My boyfriend and I went to the Mariner of the Seas in August 2010. We had wanted to go on a cruise - any cruise - and were told that Royal Caribbean was the one to go on. We had an amazing time and met some awesome people that we keep in contact with! We're planning another one as soon as we have the chance to go - probably with Royal Caribbean again.

Embarkation:

We had family in the area that dropped us off at the port and we went go to stand in line although it was only 10:30-11ish. There was a line already forming and we could see people already boarding the boat so we jumped in line. The check-in was smooth (I had a labeled and prepared folder with passports, IDs, credit cards, etc. - I over plan) and we were on the boat about 30 minutes after being dropped off. We were told that staterooms wont be open until 1ish (as I recall) but we were free to roam the ship or eat at the Lido restaurant. We walked around looking at everything, occasionally getting lost, and eventually found our way to the pool. There were other passengers already hanging out in the hot tub and we decided to join them and made great friends before we even left! Read more