I "won" a pair of tickets at a charity auction for any 3 or 4 night Bahamas/Caribbean cruise, and wasn't disappointed in my choice. This was my third and my partners first cruise. The oceanview stateroom was good. A bit plain and some of the seating was stained for having just come out a a $120 million renovation. Nothing felt overly crowded given that this was early college spring break and two large groups were on board as well. We enjoyed the food in the main dining room. We only ate in the windjammer for lunch a couple of times. I would recommend my time reservations for dinner in the evening. We never had to wait for a table, but noticed a few people waiting without reservations. Our waiter Mac was fabulous and we made sure to be at one of his tables every evening. One tip in avoiding crowds is book things like the spa during non-peak times such as port days, they generally offer a discount during those times as well. One glitch we suffered was with the refreshment package cups. They have a chip in the cup that is read by the drink machines. I and several other passengers had to have the cups replaced becuase the chips stopped functioning. Otrherwise we didn't experience any major issues. Read Less

We were a group of couples. The ship is very nice with lots for young people to do. We are experienced cruisers and our favorite is Princess as Royal Caribbean has too many children on board. But let me give you the good and bad, in my opinion. We needed wheelchairs since having recent surgery. The wheelchair service was excellent but be sure to sign up. Don't worry about the time frame as they don't even check. It is a long walk from the terminal to the ship so don't be shy about asking for this service. Check in was quick as we had done the phone app. We were questioned and checked for fever. The virus was just beginning but they did encourage clean hands. We had a promenade room which was roomy with a window seat and sofa. If you want perfect quiet, this might not be good for you. It usually was quiet after midnite but it was fun to watch the goings on from our window. Our room steward was excellent. I tipped him when we first arrived, requested the duvet be removed and ice every day. No problem. I have come to love the "closets" on Princess as it's actually one big dressing room/closet combined with plenty of room for luggage, etc. That's why I wasn't fond of the closet but it was enough for 4 days. Our bed wasn't comfortable and I didn't bother asking for an eggcrate but wish I had. We had 2 very small nightstands with 1 drawer. Our room was always cold and it didn't seem to matter how far I moved the thermostat. I didn't bother to complain. For some reasons, the compass had an extra page which was mostly annoying and unnecessary. If you've cruised RCCL before, you know they don't include body lotion or hair conditioner. Probably the thing that annoyed me the most was, if you ordered 2 appetizers, they both came at the same time. Service was like, let's get this done. And sometimes we didn't receive something and I don't know if that was because they didn't understand or couldn't be bothered. Service all around left alot to be desired. Incidentally, cranberry juice is an extra charge, pancakes are more like hockey pucks, no lobster on the shorter cruises. Other than that, the food was pretty good. Steak was excellent. We ate most of our meals in the dining room and they also had a buffet (which was faster sometimes). One day for lunch they had an incredible spread with a shrimp "fountain", an ice cream bar, a salad bar mixed by the help and tons of wonderful choices. Not to be missed. It was on our next to last day for lunch. Formal night has been cancelled (their words). It is now, wear your best clothes. The shows were what you expect on a cruise. This theatre is the first I've ever seen that always has seats. Maybe not together tho. I just want to add, our ship went to CocoCay. It was phenomenal! Tons of seats available everywhere. Shuttles to go everywhere but distance between stops could be too much for some to walk. Pool was freezing. Families will love this but be prepared to pay. Read Less

Several times a year, we plan dive cruises - that is, we cruise, and wherever we go, we scuba dive! You can read more about that on my blog at DeepWaterHappy.com - just search for "cruise" and you will find several articles about turning a cruise ship into a mobile dive site! We knew the ship was one of the largest we had been on recently, but were pleasantly surprised that although large, there were small private areas scattered all over the ship. In the Solarium, there were lounging beds for two. On each deck, there were small areas tucked away here and there for a luxury yacht-like feel. I loved that the Windjammer buffet seating is spread out far more than other ships, and several repeating stations so you don't have to walk all over to see the selections. The Windjammer also wraps around the stern, so there are great views in all directions, and nearly all the seats are "waterfront seating." Our cabin had a wonderful surprise for us - we had booked a balcony, the furthest forward on the starboard side on deck 10. It turned out the end balcones have an additional couple feet of space! There was an area simply perfect for hanging our dive gear out to dry, and storing dive gear without taking up a single square foot of the normal balcony space. We were amazed and thrilled. This trip, we splurged on spa treatments for both of us, the massage combined with facials. It was the best facial of my life, and one of the best massages ever. When we booked them, we had booked mine at 5:00 p.m. and his at 8:00 p.m. We really wanted to enjoy cocktail hour in the Diamond Lounge. We swung by the spa, and before we could even ask, they asked us if we wanted to both have our treatments at 4:00 p.m. Fantastic - now we could start the relaxation earlier, and not interfere with our sundowners time or our dining schedule. In all, we can't wait to get back on the Mariner of the Seas. I already booked a second trip on her - we didn't even have time to explore the entire ship! Head over to my blog to read more about our cruising experiences with RCCL on several different ships. Cheers! Kim Read Less

We are Royal Caribbean loyalist but have also sailed on Carnival and Disney ships. Frankly all have their advantages and different price points, but RC seems to bring the best value for the dollar. We sailed on Mariner many years ago and chose her because the short itinerary and stop in the new Coco Cay was appealing to us. Our four night trip overall was very good. Friendly staff and a ship that does not show its age, along with great weather provided an overall good experience. Service in all areas was very good. We dined in the main dining room for most meals and avoided the windjammer buffet except for embarkation day lunch. The service and food in the main dining room was very good overall. We had dinner in Chops for the first time. Our service seemed rushed in this private dining area. However our food was far better than the main dining room food, and well worth the $30 upcharge. The Mariner is well maintained and does not show its age. Our oversized outside cabin on deck 7 aft was comfortable, clean, and well attended to by our room steward. Entertainment around the ship was plentiful and there is something for everyone. The main production shows were what we expected and a little odd in choice of overall theme. The headliner comedian, and impressionist were worth the watch. Coco Cay is a great stop for all. We chose the private Beach Club excursion on the north side of the island. A quiet well appointed retreat area with exceptional service, food, and amenities. If you have no children and want a beautiful beach experience, with sit down lunch service...pay the extra $65 and enjoy . Read Less

What an outstanding ship for a weekend sailing! There was so much to do for all age groups! Tons of water slides, flow rider, large hot tubs, and pools. Friendly people to meet, all ages! Lots of bars, restaurants, n shops. The promenade was beautiful! We ran into the piano an playing in the elevator! The shows were fabulous! The ice show, production show, comedy, and an Abba tribute that was awesome! The food n service were both wonderful n the ship was clean n sparkly! We d the Taste of Royal n the embarkment lunch n both were well worth the money. Coco Cay was really huge n fun! The cruise director, Ricky, had lots of fun stuff to do. I would so do this cruise again! Great bang for the buck with this Royal ship! Getting onboard was 10 minutes n the same for leaving the ship. They have facial recognition which was so nice n easy. Port Canaveral is a very easy port with parking right on site. Read Less

My mother and I take this cruise every year twice a year. This is our first time being disappointed. Our 5:30 seating turned to MTD when the host grabbed my card out of my hand and used a sharpie to write "MTD" on it (he said I only booked 5 months in advance so we didn't deserve 5:30 dining??). There were lines for everything without any consideration for the elderly. This is the first time my elderly mother with a cane had to walk to the drill site to scan her card and walk back inside to sit down. No top tier party. No champagne toast. No pictures with the captain. No parade of flags. No chocolate croissants (the inhumanity). Embarkement was smooth except waiting for wheelchairs which is expected if your arrival is closer to 2pm. Disembarkement, again rude employee refused to tell us where breakfast is served saying we should disembark 2 hours before our assigned time instead. Our last breakfast is something we do every cruise as a tradition. She was very rude to us and made us feel unwanted. Basically we tried to avoid talking to the crew in order to enjoy ourselves. Dining was a mess, no salt/pepper or creamer. Could not get orders right. After 2 hours we gave up on desert and headed to the ice show where of course there was no room. Waited 20 minutes at crown and anchor desk only to be told no one was coming to the "basement". The wonderful things are Anthony our cabin attendant. Coco Key is everything promised and more. Chicken sandwiches, mozzarella sticks and funnel cake. Fun DJ. Lots of places to sit and enjoy the pool and beach. Beach water was warmer then pool. Solarium always had space in the hot tub. Shows were great including the comedian, juggler and "Zorro". Nassau looked cleaner and calmer but I can't face the sight of those depressed horses shoving their faces into the fence to avoid humans. Most stayed on the ship. Casino Royale. We booked though them. We were expecting a $50 credit but when I inquired was told although I had the offer and although it is valid and although I had given it to Rashanna at CR when making the reservation, it would not be honored bc Rashanna had not activated it. Now if I could activate my own credit, $50 would not be the amount I would choose CR! Promenade 6th floor. We were directly on top of Pizza joint. Not much noise disturbed us at night but we always had the curtains closed and it made the room setting awkward to walk around in. Now we realize we prefer interior to promenade. This is my first time leaving a negative review when prompted by RCI. We prepaid gratuities for 2 and tipped aver $100 on top of that. I do not think we will be doing that again. Read Less

This cruise timing worked perfectly with a wedding my family I were attending. My wife and I are frequent Celebrity cruise line cruisers but because of the perfect timimg per above, we decided to take this cruise with our 3 adult children their significant others and my 7 year old granddaughter. I will just list what I consider the pros and cons as a consensus from all of us. Pros: Embarkation and disembarkation. On ship by 11:15 - easy boarding especially if you scan passport on RCL app. debarkation. we weren't in any hurry to get off ship so we had breakfast and left ship at 9. in car by 915. Friendliness of RCL staff- everyone was very nice. especially the Main dining room wait staff (Randy and Archit), windjammer, and the bartenders at Playmakers and Barnacle and Brew. Perfect Day at Coco Cay- Great day for all. we just went to beach and pool. from waiter service(we all had drink package) to swim up bar. plus they had other no charge activities (basketball, corn hole, etc. The water park was a little pricy. Pool- not crowded and pool wait service excellent. Casino- Besides the smoking policy (see below) ,the casino was great- minimums at black jack, roulettte and texas holdem low so my kids spent many hours donating to the RCL profitability Adventure club and other activities- my granddaughter had a great time at the adventure club and the adults in my group loved the flow rider and slides Cons: Food quality and choices- Food was a disappointment especially with what Celebrity offers. Windjammer food was pretty much the same every day. No food to order . no pasta station, no sandwich station, no eggs station, no ice cream station. pretty much everything pre cooked. Main dining room food was just disappointing . dry chicken, tasteless pasta. tasteless soups (a carrot in my lobster bisque which tasted like pea soup). desserts were better. Plus no lobster tail on formal night? entertainment- just not that good especially the feature singer and dancers. the juggler, comedian and magician were entertaining. Biggest con and the reason I will never go on RCL again. Smoking. both on the pool deck and casino. way too much space allotted to smoking at the pool. basically the port side of the pool was smokers including cigars. You couldn't wear your clothes again if you spent any time in the casino. This is RCL's policy so I guess they cater to the smokers of the world. in my little world, no one smokes especially indoors in a closed environment. plus since RCL's main thorough fairs are decks 4 and 5 deck, you had to always use deck 5 if you wanted to go from stern to bow. never seen it before but you cant go from stern to bow on any deck but 4 and 5 . so you always have to use deck 5 to get to your cabin . RCL claims they have signs designated for non smokers but I didn't see any. plus they say they have smoke eaters but the whole casino was smoky. all and all we had fun but I will go back to Celebrity for my future cruises Read Less

The cabin bathroom was filthy! Black mold in shower and the sinks faucet was caked in grime. Trying to reach customer service desk via phone was impossible it either rang forever or you would get caught in a automated loop. Complementary food was tasteless, their promenade café only served pizza and cheap sandwiches. The windjammer cafe was closed was too much, and the food selection subpar. The coffee bitter and they never had the creamers marked correctly. The cost of drinks were way over priced. The entertainment was B league at best they played movies on the pool deck which was impossible to watch during the day because of sun, the audio was choppy.I honestly don’t know why they couldn’t have played then In the theater. Over all it was dreadful I would not wish Royal Caribbean on my worst enemy. I will never sail Royal Caribbean again!! Keep clear at all cost. Read Less

We chose this cruise because we had already sailed carnival a few times , and wanted to try what we heard was a step up. It was terrible! Just trying to get an elevator you could fit in was nearly impossible. We took the stairs 5-6 flights most of the day. Just up and down. The staff was unpleasant for the most part. There was definitely more unhappy irritated staff then there was happy and helpful staff. Food was regular cafeteria food. Not that great. Even the restaurants you pay for were subpar. They nickel and dime you for everything. Due to weather we were unable to dock one of the days at their island cococay. Understandable for safety, but they refused to refund our port and docking fees!! They basically stole that money. We couldn’t dock and had to stay at sea, so why are we being charged for it? Terrible! I bought the drink package and those were good. However, it’s a good thing I closely reviewed my bill. They had charged me over 100$ for drinks that were included with my package!! Those were refunded once brought to their attention. This cruise line was a complete scam! Oh, don’t forget to return your pool towel! That’s 25$ a piece. Room service is also an added fee with this company. Just trying to take money from you anyway they can. Also don’t get the Key!!!! They say you will have special times to use the on board activities without lines. Well those times are while you at port and normally off the ship exploring an island . So unless you don’t plan on getting off then you will miss those times. Also it says you get special seating for shows. Not true! The internet service it included was terrible! No one got decent service. The only thing it was good for was the welcome lunch and last day breakfast, ( The food wasn’t great) overall the key was a complete waist. The shows were not good either. Not worth it at all. We paid over 500 for a cabana on the beach. SAVE YOUR MONEY! Nothing special about them. They actually made it harder to explore , because they are so far away from everything else. They are literally on the edge of cococay ...farthest thing away. You pay 500+ to be near nothing! There were plenty of chairs open right by the ocean bar and food. Wish we had saved the money. Paid for a photo package. They didn’t have anyone taking pictures at dinner, or at our private cabana. You had to wait in lines with back drops for a picture.Do yourself a favor and Just take your own. Carnival was much better even though they say it’s a cheaper company. At least they didn’t steal money. Stay away from Royal Caribbean! Read Less

I recently completed a Mariner of the Seas cruise two weeks ago. This was my second time on Mariner and I loved it just as much as I did the first time. The ship is well maintained. Very clean with lots of up to date amenities and offerings on the ship. While the ship was sailing at Capacity nothing ever felt packed. No issues finding lounge chairs to use on sea day. The food in the main dining room was perfect. Everything always came out hot and fresh and the one time when I wanted a little more they had no problem bringing me an extra plate. I loved the different entertainment each night with the variety acts. All three we had on this 4 night sailing were excellent. They all left me wanting more they were so good. The Royal Caribbean Singers and dancers did a great job in their productions as well. The Ice Skating Show “Ice under the big top” was the huge hit. Amazes me that this is even on a cruise ship. The show was incredible with amazing talent. Definitely arrive early to get a good seat. 30 mins before show time and it was almost at capacity. Both shows were full All the different things you can do on this ship with no up charge fee is great. I kept very busy over the 4 nights I was on the ship and none of these activities came with upcharges like some other cruise lines do. The Lazer tag, sky pad, water slides, flowrider and more. Everything included and all so much fun. A few things cost extra like the Escape room and specialty dining but the majority of the cruise is all included in your cruise fare. I can not recommend Mariner enough. Especially after its recent Amplification (aka Dry Dock) the updates were plentiful and really keep this 17 year old ship in her prime. Some of my favorite highlights is being able to go to the bow of the ship on the Helicopter deck. Great spot for when you are coming in or out of port. I also loved peek a boo bridge where you can go up this viewing platform to look down on the ships bridge and see how they are operating the ship. Very exciting to watch and see what is done. Finally the ease of embarkation and disembarkation. Royal Caribbean has this so easy and smooth at Port Canaveral its incredible. No wait to board the ship when I arrived at 11am and to get off the ship another easy flawless experience. From stateroom to car it was no more then 15 mins. All in all a great time and Royal Caribbean exceeded all expectations hands down. What an amazing cruise Read Less

We love cruising and have cruised 4 times in the past 3 years! This was my first time on the Mariner of the seas and I was excited for my small children to experience the Perfect Day at CocoCay. This cruise fell short of my expectations and truly left a lot to be desired. Boarding was easy and painless. It only took about 20 minutes from the parking lot to the ship. For this review, I will begin with the pools. There are 2 pools on the main deck surrounded by 4 large hot tubs. There is not a designated pool/water play area for children on this ship as opposed to some of their other ships. Children bombarded the hot tubs and made them nearly impossible to enjoy. Drunk adults were in the hot tubs with the children and it was cringeworthy. The boat has a solarium for adults with 2 hot tubs and 1 pool but children were consistently passing through this area running, yelling etc. to reach the main pool via the aft elevators. On prior cruises, the lifeguard would ask that they leave the area but the people on this boat could care less. Lunch in the windjammer was a madhouse on the first day. People were touching the food and putting it back. There was hair on my food and to be fair, it could have come from the patrons or the staff. I lost my appetite and did not eat there again. The sky pad was fun when it was open. It did close quite a few times even though the app said it was open during the cruise and I’m not sure why. The slides are okay for kids 48 inches or taller. Also, there is a small climbing apparatus for kids that should be replaced for a wade pool or some sort to keep them entertained and away from vacationing adults. The rooms were well taken care of by the staff and they entered 3 times a day to replace towels, make the beds, replace used water glasses etc. The dining room staff is amazing! They make us feel special and remembered little things about us. Ours called us by name and that is very nice. The shows they prepared for us were boring to me. It reminded me of a high school talent show. It was not entertaining. The cruise director really tried his hardest but neither he or the comedians were funny. The kids fell asleep and we left early. The most fun they had were in adventure ocean. Otherwise, the itinerary missed the mark. The ice skating show began but stopped abruptly. They took an intermission and then began again. The boat also had Bingo, a casino, NFL games on the big tv outside, and Laser tag while the ship docked in Nassau. I wish they had laser tag again during the forced sea day. This ship was scheduled to dock in Nassau, Bahamas and then dock again on Royal Caribbean’s private island, CocoCay. The “Perfect Day at CocoCay” was cancelled. The announcement that we heard said that the Ship failed to dock but the staff said that it does happen sometimes and the ship just doesn’t go there. Hundreds of passengers were upset and asking if they will receive compensation and were told that they would not. The sea day was boring, cold, and quiet. Royal Caribbean has to do a better job entertaining the guests in the event that the ship cannot dock. It took more than 2 hours to revamp the itinerary and the first activity wasn’t scheduled until after 1pm. We learned that the second port was cancelled before 8am. The guest services crew was rude, even when I asked them a question unrelated to the itinerary (I was changing credit cards for shopping). The lady took a deep breath and mumbles under her breath. Future cruising on this ship or any other Royal Caribbean ship is a no go for us. I had no idea that they sometimes do not go where they promise to and in the future, we will steer clear!! Read Less

My mom, DD (8) and I sailed this ship/itinerary in August and loved it. We went back for a short getaway and brought my father along. We used ScootAround for my father. It was very easy to get the scooter in the terminal and return it in the terminal on exit. The ship is still being kept up well and looks nice. However, there were some changes that were not for the better. In August, we had the balcony partition opened between our cabin and my mom's. When we tried to do it on this cruise, we were told this captain has ordered the staff not to do this. There were no connecting cabins available when we booked so this was very important to us. The stateroom attendant was not good. He finally showed up around 5:45 on embarkation day and didn't seem to care at all. He promised to get a supervisor about the balcony partition, but that never happened (when we were finally able to speak with the supervisor on Sunday, he told us it was the first request he had received regarding us speaking with a supervisor). He just didn't seem to want to be there. Overall, the ship seemed disorganized compared to August (running out of food at Sorrento's/Promenade Cafe, not prepared for when we missed Coco Cay, among other things). The dining room service was excellent and the food was better than August. We would sail Mariner again for a short getaway. Despite the declines, it is still a good ship/experience. Read Less

Was traveling with a group of 16 family members on Mariner of the Seas over Christmas. This was my 6th cruise and 3rd cruise with RCL, twice with Celebrity and once with Disney. I was looking forward to cruising on Mariner since it appeared to offer a good variety of amenities on board and included a stop at Coco Cay. In general we had some good experiences, highlights included Coco Cay (even though the weather was cool and raining in the morning), the flow rider, and playing games with family in playmakers sports bar. The main theater shows were lacking on our cruise but the bars had some good entertainment. The dining experience could definitely have been better. The food at Windjammer for both breakfast and lunch was poor to average compared with our other cruises. For breakfast the scrambled eggs, sausage, bacon were ok. Biscuits were rock hard every day. Fruit was just ok but not great (either not ripe or brown bananas, etc). The main dinning was a disappointment in service and food. the food portions in our group varied widely for the same dish. (never excessive but from average portion to comically small) We appreciated having only one drink person to deal with (on celebrity separate staff handles the bar and wines) but frequently our drink orders were forgotten which was disappointing. Our drink person did come through after the meal every day with specialty shots which were included in our drink package was was a nice touch. (also may have been trying to sell to non package customers) We also expected more from the food in main dining room. Frequently the food was under or over cooked and portions always tended to be small. We had bad food served to some of our group and to make up for it the last night we were offered filet mignon and shrimp included (normally $14.95 up charge) we were told med rare steak would be pink inside but it was bloody purple-red and raw. Some of our group sent the food back and was never corrected satisfactorily. The wait staff including the section head kept trying to throw the kitchen staff under the bus by announcing that all our food issues should not be counted against them in the RCL feedback surveys. Many issues could have been corrected prior to even getting to us by the wait staff so as a customer that they were not bearing responsibility is inexcusable. We were planning on taking another cruise later next year and will definitely think twice about taking another Royal Caribbean.cruise. Read Less

We were on the 4 day cruise with 2 stops at Coco Kay. Embarkation was a bit delayed due to a Coast Guard inspection, but we were warned ahead of time. We were able to get our lunch before it became too crowded due to my platinum membership. I always only eat at the "free" dining locations. I find these venues to be better food than I usually eat on land. I was happy with all food except on the last night they gave us free 50th anniversary cake. It was not good, but it was after my normal dessert anyway so we just left it. Our service at all locations were exemplary. They had a Eagles cover band called "The Long Run". My girlfriend and I completely enjoyed the show! They were awesome. We listened to other onboard entertainment which as very good as well. Despite having bad weather on the 2nd time at Coco Kay, the captain made every attempt to try to dock. He made the correct decision of skipping the island. We would not have had good enough weather to do anything anyway. We still made the best of the day on the ship. Our excursions were parasailing at Coco Kay which was beautiful. My girlfriend could have opened her eyes more! (Ha) We went snorkeling in the Bahamas and had a great time. The unlimited rum punch was great to get the salt taste out! ;) We also took a carriage ride. I found that to be very nice although traffic kind of takes away from the experience a little for me. Our driver was polite and helpful. We were going to do the outdoor activities of the ship on the last day, but the weather would not permit it. This was my 9 sailing on Royal and I would go back tomorrow if I could. Read Less

Firstly, allow me to state why we were so disappointed... Primarily because we have always liked the service and offerings that Royal Caribbean has provided in the past; however, that said, we all (four of those traveling in our group) discussed the notable decline in both attentive services rendered as well as the feeling of the crew that should have (appeared to have) been both excited in their job, and maybe even (genuinely) happy to have us aboard. As well, we truly felt "attacked" by the apparent onslaught of vendors, scalpers, and showpersons that pressured us to commit-to, or purchase from any one of the ship's specialty restaurants, or buy from their line of goods, or participate in their auctions, etc., etc., etc. It was demonstrably a step down from the class act we had experienced on our previous cruises with Royal Caribbean. It felt like we were in the middle of a Tijuana, Mexico border crossing cacophony of "pitch." With regard to our room/service, when it was apparent that our luggage was (to that point) still not showing up (when everyone else seemed to have not only received theirs but had placed them in their rooms), our attendant identified that our luggage was still being processed -that they were still working on it. However, much later-on WE found our luggage in the passageways... twelve cabins away fro our own, and brought them to our rooms ourselves. Additionally, the restroom smelled like a port-a-potty the entire cruise; even after we contacted thre maintenance crew to remedy. Finally, even though our attendant was pleasant, on our balcony, under our table, were noticeable pieces of cake or cookie -that did not come from us (we never ate on the balcony). In fact, we took (arrival & departure) pictures of the mess just to see how long it would take our attendants to clean it up... they never did. Mind, all the sports activities (tube, FlowRider, min-golf, etc.) were ideal for this cruise and were greatly enjoyed. Likewise, the staff handling these activities were courteous professionals; and greatly appreciated. With regard to the food experience (mainly at the Windjammer), the food was too often under-cooked, or cold. Likewise, the selection seemed too limited. Now, it was a different story at the main dining room, where not only the food was much closer to our expected standards of taste but the service -and especially servers (Eugene and Jodie) performed their roles to match Royal Caribbean's expectations. Th eonly area that we thought needed attention was in the serving sizes, which were much too small (even for European presentation); which was disappointing. And then there were the excursions; first, to Coco Cay, and then to Blue Lagoon -and the stingray experience. Both were well worth the price paid, and the expectations -that ran high! That said, and specifically with the stingray experience where we each got to not only swim with, but handle and even pose with them. In this, plenty of great photos were taken by the staff photographer. The problem was that not a single word was given to any of us of these photos having to be purchased on site; not when they took them, not when we arrived or departed. And neither were there any written instructions (signs?) anywhere to be found. Therefore, the assumption by us was that these would be available at the ship's photo center, which they were NOT. And when asked of Guest Services, the cruise GS Representative basically stated that they didn't know, and that we would probably have to go online when we departed the ship to make arrangements with the folks running Blue Lagoon. NOTE: As of this writing, it has been over twenty days since our email requests of them have yet to be answered. And other than that, they (Royal Caribbean Guest Services were of ZERO help, and did not offer any further assistance. Now, regarding staff attitudes... we should add in here that early-on we identified to Guest Services that we had lost a (FitBit) "Charge-2" watch while boarding -but that was definitely lost while embarked. The response from the Guest Services representative -without looking at his computer, opening up any drawers, removing himself to research their backroom, or asking any of the other GS Reps, was immediate and definitive... "there have been no watches turned in." His actions, of course, sent a clear message to us that neither was he concerned, or interested in going further with this request. Additionally, when about to disembark at Nassau, and with passengers coming in from all directions, my wife politely asked one of the (ship's company) security folks which line should we be standing in, his response was pointed and (quite) discourteous when he simply stated to my wife... "DON'T WORRY ABOUT IT!" Then walked off. The short story to all of this is that we expected MUCH more from our experience with what we perceived to be Royal Caribbean's "Flag" ship, but felt much more like we had embarked on a budget cruiseline; with that assumption being validated by poor attitude, poor service (not by all), poor support, and even worse food presentation (selection/preparation). It has truly dampened our prospects of Rpyal Caribbean being our first choice in cruising. Read Less

Ship was beautiful but smoke lingered everywhere. Our room steward was sick after embarkation and we never received personalized service. Didn’t even really know who our steward was. No towel animals, wife’s friend showed up and we were unable to get sanitary bags when needed. Bar staff wasn’t enthusiastic about serving us when we asked for soda as that’s the package we had. They advised us to go to the soda machines Dining staff was much more friendly to the higher class guests rather then 1st time royal guests. We have sailed 12 other cruises and this was 1st with them. When we complained about the bar service a 6 pack of soda was sent to our room. “Kinda felt like they were saying to have our sodas In our room” then we got billed for them. “We had the soda package” I also think the variety at the buffet was lacking. The first 2 nights a neighbors balcony door was slamming in the wind. Took 4 phone calls to get it resolved. Not a great cruise for customer service, other lines address us by name and feel more personable. Probably would not sail on royal again. Read Less

Just needed a getaway and this was convenient. Friendly and accommodating staff. Main dining experience was quite good, however the Chops Grille was a disappointment. Can get the same food in the main dining. This Chops Grille is small, noisy, too many mistakes with order. Save your money. Windjammer staff were pleasant, food was just okay. The casino - HEY RCI! Smoke extractors - not scrubbers. The smoke needs to be moved out of the ship fast enough that smoke does not stink up the surrounding areas. One thing we really enjoy on all of our cruises are the trivia games. Great competition, lots of interaction with crew and guests. The big shock is the $75 for the soda package. I do not drink that much soda in a month or more and it is an outrage. (Price gouging) Water is better for me. Did not get off the boat in CoCo Cay, although we were pleased to see the changes made there since our last visit. Did get off in Nassau. :( It is dirty and have to run a gauntlet of vendors who are in your face, bordering on aggressive, but they back off if you ask them to. Read Less

We just got off Mariner today after a wonderful 7 days.  It was my husband and I who are both in our 30s.  As background, we’ve been on a variety of cruises together, most recently on Brilliance last December.  We were really excited to try Mariner and to go to Perfect Day and it did not disappoint! We had the drink package and the unlimited dining package.  We did not get the internet package as we like to disconnect when we are on a cruise!  We were in a balcony room forward on deck 6.  The room is definitely dated and I wish it had been updated in the dry dock but it was just fine.  We were in a connecting stateroom—somewhat by mistake when trying to figure out a room to stay in for the B2B.  We were lucky with our neighbors on that side but the walls are definitely thin.  The bed was hard, but it didn’t bother me.  If you’re used to soft, pillowy mattresses you will not like this bed at all. There was more storage than I expected in the room.  We watched tons of packing videos this time and if anyone’s interested in tips I found to be useful and others that weren’t so necessary, let me know.  The location of our room was awesome.  We were so close to the promenade and an easy elevator ride up to the solarium.   I was somewhat surprised how easy elevators were to come by.  They seemed to be programmed well and aside for one or two times, we never had any issues getting a pretty much empty elevator.  The ship in general didn’t feel too crowded to me except for one of the breakfasts in the windjammer and the promenade when an event was going on.   We LOVED the bamboo room.  We spent most of our time there and the bartenders were amazing there.  We loved trying all the fun drinks there and it’s just a fun place.  We were super surprised that it was often completely empty.  Not sure why more people didn’t hang out in there—there are nice tables and the bar but even in the evenings, it was hardly ever busy.   Having the dining package was definitely a nice addition.  We paid $75 for the 3 night and $99 for the 4 night.  The whole process was much smoother on this cruise than it was last year on Brilliance.  I imagine they’ve worked out more of the details since then.  We ate at Chops (more on that below), Izumi (awesome), Playmakers (ehhh not bad but not great), Johnny Rockets (same as always), and Jamies.   We went to Izumi twice and enjoyed it both days—the second time was better but honestly we loved both times.  It was included in the package and they let us get the two meats option included—and we could mix and match.   Jamies was wonderful!  We had only been on ships with Giovannis before so Jamies was new for us.  We LOVED it.  Ask for Lenin, if you can.  He was amazing and our meals there with him were some of the best parts of our trip. We heard multiple other people comment on how great he was too.   Perfect Day at Coco Cay was everything I had hoped it would be.  The food at Snack Shack was just as delicious as everyone had said (mmm that chicken sandwich).  There were way more bars than the map showed so it was always easy to get a drink.  The floating bar was kind of hard to find and it was super busy on the first day we were there in the afternoon (when we finally found it).  The bamboo room bartenders man the floating bar so we went and had a good time with our favorite bartender.  I can’t wait to see everything once the construction walls are down.   It was really windy when we were there so they wouldn’t let us put umbrellas up where we were on chill island.  That was somewhat disappointing because I like sun but my husband likes shade—it was difficult to find a spot that worked for us both without umbrellas. We had some gift certificates and OBC for our second cruise so we decided to book a beach bed for that day.  We were able to pick which one we wanted (from the ones we had left).  The “south beach” ones were in a MUCH better location and only two rows deep. On board they were $199 when booking on board which is the same as they had been in the cruise planner for the last couple months.  Before that, they were $150 but I wasn’t sure we’d want one and I wanted to use the birthday gift certificates I got for it and couldn’t do that ahead of time.  I have a hard time saying whether or not to get a bed because if we had booked and been stuck in the other location, it would not have been the same experience.  BUT as it was, we LOVED it.  We were close to everything, it was nice space without other people, it was great shade and it was just nice and peaceful and wonderful.   Some slight negatives:  The room didn’t cool down enough—I’d read about this ahead of time so it wasn’t surprising and while occasionally we would feel cool, there were multiple times where we felt like it was uncomfortably warm.  Chops—we’ve been to Chops multiple times on other ships and have always loved it.  It was a big disappointment on this ship.  We had it for lunch on boarding day and just discounted it as being busy on embarkation day.  Then we went back for lunch on our second embarkation day and it was MUCH better.  Unfortunately we then went back for dinner and it was just bad.  The steak was not good, the bacon was not good, pretty sure the fries were the same ones from the windjammer, my baked potato was cold and the toppings came like 5 minutes after the food.  Both of us felt like had we paid full price for it, we would have been very upset.  If this had been my first time at Chops, I would have never gone back.  Generally just disappointing.   Smoke from the casino was incredibly annoying.  We normally like to hang out at the schooner bar on past cruises but we didn’t get more than 1 drink there this time because the smoke was overwhelming.  Same with Boleros.  The smoke also came up onto the promenade because they have the opening up to it.  It was much worse than I had read about and we were pretty disappointed that both bars that have a lot of live music were unusable for us because of the smoke.    Overall, we would definitely go back on Mariner. These short cruises on a nice ship out of Port Canaveral are great and we LOVED Perfect Day.  Read Less

I have loved cruising with Royal Caribbean and this is the 4th ship I have been on, but what a different experience! The ship itself is nice, the cabins were clean and there are a lot of areas to find things to explore. However, from the first day we experienced so many issues. Our luggage did not arrive to the room properly and there was a problem in communication and where to get it. The main dining room was great and the staff there was amazing; Windjammer was fine, however there was a hot dog restaurant/stand on the pool level that was not good. It looked fun at first but the food was not. We found much of the staff to be very moody and not friendly, even rude at times. Guest Services made several mistakes on our cards and it took 4 trips back to clear things up. There was a considerable lack of activities in the evening. On other ships we often found so many entertaining shows and things to attend. They did not offer enough activities for older teens or adults. The shows were just ok and nothing compared to what we have seen on previous ships. Coco Cay was a highlight and probably the best day of the cruise. The island is beautiful and we enjoyed it just relaxing and having drinks by the beach. Lastly, they did not take our luggage which was placed outside our room the last night at the correct time and even overcharged us for returned towels. Overall, this ship was a huge disappointment! Read Less

We sailed on Mariner of the Seas over the Thanksgiving holiday. We are a family of four, with kids ages 6 and 9. We had perfectly fabulous time. We really enjoy cruising and have been on several cruise lines, but we really prefer RCI. I’ve read some pretty bad reviews of Mariner; I really think those folks are grumpy. We sailed on Mariner 13 years ago. She is a little older, but still in great shape and provided a great cruise for us. I would be happy to sail on her again. We downloaded the app and checked in online before the cruise. We used Park Port Canaveral. We had to wait about 15 minutes for the bus, which was very unusual. I would be happy to use them again. If you make reservations online before, there are usually coupons. Checking in at the port was very easy since all the documents were already ready. We were on board within minutes. We arrived around 11:30 and went straight to the Windjammer for lunch. Yes, it was crowded, but we just go with the flow and don’t let it bother us. My husband just raved about the seafood stew in the Windjammer on the first day. There were huge chunks of lobster. Plenty of variety for everyone on the first day. We set off to explore the ship and find our stateroom. Great fun in the afternoon. Service in General: We thought the service was really great all over the ship. Dining room, windjammer, stateroom attendant, in the casino, on coco cay, in other lounges… we never had an issue. Not sure waiters are “enthusiastic,” (as the survey asks) but provide great service overall. Someone was ill and needed to evacuate to the ER, so the ship went into the Miami port for a bit the morning of our day at sea. We thought this was great service for whomever was ill and it was a beautiful port to visit. We enjoyed it and hope whoever was sick is well. Ship Activities: The kids loved the hammocks, climbing-thing, and Sky Jump on Deck 12, aft. We spent a lot of time out there. Our son did the water rides and didn’t rave about them ...which we kind of expected. We did the same water ride on the Harmony and it was very slow and actually kind of boring. Nothing can compare with the AqauDuck on the Disney Dream. If I was not so cheap, I would book another Disney Dream cruise, just to ride the AquaDuck. RCI needs to step it up with water rides on the boat, but this is a very, very picky complaint. Our son liked the rock climbing wall. If you can catch these things when they first open, the lines are a lot shorter. The hot dog stand should not be missed!!! Main Dining Room: We like RCI food and are always happy with the meals. The french onion soup is better than neighborhood cafes. There was also a special menu for Thanksgiving. We ordered one of everything and passed around family style. It was great! The main dining room also has a delicious buffet every morning (except the last morning) in addition to table service. We much prefer the MDR buffet to the crazy Windjammer. We were able to visit the MDR for one lunch and were happy the Tutti Salads were back. And, it included a delicious buffet. Just skip the Windjammer when you can! Casino: The Cruise Compass has $3 Blackjack in the casino once a day. I had to miss a bit of dinner to make sure I was able to play. One day I showed up to play for $3 and there was not a table open. I explained to the pit boss the Cruise Compass showed low limits and they were very happy to open a table. Great service. They had a whole table full in no time and it was very fun. If you play less than $10 on the $3 table, you must play $2 and the $1 side bet. When the side bet hit, it was nice… just didn’t happen too often. My husband hates the side bets, but I was just happy to play for low! The craps pit opened around 7 or 8pm, but did not start hopping until 9:30pm or so. The minimum was $10. Very fun and I did well at the craps pit. Diamond Lounge: Fabulous service, great drinks, and it was nice no one gave us a hard time that we were exiting out the “emergency door” to keep an eye on our kids. The menus were wrong each night… but that is very, very picky. Thank you for the great service. Spa: The prices were not so awful and there were specials every day. There are also slight discounts offered on Port Days before 11am, I think. I would wait to book until you get on board so you can get a better deal. Photos: Much improved with the addition of touch screens. We were able to see our photos easily without having to search or evens speak to a human. Shows: The Headliner Show (Art Themed) was just ok. My son and husband left early and didn’t care for it. But, after you’ve seen the RCI show Columbus and Beauty/Beast on Disney, nothing else can compare. The ice skating show was pretty good. It was a little long for the kids. The juggler was terrific! Nassau: I think I’ve been to Nassau at least 15 times in my life. Even though it is not a great port, there is always something to do… you just have to look. This time, with the kids, we wanted to keep it low-key. So, we made arrangements for a Day Pass to the Hilton British Colonial right there, by the port. I’m not sure I would recommend this hotel/day pass. If you have low expectations and are ok with a bit of construction next door (it was not that bad), then you may want to check it out. The pool is nice, the grounds are nice, and the beach is pretty good for being so close to the port. Our kids had a blast with the kayak, even though we could not go very far. With the Day Pass, you get access to most everything and $40 per adult in food/drink credit and $20 per kid. The only problem was…. It took FOREVER to get a drink or service, or food. In fact, we didn’t get our food. We had a fabulous morning, but were still waiting after an hour and 10 for Kalik and food. So, we asked the front desk if we could just bail. They were kind enough to credit us back the food credit, which we thought was very fair. Then, we hightailed it back to the windjammer for a great late lunch. In all, it worked out for us, but I won’t be going back. Coco Cay: We have also been going to Coco Cay once/twice a year, for about 15 years. We loved Coco Cay back when there was nothing… but what RCI has done is truly magnificent. Coco Cay blows the two other islands (Castaway Cay with Disney and Norwegian’s island) completely out of the water… there is no comparison. Coco Cay is clean, easy to navigate, not too much walking, and super fun. We could not get over how big the pool was (I think I heard the biggest pool in the Caribbean). The pool was unbelievable. The food and drinks on Coco Cay were also the best we had the whole cruise. I think I ate about five small ribeye steak sandwiches. There is also plenty to do that was “free.” We didn’t buy the water park passes because our daughter is not tall enough. But the water park looked very fun. Yes, there were long, long lines. I would guess going first thing in the morning at 8am, would be best to avoid the lines. But, even without the park pass, the kids enjoyed the huge pool, the beach, the splash pit, and the pirate ship. There were always plenty of places to sit and we found a lot of shade too. I wish there were slightly cheaper options for cabanas. I was watching them online and I just can’t stomach paying over $600 for a cabana. Two years ago, we got a cabana for about $200 and it made for a lovely day. But, this option does not exist anymore (or maybe not yet again). I’m glad we did it when we had the chance. We have even planned our next cruise itinerary around going back to Coco Cay… it's that great! The Beach Club opens in Jan 2020 and I can’t wait to see what that is, because it's located on the nicest part of the island IMH opinion. You may also want to snag a map of Coco Cay on board the ship to get the lay-of-the-land before getting onto Coco Cay. But, there are also plenty of workers in yellow and red shirts to help you around. Can’t wait to go back! Disembarking: Was the best we’ve ever seen it. And, we have waited, and waited, and waited in some very, very, very long lines. The line was shorter, kept moving the whole time, and the facial recognition/passport procedure is life-changing. Thank you for speeding this up!! I always dread the disembarkation line, but it was a pleasure! Now I don’t have to dread that line anymore! In all, it was a great cruise and I would highly recommend RCI and Mariner of the Seas. We can’t wait for our next RCI cruise. Hope this was helpful and thanks for reading. Read Less

I am not sure where I should begin. When we got into the room, my son looked behind the chair in the corner and found a dirty pair of underwear rolled up in a ball. Then at 3am on one of the nights I heard a huge crashing noise. Turns out a man jumped off the 11th floor balcony and landed right next to my window on the 6th floor. We had to do a detour to Miami so we could get him to the hospital since he was still alive. Then they spend the next several hours cleaning up the deck where he landed. When we arrived to Coco Cay we figured we would go to the beach first and then go to the water park. When we tried to go to the water park we were told they were sold out for the day. They have 2 boats at this port at the same time and this is just too many people obviously. The bathrooms on this private island are dirty and the toilets in some of the restrooms do not flush. In the eating areas there were ice machines and ice cream machines down. I was not able to get an ice cream cone due to the enormous lines. The food overall was so so. We figured the day we were leaving we would eat in the dining room. That was a mistake. The service was terrible. They brought out warm milk with the cereal, no syrup for the pancakes, no drink for my son and no bacon with my eggs. When I complained, the server told me "we will do better next time" This whole cruise is a cattle call. They try to get as many people on this boat as possible sacrificing service. Read Less

All amenities were awesome . The service was excellent .very attentive and helpful staff . The dining staff were especially sensitive to our needs . My mother is a vegetarian and the dining staff went out of the way to accommodate her needs . Special mention to Muqtadir in the wind jammer dining room . The cuisine was so extensive that all of us could ding something we loved from super healthy to the yummy desserts ! The perfect day at the island was pretty good except that you ha e to be there early to find a beach chair . We got there early but were waiting for an hr for my son to do the zip line , by the time we were finished , all the beach chairs were taken , so were the cabanas . But we enjoyed the everything else on the island . The show on the ice is world class ! Please don’t miss it at any cost ! Overall , this is a short but sweet experience!!!! Read Less

Loyal to Royal.. We are Diamonds. I have to give RCCL high marks for their help with people with disabilities. We traveled with our friends with one having MS. The room they had was perfect. RCCL put lots of thought in this room so a physically handicap person had ease in usage especially in the bathroom. I would tell anyone who is in a wheel chair or motorized chair not to hesitate to take a cruise with RCCL. As we were going back aboard in Nassau, the ramp was very steep, but as we started towards the ramp there was a RCCL employee right there to assist him up the ramp. After saying all this I feel compelled to mention a few things that need attention. The group that we traveled with all felt the crew was tired. From the room attendant, the wait staff and bartenders, they all seemed to be overworked and tired. Next on the list of disappointments was the dining room food or should I say the lack of it. The portion size has gotten so small that it is getting to be comical One night most of us ordered chicken parm. My wife had one piece of chicken the size a small chicken tender and mine was the laugh of the table. After we brought this to the head waiters attention, he went to the kitchen and brought back a nice amount of chicken to be shared with us all. The service in the main dining room was slow but we feel it is due to the lack of support staff. The bar service was not what we were used to. Slow, drinks wrong, bills messed up, lack of attention to orders when made. Our room attendant never introduced herself, did the bare minimum for us. She definitely appeared to be the most overworked. We will continue to use RCCL for our cruises, but fell if RCCL continues to make cut backs in the help as well as the food, their reputation may be in jeopardy of being not the cruise line of choice. I understand about profit but when you diminish the service as well as the food you just might start losing customers. Read Less

Friends asked if we would travel with them Positives...parking, check-in, security and boarding are very easy. Terminal is set up well for those who need assistance. Our spacious ocean view cabin(8532) gave us plenty of room, even with my wife's scooter. Slept like a baby. Entertainment was good....not great. Negatives.....not a fan of larger ships. Very few quiet places to sit on board. Sea days are crowded( pools, promenade, dining rooms). The Windjammer reminded me of a feed trough on a farm(crowded, lack of seating, presentation poor). Food quality in all venues was worse than my local diner. The service is also better in my diner. The best food was the roast tenderloin in the dining room and the wings at Playmakers. We were asked if we needed anything in or cabin. I requested water and ice. After two days I asked again and our steward told me to call room service. The cabin only had two electrical outlets, both were on the vanity. There were no USB ports. My wife needed to charge her scooter and oxygen concentrator along with two phones. The "refrigerator" was marked cooler. Not cold and no ice. I asked if there were lids for coffee cups and was told to go "go over there" by the staff. Over there, was 100 feet away where I stood in line to get them. Water was one item that we expected not to pay for..not so. Coco Cay? That was the best day to sit by the adult pool. This was our third RCL cruise, each worse than the previous. We have traveled on six other cruises with two other lines. Total of nine cruises = 98 nights. We will probably not travel with RCL in the future. Read Less

My husband and me were celebrating my 70th birthday and it was an awesome experience. We are loyal RC cruisers, and this cruise was super special. Starting with embarkation, it was excellent, very fast and friendly staff. The first day we went to the ice show which was spectacular. The second night the show at the Royal Theater was very good. At the MDR, the service was excellent and the food was the best! Cabin Steward's went beyond their ways to make us feel like royalty. Activities by the cruise director were very entertaining. Kudos to him! Coco Cay is a gigantic water park for all ages. We enjoyed the beach, Oasis Bay with the gigantic pool so relaxing. The kiosks for the food are very organized and clean, great selection of food. Mexican, Caribbean, American, Italian food was offered. For dessert, they had the ice cream stand and brownies. All in all, this cruise was excellent! Read Less