A Carnival guy's first RCCL cruise: A pictorial review.

Monarch of the Seas: 12/19/2008

Introduction:

We booked this cruise about a month in advance, needing an itinerary that was Friday through Monday to fit my Fiancés work schedule. Two couples joined us, one of whom sailed with us previously on Carnival, and the other couple had never cruised at all. Considering Royal Caribbean’s prices have dropped in this slowing economy, it seemed like a good time to give “the other guys” a try. Also, after one cruise on Premier, and nine cruises on Carnival, I felt like it would be interesting to try another line. The Monarch of the Seas just recently arrived at Port Canaveral, and its Nassau/Coco Cay route was appealing mostly for the latter port. I also read many good reviews of the ship and crew. Now that it’s all said and done, I am very happy with our experience. I tried my best to be objective and not go into this cruise with any preconceived opinions about RCCL. I feel that this report will be useful to the largest amount of people if I make it both a review and a comparison. The Monarch compares nicely with many of the Carnival ships I have been on, since most have been of the Fantasy class on shorter sailings.

Embarkation:

The parking process at Port Canaveral went much smoother this time. It was a mess before my last cruise at that pier, so it was nice to see that they have streamlined it. Once inside the terminal, the process went very fast. The only line we stood in was for the security check, and even that was only a few minutes. We did the “Set Sail Pass” early check in, and after getting our ship cards we got right onboard. I would say that the entire process took less than twenty minutes.

Arrival at Port Canaveral:

Disney Cruise Line's Terminal:

Leaving port:

The Ship:

My first impression upon boarding the Monarch of the Seas was a very positive one. She was impeccably clean and polished, with modern fixtures and furniture abound. I read that Monarch had been recently renovated and it certainly showed. All the public areas had new carpet with light wood paneling. The elevator lobbies all had lit signage showing a side view diagram of the ship’s decks. The elevators themselves had newer digital displays, nice carpet and bright lighting. It appeared that every effort was made to make the 17 year old ship look much newer.

The band playing as we boarded:

The main Centrum was impressive and nicely decorated for Christmas and Hanukah. I liked that most of the public rooms and dining rooms were adjacent to it. Most of the public rooms and bars were equally modernized. The shopping area was well designed with an open, round design. It had a circular sitting area in the middle which was convenient to use as a meeting point. This area also had the Ben and Jerry’s which I tried once. It was good, but at $2.50 a scoop it was a one time deal.

The Centrum:

Glass elevators:

Where's the rest?!??!

Want to see :)

As our traveling companions weren’t the partying type, we didn’t spend much time in the Schooner Bar, Circuit Lounge or Boleros. I did visit these places just to see them, and they looked very nice. A place I did spend a great deal of time in was the Viking Crown Lounge. This was far and away my favorite place on the ship. I could spend endless time up there just looking at the awesome views that such a venue offers. It was a great place to spend our sail away from Port Canaveral, and we routinely sat up there to relax since it was never crowded.

The Schooner Bar:

Casino:

Boleros Lounge:

The Sound of Music theater:

Sculpture in the Viking Crown Lounge:

The pool area was bright and open with two overflow-type pools and two spas. I liked that there were bars at each end, which kept the crowd spread out. The pools were rarely crowded but the same cannot be said for the two spas. They were almost always packed to the brim with people. Two hot tubs are not nearly enough for a ship with 2000+ passengers. The comparably sized Carnival Fantasy class ships have four spas, and even then open space is often times at a premium. I did not like the “AstroTurf” deck coverings that RCCL uses around the pool and other open deck areas. I prefer the traditional teak decking; it just seems to give the area a cleaner look.

The main pool area:

The Monarch has an open promenade which encircles the ship on deck 7. The area provides some really nice views from all angles around the ship, and serves double duty as a jogging tack. Unfortunately, the deck is open all night long. This is really only a problem for those of us who had ocean view cabins directly under the promenade on deck 6. Every time someone went running by above us it resounded with surprising clarity inside our room. It wasn’t a huge problem, but there were a few times that I was either woken up or kept awake by the noise.

The Promenade:

 

The Monarch has an open promenade which encircles the ship on deck 7. The area provides some really nice views from all angles around the ship, and serves double duty as a jogging tack. Unfortunately, the deck is open all night long. This is really only a problem for those of us who had ocean view cabins directly under the promenade on deck 6. Every time someone went running by above us it resounded with surprising clarity inside our room. It wasn’t a huge problem, but there were a few times that I was either woken up or kept awake by the noise.

 

It's also a problem for those with oceanviews on deck 7 who have people walking past their room all day and night - no privacy if they want to have their drapes open.

Food and Beverages:

As usual, our first meal of the cruise was in the buffet area, called the Windjammer. I like the way RCCL does buffet stations grouping like foods, as opposed to cafeteria style lines that Carnival uses. It seemed to reduce wait times since folks can just go right to what they wanted instead of having to walk by things they weren’t interested in thereby slowing down others. I also liked that they had their hot tea selection out in the buffet. Like Carnival, the food in the buffet was alright but certainly nothing to get excited over. I was disappointed that RC does not offer ice cream all the time in the buffet though.

I avoided the Jade Sushi Bar for two reasons. I read reviews stating that the sushi was not up to par; and then I tried a sample on the first day confirming those statements for myself. Since RCCL charges for said sub par sushi, I decided to wait until my next Carnival cruise when I can get all the marginal quality sushi I want for free.

The food in the main dining room was very good. I ate breakfast and dinner there each day. If I just had to pick, I would say that Carnival’s food is slightly better, but to be fair I would really need more than one RCCL cruise to give an accurate judgment. On the first night they served the Caesar Salad “family style” meaning they sit a big bowl of it in the middle for everyone to share. I have not seen this done on a cruise before and I thought it was a nice touch. I thought Carnival’s main dining room breakfast was better, although the buffet breakfast was about the same on both.

One other food item that stood out was the Gala Buffet on the second night. It was really nice. They arranged it around the pool, and it opened after the ice carving demonstration. The food looked very good, but it wasn’t the presentation that impressed me. It was the big charcoal grill they rolled out and lit up that got me interested; that and the roasted pig on a spit! They were grilling fajitas with peppers and onions, it smelled so good and tasted even better. I have been to a lot of deck party buffets, and that one was the best by leaps and bounds. Once we got our food we ducked up into the Viking Crown Lounge and ate. That was much more pleasant than trying to balance a plate on the lap, with a good view of the party too.

The entrance to Vincent's Dining Room:

The waiters performing on the last night:

It's also a problem for those with oceanviews on deck 7 who have people walking past their room all day and night - no privacy if they want to have their drapes open.

I noticed that too! I was thinking how bad that must be to have always worry about someone peeking in!

Excellent, unbiased review! keep it coming:D

Service:

I was pleased with the staff in the dining areas, especially the Windjammer Buffet. There were many staff members on hand asking if they could help, or if you needed assistance finding anything. Upon my asking where a certain food item was, one fellow responded “come, follow me” as he led me there. No pointed finger, no vague “it’s over there”, just a nice guy who went out of his way to help. Our waiter and assistant waiter in the main dining room were also top notch. One night I needed balsamic vinegar for my caprese salad, the assistant waiter went to the other dining room just to get it for me. I found many of the crew to be this way. They were always smiling with a friendly “hello” as they passed by. I read several reviews from other cruisers about the hospitality of the Monarch’s staff, and I can safely say that I experienced it also. I feel that RC’s level of service is equivalent to what I have experienced on Carnival, but the “friendliness” level was a little higher on Monarch.

Cabin:

Due to a price drop for this cruise, we got upgraded to an ocean view cabin on deck 6 forward. I knew going into this cruise that the cabins would not be as big as the sort that I had become accustomed to on Carnival. Because of this I wasn’t surprised when I saw our room. Yes, it was smaller than Carnival’s, but it wasn’t too bad for a short 3 day cruise. The closet had ample room for our clothes, and there was plenty of room under the bed for our luggage. The bedding was very nice, although the bed was a little too hard for my tastes. The bathroom was also small, but that was also something we knew ahead of time, so I don’t hold it against them. Our steward did a good job keeping the room clean and stocked.

A few things that RC could fix in regards to the cabin are the lack of a safe, and lack of robes; two things Carnival has in every cabin. Carnival also provides guests a few small toiletry items in the bathroom such as his and her disposable razors, sample size toothpaste packs and occasionally packets of Advil. Other than the lack of those little amenities I was satisfied with the room. It did look as if it needed freshening up though. After going to obvious lengths to make the rest of the ship look top notch, I was a little confused by the fact that the cabins appeared to have had very little done. There were several places on walls, cabinets and floors that showed wear and tear. I really liked how Carnival renovated their cabins on the Inspiration, something like that would do wonders for the Monarch’s as well.

Our cabin, #5610:

Entertainment and Activities:

Since this cruise entailed two port days with none at sea, we did not have much time to participate in many of the ship’s daily activities. Glancing over the “Cruise Compass” newsletter I found activities to be mostly the same as I have seen with Carnival: trivia games, pool games, sing-alongs at the piano area, etc. We did all visit the rock wall, which was a lot of fun. I didn’t figure I could make it up, but I ended up ringing the bell.

The wall:

We only attended one show, but it was very good. It was the farewell show called “You can’t stop the beat” and it had some talented singers and dancers. Later on the last night we attended the adult comedy show. It featured Troy Thirdgill who was by far the funniest comic I have yet seen on any of my cruises.

The pool area at night:

Ports of Call:

My opinion of Nassau need not be repeated, normally we wouldn’t have even left the ship, but at least the weather was nice. We took our new cruiser friends to Atlantis, and also to the straw market. The port did give me ample time to get some photos of the other ships in port. Since the next day was Coco Cay, we did not go to the beach.

Entering port:

The straw market:

The Atlantis Resort:

Atlantis's Lagoon:

Sunset over Nassau:

I too am becomimg very upset by lack of ice cream on Royal Caribbean ships. It seems since they have brought in Ben & Jerrys they have really cut back on free ice cream especially soft serve. At least on Carnival there is plenty of free ice cream even up until late at night! More and more nickel and diming ( try charging for the things people really enjoy) that really sucks!:mad::mad::mad:

Coco Cay was wonderful, simply the best port of call I have been to. The weather was clear and in the low 80s all day. They served a good (complimentary!) BBQ buffet lunch, and we relaxed on the beach before walking up and down it. The water was crystal clear and the hammocks were a really nice touch. Coco Cay was in every way what I want out of every port of call. No pushy junk hawking natives, no taxis, no crowds, no problems. There are some out there who complain that places like this are due to the “Disney-fication” of travel destinations. Luckily for me I don’t care about what those people think. Coco Cay is now my absolute favorite cruise stop, hands down, case closed. We are going to Half Moon Cay next September on Carnival Fascination; I hope it is just as spectacular.

There is ice cream on Royal Caribbean's ships from 11AM-9 PM, at least there was on the Independence earlier this month.

Debarkation:

Leaving the ship is never a pleasurable activity, but it always happens nonetheless. Debarking went very smoothly, and we were off the ship in about thirty minutes after getting in line. No problems whatsoever.

Summary:

I had a great cruise, and was very happy with my first RCCL experience. It was refreshing to try something new and different, although there were many similarities. I would not hesitate to take one in the future if they continue to price competitively with Carnival. Although I did sometimes miss the more festive atmosphere that Carnival exudes, RC certainly provides its fair share of fun. I saw just as many happy people relaxing, dancing, drinking and making merry as I normally do on Carnival.

I would like to try one of the larger ships next time, eventually sampling all the classes just like I’m slowly (but surely!) doing with Carnival. Now that I’ve ventured out, at some later time I want to try NCL as well. I hear that Freestyle can be a love/hate relationship, so we’ll just have to see. I hope this has been helpful and informative, please feel free to ask and questions.

Towel animals:

Night shots:

You can get it for dessert, in the dining room, too! (Ice-cream, that is!)

There is ice cream on Royal Caribbean's ships from 11AM-9 PM, at least there was on the Independence earlier this month.

Thats what I've heard, but when I asked on the first day at lunch the crewman said that that it wasn't available that day. He said that it would be out for a few hours the next afternoon, but we didn't make it up there for it.

You can get it for dessert, in the dining room, too! (Ice-cream, that is!)

Thats what I did, and it was good!

Great review! The pictures really enhance it!

Great review....THANKS....checking out the pix got me excited for our cruise on her next week:D

Thats what I've heard, but when I asked on the first day at lunch the crewman said that that it wasn't available that day. He said that it would be out for a few hours the next afternoon, but we didn't make it up there for it.

I think what you are seeing is the difference in ship classes...the Freedom class has "Sprinkles" and it's soft serve available all day, next to the H20 zone. So when someone here at CC says "Hey we had it all day"...then they were probably on a Freedom class ship. ;)

I loved your review AND pictures Grady! Your night shots are awesome.

Thanks for taking the time to write that all out! :D:D:D

Hands down one of the best (and most objective) reviews I've ever read. Thanks for taking the time to do it.:)

I think what you are seeing is the difference in ship classes...the Freedom class has "Sprinkles" and it's soft serve available all day, next to the H20 zone. So when someone here at CC says "Hey we had it all day"...then they were probably on a Freedom class ship. ;)

 

I loved your review AND pictures Grady! Your night shots are awesome.

 

Thanks for taking the time to write that all out! :D:D:D

Sounds good to me, another fine reason for me to try the Freedom next time. Besides the fact that RC is about to put her in my back yard when she goes to Port Canaveral next year!

We were on the Majesty (sister ship to the Monarch) last year for the same cruise just after it was refurbished. While I have never been on Carnival so can’t give an opinion on the comparison, I think everything in your review was spot on with our experience.

Nassau was a big letdown, but that was completely overshadowed by our awesome time at CocoCay. It easily ranks as our favorite stop yet.

Great review!! We also had a awesome time on the Monarch.......

I think what you are seeing is the difference in ship classes...the Freedom class has "Sprinkles" and it's soft serve available all day, next to the H20 zone. So when someone here at CC says "Hey we had it all day"...then they were probably on a Freedom class ship. ;)

 

I loved your review AND pictures Grady! Your night shots are awesome.

 

Thanks for taking the time to write that all out! :D:D:D

My kids will be real happy to hear that for spring break;)