The Mariner of the Seas cruise experience offers a lot for a family traveling together for adventure and relaxation. The entertainment was very diverse and well executed offering a lot of fun for all ages. The dining experiences were fantastic with a beautiful dining room and great service. The design of the ship is very festive and pretty with more glass elevators than many other shops in the RC fleet.
Embarkation
5 out of 5
Fastest I have ever gotten onto a cruise ship
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
4 out of 5
Main dining room offered great service and dishes. However, food at windjammer buffet was not as good as in the past which brought down the score.
Onboard Activities
5 out of 5
Weather played a factor in some ship activities access. But the activities themselves were great.
Entertainment
5 out of 5
Music was great and shows fantastic, both in the main theatre and ice show.
Children's Programs
5 out of 5
Our 8 year old had a wonderful time at the arcade and adventure ocean.
Service and Staff
3 out of 5
Dining staff was exceptional. However, many crew members did not know any details about activities like bingo, not could they direct me to someone who did. I had an excursion purchased by a third party, not through RC, and the excursion staff would not help me or answer any questions at all about simple things like the layout of the port or where the tacos were. Because I used another agency for an excursion they were rude and deliberately disrespectful. This brought down my cruise experience more than anything else.
Shop merchants were also uneven in treatment. The liquor store merchant was very kind and helpful with a scavenger hunt we were doing, so was the bar staff at the casino. However, the souvenir shop merchants were not very friendly.
Ship Quality
5 out of 5
Easy to find your way around.
Cabin / Stateroom
5 out of 5
Cabin was bigger than most hotel rooms. Bunk beds and curtains provided ways a having separation in the room in a convenient way. Windows offered great views of our travels. I would say that lower decks might offer less of a view because the bow of the ship. A bathtub would be a great addition as my only advice on improvement.
Ship tip
Use the app to find out what is going on on the ship. There is usually only one big show per night so plan that around your dining time. My time dining offers reserved time for dinner, usually later in the evening. However, it also allow you to reserve before you get on the ship. First night reservations are always a zoo, so having dinner plans locked in in advance is very helpful.
There are a lot of merchants that by for your attention. That can weigh on you. However, port was beauty, aviary was fun, and excursion access points were easy to find.
Royal Caribbean needs to be a little more specific about how to use their options concerning getting luggage off the ship. I thought we were leaving our bags to be taken the night before. However, the app was not very specific and we had to lug out bags around the ship on disembarkation day through the buffet and off the ship. While at the breakfast buffet, I saw many, and I mean many, passengers in our same situation who also did not get their bags picked up the night before even though they wanted that service. Some had 8-10 bags they had to cart around. It needed to be more clear on the app.
*Cruiseline.com is not a booking agent or travel agency,
and does not charge any service fees to users of our site. Our partners
(travel agencies and cruise lines) provide prices, which we list for our
users' convenience. Cruiseline.com does not guarantee any specific rates or
prices. While prices are updated daily, please check with the booking site
for the exact amount. Cruiseline.com is not responsible for content on
external web sites.
Contact us
Submitting...
Need help from a personal vacation planner?
Loading...
Find the perfect cruise with weekly tips and cruise deals for as little as $30/night!
Sign up for weekly cruise deals
Join other subscribers and get the best
cruise deals of the week in your inbox every Thursday.
