Food/snack options on Mariner of the Seas?

[AlanS17]

I've only ever been on one other cruise, and it was a much smaller boat so I'm trying to wrap my head around all the various dining options on Mariner of the Seas before our March 3rd sailing.

 

So I've identified all the full-scale restaurants that I'm aware of. Beyond that, though, what are the other food options? I know they're out there because I see half-sentence references in various reviews, but I'm having a hard time figuring it all out or finding more info. Here's what I've found...

 

Primary Dining:

Main dining room (3-course meals, included)

Windjammer Cafe (buffet, included)

Jade (buffet asian food, included)

Giovanni's Table (Italian food, for fee)

Chops Grille (steaks, for fee)

Johnny Rockets (burgers, for fee)

 

Snacks:

Promenade Cafe (pastries and/or snacks throughout the day, included)

Boardwalk Dog House (hotdogs and sausages, included)

Ben & Jerry's (ice cream, for fee)

 

Am I missing anything? I could have sworn I saw something about unlimited frozen yogurt from a random machine. I'd like to know where that is since I would be there every day. Do the bars offer any snacks? Are they for a fee or are they included with the cruise fare? Thanks.

[wreckem2013]

IIRC on the pool deck they have a soft serve ice cream(not frozen yogurt) machine.

[AlanS17]

IIRC on the pool deck they have a soft serve ice cream(not frozen yogurt) machine.

 

That's good enough for me. :) Did I miss anything obvious?

[Clarea]

Room service, 24 hours, $3.95 fee per order between midnight and 5am, otherwise no extra cost.

[39august]

The dining room meals are not limited to three courses. You can order as many dishes as you desire from all catagories, i.e. salads, appetizers, soups, entrees, desserts. Beverages that are included in your cruise fare are coffee, tea, hot chocolate, milk, lemonade, and fruit juice at breakfast.

[Markanddonna]

Jade is really part of Windjammer. The MDR will sometimes not be open on the days you are at port. We were very pleased with the selection and mostly ate in the MDR, but usually breakfast in the Windjammer. Not much change from day to day in the Windjammer for breakfast.

[halbaby#1]

Location Of Boardwalk Dog House On Mariner. Looked at deck plans and did not see it unless I missed it.

[Clarea]

Location Of Boardwalk Dog House On Mariner. Looked at deck plans and did not see it unless I missed it.

Looks like starboard side of the pool deck (deck 11) near the aft centrum.

 

Here's the deck plan:

 

http://media.royalcaribbean.com/content/en_US/pdf/decks/MA/2012_2013/ma_deck11_v2012-13.pdf

[jackietex]

The Promenade Cafe also has free pizza and excellent sandwiches.

[matj2000]

Looks like starboard side of the pool deck (deck 11) near the aft centrum.

 

Is an exact location really necessary?

The ships are not really that big and I am pretty sure these people will find anyplace they need to go once they get on board.

[Merion_Mom]

Jade is really part of Windjammer. The MDR will sometimes not be open on the days you are at port. We were very pleased with the selection and mostly ate in the MDR, but usually breakfast in the Windjammer. Not much change from day to day in the Windjammer for breakfast.

 

Just to clarify: This poster means that the MDR will sometimes not be open for LUNCH on port days.

 

Generally speaking, Mariner's MDR is only open for lunch when at sea. When she is at Labadee, it is reversed: Windjammer is closed for lunch and MDR is open for lunch. (staff is off in droves serving lunch on Labadee)

[Doug S]

Also an occasional poolside BBQ, and tapas in Vintages before dinner (or so I've been told). Also, FYI, soft serve machine is not open 24/7. It has a pull down cage/gate over night.

[matj2000]

Nobody needs soft serve ice cream at 3AM...

[AlanS17]

Nobody needs soft serve ice cream at 3AM...

 

Says you. :D

[halbaby#1]

Looks like starboard side of the pool deck (deck 11) near the aft centrum.

 

Here's the deck plan:

 

http://media.royalcaribbean.com/content/en_US/pdf/decks/MA/2012_2013/ma_deck11_v2012-13.pdf

 

Thank you for your reply. The Deck plan for deck 11 on my Deck plan does not show this. I also checkced other web sites for deck plans for the Mariner Deck 11 and no other deck 11 showed this .

 

Weird that yours showed this and not the others.

 

HB

[AlanS17]

Also an occasional poolside BBQ, and tapas in Vintages before dinner (or so I've been told). Also, FYI, soft serve machine is not open 24/7. It has a pull down cage/gate over night.

 

Any idea on when to expect these BBQ's? Are they on sea days? Are they random or is there method to the madness? Thanks!

[Doug S]

Any idea on when to expect these BBQ's? Are they on sea days? Are they random or is there method to the madness? Thanks!

 

Definitely sea days. Mariner this past week I think it was the last sea day (Saturday). I also remember seeing the silver chaffing dishes being put out earlier in the cruise as well. I spend my time in the Solarium, and the buffets are on the main pool deck, so I don't usually hit those. They do announce them and they are in the Compass.

[Doug S]

Nobody needs soft serve ice cream at 3AM...

 

I had no soft serve the whole cruise, but was just trying to provide some info. Not a midnight snack option.

[Sequim88]

If you get enough Roll Call people to sign up for a Meet & Mingle event (25 minimum I think) they will serve some sort of snack - often cake. The bigger the group the bigger the spread. Our TA last May we had way over 300 people in the Lotus Lounge and they had a really nice spread of fruit, cheeses and crackers plus punch. Downside is they often schedule these for a port day unless cruise has a sea day early on.

 

I think the Tapas in Vintages were for a charge per item. There was menu. Not sure if they had samples free in evening. The Champagne Bar had pre-dinner snacks free for those having a drink there so maybe Vintages worked the same. Viking Crown Lounge had munchies (nuts, pretzel bits, etc...) in glasses on the tables in evening.

 

Since we opt for later seating at MDR (or go late on MTD) we usually got a snack at Promenade Cafe or ordered room service cheese & crackers to have while getting dressed on formal nights.

[CaribeDiver]

Is an exact location really necessary?

 

The ships are not really that big and I am pretty sure these people will find anyplace they need to go once they get on board.

 

 

 

 

WOW Dude!? Do you ever post anything that's helpful or just cynical garbage?

 

As for the OP, I think you've got pretty much everything. I like to know what/where everything is prior to my cruise as well so, I don't feel like I missed something. I'd like to know exactly what they serve at the doghouse also. It's nice RCI is uping the dining options.

[pcur]

WOW Dude!? Do you ever post anything that's helpful or just cynical garbage?

 

Ah, the joys of the personal Ignore List!! :D

[AlanS17]

Is an exact location really necessary?

 

The ships are not really that big and I am pretty sure these people will find anyplace they need to go once they get on board.

 

 

 

I've never been on a cruise ship this large. Exact locations are helpful to me. :p

[39august]

According to pictures posted on another thread, those deck plans are wrong. The Dog House, per those pix, is starboard where the dive shop is on the port side. I will find out if those pix are correct next week! Tapas in Vintages on Mariner are no charge when ordering a glass of wine. There are also appetizers, including caviar, when ordering a drink at the Champagn Bar between about 5-7 PM.

[Sequim88]

Boardwalk Doghouse was interesting. Of course it was brand new on Mariner when we cruised after the DD so it was a few days getting open after we sailed. Had a nice selection of sausage type meats (hot dogs, brats, italian sausage) with a pretty decent chicken sausage option. Our #1 issue with the venue and menu was it is on the smoking side so there were no tables to eat at nearby that were not smokey. Also without giving up lunch in WJ, MDR or Johnny Rockets it was hard to determine when to squeeze in more between meal eating. Minor gripe too was small selection of beer. But over all very tastey.

[Clarea]

Boardwalk Doghouse was interesting. Of course it was brand new on Mariner when we cruised after the DD so it was a few days getting open after we sailed. Had a nice selection of sausage type meats (hot dogs, brats, italian sausage) with a pretty decent chicken sausage option. Our #1 issue with the venue and menu was it is on the smoking side so there were no tables to eat at nearby that were not smokey. Also without giving up lunch in WJ, MDR or Johnny Rockets it was hard to determine when to squeeze in more between meal eating. Minor gripe too was small selection of beer. But over all very tastey.

Curious that they would put a food venue on the smoking side. When we first cruised on Mariner, they had the soft serve machine on the smoking side. A couple of years later they had changed the smoking side to port, and it was away from the soft serve machine. Have the changed the smoking side back to starboard?