Menace of the Seas

[c-legs]

you're bashing the Monarch???

 

 

 

Sorry you didn't like the Monarch. We can't wait to sail on her again!

 

With all due respect, the OP is merely pointing out a mechanical // structural issue of concern to him, and has gone to extreme lenghts to reinforce his views that the ship otherwise is absolutely fine, great crew, good sailing, great food, etc....

that is NOT bashing in my opinion.

Cheers

[ehfl]

If you don't enjoy the motion of the ocean, then perhaps a land-based vacation might be more appropriate? Just seems to make sense, don't you think?

[Yo Eleven]

For me...I would rather be on a cruise that working so I never have much negative to say about them. But, the Monarch is definately not a good representation of RCL. I went with a friend last year the week after Thanksgiving. It should have been called the Very Senior citizen cruise. I didn't find there were a lot of activities and the food was "just OK". It was very clean but used well. Would I go again? Sure but it wouldn't be my first choice.

For the person with the 16 cabins and lots of kids...I hope they change the menu. If my teens would have been with us they would have starved. There were not "kid friendly" foods to be seen.

Again, it was a cruise and there was fun to be had but just not as much as on other ships.

WOW! Our trip that weekend was the complete opposite. I do not recall seeing one wheelchair or anyone carrying oxygen on this cruise. It was full of rug rats. The pirate parade reminded me of a gigantic congo line. Not that there was anything wrong with that. Maybe, for whatever reason the week after thanksgiving was popular with the more experienced crowd.

 

As for the food. I found a solution for finding something I like. Order no less than two entrees at dinner. Heck you can order all of them. They don't care how much you feed your face. These days cruise food seems to be hit or miss, but if you order a bunch of stuff you will pretty much always find something you like.

 

As for the kid friendly foods, we didn't see an issue with this. They seemed to have lots of offerings for kids. In fact we simply asked the kids what they wanted and told the waiter and they always brought it out. There was ZERO resistance to any request.

 

The staff on the Monarch is amazing. That I can say.

[Yo Eleven]

If you don't enjoy the motion of the ocean, then perhaps a land-based vacation might be more appropriate? Just seems to make sense, don't you think?

No I doesn't make any sense at all.

 

For someone with a 4,373 posting experience I would think you would have got the point and actually read my posts. Oh well, can't be right all the time. Thanks for stopping in though.

 

Enjoy your next cruise.

[Yo Eleven]

with all due respect, the op is merely pointing out a mechanical // structural issue of concern to him, and has gone to extreme lenghts to reinforce his views that the ship otherwise is absolutely fine, great crew, good sailing, great food, etc....

That is not bashing in my opinion.

Cheers

Amen!!!!!!!!!

[dulcimergirl]

Its a ship.. on a moving ocean... you want stable, take a land vaca.. nuff said.

 

(ducking for cover now)

 

I love the Monarch.... ROCK ON!!

[Yo Eleven]

Its a ship.. on a moving ocean... you want stable, take a land vaca.. nuff said.

 

(ducking for cover now)

 

I love the Monarch.... ROCK ON!!

Are you trying to be funny? Someone already used this line before.

Try again.

[JackofHearts]

I may have missed the dates of the cruise OP was on, but I would note that we were on the Freedom that returned to PC on Nov 6th. Late the night of the 5th and very early sun morning the 6th, the big ol' Freedom was rocking as much as any ship I have been on (including the Serenade in '03 when it was heading south while hurricane Juan was heading north less than 100 miles away). The last couple of months have had a lot of rough seas offshore of Florida with noreaster after noreaster.

[Mack2]

We were aboard the Oasis on the week of November 5th... We saw the Monarch docked in the Bahamas when you were there.

 

That Sunday, the evening of the 6th, we experienced some rolling (not rocking) on the Oasis... We were told the swells that night were around 21+ feet... so I can imagine how it may have been aboard the Monarch.

 

 

The Monarch was the 2nd cruise I've ever been on, the first being RCCL's Song of America... this was the late 1980... maybe 88' or 89'-ish?

Back then, it was RCCL's largest new ship.

 

Absolutely the worst seas I've ever been in was aboard the Carnival Ecstasy, from Miami to Bahamas. We got hit by some Nor'Easter that tossed that little ship around in what we were told, 30+ft seas with gusts up to 60 knots (I think... 70mph?)

 

blech... very sick.

[Yo Eleven]

I may have missed the dates of the cruise OP was on, but I would note that we were on the Freedom that returned to PC on Nov 6th. Late the night of the 5th and very early sun morning the 6th, the big ol' Freedom was rocking as much as any ship I have been on (including the Serenade in '03 when it was heading south while hurricane Juan was heading north less than 100 miles away). The last couple of months have had a lot of rough seas offshore of Florida with noreaster after noreaster.

Hello, it was the weekend of the 4th. It wasn't so much that the ship was rough, it was more how it handled the seas. It was simply sloppiness at its best. I just feel based on my experience on other ships, and i have been in rough seas as well that this Monarch ship has terrible handling. That's all.

[Dpeeps]

For me...I would rather be on a cruise that working so I never have much negative to say about them. But, the Monarch is definately not a good representation of RCL. I went with a friend last year the week after Thanksgiving. It should have been called the Very Senior citizen cruise. I didn't find there were a lot of activities and the food was "just OK". It was very clean but used well. Would I go again? Sure but it wouldn't be my first choice.

For the person with the 16 cabins and lots of kids...I hope they change the menu. If my teens would have been with us they would have starved. There were not "kid friendly" foods to be seen.

Again, it was a cruise and there was fun to be had but just not as much as on other ships.

Well.....I can't speak for all of the kids who are going but I can speak for the 4 that are going with my DH and I....and I will say they are NOT picky eaters and I am certain they will have no problem at all finding food that they like in the Windjammer and on the dinner menu! They have cruised before and never had any complaints about the food on any ships!!! Teenage boys eat anything....at least all the ones around my house!!! :p

[lcyccruiser]

We just got off of the Monarch. We had a wonderful sail each day, calm seas and was the best ride we have had on this ship. Food was good as usual in the MDR, but service was definitely lacking. We were not offered anything other than water to drink, other than bar items, which I thought was odd. We were not even offered coffee with our desert. We were the first table in, and the last one out. Needless to say, we did not return. We did see our tablemates the next night and they said it took an hour to get their entre. But other than that, the cruise was great and we will definitely cruise on the Monarch again. Crew is outstanding.

[tommoore1]

We cruised on Monarch several time when she was still on the left coast. Some of them were rocky heading north, some of them we had to go up on deck to see if the ship was really moving.

 

I would have to say it was due to ocean conditions.

 

I don't believe there is a ship large enough that would not be tossed about on the ocean if the conditions warranted it.

 

Edit to add, Monarch is dear to our hearts and we'd love to have her back. We've been on several much larger, much newer ships and we still prefer that size over most. Radiance (only one time) came in a close second.

 

I agree 100%!

 

If you Right-coasters don't want her, us Lefties will gladly take her back!

 

 

[bobbie0253]

We were torn between booking the Monarch or the Jewel for our upcoming cruise. Cost/ air travel/ car rental all played a part in our decision. Now I am pretty happy we decided on the Jewel again. :o and didn't go the cheaper route with the Monarch.

[critterchick]

We were torn between booking the Monarch or the Jewel for our upcoming cruise. Cost/ air travel/ car rental all played a part in our decision. Now I am pretty happy we decided on the Jewel again. :o and didn't go the cheaper route with the Monarch.

 

As much as I love Monarch, you made the right choice. Jewel is my favorite RCI ship.:)

[Susie51]

Capt BJ thank you for sharing this nautical info with us.

[rubrrick]

As much as I love Monarch, you made the right choice. Jewel is my favorite RCI ship.:)

 

 

Jean.........It's mine as well.........we will be aboard her for next years TA, back to the East Coast, from the U.K.

 

I still think, and have voiced my opinion, FWIW to a few of the senior corporate officers, about having a ship......the Monarch or a Vision Class ship on the West Coast for at least 3 months per year.

 

The problem, as I understand it, is the unstable market in Mexico.

 

Well......the ships go to Cozumel every week! Maybe if we could give a bit more money on the West Coast of Mexico.....they could get that area under control as well.

 

There has been no one shot at or killed that was a passenger of Royal Caribbean when either the Monarch was doing the Mini Mexico, or the Mariner of the Seas was doing the Mexican Riviera.

 

Royal Caribbean has not been able to offer what any other line has.......a bit of time on the West Coast.:rolleyes:

 

Rick

[wwcruisers]

Rubrrick -- All I can say is "Amen"! We sailed to Ensenada and the Mexican Riviera on RC, during the last years that they had ships on the west coast. I do try very hard not to 'get stupid' in any port -- anywhere (including the U.S.). That being said, I felt much safer in Mexico than I did in Jamaica or Belize -- and RC still sails to both of those places! I really do think that all of this is about the bottom line ($$$), more than anything else!

[tahqa]

Rubrrick -- All I can say is "Amen"! We sailed to Ensenada and the Mexican Riviera on RC, during the last years that they had ships on the west coast. I do try very hard not to 'get stupid' in any port -- anywhere (including the U.S.). That being said, I felt much safer in Mexico than I did in Jamaica or Belize -- and RC still sails to both of those places! I really do think that all of this is about the bottom line ($$$), more than anything else!

Of course it's about the bottom line. Royal said that while Mariner was reaching her goals for number of passengers she wasn't reaching her total sales goals. Maybe Monarch would have done better there in those terms and maybe she wouldn't have. If Royal thought there was money to be made on the West Coast there would be a ship there.

[critterchick]

Jean.........It's mine as well.........we will be aboard her for next years TA, back to the East Coast, from the U.K.

 

I still think, and have voiced my opinion, FWIW to a few of the senior corporate officers, about having a ship......the Monarch or a Vision Class ship on the West Coast for at least 3 months per year.

 

The problem, as I understand it, is the unstable market in Mexico.

 

Well......the ships go to Cozumel every week! Maybe if we could give a bit more money on the West Coast of Mexico.....they could get that area under control as well.

 

There has been no one shot at or killed that was a passenger of Royal Caribbean when either the Monarch was doing the Mini Mexico, or the Mariner of the Seas was doing the Mexican Riviera.

 

Royal Caribbean has not been able to offer what any other line has.......a bit of time on the West Coast.:rolleyes:

 

Rick

 

Isn't it funny how RCI conveniently forgets that Cozumel is part of Mexico when telling us why they don't sail the MR itinerary anymore?:rolleyes: Oversaturation of the market is something they conveniently omit, too.

 

I would expand on your comment to note that I haven't heard of any cruise ship passengers being shot at or killed on the Mexican Riviera. It's a shame that the media paint the entire country with one brush. I wonder if visitors to the US base their decision on the crime rates in NYC or LA.

 

Sorry, what was the original topic of thise thread?:confused:;)

[rubrrick]

Isn't it funny how RCI conveniently forgets that Cozumel is part of Mexico when telling us why they don't sail the MR itinerary anymore?:rolleyes: Oversaturation of the market is something they conveniently omit, too.

 

I would expand on your comment to note that I haven't heard of any cruise ship passengers being shot at or killed on the Mexican Riviera. It's a shame that the media paint the entire country with one brush. I wonder if visitors to the US base their decision on the crime rates in NYC or LA.

 

Sorry, what was the original topic of thise thread?:confused:;)

 

Beats me........as to the original topic.

 

You and I have cruised together, and with wives and husbands....became cruise friends.......and somewhat beyond.

 

You have the legal field, while I have the community field. Unfortunately, because I live in Arizona......I cannot communicate with California, except with the port captain.

 

I have reached out for Nick............and he does not answer me.......so I konw......that for now....we are scrwede on the West Coast.

 

Did you do the PC dinner at Mr. Fains home??

 

Rick

[tahqa]

Isn't it funny how RCI conveniently forgets that Cozumel is part of Mexico when telling us why they don't sail the MR itinerary anymore?:rolleyes: Oversaturation of the market is something they conveniently omit, too.

 

I would expand on your comment to note that I haven't heard of any cruise ship passengers being shot at or killed on the Mexican Riviera. It's a shame that the media paint the entire country with one brush. I wonder if visitors to the US base their decision on the crime rates in NYC or LA.

 

Sorry, what was the original topic of thise thread?:confused:;)

 

Here is what Adam Goldstein had to say about why they pulled out of the California market:

 

"Our deployment decision reflects both strategic and financial considerations. Royal Caribbean has had a major presence at the Port of Los Angeles and on the west coast of Mexico for many years with various ships and it is our hope to return in the not too distant future. Our preference would have been to continue to deliver Mariner of the Seas’ Mexico Riviera itinerary. Unfortunately, while the ship delivered great value to its guests on that itinerary, it will deliver superior performance for our shareholders as well as great value for our guests on the routes that we have announced today."

 

IE, they're going where the ship can make money.

[wwcruisers]

Of course it's about the bottom line. Royal said that while Mariner was reaching her goals for number of passengers she wasn't reaching her total sales goals. Maybe Monarch would have done better there in those terms and maybe she wouldn't have. If Royal thought there was money to be made on the West Coast there would be a ship there.

 

Hmmm -- you're right. Wonder how well all those ships (RC&X) in the Med are paying off for them, right about now?

[cruise pup]

Isn't it funny how RCI conveniently forgets that Cozumel is part of Mexico when telling us why they don't sail the MR itinerary anymore?:rolleyes: Oversaturation of the market is something they conveniently omit, too.

 

I would expand on your comment to note that I haven't heard of any cruise ship passengers being shot at or killed on the Mexican Riviera. It's a shame that the media paint the entire country with one brush. I wonder if visitors to the US base their decision on the crime rates in NYC or LA.

 

Sorry, what was the original topic of thise thread?:confused:;)

 

Actually neither LA nor NYC are on the list of the 10 most dangerous cities in the US. We are up to our ears in tourists here in NYC.

[Aquahound]

I don't think Monarch's ride in heavy seas has anything to do with her grounding. As far as I know, her hull was returned to new condition in the dry dock.

 

My first RCI cruise was on Monarch. It was when she was still doing Caribbean cruises.....which was also after the grounding. I didn't notice any issues then. However, several years later and several Sovereign Class cruises later, I have noticed the ride can get rough on the 3 and 4 night itineraries. I think this has more to do with the short legs and slow speed. Plus, this time of year, with all the cold fronts and winds from the north, against the Gulf Stream out of the south, the Atlantic off Florida can get pretty rough. Couple the conditions with a ship cruisng perpendicular to the seas, and it's a recipe for a rough ride.