Monarch is a keeper or NO Rick, you CAN'T have her back

[canary1974]

Thanks for all the great information. Keep it up. I am getting even more excited. Thanks for the info, on parking. :):):) Oh by the way this is my first cruise with Royal Carib. so your are more than welcome to put in your 2 cent's worth of anything you feel I should know.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Carey

[rubrrick]

And say welcome aboard.........Captain Rick Sullivan!!

 

Captain Karin is the reliever to the senior captain........and I know that many of you welcome a female captain.........but the best in the fleet is now aboard.

 

He is sort of like Johnny...........always about.............very reachable, extremely knowledgeable..........and just loved by all that cruise with him.

 

Captain Sullivan comes from the Navigator of the Seas..........that he brought out from the shipyard, and was the senior captain before coming to the Monarch.

 

His home is in South America............where his lovely wife runs a spa. One of the finest spas in South Africa!!

 

Again.........welcome aboard Captain Rick Sullivan!!

 

Rick

[rednancy1]

Oppss. I was wrong. It's not Henryplus. It's HenryXtra. :D It must be a girl Henry.

 

Me, Henry and Henry's boss. :)

 

 

Gina

 

Ah Henry,

We hardly knew ya.

[rubrrick]

And say welcome aboard.........Captain Rick Sullivan!!

 

Captain Karin is the reliever to the senior captain........and I know that many of you welcome a female captain.........but the best in the fleet is now aboard.

 

He is sort of like Johnny...........always about.............very reachable, extremely knowledgeable..........and just loved by all that cruise with him.

 

Captain Sullivan comes from the Navigator of the Seas..........that he brought out from the shipyard, and was the senior captain before coming to the Monarch.

 

His home is in South Africa.............where his lovely wife runs a spa. One of the finest spas in South Africa!!

 

Again.........welcome aboard Captain Rick Sullivan!!

 

Rick

 

Somehow, last night I said his home was in South America. It's south Africa.........tried to change it here.

 

Rick

[emdia43]

I was thinking of trying Monarch, but those drink prices settled it..... $9.49- don't think so.:rolleyes:

[mommabean]

Ah Henry,

We hardly knew ya.

 

I think he became a X dresser so they wouldn't toss him off the ship. Like us, he would rather stay on board. :rolleyes:

 

Gina

[mommabean]

Somehow, last night I said his home was in South America. It's south Africa.........tried to change it here.

 

Rick

 

Yeah...his home is South America. She runs a spa in South Africa. They try to stay as far apart as possible. :rolleyes:

 

Gina

[mommabean]

I was thinking of trying Monarch, but those drink prices settled it..... $9.49- don't think so.:rolleyes:

 

Oh, but she really is a nice and well maintained ship with a really friendly crew. You should try her. Ideally we should all email RCI and tell them why we will NOT buy a drink on her when we sail and maybe they will bring the price down into the range that the rest of the ships sell their drink of the day.

 

I buy 1, 2 or 3 a day on other ships depending on the itinerary for the day. That has to hurt when a whole lot of people just buy nothing. This was my lowest on board bill yet. $12! We've also cut way back on the pictures since they've eliminated the free coupon for Diamond members in the newest coupon book. We used to have whole lot of pictures taken to be sure we got one where we both looked good. We'd end up with so many we couldn't stand to see them shreaded so we bought them all. Oh well. No free picture? We get one done on formal night and pick the best of the bunch. We bought it with our on board credit.

 

I think someone is making a mistake in their marketing dept. There needs to be price consistancy from ship to ship and the best coupons for their most loyal C&A members. IMHO

 

Gina

[trucruz]

Thank you for you nice reveiw. Could you please tell me what the dress code was for the Platinum/Diamond Party? Will there be a formal night on a three night cruise? Does it tend to be less formal than on a 7 night? Thank you for your reply.

[mommabean]

Thank you for you nice reveiw. Could you please tell me what the dress code was for the Platinum/Diamond Party? Will there be a formal night on a three night cruise? Does it tend to be less formal than on a 7 night? Thank you for your reply.

 

Formal night was the second night and most everyone was dressed dressy although not in long dresses. I did see two small girls in long matching lacy dresses which was quite cute.

 

One thing I didn't mention was the complete mix of ages on this ship. It was more to my husband's liking than our last 14 day cruise of mostly "mature" people. ;) There were no rowdy college students although there were quite a few that age. I heard no whining little kids although there were kids to be seen. It was really nice. I little bit of everyone was represented.

 

The other 3 dinners were listed as casual as was the platinum/diamond party on the 3rd night at 5:15.

 

On a three night cruise your formal night will be on the second night, too. When the p/d party will be, I'm not sure.

 

Gina

[wrp96]

Gina, I knew you would understand the importance of my question.;):p:D

[mommabean]

Hi, I am booked on the monarch for next friday and was wondering if anybody had any pictures willing to share. Cabins, dinning room, inside of the ship period..

Thanks

 

Also for those who have sailed out of port canaveral. Quick Queston.

Once we park the car how far do we have to pull our luggage until we get through security or porters maybe???

 

Thanks

Carey

 

Carey,

 

Here are the pictures I posted to webshots. Too many, I'm sure, as usual for me - gotta get that perfect sunset. :rolleyes: But you can quickly scan through them to see what's of interest to you. The only cabin I have pictures of is the regular OV. It's way too tiny with the beds together as we had them. I've stayed in the same size cabin on Majesty with my sister. We had the beds apart and it was so much better. It really opens up the center of the floor to have the L configuration.

 

Near the end there are several pictures of an older couple dancing down in the centrum. I took so many because if you look closely, she has a nasal canula and tubing for Oxygen and he is holding the O2 bottle. She then kicks off her shoes and they continue dancing up a storm. All the while she is attached to him by that tube. They finished and got their picture taken in front of the Christmas tree - he is still holding her bottle...like a gentleman. :D

 

http://travel.webshots.com/album/569221295ZISCOG

 

Gina

[canary1974]

Gina,

 

Your pictures are really great. 2 questions. 1. We have superior ocean view will that be a little bit bigger than regular ocean view or are they all the same. 2. In a couple of your pictures it looks like you are in the Bahamas but there is a tall set of stairs, nice waterfalls and lots of rocks.. Is that an excursion you guys did. That looks like something I would enjoy taking my girls to.

 

Thanks

Carey

[mommabean]

Gina,

 

Your pictures are really great. 2 questions. 1. We have superior ocean view will that be a little bit bigger than regular ocean view or are they all the same. 2. In a couple of your pictures it looks like you are in the Bahamas but there is a tall set of stairs, nice waterfalls and lots of rocks.. Is that an excursion you guys did. That looks like something I would enjoy taking my girls to.

 

Thanks

Carey

 

Carey,

 

The SOV will seem way larger. Lucky you. I wish we had gone ahead and paid a little extra for the Superior on deck 9.

 

We always do Nassau on our own. You can walk to the queen's staircase. You walk out to Bay street and turn left. Walk a block towards Atlantis and then turn right. You can ask one of the cops around in the nice fancy uniforms what the name of that street is where you turn right. Then just keep on walking straight and you will walk right into it. The hospital will be on your left right before you get there although it's not a tall hospital so you might not notice it. Don't take an excursion there because then you'll be there with a load of people. It's prefectly safe to walk around Nassau. Look people in the eye as you pass them, greet them, and they will greet you back. The locals are quite friendly.

 

I asked the guy at the Bacardi shop if I was really allowed to walk around drinking my rum cooler. He said yes and then proceeded to bag my bottle. I thought maybe he was setting me up and said so. He then threw away the bag and handed me my bottle with the 2 cops standing right across the street. We marched ourselves right over to them to ask directions and to ask for a picture. One of the cops looked at my bottle and said I had a nice drink. :D

 

The rum coolers really have rum in them...not a malt beverage like most of those bottled drinks in the USA.

 

Gina

[mommabean]

Carey,

 

Click this google link and you will find some info about the queen's staircase. The weather in Nassau tends to be perfect this time of year. It wasn't to hot or too cold but in this little area enclosed by rocks you can feel the slight coolness of being "below" ground. There were a couple of street vendors in the area but they weren't especially pushy.

 

If you go right next to the staircase, you can also visit the fort and get a great view of the ships from the top. It's also free. But there will be a lot more vendors over there and they will call out to you. If you aren't interesting in what they are selling, just smile and say no thanks. They are just trying to make a living.

 

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=queen%27s+staircase+nassau+bahamas&aq=2&oq=queen%27s+staircase+

 

Gina

[canary1974]

Gina,

 

Your my hero!!! I have been to the bahamas several times and never knew about any free sites to go see.... I love historical stuff too.

This is great. My mom, and my daughters and I did this cruise sorta last minute. Being so close to christmas I am trying to pinch my pennies. LOL

However, the straw market is my week spot. Last time I ended up buying a prada? pocketbook with a matching wallet. I love it and plan on purchasing some more stuff. So it kinda puts a damper on any shore excursions. LOl

 

Anything other helpful information is much appreciated.

Carey

[canary1974]

Gina,

 

I finally finished going through all of your pictures and I have to ask.

What was going on with all those men in bra's and high-heels.

Is there something I should know before bringing my southern baptist mother onboard????:eek:

 

However my girls and were laughing hysterically..LOL

[mommabean]

Gina,

 

I finally finished going through all of your pictures and I have to ask.

What was going on with all those men in bra's and high-heels.

Is there something I should know before bringing my southern baptist mother onboard????:eek:

 

However my girls and were laughing hysterically..LOL

 

If you want to see men act like nuts, go to quest on the last night. Children aren't supposed to go. Southern Baptist Moms are allowed to go as long as they don't mind watching men fulfill their fantasies. Some men will do anything for attention. :eek: :D

 

If you want to have fun, get a team together and play. It's much more fun as a participant.

 

Gina

[mommabean]

Gina,

 

Your my hero!!! I have been to the bahamas several times and never knew about any free sites to go see.... I love historical stuff too.

This is great. My mom, and my daughters and I did this cruise sorta last minute. Being so close to christmas I am trying to pinch my pennies. LOL

However, the straw market is my week spot. Last time I ended up buying a prada? pocketbook with a matching wallet. I love it and plan on purchasing some more stuff. So it kinda puts a damper on any shore excursions. LOl

 

Anything other helpful information is much appreciated.

Carey

 

 

I always hear everyone say to take a cab over to Atlantis. But if you're a good walker and have your good walking shoes, you can just walk there. Turn left on Bay street and keep on walking. Walk over the second bridge, make a right and a short distance past the strip of stores that will be on your right, you will find Atlantis on your left. You can ask someone to point you in the right direction. There are free aquariums in the lobby.

 

If you want a good sweet soda, buy a goombay punch. I used to drink it when I was a kid and it still tastes like bubble gum to me. They sell it right there at the cruise port. I wouldn't pay over $1.50 for a 20 ounce bottle in there although some will ask more. I've never seen a diet goombay punch. :( So I splurge and have the real thing. It might be cheaper out on the streets in a store.

 

Gina

[wrp96]

I don't take my Southern Baptist mom to Quest only because it is usually past her bedtime. ;)

[BobbyK]

Gina, Thanks for shariang those wonderful pictures. I really miss the old girl. Robin

[DarthGrady]

Thanks for sharing your pictures, it really got me psyched for our cruise this Friday. After reading this thread, I am pretty happy we booked Monarch for our first outing on RCCL. It sounds like she is top notch. I watched her sail out today on the webcam, reveling in the knowledge that she will be coming back on Friday to pick me up!

[canary1974]

Alright now there is only 3 more days to go and then I-95 all the way south. LOL

Yeah, Yeah, Yeah

[rubrrick]

Gina........some great pictures!! A good shot of Sheldon......and the executive chef Eugene. I understand that Sheldon is now the Maitre d', and he would do an excellent job in that position.

 

I bet that you could not complain about the food with Eugene aboard! I rank him as one of the best executive chefs that RCCL has.

 

I don't know if you had the chance to meet Frank Bischoff.....who was the Hotel Director.............a wonderful and very humorous person.

 

I'm glad that you enjoyed the cruise!!:)

 

Rick

[cruisegirl1]

Years ago we were able to take an elevator to the top of the water tower, just a minute or two from the Queen’s stairs. It was ridiculously cheap – like 50 cents.

 

We’ve been back to Nassau at least a dozen times but never bothered checking to see if it is still available. Anyone going the the Stairs may want to check it out.

 

You can pick up a free map in the visitor area when you get off the ship. If will show you the streets and any other points of interest for a self guided walking tour.

 

You may also try a short trip to the Fish Fry for a delicious authentic lunch. Take the #10 bus (from near the strawmarket) and tell the driver you want the Fish Fry. He will tell you where to get off. The ride is $1 per person. We like Twin Brothers.

 

Have fun

M