Monarch OTS..will we be sorry?

[Stvandon]

I was so thrilled when I found a great deal for the 4 day monarch OTS cruise leaving on Jan. 9, 2006. Now I keep reading horrible things about it and I'm worrying that I've made a big mistake. I had no idea this was it's last sail before drydock or that this fact would effect the trip. I have read posts that lead me to believe they could actually start some of the preparations for dry-dock during our sailing. Could this be true?

Any comments from RECENT passengers on the Monarch would be greatly appreciated.

[yogimax]

Relax - You will have a great time - The stuff you have read is a bunch of junk!

[FitzLA]

Thats interesting cause we are booked on the Monarch in the end of January and I don't think it is scheduled for dry dock at all. The monarch has been updated more recently than othe ships, so I think that others will get drydck before monarch. Anyway, if it is the case, then yes they do prepare on the last sailing before drydock for the drydock. You will not even notice. Most of it will be behind the scenes and you won't even know they are there. No worries. You will have a great time, and the monarch is a great, clean ship.

[rubrrick]

Yes, it's a fact that you are sailing on the last cruise before drydock. All of the preperation that goes on beforehand will be done behind the areas open to passengers. The only thing you will see on the day of disembarkation, is they will try to get eveyone off quite quickly, so that the Monarch can head for drydock. It's going to be a great cruise, so relax and enjoy it.

 

Rick

[julieh]

I have to agree with all of the positive comments regarding the Monarch. You will love it, and the ports are great. You are in port every day, and no sea days, so even if there were "issues" (and there won't be!), you will probably be "out and about" anyway. We sailed on the Monarch and then on the Paradise about a year ago. The Paradise reminded me of why I like RCCL so much better!

[FitzLA]

Looks like I was wrong...it will be in drydock for 2 weeks. I am booked on the 1st cruise after drydock, and I didn't even know it. How exciting.

[ElvisandTracey]

Not trying to be mean, or to make you have a negative outlook about your cruise on the Monarch, but...

 

I have been on 2 Carnival ships (ick!!), plus RCI Voyager, Navigator, Rhapsody, and Monarch twice, and let you tell you my thoughts-

 

Monarch clearly did not measure up to the other RCI ships I have been on-I live in LA so jumping on the Monarch last minute is easy and cheap, that's why I have done it twice, but in this case, you get, and don't get, what you pay for-

 

Mostly, its just a blah ship-any cruise is a great time, but this ship leaves me feeling like there's a lot missing, probably because I am used to the bigger, newer, more action-packed ships-

 

But its little things too-my husband entered the basketball competition on the Monarch, and only 6 people showed up, and he won the gold medal , but on the Navigator the year before, he entered the same competition and over 100 people showed up-he won silver, but that silver meant way more than the 6 person gold one did-

 

The food on the Monarch is way below all the other ships I mentioned-lack of selection, lack of quality-the staff is ok, but I think that due to the short itinerary, they don't make as much effort to get to know you as the longer sailings staff do-I love getting to know the great people who work on the ships, so that type of relationship is really missing for me on the shorter sailing like this one (and I have done the 3 and 4 night, pretty much the same on both!!)

 

And to top it off, the last time I sailed on her in May 04, myself (4 months pregnant at the time) and my 9 year old son got severe food poisoning from the room service soup-both wound up in the infirmary with IV's.

I have never had any health problems on any other ships.

 

So I am not telling you not to go, only telling you to try to not compare her to any other ships you may have been on-she is what she is-one of the lower class ships that they sent to LA to do short, low cost itineraries-

 

On the good news side-the day in Catalina is great, and the port in LA gets you in and out very quickly!

 

I hope you have a great time!!

[PhoenixCruiser]

We were on the Monarch August 1st. We knew going in that she was an older and much smaller ship, however we expected the level of service and quality of food to be similiar to RCI's other ships, it most definitely was not.

 

Our JS was a mess, old food on the carpet, pubic hairs in the bathroom, and an old dusty bedspread in one of the cabinets, we called our room steward and he did address those issues the next day. We had a horrible sewer smell as soon as the ship left San Pedro, it stayed with us the entire cruise...

 

Several cabins flooded that week, I am amazed at the amount of industrial fans the Monarch carries LOL. Several public bathrooms were out of order the whole cruise, at one point, the ladies bathroom right outside the casino/Schooner bar was closed for an entire evening.

 

And watch out if you are over 6'4", you'll feel the need to duck while walking throughout the ship :D

 

Others have had similiar compliants if you want to do a search.

 

Good luck with your decision.

 

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[jagsfan]

what the heck is OTS? is it one time sailing? Enquiring minds want to know

[PhoenixCruiser]

what the heck is OTS? is it one time sailing? Enquiring minds want to know

 

Of the Seas = Monarch of The Seas, Navigator of The Seas, Jewel of The Seas, etc.

 

###

[ElvisandTracey]

We were on the Monarch August 1st. We knew going in that she was an older and much smaller ship, however we expected the level of service and quality of food to be similiar to RCI's other ships, it most definitely was not.

 

Our JS was a mess, old food on the carpet, pubic hairs in the bathroom, and an old dusty bedspread in one of the cabinets, we called our room steward and he did address those issues the next day. We had a horrible sewer smell as soon as the ship left San Pedro, it stayed with us the entire cruise...

 

Several cabins flooded that week, I am amazed at the amount of industrial fans the Monarch carries LOL. Several public bathrooms were out of order the whole cruise, at one point, the ladies bathroom right outside the casino/Schooner bar was closed for an entire evening.

 

And watch out if you are over 6'4", you'll feel the need to duck while walking throughout the ship :D

 

Others have had similiar compliants if you want to do a search.

 

Good luck with your decision.

 

###

 

You just reminded me of the sewer smell-I guess I blocked it out intentionally-the first time I sailed her in Jan 04, I was on the 8th floor and the smell was only there while we were in port, then it faded-the second time we were on the 3rd floor, and the smell was there the whole time-at the time I chalked it up to an older ship, but now, after that terrible incident with the methane and the deaths, I am wondering if the ship has had a long standing problem with the bathroom/treatment system??

[FitzLA]

Gee, maybe that is why it is going into drydock.

[phtktz3]

I was on the Monarch this past May and the hall outside our cabin also had a noticable sewer odor. We were on deck 3. The smell never made it into the cabin thank goodness but it was quite apparent in the hallway. I would have to agree that the service and food was not as good as any other RCCL ship I have been on. The service and food were so bad in the dining room we did not even go back after the 2nd night. As someone else stated we still loved this cruise, it is port heavy so you don't spend much time on the ship anyway. We did take her sister ship Majesty in November 2004 and loved the ship and the staff! The layout was identical but the service and food were much better.

[jagsfan]

what the heck is OTS? is it one time sailing? Enquiring minds want to know

 

 

my next question is Where are my brains? I know what OTS is. I was

just seeing if anyone else did!

I need a nap.

[DEERINH2O]

We too went on Monarch in Arpil. We had a great time. We have been on the Voyager Class and am going on Freedom next August. With that being said, I thought the food was good, as was our service, we were lucky I guess, never smelt the sewer stuff. We really didn't do the shows, we just sat out under the stars at night, and hung out by the pools after the day in port.

 

I will sail her again. Probley beginning of the year and just keep in mind, your cruise is what you make of it, not everyone else.

 

have fun,

 

Kathy

[bamadawg]

Have you ever seen a cruise ship sinking??? I have and it was the Monarch!!

Week of Dec. 12, 1998 in St, Maarten. We were on the Dawn Princess and Monarch had been tendered there the day before. When they pulled out at end of the day, a passenger had a medical emergency and they turned Monarch around. When they did, they hit a coral reef and tore Monarch open like a can-opener. She started to sink so the captain wisely rammed her onto a sandbar, saving the day. All the passengers had to depart their cruise in St. Martin, so the day we were in St. Martin, no cabs/buses were available for tours. That was okay, seeing a listing, damaged ship was the big excitement. The sad part was that the captain, who'd been employed by RCCL since early 70s and had worked his way up from baggage handler, had to quit over the radio and every ship in the radius heard him resign (apparently that's what you do when you're captain of a $300 million ship that almost sank -whether you did it or not!). All this firsthand info is courtesy of the officers of the Dawn Princess who took us on a private bridge tour later that week. RCCL towed Monarch, had her repaired and put back in service. Think of all the Christmas cruisers whose plans were ruined that year!!

Also, very recently (past two months) three crew members were killed when they were exposed to poisonous gases while working in the sewage area of Monarch. A tragic accident!

Anyway, all that said, take care and have a wonderful cruise!!

[tinkerme1]

First, let me say that the Monarch is a nice ship. Does she compare to some of the "newer, larger, prettier ships"? Probably not. Does she have lots of the ammenities that others have? Probably not.

 

What I can say is that we have taken the Monarch six times in the past three years and loved each of them. Some, more than others. Her crew is outstanding! They can't do enough to help you. The Dining Room staff is fabulous and they really do a magnificent job. As for the food, I think it is just fine for a three/four day cruise. Geez, I didn't have to do the dishes!

 

On the Monarch, you will run into many folks that have never taken a cruise before and judge their "next" cruise by this ship. That really isn't fair, since the Monarch is just a short "taste-type" experience. We've had Interior/SO (Ocean View) and JS (Balcony) cabins and thought the SO's were the best for the money! What is nice, the Monarch is a little smaller than most of the new ships and it doesn't have the feel of being crowded. We LOVE the pool bar on this ship. Say hi to Hugh if he is there!

 

We recently sailed on September 16, 2005 and had absolutely no sewer smells of any kind. I think the repairs they were making on the ship (when the accident happened) has probably taken care of that problem. My heart goes out to the crew for losing some good friends fixing this problem.

 

I would highly suggest to go with an open mind and enjoy the experience. The four-day cruise is fun and the ports are nice. My only suggestion to you, is that January may be cool to cold and the waters "may" be a little rougher than usual. Also, Catalina is usually very "quiet" during the winter months but it also gives you a better chance to tour the island. Whatever you do, enjoy the cruise and say hi to the crew!

[RDeagazio]

I've taken the Monarch several times over the past 2 years and she is a fine ship. She doesn't have all the bells and whistles the newer ships have, but then again how much can you really do in 3/4 days?

 

Previous to her refurb and move to LA. I sailed her from San Juan for the 7 night Southern Caribbean cruise and I must say the ship is much nicer now than she was then. The refurb really breathed new life into the old gal.

 

I've never found the service or food to be disappointing. Yes the cabins are small and I agree with the person that posted the SO cabins are the best value and are a nice size.

 

For the price you can't beat this ship-- it's 100% nicer than the Carnival Paradise.

[birdie16]

I agree with the people that had positive things to say about the Monarch. I would much rather cruise a bigger, newer ship...but for a 3 or 4 day cruise she is a good time. I would rather cruise just BEFORE dry dock that the cruise right after...after they may be still behind and unorganized.

 

I just cruised the Jewel 10 day out of Boston the cruise after the crossing. They were so disorganized they didn't even have a pool band until over half way through the cruise. They were out of all kinds of things...nothing major, but noticable, like the little mints for your pillows...raisins for your oatmeal, strawberries for your pool drinks, etc. The Monarch does the same thing over and over again...they don't make mistakes.

[Ericknow32]

I have been on Monarch of the Seas three times. She is not as nice as the newer ships but she serves her purpose very well. I have grown very fond of the little girl and although things aren't always perfect she is still a very fine ship. I have two more cruises booked on her for the near future so she can't be all that bad. I would not go into it thinking she is equal to all of the other ships but she is most definitely a great ship that you will have a great time on.

 

FYI, I have never smelled anything foul from Monarch of the Seas.

 

Have a great cruise.

[Stvandon]

Thanks to all of you for your input. We will go on our cruise with an open mind and enjoy the fact that we ARE on a cruise. Thanks again to you all. Donna

[mohavemommy]

I was so thrilled when I found a great deal for the 4 day monarch OTS cruise leaving on Jan. 9, 2006. Now I keep reading horrible things about it and I'm worrying that I've made a big mistake. I had no idea this was it's last sail before drydock or that this fact would effect the trip. I have read posts that lead me to believe they could actually start some of the preparations for dry-dock during our sailing. Could this be true?

Any comments from RECENT passengers on the Monarch would be greatly appreciated.

 

I sailed on the Monarch twice this year, April and July. She is by no means a mega ship, but she sure does the job. I never felt like I was in a large crowd. Never did smell sewer and we had cabins on deck 8 and 6.

 

Loved her so much I have booked her again. :D

[dougp26364]

We sailed her last January for the same reason you're sailing her this January....great price.

 

Monarch is an "older ship" but she is still a very nice ship. I did not find her to be worn out, dirty or smelly. The staff provided good service but maybe not up to par with the other cruises you see listed in my signature. Our room was clean, the cabin steward did a fine job, the waitstaff was very good and everyone was as friendly as on other cruises. Some of the store staff didn't seem to be as up to the job as on the newer ships.

 

I really can't comment on the food as ours was a 3 day cruise and two of the menu's we don't like, even if it's on the newest ship. The Windjammer food was buffet food. While I enjoyed the Windjammer, it didn't seem to offer the variety that you see on the newer ships. Perhaps it was just me?

 

Would I do this cruise again? Probably not but that's only because we live in the midwest and it's quite the trip to get there. If I lived closer, then maybe.

 

Personally, I would either book a tour in Ensenada or stay on the ship. This has to be one of the worst ports any cruiseline goes to. Of course, that's just my opinion. At least on the 4 day cruise you get San Diego and Catalina, which would make it a much nicer cruise IMO.

 

I have several pictures of the ship if you would like to look at them. This might dispell some of the comments I've read about the ship being worn, dirty or old. It is a very nice looking ship but, being an older ship, doesn't have many of the amenities of the newer ships. Be that as it may it's just fine for 3 or 4 day cruises.

 

My pics are at http://community.webshots.com/user/dougp26364

[rubrrick]

Just got off the Monarch Sept 2nd. I did not experience any sewer smells, although I overheard some people mention it. As we were disembarking, the Bravo, Bravo, Bravo calls started. The fact that three crewmembers died while working in an area of the propeller shaft in the hull has nothing to do with the sewer smell. Like all ships, the Monarch has holding tanks, and pump them dry in port, so sometimes in port there will be a sewer smell. RCCL is very aware of this and constantly trys to improve it. The Monarch will be with us for another 7 to 10 years, so she will be kept in reasonable shape till then.

Our experience onboard was good. We have found the food aboard RCCL to have improved in '05 over '04. The crew on the Monarch is happy and very structured as the ship has the same basic itinerary year round. The crew is able to get off of the ship very often, something that other RCCL ships cannot give to their crewmembers. They do a wonderful job considering that every three to four days they are seeing new faces. That means total cabin cleaning, bags on and off, plus keeping all public places neat and clean. A normal ship of the tonnage of the Monarch has a passenger capacity of 1800. The Monarch has 2800 passengers.

The ports are fun. San Diego has much to offer, Avalon on Catalina Island is fun to explore, and we will let Ensenada speak for itself. Some like it, some don't. It's a great day to explore the ship, read and relax.

Enjoy your cruise, it will be great!:)

 

Rick

[bartelbee]

In the past, we''ve sailed the Monarch in December because availability was high and the fares low, but this year, when I tried to book a JS in April, we could only get a waitlist cabin. Ever since, I've been tracking availability (for all Oct-Jan sailings) and am amazed at how often it shows "sold out." So consider this, if Monarch were truly so awful, why does she have so many multi-repeat passengers?

Go, enjoy yourself--and be thrilled that you're sailing at a price you wanted to pay.