Monarch - A Few Questions

[hlauburn]

I just posted about possibly booking a cruise on the Monarch, but I had a few specific questions, so I just thought I'd ask in a separate thread...

 

- We plan to go in mid-August. I know some schools will be back in, but can I expect there to be other kids on board? I read a couple reviews that said there weren't many kids, but I'm sure it varies depending on time of year.

 

- I mentioned this on my previous post, does Monarch only have 2 pools? How does that work on a day at sea with 2000+ guests? What other things do people do onboard that day?

 

- Other than pre-paid gratuity, what's the disadvantage of My Time Dining? If I understand it right, you still choose a time to dine before you cruise? I was thinking it would be nice to have some flexibilty on dinner time, but do you really get that if you still are expected to eat at a certain time?

 

Thanks!

[hlauburn]

124 views and no one has any answers?! :( Anyone...?

[CaroleSS]

I am a newbie to RCCL, but a long-time cruiser. We will be on our first RCCL on the Monarch in May, but I've been doing some reading (and I stayed at Holiday Inn Express last night ;)), so I'll take a crack at this.

 

Mid-August will more than likely be a good time for fewer children, most traditional schools will be back in session, but in NC we have a LOT of year-round schools, so kids are tracking out all the time. If you really don't want kids, you might have to opt for a 'higher end' cruiseline.

 

It does look like the pools might be an issue for you - as well as the hot tubs. I've read that it is difficult to get time in the hot tubs. the suggested time was after midnight!! We won't see that as a huge issue since Coco Cay = beach, Nassau = beach so on the third day either we, or the others on the ship, might want to stay out of the sun. You may choose to stay onboard and take advantage of the pools then??

 

Here is some info about MTD:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1592404

I'm sure that the pre-paid gratuities for this are because you don't see the same wait staff each night. It looks like you can just show up if you so choose. We did anytime dinign when we went to Bermuda and it worked out well. We didn't want to be tied down to a specific dining time as we didn't know when we'd be back to the ship with each day's adventures, but still wanted the ambiance of the MDR.

[CaroleSS]

Sorry - me again....forgot some things about your post!

 

On the at sea day there are BUNCHES of things to do! I'm not sure what'll be offered on the Monarch, but there is the casino, bingo, maybe a movie, and LOTS of activites planned.

 

We've seen wine tastings, beer tastings, ice sculpture demonstrations, pool games, trivia, scavenger hunts, etc. I will poke about to see if I can find a copy of a Monarch Compass somewhere on the web and post it here for you. If you think you'll be bored - you won't - unless that is what you WANT!

[CaroleSS]

here ya go!

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1485972

 

enjoy your cruise!!!

[CaroleSS]

hlauburn - you don't say where you are from but,

War Eagle!

[cb at sea]

the only downside to MTD, IMO, is tg

hat you win't have tablrmates...we like having folks to talk to!

[justmeinflorida]

We were just on Monarch in January. The water was a little too cool for my own comfort, but, my wife never had any trouble finding room in one of the two pools for dip.

 

One of the two pools was empty and netted off the first night, so, the one pool was very crowded. But, being first night, we were more content with exploring the ship anyway.

 

The two tiny hot tubs are a problem in my opinion. The only time we found any opportunity to enjoy them was after midnight. They weren't exactly what I'd call hot either. But, they were a far shade warmer than the pools.

 

Even on our at sea day, I never noticed any part of the ship that seemed over used or crowded. The only times I ever felt crowded in was the last night when they handled all the drawings and raffles in the casino. But, otherwise, it was never difficult to find a nice quiet corner, table, or lounge to socialize or just waste time doing nothing. (my favorite)

 

Directly around the pool, the most coveted chairs, of course were usually full. But, we never had any trouble finding a few empty lounge chairs with a decent view of either the pool or the sea.

 

My only real complaint is that far too much emphasis has been placed on the lounge chairs. Chairs that offer a normal sitting position are virtually non existent on the exterior decks. I have a back condition that makes those laid back loungers miserable for me beyond 10 - 20 minutes. I usually had to sit in the Schooner bar, or the Windjammer to get a comfy seat watching the sea go by.

 

They have some high-top style tables and chairs on the perimeter of the pool deck, but, some more real chairs around the pool would have been nice.

[hlauburn]

Thank you all for the responses! Very helpful...

 

I am a newbie to RCCL, but a long-time cruiser. We will be on our first RCCL on the Monarch in May, but I've been doing some reading (and I stayed at Holiday Inn Express last night ;)), so I'll take a crack at this.

 

Mid-August will more than likely be a good time for fewer children, most traditional schools will be back in session, but in NC we have a LOT of year-round schools, so kids are tracking out all the time. If you really don't want kids, you might have to opt for a 'higher end' cruiseline.

 

It does look like the pools might be an issue for you - as well as the hot tubs. I've read that it is difficult to get time in the hot tubs. the suggested time was after midnight!! We won't see that as a huge issue since Coco Cay = beach, Nassau = beach so on the third day either we, or the others on the ship, might want to stay out of the sun. You may choose to stay onboard and take advantage of the pools then??

 

Here is some info about MTD:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1592404

I'm sure that the pre-paid gratuities for this are because you don't see the same wait staff each night. It looks like you can just show up if you so choose. We did anytime dinign when we went to Bermuda and it worked out well. We didn't want to be tied down to a specific dining time as we didn't know when we'd be back to the ship with each day's adventures, but still wanted the ambiance of the MDR.

 

War Eagle! And thanks for the info and the link. :) I guess I should have been more clear about the kids - we actually have 2 who will be with us, so I was hoping for kids! We are in NE Florida, and our kids don't go back until late August, but I know most kids will be back to school by then, but I just didn't want me 2 to be the only ones onboard. ;)

 

All the advice about the pools makes sense...after 2 days of sun, we might not want to spend all day at sea at the pool. And we won't use the hot tubs, so that's not a problem for us.

 

Anyway, thanks again for all the help!

[sue117]

I guess it depends on where you are going. We just got off the Monarch for a 3 night cruise to the Bahamas...our stop in Coco Cay was canceled because of weather and the pools and decks were CRAZY crowded. There wasn't a chair anywhere to be had!

But then again, it was in a warm spot...and people were on spring break, and we were missing the "beach" day on Coco Cay...who knows, but yes, it was crowded on both decks around the pool.

[SpeedGeek]

I just posted about possibly booking a cruise on the Monarch, but I had a few specific questions, so I just thought I'd ask in a separate thread...

 

- We plan to go in mid-August. I know some schools will be back in, but can I expect there to be other kids on board? I read a couple reviews that said there weren't many kids, but I'm sure it varies depending on time of year.

 

- I mentioned this on my previous post, does Monarch only have 2 pools? How does that work on a day at sea with 2000+ guests? What other things do people do onboard that day?

 

- Other than pre-paid gratuity, what's the disadvantage of My Time Dining? If I understand it right, you still choose a time to dine before you cruise? I was thinking it would be nice to have some flexibilty on dinner time, but do you really get that if you still are expected to eat at a certain time?

 

Thanks!

 

There are always going to be families, but I've never seen a problem with an overabundance of kids on board when I've been on in the fall and spring.

 

The Monarch does indeed have only two pools (both salt water), but they both are a decent size. I've never seen them terribly crowded, even on sea days as a lot of people just want to go out and sun. There's also a lot of activities going on around ship (look for a cruise compass for the 4 night so you can get an idea), so I think you'll still have an opportunity to use them. Personally as one of the pools is open 24 hours, I love doing a midnight swim :D

 

I've never done MTD, but the way I understand it is that you will speak to them each day to say what time you wanted to dine, and then show back up at that time and they would seat you. I really prefer traditional dining just because it's fun getting to know the other people at the table, and it's nice discussing the various things you did that day!

 

The Monarch is a great little ship with a fantastic crew. If your cruise director is Drew Devine, you're absolutely in for a blast, but regardless, there's a reason the Monarch has consistently scored at the top for guest satisfaction. You won't be disappointed!

[Emiliqua]

Went on Monarch a couple of years ago in August - there seemed to be plenty of kids on board.

 

I seem to remember that one of the pools was closed for maintenance, but the other pool wasn't too crowded. (Although I did miss the tranquil adults-only Solarium on AOS). When the pool seemed to get crowded we would just leave for awhile (so many on board activities) and come back later.

 

We definitely only went in the hot tubs in the evening (after dinner). It was nice and quiet - a very relaxing way to end the day!

 

I'm going on Monarch again this summer and look forward to it! This will be my first time trying My Time Dining, so I'll have to update you about that later!