We left Los Angeles on March 1, 2009 on Mariner of the Seas. We had registered ahead online and we sailed through registration at the port so we were onboard in no time at all. We received our luggage within an hour after we boarded the beautiful ship, so we unpacked and got settled. Stan's brother and his wife joined us for a glass of wine in our cabin and we discussed which excursions all of us would like to do over the next few days. Overall, the trip was both relaxing and stimulating. Even though the ship was full, we were able to move about the ship with ease except in the Concierge Lounge around dinner time. The crowds in the Concierge Lounge were the worst we have experienced on any Royal Caribbean ship. It simply was not worth going there in the evening because the lines were too long and there was not place to sit. We found the food in the dining room to be adequate. The lobster was some of the best we have eaten on any ship. Many of the soups were more of a bisque consistency than any thing else. We had an enjoyable dinner in the Portofino's Restaurant one night. The Royal Caribbean singers and dancers were very good and some of the best entertainment on the ship. The 80's night on the promenade was really entertaining too.

Two of the three excursions we took were really fun. We would not recommend the first one we did in Cabo. We took the trip to the beach resort. We met the group going on this excursion, stood behind the lady with the paddle at the port and followed her on a short walk to the Taxi vans who drove us the the beach resort. We were escorted to the pool area and covered outdoor restaurant and given a choice of two entrees with limeade or a mimosa. Once we had eaten, we were on our own. We found our way to the beach and finally found 4 chairs with umbrellas on 2 of the them. We worked to position the chairs to cover most of all the chairs. We set out there for a couple of hours before it was time to return to the meeting place to meet the taxis that would return us to the ship. We were reminded that the water in the Pacific is much cooler than the water in the Atlantic; we chose not to swim, but we walked along the beach and the waves up to our knees.

The next two excursions we did were much more active and more fun. In Mazatlan, we rode 4-wheelers along sand dunes and then along the beach. We took a small boat across from the ship and then a tractor driven wagon to the excursion site to get on the 4-wheelers. We had a brief lesson on how to operate the transportation we would be riding and told how to tie on the handkerchiefs across our face to protect us from dust. We put on our helmets and started out. First we rode along the sand dunes above the beach and then back along the back roads across grassy areas along palm trees. We rode along and a small lake and then back to the beach where we were able to race alongside the beach to a restaurant for some refreshment before heading back to the ship. We all enjoyed the excursion. Read more