Mariner of the Seas

We are just back from a 12 night cruise on Mariner of the Seas, even though we are frequent cruisers, this was our first time on Royal Carribean, that being said we had been on Celebrity earlier in the year and they are very similar as regards process. Royal Caribbean were brilliant and even though Mariner is an 'older' ship we could not fault it. We had a junior suite and the extra room and walk in wardrobe were just what we needed. Quality of food was excellent in main dining room and speciality restaurants were of high quality, service across the ship was first class and the staff were all very friendly and efficient. The itinery was the best I have ever been on and the visit to the Holy Land was the highlight, we took two long tours each day we were there and they were of very high quality. The weather was an unexpected bonus and we had a really memorable holiday. The down sides were few but one of our favourite bars - the observation bar was closed EVERY day from 5:30pm to 8:30 pm for a frequent cruisers reception so the sail aways were not as spectacular as they could have been and had the weather been bad this would have been a major issue. The disembarkation on the final morning (raining) was rather chaotic and badly organised, small complaints from a great cruise in a great ship with a fabntastic crew, but the places visited were outstanding.

This was our first cruise with RCI, and it will not be our last. We cruised around the Eastern Med in September. The ship itself is a fantastic specimen. Despite it's size it never felt crowded. The facilities were excellent - loved the ice skating show and impressive theatre. If I was being ultra critical some of the shows were a bit disappointing but the Entertainment team were top notch. Food was very good with lots of choice. There were no issues with hygiene, ship was spotless. Cabin wise we had a junior suite. We booked late and strangely the suite was cheaper than a balcony. The cabin was great but I would not pay extra for a suite. The extra cost gives you about 50% more space and a bath. Overall a great holiday.

Have just returned from a very enjoyable holiday on Mariner of the Seas. We flew to Rome from Manchester and boarded the ship at Civitavecchia. The transfers to the ship from the airport were very good. We queued quite a while at the port check in and boarded about 1.00pm. The flights were early from Manchester. Our cabin was available straight away which was good however my luggage did not arrive until after the evening dinner. We were able to change our table arrangements from a 12 to a 6 near a window which we were pleased about. We sailed on Independence last year and there are one or two differences. The ship is very slightly smaller but it was easier to find a place to sit as there are considerably less passengers on board. There are no UK 3 pin sockets in the cabin, just one 2 pin European and two 2 pin US type sockets. Also in the inside cabins there are no kettles provided. The hairdryer did not have a nozzle, just the round end. We enjoyed our excursions to Nazereth and Galilee from Haifa, Jerusalem from Ashdod, The Acropolis from Piraeus and Ephesus from Kusadasi. We booked the ships tours and felt they were very good. The staff on the ship were very helpful, especially our stateroom attendant. The food on the ship was good although the steaks were sometimes tough and had to be returned. We were on the 6.30 dining and our table seemed to be the last to be served, we often waited up to an hour for our main course. The entertainment was mixed, some was very good. We enjoyed the Ice Show very much. Coming home the experience at Rome airport once we had been dropped off, was a lot of queueing and a rush to the gate which was quite stressful. Overall we really enjoyed the holiday, saw some wonderful places, liked the ship very much and look forward to our next cruise.

We went on the Mariner of the Seas Mediterranean cruise from Rome to Athens, Kusadasi, Rhodes, Istanbul and Naples, sailing on 18/4/2011 to 29/4/2011. The flight to Rome was with Jet2 and check in at the port was very smooth with the rooms available not long after we got on the ship and the suitcases arrived an hour later. We were in a Junior suite on Deck 10 which was absolutely fabulous and our attendant was lovely; she worked hard to provide an excellent service. The towel "animals" she made were great. The ship itself was huge and had everything you could want for. My daughter (aged 10) took full advantage of the ice rink, inline skating, rock climbing, kids clubs, Ben and Jerrys, swimming pools and the 24 hour food! The restaurant service for dinner was faultless and the staff could not do enough. We went on excursions to Athens Acropolis, Istanbul and Naples/Pompeii all of which were well organised. The ice show was stunning and the evening entertainment in The Savoy was also very good. Every day there was a cruise newspaper "The Compass" which gave details of activities throughout the day. All in all, this was a great cruise and we are looking to book another one with Royal Caribbean later on this year.