I spent this past Thanksgiving at sea on a Royal Caribbean cruise, Mariner of the Seas. I had already gone to three cruises previously, two of which were other Royal Caribbean. It had been a while since my family and I were able to take a few days off, so we were all highly anticipating this vacation.
My first impression of the ship was how alike it was to the other Royal Caribbean ones we had gone on. The decorations were very similar, and the layout of the ship was almost the same. There were fourteen decks; it was difficult to find my way around at first! This ship definitely looked older than any of the other ones we had gone on, but that was not something I really paid attention to either.
The five-day cruise stopped in Costa Maya and Cozumel, both located in Mexico. In Costa Maya we were able to take a snorkeling tour and in Cozumel we enjoyed our time on the beautiful beach. The water in both locations was so clear and warm, fulfilling my idea of the perfect beach day.
There were countless daily activities to do on the cruise all day. There were constant shows, free bracelets were given out, shopping was a constant occurrence within the visitors, and music was always playing. My favorite activities were the Guess the Tunes, the Ronn Lucas show, and the ice skating show, to name a few. Pool, ping pong, the rock climbing wall, the pool and hot tub, the basketball court, the water slides, and even more were also some fun activities my brother and I were able to enjoy in our own time.
Food is something the cruise prioritized. They said around 20,000 meals a day were prepared on board. The food satisfied my expectations pretty well, but the food from the Celebrity cruise I went on was much better. I did wish the Windjammer was open past eight at night, but my family and I had dinner at the main dining hall every night either way.
The crew was very attentive and kind all around, which made the experience so much better. I have absolutely no complaints on that aspect of the experience whatsoever.
This long overdue vacation was one of the most relaxing ones I have ever had. Spending Thanksgiving away was great to disconnect from the outside world and focus on the present moment.
The opinions expressed in this article are the writer’s own and do not reflect the views of Her Campus.
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at TAMU chapter.