The Mariner of the Seas dining options ultimate guide outlines the restaurants included in your cruise fare as well as the Royal Caribbean specialty restaurants.
The cruise food and restaurant options are a big part of a cruise vacation.
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Mariner of the Seas Dining Options
Let’s start by looking at the Royal Caribbean free food options offered on Mariner of the Seas.
Mariner of the Seas Free Dining Options
Mariner of the Seas Dining Room
Royal Caribbean’s Mariner of the Seas dining room is an impressive 3 story venue.
The Mariner of the Seas main dining room is open for breakfast and dinner daily, as well as for lunch on sea days.
There is a different dinner menu nightly.
You can see the dining room menu ahead of time on the Royal Caribbean app. This is a nice feature, it can help you decide if you want to eat there or somewhere different that night.
The Mariner of the Seas main dining room menu has a number of appetizers, entrees, and desserts to choose from. These are included in your cruise fare. You can choose more than one appetizer on a cruise.
You will also find that there are a couple “premium selections” such as whole main lobster or fillet mignon that have an additional charge.
See a sample main dining room menu here.
Mariner of the Seas Vegan options – main dining room
Vegans will be happy to know that each night the Mariner of the Seas had a vegan appetizer or two, a vegan soup, 2 vegan main dishes, and a vegan dessert to choose from.
When looking at the app, scroll down past the kid’s menu to the Royal Caribbean vegan options.
If you are vegan and are booked on a cruise, it is advised to let the cruise line know ahead of time.
Mariner of the Seas dining room kids’ menu
There is a Royal Caribbean main dining room kids’ menu.
It includes things like:
- Burger & fries
- Pizza
- Chicken fingers
- Grilled minute steak
- Chicken breast, mashed potatoes, veggies
- Spaghetti
This of course can change but will give you an idea what to expect.
Mariner of the Seas dining times
When you make your cruise reservation you will be asked to choose between:
- Main seating (early dining) at 5:30pm
- Second seating (late dining)at 8:00pm
- My Time Dining – dine between 6:45pm-9:00pm
Reservations are required, even if you choose My Time Dining. Reservations can be made before your cruise vacation online, onboard in the App, or in person.
If you choose My Time Dining, be sure to make your reservation times early. I waited until onboard and there were only the 2 latest time slots available.
Even though the dining room is 3 stories, you will be assigned one floor.
My Time Dining was all on deck 3. Your Royal Caribbean Sea Pass will have your dining room floor listed on it.
When considering dining times, look at the cruise itinerary. If you have 4 ports and you are in these ports of call until 5 or 6pm, then maybe a main dining room time of 5:30pm isn’t the best option.
See below for information about Mariner of the Seas dining room dress code.
Windjammer
The Windjammer Marketplace is the buffet restaurant on Mariner of the Seas. Windjammer café is a casual complimentary dining option.
In addition to breakfast, lunch and dinner, the Windjammer is a great place to get a sweet treat.
You can read more about Mariner of the Seas Windjammer here.
Café Promenade
Cafe Promenade is a casual dining spot on Mariner of the Seas. It is located on deck 5 in the Royal Promenade.
Café Promenade is open from 6am – 3am. They also have a coffee and tea station that is open 24 hours a day.
If you are looking for a casual bite to eat, this is the spot. This is where you will find delicious pizza, small sandwiches and wraps and cookies.
There isn’t a lot of seating, but you can grab and go.
The Doghouse
While it isn’t really a dining option, it is a cruise food option. The Doghouse is a small venue on the pool deck serving hot dogs.
There is no cost for food here.
Mariner of the Seas Dining Options – Additional charge
These restaurants are the specialty restaurants on Royal Caribbean International’s Mariner of the Seas, they offer additional dining options but do have an additional charge.
Chops Grille
Chops Grille is the Royal Caribbean steakhouse onboard Mariner of the Seas, it has an additional cost.
It is located on deck 11, it is a separate restaurant located inside the Windjammer buffet restaurant.
This Mariner of the Seas steakhouse is also open for lunch on sea days. Lunch here is a great way to try the restaurant for a lot less money, keep in mind though, that the portions are less too.
Reservations are required. This can be made ahead of time on Royal Caribbean’s website, the app, or in person. Ahead of time is recommended.
This popular venue has a “smart casual’ dress code.
There is also a kids menu. You can see it in the link below. You can see the Chops Grille menu here.
Jamie’s Italian
Jamie’s Italian is an Italian specialty restaurant by celebrity chef Jamie Oliver.
This is a restaurant has a cover charge.
You can read more information and our Jamie’s Italian review here.
Izumi Sushi and Hibachi
Izumi Hibachi and Sushi is a specialty restaurant on deck 4 on Mariner of the Seas. It is open for dinner daily and lunch on sea days.
On the Teppanyaki side of the restaurant, it’s a three-course meal. The main courses are either the classic or premier combo which comes with a starter and a dessert for a set price.
The other side of the restaurant serves up fresh sushi at a la carte prices.
The menu does say gluten free, vegetarian and lactose free options are available.
We are vegetarian and asked them for avocado and avocado with cucumber rolls. It wasn’t on the menu. It was no problem for them. They were delicious. Salted edamame beans were served as a starter.
If you plan on eating at several specialty restaurants, you may want to consider the unlimited dining package. You can check prices online. It will be cheaper to purchase this before your cruise. Keep watching the prices, they often go on sale.
Playmakers Sports Bar and Arcade
The Mariner of the Seas Playmakers Sports Bar is on deck 5 right across from Café Promenade.
Playmakers has a wide variety pub style food options. Menu prices are per item and are reasonable.
We loved the Pile On Nachos, it made for a great snack to share.
This sports bar has several large TVs and you will find a schedule of the sporting events that they are televising. You will find sports such football and cricket.
Kids are allowed in Playmakers.
There is also a pool table and a few old school video games such as Pac Man and Donkey Kong. The video games were $0.50 to play. You just swipe your Sea Pass card to play.
Check out the Playmakers menu options here.
Johnny Rockets
Johnny Rockets is a classic diner serving up hamburgers, veggie burgers, fries, and more.
You can see the full Johnny Rockets menu here, there is a cover charge at Johnny Rockets.
Milkshakes are a popular item at Johnny Rockets. The best thing is that if you have the deluxe beverage package or the refreshment package milkshakes are included.
Johnny Rockets is located on deck 12 of Mariner of the Seas, a deck above the pool deck and a deck down from the Sports Court and Flowrider.
Chef’s Table
Chef’s table is a unique gourmet dining experience.
You are served 5 elegant courses plus dessert from a set menu. This formal dining experience will appeal to foodies. The current menu has items including Maine lobster salad and filet mignon. This can change.
See a sample menu here.
The Royal Caribbean Chef’s Table is the most expensive specialty dining option on the cruise ship.
Bamboo Room
The Bamboo Room on Mariner of the Seas is in the Royal Promenade on deck 5. It is more of a fun tropical themed bar, but it does make its way on the list because it offers a few small plates for a an extra cost.
Photo by Load the Luggage
And when I say a few, I mean 4. When we sailed in late August 2022, the Bamboo Room food menu consisted of:
- Hawaiian BBQ pulled pork sliders
- Ahi tuna poke
- Tahitian coconut crab bruschetta
- Asian noodle salad
Prices ranged $5 – $12 plus gratuity.
The prices and menu can of course change, but this gives you and idea of what they offer.
Mariner of the Seas ice cream
Okay, so ice cream might not be dining but ice cream and vacation just seem to go together.
And, does Mariner of the Seas have ice cream is a popular question.
Is there ice cream on Mariner of the Seas?
Yes! You can find a delicious frozen treat in a few spots on Mariner of the Seas.
Arctic Zone – soft serve
Arctic Zone is a soft serve frozen yogurt station poolside on deck 11.
You can choose between vanilla or chocolate.
There is no additional charge for soft serve yogurt. Many people will call it soft serve ice cream; however the sign says it is technically yogurt
Windjammer – ice cream
The Windjammer buffet restaurant on deck 11 had 3-4 flavors of hard ice cream available on several evenings (maybe nightly??).
The flavors changed. You can find the ice cream beside the dessert station.
There is no charge for the ice cream from the Windjammer.
Ben & Jerry’s ice cream
Ben & Jerry’s ice cream shop on Mariner of the Seas is located on deck 5 outside the Café Promenade.
When we sailed in August 2022, there were 11 flavors of ice cream and 1 flavor of sorbet available.
Some of the signature flavors available on our sailing were Cherry Garcia, Chunky Monkey, and Phish Food.
The price at that time for Mariner of the Seas Ben & Jerry ice cream in either a cup or a cone were:
- $2.50 small
- $3.25 medium
- $4.00 large
You could also get a Ben & Jerry’s milkshake in any of the available flavors for $4.50.
These prices are all in USD. Prices and flavors of course can change, this is meant only to give you an idea of what is offered and what the approximate costs are.
Johnny Rockets – milkshakes
As mentioned, Johnny Rockets has milkshakes.
The milkshake flavors are:
- Chocolate
- Vanilla
- Strawberry
- Oreo (delicious!)
Milkshakes do have a cost unless you have the deluxe or refreshment drink package. The cost otherwise is $5.50 (or at least was on our cruise in August 2022, Royal Caribbean can change the price at any time).
If you are wondering what the other extra costs of a Royal Caribbean cruise are then this article is for you.
Mariner of the Seas dining room dress code
There is a different dress code nightly for Royal Caribbean’s dining room. On a 7-night cruise you can expect 2 “dress your best” nights.
Dress your best is what Royal Caribbean calls their formal night or elegant night.
On our recent 8-night cruise the Mariner of the Seas dining room dress codes were:
-Day 1 Casual
-Day 2 Dress your best
-Day 3 Casual
-Day 4 Caribbean (floral prints)
-Day 5 Casual
-Day 6 Dress your best
-Day 7 Casual
-Day 8 Tropical (floral prints)
The floral prints aren’t mandatory for the Caribbean and Tropical themed nights, casual attire is fine. It’s just a fun thing they do.
When making your cruise dinner plans the first night of a cruise regardless of the length of the cruise is almost always a casual night. The second night is often the dress your best formal night.
The cruise ship “dress your best” dress code applies only to the main dining room.
If you are planning a Royal Caribbean cruise on Mariner of the Seas, these articles might be of interest to you: