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Monarch 1/7/08 --4 nighter/short review

Mary Jane 711

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Mary Jane 711

Mary Jane 711

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I am just back from my second time on the Monarch. This time we had a better room. Last trip we had an inside on 2nd deck. This time we had a Superior Oceanview on deck 9. Yes the accomodations were better, but not the service. For some reason, we got the grouchiest steward we have ever had. He was just not nice and was not pleasant at all. Sad, because all we asked for was to keep the ice bucket filled. The room was spacious, but we had a larger fridge that wouldnt fit in its cabinet. They put the fridge under the desk. That meant we had no chair under the desk. I like to use that place to sit and put makeup on or write. I asked for a chair and got one, but the steward first told me I couldnt have it. The linens were very nice and comfy.

We ate in the dining room first seating every night. Our wait staff was very efficient. The food, however, is sliding downhill. Nothing stood out as fantastic. It was all nicely presented, and tasted fine. I eat better at nice restaurants at home though. Sad to say that, as the dining used to be the highlight of a cruise.

The final night we had a nice conversation with one of the chefs. He made his way around table to talk to people, this was a nice personal touch. We didn't talk about food though.

We went into all the ports. FIrst day was San DIego. We chose to tour the Midway. We had a very nice time. It was our 2nd time touring it, as we went down there last summer. This trip we did the whole flight deck and saw more. I recommend this. We didn't do a ship excursion. We just walked over thre, it takes about ten minutes to walk. We then walked to Anthony's and had a nice lunch there. We never miss a chance to have the fish and chips. They are the best.

We went to Catalina. They have a ferry tender you into port now. It's better because it holds more people. We rented a golf cart and toured the town. That was okay. But I probably won't ever need to do that again. Not much to see and it was freezing cold. We then walked around the shops and had a nice drink at Luau Larry's. That's about it. Went back to ship for lunch.

Next day we did Ensenada. Just the usual tourist stuff. Walked into town and bought some small items and had lunch at Mango Mango and a couple of margaritas.

Had no problem bringing liquor on board either. They just didn't seem to care. ALthough at original boarding in LA, they pulled my husband aside for booze. But it was only a bottle of mixer. No law against that.

The cruise was very nice. Only saw the comedian the first night. He was funny. Didn't go to any other shows. It just wasn't our thing. On a longer cruise we would have. The casino would have been more fun if it wasn't so smoky. People light up in there and puff like there's no tomorrow in there. I just can't take the smoke.

Embarkation was smooth and so was debarking. We did have a little delay as someone got pulled aside for bringing back way too many slingshots and dart guns from Mexico. I think we had to wait a half an hour on that person. But other than that, no problems.

If anyone has a question feel free to ask while its still fresh in my mind.;)

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rclcruzer

rclcruzer

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Glad you had a nice vacation. We are going the 25th with our group (3 night) again and can't wait. I do have one question: Is the captain the female one? I think she came back, not sure. We were all curious. We always do deck 2 also when we sail Monarch only, but this time we are deck 7 oceanview. It will be a little better. Sorry about your cabin steward. We had the same experience on the Serenade last year with our steward too and all we asked from him was ice 2 times a day as well. We are the nicest, easiest, "go with the flow" passengers you will ever meet too! Oh well, not bad, one out of all the cruises on RCl we have done. Glad you missed the storm, the cruise before you got hit really hard. The food is always just ok. We never expect anything "amazing" on any of our cruises. It's mass market, period. We don't worry about food issues, we just eat, drink and be merry :D

Welcome home and we can't wait to board! Let me know about the captain if you can...thanks!

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suzyluvs2cruise

suzyluvs2cruise

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We're just back from the Jan 7 4 night Monarch cruise too! The Monarch has the first and only female captain in the fleet, Capt Karin, and she was at the helm for our cruise.

 

We had great service on this cruise. Our cabin stewardess, Emma, was terrific and always smiling. We had 2nd seating and our dining room team, Stanny and Collins, were outstanding too. So much so that we spoke with the maitre'd and requested them for our Feb 25 cruise. :) On the Monarch early seating is at 5:30.......and that's a bit early for us..........so we do 2nd seating. It works out well as the Captains party starts at 7:00 and the main shows are at 6:45.........all before dinner. I think early dining for the 3 night cruise is at 6:00 so I'm not sure about entertainment times.

 

Embarkation and debarkation were smooth and quick. We arrived at the ship at 12:30 and walked right on. We got off about 8:15 a.m. and there were short lines for immigration.

 

In San Diego we took the free double decker bus to Hilo Hatties in the Gaslamp district. From there you can pay $10pp and use the double decker bus system to take you to Old Town, Balboa Park and all around San Diego. Be sure to sit on top for the best view. Seaport Village is also within walking distance of the ship.

 

Enjoy the Monarch.........she's a great ship for a quick getaway.

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Mary Jane 711

Mary Jane 711

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Yes, this ship has the female Captain. She looks kind of young, not sure of her age. SHe did a great job. We also had our picture taken with her on formal night. Everyone does, or can. I think that was formal night. My husband got reprimanded by her kind of on accident. We weren't there very long. It was the first day. Our cabin was far forward and a door across from our cabin said no admittance. He went in anyway. I don't know why. He's curious? ANyway, she was there and said he was not authorized to be there. He felt bad after. It makes a funny story anyway.

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rclcruzer

rclcruzer

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Ok, Suzy, you answered my question about Captain Karin. I heard here on the boards that she left for another ship for awhile, something like that. I am hoping to see her, even from a distance at least! I think that is such a great thing to have a woman captain, very cool indeed! Glad you enjoyed your cruise! I can't wait, just wish it was a longer cruise, but we will take what we can get! :p

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rclcruzer

rclcruzer

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Yes, this ship has the female Captain. She looks kind of young, not sure of her age. SHe did a great job. We also had our picture taken with her on formal night. Everyone does, or can. I think that was formal night. My husband got reprimanded by her kind of on accident. We weren't there very long. It was the first day. Our cabin was far forward and a door across from our cabin said no admittance. He went in anyway. I don't know why. He's curious? ANyway, she was there and said he was not authorized to be there. He felt bad after. It makes a funny story anyway.

Thanks for the rply! I guess we will have to have our picture taken with her on Formal night now. You know, now that I think about it, last year at this time we did the Monarch and we really don't remember who our captain was. I wonder if it was her? ANyway, funny story about your hubby. He sounds just like mine. If it says stay out he will go in! (lol)

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rclcruzer

rclcruzer

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Just curious as to what they have besides eating in the dining room. Haven't cruised RCCL before, on others they have like pizzeria's, sandwich joints, etc.

 

thanks

They have the Windjammer cafe, (buffett, decent food, pretty good).

Have fun!

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critterchick

critterchick

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Monarch also has a Japanese restaurant, Jade, that's located on Deck 12 above the Windjammer (and not to be confused with the Jade section of the WJ, which is all the way forward, serving a few Asian-themed dishes in addition to the traditional WJ fare). Jade (the restaurant) has a surcharge for the food, based on what you order (not a flat charge like Chops or Portofino on other ships). The sushi is usually fair, the cooked items are pretty good as I recall.

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Mary Jane 711

Mary Jane 711

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We had cabin 9502 and our travel companions had 9500. Our room steward was Oscar. Sorry to say it, but he was the worst steward. he did do his job. The room was clean, he made one or two poor towel animals. We tipped him 20 dollars at the beginning, but because of him, we may never pre tip again. Like I said before he was unpleasant. We walked on egg shells when he was around. I did complain about him on the survey so maybe he will shape up. We each got a very nice dark blue tote in our room on the second day as well as a coupon book. The coupons are the usual, but 5% discounts..come on RCCL, thats almost an insult. I hope you have a great time!

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ladylawyer

ladylawyer

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We had cabin 9502 and our travel companions had 9500. Our room steward was Oscar. Sorry to say it, but he was the worst steward. he did do his job. The room was clean, he made one or two poor towel animals. We tipped him 20 dollars at the beginning, but because of him, we may never pre tip again. Like I said before he was unpleasant. We walked on egg shells when he was around. I did complain about him on the survey so maybe he will shape up. We each got a very nice dark blue tote in our room on the second day as well as a coupon book. The coupons are the usual, but 5% discounts..come on RCCL, thats almost an insult. I hope you have a great time!

 

I am so shocked to hear that your cabin steward was Oscar. As I was reading your original post, I thought: Too bad she didn't have Oscar. Wow! I'm floored. He was my parent's steward on their first-ever cruise. They still gush about him and everytime I see him he asks about them. All I can think is that he must have had something going on, because that is not the experience my parents had. Not questioning you, at all ... I'm just sorry that you had a bad time with Oscar. I just saw him in December. Maybe he's close to his vacation. It sounds like he can use one.

 

I hope your next cruise is so much better. I do agree with you about the food. Chef Alan was on vacation in December and I could definitely tell the difference in quality. I'm back on in a couple of weeks. Hopefully, Chef Alan will be back!

 

Thanks for your review. Have a great week! ~ Lorna

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gdisney

gdisney

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Does anyone know if there's a rhyme or reason to the changing dining times? When I went last May, first seating was 5:30. Last month, first seating was 6pm. Now the OP said first is 5:30 again...Does it have to do with whether or not it's a three day or four day?

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rclcruzer

rclcruzer

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Does anyone know if there's a rhyme or reason to the changing dining times? When I went last May, first seating was 5:30. Last month, first seating was 6pm. Now the OP said first is 5:30 again...

that's happened to us on about 2 cruises, Freedom and Mariner I think....

First night was 6, second night 5:30, and then the last night was 6 again.

No rhyme or reason I guess. I think the staff is just trying to make us go bonkers :) I prefer plain up 6. Perfect time to eat!

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suzyluvs2cruise

suzyluvs2cruise

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Does anyone know if there's a rhyme or reason to the changing dining times? When I went last May, first seating was 5:30. Last month, first seating was 6pm. Now the OP said first is 5:30 again...Does it have to do with whether or not it's a three day or four day?

 

First seating is 5:30 for the 4 night and 6:00 for the 3 night cruises.

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tinkerme1

tinkerme1

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It was nice to meet all of you on the 1-7-08 cruise!

 

First, 5:30 PM dining (for first seating) is on the four-night cruise. It is 6:00 PM on the 3-night.

 

I really enjoyed this cruise and had lots of fun visiting Catalina, San Diego, and Ensenada.

 

The Chef from Germany is back Lorna! Our food, believe it or not, was much better this cruise than our Dec 21 cruise. I remarked to our waiter that I was glad he was back! He laughed and made some very funny comments about the fact the crew was too!

 

I thought the WJ was far and away much better this cruise. With the addition of so many Asian groups onboard, they had some wonderful dishes that usually aren't offered in the WJ. I was pleased.

 

As for Jade Sushi, we've always had good sushi there. It is not top drawer, but very nice and the hot dishes are good as well. It is a nice break from the Dining Room one night.

 

Tip: In Catalina, you can take the C&A gift (tote bag) over to the embroidery shop that is located just down the road from the pier, on the left, and have your name put on it. One of the ladies did this for her GDs, and it was very nice! (Critterchick - I know you don't like the bags, but they really are great for carrying groceries!)

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