FYI Sovereign review

[lpranger058]

Travel to Florida: We flew into Jacksonville two nights before the cruise, rented a car then drove to the port. A little bit pricey but worked well for us.

 

Embarkation: Went very smooth, took about 30 minutes

First impressions: having only sailed Carnival in the past I was actually pleasantly surprised at a more subdued decor. We were welcomed aboard with free flowing rum drinks.

Cabin: first time we ever had an interior room (it was the last cabin left when we booked). the cabin was small but functional. Teen areas/activities: Huge kudos to RCI when it comes to their teen activities. "Fuel" is open all day and our 14 year old son was never at a loss for activities. Dad also really enjoyed the more sports minded activities like dodge ball, basketball and the rock climbing wall. All in all RCI really shines in this category.

 

 

 

Ports of call: We skipped Coco Cay because of the weather. The captain made up for the first skipped day by high-tailing to Nassau where we spent a day and a half. The Captain tried to stop again on the return trip but the seas were too rough. I think they did a fine job of explaining the missed stop to passengers.

 

Nassau: I had pictured that Nassau would be somewhat like Jamaica (which I didn't care for), my prediction was wrong. Nassau does have pushy street dealers and some unsavory looking people, but I got a total different feel here than what I got in Ocho Rios. We rented a scooter and drove up and down the coast and to Paradise Isle. Lots of fun, but use caution the local drive aggressively. The next day we snorkeled which was beautiful.

Food: Great food, better than past cruises in both quality and presentation. Staff: RCI should be proud of their staff on this ship, I never saw an unhappy face, they treated us great. Cruise Director Casey seemed like a genuinely nice guy.

 

 

 

Overview: (I) got a great first impression of RCI from this trip, we are currently planning another in a few weeks.

[Purplehaze21]

TY for the review! We are taking our 1st cruise Monday and we are so excited. Glad to see good reviews, makes me more excited!

[Tanker4]

Glad you enjoyed the Sovereign. We've cruised her quite a bit over the years and love the old gal. Will be sad to see her leave.:(

[Gator0178]

We sail on her again in 45 days! I have sailed on her 3 times already, and I am really going to miss her ;( She is being replaced by the Monarch, which will give me an excuse to cruise again!:)

[sdear]

How were the water temperatures for snorkeling this time of year? Not sure I want to brave the water temps or not in March ! :D

 

(can you tell I am from Florida?? haha )

[Disneynutbsv]

Thanks for your review. I'm glad to hear about the teen area:) I was wondering if my 17 year old would be complaining that he's bored (he's always bored, lol).

[kruise66]

Thanks for the review, lpranger058. I saw in your review (on the Reviews page) that you were on deck 6. Did you notice noises of people walking/running on deck 7 early in the morning or late at night? How was the motion?

 

Thanks.

[PH8]

How were the water temperatures for snorkeling this time of year? Not sure I want to brave the water temps or not in March ! :D

 

(can you tell I am from Florida?? haha )

Sue-----------COLD!:D

[crusinmama06]

Welcome to RCCL :D So which ship next?

[wingnutphl]

Free rum drinks?!?!?!?!!? Wow I didn't think the ships did this.

[PH8]

Free rum drinks?!?!?!?!!? Wow I didn't think the ships did this.

This thread is old and they dont do the free drinks anymore...........miss those Yellowbirds..:(

[allenee]

Oh, bummer. I was looking forward to the free rum drinks. I'll be taking my first Sovereign cruise May 19th.

[PH8]

Double post.........

[PH8]

OOPS.I got my threads mixed up....there is an OLD Sovereign thread going on too,,,,,,,,this one is not old.........

 

But if the SS has free rum drinks,Im very surprised.........they used to(a few years ago) but then stopped........

 

So maybe they have started up again??:confused: :confused:

[dinomac]

Looking forward to sailing on Sovereign next Monday (25th).... can't wait to get out of the freezer and into some sun!!!! I don't know why we live in Minnesota?????? ;)

[kruz]

the poster said free FLOWING...not free! LOL! Even if it was old I have been sailing 12 years now and never had a free welcome aboard drink!

[Nymue]

She was the first ship we ever sailed, and we loved her.....so we can't let her leave with out saying Farewell :p We've booked a Cruise for September and even got the same Stateroom we had several years ago :D

 

 

Glad you enjoyed the Sovereign. We've cruised her quite a bit over the years and love the old gal. Will be sad to see her leave.:(

[Nymue]

Does anyone have the recipe for Yellowbirds?

[PH8]

the poster said free FLOWING...not free! LOL! Even if it was old I have been sailing 12 years now and never had a free welcome aboard drink!

We have only been cruising with RCCL since 01 and we used to get FREE drinks all the time on the SS as you boarded.......they were Yellowbirds......in fact, they even gave them out free when we took the Serenade to Alaska in 04(which i thought was odd)....Not sure when the last time they did this,but I would say about 3 years??

 

Does anyone have the recipe for Yellowbirds?

I do......

 

1 oz. White Rum

3/4 oz Creme de Banana

1/4 oz Galliano

 

2 oz Pineapple Juice

3/4 oz Orange Juice

 

Flash blend with shaved ice,pour over ice cubes

 

Garnish with Orange and Cherry with Umbrella:D

[PH8]

She was the first ship we ever sailed, and we loved her.....so we can't let her leave with out saying Farewell :p We've booked a Cruise for September and even got the same Stateroom we had several years ago :D

When are you going?? We're going the 12th..

[karena1]

We go again over Memorial Day. Will be the last trip on SOS for my DH. I get to go one more time after that when I go with my sisters/friends in August. We will miss her but already have one booked on Monarch, so we will start the new memories.

[FLACRUISER99]

the poster said free FLOWING...not free! LOL! Even if it was old I have been sailing 12 years now and never had a free welcome aboard drink!

Try Celebrity and you will get a glass of cheap Champagne.:D

[cruisegirl1]

Around 2002-04 the Sovereign offered SMALL samples of Yellowbirds. It was a nice touch. They were around for a while. There was a table near the clock with non alcoholic punch and yellowbirds. When we cruised later and they were no longer offered, we asked about them and were told that there NEVER were free drink samples. I guess all of us who had them were hallucinating

 

I do like “free” but “free flowing” is nice too.

M

[sdear]

Sue-----------COLD!:D

 

 

Well I won't be doing any snorkeling LOL !! :D

 

Living on the gulf coast, I like the water when it's about 90 !! :D

[lpranger058]

The water off Nassau was a bit chilly, but being that it was 2 degrees when I left Michigan, anything above 60 I consider balmy LOL, I booked yesterday for the March 13 Grandeur, We were considering NOS leaving on the 15th but it just didnt fit our schedule. I must say I cant wait to head out again !!