Just back from the Monarch

[mjldvlks]

I agree Rick! Sign us up too!!:D

 

I just saw your name and recognized it from the Independence TA in April. Are you still planning on going with us? We have a great group - several decided not to go after the ports were removed so we inheirited a list and your name is on it. Hope you are still going!:)

 

I agree Rick - sign us up too - we would go on the trip with you in a minute. We love the Monarch and the crew!!! Mary

[mjldvlks]

I have booked this ship with your past comments in mind. :eek:

 

I'm looking for a new favorite little ship close to my new home in central FL and I hope I have you to blame. :rolleyes: ;) I mean to give credit to. :p

 

Oh, and by the way. I loved Majesty BEFORE her refurb but she was still acceptable afterwards. :)

 

Hi Gina - I saw Carol's comment to you and recognized your name from the Independence TA board in April. Are you still planning to go with us? We have been working on Carol to go with us...I don't think I am making any progress with her though!

 

I just saw your name and have been going through a list that we have of those that might go on our Independence cruise and wanted to see if you still are. I am going to be on the Majesty with Carol also - I am excited to see that ship - we absolutely loved the Monarch.

 

Take care, Mary

[DEBCAT65]

I agree Rick! Sign us up too!!:D

 

 

I agree too! With the price of airfare to Florida now, we are actually "considering" Carnival now for the quick 3'dayers. We really miss our Monarch!!!:(:(:(

[rubrrick]

Hi Gina - I saw Carol's comment to you and recognized your name from the Independence TA board in April. Are you still planning to go with us? We have been working on Carol to go with us...I don't think I am making any progress with her though!

 

I just saw your name and have been going through a list that we have of those that might go on our Independence cruise and wanted to see if you still are. I am going to be on the Majesty with Carol also - I am excited to see that ship - we absolutely loved the Monarch.

 

Take care, Mary

 

 

Mary..........it's a two way street.........we would also go with you in a minute!!

 

We love you guys!!

 

Rick

[mjldvlks]

Mary..........it's a two way street.........we would also go with you in a minute!!

 

We love you guys!!

 

Rick

 

We would love to see you guys again Rick - how about joining us on the Independence TA to Southampton in April? We are going to Normandy for a few days after - with Bill and Lorna and another guy from our board. We would love to see you guys!

 

Thanks for all the great information as you went through the canal - we hope to go through in the spring of 2010. It was so cool seeing that on the webcam.

 

Take care and hope to sail with you all again soon!! Mary

[cer10lee]

I posted this on the other thread about the Monarch, an at the request of Merion Mom, cut and pasted it here in it's entirety.......

First, let me say that this was my first cruise, so I have nothing to compare it to. Yes, the Monarch shows her age, but so do I.

 

The entire crew was absolutely, hands down, marvelous. I found nothing wrong with the Windjammer, we ate our breakfast and lunch there. Dinner in the dining room was wonderful. Impecable service. I am still full from all the food we ate!

 

Comfy beds, yes, a small bathroom, but I expected that. Our cabin attendant kept our little home away from home looking neat and clean each day.

 

There were more than enough activities to keep us busy. We didn't get to do a lot of what we wanted because of time constraints and conflicts.

 

 

 

This is just a brief synopsis; I plan on submitting a trip report sometime next week when I get caught up on all the laundry etc, that comes after a vacation.

 

Would I sail with her again? Yes. A bigger ship doesn't mean better.

 

If anyone has any questions, I'll check back here and would be happy to share what I know.

[mohavemommy]

I agree too! With the price of airfare to Florida now, we are actually "considering" Carnival now for the quick 3'dayers. We really miss our Monarch!!!:(:(:(

 

All too much of reality for us as well... :( ... I predict that soon we will be saying... Carnival here we come! We have cruised with them 3 times before so it wouldn't be a new thing. It's just been almost 5 years since we did.

[rednancy1]

I just saw your name and recognized it from the Independence TA in April. Are you still planning on going with us? We have a great group - several decided not to go after the ports were removed so we inheirited a list and your name is on it. Hope you are still going!:)

 

 

We had to cancel two TAs (Independence & Jewel) due to some health problems. At the time we cancelled we didn't know how long my recovery would be. Now I am feeling better but we booked a Tahiti cruise. :)

 

I haven't looked at what ports were cut. :( When we first signed up the price and itinerary were wonderful. We snagged a center hump JS on the starboard side. That was hard to give up. :eek: Sorry we won't be with you. Have a great trip.

 

I even had my pink boa ready.:D

[looneytunes31419]

We are sailing on her in January. We loved the Sovereign, and I am sure we will love the Monarch. The Sovereign was our first cruise it was our honeymoon cruise. We are well aware that the Monarch is just like the Sovereign because they are sister ships. Some people need to understand that and accept the fact that sister ships mean they will look alike. They also need not to be so harsh, she did however just come out of dry dock and yes sometimes they don't finish what they intended to finish so the only option is to finish while she sails, that is to be expected. It just gets me when some people are so critical about small things and they don't get the big picture, meaning the beauty of the ship and having fun, how ever you are on vacation enjoy it and stop fussing about the small things. You would not get that kind of service at home, and by the way west cost people I hope that everything is going well for you guys over there fighting the wild fires I hope none of you are having to evacuate. If so please be safe.

[rubrrick]

We would love to see you guys again Rick - how about joining us on the Independence TA to Southampton in April? We are going to Normandy for a few days after - with Bill and Lorna and another guy from our board. We would love to see you guys!

 

Thanks for all the great information as you went through the canal - we hope to go through in the spring of 2010. It was so cool seeing that on the webcam.

 

Take care and hope to sail with you all again soon!! Mary

 

 

Mary.........right now we are supposed to be on the Navigator to Barcelona for our spring TA. We are also waiting to see what the future economic picture looks like.

 

I think that someone is supposed to be starting a group of "Monarch refugees" that will be taking the Paradise on either a 3 nite or 4 nite run out of Long Beach, sometime in February. Everyone that enjoyed the Monarch.......will be invited to join us..........the only extra cost will be that of a t-shirt that will state "Monarch Refugee" that will in a group photo. You know where that picture is going????:D:rolleyes:

 

Rick

[looneytunes31419]

We are sailing on her in January. We loved the Sovereign, and I am sure we will love the Monarch. The Sovereign was our first cruise it was our honeymoon cruise. We are well aware that the Monarch is just like the Sovereign because they are sister ships. Some people need to understand that and accept the fact that sister ships mean they will look alike. They also need not to be so harsh, she did however just come out of dry dock and yes sometimes they don't finish what they intended to finish so the only option is to finish while she sails, that is to be expected. It just gets me when some people are so critical about small things and they don't get the big picture, meaning the beauty of the ship and having fun, how ever you are on vacation enjoy it and stop fussing about the small things. You would not get that kind of service at home, and by the way west cost people I hope that everything is going well for you guys over there fighting the wild fires I hope none of you are having to evacuate. If so please be safe.

[Piepkorn]

We just got home Friday morning from the first cruise on the Monarch. Lots of people did not care for it. First thing when boarding we noticed it looked actually the same as the Sovereign. They were working on replacing carpet all over the ship, especially late in the night. The food in the Windjammer was not as good as the Sovereign either. Lots of pasta instead of meats. Maybe they are cutting back. The cabins are just as small, but one thing I really wasn't happy with, is that in the bathroom, there were no shelfs at all. So you had no where to put even a toothbrush. Also they had no safes on this ship. The bedding was very nice. Big soft comfortable down comforters and nice pillows. BUT, when I turned on the water in the sink it was gross. When you filled a glass it was completely cloudy, not just with air bubbles. When I poured it out, it had a brown tint to it. The crew said it was because it had been in dry dock for a week. The shower floor was old and stained.If you are a pool person, you might be surprised how they have the lounge chairs set up. They have the normal row of two's around the pool, but then they have a row of lounge chairs that are set up against this wooden heavy railing that also goes all the way around the pool area. You cannot lay back in these chairs. They cannot recline because of the wooden railing. Behind them is all wasted space with nothing there but two patio tables on each side. Very strange. I think someone was drinking to much when they designed this ship. Now the biggest peeve for everyone onboard, not just the ones who like to complain, was the theatre seats. In the middle section, they had all long rows of seats, with these very low rolled back cushions. So you couldn't lean back against the seat. They were so uncomfortable everyone was moving around and miserable. Also the cup holders that were on the side seats, were so big that a bottle would fall right thru them. The crew, was great. Very very nice. Oh and the food in the dining room was good. I would highly recommend that you eat breakfast, lunch and dinner in there and avoid the Windjammer. All in all for the price it was fine. On the morning of departure we were in the Diamond waiting area and everyone was commenting on how they preferred the Sovereign and how they wished that RC would have sold the Monarch instead. Oh my, I forgot the highlight of my cruise. Our toilet on the last night did not work at all. The plumber was up in the hallway with the wall panel off working on this thing for over and hour. He finally got it working, and then in the morning I got up at 4 a.m. and guess what??? Yup, it was broken. I pulled on that nasty level twice and nothing. I had to call that early in the morning and have the plumber back up. But while waiting for him to arrive, my throne started rumbling and making these noises that you would have thought it was going to explode. I know for certain that it more then likely woke everyone within 10 cabins of us and the floor above and below. By then I had my husband up and we shut the door to the bathroom for fear it would blow off the wall. Then it stopped. My husband lifted the lid and there was no water at all in it. He pulled the level again. NOTHING, then five minutes later BA BOOM, another near explosion. By then the plumber was there, and we just got dressed and left the cabin by 5:15. Thank goodness there was another men's room on the same floor my husband could use. But what a way to end our cruise. So that is our take on the ship. I don't think I will go on it again.

 

 

I read this post first thing after getting out of bed, and was about to reply to it with a bunch of 4 letter words....lol. But then I woke up and realized it sounded like another great trip on the Monarch.

 

Having sailed on the oldest ship in the fleet so many times, I have learned how to improvise on certain things. Yes she is an old ship, but would have preferred her and her crew to the one on Celebrity Millennium back in July 2006.

 

In spite of no Johnny Rockets on Monarch, you are more than welcome to send her back to us.

 

Dave

[cruisingagentone]

First the Sovereign is older than the Monarch. As I recall when the Monarch first got to the west coast she was not liked to well out there either. She had just come off dry dock and they were still working on her on the first few sailings. So give the old girl a break she will be fine.

[cmscrapperjen]

Amen, send the Monarch back to the west coast. Unfortunately, I might also have to say hello to Carnival for the quick 3/4 day trips. Flying from Las Vegas to Orlando plus cruise is going to get very expensive. My first back to back onboard the Monarch is this Friday and already the pocketbook is complaining. What is one to do? I love the Monarch but for me more importantly is the wonderful crew. Everyone asks me why I always go back..... it's the crew.

[cassieroll]

Sorry you didn't like her. SEND HER HOME!!!!!!!!!!! We'll take her back in a heartbeat!

[mommabean]

Dag, Gina, you're going to be on the Monarch when we are on the Majesty! Couldn't you switch, and postpone your test run on the Monarch?!?!??!?!!?

 

 

No way! You're the one who should jump ship and go on Monarch. After all you're already traveling to FL.

 

The last drive we made to FL was to cruise Majesty in Sept. and it reminded us of why we left S. FL. We aren't eager to spend even a few hours there before departure. This will be our first cruise out of Port Canaveral and a VERY easy drive from here - I think. I hope.

 

Oh no....I forgot to tell you something. Read on.

 

Gina

[mommabean]

I just saw your name and recognized it from the Independence TA in April. Are you still planning on going with us? We have a great group - several decided not to go after the ports were removed so we inheirited a list and your name is on it. Hope you are still going!:)

 

I agree Rick - sign us up too - we would go on the trip with you in a minute. We love the Monarch and the crew!!! Mary

 

I neglected to mention that I did a conversion of that cruise in early October. DH has always wanted to go to S. America so we switched our TA to a Cape Horn cruise. We had multiple reasons for doing it.

 

One problem was that to use our frequent flier miles to the UK and back we'd have to pay taxes and fees which were quite unreasonable - over $500 each WITH our miles. The fees were less than $200 each to SA and we were able to use up the round trip within a 3 week span of time allowing us to spend 3 or 4 days each in Buenos Aires, Argentina and Santiago, Chile.

 

And we were able to do the full 2 week cruise for a little bit less in a D1 than it would cost in a JS for the TA. AND while on our recent Panama canal cruise there was a senior citizen discount of another $800 off the already cheaper price which the TA on board Radiance got for us along with the D1 with the long balcony directly beside the elevator and below the CL.

 

We are still booked on the Independence TA in November 2010 - waiting to see what flight pricing is like as it gets closer.

 

I'll miss all you guys.

 

Gina

[mommabean]

I just saw your name and recognized it from the Independence TA in April. Are you still planning on going with us? We have a great group - several decided not to go after the ports were removed so we inheirited a list and your name is on it. Hope you are still going!:)

 

I agree Rick - sign us up too - we would go on the trip with you in a minute. We love the Monarch and the crew!!! Mary

 

Oh...and which ports were removed from that TA? I didn't notice this.

 

Gina

[mommabean]

Hi Gina - I saw Carol's comment to you and recognized your name from the Independence TA board in April. Are you still planning to go with us? We have been working on Carol to go with us...I don't think I am making any progress with her though!

 

I just saw your name and have been going through a list that we have of those that might go on our Independence cruise and wanted to see if you still are. I am going to be on the Majesty with Carol also - I am excited to see that ship - we absolutely loved the Monarch.

 

Take care, Mary

 

Wait a minute. I thought Carol WAS going with you all. She told me she was although that was quite a while back. That's the problem with planning so far ahead. We all keep changing our minds and disappointing each other.

 

I'm much better at planning last minute cruises. If I pay within the 2 month time frame - I don't back out. :)

 

Gina

[mommabean]

I read this post first thing after getting out of bed, and was about to reply to it with a bunch of 4 letter words....lol. But then I woke up and realized it sounded like another great trip on the Monarch.

 

Having sailed on the oldest ship in the fleet so many times, I have learned how to improvise on certain things. Yes she is an old ship, but would have preferred her and her crew to the one on Celebrity Millennium back in July 2006.

 

In spite of no Johnny Rockets on Monarch, you are more than welcome to send her back to us.

 

Dave

 

I'm actually looking forward to NO Johnny Rockets. I always feel bad after getting off of Majesty and never having found the time to use my JR coupon. Majesty is so port intensive, I like eating in the dining room for dinner, and I just can't eat again late at night. The only problem with Majesty is that there are TOOOO many places to eat and not enough time. ;)

 

I'm looking forward to one less port and a full sea day on Monarch due to the Port Canaveral departure port. I'd finally have the time to eat at JRs but I'll just have to eat somewhere else. :p

 

Gina

[Merion_Mom]

Wait a minute. I thought Carol WAS going with you all. She told me she was although that was quite a while back. That's the problem with planning so far ahead. We all keep changing our minds and disappointing each other.

 

I'm much better at planning last minute cruises. If I pay within the 2 month time frame - I don't back out. :)

 

Gina

Lorna started it, then she dragged me in, and then we got Mary. So, Majesty it is for us. (Lorna wanted to try her)

 

I backed out of the TA eons ago. ;)

[mommabean]

Lorna started it, then she dragged me in, and then we got Mary. So, Majesty it is for us. (Lorna wanted to try her)

 

I backed out of the TA eons ago. ;)

 

Well, thanks for telling me. Here I was, all worried sick about how I was going to break the news to you. :o And you had already backed out on me. :p

 

I think I'm going to have to dump you from my friends list. :rolleyes: :mad: ;)

 

Gina

[jjb415]

Thanks OP for the review. It is good to hear the impressions of the Monarch from those on the East Coast.

[mjldvlks]

We had to cancel two TAs (Independence & Jewel) due to some health problems. At the time we cancelled we didn't know how long my recovery would be. Now I am feeling better but we booked a Tahiti cruise. :)

 

I haven't looked at what ports were cut. :( When we first signed up the price and itinerary were wonderful. We snagged a center hump JS on the starboard side. That was hard to give up. :eek: Sorry we won't be with you. Have a great trip.

 

I even had my pink boa ready.:D

 

Yes, we were all ready with our pink boas and then Emmy and Carol (flames) left us. :( We are sorry you won't be with us also. Glad to hear you are doing better. Yes, we signed up last spring and shortly thereafter RC decided to take out Cherbourg and Lisbon - and added Madiera. We were not happy to say the least. Well we met alot of great people on board and decided to hang in there - and now we are actually going to Normandy anyway with Bill and Lorna and another guy from our board. Hopefully we will get to cruise together someday! Take care, Mary

[mjldvlks]

I neglected to mention that I did a conversion of that cruise in early October. DH has always wanted to go to S. America so we switched our TA to a Cape Horn cruise. We had multiple reasons for doing it.

 

One problem was that to use our frequent flier miles to the UK and back we'd have to pay taxes and fees which were quite unreasonable - over $500 each WITH our miles. The fees were less than $200 each to SA and we were able to use up the round trip within a 3 week span of time allowing us to spend 3 or 4 days each in Buenos Aires, Argentina and Santiago, Chile.

 

And we were able to do the full 2 week cruise for a little bit less in a D1 than it would cost in a JS for the TA. AND while on our recent Panama canal cruise there was a senior citizen discount of another $800 off the already cheaper price which the TA on board Radiance got for us along with the D1 with the long balcony directly beside the elevator and below the CL.

 

We are still booked on the Independence TA in November 2010 - waiting to see what flight pricing is like as it gets closer.

 

I'll miss all you guys.

 

Gina

 

Gina - we are so sorry you won't be joining us on the TA!! I understand though. I tell you, the around the horn cruise this spring is the one cruise that we would have given this TA up for - what an exciting trip that will be. I had the exact reverse problem - I was able to easily use my FF miles on the TA - but they wanted 100,000 miles each for the Around the Horn cruise. Last spring, RC removed Lisbon and Cherbourg - two major ports. We were very unhappy and almost backed out - but hung in there and now will go to Normany after the cruise and will actually have more time to visit all the WWII sites. Hope we get to sail with you one day Gina!

 

Lorna has a persuasive way about her - we said we couldn't go in October because of work - and we ended up on the B2B for the last Monarch out of LA cruise. Then she mentioned a week ago the Majesty - and here I am again cruising when I said I couldn't! I can't tell Lorna no! We had so much fun on the Monarch with Lorna, Bill, Carol and others. They are a great group.

 

Take care Gina, Mary