Just off the Sovereign...pretty disappointing

[addictedinflorida]

We just got home from the 3 day Sovereign weekend and after all of the glowing reviews here, I have to say that I was pretty disappointed in this cruise. What makes it even harder to grasp is that due to a new business my husband and I just started this is going to be our last cruise for a while! :( so I was expecting and hoping for a bang! I know that everyone has their reviews and opinions, but I figured I would also add mine.

 

1. The embarkation was slower on this cruise than some of the 7 day'rs that Ive been on and they didnt even let us on the ship until 1 pm! A little frustrating having to stand around for an hour and a half, but not so terrible with the excitement of getting ready to cruise again so I wrote that off as nothing big.

 

2. We had a junior suite on deck 10 which was nice for the ship, however our A/C was set on about 50 degrees the entire weekend and we could not increase it no matter how warmer we put the thermostat. The bathroom showed some wear with the drains in the side of the floor near the tub being broken and a few minor areas. Not worth really calling someone to fix over since we were only in the room for short periods of time so we just lived with it.

 

The muster drill on this ship I have to say went much smoother and quicker than some of the others.

 

3. My husband and I joked that this 3 day cruise must be the try-out ship for workers before they are allowed on a 7 day. Service was slow just about everywhere. The first night we missed the welcome aboard show because the dining room service was so slow, the employees at Johnny Rockets could not get our order correct and items were coming out one at a time at 10 minute intervals, even though there were only about 5 booths filled in the restaurant. The piano player in the schooner bar was awful and I think the guitar player in the Viking lounge was even worse! :rolleyes: Luckily, the more you drank the better they sounded! LOL :p

 

My husband decided to try his hand at blackjack one night and quickly wrote that off as we concluded that something fishy must be going on. My husband was able to play about 10 hands, of which the dealer got 21 6 out of the 10 hands! It was my husband and one other person at the table and the odds just seemed way too peculiar for me so we gave up. Have never had that problem on other ships.

 

4. Not nearly as many events going on in this ship than there is in the larger ones. As our Coco Cay day was cancelled due to winds, we were forced to find something else to do. So, the cruise director puts out a new compass for the afternoon only to find no compasses available within about an hour of the announcement. So, for a while on Sunday and during certain times on Saturday, we found ourselves trying to find something to do. Unfortunately we also encountered some cold and wet weather, so even laying out on the decks was out of the question a lot of the times.

 

One other plus that I must put in here is that at least on this cruise, the deck patrol did a good job of keeping kids out of the adult only pool. We've had many instances in the solarium on other ships where you could not find a deck patrol anywhere and even if they did walk by, would not remove the kids. The deck patrol was very much on the ball on this ship and kept the adult pool strictly for adults.

 

5. The women's restroom on deck 5 near Follies had 3 of the 5 stalls with broken toilets throughout the entire weekend which were never fixed.

 

Now, even though a 3-day cruise was a nice quick getaway, I dont think I would do one again. They are over just way too fast. I didn't smell any sewage problems that many people claim. There are a few areas of the ship that you can tell have not been maintained if you come across them, but overall, she looks to be kept in fine condition. We had great seas until the last night when we were rocking pretty good and a few people were getting sick. Of course even as this cruise was not as up to par as the others, I'm still pretty sad to be home, suffered from PCD :o

So, for the time being, no more cruise countdowns in my signature and I'll just have to live vicariously through you all until we get the chance to cruise again.

If anyone else was on this 10/26 cruise, I'd love to hear your reviews as well and see if your weekend was any better than ours. :)

[kruz]

Thanks for posting a honest review...I loved #3..the more we drank the better they sounded!

 

I will be on board 12/14 for a weekend get away as well...and while I too don't care for short cruises I tend to have a better time than i would if I were to stay at home..say mowning the lawn or weeding!

It's a love/hate type thing!

 

Gonna try a 5 day cruise as well in the spring...but nothing beats 7 days on the Mariner!

:D

[crusinmama06]

Honestly, I'd say it's pretty hard to do a old ship after doing the newer ones.

 

Sovereign was our 1st and 2nd cruise 10 years ago. To us, it was the best ship ever. But I don't think I would have the same opinion if I did it now after doing the new ships.

 

So I can understand why you were dissapointed. Although the Sovereign holds a special place in my heart, I can imagine that it doesn't compare to a 7 day ship.

 

When I did my 4 day cruises with Carnival on older ships, I went in with the understanding that everything would be not as good as the new ships but we would have a good time anyway. ;)

[addictedinflorida]

Oh, dont get me wrong, even though we were pretty disappointed in this cruise, we still had a good time and I told my husband that even 3 days on a cruise is better than 3 days at home! :) I can understand things not being up to par cosmetically and as good as on a 7-dayer but some thngs to me are just inexcusable like a restroom with 3 broken toilets that are not fixed and slow service everywhere. I also just really hope that when the Sovereign is put to bed for the last time that they dont move any of the entertainers to another ship! LOL They were by far the worst entertainers I have seen on any ship. :(

[kc320]

Sorry to hear your Sovereign cruise wasn't up to par... especially regarding service... I had always found the service on SOS to be some of the best..but then again it's been a year since I last sailed her.

Have to admit, I wasn't aware there WAS an adult only pool on SOS.. guess my memory is failing but I only remember 1 main pool & the little shallow kiddie area & the hot tubs...

[addictedinflorida]

Have to admit, I wasn't aware there WAS an adult only pool on SOS.. guess my memory is failing but I only remember 1 main pool & the little shallow kiddie area & the hot tubs...

 

I wasnt aware of it either until I read the compass more closely :) but the FORWARD pool is for adults only. After being there and finally reading the sign, I also saw it at poolside. There is a gold plaque on the signs that says Forward pool is for 18+ older.

[kruz]

Thanks for the info! Also, if you don't mind me asking, what did you do in Nassau? Anything special?

[addictedinflorida]

Thanks for the info! Also, if you don't mind me asking, what did you do in Nassau? Anything special?

 

As this cruise was for my daughter's birthday, we did the dolphin encounter. It was actually pretty nice. I guess the ship doesnt offer a dolphin swim, so the encounter included just standing with the dolphin, getting to rub them, get a kiss, a hug and a dance. Really cute. I was worried at first when about 50 people showed up for the encounter and we realized there were only about 3 dolphins at the place the excursion was held, but they actually do a good job of handling it. We only stayed out until about 5pm and went back to the ship. Oh, and all of the excursions through the ship leave at the latest about 1pm, so if you want to stay out later in the day or at night, you'd be on your own.

[karena1]

I too am sorry your experience wasn't the best. We were just on her over Labor Day, and other than our room attendent, thought the service was spectacular, as it always has been for us on SOS. Also, did not have any problems with broken toilets in any of the restroom we used on the ship. Hopefully, the next time you get a chance to cruise again, the experience will be better.

 

I agree, the 3 nights are to short, but sure beats the alternative. We have fallen in love with our little weekend getaways and only wish we could do more of them. Hopefully, in the future we can get one in every couple of months!!

[Gator0178]

I'm sorry that you were disappointed with your Sovereign cruise. We have been on her 3 times in the past year and have always had great service in the dining room, Johnny Rockets, and the bars. It is what it is, a cheap 3 night getaway. I have been on the Mariner, and doesn't come close. I know that going in. I have gotten lucky with Cococay. I haven't missed it yet. I would be sad if I did on a 3 night because you don't get a chance to make it up. The biggest thing I am sorry for is that you can't go on another cruise for a while:eek:

[kruz]

I'm sorry that you were disappointed with your Sovereign cruise. We have been on her 3 times in the past year and have always had great service in the dining room, Johnny Rockets, and the bars. It is what it is, a cheap 3 night getaway. I have been on the Mariner, and doesn't come close. I know that going in. I have gotten lucky with Cococay. I haven't missed it yet. I would be sad if I did on a 3 night because you don't get a chance to make it up. The biggest thing I am sorry for is that you can't go on another cruise for a while:eek:

 

Gator...love your lost pirates sign!

We are doing a Pirate reuinion in September also!...21st..you'll be getting off and we'll be getting on...keep her good for us and leave us some booty and grog! :)

[PH8]

Sorry it wasnt as great as you hoped.........

 

The SS is perfect for those of us who live close...great weekend getaway!!

 

We'll miss her,but looking forward to the Monarch!:)

[Bellalago Breeze]

Sorry you were disappointed in your Sovereign cruise. We have been on her many times and were on her just last month. Everyone was wonderful and as a matter of fact, we commented that our table waiter was the best we ever had.

 

I do have to agree about the entertainment this last cruise. They were not very good at all.

 

I had to laugh when I saw your post though. I was just emailing with a friend about how SOS has lost some of her sparkle, but she's still a comfortable ship to get away for a few days on. We definitely will miss her in PC.

[Bellalago Breeze]

Darn double post!

[rclcruzer]

Sorry it wasnt as great as you hoped.........

 

The SS is perfect for those of us who live close...great weekend getaway!!

 

We'll miss her,but looking forward to the Monarch!:)

You're

so lucky! We will say goodbye to our 3 night getaway ship and saying hello to nothing, for who knows how long. We will miss Monarch so much.

At least we will have the Mariner, can't wait for that! We are booking her for Aug 09' when we are on our last Monarch cruise Aug 08'. Can't believe the ship we flew 5 hours across the country for will be a 40 minute drive away from us now!! Yipee!:D:D

[RM]

Sorry to hear you were disappointed with the SOS. We have been on her many times and rarely have any problems. Wonder if the crew has turned over again since the news of the ship leaving the fleet. Guess I'll find out when I board her again in February. We will miss her and her marvelous crew!

[cb at sea]

Our 1st cruise was a 4 day Sov--and we had a blast! (This was YEARS ago!) I would never do that short of a cruise again, tho--the staff really doesn't care much--you're gone before a relationship can be established!

Oh, well, better luck next time!

[shipshape sam]

Sorry also for the less than steller cruise. Our last couple of cruises on the Sovereign missed Coco Cay due to high wind/seas.

 

Sovereign is a grand old lady. She did get some refurbishing in Dec 2004 ( If I recall correctly). We were on her in Oct '04 and then again in Jan '05. She was also our first ship in Mar '98, so we will miss her. Look forward to trying Monarch when she starts sailing. Not sure if Monarch has been refurbished.

 

We noticed that service at times was slow on our two cruises this year on Sovereign (Mar '07 and May '07), but hard to mess up at Johnny Rockets!? We too just enjoyed the wine/drinks. We were fortunate to have Dueling Pianos on both of our cruises prior to their elimination in Jun '07. Did not do the regular shows.

 

I would be shocked to find out that there was a 'fix' at the gambling tables. It would cost them a bundle in lost confidence if that were true and exposed. I have had runs of bad luck along with nice runs also. Never 6 out of 10 Blackjacks against me though.

 

We have always viewed the 3 day long week-end as just that a long get away week-end vs a cruise. I now have been on a number of 10+ day cruises and those are cruises.

 

Hope you can squeeze in another week-end again soon even though you are not currently planning for one. :)

[crsrock]

to addictedinFlorida: you mentioned the piano player in Schooner. Was that Bobby Jo Presley? The guy who does the late at night gig? I did not like his style either. Now, if you are talking about Marek, the intermission pianist, he is great. The Guitar player I'm not sure of; but the Rosario Strings Trio are very good....and very LOUD in that Centrum area! I am really sorry to hear that your cruise had its flaws. You said that you were trying to find things to do; don't you like Trivia or things like that? What were the shows on board?

I'm a Sovereign fan, so I bypass any of the 'small' stuff; I deal with the fact that the ship IS 20 years old. There might be some wear and tear. But no excuse for non-working toilets. Dining room service slow? Talk to your head waiter, and if you already did, I'm sorry that it didn't work out.

Can't wait to go again on Friday!

[glgolfer]

Addicted - If you remember, who was the entertainment and the CD?

What cabin did you have? We're in a JS, too.

 

We're booked for 21 December. Taking my cousinas she has never cruised on RCI before. This is just a quick cruise to get her enrolled in C&A before the 46 day repo on the Mariner in 09 which we all have booked.

[gidewey]

We have been on Sovereign five time now and have never had a bad time. In July Howie Gold was at the Schooner . . . we've seen him a couple of times on different ships and have found that he is as good as the crowd is - he wants the people to yell out songs for him to play. Also, on one night they had a magician/comedian in the lounge (darn, the name escapes me). He was incredible - one of the best entertainers I have ever seen on a cruise.

 

Hope to get one more cruise in on the ol' girl before she leaves the fleet.

 

Jerry

[addictedinflorida]

In answer to some questions:

 

crsrock: Yes, I am referring to Bobby Joe Presley. I did not like his sound at all, plus the fact that he really screwed up songs and it was kind of funny to listen to him at times because on the lyrics that he was really sure of, he really belted them out...loudly! On the lyrics that he wasnt sure of, he sang really softly :p I did hear and briefly see Marek from a few floors up when he was playing in the centrum and was quite good. My husband and I both enjoyed the Schooner bar so much on our previous cruises that we like to spend time there but could only sit through so much of Bobby Joe's performances. :rolleyes:

 

PaulWN: The CD is currently Chris Northey. Not bad, but nothing special either. We were in cabin 1044.

 

I still very much enjoyed the cruise as it is afterall a cruise :D but it just doesn't compare at all to the 7 dayers and I just dont know if I would spend the money again for a 3-dayer, but instead put it towards a longer cruise when we are able to go again.

[RevSmith]

Sorry to hear about your disappointing trip...I also had an awful trip on Soverign, many years again...but it didn't stop me from cruising again...many, many times.

[glgolfer]

Thanks for the info - at least we're not in that cabin. Supposed to be Casey Pelter as CD on ours. I asked for the entertainment, too, but they just sent the CD.

[why2klisa]

We were on Sovereign last month and had a great time. The service was wonderful; better than what we had on Mariner. We spent a lot of time in the casino and did fairly well. I doubt the Blackjack was fixed. Sometimes you just hit a string of bad luck. In any case, I'm sorry you were disappointed. At least you had three days without cooking and cleaning! :)