If you are thinking of cruising on Mariner of the Seas, do it! It's a beautiful ship with so much to see and do that you might need a vacation from your vacation! Check-in was the easiest, fastest we've ever had. We arrived at the terminal at 11:45 and were on the ship by noon. Before you leave home, print out all the deck plans for the ship because they no longer pass out detailed diagrams when you get on the ship. There are lots of "you are here" signs but very little guidance from the staff unless you look very puzzled and approach someone. After six previous cruises where helpful smiling faces were everywhere to give you directions on day one, this is a bit of a "do it yourself" ship. The first two days are spent trying to figure out how the heck to get to someplace you want to go. You know the deck and you know which part of the ship, but getting there easily without a lot of trial and error is not likely unless you are prepared ahead of time. It's easy to find the buffet restaurant but just try to find the ice skating rink or the convention center. You've just got to KNOW that certain spots on deck 2 have limited access. My husband said this was a very easy ship to navigate around but I found it difficult. Maybe it's a man/woman thing.

Our cabin 6252 was perfect. I was surprised to find even more storage that we needed and a lovely balcony, bigger than we've ever had. The beds were simply wonderful. Although we were situated above the busy Deck 5 Royal Promenade and only four doors down from the elevators & stairs, I didn't hear any noise. Deck 6 is quite convenient. We were above the Cafe Promenade which is open 24/7 so it was a breeze to zip down the stairs for a cup of hot tea or a cookie.

The food was very good everywhere on the ship except for Johnny Rockets. (Don't bother going. It's $4.95 cover charge which only covers your hamburger & fries...your milk shake is another $4.50. The service was terrible. It took over $15 and 45 minutes to get 1 cold hamburger, 1 cold hot dog, and a peculiar looking milk shake. The food tasted like it had been cooked hours before.) Read more