This was our first time on a ship larger than Enchantment of the Seas, so we had many new experiences and adventures on board and before that really made anticipating this trip nearly unbearable. My review will center mostly on the ship itself, with little on the ports of call.

We began our trip a few days prior at Disney World. It was the fastest whirlwind trip through the Mouse House I've ever done. We crammed so much into 48 hours that the drive to the port was so completely relaxed; all of my friends fell asleep while I drove. About the drive to the port: we rented a mini-van from Enterprise. They picked us up right on time from Disney's All-Star Music Resort, we picked up the van, and were on our way within a half hour from the time they picked us up. It was great. On the drop-off side, we dropped off at the Enterprise location about 5 minutes from Port Canaveral. They had a courtesy shuttle to the port and we were on board in about 10 minutes.

Mariner is a beautiful ship. I had read about her from several other reviews on Cruise Critic and other travel websites. I was hard-pressed to find a negative review, so my expectations were quite high. In addition, this was our first cruise as Diamond members of the Crown & Anchor Society, so we were very much looking forward to that. Being a secret shopper at home, my critical eye was definitely tuned into Mariner once we boarded. Read more