The embarkation process in Civitavecchia was very smooth. We had arranged our own transfer from the airport and we arrived around 11:30. Total time for checking in - 1/2hr.The ship was amazing but is starting to show its age in certain areas. The decor look a little dated.Our cabin was the standard layout of most balcony cabins. It felt a little smaller or cramped compared to Celebrity.The main Dining room was probably the most impressive I have come across - 3 levels.We had to go and have our table changed - we were not seated at the same table as our travelling companions. The dining staff had the problem fixed in 10 minutes - we ended up right beside the Captains table, in front of the beautiful sweeping stairway. Could not have asked for a better table location.The food was a vast improvement from our RCC cruise about 6 years ago. Great variety and the presentation and proportions were bang on. However I would stay away from the steaks - they still have not figured out how to cook a steak - not very tender.The Mariner of the Seas staff really seemed to care about you. We met Freddy (waiter in the Boleros Bar) on the first day and by the third day he knew our names and our favorite drinks. We always stopped by prior to going in for dinner and then again later in the evening. He always greeted us by our names even if we were just walking past the bar on our way to the Casino.My only complaint would be the way the staff handled the line ups prior to going on the Excursions.The whole process seemed very disorganized. Most of our Excursions started off by assembling in the theatre. The entry into the theatre worked fairly well - you were given your bus number sticker and asked to be seated. People were scattered all over the theatre - seating by your number would have worked better. Once your bus number was called you were asked to proceed down to the gangway on deck 1. This is were thing became a mess - people were rushing out of the theatre, some even trying to get out through the entry doors. Things should have been roped off - from the theatre all the way down the stairs to the gangway. Most people seemed to follow the person ahead of them down one side of the stairs but since you were not contained with roped off areas - people tried to sneak down the other side only to cause a major backup when trying to get back in line when disembarking.The itinerary was amazing on this cruise - we had originally booked because of the stop in Egypt - this was changed to Istanbul because of the problems in Cairo. Our 2 day stop in Istanbul, Turkey turned out to be one of our favourite ports. So much to see and experience - very friendly people.Would I do this cruise again - Yes, without a second thought.