I Have Learned My Lesson!

[Ships R Great]

Just returned from RCL's Monarch of the Seas. This was a shortie "bid your time" cruise to hold us over until we sail Mercury in Nov/Dec. MISTAKE!!! Not having sailed anything but X since 2001 I had forgotten just how lucky we are to sail on Celebrity.

 

Monarch is lovely and the crew is good, but the finer touches are missing. Example: Not one single live plant/flower on the ship. All aritficial. We had to wait every night for our entrees. One night, the assistant waiter took my used knife off my salad plate and put it on the table for re-use! The cabin steward missed our cabin one night for turndown (OK that is petty but still---.) The show singers and dancers were the worst I have ever seen. The shows, of course, were too loud. The magician was too soft, could not hear his patter. The water tasted terrible! And there was no water pitcher in the cabin, tho I did ask for and get ice. We received chocloate strawberries (Diamond members because of X Elite) and the used plate sat on the vanity the rest of the cruise.

 

This is mostly minor stuff but still it impacted on the overall pleasure of the cruise.

 

As I said, Lesson learned!

[Solstice23]

We love X more also,

 

But we have sailed on the newer RCCL ships and had really great time and service also, the details are not as detailed but still really good ships like the radiance class!

[Rysyonok]

Let me take a wild guess here...

 

is it fair to say that you (not OP in particular, but in general) get what you pay for? :)

 

P.S. Sorry you had a bad cruise...

[nps001]

How ironic! I could have written the exact same thing about us sailing on NCL Star. We swore we wouldn't do it again last year but just did it to get over our bug. I was so happy that Century was going to be in Miami year round only to learn that it would not be. :(

[RodPat]

Let me start with I love Celebrity and I have 3 cruises on Celebrity booked for next year. I have sailed on Royal Caribbean and most of the time I have been happy. Went on Monarch a long time ago and the rooms are the smallest I have ever been in. I think if you were to try one of the Freedom class ships you would have been much happier.

 

Pat

[Bridge Maven]

Let me start with I love Celebrity and I have 3 cruises on Celebrity booked for next year. I have sailed on Royal Caribbean and most of the time I have been happy. Went on Monarch a long time ago and the rooms are the smallest I have ever been in. I think if you were to try one of the Freedom class ships you would have been much happier.

 

Pat

 

I was about to write a similar post. We haven't been on Monarch but was on her sister ship Sovereign of the Seas many years ago. It was the smallest cabin we ever had on a ship, as well. In addition a short Caribbean cruise during the summer on Royal Caribbean's old ships are very cheap while cruises on Royal Caribbean's newer ships are a lot more expensive than Celebrity. While I would never take a cruise on a ship such as Monarch of the Seas, I prefer Royal's Radiance Class ships to Celebrity in every way.

[JanineM]

We have sailed Monarch twice and will be on her again in November. Granted, we live 20 minutes from Port Canaveral so it's an easy weekend away and we watch for super inexpensive fares.

 

If you're looking for luxury, then the Sovereign class is not the way to go ... especially on a weekend cruise. But if you're just wanting to get on the sea and head over to Nassau then it's an affordable weekend away.

 

We have learned to skip the dining room and the shows and just treat it as a break away, not as a real "cruise". I think it helps to manage your expectations when you head out on weekend cruises on older ships. ;)

[Brad1185]

Wish you would have asked me first, I would have warned you.

 

RCI has gone crazy with cutbacks and extra charges that knock on wood, hopefully Celebrity will not follow.

 

We have given up RCI and are booking future cruises with Celebrity and HAL.

 

Celebrity seems like they are trying to give you more rather than how little they can give and get away with it.

 

Right now our price for next summer on the Solstice Aqua Class is $1,800 each, I know I can book lots of cruises cheaper, but we love AQ and feel like we are getting something for what they charge.

 

My only fault with Celebrity is the $5 crepe charge.

[pris993]

We quit Royal Carribean in the late l980s when we saw how small the cabins were and noticed even the beds were smaller, when we took a tour on board for TAs. Nothing they have built since has encouraged us to go back. We have sworn off NCL as well when they went to "freestyle".

Now it is Princess, HAL, Celebrity for us. Trying Cunard with the Queen Victoria in 2011.

[Bridge Maven]

We quit Royal Carribean in the late l980s when we saw how small the cabins were and noticed even the beds were smaller, when we took a tour on board for TAs. Nothing they have built since has encouraged us to go back. We have sworn off NCL as well when they went to "freestyle".

Now it is Princess, HAL, Celebrity for us. Trying Cunard with the Queen Victoria in 2011.

 

That is not true for every ship. We had a D-1 aft balcony cabin for our Mediterranean Cruise on Brilliance of the Seas which was quite a bit larger than our CC aft balcony cabin on Constellation. So, with the exception of family cabins, the D-1 balcony cabins on RCL's Radiance Class ships are larger than any non suite cabin on a Celebrity ship.

[jackdiamond]

I was about to write a similar post. We haven't been on Monarch but was on her sister ship Sovereign of the Seas many years ago. It was the smallest cabin we ever had on a ship, as well. In addition a short Caribbean cruise during the summer on Royal Caribbean's old ships are very cheap while cruises on Royal Caribbean's newer ships are a lot more expensive than Celebrity. While I would never take a cruise on a ship such as Monarch of the Seas, I prefer Royal's Radiance Class ships to Celebrity in every way.

We have often sailed the Radiance; and, we are always pleased. Perhaps it surpasses Celebrity's lesser ships such as the Mercury etc., but we feel that it is a notch below the M class ships. By the way, we are diamond on Royal and elite on Celebrity. Also, in our opinion, it is clearly below the S class.

[jackdiamond]

That is not true for every ship. We had a D-1 aft balcony cabin for our Mediterranean Cruise on Brilliance of the Seas which was quite a bit larger than our CC aft balcony cabin on Constellation. So, with the exception of family cabins, the D-1 balcony cabins on RCL's Radiance Class ships are larger than any non suite cabin on a Celebrity ship.

You are correct, with the exception of the four C-1's on the penthouse deck, two of which are a wee bit wider than the other C-1's. I believe that the D-1's, in the Radiance class, are about 12-13 square feet larger in cabin size, but I believe that the balcony size is about the same. The larger balconies are nice for folks who pack a lot of stuff for the beaches.

[hcat]

Radiance Class ships are still good for us but with S class on Celebrity nothing is quite that nice!!!

[Ships R Great]

Just got back to my own computer. We are home and unpacked---but still laundry to do. We did not mind the small (and it was tiny) cabin. Only there to sleep and change. Other points are well taken. But, like I said, we have learned our lesson and won't be back. Maybe we would have been happier with a larger RCL ship, tho' we like smallish ships. That's why I did not mind booking MOS in the first place. We booked for the get-away,not the price. The price was very good, however.

[doktor]

That is not true for every ship. We had a D-1 aft balcony cabin for our Mediterranean Cruise on Brilliance of the Seas which was quite a bit larger than our CC aft balcony cabin on Constellation. So, with the exception of family cabins, the D-1 balcony cabins on RCL's Radiance Class ships are larger than any non suite cabin on a Celebrity ship.

I agree with you on the aft cabins on the Brillance. We were on her Spring 2008, and loved her in every way.

 

I told RC to retire the Monarch after a New Years cruise last year, however I am on her again on 9/21.LOL We also live 15 minutes from Port Canaveral. It's a great cheap 4 day vacation. We may or may not get off the ship. I did up grade to neck 9.

[Bridge Maven]

Radiance Class ships are still good for us but with S class on Celebrity nothing is quite that nice!!!

 

We haven't tried Solstice yet because if a couple wants a cabin that is more than 193 Sf, they have to book a suite and Solstice currently has a huge price difference between their sky suites and balcony cabins. If Solstice had more interesting itineraries I would be willing to pay for their suites but at this point in time I find their itineraries to be redundant.

[hcat]

The E Medit is nice--that's where we are headed next... & eventually with different S class ships I think (& hope) there will be better port variety-

 

I received a brochure from Holland Am today showing Martinique, St Barts & some other ports I'd love visit...hope celebrity will consider expanding its horizons in the Caribbean!