Monarch of the Seas - A Few Questions

[ChipCarlton]

First Time Poster here! Taking a cruise on Jan 4th- 7th on MotS out of Port Canaveral. Only a 3 dayer but should still be a good weekend getaway.

 

1.) Usage of Cell Phone at Port

- Because it's a weekend cruise I will not be taking off work...per say. I still need to have some access to my phone and internet (via phone) up until around 4 or 5. The way I understand it is that as long as you haven't left port yet then the ship's "repeater" isn't on yet and you are actually still hitting off the towers at Port Canaveral (Verizon, Sprint, ....) Is this correct?

 

2.) Safety in Nassau

- Planning on taking a taxi over to Atlantis walking around for a bit then walking around nassau on a self-guiding walking that I've found on the internet. We are in late twenties (2 couples) and just wondering about safety walking around nassau. We have to be back at port by 4pm-ish so it will be complete day time. Any tips or highlights that are must sees (reasonably priced)?

 

3.) Gambling Limits

- We love to gamble but only for fun. We are on a limited budget so want the cheapest minimums. I've read somewhere that you can usually find $6.00 table minimums on most BlackJack tables on this cruise. Is this correct? Sounds odd...never heard of $6 minimums. Maybe it's because they don't want to have to worry about a $.50 denomination.

 

4.) Formal Night

- It's only a 3 night cruise so I'm definitely not going to worry about a tux and I'm even considering not even wearing a suit jacket. My thoughts were to wear slack, button up, vest, and tie (maybe).

 

5.) Embarkation and Disembarkation

- Because I am not taking off work at all I need to get on the ship as late as possible (so I can work a little more on Friday) and get off the ship as early as possible on Monday. How late can you get on the ship for a 4:30 embarkation and what time should we arrive? How early can you disembark and actually we out of customs? (Itinerary shows 8:00am)

 

Thanks Gang!

[foxesden1]

I have walked around with my daughter two times, age 3 and 5, in Nassau with no issues at all. We went off in the AM - and spent the day. Twice.

 

We turn off our cells when we travel, so I am not able to help with that. But I would assume your best to contact your provider directly. Everyone has different plans.

 

Gambling - I have not seen any tables for under $5.00 when I travelled. But maybe I missed them?

[Clarea]

1.) Usage of Cell Phone at Port

- Because it's a weekend cruise I will not be taking off work...per say. I still need to have some access to my phone and internet (via phone) up until around 4 or 5. The way I understand it is that as long as you haven't left port yet then the ship's "repeater" isn't on yet and you are actually still hitting off the towers at Port Canaveral (Verizon, Sprint, ....) Is this correct?

...

This is correct, and your phone should clearly show when you are on the ship's cell tower. My phone shows "Cellular at Sea" when on the ship's cell tower.

[Retired LEO]

You must be on the ship by 3:00 for a 4:30 departure.

[ChipCarlton]

We turn off our cells when we travel, so I am not able to help with that. But I would assume your best to contact your provider directly. Everyone has different plans.

 

Gambling - I have not seen any tables for under $5.00 when I travelled. But maybe I missed them?

 

Yeah I worked at Verizon Wireless for 3 years and they don't train us on that...so I know not to waste my time calling HAHA

 

Oh I'm not looking, nor do I expect, to find limits LESS than $5.

[north29]

1. I think you will be safe on cell phone, even slightly off shore. Your cell phone should show you when you are on roaming or the repeater.

2. No real safety issues in Nassau, well no more than Orlando, we have taken a local bus every where, Take the water taxi to Atlantis, if you like. Be aware that all of Atlantis is not open to the general public. Make sure you have lots of small bills and quarters for buses if you use them. Restaurants are expensive but Senior Frogs can be fun.

3. Sorry not a gambler

4. Do not worry about formal night just look NICE, no redneck hat etc or shorts, LOL that is always a big debate around here .

5. I would not get on the ship, later than 2 PM, just to be safe.

Since you are probably using carry on luggage, just be the first, RIGHT, in line to walk off and clear customs, you will have many people needing to do the same thing.

 

Forget the work and enjoy the cruise, at least for 3 days

[NanciRDH]

We noticed very few $5.00 blackjack tables recently, we've been on 3 different ships including Monarch in the past year. Most with a live dealer were $10.00 minium. DH did find $5.00 tables on Allure with the "digital" dealer, really just a video type game.

[iloverags2]

1.) Usage of Cell Phone at Port

- Because it's a weekend cruise I will not be taking off work...per say. I still need to have some access to my phone and internet (via phone) up until around 4 or 5. The way I understand it is that as long as you haven't left port yet then the ship's "repeater" isn't on yet and you are actually still hitting off the towers at Port Canaveral (Verizon, Sprint, ....) Is this correct?

Before you leave port you will have regular cell phone access. As a previous poster stated, your cell phone should show when you are no longer pinging off a land cell tower and are in Cellular at Sea service. You will also have local cell access in Nassau, but remember you will pay International rates.

 

2.) Safety in Nassau

- Planning on taking a taxi over to Atlantis walking around for a bit then walking around nassau on a self-guiding walking that I've found on the internet. We are in late twenties (2 couples) and just wondering about safety walking around nassau. We have to be back at port by 4pm-ish so it will be complete day time. Any tips or highlights that are must sees (reasonably priced)?

We love walking over to Queen's Staircase and Fort Fincastle when in Nassau! It's about a mile walk, and well worth it. The staircase has no charge, but if you get stopped and listen to the history given by a local, they will expect (and typically earn) a tip. When we do listen to them, we usually leave $5 or $10 total. The fort is $1 per person to enter. Again, they have guides who work on tips, but I always politely decline their assistance as they really are not necessary. That is totally up to you though. In addition, there is a beach within walking distance from the port as well...Junkanoo Beach. No admission fee, although it's a very simple (although still nice).

 

3.) Gambling Limits

- We love to gamble but only for fun. We are on a limited budget so want the cheapest minimums. I've read somewhere that you can usually find $6.00 table minimums on most BlackJack tables on this cruise. Is this correct? Sounds odd...never heard of $6 minimums. Maybe it's because they don't want to have to worry about a $.50 denomination.

Not a gambler, but I do recall on our last RCI cruise they had some special times (for minimums) listed in the daily Compass.

 

4.) Formal Night

- It's only a 3 night cruise so I'm definitely not going to worry about a tux and I'm even considering not even wearing a suit jacket. My thoughts were to wear slack, button up, vest, and tie (maybe).

You will be perfectly fine in slacks, button-up, vest and tie (if you decide on a tie). Enjoy!

 

5.) Embarkation and Disembarkation

- Because I am not taking off work at all I need to get on the ship as late as possible (so I can work a little more on Friday) and get off the ship as early as possible on Monday. How late can you get on the ship for a 4:30 embarkation and what time should we arrive? How early can you disembark and actually we out of customs? (Itinerary shows 8:00am)

I would not plan on arriving too much after 2:00 p.m. 3:00 is the cutoff for a 4:30 sailing, but you want to build in time for any issues that may arise. Plus, you should really enjoy the ship as much as you can. If you carry-off your luggage on your own, you can debark earlier than most. Typically they start letting folks off at 7:00ish, but keep in mind customs can hold up the process and they could start debarking a bit later.

 

Hope this helps! Enjoy your cruise!

[rubrrick]

To the OP, have you cruised before?? Do you have a passport, and your SetSail paperwork filled out?

 

If the answer is yes, and need as much time as possible before boarding, you will be safe hitting the terminal at 2:30PM.

 

Your phone will work till about 5:30 when it then starts roaming, and the rate goes way up!!

 

Since you are carrying your luggage aboard, you can be one of the first to disembark on Monday morning, probably around 7:15 to 7:30, if the ship has been cleared.

 

Nassau is very safe. There are no issues that I'm aware of. One thing, it's always fun to take the water taxi across the bay, and then walk on to Atlantis.

 

Enjoy your cruise!!:)

 

Rick

[LittleMissMagic]

Be warned that you can no longer just walk around the Atlantis Resort. Very few areas of the resort (thinking just the casino) are available for day guests for no entry fee (and the casino isn't really free... :D). They now charge you just to roam their grounds. This is a fairly recent change which has taken place in the past two years.

 

The Nassau Ports of Call board on CC is actually very informative and updated often. There is a local (scubagirl... something like that) who answers questions regularly. It's much more quickly updated than other Ports of Call board.

[SMASHROX]

I believe there were some reduced blackjack tables the first night at sea (as soon as the ship left Port Canaveral). If I remember correctly there were tables for $5 or maybe even $3. Check the Compass for time and prices as soon as you get onboard.

[Merion_Mom]

I just wanted to re-emphasize the early debarkation issue.

 

More than half the ship will want to be "the first one off".

 

Forewarned is forearmed.

 

:)