the negative points in the review, so readers can decide for themselves. We will probably choose Holland America next time, but we prefer quiet atmosphere.
I also was on rcc mariner of the sea on that same Thanksgiving cruise I was not impressed at all and will go back to carnival
@Dawn Thanks for stopping by! You know, Carnival gets a ton of hate, but it does a lot of things right. They make the BEST pizza. Unfortunately, short Carnival cruises tend to draw an unsavory crowd, which affects their overall reputation. I did really like kids’ amenities on Mariner. Older Carnival ships just can’t compete there.
I just did a 7 day on RC Oasis of the Seas over Thanksgiving. Our room on the 8th floor was quiet and the carpet looked nicer, but I don’t think it was updated as part of the big improvement. The showers looked the same. Our kids spent most of their time in the teen club or the pizza place. They only joined me for dinner and excursions. They told me only 5500 (out of 6600) people on board for Thanksgiving, so the pools were not packed and seating was easy to get unless you were looking to sit in the adult only area. For my first cruise, I have to say it was not a terrible experience as I feared. The food was good in the Windjammer and main dining, but the other areas were not nearly as good. I didn’t want to spend on the specialty places, so I did not try them out. They had a lot of activities to keep all ages busy. I would definitely go on another RC cruise.
@Mike I’m glad your first cruise didn’t disappoint! Cruising definitely isn’t for everyone, but you won’t know until you try it. I believe Oasis is a newer ship, so it makes sense that rooms are in better shape than Mariner. Royal Caribbean has a ton of activities for kids, and this is the reason we chose it. We may very well do it again at some point, depending on the price. But the shower in the room has to be bigger! I really don’t want to make my husband deal with it again.
Pretty much 3,4 or 5 day cruises are party/booze cruises.
Younger people in mass usually have less time and less money to go cruising.
The longer the cruise the older and quieter the cruise.
My experience comes from RCCL, CCL and Celebrity
@BillyBobby I think that’s a fair assessment! Honestly, I was surprised that this sailing wasn’t a booze cruise considering the fact that it was 4 nights. Since the ship sailed from Monday to Friday over Thanksgiving, it probably eliminated the weekend party animals. It was very much a “family” cruise, which was a pleasant surprise.
Cruise Pro Tip: Suggest to your husband that he shower in the spa on your next cruise. The showers in the spa are FREE. They are huge. There are lockers. And they usually have much better shower heads. It is genuinely a luxury experience.
@Brian Interesting tip, thanks! I’ve heard of people using gym showers, but spa shower sounds way better. Heck, I might do it too.
My family of 5 prefer Carnival…we are usually at that midnight party…and we are usually in the middle of the deck parties…and all the games….we aren’t drinkers, but we can ignore the crazy and just enjoy….and my kids love to be in The middle of it all too….New Year’s Eve on Carnival Vista was something amazing! So, we may be in our 50s…but we love those fun ship atmospheres…in fact we all agreed that RCCL was a little quiet for our taste. 😉
@Mary Anne Ain’t nothing wrong with enjoying midnight parties or Carnival cruises! I don’t fault you one bit. I actually think Carnival provides very good value for what they offer. It’s a solid product, and staterooms are usually spacious. That said, it’s one cruise line my husband requested to avoid if at all possible. After we saw a few stumbling drunks in the hallways, it really disgusted him. I’m like you, I ignore that type of stuff and move on with my day. But having kids with us makes it a bit trickier. But honestly, if I ever see a great itinerary and price on Carnival, I will probably try to talk my husband into giving them a shot. I think longer cruises are a safer bet when it comes to avoiding nasty behavior.
You wrote a very detailed review here. Well done. My family took a cruise on this ship in Oct. over fall break and it did not seem overly crowded to me. I did take showers a few times in the spa area and there was never another person around and it gave plenty of space. I agree with you about the food…it was pretty good. Breakfast in the Windjammer dinner in the main dining room. We attended a few shows at night which were alright but not great. We were on the 7th floor and the sound machine I brought did wonders…no noise from outside. Would I sail this ship again? Yeah probably as it’s not a “mega” ship….older, smaller ships have better price points as we have to fly to get to any port which adds to the cost.
@Steve L Thanks! You know, we felt like Mariner was the mega ship, but you are right that many ships are way bigger these days. I don’t really care for that trend, to be honest. But obviously, that’s what people want because it allows companies to squeeze in more amenities.
I’m sure sailing in October is a different story compared to Thanksgiving. Since our kids are in school, we are limited to summer and holidays. So, it’s very hard to snag a cruise bargain. That’s the unfortunate reality of family travel. It helps that we don’t have to fly to sail in the Caribbean, though I’m considering a cruise out of San Juan because I would like to visit St. Lucia one of these days.
I was on Mariner last year, and I agree – it’s all crowds. I don’t stand in line well, and that’s all I felt like I did on Mariner.
I generally cruise Celebrity but tried RCCL for a girls’ weekend. It was fun, and my room was in better shape than yours (also a balcony). However, I would not choose an RCCL cruise as a matter of course. I just like smaller, quieter ships. I don’t have kids, which definitely impacts what I want out of my vacation.
As for food, I used to eschew specialty restaurants, but they really are a cut above main dining. I now factor that into my cruise costs. On Mariner, the main dining room was okay. Not great, not horrible. It was as I expected. Most of my friends felt it was terrible. I had been planning to do the hibachi restaurant prior to the cruise anyway, so I had a reservation for it. We ended up with a full table of gals from my group because they wanted better food. It’s an expense that’s worthwhile for me.
I did like the quality of food in the buffets on Mariner. It was actually flavorful and spicy! I always do the main dining room for breakfast, and I did it on the sea day for lunch. Both were good.
@Chris Y I totally agree on smaller and quieter ships! Even though I have kids, that’s what I prefer as well. I did like Celebrity, though we only did a 2-night cruise with them back in the day because that’s all we could afford. I find that 7-night Celebrity cruises in balcony are a bit out of my price range. Do look into Holland America as long as you don’t mind an older crowd. Really classy and subdued, which is my preference. I don’t regret trying Mariner of the Seas, but I’m not itching to go on RCCL again. But never say never! Honestly, any cruise is a good cruise to me. Even Carnival.
I know many folks like specialty dining, and I have no issues with that. I’m a bit cheap, and don’t like paying extra on principle. I can go to a local restaurant and spend less than the cover charge. But more importantly, I like regular dining options, so don’t bother. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. 😉 But again, to each their own.
Holland America does not provide my husband with appropriate ADA accommodations, so we will not be using them any time soon.
Im going on my first DCL in Feb… want to see what the hype is about FULL DISCLOSURE: I am a TA and am sailing on a very reduced (and well earned) rate. I have not been on royal in years, but love this review of the Mariner. Lots of interest in this ship bc it sails to CocoCay. I also loved HAL we went out of FLL with our kids, we loved it.
PS The NCL kids club was amaizng. My kids loved it and they did cool art projects AND my daughter was in the big circus show at the end of the week, she LOVED it!
@Momma to Go Thanks for chiming in! I’m certain you will love Disney Cruise. Nancy loves them, and I truly enjoy reading her reviews. I sorta live vicariously through her adventures! Jealous of your reduced rate, and I’m sure it’s well earned.
I do think Mariner of the Seas is a good fit for those who don’t care about cabin appearance as well as crowds. I’ve seen some really dirt cheap rates during off-season, and for many families this may be the only way they will be able to afford a cruise. So in that respect I’m grateful to RCCL. I just wish they spent a bit more money on cabins refurbishment.
I enjoyed reading your review. Wow, that is one spectacular sunset! That’s unfortunate that the carpet wasn’t replaced during the recent refurb. That shower looks unbelievably small! I don’t remember the shower being that small on the Anthem. I’m going to look back to see if I took any photos of it. I can’t wait to hear what you thought of CocoCay!
@Nancy The shower was something awful! I’ve read that some people cruising on Mariner take showers in the gym for that reason. 🙂 On all of our cruises I’ve never seen anything like it. But it did the job, though my husband certainly struggled with it.
I will have a post on CocoCay soon. We had a great time, though I’m not a huge fan of waterpark theme. But I’m definitely in the minority. Your family will enjoy it.
While Disney is my favorite our kids are grown and we can’t justify the cost . We have done RC but we love Celebrity Cruise line it is a better fit for us and the service is close to Disney the cost is higher than RC but the old saying you get what you pay for is true . We just booked a 7 night Caribbean on the newest ship EDGE (infinite veranda) for Feb during there MLK sale with all perks( drinks WIFI tips OBC) included for $2400 received a $850 OBC used the Capital one card to reduce cost by 600 flying Southwest with points staying pre cruise at Hyatt with points using OBC for Excursions total out of pocket $1800 for 2 people.
@Lisa When my kids are grown, I’d like to try Celebrity. I’ve heard good things about it.
@Lisa and Nancy Funny, my husband just talked to a guy who went on Celebrity and loved it. We went on Celebrity once and I enjoyed it. I would be open to cruise with this line again, though balcony prices are usually higher than Holland America. If I can snag a deal, I will totally consider Celebrity since it sounds like a good fit for us.
@lisa. How was the Infinite Cruise?
Ahh, you have me scared now! I think it helps to manage my expectations, though. We are going on this ship in Feb for a 4-night. First cruise as a family. I hope the crowds won’t feel too terrible, and we can find some quiet corners. I think we’re on the 6th floor though, so noise may be an issue. Will have our sound app at the ready.
Probably will rent a car, as there are 5 of us and we will spend a few days in Orlando beforehand.
@Kacie Please don’t be scared! I’m sure your family will enjoy it. I’m willing to bet that the kids will love it like mine did.
Ok, so the room kind of sucks. But it’s not that big of a deal. Bring slippers and avoid touching the carpet. All carpet in hotels and on cruise ships is nasty. This one just looks old. Definitely request a mattress topper from your room attendant unless you enjoy sleeping on a board. 🙂 Not sure if you can switch to a higher floor, but it won’t hurt to ask. A noise machine should help, either way. Just set reasonable expectations and prepare your husband ahead of time. February should be better than Thanksgiving week, plus, there are quiet corners around the ship. Adult pool area is quite nice, go there with hubby and enjoy! Let me know how you liked it when you get back. I’m curious if maybe I’m being too hard on this ship.
My family and I took this same cruise in July. Unfortunately, we were bitten by bed bugs. The ship has BED BUGS!! We informed our room steward and we were moved to different rooms. They also steamed cleaned all of our luggage and clothes. They were apologetic but we still suffered from the bites with the itching and scratching making for an unpleasant trip. All RCCL gave us was 25% off our next cruise and it has to be taken within one year. We were thoroughly disappointed.
@Simone That’s awful! Nothing like that happened to us, but I would be quite upset if it did. I’m sorry your vacation was ruined in this manner.