Monarch of the Seas Review with Pictures

We were on the September 28 cruise on Monarch. I wrote up a travel journal for my family but thought some people here might enjoy it to. So here goes:

Farewell to Monarch

This was our third cruise on Monarch of the Seas and it will be our last because she is leaving the Royal Caribbean fleet in a few months. Built in 1991, Monarch was one of the biggest cruise ships at the time but now she’s looking pretty small and tired. And after three cruises on the same ship, I’m definitely looking forward to checking out Monarch’s replacement, Enchantment of the Seas, next year. On the other hand, Ron and I never get tired of weekend trips to the Bahamas. So when Ron heard that there was a company offering an all-inclusive (open bar) package, he signed us up.

We’d decided to leave our car with Park N Cruise instead of parking at Port Canaveral since it would only cost $25 instead of $60. The Park N Cruise lot was easy to find but once we got there, it seemed to take forever for them to fill up the shuttle. We watched in amazement as the shuttle driver loaded huge suitcase after huge suitcase into the van. I whispered to Ron, “How many cruises are these guys taking?” Seriously people, it’s only a 3-day trip! :-)

But FINALLY we were at the port and flew through security and check-in. We were issued our Sea Pass cards and heard that wonderful “PONG” sound as the crew scanned our cards. We were on the ship! By then it was 12:30 and I was starving so we joined the chaos at the Windjammer buffet for lunch.

At 1 o’clock, the staterooms were ready so we made our way down to our cabin on Deck Two, also known as the bowels of the ship or the “Poop Deck”. Ron always jokes that people down there have to help row. But actually Deck Two is not a bad location. It’s nice and quiet. The main disadvantage is that it is 9 floors away from the pool deck so you pretty much have to take the elevator. And the elevators stop at EVERY SINGLE FLOOR.

But anyway, when we got to the cabin, our keys wouldn’t open the door! Back up two floors to Guest Services where they issued us new Sea Pass cards. We’d booked a Guarantee cabin so I asked if maybe we had gotten moved to a different room. They said, “No, you are still in 2128.” 2128! I thought we were in 2028! Well, that explained why the door wouldn’t open. DOH!

Back at the cabin (the right one this time), we unpacked and looked through the goody bag we’d gotten from the Open Bar Cruises group. It had a couple of captain’s hats and invitations for various parties throughout the weekend. We put on our hats and headed up to the pool deck to join the fun. There were a lot of other people wearing captain’s hats so it was easy to spot who was in the group. I was happy to find out that mojitos were included in the drink package – with Bacardi too, not just house rum. Ron stuck with his usual Miller Lite.

Yes, I know that's not a mojito. That was my second drink. :-)

At sail away time, we went up to the bow to watch the ship leave port and head out into the blue. We could see the Cape Canaveral lighthouse in the distance. Two dolphins swam under the bow of the ship. Cool! Sail away is my favorite part of cruising. Even though Ron and I prefer all-inclusive resorts, there’s something special about a ship setting out to sea that you just can’t get at a hotel.

After the sail away, we cleaned up for dinner. We had My Time Dining, which meant that we could eat at any time instead being assigned to the traditional early or late seating. When we checked in with the host, he told us that we should have made reservations because if we just showed up, we might have to wait for the table. We politely said OK, then ignored him. The whole point of My Time Dining is that you can be flexible and eat when you get hungry. Reservations defeat the whole purpose! At any rate, we never did have to wait for a table, and after the first night the host didn’t say anything more than a friendly “welcome back”. We were seated at a table for four with another couple. I was disappointed because I really prefer tables for two. It’s hard for me to enjoy my meal when I have to concentrate on making small talk with strangers. But the couple was very nice. They were scuba divers so we talked about diving and fishing.

Next it was on to the casino for some Black Jack. There weren’t any $6 tables so we settled in at a $10 table with an awesome dealer named Marijana - pronounced Mary Anna, not Marijuana. :-) It was a great table and everyone was winning and happy. I ended up winning $180! Ron didn’t even count up his winnings but he had a huge stack of chips. Eventually, I had a feeling that the luck was going to turn and just then a new dealer showed up to take over so it seemed like a good time to leave. The smoke was starting to get to me anyway. I really wish Royal Caribbean would have non-smoking casinos like Celebrity.

We went up to Sorrentos, the pizza shop on Deck 12, for some fresh air and chocolate chip cookies and then headed to bed.

to be continued...

Love that ship, Pool Deck Photo above is perfect.

Thanks, Ragen. That's one of my favorite pictures. :)

We didn’t arrive in Nassau until noon, so we spent the morning hanging out around the pool, watching the usual activities like ice carving, cocktail-making classes and the Sexiest Man competition. As the ship pulled into Nassau Harbor, Ron got a big smile on his face and said, “Honey, we’re home!” There were two ships already in port, Carnival Imagination and our honeymoon ship, Carnival Fantasy. Hard to believe it has been 21 years of marriage and cruising.

Our plan was to spend the afternoon at the Sheraton on Cable Beach. For $25, they offered a day pass with full use of their pools, beach and water sports. We hopped on the #10 bus and were soon on our way. As we got close to Cable Beach, we were amazed by the changes since our last visit. The Wyndham/Sheraton/Crystal Palace complex had been bought out and was being replaced by a new resort called Baha Mar. It was going to be huge! The Wyndham and Crystal Palace were already closed and several new towers were going up. Sheraton was still open but would be closed later for remodeling. I wondered if the people in Nassau thought the new resort was a good thing or not. I knew from the Nassau cruise boards that they hated Atlantis because it had put so many smaller establishments out of business. But maybe now that the economy was so bad, it was different. The people we talked to said they were happy for the jobs the resort would provide.

Ron and I checked in at the front desk, then found lounge chairs on the beach and chilled. Ron took a nap but the water was calling me so I got a float from the water sports shack and floated around in the blue water. Ahhhh, now that’s what I call vacation! While I floated, I saw someone paddling around on a paddle board. I wanted to try that! My sister says it’s almost impossible to fall off the board so maybe even a klutz like me could do it. The water sports guy pulled a board down to the water for me and gave me minimal instructions. “Rotate your arms!” What? Oh, he meant switch the oar from hand to hand. Got it. Off I went. Probably a little more instruction would have been good but I managed not to run over any swimmers and finally figured out how to steer and turn. It was a lot of fun!

Conch fritters:

We got back to the ship around 6, just in time to enjoy a mojito and to watch the sun set over Nassau. That night we had a table for two at dinner. The restaurant was pretty empty. There were probably a lot of people still in town since we didn’t set sail until midnight. It was formal night but not that many people were dressed formally. We did see some cocktail dresses and suits but also a lot of “nicer” dresses and Dockers. We’d opted for the second option. The dinner was pretty good but I was disappointed that they didn’t have escargot. Apparently there’s been some kind of escargot shortage this year due to the flooding in Indonesia. The escargot has been temporarily replaced by scallops with garlic and butter served in the same escargot dish. I knew from reading Cruise Critic that the scallops were small so I ordered two plates. They were pretty good but they weren’t escargot. :-( The bittersweet chocolate soufflé with espresso custard for dessert almost made up for it.

Back to the casino for a little more Black Jack. I quickly lost my daily gambling allowance but Ron once again walked away with a big stack of chips. Then we joined the sail away party on the pool deck for a dance or two and went on the bed.

Sunset over Nassau:

next stop, Coco Cay.....

great job

Very well done....

Wahoo! Can't wait to read more.

Great review so far! Love the Monarch and Coco Cay. Keep it coming, please!:)

I had to laugh at the "we're home" comment upon entering Nassau bay. We used to say that a lot too...but now I rarely end up going to Nassau. I am jealous you live in Florida. I would be taking a weekend cruise every couple months if I were anywhere close to the port.

I'm also jealous over finding an "open bar cruise". That would be convenient!

Great review and pictures. Thank you for sharing your cruise adventure with us.

Keep it coming! Sailing on her soon for a b2b and this is just want I needed! Oh the excitement!

How long was the bus ride to the Sheraton? That sounds like a great deal, but after my trip to Nassau last month, I'm afraid to put my kids in a vehicle there. I kept my eyes closed the whole time.

How long was the bus ride to the Sheraton? That sounds like a great deal, but after my trip to Nassau last month, I'm afraid to put my kids in a vehicle there. I kept my eyes closed the whole time.

The bus ride to the Cable Beach area runs 10-15 minutes from downtown Nassau. Cost is $1.25 per person, each way.

Bob

The bus ride to the Cable Beach area runs 10-15 minutes from downtown Nassau. Cost is $1.25 per person, each way.

 

Bob

Thanks!

Great post ! We'll be on Monarch in 30 some days for the 3 day cruise !

Conch fritters looked good :)

Thanks, all! I'll finish up with Coco Cay tomorrow. That was our favorite day. Stay tuned. :)

Reney, we are lucky to live near the ports. Sometimes cruising is the cheapest option since we don't have to pay for airfare. Now if only we had more vacation time.... The open-bar thing was pretty cool. Probably works better for shorter cruises though.

FloridaMama, 15 minutes sounds about right for the bus ride. I thought the day pass was well worth it and a really nice way to spend an afternoon.

Conch fritters looked good :)

They were. :)

 

After the sail away, we cleaned up for dinner. We had My Time Dining, which meant that we could eat at any time instead being assigned to the traditional early or late seating. When we checked in with the host, he told us that we should have made reservations because if we just showed up, we might have to wait for the table. We politely said OK, then ignored him. The whole point of My Time Dining is that you can be flexible and eat when you get hungry. Reservations defeat the whole purpose! At any rate, we never did have to wait for a table, and after the first night the host didn’t say anything more than a friendly “welcome back”.

I was on the Monarch a month ago and did MTD. The host was my biggest complaint of the cruise. He was so rude the first night, insisting we needed reservations and even went as far as to give me a printed letter explaining how to make a reservation. Seriously? I know how to make a reservation, I just don't want one! The second night he asked us again but thankfully didn't issue me another letter. And the third night he left it alone.

The whole point of MTD is to be able to eat whenever you feel like eating. A reservation defeats the entire purpose!

Great review so far!

I was on the Monarch a month ago and did MTD. The host was my biggest complaint of the cruise. He was so rude the first night, insisting we needed reservations and even went as far as to give me a printed letter explaining how to make a reservation. Seriously? I know how to make a reservation, I just don't want one! The second night he asked us again but thankfully didn't issue me another letter. And the third night he left it alone.

Wow, he actually gave you a letter? That's ridiculous. I understand that if I don't make a reservation and I show up at a busy time, I might have to wait a few minutes for a table. I'm happy with that. This is our 4th time doing MTD but the first time I felt like I was getting a lecture.

Enjoying the review and pics. :)

Monarch was my favorite of the Sovereign class ships.

I was on the Monarch back in Sept 2011 on a 4 day Bahamas cruise. DW and I had a large suitcase each as the cruise was the last leg of our 2 weeks stay in Orlando. And we were heading to the airport after debarkation. This could be one reason why people have large suitcases with them even for a short cruise.

We did MTD and made online reservations prior to boarding. Had the same table for 2 throughout the whole cruise and the same waiter.

Where did you find this open bar offer?

Where did you find this open bar offer?

The latest open bar cruises were offered by a local pub crawl group. Can't post the name here, but a Google search would probably find it.