Just back from Mariner. Rio to FLL. It was a good trip. Almost all free excursions. The staff was great even though the crew had been on along time. Many were getting off in FLL. The food was good to great. Service was what you would want. The ship looked in fine shape even after some heavy wear and tear doing a long cruise. Ex. Our little round padded stool in front of the vanity had a slight seam open. First day it was taken away and either replaced or repaired in a short time. Would I like a few things different? Sure. The entertainment was only so-so. We did have good lectures. Terry Breen. and another on Space. Still need a steak sandwich at the pool grill. Never have been a fan of La Veranda's lunches. We actually went to CR a lot. Never been on a cruise with Ray as a cruise director and he is very good in a lot of areas but not everyone's cup of tea. Capt Felice was his usual charming self but was not as visible since we were going up the Amazon and he was on the bridge a lot. Meet a lot of nice people and even the people who had been on for the whole cruise were willing to talk to us seggies. Ship was full and we still managed to score 4 res. in Prime 7 in 3 weeks.

thank you

Pam, it sounds like all in all, a great cruise!

Hey Pam, Nice to hear that you and Jim had a fun getaway on the Mariner. The temps had to be a little different from the last cruise!! It is odd how some full cruisers treat the seggies.

Glad you had a good time. What's your next trip?

Welcome home Pam & Jim, glad you had such a good time. I hope you saw Ray's puppet show, it's a winner.

See ya in September.

What was the Amazon like? Should we consider it? What kind of excursions did you do there? Glad you had a great time.

Arlene, definitely consider doing the Amazon -- we've done it twice and would do it again in a heartbeat. My favorite excursion there is the riverboat trip up into the tributaries -- They let you fish off the boat and I actually caught a Piranha on one of our trips. They cook it up and everyone gets a taste. Tastes like chicken :D
I also liked the stop in Alter de Chao (sp??)--a cute village where the children all come out to meet you and take you to their homes to show you their pets (like a sloth or a snake --eek!). Definitely put it on your list.

I agree. We were only able to do Part #1
FLL to Manaus Brazil on the Mariner a few years ago and had a wonderful experience.
Highly recommend you do it sometime.

Great info Peggy Thanks

I've done the full trip - to Manaus and back - three times and loved it. We'll be doing it again this fall after Grand Prix and looking forward to it.
Jim

pwolftx,

I think you are confusing Alter do Chao with Boca da Valeria. The latter is the village with all the children and I agree with you. It is a delightful experience.

You're probably right, but all the little village stops are fun :) .