Launched in 2003 and weighing more than 138,000 tonnes, Royal Caribbean International’s Mariner of the Seas is the largest cruise ship homeporting in Asia, following the ripples of her sister ship, Voyager of the Seas. Gwen Pew explores it further.
18 Jul 2013: Launched in 2003 and weighing more than 138,000 tonnes, Royal Caribbean International’s Mariner of the Seas is the largest cruise ship homeporting in Asia, following the ripples of her sister ship, Voyager of the Seas. She boasts of 15 passenger decks and comes equipped with a shipload of features, including an ice skating rink, a ‘rooftop’ wedding chapel, an outdoor rock climbing wall, an arcade centre, a casino, a miniature golf course and more. Food options on board are plentiful, ranging from a steakhouse to a sushi restaurant to the 1950s-inspired American diner Johnny Rockets (where you can play tunes on their still-functional old-school jukeboxes).
Three- to 17-year-olds can make friends at the Adventure Ocean, which has a host of complimentary activities taking place throughout the trip, while the Royal Babies and Tots Nursery has trained staff looking after little ones aged between six months to three years old, so parents can enjoy some much-needed couple time.
While Mariner is similar in size and build to Voyager, she does have a few unique tricks up her sleeves, including ship-wide wifi (fees apply), new hotel openings an outdoor movie screen and digital touch screens located around the ship to help you find your way. After arriving in Singapore last month,Mariner of the Seas is currently sailing around Shanghai, but will be back in November and cruising around South-East Asia until next March. Her next journey from Singapore will commence on 10 November, and will take guests on a five-night cruise around the region, docking in Kuala Lumpur, Penang and Phuket.
GWEN PEW 