"Fantastic! The coverage of the materials from the reading thru the lectures and the Exam Quizzes, right up thru Final Exam is a complement to Capt.Bob and his MLS team to attest to the combined knowledge they possess in the Maritime learning & Teaching industry. Also the ease of navigation (No pun intended) within the site (Class Room) was remarkably easy. I would highly recommend The Mariners Learning System to anyone considering earning a USCG approved certificate for application towards their Merchant Mariner Credentials Thank You. Best Regards Captain Dennis C. Bowen"
"Great organized easy to use program"
"Very poor program. First, Mariners does not do a good enough job explaining all the other fees and hoops you have to jump though to get your captains license. For example, you have to get AND PAY FOR A TWIC CARD, CPR class, get drug tested, get 3 letters of recommendation , a medical exam, fingerprints, digital photograph, a security threat assessment conducted by TSA. Then you need to pay another 132 dollars for the TWIC card . Take the time to look at the countless requirements needed. Also, your materials arrive about a week after you buy the package. If your curious about the program and activate your online code- guess what? You cannot return the product. Activation voids the return policy. Now let's get to the program itself. When you play the video clips the graphics and audio plays a very annoying "swoosh" wave sound plays at the beginning of every clip. The sound plays in the beginning of every clip and the clips sometimes are very short. At the end of each clip there is a promotion of Mariners learning system. This plays each clip over and over again. Trust me you will be so sick of this noise and promotion that you will probably never want to see or hear a wave in the future or hear the name "Mariners Learing System". "
"I've had the course for two weeks and all I can say is it's fantastic. The course materials were delivered in two days which was great, but I was able to start studying immediately because the course materials are online, too. I've been boating inland and offshore for over 20 years and I can't believe how much I didn't know that's important. The course is very well-laid out, very thorough and challenging, and enjoyable. What's more, every question I've had has been answered quickly via email or telephone. It's great being able to go at my own pace versus being in a classroom. So far, this is an outstanding experience."
“Thanks for taking the time to review your experience to date... Please let us know if you need any additional assistance as you go through the licensing process or have any course related questions. Enjoy!”
"Received the order on time. What I expected will start Monday."
“Please remember that we're here as much as you need or as little as you want. Give us a call with any questions once you begin your course... Thanks for taking the time and replying to your survey. Happy holiday season!”
"Thank you MLS for your outstanding support and feedback. I took and passed the OUPV 6-Pack Captains exam on my first attempt last week. The layout of this course and the diversity of the material provided is the best I've seen. It's apparent that MLS has carefully considered the many different learning methods that a student may prefer and have incorporated them into the program. from disc, to books and videos, to the online lectures and quizzes. I recommend first, purchase the course. Second, take advantage of ALL of the available resources. Understand the material and when it comes to plotting, I would emphasize working through the plotting questions. If you do, "set and drift" should be a breeze.
Fair winds always,
Brett Price"
"Fast and Easy to use. Great way to get endorsement.."
"Just received the package a day or so ago and have quickly reviewed the contents and table of contents and have read only a few pages here and there to get a feel for it and so far so good. I haven't logged in on line yet. "
"I've received the package two days ago. To early to evaluate the program, ask me again next year after I complete the program. "
“We use an independent resource "Reseller Ratings" to survey our students twice - The first survey goes out 7 days after a purchase has been made and then a second is sent upon the completion of a course. We care about the entire user experience which includes the purchasing process and that is why you were asked to share your opinion.”
"I have no issues with the Mariners Learning System. I like being able to schedule my own time. They give more than fair value for the price they charge. The information provided exceeded my expectations.
We all come with different backgrounds and experiences. For me, what they present is challenging. From the first hour I spent studying their material, however, I felt more comfortable and safer on the water than before. Every day is another step forward.
"
"MLS allowed me to learn at my own pace and without additional stress in my life. The materials are presented in a thorough and logical way with numerous ways in which a lesson can be presented and learned. I like being able to go over more difficult areas with test and video.
Tim Davis"
"Excellent clear and easy instruction"
"Completed the course while I was overseas, was very happy with the material and learning process. It is a bit harder to self learn than sit in a class room and interact with an instructor. I was fully prepared to take the tests before walking into the class room right until I opened the test. I took the OUPV, Masters and sailing all in one morning. The test questions in no way paralleled the practice tests. I did pass all test but the Rules of the road so I decided to take that again and failed it again. I ask the instructor about it and his response was he hears the students comment a lot on how the final test questions do not parallel the practice test. I ended up taking the test two more times and finally passed but did have to do an extension for additional cost go figure. All the proctors said the same thing about the responses they hear from the students that the final test questions do not fallow the practice test questions at all."
“Thanks for your input! We truly care and welcome your feedback... Mariners Learning System has always placed a high regard on the learning aspect of what we do and not just teach the answers found on a test. We come from the school of thought that if you are out on the water and a boat is approaching and you know that "B" is the right answer on a test but you do not know why... That is a problem. So, the practice quiz questions used in your online classroom are not the exact same word-for-word ones found on your final proctored exam... But they are very similar and cover the exact same principles and concepts. Since you were overseas and were not able to complete your course within one year - You were charged a $95 fee to reset your program and extend your access for an additional year. This fee had nothing to do with the testing process. Give us a call if you need any additional assistance with your application - Thanks again Captain Travis!”
"Easy access to learning programs on my laptop and hard copy of materials are very well organized for student."
“Thank you! If you ever need any additional assistance we are no further away than your phone - (609) 303-0664”
"I ordered a book. I was very satisfied with the book and it got here timely."
“Thanks for the business. Let us know if we can be of any further assistance.”
A rep from Mariners Learning System, MLSOfficialReplies2, has responded:
“We have trained more than 40,000 students over the years and make every effort to provide each prospective student with the necessary information required to make an informed decision prior to making their purchase. The licensing requirements for each USCG approved course that we offer are posted under the “Licensing Requirements” tab found on every product page. In addition we have produced a video “What are the Captain’s Licensing requirements?” which is displayed on the product page as well. We make no effort to hide the licensing requirements or our terms and conditions when a purchase is made. Holding a Captains License is a huge responsibility since people’s lives are literally in the hands of the Captain each time a boat leaves the dock. Because of this the Coast Guard has defined a minimum set of standards that each licensed Captain must meet. These requirements are exactly the same regardless of which school you chose to work with in an effort to obtain your license. As far as shipping goes… Your course materials were verified as being received three days after your purchase was made. Since you selected standard ground shipping during checkout this would be well within the expected receipt date. And finally, we have more than $250K invested in our video training series… In today’s electronic age we use our logo to brand our training videos and reduce digital theft not promote our product line. Captain Bob (President/CEO) will be sending you a follow up email. In the event that you would like to contact him directly he can be reached at (609) 303-0664 Monday - Friday 9:00 am - 5:00 pm EST.”