Monarch of the Seas 4 Night Review (April 16, 2007)

[Sunny AZ Girl]

We just returned from a 4 night cruise on the Monarch of the Seas. We opted for this cruise as it was so affordable. We had built a new home this past year and decided to save on travel expenses. We were able to drive to the port, also. However, we really love a balcony cabin, so we splurged on a JS, since those are the lowest priced cabins with balconies on this ship.

 

We did catch a great senior special – we’re in our “young” mid-50’s - in December for a 3 night cruise on the Monarch, so we were familiar with the ship. Let me begin with the differences we noted between the 3 night and 4 night. Most noticeably was the age difference in the passengers. While the 3 night cruise was leaning heavily toward the young singles and young couples, the 4 night was very heavily weighted toward an older group. While we were older than probably 75% of the passengers on the 3 night, we were definitely in the younger 50% on the 4 night. There were quite a few groups on this cruise and several of them were from retirement communities, along with a Class of ’57 group. There was also more of a party atmosphere on the 3 night than on the 4 night. We noticed that things were pretty quiet around the ship by midnight on the 4 night vs. the 3 night. Don’t get me wrong – there were areas, most noticeably the Circuit still going strong at that hour, but with fewer people than on the weekend cruise.

 

The ship itself was in good shape for her age. There were a few worn spots if you were looking for them, but then I have a few worn spots at my age, also! I am partial to the art work that is visible throughout. Our favorite spot onboard is the Viking Crown Lounge for daytime relaxing. That is the trademark lounge at the very top of the ship with a 360 degree view of the ocean when you are at sea. I don’t think many people had discovered this relaxing area, as it was never crowded. I was never bothered by cigarette smoke there as I often am in some of the other lounges.

 

In the evening the Bolero Lounge often is a hot spot for fun activities, such as Salsa Dancing lessons and the ever popular Dueling Pianos for the late night crowd. We never made it to the Dueling Pianos this time, but on the 3 night we were there twice. It is definitely not a show for kids, and it became a little too graphic for my taste on that trip. We enjoyed Karaoke in the Circuit on two evenings. We had a few very talented people on our cruise and several untalented people who had one too many drinks to liven things up! The Qwest was also done in the Circuit and that is always fun. However, it was a much tamer version on the 4 night than on the 3 night….. We enjoy the shows the ship provides and try to see them all. The RC Singers and Dancers are very talented. We were surprised to see that this sailing offered two production shows. We had already seen one of them, Fast Forward, twice so we skipped it this time. We did enjoy the other Production Show and the comedian at the Welcome Aboard Show was hilarious. We had seen the Headliner Bryan G in December and I would say he was good, but not great.

 

As I mentioned before, our cabin on this cruise was a JS (1062). While our OV cabin on Deck 7 was the smallest cabin we had ever experienced, our JS was wonderful. It was too cold to spend much time on our balcony. However, the room set up allowed us to relax in a comfortable armchair or the sofa and enjoy the view unobstructed from inside the room through the large glass doors. The new bedding was in place in December, but it is very comfortable. We asked for feather pillows and they were promptly delivered to our room by our excellent cabin steward, Joy.

 

I am not a food critic and I always enjoy the food on board. My only complaint would be that the menu has been the same since 2005 on the three ships and 4 sailings we have been on! While I try to get something different each time, I keep going back to my favorites. We enjoyed the BBQ on the Pool Deck while we were in Ensenada – it was fun. The Chocolate Buffet was the 3rd night in the Centrum. I was way to full after late seating to eat any of it, but I took pictures of it from the balcony.

 

The crew on this ship is wonderful. It is a very friendly group of people. I think one of the advantages of sailing on a smaller ship is the intimacy between the passengers and crew. Our dining room staff was very good, but we have had a few better, especially on our Explorer cruise. Our Cabin Steward, Joy was perhaps the best we have ever experienced. We also had the pleasure of meeting the Captain, Captain Karin. She was very visible throughout the cruise. She is a very gracious and pleasant person. Johnny O was our cruise director. He was also mingling with the passengers. He is a talented musician in his own right and put on several performances with his electronic wind instrument, a Ewi as he called it. And Danny, the LA wanted me to pass on to all of his friends at Cruise Critic that he will not be leaving the Monarch as previously announced. He will be staying right here with us. He was hoping to go to Singapore to be closer to his family but RCI needed a LA who speaks Chinese in that position.

 

We did not book this cruise for the ports, but were disappointed that we were unable to tender to Catalina due to high winds. We were looking forward to an Inland Motor Coach Tour there. Our other ports, San Diego and Ensenadsa were strictly half day shopping trips for us, then back to the ship for lunch and a nap! We did get some great pictures of Catalina from the Viking Crown Lounge as we were sailing away from the island!:(

 

Our main disappointment was not the fault of RCI. We look forward to dining with other people at the end of the day and having pleasant conversation. This is the first cruise we have ever taken where we were not either traveling with family members or were not linked prior to the cruise with fellow Cruise Critic members from our roll call for dining. On this cruise we were never able to get a roll call going. So we requested a large table. When we got to the table we found it was ourselves, a honeymoon couple our own age who were very nice and a group of 3 ladies from Japan who did not speak a word of English. The honeymoon couple was concerned about late seating as they always went to bed by 8:30 or 9 and they never returned after the second night. The Japanese ladies felt uncomfortable with the large table arrangement and asked for the tables to be separated after the first night. So we ate alone the last two nights. Our waiter felt bad, and brought us every entrée and dessert on the menu – filled the table – both nights! Of course, we couldn’t touch the amount of food there, but it was nice to have a sampling from the entire menu. Our next two cruises are already planned with good friends we met here on Cruise Critic and have sailed with before, so we know that we won’t be alone in the foreseeable future! BTW, we have never been disappointed with our tablemates when linked with people from CruiseCritic. We always have something in common and the conversation is always interesting!

 

We had a great time on this wonderful ship. I wish it were longer. If you have any questions I will be happy to answer them. I hope to have pictures posted in the next couple of days. Now we have the next cruise to look forward to – but it is almost a whole year away! I just may have to fill the time with another cruise with a familiar friend – the Monarch of the Seas!:D

[IBookHePays]

Thank you so much for the detailed review! We are on the Monarch for the 3 day May 5th...any chance you have the compasses from your last 3 day cruise in December? We're crusing with some friends who haven't cruised before and I would love to know what's going on ahead of time. Thanks again for your review:)

[Merion_Mom]

Thanks for that great and well-written review, Ginny.

 

I will be on the Monarch for the first time in exactly a month, and I cannot wait. I am going specifically to meet a huge bunch of CC friends, and I am excited beyond words!

[EggDropErin]

Thank you for your review. Even though I have a while to go, I so enjoy reading about my future journey.

[Sunny AZ Girl]

IBookHePays - I love your name!:D In my house it would have to be IBookIPay!:rolleyes: No, I'm sorry - I don't keep the Compasses. We tear off the little schedule each day, highlight what appeals to us the most and carry it around with us. By the end of the day it is pretty beaten up. There is so much to do every day it is hard to decide.

 

Merion Mom - I am so glad that you get to do this cruise with your CC friends! We are doing that next year and the excitement for that cruise has overshadowed this one, I'm afraid. Have fun!:D

[EggDropErin]

Oh, and I forgot to mention, I agree with the linking of the dining. We will from now on try to link ours with fellow CCers. I have all three of my upcoming Monarch cruises linked with some great people already. We got tired of eating alone because most of the time couples would simply never show up at all.

[cruisePRN]

Thanks for the honorable mention :D we enjoyed your company at dinner too on the 3 night Dec Monarch sailing. I'm sorry your tablemates weren't as friendly as us. Erin, (eggdrop kind) is on my role call for the 4 day Monarch next Dec. We're doing the 4 nighter, wanna join us? I hope to be living in SoCal by then but if not I'll make the drive to San Pedro the night before. Were taking late seating. This time there will be 3 of us "spring chickens". We took 2 connecting cabins on deck 8. I will be disappointed if it's to windy to tender into Catalina but I've been there more then a dozen times so it's not like missing a new port.

Great review...........................Karyn............

[IBookHePays]

IBookHePays - I love your name!:D In my house it would have to be IBookIPay!:rolleyes: No, I'm sorry - I don't keep the Compasses. We tear off the little schedule each day, highlight what appeals to us the most and carry it around with us. By the end of the day it is pretty beaten up. There is so much to do every day it is hard to decide.

 

Thanks anyway, Ginny! And don't tell anyone, but sometimes I book AND pay!:D

[Sunny AZ Girl]

Thanks for the honorable mention :D we enjoyed your company at dinner too on the 3 night Dec Monarch sailing. I'm sorry your tablemates weren't as friendly as us. Erin, (eggdrop kind) is on my role call for the 4 day Monarch next Dec. We're doing the 4 nighter, wanna join us? I hope to be living in SoCal by then but if not I'll make the drive to San Pedro the night before. Were taking late seating. This time there will be 3 of us "spring chickens". We took 2 connecting cabins on deck 8. I will be disappointed if it's to windy to tender into Catalina but I've been there more then a dozen times so it's not like missing a new port.

Great review...........................Karyn............

 

Hi Karyn! I would love to join you guys in December, but I have to count my pennies as we are going on a 9 night next year and are planning a big MED cruise in 2009! We've already made the 9 day a group cruise with some of the people we sailed on the Jewel with last year. Why don't you guys join in?:D I know we would love the dinner companionship.......

 

BTW, I finally got my pictures of our 3 night posted on Webshots - check it out in my signature below.

 

EggDropErin - You will love cruising with Karyn. She is a wealth of information and can pull some strings with her cruise history, too!;)

 

IBook - Your secret is safe with me! I know the Compass may change from sailing to sailing, too. When we missed Catalina they told us to throw out the old Compasses and were handing out new ones within 20 minutes. Even the Captain was in the Centrum handing out the new Compasses. I think they've done that before......;)

[CruiseBumm]

Thanks for the great review. WE are booked in JS and a F1 for my sons. Also my wife sister and her familiy will be joing us. Dueling pianos sounds like fun.

[critterchick]

Ginny, I'm glad you had a good time! Joy is the best, isn't she? We had her in January and February, and I think she'll still be onboard in May for my B2B (with a friend on the first leg & DH on the second).

[MissKise]

Thanks for that great and well-written review, Ginny.

 

I will be on the Monarch for the first time in exactly a month, and I cannot wait. I am going specifically to meet a huge bunch of CC friends, and I am excited beyond words!

 

MM~ you will love the ship's crew....they are the best around. I can't wait to hear how you like it.

 

Sunny~ thanks for a great review and thoughts of a wonderful ship.

[mohavemommy]

Thanks so much for the review. I leave on the Monarch on Monday! I was just taking a quick break from finalizing my packing when I saw this thread. :D

[cruisePRN]

Keep me posted about your 2009 MED cruise. We're sailing the Hawaiian islands in Sept on NCLA and I'm not reading great reviews about that ship. I'm looking forward to seeing the Islands and will just have to change my thinking about the ship and realise it's not RCL! How is your house coming along?

[skandls]

Thanks for the post. We are on the April 30 four day. The Monarch is a great old ship and those OV rooms so small. We have never heard the dueling pianos but we will make a point to get to see them this trip.

[lephysteria]

Hi Ginny!

 

I read your review and your thoughts of the 4-day vs the 3-day are the same thoughts as mine!

We only had 5 teams at Quest during the week. On 3 day cruises we have about 20 teams! LOL

 

I am sailing with MMom and the other crazy cruisers. It should be a great week!

Thanks for posting the pics. The one of us at dinner is a nice pic. :)

Glad you had a good time!

[lawsoncd3]

Hey Ginny:

Thanks for the great reveiw. I too, am sailing on the 4 day, and my roll call is almost non-existent. I'm so use to my roll calls on Rhapsody and Voyager (Voyager is over 1200 posts and we're a year out). I won't let the CC absence though tarnish my vacation. I do see that the week after our sailing's roll call is in full swing! Lucky ducks! I did get very spoiled having the roll calls so active though. I guess it's hit or miss. :)

 

Anyway, wanted to pop in here and say thanks. I'm looking forward to the dueling pianos have I have heard nothing but rave reviews on their show.

 

What time did you board? How was the parking? Where did you park? DS and I are surprising DH for a birthday cruise... I book, he still paid, just didn't know it! Is the parking so far away from the terminal that you have to take a shuttle, or can you park and walk in?

 

Thanks again for posting such a great review. Looking forward to my time on MOS.

 

D :)

[crb04]

Great review! We leave on Monday for Monarch too, and are looking forward to having a wonderful, relaxing time.

[mohavemommy]

Hey Ginny:

Thanks for the great reveiw. I too, am sailing on the 4 day, and my roll call is almost non-existent. I'm so use to my roll calls on Rhapsody and Voyager (Voyager is over 1200 posts and we're a year out). I won't let the CC absence though tarnish my vacation. I do see that the week after our sailing's roll call is in full swing! Lucky ducks! I did get very spoiled having the roll calls so active though. I guess it's hit or miss. :)

 

Anyway, wanted to pop in here and say thanks. I'm looking forward to the dueling pianos have I have heard nothing but rave reviews on their show.

 

What time did you board? How was the parking? Where did you park? DS and I are surprising DH for a birthday cruise... I book, he still paid, just didn't know it! Is the parking so far away from the terminal that you have to take a shuttle, or can you park and walk in?

 

Thanks again for posting such a great review. Looking forward to my time on MOS.

 

D :)

 

For the 3/4 day cruises the parking lot is just across the access road from the terminal entrance. Park and walk in. Parking is secure and great. Boarding begins around noon. Here's a map I made to help.

[lawsoncd3]

Thanks MohaveMommy: Sometimes I can't remember the questions I ask, and think I'm loosing my memory. I appreciate the feedback.

 

How's everything in AZ? Vegas hasn't really heated up yet!

 

Hopefully someday, our travels will meet!

 

D :)

[silentbob007]

How far is the port from LAX? I just started looking at the Monarch and saw that transfers are $26/pp each way. Can I get a cab there for less than $50?

[cruisePRN]

Parking is very convinent at the dock for $12 per day. We arrived around 11 and had to wait until noon to board. There is a special lounge for diamond and Diamond+ with beverages and goodies to help pass the time.

[lawsoncd3]

For the 3/4 day cruises the parking lot is just across the access road from the terminal entrance. Park and walk in. Parking is secure and great. Boarding begins around noon.

 

I just saw on your countdown you are so close in going! Have you packed? How's the excitment (a/k/a butterflies in the stomach)!

 

D :)

[cruisePRN]

How far is the port from LAX? I just started looking at the Monarch and saw that transfers are $26/pp each way. Can I get a cab there for less than $50?

 

It's kinda far from LAX. Can you get a flight into Long Beach?

[silentbob007]

Is long beach much closer? That is actually a cheaper flight .... :)