Just off Sovereign, review inside!

[LivnLife]

Hello all, I just got back from Sovereign and thought I’d post a review on the ship.

 

Rooms: This was our first time in an interior so naturally I was hesitant about the room size. However, I ended up pleasantly surprised as we had ample floor and closet space for a short 3 night cruise. The bathroom was small, but served its purpose. Shower wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be, water pressure was great, although I did notice some mold staining in some areas. My only gripe about our room would be the location. We were 5501, aaaaall the way fwd meaning next to either side of our room we had custodian closets, not to mention we heard the anchor drop each day and the noise was numbing. This would not bother a person up at 7:30 in the am, but for those who like to sleep in, skip the fwd cabins.

 

Ship: Absolutely gorgeous. Each day on the ship I noticed something else new and my appreciation for her revitalization grew. Follies Theatre was especially comfy; although I missed the small cocktail tables she had a couple years ago. Boleros was my favorite spot, awesome décor, very “jazz” meets “transitional” style. The Viking Crown Lounge was of course a great way to get away from the crowds all while offering spectacular views; we spent many hours up here. Voltage had a great setup and décor was very festive, although if you’re not one for being drowned in cigarette smoke I would avoid it. I could only stand about 30 minutes in this space before I had to leave. Windjammer also had a great setup; crowds seemed to move nicely in this space, very easy to navigate through. Finally, the dining room was stunning, lovely cool colors filled the space and the chairs were some of the most comfortable I’ve ever dined in.

 

Food: We only ate in the Windjammer for breakfast in which the selection offered was vast, with the fresh fruit being especially yummy. I was also pleasantly surprised with Sorrento’s; the pizza seemed much more flavorful since the last time we sailed. We checked out Johnny Rockets as well, food was fine but not worth the cover just to eat greasy fries and burgers. I did, however, enjoy the “dancing to the oldies” jig the waiters’ danced too, very energetic staff! As for the Dining Room, we had main seating and it was overall very good:

 

*First night I had a chilled fruit “soup” for starters which was excellent, then the lamb as an entrée which was so juicy and tender it was practically falling off the bone, very good. Dessert was tiramisu, skip it.

 

*Second night I had the scallops for starters which was amazingly flavorful, then the duck as an entrée which was also good, but not great. Cherries Jubilee was dessert that evening and I could have eaten about 5 of them, definitely try it!

 

*Last night I had the escargot for starters and it was delicious! DH had the humus and said he loved it. Unfortunately all 3 entrées offered were a bust. The men at our table got the NY strip and not one of them finished it. They said it was like eating gristle. Some of the ladies tried the mahi-mahi which was also a disaster. It was breaded and surrounded by sweet and sour sauce, not to mention dry dry dry. I tried some and it was like eating a bad Asian dish. Lastly, I had the grey goose salmon and pasta dish, not as bad as the other two entrees but still didn’t even want to finish it, lacked flavor. Luckily, dessert was a hit. I had the baked Alaska and key lime pie, both were amazing.

 

Finally, the midnight buffet on the pool deck the second night was phenomenal. Taco’s, pureed fish with bread, fruit, cheese, and many desserts were offered. Eat light at dinner on night two so you have room to sample the buffet!

 

Dress: Now I know some of you are probably wondering about the “dress code” we encountered, so I’ll tell you what we saw:

 

*First night most came very casual. We saw many in “sweat suit” like leisure ensembles. Very few dressed in ties or dresses/slacks. Lots of shorts.

 

*Second night was formal night and most made an effort although few wore a tux/gown, most were in a tie or cocktail dress, and the rest in polo’s or sundresses/skirts. I noticed second seating guests seemed more dressed up then first seating.

 

*Last night was much like the first night. To sum it up I’ll put it this way, if RCCL enforced their policy much of the dining room would have been empty, I’ll leave it at that.

 

Entertainment: First night was comedian Rodney Johnson. Very funny guy who “tells it like it is” which was refreshing. If you haven’t seen him before, make sure you see this show. Second night was Adam Kario who did a juggling act and some rather desperate attempts at comedy. He was talented with his juggling; no doubt about it, but it seemed to be geared more towards children. Skip it and attend another ship activity. Last night we never made it to the show because we were busy playing bingo (both of us just ONE away from Bingo too!). What we did see that night was the lovely jazz group playing in Bolero’s, they were sensational! We also caught part of the “Rockin’ Dueling Piano” act which was funny but not for kids IMHO. Rather suggestive material was presented throughout the act. Also, the Capt’s reception was lovely. We were lucky to have met Capt. Richard Brearly who was an absolute gentleman and pleasure to speak with.

 

Staff: Casey, our cruise director was awesome. He had a Will Ferrill like sense of humor, we loved it. He did an awesome job with the Love and Marriage Game Show, funny/quick responses/come-backs to guests. Made sailing with RCCL that much more enjoyable. The rest of the waiters and custodians were also very kind and pleasurable to be around, absolutely no complaints!

 

Nassau Day 2: Originally we were planning on going to Breezes for the day, but we didn’t dock until close to 1pm and with an early dinner seating didn’t think we’d have enough time to enjoy the excursion. Since we had been to Nassau before we decided to stay on board and enjoy the ship/peace and quiet instead. I spent my afternoon on the pool deck and took some amazing aerial pictures of Nassau and Atlantis. For those who don’t prefer the pool deck I will mention that my DH fell in love with the Viking Crown Lounge during this time. He spent a couple hours up there reading, enjoying a cigar and a drink, and the views. He said it was very quiet, very peaceful.

 

CocoCay Day 3: Not enough good things to say about this charming little Island! DH and I walked the beautiful grounds and took many pictures of wildlife to include a family of iguanas. The straw market was very nice too, lots of souvenirs to choose from. Lunch was good, as usual many items to choose from. The water on the beach was amazing, so warm and lovely. The sand was divine and very fluffy/soft; we walked the whole afternoon with our shoes off. We spent the rest of the afternoon in a lounge chair under a big palm tree. There were plenty of lounge chairs/hammocks throughout the island, many of them in quiet little places. We were so relaxed we were sad when we had to leave!

 

Misc Thoughts/Tips:

 

*Bring your own water bottle and fill it up at Windjammers, the water is good and it’s less expensive than buying bottled water off the boat ($1.99 for a small bottle).

 

*Invest in a travel steamer! We got ours at Wal-Mart for $29 and it paid for itself in this vacation. It’s safe to use in the rooms and it takes up little space in luggage.

 

*If you’re from up North or any place where you live in a very dry climate (little humidity) do yourself a favor and bring a facial mask! My poor complexion went crazy from the heat plus humidity.

 

*Walk every moment you can. By trekking our way up and down stairs numerous times a day to get where we wanted to go, we didn’t gain a thing- even after 3 nights of super rich meals. Just think of it this way, by the time your elevator gets to you, by walking you’d probably be there by now :rolleyes:

 

 

*Get the pizza and chocolate chip cookies from room service, I loved them!

 

Well, there you have it! We had such a great time on our cruise and I was rather crushed as we were leaving the boat. What’s funny is that I remember CC members saying that the quickest way to get over a cruise is to book another one. Well, I already had two booked before we even went on this cruise and I’m still going through withdrawl! :eek:

 

 

 

If there are any questions I’d be happy to answer them.

 

~Steph

[johnlcruise]

Great Review!

Sounds like you had a really good time.

[smileygirll]

Thanks for the review. My husband and I are sailing this ship in 20 days and we are so excited about everything. Reading your review has me that much more giddy with excitement!

[Estelle]

Thanks -

 

I just posted that we are thinking about this exact cruise in Jan - glad to hear you had such a nice time!

[BaMARox1991]

I have one question for you. It's been a while since we sailed on Soveriegn and we are considering a short cruise on her next year. I was wondering if Soveriegn still has a seperate room key and seapass or if the Seapass acts as a room key as it does on the newer ships. Thanks!

[kcdallas72]

Thanks so much for your review!! I have heard/seen mixed reviews about the Sovereign, both good and not-so-good. We sail for our honeymoon in 40 days, very anxious to get on board and begin our trip! We splurged for a JS, forward (now regretting this decision, due to so many people saying that aft is the way to go.) First timers, so hopefully this ship will leave us with a good first impression.

 

Thanks again!

KC

[LivnLife]

I have one question for you. It's been a while since we sailed on Soveriegn and we are considering a short cruise on her next year. I was wondering if Soveriegn still has a seperate room key and seapass or if the Seapass acts as a room key as it does on the newer ships. Thanks!

 

Seapass acts as a room key as well.

 

~Steph

[Nliedel]

Great review. I am thinking about going again this winter (if the book money starts in time). I'd love to take my mother in law. Since she'd rather eat a live cockroach than don a long gown she will be thrilled that she can attend formal night in her coctail dress.

[LivnLife]

Thanks so much for your review!! I have heard/seen mixed reviews about the Sovereign, both good and not-so-good. We sail for our honeymoon in 40 days, very anxious to get on board and begin our trip! We splurged for a JS, forward (now regretting this decision, due to so many people saying that aft is the way to go.) First timers, so hopefully this ship will leave us with a good first impression.

 

Thanks again!

KC

 

Oh my gosh KC you will NOT regret the suite no matter where it is! We had a JS on our honeymoon cruise two years ago BEFORE she got balconies and loved, loved, loved it! Some friends of ours had a JS this past cruise and we went up and saw it, and it is just lovely. The balcony is such a nice perk! You will have a blast on this ship.

 

~Steph

 

P.S. You have to try out for the Love and Marriage game show on night 2, one couple who has been married the least amount of time get to be on it. Our friend's were married on the ship and by the time the show rolled around had only been married 33 hours, needless to say they got on the show and it was hilarious!

[BaMARox1991]

Seapass acts as a room key as well.

 

~Steph

 

Thanks, I thought they had probably changed it sometime in the last six years, it was kind of a pain keeping up with two cards the whole cruise, one is hard enough :D .

[hawaii6o]

Livnlife,

 

Thanks for your report. We are in room 7505 all the way up front too. I was wondering if we were going to here the anchor. We leave this monday. This was a guarantee room. Was the noise really bad... I probably know the answer...... YES.... I was on a cruise a long time ago and we were forward and heard the anchor every morning. We were on a lower deck though. Do you think we will here it on deck 7? :eek:

[LivnLife]

Livnlife,

 

Thanks for your report. We are in room 7505 all the way up front too. I was wondering if we were going to here the anchor. We leave this monday. This was a guarantee room. Was the noise really bad... I probably know the answer...... YES.... I was on a cruise a long time ago and we were forward and heard the anchor every morning. We were on a lower deck though. Do you think we will here it on deck 7? :eek:

 

Aww, I definitely don't want to put a damper on your cruise but for us, yeah, it was loud. Not enough to plug my ears or anything, but there's no way I could see someone sleeping through it either. We were on deck 5 so I'm not sure how it works as far as deck location and noise, hopefully someone else knows? We chose our room because it was the last one that wasn't on the bottom of the boat and was also the cheapest. It was bearable for a little 3 day, so don’t sweat it too much :o

Have a blast!

Steph

[2boxers]

Was the midnight chocolate buffet offered? Thanks.

[LivnLife]

Was the midnight chocolate buffet offered? Thanks.

 

No, it was not. This was just a little 3-night cruise. It was offered on our 4 night though.

 

~Steph :cool:

[OhJoy]

My first cruise is coming up on the Sovereign in October and cannot wait. Thanks for the wonderful review.

 

P.S. For all of you who were thinking of trying to sneak this ship in soon, The Oct 2nd - 4 night cruise has Oceanview from $309 ($239 for Senior)

Cool, huh?

[The Socialite]

Thanks for the review. DBF and I will be taking our first cruise ever on her in August. Hearing about your cruise make me even more excited to go on mine! :D

[Gator0178]

Thanks for the review. My DW and son are going in Oct and it will be our 5 1/2 yr son's first cruise! He is so excited. We are too of course but we've cruised before.

You didn't get to Nassau til 1pm!! What happened to the people that had excursions booked! I know you said you stayed on the ship...

[wantacruise]

Thanks for the honest review. We've been on the Sovereign twice now but, not since the refurb. We will be sailing on her August 4th and I can't wait to see the changes first hand.

[kcdallas72]

Oh my gosh KC you will NOT regret the suite no matter where it is! We had a JS on our honeymoon cruise two years ago BEFORE she got balconies and loved, loved, loved it! Some friends of ours had a JS this past cruise and we went up and saw it, and it is just lovely. The balcony is such a nice perk! You will have a blast on this ship.

 

~Steph

 

P.S. You have to try out for the Love and Marriage game show on night 2, one couple who has been married the least amount of time get to be on it. Our friend's were married on the ship and by the time the show rolled around had only been married 33 hours, needless to say they got on the show and it was hilarious!

 

LivNLife,

Thanks for the reassurance! When I made the reservation, I thought it would be great. But after reading hundreds (literally) of reviews, everyone seems to like aft cabins better. Now that I've found this website, I'll research future cruises BEFORE making the reservation.

Question: We're getting married on Sept 3rd, sailing on Sept 4th. What are the chances we'll be in the running for the L & M game show? Guess it kinda depends on whether there are any weddings after leaving port, huh?

Thanks again! Have loved reading your posts!! :)

KC

[bambam2972]

Livnlife,

 

Thanks for your report. We are in room 7505 all the way up front too. I was wondering if we were going to here the anchor. We leave this monday. This was a guarantee room. Was the noise really bad... I probably know the answer...... YES.... I was on a cruise a long time ago and we were forward and heard the anchor every morning. We were on a lower deck though. Do you think we will here it on deck 7? :eek:

 

I was in 9000, the first cabin, and I could kind of hear it. I was usually pretty tired, though, so I would wake up briefly, and then just roll back over and fall asleep. LOL:p

My boyfriend and our friend were in 9006, though (about 3 down), and they said they didn't really hear anything. :confused:

 

Now my aunt and cousin were on deck 6 (can't remember which one, but they too were fwd) and she could have sworn the anchor was on the other side of her wall. LOL.

 

I wouldn't worry about it too much, though.

[LivnLife]

Question: We're getting married on Sept 3rd, sailing on Sept 4th. What are the chances we'll be in the running for the L & M game show? Guess it kinda depends on whether there are any weddings after leaving port, huh?

 

Thanks again! Have loved reading your posts!! :)

KC

 

As long as no-one is married on the ship on the 4th I'd say you have a fabulous chance of getting on the show (24-48 hours is hard to beat!). The only other couple closest to our friends had already been married one "whole " month, lol :cool:

 

Have fun!

Steph

 

P.S. The best thing is that if you get on, they give you a copy of the show to share with family and friends when you get back...if you're comfortable showing it to them that is ;)

[WeirdEyes]

Thanks for the great review. We're sailing on her next Friday and I can't wait! Do you know if the CD and Captain that was on your cruise will still be on board? I was looking forward to the chocolate buffet, but I guess our 3-nighter won't have it. Darn it!

[MsBWing]

Glad I read your review. I've always sailed Celebrity and when I called

RCL the lady had me alittle apprehensive about Sov.of the Seas.

I'll be sailing 8/7 and just booked the 4 night cruise.

Wanted a quick, cheap getaway so I told her as long as it's clean and I have a place to lay in the sun, I'll be happy.

Glad to hear you had a good experience. Hope it goes as well for me.

[caviargal]

Thanks for the great review. We're sailing on her next Friday and I can't wait! Do you know if the CD and Captain that was on your cruise will still be on board? I was looking forward to the chocolate buffet, but I guess our 3-nighter won't have it. Darn it!

 

We did not see or hear (PA) from the Captain once on our SOS cruise. He did not attend his reception nor the C&A event.

 

There was a great cruise staff member named Elvis who was a lot of fun at various events but I could not tell you who the CD was.:)

[kcdallas72]

Steph,

 

Thanks for the info. Depending on content, I'd share the show with about half my family. The other half still think I'm innocent! :D

 

I just read on another post that your group dressed in military uniforms for dinner. Thank you so much for the service that you've provided to our country, whether the decision prompting it was right or wrong. You have millions of supporters out there!

 

KC