Monarch Repo Trip Report - OS, Captains Table, Norovirus - we got it all!

[capnlars]

Just got back from the Monarch 16-night canal repo cruise. I’ll start off by saying that this was, by leaps and bounds, the best vacation we have ever had. The only negatives we encountered had to do with the rudeness and impatience of our fellow passengers.

First, some background…..we are a late-40s couple, this was our 6th time on the Monarch, 15th cruise with RCI. We live in South Florida, having relocated 2 years earlier from the Los Angeles area. The Monarch was the first RCI cruise that we took several years ago. We used to live in the LA area, and like others who frequented her always found the staff to be top-notch. We moved to Florida 2 years ago, and when we found out that the Monarch was going to be relocated to within an hour and a half of our new home, we were very excited. We booked this cruise within hours of it being opened for reservations, as we wanted a particular cabin for the canal passage. Another reason we booked this cruise was for the number of “at sea” days (9, plus the canal day). All the times we’ve been on Monarch have been for the 3 day weekend cruise. We knew this would be a “different” crowd than we were used to, but were not quite prepared for how different.

We wondered, how this 3 and 4 day ship would pull off a 16 day journey? Would they repeat the 4-day menu 4 times? Same shows 4 times? How many trivia questions could they have? Would Nancy and I kill each other before 16 days were through? Let me just say that they did an outstanding job! There were executive chefs aboard helping in the kitchen. We had 16 different and new menus. Shows (we only went to one, however) were plentiful and varied. They did a great job with activities. And, as always, we were given the top-notch service that keeps us coming back to RCI.

We flew to LA a couple of days early to visit with friends and family. We took advantage of USAir’s elite status – you can bring 2 bags up to 70 lbs each when flying first. I think (not sure) this is a benefit for elite and USAir credit card holders. The night before the cruise we stayed at the Crowne Plaza in San Pedro. This is a great hotel for the night before a cruise. Good dining is within walking distance. They have a pretty good deal on 1-br suites (like $145) and ours faced the port and entrance canal. Too keyed up to sleep, we watched the Monarch return at 5:00am or so, from its last 4-day Baja trip.

We arrived at the pier around 11:30. There were no lines for check-in at all. Since we were in an OS, we were escorted past all lines and taken directly to our room to drop off our carry-ons before the 1pm opening time. As we walked on the ship, you could already “feel” the difference from a 3 day trip. The crew was as excited as we were for this new adventure, and we again felt like we were at our second home when aboard. Immediately saw crew that we knew and who remembered us from previous cruises. One of our favorites, Onika from Trinidad/Tobago, who was our dining room server on our first cruise and on our last one in Feb was a Windjammer supervisor, was promoted to Head Waiter for this cruise and is always a pleasure to see. When Nancy went to the pool bar, the bartender pointed to her and said “Pomegranate Martini – Schooner bar”, remembering her from our trip in February. Amazing.

After a Windjammer lunch (love that Honey-Stung Chicken), we waited until we could get back to our cabin and spent most of the afternoon before leaving there. Our departure was a bit delayed as we had to wait for a large cargo ship to clear the channel so we could back out. I saw the Fire Department tug was waiting, with water coming out the hoses, and knew they were going to have some kind of send-off for the Monarch’s last departure from LA. We had early seating, and did not see the sendoff, but later saw pictures. There were several people on the terminal balcony yelling goodbyes to Captain Karin.

We had room 1510. This is an OS on the port side, right next to the bridge extension from where they maneuver the ship in and out of port (and through the canal). We had stayed in this cabin several times before, and love it due to its oversize balcony (5 feet or so longer than the other OSs’) and that there’s another cabin on only one side. Also, being at the way front, there is no traffic in the hallway outside of this room. I would love to be able to afford the RS, but as it turns out we had a better view of operations especially through the canal and no electrical fires (see rubrick’s thread about the cruise). Our room steward (Herschel Isaac) was the best we’d ever had on RCI – enough so that we were compelled to write letter to corporate with commendations.

Dinner the first (actually, first two) nights was little hectic. This is when we first started really noticing the difference between what we’re used to on the 3 day Monarch and what this trip would be. The dining room was packed. It looked like every seat was taken. When we’ve been on the 3 day cruises, typically about one third of the tables are empty with people choosing Windjammer or Room Service as an alternative to the main dining room. Dinner was a little slow, but they had their act completely together by the second night for us and 3rd night for everyone. The other difference we noted was that we seemed to be the youngest people there (outside of staff). We were told by one staff member that there was something like 2100 plus people over 60. We were looking forward to better behavior then we’ve witnessed on this ship before. Turns out that in some ways it was better (didn’t see any really drunk people), but in some ways it was worse.

I guess I’ll get the ranting part out of the way early. There were a lot of people (or maybe not a lot, but very apparent) who were just plain rude. We were pretty appalled by some of the behavior we saw. There was nothing sophomoric, like we’d expect on the short cruises, just a lot of inconsiderate people who also seemed to complained incessantly. For example, Nancy was getting coffee in the morning at the Windjammer. While she was filling her cup, the urn ran out of coffee. She tried moving the handle the other way. A man in line two back literally yelled “Jesus f***ing Christ, lady – just pull the g***d**m handle”. On canal transit day, there were people who blocked off sections of railing with chairs (including loungers) so that people wouldn’t stand around them. We heard complaints about a person wanting a full refund because our time was shortened in Guatemala, another that there was no solarium on board, another about their room being too small, and on and on and on. You were not able to find a table in the Windjammer at breakfast or lunch as so many tables were permanently taken by people playing cards or reading. End of ranting.

The first two days at sea were exactly what the doctor had ordered for us. For the 5 weeks prior to our trip, I had made 3 trips to Edmonton, Canada and one trip to Fresno, California for work. I had at most 2 days home between trips, sometimes 1. Only one of those trips did NOT result in lost luggage, and that’s because I did carry-on. No phone, no internet, just time for the two of us. We spent most of the time on the balcony. Once we saw what the Windjammer was like for breakfast and lunch, we started doing those meals in the dining room, which was much superior to Windjammer. At lunch, you could have a “custom” salad made at the bar – you pointed to what ingredients you wanted (including large shrimp) and they made the salad for you. This was in addition to a full menu for lunch. As we had a table for 2 for dinner, this is where we had the most positive interactions with other cruisers. We were seated with some nice and interesting people at almost every meal. There was a group of about 150 Japanese tourists on board, most of which spoke little to no English. Nancy speaks Japanese and they seemed delighted (and surprised as she looks like your typical California native) when they were spoken to in their native language.

On the second day, I inquired about the tuxedo that I had reserved before the trip. This reservation was done over the phone, as RCI did not have that part of the web site ready at the time. I had received 2 emails confirming the reservation. The tuxedo person had no record of my reserving a tux. Luckily they had my size on board and were able to accommodate me. This is a new service for RCI (formerly done by cruiselineformalwear.com).

On the second night, we were invited to the Captain’s table for dinner. There were 3 other couples there that we befriended. The Captain was a bit reserved during this dinner, and seemed to open up as she got to know us throughout the rest of the 16 days. The last time we were on Monarch in February, we were with 75 people from my company. We had the same cabin as on this trip, and invited everyone there for sail-away. Of course, we didn’t expect everyone to come, but they all did. During sail-away we had 50 people on the balcony and were yelled at by Captain Karin a couple of times to be quiet as they were having difficulty hearing themselves. The next day, we sent an apology note to the Captain. During dinner this trip I said to Captain Karin, “I’m not sure if you remember us, but we were here in February in the same cabin.” Her eyes got big and she says “YOU WERE THE NOISY ONES??!!! How did you get invited to this table”….and laughed and thanked us for the note. During the first few days of the trip, there were crewmembers constructing a sun cover (regulation for canal passage) over the outside bridge extension. At one point, Captain Karin apologized to us about the noise from the construction. I said, “We really can’t be complaining to you about noise now, can we?” which got a big laugh from her.

Also new on this trip was a special invitation for suites, D and D+ for 3 different nights of cocktails and appetizers in the Royal Viking lounge.

Our first stop was Puerto Vallarta. This is the only place that we had been to before. Due to engine issues, we were late getting into port, and we decided to forego the tour we had booked (Horseback Riding in Sierra Madre). We walked over to Walmart to buy an extension cord, and then went to the new mall that was next door. Yes, it seems funny to travel that distance to go to a Walmart, but we found out later that almost everyone we asked did the same thing (crew and passengers)!

After another quiet day at sea, we arrived at Acapulco. We found a cab driver that spoke English well, and he took us on a private tour of Acapulco. This was a much better option than a bus or van packed with other tourists. We spent some time watching the cliff divers, and went to lunch at the Hotel Los Flamingos. Our guide also took us around the grounds of the hotel, explaining its history. After the tour we spent the rest of the day back on the ship. Between the docking platform and the shore was a small cut of water. From our balcony we could see a group of 4 spotted stingrays (one about 6 feet across), and the largest Puffer fish we’d ever seen (about 14 inches long). Watching the stingrays “fly” through the water was fascinating.

After a day at sea, we stopped in Puerto Quetzal, in Guatemala. This was the first time a RCI ship had stopped in this country, and there were some official ceremonies that were scheduled. There was a bit of delay in getting off the ship, as the floating pier that we were docked at had a railing that prevented the gangplank from being placed safely. After about an hour, they cut the railing off, and we were able to get off the ship. There were some vendors and a restaurant at the port. We hired a local cab to show us the town of Puerto Quetzal. Most people who ventured off went to Antigua, and we heard good things about their tours. The local town was very, very poor. On each corner was a soldier or policeman carrying a shotgun. There wasn’t a whole lot to see, and we went back to the port to have lunch at the restaurant there.

We were again invited to the Captain’s Table for dinner, but with Terry the Hotel Director instead of the Captain. This dinner was much less formal, and Terry was very easygoing and fun to talk with. There were some new couples that we had not met before, as well as a couple we’d dined with the previous time at this table. There were lots of laughs and we had a very good time – were the last ones to leave the dining room. The funniest part of the evening was when dessert was being served and one gentlemen announced loudly to the table “I can’t have that – ice cream gives me the sh*ts”. Not something I’d expect to hear at that venue.

The next day at sea, Nancy was not feeling well. In order to get Imodium on the ship, you had to go see the doctor – none is sold in the ship’s store. Luckily we went at a slow time for sick bay (one of very few, we heard). The doctor (imagine Inspector Clouseau with a Medical Cert), was not taking any chances – anyone who came to them with any stomach issue was immediately quarantined to their cabin. Nancy was given 48 hours, and I was given 24 to see if any symptoms would occur. Of course, once she had taken a single dose of Imodium she was fine. Unfortunately, she was unable to leave the ship when we stopped in Costa Rica. Things could have been worse than being quarantined to the Owner’s suite, though. In Costa Rica, I was “sprung” at 4pm, which gave me some time to run ashore and get some coffee, tshirts, and buy a keychain from a man who was carving them from wood for Nancy. He refused to make one that said “Typhoid Mary”, but did make one that said “Mary” for me. She got a real kick out of that. Also, our room steward, who thought we were not able to get off at all, went ashore and bought us some souvenirs with his own funds. This literally brought tears to Nancy’s eyes because of his kindness. A couple of days later, I was introduced to his supervisor. I told her this story to which she replied “Oh my, look – that story gave me goosebumps”.

After another day at sea, we woke up at 5:30 in the morning to get ready for the canal passage. We were supposed to get started, going under the Bridge of the Americas, at around 6am. After some delay, we started our trek around 8. I cannot begin to explain with words how fascinating the trip through the canal is. I cannot recommend this enough. After trying to take pictures from the top decks and dealing with the rude people, we spent most of the passage on the balcony. Our friends in the RS had an “open cabin” for the day, as did we – so we could see the view from both sides. A touching moment was when going through the second set of locks on the west side, members of the crew from Panama were on the bridge and their families were assembled on an observation platform a couple of hundred feet away. I kind of felt bad for them – it would have killed me to see my kids that close and not be able to hug them. We were close enough to the canal pilot that we could hear him barking his commands to the “mules” and giving commands to Captain Karin. Also, there were ships in the other side of the locks, so we could see those operations too. Going through the lakes between the west and east side was just beautiful. It was strange to pass so close to the huge container ships going the other direction, but fascinating. We skipped dinner to watch us go through the final set of locks. Luckily the weather was great until we hit the last set and were in the Caribbean.

After the canal, we docked in Colon for a couple of hours. There was a magnificent thunderstorm by then, with spectacular lightning and thunder that you could feel throughout the ship. Ignoring the announcements to stay out of the stairwells and deck 2 corridors, people started lining up to get off. The stairwells were blocked up to deck 5 for about an hour. People on the lower decks who wanted to get to their rooms were not able to do so. We had a drink in the Schooner bar, waited until 15 minutes after the announcement to go ashore was made, and didn’t have much of a wait at all. The RCI staffer who was directing traffic getting off the ship told us about being kicked, shoved, and yelled at while people were waiting. At this point in the trip, I was not surprised about people’s behavior. We got off and bought some souvenirs. Warning to parents….some of the vendors were not fully clothed and were wearing body paint from the waist up. It was funny to watch people as they realized this, because you really had to look to notice that it was not clothing.

Our last stop was Cartagena, Colombia. We took a boat tour around the bay. This was a fun and informative excursion. We were only in Cartagena for a few hours, and would like to return to spend a little more time there. After the tour we did some quick shopping in the port area. We were supposed to leave at 12, with an “all aboard” at 11:30. We walked back to the ship at 11:20, only to be greeted by a HUGE line to get on. I think the delay was from some police or soldiers who were excruciatingly thorough going through peoples’ bags. They then started doing just spot-checks, and the line started moving better. By twelve, the line was about a quarter mile long, and excursion busses were still arriving to drop off. After everyone was aboard, one person came sauntering around the corner, taking his sweet time. Captain Karin blew the horn and motioned for him to please hurry up. People were yelling things like “Take your time” and such to him from the pool deck. At that point, the man stopped, got his camera out, and started taking pictures of the ship, before beginning his leisurely walk to the gangplank. Unbelievable.

We had two more days at sea before arriving in Miami around 6 on Sunday. On the last night the "Original Drifters" were the evening show. We were invited to a cocktail party by our friends in the RS before dinner. When we got to their cabin we were introduced to 2 of the Drifters and their Manager. Nancy immediately started singing "Under the Boardwalk", to their delight. We got a call later from our friends telling us that the Drifters were taken with Nancy, and invited her to come up on stage during their last song. We went to the show, and sure enough - when the last song started, they invited her onstage, and she ended her vacation singing and dancing with the Drifters. We parked next to the Freedom, and the difference in size made the Freedom even more incredible. We don’t want to go on it, with 5000 of our closest friends, but it was pretty impressive to see. Disembarking started around 7, and we were called by 7:20. There was absolutely no delay through customs, and we were on our way in our home by 10:30.

All in all, this was the most spectacular vacation we’ve ever done. The Monarch staff did a tremendous job, and we are looking forward to our 3 day trip in January.

[vickiw0318]

Thanks for posting your review. My first cruise was on the Monarch (out of San Juan) so she's always had a special place in my heart. Hope you enjoy frequent cruises on her now that she's back close to you.

[wrp96]

Thank you for the review. I loved the story about your room steward!!

[birdylady]

Thank you for your review. I can't wait till my turn. Granted it will be MUCH shorter, but still.....

 

I am always amazed how rude people can get. And complaining about things that aren't there. Didn't hey do ANY research before they booked?

 

Erika

[cer10lee]

Thank you for the wonderful review. I watched on the canal web-cam as the MOS came through the canal. I got chills........

 

I'll be on the MOS on Monday, so looking forward to be on the first cruise out of Port Canaveral.

[kittymom65]

Thanks for your trip report!

What a great room steward, he really did go above and beyond for you.

[san4u2]

Must agree what a wonder review. Makes me want to do a relocation cruise.

[alwayshappytocruise]

Thanks for the great review!! Hope to run into the two of you as we plan to cruise on the Monarch at least a couple of times a year. You're just down A1A from us!! We sailed the last weekend Sov. cruise which was sad but now we're looking forward to making new memories on the Monarch.

[cruisenfever]

Larry, thanks so much for your review. It sounds like you all had a wonderful time.

 

I just wanted to let you know that on every PC cruise that we have done, and we have done 5, both east and westbound, we have always experienced those folks that will not let you close to the railings to take pictures. So this is nothing new when it comes to the PC. There is no age discrimination when it comes to hogging the railing!

 

It seems like newly made friends become your new enemies when transiting the canal.:(

[wolfcathorse]

thank you for the touching review! Now I can't wait to add Monarch to my list of favorite ships! In your opinion who is the best bartender and where does he/she usually work?

[crazy 4 cruising]

what a great review. I also will be on the MOnarch on MOnday!!!! This will be our 4th sailing on her & I can't wait to see the crew. On our first sailing we met Onika when she was ion the WJ. In May on our B2B she was on vacation & we were disappointed. Hope to see her on MOnday--that would be wonderful if she was our Head Waiter!!!! I've got to print out pictures of past Monarch crew to take with us. Wish I had known about the 1510 difference with other OS. We are in 1020 & I am pretty sure 1510 was open when I booked, oh well, NEXT time. Loved the story of your cabin steward, hopefully he will be ours!!

 

Sorry about the rude passengers. some folks just have an entitlement mentality, don't they?!!!

[ladylawyer]

Thanks for the GREAT review, Larry! DH and I were on the Monarch for the first 2 legs of Rick & Bobbie's cruise ... they are wonderful people and I'm glad you had the chance to sail with them.

 

I already miss the Monarch and her outstanding crew! Those of you who will be cruising on her for the first time are in for a great vacation! :D

[tahoemc]

Larry, thanks for the great review - really enjoyed it. Sounds like a wonderful time, except for those rude folks you mentioned:(. I watched the PC webcams that day - sure a sad sight for us left coasters but we had a good time on Rick's thread that day! Had to laugh about Capt Karin remembering you and your buddies from the February cruise, and the irony of the crew making noise during the canopy construction.

[suezyq50]

Thanks for the review. I have two booked.

[critterchick]

What a terrific review - that's great about Onika - she was in the Windjammer for quite a few of our cruises this year, and her promotion to Headwaiter is well-deserved!

 

It was a glorious day for a sailaway in San Pedro. No ship, though...:(

[Juli]

You are a great writer. I REALLY enjoyed reading this! Thank you so much for posting!

 

Julie

[Luv4dacruise]

Thank you so much for the read!

 

That has got to be one of the best reviews i have ever read here on CC. It was extremely upbeat and positive. The few negatives were well justified in my book.

 

Happy Cruising!

[rubrrick]

Larry........great review!! Herschel........is a wonderful cabin steward, and almost as good as ours......Brendon!!

 

Deepu (spelling) was the bartender in the Schooner bar for most of the trip. He was excellent!!

 

Larry and Nancy were kind enough to have an "open door" policy as we did for the Panama Canal transit. It was wonderful to be able to see both sides.......with just a short walk. Cabin 1510 is our other favorite when we don't have the RS.

 

I didn't know that Nancy was such a fan of the Drifters when we invited them in for a glass of wine, to say good bye on the last night of the cruise. They had early seating........and as it was, I think that they were late to their table, enjoying some of the stories that were being told by the Drifters.

 

I don't know about Larry.....but I think that the highlight of Nancy's trip was singing and dancing with the Drifters on stage. By the way Larry......I owe you a couple of pictures.:D;)

 

Rick

[Merion_Mom]

Great review, Larry.

 

Thanks for sharing your perspectives and experiences.

[capnlars]

Thanks, everyone for your kind words....

 

 

..... Makes me want to do a relocation cruise.

 

San4u2 - The repo cruises are also a bit cheaper. The price/night was about 60% of our last 7-day cruise.

 

..... There is no age discrimination when it comes to hogging the railing!:(

 

cruisenfever - I didn't mean to imply that this had to do with the age of the other cruisers. I wasn't thinking about it in age terms. Sorry.

 

.....In your opinion who is the best bartender and where does he/she usually work?

 

wolfcathorse - They move around from either cruise to cruise or week to week, I think. Our favorite for this trip was Ivanco. He told us when we get back he could be anywhere including Ben and Jerry's.

 

...... We are in 1020 & I am pretty sure 1510 was open when I booked, oh well, NEXT time. Loved the story of your cabin steward, hopefully he will be ours!!...

 

crazy 4 cruising - You will have Brendon - he was very nice also.

 

....but I think that the highlight of Nancy's trip was singing and dancing with the Drifters on stage. By the way Larry......I owe you a couple of pictures.:D;) Rick

 

Rick - It entirely was the highlight of Nancy's trip! We owe you some pics too - we'll email Nancy's webshot link when she has the album done. Work is in progress....

[MrZoey]

What a great review! I have asked for a trip through the canal for our 30th anniversary......we'll see! He has 18 months to "surprise" me!:D

[waf125]

That was an extremely well done review and for that, I thank you!

 

Your room steward sounds like a jewel! :)

[dosherpack]

Larry & Nancy,

 

Great review. I understand what you mean by the behavior of some people. We saw this on a recent cruise to Canada. Seems as if many seniors revert to being children again and just pitch a fit if something doesn't go their way. We tend to ignore them for the most part and have our own fun. Sound like a great crew. That really makes the cruise. Our recent Explorer cruise was greatly enhanced by our server and our cabin steward.

 

Noticed that you are on the 1/9 sailing of the Monarch with DW and I. I am taking a group from work. We have 13 cabins booked. Not work related other than we work together and enjoy a good time. Many are first time cruisers who caught my love-for-cruising infection. Hope to see you around. Too bad there isn't a M&M on the short cruises.

 

Dennis & Mary

[jjb415]

Thank you so much for this fine review. I'm glad that I was able to travel along with you! :). Having sailed on the Monarch several times, it was fun to hear about the different type of journey than the ones that I experienced.

[capnlars]

...Noticed that you are on the 1/9 sailing of the Monarch with DW and I....

 

Dennis and Mary - We are going on the 1/2/09 sailing, so we'll miss you by a week.