Background InformationWe are a 25 year old couple, and this was our fourth cruise.  It was our first (and probably only!) Mexican Riviera cruise, and our third on Royal Caribbean.  We decided to book another Voyager class ship after we had such a great time on Adventure of the Seas last April.  We settled on Mariner, and booked April 19th to avoid both the Spring Break crowd and the end of school/summer vacation crowd.  This is a long review, so skip to the summary at the end if you want our overall opinion.ShipEmbarkation went very smoothly, and we were on the ship within 30 minutes of entering the embarkation pavilion.  The ship has been well maintained.  The Promenade looked great, and the other public areas of the ship were very clean.  The pool area was clean, and there were plenty of deck chairs available, and surprisingly, not too much chair hogging on our one sunny day at sea.  The air filters in the ship did not seem to be as effective as other ships that we've been on, and we were both very bothered by smoke in the Wig & Gavel pub.  The casino filters were fine, and the smoke did not bother us there.StateroomOur inside stateroom was small, as expected, but the size was fine for both of us.  Besides the bed and vanity/desk, we also had a small couch and coffee table.  We felt that the room upkeep was not as good as other cruises.  We had a huge smudge on our mirror the first day upon check in, and it remained for the duration of the cruise.  The duvet on our bed had a large yellow stain on it, and there were other stains on the sheets/pillowcases.  As noted in the other reviews, the dresser drawers did stick!  This was our first cabin towards the front of the ship, and it was LOUD.  It sounded like we had a staff elevator behind the room, or at least near it, and we heard loud banging noises throughout the night and all day.PassengersOverall, passengers on Mariner of the Seas were a fun group!  We didn't meet anyone else from the East Coast, everyone we spoke to was from California or Canada.  The average age seemed to be early thirties to early forties, but there were really people of all ages.  There were more kids than we expected there to be on a cruise at the end of the April, but they were really all very well behaved and blended in with the adults.Dining Room & My Time DiningWe were very disappointed in the food on this cruise.  We normally eat in the dining room every night, but on this cruise we only ate there four times.  The portion sizes were smaller than normal, and the food tasted very bland.  We still enjoyed the Fisherman's Plate - and helped ourselves to seconds on the lobster!  Other than that, the food was nothing to write home about.  We ate breakfast in the Dining Room one time, and felt that the food was the same as what was offered Windjammer. We decided to try My Time Dining for this cruise, mostly because we wanted to get a table for two.  We signed up on the first day, and only made reservations for the first night.  After that, we would just show up whenever we wanted to eat, and never had to wait.  We ate in the same generally area each night.  The tables for two are set up very close to each other, but you do have your own table.  We were not very happy with our waiter - he was not enthusiastic at all, and didn't even bother to explain the specials or his recommendations for the night.  The assistant waiter was very nice though, and we always received our food .  We noticed that the cocktail waitress never came around at all on any of the nights.  Windjammer/JadeThe food in Windjammer was consistently good - and the selection was just as we had remembered.  We especially were impressed with the Jade section - there were different options for lunch and dinner that were delicious and offered a change from the regular buffet fare.  The breakfast selection was less broad than lunch and dinner, but still consistent in quality.  One thing we did notice was the chocolate milk was not out every morning as it had been on past cruises - but when we requested it, they did have it behind the counter in the fridge and gave it to us every morning.  Windjammer was VERY crowded, and we had more difficulty finding tables than we did on the Adventure.Other FoodWe used our Crown & Anchor coupons to eat at Johnny Rocket's one afternoon.  We like eating there on a port day, since we can sit outside and enjoy the scenery.  The service was not bad, and the food was pretty good.We ate at Chops the last evening of our cruise after debating all week whether or not we wanted to spend the extra money.  We did, and were SO glad!  Our food was delicious, and we got to enjoy the beginning of a beautiful sunset while we were eating.  The service was great, and our waiter spent plenty of time explaining the different cuts of meat and his recommendations.  My boyfriend had the filet, and I had the new york strip, and they were both perfectly cooked.  There was plenty of food, especially compared to MDR portions!  We definitely recommend eating in Chops, and will do so again in the future.Activities & ShowsWe felt that the activities and shows were a mixed bag.  Abe Hughes was our cruise director (we had him on Majesty before, and thought he was great!) and he helped make the activities as fun as possible.  Here are descriptions of the best shows and activities we participated in and went to:Comedy Live @ Ellington's - We had two different sets of comedians for our trip.  Jim David & Kelly McDonald were the comedians for the first half, and Kivi Rogers & Steve Smith were on the second half.  They were absolutely hilarious, and the highlight of our onboard activities.  You do have to get tickets on the first night of the cruise, and even though we went up to Ellington's as soon as they were announced, some of the shows were already "sold out".  Trivia & Name That Tune - We tend to turn into Trivia junkies on board, and this cruise (with two days at sea that had COLD weather!) was no exception.  The trivia sessions were well run, although the prizes were always those RCCL water wallets.  Beware - the Harry Potter trivia is HARD! As far as Name That Tune, the crowd really gets into it and we had a ton of fun.  Ice Under the Big Top  - We were really impressed with the ice show.  We hadn't liked it on Adventure, but were glad that we gave it another try.  On the Mariner, you didn't have to get tickets, but the seats do fill up fast so I recommend getting there early.  They had a guest skater that was amazing - if you are anything like me (klutzy enough on dry land!), you will be blown away by what these skaters can do, even on a ship in rough seas!Captain's Corner - We loved Captain Per Kristofferson, and this was a short presentation where CD Abe interviewed him and he talked about life on the Mariner.  He was so funny, and we learned quite a bit.  They also showed a preview film about the Oasis, and then had a 30+ minute Q&A session with the Captain.Of course the usual, Quest, Love & Marriage Game Show, and parades went on everyday.  Overall, we were not impressed with the shows in the theatre each night - The Nelson Brothers, Pure Energy (80's).  The juggler, Ivan Pecel, that headlined the Welcome Aboard Show and Farewell Variety Spectacular was pretty good, but the rest of the shows were just okay.  I've seen MUCH better shows on RCCL ships in the past, and I hope to see much better in the future!PortsWe had great weather, and really enjoyed the excursions we chose in each port.Cabo San Lucas - We booked the Sun & Fun Snorkel Trip through the ship on the Oceanus.  We had been held up tendering from the ship, and were 15 minutes late.  The Oceanus crew waited for us, and assured us that it was no problem that we were late. The crew was very friendly, and knowledgeable of the area and wildlife around Cabo.  We got a siteseeing trip up the coast, then headed out to Chileno Bay for snorkeling.  We brought our own snorkel equipment, but the boat did have enough equipment for everyone.  We were required to wear life jackets for the duration of the snorkeling.  The water was chilly at the end of April, but we still braved it long enough to snorkel for about an hour.  The visibility was pretty good, and we had a very enjoyable time.  After we returned to the Oceanus, the crew had snacks (nachos and cheese, tuna and vegetables) and drinks (open bar!) available for us.  As soon as your glass was empty, one of the crew was there with a new drink.  As a bonus, we saw a mother and baby whale on our way back to the marina!  We had a great time, and would definitely recommend the excursion.  Mazatlan - We booked Randi's Happy Horses on our own, and had a great time!  Randi met us in the marketplace at the port, and we took water taxis over to Stone Island (the water taxi is a bit of a thrill ride on it's own - I'm not sure I'd trust something like that in the US, but hey, we were on vacation and it was an adventure!).  They transported us to the farm where the horses were, and the friendly family that works there matched us up to our horses.  The horses were clean and looked to be healthy and well cared for.  We rode for about an hour and a half on a gorgeous, wide open beach with our guide Tony.  Towards the end of the ride, everyone stops and the guides take your picture so that you will have a great picture of your group on your horses as a souvenir.  After the ride, Randi meets you at Victor's, a great restaurant right on the beach.  The garlic shrimp were to die for, and Randi buys your first drink.  Although the vendors approached us frequently, a simple "No gracias" was effective enough.  After eating, you have about an hour to explore the area and the beach before being transported back to the pier.Puerto Vallarta - We got a little daring, and booked the Outdoor Adventure tour through the ship.  It was more expensive than booking it on our own, but since it was an all day excursion we wanted to make sure that we didn't miss the ship!  The guides meet you at the ship, and you take a speed boat trip over to the other side of the harbor.  We saw a lot of dolphins on the way over!  They met us with a huge truck, which bounced us up the mountain to the Vallarta Adventure camp.  The guides took a lot of time getting us in our gear and explaining safety procedures to us, which made me feel very secure.  We then rode burros up the hill to the beginning of the ziplining course.  There were a lot more ziplines than I was expecting - probably 7 or 8, and they were all really long.  It was so much fun!  There was also the opportunity to rappel down a waterfall and from a freestanding platform.  We were so proud of ourselves - especially me, since I'm scared of heights!  After completing the course, we had the opportunity to view all the professional photos and purchase them ($20 each or $76 for a CD of all the photos of your group - yikes!) before they transported us back down to the village, and we took the speedboat back to the ship.  We loved it, and this was definitely one of our best excursions ever!Days at SeaJust a warning - keep in mind that the trip down to the ports is still chilly this time of year.  We got lucky and had a beautiful warm day on our first day at sea.  We expected slightly colder weather for the last day, but we had FREEZING weather on both of the days at sea at the end of the trip.  Winds were in excess of 45 mph each day too, so it was too windy to even go up on deck.  We wish we had been better prepared, with warmer clothes, for two days like this.DisembarkationWe decided to do express disembarkation, because we thought we were going to run into problems with customs since the swine flu was just breaking out and we had been around livestock and on farm with our excursions.  We headed down to the Schooner Bar around 7:45 a.m. with our luggage, and it was mobbed!  Apparently, tons of people had the same idea we did!  Luckily, once they started letting people off the ship at 8:15 everyone fell into a fairly orderly line and we were off the ship in about fifteen minutes.  As far as Customs?  They didn't even glance at our Customs forms!SummaryOverall, we enjoyed our cruise but felt that the Mariner of the Seas couldn't hold a candle to the Adventure - despite being such a similar ship.  Our main gripe with the ship was the quality of the food, and other other problem was the staff.  We have never encountered a ship with such quiet and reserved staff as the Mariner has.  With the exception of Noel in the Schooner Bar, we didn't find any of the bartenders to be very friendly or talkative.  Our cabin steward did an okay job, but was not very friendly either.  Our waiter was the worst - almost unfriendly in his manner, and very abrupt in answering questions.  One of our favorite things about cruising on Royal Caribbean has always been the friendly staff, and we felt that not having that really made a difference in our experience on the Mariner.  We had a great time on our excursions though and in the ports, although because of the weather, we probably won't do a Mexican Riviera cruise again, and if we did, it wouldn't be on the Mariner.