Mariner of the Seas - Pacific Northwest Cruise

I had been delighted when I found out, over a year ago, that a Voyager-class ship, the Mariner of the Seas, was coming out to the West Coast. These big ships had intrigued me with their ice-skating rinks, rock-climbing walls, inline skating, etc. However, in the meantime, I cruised on Explorer of the Seas, another Voyager-class ship, to the Caribbean, and satisfied my curiosity about the ships at that time. By the time the Mariner came out to California, since I had already been on cruises to Mexico, I had no immediate plans to book a cruise on her.

That all changed when I learned that, due to the Swine Flu, there had been an itinerary change from Mexico, and the Mariner of the Seas was actually going to stop in San Francisco, a city close to my home, and then proceed up to Seattle and Victoria, Canada. I had never been to Seattle or Victoria, and had especially wanted to visit Victoria ever since members of my family had gone there and told me all about how beautiful it was - particularly Butchart Gardens - and how wonderful their stay had been at the Empress hotel. Read more