Royal Caribbean Cruise : Mariner of the Seas

Hello!

So now that i've finished my South Korea trip series, i can finally move on to my other trips (that i still feel like blogging about, that is!). I actually wasn't going to blog about this cruise trip (coz it happened in late 2017 hahahaha) but after seeing the pictures again, i remember how much i LOVED that trip (this was our very first time on a cruise ship and you know how wonderful firsts are! Any wondeful firsts deserve to be immortalized), just browsing thought the photos gave me a sense of happiness that i know i have to share it with y'all... That's why i am here now, blogging it on a lazy Saturday night (when i could spent it binge-watching American Horror Stories *LOL*).

On board of Royal Caribbean's Mariner of the Seas. It was still docking from our departure point in Marina Bay Cruise Centre, Singapore

FYI, i've always had this weird obessesion about cruises and no, it's got nothing to do with Titanic (we all know i tend to get very easily obsessed over something i read/watch in movies) even though i did love Titanic (the movie la). I think it all started many many years ago when #Undecided (i must confirm this with her, i'm sure this is correct tho, i couldn't have made up something so specific) went on a cruise ship with her family (it was back when Star Cruise just started taking off and i remember wanting to cruise on a Libra so bad because it's my zodiac hahaha) and told me all about it. 

I remember hearing about various buffet restaurants (even though in reality i hate buffets, i dunno why this is so compelling for this subject), mall-like stores, gaming centre and even movie theaters inside the cruise and i was like WHOAAA, why so cool? It's like living in a floating hotel with attached mall (FYI, i love this concept a lot. I might never mentioned this but i LOVED Genting Highland - i also love Macao's The Venetian. The idea of a huge indoor entertainment where you can stay, sleep, play, party, eat and have non stop fun in one interconnecting space is just... Thrilling for me. Maybe i am just a weird, weird girl.

Ever since then i always, ALWAYS wanted to go on a cruise trip but before was married, it was simply not gonna happen since my mom hates flying with vengeance - and she HATES sailing even more. Then the first few years of my marriage was spent struggling and building our finance, and when we started getting more comfortable, we were busy traveling the world and i kinda forgot about cruises. Plus, i always have this idea that cruises are expensive AF. And one day, there was a travel expo at the local mall and they were promoting Royal Caribbean, as it was held by a travel agency where my close friend works in, asking stupid questions was not embarrassing (as an introvert, it's just so much easier when it's not a stranger i am talking to!) and the price for the cruise was actually very affordable (don't ask me how much, it's been more than a year how can i remember, but it was under 10mill for two) so i jumped on the chance of realizing one of my dreams :D.

Since i didn't actually care about the destination (i just really REALLY want to go on a cruise trip, that's all!), we chose the cheapest one *LOL* and it was a 4 days cruise from Singapore to Penang (and then back to SG again, ofc) and on November 2017, it was finally time.

I remember clearly how in awe i was standing in front of the dock, taking the whole cruise in and thinking how lucky i was hahaha *i am very dramatic lah we all know rite*

If i remember correctly, for the normal cabins you can choose the inner cabin (i don't remember the actual name, it's windowless and the cheapest one), cabin with window (which we chose - and i regret nothing! Next cruise i would ask for the same type of cabin) and the one with balcony (KC and CL who ended up joining us took the balcony cabin. I didn't like it because seeing the sea too much actually made me dizzy and at that level, you can feel the wave more than in our level) which is the most expensive ones and you can see the balconies in this pic

I was giddy with excitement but you would never be able to guess it from my poker/constipated face hahahahaha. Well, smiling makes my chubby face even rounder so sullen expression is what you will get in my pics (i smile more in pics now because i have mastered editing my face now)!

Honestly the last time i felt so excited was when we went to Japan for the first time (which is in 2016 so in retrospect... It wasn't that long ago *LOL*. Yet it felt like forever) because Japan was (and still is. Except that i also love Holland with all my heart) and still is, my dream country - and cruise ship is also something that i've been dreaming of for maybe more than half my life. Things that i never thought i would be experiencing (growing up with paranoid mom who only enjoys road trips, although i always knew we can afford it, it's just something that didn't seem attainable. Plus i didn't know that i have a wanderlust until i was 18 or something).

One of the first things i saw once i stepped into Mariner of the Sea

Ofc i gotta take #ootd immediately hahaha (before we even found our cabin)

Honestly i am super glad that we chose Royal Caribbean as our first cruise (this is not sponsored by any means although it is definitely my dream to be sponsored by cruises!) because although their ships are older, that is not a minus at all for me - in fact it's a total plus! It adds more character and the way it is built and decorated is like how a classic, princessy cruises should be. I would love to try Dream Cruise (which is so much more modern) too one day, but i know that Royal Caribbean will always be my number one (because first love never dies and all that crap). It gave me my best first experience and now my standard is very high, thanks to them!

We got a little bit lost at first because our cabin was located in the opposite wing from where we entered (but after a few hours, i felt right at home and knew the layout of the ship so well that even i wouldn't get lost *LOL*) but it was not a problem because we get to see more of the ship on the way there.

Bar where we ended up buying a souvenir for Little O *LOL*, it's a light up beer glass. Don't worry, my son doesn't drink alcohol (he's 11 alright) LOL, he just drinks his water from it and he loves turning the lights on

In my hurry, i ended up only taking one blurry pic of the promenade area (i think it's called Promanade... or it has some other name that i can't remember *LOL*)

This is the "mall" area :D

And we finally found our cabin :

The cabin was so much bigger than i expected (the only thing that i worry about before experiencing it was the sleeping area because i always heard that cabins are very small and cramped. Well, it's actually more spacious than most budget hotels we stayed at haha). It's super super homey, comfortable and clean (i noticed that they clean our rooms more than 5x a day. I mean, every single time we leave our room longer than a few minutes, the bed would be re-made and things would be straightened up! A tip that we got (for having so many tour leaders as friends) was to bring dollar bills and tip the cabin and dining staffs - and also to find staffs from your country (they all are pretty friendly but the ones from Indonesia are especially kind to us). I didn't think much of this tip initially, but it ended up being a very good advise as some tipping (not even much) to show our appreciation made them show even more appreciation back (therefore making sure our trip was perfect)

Vanity area. You don't get drinking water in your room (if you want to have free flow drinks, you can purchase a special glass before you board and you can refill your drink of choice however much you want. Since we don't drink soft drinks or anything sweet, i didn't see any point of purchasing any) but you can get them from the 24 hours cafe (in this particular cruise it's called The Promenade) so yeah, you gotta walk to get your water but it's not even that far lah so it wasn't even an issue 

Yeah, the cabin even had space for a comfy sofa and table

The bathroom was not huge but with enough space for me not to feel claustrophobic in

And it's sparkling clean!

The shower box's kinda small but as long as you're not like, 300 pounds, it's totally fine

I absolutely loved our room that i constantly want to go back and nap *LOL*. It's no secret that i have pretty bad insomnia and it can be enhanced on trips (that's why i always pack sleeping pills to help me cope) but i experience none of it during the 4 days we were on the cruise. On the contrary, i kept on falling asleep (my theory is because i can feel the gentle, lulling rocking of the waves that i feel like a baby on a slow swing haha) that it confuses hunny. 

One of the questions that my friends who has never went on a cruise ship before asks is if i experience any sea-sickness and if you can feel the wave. Well, i can't comment on any other ship/destination, but for this one - when we first board (i'd say the first hour or two), i did feel the movements a bit and it did made my head swim a little bit (not to a point where i get dizzy tho) but i get used to it super fast and only remember that i was in the middle of the sea when i lay down! No, no sea sickness whatsoever, like i said... The whole trip was a bliss.

Now about dining. As the cruise is huge and there are thousands of people on board, they have a few restaurants and cafes, for Royal Caribbean you might get specific dining areas (with timing, to prevent overflowing of patrons, they divide the dining time so none of us would have to wait for tables/food for too long). Since hunny and i book our trip separately from KC and CL (and HR's family), they get assigned to one dining hall while the two of us got the free one (meaning we can go to any of the dining options) - but if your schedule got separated from your family/friends, fret not... This is a cruise ship and not a military training so you can always ask to be moved and they mostly would try to accommodate your requests.

If i remember correctly, the breakfasts and lunches are buffet style (we skipped breakfasts and opted for room sevices because i always prefer to sleep in hahaha) while dinner is more "fine dining" style. Other than the free dining options, there are also other options where you have to pay but get special type of dining experiences. For me, there is no need for the extra dining experiences because the regular ones are more than enough already *LOL*. We did get one all you can eat lunch at Johnny Rocket because hunny wanted to try it (and it wasn't very expensive. It was under USD 10 per person, maybe 6 or 8 USD).

Rhapsody in Blue is the main dining hall, the prettiest and grandest one

I mean. Look at that

Real Titanic vibe, wouldn't you say?

Super classic, old European style at its finest

Well, 90% of the guests were Asian (mostly Singaporean) ofc due to the embarkation point *LOL*

Asian Rose and Jack? LOL

Oh yeah, don't forget that you are sharing the cruise with thousands of other guests. They all want to eat too, so you most probably (unless you go in a big group with 10 people to occupy the whole table) would have to share tables with strangers. Gotta bring this up because we had to share a table with some Chinese uncle and aunties and they were unhappy about it *LOL* WTF. If you don't want to share space with strangers, please go on and buy your own cruise lah hor

Another thing that you need to know before going on a cruise trip : wifi is effing expensive. Not only they are expensive AF, the reception also SUPER BAD *LOL*. We all decided to get some packages to split among us (which still ended up very expensive. It was almost 800k for two devices WTH) but we couldn't even really browse or watch Youtube as the connection was really bad. Unless you really need internet (like maybe you need to be reachable for work at all time via WA or email), then i would suggest to forget about internet and enjoy every moment instead.

Oh yeah, there's a casino too. I was carded whenever we went to Genting (even when i was 22 or something) so i always feel cautious whenever i see casinos (although i am 35 and obviously wouldn't get carded anymore, the memories stick to my brain haha) but the one in the cruise was very free i think, you can even bring your kids *LOL* (wouldn't recommend it ofc)

One thing that i didn't know before, they would only open the casino once we sailed because when we are still in the country's water, the rules of the country still applies

That's why it was so abandoned and i could freely take pictures

Personally, i am just not a gambler in any way or shape so casinos are not something i even remotely interested in

My brain is fuzzy but i think you can smoke in the casino (???) maybe that's why i dislike going through it even more haha

Don't worry, KC's also not a gambler lah, we did try this machine a bit for fun

I did spent a pretty long time staring at people playing this machine, hoping that the coins would fall. Now this machine, i at least understand the appeal *LOL*

Let's explore the decks!

We explored it again at night and it really felt very different *LOL*

Swimming pool area... We packed swim suits and never used them. I don't know why i always pack swim suits, i can't even remember the last time i actually swim - i don't even know if i still can!

One for the memories. I can't wait to go on another cruise trip with you!

If there is one thing you should never be worried about when going on a cruise trip that is to be hungry *LOL*. If Mariner of the Seas, if you ever get the munchies outside the dining hours (or if like us, you skip breakfasts or lunches at times) you can always head to the Promenade cafe because they have pastries, cakes, pizzas among other yummies 24/7.

As it's the only 24 hours dining area, it can be very packed and getting tables could be a real challenge haha. But you can always bring your food to your room if you want

OH OH OH, if there is one thing that i dislike about this trip, it was the coffee! Coffee was sooo bad at one point we decided to purchase one because we thought it'd be better than the free ones : it wasn't. So next time i will make sure i remember to bring my own instant coffees...

The cafe was filling in quickly because we just finished the drill (everybody must join the drill so you know what to do in case of emergencies) and was getting ready to watch the welcome parade

It was a Dreamworks parade and we were lucky enough that we snagged a table 

You see people standing on balconies? The windows next to them are the inner cabins so your view would be the Promenade instead of the ocean haha

We had some yummy food but since we were constantly eating on board i forgot to snap most of them haha.

I think this is what i have for the first dinner (i had a yummy steak for the second night, which was the best dinner there but i didn't have any pic!) because i missed rice already *LOL* #typicalAsian

There are shows every night and we made sure to watch every single one of them - and i thoroughly enjoyed all of them! There are other entertainments too like movies, game centre, even rock climbing etc but i forgot to take pics of them too :(... (except for the movie theater because we simply never went).

The Savoy theater

The ice skating show's the best one in my opinion :

Like i mentioned earlier, we had lunch at Johnny Rocket once and since it's all you can eat (how many burgers can you eat anyway???) we asked for the buns to be replaced by lettuces haha.

Apparently i also forgot to take pics of the actual restaurant

Onion rings

Hot dog... And we even ordered noodle-less ramens *LOLOLOL*, the staffs must've thought we were insane

They even have a chapel so if you're like and i prefer to have a very small but meaningful wedding, instead of blowing millions on a grand wedding why not have a ceremony in a cruise and then celebrate with your very close ones in the ship??? It's a dream wedding i never knew i had *LOL*.

It was completely deserted so we couldn't stop ourselves :))))

We were roaming about exploring the ship and stop by to listen to these ladies' performance for a bit.

As the cruise trip is super duper relaxing, full of good food and entertainment, it is actually a perfect kind of trip for my mom. But she threaten to kill me whenever i mention it, that's how scared she is of the sea *LOL*

Docked at Penang on the second day (went to Ghost Museum which i might or might not blog about next).

There was a disco party going on at the deck that night, it was pretty hilarious.

Because it's obviously is a family kind of trip so the ones who were really on were the kids and the elderly

And just like that... it was our last full day at sea (because the next day we have to vacate the ship from morning :(... I was very sad... I need a longer cruise trip next, maybe 5 days at least). I don't think we did anything the whole day because the photos that i got from the last full day are mostly of the dinner onward haha.

I convinced KC (who missed dinner on the ship the previous night because they went nuts at Penang and eat nonstop) to have regular dinner because our dinner the previous night was soooo good - but weirdly enough the farewell dinner was nowhere near as good as the second day's dinner *LOL*.

Huge clams

Succulent prawns

And i guess this is lamb chop

Strawberry ice cream

Some type of cake *LOL*

Then there was a performance by the staffs and as a dramatic person i felt very touched even though they obviously perform this every week or so *LOL*.

It was November so they had huge Chrismas trees.

With KC

I have a story about this skirt. I bought it online many years ago, it looks different than the photo and i didn't like it so i never wore it. I only thought that it's something that i'd wear on cruises (because i associate cruises with flowy, airy maxi dresses). Fast forward to a few years later, i really went for a cruise trip so she serves her purpose *LOL*

Hunny's photography skill 1.5 years ago. I must admit he is finally improving a bit (except that he still takes very tilted photos)

Final show that we watched, was more of a concert 

Apparently there used to be dinner with the captain where we have to wear formal wears (we were told to bring formal wears by the travel agency - for nothing in the end hahaha) but it's no more - instead the captain held a speech and party at the Promenade, free champagne and all *LOL*

And with that, my first cruise trip ever ended! I really really REALLY love the experience, and while sometimes we have such a high expectation of something we ended up feeling disappointed because the actual experience is not as good as we want - this is a total exception because the trip was so much better than i expected (and boy did i expect a lot). I would say that it's the best trip i had in both 2017 and 2018, nothing comes close although i went on many other trips in those two years. It's so good that i want to repeat the experience as soon as possible, i'm thinking this year *fingers crossed*.

Keep in mind, cruise trips are not for everybody. Some people might get bored (if they love high paced travel and dynamic rythmn) but people like me (read : can be lazy AF haha!) would love it! Granted, very long ones might be boring, but 4-5 days are perfect for me (actually come to think about it, the long ones might not be boring for me either since we'll dock on different destinations throughout). It's a perfect kind of trip to be closer to your spouse or family- so honeymooners - i would highly recommend. For married couple, it's also awesome (if you ask me how we stay so lovey dovey after 17 years + together, this type of trips are some of the secrets). With a group of close friends?  Even better! I also hope to be able to go on a cruise trip with Olin in the future, we'll get some sick photos for sure haha!

How about you? Have you ever been on a cruise trip or it's something you hope to experience in the future?

Feel free to share with me!

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