It appears Royal Caribbean is offering a new way for guests to make cruise ship cabin requests before they board.

Historically, Royal Caribbean has relegated cabin requests to either onboard the ship or via a special needs form.

Guests sailing on Royal Caribbean's Liberty of the Seas this weekend were sent a text message with an option to provide stateroom preferences prior to sailing.

It's not clear if all ships have this option.

The message was sent three days prior to the start of the sailing.

The text message includes a link that takes you to an online form.

Upon clicking the link, you will see a brief description that provides options for customizing your cabin before boarding.

Most notably, you must complete the form the same day you receive the text. If you do not submit the form on time, you will need to speak with your stateroom attendant once onboard if you have any accommodations.

It is unclear what would happen if the guest does not have a cellphone to receive this text. There is a possibility that they would receive an email instead to fill out the form.

What questions are on the Guest Request Form?

The form includes five questions that allow you to have your cabin ready in the configuration you want prior to your arrival.

The first three are about your particular sailing. You need to specify the ship you are sailing on, the sail date, and your booking ID. If any of this information is wrong, the form will not be processed.

Questions four and five are related to the particular needs of the guest.

For stateroom requests, you can indicate if you want:

• The bed to be separated
• A baby crib
• An extra blanket
• A joining stateroom door to be opened

For medical requests, you can indicate if you need:

• Distilled water (for CPAP machine use)
• An extension cord (for medical devices only)
• A medical fridge
• A sharps container (to dispose injectable medications)

How this is different

Prior to this option, guests that wanted a change to their beds or have adjacent stateroom doors unlocked would need to wait until they boarded to inform their stateroom attendant.

With this new form, passengers can submit their preferences ahead of time.

The form doesn't encompass every possible request, as there is no comment section to make additional special requests, such as extra pillows or soap for example.

If you have special needs, you would have to fill out the Guest Special Needs Form.

The special needs form needs to happen no later than 30 days prior to your sailing, “except for sign language interpreting requests which must be submitted 60 days prior to sailing” according to the Royal Caribbean website.

How other cruise lines do it

When sailing on cruise lines such as Carnival and Norwegian, guests are able to specify if they want the beds separated before stepping foot on the ship.

For both cruise lines, during the online check-in process, there is a prompt to indicate your cabin preferences.

After adding your passport and credit card information, as well as selecting your arrival time, you complete the online check-in for your Royal Caribbean cruise. They do not ask for cabin preferences.

Typical cruise cabin setup

All cruise cabins have at least two twin beds that can be joined together to make one large bed.

Most one-bedroom cabins have four beds: two on the floor and two beds that can be pulled down from the ceiling.

Depending on the cabin, some rooms may even have a pull-out couch that can be used as another bed. This is typically found in larger suite cabins.

Connecting staterooms on a cruise ship

If a family or large group cruising together does not want to share one stateroom, two staterooms (or more) next to one another is a great option.

To ensure your family or group stays in a connected stateroom, you can look at the ship map to see which rooms are connected. To make your life easier, you can have your travel agent do that for you.

Booking as early as possible ensures you will get staterooms next to each other, or at least, nearby.

Though I consider myself to be a seasoned cruiser on Royal Caribbean ships, I still learned some new things to remember for upcoming sailings. 

Take a look at the top 10 things I learned while I was on the Mariner of the Seas this July. Knowing a few of these simple tricks can help you during your next cruise!

Importance of the Royal Caribbean app

Before 2020, I had never needed to use the Royal Caribbean app on my smartphone while I was on a cruise. We always had our compass given to us in our stateroom, a physical menu in the main dining room, and an in-person muster drill. Now, Royal Caribbean highly encourages you to download the app before your sailing so you can access all this information online.

I like most aspects of the app, but I missed being able to receive a compass every night in our stateroom. Same in the dining room - I like to look at a physical menu rather than scrolling on my phone.

Luckily, both of these can be easily resolved by asking your stateroom attendant for a physical compass and your waiter for a physical menu. 

I have no complaints about the muster drill, though. It was so much easier and faster to do it on your own following the steps on the app.

Food options

While I was aware that Royal Caribbean ships have plenty of food options, I learned a few interesting facts for those that are vegan or gluten-free.

To accommodate a gluten-free diet, the main dining room takes your order the day before so they can prepare your meal for the next evening. The dining staff tries their hardest to accommodate these requests, and it seems as though they can make almost any meal work. 

As I was scrolling through the app one evening, I noticed there was a vegan menu in addition to the regular main dining room menu. If you only have a normal menu, you can ask to see the vegan menu.

Read more: Vegetarian and Vegan Guide to Royal Caribbean

I had previously been on the Mariner of the Seas earlier in 2022, and it had a build-your-own omelet station at the Windjammer. This time around, it was not there, which I was sad about. On the bright side, they still made various pre-made omelets to choose from, such as ham and cheese, vegetable, and cheese.

Diamond Drinks

For those that love sweet treats like I do, this next tip will be important to remember.

I wanted to learn the differences between Ben & Jerry’s milkshakes and Johnny Rockets’ milkshakes. While you have to pay for anything from Ben & Jerry’s, I did not have to at Johnny Rockets.

In the past, the milkshakes were not included as one of my Diamond drink vouchers, but it was this time! The worker explained to me since the milkshake is under the $13 drink limit, it qualifies like any other cocktail or mixed drink.

Another discovery I made was the coffee drinks at Cafe Promenade. I did not think these drinks were included either, so I waited until the end of the cruise to ask if they were included. Low and behold, they were as well! 

Check-in time matters

Since I booked this cruise pretty last minute, I had only a few options to pick from when it came to the arrival time. I had the option of either 1:30 or 2 p.m. I went with the 2 p.m. slot because I did not want to be rushed to leave my hotel. In the end, it didn't matter what time I picked, because the line was so long!

While I was waiting in line, I could hear people saying they had an arrival time of 10 a.m., 11 a.m., noon, etc. I was shocked to hear this, but I later learned that this sailing was at full capacity and wasn’t located at its normal launching terminal. Those two things combined made for a 1.5-hour wait just to check-in. 

After finally getting on the ship, I found out that those that had an early arrival time did not have a long wait like I did. If your travel allows, sign up for an early check-in time so you can avoid the crowds and start your vacation sooner!

Rideshare apps to and from port

This was my first time using a rideshare app to get to and from the cruise. I was worried the price was going to be extremely expensive to drive 45 minutes (I was at the Orlando airport going to Port Canaveral), but I was pleasantly surprised when I saw my options. 

Each way, Lyft was cheaper, so I used this app. (Uber was at least another $50-$100 more.) It was easy to find a ride to the ship, but it was more difficult to get one after the cruise. 

After getting off the ship, I immediately put in a request for a Lyft, and it notified me that it was busy and may take a long time to have a driver pick me up. I did not mind waiting, but I had to request a driver two times before someone picked me up. It did take about 45 minutes in total to order the ride and have them find me at the port.

In the future, it may be worthwhile to schedule a Lyft or Uber to pick you up. Or, you can take the airport shuttle instead.

Dinner theme nights

I remember on past cruises how there would only be formal nights and casual nights. Now, there seems to be a new theme every once in a while! From Caribbean to Tropical, cruisers are encouraged to fit the theme when dining in the main dining room.

A big change I saw was formal night now being called “Dress Your Best.” There was certainly a range of different attires - some people brought their gowns and tuxedos, while others wore dresses or a nice top with dress pants. I usually went with the latter and wore business casual, as did most cruisers.

Ask your stateroom attendant

In addition to requesting a physical compass, I learned of two other things you can request from your stateroom attendant.

After three nights of sleeping with a lumpy pillow and waking up with a sore neck, I asked my attendant for a new pillow. That night, he gave me a feather pillow, and it was so much better than the pillows we were originally given.

Also, since the showers only have a 2-1 body wash and shampoo, I asked my attendant for some conditioner. He certainly delivered because he gave me plenty to use for the rest of the cruise.

Helicopter pad access

When the sun would set in the evening, I wanted to find a great spot on the ship to admire the views. I tried deck four, but some nights I just could not see the sunset. 

I then saw some stairs that led up to the helicopter pad. It was a little difficult to find the access point, but just head towards the front of the ship on deck four, and you should see the stairs.

Once I was there, I saw other people had the same idea. It was truly an excellent place to view everything that was happening. This place would also be great to go when the ship sails in and out of port!

Walking path substitute

The Mariner of the Seas does have a walking path on deck 12, but it is hard to use because it is surrounded by chairs and people. 

Deck four is a good place to get your steps in because there is a path that goes almost the entire way around the ship. To go all the way around, you would need to cut through the sliding doors near the front of the ship and walk to the other side. More than half of this loop around the ship is shaded, so it is the perfect place to walk with little to no interruptions.

Solarium tip

I always love to relax in the Solarium, and many others do too. That makes it hard to find a spot during the day because it is a busy spot among cruisers. I found that a great time to enjoy the Solarium is around 8 p.m. or later. There was no one in the daybeds, so I was finally able to snag one! It was so quiet that I could hear the waves as I relaxed. 

Another important tip I learned: while there are hot tubs in the Solarium, they may be closed when you first arrive. However, there is always at least one hot tub open 24 hours a day, either in the Solarium or outside on the pool deck.

Today is our last day on the Mariner, but what better way to end the cruise than in CocoCay?

Patty and I woke up at 10 a.m. this morning and headed to the Windjammer for breakfast. We were able to get a great table that overlooked the colorful entrance of CocoCay.

Also visiting CocoCay today was Allure of the Seas. We had a feeling the island was going to be busy, so we got off the ship as soon as we were done eating.

Our first stop during our (perfect) day at CocoCay was Chill Island, which you can get to quickly by taking a left once you get on the island. Here you can find tons of seats and umbrellas for sunbathing and relaxing by the sea. There are also daybeds here you can rent for a fee if that is more your style.

It was a very hot day (85 degrees but felt like 95), so I wanted to stop and get a drink at The Wacky Seagull. Someone ahead of me ordered a Miami Vice (also known as a Lava Flow); it looked so good that I had to get one too. Patty and I sat down and enjoyed the views while I savored my drink.

We started going towards the Oasis Lagoon so we could cool off in the water. There were multiple shops along the way for those that enjoy shopping. The Chill Grill is also near Chill Island. We decided to check out the food they offered, and boy were we surprised to see how much food they had!

The Chill Grill had burgers, tacos, hotdogs, sandwiches, fruit and various desserts. It was a much larger selection than Royal Caribbean’s other private island, Labadee. Patty and I decided to split a cuban sandwich and ribeye cheesesteak sandwich.

I could hear the music bopping from the Oasis Lagoon, so I knew we were close! The lagoon was busy when we first got there, and it stayed that way most of the afternoon.

All the beach chairs were claimed by towels so it was hard to find an empty one to put our stuff down. Luckily, Patty didn’t have to wait too long, as a couple decided to leave when she was near them. The seats were right by the lagoon and had the perfect view of the swim-up bar.

Celebrating the fact that we found chairs, I visited the swim-up bar and got myself a Bahama Mama. It helped me stay cool in the heat for sure. A lot of the group cruisers were hanging out here so it was fun to see them and chat. This was my first Royal Caribbean Blog group cruise, and I met lots of friendly people that have made my first experience memorable.

I love jamming to the music at the lagoon, so that makes this place my favorite spot on the island. The DJ does an excellent job of playing current and older pop songs to get people hyped and excited.

As I mentioned, we were worried the island was going to be busy since there were two cruise ships. This was not the case because the island is larger than it looks. There are many places to go and spend your day, almost like a resort. This was my third time at CocoCay, and every time I visit, I find new spots or things to do!

The heat was catching up to us, so we chose to head back to the ship and give ourselves plenty of time to shower and get ready for dinner.

I had heard from an employee that I can get a Johnny Rockets shake as part of my Diamond Plus status, so I wanted to go see if this was true. Johnny Rockets is only open from noon to 5 p.m., so I had to go before dinner. Turns out the employee was right, and I got an Oreo shake for free! I wish I would’ve known about this sooner.

We didn’t want to forget to look at all of our professional pictures and buy some, so we did that since we were close to the dining room. We decided on our welcome aboard picture and another from a photoshoot.

Matt was sitting with his daughters at a table of eight, so he invited my mom and me to join them. It was a lovely dinner with great company!

Patty ordered the crispy coconut shrimp as an appetizer. We both got the cheese tortelloni as the main dish. I thought this was super good and different than how it has looked in the past. As I was eating it, it occurred to me that it tasted like mac n cheese, in a good way!

Dinner had two of my favorite desserts - the summer fruit pavlova and dark chocolate brownie. Both were a-ma-zing and I so wish I could bring home some leftovers (but there were none to be had).

The Farewell Variety Showtime featured both Adam Kario, the juggler and comedian from last night, and Jeffrey Allen, who had performed towards the beginning of this sailing.

Adam put on a great show and brought someone up to help him with an act, and that was fun to watch. The crowd even gave him a standing ovation. Jeffrey is an Elton John impersonator. While I did not know any of the songs he played, I could still appreciate his musical talent.

After the show, it was approaching 8 p.m., and it was time for the sunset. We made our way to the helicopter pad at the front of the ship. There were about 20 other people up there taking pictures of the sunset as well. It was beautiful for our last night at sea.

Since this is the last night of the cruise, we had to pack to leave. Patty and I are not light packers, so we had to dedicate a chunk of time to getting ready for tomorrow's long day back home.

There was still one more event I wanted to attend at 9:45 p.m. - The Battle of the Sexes game show. The host asked for five women and five men to come up on stage to represent each team. They then had to compete in certain challenges, like making a paper airplane and seeing who could throw theirs the farthest and choreographing a synchronized dance with a handkerchief. It was a fun show, but I had to leave early to finish up my packing.

That’s a wrap on our Mariner of the Seas group cruise. Thank you for following along with us! Our next group cruise is in December on Wonder of the Seas. In the meantime, happy cruising!

Although it was a day at sea, my mom and I had a busy day!

We both have slept in every day of this sailing, and today was no different. Patty has been wanting to try breakfast in the main dining room, so she hurried down to deck three before it closed at 9:30 a.m. I on the other hand went to the Windjammer because I needed to eat quickly.

Patty told me she was very impressed with how fast the service was in the main dining room because she arrived, ordered, and ate in only 25 minutes. She started off with a bran muffin and a fruit plate. For the main course, she got Eggs Your Way with sides of bacon and cheese grits. She was shocked by how big of a bowl the cheese grits were. The food was all very good, she said. Patty enjoyed being waited on and would do it again even if she had limited time to eat breakfast.

At 10 a.m., the group cruisers gathered in the conference room to hear Matt record a podcast for his channel. He described what he did at each port and his overall experience on the group cruise thus far. After that, he answered a few cruise questions people emailed him. It was fun to be a part of his episode.

I had been eyeing the frappuccino drinks at the Cafe Promenade, so I ordered a caramel one to try. I didn’t know if there would be coffee in it so I wasn’t sure what to expect. It did have coffee in it, but it wasn’t too strong of a taste so I was happy about that.

While I was getting my drink, the Veteran's Gathering was taking place. It was a special event, and I could tell many felt the same way. 

Next up on my agenda was the Ladies Pamper Party in the salon. I have been to this event multiple times on past cruises because I like to feel a little pampered every now and then! The event was busy, as all the seats were taken when my mom and I arrived.

The employees sampled various cleansers, toners, moisturizers, etc., and described to us how to apply them to our face and neck. I have the same old skincare routine, so I enjoyed switching it up and experimenting with new products.

One of the products they used was the sunglow bronzer, which I have been using for at least 10 years when I purchased it on a previous cruise. The employees applied it to those that wanted to try it, so Patty and I had that done.

At 1 p.m., the group cruise had a private ice skating event in Studio B. After signing a waiver and getting geared up, we were able to hit the ice. I was very rusty at first and had to get used to the skates before I was comfortable to slowly maneuver myself around the rink.

Even Matt came on the ice for a short while!

Love & Marriage was at 2 p.m., which I thought was an odd time because it’s usually at night during production showtime. Nonetheless, we attended the event with a strawberry daiquiri and lava flow in hand.

This show is one of my favorites, so I was excited. I have seen the show so many times that I can predict almost every question they ask the couples! The newlyweds won this time around.

We had some time to spare before afternoon trivia, so Patty and I relaxed on deck four and watched the waves. Deck four has become one of our favorite quiet spots on the Mariner.

Patty likes to walk laps, and she said she prefers walking on deck four rather than deck 12. Deck 12 is busy with sunbathers and group gatherings that prohibit her from a constant walk.

Deck four is far less busy; even without a walking path, she gets a good workout in. Another plus is that for at least half of the time, she is in the shade versus in the sun on deck 12.

Patty and I had not been to general knowledge trivia yet on this cruise, so we were intrigued to see how we would do. We actually did not do too bad (I thought) and scored 9/20. We knew we did not win, so we left before they announced the winners (who got a perfect score).

Since we were right by the casino, I wanted to test my luck. My family says I am the lucky one of the group, but that was not the case today. I did not bet much, but I lost it all and was left with a measly 0.24 cents. I left the casino with nothing to brag about, but I still had fun.

By this time, we needed to get ready for dinner. Tonight was “dress your best” night which is the equivalent of the old formal night. I find it interesting how they changed the terminology, but I can see why since people may not want to get dressed to the nines for dinner. I would estimate that only 25% of guests dressed in formal attire while most of us were business casual.

Upon seating at the table, you are expected to scan a QR code and use your phone to look at the dinner menu. My phone wasn’t easily accessible, so I asked for a physical menu which I appreciated. On this cruise, I realized I miss getting the physical menu every night, but I understand their reasoning to limit germs.

I started with the roasted tomato soup while Patty got the Asian-style pork tacos. The main course was chicken cordon bleu for me and tagliatelle pasta for Patty.

She told me she missed having meat during her dinner, so she also later ordered the grilled lamb chops. I helped her finish her pasta.

Dessert consisted of tres leches, crème brûlée and the apple blossom à la mode. They have the apple blossom every night, but I just had to order it because I know how good it is. It was a great choice!

By the time we finished dinner, it was already time for the 7 p.m. headliner show “Center Stage.” I thought it was just the singers and dancers, but there was also a juggling & comedian act in the middle - The singers and dancers opened and closed the show. It was nice that we got to see a variety of entertainment that everyone could enjoy.

Right after the show, there was an 80’s party happening in the Royal Promenade. Similar to the 70’s disco inferno, there was music and dancing to all things 80’s. Patty and I watched the show for a little while, then we went to the Bamboo Room to share a mojito. The mojito in the Bamboo Room is excellent in my opinion.

I had some time before the 10 p.m. game show, so Patty and I went up to the Solarium to relax in one of the daybeds. These are always occupied during the day, so we were happy to finally enjoy one tonight. We couldn’t even feel that we were moving and it was peaceful to hear the rhythm of the waves.

The game show was Adult Majority Rules. They had a regular Majority Rules earlier this cruise that I attended. The one tonight was a completely different version. It was so funny; I think I laughed the most I ever have during a game show.

Immediately after, there was adult karaoke. I listened to a few singers - some were great and others not so much. I can’t judge though because I cannot sing myself!

Tomorrow we will be visiting one of Royal Caribbean’s private islands, CocoCay.

Today's port of call was St. Croix in the U.S. Virgin Islands. The ship arrived at 7 a.m. and had a scheduled departure of 12:30 p.m.

Knowing we did not have much time in port today, Patty and I decided to wake up earlier than usual and head up to the Windjammer for a quick breakfast. I had my usual while Patty switched it up with some yogurt and biscuits with gravy.

Once we lathered up with sunscreen, we wanted to get off and walk around the port, which seemed to be the common theme among other cruisers. While at the Windjammer, we could see a beach nearby, so we first wanted to stop there.

As we were walking off the ship and into the port, I could hear music in the distance. This is nothing too unusual, but as we walked closer, I noticed it was just a man blaring music from speakers and not actual musicians. I thought this was interesting, but hey, it was a hot day to be outside doing live entertainment.

The last time I was here was in January 2015. The port looked exactly as I remembered. We had not gone to the beach, so I was unsure how to get there. However, it was quite easy to find, as it was just around the corner from the main square.

Frederiksted Beach was conveniently located less than a 10-minute walk from the port. There were lounge chairs and umbrellas all around. It was busy today, and many families were enjoying the ocean and sunbathing. We also stumbled upon a perfect picture opportunity with Mariner in the background, so we had to take some photos!

We wanted to see some of the shopping, so we made our way back toward the main square. Another person had his computer plugged in and playing music for all to hear. There were the typical pop-up shops here, such as t-shirts, jewelry, local art and other knickknacks.

As we walked a little farther, I noticed a small group of people gathered around a pen. Upon further inspection, I noticed four small puppies. They were so cute and loved by everyone that saw them (including me).

They were from the St. Croix Animal Welfare Center: “providing and promoting the humane treatment of animals in our community.” The last time I was in St. Croix, the same organization was there with puppies. One of the workers told me their breed is unknown, but they were a couple months old.

After taking a few more photos and enjoying the scenery, Patty and I were ready to head to the ship and cool off. It was 90 degrees and humid. We were in the sun a lot yesterday, so we were burnt and not wanting to get even more burnt.

We had been wanting to try the main dining room lunch on board, so we did that as soon as we got back. We were seated right away, and next to the window which I liked. Since my mom’s phone wasn’t working, they were able to give her a physical lunch menu while I looked on my phone.

I ordered the mozzarella sticks for an appetizer while Patty got the Manhattan clam chowder and insalata caprese. For the main meal, I got the chicken sandwich and Patty got salmon. Lastly, I got the Floating Island, which was meringue in a vanilla creme sauce with caramelized sugar on top. Overall, we enjoyed the lunch and service. We also had nice conversation with a couple seated next to us.

As soon as we finished lunch, the ship was leaving St. Croix, so we watched the sail away from deck 4.

Patty was sleepy from the night before and took a nap. She told me how she woke up last night to some rough waters, so she did not sleep as well as she would’ve liked. Luckily I slept right through it!

As Patty was napping, I wanted to do some work, so I tried to find a place to sit with my computer. I wasn’t sure where to go, but as soon as I saw the Starbucks, I knew that would be a good place to go. There was seating all around, even behind the counter, so it was easy to find a quiet spot.

The Wi-Fi onboard has been pretty good this sailing. There are moments when it’s slow, but it works for the most part. I had a few small issues with the Surf & Stream but I was able to get my work done.

We had not gone to the Diamond Lounge yet, so we wanted to stop by before our 5:30 dinner. The lounge was pretty full (but that isn’t saying much because it’s small to begin with) but we had no problems getting little appetizers and our drink order in. I got the chocolate martini and Patty tried a mango mojito - both were very tasty choices. I actually liked my mom’s more than mine!

In the main dining room, I started off with the baked potato soup while Patty had the seafood puff pastry and escargot (she orders this every night). For the main course, I had the lasagna al forno and she had the beef stroganoff. Our waitress, Carol, did warn us that it had pickles in it and therefore wasn’t as popular, but Patty wanted to try it anyway. We appreciate her honesty when we are trying to decide what we want!

For dessert, I got the English trifle and Patty got the coconut layer cake. We were very pleased with our meal and the friendly service.

We had just enough time to make it to the 7 p.m. show: The Magic of Puck. We got there 20 minutes early so we got good seats in the aisle on the main floor. The show was packed, so I was glad we got there when we did. Puck was on season seven of America’s Got Talent, so I knew he would not disappoint. He did an excellent job with his tricks and audience engagement.

The night was still young, and there were two game shows I wanted to attend: The Perfect Couple and The Liars Club. They were both in the Star Lounge back-to-back.

I wasn’t sure what to expect at The Perfect Couple - I thought maybe this was replacing Love & Marriage. I would be disappointed if they got rid of Love & Marriage because that is my favorite show on Royal Caribbean cruises! Once I was at the gameshow, I quickly remembered that this is different.

Three couples participated in three challenges to see which couple was most compatible. I was rooting for the older couple, and they ended up winning!

I had to wait about 20 minutes before the next game show, so I stayed in my spot since it was still busy. I am wondering if they should have these gameshows in the Royal Theatre since they seem to be popular and we are sailing at full capacity.

The Liars Club is where three employees attempt to convince the audience they know the definition of odd words. For example, the first word was “slangwhanger.” The three employees gave various descriptions (trigger happy, a shy and quiet child, or a loud and obnoxious speaker), then the audience voted who they thought was telling the truth. It was a fun time and many laughs were had.

Tomorrow we will be at sea before arriving in CocoCay!

Hi everyone! My name is Angie. I am one of the Social Media Managers for Royal Caribbean Blog. I am going to be taking over the rest of the live blog for this sailing!

Today we arrived in St. Kitts. Joining me on this cruise is my mom, Patty, who loves cruising as much as I do.

We pulled into the port around 10:30 a.m., so we had plenty of time to enjoy breakfast in the Windjammer. We even got to see the mountainous and lush St. Kitts scenery while eating.

I always go for a sticky bun (they have different flavors every day), an omelet and cranberry bread (one of my all-time favorites). The last time I was on the Mariner in April, I was able to create my own omelet, but I could not this cruise. The standard ham and cheese combo is a good alternative.

We had an excursion today - “Catamaran Fan-ta-sea to Nevis with Snorkel and Beach” - with those of us on the group cruise.

We were instructed to meet the group outside at the white tents at 11 a.m. Since everyone was getting off the ship at the same time, it was quite busy and we weren’t sure if we would make it on time.

By 11:30 a.m., everyone had gotten off the ship and we were ready to board the 65-foot catamaran. It was a short walk to the catamaran, and I was glad we didn’t have to go on a bus ride to get there.

Since I am prone to motion sickness, I took some Dramamine and I was ready to go!

Once on board, we made our way about seven miles to Shitten Bay (I swear that is the real name). Here, we were able to snorkel or stay on the catamaran and enjoy the views. I opted for the snorkeling while Patty stayed on board and took photos.

I had a fun time swimming around and seeing all the different kinds of fish, rocks, coral, etc. I saw tons of Sergeant Major fish as well as Trumpetfish. One of the workers even dove down to show us an octopus hiding under a rock, a rainbow fish, and some pretty shells.

We snorkeled for about 45 minutes, then we had lunch on the catamaran. The menu included jerk chicken, mac n cheese pie, sweet potato pudding, rice and beans, and a lettuce salad. Drinks were also included. I had some fruit punch while many had soft drinks, rum punch, or beer.

After lunch, they took us to Nevis, a nearby island, which was about another four miles away. They dropped us off on the beach where we could do our own thing for an hour. There were plenty of lounging chairs with umbrellas, but I assumed they would cost extra. To my surprise, we sat down and no one asked us to pay. After being in the sun for quite a while, I wanted to get under some shade, especially since I burn easily.

Not long after sitting down did we get bombarded by locals trying to sell us stuff - jewelry, hats, dresses, t-shirts. I was not looking to buy anything but Patty was suckered into buying two hats for $15. It ends up she did alright negotiating because someone else on our excursion paid more from the same salesman.

A dip in the cool, clear water and some lounging beach time went by fast, as the catamaran was soon back to pick us up and head back to the ship.

We had a leisurely, hour-long trip back to the starting point. It was choppy waters at first, but then the last half was smooth sailing. I laid down in the front of the catamaran and relaxed while enjoying the beautiful landscapes.

This excursion was a fun experience! All four workers were friendly, helpful, and personable. One took extra care of the passengers that needed additional assistance. Another was great with the kids and gave them snacks and seashells. Captain Phil and his crew were always smiling, offering drinks, and asking if we needed anything.

As we were leaving, one of them gave me a magnet of a frog that said “Nevis” on it - it was very cute.

We arrived back at about 5 p.m. The ship was leaving at 5:30, so we did not have time to shop around. My mom always likes to get a t-shirt or two, but there was no time, so we headed back to the Mariner.

We have 5:30 dinner in the main dining room, and we were able to get there just a little late since we had to drop off things in our cabin and rinse off. Our waiters, Carol and Frederick, are always so accommodating and never make us feel bad if we arrive late.

Dinner was good as usual! My mom loves seafood, so she ordered the escargot, shrimp cocktail, and seafood cake. For the main course, I chose the chicken parmesan while mom decided to get the New York strip steak.

Dessert was tasty, as I got the Mississippi Mud Pie. Mom got the no-sugar-added dark chocolate custard. We also decided to share the lemon curd tartlet. All were great choices, but mom did say she wished the custard had some whipped cream on top.

After dinner, we tried to attend the 7 p.m. ice skating show, but it was too late as the person at the front said the venue was full. However, I did notice others going in since they had people saving them seats. We had to wait and try the 9:15 show instead.

To pass some time, we checked out the casino. As Diamond Plus members, we have $6 free play on any machine in the casino. Patty chose to play some Jacks or Better poker. It entertained her for over an hour; she doubled her money at one point, but then lost it all. Isn’t that how it usually goes?

Once it was almost time for the ice show, we got there early to snag seats. The venue was packed; there were even people standing behind the seats to watch the show. The show was “Ice Under the Big Top” and included lots of elaborate and colorful costumes and sets. It was an upbeat way to end a great day!

Tomorrow we will be in St. Croix.