Having cruised many times on other lines, we were really looking forward to our first RCI cruise and were not disappointed! We selected the Mariner for her mix of amenities and the itinerary. Having done Western Caribbean with the family (2 sons, 14 and 10) last year on Carnival, we chose the Eastern Caribbean for something different this year.
The ship was stunning. She showed up from quite a distance and its hard not to be in awe of her size. Checking in was a fairly easy process. We arrived at the port in a rental car about 12:30 and after waiting in a short line to drop off our luggage, we parked the car and headed indoors for processing. The line was not too long and within about 30 minutes, we were onboard and went straight to the cabin to drop off our carry-ons. We opted for a balcony cabin this year and were not disappointed by the choice. During sailing and at many other times we used the balcony and with 4 in one cabin, it came in handy to avoid crowding in the cabin. The room steward was attentive, but we never really saw him throughout the week. We had four in the cabin, but he constantly left only 3 pool towels, which for the most part is the only complaint we could have there - not bad!!
The Windjammer was pleasant and Jade offered some additional options that were appreciated. The variety of the food over the week was not what I would have hoped, but the quality of the food was good and the waiters in the Windjammer went out of their way to serve us. Window tables were at a premium - watch out for the old ladies who will boldly move your things from the table if there isn't someone sitting at the table - what crust!