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Monarch Of The Seas Experience

louanne93

By louanne93,
in Royal Caribbean International

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louanne93

louanne93

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We recently sailed the MOS on Feb 13-17. Here is our version...

 

Embarkadation-We arrived at the ship late (3:00) because of a delayed flight. We were immediatly pulled out of line by RC staff who noticed our suite tags on our luggage. She went and got us our room keys and brought us to the front of the line. We were on the ship by 3:15.

 

Cabins-We had GS 1036 and JS 1062. I pre-tipped each of the stewarts and we had wonderful service all week. In the GS, we got little treats everyday such as petit fours, chs plate and sushi. We recieved robes and complimentary slippers. We had two adults and three boys ages 7,7, and 15 in the GS and there was plenty of room. We put my Mother in-law and my 11yr old daughter in the JS and they loved it. They said it was plenty of room.

 

Food-We ate in the dining room everynight and if you have Guarnet as your waiter you have lucked out. He was the highlight of dinner. He really made our children and Mother feel special. Food was better than expected. We really enjoyed all of the food. The chocolate buffet at midnight was a real treat. The Windjammer even had delicious items. No complaints on any of the food. My kids ordered room service and the staff was very attentive to their needs. My twin 7yr olds loved the idea of calling room service and then tipping when it arrived.

 

Entertainment-We saw the comedy show twice, the family show and then the adult show. Both were excellent! The adult show was very tastful. We also saw the famous "Quest". Definetly not to be missed. We took my mother in-law and she loved it. We also enjoyed the farwell show. We gambled a bit...My husband lost at craps but I won a total of $200 on Roulette so that made up for his losses.

 

Ocean Adventure and Fuel-My kids loved going to the OA and Fuel night club. They would leave at 7pm and we would not see them until we picked them up at 1am. We tried to pick them up at midnight a few times but they begged to stay (so we let them). They won medals and prizes and even got farwell gifts. Let's just say my kids prefer cruising over Disneyland! My oldest (15) met some friends and enjoyed basketball, the teen version of "quest" , pizza, and scavanger hunts.

 

Ports-San Diego was fun. We toured the Midway and had our own tour guide (my husband was on an aircraft carrier in San Deigo for years) so he really made the Midway fun for us, by telling us all of the inside scoop.

Catalina-We rented two golf carts and toured the Island and shopped a bit. The only drawback from Catalina was that there was only one ferry so we waited in line for about 2 hours before we could go back to the ship. A lot of people were grumpy and complaining by then. We got back to the ship just in time for dinner. RC made up for the long waits by throwing a BBQ the next day with free Bahama Mama's,Screwdriver's, and beer. I heard the mixed drinks were weak. We stuck with beer (hubby was happy).

Ensenada-What can you say about Ensenada? Chicklets? I stayed on the ship and the rest of the family went shopping. My 7 yr olds didn't like Ensenada because of the kids asking them for money.

 

Debarking the ship-Was a peice of cake. During this time we got more compliments on how well behaved our kids were. This is really important to us as a family. In this type of situation it is more important whats on the outside rather than the inside. So when you see kids behaving good, please let the parents know. They do appreciate it.

 

All in all this was the best vacation our family has taken. We all miss being pampered, so much so I have already booked our next cruise on the Vision for 2007. Any Advice?

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cnr1stcruise

cnr1stcruise

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Im so glad you posted. Im glad you had a great time. We are going on the Monarch in August of 06. First trip for my family. Hubby, myself and 2 kids 7 & 9. So glad to hear the kids enjoyed themselves. Im looking forward to our trip. Could you tell me about formal night? What were the ladies wearing? Im trying to figure out what to take!

 

Thanks,

C & R

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louanne93

louanne93

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Im so glad you posted. Im glad you had a great time. We are going on the Monarch in August of 06. First trip for my family. Hubby, myself and 2 kids 7 & 9. So glad to hear the kids enjoyed themselves. Im looking forward to our trip. Could you tell me about formal night? What were the ladies wearing? Im trying to figure out what to take!

 

Thanks,

C & R

 

On our first cruise on Carnival (3 years ago) I wore an elegant evening gown and felt way out of place. Then we went on RC and we didn't go to the formal night because I didn't want to feel out of place. Boy was I wrong. Once again I felt out of place for not participating in the formal night theme. This time though we all dressed up (including the kids) and got a formal portrait. It turned out great! I wore a long velvet black evening gown, my daughter the same. My husband and three boys all wore dark suits. It really looked great in the portraits.

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SuiteCruiser

SuiteCruiser

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Thanks so much for posting. We're on the Monarch March 13th - 17th in a GS with our 7 year old twin boys, so I can really relate!

 

Did you have a roll away in your suite? Was it a problem getting one?

 

It's always good to hear that the kids have so much fun at AO.

 

Ours are excited about getting dressed up in suits for formal night. The new clothes just arrived today, so I'm sure I'll get a fashion show when they get home from school!

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louanne93

louanne93

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We'll be on the Monarch Feb. 27, so I was particularly happy to read your positive review. Was it a bumpy ride on the way back to LA? Can 't wait to go now!!!

 

It was a bit bumpy the last day. I heard a storm was coming in and it was the only day it was cold. The rest was 70's. On the trip from San Deigo to Catalina (back tracking) one of my twins felt a bit queasy (?). He said in a really loud voice in the dining room I THINK I HAVE THE FLU MOM! We hushed him up and back to the room where we took shifts (I knew it was the bumpy ride, as he also gets car sickness).

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louanne93

louanne93

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Thanks so much for posting. We're on the Monarch March 13th - 17th in a GS with our 7 year old twin boys, so I can really relate!

 

Did you have a roll away in your suite? Was it a problem getting one?

 

It's always good to hear that the kids have so much fun at AO.

 

Ours are excited about getting dressed up in suits for formal night. The new clothes just arrived today, so I'm sure I'll get a fashion show when they get home from school!

 

Our twin 7 yr old boys slept on the sofa that pulls out (they always sleep together, it's that twin thing) My 15 yr old got a roll away bed and they brought it right away, no problem! The stewart was great! The bed folds up and stores in the corner with hardly no room taken up.

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louanne93

louanne93

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I was wondering if monica from Wis. is still working on the ship?

She does some of the trivia and other activites.

Thanks for any info

Tina

 

I believe she is. She was one of the familiar faces from our previous trip on the Monarch. We spotted her right away.

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tnf

tnf

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Glad to hear Monica is still on the Monarch. We hope she still is by the time we sail in May.

We really liked her, and when we cruised in Sept. she remembered us from the time before. She seen our son and said i know you, you are a fellow cheesehead.

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louanne93

louanne93

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How smooth was the water and did you feel vibration?

 

The water was choppy coming over on the tender from Catalina Island and that night. The vibration I felt was in the dining room. Any other time we were at a show or in the casino having a good time so it was not noticable.

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tennislvr

tennislvr

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one word of caution about Catalina - dress warm even though the sun might be out. It gets super cold and windy in the afternoon. And I don't know if it was just us - we had a hard time reading the map while driving the golf cart (everyone rents them).

Even though its a touristy town, I loved some of the shops and wish I had more time to spend there. The candy store sells taffy and its a nice affordable souvenir - just be careful of the prepackaged ones on the counter. Some I bought were a little stale.

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ADeputy4U

ADeputy4U

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We recently sailed the MOS on Feb 13-17. Here is our version...

 

Embarkadation-We arrived at the ship late (3:00) because of a delayed flight. We were immediatly pulled out of line by RC staff who noticed our suite tags on our luggage. She went and got us our room keys and brought us to the front of the line. We were on the ship by 3:15.

 

Cabins-We had GS 1036 and JS 1062. I pre-tipped each of the stewarts and we had wonderful service all week. In the GS, we got little treats everyday such as petit fours, chs plate and sushi. We recieved robes and complimentary slippers. We had two adults and three boys ages 7,7, and 15 in the GS and there was plenty of room. We put my Mother in-law and my 11yr old daughter in the JS and they loved it. They said it was plenty of room.

 

Food-We ate in the dining room everynight and if you have Guarnet as your waiter you have lucked out. He was the highlight of dinner. He really made our children and Mother feel special. Food was better than expected. We really enjoyed all of the food. The chocolate buffet at midnight was a real treat. The Windjammer even had delicious items. No complaints on any of the food. My kids ordered room service and the staff was very attentive to their needs. My twin 7yr olds loved the idea of calling room service and then tipping when it arrived.

 

Entertainment-We saw the comedy show twice, the family show and then the adult show. Both were excellent! The adult show was very tastful. We also saw the famous "Quest". Definetly not to be missed. We took my mother in-law and she loved it. We also enjoyed the farwell show. We gambled a bit...My husband lost at craps but I won a total of $200 on Roulette so that made up for his losses.

 

Ocean Adventure and Fuel-My kids loved going to the OA and Fuel night club. They would leave at 7pm and we would not see them until we picked them up at 1am. We tried to pick them up at midnight a few times but they begged to stay (so we let them). They won medals and prizes and even got farwell gifts. Let's just say my kids prefer cruising over Disneyland! My oldest (15) met some friends and enjoyed basketball, the teen version of "quest" , pizza, and scavanger hunts.

 

Ports-San Diego was fun. We toured the Midway and had our own tour guide (my husband was on an aircraft carrier in San Deigo for years) so he really made the Midway fun for us, by telling us all of the inside scoop.

Catalina-We rented two golf carts and toured the Island and shopped a bit. The only drawback from Catalina was that there was only one ferry so we waited in line for about 2 hours before we could go back to the ship. A lot of people were grumpy and complaining by then. We got back to the ship just in time for dinner. RC made up for the long waits by throwing a BBQ the next day with free Bahama Mama's,Screwdriver's, and beer. I heard the mixed drinks were weak. We stuck with beer (hubby was happy).

Ensenada-What can you say about Ensenada? Chicklets? I stayed on the ship and the rest of the family went shopping. My 7 yr olds didn't like Ensenada because of the kids asking them for money.

 

Debarking the ship-Was a peice of cake. During this time we got more compliments on how well behaved our kids were. This is really important to us as a family. In this type of situation it is more important whats on the outside rather than the inside. So when you see kids behaving good, please let the parents know. They do appreciate it.

 

All in all this was the best vacation our family has taken. We all miss being pampered, so much so I have already booked our next cruise on the Vision for 2007. Any Advice?

Great post! I'm really glad you and your family had a wounderful time. I also enjoy sailing Monarch. I think she's a great little ship. But, if you liked her, your gonna LOVE Vision. You made a great decision when you booked her for your next cruise.

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lsauer

lsauer

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My husband and I just returned from the cruise on the Monarch of The Seas - Feb 13 thru 17. RCCL left us (1300+ passengers) stranded on Catalina for over 4 hours. It was cold and windy and we had no idea why they weren't sending a tender boat to get us (one broke down). Once a boat was sent, they overloaded it and didn't control the situation. People were upset and scared as the boat slammed into the side of the ship out in the ocean. The ramp we were supposed to cross to get from the boat to the ship was slamming up and down violently. I was afraid for my life for the first time in my life. I know that no one can control weather or the sea, but RCCL could have sent a tender to get us sooner before the weather changed. The could have chartered/ordered another tender boat to help pick us up. Or better yet - warned us new cruisers of the risks of going out to Catalina! Thank god I didn't have my son or elderly grandfather.

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