Just off the Monarch

[Plato123]

We just got off the New Years Southern Caribbean Monarch sailing.

This was our second time on the Monarch on basically the same route out of Cartagena, Colombia, but this time instead of stopping in Caracas we overnighted in Curacao on New Years.

As it was a number of special occasions for us we booked the Royal Suite.  The suite was a memories of the 90s marble and wood trim super space with some quirks.  The bedroom had a true king size bed and the bath room had a gigantic jacuzzi tub.  The toilet was a very small cubicle (memories of the Edge Sky Suite we had) and the shower was not a lot larger than the toilet space.

On a previous cruise on the Sovereign there were glasses on the shelves and it looked homier but the shelves were bare in the cabin.  probably too much theft these days.  I made a walk around video of the Suite that I will eventually put up on YouTube and post a link here for those interested. If we do travel on the Monarch again we will opt for the Suite beside ours as it has a much more efficient bath room with a lot of other space too.

The balcony was big enough for a table and two chairs as well as two loungers, which were provided at our request.  The balcony was next to the wing bridge and we had a nice chat with the Captain there one evening. One thing we talked about was that this cruise was our second New Years cruise, the first being 10 years earlier and the Captain was the same person, but the ship was different.  We even gave him a copy of the New Years menu from 2010.

The ship was full and with many large multi generation family groups, making it a little hectic. We will probably not do another New Years cruise in this part of the world 

The food was good and quite creative but service was a little rushed.  We had the black wrist bands so we had a broader selection of drinks than the basic free package.  The number of wines was limited but quite decent overall.

All ports were 30 degrees or hotter which was hard to get used to again, but eventually we did, and we especially enjoyed our half day excursion touring around Aruba, which included an hour and a half at Eagle Beach which was great.  The excursion was only $43 US per person.

If you have any questions about the Monarch, just ask.

 

 

 

[2CoolCanucks]

Thanks for posting.

I realize the ship is quite old but did you notice this and if so, how or where?

What was the state of the carpets?

Did you get to see any of the inside or outside regular cabins? 

What type of food did they serve in the buffet? Any pics?

What were the specailty coffees like?

Thank you for any other  comments and pics you can post of the ship. 
 

[Plato123]

I realize the ship is quite old but did you notice this and if so, how or where?

 The interior of the ship is dated but in good condition overall.  Some areas seem to have been refurbished recently especially public area washrooms.

What was the state of the carpets?

 The carpets were very good with no obvious wear except for what looked like a recent spill in the main reception area.

Did you get to see any of the inside or outside regular cabins? 

 Not on this cruise.

What type of food did they serve in the buffet? Any pics?

 Food in the buffet was quite varied, and many Spanish dishes like seafood paella, but burgers and hot dogs were also available in the late afternoon.  Good quality fruit and cheeses too, and the baked goods were exceptional. They have the best croissants we have had on any cruise. No pics of the buffet food, sorry.

What were the specailty coffees like?

 There are a few but the only one I remember is cafe bonbon which my wife likes.  The ship coffee is Juan Valdez, Colombian coffee and there are expresso machines in all bars on the ship.

Thank you for any other  comments and pics you can post of the ship

 I will post some pics later.

[2CoolCanucks]

Thanks for your response. Looking forward to seeing some of your pics when you have time to post.

A few more questions. 🙂

What was the muster safety drill like?

Did you check out the library and if so, was there a good amount of English books or should we bring our own?

Was there ice cream?

What were the hot tubs like? HOT or not? 

Cleaned regularly? 

Anything else you can comment on?

 

[Plato123]

What was the muster safety drill like?

 It was outside on Deck 7, and very old style, and long.

Did you check out the library and if so, was there a good amount of English books or should we bring our own?

Very limited selection and no English that I could see but I was not really looking, as we used it as a meeting place.

Was there ice cream?

 Yes, in the dining room, but did not look for it in the buffet.

What were the hot tubs like? HOT or not? 

 Did not try

Cleaned regularly? 

 Do not know.

Here is a video of our suite:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DbuHv11PHrM&feature=youtu.be

 

[2CoolCanucks]

Wow! that's a pretty nice suite. Thanks for sharing. 
 

[CRUZBUDS]

sad to think that they are taking crow bars and torches to it now -- what a waste