Just Returned from Monarch

[patcacmt]

Hello, I thought I would post a short review of our 3-day weekend Baja cruise. We've never done this one before (I never had an urge to do so -- seemed too short, and port not so great), but it was my birthday so we figured it would be nice to spend it on board. Having said that, I really enjoyed this little trip.

I just thought I would mention a few things that pleasantly surprised me on this cruise . . . and if anyone has any further questions, I will be happy to try to answer.

Loved the shower pressure!! (That's always a pet peeve of mine on a cruise -- can never get the shampoo out of my hair with the trickles of water we usually encounter.)

C&A "Repeater" or Welcome Back" reception -- This was one of the nicest we've attended. The invite was for platinum & diamond members (don't know if they had a different one for the gold members). It was in the Viking Crown Lounge and the canapes and desserts were absolutely wonderful (shrimp, sushi, quiche, mousse, fruit tarts, cream puffs, to name a few). Free champagne and/or any mixed drink you wanted from the bar.

The free gift for C&A members was a hanging toiletry case -- very nice. And, the coupon book had a few enhancements over the "gold" coupon book -- we made good use of the photo, casino, bar, and bingo coupons.

Got some really nice silver earrings and a couple of soft leather purses in Ensenada -- downtown area.

Poolside barbeque on the sea day -- just like the barbeques provided on their private island days, but on the ship at the pool. Great!

We were originally given purple luggage tags for debarkation, but then received an envelope for platinum/diamond C&A members with white tags inside if we wanted to take advantage of early embarkation. Also, there was a separate lounge for these members to await debarkation with refreshments provided.

We drove to the port this time (about five-hour drive) and the parking was very easy to accomplish. It was $11 per day, cash only, so we paid $33 for this short cruise.

One last note -- we did have a medical emergency on board and the gentleman had to be medi-evac'd off the ship by a Coast Guard helicopter. We heard the "alpha, alpha, alpha" announcement at dinner the evening before -- location was the dining room on deck three (we were on four). The next morning, we were ushered off of deck 12 and they prepared for the helicopter's arrival. I was inside the Windjammer on deck 12, and my husband got stuck in the Viking Crown lounge. We both had a good view of the goings on . . . it was very interesting to see the helicopter hovering above the deck and lowering the person from the helicopter, and then subsequently lifting the patient in a basket up to the helicopter. It was a very efficient operation -- we heard it was a 42-year-old gentleman who had suffered a heart attack. I'm not absolutely certain this was related to the "alpha" call the previous evening, but others seemed to think so.

The one thing I did not care for was the main seating -- I had asked for late (as usual) with a large table, but we booked at the last minute and did not get our first choice. Rather than speaking to the Maitre'd about a change, we thought we would go with the main seating just to see if we would like it (never have done it, just figured we wouldn't like the earlier dining). Well, my favorite part of a cruise is the sail-away from each port, and I missed both the LA and the Ensenada one due to the early dining. I got to see a little bit of the Ensenada one, but some people were late getting back on board, so it was delayed a bit; also, it was formal night so I needed more time to get ready. All in all, I know now that I really do prefer the late seating! Also, we had a small table (for four), but our tablemates only came for one evening, so we basically had a table to ourselves most of the time.

Now, it's time to look forward to our Voyager cruise . . . !! [img]http://messages.cruisecritic.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_cool.gif[/img]

Time to the Voyager:
[img]http://escati.linkopp.net/cgi-bin/countdown.cgi?trgb=000000&srgb=00ff00&prgb=800080&cdt=2004;10;22;16;30;00&timezone=GMT-0800[/img]

1999: Regal Princess
2001: Majesty/Radiance
2002: Legend/Rhapsody
2003: Navigator
2004: Monarch/Voyager

[joyceyw]

patcacmt,

Thanks for the review. As you can see in my sig. I'll be on the Monarch in Sept.

<marquee>[B]Joycelyn[/B]</marquee>

[img]http://escati.linkopp.net/cgi-bin/countdown.cgi?trgb=000000&srgb=00ff00&prgb=ff00ff&cdt=2004;9;24;17;00;00&timezone=GMT-0800[/img]
Until we try The Monarch of the Seas

[img]http://escati.linkopp.net/cgi-bin/countdown.cgi?trgb=000000&srgb=00ff00&prgb=00bfff&cdt=2005;1;23;17;00;00&timezone=GMT-0500[/img]
Until the Mariner of the Seas

[url="http://messages.cruisecritic.com/2/OpenTopic?q=Y&s=927093444&a=tpc&m=8623054967&f=1683059817"]Mariner of the Seas - January 23, 2005 Roll Call...Please Join Us[/url]
Tss Festivale 1984
Carnival Tropical 1993
Voyager of the Seas 2001
Carnival Ecstasy 2002
Vision of the Seas 2002
Radiance of the Seas 2004

[PhoenixCruiser]

Welcome back and thanks for your review [img]http://messages.cruisecritic.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_smile.gif[/img] We have been looking for a quick get-away cruise, and loved reading all of your positive comments!

What a neat, and different, C&A gift, I hope it's for all cruises [img]http://messages.cruisecritic.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_wink.gif[/img]

###

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Navigator of the Seas 6/26/04

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[thxrye]

Thanks, pat, for taking the time to share.
Although I have been on this cruise before
it helps to hear another's impressions.
Missing the sailaway is a problem with the main seating. Hmmm. Thanks for reminding me.

Looking forward to.......

Monarch 7/2/04 InfinityB2B BA-FLL 2/29/04
InfinityB2B Hawaii 11/03 Monarch 8/03,Infinity 1/03
Navigator 12/02 Grandeur 9/02
Enchantment of the Seas 4/02
Island Princess '90
Azure Seas '8? Rotterdam '62

[JillyDog]

Thanks for the review! We'll be on the Monarch in August. What time was main and late seating?

Trish



Monarch of the Seas - August 9, 2004

Brilliance of the Seas (Venice) - August 28, 2005


Mariner of the Seas - 2004
Enchantment of the Seas - 2001
Monarch of the Seas - 199?
Stella Solaris - 1989

[Sailfish]

Thanks for your review. Just a few questions, as we too have a cruise aboard the Monarch in a few weeks.

First off, how was the entertainment? What about the quality of the food and service? Did they have any alternative restaurants?

Any other input concerning the Monarch would also be appreciated.

Thanks again.

Suzi


05 July 2004 Monarch of the Seas
21 November 2004 Carnival Pride
20 February 2005 Mariner of the Seas CC Group Cruise

[patcacmt]

Main seating was at 6:00 p.m. and late seating at 8:30 p.m. I thought the food was good in the dining room - no different than on our previous, longer, cruises. The first night was "Venetian" night with shrimp scampi and lamb as the preferred choices. The second, formal, night there was filet mignon, duck a la'orange, and salmon, and the third night had New York steak, traditional turkey dinner, or tempura mahi mahi. I didn't think the variety of food in the Windjammer was all that great, although there were some individual dishes that were very tasty. I did not get to the pizza or to Jade's. There was an additional charge for the Jade Asian sushi/sashimi restaurant, but we did not go there -- I never did find out what the exact charge was. There was also a Ben and Jerry's and a specialty coffee area, "Latte-tudes" that served ice cream and coffee for an extra charge. The pastries in Latte-tudes were free of charge, just the coffee had a fee.

The was one of the few times I did not particularly enjoy the RCI singers. The dancers were okay, and their shows were very energetic, as usual. There was a Welcome Aboard Show featuring Jacqi Michaels who sang a tribute to female performers such as Shania Twain, Tina Turner, Faith Hill, Celine Deon, etc. In addition, there were two production shows with the singers and dancers (one was an afternoon matinee performance), and a Farewell Show with a comedian and specialty act, both of which were very good. The last night also featured a late night adult comedy show.

My favorite performers were Steve and Scott, the rock 'n roll dueling piano players. They played in the Boleros Lounge and were a lot of fun! They played requests, and it's amazing just how many songs they know!!

I thought the service in the dining room was great. Our room attendant seemed to have a huge number of rooms he was responsible for, yet always greeted us by name and with a smile. I know I saw him outside of the "posted" hours of 8:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. and 5:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. The notice in your stateroom identifying your room attendant now refers to a "team" rather than an individual, although I only saw him during my comings and goings.

The muster drill was at 4:45 p.m. and was mercifully short. The jogging/walking track was on the Promenade deck (7) and there were signs posted for no jogging or power walking between 10:00 p.m. and 10:00 a.m.

There was no "coke card" per se, but you could purchase a thermos-type coke mug (I never saw the actual price) and it seemed you could get free refills of fountain drinks with these. Many people had these in the dining room and it seemed they were getting them refilled all the time.

Also, I didn't think the formal night was as formal as I've seen on longer cruises. My husband and I dressed in our usual formal wear (black suit and tie for him; black ball skirt and sparkly top for me)and I think that at least I was a bit overdressed compared to the majority. Everyone looked nice, though, and the photographers were out in force.

I almost forgot -- while we were "parked" at sea near Catalina, I saw a large pod of dolphins playing and swimming off to the side of the ship. There must have been 20 or so and they stayed around for quite a while.

Anything else I can provide, please let me know.

Time to the Voyager:
[img]http://escati.linkopp.net/cgi-bin/countdown.cgi?trgb=000000&srgb=00ff00&prgb=800080&cdt=2004;10;22;16;30;00&timezone=GMT-0800[/img]

1999: Regal Princess
2001: Majesty/Radiance
2002: Legend/Rhapsody
2003: Navigator
2004: Monarch/Voyager

[joyceyw]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>I almost forgot -- while we were "parked" at sea near Catalina, I saw a large pod of dolphins playing and swimming off to the side of the ship. There must have been 20 or so and they stayed around for quite a while.
<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

We saw a school of dolphins 2 year ago when we did this route on the Vision. It was the most awesome site to see the doplhins in their natural habitat. Glad you enjoyed your cruise. Sept. is so far away.

<marquee>[B]Joycelyn[/B]</marquee>

[img]http://escati.linkopp.net/cgi-bin/countdown.cgi?trgb=000000&srgb=00ff00&prgb=ff00ff&cdt=2004;9;24;17;00;00&timezone=GMT-0800[/img]
Until we try The Monarch of the Seas

[img]http://escati.linkopp.net/cgi-bin/countdown.cgi?trgb=000000&srgb=00ff00&prgb=00bfff&cdt=2005;1;23;17;00;00&timezone=GMT-0500[/img]
Until the Mariner of the Seas

[url="http://messages.cruisecritic.com/2/OpenTopic?q=Y&s=927093444&a=tpc&m=8623054967&f=1683059817"]Mariner of the Seas - January 23, 2005 Roll Call...Please Join Us[/url]
Tss Festivale 1984
Carnival Tropical 1993
Voyager of the Seas 2001
Carnival Ecstasy 2002
Vision of the Seas 2002
Radiance of the Seas 2004

[Saymyname]

Wonderful review,IM looking forward to our Monarch cruise in 23 days.
Thank you!

Hi Thxrye, I've been away for a few days!
Now we both know, what to expect on our 3 day.
IM wondering about your name, are you thankful for rye bread? lol

Carnival Holiday 01/2000
Carnival Elation 04/2003
Holland America Volendam 05/04
Rccl Monarch of Seas 07/04
Carnival Conquest 07/05

[thxrye]

Say........23 days?? we might not be on the same cruise after all! Is Northern California using a different calendar? Not that I wouldn't mind the gift of time, but I think we're looking at 2 weeks from today!

LOL.....besides being thankful for rye bread (even with the carbs) I am thankful for my son Ryan who is responsible for our current addiction to cruising! Will explain in person....very,very soon!!

[JillyDog]

Thank you!

Trish

[justcruzin85374]

Thanks for your review, your trip sounds like it was the best! We are always looking for a quick get-a-way and Monarch would be what I'd like to try. Your C&A gift sounds really neat. Thanks for posting.

***

Soveriegn 92
Majesty 95
Granduer 97
Rhapsody 00
Vision 02
Radiance 03
Brilliance 04

[judimouse]

Thank you so much for the Monarch review. We have 54 booked for October 25th and it's nice to heard that you enjoyed the ship. This is our first cruise with RCI so I have been worried with some of the negative reviews.

You have given me reason to think we will have great cruise.

QM judimouse
Bodacious Babes Chapter RHS
Phoenix, AZ
[url="http://www.redhatphx.com"]http://www.redhatphx.com[/url]

[Saymyname]

[QUOTE]Originally posted by thxrye:
Say........23 days?? we might not be on the same cruise after all! Is Northern California using a different calendar? Not that I wouldn't mind the gift of time, but I think we're looking at 2 weeks from today!

Well, you know that up here in Northern Ca, we do things a little differently, but the 23 days was really pushing it. 13 days does sound a lot better! lol So........ how / when do we meet?

Carnival Holiday 01/2000
Carnival Elation 04/2003
Holland America Volendam 05/04
Rccl Monarch of Seas 07/04
Carnival Conquest 07/05

[KStevens79]

Nice review, enjoyed it so much I think I just talked a girlfriend into going on July 9. It's been 3 years and I can't wait for the others. I need a fix now!! [img]http://messages.cruisecritic.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_smile.gif[/img]

Karen

Brilliance of the Seas Jan 2005
[img]http://escati.linkopp.net/cgi-bin/countdown.cgi?trgb=000000&srgb=00ff00&prgb=0000ff&cdt=2005;1;24;17;0;00&timezone=GMT-0500[/img]
Monarch Of The Seas
Whodunit Murder Mystery Cruise
[img]http://escati.linkopp.net/cgi-bin/countdown.cgi?trgb=000000&srgb=00ff00&prgb=0000ff&cdt=2004;12;3;17;50;00&timezone=GMT-0800[/img]
Carnival Ecstasy 8/2001
Voyager of the Seas 8/2000
Carnival Holiday 3/1998
Viking Seranade 1/1996
Viking Seranade 4/1995

[magicolor_girl]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by PhoenixCruiser:
What a neat, and different, C&A gift, I hope it's for all cruises [img]http://messages.cruisecritic.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_wink.gif[/img]
<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

I received the same gift on Voyager last week so it's probably going to be for everyone... [img]http://messages.cruisecritic.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_smile.gif[/img]

Voyager of the Seas 10.26.03
Voyager of the Seas 01.11.04
Voyager of the Seas 06.13.04
Explorer of the Seas 10.31.04

[DrivesLikeMario]

Good to hear they're giving out something different! I have enough fanny packs to equip a large group of tourists!! [img]http://messages.cruisecritic.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_biggrin.gif[/img]

Just beware those that are going soon: the inside & reg. outside cabins are TINY. If you can, get a Cat. JS or better. If you can't, go forewarned! The shower pressure certainly is a plus on this ship. It just about blows you out of the shower. Don't think I've ever washed my hair quite that fast before! [img]http://messages.cruisecritic.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_biggrin.gif[/img]

--------------------------
'05-Golden Princess, West. European Capitals, '04-2 wk. land cruise to Wash. State, '04-Monarch of the Seas, '04-Coral Princess, '03-Monarch of the Seas, '02-Ecstasy, '02-Adventure of the Seas, '01-Radiance of the Seas, '01-Grand Princess, '00-Grand Princess, '99-Viking Serenade, '98-Elation

[thxrye]

Saymyname........what deck are you on 7/2 ??
We are on 9.......I'm thinking after the drill
we could meet somewhere.

I will make a point of wearing a "Celebrity" white T-shirt (like the ones in the ads)...hubby looks a bit like Kenny Rogers (as do all the men with white/grey hair and short beards!)..he is 5'9" or so....I am 5'8"(I'm the 50-something...he's the 60-something!!!)

Any other ideas for our unofficial Meet & Mingle??

Monarch 7/2/04 InfinityB2B BA-FLL 2/29/04
InfinityB2B Hawaii 11/03 Monarch 8/03,Infinity 1/03
Navigator 12/02 Grandeur 9/02
Enchantment of the Seas 4/02
Island Princess '90
Azure Seas '8? Rotterdam '62

[Cruise_More_Often]

Patcacmt, thanks for the review. DH and I will be sailing on the Monarch in January for a little break from the Northern California "winter." We booked a JS Suite even though it will probably be too cold to enjoy it much. We are really looking forward to our first sailing with RCI!

[thxrye]

Omigoodness........it took me 24 hours and 7 guesses to get registered on the new board...I thought I had lost you forever Saymyname !!! I hope you are able to respond to this message...we will be sailing away right about now a week from today!! Can you believe it??!! Can't wait!

Anyway.........hope to hear from you this week...if you respond to my last post we can work from there on our "3 Day Cruisers Need Meet & Mingles too"
get-together to celebrate your Birthday and Christmas in July!!!

I am Nancy, by the way! Looking forward to meeting you!

[roysmith99]

Hi there folks,

What a great ste of reviews and helpful comments and ideas. My wife and I are taking our second cruise on Monarch on 2nd August, the 4 day Baja and ar elooking forward to it so much. It comes at the end of our first visit to the US and we are taking advantage of ideas given to us on our first cruise last year. W emet so many wonderful people from the US and we just have to come over and see it for ourselves.

We start in New York, the LA and Las Vegas.

Many thanks for the good work, and good cruising.


Monarch of the Seas - August 2, 2004
Splendour of the Seas - May 31, 2003 (our Silver Wedding Cruise)

[mizsuzannah]

[quote name='thxrye']Omigoodness........it took me 24 hours and 7 guesses to get registered on the new board...I thought I had lost you forever Saymyname !!! I hope you are able to respond to this message...we will be sailing away right about now a week from today!! Can you believe it??!! Can't wait!

Anyway.........hope to hear from you this week...if you respond to my last post we can work from there on our "3 Day Cruisers Need Meet & Mingles too"
get-together to celebrate your Birthday and Christmas in July!!!

I am Nancy, by the way! Looking forward to meeting you![/QUOTE]


Hi Nancy! I'll be boarding as you disembark on 7/5....you will love the Monarch...I've sailed her in May and she is a grand lady.... Have a wonderful time! Don't forget to pack your own shampoo....the stuff on board is terrible! LOL

[thxrye]

Hi! Thanks for the reminder! Bon Voyage to you too!!
I am getting very excited just to be out there again!
Looking forward to Dueling Pianos in Boleros among other things.

saymyname....where are you????? I see a post by baseball fan from SoCal
so there must be more people from CCritic sailing with us! Still waiting for a response to my last post on this thread. Hope I've not given out too much info (a Southern Californian whose age begins with a 5 !!!! I might be just a year older than you!!! Then again..........LOL.)

Nancy

[Saymyname]

Hi Thxrye. I just left a note for you in ~Monarch from L.A.
(baseball fan)
See yaaaaaaaa tomorrow!