rccl-monarch13

Note - this page contains multiple reviews.

Name: Pat Borzellino
Email: pborzellino@bdo.ca
Age: 44
Occupation: Administrative Assistant
NumberOfCruises: 1
TravelAgent: No
Ship: RoyalCaribbean-Monarch
SailingDate: September 17, 2000
Itinerary: Southern Carribean
Cabin: 5071/K
FoodDiningRoom: 98
CruiseDirector: 80
CabinComfort: 98
FoodRoomService:
CruiseStaff: 98
CabinAmenities: 98
FoodLidoDeck:
DiningRoomService: 100
CabinQuietness: 98
FoodMidnightBuffets: 98
CabinSteward: 98
ShoreExcVariety:
FoodVariety:
DeckService:
ShoreExcValue:
GoodForHoneymoon:
CasinoStaff: 95
PrivateIsland:
GoodForFamilies:
LoungeService: 98
TenderService: 95
GoodForSeniors:
BeautySalonStaff:
EntertainmentLounges: 98
WheelchairAccess:
ExerciseFacilities:
EntertShowLounge:
OverallPortsofCall: 100
BeautySalon:
EntertainmentPoolside: 95
CruiseActivities: 95
Casino: 95
AirSeaProgram: 95
MedicalFacilities:
ShipCleanliness: 98
EmbarkDisembark: 95
DiscoNightclubs: 90
DeckSpace: 90
Stabilization: 95
ShopsOnBoard: 99
SpaceRatio:
OverallCruiseValue: 98
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 10 Nov 2000
Time: 12:17:26
Remote Name: bdo.ca
Remote User:

Comments

Having done a lot of research on the different cruise lines, we opted for Royal Caribbean Cruise Line. We
took the air/sea package through the travel agent – the Cruise Ship Centres to avoid any hassle.

We arrived in San Juan, Puerto Rico around 1:15 p.m.. A lot of RCCL staff to greet you at the airport.
Very well organized pick up. You just follow them to the board bus which will bring you to the Ship. It was
great not worrying about claiming your luggage. RCCL does it all for you. They bring it right to your
stateroom door (only if you’ve bought the air/sea package—that alone is well worth it).

Embarkation was very well organized. We were on the ship in ½ hr. Many RCCL staff to direct you. We
had no problem finding our room. Our room was on Deck 5 (Showtime Deck) – Inside cabin, category K.
We expected a very small room but were pleasantly surprised at the size. Very cozy, a place for
everything, very comfortable, and very, very quiet. Our cabin steward was great. Always had fresh ice
and water in our room waiting for us. Our room was always neat and tidy. He even put away our shoes
that we left on the floor in the closet. Wish I could have taken him back home with us.

We had brought a pair shorts to change into because it was very, very, hot. So we changed and had a
look around. Very, clean, beautiful ship. We couldn’t get over the size of the ship. Considering this ship is
9 years old, the shape it’s in is excellent. We decided to go back to our room to see if our luggage had
arrived and it was already at our door (give or take 1 ½ after we got there).

We are beach people. Just give us some palm trees, white sandy beaches, and we’re happy. We decided
we weren’t going to do any tours from the Ship but instead we took the taxi everywhere. We didn’t feel like
getting up early and being on a schedule. I heard from other couples, that you had to book very early if
you wanted the tours, because they sold out quickly. Only ones that were left were the real expensive
ones.. and I did find them expensive. You have to count on at the very least around $35/couple (US$) for
any tour and up to around $80/couple (US$) for the very expensive ones. We also heard that some
couples backed out of some of the tours because, it was just too, too hot, for walking around. We just
wanted to relax. It was our 25th Anniversary, we just wanted to veg out and be by ourselves. Have small
bills handy for taxis, because the taxi drivers don’t carry a lot of change on them.

Our first stop was St. Thomas. Beautiful island. When we got off the ship in the morning, taxis were all
lined up to take you anywhere. We asked the driver, just to drive by the pretty sights and bring us to the
prettiest beach. Which he did. It cost us $4 each both ways. A lot of taxis to take you back to the ship,
they are all lined up at the beach. Around 3:00 p.m. we would head back for some shopping. Great
shopping in St. Thomas.

Our next island was St. Maarten. Another beautiful island. We took a taxi to Orient Beach. Saw some
nudity. A little expensive though. It cost $30 for 2 chairs and 1 umbrella plus $6 per person each way.
The taxi guy was very nice though, stopping at all the pretty points so that we could take pictures. Great
shopping here for jewelry. The people on the street though I found a bit rude and snobby but the people
who had the boutiques were very nice.

Next three islands, were Antigua, St. Lucia and Barbados. What can we say, each island was more
gorgeous than the other.

Our favourite island was St. Lucia. Beautiful white sandy beaches, miles and miles. St. Lucia is a definitely
worth a return trip as is Antigua.

Shopping on the ship was not as expensive as I thought it would be. But if you want to buy things on the
ship, wait until near the last couple of days because that’s when they have all their sales and you do get
good bargains.

We had 1 day at sea and I think that was enough for us. You had to get up on deck very early to get
chairs in the shade. If you weren’t in the shade, you were going to fry out there in the sun. You can only
do so much bingo, shuffleboard etc.. I find being at sea a little boring. As I said before, we are beach
people.

The dinning on the Ship was great. We had asked for a table of 8 but instead we got a table of 12. We
booked this cruise 6 months in advance, I thought we could have gotten a better table area. Our table
was at the end of the dining room near the kitchen. One end of the table the chairs were right up against
the serving area, which I thought was not very nice. But we were always one of the first couple to get to
dinner so we never had to sit at that end. The food was great. My husband had 2 of everything. The food
was well presented and prepared very nicely. One mistake we made was to take the early sitting. Next
time it will be the late sitting. As we were on the beach all day, we were kind of rushing to clean up for
dinner, we didn’t get to sit out on the pool deck in the late afternoon much because we always came back
around 4:00 p.m.. The people at our table were very nice but we all tended to keep to ourselves after
dinner. Didn’t see much of our dinner people around the ship. But then again the ship is so huge. Our
waiter and assistant waiter were fantastic. They went out of their way to please you. Formal nights were
really nice, it was great to dress up for dinner and be really fancy. Make sure the men have suit, and also
a sport jacket. It’s a definite must if you are dining in the dining room.

The Windjammer Café was good too. But then we only had breakfast there, we were never on the ship for
lunch. So our waistlines didn’t suffer at all. Not much variety at breakfast, and it was a little bland but still
ok. We did have dinner there one evening but we did not like it all. Different type of atmosphere. We like
to dress up for dinner and at the Café is just shorts and jeans.

The midnight buffets looked good too. We only went up to see them but really didn’t have anything to eat
other than fruit. Midnight is too late for us to eat. They don’t have them every night though. They only
had it on Monday night, Wednesday and Friday night.

The entertainment and lounges were very good. My husband did karoke one night and for that he got a
signed oil painting. Very nice.

I was a little disappointed in the disembarkation. First of all, we had to get back our passports at 6:00 a.m.
on Sunday morning, so we had a 5:00 a.m. wake up call. (Word of caution – be there before 6:00 a.m..
We were there around 5:40 and we waited about 1 hr.). Then we rushed through breakfast and had to sit
in the lounge until our flight was called. But I guess with a ship of that size, that is probably the only way
you could get people off in time for the next group of people coming in. You then proceed to reclaim your
luggage. Make sure you have something on your luggage so that you can recognize its yours as there
are probably 3,000 pieces of luggage. RCCL also give you colour code claim check – make sure you put
them on your luggage or you will never find luggage and it also tells the airport that you have gone
through the US customs on the ship. We found ours in about 5 minutes. Then the porters wisk them away
outside to where your truck with your flight number is and put the luggage in front of it. You have to hoist
them onto the truck. I paid $2.00 per bag – i.e. $4.00 in tip for the porter to bring it 2 seconds and found
that he had brought it to the wrong truck and we still had to bring it by ourselves anyway all the way at the
other end of the loading area. Make sure you have $1 bills handy. I wouldn’t even bother with a porter,
just take the luggage yourself.

Aside, from the very, minor problems, we would definitely cruise again with RCCL. For our first time
cruise, we had a terrific time and can’t stop talking about. I’m sure the memories will last for a long time to
come.

Name: Robert J. Rose, Sr.
Email: roser@pernet.net
Age: 46
Occupation: attorney
NumberOfCruises: 5
TravelAgent: No
Ship: RoyalCaribbean-Monarch
SailingDate: July 16, 2000
Itinerary: Southern Caribbean
Cabin: 8082/F
FoodDiningRoom: 88
CruiseDirector: 91
CabinComfort: 75
FoodRoomService: 85
CruiseStaff: 94
CabinAmenities: 75
FoodLidoDeck:
DiningRoomService: 91
CabinQuietness: 80
FoodMidnightBuffets: 81
CabinSteward: 86
ShoreExcVariety: 92
FoodVariety: 85
DeckService:
ShoreExcValue: 87
GoodForHoneymoon:
CasinoStaff: 86
PrivateIsland:
GoodForFamilies: 87
LoungeService: 90
TenderService: 92
GoodForSeniors:
BeautySalonStaff:
EntertainmentLounges: 93
WheelchairAccess:
ExerciseFacilities:
EntertShowLounge: 90
OverallPortsofCall: 93
BeautySalon:
EntertainmentPoolside: 85
CruiseActivities: 95
Casino: 88
AirSeaProgram: 93
MedicalFacilities:
ShipCleanliness: 90
EmbarkDisembark: 93
DiscoNightclubs: 90
DeckSpace: 91
Stabilization: 92
ShopsOnBoard: 85
SpaceRatio:
OverallCruiseValue: 89
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 02 Jan 2001
Time: 21:37:48
Remote Name: ppp-bmt-207-18-63-26.pernet.net
Remote User:

Comments

This was the first cruise that we took our children with us. They were 16 and 12. We took the Southern
Caribbean itenary to let our children experience the waters of the Caribbean and as many islands as we could
fit in the cruise. We had taken the same basic route on the Celebrity Galaxy about 18 months before. If you
like snorkeling or diving, this is a good cruise to take. There was a day at sea at the end of the cruise for
divers. 24 hours before next flight.

The Monarch travels the route in the opposite direction from the Galaxy. Our first stop was St. Thomas, US
Virgin Islands. We took a power boat snorkel tour to St. Johns that was worth every dollar. We went to two
different stops and saw turtles, an octopus, and numerous animals of varying nature. We did a little shopping,
but did not make any major purchases.

We next stopped on Antigua. We were disappointed with the snorkeling when we were there on the Galaxy,
and this trip was no different. There were large quantities of jelly fish in the water on the catamaran snorkeling
trip. The beach was more fun. A trip across the island was interesting, but a little pricy. There was not enough
time to stop at Nelson's Dockyard and get back to the ship.

We then traveled to Barbados. This found us in the water again. The water was a little cloudy, but visability
was still in the 35-45 foot range. We saw a lot of reef fish. Nice easy snorkeling trip. Good for beginners. This
was the catamaran trip.

At St. Lucia, we took the plantation tour with swimming trip included. The weather was cloudy, sometimes rainy
and cool. This tour was my least favorite. The beach was OK, but the weather made it a poor choice to take.

Our last stop was St. Maarten. We shuttled to and from the ship by launch/barge. Very little waiting. The water
was a bit murky. The catamaran snorkeling trip was average at best. However, when compared to the
beautiful brown murk at home, this was first rate. I would try to take a different snorkeling tour if I went back to
this island.

It should be noted that all of the tour operators were very friendly and tried to help all of the tour guests. No
complaints on personnel.

Back to the ship.....

The food in the dining room at evening meals was very good. It was not of the Galaxy's standard, but it was
very tasty and plentiful. Least enjoyable food.....oxtail soup...most enjoyable....filet mignon and lobster. The
desserts left a bit to be desired. There was not as large a selection as I would have expected.

Breakfasts were good. The eggs Benedict were cooked just right and served hot. Breakfast was served on a
sit where we place you basis. No real flexibility to sit where you wanted to and save places for companion
travelers.

Lunch was average. We ate in the grills. These were below par to me, but I am used to eating a more
substantial lunch and no breakfast.

The midnight buffets were good. A pretty good selection of desserts and entres.

The entertainment was overall very good. As with all weeklong shows, there were highpoints and a few
average shows. The singing was very good and the variety was just right. The lounge games were a hoot.
You have to play Monarch Madness. Make sure you get prepared. Prepared for your own team and prepared
to laugh at yourself.

The bar staff was very attentive. Once they figured out who you were and what your drink was, you were
never wanting again. Oh, if you have minors with you who drink sodas, sign up for the "pass". It was $20.00
for all soda waters all week. This was a great savings.

Our room attendant spoke only broken English and this was a little troublesome. After a few days he got used
to our quirks and we did not have any trouble. We had ajoining rooms to our kids. We let our children have
one room and we had the other. The rooms were very small. This was my major complaint about the cruise.
We had our bed out for the whole cruise. The shower was abysmal. It was way too small for me. I am 6.4. The
shower was shoulder width for me.

The embarkation point was a snap to go through. Disembarkation was by airline and flight number. We were
tired at disembarkation and being evicted from your room as early as we were was a little unsatisfactory, but
no different than other cruises.

If she changes her itenary, we would sail on the Monarch again. If I sail with just my wife, I would upgrade to a
suite.

Name: Diana Dibkey
Email: diana1966@home.com
Age: 52
Occupation: Executive Director of Not-for-profit
NumberOfCruises: 3
TravelAgent: No
Ship: RoyalCaribbean-Monarch
SailingDate: Feb 1, 2001
Itinerary: Puerto Rico, St. Thomas, St. Maarten, Anitgua, St.
Cabin: 7058F
FoodDiningRoom: 95
CruiseDirector: 90
CabinComfort: 85
FoodRoomService:
CruiseStaff: 90
CabinAmenities: 85
FoodLidoDeck: 90
DiningRoomService: 99
CabinQuietness: 85
FoodMidnightBuffets:
CabinSteward: 70
ShoreExcVariety: 90
FoodVariety: 95
DeckService: 90
ShoreExcValue: 90
GoodForHoneymoon:
CasinoStaff: 85
PrivateIsland:
GoodForFamilies: 95
LoungeService: 90
TenderService: 90
GoodForSeniors:
BeautySalonStaff:
EntertainmentLounges: 95
WheelchairAccess:
ExerciseFacilities: 85
EntertShowLounge: 80
OverallPortsofCall: 90
BeautySalon:
EntertainmentPoolside: 90
CruiseActivities: 90
Casino: 90
AirSeaProgram: 80
MedicalFacilities:
ShipCleanliness: 90
EmbarkDisembark: 65
DiscoNightclubs: 90
DeckSpace: 95
Stabilization: 80
ShopsOnBoard: 85
SpaceRatio: 90
OverallCruiseValue: 85
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 20 Feb 2001
Time: 18:27:39
Remote Name: proxy1-external.grffth1.in.home.com
Remote User:

Comments

This was our second cruise with Royal Caribbean. The first was on Majesty of the Seas two years ago.
It was wonderful! We began planning this cruise at that time. One of the things my husband and I liked
most was once we checked our luggage at the airport in Chicago, we did not see it again until it was
sitting outside our cabin door on the ship. It was hassle free. This trip was definitely not hassle free.

There were 18 of us on this cruise. Thirteen of us traveled from the Chicago Area. Several of us had
cruised before with Royal Caribbean and had high expectations. The arrangements were made nearly
a year ago. We did not receive our iteneraries and travel packages until a week before the cruise.
When we did we were all uncomfortable with our travel time which had us arriving in San Juan less than
two hours prior to the ship sailing. This was arranged by Royal Caribbean which advised we needed to
board atleast two hours prior to departure. As luck would have it, we did not reach San Juan in time for
cruise departure. We arrived around midnight where two RC staff members advised us the airline
would provide vouchers for hotels and meals and travel to the hotel. We also needed to book flights
for the next morning. By the time we did all of that it was well after midnight. We then were told we
would need to take our luggage with us and we would need to be back at the airport by 5:00 a.m., with
our luggage of course! By the time we reached the hotel it was after 1:00. We were told there would be
Royal Caribbean Staff to greet us when we arrived in St. Thomas the next day and take us to the ship.
There were none. So, we hired cabs and got ourselves to the ship with our luggage. All of this took
time and money. We missed all of the first day activities including opportunities to sign-up for shore
excursions in St.Thomas. By the time we settled in, it was nearly noon...We were tired, hungry and not
very happy. In the mean time....

Five of our friends and family members were on the ship waiting for us wondering what had happened
to us and not getting any answers. They were particularly distressed when the ship set sail and we
were no where to be found. It was only after calling home and vigorous pursuit of the RC staff that they
were finally told we would be joining the ship in St. Thomas. They were not told why.

They did send various food items to our cabins alongs with letters apologizing for the inconvenience.
They did adjust our bills $125.00 for each of us in the cabin for the day lost. We lost more than a
day...we missed all of Sunday's activities as well as Monday's. Royal Caribbean should not book
passengers on the late flight and we would not like to see this happen to other passengers. For people
like us who do not have this kind of vacation often, it really is a loss.

We did enjoy the rest of our trip. Our dining room staff was wonderful. The various ports were nice. We
did several of the excursions including Orient Beach and enjoyed all of them. We particularly enjoyed
spending time in the Schooner Lounge where the piano player, Marilyn, was terrific. Our cabin steward
was not as good as we had on the Majesty of the Seas.

Name: Paul McGhee
Email: houdini41@hotmail.com
Age: 47
Occupation: Engineer
NumberOfCruises: 3
TravelAgent: No
Ship: RoyalCaribbean-Monarch
SailingDate: 2/18/2001
Itinerary: Southern Caribbean
Cabin: 6000
FoodDiningRoom: 89
CruiseDirector: 100
CabinComfort: 90
FoodRoomService: 100
CruiseStaff: 79
CabinAmenities: 90
FoodLidoDeck: 85
DiningRoomService: 95
CabinQuietness: 85
FoodMidnightBuffets:
CabinSteward: 100
ShoreExcVariety: 80
FoodVariety: 99
DeckService: 100
ShoreExcValue: 75
GoodForHoneymoon: 79
CasinoStaff: 98
PrivateIsland:
GoodForFamilies: 90
LoungeService: 95
TenderService:
GoodForSeniors:
BeautySalonStaff:
EntertainmentLounges: 90
WheelchairAccess:
ExerciseFacilities: 80
EntertShowLounge: 90
OverallPortsofCall: 90
BeautySalon:
EntertainmentPoolside: 80
CruiseActivities: 95
Casino: 85
AirSeaProgram: 25
MedicalFacilities:
ShipCleanliness: 90
EmbarkDisembark: 50
DiscoNightclubs:
DeckSpace: 98
Stabilization: 95
ShopsOnBoard: 95
SpaceRatio: 100
OverallCruiseValue: 90
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 26 Feb 2001
Time: 13:39:56
Remote Name: ns1.pfizer.com
Remote User:

Comments

Notable positives:

1. Cruise director and her cruise staff (minus the Purser staff): Exceptional. Laurie Rizzo (Rizz) has the
perfect personality for a cruise director, fresh and energetic without being pompous. She does the
same things week after week, but makes you feel as if she's having just as much fun as the cruisers.
We didn't like the Purser's staff, which is why we rated the Cruise Staff low overall. This rating system
lumps them together, though they perform very different functions.

2. Poolside service was great. On my last RCL cruise (on Sovereign) we couldn't get anyone to wait on
us at the pool. On Monarch, there were too many poolside waiters, which was just the right amount! Of
course, they still try to sell the oversized drinks in the "souvenir" glasses, but that's because they have
to.

3. Guest entertainers. Our cruise had The Fifth Dimension (Flo still looks like she did in 1975) and a
couple of great comedians. The Cruise Staff entertainers weren't as good as I've seen. The dancers
were terrific, but the singers weren't quite as good. I think it's probably because the production
numbers make good dance skills necessary even for the singers, so they have to make some
compromises to get good all-around talent.

4. Wait staff and cabin staff. Great, as usual. Nice break from being waited on by smartass American
teenagers. How great is it to muss your bed two or three times a day, and have it made up crisply when
you get back?

5. The boat. These ships are laid out very well, I learned my way around quickly and easily. There are
little models of the ship in the stairway landings showing where everything is.

NEGATIVES:

1. The air package charter carrier was Miami Air. Words cannot express what a pathetic, crass,
incompetent organization this is. If I could give one piece of advice to any cruiser it would be: arrange
your own air travel. Here's the what happened to us:

- On arrival at the airport two hours prior to departure, we waited nearly an hour in line to check our
bags. Charter companies don't have check-in counter space, you see, so they take whatever little
space they can get.

- They lost one of our bags, even though the flight was NON-STOP. We haven't seen it since, and
have no hope of recovering fair value for the contents.

- The flight to San Juan was 3 hours late. We missed the evening meal, and didn't get to bed until after
1 AM. That's probably how the bag was lost.

- On disembarking, we couldn't find the check in line for Miami Air, since they had borrowed a
Northwest Airlines check-in stand.

- Another 1-hour wait to check bags on disembarking. The American Airlines and Delta Airlines
passengers just strolled past us.

- Miami Air was too cheap to lease a jetway, so we had to go outside in a snow storm to get off the
plane when we arrived, then ride a bus back to the terminal where we again walked through the snow
and up the steps to--guess what--a jetway!

- When we got home, we went straight to the Miami Air ground staff to ask about our missing bag. They
had no idea we'd lost a bag, had never been contacted even though RCL assured us they had
informed Miami Air of our missing luggage.

--AVOID CRUISE AIR CHARTERS--why should these people care about you? Do you have any kind of
relationship with them? And, if you have problems as we did, try and find them. They contract out their
ground logistics operations, so they have no permanent office or other infrastructure at the airport.
They're hardly more than a couple of planes with aircrews. Stick with the established carriers. It's hard
to run an airline, it's not a job for fly-by-night morons.

...other small nits

2. The shipshape center wasn't very good. We tried to take all of the fitness classes, and were so
disappointed that we finally took to walking/running the deck. The classes lasted half the time they
were supposed to, were the same every day, boring, boring.

3. Since we had lost a bag, the Purser's staff was a big part of our life, unfortunately. We did not enjoy
dealing with them. They seem to specialize in pat answers have the underlying message to 'get lost'.
Snippy is a good word to describe them.

4. It's always a long wait for the elevator. I'm as fit as the next person, but a 10-landing stair climb is
tough!

Overall, we'd recommend the Monarch to anyone interested in a Southern Caribbean cruise on a large
boat. Avoid their air package, however.

Name: Beth Duvall-Miller
Email: duvallmiller@cder.fda.gov
Age: 36
Occupation: Project Manager
NumberOfCruises: 1
TravelAgent: No
Ship: RoyalCaribbean-Monarch
SailingDate: 2/11/01
Itinerary: Southern Caribbean
Cabin: 4014
FoodDiningRoom: 95
CruiseDirector: 95
CabinComfort: 90
FoodRoomService:
CruiseStaff: 95
CabinAmenities: 85
FoodLidoDeck: 90
DiningRoomService: 95
CabinQuietness: 100
FoodMidnightBuffets:
CabinSteward: 100
ShoreExcVariety: 95
FoodVariety: 95
DeckService:
ShoreExcValue: 90
GoodForHoneymoon:
CasinoStaff:
PrivateIsland:
GoodForFamilies:
LoungeService: 85
TenderService: 80
GoodForSeniors:
BeautySalonStaff:
EntertainmentLounges:
WheelchairAccess:
ExerciseFacilities:
EntertShowLounge: 95
OverallPortsofCall: 95
BeautySalon:
EntertainmentPoolside: 95
CruiseActivities: 80
Casino:
AirSeaProgram: 65
MedicalFacilities:
ShipCleanliness: 90
EmbarkDisembark: 95
DiscoNightclubs:
DeckSpace: 90
Stabilization: 85
ShopsOnBoard: 75
SpaceRatio: 90
OverallCruiseValue: 95
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 06 Mar 2001
Time: 15:27:56
Remote Name: ocswall2.fda.gov
Remote User:

Comments

Air/Sea: Unfortunately our trip started out rocky. Because of errors in our original booking, we had to
have our tickets (both air and sea) reissued. Either Royal Caribbean or our travel agent or both failed
in their job; the tickets did not make it to us before our departure. This was very inconvenient as we
had no luggage tags and had to claim our luggage in Puerto Rico, transfer them ourselves onto the
shuttle and then again at the boarding area of the ship. No one from Royal Caribbean jumped in to
help us – in fact there was a staff person who was rather rude to us even though her colleague had
referred us to her for help. We almost encountered the same problem disembarking – if it weren’t for a
generous staff member, we would have had to transfer all of our luggage ourselves and miss out on
the opportunity we had to stroll around Old San Juan before our late (3:30 PM) departure home. Royal
Caribbean did give us a bottle of wine and a $100 credit for our trouble, but it didn’t seem enough
compensation for all the hassle we went through.

The good news is, our experience was all uphill from here!

Cabin: Yes the cabin is very small, but all you really do in it is sleep, shower, and change clothes. They
make very efficient use of space in the cabins – I’d rather pay an affordable rate rather than have the
extra space. And the cabin steward was just great. We left our 2-year old daughter home and of
course missed her terribly. Every day (twice a day) our cabin steward would arrange our pillows such
that the framed picture of our daughter that we had brought with us was the focal point of his pillow
sculpture – it was a very thoughtful touch!

Food: The food was just amazing. We opted for the late seating to maximize our time on the islands.
This was a good choice because it also prevented us from feeling hungry during midnight buffet time
(aka, gorgefest!). The wait staff was the greatest – I just can’t say enough about our dining
experience. The buffet areas were also very good – there was always a fresh and wide selection and
the lines were never terrible. The wait staff in the buffet area was very good about cleaning tables
quickly. The only dining experience that was a little uncomfortable was going to sit-down breakfast
where you were seated with strangers every day – not a big deal, but at times I felt it was just easier to
go to the buffet line and sit at your own table.

Entertainment: The entertainment on board was excellent. We saw a singing impressionist, a
comedian, a plate spinner, and The Fifth Dimension! We also participated in a TV/movie trivia game,
the ping pong challenge, the “Sexy Leg Challenge” (my husband, not me!), and enjoyed watching “The
Not So Newlywed Game”. You’d have to be pretty fickle not to be entertained in some way on the ship.
I also enjoyed the wide variety of movies available either in-room or in the cinema.

Excursions: We bought several excursions and also did our own thing on some islands (see below). I
had my doubts about purchasing excursions from the boat (I had read that they are 30 – 50% marked
up from what you can buy on land) but I must say that they are worth the extra money. You don’t have
a lot of time to spend on each island so you must be efficient in what you do/see. The excursions
already have ground transfers built in – all you do is disembark the boat and follow the leader. Plus,
the local excursion companies that are contracted via the ship want to retain Royal Caribbean’s
business so they definitely put in the extra effort to make your experience memorable. All in all, it really
depends on the island – do your homework and figure out where it is smart to go on an excursion and
where it’s ok to go out on your own.

Shopping: The best shopping was in St. Maarten, St. Thomas, and Barbados (in that order).

Day 1: We arrived in San Juan around 2 PM and were able to find the Royal Caribbean staff members
greeting our flight easily. The shuttle was efficient and we arrived at the port in no time. We were
delayed only slightly during the embarking process because we had to fill out the customs paperwork
that would have been in our package had it arrived in time! But this was only a slight delay and we
were amazed at how quickly we had the keys to our room and were on the ship.

This being our first cruise, I was amazed that I had just set foot on a boat rather than into a lush hotel
lobby. We were very impressed.

Since we didn’t depart until 10 PM that night, I took the opportunity (with my husband’s wife) to grab a
cab and head for El Morro, an old Spanish fort in Old San Juan. It was lovely, particularly as the sun
was setting. We walked back to the boat in no time and felt completely safe in the streets of Old San
Juan even though we were too females walking alone in a foreign city.

Day 2: St Thomas

My husband bought a scuba excursion and loved it (he’s not certified so it included training). I met with
a friend who lives on St. Thomas so I had the benefit of having a personal tour guide. She took me to
Magen’s Bay – it was truly one of the most beautiful beaches I have ever seen. It’s a great place to go
if you branch out on your own as there are facilities and a restaurant at this beach. St. Thomas also
had very good opportunities for shopping. Next time, I’ll probably head to St. Johns as I’ve heard that’s
quite beautiful too.

Day 3: St. Maarten/St. Martin

The ship had to dock off shore due to high winds – this necessitated catching a tender to get to shore.
The only bad thing about this was the crowd, particularly early in the morning, because of those signed
up for excursions. Otherwise, the tenders operated just fine. Once on shore, we caught a cab at the
taxi dispatch desk and headed to Orient Beach on the French side (St. Martin). The cab only cost
$5/person each way – a bargain! [Note: even if your taxi driver agrees to pick you up at a later time, he
may not show (or may be late) so don’t hesitate to hail another cab back] We rented chairs and an
umbrella and there were waiters who came on the beach for food/drink orders. They also have
bathrooms and you can rent sea sport equipment. It was an absolutely gorgeous beach – we loved
swimming in the turquoise water. This area of St. Martin was clearly where the wealthy lived – our taxi
driver pointed out the homes of Jay Leno and Scott Baio on our drive to the beach. It definitely seemed
to be the prettier side of the island. The only thing to be aware of is that there was beaucoup nudity on
this beach – many were topless and more than a few were completely nude. It was not a big deal to us
but it might offend some that are not prepared for this. I loved the beach and water in St. Martin.
Finally, St. Maarten (walking distance from the port) had the best shopping of the entire cruise.

Day 4: Antigua

Antigua was the port of call of our favorite excursion. We took the Bird Island Catamaran sail. The staff
on the catamaran (Madadli Cats I believe they were called) was just great. They sang, they danced,
they were incredibly friendly, they answered questions about Antigua – you name it, they did it! In fact,
they even had to rescue a passenger who after drinking a bit too much, fell overboard at about 20
knots. Let me tell you, one of their staff dove into the water as fast as it takes to blink to make sure she
was ok (she was!). On this excursion they stopped at an offshore reef for snorkeling, then anchored
off Bird Island where you could take a dinghy onto shore. There’s a rocky trail to the top of the island
where you get beautiful views of the Caribbean. It was a great day! Antigua is the only island where I
did not get a sense of the island itself as our catamaran sail took up the entire day.

Day 5: St. Lucia

St. Lucia was by far the most lush and beautiful island. It was like being in a tropical rain forest. We
signed up for the Land and Sea excursion which was very good. We started out on a catamaran down
to Soufriere – on the way we stopped for swimming at Anse Cochon (not a great cove) and then
cruised in and out of Marigot Bay (unbelievably beautiful!) and then finally into Soufriere where you
have a view of the magnificent Pitons as you enter the harbor. On land we toured the drive through
volcano (really cool!), the botanical gardens and waterfall (beautiful!), had lunch at the Soufriere
Estate (yummy!), and took winding/twisting/mountainous roads back to Castries making one stop in a
fishing village for shopping. Be sure to pack an umbrella in St. Lucia as there are frequent, but brief,
downpours to nourish the lush foliage. It seemed to rain every half-hour for about 5 minutes then the
sun would come out again. The tour guide on our ride back was great, but the staff on the catamaran
couldn’t hold a candle to the one we had on our Bird Island (Antigua) excursion.

Day 6: Barbados

We signed up for the Jolly Roger Pirate Ship excursion. We enjoyed the ride up and down the coast
and particularly enjoyed the rope swing and walking the plank, but the forced fun on the top deck was
a little hokey! Don’t get me wrong, we were right there in the thick of all the fun, but it wasn’t as natural
as the fun we had on the Bird Island (Antigua) catamaran sail. For those who like party boats, the Jolly
Roger is definitely something you have to try once. If I ever go to Barbados again, I’d like to get a
better sense of the island with a land excursion. Bridgetown did have some good shopping and it was
relatively easy (and cheap) to get to the shopping area from the port.

Day 7: at sea

We really enjoyed the slower pace of our day at sea. In fact, all of our friends on the cruise agreed that
a cruise with more days at sea (2 or 3) would be preferred over the frantic pace of a port per day. One
tip: Claim a lounge chair near the pool bright and early as everyone heads for the upper deck on the
day at sea.

Disembarking: This was surprisingly easy and efficient except for our battle over luggage described at
the beginning of this review. We took our carry-on luggage to the Crown and Anchor Club in Old San
Juan (keep your I.D. card handy or they won’t let you in) and placed it in the secure area. From there
we walked around Old San Juan until our late afternoon flight home. I would definitely recommend
doing something like this (or sign up for an excursion in San Juan) on your last day as the San Juan
airport is a zoo (there are not enough seats at the gates so people sit all over the floor and so will you
if you get there way ahead of your flight home).

All in all, we had a great experience and we can’t wait to take a cruise again. We would definitely
recommend Royal Caribbean to anyone who asks.

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