♦ DAY 1 ♦

What an incredible way to get away for the weekend! Thank you Royal Caribbean International for showing us the most amazing time. It was my first cruise ever and I’m sharing everything from my trip. Sharing day 1 (half day) and 2 here, also check out Day 3! I just really wanted to share all my photos, and review of the Mariner of the Seas with you guys. Enjoy!

Royal Caribbean’s Mariner of the Seas went through a $90 million makeover to provide guests with more chance to plan for a perfect weekend on this ship. We went for a 3-night Bahamas weekend escape. It was a short break with non-stop action and fun-filled adventures. I was amazed at all the things we were able to enjoy in 2 days!

♦ The Room ♦

My best friend and I stayed in a Balcony room. A lot of experienced cruise travelers told me that cruise ships usually have rooms that are extremely small with just a window. But, the Mariner of the Seas had more rooms with balconies than all the other cruises I’ve seen. The balcony room was perfect for 2 people! Besides the balcony, our favorite part of the room was the dressing table mirror with lights attached. Felt like beauty bloggers doing our makeup infront of those lights.

Highly recommend getting the balcony room on your cruise. Taking small breaks on the balcony in between all the adventures was a great way to unwind.

♦ Exploring the Mariner of the Seas ♦

I took these pictures the first day after checking in, it was about 3:00 pm on a Friday. People were still checking in and at this time the ship was docked in Port Miami. I already checked in the night before and had my SeaPass with me, but it still took some time to go through security and receiving the boarding documents.  I thought the process would be much faster with the SeaPass printed, but I was so wrong! If you want to enjoy the ship when it’s a little less crowded, I highly recommend checking in as early as possible and enjoying the day by the pool.

There were kids playing basketball, people enjoying the pool and some were having way too much fun on the FlowRider surf simulator. Loved the view of Downtown Miami from the ship.

This is The Perfect Storm – Mariner of the Seas’ three stories high water slide.
Cute little Flamingos outside The Bamboo Room. We met up with the rest of the team at this tropical bar to grab a kitschy-cool cocktail. It was a great way to meet everyone and kick off our cruise adventures.

My first time on a cruise. It was an incredibly calming experience! Watching the sunset from the middle of the ocean was one for the books.

We ended our amazing first day by having dinner at Izumi. Had way too much fun while our entertaining chef prepared the most delicious Asian-inspired dishes!

♦ DAY 2 ♦

Make sure to keep your cruise compass with you throughout the day. The cruise compass is the daily onboard newsletter. It has a guide to all that’s happening on the cruise each day. It also has all the information on featured activities, show times, special events and much more. 

Woke up super early to head to CocoCay, a private island owned by Royal Caribbean. We had to get on a small boat to get to CocoCay. By next year, this private island will be completely transformed and the ship will be able to dock right by the island.

Getting to CocoCay extremely early has its perks. Felt like we had the whole island to ourselves.

The first thing we did was hunt down these pineapple drinks for some cool Instagram pics. But, the drinks were so refreshing and tasty. We tried the coco loco and you should definitely grab one while you’re there.

– SHOP MY COCOCAY LOOKS –

After the drink, it was all about spending the rest of the day by the private cabanas. It’s a little far from the market area, but there was a tram going through every five minutes. I was really impressed by this beautiful island. But, I’m also looking forward to all the new installations and fun activities they will be adding next year.

CocoCay will be completely transformed and will have the tallest waterslide in North America, a helium balloon ride, swim up bar in Bahamas’ largest freshwater pool, and a little taste of Bora Bora in the only private overwater cabanas. Yup, that absolutely sounds like the Perfect Day at CocoCay. 

After our day at the Island, we snuck in a quick nap before heading out to dinner at Jamie’s Italian.

The selection at Jamie’s Italian by Jamie Oliver was incredible. It’s the first seafaring outpost of Jamie Oliver’s hugely popular restaurant. From service to the dishes, it was just a delicious dinner with an amazing group. 

Find out more about all that Royal Caribbean has to offer and plan your adventurous weekend trip with the Mariner of the Seas.

xoxo, Afroza

Outfit photos by Harleen Kaur.