My wife, two kids (14 and 10) and I just got back from our seven day cruise on the Mariner of the Seas. Repeat RCI cruisers, we had a pretty good idea of what to expect. Mariner met those expectations and, in some cases, exceeded.

We began our vacation with two days at the Cocoa Beach Marriott, mainly to take in the Kennedy Space Center. For those who have not visited recently, the visitors' complex is really impressive. Make sure to try the Shuttle Launch Experience, a totally realistic simulation of a shuttle launch, and spend the extra money for the Lunch with an Astronaut and the VIP Tour. All of this was well worthwhile for the novice space buff.

We departed Port Canaveral on June 22. This was our first trip on a Voyager class, and Mariner is an absolutely beautiful ship. Having previously been on several Vision class ships and the Majesty of the Seas, I noticed right away the wider hallways and larger staterooms. The Royal Promenade is particularly impressive, as is the three level dining room. Speaking of the dining room, I feel at this point that I must sing my praises for the new RCI dining menu. Mariner is apparently one of the first ships to roll this out, and it's a significant improvement over the old menu, which was really a bit tired. RCI has upped the spiciness, international flavor and the variety of choices. Dessert choices, which I have not previously rated highly, were much better. Lunch is also a big improvement, with a new salad bar in the dining room custom-mixed by the staff. My only complaint is that the new choices have not been rolled out to the Windjammer as of yet. All in all, we were so impressed that we bought the new cookbook and got the executive chef to give us his autograph! Read more