The cruise begins!

What can I say about Mariner of the Seas except WOW! This ship is amazing!

I'm sure there are ships that are bigger and better but I have never been on one. Compared to the Pacific Dawn this place is a floating palace!

As this was the first voyage for this ship on this itinerary it was very hard to get a cabin. When we booked in December of last year there was only one cabin left, a Junior Suite. Nathan and I always cruise in the cheapest grade of cabin, an inside, so this was a huge splurge but if we wanted this sailing (and I REALLY did!) then we had to upgrade.

When we woke up yesterday morning and looked out of our hotel window we could see the Mariner at the dock and she dwarfed the Marina!
After a quick Asian style breakfast (mmm prawn dumplings and lotus buns!) we finished packing our bags and headed down to the lobby to wait for our transfer.

At this point I will complain about our travel agent. From the start to the finish of this booking she was crap! I wish I could say something good about her but if there was a mistake to be made, she made it. Everyone knows that Nathan and I plan and book our holidays ourselves but this time, as we were living in Vanuatu and needed visas for this journey and she told us she could do all the work for us, we decided using a TA would be less stressful. How wrong we were! And in the end we got the visas ourselves anyway.

This was only a minor annoyance but if you have hotel checkout at 11am and ship checkin at 11.30am why would you book the transfer for 9am?

Lucky there was free WiFi at the Marina to keep us amused while we waited.

Then there was the bonus of getting to checkin a bit earlier and be one of the first on the ship because of Suite Privileges....oh yeah!

So after a very painless checkin and immigration check, we had our photos taken and walked onto the ship! There were only a couple of places open as the staff were all busy cleaning up after the last cruise so we chose to go to the Windjammer Cafe, the buffet area on Deck 11, grabbed a table by the window and had a cold drink while watching the very busy Singapore Harbour. Unlike P&O, RCI does supply free drinks other than water so we could choose from iced tea, real lemonade, and flavoured waters like kiwi strawberry, lemon and lime and mango. All very nice!

The buffet spread was amazing and I couldn't resist going to the make your own section. All the ingredients are there to make your own hamburgers, hotdogs and sandwiches and my hotdog was great! We sampled a couple of other things like the Honey Stung Chicken (getting this recipe!) and a few of the small cakes for dessert. At some point Nathan will make a Big Mac, they have the special sauce there!

At 1pm the cabins were opened and we got our first look. Again, just WOW! A huge room with a King size bed, tv, coffee machine, sitting area, large ensuite with bath, walk in wardrobe and a balcony with a sunlounge, 2 chairs and a table.

We quickly dumped our bags and headed off to explore! Straight up to the top of the ship (Deck 16 I think?) and we found the Chapel, down a level and we were on the sports deck. Basketball courts, inline skating, rock climbing wall and mini golf! Nathan and I will definitely be coming back up here!

Deck by deck we explored, the Promenade was stunning, cafes, pubs and shops, you wouldn't believe you were on a ship walking along the brick paths!

Feel like ice skating? The ice skating rink is open every day!

Want some quiet time? The Solarium is an adults only area with pool, spas, cafe and bar and I think we will also be spending some time here :)

The main dining room spans THREE decks! We booked My Time Dining which means we can go to dinner whenever we choose rather a set time. MTD is in Deck 5 in the Sound of Music dining room. So plush, filled with chandeliers, purple velvet seats, gleaming glassware and very attentive waiters.

At 6pm we were due to sail away so we poured a couple of glasses of Pedro Ximinez and sat on our balcony to farewell Singapore :)

Then a quick change of clothes and off to dinner!

Dinner was 3 courses and every one was lovely :) I forgot to take my camera but for all my foody friends I will try to remember tonight.

After all the excitement and walking up and down the stairs of the ship at least 6 times (dear God!) I was tired and decided an earlyish night was in order. Back in our cabin there was an envelope on our bed, we have been invited to a special Honeymooners Lunch today!