If you have any concerns traveling now due to COVID, rest assured that Royal Caribbean is still offering a safe and enjoyable experience.
Embarkation
4 out of 5
Our embarkation was delayed because the previous cruise had a medical emergency which caused the ship to arrive back to the port later. As a result, everyone's embarkation time was delayed 3 hours. It was a little chaotic once we first arrived because some people did not follow directions and just came whenever, but the Royal Caribbean staff did an excellent job handling everything and once we were let into the terminal things went smoothly.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
5 out of 5
Main dining had excellent service and quality food as usual. The specialty restaurants we tried (Johnny Rockets, Chops Grill, and Izumi Hibachi) all had great food and service. I must say, that even though the ship was understaffed at some of the restaurants, you could not tell. They worked their tails off to provide the same level of quality service. We only knew they were understaffed after chatting with a couple of the staff.
Onboard Activities
5 out of 5
My husband and I mostly relaxed by the pool on the upper deck with our drinks, but our boys (Ages 9 & 12) enjoyed the water slide, Flow Rider, basketball courts and of course the pool.
Children's Programs
3 out of 5
This is one area that has suffered a little, at least for now. Ages 5-11 were combined in the kids club and there was limited capacity due to COVID. My 9-year old only went to one session whereas for previous Cruises he wanted to go AM and PM. This may just be a function of my children getting older, but I think the limited activities that the kids club was able to offer naturally nudged him to try out other things on the ship. Any parents wanting to take advantage of the kids club should register the first day of the cruise and plan to get to the kids club 20 minutes before the time slot you want.
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
Exceptional staff and service everywhere per usual. Wait staff was exceptional, both in the dining venues but I also noticed the wait staff on the deck in the pool and sunbathing areas were much more attentive than previous cruises I have taken. This may have just been a function of fewer guests on the ship since the ships are still sailing at reduced capacity, but it was much appreciated.
Ship Quality
5 out of 5
Mariner is a nice ship, many areas renovated in 2018. The cabins are still older but they are clean and the room attendants were great. We really enjoyed our balcony room.
Cabin / Stateroom
4 out of 5
Very clean. Was happy to see a mattress pad that made the beds more comfortable, otherwise they would have been very hard. Only reason I don't rate this as excellent is because since the rooms have not been remodeled the bathrooms are not very nice. Clean, but definitely old.
Stayed on the ship. We were not interested in any excursions and recent reviews have said the beach is not in great shape so we decided to stay on and enjoy the ship amenities.
This was our second time on Coco Cay and we had an even better time than the first! We grabbed a quick breakfast, got to the waterpark early, and headed to our Cabana. Cabana service is always top notch. Kids were able to ride the bigger water slides with no wait for over an hour because Symphony of the Seas arrived to the island about an hour after us. We had lunch, then went over to the beach by taking the shuttle. Beach was great, not too crowded, and seats were plentiful. Last time we went to Coco Cay we did on full day at the waterpark and one full day at the beach. I think because of the reduced crowds and shorter lines that allowed us to do both in one day.
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