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Ship Review by
Sammy from USA Sailing date: Aug 2007
Dining/Food
Stateroom Quality
Ship Staff Quality
Entertainment & Activities
Children's Programs
24 out of 30 people found this review helpful.
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   Hospitality Cruise Lines by
John B. from Panama City, Florida Sailing date: Jan 2010Pros: The food was varied to all tastes, fresh, and exceptionally good. I had to work off all my sinful eating temptations in the gym. The processing in and out of the ship was outstanding for the size and population of the ship. I was impressed how short it was, for how long it could have been. Cons: As a gym user, the biggest setback was inoperative gym equipment. Perhaps one of four or five machines were down for maintenance throughout the trip. More working machines were needed, especially during the busier workout periods in the day. Gym hours were also limited from 0600 to 2200 hours. The ship was built in 1991 and renovated around 2003. It was in very good shape for its age and use by hundreds of people. I would rate the appearance as between good and very good. I found the small rooms and beds comfortable. The subtle and occasional ship rocking and light squeaks soothed me to sleep. Others felt this sensation was distracting. I would not give it a second thought. The ship was clean. The carpet had stains here and there. I find that hard to avoid when people spill things like coffee, and I saw one child drop his ice cream. Smoking was limited. I am a non-smoker. I know smoking was limited to the casino and starboard side of deck seven on the outside. You will find a few other smoking areas, such as a section of the open pool deck. Ship QualityShip cleanliness was above average. I noticed crew members picking up the smallest pieces of paper found on an outer deck. The crew seemed very trained and regimented with the policy of the cruise line. Dining/FoodThe quality of the food was exceptional. There was no food between 0200 and 0600 hours, although available through room service for an extra charge during these exclusive hours. Coffee was always available at the cafe. The dining was superb. Waiting staff treated customers' desires and needs like royalty. Stateroom QualitySpace on a ship is expected to be limited. Large people will have the biggest problem. My average size had no difficulty with the bed size or narrow shower (no bathtub). The room is narrow. That is no surprise on any ship. One large person could be heard snoring through the walls. When his girth rolled up against the wall, the wall panels bulged out and even popped a wall seam. Ship Staff QualityShip staff were the friendliest and most helpful you will find anywhere. The tried to solve all your problems if they could. We had some dining room seating problems. They fixed that and every other little problem or inconvenience I had. I was impressed. The staff seemed to be trained to smile and make conversation with you, not ignore you. The training was a success in my eyes. Entertainment & ActivitiesThe ship has enough to keep you busy. There were casinos, spas, theaters, gym equipment, sewing and game rooms, all kinds of classes, rock climbing, pools, bars, more food, and so much more. I was not bored, then again, I did not stay in my room. Children's ProgramsThe varied activities suited all ages. As mentioned, too much of the gym equipment was not working. My treadmill sensor indicated that it needed a wax refill to run. Gym attendants were absent most of the time. I had no one to tell. Safety was emphasized throughout the ship. 9 out of 9 people found this review helpful.
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Ship Review by
Earline from San Bernardino, CA Sailing date: Dec 2006
Entertainment & Activities
10 out of 12 people found this review helpful.
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Does not live up to Royal Carribbean's r by
Anthony from Hudson, NH Sailing date: Aug 2007Pros: Plenty of elevators and easy to get around/maneuver. Dining room is also quite good, as is the overall level of service. We had high hopes for this cruise. We've been on at least 6 cruises on varying cruise lines, and heard good things about RCCL. We were disappointed. Smelly, outdated public areas, tiny staterooms, very poor alternative dining options. Nickle and diming for things like ice cream and orange juice (other ships include these things!). The food in the main dining room was great, but buffets were beyond awful. High school cafeterias rate better in my book. Too many people on board and constant crowding made it not as relaxing. Dining/FoodDining room was terrific..all other dining options (especially buffets) were terrible.
Stateroom QualityExtremely small compared to other ships. A/C didn't work well.
Ship Staff Quality
Entertainment & Activities
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Ensenada, MexicoEnsenada is a pit.
This place is all about shopping for cheap junk, and people begging. We tried to stop off for lunch (since anything would have been better than the ship's buffet), but we were skeeved out by most of the restaurants (and they were all empty!). I wouldn't bother getting off the ship in Ensenada unless you really can't live without getting your hair braided or buying a tacky expletive laden t-shirt.
Don't Miss: Miss it all. San Diego, California
Catalina Island, CaliforniaCatalina is beautiful!
We enjoyed the beach on Catalina, as well as walking around Avalon. The beaches are all rocks, so bring appropriate footwear (crocs are great!). Water temp in August was perfect. We went to Descanso beach club, where they have a bar and food service right on the beach! Great food and you never have to leave your towel.
Don't Miss: Walk through Avalon, and if you want some beach time, stop in the middle of town for free sandy (albeit narrow) beaches, or keep walking past the casino to Descanso and pay $2 for the beachclub (very 9 out of 10 people found this review helpful.
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Fantastic weekend trip! by
Theresa M. from Atlanta, GA Sailing date: Oct 2009Pros: Absolutely beautiful caribbean water Cons: Munster drill Great first impression! Ship QualitySince we had never been on a cruise we didn't know what to expect. I am glad this was our first one. Yes Monarch of the Seas is the smallest ship in Royal Caribbeans fleet and yes it is 19 years old but the price of this cruise was too good to pass up. Well worth the money in my opinion. Dining/FoodI thought the food was fine. You definitely cannot go hungry on a cruise. If anything you gain at least 10 lbs. Overall quality was good, very convenient. The only thing was husband was a tiny bit disappointed that they didn't offer more seafood options like lobster and crab. He'll get over it. He got sea bass instead and thoroughly enjoyed it! Stateroom QualityStateroom size is fine. Decor is a little dated but very cozy & clean. Heck you don't take a cruise to stay in your stateroom anyway. Ship Staff QualityWillingness to help is an understatement. They will do whatever it takes to make you happy. Just remember to tip them for all of their effort though! Entertainment & ActivitiesLove & Marriage was a hoot. We really enjoyed it. We went during halloween so there were alot of activities based around costumes, etc. 6 out of 7 people found this review helpful.
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I'd rate it a 7/10 by
Natalie H. from St. Petersburg, FL Sailing date: Oct 2010Pros: lots of food, many activities, loved the Bahamas! Cons: long lines for food, room was tiny, dinner was mediocre My boyfriend and I took a 3 night-4day cruise to the Bahamas. It was his 24th birthday and the staff surprised us with a bottle of champagne and a whole cake on our bed. It was so nice!! What I liked most were the many activities on board. There were 6 different bars to go to, large pool, buffett breakfast, and rock climbing wall, rec center as well as a casino. Ship QualityEverything was always very clean and hallways and decks seemed to be well taken care of. Dining/FoodThe staff was very friendly. The thing I didnt like was that after you had spent all of your money at the casino, and paid you seapass bill, you still had to tip your servers (state room attendent, assistant attendent, server, assistant server) so it was an additional $30-35 per person afterwards. The food in the main dining room was mediocre. For how many people they had on the cruise, you couldn't expect a 5 star meal-- it was more like a 6/10 dinner. The dining time we had was 8:30- the later time. The earlier time (5:30) would definately be for the seniors and families. Stateroom QualityThe stateroom was so small. We had an interior room with no window and you could feel every rock and wave on the boat! We were in the middle of the ship as well. The beds were very comfortable, bathroom was decent except for that our toilet overflowed and it took maintenance about 30 mins to come and fix it. But you are hardly in your room anyway because there was soo much to do. Ship Staff QualityStaff was always friendly. I didn't encounter any "above and beyond" except for the complimentary cake and champagne they brought. Entertainment & ActivitiesThere was a lot to do on the ship. They had a comedy show for adults in the concert room which was awesome. They night club, bars, and hottub for adults only were wonderful. If you are wanting to meet people, these places would be where you'd want to hangout.
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Cococay (Cruiseline Private Island)DEFINATELY have a seapass card. All transactions are done on the island using your onboard credit account. It was nice to get to lay on the hammocks around the island, snorkle a little bit, and enjoy the view and relax.
Nassau, BahamasWe rented scooters! It was a blast, although if you have NEVER ridden a scooter or driven one before, I would not recommend making this your first time. In the capital, people are crazy drivers and they drive on the left side of the road. It was awesome to see the different forts and culture. We tried conch fritters for the first time, and always ordered Kalik beer- it's a Bahamian beer and people are super friendly. Our scooter wouldn't start a couple times and people just offered to help us out, out of no where.
5 out of 5 people found this review helpful.
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worst cruise ever by
Laurie J from Bradenton Fl Sailing date: Nov 2009Pros: entertainment Cons: food!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! This is my 18th cruise. Worst food I have ever had on a cruise. Not enough activities, lots of down time. Loud annoying music in the Sound of Music Lounge before the shows. Also played music during movies. I could go on and on, but will never sail Royal Caribbean again. Ship Qualitynot enough restrooms and hard to find. Should maintain them at night and not close them during the day for maintenance
Dining/FoodNot as fresh as it should be. Shrimp was mushy, salads were brown etc. Stateroom Quality
Ship Staff Quality
Entertainment & Activities
7 out of 10 people found this review helpful.
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Nice Cruise, but we've had better by
Jim H from Wittmann, az Sailing date: Jul 2009Pros: Entertainment Cons: Very Tiny Staterooms Overall we had a great time, met some wonderfull people, the staterooms are extremely small, beds were hard, the food was just OK, (Not as big of a choice as other cruise ships we have been on, Captains meal didn't serve the usual Lobster dinner we have grown acustomed to. but again we had a great time. Ship Quality
Dining/Food
Stateroom Quality
Ship Staff Quality
Entertainment & Activities
Children's Programs
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Cococay (Cruiseline Private Island)
Nassau, BahamasWe asked one of the dancers on the ship what beach is good, she recommended Cable Beach and how to get there, cost us a whole Buck and a Quarter each to take the local Bus there, sure beats paying an arm and a leg for an excursion
5 out of 6 people found this review helpful.
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Family trip. by
Kevin from Boise, Idaho Sailing date: Aug 2007Pros: The ports of call. This was great for first time crusers, my kid had a great time the right amout of time and plenty for them to do. Dining/Food
Stateroom Quality
Ship Staff Quality
Entertainment & Activities
Children's Programs
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Ensenada, Mexico
The sea kyakes trip was great and well worth the trip and money. Great of people run the company felt very safe and my kids and myself had a great time.
Don't Miss: Go into town do do your shopping great deals but look around for the besy deals. San Diego, California
Catalina Island, CaliforniaDon't Miss: Go into town to eat there are some great restraunts there. The guided snorkel trip was good. Close to the termial and fast. 5 out of 6 people found this review helpful.
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Our First Cruise by
Keryn A. from Beltsville, MD Sailing date: Jun 2012Pros: The variety of activities for all age Cons: The first night, we walked up to the dance floor of the Boleros Lounge and the speakers' volume was too loud (for me). My ear drums felt swollen shortly after and stayed like that for two days. The ship was clean, tidy and well lit. The ship diagrams on each level were helpful too. The Centrium and stair ways sparkled and were a good photo taking place. Ship QualityWe used several washrooms around the ship and they were always clean. I especially liked that they had hand sanitizers in several places. Dining/FoodThe variety of food served on buffets and on the restaurant menus were more than enough for our family of five. We especially liked the variety of fruits and vegetables. Also, we liked that in addition to water, we could get lemonade/fruit punch, and unsweetened iced tea.
The only disappointment was the ice-cream (both self-serve and waiter served from scoop one night). It was always an icy type of ice-cream, not creamy like we get at McD's or grocery store. Stateroom QualityCondition was clean. Well lit, ample towels and hangers.
The TV remote needed new batteries. Ship Staff QualityAll good experiences with staff. Our restaurant waiter gave our table of 11 "brain teasers" to solve each night which we all enjoyed. Our room attendant made towel animals for us which were a nice surprise. Entertainment & ActivitiesWe liked the dance instruction; we learned Salsa for the first time. We also liked the games like "Where in the World am I?". Children's ProgramsOur three teenage boys liked the basketball area, table tennis, and pool party. They didn't participate in the kid's club activities. 4 out of 4 people found this review helpful.
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