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My Review: Monarch of the Seas 5/5/08


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Hi everyone ... just off of a 4-day jaunt on the Monarch and thought I'd share my thoughts and experiences. I'll try to keep this a little shorter than my usual writing .... ;)

 

Background and Biases

 

I'm a graduate student who just finished with school for the semester. This was my 7th Royal Caribbean cruise and I am a Platinum C&A member. I traveled with my mother, and this was her 10th Royal Caribbean cruise and first cruise as a Diamond member. We took this same cruise last May and enjoyed it. Neither of us are late-night partiers (especially when we are jet-lagged) nor do we run up much of a bar bill or like to hang out on the sun deck. We both like to do Vitality activities and read outside on the promenade deck. I had decided to keep on my low-carb diet for the duration of the cruise ... a decision that pained me, but I hated to have worked so hard on my diet only to kill it on a cruise.

 

Pre-Cruise

 

As we almost always do, we flew into LA the Sunday before Monarch's departure. We arrived in LAX around 9 AM and were at our hotel, the San Pedro Crowne Plaza, by 10 AM via SuperShuttle ($17/pp). I won the hotel on Priceline ($65 bid). They let us check-in when we arrived, and upon request, placed us in a two-bed room instead of the king that had been reserved by Priceline. The room was nice and had partial view of LA harbor ... or, in other words, I saw some of San Pedro and some large cranes. We ate lunch at the hotel restaurant which was OK but nothing special with service that was a tad slow. For dinner, we went down the street to the Green Onion which was a fine, moderately priced Mexican restaurant. My mom later had issues that she thought might have been attributed to the food, but I was fine. The next morning we ate at the Pacific Cafe which is right across the street from the hotel. It was a nice little place offering a very generously priced breakfast ... I got an omelet with toast (which I gave away) for $3.95. The hotel has a complimentary shuttle to the port starting at 10:30 AM, and we went over right before 11 AM and were the only ones in the shuttle (about a 5 minute ride).

 

Embarkation

 

We arrived at the terminal right after 11 AM, dropped the bags with the porters, and headed up the escalator to check in. We headed into the priority check-in line and were immediately waved over. We had already completed our Set Sail pass, so three minutes later, we had our Sea Passes and priority boarding tickets and headed into the waiting area. The Platinum/Diamond waiting area is to the left once you enter the main room, and it had some beverages and snacks. There was no one checking cards, and I noticed several other passengers (mostly college-aged guys) coming in, grazing on the refreshments, and then taking them out into the main area ... no biggie, but interesting. Boarding started at 11:45 AM, and the people in the room were led into the security line after surrendering the priority ticket. Going through security, we had to show both our Sea Pass and passport about three times, and there was a major bottleneck (already!) at the photo station where they take your picture for the ID. We were up eating at the Windjammer by a little after noon, with cabins opening at 1 PM. Muster was at 4:30 and went fairly smoothly (only heard 1 person in my section blow their darn whistle, thank goodness!).

 

Cabin

 

In order to cruise as cheaply as possible, we had booked an inside guarantee which resulted in room 6009, an inside at the very front of the ship. The room was tiny, and even though I knew this going in (having had a similarly-sized outside room last time on this ship), it was still a bit shocking (I had had a junior suite my last cruise). There was a single closet and four drawers for the entire room, and there was not a room safe. The bathroom was even tinier than most cruise-ship bathrooms, especially noticeable since I'm not one of the smallest guys in the world. The only storage available in the bathroom was the shelf underneath the sink.

 

The cabin was fairly quiet in terms of hearing other people. On the other hand, you could hear it when the ship pulled into port and/or dropped anchor as there were very deep rumbling sounds at that time. Another downside of being at the front of the ship, at least in my opinion, is that we were 5 decks below the WJ and 5 decks above the debarkation deck. This meant that the elevators most convenient to our room were usually packed with passengers either heading up to eat or down to leave the ship, while aft elevators usually seemed fairly empty.

 

More later .... :)

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Ship

 

For a ship creeping towards 20 years old, Monarch looks fantastic. Sure, there were occasional worn carpets and pieces of furniture that looked a little worn, but for the most part, public areas were kept extremely neat. The centrum still serves as the heart of the ship, with the two dining rooms, show lounge, and casino accessible from it. The Sound of Music theater may be the area most "dated" by the ship's age, as the theater seems to have more obstructions than current ships. The dining rooms, though on top of each other, are not connected by open air, making that area seem smaller and a little more cramped, in my opinion. The casino is on the small side, though the layout is decent and, unlike on some other ships, there is actually room for foot-traffic to pass by the table games when they are crowded.

 

One area I really missed on this ship is the Solarium, which is not available on anything older than Vision-class. There was a half-court basketball area on the back of the ship, as well as two ping-pong tables. Two shuffleboard grids can be found on the promenade deck (deck 7), but the area is not really suited for shuffleboard to be honest. For those people like me who like to get away from the sun-deck crowds by sitting outside on the promenade, there are only about 10 chairs situated on this deck (5 on each side). There are also about six chairs on the aft of the ship (accessible by taking stairs either down from the basketball courts or up from the promenade). These are nice seats, but usually extra windy because they are out there by themselves.

 

As I mentioned earlier, the elevators, especially in the front of the ship, are typically busy. The elevator lobbies are quite wide and each side has separate elevator controls, so it was not uncommon to see people dashing from one side of the lobby to the other to hit both buttons and hope that at least one of the stopping elevators had room.

 

Dining

 

The main eateries on board are the Windjammer (buffet), two dining rooms (open dinner, breakfast, and one lunch), and Jade (pay sushi restaurant, open at night). The Windjammer food was decent most of the time, though breakfast became very repetitive and, as far as I could tell, there was not a made-to-order omelet station as can be found on other ships. As usual, I found the buffet scrambled eggs to go cold immediately after being taken from the tray. Lunch was a better proposition, with each day having offerings from different nations as well as a standard salad bar, carving station, and grill items. One thing I found funny ... on "American" day, instead of the fried chicken I'm used to seeing, corn dogs were offered. Staying on my low carb diet, I mostly stuck to items such as salad, hamburger patties, and hot dogs, though some of the meat dishes were also good, such as chicken, yankee pot roast, and gyro meat. One floor up from the Windjammer is Sorrento's, which offers pizza, cookies, and a few sandwiches.

 

Dinner in the dining room was a pleasant experience, as usual. We had second seating (1st started at 5:30 and 2nd started at 8) and had requested a window table for 4-6 and ended up with a table for 10. We normally only had two couples sitting with us though, so everything worked out fine. Our waiter, Franco, was very good and personable. The food on the menus seemed pretty typical for anyone who has cruised RCCL over the last few years, but instead of being presented on a fold-out card, the menus this time were presented in a nice folio with a separate pad dedicated to the chef's selections. It didn't really make for better food, but seemed somewhat classier. Overall, I thought that the dinner food was good, though I did stick to meat and seafood dishes. It killed me to skip the "savory bites," but I managed. I noticed that there was always Splenda available in the dining room and WJ (usually have to request it), so that was nice.

 

In terms of special events, on Wednesday night there was a chocolate buffet set up in the bottom of the centrum that started at 11:30 PM. It looked very pretty, but I didn't partake of any of it, of course. On Thursday there was a BBQ/Mexican food party on the pool deck starting at 3:45.

 

I noticed that Monarch did not have any self-serve ice cream stations available as many other ships do, though they seemed to try to offer scoop ice cream at any of the special events.

 

We used our C&A coupons at Seattle's Best and Ben and Jerry's, and the woman working there (forgot to look at her name) was extremely nice and helpful. After only going there once, when I came back the next day, I was asked where my mother was and how she was doing. I enjoyed my 50% off cappuccino and my mom enjoyed her free coconut coffee cooler.

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Ports

 

San Diego - We got off the ship without any set plans but with a vague notion of visiting Balboa Park ... last year, we toured the Midway, which is right down the street. Anyway, as we exited the ship, one of the reps from Hilo Hattie's was advertising a free bus ride (and return) to the store which was in the Gas Lamp District. There was also a lady offering a free bus to the Sea View (?) Village, which is a shopping area on the harbor down past the Midway. We opted for the double-decker bus to Hilo Hattie's, which was about a 10 minute ride. We were let off at the store and told that the bus would be returning to the ship about every half-hour until 4 PM. From there, we looked around the store, then walked around the area. There are a ton of restaurants in this area, as well as a shopping mall and department stores. We basically just wandered around until we were ready to return to the ship. We did run across the Hard Rock Cafe, so we stopped in for a pin (family tradition).

 

I heard that others had a great time at the San Diego zoo, Sea World, and other attractions.

 

Catalina Island - Passengers have to tender to Catalina Island, and are told to collect their tender tickets only when they are ready to depart (tours from the ship just need their tour ticket). Open tendering didn't start until about 11:30. Once ashore, unless you have a tour planned or are going to rent a golf cart/bike, I don' think there's a whole lot to do besides eat and shop. Rentals seemed to be the same price at each store ... $40/hour for a four-person cart, with a minimum payment of two hours as a deposit that will be refunded if you only keep it for one hour). Anyway, that's $80 minimum in cash or traveler's checks that must be paid for a cart ... so be prepared if that's what you want to do. I also heard that, due to the fires, there is no smoking allowed in the golf carts, so know that too if it makes a difference.

 

Ensenada, Mexico - There is a small shopping area when you step off the ship, but otherwise, you either have to take a bus to downtown or be willing to hoof it a few miles. The buses to downtown are $2/pp with a charge of $1/pp to return. A word of warning ... most people like to buy tequila while in Mexico, and in at least the tourist areas, the stuff was marked up so much that it is around the same price I could pay at home without the hassle of collecting it, packing it, etc. I also noticed quite a few counterfeit Cuban cigars ... remember, price doesn't mean that you are getting the real thing.

 

Weather - I was prepared this time, but with highs around 65 (even in Mexico) and lows in the low 50s, make sure you take some warmer clothing than what you might normally take if you are used to cruising in the Caribbean.

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Nice to see a fellow Hoosier that likes the Monarch of the Seas. We lived in W.L. for many years before relocating to Az and quickly became fans of the Monarch. BTW- how much more time do you have at PU? I say that with affection because I am a Hoosier fan through and through!:cool: :D

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Nice to see a fellow Hoosier that likes the Monarch of the Seas. We lived in W.L. for many years before relocating to Az and quickly became fans of the Monarch. BTW- how much more time do you have at PU? I say that with affection because I am a Hoosier fan through and through!:cool: :D

 

I've got another two years ... not too much considering I've already put in 10. ;)

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I think that it's wonderful that you still want to cruise with your Mom. I should be so lucky, in a few years!

 

Did you play trivia at all? How about the evening shows? Was the $10 crap still $10, or did Monarch finally give in?

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I think that it's wonderful that you still want to cruise with your Mom. I should be so lucky, in a few years!

 

Did you play trivia at all? How about the evening shows? Was the $10 crap still $10, or did Monarch finally give in?

 

I did not play trivia, but they offered it every morning. There were also some specialty games like Turner Classic Movie trivia.

 

To be honest, I did not go to any of the shows in the evening. There were two production shows (first night and last night) and two comedian/variety shows. I heard that the comedians were fairly entertaining ... the production shows, not so much.

 

Yes ... the $10 store was still alive and chugging out $10 crap. :)

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Crew

 

Almost without exception, the crew on the Monarch were spectacular. Everyone seemed to be genuinely friendly and talkative. The staff in the WJ were always around to pick up plates, bring more drinks, etc. Officers always had a greeting. Our room steward was Jaceinto, and since his "home base" was not on our route to the rest of the ship, we didn't see him very often, but he did a good job keeping our cabin clean. Our waiter in the dining room, Franco, did an excellent job. Our assistant waiter was Henry and he did an OK job. Peter, the head waiter, stopped by and chatted every night, which is more than I can say than some of my other head waiters.

 

Vitality

 

One of the reasons we stay loyal to Royal is that we like the organized Vitality activities (used to be ShipShape). There did not seem to be as many offered on Monarch, though part of the problem, I'm sure, is that on this 4-day sailing there are no sea days. Walk-a-Mile was offered at 9 AM and 5 PM every day, and we did most of those. We also did sit-to-be-fit, and were the only passengers to show up (but no Vitality reward). No one showed up to run the ping pong tournament (with about 20 people milling around to join). There were also the standard pay classes (spinning, etc) and seminars (eat more to weigh less) that we skipped. By the time of point redemption, we hadn't even earned enough for a backpack (usually, we have enough points for at least several of anything we want), so I got a visor and some key chains.

 

Crown and Anchor

 

We received Platinum and Diamond coupon books in our cabin which had quite a few useful coupons. On Tuesday night, my mom received chocolate-covered strawberries in the room after dinner for being a Diamond member. Wednesday was the Platinum/Diamond party where the LA made some comments about future West coast sailings (Mariner and Radiance) and Genesis. We had to ask for white luggage tags for "priority" debarkation on the last day.

 

Liquor

 

As with my last cruise on Grandeur, purchased liquor is no longer delivered to the room on the last day of the cruise (too much drunkeness?). Instead, it has to be picked up on the morning of debarkation. Liquor purchased in the ship's stores was available for pick up in the jewelry store starting at 6 AM. Liquor purchased in a port was available for pickup in the Circuit Lounge.

 

I guess I understand why this rule has been put into place, but as someone who flies to cruise ports, I find it a huge pain. Not only is it something else to do on debarkation morning, but it is also something else to carry. It also means that I am forced to repack my checked luggage on a bench or sidewalk somewhere as opposed to the privacy and convenience of my own room. Definitely a pain.

 

Debarkation

 

Express debarkation was to start around 6:30 for the people who wanted to carry their own bags off, but it didn't really start until 7. White tags were supposed be called around 7:30, so this gave us time to go up and get some food. Last year we did express and nothing was open as the WJ didn't open until 6:30. It now opens at 6, so perhaps those comment cards have been read and listened to. ;)

 

After breakfast, we went to Bolero's, which is the designated Platinum/Diamond waiting area. White tags were called at 7:45 AM, which wouldn't have been a problem except that two other tag colors were called as well (including the ones we had originally requested). By the time we made it to the line, it was wrapped around the Centrum and onto the stairs. It took about an hour to move from our initial place in line to get off the ship and through customs in the terminal. Many people around us were complaining about the wait because "THEY were DIAMOND members," and the complaints intensified when one of the tour groups was escorted through the tape in the Centrum and taken past the line and off the ship. I wasn't uptight about being made to wait ... I understand they can't control customs ... though I thought that perhaps they could have given the white tags a 5-10 minute window to get in line before calling the other two tag colors.

 

Once through customs, we went down, easily found our bags on the floor in the terminal, then walked out to grab our SuperShuttle ($17/pp). I had pre-paid this trip online, as well, and within 10 minutes, we were on our way to LAX. We were at the airport by 9 AM for our 12:10 flight, and at that time (at least for Northwest), the counter was empty and security was a breeze (we were sitting at the gate 15 minutes later).

 

Final Thoughts

 

Except for cabin size, Monarch has a lot of things going for her. She's still a beautiful ship that offers quite a bit in terms of entertainment and activities. I don't know that I will sail her again before she is sold off, simply because I'm not a fan of those short Bahamas runs. I hope to try the Mariner or Radiance out of California, but with rising gas costs (and the usual costs of those ships), I'm not sure if I'll ever get a perfect storm of cheap airfare and cruisefare again.

 

Oh ... in case you were interested ... my diet and exercise during the cruise netted me a loss of two pounds, so I guess it was worth the sacrifice. I believe I would have screamed if I had returned home, after skipping so many things that I really wanted to eat, and had gained weight.

 

I think I'm finally done writing ... but if anyone else has any questions, I can try to answer them. I know there are quite a few CC members who sail on Monarch much more than me, but hey, here's a different perspective. ;)

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Very nice review.....your mom is very lucky to have you as her son! :)

 

 

See ... I think I'm very lucky to have her as a mother. I want to cruise whenever I can, and since she's retired, she has the time, the money, and the desire to do it as cheaply as possible. The fact that she gets me senior rates doesn't hurt either. ;)

 

I suppose when dad retires next year, I'll be the one left at home. :( Oh well, I can hear him now ... SEE HOW IT FEELS? ;)

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Good review!! We were aboard the week prior, and experienced many of the same wonderful things. The Monarch will be missed by many of of close to the West Coast.

 

We have to do it one more time.........but this will be extra special as we are bringing my DD, her husband.......and our grandchildren. They are 5 & 7 and I think that is a great age for a first experience on a cruise ship.

 

Rick

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