Our cancelled cruise was a Mediterranean cruise and we have been able to book a Celebrity cruise for next year with almost the same itinerary but for a huge difference in price.  We hope that one will still sail (safely).

The highlight of the article: “In this way, it will continue in line with the commitment acquired to obtain two Millennium class vessels at Pullmantur’s disposal under the terms derived from the business plan.”

It is now on its way to Mumbai , so I expect our October cruise out of Athens is cancelled.  

This was our second time on the Monarch on basically the same route out of Cartagena, Colombia, but this time instead of stopping in Caracas we overnighted in Curacao on New Years.

As it was a number of special occasions for us we booked the Royal Suite.  The suite was a memories of the 90s marble and wood trim super space with some quirks.  The bedroom had a true king size bed and the bath room had a gigantic jacuzzi tub.  The toilet was a very small cubicle (memories of the Edge Sky Suite we had) and the shower was not a lot larger than the toilet space.

On a previous cruise on the Sovereign there were glasses on the shelves and it looked homier but the shelves were bare in the cabin.  probably too much theft these days.  I made a walk around video of the Suite that I will eventually put up on YouTube and post a link here for those interested. If we do travel on the Monarch again we will opt for the Suite beside ours as it has a much more efficient bath room with a lot of other space too.

The balcony was big enough for a table and two chairs as well as two loungers, which were provided at our request.  The balcony was next to the wing bridge and we had a nice chat with the Captain there one evening. One thing we talked about was that this cruise was our second New Years cruise, the first being 10 years earlier and the Captain was the same person, but the ship was different.  We even gave him a copy of the New Years menu from 2010.

The ship was full and with many large multi generation family groups, making it a little hectic. We will probably not do another New Years cruise in this part of the world 

The food was good and quite creative but service was a little rushed.  We had the black wrist bands so we had a broader selection of drinks than the basic free package.  The number of wines was limited but quite decent overall.

All ports were 30 degrees or hotter which was hard to get used to again, but eventually we did, and we especially enjoyed our half day excursion touring around Aruba, which included an hour and a half at Eagle Beach which was great.  The excursion was only $43 US per person.

If you have any questions about the Monarch, just ask.

Given that all their ships were scrapped I wonder if they managed to clear their debts. Either way they are going to need new ships, perhaps one of the many Carnival Corp ships that are being sold or a couple of the older Royal ones?

Progress(?) in Aliaga

https://www.yachtworld.com/boats-for-sale/type-power/class-power-cruise-ship/

https://www.cruiseindustrynews.com/cruise-news/20563-pullmantur-cruises-publishes-summer-2020-program.html

Pullmantur has filed for reorganization, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that they are disappearing from the planet. I wonder if there is any chance that they may feel there is an opportunity to buy some newer ships and upgrade their fleet? Obviously this will take some money, but if they get out from under their debt load via bankruptcy, that could improve their operating position.

https://www.cruiseindustrynews.com/cruise-news/23074-pullmantur-ships-move-to-cold-lay-up.html

I hope the industry survives and look forward to future cruises.  Here is a view from our balcony early one morning as we are arriving in Colon.  For the memories.

Hi! My daughter and I are traveling to Europe for the first time for a cruise to the Fjords of Norway. Any advice is appreciated, because we don’t know what we don’t know!

My specific questions for starters:

- Our cruise leaves Berlin on May 30...what weather should we pack for?

- What type of cuisine should we be prepared for?

- I have only ever done Caribbean cruises before...what should I expect to be the same/different?

- Are the walls and doors of the cabins metal?

- Gratuities are included in our all-inclusive package, but how much EXTRA should I plan on for tipping?

Thank you in advance!

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

https://www.pullmantur.com.br/en/brochures

BTW, most of the food was very good and interesting.

.

PullmanturMenu and NY2020.pdf

Does anybody know of bus or van charters in Colon, Panama? At least 12 of us are looking to take the train from Panama City to Colon and need a ride to the cruise terminal.

Thanks!

We are looking at Monarch’s eastbound Spring 2020 transatlantic and the price for a Jr Suite (balcony) all in including drinks package and gratuities is slightly over $1000 per person. That’s about what we paid on Norwegian Star last fall for a westbound TA in an inside at a group rate!

From reading the few reviews and info available here on CC and on YouTube it appears Pullmantur is comparable to other mainstream lines but just on older ships. Most reviewers seem to think it’s a good value.  

Was my Daddy wrong?