Wife and I are going on the Mariner from FLL to Manaus Jan 10th. Any "secret" things I should know about the Mariner to make what I think will be a great cruise that much better. Been on many cruises but never Radisson. TY

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Sitmar Fairsea
Rccl
Royal Princess
Zenith
Windstar (2)
QE2

Here's two that you may not be aware of:

-for dinner, it's just not wine that's complementary, it's liquor/beer as well. You can have cocktails before dinner and after dinner drinks as well...it's included in the fare.

-For breakfast in the cabin, you can have eggs benedict or crab benedict. Simply right in your preference (its not an official choice on the menu card) and hang the card outside your door before you retire. You could probably order othet things as well ... I just stick with eggs benedict.

Bill

We never use the room service card anymore. We just pick up the phone and call room service when we get up. Have never had to wait more than 15 minutes for our order.

But only in the dining room at the table. Shhh! don't tell anyone, we don't want it taken away!

We've never used the room service card because we don't know that far ahead what we want to do about breakfast. On Voyager, we had room service every morning, on Mariner last year we were on the same deck as La Verandah so we usually strolled on over for breakfast.

Now, on to secrets...after dinner, when they bring the truffles...if there's one that looks like dark chocolate that's been rolled in powered sugar, grab it and RUN fast. In fact, you might want to detour past a few other tables and grab theirs as you go.

Pam, I'm laughing out loud at the thought of a truffle bandit in the dining room.

I'm amazed I don't know what you are talking about. I thought I had the truffles memorized.

Marsha, that's because I got to your truffles before you saw them.

That particular one has a liqueur center that is to die for. I am not familiar with the different liqueurs, so couldn't begin to know what it is but it's wonderful! And I've seen them on more than one cruise, so they are apparently a staple.

And, I have a shameful secret. At the Chocolate Tea, they had hundreds of that one on different trays. I'd take a little plate and scoop up a half dozen or so, then scurry back to the table, wrap them in a cocktail napkin and tuck them in a zipper compartment of my purse. Several times. We had a half-empty Godiva box in our suite (I'd eaten the dark chocolate ones and left the light ones) so I emptied the cocktail napkins into that box and enjoyed the rest of the cruise very much.

I'm not ashamed at all, and plan to repeat my activity if I see them on Navigator in January.

OMG that is hysterical, Pam! The mental image is killing me....

YOU GO, PAM!! :banana: :lct: :chicken:

Erm...since I have managed to totally derail this thread with Truffle Trivia, I need to get it back on track.

Do make sure you order weinerschnitzel one night; it is absolutely wonderful on Mariner.

Pam, Keep ziplock bags in your purse. They come in handy for lots of things. Like taking nuts back to your cabin from the ever popular nut vases.....

You are so right about dark chocolate. There ain't nothing like it. Why waste the calories and taste on weak milk chocolate?

My favorite spot for people watching on a sea day is to sit near the computers in the library. The promenade there is sort of the hang out spot to and from the lounge. They put in a self serve coffee bar near there so I bet the foot traffic is even higher now. We'd often sit there and start up backgammon games with other passengers on sea days.

Oh those truffles. I know which one. Good thing, Pam, you canceled MUSH. I don't have to share them now!

Pam - ROFL with the mental image of you hoarding the dark chocolate truffles like a squirrel stocking up for winter! :)

Masaki

I like the Observation Lounge. Wonderful place to meet for a drink before dinner. I will never forget early mornings in the Observation Lounge while cruising through the fjords in South Amercia. The waiters are passing around coffee and hot chocolate plus small breakfast items. Passengers are quietly socializing with each other. Terry Breen is giving her expert commentary on the area. The scenery is awesome. Doesn't get any better!

We order room service breakfast on excursion days. We do fill out the card the night before and of course, it's usually eggs benedict. Makes for an easier day, especially on those early morning excursions.

Have a great time on the Mariner.

Pam, do they serve the same truffles on the Voyager?

Donna - this description is idential to Alaska - just take out South America!

Pam writes

Pam, you are killing me!! I don't know if we should organize an intervention for you or ask you to give a seminar on Modern Techniques of Chocolate Management.

Would it ruin the enjoyment of the game to simply ask the waiter for more of these little beauties?

Donna, yes, they had that one on Voyager, too.

Marsha, I really had NO intention of having more than the one I received on the truffle tray after dinner one night (they don't serve the same goodies every night) until I saw all of those neglected little things on so many trays. Of course, I did blow things up slightly in the telling of the story; I only made the second trip for a "few more" on my little plate. And I'm pretty sure there isn't an intervention program out there that would survive getting between me and dark chocolate.

Oh, and for what it's worth, Mariner is our favorite ship of the two that we have been on so far. There's just something special about it.

If you're on the ship during the day...go to the movie at 2:00 and take a bucket of popcorn back to your suite! Or...just call room service!

You can order special meals and desserts as long as you give at least 24 hours notice. Things I like to order...steak tartare, raspberry souffle.

You can request your bed to be made up to your preference...two duvets or one large duvet, a sheet and blanket tucked in, etc.

This reminds me of the rare times that I order a 'special.' I ordered rack of lamb for ourselves and two couples, (after their compliance). It is the only time that I have ever complained about food on board !!! We all nibbled away and ordered something else, much to some embarassment. It happens !

The Mariner has these high, deep tubs in the baths, really dangerous to get in and out of, and the overhead is low, so that if you are much over 6' tall, you get to learn how to shower while squatting, as I did a couple of years ago while cruising around Cape Horn. Not funny; it was 43 days! One lady fell getting out of the tub and had a world class shiner, others less spectacular 'hurts'. BUT, if you book early enough through you know who, there is just one F category suite with a shower!

We will be enjoying it on the Singapore - Sydney leg of the Grand Circle Pacific starting Monday (10/24/05), and did have it reserved for the Auckland - LA part, till "she who decides" ruled out the 6 sea day stretch after the Marquesas and Radisson wouldn't sell the Auckland - Papeete part alone, so we fly home from AKL. Ah, the pain and suffering of it all! But, after 40 years, "she who decides" is definitely worth it. DEFINITELY!

In my opinion, the Mariner is the one Seven Seas ship where a Penthouse suite is worth the extra money. And now, some of them have walk-in showers! Those of you from RSSC lurking about, THE DAMN TUBS ON THE MARINER ARE DANGEROUS, a hazzard to the health of anyone old and/or infirm enough to be even a bit shaky on their feet. RSSC: CONSIDER YOURSELF ON NOTICE!

Had that same cabin reserved for the Circle South America - FLL to Buenos Aires, till I got in a snit with RSSC about something minor and cancelled that too. Now there is a B&K group Manaus-Buenos Aires and, of course, the suite is taken! At least Ngaire used her great logic and persuasive skills to have me keep my on-board booking credit, which we're using on next June's Voyager Baltic piece, but starting a leg earlier in Monaco! No need to worry about mundane things like tubs and showers on Voyager and Navigator; they have both!

Those in the know re: Radisson book with a certain lady and her associates. All others learn from her. Marvelously wonderful!

Count Florida,

Are you on the June 9th Monte Carlo to Dover continuting on to the Baltics? Some of us here have named that cruise WAVE (I have forgotten what that stands for now!. There are a few of us here on that Voyage. We're looking forward to meeting you!

Good catch, Kathy! I had noticed that Count Florida mentioned these dates elsewhere as well, but forgot. We are also in WAVE, June 9-19.