Mariner Shakedown

Our employees got to participate in a shakedown sailing on the amped up Mariner of the Seas. A total of 2,319 shoreside employees went onboard to test out these new features:

• Sports Deck Additions: Flowrider, Skypad, and The Perfect Storm

• Culinary Offerings: Jamie’s Italian, Izumi Hibachi & Sushi, Windjammer and the Main Dining Room

• Bars and Nightlife: The Bamboo Room, Playmakers Sports Bar & Arcade

• Thrills: Laser Tag: Battle for Planet Z, and Escape Room: The Observatorium

Having employees onboard first allowed the crew to test each of these areas to ensure our first revenue sailing was a success.

The main dining room tested the following categories:

• Overall dining experience

• Beverage quality

• Knowledge and engagement of staff

• Fast and efficiency

Another key area tested was CocoCay. On the island, crew members were very excited about all the enhancements coming. Albert, a crew member on the island’s food station, thinks the construction has not been hindering the guest experience.

“Everything on the island is running normally, I don’t even notice the construction,” he said. “It doesn’t interfere with my work and the cover-up does a great job of hiding it.”

One shoreside employee who really enjoyed the entire shakedown experience was first-time cruiser, Eddy Valdivia, Marketing Intern for Product Development at Azamara.

“Before this cruise, I was asking myself questions like, ‘what should I expect?'” he said. “Afterwards, I thought this was one of the most relaxing and exciting weekends I’ve had in a long time.”

For any future guest, he recommends they participate in The Quest, an adult scavenger hunt where anything goes. He even had to put his clothes inside out for a challenge!

Mariner of the Seas is now offering 3-4 day sailings to give you the opportunity to weekend like you mean it!

Article found on internal website at Royal Caribbean.