Background Information My husband and I excitedly booked our second cruise together for our 1 year anniversary, after spending our honeymoon aboard the Brilliance of the Seas in the Mediterranean. We were not sure where we wanted to go exactly, but chose the Eastern Caribbean because of the stop at Coco Cay, and the dates available. We flew into Sanford, FL (outside of Orlando) and stayed the night with my sister. She took us to the ship the next morning at Port Canaveral, about an hours drive. The ship was absolutely amazing! It towered above the other two ships in port! Ship Info The Mariner of the Seas is a newer class of ship than the Brilliance, and we were favorably impressed by the decor and grandeur of the ship! The Royal Promenade, an indoor mall-looking street, simply took our breath away. It was lined with the usual shops, but some additions included, The Wig and Gavel (an English pub where smoking is allowed) and Vintages (a wine bar). The wine bar was particularly wonderful- I recommend attending a tasting. Activities Activities aboard the ship are endless: ice-skating, rock climbing, in-line skating, basketball, mini golf, bingo, swimming, sunbathing, wine-tasting, and the list goes on... Spa and Fitness We decided to try the spa the first day, because we got a 10% discount being Crown and Anchor members. We signed up for a couples massage. NOTE- if you do not make your appointments the minute you get on the ship, they will be few and far between! We got in a line 20 people deep the first day to sign up for massages. Ok- so we were very excited to begin our trip in this manner, and when we arrived 30 minutes early to enjoy the sauna and spa, the receptionist looked at us like we were crazy, and reminded us in a very condescending tone that our appointment is not for another half hour. I asked if we could enjoy the spa amenities before the massages, and looking put-out, she showed us to the lockers. I could not believe the attitude, but I thought I would just enjoy the time and massages and not get wound up. The massages- the ship was delayed in leaving, and unfortunately, left right during our massages, so instead of relaxation, we were treated to the Captain's address and horns blowing loudly over the course of the hour. This may not have been so bad, if my massage was even remotely good. I get a massage once a month, and this masseuse must be brand-new. She was sporadic, and not symmetrical. So, she may do one thing to my left shoulder and not touch my right shoulder. To make this all worse, at the end, she gave us a very hard, broken-English, sales-pitch about massage oil that would help break up our "lactic acid". I am a health professional, and know that this is impossible. So, I politely declined. When it came time to pay the VERY HIGH bill, I noticed I had been billed for the "special oil". I could not believe it! So, I had it removed, not to mention, I did not have my discount on the original bill. Whew- my advice, get a massage before you leave, and do not waste your $260 on a couples massage. (That was WITH my discount) We used the fitness facility daily, and really like it. It was very large for a cruise gym. I did not like that some of the fitness classes were $10/p. I mean, why? Service This is where we were a little disappointed. First, we were seated in the second seating 845pm the first night (and we requested first), so we were a little tired (we are early risers). The first night we were seated with 3 other couples who were just fascinating. We were happy to have such lively tablemates. However, our waiter did not arrive for over 15 minutes of us being seated. Then, our food did not come for awhile, and in the mean time, at least 3 different mistakes were made with our table from wrong wines to wrong dinners. Eh-first night glitches right? HUM... Unfortunately, our request during our reservation was granted and we were given an earlier dinner time at a table for 2. Before meeting our table, I would not have minded, but then to be moved after having such lovely couples at our table, we were a bit disappointed, but thought it may be romantic. WRONG- our new waiter completely ignored us for a long time, then when he showed, he had an attitude like we were inconveniencing him. My husband's dinner came back wrong, and by this time, we were aggravated. The head waiter visited our table and asked us to eat at the captain's table the next night. That pretty much made up for our disappointment! However, we did not return to the dining room after the captain's night. Stateroom Our stateroom, 1362, was a balcony on the 10th floor. Great location, aft, under the Windjammer. The room was well-kept, very spacious. Our balcony was half the size of the one on the Brilliance! We were very surprised by this. Still lovely to have one to view the seas and ports! Shore Excursions Coco Cay- we laid in the sun for a couple of hours, swam in the ocean, and then went parasailing! It was amazing! I highly recommend it! We also tried the Coco-Loco drink. It was great, but stir it up good! :) St. Thomas- catamaran with snorkeling at St. John's. Incredible! The harrowing drive to the marina was the scariest part of my whole trip! haha. We went out on a VERY crowded sailboat with drinks, food, and LOTS of sunshine! We snorkeled and saw lots of fish, coral, and sting-rays! St. Martin- we decided to take a taxi to Margiot- a small French town that was supposed to have cute "European" shops and cafes. If you have been to a 3rd world country, this island was similar to one. The "touristy" description of this town, did not match our real experience, so we immediately hailed a taxi to Orient Beach. Please do not waste your money doing anything else but visiting here! A taxi RT from cruise was about $30 pp or less if you shared a taxi. The beach is gorgeous, there are endless activities, or areas of less-crowded beach. And, yes, the nude beach at the end. Personally, I did not care to see that area of the beach, so we did not venture there. We laid in the sun and swam, and had a great pizza from a restaurant that served us in our beach chairs! Summary Our ship was gorgeous! We rocked a lot during our trip. This was different than the Mediterranean cruise. I think it is because we were in open sea a lot in the Carib, and we were running ahead of a tropical storm (but no rain!). Our cruise director and Captain were very entertaining. Dining Another disappointing area. I did not remember the food being so "cut-out" and bland, but I was not impressed with the food in the Windjammer and the dining room. I am a bit of a foodie. I love good food, so maybe I am hard to suit! I did however, LOVE the food in Chops and Portofino's!!! Please make time to go to these places. There is an upcharge, $25/p and $20/p respectively. But worth EVERY penny! The service is impeccable there, and really should be similar to your dining room experience, but was not. We tried Johnny Rockets, and enjoyed our meal there. We are Crown and Anchor members, and we got to eat for free with our coupons. Do sign up immediately for this society after you cruise once with RC. It is very worth it! Children's Clubs Did not have kids, but they sure looked like they were having fun! Entertainment The entertainment is absolutely wonderful aboard ship, especially the ice-skating show!! We had The Platters entertain us! A Beatle mania night! Non-stop fun in the evening! Disembarkation This went smoothly and quickly once your number was called. No complaints here. Overall- really enjoyed our relaxing cruise. I will cruise again, but I think I've had my fill for a little while. I really want better food and service on our next vacations, especially for what all you pay to go. Cruises are a bargain, but in order to get a little better food and service, you really pay.