At Sea with Royal Caribbean’s Mariner of the Seas

Mariner of the Seas

Hey loves,

If you’ve followed me on Instagram you know that I started my 2019 on a cruise with Royal Caribbean. My best friend of 20 years turned 30 and there was no way I was going to miss out. This was my 2nd cruise but my 1st on royal Caribbean, and must say they will see me again. I paid for my cruise out of pocket however I did team up with Royal Caribbean to share with you all my experience on board the Mariner of the Seas ship.

My cruise was only 3 days, which for me, was absolutely perfect. We left on a Friday and returned on a Monday. It is ideal for someone who isn’t able take a full week off from work but maybe have a 3 day weekend available. We had 2 ports of call; coco cay island & Nassau, Bahamas.

Why consider a 3 day cruise? If you’re new to cruising, you may not want to go full force on a 7 day or 10 day cruise. A 3 day cruise allows you to experience what cruising is like and if you prefer more time on board the ship or more ports of call, you can plan longer trips.

On Board

There was no shortage of things to do on board. I went on a charm bracelet scavenger hunt, learned all about shopping for diamonds, I watched Crazy Rich Asians at midnight poolside, I slept on a cabana, I watched the sunrise while eating breakfast on a cabana, I saw a comedy show, I danced, I drank, I even saw and ice skating show. Royal Caribbean’s mariner of the seas ship has all the activities you need from sun up to sun down.

To keep up with what was going on on board, every night our stateroom steward Mario gave us a schedule for the next day’s activities. Your TV had a schedule that looped during the day, and by every elevator bank on board there was an interactive screen that allowed you to see what was going at every single moment on board and helped you figure out how to get there.

One of my favorite events on board was seeing the ice show. Yes they had a full ice skating show on board. And it was AWESOME! Royal Caribbean is known for having fantastic performance on board. You will be entertained from start to finish.

The Royal Promenade is where you can do all your shopping and grab a bite to eat.

Tired of laying out by the pool, no worries you can hit the water slide, the sky pad, the flowrider, the jungle gym and more.

Lodging

For every cruise that I go on, I will ALWAYS pay for the balcony room. I’m telling you it makes all the difference in the world. I like being able to sit outside and take in the water. I like being able to fall asleep and leave the balcony door open hearing the ocean. With a busy ship, it’s nice to take an hour or 2 to sit on your balcony away from the other passengers. If you’re someone that uses your cabin just to shower & sleep maybe an interior or an ocean view room is best for you.

My stateroom was well tended to during my time on board. Mario was my stateroom steward and made a point to remember my name and greeted me every single time he saw me. If he knew he needed to come and turn down the beds, he would ask what time works best for me, or what time I would like for him to come in. I was given his business card so I could reach out to him whenever I needed him.

That is something I enjoy about cruises, you get to the know the staff on board because you will see the same faces everyday. You have the same stateroom steward every day. You’ll have the same waiters at dinner. So it’s very easy to build some sort of relationship with them during your trip.

The crowd 

Many of you asked me on Instagram how I was able to take pictures without people around. One thing; GET UP EARLY. I take into account that I was on one of the 1st cruises of 2019 so it wasn’t SUPER crowded. However, I’m somewhat of an early riser, so I made sure to get to the pool/hot tub area as soon as it opened at 9am. I also utilized the adult only area of the ship. This is what really sold me on this cruise.

The Solarium was the 16+ pool, hot tub & lounge area. There was 1 pool 2 very generous hot tubs, 10 cabanas that over looked the water, day beds and lounge chairs. It was nice to lay on a cabana without someone’s 5 year yelling for mommy. It was nice to swim in the pool or lay out by the pool without having someone’s kid splashing around and making noise.

Shop this Becca Etc. bathing suit

I also took advantage of the ship while at our ports of call when most people would be off the ship. When we arrived at coco cay beach, the ship itself doesn’t not port directly on shore. The ship is still in the middle of the water and that have smaller tender boats that will transport you from the ship to the island. I didn’t run off the ship right away. I used that time to find places to take pictures and get in the pool.

If you’ve never been on a cruise check out my Tips for 1st Time Cruisers video on my YouTube channel for some tips to think about before you go. Want to know how much fun I had? Watch my vlog here. Also shop my looks in this post here.

xoxo,

Shay

This post is sponsored by Royal Caribbean. All thoughts and opinions are my own.


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10 Comments

  1. Kendro
    January 16, 2019 / 9:24 pm

    Girl I’m loving this, you look so cute. A 3 day cruise is right up my alley because I personally don’t like to be away for too long. Glad you had fun!

  2. Jaye
    January 17, 2019 / 10:19 am

    I honestly have never wanted to go on a cruise but this looks like a great ship. And I love your swim looks and tips for capturing content.

  3. Jessica Gordon
    January 17, 2019 / 10:56 am

    First of all, you look amazing in your pics! I am glad you and Bestie were able to bring in the 30th with a bang. I am considering a cruise and prefer shorter cruises as well. Thanks for sharing.

  4. Stacie
    January 17, 2019 / 6:07 pm

    Believe it or not, I’ve never been on a cruise. I would love to just hang out on a ship as it is docked. Looks super fun!

  5. T. Espinoza
    January 18, 2019 / 11:02 am

    I really shouldn’t have read this because now I’m ready to pack up and leave right this second LOL. And your pictures… I’m dying! I’ve been on two cruises but both were with Carnival. This Royal Caribbean ship looks AMAZING though and I’d love to check them out.

  6. Nadalie Bardo
    January 18, 2019 / 11:03 am

    You are having such a great time on this cruise ship. I’ve never been on a cruise ship, it’s on my bucket list of course.

  7. Kasi
    January 18, 2019 / 1:53 pm

    This cruise looks so fun! And I see you working it in these gorgeous swimsuit pics! You definitely started the year off right!

  8. Ola
    January 21, 2019 / 8:39 pm

    I haven’t been on a cruise in years. I do love Royal Caribbean. All of my experiences with them have been great.

  9. Sheena
    January 23, 2019 / 8:52 am

    You betta werk! I’m making note to get up early for pics when we plan our cruise. The shots that you got are stunning. I love the large window in your room, too! I see you RC!

  10. ShaBree Henry
    January 24, 2019 / 3:56 pm

    I love cruising. I haven’t used Royal Caribbean for a very long time. Looks like you had a blast. I’ll have to check them out.

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