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Ten best Royal Caribbean bars

In:
12 Dec 2015
By: 
Matt Hochberg

Few activities seem to go hand in hand with a Royal Caribbean cruise like some time at the bar.

Royal Caribbean has built a number of fantastic bars across all of its cruise ships and each bar seems to offer a little something different that makes it unique and gives guests reasons to come back.

Today, we're listing our favorite ten bars and lounges across Royal Caribbean's fleet to spend happy hour at.

Boleros

When you combine great drinks with latin music, you get Boleros.  

Let us start with the drinks, which Boleros does extremely well. In fact, Boleros is often the place on your Royal Caribbean ship to get the best mojitos and pina colada.  

Once you have a drink in hand, there is usually plenty of entertainment offered in the evening, with live music playing well into the night.

It seems like there is always a party going on in Boleros and it is a great spot for a pre-dinner drink or somewhere to show off your salsa, merignue or bachata!

Schooner Bar

I would wager to say that the Schooner Bar is a staple of any Royal Caribbean experience because there is always something going on here.

Whether you pronounce it "shooner" or "skooner", we can all agree the Schooner Bar is home to fun trivia, live music and great people.

During the day, you can test your wit with some trivia and at night, most Schooner Bars have a piano that is perfect for playing the songs you love to sing along to.

While many of our bars made this list because of the drinks they serve, the Schooner Bar is here primarily because of all the fun things happening.

R-Bar

With R-Bar, Royal Caribbean went retro and brought classic drink making back to the bar experience.

Each R-Bar offers the usual assortment of drinks, but each also has an unique menu of drinks only available on that particular R-Bar on that particular ship.

When you are in the mood for something different, head to R-Bar because the bartenders here are fantastic at creating new drinks just for you to try.  It is the perfect refuge for the indecisive.

Two70

If you like a view with your drink, head over to Two70 on one of the Quantum class ships because it is hard to beat what you can see here.

Two70's bar offers an expansive view of the ocean during the day and at night, performances galore. Vistarama, Roboshow and evening shows are just the beginning of what is available in Two70 on any given day.

Did I mention they make some really good drinks too? 

What I really like about Two70's drinks are there tends to be a lot less mixes used, which means the quality of the drinks are far superior to other locations. 

Top quality drinks with an unmatched view. How can you go wrong?

Pubs on Royal Promenade

Sometimes you just want a cold beer, some friends to drink with and live music and the best option has to be any of the English style pubs found across the fleet.

Royal Caribbean has added a number of these pubs to its ships in recent years and they have become a huge hit.

Inside, you will find an expansive beer collection that dwarfs the beers available elsewhere onboard.

In the evening, live music is performed and the subject is always drinking songs.  After a few rounds, you are likely to be joining in too!

Michael's Genuine Pub

Speaking of beer, how about a craft beer?

Michael's Genuine Pub will pour a craft beer for you, and it is the only place on any Royal Caribbean ship where craft beer is sold with this much selection.

In fact, Royal Caribbean has gotten into the craft beer game with a beer by the pub's namesake, Michael Schwartz.  Michael's Genuine Brew is a great choice and inexpensive too!

No visit to Michael's Genuine Pub is complete without a few "finger foods" that can be ordered such as a jar of pickles, falafel or deviled eggs.

Rising Tide Bar

There is something undeniably cool about a bar that moves between decks, and on Oasis class ships, the Rising Tide bar does just that.

Royal Caribbean built bars that spin very slowly on its Radiance class ships, but the honors of best moving bar have to go to the Rising Tide Bar because this makes for the perfect photo opportunity.

The Rising Tide Bar continuously moves between the Royal Promenade and Central Park, offering some great views while you enjoy your favorite cocktail.

There's just something very cool about being on a bar that moves through the air and with a drink in hand, it's a great place to watch all those people that are watching you.

Solarium Bar

Let's head to the pool deck and a bar that offers some great drinks just steps away from either a cushioned lounge chair or pool, the Solarium Bar.

What is great about the Solarium Bar is its indoor, yet outdoor, location means it is always the perfect weather for a visit here.

Given that the Solarium is a great place to relax and forget about everything, getting your drinks at the Solarium Bar makes natural sense too.

Oasis Bar

Pool bars in general are usually a fun time, but one bar combines the pool and the ocean: the Oasis Bar on Enchantment of the Seas.

What makes the Oasis Bar on Enchantment of the Seas really cool is it faces the ocean, allowing you to enjoy the view of the ocean as you partake in your preferred adult beverage.

There isn't a whole lot of seating available, but if you get the chance, be sure to enjoy this unique bar experience that cannot be found on any other Vision-class ship.

Sabor Bar

I freely admit the Sabor Bar made this list handedly purely because it is associated with my favorite specialty restaurant ever, Sabor Modern Mexican.

The reason the Sabor Bar is worthy of your time each and every time you want a drink is simple: it offers quality beverages and the best darn guacamole known to man (if there was a way to convey dropping the mic in a blog post, it would be posted right here).

If you have not sampled the guacamole from Sabor yet, it is hand crafted guacamole made fresh on the spot and it is slap your grandma good!

Which bar is your favorite? Tell us about in the comments below!


Matt started Royal Caribbean Blog in 2010 as a place to share his passion for all things Royal Caribbean with readers. He oversees all the writers at Royal Caribbean Blog, and writes a great deal of content on a daily basis.  He has become one of the foremost expert on a Royal Caribbean cruise.

Over the years, he has reached Pinnacle Club status with Royal Caribbean's customer loyalty program.

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