Mariner of the Seas Review
Rating by category
Additional details
We live in Florida just over a 2 hour drive from Port Canaveral or The Port of Tampa. We have sailed numerous times out of Tampa, but this was our first sailing from Canaveral. The drive to the port is a breeze, just over 10 miles from I-95. The issues we discovered were mostly parking related. No valet service ( as in Tampa ), parking can be quite a hike from the terminal, and a real issue in rainy weather. The price for parking is also higher than most other ports.
As second port related issue on this sailing was that Mariner of the Seas sailed from her usual terminal, #1 but returned to Terminal #5....a real inconvenience. Passengers, and their luggage, had to be shuttled. The whole situation added an hour to the departure process.
The Ship: Mariner is a beautiful ship with a friendly, welcoming crew. She caters to a younger crowd and is so equipped. Her itineraries largely reflect the likes of that same demographic with short cruises to Nassau and Coco Cay.
Cabin Review
Junior Suite
Cabin: We selected JS was one of the 6 new cabins added during Mariner's last make-over. They are all located forward on deck 11 (the only staterooms on that deck). The cabin was new and large with a balcony bigger than those with most other junior suites. It was very comfortable and quiet with easy access to the Solarium and Spa. But... It did have a few quirky things that would have us select another cabin on a future sailing. The large, heavy door to the large, walk-in closet was spring loaded and a real issue to hold open. Annoying. The balcony was large and provided wonderful views...but.... beware of the "eye in the sky" just above it. Know that you are on video while on the balcony, or standing by the sliding glass doors. Smile! Speaking of privacy, or lack of...... a deck area just forward of that stateroom is open to the public and curious passengers can (and did) peer around the partition to look directly onto the balcony and into the cabin. A "please respect privacy" sign needs to be posted. If considering a JS in this area of the ship.... any of the three others would be a better choice.