mariner of the seas

[mamaseta]

I never read any talk about mariner of the seas ship? good ? bad? i am a first time cruiser me and my sister are going in april on the western caribbean cruise any suggestions for excursions in ochios rio besides dunn river falls we are looking for something exciting and fun to do
Thanks

[tanyababanya]

Hi, we just came back from Mariner and it was a fantastic ship. We had the time of our lives on there. It was our first cruise on the Mariner going east so we dont really know much about west. You can go to cruise review on this forum and read the reviews. I am sure that other people on this forum will also help you.

[mamaseta]

thanks much, like i said this is my first time and really do not know what to expect.

[rbum]

My wife and I were on the Mariner in fall of 2004. It was a wonderful ship. Really enjoyed the extras like the ice skating rink and sports court. As far as the western caribbean, Jamaica was my least favorite. I have heard good and bad things about the falls, we didn't go. I think you will enjoy Grand Cayman and Cozumel, be sure and swim with the stingrays in Cayman. Be ready to have fun on your first cruise. Hope you have a great time. RickyB

[mamaseta]

did you book the sting ray excursion on the ship? we were thinking about rafting in jamacia?

[Jim1012]

My wife and I went on Mariner at the end of September this year to the Western Caribbean. I agree with the other poster here that Ocho Rios was our least favorite port-we basically stayed onboard. However, I agree that you'll like Georgetown, Grand Cayman and do go to StingRay City if you can. We booked the trip on the RCCL website to go to Stingray City. I've heard that there are other ways to book the trip with sites other-than on RCCL; some may be cheaper and handier, but being an ex-cop, I tend to not trust people or places I don't know well, and tend to take chances with places I can get back to easily if something goes wrong.
Ocho Rios I'm sure has some wonderful places to go and see, but this web site had some bad things to say, and I think you can trust everyone who posts here, and who have done the trips before.
If you go, you'll like Labadee, Georgetown, and probably Cozumel; expect to be almost run over by the junk shop workers any where you go, including Labadee. If you can be firm and brush them off, good for you. I can't, and tend to get mad-I'm not on a cruise to get mad, so I avoid them totally.
As for the Mariner, you will LOVE the ship and everything to do upon it-see shows, gamble, eat, swim, rest,spa, etc., and have fun!
Don't buy the pop-drink stamp. It's a scam as far as I'm concerned-that's just my opinion.

[mamaseta]

jim,
why do you think the drink stamp is no good? i don not plan on drinking alot of alcohol to expensive and is the water safe to drink? thanks for the sting ray info i was kind of leary about it i was to jamacia on my honeymoon 7 years ago since my husband has passed away august 2005 in a motorcycle accident only 37yr old this is also why me and my sis are taking a trip i have a 4yr old daughter from my husband and i need to get away and relax. we were thinking about doing the calypso rafting down the white river? thanks again for everyones suggestions.Alicia

[Dave]

Ship's water is perfectly safe to drink.

As for the soda card/stamp - I also think it is something of a scam. The price equals out to around 25 cans of soda. Are you going to drink 25 cans of soda in 7 days? And since the stamp is for a glass of soda (or refill of the souvenir cup), it is much less than 12 oz per drink. We stick with buying by the can for adults. We do get the stamp for our son since it makes it easier for him to get his own drinks. The cost is more for adults than for children - and everyone needs to have their own stamp since using one stamp to get a round of sodas for everyone is against the rules.

[oeshpdog2]

We just got back from the Western Caribbean and had a great time, mind you it was on the Radiance and not the Navigator. We enjoyed Jamaica because we had a private excursion scheduled with a private driver and we took a drive through some beautiful rain forest areas and had lunch at one of the most beautiful places we had ever seen.

Grand Cayman was gorgeous!

I am curious why so many do not like the drink stamps. It was $6.00 a day for an adult on the Radiance. Since my wife and I don't drink, we had an average of 2 or 3 refills per dinner and at least 2 at lunch and that doesn't count the late night snacks and pool side cokes. If I recall...a coke paid for at the Windjammer did not include refills did it?

How much are the sodas if paid for individually?

I am curious since we did drink a lot of sodas and had our souvenir cup filled often.

[mamaseta]

oeshpdog2,
who did you book your jamacia excursion thru really intrested i love the look of jamacia but you have to be careful
alicia