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

[cruizinnoon]

Great Review; cruised on Monarch in December and I have to ogree with the OP that Nikki from Croatia in the MDR was wonderful. She was definitely one of the standouts on our trip. If they do decide to get rid of Monarch I definitely want to sail on her one more time before she leaves the RCI fleet.

[av8tr21]

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

 

I'd have to agree with you. Deck 5 or 6 seems to be the best area to be because it is so easy to get everywhere. I was concerned about not getting to Coco Cay, but fortunately the weather was absolutely beautiful as you will see in the pictures!

[nana of 3]

Keep it coming, waiting to see pics of Coco Cay. How's the job hunt going??

[av8tr21]

Keep it coming, waiting to see pics of Coco Cay. How's the job hunt going??

 

Slow....I have a good lead as of today only because I know someone who knows someone......which unfortunately is the best way to get a job :-P. Too bad I don't know more of those people!

[av8tr21]

Ok everyone, here are some pics of Coco Cay to tide you over until I can type up some more review. I will try to scan the Day 3 Cruise Compass, and also upload tonight. No promises though!

 

 

Tenders already going!

 

 

 

Majesty and NCL Sky in the distance

 

 

Uploaded with ImageShack.us

[av8tr21]

Here is a link to show exactly where Coco Cay is located for those of you that didn't know. Great Stirrup Cay is the adjacent island that appears semi-connected.

 

http://maps.google.com/maps?q=Coco+Cay,+The+Bahamas&hl=en&client=safari&oe=UTF-8&geocode=FV4BigEde9ta-w&hnear=Coco+Cay&t=m&z=9&vpsrc=6

[av8tr21]

That could work for an advertisement for RCI don't you think?

 

 

 

 

 

The beach in the pic above is always very crowded and hard to find chairs. If you continue heading down the beach past all the food/drink areas, there is a long long stretch of beach where the "waterpark/toys" are located. This was less crowded, but the water wasn't as nice because the tide was quite low most of the day. Water was a bit too cold for my liking, so it didn't matter to me.

[nana of 3]

Looks awesome, can't wait to be there at the end of the month :) Greatly enjoying your review.

[crvng4mr]

Thank you so much for this review!! Iam going on Monarch tomorrow and I am glad to know that our cabin on deck 5 is a great location. I hope we get to Coco Cay but the weather says the winds will be 15-20 on Sunday. Anyway, we are very excited!

[av8tr21]

Thank you so much for this review!! Iam going on Monarch tomorrow and I am glad to know that our cabin on deck 5 is a great location. I hope we get to Coco Cay but the weather says the winds will be 15-20 on Sunday. Anyway, we are very excited!

 

You're welcome, thanks for reading! Deck 5 is prime real estate in my book. I hope you make it to Coco Cay, I wouldn't mind skipping Nassau and spending 2 days there! Have a great cruise, and make sure you say hi to Nikki (Assistant Maitre D') in the MDR. She is great, and is more than willing to help you with anything!

[Carolina_Girl]

Thanks again for the review! We will be on her in 8 days on deck 6. And I am keeping my fingers crossed we get to stop at Coco Cay this time, we missed it in October!

[DarthGrady]

Hey everyone! Just off Monarch this morning and arrived home about 30 minutes ago (living an hour from the port=awesome). I took a ton of pictures and have two of the Cruise Compasses (sorry, lost day 2) that I will scan in. Reason I want to do such a detailed review of Monarch? There weren't many with a lot of pics for me to look at before I went, although DarthGrady had a great review with lots of pics. I'm going to start working on it shortly....just waiting for my big old heat exchanger espresso machine to warm up after being off all weekend, as I need a latte to get going. Woke up at 6:45 and was off by 9! Stay tuned :cool:

 

I'm honored to have a shout out in your awesome review! I enjoyed seeing all of your pics as well. Thanks for posting it, it has gotten me anxious to get back on board her next month! :D

[glock813]

We will be on the Monarch in three days on deck 9! I can't wait!!!

[iloverags2]

I have to agree about Deck 5. We loved it!

[Pichu21]

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

 

Tom

 

He's not required to write a review. And he's definitely not required to write it on a daily basis when he's trying to look for a job just because you're impatient. Thank the guy for simply taking his time writing the review and save the sarcasm..

[Carolina_Girl]

He's not required to write a review. And he's definitely not required to write it on a daily basis when he's trying to look for a job just because you're impatient. Thank the guy for simply taking his time writing the review and save the sarcasm..

 

YES!! Thanks again for the review! Enough said!

[mlzangel78]

111 days to go till we set sail... very excited. and long overdue!

[live_to_cruise]

Love this review! Thinking of going on this cruise in Feb. and looking for info about the teen club/activites...did your brother that's 14 save the compasses? Does he remember any activites that the club offered or where kids our age(i'm 14 too) hang out on the ship? Any extra info at all would be helpful! Thanks :)

[JennOT]

We will be on the Monarch in three days on deck 9! I can't wait!!!

 

 

Please post your thoughts about the staterooms on deck 9. We're going on the monarch in Feb. We booked rooms on deck 9 but my husband argued about going with the larger ocean view room instead of the standard ocean view on the lower decks. Have a great cruise!

[live_to_cruise]

@JennOT , I think we might be going on the same cruise as you! It's my mom and I...we're so excited! Have you been on monarch before?

[av8tr21]

Please post your thoughts about the staterooms on deck 9. We're going on the monarch in Feb. We booked rooms on deck 9 but my husband argued about going with the larger ocean view room instead of the standard ocean view on the lower decks. Have a great cruise!

 

Deck 9 is great also, and very close to the pool deck. How much more is the SOV vs the standard OV? Honestly, the rooms are small but save the extra and put it towards an excursion. If it is only you and your husband, you should be able to make do just fine in the OV.

[av8tr21]

Love this review! Thinking of going on this cruise in Feb. and looking for info about the teen club/activites...did your brother that's 14 save the compasses? Does he remember any activites that the club offered or where kids our age(i'm 14 too) hang out on the ship? Any extra info at all would be helpful! Thanks :)

 

Very cool! No, he actually didn't spend too much time in the actual teen club, but rather on the basketball court and just hanging out around the ship in general. I believe he went to the club the first night and maybe one more time after to make friends, and then they all kind of did their own thing. They always had something going on in there though.

[LMZinSC]

Please post your thoughts about the staterooms on deck 9. We're going on the monarch in Feb. We booked rooms on deck 9 but my husband argued about going with the larger ocean view room instead of the standard ocean view on the lower decks. Have a great cruise!

I think you did the right thing. There is a significant difference in the regular OV and the Superior OV. I think the SOV have flat screen tv's, refrigerators and safes. Not to mention a larger cabin. If we ever do Monarch again I would want an SOV. We had a OV on deck 4 and although I LOVED the location (so close to the Centrum), the cabin itself was really showing it's age. Certainly didn't ruin our cruise, but I would have appreciated the better cabin for sure.

[molly5673]

maybe we passed in the dining room or something, lol. it was our 1st cruise and it was wonderful. alot of people on here really scared me about the Monarch. it was beautiful. yeah its old but still beautiful. i didnt like nassau at all. to be a port town it shouldnt be that dirty. if it werent for our sail boat excursion, we would have stayed on the ship. loved coco cay. started out cold but then it warmed up. cant wait to go again. :)

[live_to_cruise]

Okay! Thanks so much!