Some cruise lines will claim to offer an activity, but it’s really a watered-down version of what you’d get on land (no pun intended).
On one of our cruises on-board Royal Caribbean’s Mariner of the Seas, one of the activities on-board was laser tag.
My five-year-old (at-the-time) daughter, Leonie, had never played laser tag before and was eager to try it, so we did.
And we were quite surprised by it.
How Royal Caribbean’s laser tag works
The laser tag arena on Mariner of the Seas is located in Studio B, which also hosts ice skating, the ice show, game shows and cooking demonstrations. Because of all the activities on at Studio B, laser tag is only available at certain times during each cruise.
The laser tag arena is an inflatable maze that sits on top of a platform in the centre of the arena, on the covered ice rink. Players are divided into two teams, robots and aliens and given a gun and a vest.
Teams are allocated at random, so there’s a good chance you’ll be split up from your friends or family. That’s fine though, even at five years old, Leonie was able to move around the maze on her own, shooting people. Staff members are on hand if anyone looks like they need help.
While we played laser tag, I wore a head camera so you can see what the whole experience is like. Take a look…
The ships that have laser tag
The Royal Caribbean ships that have laser tag are the:
- Mariner of the Seas
- Navigator of the Seas
- Voyager of the Seas
- Freedom of the Seas
- Independence of the Seas
- Quantum of the Seas
- Spectrum of the Seas
- Oasis of the Seas
- Allure of the Seas
- Symphony of the Seas
- Wonder of the Seas
- Utopia of the Seas
- Icon of the Seas
It’s a little unusual because it’s not a feature specific to any class of ships. Only some ships in the classes have laser tag. And the Royal Caribbean website isn’t clear on which ships do have it, and which don’t. But I checked with the cruise line to get this definitive list.
There are two different themes for laser tag – Battle for Planet Z, which we played on Mariner of the Seas, and Clash for the Crystal City, which is an ice-themed game.
Mariner of the Seas Laser Tag
Mariner of the Seas hosts laser tag in Studio B. It was added to the ship in 2018 as part of a larger refurbishment.
Navigator of the Seas Laser Tag
Laser tag was added to Navigator of the Seas in 2019 as part of the Amped upgrade schedule. Navigator offers Battle for Planet Z.
Voyager of the Seas Laser Tag
Voyager of the Seas was another ship to get laser tag added to the ship as part of the Amped upgrades. Similar to her sister ships, she has Battle for Planet Z.
Freedom of the Seas Laser Tag
Laser tag is available on Freedom of the Seas. However this is the Clash for the Crystal City game, so something a bit different.
Independence of the Seas Laser Tag
Independence of the Seas was one of the first ships to have laser tag added, along with sister ship Freedom of the Seas. Unlike sister ship Freedom, Independence offers Battle for Planet Z.
Quantum of the Seas Laser Tag
Quantum of the Seas is the only Quantum-class ship to offer laser tag on-board, if you don’t include the Quantum Ultra class ships. It’s the Battle for Planet Z version.
Spectrum of the Seas Laser Tag
Spectrum of the Seas is the first Quantum Ultra class for Royal Caribbean. She offers laser tag, but her sister ship Odyssey of the Seas does not. It’s the Clash for the Crystal City game.
Oasis of the Seas Laser Tag
Only some of the Oasis-class ships have laser tag. The original ship in the class, the Oasis of the Seas, is one of the ships that does have laser tag available and it’s Clash for the Crystal City.
Symphony of the Seas Laser Tag
Symphony of the Seas is another Oasis-class ship to offer laser tag. This one has Battle for Planet Z.
Wonder of the Seas Laser Tag
Wonder of the Seas is the largest ship in the Oasis-class for Royal Caribbean and one of her many features is laser tag – Clash for the Crystal City.
Allure of the Seas Laser Tag
Allure of the Seas finally got a long-overdue renovation in early 2025 and one of the features added was laser tag.
Utopia of the Seas Laser Tag
The newest of the Oasis-class ships, Utopia of the Seas has offered laser tag since her launch in 2024. It’s the Battle for Planet Z game.
Icon of the Seas Laser Tag
Icon of the Seas is the biggest ship in the Royal Caribbean fleet, and she has a ton of amazing activities. But she didn’t launch with laser tag – in fact it took until January 2025, a full year after her debut, for laser tag to be available. It’s the Battle for Planet Z version.
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How to book laser tag on your cruise
On our cruise, you couldn’t pre-book laser tag, you just had to turn up and join the queue. We waited for about 30 minutes.
The queue was through the art gallery part of the ship so we could admire the paintings whilst we waited. I’d recommend taking a drink to enjoy while you wait.
Good news – it’s free!
Laser tag is free on all Royal Caribbean ships that have it. There is no cost for this activity – just turn up and take part. Many of the ‘daytime’ activities on Royal ships don’t have extra charges and are covered in your fare.
Some rules to be aware of…
The rule regarding footwear for laser tag on Royal Caribbean is that you must wear closed-toed shoes. If you join the queue with sandals, you’ll be told about this rule so that you can change your footwear and re-join the queue.
Children must be five years old or older to play laser tag There is also a height requirement of 40 inches. Young children will be asked their name, which is checked against a printed list of children’s ages. There is also a measuring stick at the entrance.
Royal Caribbean’s laser tag Vs. NCL’s version
There are a few differences between the laser tag game on Norwegian Bliss, Joy and Encore compared to Royal Caribbean laser tag.
Firstly, on NCL cruise ships, the laser tag course is a permanent outdoor feature. This means that the opening hours are much longer, and you can do this activity every day, whereas on Royal Caribbean, you can only do laser tag at set times when the inflatable arena is set up.
As Norwegian Cruise Line’s laser tag course is outdoors, you can visit in the daytime or in the dark for two different experiences. The outdoor setting does mean that it’s weather dependent, and the course will be closed in heavy rain or wind.
Norwegian Cruise Line doesn’t have any age or height requirements. If you’re strong enough to hold the gun and confident enough to play, then you can join in. On Royal Caribbean ships, you must be five or over to play laser tag.
Players on NCL’s laser tag course don’t wear vests. Instead, you aim at the opponents gun when firing. The look and feel of the course is very different too. Royal Caribbean’s laser tag is futuristic and neon, whereas NCL’s laser tag is set in an ancient-style setting made of ‘stone’.
The most important difference between the two is that Royal Caribbean’s laser tag is free, whereas Norwegian Cruise Line charge $9.95 for a 10-minute session.
You can also buy an unlimited laser tag pass for a week for $199. This seems pretty steep, and I don’t think I’d enjoy the game as much knowing that it was costing us $40 for a family of four for ten minutes.
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The verdict
We loved the laser tag on Mariner of the Seas. I think it’s just as exciting for adults as it is for kids, and it’s one of those times where you absolutely forget that you’re on a ship in the middle of the ocean!
If we sailed on another Royal Caribbean ship with laser tag, we would definitely do it again. A big thumbs up from us!
Related posts:
- The best Royal Caribbean ships for kids
- Mariner of the Seas Vs Navigator of the Seas
- Skeet Shooting On Cruise Ships: Can You Still Do It?
Jenni Fielding is the founder of Cruise Mummy. She has worked in the cruise industry since 2015 and has taken over 30 cruises. Now, she helps over 1 million people per month to plan their perfect cruise holidays.
