Spent a fun five days / four nights during 2019 Thanksgiving week cruising on the Royal Caribbean Cruise Line (RCCL) vessel Mariner of the Seas.

The first impression of the the vessel was that it was bigger (or displaced more water) than an U.S. Navy aircraft carrier, but lacked the raw horsepower and fighting punch of a nuclear powered floating Navy air base…but, I’ve digressed.

On the day we embarked, we and our fellow cruisers arrived at the cruise terminal in Port Canaveral, FL, and assumed our position in the boarding queue on a warm and sunny late Monday morning.

Surprisingly, the process to check-in and board the vessel was relatively painless compared to prior cruises. Instead of the typical excessively long, slow moving lines to embark cruise ships, the queues on this particular day moved quickly and the actual check-in process proved efficient.

The RCCL Mariner of the Seas is a large cruise ship that displaces more than 130-thousand tons and offered a plethora of activities and amenities for several thousand guests of all ages. The activities included water slides for kids, basket court for teenagers and young adults, and the requisite playground for adults, a casino.

The ships itinerary included brief stops in the port of Nassau and alongside the pier of RCCL private island of Coco Cay.

In Nassau, most of the passengers either hit the many bars, restaurants and shops that catered to money laden tourists, or journeyed over to the top attraction on the island, the Atlantis Resort.

The second stop of RCCL private island of Coco Cay proved better than expected. From the first views of the island, it was apparent that the cruise line had invested significant capital into designing and building the islands infrastructure and amenities.

Expecting small boats or “water taxis” to be used to transport passengers from ship to shore, we were pleasantly surprised to find a relatively new pier in place which the ship moored and disembarked its passengers to the island.

Furthermore, the island had substantial quantities of amenities and improvements including a large resort style swimming pool, multiple beaches and bars, and several zip lines.

Essentially, RCCL designed an island with entertainment and activities for cruisers of any age. And, the island had the capacity to handle the passengers from two of RCCL’s largest cruise ships. You could only walk away impressed with the final product.

The final full day was spent at sea. It proved a lazy and restful day on the ship highlighted by our group getting kicked out of areas that were closing due to the end of a meal hour. We essentially stayed too long relaxing and socializing while the ship’s routine moved on around our group.

The final day, we disembarked the cruise ship early Friday morning following Thanksgiving, Black Friday.

Overall, it was a fun and rewarding four night / five day cruise on the Mariner of the Seas. It is challenging to find a complaint about the days and nights in port and at sea on the cruise ship.

The only complaint that comes to mind was the quality of the food on the Mariner of the Seas. Breakfast and lunch food service and quality, whether buffet or a la carte, was evaluated as fair at best for the entire cruise.

Dinner, especially on the first two nights, left us wondering if the overall quality of the food would rank far below that served on peer cruise lines. However, by the third and final nights of the cruise, the food quality improved dramatically. The braised short ribs and the osso buco were two entrees that received significant praise.

From the appearance and taste of the food, it appeared that the food items were prepared hours or maybe days in advance; then reheated and either plated or placed on the buffet serving line. RCCL must improve its process of cooking and serving quality food to a large number of passengers…think institutional or cafeteria food.