We just got back from our 7 night cruise on the Mariner of the Seas. This is a review of our cruise.

Embarkation in Port Canaveral was not the smoothest process in the world. We arrived at the Pier around 1pm via our own car, and the line to get into the parking garage was quite long. It took us at least 30 minutes just to get into the garage to park the car. The parking garage is HORRIBLE. The parking spots are made for compact cars, yet most people seem to have SUVs. Needless to say, you are lucky you can get out of your car after parking it. If you were dropped off at the pier by a taxi or limo, you would avoid this extra 40 minutes of parking and walking to the terminal. If you arrive around 3pm, there was no line at all for parking. Parking at the Pier will set you back $12 a day, and it must be paid in advance. The parking garage accepts cash, Visa, and MasterCard.

Inside the terminal, check-in lines were set up by decks, and went pretty smoothly. There was also a separate line for past Royal Caribbean cruisers that are 'Diamond' Level members of their Crown & Anchor program. Check-in was pretty easy, and we were only on line for about 20 minutes. Interestingly, the luggage x-ray occurs BEFORE check-in. All in all, from the curb to the ship took about 30 minute's total. Read more