The Mariner of the Seas has returned for Royal Caribbean International’s longest-ever Southeast Asian season. It offers vacationers a choice of 41 sailings in the region of three to 10 nights to destinations in Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, Hong Kong and China till March 2017. The Mariner belongs to the cruise line’s Voyager class of ships, which represents the highest public space-per-guest ratio in the cruise market. With a total length of 1,020 feet, a weight of 138,000 tons and a capacity to hold 3,114 passengers, it is described as “a ship built for adventure, relaxation, and everything in between”.
We got a peek behind the scenes of the Mariner just before it left Singapore’s Marina Bay Cruise Centre on a four-night cruise to Kuala Lumpur and Phuket recently.
Studio B
First, studio and production manager Sacha Savenkoff showed us Studio B, where the Mariner stages complimentary ice-skating shows. Royal Caribbean is the first cruise line to offer onboard ice-skating rinks with feature ice shows and professional skaters. When the rink is not in use for performances, onboard guests are open to skate for free, with skates provided.
Entrance to Studio B.
Sacha explains that the ice is about 4 cm thick.
A train that comes on the ice for the kids.
Savoy Theatre
Sacha then showed us the Savoy Theatre, the home of two shows, Centre Stage and Gallery of Dreams. Though the theatre is not the famed West End theatre in London, it does come up as close as a theatre on a ship can be. I was amazed at its size-it is five decks high and sits over 1,300! There’s a nine-piece orchestra, two sets of production crew and a myriad of costumes. Sacha says that the Savoy’s crew is entirely self sufficient and laundry is even done onsite without having to go to other departments.
The Savoy Theatre.
Bridge
We were then shown what I had been looking forward to most — the usually out-of-bounds section of the Mariner, the bridge that was specially open to us. The bridge is to a ship what a cockpit is to a plane. It is the nerve centre of the vessel, from which the entire vessel can be commanded. Royal Caribbean specially arranged for a Singaporean member of the crew, Second Officer Mark Koh, who has been sailing since his teenage days and is now living his seafaring dream, to meet us.
The bridge of the Mariner.
Second Officer Mark Koh is one of the Singaporean crew on board.
This diagram maps out the entire Mariner and is where crew gather to discuss any critical plans.
An international cruise liner has an equally international crew, and I was impressed that in the bridge alone there are representatives from Canada, Singapore, Venezuela, Norway, Philippines, Eastern Europe and China. Besides navigation, Mark shared with us interesting nuggets of information that bridge officers (i.e. the equivalent of pilots) like himself on passenger liners have to take note of in particular. For example, the angle of “listing”, or tilting of the ship must not be too great so that passengers do not feel uncomfortable. In addition, the crew also monitor the amount of potable water onboard, which is needed in great quantities. Did you know that water can be produced on board via osmosis from seawater, and also as a by product of evaporation from the engines?
For the price of bearing the heavy responsibility for the safety of the Mariner, these bridge officers are rewarded with a stunning view of the sea and port cities that I could not help but envy. I started to dream of their lives, sailing for months on end (with breaks of also a few months when they’re not at sea) to exotic port destinations.
The crew is truly international. First Officer Mark Giddins, who was on duty when we visited, is Canadian while the Captain is Norwegian.
To think that the mighty Mariner can be controlled from here.
The prize of a seafaring career is a gorgeous view of ports the world over.
Lunch at Giovanni’s
Finally, it was time for lunch. The last time I went for a cruise was more than a decade ago, and I was shocked at how far cruise dining has come. Gone are the days of low-quality buffets I recalled where we mostly stuffed ourselves with standard greasy fare just to fill our stomachs. On board the Mariner, there are eight options to choose from–Main Dining Room, Windjammer Café, Café Promenade, Chops Grille steakhouse, Giovanni’s Table Italian restaurant, Johnny Rockets, Boardwalk Dog House (for hotdogs) and 24-hour room service. As many as 150,000 meals are prepared every week on board the Mariner for both guests and crew.
Once on board, passengers will not have to pay for complimentary dining options that are of a much higher standard in both setting and presentation than the old days. However nowadays, if passengers wish to enjoy finer dining, they can now pay a reasonable cover charge to enjoy finer dining in specialty restaurants. We had lunch at Giovanni’s Table, one of the specialty restaurants, where paying a fixed price of US$20 for lunch and US$25 for dinner can get you an authentic and hearty Italian meal. It is styled as a family restaurants and portions are huge. I was very happy with the pasta and the excellent cut of meat that was my steak.
We had lunch at Giovanni’s table.
Italian cured beef, arugula and Parmesan shavings.
A salad of vine-ripened tomatoes and bocconcini mozzarella.
Fried shrimp, calamari, fish fillets and zucchini with aioli.
Taglierini pasta tossed with calamari and pesto.
Traditional risotto with forest mushrooms, finished with porcini and truffle mushroom tapenade.
8 ounces grilled strip loin steak, fries with, Barolo reduction. My preferred is obviously well-done but you can have it otherwise.
Baked jumbo shrimp, garlic tossed potatoes, baby zucchini and asparagus.
Milk-fed veal meatballs in a rich Roman tomato-herb sauce.
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Chicken breast filled with ricotta and mushroom, wrapped in prosciutto and served with Chardonnay-sage sauce.
The star – the dessert cart comes round! Save the best for last.
Retail
Just before I hopped off the Mariner after our lunch, I had a glimpse of what retail options it offered. The main shopping “street”, the Royal Promenade reminded me of the busy and exciting thoroughfare of a major Asian resort that I spent a few days at. Indeed this is the way we cruise nowadays – to be able to be offered a full holiday experience, be it dining, entertainment or shopping as if we were still on land. And along this promenade, the passenger with deep pockets or a good day’s run at the casino can splurge on an IWC and Cartier. The Mariner is the very first cruise ship to feature these two luxury boutiques.
The main thoroughfare of the Mariner, the Royal Promenade.
Cruise ships nowadays have truly transformed. There is always the casino, the traditional magnet of cruising, but cruising has also become a thoroughly entertaining family experience, with a wide range of sailing destinations and excellent on-board facilities and dining options to boot.
My visit to the Mariner just made me more tempted to set sail more than ever–unfortunately it had to come to an end as I disembarked to make way for the many regional tourists who were off to Malaysia that afternoon. Lucky them!
See www.royalcaribbean.com for sailing dates and destinations.
