Mariner of the Seas operates under the Royal Caribbean banner and is one of the five Voyager vessels owned by the company. Revamped back in 2012, the ship now offers, even more, family friendly cruising opportunities.
What Makes it Family Worthy?
In general, cruises are ideal for fuss-free family vacations since travelers get to pack and unpack only once while traveling. Moreover, there are many activities for everyone on such voyages, so boredom is unlikely to strike
Fellow Travelers
Families are the leading group of travelers found on board this ship, but a good amount of retirees and couples travel on this vessel as well.
Amenities
We got to cruise this splendid ship twice. Both our trips were to the Mexican Riviera, and we were not disappointed.
Though, gambling may be a favorite activity for some, there are many other shipboard pastimes that travelers can enjoy.
Rock climbing, ice skating, swimming, exercising, and shopping are all a fun way to spend the hours in between shore excursions. The ship offered a variety of shows and activities the most popular of which was by far the ice skating show.
Our kids found the dishes served on the Mariner are quite tasty, especially the entrees served in the three leveled main dining room. The service was also outstanding. Indeed, many of the staff members go above and beyond to ensure that their customers have a pleasant voyage.A word of caution to parents of noise sensitive kids- there are at least two nights in the dining room that the staff sing for the guests which can be quite noisy.
Also, we enjoyed dining at a specialty dining venue –Portofino which featured excellent Italian cuisine.
When out of our cabins our family spent most of the time on the twelfth and eleventh decks. The eleventh had the solarium which was an adults only zone while the twelfth had the sports activities, kids clubs, and a Johnny Rockets burger joint.
The Royal Promenade was a second favorite. With its shopping venues, pizza parlor, sandwich, and ice cream spots as well as parties and parades there was not a dull moment there.
Our connecting cabins
We stayed in connecting cabins 7595 and 7597 on the Promenade Deck.Our promenade facing cabins rooms had green carpeting with a fern leaf pattern on the floor and striped curtains. Many of the items in the suites were constructed from pale colored wood. However, the couches matched the carpeting and the linens on the beds were white. The bathroom in our suite had multicolored tile flooring as well as colorful accents throughout.
Our beds had comfortable sheets and plentiful pillows on them. The window in the suite overlooked the area where the night parades took place, which gave us an excellent vantage point and helped us avoid the crowds. Our rooms also contained a sizeable closet that had plenty of shelves and built in wooden hangers. It also housed the in-room safe.
More shelving units were found above the older style television. The television sat on a large, thin cabinet that was capable of holding even more of our belongings. A large mirror was placed above the typical desk area so that it could also serve as a vanity. A small, well-stocked fridge was included in the rooms, but the items found within cost extra, as is typical of the goodies found in most mini bars.
Our Bathrooms
The bathrooms were located close to the entrance doors. We found these facilities to be both spacious and well thought out. The shower pods in our cabins had a raised up section at its base so that the water did not splash out all over the floor.
There was a safety bar in the shower area, and the shower head could be used as a handheld device if necessary. Most of the towels that were provided were on a shelf that was high above the toilet, but there were also two additional towel racks at lower heights.
Extra toilet paper was readily available in the bathrooms, but it was somewhat thinner in texture than we would have preferred. The shelves under the sink had both a trash bin and a tissue dispenser. Cups for toothbrushes were also included near the large mirror.
Autism Travel Tips.
For walking around the ship, flip flops with a non-slip sole are highly recommended.
Parents should try to book entertainment shows tickets ahead of time to avoid disappointment.
They should let the ship staff know if their kids need accommodations ahead of time.l
Parents should consider booking promenade facing rooms for kids that are noise sensitive. These rooms block out the noise but still lets kids watch the nightly parades.
Since nonslip mats are not provided, families should pack their own for the bathrooms.
