Just got back from my July 1, 2007 cruise on Mariner of the Seas to the Western Caribbean with my two daughters and it was fantastic. It was just great to get away from home for about a week and just have some time to myself.

Pre-cruise: We had flown in the day before the cruise which turned out to be the biggest relief ever to me. We had a flight from Vancouver to Orlando, with a connecting flight from Dallas. Our arrival time to Dallas was delayed DURING the flight because of weather. When we got to Dallas, the gates were all mixed up and we ended up on standby for seats to the next flight to Orlando. Luckily, we managed to get seats and arrived in Orlando at about 1 a.m. in the morning. We stayed the rest of the night at a Holiday Inn, which was nice. Cheap, affordable, and comfortable. We booked transportation to Port Canaveral via Ace Luxury Transportation.

Public Rooms: Between all the stunning dEcor and lively music, the public rooms were just so beautifully laid out. All of the public rooms were comfortable and had a very chill, laid back environment. Although in some rooms, the music was quite loud, like the Dragon's Lair, for instance. Hint: The Dragon's Lair music would be most appropriate for the young adult crowd. Read more