Our Christmas Cruise Review
Written: Jan 05 '07 (Updated Jan 05 '07)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Value for the cost, attentive staff and great food (particularly the dinners)
Cons: Room (especially bathroom) size, cruise length (we wish it would have lasted longer!)
The Bottom Line: Overall, my sweetheart and I did thoroughly enjoy this cruise. We would recommend it to anyone who has never cruised before.
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| p51mustang's Full Review: Royal Caribbean Monarch of the Seas |
A Christmas Cruise Review
Just a note: I have read some great reviews (both good and bad) on epinions and thought I would add my experience here for those of you thinking about trying a cruise on the Monarch of the Seas. This may run a bit long, but I want to record all my impressions here while things are fresh in my mind and as I also appreciate the more in-depth reviews that have been shared, I want to do my part to help those who are curious about taking a voyage with this cruise line and ship.
Cruise details: 6-day, 5-night Mexico cruise from Dec. 22 through 27, 2006 (We wish it could have been longer!)
Ports of call: LA (departure), Catalina, San Diego, then a day at sea, Ensenada and back to LA
First Day - Embarkation:
After a rather uneventful drive from Silicon Valley to the Port of LA, my girlfriend Miranda and I were excited to start our “Christmas” cruise. I have sailed 3 times before on other lines, she has been on RC once previously so between us we have had some cruise experience to compare this voyage with. The embarkation process didn’t take as long as I thought it would, although it still was about 2 hours from parking the car to stepping through our cabin door (and another hour for our luggage to arrive).
Our room seemed to be on the small side, especially since I had purchased the “suite” as it was called on Royal C’s web site order page. Actually it was a superior oceanview stateroom on deck 9 of the ship. For the two of us, we did have adequate room for changing or relaxing most of the time. My worst gripe would have to be the size of the bathroom – smallest I’ve seen in the 4 cruises I’ve taken thus far. I ‘m a pretty big guy at 6ft-3in and using that cramped shower was always an exercise in not banging my elbows. On the other hand, the bed was not bad – actually very comfortable for someone my size. I also want to add that the service was very good – the orderlies were always nice and the room was made up well…everything was always in its place and very clean. Oh – one other small gripe: at night the room would creak sometimes if the sea conditions were rough, and this woke me up a couple of times. I never had that happen on any other cruise so it was a minor pain. Except for that and the bathroom size I would have to say it was a decent accommodation for being a small “suite”.
As a quick aside – we had some friends join us on the cruise. They were in one of the “regular” inside cabins on deck 4…much smaller than our room. They are a family of three including a young daughter, and they found it difficult at times with the cramped conditions in their room.
There was a lot to see that first day and we all had fun touring the many areas of the ship getting to know where the various entertainment and dining facilities were. The ship was clean and pretty well laid out – after the first day I was fairly confident that I could find my way around, and get to where I needed to be without issue. Miranda, I and our friends had all signed up for the late dinner seating, and the ship accommodated us by providing our own table with seating for five for the entire cruise. I have to say the food was very good, and the waiters were attentive and very pleasant. We always looked forward to dinner…
Day 2 - Catalina Island:
After a short discussion, we opted for breakfast in the restaurant where we had dinner the previous evening…and it was very good! We had the pleasure of the same excellent staff and service that we received for dinner. Food selection was limited, but the food itself was delicious and we didn’t have a long wait before it was brought to us.
On this day we decided not to take any of the RC shore excursions, opting instead to rent a motorized golf cart and do our own self tour of Avalon, the main town on the island. There are several rental places there, but the best deal we found was from Island Rentals (125 Pebbly Beach Rd, 310-510-1456), where you get the 3rd hour free if you rent for 2. Needless to say we had a great time, took lots of pictures and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves on our own schedule.
We made it back to the ship on the next to last tender and proceeded to deck 11 for a late lunch. Here in the Windjammer Cafe there is usually a buffet going with the regular offerings: hamburgers/ hot dogs/ pizza/ fruits/ salads/ desserts. The food quality was not stellar but better than the average Denny’s in my opinion. There were also BBQ’s on the pool deck and other foods available at different times throughout the cruise.
Evening activities on board were numerous – everything from art auctions/bingo to yoga classes to the casino and shows in the theater. One nice thing we found was that there was plenty of dancing on board ship (both Miranda and I are big Argentine Tango addicts). Our friends are also enthusiastic about hitting the dance floor, so the availability of dance venues was appreciated. I would think that regardless of what a person might like, there would be something fun to engage in – there is even a rock climbing wall for those who might like to try something different.
Day 3 - San Diego:
For the shore excursion we did the wild animal safari. Now this wasn’t what we thought it would be - no driving around in a Range Rover with lions, zebras and other wild animals. The wild animal park we visited is actually an extension of the San Diego Zoo with exhibits and shows, even a balloon ride where you can see the whole park and surrounding area from 400 feet in the air! We ended up enjoying this outing quite a bit – there is a lot to see and the exhibits are quite spectacular. We did a lot of walking and by the time we got back to the ship we were famished – fortunately we returned just before the afternoon BBQ was finished and were able to tank up with ribs and other goodies. Following a nap in our cabin we enjoyed another good dinner and late night dancing to live music in the Boleros nightclub.
Day 4 - At Sea (Christmas Day):
We had an easy day, opting to sleep in and catch up on some rest after 3 days of going non-stop with various activities and excursions. I have to say that the schedule for this particular cruise worked out very well for us – the 5 day/4 night cruise also offered on this ship doesn’t provide for a day at sea between stops, a day which we both found very relaxing (and needed!).
The ship was decorated well for the Christmas holiday all throughout the cruise, but it seemed even more so for this day. There was caroling in the evening, with many people joining the staff in the singing – a very festive atmosphere.
My only gripe about our day at sea was that the midnight chocolate buffet (which I had waited all cruise for) had such a long line that I gave up on waiting and went back to my cabin to relax. I’m not a fan of waiting in lines, fortunately there wasn’t too much waiting for the other activities we did.
Day 5 - Ensenada:
This ended up being our favorite stop. We decided to try something different with the ATV wine country tour – which was a blast! Interestingly when we got to the ATVs at the tour’s start it was explained that they only allow one person per vehicle, much to Miranda’s consternation (we had thought we could share one as she didn’t want to drive). But her concern soon turned to excitement as she realized how much fun these things are to drive out in the Mexican tundra. That combined with the tour of a local winery, plus a sampling of several of their latest productions made this tour the best of the cruise for us. Another factor in our decision to choose this excursion was the disappointment in some of the other Ensenada excursions we read here in epinions – another reason I want to share our positive experience with everyone.
The last day’s dinner was one of the best, and there was a fun little dance/parade put on by the chefs and serving staff at the end. I think some people have found this “show” rather poor but we thought it was a fun way to end the cruise dining. After a final night’s dancing we got back to our cabin and packed our bags for the next day’s disembarkation.
Day 6 - LA and Disembarkation:
This process was rather painless for us. While I do feel for those who have written here about their bad experiences with long waits and misplaced luggage, we had a very easy time getting off the ship. Miranda and I ended up sleeping in and then meeting our friends in the Windjammer Cafe for breakfast before we left the ship. We had the purple #1 tags for an early departure but it was no problem to sleep in, have breakfast and leave later – I think we were finally off the ship just after 10AM and our luggage was waiting for us with no problems.
One thing that I do want to say is that the people attending us for the entire voyage (specifically our room stewards and waiters) were the best and most attentive – more so than my previous 3 cruises, and that point was not forgotten when I left them their tips at the end.
Let me also add a bit about the costs involves with this trip: Apart from tipping and other minor incidental costs, we paid $729 per person, which I thought was a pretty good deal for 6 days/5 nights in a “suite”. Excursions in San Diego and Ensenada added another $250 to that, still not bad considering what we got for it (my opinion here, YMMV). Miranda and I are not major drinkers so we didn’t fall into the $6-8 per drink bar tab trap, and we stayed away from the shipboard “extras” such as the $175 massages and so forth (thereby also avoiding the pressure-sales pitches for overpriced products). We instead brought a couple bottles of champagne with us for special times, and indulged in our own massages -- which made for a lot more fun without the $175 cost ***grin***.
Overall, my sweetheart and I did thoroughly enjoy this cruise. It wasn’t without its minor issues (our room being the main one), which is why I give this trip 4 stars instead of 5. But I would still recommend it to anyone who has never cruised before. Miranda and I will certainly continue, both with RC as well as other lines – and I’ll be happy to share again after our next voyage…
Happy Cruising,
Dean
Recommended:
Yes
Best Suited For: Couples
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Epinions.com ID:
p51mustang
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Reviews written: 1
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