It’s that time again to pack my suitcase, find some sunscreen and swab my nose for a negative covid test! My next Royal Caribbean adventure begins on April 19 when I’ll be boarding Mariner of the Seas for a 4-night Bahamas sailing from Port Canaveral, Florida.
Each day, I will be live blogging my cruise to share our experience onboard Mariner of the Seas! I am very excited to share my cruise experience with y'all.
Our itinerary includes one sea day and stops at both Perfect Day at CocoCay and Nassau, Bahamas. Nothing like a short and sweet cruise to break up a normal work week!
This cruise was actually very cheap for an inside guarantee cabin, costing us just $62 a night. Since I live in northern Florida, the trek down to Port Canaveral is well worth the drive for this quick getaway cruise.
We've already been assigned our cabin, which is located near the back of the ship according to deck plans. Since it's a short cruise, I'm not too concerned about the cabin location.
We booked this cruise only 2 weeks ago, making this officially a ‘last minute cruise deal’ in my book. I've never booked a cruise this close to departure, but I love the feeling of being more spontaneous than I typically am in life.
My normal cruise buddy (my husband) is currently deployed, so I will be cruising with my sister. We are looking forward to having a sister cruise, something we’ve never actually done before in all of our years of cruising together as a family.
Fond Memories
I am super excited to be sailing on Mariner of the Seas. The first time I sailed on Mariner of the Seas was 16 years ago in 2006 with my family; in fact, that was one of my first Royal Caribbean cruises. Mariner of the Seas was a shiny new ship back in 2006 and I remember being in awe of our cruise ship having an ice skating rink!
The most recent time I sailed onboard Mariner of the Seas was in January 2017 with my (now) husband back when we were in college. With a full month off during our J-term, we were so excited to sail around Asia and experience an entirely new part of the world together.
We took a wonderful 7-night Southeast Asia itinerary from Singapore to Thailand and Malaysia. We visited an elephant sanctuary, explore temples and visited floating villages. After exploring the culturally rich ports each day, Mariner of the Seas was so comfortable to return to each night.
Needless to say, I have very fond memories of sailing on Mariner of the Seas. I’ve always been a big fan of Royal Caribbean’s Voyager Class ships. I personally think they are the perfect size with just enough bells and whistles.
The Cruise
I haven’t taken a quick getaway cruise in probably 10 years! Since I've never lived that close to a port, we always did a 7-night cruise to make the trip worthwhile. In fact, it seems over the years we’ve been taking longer cruises rather than short ones, so I am interested to see how the atmosphere is different when the sailing is much shorter.
My sister and I both work remotely - so we will be testing out the internet capabilities and VPN connectivity while sailing as well. I've had good experience with the internet speed on other Royal Caribbean ships, so I am hoping Mariner of the Seas will be no different.
Our first port after the sea day is Perfect Day at CocoCay, which has quickly become one of my favorite Caribbean ports because of its lively atmosphere and ultimate convenience.
I love all the swimming pools, the swim-up bar and all the fun amenities that are offered on the island. This time around, I want to try the floating bar off South Beach. We ran out of time during our last visit to CocoCay, so I definitely need to make my way out there.
After our visit to CocoCay, we will sail to Nassau. I’ve visited Nassau, Bahamas a few times on previous cruises, but never done anything that memorable during our time in port.
This time around, we are looking forward to trying a resort day pass at RIU Palace! Our pass includes unlimited drinks and snacks, along with access to all the resort’s pools and hot tubs. It should be a fun and relaxing day in port.
Three things I am excited to try onboard
During our 4-night sailing, we are planning to try some of the new additions made to Mariner of the Seas. Back in 2018, the ship was refurbished and refreshed, with some exciting new venues and activities added. It’s been 5 years since I sailed onboard this cruise ship, so I am excited to see the upgrades, additions and enhancements that were made.
Playmakers
We’ve been hearing great things about Playmakers, which is one of the newer dining options onboard Royal Caribbean’s ships. I have yet to sail on a ship that features this new restaurant, and apparently they have a killer cookie skillet for dessert! I am a sucker for all things sweets and desserts, so I have high hopes for this dessert especially.
The Bamboo Room
I had no idea this new bar addition was even available onboard Mariner of the Seas until I did a little research. Royal Caribbean describes this Polynesian-themed bar in the ship’s promenade as having ‘throwback vibes and crazy good cocktails’. I love all things that incorporate throwback vibes AND crazy good cocktails, so I am excited to sample some of the tiki bar drinks.
SkyPad
One of the coolest additions to Mariner of the Seas since my last sailing is the SkyPad, which is a virtual reality, bungee trampoline experience. Apparently this onboard thrill is considered ‘out of this world’. I’ve always loved bungee trampolines, so this will be a fun experience I think.
We'll see you later this week when I blog live from Mariner of the Seas!
