Just Back from Sovereign....a Mini -Review!

[Host Caroline]

As usual Sovereign delivered a great 4-night getaway but the great thing about THIS cruise was the perfect weather for this "not liking hot weather" person;) .. high 70s, sunny... just a chilly sailaway.

I will do a review but a few random thoughts....

 

Cabin: had an obstructed OV on deck 8.. cabin is tiny in "king bed" config but we were truly only in there for a while and it was fine.. storage was okay for 4 nights. Bit of an odd odor in the bathroom occasionally but not bad.

 

Ship: great layout ex. for crowds in atrium.. Main complaint: turn on the A/C.. I'm usually cold on ships but they seemed to have a heat/air issue.. it was quite warm most of the time

Dining: Will never never do early dining again.... love the "Anytime" concept... 6:00 was way too early and 8:30 too late.. food was okay, not great.. Did have tablemate issues for only 2nd time in 30+ cruises and head waiter Bruno was a gem getting us table for 2 when it was really crowded.. Windjammer Marketplace a good concept... enjoyed using C&A coupons at Johnny Rockets but soft drinks should be included IMHO.

Embark/Disemark: Platinum embark and priority disembark a huge plus! Although we did express disembark and were off at 7:25.. we would have been second off with priority disembark.

Entertainment: Dueling Pianos are great in Boleros late on 3 evenings; too much Latin music = it was fun but they need a "top 40's" lounge.. Didn't go to any shows... Voltage disco was really good... good crowd, good mix of music.. we stayed up way way late twice we were having so much fun! :D AND we had a great Quest team = this is on last night at 11 in Voltages and hilarous even if you don't play. Took dance lessons twice, played trivia and name that tune and won great RCI caps! They had lots of pool activities on sea day for those that like to be busy. We just vegged out on the comfy cushioned chairs on Promenade and read!

 

CocoCay: our fav private island.. kayak seats are miserable unless you take the "kayak tour" but water was calm and still fun... lots lots of hammocks.. loved walking the beach, esp. down by Walkers Beach where tide was out and it was very uncrowded. BBQ lunch was excellent and . CocoLoco gets my vote for drink of the day anytime... Oh, and the rooster drinking rum punch on a picnic table def. got my vote for "picture of the day"!;) See attachment below....

 

Did the Thriller Powerboat in Nassau "just because"... it's lots of fun and would be a great tour on a very hot summer day...not as fast as thought it would be but we are "speed people"...

Overall: Love Sovereign for short cruises and CocoCay is a plus altho they coudl skip Nassau.. CocoCay and Key West were it closer and doable would be my choice... hey, RCI, how about 5-nighters on that itin from Port Canaveral????? Food was not as good as on Princess but not bad either... just a bit bland although the duck was excellent on formal night. We added to our "swoozy"? glass collection and drinks were great although bar service was pretty dismal in lounges and on deck -- it was easier to get it yourself!

 

We don't like "big" ships i.e. Freedom of the Seas etc. are not appealing to us and wish they would build some more Sovereign-size with bigger cabins! Now that would be nigh near perfect.

That being said and even though it's bigger (been on Mariner once and loved it) we are looking forward to Western Caribbean on the Mariner of the Seas next Jan. 13, 2008!!!

C'mon and join the CC group!!!!:D

[kruzerci]

Thanks for the mini review. It is good to hear a good reivew about Sovereign. We will be on her in a few weeks for a short little getaway, the four night itenerary. I have a couple questions if you don't mind!

 

-Is there any comparison to the cruising experience on Sovereign and a ship like Navigator or Mariner? We were on her a long time ago, but to tell you the truth, I don't remember much about it, we were just in awe about being on such a big ship-- it was our first cruise :D .

 

-What time did you board? Our last few cruises we have been onboard at least by 11:45, I'm wondering if anything has changed.

 

-Finally, who was the cruise director and did he saw how long he was going to be on there? We set sail on April 2.

 

Thanks so much.

[Host Caroline]

We boarded around 12:30 or so but cabins were not ready until 1:00 so we hung out in atrium instead of schlepping luggage to eat... we just carried out luggage on since it was a short cruise. They just kinda deliver checked luggage to elevator lobby on each deck it looked like and then stewards kinda deliver it.. not a great system. I would carry my luggage on again since we just had two 21" suitcases and tote bags.

 

I guess I'm a bad one to ask about comparisons... there is more to do on Mariner (been on her) but we like smaller ships.. they have plenty of activities and IMHO the pool area was not overcrowded although you will be on EAster time and there will be tons of families and kids which was NOT the case last week.

 

Shane (??) is the CD.. I just don't remember his last name and have no idea how long he will be on. He's very friendly...

 

Oh, and the "missed" an activity one night... i.e. "romantic dancing" in Boleros and no one showed up. Spoke to him when I saw him the next day and they had had complaints at Guest Relations so he scheduled an extra session the next night .. which I thought spoke a lot about him as a CD.. he didn't have to do that!

[Jay Bee]

Thanks for the review. I was on SOS a week ago and it's nice to read for comparison. We had a great time.

 

Is there any comparison to the cruising experience on Sovereign and a ship like Navigator or Mariner? We were on her a long time ago, but to tell you the truth, I don't remember much about it, we were just in awe about being on such a big ship-- it was our first cruise :D .

 

-What time did you board? Our last few cruises we have been onboard at least by 11:45, I'm wondering if anything has changed.

 

-Finally, who was the cruise director and did he saw how long he was going to be on there?

 

I've been on the Explorer twice. There are differences to be sure. You'll notice things that are less modern like the low ceilings, especially in the dining room. The redone areas are very nice. The cabins are tiny. The pool deck is nowhere near as good as on the Voyager class ships.

 

No one could board until nearly 3 because the ship had a plumbing problem.

 

CD Shane Einspahr. Not sure how long he he slated to be there, but he just started so unless it's some temp situation, he should still be there. Very personable, will be better once he is more accomplished with his humor routines.

[kruzerci]

Thanks for the review. I was on SOS a week ago and it's nice to read for comparison. We had a great time.

 

 

 

I've been on the Explorer twice. There are differences to be sure. You'll notice things that are less modern like the low ceilings, especially in the dining room. The redone areas are very nice. The cabins are tiny. The pool deck is nowhere near as good as on the Voyager class ships.

 

No one could board until nearly 3 because the ship had a plumbing problem.

 

CD Shane Einspahr. Not sure how long he he slated to be there, but he just started so unless it's some temp situation, he should still be there. Very personable, will be better once he is more accomplished with his humor routines.

 

 

Thanks