Mariner of the Seas, July 8

[Frankwarren]

We are first time cruisers and have heard the Mariner is one of the best. This is our 30th anniversary and any experienced people who can give us some tips about what to expect, what to do, etc., would be greatly appreciated.

[BirdLady]

We took MOS 5/6 and it was our first cruise ever and I hate to tell you but you will be HOOKED! The down side is once you cruise this ship, you'll never want to cruise anything smaller. Our first night out we had a bad storm (70 mph winds). Yes, there was rocking, but even still, not nearly as bad as i would have thought.

My best suggestion (and it worked for us) was get a cabin mid ship, both in deck height and front to back. Sure helps with a smooth ride. And we splurged for the balcony and LOVED it.

Also, you will want to over pack. Don't. Go ahead and remove some of your packing. Use their laundry services. Hubby over packed and still used their services. 2 shirts, 1 pair of shorts and tip was $10. And that was 24 hour turn around. Not bad!

Pace yourself, enjoy and you'll have a great time.

Erika

[Sonny V]

Hello Frankwarren, welcome to Cruise-Chat. I booked the Mariner for September. It's our 40th wedding anniversary. We booked a balcony midship on deck 9. Our first Royal Caribbean cruise was in 1997 and we loved it. I don't think you have to worry about being hooked though, this September cruise will only be our 37th Royal Cribbean cruise and we're still not hooked. You can expect an AWESOME vacation. Make sure you DON'T miss the ice show.

Sonny

[Spiritfilled]

SonnyV I do believe you are in denial you are hooked, a 12 step program is in the future for you. Just joking about the 12 step program but you are hooked dear..LOL

We cruised on Mariner of the Seas in Sept 2005. Best cruise ever! Because of the hurricanes, it turned into a 9 day cruise instead of a 7 day cruise. Can't beat that.

You'll love this ship. So many things to do. The ice skating show was fabulous.

Lanie

[Spiritfilled]

LanieB my sister was on that very cruise I remember that year because I was so afraid for her thinking crazy things about cruising. My sister till this day loves cruising and now so do I.

Spritfilled, I think I got my years mixed up. I believe that cruise was in 2004, or whichever year Florida had all those hurricanes.

SonnyV, saying you're not hooked on cruising is like saying it ain't hot & humid in Louisiana. Sonny, you're hooked as a codfish.

Lanie