Wait until you see what Royal Caribbean has done to Mariner of the Seas!
They took a 15 year old ship...
That didn't have a lot of the latest innovations of the newer ships in the fleet...
And totally revitalized it.
This was not a SMALL refurbishment of a ship...
Where they just change out the carpets and put on a little new paint.
It took 18 months to plan and prepare for all the work...
And the entire project cost Royal Caribbean a hundred and twenty MILLION dollars!
It took almost two thousand contractors and 1400 crew members to get all the work done.
They needed four gigantic cranes to haul almost 1000 tons of new stuff onto the ship, including...
Fourty new staterooms on deck 12 forward.
New waterslides, known as the Perfect Storm...
A Flowrider surf simulator...
And this colorful dome, which houses the Sky Pad.
More about that, in just a minute.
This is all part of a 900 million dollar investment that Royal Caribbean is making over four years...
To revitalize ten of their ships...
To bring them up to the standards that people have come to expect from the latest Royal Caribbean ships.
The work on Mariner Of The Seas took place at this shipyard in Cadiz, Spain...
And it was all completed in just 30 days.
THAT is no small feat!
Now let's take a closer look at some of the big features that they've added on to Mariner Of The Seas.
She's never had a Flowrider before, but she's got one now.
It's just part of the sports deck, where active cruisers will find a lot to keep them busy.
This is so far advanced from the days of playing shuffleboard on a cruise ship.
Then there's a pair of waterslides, three stories tall, known as The Perfect Storm.
Lots of fun for both the young, and the young at heart.
But the big eye-catching new feature up on the sports deck is this colorful dome known as the Sky Pad.
And let me show you what's inside of it.
But don't be fooled in to thinking that it's just a bouncing bungee cord experience.
There's way more to it than that.
See that blue thing?
That's a virtual reality headset.
Strap that thing on, and the bungee cords you're dangling from...
And the trampoline under your feet, all heighten a very weird and amazing VR experience...
That you just have to try for yourself.
They've also added several new bars and restaurants on to Mariner Of The Seas...
Including Playmakers, a sports bar and arcade.
Up until now, the only ship in the entire Royal Caribbean fleet to get one of these...
Was the newest, biggest, latest, greatest: Symphony Of The Seas.
But now Mariner Of The Seas has Playmakers, too.
Another new addition to Mariner Of The Seas is Izumi Hibachi and Sushi.
Made to order Asian-inspired dining...
With authentic flavors, the freshest ingredients, and impeccable presentation.
An entirely new bar concept is The Bamboo Room...
A laid-back Polynesian watering hole with a throwback vibe...
And kitschy-cool craft cocktails like the Island Old Fashioned and Tiki Tea.
Mariner Of The Seas is the first ship in Royal Caribbean’s fleet to get the Bamboo room.
In recent years, Mariner Of The Seas has been based in Asia...
But Royal Caribbean is bringing her back to the United States now.
And basing her in Miami, Florida...
One of the greatest cruise ports in the world!
And you might be surprised to learn how inexpensive a cruise on the all-new Mariner Of The Seas can be.
She'll be doing 3 and 4-night cruises to the Bahamas.
So, if you're looking for a great deal on a quick vacation getaway from South Florida...
Don't cruise on some old, outdated cruise ship.
Take advantage of all the new improvements that Royal Caribbean just made to Mariner Of The Seas.
And there's one more piece of really exciting news that I don't know if you've heard yet.
Royal Caribbean isn't just investing in revitalizing their ships.
They're also spending a whole bunch of money on new private island destinations around the world.
And the first, CocoCay, in the Bahamas, will be Mariner Of The Seas destination beginning in 2019.
The perfect day starts here!
CocoCay will feature the largest freshwater pool in the Caribbean!
There will also be a big children's water park...
Plus an adventure pool for the little ones, including an obstacle course with lily pads.
There will also be a big wave pool.
And of course, there's going to be a great beach...
With pristine, crystal-clear tropical waters and powder-like sand...
And amazing private over-the-water bungalows...
Making for the perfect relaxing beach day, if that's what you're looking for.
But if you want to get your adrenaline going...
You're going to find some amazing thrills during your Perfect Day At CocoCay.
There will be a total of 13 waterslides on the island, including Daredevil’s Peak...
The tallest water slide in North America!
But there'll be many others, too for people of all ages...
Including a raft slide that two people can share...
A zero-gravity slide that four people can share...
And a four-way speedway racing water slide.
Your perfect day at CocoCay will be just one part...
Of what looks to me to be a great little vacation on the newly-revitalized Mariner Of The Seas.
I'm Jim Zim.
My YouTube channel features lots of videos about cruise ships...
Including some great ships I've sailed on...
And in the case of Mariner Of The Seas...
A few interesting ships I haven't sailed on yet.
Royal Caribbean was kind enough to provide me with the video clips I used in this video about Mariner Of The Seas.
Here are a few of my other cruise ship videos I think you'd really enjoy.
And if you liked this one, be sure to hit the thumbs-up button...
And leave a comment to let me know.