Heidi BucoloIf you like to cruise, then you probably like to eat. Food is a big part of cruising, and we know our fellow cruisers are always eager to see what is available at the different restaurants onboard. So, we are just back from a Mariner of the Seas 2022 cruise and have put together this updated Mariner of the Seas Restaurant Guide with menus as well as all the details for each venue.
Mariner of the Seas Restaurant Guide
Complimentary Venues
There are several dining options that are included in your cruise fare with Royal Caribbean. These include the main dining room, the popular Windjammer buffet, and a few other casual options. With so many great offerings, you certainly do not have to pay extra for dining (if you don’t want to).
Main Dining Room (Decks 3, 4, 5)
If you are looking for a complete dining experience, then you will want to visit the main dining room.
The 3-story main dining room on Mariner of the Seas offers traditional cruise dining (decks 4 and 5) with the early seating at 5:30 pm and the late seating at 8 pm.
My Time Dining can check in on deck 3 anytime between 6:45 pm and 9 pm. With My Time Dining, you can make reservations for set times in advance or just walk up when you are ready to dine. Either way, the menu options are the same as the traditional dining. These options do rotate each evening, with a set list of Classics dishes available every night.
Further, the MDR serves breakfast every morning of your cruise and lunch on sea days on deck 3.
Below is a list of menus from our recent 5-day Caribbean cruise on Mariner of the Seas. If you are looking for the specific menu rotation on your sailing, check the Royal Caribbean app for all the details.
Menus: Breakfast | Lunch 1 | Lunch 2 | Dinner Night 1 | Dinner Night 2 | Dinner Night 3 | Dinner Night 4 | Dinner Night 5
Café Promenade (Deck 5)
Open 24 hours a day, the Café Promenade is your go-to spot for snacks any time of day. Serving up breakfast pastries, sandwiches, and small desserts, you will never go hungry on Mariner of the Seas. Since there is no Sorrento’s on this ship, Café Promenade also serves up pizza.
This venue is a great place to grab a table and people watch as there is always something happening in the Royal Promenade.
Like most Royal Caribbean ships, specialty coffee is available at Café Promenade as well. These espresso-based drinks are included in the Deluxe Beverage Package or the Café Select coffee card.
Dog House (Deck 11)
If you love the Boardwalk Dog House on the Oasis-class ships, then you are in luck. Mariner of the Seas now has a Dog House on the portside of the pool deck.
Serving up four different varieties, the Dog House is open daily from 11:30 am to 6 pm. This might just be the perfect midday snack while lounging by the pool or after returning to the ship from a day ashore.
Arctic Zone (Deck 11)
In addition to all the other snacks you can enjoy around the ship, there is also the poolside ice cream station. Located on the starboard side of the pool deck, Arctic Zone offers soft serve selections throughout the day from 11:30 am to 6 pm.
Windjammer Café (Deck 11)
If you have cruised on Royal Caribbean before, then you are very familiar with the Windjammer Café. This casual, complimentary buffet is open most of the day. On both sea and port days, the Windjammer serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
For breakfast (approximately 7 am-11 am), you can find your typical selections including fruits, breakfast pastries, cereals, and a host of hot meals such as scrambled eggs, bacon, and sausage.
For lunch (approximately 11:30 am-3 pm), you will find a selection of salads, cold cuts and sandwiches, a grill with hamburgers and hot dogs, and other hot dishes which vary slightly during the cruise.
From 6-9 pm, dinner is offered in the Windjammer with different themes including American Classics, Italian, Mexican, Caribbean, and Flavors of India. Of course, you will also find your standard buffet selections in addition to the themed offerings.
Specialty Restaurants
While Royal Caribbean does offer a number of complimentary dining venues, its cruise ships also feature a number of specialty restaurants. These restaurants do all have up-charges; though, they are certainly worth it.
If you plan to dine at a few of these venues, the Unlimited Dining Package is a good value. The only downside to this plan is that you can not make your dining reservations pre-cruise; you can only do so once onboard the ship. Unfortunately, popular restaurant reservations do fill up quickly.
Izumi Hibachi & Sushi (Deck 4)
Izumi is a Royal Caribbean fan favorite offering Asian-inspired teppanyaki, sushi, and other far east flavors. The Hibachi experience has a flat fee for the four-course meal. At Izumi Sushi, guests can pay a la carte or select the prix-fixe meal option which includes 1 small plate, 2 large plates, and a dessert.
Openly nightly for dinner from 5:30 to 9:30 pm, this specialty restaurant offers dinner and a show for an up-charge of $55 per person.
Izumi is also open select days for lunch.
Izumi Sushi Menu | Hibachi Menu
Starbucks (Deck 4)
Like your coffee house on land, Starbucks on Mariner of the Seas offers all your drink favorites. From lattes to iced teas and frappuccinos, your handcrafted beverage awaits you. However, Starbucks is not included in the cruise fare. Further, it is not included in the Deluxe Beverage Package or Cafe Select Coffee Card either.
The small pastries and espresso-based drinks found here will all cost you extra money.
Ben & Jerry’s (Deck 5)
Serving up your favorite Ben & Jerry’s flavors at sea, Mariner of the Seas has an ice cream shop located on the Royal Promenade. Ben & Jerry’s is open daily from 11 am to 11 pm so you can score a frosty treat day or night.
Purchases made at Ben & Jerry’s are a la carte, but you can still get complimentary soft serve ice cream on the pool deck if you’d prefer not to spend the extra money.
Playmakers Sports Bar & Arcade (Deck 5)
This sports bar located on the Royal Promenade on Mariner of the Seas is the perfect place to grab a handcrafted brew and watch a game on the more than 25 TV screens.
Lucky for you, there is also pub food available if you get hungry while you are there. Unfortunately, these pub favorites like chicken wings, nachos, and onion rings are an additional cost ranging from starters for $3 to sandwiches for $9.
Playmakers Sports Bar & Arcade is also home to a pool table and retro video games.
Playmakers Food and Drink Menu
Bamboo Room (Deck 5)
This Polynesian inspired tiki bar is funky and fun with a drink menu that is as exotic as the décor. Open most days starting in the mid afternoon, this venue’s specialty menu serves up some new favorites like the Royal Zombie and the On the Run.
The menu also features a few a la carte food offerings like pulled pork sliders and tuna poke, with prices ranging from $5 to $10.
Chops Grille (Deck 11)
Chops Grille is the Royal Caribbean signature steakhouse, located outside of the Windjammer on Mariner of the Seas. If you are looking for a perfectly seared cut of beef, then you will want to head to this venue.
This specialty restaurant currently has an up-charge of $59 on this ship.
You can make reservations at Chops Grille prior to your cruise using the Cruise Planner on Royal Caribbean’s website. Or, you can make reservations once onboard the ship, but prime dinner times do fill up quickly.
Chops Grille is open every night of the cruise from 5:30 pm to 9:30 pm. The restaurant is also open select days for lunch with a reduced menu and price.
Jamie’s Italian (Deck 11)
Jamie’s Italian, by celebrity chef Jamie Oliver, is an Italian specialty restaurant found on Mariner of the Seas. Also located on deck 11 outside the Windjammer, Jamie’s Italian is open nightly for dinner from 5:30 pm to 9:30 pm and on select days for lunch as well.
This specialty restaurant serves up Italian classics in a casual setting, with menu options including the famous meat plank, fresh made pasta, short rib, lemon meringue cheesecake, and more.
The current up-charge for dinner is $50 per person. Again, you can make reservations for this restaurant pre-cruise using the online cruise planner or try to reserve a spot once onboard the ship.
Johnny Rockets (Deck 12)
Another staple found on many Royal Caribbean ships is Johnny Rockets. Those back on land will recognize this 1950’s inspired shop. This American classic diner serves up fresh burgers and sandwiches with a side of fries and milkshakes.
Priced at $11.99 for all you can eat, this venue is an up-charge. This does NOT include milkshakes, which are about $6 in addition. However, milkshakes are now included in the Deluxe Beverage Package.
The venue is open most days for lunch and dinner between 12 pm and 5 pm.
Room Service
Room service is available 24 hours a day on Royal Caribbean ships. Continental breakfast is complimentary from 6 to 11 am. All other orders have a $7.95 service charge (plus 18% gratuity).
Room Service Menu | Room Service Breakfast Menu
Comments
Do you have plans to cruise on Mariner of the Seas? What is your favorite Mariner of the Seas restaurant? Drop us an anchor below to share your dining preferences on Royal Caribbean ships.
9 comments
Kim
Do I need to purchase a soda package? What non alcoholic drinks are “included” and at what locations?
Judy Fleischer
Going on Mariner next month for 4 nights. Any chance you have MDR menus for it?
Thanks!?
Judy Fleischer
Going on Mariner next month for 4 nights. Any chance you have MDR menus for it?
Thanks!?
Stacey
I noticed on the main dining room menu that the lobster has a price on it. So those items at the bottom are an up charge?
Sheri
We are going on our first cruise in a week. Which of these places are included in the price of the cruise? The one we don’t have to pay extra for?
Sheri
Also, is there a dress code at the main dining room? The fancy one?
Roger
Do you have a wine/drinks menu for the MDR or is it the same as something else? Thanks!
Alex
Did you get the ultimate dining package while onboard? If so, how hard was it to get reservations that you wanted? Were you able to get lunch at any of the specialty restaurants/was that included in the package? Can you repeat restaurants? Love your articles. Thanks!
DB
Hi Alex, great questions. We actually didn’t get the Ultimate Dining Package. Mainly, as you can not make reservations ahead of time with the package, Royal Caribbean makes the first one for you and then you make the rest onboard. From our experience, getting reservations onboard was limited, even though the specialty restaurants were never really full when we dined. Yes, you can repeat restaurants. The dining package does include specialty restaurants during sea days, but we didn’t have any of those on this trip. Hope this helps. Thanks for reading.