Mariner of the Seas - Casual dining seating

[lovevacadays]

I haven't cruised Royal Caribbean since about 2000. I've been cruising Princess. I enjoyed my previous 3 RCCL cruises but just have ended up with Princess which obviously I like as well. I am contemplating doing a Mexican Riviera cruise on the Mariner. I live in Southern California so have done this many times on Princess but would like a change.

 

I just read on one of the Mariner reviews that there is absolutely no outside areas where you can eat. On Princess, you can take your food from their buffet and either go out by the tables by the outside mid-ship pool or back to the aft pool where there are many tables. Is there anything like this on the Mariner?

 

Any other thoughts on the Mariner you would like to share would be appreciated. Especially if you have sailed both the Mariner and the Sapphire Princess.

 

Thanks

[cb at sea]

You can take food outside, but there's no real "outdoor eating area"...on Radiance class ships, there is an outdoor WJ section. On Voyager class, you just have to carry what you want and find someplace around the pool area....there may be a few small tables---I can't remember! We would take lunch to our lounge chair by the pool.

[truffles2]

There are quite a few tables and chairs at the perimeters of the pool deck and also quite a few in the solarium.

[Love-to-ride]

We just sailed the Mariner 1/31/10 - 2/7/10 and that is one of the things we missed. There were only about 3 tables on either side out by the pool but they were not really close to the Windjammer. The tables out back were up a floor and they said it was reserved for the teen zone. So essentially unless you wanted to sit on the loungers or the deck chairs there were no tables. I didn't see any tables in the Solarium at all.

 

We liked the Mariner. We have sailed mostly Carnival (5 times), one Princess and one Celebrity cruise. But the one thing we did miss was the outside seating for lunch.

[jjb415]

We just sailed the Mariner 1/31/10 - 2/7/10 and that is one of the things we missed. There were only about 3 tables on either side out by the pool but they were not really close to the Windjammer. The tables out back were up a floor and they said it was reserved for the teen zone. So essentially unless you wanted to sit on the loungers or the deck chairs there were no tables. I didn't see any tables in the Solarium at all.

 

We liked the Mariner. We have sailed mostly Carnival (5 times), one Princess and one Celebrity cruise. But the one thing we did miss was the outside seating for lunch.

 

Me too, it is so nice to be able to sit outside and enjoy the scenery from the back deck of a ship. Even though NCL isn't my favorite line, they actually have a buffet line on the aft deck. :) In addition to what is stated above, food isn't allowed to be taken outside when the Mariner is in port in San Pedro, California. That being said, the Mariner is a great ship and has lots to offer in lieu of outside dining.

[39august]

The Solarium is on the same deck as WJ and does have several tables. Just leave the WJ, walk past the pool, and enter the doors to the Solarium. It is adult only. On Voyager and Freedom class ships, the Solarium is open, no roof.