When booking a cruise, it’s great to have as much information as possible. I like to know everything I can about a cruise ship before I set foot on it. It helps me manage my expectations. Today, I will share our experience, a Photo Tour And Review of Mariner of the Seas, a magnificent ship.
We recently cruised on Mariner of the Seas, on her last sailing out of Port Canaveral, before moving to Galveston Cruise Port on a five-night Mexico Cruise. My husband Chris and I travelled with our 18-year-old son Joe and friends, and their 29-year-old daughter (my goddaughter). This was their first ever cruise, so after recommending Royal Caribbean as our favourite cruise line, we felt under a bit of pressure that they enjoyed the cruise experience.
AD | We have been or could be if you click on a link in this post compensated via a cash payment, gift or something else of value for writing this post. As an Amazon Associate and Stay 22 we earn from qualifying purchases. See our full disclosure policy and privacy policy for more details.
Review Photo Tour of Mariner of the Seas
We chose Mariner of the Seas as I thought Mariner would be a great first cruise for our friends; it’s a smaller, older ship. As my goddaughter is autistic, we wanted a ship with a good-sized capacity to avoid overwhelming her on her first cruise. But also showcase some of the incredible activities Royal Caribbean has to offer.
Mariner of the Seas is a Voyager-class ship with 14 decks and launched in 2003 and has a passenger capacity of 4000 and a crew of 1200. Holding almost half of the passengers of some of the bigger Royal Caribbean Ships.
Despite being a 23-year-old gal, she is in great shape. She underwent a renovation programme in 2018, in which she was upgraded to have a lot of the features bigger ships have, with a small ship feel.
The Royal Promenade And Atrium
The Royal Promenade is the heart of nearly all Royal Caribbean Ships, and the promenade on Mariner didn’t disappoint. It is lined with cafes, bars and shops and has a natural, casual street feel. This is the place we head for a drink or snack after a day in port or for pre-dinner drinks. Bars and snacks on the Royal Promenade include…
- Playmakers, Sports Bar
- Barnacle and Barrel Pub
- The Bamboo Room
- Cafe Promenade with coffee station
- Free Style Machine for drinks package fizzy cups
The atrium on many cruise lines is the hub of the ship. While it is impressive and opens right up to the pool deck, it’s also the start of the Royal Promenade and the heart of all the action.
The Bamboo Lounge, Tiki Bar
The Bamboo Lounge is a super cool cocktail bar, one of the more chilled bars on the Royal Promenade. It’s a great place to meet friends or people-watch.
Most of the cocktails were included in the drinks package minimum which was $14 on our cruise. However, you could order anything over that and pay the extra.
Playmakers Sports Bar On Mariner of the Seas
Playmakers was our favourite bar on the promenade, I am not a sports fan, but the rest of the family are. There is a full advertised programme of sports games played daily, and a pool table. Plus, they set up games such as Jenga on the tables so there is always something to do. This is great when a group is travelling, we often played table games and had a glass of wine before getting ready for dinner.
Playmakers is part of the Speciality Dining programme, but far lower in cost. It’s a chilled-out vibe with great service offering delicious food.
The English Pub And Schooner Bar
The English pub, despite this picture, is mostly-busy and bustling and has a singer most nights.
Schooners Bar is one of the best bars on Royal Caribbean. It always has a singer singing American Song Book-type songs and hosts quizzes every night. We didn’t love the singer on this sailing. But that aside, the quizzes and cocktails were as great as always.
Plan Your Trip
Check out these handy links to help you booking your next trip.
The Theatre on Mariner of the Seas
The theatre is huge and impressive. It offers a selection of incredible nightly shows, including musicals and comedians. The productions are shown twice nightly, so you don’t miss out because of dining times.
Casino Royale
We spent a great evening in the casino. Although it is smaller than many of the ships we have been on, it felt more intimate. Our son, now 20, enjoyed the odd game of roulette with hubby. If I am honest, I don’t enjoy losing, so Iwill occasionally play a game, but I prefer to watch. I still find it odd that you can gamble but not drink at 19 under US laws.
I love that the entrance to the casinos on the older Royal Caribbean ships has these themed floors. This one was a circus theme, I could honestly spend hours looking at all the different elements.
The Sports Deck on Mariner of the Seas
The sports deck is fabulous for families; we spent a lot of time here, not only participating in the activities but also finding somewhere quieter to sit away from the pool. Also, top tip: Head to the aft of the ship for sailaway. The view is great and much quieter.
At the aft of the ship, you will find the Royal Dunes; this is a great place to go on a hot day at sea as there is always a breeze. No matter how old you are, you are never too old for crazy golf.
The Flowrider is a great addition to most of the Royal Caribbean Fleet; we love to ride it every time we cruise. The great thing is it’s free of charge, you can pay for extra lessons but the free style sessions are free.
Our boys are sports mad and this is where they can be found a lot of the time. The indoor courts are great on the Quantum Class Ships, but you can’t beat an outdoor sports court and there is a full programme of sporting activities to take part in.
Water Slides On Mariner of the Seas
This is what we loved about Mariner of the Seas: despite being a 22-year-old ship, she still had many of the features of the newer ships but with fewer crowds. This alone would influence me to book an older ship that has been renovated again.
The Main Pool on Mariner of the Seas
The pool was a great area but was always super busy, apart from on a port day, with sunbeds reserved from very early. The solarium pool was very much the same. I have to say; for this reason alone, I prefer to avoid the pool and loud music and opt for somewhere quiet aft of the ship.
There is no splash zone on the Mariner of the Seas for non-potty-trained children. However, children who are potty-trained can use the pool, and lifejackets are provided. If you are travelling with younger children, the play area at the back of the ship is a great area to play and cool down in the breeze.
There Are Three Pool Bars
There are three bars located around the pool: an upper and lower bar at the main pool, plus a bar at the solarium pool. The bars were never so busy that you had to wait too long for drinks. And there were servers walking around constantly, so you never struggled to get a drink. Also, kiddies could refill their Freestyle cups in the Windjammer aft of the ship.
Most cocktails at the pool bar were $14 and sat within the drinks package limit. There was a great selection of cocktails, plus the bar staff were more than happy to make you off-menu items. The service was excellent.
Food On Mariner of the Seas
The food on the Mariner of the Seas was excellent. We did a combination of free anytime dining and speciality and never had a bad meal. Notably, the quality of service was comparable no matter where we ate.
The Main Dining Room
The main dining room was outstanding; although we have come to expect great service on Royal Caribbean in general, I felt the service in the Mariner dining room was more elevated. I am guessing this is the small ship factor. Staff work every bit as hard, but the dining room is smaller with fewer passengers. It felt much more intimate than some of the bigger ships.
The Dog House Is A Great Place To Get Snacks
I wasn’t too bothered about the Dog House, but I have to say the hot dogs were amazing. This is located right near the pool, so it’s great for lunchtime snacks. There are a few flavours to choose from, and it was always busy.
The Buffet Restaurant
We are not buffet fans, but again, being smaller made the Windjammer feel more manageable and less manic. We ate the odd lunch here; there was lots of choice, and the food was good and we always managed to get a seat. However, I would always opt for the main restaurant where possible for a more elevated service.
Teppanyaki Speciality Dining
We always like to try at least one speciality dining experience, and this time, we decided on Izumi Teppanyaki. The premier combo, which included sea scallops and lobster, cost us $59.99 each. If you haven’t tried Teppanyaki before, add it to the wish list. Ok, it’s all about the show and the experience, but the food was incredible. You know, one of those meals you want to eat again the next morning.
The Promenade Deck
Mariner of the Seas has a traditional promenade deck that allows you to walk right around the ship, and the views from the aft are worth the trip. Plus its a great way to work off lunch.
And don’t rule out a family game of shuffleboard on deck it’s a great family activity.
Would We Cruise Mariner of the Seas Again?
Yes, in a heartbeat, the ship does show some signs of being older, especially when you cruise on the newer ships like Oasis of the Seas. If I am honest, I prefer Oasis Class ships; despite being bigger and carrying more passengers, they seem to have more space.
However, the smaller ships, such as Mariner, should not be discounted; they have a charm that made me fall in love with Royal Caribbean, and they offer a more intimate service. And still have a selection of the activities that the larger ships have, but without the overwhelm.
