The Easy Life
Sea Day #1
June 14, 2026
Formal Night on a cruise ship is one of our favorite things!
Morning
Happy SUNDAY Y'all!
I woke up early and tried to enjoy the sunrise on the balcony but there was lots of cloud coverage, so I opted to try to go back to sleep. The beds were "upgraded" according to Royal Caribbean standards (due to having a suite) but they were still very hard. TIP- Always bring a mattress topper if you can as they do not always have them available. We buy one at Walmart for $12.50 and then leave it on the cruise. That $25 investment is worth it every time.
We got ready and went to the Main Dining Room for breakfast. This is one of our favorite things on any cruise ship as the food is more "fresh" than at the buffet and it is not near as crowded. However, in recent cruises Royal Caribbean service has been very slow in the MDR for breakfast and this morning proved to be the same as it took longer to have breakfast in the MDR than it did to have dinner, which is crazy. The food was great and even with a longer service time, we enjoyed the breakfast experience.
The MDR Breakfast Menu
The Mariner of the Seas Main Dining Room... It is absolutely breathtaking!
After breakfast we went to the Solarium Bar and met yet another bartender who knew us from the Anthem of the Seas 2025 to Alaska. TIP- This bar offers multiple types of protein shakes, smoothies and fresh fruit juice (the carrot juice seemed odd). Even around 9AM on a Sea Day, this Solarium Adults Only area was not that crowded. We opted to lounge around in this area for over an hour before heading to the Top Tier Event in the Royal Theater.
The Top Tier Event is for Emerald and above Crown and Anchor members (those who have sailed 55 nights or more on Royal Caribbean) and is a recognition and celebration of Royal's most loyal cruise passengers. We love attending this event to meet new cruise friends and even meet the Cruise Director and Captain. We actually talked with the CD for over 20 minutes about cruises and the ships she had been on. This Top Tier Event did not off the Q&A session with the Captain like previous cruises but we enjoyed it nonetheless.
I love the PRIVATE concert the Orchestra gave the Top Tier guests!
This sailing stats for the Crown and Anchor Society!
NEXT TIME... We will be DIAMOND!
The Captain of the Mariner of the Seas... Oddly enough, he collects CARS!
And our traditional picture with the Captain!
After this event we went to the Casino Bar and enjoyed getting to know that bartender and hear about his life back in the Philippians but before we knew it, it was already after 1PM so we hurried to the MDR for lunch.
This bar was centrally located and easy to grab a drink and go (or not).
Afternoon
The service in the MDR for lunch was MUCH faster but we have learned that the service often depends on when you arrive. Since the lunch service stopped in the MDR at 1:30PM, we were towards the tail end of the dining time and the waiters seemed to be in a bit more of a rush. This allowed our lunch to be in and out of the MDR within 30 minutes but we did have to take our desserts to go as we were just too full.
The MDR Lunch menu (Sea Days only)
Mozzarella Sticks
Chris & Kellie- 4.5
These are really simple but we LOVE them and order them every time!
The Potato Soup
Chris- 4.0
The Royal Caesar Salad
Kellie- 4.5
The Butternut Squash Risotto
Kellie- 4.0
This is SO RICH but so very flavorful and delicious!
The Lamb Pita
Chris- 4.0
This was not as good as he remembered it being but he enjoyed it!
We went back to the room to put the Key Lime Pie in the fridge and take a brief nap and then we went to the Royal Theater for the Love and Marriage Show. This show is always comical and this one did not disappoint but it was certainly our OLDEST set of 3 married couples- all over 50 years old (even the newly weds).
We made our way up to the Viking Crown Lounge to get the most perfect view of the Lido Deck on the Mariner of the Seas. We really enjoy this area of Freedom Class ships and smaller as it allows crystal view of upper decks of the ship and it is in the AC. The bar oftentimes has various hours so be sure to check the Cruise Compass (or app) for more details!
A view of the Main Pool Deck from deck 14 inside the Viking Crown Lounge.
We went back to the balcony as it was in the shade and enjoyed the incredibly calm seas for nearly 2 hours before getting dressed for the evening and heading to Boleros. TIP- Boleros is not usually our favorite as it is usually live music central and oftentimes very loud and overstimulating but this venue was much smaller and way more "chill" than any other Boleros we have seen. We ended up spending a lot of time here throughout the cruise.
The seas were PERFECT!
This is the LIFE... Absolutely perfect seas and a balcony!
It doesn't get much better than this!
I love the 2x a day service provided for Suite guests and an additional towel animal each day!
I am ready for Formal Night... let's do this!
I love getting dressed up on a cruise ship!
Boleros is a HUGE hit with so many cruisers and this cruise was a hit with us as well!
Evening
We went to the Royal Theater to watch the Gallery of Dreams production show and the singers and dancers were phenomenal and such a change of pace and upgrade from our most recent cruise on the MSC Seascape 2026 where the production was high school level- at best! These performers were literally SHOW STOPPING! Be sure to catch this show if you are sailing on the Mariner of the Seas in the near future.
This is a great show- Do not miss it!
After this show we went to Playmakers to enjoy more of the World Cup before dinner. TIP- The service in Playmakers was some of the best we experienced on the ship. The bartenders not just knew up but knew our order and we're very social and friendly. We were also able to meet a few fellow cruisers and talk ship with them which is always nice.
Dinner in the MDR was formal night and we expected more people on the 5th floor of the MDR but it was very scarce once again. And we were for the 2nd night the ONLY table in our waiter's section. This made service more personal and very fast. The menu for the MDR this formal night was Taste of France and the menu options were plentiful and delicious! We were in and out of the dining room on formal night in about 50 minutes.
The MDR Taste of France Menu
French Onion Soup
Kellie- 5.0 & Chris- 5.0
Once again, it is famous for a reason!
The Calamari
Kellie- 4.0
This was very chewy!
Steak au Poivre
Kellie & Chris- 4.5
This was cooked perfectly (medium rare) and the flavors were spot on!
Seafood Linguine (Shared)
Chris & Kellie- 4.5
This was SO GOOD... It's hard to pass up steak but this could be the main entree instead, it is THAT good!
Creme Brulee'
This is SUPER rich!
Carrot Cake
Chris- 4.5
He thinks this was better than the Creme Brulee!
Let's Talk Ship- Sea Day #1 and Formal Night
After dinner we decided to go to the Pub to listen to the guitarist perform. He was performing all kind of music but we loved the Classic Rock style! We called it a night around 12:30AM.
CHEERS!
We loved John- the Pub Bartender!
Cheers to Sea Day #1!
This was a classic easy day spent aboard the Mariner of the Seas and we wouldn't have it any other way!
Up next... Costa Maya, Mexico!
Did you miss our 1st day? - Catch up HERE!
God is Good... ALL THE TIME!
Royal Caribbean Liberty of the Seas- March 2019
The Norwegian Breakaway- November 2018
Royal Caribbean Liberty of the Seas- 2018
Carnival Legend- ALASKA- 2016
