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Just off Monarch 12/23-12/26---Detailed Review with pics!

av8tr21

By av8tr21,
in Royal Caribbean International

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av8tr21

av8tr21

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Thanks for posting this review....well worth waiting for. We are leaving this Friday (Jan 6) on the Monarch, so your timing is perfect. Loving the review....will keep following it. Also, hoping your job leads pay off for you soon. Happy New Year.

 

Thanks! Hope you have a wonderful cruise next weekend! Happy New Year! :cool: I will let everyone know as soon as I get a job. The thing is, there are lots of jobs but too many qualified people...

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av8tr21

av8tr21

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What is the movement like on this smaller RCCL ship?

 

I honestly didn't really feel much movement at all. It seemed less than the Carnival ships I have been on, and certainly less than the Maasdam. RCI ships have a wider beam, which I assume helps with stability.

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av8tr21

av8tr21

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Ok, here are some pictures from Nassau and the Cruise Compass from Day 1. As I said before, I lost the Cruise Compass from Day 2....sorry!

 

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Obligatory lighthouse shot....

 

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Junkanoo Beach

 

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Junkanoo is a bit farther than it looks, but nevertheless a nice walk on a beautiful day!

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Ted569

Ted569

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Thanks for the wonderful review. My wife and I sailed aboard the Monarch in April of 1997 for our honeymoon. Glad to see the ship is still in nice condition given its age. I've been considering another cruise on this ship since RCCL often has some really great, low rates for 3 to 4 day "get away" cruises over to the Bahamas. After reading your review and seeing your pix, I'm seriously thinking of booking up. Lots of luck with the job hunt...and happy new year to you and the others reading this thread.

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CruizeKatz

CruizeKatz

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Will upload the other Cruise Compass and write some more review later today! Hope everyone had a Happy and Safe New Year!

Thank you for taking the time to post the review, and especially with pics! Wishing you the best on your job search.

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ditom

ditom

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Will upload the other Cruise Compass and write some more review later today! Hope everyone had a Happy and Safe New Year!

 

Let's hope his prospective employer doesn't see how well he keeps his word:rolleyes:

 

Tom

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av8tr21

av8tr21

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Once again I apologize for taking so long! Now where had I left off....oh yes, Christmas Eve. We left Nassau quite promptly around 5PM, behind the NCL Sky. Majesty was shortly behind us. Funny thing was, Majesty was at Coco Cay the next day with us and NCL's Great Stirrup Cay is "right next door" to Coco Cay. I spent most of the afternoon/evening on the Sun Deck realxing/reading/napping/etc. Shortly after sailaway, I meandered back to the cabin to get dressed for dinner, I mean after all it was Formal Night. Most everyone dressed up, well except for the select few that don't seem to care about their appearance AT ALL. I understand that it is a vacation, but come on. Everyone knows the MDR has a dress code, and you should not come in looking like you rolled out of bed. So, yes it does bother me when people look like crap in the MDR, but do I let it ruin my cruise? Absolutely not! Food was much better than the previous night, and the had a special menu which included the obligatory "Christmas Turkey". I went with the Prime Rib, and it was pretty good, but I have had better at Outback. Shortly after, we headed to the Sound of Music lounge to catch the Christmas show. It was great! Also hung out in Boleros lounge for a bit as there was another trivia game going on, and a separate Christmas show. It seemed to get late pretty quick, and I headed down to the cabin to rest up for a bit so I wouldn't be too tired for the caroling in the Centrum at 11PM. I ended up taking a 30 minute nap, and felt like a million bucks! You guys are probably laughing thinking, "seriously, he's 21 and needs a nap to stay up late?". Trust me, I can be quite the night owl, but walking around Nassau and all the sun got to me I think. Caroling was great, and it was fun to see everyone engaged and enjoying it so much!

 

Being a musician, it is something I look forward to every year. We typically go with people from church to a nursing home and carol, then to someone's house for a Christmas party and carol around the neighborhood. Last year, I organized a trip to a nursing home with my entire college group from church, and also in CA where we spent Christmas with our extended family (they all loved the experience of caroling in the nursing home as well). We had a blast, and the folks in the nursing home are so happy when someone spends a little time with them. Trust me, they don't care if you can sing or not. I am a pianist, so I typically play to help keep everyone in some sort of tune :rolleyes:.....Point being, if you are any kind of a musician with a voice or can play an instrument, I highly encourage you to consider going in to a nursing home and playing or singing for the people there. It doesn't have to be at Christmas either, as they love ANY kind of music.

 

Back to the cruise, I ended up not going to the Midnight Mass as I got separated from my family because we had all gone off to do our own thing and never caught up with each other. I honestly wasn't sure how I would like spending Christmas on a ship, but so far it was great and I wouldn't hesitate to do it again. The ship was decorated beautifully, and I know my mom was certainly happy about not having to cook :D

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av8tr21

av8tr21

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Let's hope his prospective employer doesn't see how well he keeps his word:rolleyes:

 

Tom

 

I'm guessing this was sarcasm? I DO keep my word, but reviews take time and I'd rather not "throw it up on here" if you know what I mean, and do a good job ;)

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lpizzuro123

lpizzuro123

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Thanks for the review and all the pictures. I am enjoying this. We were on the Monarch for Thanksgiving this year and we really enjoyed it. We were on Deck 5 right off the Centerium (SP?) and it was a PERFECT location. I would recommend it if you ever sail on the Monarch again. We did have cabins with windows but even an inside on this deck would be great. Being on deck 5 near the middle of the ship made the ship seem smaller - same deck as the Sound of Music theater, two decks down to dinner and 5 up for food. We took the stairs alot also.

 

Anyway, funny how the itinery changes, we were in Nassau all day from 9:00am until midnight. We did the Stingray swim in Nassau which I would also recommned if you are ever in Nassau again. We were supposed to be in Coco Cay on Thanksgiving but due to rough water we could not take the tenders over so we had another day on the ship. All in all we loved our cruise.

 

Now back to your report.

 

Linda

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