On our last full day on board Royal Caribbean’s Mariner of the Seas, the whole family woke up early at 7am to make it for Royal Caribbean’s character breakfast – Rise and Shine with DreamWorks, featuring the characters from the animated film, Madagascar.
This was something we were looking forward to, exclusive only on Royal Caribbean Cruises.
The breakfast menu was characters-themed and it caught Asher’s attention. Although he cannot read yet, he was captivated enough to study the pictures on it for a moment.
![Cruising with the Family on board Royal Caribbean's Mariner of the Seas - Day 3 and 4 of 4 Character-themed menu](http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5533/9161530950_54ec05886b_o.jpg)
![Cruising with the Family on board Royal Caribbean's Mariner of the Seas - Day 3 and 4 of 4 Waffle with orange sauce](http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7422/9161534268_e3fc6da333_o.jpg)
![Cruising with the Family on board Royal Caribbean's Mariner of the Seas - Day 3 and 4 of 4 Banana pancakes](http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3784/9161534488_8285cff6ab_o.jpg)
There are no additional charges for the character breakfast, but you need to wake up early to snag the best seats closest to the performance area.
![Cruising with the Family on board Royal Caribbean's Mariner of the Seas - Day 3 and 4 of 4 Bread was served first](http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3763/9161531172_437a3c2c77_o.jpg)
![Cruising with the Family on board Royal Caribbean's Mariner of the Seas - Day 3 and 4 of 4 Breakfast buffet bar](http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7399/9159310319_39f439cf31_o.jpg)
The characters are introduced one by one over breakfast and each of them will do a little dance before going around taking photos with everyone. To round up the performance, the characters all appear together for a dance finale at the end.
![Cruising with the Family on board Royal Caribbean's Mariner of the Seas - Day 3 and 4 of 4 Alex the lion was the first to appear](http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7313/9159311263_2d4421cdcd_o.jpg)
![Cruising with the Family on board Royal Caribbean's Mariner of the Seas - Day 3 and 4 of 4 King Julien](http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5547/9161533032_19dc8f6e1e_o.jpg)
![Cruising with the Family on board Royal Caribbean's Mariner of the Seas - Day 3 and 4 of 4 Everyone's eyes were glued on the characters](http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3820/9161533698_144e219b63_o.jpg)
![Cruising with the Family on board Royal Caribbean's Mariner of the Seas - Day 3 and 4 of 4 Gloria mingling with the guests](http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5475/9159313113_075352c9de_o.jpg)
![Cruising with the Family on board Royal Caribbean's Mariner of the Seas - Day 3 and 4 of 4 Finale performance](http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3826/9159314023_a233d6fe02_o.jpg)
After breakfast, I was given the opportunity to meet up with some of the key personnel who run Mariner of the Seas, including the ship captain, hotel director, cruise director and executive chef.
![Cruising with the Family on board Royal Caribbean's Mariner of the Seas - Day 3 and 4 of 4 The animated and very likable cruise director](http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3769/9161541230_89d1ee15c6_o.jpg)
![Cruising with the Family on board Royal Caribbean's Mariner of the Seas - Day 3 and 4 of 4 The executive chef and hotel director](http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2811/9159319417_d9cd55b5e1_o.jpg)
![Cruising with the Family on board Royal Caribbean's Mariner of the Seas - Day 3 and 4 of 4 Hotel director](http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7454/9161537518_b76b1ea21d_o.jpg)
![Cruising with the Family on board Royal Caribbean's Mariner of the Seas - Day 3 and 4 of 4 The Captain of Mariner of the Seas](http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7356/9159315251_283f0fd042_o.jpg)
The captain shared that his number one priority is to keep everyone on the ship safe. The executive chef shared that his biggest challenge is to adjust his kitchen to cater to different consumption habits in Asia, adding Asian fare to the menu. Everyday, he has to serve meals for the over 3,000 people on board, using over 10,000 eggs and 2.5 tonnes of beef for a seven-day cruise. The volume is staggering!
After meeting the key ship personnel, I went on a galley tour. I have been on the galley tour on board Legend of the Seas and was looking forward to gain insight to the kitchen operations on board Mariner of the Seas which is about twice the size of the former.
![Cruising with the Family on board Royal Caribbean's Mariner of the Seas - Day 3 and 4 of 4 Interesting to see the main dining area empty](http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7300/9159316581_ffc3708f2b_o.jpg)
![Cruising with the Family on board Royal Caribbean's Mariner of the Seas - Day 3 and 4 of 4 Entering into the huge kitchen on the Mariner of the Seas](http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3817/9159316757_b39d203820_o.jpg)
![Cruising with the Family on board Royal Caribbean's Mariner of the Seas - Day 3 and 4 of 4 The sous chef was the guy who brought us around the massive kitchen](http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7355/9161540236_783d2e48af_o.jpg)
![Cruising with the Family on board Royal Caribbean's Mariner of the Seas - Day 3 and 4 of 4 Pies and pastries to go in the oven](http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3805/9161540000_47bcbcee2a_o.jpg)
![Cruising with the Family on board Royal Caribbean's Mariner of the Seas - Day 3 and 4 of 4 Beautiful hand-made chocolates](http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2838/9161539410_1024314755_o.jpg)
![Cruising with the Family on board Royal Caribbean's Mariner of the Seas - Day 3 and 4 of 4 Pastry section](http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5328/9159318825_64318e4122_o.jpg)
![Cruising with the Family on board Royal Caribbean's Mariner of the Seas - Day 3 and 4 of 4 Chocolate-coated strawberries](http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5343/9161538982_6123b93913_o.jpg)
![Cruising with the Family on board Royal Caribbean's Mariner of the Seas - Day 3 and 4 of 4 One of the kitchen staff hard at work](http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3816/9159317295_b892f48f16_o.jpg)
![Cruising with the Family on board Royal Caribbean's Mariner of the Seas - Day 3 and 4 of 4 Recipes and QC station](http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7420/9161538682_9bf8f1c5c5_o.jpg)
The kitchen has to prepare food for over 1,200 people at each meal time. The volume is crazy, yet quality food is churned out of a well-oiled machine. This never fails to marvel me. Coupled with the high service standard of the waitstaff, these make dining at the Royal Caribbean restaurants a real treat.
After the tour, Rachel and I brought Asher for lunch at the main dining room:
![Cruising with the Family on board Royal Caribbean's Mariner of the Seas - Day 3 and 4 of 4 Salad from the bar](http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7294/9161541434_00f5013ffa_o.jpg)
![Cruising with the Family on board Royal Caribbean's Mariner of the Seas - Day 3 and 4 of 4 Wrap for Rachel](http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7332/9161541984_d2f5da387f_o.jpg)
![Cruising with the Family on board Royal Caribbean's Mariner of the Seas - Day 3 and 4 of 4 Tandoori chicken for me](http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2842/9161541808_c1cf2aabec_o.jpg)
![Cruising with the Family on board Royal Caribbean's Mariner of the Seas - Day 3 and 4 of 4 Lasagna for Asher](http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5453/9159321105_fd8f3cbbdd_o.jpg)
![Cruising with the Family on board Royal Caribbean's Mariner of the Seas - Day 3 and 4 of 4 Ice cream for dessert](http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5512/9161542394_cc57b0ebbe_o.jpg)
![Cruising with the Family on board Royal Caribbean's Mariner of the Seas - Day 3 and 4 of 4 Strawberry puffs](http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7434/9161542216_2772d9341e_o.jpg)
After lunch, we brought Asher to check out the ice-skating performance. This is popular and there are limited seats, so do go early to avoid disappointment.
![Cruising with the Family on board Royal Caribbean's Mariner of the Seas - Day 3 and 4 of 4 Rachel putting another shirt on Asher in the cold ice skating rink](http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7402/9161525462_76553b086c_o.jpg)
![Cruising with the Family on board Royal Caribbean's Mariner of the Seas - Day 3 and 4 of 4 Meet the skaters](http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2824/9159304159_89a83eb2ef_o.jpg)
![Cruising with the Family on board Royal Caribbean's Mariner of the Seas - Day 3 and 4 of 4 Dazzling acrobatic displays](http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2864/9159304367_306f1ced0b_o.jpg)
![Cruising with the Family on board Royal Caribbean's Mariner of the Seas - Day 3 and 4 of 4 Cruising with the Family on board Royal Caribbean's Mariner of the Seas - Day 3 and 4 of 4 - Alvinology](http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5339/9159304559_03dd95f3bc_o.jpg)
![Cruising with the Family on board Royal Caribbean's Mariner of the Seas - Day 3 and 4 of 4 A love skit between a ballerina and a clown](http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5475/9161526206_e515d850e5_o.jpg)
Right after ice-skating, I brought Asher for a dip in the whirlpool while Rachel did some reading on a nearby sun chairs Asher totally loved the whirlpool. He stayed at the pool area for over an hour, shifting from one whirlpool to another while dipping into the swimming pool in between.
![Cruising with the Family on board Royal Caribbean's Mariner of the Seas - Day 3 and 4 of 4 Asher alternating from one whirlpool to another](http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3775/9161527206_4579a73108_o.jpg)
![Cruising with the Family on board Royal Caribbean's Mariner of the Seas - Day 3 and 4 of 4 Asher having fun in the whirlpool](http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5525/9161526778_d56e6abcd5_o.jpg)
![Cruising with the Family on board Royal Caribbean's Mariner of the Seas - Day 3 and 4 of 4 Asher did not want to climb out of the whirlpool](http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7372/9159305427_01ec37dc6d_o.jpg)
When it was time to leave, it took a lot of coaxing before Rachel and I managed to get him out of there. After the pool, we went to catch the last performance for the night at Savoy Theatre.
![Cruising with the Family on board Royal Caribbean's Mariner of the Seas - Day 3 and 4 of 4 Heading down the stairs from our stateroom to Savoy Theatre](http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5462/9161528334_896a45cac3_o.jpg)
![Cruising with the Family on board Royal Caribbean's Mariner of the Seas - Day 3 and 4 of 4 Automotive-themed artworks by the stairs](http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7281/9159306017_95011455e4_o.jpg)
![Cruising with the Family on board Royal Caribbean's Mariner of the Seas - Day 3 and 4 of 4 Another one composed of many small cars](http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7378/9159306173_eaa9fec206_o.jpg)
![Cruising with the Family on board Royal Caribbean's Mariner of the Seas - Day 3 and 4 of 4 Pink vintage car - Asher loves these artworks and used them as visual navigators to find our stateroom](http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5339/9159306351_d90a682d39_o.jpg)
![Cruising with the Family on board Royal Caribbean's Mariner of the Seas - Day 3 and 4 of 4 Asher getting excited to catch a performance again for the second night](http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5322/9161528484_421d6039bc_o.jpg)
A comedic act from Vegas was on and the dude was a blast! He got Rachel and I laughing through the show. Asher did not get the jokes of course, but he still enjoyed the singing and stage effects.
![Cruising with the Family on board Royal Caribbean's Mariner of the Seas - Day 3 and 4 of 4 Show started with celebrity impersonations](http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2893/9161528650_28f838365f_o.jpg)
![Cruising with the Family on board Royal Caribbean's Mariner of the Seas - Day 3 and 4 of 4 Elvis Presley](http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3831/9161528990_f28bc192d8_o.jpg)
![Cruising with the Family on board Royal Caribbean's Mariner of the Seas - Day 3 and 4 of 4 All the Royal Caribbean performers on stage for a finale song and dance item](http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3768/9159307811_31f53efba4_o.jpg)
We then went to queue to have a picture taken with Puss in Boots from Shrek. Asher was thrilled to see Puss and cried when we had to leave after taking a photo. After a long, fun-filled day for the family, we had dinner at the main dining room again.
![Cruising with the Family on board Royal Caribbean's Mariner of the Seas - Day 3 and 4 of 4 Family picture with Puss in Boot and Gloria the Hippo](http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7439/9161548018_4e1813178f_o.jpg)
This was the last dinner for this sailing and the wait staff had prepared something special for all the guests – thank you songs and dances!
![Cruising with the Family on board Royal Caribbean's Mariner of the Seas - Day 3 and 4 of 4 Salad from the bar](http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5530/9159321431_bd3b4323d6_o.jpg)
![Cruising with the Family on board Royal Caribbean's Mariner of the Seas - Day 3 and 4 of 4 Escargots](http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5335/9161542950_24094c1e7d_o.jpg)
![Cruising with the Family on board Royal Caribbean's Mariner of the Seas - Day 3 and 4 of 4 My steak main course with baked potato](http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5325/9161543262_b0f484f905_o.jpg)
![Cruising with the Family on board Royal Caribbean's Mariner of the Seas - Day 3 and 4 of 4 Rachel ordered beef burgers](http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7346/9161543456_ff559bb5f4_o.jpg)
![Cruising with the Family on board Royal Caribbean's Mariner of the Seas - Day 3 and 4 of 4 The wait staff waving their napkins](http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7425/9159322085_7564f89ec9_o.jpg)
![Cruising with the Family on board Royal Caribbean's Mariner of the Seas - Day 3 and 4 of 4 Song and dance presented by the Royal Caribbean kitchen staff and servers](http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3674/9159326247_c4890febd8_o.jpg)
![Cruising with the Family on board Royal Caribbean's Mariner of the Seas - Day 3 and 4 of 4 More singing and dancing](http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3812/9159308693_0147980fa2_o.jpg)
![Cruising with the Family on board Royal Caribbean's Mariner of the Seas - Day 3 and 4 of 4 Asher was mesmerised by the performance](http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5542/9159323809_8a147c767a_o.jpg)
![Cruising with the Family on board Royal Caribbean's Mariner of the Seas - Day 3 and 4 of 4 Everyone looks so happy](http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3665/9161545276_8e11bf59a1_o.jpg)
![Cruising with the Family on board Royal Caribbean's Mariner of the Seas - Day 3 and 4 of 4 This group at the top started dancing to Psy's Gangnam Style](http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2842/9159323171_6122634551_o.jpg)
Asher slept after dinner that night, tired after a long day. I went out to the Royal Promenade to catch the finale parade. It was a colourful spectacle, with all the performers and character mascots making their appearances for one last grand performance. Had Asher not fallen asleep, I would have brought him to witness this spectacle.
![Cruising with the Family on board Royal Caribbean's Mariner of the Seas - Day 3 and 4 of 4 Puss in Boot dancing](http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5462/9161547416_11aeedc08e_o.jpg)
![Cruising with the Family on board Royal Caribbean's Mariner of the Seas - Day 3 and 4 of 4 Lots of people turned up for the parade](http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7336/9161547024_f11f9c009b_o.jpg)
![Cruising with the Family on board Royal Caribbean's Mariner of the Seas - Day 3 and 4 of 4 Characters from fairy tale books](http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5528/9159324007_dafc0ea74f_o.jpg)
![Cruising with the Family on board Royal Caribbean's Mariner of the Seas - Day 3 and 4 of 4 Po from Kungfu Panda](http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3757/9159324877_83bf33848e_o.jpg)
![Cruising with the Family on board Royal Caribbean's Mariner of the Seas - Day 3 and 4 of 4 The penguins from Madagascar](http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7330/9161546262_d5bdc05f50_o.jpg)
![Cruising with the Family on board Royal Caribbean's Mariner of the Seas - Day 3 and 4 of 4 King Julien from Madagascar](http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2890/9161545848_f557f88794_o.jpg)
![Cruising with the Family on board Royal Caribbean's Mariner of the Seas - Day 3 and 4 of 4 Guy on stilts](http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5546/9159325059_4ffc53aaea_o.jpg)
Before going to sleep, I did more reading that night on the balcony, enjoying the soothing sound of the lapping waves.
The next day, we docked at Singapore early in the morning. We went to the cafe for breakfast before getting off the ship. You will be wondering how crazy it must be to have all 1,200 guests disembarking from the ship at the same time, jamming up the exit with bulky suitcases. This is not the case. Everything is done in an orderly manner, with guests in different sections being allocated different time slots to disembark. It was a breeze checking out.
![Cruising with the Family on board Royal Caribbean's Mariner of the Seas - Day 3 and 4 of 4 These appeared in our room in the evening, including detailed instruction on disembarking and checking out](http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3834/9159304877_3152d20c07_o.jpg)
![Cruising with the Family on board Royal Caribbean's Mariner of the Seas - Day 3 and 4 of 4 Sunrise](http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3723/9159309107_ed5fc4bf33_o.jpg)
![Cruising with the Family on board Royal Caribbean's Mariner of the Seas - Day 3 and 4 of 4 Spotted a ship sailing by](http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5509/9159309275_3b6e14532d_o.jpg)
Upon getting off the ship, getting out of Marina Bay Cruise Centre requires some waiting due to the long taxi queue. I spotted many cut-throat black cabs in the taxi queue as well as Mercedes cabs which have raised their metered fare, bringing them closer in pricing with the black cabs than regular ones. As most Singaporeans avoided taking these, they jammed up the queue by hogging lanes.
Unless you find these two cab types more comfortable, avoid them and just go for the regular cabs for some savings. The cabs arrive pretty fast anyway.
This post sums up by 4D3N cruise 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 • [email protected] |
wah this is like disney land on a boat. awesome!
Hi Sir, do you have the cruise compass to share with us.
thank you sir.
Hi,
May I check if the character dining need to pre-book in advanced?
thanks for sharing this information and your photos, after looking through them with my husand, we decided that this was the ship for us and we have just booked a cruise on Mariner of the Sea. we are really looking forward to the experience, cheers
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