I'll admit that the last several cruises on RCL owned ships were under the Celebrity flag, but I have been on several RCL ships in the past. The Mariner is a beautiful ship with an excellent staff. My focus in this review concerns the food that was available and those items that are no longer part of the normal RCL experience.

The bathroom amenities included small bars of hotel soap and shampoo from a dispenser in the shower. There is no longer lotion provided or shower gel. There are no chocolates on the pillow.

The food in the dining room for lunch three days was the tutti salad where chefs prepare large salads to order. This was a great food. The self serve frozen yogurt near the swimming pool was excellent. Dinners in the dining room consisted of a list "starters" which might include a soup, salad or appetizers. While it was OK to ask for an appetizer, soup and salad most people only chose one. The effect was one course before the entree not three, which has been tradition. RCL was able to eliminate two courses without most people noticing. The entree choices seemed acceptable but the beef was no longer "choice" but rather "select" grade. Notice the difference in price the next time you visit your local butcher between select and choice. The difference in taste is quite noticeable. Read more