If It's Thursday, This Must Be Mexico: RCCL Monarch of the Seas- Ensenada
Written: Dec 20 '05
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Short duration allows cruise experience with less dollars committed. Easy trip from LA.
Cons: All areas seemed congested with people. Ship needs facelift.
The Bottom Line: Take this cruise if you like to drink and party and don’t mind lots of children around. The shore destinations are really not the point of this cruise.
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| best_pilot's Full Review: Royal Caribbean Monarch of the Seas |
We recently returned from a four night stay aboard Royal Caribbean’s Monarch of the Seas, cruising from the San Pedro pier in Los Angeles to San Diego, Catalina Island, and Ensenada. (Dec 5-9, 2005) If you’re a first time cruiser, I am going in to great detail about what you’ll find aboard. If you’re familiar with cruising, skip to the portions that interest you.
GETTING THERE:
It’s a personal matter whether you decide to use Royal Caribbean’s cruise care travel package. We booked our cruise and air separately, and made our own arrangements to get to the ship on time. If this worries you- spend the approx. $45 per person to have their representatives meet you at the airport and transport you to the ship on the RCCL buses. This only ensures that you have a ride to the ship, but your flight must arrive on time. If you purchase the Air/Cruise package- it is incumbent upon the cruise line to ensure that you arrive safely at the ship before sailing.
Rooms are booked for two. You can purchase a room for a single person, but the fare will be almost the same as for two people. It is good to have the option to purchase the single fare if you are traveling with family. We spent $688 for two, and $628 for a single. Consider that this includes lodging, food, entertainment, and different ports of call, and it’s quite a bargain.
EMBARKING:
Your large bags will be taken at the curb at San Pedro, and delivered to your room. (have the tip ready for the baggage handler at the dock- you will not see him again)
Try to have filled out as many forms as possible online at the RCCL site before getting to the embarking desk. This shortens the wait for everyone. You will be issued a SeaPass card, which is your charge card and identification for the trip. (no cash or credit cards are used onboard) Guard it with your life! A quick digital photo will be snapped of you after you have been given the card, putting you in to their security system. I have never seen so many identification checks as we had on this cruise. You will present your picture ID (driver’s license or passport) every time you leave the ship, and your SeaPass card will be swiped through a machine to log your entry and exit. You will also have to flash it at the bottom of the gangplank to security, sometimes more than once. It didn’t really make me feel safer, just surlier. One check at the doorway seems sufficient.
Your packages and purses will also be run through x-ray machines upon return. At least you don’t have to remove your shoes, as in the airport! But shh, maybe they haven’t thought of it yet.
After getting on board, you will find your room, and hope that your bags will be delivered soon. You may have time to explore the ship if you arrive early in the day, or you might find yourself suiting up in your life vest immediately for the compulsory mustering to the emergency stations at sailing time. This takes about half an hour, and consists of standing on deck, standing in line wearing your vests, shouting out your room number to a crewmember. They blow the ship’s whistle, and it’s over.
ROOMS:
We had exterior rooms on Deck 5, right by the elevator- 5592 and 5594. These had nice sized windows, and two beds that can be shoved together to make a queen bed. Drawer space is adequate for the duration of this cruise, as is the closet space, but you will be cramped on a longer cruise. We recommend leaving as many items as possible folded in your suitcases, and placed under the bed for easy access.
(*Interior rooms without windows are fine if you plan to only be in the room to sleep and have no history of seasickness. This boat does roll a bit, especially going down in to Mexico.)
The room steward will greet you upon arrival, and make sure you understand he/she is there to serve you. (Read: tip me later!) Coke products and water are provided in the room with an ice bucket, but they are hideously expensive, and it’s better to stick to your own purchased beverages, since they add a gratuity to the room drinks as well.
The bathroom light is outside the door, and as you step up in to the bathroom and flick the light, it will wake anyone in the room- and if that doesn’t- the firing of the Howitzer toilet certainly will!
There are countless jokes to be told about your tiny shower and the curtain getting mighty friendly with you, but you’ll probably hear the jokes at the comedy shows, so I won’t ruin them!
Laundry can be placed in the room bag and done for a small charge, but surely this is unnecessary on this short cruise.
Irons and ironing boards are no longer supplied. Bring a small travel iron, but be prepared to try to press your items on the bed. If your formal wear is disastrously creased, it might be worth the charge to have it pressed.
There are no small room safes. Anything valuable should be taken to the purser’s desk and put in a safety deposit box.
FOOD:
Nothing impressive about the food on this cruise. Main dining room selections included prime rib, steak, a chicken dish, a seafood item (salmon or cod), and vegetarian selections. The salmon was very good, not farm raised, and was probably the highlight of the meals.
Soups were interesting, including a cold blackberry soup, and a nice lentil.
Desserts were incredibly dull. They all looked delicious, but had very little taste. I don’t know how you remove the chocolately taste from chocolate cake, but they managed. Carrot cake was made with what looked like a cream cheese frosting, but it was watery and tasted of margarine.
Desserts were better in the Windjammer- including coconut cookies and puddings, but you’d find the same dry cakes as well. Fruit pies also had no zip.
The Windjammer served hot and cold items for all three meals, and there is a pizza bar on the upper level after 2 in the afternoon. I recommend the hot Thai noodles for a food with some zing, and the burger bar was quite tasty.
This was the first cruise where I didn’t gain an ounce, and I probably walked less on this cruise than others.
When you make your reservations, try to get first seating for dinner in the main dining room, at 5:30 Pacific time. Second seating starts at 8:30 Pacific, and the pace of service means you’ll receive your entree about 9:15PM. That would be a midnight supper for East coasters!
CASINO:
Apparently people come from Los Angeles on these 3 and 4 day cruises primarily to drink like fishes and gamble with grim purpose. The casino filled immediately when the doors opened each night, and while the table games seemed popular on the first night, there wasn’t even a dealer standing behind the table on the fourth night. People seemed devoted to the slot machines and video poker. There is a non-smoking end of the casino, but unless you’re seated at the machines directly by the door, this is just a courtesy designation. Unlike Vegas, which has switched almost exclusively to machines that accept paper money only, and print out winning receipts- the machines on the ship still use quarters, and there are no complimentary alcohol wipes for your grubby fingers. Make good use of the restrooms outside either door.
I would suggest playing the slots on the second night of your cruise. They are “filled” from the first evening, but after that they seem to mysteriously become a lot “tighter”.
Bingo seemed popular with the older crowd, although children under 18 were allowed to play with a parent present.
RECREATION:
Monarch of the Seas has installed a rock climbing wall, thus obscuring the view from the Viking Crown Lounge. I saw a few children and a couple of adults trying it, but it didn’t seem to be the draw that they portray on the television ads.
Teenagers were invited to a section where 18 and Under Only could play various games, or be entertained by their personal cruise director. There was also a disco for the younger crowd, but not having personal experience with it- I will direct you to the Royal Caribbean online site describing playtime for your children.
The game arcade had an air hockey table, and several extremely violent video games, sure to please any X-box aficionado.
I wondered why the “Fuel Bar” was open for ages 12-14 until 1AM. I know the kids are on vacation, but this seems to smack of jolly bad parenting if you’re letting the kids stay up that late and stay hyper. Maybe I’m old fashioned.
The “Ship Shape” program was not pushed as vigorously as on our other trips. You’re still invited to walk or run each morning with a group, or visit the Fitness Center. (16yrs and older in the Fitness Center) As with other activities on the ship- they seemed to be pushing the yoga and Pilates classes that were an extra charge of approx. $49.
PICTURES:
You will be accosted for pictures at every turn; when you arrive at the pier to check in, when you go to your dinner seating, at the table at dinner, when you walk down the gangplank at each destination, and at any “special moments”, such as meeting the Captain. You can look at the final product in the Photo Gallery on Deck 3, and simply throw them away. I saw very few people buying the final product. We relied on our digital camera to take flattering photos.
DRINKS:
The Schooner Bar on Deck 5 is probably the most comfortable area, but there are very few non-smoking tables. Drinks run approx. $5-6 and there are specials each day. (A Mojito was still $5.25 on special however) The Viking Crown Lounge at the top of the ship still supplies the best 360 degree view, and is a quiet place during the day to read, although it got quite hot near the windows.
The Pool bars on Deck 11 are loud. A DJ “keeps the fun going”- which mostly consists of belly flop contests, men’s sexy legs contest, and other not so funny things, unless you’re in to a bucket of Mojitos.
The Boleros bar on Deck 7 was popular after dinner for Latin style dancing, and the bartender seemed to know more exotic drink recipes.
SHOPPING ON BOARD:
Never buy anything without checking your daily Cruise Compass flier, placed in your room each evening. Each Deck 5 store has days with sales, and you’ll get the best deals on the final night. There is a high end jewelry store, a kitschy jewelry and scarf store, a beach attire boutique, a liquor store, and a sundries store. We bought a couple of glass paperweights as souvenirs, which were 2 for $10. We only wanted one- but they charged $12 for a single one! Deals for two do not mean that you’ll get one for half price.
You will also see an Art Auction going on daily. Why anyone would want to bid on the “art” that they were showing is beyond me. However, prints were going for $300 when we poked our nose in the room.
ENTERTAINMENT ONBOARD:
The first evening featured the Welcome Aboard show in the Sound of Music theater, a two level room on Deck 5. The dancers are very energetic and put on a good show, with medium to excellent quality singers.
We did not attend Day 2 for the juggler and comedian, nor Day 3 for the comedy team of a man and his puppet.
Day 4 had an excellent variety show with the RCCL singers and dancers performing routines from Broadway shows.
One note: attending the show in a dark, rocking room, with a full stomach after dinner can be the most bothersome part of the cruise. A few minutes in the hall in the light, perhaps looking out a window, helps greatly.
A steel drum band is usually out on the pool deck, and a jazz guitarist entertains in the Centrum area and in the Boleros club on Deck 7.
Ballroom dancing was confined to a very small wooden dance floor in the middle of the Centrum shops, and it was very crowded. This is not the cruise for ballroom dancers.
The Library is a nice niche to settle in for a late afternoon read, but the book selection is very limited.
The internet connection onboard is very expensive, so only use it if you must. At 50 cents per minute, you would expect high speed service. It is not.
Cell phones obviously worked in all ports except Mexico, so avoid the room charge of $8 per minute for phone service.
The Pools are small, and mainly good for a quick dip after sunbathing. Many children were using the main pool area, and the hot tub was also popular.
We did not use any of the Spa services- but they featured a ׀ for $79 or 3 for $89” choice of back, neck/shoulder, foot, and scalp massages, or mini-facial. You must call for an appointment.
CLOTHING:
This short cruise has only one formal evening. All other nights were casual dress. Gentlemen wore suits with ties, and the ladies wore dressier pantsuits or long skirts and dressy blouses. My wife felt a bit over dressed in an evening gown. For her, part of the fun of cruising was to dress for dinner, but this was not the “vibe” of this cruise.
Ports of call require stout walking shoes, and a light jacket or sweater.
Bring an umbrella, because Southern California can be unpredictable in winter.
EXCURSIONS:
Being familiar with San Diego and Catalina Island, we did not purchase the shore excursions offered for these days.
It is easy to exit the ship in SAN DIEGO and walk in to downtown, or you can buy an all-day rail pass for $5. Take the Hilo Hattie’s free bus to the store in downtown and it is an easy walk over to the train station. Tours seemed exorbitantly priced at $48 per person for adults to visit the San Diego Zoo, and $36 for a bicycle ride at Coronado island.
The Maritime Museum is right at the pier, and costs $10 for admission.
Sea World is $67 for adults, and $56 for children, but if you check online, the ticket price seems to be $53 and $43. If you all fit in a taxi, you will save money buying a ticket ahead.
Do some homework before your cruise, and the cost of taxi will probably be less than any of the shore excursion tickets.
CATALINA ISLAND does not have a large enough pier for the ship, so you will go in on tender boats. This is a fun part of the day all on its own. These were much larger tenders than previous cruises, and could hold over 200 people at once, allowing for much faster service.
Catalina offers one long shopping strip along the waterfront, and again, there really is no need to purchase expensive tour tickets.
The Skyline Drive Tour takes you up the mountain to see the airport, but save the $31 and trust me when I tell you that the long, twisting, dusty ride to the top of the mountain, only to find one shop in the Nature Center- is not worth the money.
Golf carts were available were available to rent for $35 an hour, but with a two hour minimum rental.
And speaking of golf, a nine hole package is available at the “oldest golf course in California”, completed in 1898. For $30 you receive only green fees, and must pay $25 to rent clubs, and cart and transportation to and from the course are also not included.
Not being familiar with ENSENADA, we did purchase the Ensenada City & Mexican Fiesta tour, for $29 per person. This included a bus ride through the shopping district, an hour and a half to wander the shops, bus transport back to the Riviera Pacifica cultural center for a mariachi band and folkloric show, and shopping with artisans in the cultural center. Vendors on the street are not as aggressive as Tijuana, for instance, but you will get tired of being accosted to purchase silver jewelry and rope bracelets. One vendor catcalled very rudely at us for exiting a jewelry store with a purchase, instead of looking at his wares, and acted very aggressively. I would not have wanted my wife and mother-in-law alone on the street.
The tour guide warned us that the stores are required to sell “real” silver merchandise, but the street vendors have fakes. Bargaining is still alive and well, and a silver ring my wife admired dropped in price from $65 to $35 with one vendor, only to drop to $10 when the vendor’s father insisted that she must have it. Always wait for the best deal, and be prepared to walk away.
Other tours included a wine tasting tour for $29, and various city tours for between $19 and $29 each. There is also an astoundingly expensive golf tour for $111. (US dollars!) This included the transportation, green fees, and a shared cart, but club rental is another $40. There is a dress code also- only collared, sleeved shirts are permitted, and knee length shorts, with golf or tennis shoes.
It would be less expensive to hire one of the horse drawn carriages in to town from the pier, and do your own shopping tour. Prices are negotiable, but around $10. The shopping was all the same- purse stores, jewelry stores, kitsch stores, cafes, and repeat. You find exactly the same items at the store at the pier, with prices maybe a dollar higher. My wife purchased a good sized bottle of Mexican vanilla for cooking for $3, a lacy shawl for $10, and a lovely silver and dichroic glass bracelet for $40. Shopping for men is pretty thin, unless you like knock-off watches.
NEW THINGS THAT BOTHERED US:
Cruising used to be all about the all-inclusive nature. Your room, food, and entertainment were all taken care of in your cruise ticket price. Now they have introduced so many optional items that a sharp line is being drawn between the Haves and Have Nots.
“Jade” is an Asian restaurant where you will pay for your meal. Ben & Jerry’s ice cream is available for purchase at a kiosk, as is Seattle’s Best Coffee at the Café Latte-tudes. Soft drinks were always an extra cost, and now they have an all-cruise pass to purchase as many as you want for $24. (all prices plus 15% gratuity, of course) Children ages 17 and under pay $16 for the same pass.
Also, breakfast is no longer served in your room on the final morning of your cruise. You must leave your room by 8AM and go to the dining room, clutching all of your carry-on luggage, or go to the Windjammer restaurant, which is quite a trek upstairs with luggage. You can abandon one member of your party in a lounge and eat in shifts, which is what we did.
You will be sitting in a lounge from 8AM until your colored luggage tag is called. We were tagged to leave at 9AM but did not depart until almost 10. Stay in your lounge until your color is called- don’t trust the approximate times given on your debarking card.
THINGS THAT WERE BETTER:
Being able to put your tips on your credit card was better. RCCL suggests tipping your room steward and dining room waiter $3.50 per day, per person. Your assistant waiter receives $2.00 per day, per person, and the head waiter receives $0.75 per day, per person. They now offer the option of putting $39 directly on to your card, whereas before you would be scrambling for cash to place in the gratuity envelopes on the last night.
One thing I did not realize- there is no use tipping any of these people more than the suggested amount, as it goes in to a communal pot. If you received excellent service and wish to tip more, they won’t be seeing it anyway. Nice, eh? I suppose this evens it out for those who do not receive a tip when they deserve one, but it seems to me it would breed a lack of commitment to good service in the dining room, especially.
OLD THINGS THAT STILL BOTHERED US:
Getting off the ship after your cruise is still the worst part of the cruise. You might wait hours in a lounge until your luggage tag “color” is called, and while this is not in any way RCCL’s fault- you WILL wait in line for hours at the US Immigration entry point. The wait at San Pedro is outside, in two long lines, and the older folks in our group were flagging badly in the cold wind. It is inhuman to expect the elderly people who frequent cruises to stand for such long periods, especially lugging hand carry baggage.
On that same topic- we found that arriving at the ship an hour before sailing meant almost no lines at the check-in point. We were not relishing standing in long lines to begin the cruise. Much of the paperwork can be filled out online and taken with you, but a credit card still needs to be swiped, and passports checked, and it can be tedious.
FINAL THOUGHT:
This cruise is better for families or those who want a quick, cheaper get-away. The ship needs refurbishment, and was looking hard used since our last trip on this ship several years ago. This cruise is not so much about the ports, but just doing the things on the ship- so you’d better enjoy sunning, drinking, and eating- with lots and lots of people constantly swirling around.
Recommended:
No
Best Suited For: Couples
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Epinions.com ID:
best_pilot
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Member: Rob
Location: Carmel, CA
Reviews written: 1
Trusted by: 2 members
About Me:
Hometown Carmel, Ca. Working in Texas.
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