Cruising with the Family on board Royal Caribbean’s Mariner of the Seas – Day 2 of 4

I brought my wife and 21-month-old son, Asher on board Royal Caribbean’s Mariner of the Seas for a 4D3N cruise to Port Klang in Kuala Lumpur during the June holidays.

On our second day on board the ship, the three of us slept late, taking the opportunity to laze and recharge in our cosy stateroom. We woke up around noon time, just in time for lunch at the complimentary three-tier main dining room, individually named on each floor.

There were noticeably less people on the ship as we have docked at Port Klang in Kuala Lumpur in the morning. Many have got off the ship to tour the Malaysian city.

Rachel and I chose to stay on board as we have visited KL several times and would prefer to enjoy the food and amenities on board the ship. Fyi, even when the ship is docked, the restaurants are all still operating, as per many of the programs and activities.

Scenes from Titanic the movie come to mind when we dined in the main dining room, surrounded by lavish furnishings and attentive waiters. Jaded diners will be pleased to know that menu items are changed daily.

Rachel and I ordered and sampled many dishes throughout our 4D2N stay. It is fun to explore the diverse menu and it was a good introduction to western cuisines for Asher. We came to the conclusion that the beef dishes are the best recommendations as they are almost always cooked to perfection. Seafood dishes are more risky. Escargots are available when in season and are great appetizers to have. Scallops too.

Here is what we had for lunch on the second day:

This post will focus mainly on food as we spend the whole of the second day eating at the various complimentary restaurants available on board Mariner of the Seas. Here’s a list of the restaurants available:

Rhapsody in Blue Dining Room (Deck 3)
Top Hat and Tails Dining Room (Deck 4)
The Sound of Music Dining Room (Deck 5)
Three-tier dining rooms features a wide variety of menu items and impeccable service.

Café Promenade (Deck 5)
This café on the Royal Promenade offers specialty coffees, snacks and pastries in the morning and sandwiches and cookies throughout the day and night.

Boardwalk Dog House (Deck 11)
Kiosk located beside the pools for traditional hot dogs, brats, sausages and other delicious linked meats, plus a variety of toppings to split a long bun.

Windjammer Café (Deck 11)
This seaside café offers buffet-style breakfasts and lunches. In the evenings, the café’s casual atmosphere is complemented by a changing menu and restaurant-style service. This area also incorporates the Asian-themed Jade buffet restaurant.

Giovanni’s Table (Deck 11) – top-up charges required
A casual Italian trattoria with indoor and al fresco seating, Giovanni’s Table offers rustic dishes with a contemporary flair, including toasted herb foccacia, pastas, braised meat dishes and stews, served family-style.

Chops Grille (Deck 11) – top-up charges required
Royal Caribbean’s popular signature steakhouse, featuring grade-A premium cuts of steak cooked to your specifications, plus fresh seafood, hearty side dishes and signature desserts in an upscale, contemporary setting.

Johnny Rockets® (Deck 12) – top-up charges required
Themed 50s diner, which features red naugahyde booths, formica counters, a jukebox, burgers, fries and good old-fashioned malted milk shakes.

After lunch, we did some exploring of the facilities and activities on board the ship:

The walking around made us hungry, so we went to Windjammer for light bites, not forgetting to grab a few fruits for Asher on-the-go:

Before we know it, it was time for dinner. We headed back again to the main dining room. It was Captain’s Night and all three of us were decked in formal wear, following the dress code. Our dinner experience:

I think most Singaporeans would prefer the buffet-style dining at Windjammer to eat fast; but I would recommend eating at the main dining room if you can afford the time so as to fully enjoy the high service standard of Royal Caribbean’s wait crew in a fine dining environment.

The diverse menu is always very tempting, but avoid food wastage by ordering too much. For Rachel and I, we make sure we always order different starter, entree and dessert so we can swap and share, sampling more dishes.

After dinner, we brought Asher to catch a Broadway-style musical at the Savoy Theatre. The good thing about the theatre is that young children and babies are welcome as long as they are accompanied by adults. Asher love it and kept asking us to bring him to more performances. He would go: “我要看表演!”

We tucked Asher into bed after the show. Rachel and I then get to do some quiet reading, sitting on the deck chairs in the attached balcony of our stateroom while enjoying the ocean breeze and rhythmic lapsing of the waves.  Life is good.

Oh, one more thing, the Royal Caribbean housekeeping staff is amazing! They always manage to sneak into our room and get it tidied thoroughly without us ever spotting them. This is how the room will look after we come back from breakfast or lunch:

This is how the room will transform when we are back after dinner:

Amazing isn’t it? No prompting required!

Stay tuned for my next and final blog post on Mariner of the Seas.

Click here to read all my blog posts on cruising with the family on board Royal Caribbean’s Mariner of the Seas.

About Mariner of the Seas in Asia

Mariner of the Seas’ maiden Asian season has lined up cruises from Singapore in early June of 3 and 4 nights to Malaysia’s Kuala Lumpur (Port Klang) and Langkawi, and 10 nights to Vietnam, Hong Kong, Japan, Korea and Shanghai. She will sail North Asian cruises from Shanghai during the summer before returning to Singapore for more Southeast Asian cruises from November till next March. They include a variety of 3,4 and 5-night cruises to Kuala Lumpur (Port Klang), Langkawi, Penang and Phuket, a 7-night cruise to Bangkok (Laem Chabang) (overnight) and Ho Chi Minh City (Phu My), and an 8-night cruise to Shanghai with calls at Ho Chi Minh City (Phu My) and Xiamen and an overnight in Hong Kong. She is Royal Caribbean International’s fourth ship homeporting in Asia, following Rhapsody of the Seas, Legend of the Seas and Voyager of the Seas.

About Royal Caribbean International

Royal Caribbean International is an award-winning global cruise brand with a 40-year legacy of innovation and introducing industry firsts never-before-seen at sea. The cruise line features an expansive and unmatched array of features and amenities only found on Royal Caribbean including, jaw-dropping, Broadway-style entertainment and industry-acclaimed programming that appeals to families and adventurous vacationers alike. Owned by Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. (NYSE/OSE: RCL), the cruise line sails 21 of the world’s most innovative cruise ships to the most popular destinations in the Caribbean, Europe, Alaska, South America, Asia and Australia and New Zealand. World renowned for its friendly and engaging Gold Anchor Service, delivered 2 by every staff and crew member, Royal Caribbean has been voted “Best Cruise Line Overall” for 10 consecutive years in the Travel Weekly Reader’s Choice Awards.

Click here to read all my blog posts on cruising with the family on board Royal Caribbean’s Mariner of the Seas.

To book a cruise with Royal Caribbeans, visit their official website to find out more. For Singaporean travelers, additional contact information are as below: 

Asia Pacific (Singapore Office) Monday – Friday: 9:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m. Saturday: 9:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.

• Tel: 65 6305 0033 • Fax: 65 6536 2282 • APACRes@rcclapac.com