Questions about Sovereign of the Seas (Newbie)

[Me76]

I'm new here, just found this board by looking for reviews of the ship (Sovereign of the Seas) that we are going on Monday, April 11. I have a few questions about it, sorry if they have already been answered in other posts, but I don't have time to search thru every post, with leaving in 3 days! :eek:

 

Do facials or massages cost anything at the spa? If so, how much?

 

Does the hair salon cost anything for haircuts or manicures? If so, how much?

 

If Coco Cay gets cancelled, do they refund shore excursions, if so, how do they refund them? (I ask this because we paid with Visa Gift Cards, we didn't want to worry about our CC's being stolen while on vacation).

 

Is there a special menu for the Formal Dinner?

 

In Nassau, on the Thrillerboat Tour, did anyone actually see dolphins?

 

Also in Nassau, Snorkling with the Stingrays, are there lots of Stingrays, or do you just snorkel and hope 1 or 2 come by?

 

Also in Nassau and on the ship, do you ever get a signal for cell phones (Verizon Wirless)? This is my first vacation ever away from my two small children, ages 2 & 3. My husband and I's first vacation alone, so I'm nervous about leaving them.

 

Do I have to worry about the security of leaving items, such as digital camera (value around $300) or camcorder (same value), in my stateroom? Obviously, not leaving them out in the open, but putting them in my luggage or something. My husband had taken a cruise on Carnival years ago and said they were told to never leave things of value in their rooms.

 

I think that is it, for now. Thank you, in advance, for any of you who can help me answer these questions.

 

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[laurasue]

Son of a!!! Computer just ate my long response! :mad:

 

Anyhow, i'll try again:

-Yes, everything at the spa (facials, massages, hair styling) costs extra. I think the prices are roughly the same on all ships. Perhaps somsone can post more detailed information on cost.

 

- If you book an excursion through the cruise line (which you have to for Coco Cay since it is RCI's island) and the port is cancelled, they will refund your money. Not sure where they refund it to, either your seapass account or your original form of payment is my guess...

 

- Not sure about formal night dinner. I know the menu is different every night, so it's probably just a special menu for formal night

 

- I haven't seen anyone post about dolphins on the thrillerboat tour. I've only read a few reviews (so-so_ about this at all. Search here or on the Bahamas port of call board for more information.

 

- The stinkgray snorkeling on Nassau is in a sandy bottom fenced in area. So yes, you will see stingrays. However, it is not an "in the wild" experience. Do a search for more information.

 

- Don't know about cell phones.

 

- IMHO, you should always exercise caution with valuables no matter where you are. A cruise is no exception. Some of the staterooms have safes. If yours does, I would use it. If it doesn't, my best advice would be to lot leave valuables in plain sight. I am a trusting person but I find it best practice to remove any temptation, then there will be no problems. :D I have seen some post that they keep valuables in their luggae, locked in the closet or under their beds.

 

Have a great cruise! :D

[docmb]

I can add my two cents in response to some of your questions. I did not have a signal on my cell phone in Nassau with Cingular/ATT or my blackberry which is Verizon. The ship does have an internet cafe so you might be able to keep in touch that way! Every night there is a differnet menu - although each night there are always basics as well. Formal night featured beef tenderloin and duck ala orange as two of the entrees. I had the beef - it was quite good. You can plan on paying for anything on the ship besides your food and some basic drinks - lemonade and fruit punch at lunch for example. Have fun and enjoy!!!!

[Michuck]

Don't forget to figure in tipping wait and room staff (at minimum) when figuing out what your expenses will be. Full massages run close to and over $100, tips are additional. Facials aren't cheap. They sometimes have specials which do bring the price down. Personally, I don't care to have a manicure on the ship - that's something I do the day before, so I'm not sitting in a salon (and worrying afterward about smuding) when I could be out sunning and fun-ing....I don't think I'd 'trust' someone other than my regular hair stylist to do my hair. Another reason is because I'm afraid that if they do an awesome job, the haircuts would get expensive if I had to go on a cruise every time I needed a trim!!

:-)

 

There aren't many 'excursions' at CocoCay - it's a private RCI island - lots of sand, beautiful water, hammocks, beach lounges. You can charge your drinks to your SeaPass card, a Bar-B-Q lunch is provided. Make sure to get a Coco-Loco! I don't particularly care for alcohol, and even their non-alcoholic Coco-Loco's are wonderful! There is a marketplace, which accepts cash only. If you pay in advance for snorkeling, mats, waverunners, etc., and you don't stop there, you will be refunded.

 

The Sovereign is a wonderful ship. I'm going on her for the 5th time 4/29. Have a wonderful time!!

 

Michele

[Iamthesea]

I don't recommend that you try the snorkeling stingray excursion in Nassau.

 

You stand in a fenced in area, they hand you a mask and snorkel, and you lean down to look into the water.

 

Wait until you can go to grand Cayman to see the stingray.

[laurasue]

I don't recommend that you try the snorkeling stingray excursion in Nassau.

 

You stand in a fenced in area, they hand you a mask and snorkel, and you lean down to look into the water.

 

Wait until you can go to grand Cayman to see the stingray.

 

LOL! That was my impression as well. We did a stingray feeding in Bora Bora on our honeymoon. It was amazing, we were far out in the lagoon, very wild and scenic. It was so neat to experience it that way. Because of that, I don't think we could do the fenced type excursion. Just not the same, you know?

[Shelli]

I found a ship review in which the reviewer talks a great deal about the spa and its prices. It was a Royal Caribbean ship, so it would be quite similar, but the review is from 2000, so prices may have gone up:

 

http://www.epinions.com/trvl-review-5F27-5885FBE-39D51161-prod1

 

In my opinion, spa services are overpriced-- the same treatments at a spa or salon close to your home would probably be a lot cheaper.

 

Re your cell phone: you'll probably be able to call home from Florida before the ship leaves or after it arrives. Other than that, it's doubtful. We couldn't get a signal (via Verizon) at all in Nassau. You may want to look into international phone cards.