Monarch March 14-18 Review Part 2

[mringenoldus]

Ports

We had the most amazing weather in each port!! Each day was about 70 degrees with a bright blue sky. In San Diego, 6 of us went to SeaWorld. Thanks to Annheiser-Busch, our admission was free because of the military status. that was a $360 savings!! I stopped in the Guest Relations area to thank the park for its generosity. The new ride my grandson was looking forward to had just opened and was a big hit. We all had a great time! The taxi fare was $30 each way. The driver made arrangements to meet us at the end of the day to return us to the ship. He was there and waiting right on time!! My husband walked to the new USS Midway ship and took a $10 tour. He's looking forward to going back in May when they open a new area of the ship to the public.

 

On Catalina, my husband took the Unimog tour we arranged with Discovery Tours and very much enjoyed it. He said they covered much of the island. Three of the kids went Scuba diving. The Catalina Diver's Supply folks were wonderful. My sons loved it but wished they had more time in the water. My daughter had a problem with the water filling in her mask. It scared her so badly, she left the water and was still quite shaken when I met her later. She said the scuba instructors were very professional in assisting her however. We did a bit of shopping and headied back to the Monarch by 3pm.

 

In Ensenada, all the guys went to the Fox Studios tour. They found the place interesting but overrun with school groups. They wished they had more time to see the exhibits. The girls went shopping and had a good time finding some nice bargains. Papas and Beer was strangely subdued given that it was St Patrick's Day and a Spring Break Week.

 

People

For those who felt Spring breakers might be a problem - there was no need to worry. The ship had a 300 children, a number of older college students and a healthy mix of 40's and older. There was no craziness from any age group - but a few cranky seniors (complaining loudly about small things like the speed of the elevators) My young adult children met a very nice group of peers who just seemed to collect the first evening and then saw each other in ports and about the ship each evening. They had a great time attending things like The Quest and late night activities.

 

My only significant complaint would be the lack of friendly enthusiasm from the general staff. Unlike Princess, they tend to pass you in the halls and such without a smile or greeting.

 

The CD was Matt Sole who was entertaining without being overbearing. The captain's name was Hanson. I never saw him but as long as he gets us safely from place to place - that's all I need.

 

Entertainment and Food

I enjoyed both of the production shows. The lead singer and the entire group were very talented and hard-working on stage. The comedian was Bruce Gold. I thought he was pretty funny without being crass. Los Diablos Gauchos were more entertaing than I expected of a salsa dance team. My kids saw Jan Downs, another comedian and enjoyed her show. The highlight for them was the Quest and the Battle of the Sexes show.

 

I went to the Art Auction for a bit - and mostly for the free Champagne! it was the typical Park West stuff.

 

The food was fine. Nothing was spectacular - except the tenderloin - but nothing was dreadful either. The waiter always gave honest answers about the recommendations of the different dishes. I missed the Personal Choice dining option and, if we hadn't had my grandson, would have preferred to eat later. It was a bit of a rush each day returning from port and getting to a 5:30 meal. The formal night was a huge succes for us. I was gratified by the nice comments from people when my husband and sons entered the dining room in their dress uniforms. We had a good laugh when we overheard someone question if my husband was the ship captain (must be a ll the gold bars on his jacket sleeves!) We had the formal photo taken.. it came out all right - but the photographer could have easily arranged us better. My daughter had another passenger take one of us on the centrum steps which I think will come out much better.

 

Diembarkation

Not a pleasant experience but probably not RCL's fault. We didn't sign up for the Express Check Out early enough and it filled up fast. Immigration was probably the hold up as we waited to leave. We had to wait for the girls' luggage tag color to be called and didn't actually hit the parking lot until almost noon. If all the members of our party had possessed passports - we would have made it in much shorter time as they has a special line for passport holders.

 

Final Thoughts

We had a great time together. This itinerary has to be more about the cruise than the ports but we found fun things to do on each stop. Mycooments on the survey card were 1.) Show special attention to past cruisers/Crown and Anchor members to promote loyalty to the line 2.) Improve the staff friendliness factor 3) Discontinue and direct reference to gratuities by the staff - it's tacky and inappropriate. 4.) This one is from my husband - have a 24 hour coffee station as advertised but not actually in existance.

 

As the cruise director said, "You're not here for a long time - you're here for a great time...so get out there!" Please let me know if you have any specific question I can answer.

[Arizona Cruz Chic]

WOW, free admission to Sea World....that IS a wonderful way of saying thank-you to all service men and women who protect us and serve our country. It brought tears to my eyes ;)

Your weather was perfect! Glad everyone had a great time and enjoyed something to do in each port.

Gee sounds like the crew could use a quick review in customer service and friendlyness....afterall WE are there paychecks! :D

Can't believe there is no 24 hour coffee station! Was room service 24 hours?

 

Thanks for your wonderful review....and welcome home! :)

 

Linda

 

 

***

[mringenoldus]

It looks like the rain in LA yesterday followed us home to Phoenix. We were truly blessed with the weather on our trip.

 

The crew could use a brush up on their friendliness factor - however, they weren't surly or unprofessional (except for the mentioning of gratuities or good survey ratings) I think a four day/3 day itinerary must be tiring for them.

 

There was 24 hour room service - but Mr. "I like to go fill up my own coffee mug" had to find at least one thing to add to the review!

 

Have a great day!

[Happy ks]

Sounds like you had a good time, welcome home and thank you for posting the review. I'm always on the lookout for reviews of Monarch, since it's almost in our backyard. Yes, you were lucky with the weather, yesterday was actually cold and I hardly ever get cold, the rest of the weekend promises rain.

 

I have to agree with you, anyone who receives gratuities should have the grace and manners not to inquire about them. It makes me wonder if these persons have been "stiffed" lately. Still, no excuse. It has been mentioned to me on almost every cruise to fill out the comment card, I think these cards are more important than many of us realise.

 

Tell your husband I can sympathise with his coffee need. I drink a lot of coffee, I switch to decaf in the afternoon or evening. He should have called room service, they are on call 24 hours a day, I think. I don't know, I'm sleeping during the night. Did he try Seattles best? We had some great coffee there, I didn't care at all for the buffet coffee.

 

One thing I do have to add, spring break for our local school districts has not started yet. Most districts are off from the last week of March to anywhere through the second week in April.

[PhoenixCruiser]

Thanks for your review Maureen! We'll be on her in August.

 

###