When Toby Keith sang his hit song about loving a bar, I feel the same thing about the Mason Jar bar.
Royal Caribbean created the first Mason Jar on Wonder of the Seas when that ship debuted in 2022, and followed it up with a second on Utopia of the Seas. A third location will be added next year to Allure of the Seas when she gets a major update.
On any ship, there are dozens of bars you could visit, but I think the Mason Jar combines great music, a special drink menu, and energetic staff to create an experience I haven't found elsewhere.
Over the years, I've been fond of spending time at the English Pub or Schooner Bar for the great live music. Even Playmakers has a great setup with the sports coverage, and the new Pesky Parrot bar on Utopia deserves some attention for creativity. But I don't head to any of them as quickly as the Mason Jar.
Music and the band
The Mason Jar is a country bar, which may seem like a polarizing choice. Heck, I don't even consider myself a fan of country music in the sense while at home I never listen to it.
But just like the Schooner Bar performer picks the well-known hit piano classics to sing, the Mason Jar band tends to lean heavily into popular songs that just so happen to be country music tunes.
I never thought I'd be that into country music until I started to realize a lot of the songs they sing there are songs I like:
- "Friends in Low Places" by Garth Brooks
- "Wagon Wheel" by Darius Rucker
- "Take Me Home Country Roads" by John Denver
- "Chicken Fried" by Zac Brown Band
- "I Love This Bar" by Toby Keith
- "Before He Cheats" by Carrie Underwood
There's also more traditional country songs too, but I find the majority of songs played are the tunes I've not only heard before, but probably know the chorus too.
And I can't talk about the music at the bar without mentioning the Country Trio band that perform there. In particular, the trio that include Bryan, Jeff, and Colin/Josh are my top favorite.
They embody the ideal stage performer on Royal Caribbean: talented musicians that have a great personality and get the crowd into the show while they perform.
There have been many evenings that I have re-arranged my plans to see their sets.
The unique drinks
Royal Caribbean's Food & Beverage team has been waging a secret war on clichéd cruise drinks, and you'll find one of their crowning achievements in the Mason Jar.
Sure, you can get a pina colada or daiquiri there, but there is an entire menu of special drinks developed just for the Mason Jar.
Many of the drinks source specific liquors that you don't usually find on a Royal Caribbean ship. The beverage team came up with 8 new cocktails to try, only available at the Mason Jar.
My absolutely favorite drink is the PB&J Old Fashioned: Skrewball Peanut Butter Whiskey mixed with Kentucky Bourbon, strawberry jelly and walnut bitters, garnished with a mini crustless PB&J.
It tastes amazing, and I can easily drink a few of these any evening. It's single handily a reason for me to get a drink package given it maxes out the per-drink value allocated by the package.
My wife's go-to drink is the Mississippi Moonlight: Ole Smoky Blackberry Moonshine, fresh blackberries, topped with lemonade.
For Utopia of the Seas, Royal Caribbean added an Apple Pie Old Fashioned cocktail to the menu, which is served with an apple turnover.
I really like that the drinks here are not "more of the same", and it adds to the appeal to stop by for something special.
Mason Jar drink menu
The secret ingredient: crew members
Crew members across any ship work hard, but it seems like the bar staff at the Mason Jar really love their jobs.
It's kind of funny to think about crew members from Romania, Ukraine, and the Philippines getting so into a bar designed around the American south, but they bring an energy to the experience.
They know the drink menu quite well, but they also sing and dance during the performances. They're quick to share a laugh, and on a rare occasion, come up on stage for a song.
As you get to know Effy, Claudia, Cristian, Michael, "Sexy" Rex, or Herbert, you'll quickly see what I'm talking about.
Mason Jar menus
Brunch menu
Dinner menu
