All things Monarch of the Seas

[missygirl]

Leaving Aug. 31...can't wait. We have not cruised on Royal Caribbean since our honeymoon in 1991 :eek: so its time. Back then we went on Nordic Empress.

 

Missygirl

[dalbinson412]

can I get a copy of the compass also, this will be my first time on RC, going in Nov. Thanks.

 

dalbinson@gmail.com

[Heytray41]

Thanks for posting your review- I am sailing the Monarch with family and friends October 12. I have been on Majesty and the Sovereign, so I am used to the smaller ships...we have always had a great time! I also am very interested in the the compass!! Here's your second harassment-lol. Can you email the info to me? My email is: heytray41@optonline.net

Thanks so much for help!

 

Traci

[bondoeswim]

Can I make a small request to you guys that i've already sent the emails to? If you happen to see anyone requesting them PLEASE try and forward to those people!! I would really appreciate it as I start nursing school in just a few days and now have to much to do before then that I dont know how much I'll be able to check this boards. I want to make sure everyone who wants to see them can!! I would really really appreciate it!

 

Hope everyone I've sent them to has gotten them with no problems and has been able to open the files!

[Me76]

Can I make a small request to you guys that i've already sent the emails to? If you happen to see anyone requesting them PLEASE try and forward to those people!! I would really appreciate it as I start nursing school in just a few days and now have to much to do before then that I dont know how much I'll be able to check this boards. I want to make sure everyone who wants to see them can!! I would really really appreciate it!

 

Hope everyone I've sent them to has gotten them with no problems and has been able to open the files!

 

If someone could forward the Compass to me, that would be great! My mom, me, and my two sons are going on Oct. 26th and they have never been on a cruise. I was on the Sovereign back in '04 when it made this same trek (Port Canaveral to Nassau). I don't really care to go back to Nassau, but I LOVED CoCoCay (which I still remember the comedian from our first night on board making a joke about asking for Pepsi and the waiter saying "CoCoCay (CokeOK?)" Just one of those things that stick with you.

 

Email: marys.treasure.trove@gmail.com

 

Thanks in advance!

[mamaza]

If someone sends them to me, I'll be sure to pass them on as I can.

marc_mary_zahn@hotmail.com

[Poultrygeist]

I put all three parts in one post. Pull up a comfortable chair and come along..

 

Part I

 

This review is a day by day account of our experience on the Monarch (7/31-8/3)and our travels to and from Florida. I'm not sure if I'm posting it in the right place, but it could be in traveling with kids, traveling on a budget (I include prices for everything I can remember and a total trip price), or All things Monarch of the Seas.....

 

We took our three kids, all boys, with us on a three night cruise to the Bahamas. Our party consisted of myself (37 - banker - fisherman - Gamecock fan), my wife (38 - social worker - organizer - Mommy), three sons - 10 yr old (homebody), 7 yr old (future Marine), and 2 yr old (wild child). Yes, you are right, we are crazy. It turned out much better than I expected.

 

Pre cruise -

 

We had been thinking seriously about a cruise since Christmas, but we finally pulled the trigger on this cruise late in the game - July 6th. We originally booked a single room that could hold five with a pack-and-play, but we then switched to two rooms.

 

We did not have a lot of choices at that point, so we picked the second deck - rooms 2020 (outside) and 2509 (inside). We got a state discount for being from SC on the day we changed our reservation. Our total was $1610.50. Not bad for two rooms and five people.

 

I have to thank Scubagirl and all of the posters on this board. I gained a ton of knowledge that helped me every day of the cruise from reading this board and posting questions.

 

Day 1 - Leaving Lancaster, SC for Jacksonville -

 

I planned our trip so that we would have a stop-over on the way down and on the way back. It would be an 8 1/2 hour drive to Port Canaveral if we drove non-stop. I knew we would have several stops to eat (and whatever else) with the kids, and I knew the 2 yr old would wear out and be miserable.

 

We drove about 6 1/2 hours to Jacksonville. We had pre-booked rooms both ways with Holiday Inn Express. We have always had good experiences with them in Florida and in other states. This one was nice. It was near I-95 which was important to me. The room price ($83.91) also includes breakfast which is great for a family of our size. The room was nice, but it was raining so we couldn't enjoy the pool. We drove down to the beach and "Ate at Joe's." This was fun. Great atmosphere and good food.

 

Day 2 - Jacksonville to Monarch of the Seas -

 

We left Jacksonville around 8:30am with the intention of arriving by 11:30, but a few longer-than-planned stops put us behind. We arrived at the port around 1:00pm (we were suppose to arrive no later than 3:30).

 

We found our way to the Monarch's parking area and followed the signs to the luggage drop off. We only had three bags to check. The porters were extremely friendly. I saw the signs saying that tipping was not required and I had planned not to tip them, but I gave him $3.00. I only had three singles - the rest 20's. Anyway, they did a great job.

It was hot out there. He said "We appreciate anything you give us."

 

Moving along…this port is very clean and very easy to get through. I did not encounter one rude or unfriendly person during the whole boarding process. We had the 2 yr old in his stroller. The port staff went out of their way to put us on elevators and ramps. They genuinely seemed to enjoy entertaining the kids.

 

Our passports had expired, so we had our driver’s licenses and birth certificates plus our marriage license for the wife. We also had certified copies of the kids’ birth certificates. The port officials thanked us for having everything in order.

 

Again, thanks to posters on this board for helping us figure out the docs we needed.

 

We had our pictures taken and our credit card scanned for the Sea Passes. This all went smoothly and quickly.

 

On to the Monarch of the Seas -

 

We went through the concourse to enter the Monarch. Our group was greeted by a funny staff member that can only be described as an Indian with an Afro. He had one of the biggest Afro’s I have ever seen, and I have never seen anyone from India with any kind of wild hair.

 

Anyway, he gave us a few basics about the ship and pointed out the complimentary hand sanitizers stationed at the entrances to prevent disease.

We made our way to level 2 and found our rooms. They were small, but bigger than I expected. We had cruised once before with Carnival on the Fascination without kids. Both of our rooms seemed bigger than Carnival’s.

 

We split up the luggage between the two rooms. On our way, we met Reeci (sp), our room attendant. He was very nice and he did a great job.

 

My wife ended up with the outside, port-hole room (go figure) and I took the inside room. (When you are married for 16 years and have three kids, the chance for romance on a cruise is slim to none.)

 

The inside cabin was #2509. Both cabins were near the front of the ship. This room had one single bed on the left and bunk beds on the right. I had planned on having the 7 & 10 year old with me, but it didn’t work out that way.

 

This room was in the center of the ship, so I didn’t feel the side to side swaying but I definitely felt the up and down motion, especially on the first day. I took Bonine and had my see legs in no time. I did hear the anchor going down in Coco Cay around 7:00am, but I was already awake.

 

My wife’s room, #2020, was just 20 or 30 steps away around the corner. Her room was initially configured with two singles. Reeci offered to put the beds together, which made a huge difference. There was a shelf-like area above the bed in front of the port-hole. The 7 yr old decided this is where he wanted to sleep, and he did.

 

It was small, but just right for him.

 

We asked Reeci to remove all the sodas, water, and mini-bar items from our desk area under the mirror. He showed me that I could just store all of it above the mirror which worked fine.

 

The bathrooms in both room were small, but well laid out with plenty of towels and bath-cloths. The shampoo dispenser in my room was out and the TV’s were small, but those are my only complaints with the rooms.

 

After settling in a little, we went up to the Windjammer for lunch. The kids loved the selection. Even my 10 yr old found things he liked. They also liked the animals carved in fruit - swan in a watermelon, penguin made of various fruits, etc. Very cute. We both tried the honey stung chicken. It was good, but I’ve had better.

 

We next heard the announcement for the Muster drill. I knew this would not be fun, and it wasn’t. We had two different Muster stations on opposite sides of the ship due to being in two rooms. Luckily, one of the crew members told us we could all be together.

 

We were next to the back of the group. It was hot and tight. The 2 yr old had his first tantrum of the trip. (He had one per day, which is not bad for a 2 yr old.) This one was the worst. He wanted to be held which was all but impossible to do with the lifejackets on.

 

It got worse and worse. There were some foreign passengers behind us who were sitting on a cabinet of some sort. They did not move or offer any help. One of the instructors heard the baby and came over and instructed them to move over and let my wife and the baby use the cabinet.

 

That was nice, but he was in full tantrum mode by then. A few minutes later, another instructor came back and told my wife and the baby to go ahead and remove the lifejackets. He also led them to the front of the group where he let the baby help lead the drill.

 

I was very relieved that they recognized our situation and made it better. I hate that the others around us had to endure his crying, but it really only lasted five to ten minutes. It did seem longer.

 

After returning to our rooms, my wife finished unpacking and the baby took a nap. Myself and the older two went up to the front of deck 11 for sail away. We were right under the horns when they sounded. This could be a great practical joke - those horns are LOUD and will shake your bones.

 

Sail away was nice.

 

We then explored the ship a little before returning to our rooms. I got a nap with the baby while the wife and older boys went up to the pool for a while.

 

We then all got dressed for dinner at 8:30pm.

 

We had our pictures taken by the professional photographer while waiting for the dining room to open. Again, this is hard to do with three kids. We only came away with one good professional picture the whole trip.

 

The kids then entertained themselves by riding the elevator up to the top floor and looking down at the Centrum. The Centrum was beautiful, btw. It was elegant without being gaudy.

 

On to dinner…..We are from a small town in the South. We’re not used to being served and attended to. We have Mom and Pop restaurants and lots of fried chicken where we live.

 

Our waiter was Rajeesh from India and his assistant was Maria from Lima, Peru. I cannot say enough good things about them. They cut up our 7 yr olds’ steak. They were friendly and very conversational.

 

Rajeesh noticed that the baby liked the grapes in the fruit cocktail, so he brought out a bowl of just grapes for him. He also made excellent suggestion for our entrées and deserts.

 

The food was superb. We explained to him that we would not be in the dining room the next night - formal night. We decided to pack light and not bring dress clothes for everybody. We were also afraid the baby might ruin other people’s evenings if he had a bad night. Rajeesh tried to convince us that we would be fine. As long as we were not in shorts, we would be allowed in. We stuck to our plan though. More on that in the next section.

 

Day 2 on the Monarch - Rock Wall/Nassau/Atlantis Resort -

 

The older boys and I went out to sign up for the rock climbing wall at 9:00am, when it opened. We had to go all the way back to our rooms to get socks, as they were required to climb.

 

None of us had ever tried this before, so we were excited. We all made it to the top, but I’ll tell you, rock climbing is hard. I was worn out. The big fellow holding my rope and giving instructions must have thought I was a Romanian gymnast. He said things like “left foot where your right hand is” - yeah right.

 

As I stated earlier, I’m 37. I failed to mention that I am also out of shape and at least 25 lbs over my fighting weight.

 

My 10 yr old started out beside me about two minutes after I started. He was up the wall like a cat and back on the ground before I even got close to the top. But I made it.

 

The 7 yr old was really too short to do it. He did his best, but he more or less swung like Tarzan for most of his climb. He made it as well and all was good.

 

My wife had taken the 2 yr old to Aqua Tots while we were doing this. They were the only ones there. The instructor (Erica from Mexico) told my wife that they were hired by RCI for five month contracts. Not always on the same ship. She said this was only her second time around. She was very nice and the play area was clean with lots of toys.

 

BTW - we signed the older two up for Adventure Ocean, but they did not attend any of the activities. We did not have a day at sea, so we stayed pretty busy the entire trip. I wish they had at least tried AO, but it was good to have everybody together.

 

We went back to our rooms to get ready for Nassau at noon. I had worried myself sick over what to do there. I wanted to take the older boys snorkeling, but I was worried about keeping a baby safe and happy on a catamaran.

 

Again, this board helped a lot in that area.

 

I told my wife about the Wyndham day pass and we agreed that it was the best option. So off we went.

 

I had booked myself and the older two on the Rainbow Reef Snorkel excursion which departed at 2:00pm. We all left the dock together to find a taxi to the Wyndham. We were met by a lady and she told us to follow her- she would find a taxi for us.

 

This was a little easier said than done. Most of the taxis were heading to Atlantis. She passed us around a little until we finally found a driver that agreed to take us to the Wyndham and wait for us until we got the wife and baby in and registered.

 

It is on Cable Beach which is a 15 to 20 minute taxi ride. The Wyndham is very nice and the hotel staff was friendly. Afterwards, my wife said the beach and pools were nice and relaxing. So relaxing the baby fell asleep in her arms in the pool. She missed the buffet which was included in the $40.00 because the baby was still asleep.

 

OK, back to the taxi ride back. The driver did wait on us. He was extremely friendly and his minivan had cold A/C . We had agreed to $40.00 round trip. That was probably a lot more than I could have spent, but we were on a tight schedule and had never been there before. He gave a tour of the city as we were on the way.

 

The older two and I arrived back at the pier with twenty-five minutes to spare. We were part of a large group for the Rainbow Reef Snorkel. I would guess 75 to 90 people. Very diverse age range.

 

We made the seven minute walk to the other side of the dock to board. We were on a wide, single-deck catamaran with a canopy that provided lots of shade. It was fast.

 

The excursion expert on the Monarch told us that it left an hour later than the Seahorse Sail and Snorkel and that it provided a half hour longer snorkeling time. He said the Seahorse had a sail, but they really just used their motors the whole time.

 

Anyway, I learned that all of the snorkeling boats went to the same reef (except Stuart Cove which is on the other side of the island. We did not arrive in port early enough to go with them.) Rainbow Reef cost $84.00 for the three of us, which was about $30.00 cheaper than other boats we had considered.

 

The ride out to the reef was relaxing. The captain gave us a small tour of the harbor. I had snorkeled twice before - Key West and Cozumel. This trip blew both away. There were fish within inches of me as soon as I jumped in the water. Most were light silver with black stripes and some yellow accents. There were also much bigger, more colorful fish deeper below us. I would guess we were in 10 to 20 feet of water most of the time.

 

Some folks bought fish food in Ziploc bags. Man, the fish really responded to this. I was amazed. All three of us got close enough to touch at least one fish. The two boys had a blast although I had a tough time keeping track of the 7 yr old (future Marine). He has one speed and that is wide open.

 

My biggest regret of the trip is not buying an underwater camera. We looked and looked for a Fuji with a flash but never found one. I wish I would have just settled for the Kodak.

 

Anyway, we had our non-waterproof digital camera, so I got out early and snapped a few shots of the boys from the boat.

 

The ride in was nice - they offered bottled water, coke and chips for sale for $1.00 each. The captain gave us a really nice “celebrity homes” tour on the way back in. We saw homes of folks like Oprah, Tiger Woods, Elvis, and the Sheik of Saudi Arabia where he lives with his four wives.

 

We arrived back a few minutes before 5:00. We had made plans to meet up with the wife and baby at 5:30 at the Wyndham. This time I found a taxi myself and made a deal for one way for the three of us for $18.00. This driver was friendly as well.

 

We found my wife and baby easily as they were coming out. We decided to look for the city bus/jitney. We found one quickly. He took us all back to the pier for only $5.00. I guess you live and learn.

 

We went back on board and had dinner in the Windjammer as we had planned. It wasn’t nearly as nice as I am sure the formal dinner would have been, but I think it was a good decision for us.

 

We then made a quick stop by the rooms to change and headed back out to the Atlantis. One more taxi trip - we found a driver to take us over for $16.00.

 

It was dark by then, around 9:00pm and the place was still extremely busy. There were four or five ships in port that day.

 

This place is unreal. We had the baby in a stroller so we had to go outside to find an elevator in the free area. We made it down below to see the huge aquarium and the manta ray that had to be 20 feet across. Definitely impressive and worth the trip.

 

We got a little lost when we left and had to carry the baby in the stroller up some stairs outside, but we ended up at what had to be the Predator Lagoon. We were looking down on dorsal fins and menacing dark objects in the pools. There was not much light out there and the pool did not have lights, but that made it even better. The older boys loved spotting the sharks.

 

We wrapped up our visit with a final taxi ride back to the Monarch. Another nice taxi driver, another $16.00. All and all I was very pleased with Nassau. Maybe we were lucky, but everyone was friendly and we were not hounded by people trying to sell stuff. The city is dirty and the streets are narrow, but it was beautiful in many ways.

 

 

Review - Part II

 

Before I begin part II, I want to talk a little more about the food on the ship. After all, this is was my favorite part of the cruise. We ate breakfast every morning at the Windjammer. The kids had cereal some days, and pancakes other days. The selection was great. Every day they had the basics - pancakes, sausage, and eggs although they did mix up the styles of eggs they offered. Milk and orange juice was free. Lots and lots of fruit to choose from. I love orange juice, and theirs was good. I had read where some people described it as orange drink. Not sure, but I liked it.

 

For the first dining room dinner, I had the New York Strip (actually I had two). Very good. The first night is the only night they offer it. I also had the mashed potatoes which were probably the best I’ve ever had. The baby chewed on an ear of corn and was happy. The 7 yr old had the sirloin steak and really enjoyed it. The 10 yr old is picky. He tried the pizza, and ate some of it. He was content to eat an ear of corn, so I did not push the issue. My wife had the New York Strip and enjoyed it. For desert she ordered the banana cake - I can’t remember the name. She absolutely loved it. She let me have a little (cake). A definite must try.

 

We ordered room service after returning from Atlantis the second night. We ordered six milks, that’s right, six. At home my family drinks four gallons of 2% white milk a week. No exaggeration. And I don’t drink a drop of it. Like I said, I like o. j. Back to room service. This may be the greatest service ever invented. It was free if you ordered before midnight. Along with the milk, we ordered six chocolate chip cookies. All was well with the world. The two year old still likes a half-bottle at night and in the morning. (All you parenting experts - give me a break. We’ve raised three boys so we are allowed to do what it takes to keep them happy and quiet.) We put a serving-size carton of milk in the ice bucket to keep it cold till morning. This worked well.

 

Day 3 on the Monarch - Coco Cay

 

We had breakfast, then departed by ferry-type boat over to Coco Cay at about 9:00am. The trip over was nice. The island is much smaller than I thought it would be. Before I go too far, let me warn you about one thing re: Coco Cay. It is hot as Hades there in August. We tried to find shade under a group of palm trees. It started off ok, but as the sun moved we were out of luck. That will be my only complaint about this paradise. We went down to the beach. A staffer on the island told us that the best beach was the second one from the right as you approach by the path from the ferry dock. In the water, the surface was smooth and sandy. We waded around a little with the baby in the surf. The 7 yr old had his goggles from home which helped him find a medium size shell with a live crab in it. Nothing like a live crab to entertain young boys. We saw two stingrays come right up into the crowd less than 15 feet from the shore. That got everyone’s attention. After sufficiently wearing out the baby, my wife took him back to the chairs to let him play in the sand a little before a nap. I often wish I was two. We brought a few sand toys from home which he really enjoyed.

 

I found the snorkel shack and did the Sea Pass thing. I did not pre-book this excursion because I did not see a need to. A couple of the young Bohemian ladies working there looked to be about twelve yrs old. But they were nice and I was on my way with an arm load of vests, goggles, and flippers. You can picture the scene. I had left the boys on the beach to enjoy the crab. The cost for one adult set (which I shared with the wife) and two kids’ sets was $61.00.

 

The two older boys and I decided not to wear the flippers after all. We headed out for the floating platform that was about 500 yards out. The snorkeling was not great close to the shore because all the people moving around really stirred up the bottom. About 100 feet out it cleared up fine. The water was the clearest I had ever seen. We saw all kinds of fish. Not as many close to us like on the reef in Nassau, but it was very good snorkeling. About 2/3 of the way out my ten year old got water in his mouth and panicked. He is a very good swimmer, but I was scared. I could not get him calmed down. The waves were rougher there than in Nassau. I would say one to 1 ½ foot high. They were hitting him in the face and he was freaking out. I assured him that the vest would keep him floating. I was about 30 seconds away from pulling his distress horn/siren when he finally started calming down. We were closer to the floating dock than to the shore so I decided to try to make it to the dock. I kept one had on him as we swam to it. The 7 yr old was oblivious to the whole ordeal and was having the time of his life. We made it to the floating plastic dock. Here’s a hint- There is a ladder on the left side of this dock. That piece of info would have been helpful as I tried to pull myself up on the front. I’m sure the teenagers that were hanging out there got a kick out of that. Anyway, we took about a fifteen minute rest and the 10 yr old was fine.

 

I had planned on swimming from there to the sunken plane, but we decided to head back in. It was easier going heading back to shore. On the way we saw a small stingray right under us. There were two fish that swam along with it the whole time. As we watched them, we saw a bunch of “dust” rising up form the floor about 40 feet away. Out of the dust comes a huge stingray. I would say 6 to 8 feet across. I looked up to make sure the boys saw it and when I looked down again, it was gone. Very cool.

 

We went back in and I relieved my wife of the baby for a while. She tried several times to snorkel but could not get comfortable this time. She had snorkeled twice before with no problem. She gave up so myself and the seven year old headed out again. This time I wanted to find the drop-off that I read about on this board. We went over to the beach to the left of us because it was closer to the rocks. This beach had a much more rocky floor. It really hurt walking out. It was very shallow all the way out to the rocks - less than four feet in some areas 300-400 yards from shore. We finally figured out where the drop-off was. You could feel a ten degree drop in water temperature. It was 30 to 40 feet there. There were a good amount of fish out there to see. I’m 99% sure I saw a barracuda. I was just floating along watching some fish when this long, silver, streak passed diagonally below me. If I would have blinked, I would have missed it. It made me realize that we were pretty vulnerable out there. Jaws is one of my favorite all time movies, but I had no desire to reenact it. There were a couple of groups that went out a lot further. I was getting tired, so we came back in. It was not easy fighting the current at the rocks. We were never in any trouble, but it was aggravating to keep getting off course. We eventually made it to the shallow area to a big flat rock that was less than knee deep. After a short rest, we returned to shore.

 

It was close to lunch time by then, so we hung out in a shelter until it was ready. People swarmed the buffet, so I just settled for a hot dog and a burger. Even this was good. Later on, as we explored the island I saw that some folks had found a nice shaded area to eat. This grassy area was near the center of the island. Anyway, we hung out until about 2:30 then headed back to the ship. I would never have thought I would leave paradise two hours earlier than I had to, but we were getting fried and were all worn out. We returned to the ship and crashed for a while.

 

We got ready for our 8:30 dinner in the dining room. I kept the boys while my wife went to see our photos that were on deck 4. As I stated earlier, only one was decent. She bought one of the ones taken we got off the ship in Nassau. She also bought a couple of beautiful pictures of the Centrum and Coco Cay.

 

It was Italian night. The Godfather II is my favorite all time movie, so I felt prepared. My wife and I both had the tiger shrimp which tasted a lot like shrimp scampi. Very, very good. For desert, we both ordered the warm chocolate cake. My, my, my…delicious. We got a picture of the boys with Rajeesh and Maria. They then joined the other waiters for the show. It was a blast to have them sing O Sole Mio for us. It was funny that the head chef mentioned that their staff represented over 50 countries, but there was not a single Italian in the bunch. The head waiter came by and played with the baby. I believe her name was Onica, from Trinidad and Tobago. I wish she had not came over because she did not the first night, so I was not going to tip her. Speaking of tips, here is what we did: $30.00 to our waiter, $20.00 to the asst. waiter, and $5.00 to our area’s head waiter. I would have given her more but I had a choice of a $20 and a $5. I’m sure some leave more and some leave less, but this is what we thought was fair. Remember, we only ate there two nights.

 

 

Part III -

 

Departure/Kennedy Space Center/Daytona Beach/Manatee Watching/Total trip cost breakdown

Heading down the home stretch. We did not opt for the express checkout. Our bags were tagged blue. We were scheduled for 8:50. We almost missed breakfast at the Windjammer. They were suppose to stop serving at 8:30, and we got there at 8:20. I loaded up my plate thinking they were not going to let us back in the buffet area, but they let people in way past 8:30. They did have it roped off, but they left one part open. Anyway, we ate quickly and returned to our rooms. We had everything ready to go. My wife is super-organized. It looked like a long, double line for departure, but it moved very fast. Exiting Port Canaveral was a breeze just like boarding day. Again they led us to elevators because of our stroller. A porter met us and offered to put our three larger bags on his dolly. He took them all the way from the baggage claim to our van in the parking lot. I tipped him $5.00. He was very nice. We were on the road by 9:20.

 

Kennedy Space Center

 

We picked up some coupons at McDonald’s for the space center while we were on the way to Fl. One coupon got up to six people $5.00 off each. The baby was free, so it saved us $20.00. This is a very hot place, even in the morning. We did the talking robot show, which was pretty good. We also went to the Astronaut Encounter. John Baha told us all about his five missions on the shuttles to the space station and his four month tour on the Russian Mir. He took questions at the end. They had a jumbo size play area (picture four Chic-fil-a play areas) that the boys enjoyed, especially the two year old. I had to drag myself to the top of the thing to get him down. Not the first time I’ve had to do that.

 

We next did the best part, the Shuttle Launch Simulator. I won’t spoil this too much, but it is worth the trip. The baby couldn’t ride it (48 inch height restriction) so the older boys got to do it twice, once with me and once with the wife. Very cool and informative.

 

We ate at the inside dining area. Nothing spectacular there after eating on the Monarch for three days. We next did an IMAX show about all of the moon walks which was narrated by Tom Hanks. It was 3-D and very good. It only lasted 30 minutes, but was well worth the time. They had another short IMAX movie that we did not do as well as the new Star Trek movie in IMAX 3-D. We were led to believe this was included in our ticket, but Star Trek was $7.00 more each. I’ll wait for the DVD.

 

We toured a space shuttle that was actual size. Pretty neat. We finished up by visiting the monuments to fallen astronauts. This area is very well done and beautiful.

 

There was a bus tour that lasted two hours that we passed on. The kids were really tired. This tour takes you out near the launch pad and has a few more attractions. We probably wasted a little money by not doing it, but I wasn’t about to put our crew on a bus for that long.

 

Manatee Watching

 

On our way out, we asked a lady at guest services if there was anything to do between there and Daytona Beach. She told us about a 7 mile animal preserve on Meritt Island and gave us a brochure. It showed a lynx, alligators, and manatees. We hit a huge storm right after we entered the preserve. Didn’t see any animals. Then we spotted the manatee observation dock. This was located on a canal. As soon as we walked up we saw two manatees in the water “grazing” on the seaweed. The kids loved it. It wasn’t raining there, so we spent about 30 minutes watching them. We counted at least six including a mother and baby. Well worth the drive. We found our way over to I-95 and headed for Daytona Beach.

 

Daytona Beach

 

We came into Daytona and passed the speedway. It is huge. We drove out on the beach for about five minutes before a lifeguard waved us off. Darn tourists. We saw other areas to drive on, but we had had our fun. We went to a pier that had a chair-lift on it (like you see at amusement parks) Unfortunately, it was not running. Inside the gift shop on this pier they had an animated pirate that performed a short “show” for a buck. I won’t tell you what the pirate did, but we won’t soon forget it. We made it to our hotel - Holiday Inn Express on International Speedway Blvd - and ordered Domino’s. The website said this hotel had the largest hotel pool in Florida and it did not disappoint. We spent a couple of hours out there until dark then we all hit the bed. We were five tired puppies and I had a long drive ahead the next day. We made it back home to Lancaster, SC fine the next day without incident.

 

All and all, this was a great trip. I had dreaded this vacation more than any other we had planned. I worried that the kids would make it a disaster. I was wrong. We had some good, quality time. The separate rooms kept up from killing each other J

 

Total Trip Cost

 

Like I said way back at the beginning, we tried to cruise on a budget. It’s really hard to guess how much a total cost will be, so I’m posting below our breakdown and total:

 

Cruise itself (including tax; 2 rooms, 5 people) $1610.50

Food (on the way down and back) $122.54

Hotels (hot breakfast included) $160.41

Gas (not counting the full tank when we left) $73.00

Kennedy Space Center (3 and under free) $118.72

Cash (mostly tips and taxis- take the Jitney) $484.00

Misc. (excursions, pictures, etc) $176.91

Grand Total $2746.08

 

I really had wanted to stay under $2500.00. We could have done that by getting one room to sleep five or by skipping Kennedy Space Center. Oh well, who ever comes in under budget anyway?

 

Thanks to all who have stuck it out and read this whole post. It turned into a monster. Thanks again to the mods and posters here who helped me get ready for the cruise. I was really cramming, and this board was a life-saver.

 

LA FINE.

[Heytray41]

Can I make a small request to you guys that i've already sent the emails to? If you happen to see anyone requesting them PLEASE try and forward to those people!! I would really appreciate it as I start nursing school in just a few days and now have to much to do before then that I dont know how much I'll be able to check this boards. I want to make sure everyone who wants to see them can!! I would really really appreciate it!

 

Hope everyone I've sent them to has gotten them with no problems and has been able to open the files!

I got them and will try to pass them along. Thanks so much for sharing and good luck with your schooling!

Traci

[NanciRDH]

I can't make the search work to find the answer to this...how many people does the Royal Suite on Monarch sleep? We're planning a girls weekend getaway and would like to decide between a few OV cabins vs RS for a party suite. :D

Also, I know Monarch doesn't have a CL...so what does it offer for suite guests as an alternative?

[abfranklin]

Hi my DW and i will sail 8/31 on the Monarch . both of us would love to see the compass before . If someone could ( I know how busy you are ) forward , it would "make my day

 

Thanx , Andy

 

absavage59@comcast.net

[Heytray41]

Hi my DW and i will sail 8/31 on the Monarch . both of us would love to see the compass before . If someone could ( I know how busy you are ) forward , it would "make my day

 

Thanx , Andy

 

absavage59@comcast.net

Andy,

Do you want them all, or do you just want one? Let me know...I'll try and get it to you today.

Traci

[MreenD]

I got them and will try to pass them along. Thanks so much for sharing and good luck with your schooling!

Traci

 

 

Traci, could you email me all copies of the compasses? Thanks so much.

Maureen

 

pkdmrd @ aol.com

[Heytray41]

Traci, could you email me all copies of the compasses? Thanks so much.

Maureen

 

pkdmrd @ aol.com

Maureen,

I will pass them along...It will take a few emails. Enjoy!

Traci

[CruisinDawn]

I too would love to see the current 3 day Monarch Cruise Compasses. There are a few activities we never miss, Sexy Legs - Quest - Love & Marriage - Pool Line Dancing and want to be sure we don't have an excursion or other plans made for the same time.

 

dawnaseawell @ yahoo.com

 

Thanks! Someone....

 

BonVoyage

Dawna

[01Sweetpea]

Can anyone tell me how obstructed the windows are on deck 8? Do you look out AT the lifeboats or at they below the window so I could see out but now down?

 

Thanks!

[madderlake]

Hi there,

 

What is a compass? LOL!

 

I'm sailing Monarch on 8/31 and would love to see it too....

 

Thank you!

 

Stacey

madderlake@hotmail.com

[abfranklin]

[quote name='Heytray41']Andy,
Do you want them all, or do you just want one? Let me know...I'll try and get it to you today.
Traci[/quote]


Hi Traci , seem like I can't get my fill of info on upcoming cruises " Dw thinks i'm nuts " . But we will be sailing 8\31 and would love it all


thanks ' Andy:)

[Heytray41]

Hi there,

 

What is a compass? LOL!

 

I'm sailing Monarch on 8/31 and would love to see it too....

 

Thank you!

 

Stacey

madderlake@hotmail.com

The Cruise Compass is a daily list of activities and times that take place on the ship. A highlighter is a good idea to bring along so you can highlight the activities you don't want to miss. They do change from sailing to sailing, but you'll get an idea of the happenings.

 

Traci

[Heytray41]

Hi Traci , seem like I can't get my fill of info on upcoming cruises " Dw thinks i'm nuts " . But we will be sailing 8\31 and would love it all

 

 

thanks ' Andy:)

Hi Andy,

I know exactly what you mean...I'm a junkie too! I'll send the Compass, no problem.

Traci

[madderlake]

Thanks! If it's not too much trouble, can I get a copy too please?

 

Stacey

madderlake@hotmail.com

[Heytray41]

I too would love to see the current 3 day Monarch Cruise Compasses. There are a few activities we never miss, Sexy Legs - Quest - Love & Marriage - Pool Line Dancing and want to be sure we don't have an excursion or other plans made for the same time.

 

dawnaseawell @ yahoo.com

 

Thanks! Someone....

 

BonVoyage

Dawna

I only have the 4 night, sorry.

[Cruz Doggie Gal]

Does anyone know which pool is for adults and which for kids? I got run out by the kids in both telling me that the other one was for adults.:eek: They are in the same area divided by a hot tub area. Aft or Fwd? Thx!!

[Cruz Doggie Gal]

I can't make the search work to find the answer to this...how many people does the Royal Suite on Monarch sleep? We're planning a girls weekend getaway and would like to decide between a few OV cabins vs RS for a party suite. :D

 

Also, I know Monarch doesn't have a CL...so what does it offer for suite guests as an alternative?

 

The SO is the only OV that has sufficient room. The others are about the size of a pregnant jail cell:o We had the JS and it was quite roomy. Go for the RS though and split the cost...can I come along?:D

[NanciRDH]

The SO is the only OV that has sufficient room. The others are about the size of a pregnant jail cell:o We had the JS and it was quite roomy. Go for the RS though and split the cost...can I come along?:D

 

 

LOL...the more the merrier! The JS is my fav on this ship also, we're just trying to see if the RS will sleep 8, and then split it evenly. We wouldn't do more than 2 in any other sized room, but having the space to party in sounded like fun. I did a mock booking, but it won't let me try to do more than 4 guests. I was surprised the RS was even listed as a choice. I'll probably end up calling, I just wanted to see if it was even doable for all of us before I did.

[madderlake]

Actually, I'm on the 4 day on 8/31. Sorry for not clarifying that....

 

Thanks!

 

Stacey

madderlake@hotmail.com