any Sovereign of the Seas experiences out there?

[amuth]

Hello all!

 

Just wondering how the Sovereign measures up these days. My boyfriend, myself, and two other couples will be doing a 4 day Bahamas cruise in March for our college spring break. I've done some research so far, but I haven't come across any really helpful reviews for us. We do like to have some fun and "bar hop" if you will, but we are also pretty laid back, so we thought this ship (although not the newest) would still be pretty fun.

 

Any thoughts on the ship, what to do in Nassau, or anything else would be much appreciated! Also, we are staying in Cocoa Beach, FL for two days before the cruise. Any fun things to do there?

 

Thanks in advance! :D

[eroller]

See this thread:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?p=12713715#post12713715

 

Ernie

[veryhotred]

We did the SOV last May and it was plenty fun, ALWAYS something to do! I thought the food was great, better than my recent cruise on the Enchantment really. In Nassau we took a cab (around $4 per person) to the beach on Paradise Island and hung out there all day. You can also try to get a day rate at Atlantis or get a day rate at the Comfort Inn/Suites. The day rates would get you and three other people wrist bands and complete access to Atlantis, the pools and slides and all.

[GeckoGirl]

We just got off the Sovereign on Monday, did the 3 day Bahamas/Coco Cay trip. While the Sovereign may be older, she is still in good shape. The boat was decorated for Christmas and was beautiful. There are all kinds of things to do onboard, they had a shopping show at 3:00 the day we got on the boat before it even left port and they gave away free gifts, we won a pair of emerald earrings. They had pool deck parties with food & dancing all the time. They had different shows each day with a comedian, dancers, and a magician. There was the Captains Welcome aboard party. And of course the usuals, Bingo, Casino, Dance Clubs and Karaoke.

 

In Nassau we shopped, but if you haven't been to Atlantis then I definitely recommend you go there, it's awesome. RCI's private island CoCo Cay was like one big beach party, it was fun, they had a huge BBQ, you could do all kinds of watersports (water was too cold for this Florida girl) and shopping or just hang out in a hammock on the beach. We walked the nature trail and saw 2 big iguanas hanging out.

 

Our interior cabin was tiny though, but I was expecting that since I had been on the Empress and the cabins were the same size. There was some rust in our bathroom but that was really the only signs of aging that we noticed.

[piphigoddess]

We love the Sovereign. It will be sad to watch her go next year; we'll miss her. :( DH and I had our first cruise together on the Sovereign OTS. We enjoyed it so much we're taking our daughter on her first cruise on the Sovereign. :cool:

 

We've been to Nassau twice. The first time we did a tour around the island with a final stop at Atlantis. The tour was okay but Atlantis was fantastic (expensive). The second time we took the Thriller Powerboat to Blackbeard's Cay and swam with the stingrays. That was great! BC has a picture perfect beach for lounging if swimming with the stingrays is too scary. They also do hair braiding and massages on the beach. We're actually leaving today to sail on the Sovereign with our daughter. We're taking her on the dolphin encounter in Nassau. I'll review it when we get back.

 

For Coco Cay, it's just a beach to relax on or snorkel from. If you decide to snorkel, you can bring your own mask and snorkel, but you have to rent the floating vest (and you get the flippers with the vest). They also provide a mask and snorkel if you don't bring your own as part of the snorkel package.

[SHParrothead]

I was on the Sovereign last March. Although she is not the newest ship around, she was still very good. The crew was outstanding, which made up for anything the ship might have lacked.

 

I don't know if you been to Coco Cay before, but if you're looking for a quiet laid back area go past the area filled with chairs, past the volleyball court to an area called Coconut Willie's. This is the quieter side of the island with trees, and hammocks. If you're lucky enough to be there at low tide there is a very large flats area you can walk and never know there was a cruise ship around.

 

Have a good trip!!

[veryhotred]

Just so you know, often the ship has to miss Coco cay due to weather. We did not make it, instead we docked in Nassau for 24 hours.

[amuth]

thanks for the input everyone! i'm officially excited now and my spring semester of school hasn't even started yet!

[thecruisers723]

We'll be on the 3 day on Sovereign on Feb. 15th. I was wondering if anyone could tell me exactly what time you docked in Nassau. The itinerary says 11:00 AM. But I've read some reviews in the past that say the Sovereign doesn't actually get in to Nassau until 1:00 PM on the 3 day cruise despite what the itinerary says. We're wanting to book an independent excursion that leaves at 1:00. So I'm trying to find out what the Sovereign is actually doing these days. Thanks for your help.

[cb at sea]

Sov. was our 1st ship--pre-renovation--and even then, she was impressive. Yes--it was the best food of ALL of our cruises! Have a great time! And, by the way, the Viking Crown lounge has the best views!!!!!!

[alwalaska]

The Sovereign is great. Here are a couple of great thread to help you get started on planning for Nassau and Cape Canaveral.

 

There are a lot of good threads on what to do in Nassau. The pictures in this one are great.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=332656&highlight=walking+tour+nassau

 

For planning your arrival and departure there is

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=436720

 

There is also a Best of thread that consolidates the best info from the thread above, but I can't find it this evening.

 

Have a great trip.

[mad-dog74]

I have to 'ditto' the other posters in regards to the food. My wife and I both felt the food and service from the staff were a notch above on SOS than the other cruises we've bene on.