Sovereign of the Seas Review

[sheribaaby]

My first time sailing with Royal Caribbean cruise line was April – 2006 on the Mariner of the Seas. That was my 6th cruise, all previous being with Carnival. Everything on the Mariner of the Seas cruise was perfect and I did not have any complaints, other than a problem I had with one of the recommended shops.

 

Having had such a great time, I convinced a group of 6 in my family to cruise Royal Caribbean for my 7th cruise – this time on the Sovereign of the Seas (Jan 5, 2007). It was a huge disappointment. It was hard to believe this was even the same cruise line we sailed with in April on the Mariner of the Seas. Following are some of the problems we had on the Sovereign of the Seas:

 

- The food quality was terrible, both in the dining room and the buffet.

- The food on Coco Cay (lunch BBQ) was not even edible.

- The stateroom was not kept clean by the attendant.

- The pool deck had an awful odor (noted by several other passengers) that smelled like cat urine.

- The dinners in the dining room took an extremely long time, and usually the food was cold.

- The bar servers by the pool were not attentive. Mostly we had to keep going up to the bar for drinks. Some would walk right past us.

- In general the ship’s staff was not very friendly.

- There was no water pressure in the stateroom’s shower. Literally a trickle of water.

- The toilet in the stateroom didn’t flush every time.

 

If this was my first cruise I would probably never go again. It was a complete waste of money and I am thoroughly dissatisfied. I am not sure if the standards of Royal Caribbean have gone down hill since my cruise on the Mariner of the Seas, or if this is just a problem on the Sovereign of the Seas. Luckily I have sailed with Carnival several times so I know that the problem isn’t with all cruise lines, and I am assured a quality cruise all around with them.

[cruzfitter]

I think this will be an interesting thread to follow. Hope you have asbestos underwear.

[cruisingjon]

My first time sailing with Royal Caribbean cruise line was April – 2006 on the Mariner of the Seas. That was my 6th cruise, all previous being with Carnival. Everything on the Mariner of the Seas cruise was perfect and I did not have any complaints, other than a problem I had with one of the recommended shops.

 

Having had such a great time, I convinced a group of 6 in my family to cruise Royal Caribbean for my 7th cruise – this time on the Sovereign of the Seas (Jan 5, 2007). It was a huge disappointment. It was hard to believe this was even the same cruise line we sailed with in April on the Mariner of the Seas. Following are some of the problems we had on the Sovereign of the Seas:

 

- The food quality was terrible, both in the dining room and the buffet.

- The food on Coco Cay (lunch BBQ) was not even edible.

- The stateroom was not kept clean by the attendant.

- The pool deck had an awful odor (noted by several other passengers) that smelled like cat urine.

- The dinners in the dining room took an extremely long time, and usually the food was cold.

- The bar servers by the pool were not attentive. Mostly we had to keep going up to the bar for drinks. Some would walk right past us.

- In general the ship’s staff was not very friendly.

- There was no water pressure in the stateroom’s shower. Literally a trickle of water.

- The toilet in the stateroom didn’t flush every time.

 

If this was my first cruise I would probably never go again. It was a complete waste of money and I am thoroughly dissatisfied. I am not sure if the standards of Royal Caribbean have gone down hill since my cruise on the Mariner of the Seas, or if this is just a problem on the Sovereign of the Seas. Luckily I have sailed with Carnival several times so I know that the problem isn’t with all cruise lines, and I am assured a quality cruise all around with them.

 

So.....

 

Which Carnival ship do you work on?

[katiel53]

Assuming this is a true review, I guess it comes down to you get what you pay for. There of course is a huge difference between Sovereign and Mariner. I'm sure there is a huge difference between Carnival Pride and Fantasy too.

 

If you are going on a cheap cruise, and I have sailed on Sovereign and have totally opposite feelings from you, you won't get a new ship, won't get everything you do when sailing on a new(er) ship.

 

Have you sailed on Carnival's cheap sailings? If you have and loved them as you said, perhaps that's what you should do when you want a quick getaway.

Not all cruiselines are for all people. If I were you, I'd stick with what I like.

 

Good luck.

 

Katie

[shaffer4]

I was on the Sovereign in November 2006 and the lunch on Coco Cay was pretty bad and the toilet didn't flush everytime, but I did not experience anything else from your list

 

Hope you have a better cruise next time

 

 

Scott

[JD_JAX]

My wife and I were on the 9/22/06 Sovereign cruise from Port Canaveral. We were in a JS category room, and were happy with the cruise overall. I have to say that the price was low and we lowered our expectations to match. With that in mind, we had a great time. I would say that without a doubt the Windjammers and Dining Rooms on both Enchantment and Navigator are superior... I was really longing for a Chops on Sovereign... We totally avoided the BBQ on Coco Cay, and I'm glad we did. We had only positive experiences with all crewmembers. Our JS cabin was old, but but we had no complaints.

 

If you've gotta have a short cruise fix and you live in Florida, Sovereign is fine. But I would recommend Vision class ships and later to my friends, or anyone who doesn't know exactly what they're in for on nearly the oldest ship in the fleet.

[PAMWANTSTOCRUISE]

I was on the Sovereign in December. I had a great time.

The food in the dining room was of lower quality than what I experienced on the Carnival Imagination (I believe they are of similar value) I always found something edible.

On Coco Cay I was pleasantly surprised at how good the food was.

The reviews here had me worried.

Our dinner waiters were wonderful.

Sorry you didn't enjoy your cruise.

[James&Rob]

I have sailed on the soverign 3 times and always had a great time, Yes the ship is older and the cabins are really small but I have never had the problems you had. Im not saying you didnt have these problems I just havent had them. I have sailed carnival, Hal, Princess and RCI and some older ships and some newer ships and the Soverign is one of my favorite ships Have a great day Jame

[StormGoddess]

I was on the SoS, same sailing as OP. While there was an occassional odor that lingered at certain areas of the ship, and the toilets were a little slow to flush while the ship was 'parked' in ports, we experienced none of the other problems. The food in the Windjammer was fresh and hot everytime we were there. The stateroom attendent was just that, attentive. The crew was friendly and cheerful any time I had seen them. The food at Coco Cay was ok, but it was edible. I was made to feel welcome on the ship, everywhere we went, with some of the crew remembering names the very first day and then throughout the entire cruise. I always enjoy that, seeing how many people they must see every time the ship sails.

 

I think the experience is what each person makes of it. Sorry to the OP for not having the time they expected. But I enjoyed it enough to book it again for May before leaving the ship.

[sheribaaby]

Assuming this is a true review, I guess it comes down to you get what you pay for. There of course is a huge difference between Sovereign and Mariner. I'm sure there is a huge difference between Carnival Pride and Fantasy too.

 

If you are going on a cheap cruise, and I have sailed on Sovereign and have totally opposite feelings from you, you won't get a new ship, won't get everything you do when sailing on a new(er) ship.

 

Have you sailed on Carnival's cheap sailings? If you have and loved them as you said, perhaps that's what you should do when you want a quick getaway.

Not all cruiselines are for all people. If I were you, I'd stick with what I like.

 

Good luck.

 

Katie

 

This was my 8th cruise and the only time I have ever posted a bad review - and yes it is true. I have sailed on Carnival's "cheap" sailings 4 times and their big ship once. I am aware of the difference. I thought the Mariner of the Seas was fantastic and my surprise wasn't at the difference in the room size, or the ship's size - I even expected it to be older and not as nice. I also expected fewer activities, etc... I also expected the shower and toilet to work, and I expected it to be cleaner. I expected to lie by the pool deck without smelling cat piss and actually having someone coming by to take drink orders. And I expected the attendent to clean our cabin more than once on the trip.

 

I didn't realize this board was only for positive reviews... I posted an honest one. I was on that cruise with 6 people from my family in addition to a group of 30 people from our salon, and unfortunately most everyone was dissapointed.

 

I am sorry if my dislike of the SOS offends anyone. No need to take it personal. I just know the difference of a nice cruise and ship (cheap or not) and this one wasn't it.

[cruzfitter]

I think the problem other people have with your review is that everything is negative. And that can't be true if as you stated on another board you had a blast on this cruise.I've yet to have a perfect cruise but have enjoyed every one that I've taken. I am curious about the difference of opinion stated here and your post on the honeymoon board though.

[cruzfitter]

I think the problem other people have with your review is that everything is negative. And that can't be true if as you stated on another board you had a blast on this cruise.I've yet to have a perfect cruise but have enjoyed every one that I've taken. I am curious about the difference of opinion stated here and your post on the honeymoon board though.

[Dremac373]

So.....

 

Which Carnival ship do you work on?

 

Thats Funny cause I was think thinking the same exact thing, Yes I am a first time cruiser but I am not a firt time traveler!! and from site to site and blog to blog I see the same thing, always a small handfull of bloggers that just have NOTHING good to say about the expirience!! ever wonder how the complaint seem to be just so detailed?? :mad: I have yet to see a review that was even remotely close what this individual had to say

[Merion_Mom]

This was my 8th cruise and the only time I have ever posted a bad review - and yes it is true. I have sailed on Carnival's "cheap" sailings 4 times and their big ship once. I am aware of the difference. I thought the Mariner of the Seas was fantastic and my surprise wasn't at the difference in the room size, or the ship's size - I even expected it to be older and not as nice. I also expected fewer activities, etc... I also expected the shower and toilet to work, and I expected it to be cleaner. I expected to lie by the pool deck without smelling cat piss and actually having someone coming by to take drink orders. And I expected the attendent to clean our cabin more than once on the trip.

 

I didn't realize this board was only for positive reviews... I posted an honest one. I was on that cruise with 6 people from my family in addition to a group of 30 people from our salon, and unfortunately most everyone was dissapointed.

 

I am sorry if my dislike of the SOS offends anyone. No need to take it personal. I just know the difference of a nice cruise and ship (cheap or not) and this one wasn't it.

What did you do about your dissatisfaction with your cabin attendant? Did you speak to the head of housekeeping?

 

What was wrong with the lunch on CoCoCay? I had lunch there on January 2, and it was wonderful.

 

How long was dinner in the dining room? What you posted was very vague.

 

I sailed three times on the Sovereign last winter, and the food in the dining room AND the Windjammer ranged from very good to excellent. Things can and do change, but it's a long way from your "inedible".

 

What activities DID you participate in? Did you like them?

 

The plumbing on the ship usually fails when a PASSENGER puts something in the toilet that doesn't belong there. It then affects a lot of cabins, not just the bathroom with the foreign object.

 

Water pressure...........did you speak to anyone about it? Did anyone come and try to fix it? What happened?

 

Boxwood hedges smell like cat p*$$. Were there any boxwood on the deck? ;)

[PH8]

I agree with the OP..................the Sovereign is awful........and thats why I have been on her 11 times......;) :p

[shappy0869]

My wife and I and another couple are thinking of taking a cruise in March on the SoS instead of the Majesty of the Seas out of Miami specifically because it has been refurbished (we live in south Florida). Are we driving 3 hours out of our way for nothing? Is there really not much of a difference in the two ships?

 

I have previously cruised on the Voyager 6 years ago and the Golden Princess 3 years ago, and both ships were relatively "new" at the time and enjoyed both ships (Voyager a bit more). We are just looking for a short weekend getaway away from the kids. Are we going to be disappointed?

 

Thank you.

[PH8]

My wife and I and another couple are thinking of taking a cruise in March on the SoS instead of the Majesty of the Seas out of Miami specifically because it has been refurbished (we live in south Florida). Are we driving 3 hours out of our way for nothing? Is there really not much of a difference in the two ships?

 

I have previously cruised on the Voyager 6 years ago and the Golden Princess 3 years ago, and both ships were relatively "new" at the time and enjoyed both ships (Voyager a bit more). We are just looking for a short weekend getaway away from the kids. Are we going to be disappointed?

 

Thank you.

 

I've been on both and there really isnt that much of a difference.........I would pick the closest one...............unless you do the 4 nighter,then i would pick MJ cuz it goes to Key West whereas the Sovereign doesnt......

[shappy0869]

To be blunt, is the MJ as nasty as I have heard?

[PH8]

Who told you that??? Seeing as you're new on here,dont think you heard it from here............:confused:

 

And no,its not nasty.......it was our first cruise on RCCL(in 2001) and we are now at number 30...............cause we liked it that much!

[shappy0869]

You are right, I did not read about that here, but I have read bad reviews on other travel sites. Things like the ship smells and things are old and it shows. I had hoped that the refurbished SoS would present itself as an almost new (albeit smaller) ship, similar to what I had experienced on my other cruises.

 

So, I guess the real question is what exactly was refurbished on the SoS?

 

Thanks.

[sheribaaby]

I think the problem other people have with your review is that everything is negative. And that can't be true if as you stated on another board you had a blast on this cruise.I've yet to have a perfect cruise but have enjoyed every one that I've taken. I am curious about the difference of opinion stated here and your post on the honeymoon board though.

 

I still had fun b/c of the people I went with - I was disappointed with the cruise line itself. Actually the ship - I can't say the cruise line b/c Mariner was fantastic. With the group I went with you could have been on a rowboat and still had fun.

 

Hey - if you loved the SOS and don't agree with my opinion then keep going on it. If it works for you then great. If you want something positive then I would say the embarkation process was very smooth, as was the disembarkation. The dining room waiter tried and it wasn't his fault that everything was slow coming out - he was working hard.

 

Like I said - no need to be so offended. If you like it and want to keep going on it, then more power to you. I have had several cruises and never had one negative thing to say about any of them before. This one just isn't one I would ever go on again. It's just an opinion.

 

I had actually heard that Royal Caribbean wasn't as good as Carnival and I went on the Mariner and did not agree. I thought they were comparable and this is why I agreed to on the Sovereign - besides the group that was going. They all had fun, as did I. I wasn't going to let the things I found wrong with the ship itself stop me from having a good time. Luckily for most of them they were first time cruisers and didn't know the difference.

[NYPFIA]

We cruised Dec. 8th on Sovereign of the Seas and had similar problems. The shame of it is not one person associated with RCCL could be bothered to address any of our concerns. We tried while onboard to resolve some issues and were just put off to another person who referred us to someone else. When we returned home and politly wrote to everyone we could think of at RCCL concerning our problems we did not receive one response from them. THEY DON'T CARE! The only recourse we seem to have is to post on these sites and hope some people will heed the warnings. However when I posted our concerns after the cruise, the kind people on this site jumped on me as if I shot their dog. They are loyal to RCCL and will defend them to the end. We love to cruise, however RCCL's response or lack of to our concerns has made us vow to stick with the other lines.

[NYPFIA]

We cruised Dec. 8th on Sovereign of the Seas and had similar problems. The shame of it is not one person associated with RCCL could be bothered to address any of our concerns. We tried while onboard to resolve some issues and were just put off to another person who referred us to someone else. When we returned home and politly wrote to everyone we could think of at RCCL concerning our problems we did not receive one response from them. THEY DON'T CARE! The only recourse we seem to have is to post on these sites and hope some people will heed the warnings. However when I posted our concerns after the cruise, the kind people on this site jumped on me as if I shot their dog. They are loyal to RCCL and will defend them to the end. We love to cruise, however RCCL's response or lack of to our concerns has made us vow to stick with the other lines.

[sheribaaby]

We cruised Dec. 8th on Sovereign of the Seas and had similar problems. The shame of it is not one person associated with RCCL could be bothered to address any of our concerns. We tried while onboard to resolve some issues and were just put off to another person who referred us to someone else. When we returned home and politly wrote to everyone we could think of at RCCL concerning our problems we did not receive one response from them. THEY DON'T CARE! The only recourse we seem to have is to post on these sites and hope some people will heed the warnings. However when I posted our concerns after the cruise, the kind people on this site jumped on me as if I shot their dog. They are loyal to RCCL and will defend them to the end. We love to cruise, however RCCL's response or lack of to our concerns has made us vow to stick with the other lines.

 

LOL! I know - heaven forbid! I don't care - I have the right to voice my opinion and hopefully it will help someone avoid the problems I had. Good for you for posting anyway.

[hospsafe]

Allow me to add my 3 cents....A couple of years ago we did a 4 day on the SOS. It was our first intro to RC. We were not impressed. We had one of the rooms right under the restaurant with the full length windows. The food was very good but overall it didnt compare to our previous cruises on Carnival. We were very disappointed.

 

Now having said that...I recently came back to this board because we weren't sure whether to do RC or Princess for our 5th anniversary in July. I explained the situation as well as my past experience with RC. As many of you have pointed out the SOS is an old and smaller ship. In addition I was reminded not to judge a cruise line on a 4 day cruise. Even though we are big Carnival fans we did decide to book FOS. (I cant put a timer on here otherwise I would go crazy!!!!)

 

I think you have to have different expectations for older ships and shorter cruises than you do for the newer and bigger ships.