This Mariner of the Seas Windjammer restaurant review includes details on this buffet restaurant as well as our thoughts after our recent cruise.
The Windjammer Café is a casual dining option that is an alternative to the main dining room on Royal Caribbean ships.
There is no additional charge to eat here.
This article contains affiliate links. If you click a link and make a purchase I may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. For more information please see the Disclosure page.
Mariner of the Seas Windjammer
The Windjammer on Mariner of the Seas is located on deck 11, near the pool area.
On this cruise ship, Windjammer offers a wide variety of food and spectacular views of the ocean.
This buffet restaurant is open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. They are however closed from 3:00 till 6:00 daily. I’m not sure if this is a temporary short staffing situation or not.
The Windjammer offers a wide variety of international cuisine as well as having some vegetarian and gluten free options.
Mariner of the Seas Windjammer – breakfast options
The Windjammer buffet restaurant has pretty much everything you can think of for breakfast.
From an omelet station to chocolate chip pancakes, to hand carved ham, to avocado toast, granola, and of course fresh fruit.
I can’t think of anything they are missing.
Mariner of the Seas Windjammer – lunch options
The buffet restaurant is open 11:30-3:00pm for lunch. You’ll find a great selection of food at lunch too.
There is a burger station, they do have veggie burgers, you just have to ask. They also offered turkey burgers. You will find a large selection including small bun sandwiches, pastas, and different meat options.
Mariner of the Seas Windjammer – dinner options
Each night there is a different food theme in the Windjammer. You can find out what night it is by looking in the Cruise Compass daily schedule or on the app.
This is a nice addition to the other offerings.
Don’t be discouraged however, if you don’t like one of the food themes. These are available at only a few stations. There are still so many options to choose from, including the popular meat carving station.
On our recent 8-night cruise to Bermuda and Bahamas, the nightly themes were:
- All American classics
- Italian
- Chinese
- Indian
- Tex Mex (taco bar)
- Asian (stir fry station)
- English favorites
- Caribbean
Desserts
You’ll always find a great selection of desserts at lunch and dinner. They even had a few flavors of hard ice cream most nights, maybe even nightly.
It is hard to walk by the delicious looking desserts and not stop for at least one. It’s the perfect place to satisfy your sweet tooth.
I am vegetarian and never had trouble finding several delicious options regardless of whether it was breakfast, lunch, or dinner.
Windjammer beverages
Complimentary drinks
At breakfast you will find complimentary coffee, teas, a few juices, and milk.
During the lunch and dinner times, there was ice water, either strawberry kiwi or mango water (they both were yummy), and iced tea instead of the breakfast juices.
There were attentive wait staff that would come around and offer complimentary beverages and clear dirty plates.
Extra charge drinks
The Plaza Bar is located in the Windjammer and serves alcoholic and soft drinks at current bar menu prices unless you have one of the beverage packages.
There are Freestyle Coke machines in the Windjammer Marketplace buffet for you to refill your souvenir drink cup if you have one of those drink packages. This is a nice feature.
I was most impressed with the layout of the Windjammer Marketplace restaurant. There are lots of smaller stations, all with plates and cutlery. This made for a much better flow. Because of this we didn’t experience any lines.
While it is a casual atmosphere, there is still a bit of a dress code. Swimsuits must be covered up and bare feet are not allowed.
Before entering the Windjammer there is a long row of sinks on each side and a crew member there to remind everyone to “washy washy” before entering the restaurant.
Mariner of the Seas review
Things I liked about Mariner of the Seas Windjammer
- Big selection
- Great food
- Conveniently located near the pool deck
- The small food stations made for no lines
- Healthy protocols requiring hand washing before entering
- Nightly themes
The thing I wish was different about the buffet restaurant
- That they weren’t closed from 3-6, often we would find ourselves looking for a snack just after 3 or hoping for an early dinner. The exact times of operation can of course change.
If you find you are hungry during this closed time, the different restaurants open from 3-6pm are:
- Café Promenade
Located on deck 5 in the Royal Promenade. Here you’ll find pizza, little sandwiches and wraps and cookies. Food here is included in your cruise fare.
- The Doghouse
The Doghouse is a little venue serving hot dogs located on the pool deck. This is the only other complimentary food option available during these hours.
- Playmakers Sports Bar
This is a specialty restaurant and has an additional charge. Here you’ll find pub style food. The Pile On Nachos were our favorite. Playmakers has a la carte pricing (each item has it’s own price).
- Johnny Rockets
Johnny Rockets is a burger joint with a flat fee cover charge.
- Room service
There is an additional cost for room service on Royal Caribbean International (other than for continental breakfast).
Overall, we loved the Mariner of the Seas Windjammer buffet area. Good food, great selection, friendly crew members, and a nice atmosphere. A great place to grab quick bites or have a casual dinner.
For more information on the other restaurants, check out Mariner of the Seas Dining Options {Ultimate Guide}
If you are planning a cruise vacation on Royal Caribbean cruise line on Mariner of the Seas, you might be interested in these other articles.
Royal Caribbean Jamie’s Italian Restaurant Review
Ultimate Cruise Planner & Journal
Is Mariner of the Seas a Good Ship?
29 Mariner of the Seas Tips for an Awesome Cruise
What to Pack for a Cruise to Bermuda
