Who could ask for more?
Written: Aug 07 '01 (Updated Mar 01 '02)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Great excursions, food, service, and cruise
Cons: Smallish Staterooms
The Bottom Line: Great trip, great ship, great service. The Monarch is a pleasure cruise like I could only have dreamed!
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| lambchops's Full Review: Royal Caribbean Monarch of the Seas |
The Monarch of the Seas was first built in 1991. This makes the ship one of the "older" ones in the Royal Caribbean fleet of mega cruise ships like the Voyager of the Seas. Despite this unfortunate tag, the ship holds well over 2,500 passengers and is 880 feet long...huge if you ask me!
I just got back from my travels with the Monarch this past Sunday August 5th. It was wonderful to say the very least. My new husband and I departed for the Caribbean on July 29th from Detroit Metro Airport. Our flight was coordianted between the cruise line and Northwest. We decided to go this route despite the plane tickets being more expensive because then our transportation to and from the airport would be paid and representatives from the cruise line would meet us at the gate. It worked like a charm (despite being delayed some three hours by Cleveland's radar going down).
Upon entering the cruise docks, I was impressed. Our trip through customs was smooth and it took just a few minutes to get signed in. We didn't have to touch our luggage...Royal Caribbean took care of everything. Very convenient and very simple. During check-in, we were given the "Super Charge" card. This card is basically your ship identification. You need it every time you exit the ship and you need it to spend any money of the ship (except for in the Casino, of course). That could be VERY dangerous.
The ship, upon first glance, was gorgeous. There were many shops (I didn't every buy anything from them), many bars and clubs (I only went to the one attached to the pool), a library, a cinema, a casino, many restaurants, and a pool and hot tub facility. Absolutely great. The boat was 12 stories high and staterooms were on floors 2 through 10. There were both stairs and elevators through floor 11. There were a few dining options...we ate breakfast and lunch in the Windjammer Cafe buffet style (you could eat in a dining room also if you chose). For dinner, we were seated at assigned tables with the same waitstaff every evening. The food was exquisite...I had lobster, escargot, shrimp, lamb, prime rib, and pasta among other delicacies. The dessert was great. The meals were all served in four courses...appetizer, salad, main, and dessert. I loved every moment. We sat every evening with a honeymoon couple from Tijuana, Mexico and a middle aged couple from the north of England (Tony was a condom company manager).
Our room was smallish. It was actually a bit shocking the first time we saw it. We were located in the aft on the second floor. Fortunately, we did have a porthole to give us some natural light and a bit of a view. The room was servicable...it served our purpose well. The bathroom was also small and was equipped with a shower, sink, and toilet that reminded me of those on an airplane. We had a cabin attendent that made up our room twice daily. She did a great job with the bed and carpet and even arranged the vanity and folded the clothes on the floor. Absolutely great! If you got hungry at any time you were in the room, you could order room service free of charge! Again, very convenient.
There were bars and clubs all over the ship. There was a dance club or two, a few lounges like you see in the movies, a champagne bar, and a few good old-fashioned bars. It was a great time. I don't really like these places much (I get woozy on liquor after a few), but the drinks were decently prices and comparable to what you get on the land...$3.50-$5.00 for a mixed drink of your choice.
We stopped a five islands in the Caribbean...St. Thomas, St. Maarten, Antigua, St. Lucia, and Barbados. They were all great stops. Of course, when we docked we were in tourist central with shops and people offering tours and braids everywhere. I never took any vendors up on their offers, but they made a killing off of some of the cruise passengers. The shopping is pretty good, although I'm not much of a bargain hunter. The jewelry wasn't priced really cheap, but you could easily find deals on watches, alcohol, electronics, and cosmetics. I did get a nice Seiko watch that was priced okay. Not great, just okay. We also came back with three bottles of Barbadian Rum (I hate rum).
Of the islands, we took excursions on three...St. Maarten, Antigua, and Barbados. The beach in St. Maarten was beautiful and clear. Lovely! In Antigua we went kayaking on the ocean and snorkeling on the reefs. Absolutely gorgeous to say the very least. We got a bus tour of Barbados and stopped at a Rum distillery. There are options that should appeal to everybody. You don't have to go on any excursions (they do cost extra), but there are about 15-20 to choose from daily.
We had a great time. Neither of us has ever cruised...we usually camp in tents. We were pampered and babied and coddled...and treated like royalty. After this experience, we will go on another cruise. We would even go on another one from Royal Caribbean without a doubt. If you go on a cruise, check out this line. You won't be disappointed :)
Recommended:
Yes
Best Suited For: Couples
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Epinions.com ID:
lambchops
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 - Top 50 |
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Member: Shelly T.
Location: Metro Detroit, Michigan
Reviews written: 1172
Trusted by: 842 members
About Me:
Bye-bye CL hat. Hopefully I'll write some new reviews some time soon!
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