No two cruises are the identical. Even if you’re crusing on an analogous ship, equivalent to Royal Caribbean’s Navigator and Mariner of the Seas, elements just like the crew, itinerary, and climate situations all foster new experiences.
Inside the previous 12 months, Jenny Reineck launched into two solo cruises aboard Mariner and Enchantment of the Seas. Her crusing on Mariner departed from Port Canaveral, Florida, and referred to as at Good Day at CocoCay and Cozumel, Mexico, whereas her cruise on Enchantment sailed from Tampa to the Western Caribbean.
“I had a good time on each of the cruises, however there have been some similarities and a few variations,” Reineck says.
Similarities
Nice service
She begins by speaking concerning the service. From the servers within the Primary Eating Room to her cabin steward and the bartenders, “…the crew on [Royal Caribbean was] implausible, they usually [went] above and past to make [my] cruise trip enjoyable.”
These aren’t the one crew you may meet whereas onboard. Everybody from the Cruise Director to the On line casino Host, Loyalty Ambassador, and the Youth Program Director performs an important position in shaping your cruise expertise.
Talking of Cruise Administrators, “…the fervour, pleasure, and vitality introduced by the Cruise Director on each ships was phenomenal.” They’re typically thought of the “face of the ship,” serving to to coordinate onboard occasions and actions that maintain passengers entertained all through their crusing.
Learn extra: 7 most essential crew members to satisfy in your cruise ship
Complimentary pizza
Whether or not you are grabbing pizza from Cafe Promenade, Park Cafe, or Sorrento’s, indulging in at the least one slice of included pizza is a ceremony of passage on Royal Caribbean cruises.
When crusing on Mariner, Reineck ventured to Cafe Promenade for pizza, whereas on Enchantment, she discovered herself on the Park Cafe within the Solarium.
“No matter the place I received it, the pizza tasted the identical and was scrumptious! Actually, the standard of the meals usually was very comparable throughout each ships,” she remarks.
Learn extra: Sorrento’s pizza on Royal Caribbean cruise ships
Primary Eating Room
Reineck explains how the service, menu choices, and meals high quality have been comparable within the Primary Eating Rooms on Mariner and Enchantment.
In early 2023, Royal Caribbean launched new eating room menus to hurry up the dinner service. Every evening focuses on a sure delicacies, from Italian to Mexican and British. Whereas the rotation of the menus could differ based mostly on the size of your cruise (i.e., a 4-night cruise will not have as many choices as longer sailings), the standardized eating expertise ensures that visitors can count on constant high quality and repair regardless of which ship they’re on.
That mentioned, Reineck says the primary distinction between the Primary Eating Rooms was her seat: “In each circumstances, they sat me at a two-person desk on my own, however that’s the place the similarities ended.”
“On Mariner, my desk was towards a wall on the finish of a row of tables. It felt extra personal, however I did not have an ideal view. On Enchantment, my desk was sandwiched between a bunch of different two-person tables, however I may sit going through the window. Whereas it felt much less personal, the view was a lot better,” she provides.
Learn extra: Royal Caribbean Menus 2024
Onboard actions
The onboard actions and leisure typically drive passengers to guide a Royal Caribbean cruise in comparison with competing traces. Whereas older ships lack Broadway-style musicals, the essence of the every day schedule is identical.
“Whether or not it was trivia in Schooner Bar, a theater present, or the notorious Loopy Quest, …I observed that lots of the onboard actions that I had loved on Mariner have been additionally going to be taking place on Enchantment,” she says.
“This was nice as a result of I already knew which actions I wished to [attend], together with the stomach flop contest, the world’s sexiest man contest, and different enjoyable actions all through the ship.”
Learn extra: What’s included in a Royal Caribbean cruise?
Stateroom
Whether or not you wish to get monetary savings and guide the most cost-effective inside cabin or are within the temper to splurge on a lavish suite, cruise ships have staterooms to satisfy varied wants and preferences.
On each Mariner and Enchantment, Reineck booked an inside cabin. Nevertheless, her room on Mariner was completely different in that it missed the Royal Promenade. There was no window, even an interior-facing one, on Enchantment.
“Aside from that, the rooms have been very comparable in dimension, cupboard space, lavatory, and so on.,” Reineck explains.
“As a solo traveler in a double occupancy room, an inside cabin [had] greater than sufficient area for all of my issues, and in each cabins, there have been at the least two different locations to sit down down aside from the mattress.”
Learn extra: Royal Caribbean cabin information
Variations
Ship structure
Enchantment of the Seas is one in every of Royal Caribbean’s oldest ships in service. A part of the Imaginative and prescient Class, she debuted in 1997. Not solely is she one of many oldest ships within the fleet, however she’s additionally one of many smallest, measuring simply shy of 83,000 gross registered tons. As compared, Icon of the Seas is over 245,000!
Mariner of the Seas is slightly newer, having launched in 2003. As such, she’s a part of the road’s Voyager Class, which was the primary to function the Royal Promenade, a thoroughfare stuffed with retailers, bars, and eating places.
Since each vessels belong to completely different lessons, their layouts are completely different. Completely different would not equal dangerous or disappointing, although.
“Whereas I assumed I would miss the Royal Promenade, I really loved among the ship actions [more] on Enchantment because of the structure of the Centrum,” Reineck says.
“Significantly for issues just like the balloon drop and the Parade of Nations, the Centrum provides off a ‘around the campfire’ vibe the place we [could] all collect and have a good time collectively, whereas the Royal Promenade [felt] extra like we have been all in an extended hallway taking a look at a stage.”
She provides that she additionally loved watching sail away from Mariner’s helipad, which was absent on Enchantment.
Ship facilities
Since Mariner is bigger and a part of a more recent class, she options extra onboard facilities in comparison with Enchantment, together with water slides, a FlowRider surf simulator, an ice skating rink, and an escape room.
Not solely that however Mariner additionally had a working tv display on the pool deck, which performed vacation motion pictures throughout Reineck’s December 2023 crusing.
“Sadly, whereas I used to be on Enchamtnent [in April 2024] the large display on the pool deck was not working, and I missed out on pool deck motion pictures.”
Eating choices
Whereas on Mariner, Reineck determined to attempt Royal Caribbean’s Izumi Hibachi. Along with the interactive Teppanyaki meal, she discovered that Mariner had extra choices, equivalent to the recent canine stand on the pool deck. She mentioned she’d must courageous the crowds at Windjammer if she wished a fast chew to eat on a sea day whereas on Enchantment.
Nevertheless, each ships had a specialty espresso store the place she may gas up with a chilly brew every morning: “…On Mariner, I headed right down to Cafe Promenade…whereas on Enchantment, I received it from Cafe Latte-tudes.”
“Each cafes had the identical meals choices although, with small gadgets equivalent to ham and cheese sandwiches, chocolate donuts, and cookies.”
Learn extra: One meals merchandise you might want to order from every restaurant onboard Enchantment of the Seas
Itinerary and port schedule
With one ship departing from Port Canaveral and the opposite from Tampa, each had completely different itineraries. Whereas each visited Cozumel, her crusing on Enchantment additionally took her to Roatán, Honduras; Belize Metropolis, Belize; and Costa Maya, Mexico. Along with Cozumel, her cruise on Mariner from Port Canaveral solely visited one different port of name: Good Day at CocoCay.
On Mariner, her schedule included a sea day adopted by a port day, one other sea day, and one other port day. In distinction, her itinerary on Enchantment had a sea day adopted by 4 consecutive port days, then one other sea day.
“Whereas I beloved the entire ports that we stopped at on Enchantment, 4 port days in a row will be fairly exhausting, particularly once you’ve been out [on] an all-day tour,” explains Reineck.
“I loved the schedule I had on Mariner higher as a result of the ocean days gave me time to recuperate from my excursions.”
Climate
“This may increasingly appear apparent, however the climate in December is completely different than the climate in April,” Reineck says, “Actually, on my December cruise on Mariner, my tour in Cozumel ended up getting canceled as a result of it was too windy, and whereas I loved my day at CocoCay, there have been many moments the place I used to be fairly chilly.”
As compared, when touring on Enchantment in April, Reineck expresses how every port was sizzling and humid. That mentioned, the solar was shining, and she or he did not have any excursions canceled on account of inclement climate.
Reineck’s expertise on Mariner in December proves that cruise ships will be impacted by climate all year long, not simply throughout hurricane season. Although her port cease wasn’t canceled, the climate situations formed her expertise.
Learn extra: What skilled cruisers do in a different way throughout hurricane season