The Mariner is a great ship with a lot to do. We had the benefit of being the third cruise after dry dock, so everything seemed very fresh still. My previous cruises had been on much smaller ships, so I was looking forward to enjoying the promenade and the greater variety of scheduled activities. We loved being able to grab quick snacks at the Promenade Cafe (great breakfast pastries and desserts) and get a drink pretty much anywhere. The adults-only pool section was truly adults only, and very quiet. I never felt like we were two of thousands on the ship, since we'd see the same people all the time. It seemed like a pretty intimate trip albeit on a huge ship.

We had one lunch at Giovanni's Table, which I highly recommend. It was relaxed--a change of pace from buffet lunches--and the food was delicious. The desserts and steak were a little disappointing, but the pasta and appetizers were excellent. The food in the MDR was great, although a lot of the appetizers were repeats almost every night. Everything was definitely geared more toward American palates, as we loved almost everything we ate and our German tablemates were not very impressed.

The real standout of the ship was the crew. The activities staff was PHENOMENAL. We spent every day playing (and winning!) at least one game of trivia with Scottish Dave, Katie, or her husband (I forget his name). The Italian speaking activities staff members could be hard to understand, especially in a trivia game when precision is sometimes key, but the next cruise would be filled with 80% Italian speakers so it made sense that they were on board. The servers at the Schooner Bar were excellent, and we made sure to tip them well. We adored Mohammed, our assistant waiter in the MDR and often our lunch waiter in the Windjammer. He had great stories and information about the ports, and we learned a lot from him about his home country, Tunisia. I would never have been interested to visit before, but now Tunisia is on the list of places I'd like to go. Read more