Ship Reviews
Based on 37 reviews
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Spring break
March
Pros: The staff were very efficient with the onboarding and departure process
Cons: Much smaller ship
Recommended: Yes
This has been the smallest royal carribean ship I have been on so far; I felt that the evening entertainment was more amateurish than I had seen in the past. Overall it was a great vacation and the staff was excellent as always.
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Smaller Ship but Lots of Fun!
February
Pros: Easy to see shows and do activities
Cons: Pool Deck on Sea Days can be crowded
Recommended: Yes
Even though this is a smaller ship compared to all of the newer larger ones it is not lacking. We had fun being able to just go to shows and do activities without having to be there 45 minutes early. Most of the time the elevator waits were reasonable. The only issue we had was that seas days were very crowded in the pool areas and the smoking area seemed very large for this size of ship.
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Fun Cruise but Separate the Smokers
January
Pros: Fantastic servers and staff, excellent drinks
Cons: Smoke from the casino permeates all connected decks.
Recommended: Yes
We had a wonderful time on Mariner of the Seas despite our Costa Maya stop being skipped due to weather. Our serve Iliya in the main dining room was wonderfully attentive and kind - going above and beyond to grab us a bowl of our favourite soup from the chef's table menu, making sure we had a quick turnaround to catch our next activity, or just putting up with the antics of our 16 person group. We were able to rebook our ATV adventure in Cozumel and had an awesome time driving ATVs in the mud. Snorkeling in the clear blue waters around the island was also amazing to see all the way to the bottom - tropical fish were super curious and kept swimming up. Chef's table was also a lot of fun meeting other cruise folks and trying all the wines. Only cons were not all dinner dishes or desserts were on point, some lacked flavour like the scallop dish at Chef's Table and the Boston Cream Pie/Cake; also the smoke from the casino needs to be separated off with automatic doors or better venting. Decks 3-5 were tainted with the smell of cigarettes the entire cruise. Would've spent a lot more time at Boleros but couldn't stand the smell and itchy throat feeling. Skating show and the girls vs. guys game were definitely worth seeing. And it was fun to skate in the middle of a cruise ship! The escape room was fun but would recommend RC limit the max. number to 8 participants as you maybe got 1.5 puzzles to solve with some people hogging larger puzzles to themselves. If RC can fix the smoke issue and some of the under-seasoned dishes, this would be a 5/5 cruise!
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Great Time/Great Atmosphere/Great Crew
January
Pros: Easy to use Royal Caribbean app, embark and debark was very easy, Food was great, Staff was great
Cons: N/A
Recommended: Yes
We really enjoyed the ship, and all it had to offer. We couldn’t say one negative thing about the trip! There was something for everyone, and plenty to do.
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Anderson
November
Pros: Great food service in my time diner. Had a couple great servers
Cons: The extra fees they dont tell you about
Recommended: Yes
We appreciate the great first cruise!
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Favorite RC Ship So Far
August
Pros: Size
Cons: Length of a couple stops
Recommended: Yes
Of the six RC ships we’ve been on, the Mariner has been my favorite. It has some of the big ship feel and activities without being too big and having too many people. The ability to open the partitions between balconies was game changing as well. Great shows, and ice skating as well. Food was wonderful as always, and the central promenade fun. Would not hesitate to take a cruise on the Mariner again! For the cruise stops: Tortola - definitely get an excursion. Not much to do otherwise near the ship. St Kitts - Beach excursion was fun Puerto Rico - great location would love to visit again. Our surf excursion was a tad “discombobulated” but overall fun. It’s also the shortest stop, which was frustrating. We needed a whole day there. Again, would go back in a heartbeat. Cococay - great stop, would definitely like to go again!
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Our first cruise experience was amazing!
July
Pros: Great food. Wonderful and friendly staff. Very clean.
Cons: Pool area was extremely crowded.
Recommended: Yes
Our first cruise experience was better than we could have imagined. Everything was so easy and it felt like a true vacation. For the ship to be an older one in the fleet, the amenities were nice and everything was clean. The food was amazing and we looked forward to every meal!
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5-night Western Caribbean Cruise — 08/24/2024 — CALL
5-night Western Caribbean Cruise — 10/05/2024 — from $726
5-night Western Caribbean Cruise — 11/16/2024 — from $683
5-night Western Caribbean Holiday Cruise — 12/28/2024 — from $1,245
5-night Western Caribbean Cruise — 02/08/2025 — from $483
5-night Western Caribbean Cruise — 03/22/2025 — from $493
5-night Western Caribbean Cruise — 05/03/2025 — from $550
5-night Western Caribbean Cruise — 06/14/2025 — from $776
5-night Western Caribbean Cruise — 07/26/2025 — from $706
5-night Western Caribbean Cruise — 09/06/2025 — from $473
5-night Western Caribbean Cruise — 10/18/2025 — from $458
4-night Western Caribbean Cruise — 01/29/2026 — from $401