Mariner of the Seas Review

4.5 / 5.0
1,332 reviews

Mariner of the Seas - Eastern Caribbean

Review for the Eastern Caribbean Cruise on Mariner of the Seas

Rating by category

Embarkation
Dining
Public Rooms
Entertainment
Fitness & Recreation
Service
Cabin

Additional details

Sail Date: Nov 2006
Cabin: Deluxe Oceanview Stateroom with Balcony

My husband and I have been doing cruise vacations for more than twenty years now, but I might have a hard time convincing him to ever go again after this one, at least on an RCL cruise. To be fair, it wasn't all negative. The embarking and disembarking were handled well. And most of the staff like our waiter and cabin attendant were good, if not great. And the shore excursions were handled quite well. RCL has got those parts right. But other than that there was nothing but shortcomings and frustration. I would characterize what RCL has done with the cruise experience as disneyfying it. At Disney you wait in line after line. RCL seems to be suffering from this same scarcity of everything, only unlike a theme park, they should know exactly how many people to expect right? We waited in line for everything on this trip; waiting for the elevators till we gave up and walked down or up many flights of stairs, waiting in line to get into the buffet, waiting for a seat at the buffet, waiting for ice show tickets, waiting to get into the theater, waiting to tender off the ship, waiting for a deck chair, etc. Either RCL has dramatically screwed up in their planning for how many passengers this ship can hold, or they just don't care that the facilities can't accommodate the number they are sailing with. Even something as simple as jogging on the deck was a challenge. So many people milling around, and deck chairs in the path, you can hardly walk, much less run. The food was disneyfied as well. The facade of a high class meal was there, but the food itself was generally sub par. The dining room had tough steaks, greasy poultry, and dried out fish, day after day, and the $20 per person restaurants were only slightly better. The buffet was pretty much the same bland fare, over and over again. Johnny rockets wasn't bad, but how many times can you have fast food over and over again without bringing your cardiologist along. Every other cruise we've been on has had yummy and varied snack places all over the ship. Here you have to go down to deck 5, and you are limited to a cold sandwich or a tasteless cookie. C'mon RCL, are you trying to be the K-mart of cruise lines? Our cabin was pleasant, but for this kind of cost I expected decent shampoo, lotion, and maybe even a bathrobe like most other lines give you. Nada! Just some strange smelling shampoo in a dispenser and Motel-6 type bars of soap. Entertainment on board is pretty hit and miss as well. The ice show was very professionally done, as was at least one of the comedians one night. But that was it. The rest was high-school talent show level. If this is the future of cruises I suspect I am going to start staying home.

Cabin Review

Deluxe Oceanview Stateroom with Balcony

Cabin E1
1 Helpful Vote
previous reviewnext review

Find a Mariner of the Seas Cruise from $278

Any Month

Get special cruise deals, expert advice, insider tips and more.By proceeding, you agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.

© 1995—2024, The Independent Traveler, Inc.