This was our 18th cruise and was everything and more than we expected. Those who have had bad comments about the Mariner in other reviews should be ashamed of themselves. We sailed on The Mariner on July 8 on a 10 day cruise (Aegean Allure), Athens to Istanbul. This was our first so-called luxury cruise.

The ship was wonderful even though it was much smaller than the mega-ships, there was more than enough deck space, public areas, bars, restaurants, without the crowds and waiting lines on bigger ships. Never a wait on buffets or sit-down restaurants. The Prime 7 Steakhouse and Signatures restaurants were as good as any 5-Star restaurant in the world and the Compass Rose and Sette Marie were also excellent. The service throughout the ship by all staff was tremendous. Twice during the cruise we ordered bottles of vodka and it was delivered to our cabin completely gratis.

The cabin was spacious with a walk in closet and large bathroom with ample sitting areas. The balcony was large enough to have dinner served, course by course, on three of the evenings that we chosee not to go to one of the restaurants. Service was prompt and the food was delicious. Read more