Six of us, my wife, son, parents, and brother, cruised on the Mariner on June 15. We traveled to Orlando prior to the cruise, which worked out well, especially since my father's luggage never arrived and we had to go shopping. I rented a van from Thrifty at the Orlando Airport. It was about a 45 minute drive from our hotel near the airport to Port Canaveral. The port was very easy to navigate. Thrifty provided shuttle service to the pier after we dropped off the van. Thrifty has a significant discount when you use the Orlando Magicard so this was a very cost-effective way of getting to the pier for a party of six.

Check-in was easy and we were on the ship in just a few minutes. The ship is very well maintained. I didn't notice any wear and tear, either inside or out. The crew was very helpful and attentive. Our cabins on deck 8 were the typical RCI layout. The balcony had two decent chairs and a small table. We used the refrigerator for our own "supplies" but it never got very cold. We didn't see much of our cabin steward but his service was very punctual.

The ship was completely sold out and there over 700 children. We didn't even attempt the pool area on sea days as it was utter chaos. Although RCI takes pains to announce that reserving chairs is not allowed, I did not see any attempt to enforce this. By early morning, the pool areas looked as if a towel factory had exploded on the deck. A little enforcement would go a long way towards solving this problem. The decks were much quieter and enjoyable while we were in port. If you're looking for a quiet place outdoors, try the promenade. There were chairs on both sides and it didn't seem to get crowded. Read more