What RCCL ship is to replace Monarch in LA?

[cot427]

Nope, not a Vision class. I asked the LA this weekend, sort of ran my theories by him as he would not come right out and say it, if it was a Vision class. He said no, a Voyager class!!

 

My guess is that we'll have to wait until Genesis comes out and then we'll pick one up. So we may not have 3/4 day cruises until 2009. Well, it's only next year and I can save my $$$ to book a JS or GS, or just go on several cruises vs. one!

 

So any guesses as to which one it is.

 

I think Adventure will stay as it seems to be doing good.

Mariner is already there.

Explorer is doing great in Bermuda.

That leaves either Voyager or Navigator. My guess is if it is a Voyager class, it will be one of the two, since they are both in Europe for the summer.

[hunnypot1]

Embarkation - smooth as glass.

Overall it was a great, relaxing trip.

 

Good to know! Thanks for the review...

I am boarding the Monarch this Monday, and am getting really excited about it!!!

:) :) :)

[paintedduck]

just checked the savings certificates in my e-mail from RCI and there are several for the vision, including the panama transit to the dominican republic in january, 2009, and the first two sailings out of santo domingo, so i believe the vision will be gone.

[dagadget]

I vote for Adventure! How great would it be to have two Voyager class ships sailing out of LA?

 

 

2 Voyager class ships in California? Not very likely especially since RCI has said that Monarch loses money on that itinerary. The Voyagers and Freedoms are the top rate ships and will do 7-10 night cruises. Using such a great asset for 3 and 4 would be a waste of resources. With Mariner coming to California, RCI has replaced 2 ships with one vastly superior to anything sailing the west coast. If you get another Voyager it will be a seasonal ship sailing the Alaska route from San Francisco. Your best shot at a 2nd ship is going to be a Vision Class.........

[cot427]

2 Voyager class ships in California? Not very likely especially since RCI has said that Monarch loses money on that itinerary. The Voyagers and Freedoms are the top rate ships and will do 7-10 night cruises. Using such a great asset for 3 and 4 would be a waste of resources. With Mariner coming to California, RCI has replaced 2 ships with one vastly superior to anything sailing the west coast. If you get another Voyager it will be a seasonal ship sailing the Alaska route from San Francisco. Your best shot at a 2nd ship is going to be a Vision Class.........

 

Exactly my thoughts.

[cruiserbryce]

we have cruised on Monarch recently and will go again in April...its a great little vacation and holds us over until our longer cruises...I love the chance to getaway and as loyal as I am to RC I love the short cruise enough that I will (and I never thought I would say this) book a cruise with Carnival if I have to...hopefully it doesnt come to that and RC puts another ship out here...I cant imagine that with all the cruising to be done out west here that there will only be one ship home ported here year round...:confused:

[cruiserbryce]

I also agree that a ship like Adventure would be a waste...but I still cant see how they are losing $ on this route...maybe when the rest of the 2009 bookings are revealed in the spring we'll get a better idea of what the future holds for the route

[katstoy]

I don't doubt that the Monarch is at capacity in the spring and summer months, and that in fall/winter she's a little lighter. With the increased capacity of a Voyager class will that make up the difference? If the operating costs run about the same or slightly higher wouldn't it become more cost effective to haul around another 1500 - 2000 passengers on the same run? Would passengers pay more for a larger, newer ship? Would a Voyager class steal folks away from the Carnival 3/4 dayers?

 

I'm hoping that the LA was correct! I'll be back on the Monarch at the end of next month and will keep inquiring. I'm sure that others who are, or will be, recently off her will also chime in with what they've heard. We all know that the rumors on these board may or may not be true - there was brown sugar and almonds in the Winjammer for breakfast! So we'll see what happens:o .

[suzyluvs2cruise]

No problem, I'm at work and don't feel like doing anything . . . so . . .

 

Embarkation - smooth as glass. Got to the port at about 11:30 and was on board by noon. Same friendly and attentive staff :p ; same food in the Windjammer :( . However, I do fancy the honey stung chicken!

 

We got a great deal on a deck 9 superior OV. Nice, bigger room. It was toward the aft so we used the rear elevators most of the time. They were not as crowded as the main lifts - definite plus. There were some nice, subtle changes on board. They finally changed the production showtime!!!! Although we did not opt to go see it, it was nice not to see the same old show being offered. They changed the movie channels on TV. Instead of two channels each offering a different movie all day, there are two channels that rotate movies all day. Each channel had about 8 different movies. The Schooner Bar is now smoke free.

 

The dining room menu is still the same, but our wait staff was awesome. Stanny (waiter) and Collins (asst.) were fabulous. Head waiter Sheldon (dial 1-800-Sheldon) was great. He remembered us from our last trip in June 07. He also arranged for us to have creme brulee on Sunday night!!!!! We felt special and the creme brulee was awesome! First time I've ever overtipped a head waiter!

 

The ship was not full, which was also nice. The venues were not that crowded (other than the Quest). It rained pretty much all weekend and despite the fact that there were about 12 die hards (must live in North Dakota) at the pool instead of the usual hundreds at the pool, the ship did not feel crowded. The staff did a nice job of keeping everyone entertained. I cannot say enough about the crew of the Monarch. Friendly and helpful!

 

Since we had a larger room we spent more time there. A few midday siestas were taken! Our stateroom attendant, however, was a bit lacking. She kept forgettign to refill our ice bucket and leave us the compasses. It took until Saturday night to get our Platinum goodies (and then it took me asking twice for them). She claimed the manifest showed us a gold, despite having "platinum member" on our seapass cards. She said to talk to the LA; when we did he said to tell her to read her manifest! All I wanted was my nice comfy robe! (In know, it's those whinny platinum members again.)

 

It rained all day in Ensenada. We took the winery tour which turned out to be perfect for a rainy day. It was an hour long bus ride to two wineries. The first one had much better wines, but the second one had fabulous atmosphere. You got to go down into the aging caves among the barrels.

 

Debarkation - We were off the ship before 8:00 a.m.! We were in the Windjammer having breakfast and saw people loading up their cars and heading out by 7:15! They made the express debarkation announcements by 7:30, and called the white tags shortly thereafter. There was no back up (which is usually the case) for immigration. We walked right into the buidling and only had two people in line ahead of us. Had the truck loaded up and out of the lot by about 8:10.

 

Overall it was a great, relaxing trip.

 

We just got off the Monarch this a.m. Stanny and Collins were our dining room waitstaff too. We liked them so much that we requested them for our Feb 25 cruise. We're hoping the maitre'd will honor our request.:)

 

We were headed out of the parking lot at 8:25 a.m. Great embarkation too...........arrived at 12:35 and walked right through check-in and onto the ship.

 

The Monarch is a great ship. We'll miss her and her friendly staff.

[Phamer55]

Wow, this is a fun thread. I like the rumor that ANOTHER Voyager class ship could make her way out to the West Coast. How great would that be! I really like the rumor that a Voyager class ship could do Alaska cruises out of San Francisco! That would be incredible!! Too bad I think that possibility is remote. The # of cruises out of SF is dwindling. Celebrity used to do a lot more, especially to Mexico, and a few to Alaska, but no more. Only Princess goes to Alaska out of SF, and with the Dawn and Sun being reassigned to the Australian market soon, I see those ending for Princess. If it was a big market, Princess would put one of their Grand-class ships in SF to go Alaska, but they've never done that. Still, I like the rumor, and it would be awesome for me as SF is my home port and RCI is my favorite cruise line!

[BobbyK]

I'm sure there will be another ship to do those shorter cruises. RCI will lose a lot of money not only on the short cruises but on the longer ones when we feel some comfort with Carnival ships. I was so apprehensive on the Paradise last month but it was a good ship. Today, in the mail I received a catalog from Carnival. Yes, I will look this time. Carnival has sent me a few messages (even a happy birthday) on the computer. They want our business and are really working at it. In contrast, right now it looks like RCI isn't courting our business. Later. Robin :cool:

[maitaiguy]

Nope, not a Vision class. I asked the LA this weekend, sort of ran my theories by him as he would not come right out and say it, if it was a Vision class. He said no, a Voyager class!!

 

My guess is that we'll have to wait until Genesis comes out and then we'll pick one up. So we may not have 3/4 day cruises until 2009. Well, it's only next year and I can save my $$$ to book a JS or GS, or just go on several cruises vs. one!

I sat down with the Loyalty Ambassador on my New Years cruise to book a future cruise. He said that he knew nothing for sure but he could not believe that RCI would not have a 3 and 4 day ship in Los Angeles after Monarch left.

 

I would love a Voyager class here in SoCal!!

[FitzLA]

2 Voyager class ships in California? Not very likely especially since RCI has said that Monarch loses money on that itinerary. The Voyagers and Freedoms are the top rate ships and will do 7-10 night cruises. Using such a great asset for 3 and 4 would be a waste of resources. With Mariner coming to California, RCI has replaced 2 ships with one vastly superior to anything sailing the west coast. If you get another Voyager it will be a seasonal ship sailing the Alaska route from San Francisco. Your best shot at a 2nd ship is going to be a Vision Class.........

 

Although I agree with you and I don't think they will send a Voyager class to do the baja cruises, I must point out that not all Voyager class ships do 7-10 night cruises. Navigator currently does 4 and 5 night caribbean crusies and 4/5 night mediterranean cruises.

[MissKise]

We love the Monarch, and find the 4 day cruise very relaxing and enjoyable. I can't always take 7 days off work, and this lets us relax, enjoy the sea and the ship.

 

I recently wrote to Royal Caribbean to express our concern that no ship was replacing the Monarch when it moves. Below is the response I recieved....

 

"Dear Ms. XXXXX:

 

Thank you for your e-mail.

 

Your comments regarding a replacement ship for the Monarch of the Seas is appreciated. At this time, there are no plans to deploy another ship to the Port of Los Angeles to sail 3 and 4 night cruises However, a copy of your e-mail has been forwarded to management.

 

Ms. XXXXX , thank you for choosing Royal Caribbean International.

 

Dxxxs Wxxxxm

Customer Service Representative"

 

 

I think every one who will miss this choice should write in and let our opinion be known. With a ship that sails full most of the time I find it hard to believe they really lose money.

 

Write and be heard!

[dagadget]

Although I agree with you and I don't think they will send a Voyager class to do the baja cruises, I must point out that not all Voyager class ships do 7-10 night cruises. Navigator currently does 4 and 5 night caribbean crusies and 4/5 night mediterranean cruises.

 

I checked and Navigators short night cruises are SRO (Standing room only) especially in the med. Somehow those iteneraries manage to make RCI money. The Baja cruises just don't have the draw that the Med has and even the short 4 and 5 night Caribbean one. But short cruises on the Voaygers are few and far between. Now with the mess that NCL has made with getting rules changed California stands to lose a bunch of ships and not gain any more..... Same can be said for Florida as well.

[NancyIL]

LOL! I actually chose RCCL over Carnival BECAUSE of the extra port stop in San Diego - and I am a Southern California native.

I would rather tour the Midway, shop at Horton Plaza, or take the whale watching tour than spend an extra day at sea.

To each their own. :)

 

I also chose the Monarch in 2006 because of the San Diego stop. It was a very nice little cruise.

[cruiserbryce]

just checked the savings certificates in my e-mail from RCI and there are several for the vision, including the panama transit to the dominican republic in january, 2009, and the first two sailings out of santo domingo, so i believe the vision will be gone.

 

The ship in question is what will replace Monarch, not Vision...Vision is leaving and Mariner is taking over the 7 day Mex cruises...But monarch is also leaving...which currently leaves no RC ship to do the short Mex cruises

[crazy 4 cruising]

Since the Monarch is moving from California to Florida in October, does anybody know what ship is taking it's place? We would be very surprised if RCCL doesn't put something in it's place for the short Mexico cruises out of L.A. We were never all that happy with the Monarch, but if something better was coming soon.... Sure would be handy to sail out of L.A.

 

Thank you!

Craig & Joyce

yep, that is kind of how those of us that sail out of Galveston felt when they yanked BOTH ships from us. now we only have 1 ship end of Dec to April sailings on Voyager

You know someone from Royal Caribbean's corporate office pays close attention to this board. Hey RCI, how about a replacement for Monarch soon, okay????

And while you are at it, PLEASE let Galveston have a full-time ship

So any guesses as to which one it is.

 

I think Adventure will stay as it seems to be doing good.

Mariner is already there.

Explorer is doing great in Bermuda.

That leaves either Voyager or Navigator. My guess is if it is a Voyager class, it will be one of the two, since they are both in Europe for the summer.

that would be Galveston's luck--we just get a VERY part-time ship & then they move it. :eek: :rolleyes:

[cruiserbryce]

If you read the boards enough it would seem that Galveston is getting picked on by having all their ships taken...does anyone know...are the ships leaving Galveston full on a consistent basis?

[crazy 4 cruising]

If you read the boards enough it would seem that Galveston is getting picked on by having all their ships taken...does anyone know...are the ships leaving Galveston full on a consistent basis?

for the mostpart, my understanding. "they" say that they were sooooooooo discounted, but we can get a cheaper cruise out of SA or FL, so who knows. There si supposed to be a BIG press conference in the morning from the Voyager. Just wish we--Galveston--would have another ship that does 4/5 dayers like the Splendour used to do. Good luck LA!!!

[cot427]

From my understanding, RCI reached a deal with Galveston, and they now have the Voyager for the part time winter and spring through 09, which is going to be there announcment tommorow if I'm not mistaken.

 

Anyway, my personal aspect is that RCI simply does not have enough ships to put ships everywhere they need it.

 

Alphebetically for winter 08 (nov-april):

Adventure - southern caribbean, pr.

Brilliance - europe, barcelona

empress, not there

enchantment, southern caribbean, panama

explorer, caribbean, nj

freedom, e/w caribbean, miami

grandeur, w caribbean, tampa

independence, 6/8 w/e from ft. lauderdale

jewel - panama canal from miami

legend - asia

liberty - e/w from miami (sat)

majesty - 3/4 bahamas, miami

mariner - around the horn, mexico from lax

monarch - 3/4 bahamas from pt. canaveral

navigator - 4/5 western caribbean from ft. lauderdale

radiance - longer south america

rhapsody - australia

serenade - southern caribbean, from pr

sovereign - not there

splendour - shorter south america

vision - southern caribbean from santo domingo

voyager - western from galveston

 

So you see, RCI has put ships into new destinations, such as legend in asia, rhapsody in australia, and both radiance and splendour in s. america.

 

They also have 4 ships doing different southern caribbean from different parts, such as panama and santo domingo.

 

They have several doing just western caribbean, such as voyager, grandeur, navigator

 

And then some ship still alternating w/e caribbean.

 

And they have the brilliance staying in europe year around.

 

So they are dominating new markets, and possibly forgeting old ones. We know that they can't leave the 7 night e/w caribbean from port canaveral unattened, but what about the 3/4 mexico or 7 night bermuda, who knows?

[cruiserbryce]

Is Galveston a busy enogh port to warrant a year round ship? Do the ships leave there full?

[crazy 4 cruising]

Is Galveston a busy enogh port to warrant a year round ship? Do the ships leave there full?

 

actually the Rhapsody was year round--full pretty much & Splendour was there like 4 months a year doing the 4/5 dayers. Fortunately/unfortunately (haven't decided which :p ) we did not discover the splendour until Feb last year. good for our wallets

[shipknotshore]

I would think that the Vision class would be a perfect fit for the 3/4 night itinerary. The covered solarium on this class would really be wonderful too. I would love a Radiance class but with only 4 of them in the fleet I think it would be highly unlikely that RCI would put one on the 3/4 night cruise schedule.

[cruiserbryce]

I agree 100% that a Vision ship would be great for the runs, but in any case...what route will RC chose to abandon in favor of the routes that they say are losing money