We took our second cruise on the Mariner of the Seas March 11-18, 2007. This trip was the Western Caribbean versus the Eastern trip we took last year (one week later).We flew the day before as protection against winter weather delays, and none were encountered. We stayed at the Hampton Inn in Orlando on T G Lee Blvd- - Better than average hotel with free breakfast and shuttle from to and from the airport. We took the first shuttle to the airport to catch the shuttle to the ship. The RCI personnel at the terminal were very helpful. We were the first ones on the first bus and then it got a flat tire so we had to do a do-over, but they had another bus there within 3 minutes. The trip to the port was uneventful (Why do the bus drivers have to chatter over the intercom the entire trip?).

Embarkation was a breeze. We were having lunch in the Windjammer before noon and were in our suite right on time at 1PM. We met up with family groups from MN and FL and all stayed on the same side of the same deck which was really convenient.

The slots in the casino payed off nicely for our group early in the trip (multiple winners over $1,000) but they seemed much tighter later in the trip. The same machines that routinely handed out winning plays ate up 30 plays without as much as a cherry later in the week- - but maybe that was just the luck of the draw. Read more