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Note - this page contains multiple reviews.
Name: Jackie Turcotte
Email: turknjack@aol.com
Age: 33
Occupation: teacher
NumberOfCruises: 3
TravelAgent: No
Ship: RoyalCaribbean-Monarch
SailingDate: May 3, 1999
Itinerary: South Carribean
FoodDiningRoom: 95
CruiseDirector: 85
CabinComfort: 95
FoodRoomService:
CruiseStaff: 95
CabinAmenities: 95
FoodLidoDeck: 90
DiningRoomService: 95
CabinQuietness: 95
FoodMidnightBuffets: 90
CabinSteward: 100
ShoreExcVariety: 90
FoodVariety: 95
DeckService: 95
ShoreExcValue: 90
GoodForHoneymoon:
CasinoStaff: 90
PrivateIsland:
GoodForFamilies:
LoungeService: 95
TenderService: 95
GoodForSeniors:
BeautySalonStaff:
EntertainmentLounges: 80
WheelchairAccess:
ExerciseFacilities: 90
EntertShowLounge: 80
OverallPortsofCall: 95
BeautySalon:
EntertainmentPoolside: 90
CruiseActivities: 90
Casino: 80
AirSeaProgram: 95
MedicalFacilities:
ShipCleanliness: 95
EmbarkDisembark: 100
DiscoNightclubs: 90
DeckSpace: 95
Stabilization:
ShopsOnBoard: 80
SpaceRatio: 95
OverallCruiseValue: 99
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 18 May 1999
Time: 17:41:05
Remote Name: spider-ti062.proxy.aol.com
Remote User:
Comments
This cruise was our third cruise, our second on RCCL. We can not stop talking about how
much fun we had! Even
though you may have read about the Monarch's size and presence,you will still be amazed by
it's beauty in
comparison to other ships you will see in ports. It really was one of the best vacations
we have taken...ever (and we
travel alot!)
We purchased the air/land package. We paid too much for our tickets, mostly because of the
airfare, and late
booking date - about 5 months in advance. Yet, it was very nice to have all of our luggage
and transportation taken
care of (flawlessly). The port in San Jaun is in a rather dirty, run down location, but
the terminal was clean and new
and very well run. Checking in was easy, and soon we were boarding the Monarch!
Yes, the rooms are small...but everything fits nicely! We brought LOTS of luggage,
including one just for our
snorkling gear and blender (for drinks in our room), and an enormous suitcase on wheels
that fit perfectly in the
closet. The room is very efficient, and very comfortable. Here is a hint that I picked up
on the internet and am glad I
did...but an inexpensive shoe holder (the kind that hangs over the back of a door), and
hang it in the bathroom.
Everything has a place, is easy to see, and since it was purchased at a dollar store, I
just left it behind! Our room
stewardess was wonderful - it is so nice to come back to a clean room no matter how many
times you mess it up
during the day! You do not spend much time in your room, and unless I got a great deal on
a bigger room, I would
never waste the money for more space. We were on deck 2, (Waaay down in the ship), in an
outside room. But due
to its location (low and in the middle), we never felt any motion, even in choppy waters.
The islands are beautiful. Our first day, in St. Thomas, included one of the best
excursions offered. We took the
Buck Island catamaran snorkeling trip...fun, fun, fun! Our guides were on the 'Happy
Hour', a beautiful, newer
catamaran, manned by Jeff and John. They were very knowlegable, personable and great
guides. The trip to the
island takes about 1 hour, with one and a half hours for snorkeling, and then the return
trip. Our guides took us to a
cove not being used by some of the other excursions, and am I glad they did! You jump off
the boat into about 25
feet of the bluest, most clear water you have ever seen! Jeff swam with us, identifying
everything we were looking at.
Keep in mind, there were only 3 couples on each catamaran, making the location feeling
very secluded and
natural...not touristy. We saw thousands of fish, including a barracuda, turtles, a
shipwreck and even a nurse shark.
It really was amazing.
We enjoyed all of the islands, even Martinique. As the ship slowly makes it progression to
the port, you float by the
island for several hours, taking in it's moutainous terrain and beautiful shores. We did't
spend much time in town,
but we met many nice people, bought a few goodies, and walked along the boardwalk. We
would love to get to the
other side of the island, where the rainforest is, but were told that it is very expensive
to take a taxi - too bad.
The ship's food was very good, excellent service, and we had the great fortune of having
the best dinner partners
each night! Our table seated ten - this is the biggest table we've ever had on a cruise,
but it proved to be the best!
RCCL did a great job seating us with people our age, with similar interests, and great
dining companions. We hope
our paths will cross again.
The casino took too much of our money! I never saw any big slot machine winners, and the
pay outs were miniscule
- save your money!
The band that played on the pool deck was excellent, but they need to add some more songs
to thier sessions - we
kept hearing many of the same ones over and over. The drinks are delicious and add up, so
be prepared for your
bill on that final day! Even though we brought our own blender, their beautifully
presented drinks looked so good it
was hard to resist (and we did't).
I would absolutely take this cruise again - it was a true vacation in every sense -
relaxing, fun and took me to places
that I will think about during our long Michigan winters for years to come!
Please e-mail me for more information!
Name: Nancy Wishart
Email: n100@fuse.net
Age: 47
Occupation: Registrar
NumberOfCruises: 2
TravelAgent: No
Ship: RoyalCaribbean-Monarch
SailingDate: 5/2/99
Itinerary: Southern Caribbean
FoodDiningRoom: 95
CruiseDirector: 85
CabinComfort: 80
FoodRoomService: 90
CruiseStaff: 80
CabinAmenities: 80
FoodLidoDeck: 85
DiningRoomService: 95
CabinQuietness: 90
FoodMidnightBuffets: 95
CabinSteward: 100
ShoreExcVariety: 80
FoodVariety: 90
DeckService: 80
ShoreExcValue: 60
GoodForHoneymoon: 90
CasinoStaff: 50
PrivateIsland: 0
GoodForFamilies: 90
LoungeService: 90
TenderService: 100
GoodForSeniors: 100
BeautySalonStaff: 95
EntertainmentLounges: 90
WheelchairAccess: 90
ExerciseFacilities: 70
EntertShowLounge: 90
OverallPortsofCall: 95
BeautySalon: 95
EntertainmentPoolside: 90
CruiseActivities: 90
Casino: 50
AirSeaProgram: 90
MedicalFacilities: 0
ShipCleanliness: 80
EmbarkDisembark: 60
DiscoNightclubs: 90
DeckSpace: 85
Stabilization: 90
ShopsOnBoard: 80
SpaceRatio: 80
OverallCruiseValue: 95
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 22 May 1999
Time: 14:05:49
Remote Name: as1-731.fuse.net
Remote User:
Comments
This was a second cruise for 3 of us in a little over a year,we sailed Inspiration in 98
and consider ourselves very
fortunate to have had the opportunity to do them both. Was hoping this ship had been
updated a little more since it
had been in dry dock since Dec.98 for repairs to damamge during a medical emrgency but we
had the same worn
carpet and bedspreads and pillows in the room that last few thousand passengers had seen.
Space wise the cabins
were much more cramped than on the Inspiration,the Bathroom showers were 1/2 the size but
the rest of the
bathroom itself had better shelf and storage space than the Inspiration(Carinival).the
manner in which the toilets
were flushed were inconvenient,had to close the lid to get to the flusher,the ship itself
had nothing outstanding or
special as far as the interior,we did notice that up on deck there was less wood(teak) and
more indoor/outdoor
carpeting or painted cememt to walk on...
The Jog deck was right above us which we did not have trouble with,guess
our fellow passengers were considerate enough not to start their endless jogging til a
decent hour.... Our cabin
steward Rawle was wonderful,he was always available and hanging around out there in the
halls to answer
questions or just pass the time of day,we saw hima couple times in port purchasing little
things for his kids,he is from
Grenada and meets a friend on the Inspiration who takes things back to the kids for
him....Rooms were always
cleaned and freshened for us twice a day....Kinda missed the towel sculptures that were
left for us by the steward on
the Inspiration,we had sculptures done with our clothing by Rawle but there were times
that we didn't know what he
had left us but compared to the service we recieved on our other cruise Rawle was
Heaven!!!!!!
We sat at a table
for 6 in the formal dining,another couple who were married on St.Thomas during the cruise
and were lots of
fun!!!!!!!Our dining room staff were great Peter our hea waiter was good,lots of fun and
Baris our assistent waiter
was marvelous,he had a wonderful sense of humor and really took to our mother who was
along with us on this
cruise as did our head waiter and our room steward,they really respect senior
citizens!!!!!!!! I have to say there
were several times when we got back on board from a great day in port that we were
hungry,had 2nd seating and
there was no where to get anything to eat but from room service,they loock up shop on the
lido deck at 6pm and
many times sooner than that,the ice cream machine that was available to us on the
Inspiration 24hrs. a day was also
locked up most days before 6pm....
Did attend the Gala midnight buffett and was disappointed by the wax sculptures
that they must just store and put back out repeatedly....In the casual dining on the
Inspiration,we had sculptures
made of cheese and veggies and usually every night another was added,we never made the
Gala Midnight Buffett
on the Inspiration,to early to port and early to rise on that cruise.... Now to the
outside of the Monarch,she is
absolutely gorgeous!!!!! We loved the lounge that was located on deck 14 that had the 360
degree view,that is not
to be missed....The pools were nothing to write home about,one was always closed,I don't
know if there were
problems with it or not but we didn't use them... Toured the Gym the first day and it was
1/3 the size of Carnival's
Inspiration,wouldn't want to have jockeyed for one of the excercise machines it would have
taken the whole trip or
getting up every day at 5am to get one.... Got a great facial on the day at sea,it took
about 5 years off my eyes
alone!!!!!!! Ports of call were fabulous except of course Martinique which I guess is no
surprise to anyone reading
the reviews or having experienced it...
We were trying to get a group picture and had to wait for one of the taxi
driver's to finish relieving himself on one of the rocks behind the group,we saw this all
over the port area....We did a
couple of souvenier shops and reboarded for a relaxing day on the ship.... All of us are
absolutely in love with
Antigua and St.Maarten/Martin,we hada very nice taxi driver(Maria) take us to Dawn Beach
which had 2 other
people on the beach besides the staff from an eating facilty and the guys renting
umbrellas and chairs...Had a
relaxing day there and then into port for a little shopping.... St.Thomas we had some
great snorkeling on a beach
that will remain nameless at this time,nice little secret we knew about from having stayed
on the island a few years
ago!!!!!!I think I saw about 20-30 different fish and the coral was fabulous....
Barbados was probably the least
impoverished looking of all the islands,we were taken by taxi to Mullen's Bay which was
gorgeous and fair for
snorkeling and had no shade,we had a little lunch after being in the sun for 3 hours and
went to wait for our taxi
driver whow was supposed to pick us back up but never showed,we met up with a great driver
who was taking
people from Italy back their ship which was also in port with us and he gave us a little
more tour of the island on our
return trip,have never had a problem with the taxi drivers coming back for us before and
fortunately we were in an
area where we could get a taxi back to ship,we were about 30 mins. form the ship at this
beach... We did Halcyon
Cove on Antigua which was a beautiful beach but lousy for snorkeling because there were so
many motorized sports
offered on the beach,we met a great guy on the beach there his name Star who made us some
great necklaces and
bracelets out of beautifuls stones to bring back home to our friends and loved ones and
offered great conversation
to go along with it too!!!!! Back to the ship to end this long review....
Room service was always accurate but slow,we
always had to wait at least the alloted 30 mins and many times into 40-45mins. even for a
pot of hot water or
coffee,on the Inspiration we ussually got what we ordered within 5-10 mins;I must say that
the variety as far as
choices on the room service menu they were far superior to Carnival's choices...Movies on
the in room TV's were
posted every day on the ship newspaper but no times were ever posted and the movies went
off every night at
around 11pm,just about the time that everyone was settling down in their cabins for the
night but would have
appreciated being able to watch a movie before turning in for the night,Carnival posted
each movies play times for
us every day and they played 24hrs. a day!!!!!!! We did visit the Casino almost every
night for about an hour and
got very poor service there,it was 1/3 the size of the Inspiration's,payoff was pretty
poor and 1st 3 nights we couldn't
get anyone to wait on us for a drink even which was broght to the Casino managers
attention,service improved a
little after that,payoffs were a little better for the middle days of the cruise...
Probably the only thing that was a real
problem for us was on Embarkation,we had been cleared for baording with our charge cards
in hand and then we
had to go thru the photographer who we told we did not want to have our pictures taken,we
did the same on the
Inspiration and were given a cheerful enjoy your cruise,this guy told us though that there
was new policy we had to
have our pics taken for security reasons,I protested, this guy blocked our way around him
can you believe it!!!!!!
We stood in front of him protesting and then the jerk had the nerve to post the pics the
next night right on the edge
of the viewing area as everone lined up for dinner in the formal area and here wer eour
party of four protesting in
this picture he had taken and we heard the people in front of us laughing and pointing at
the pics til they turned
around and saw us standing right behind them,who knows how many others did the same,he was
reported to his
boss and we were never bothered again about getting our pics taken and his solution was to
offer a bottle of wine
which we politely declined and told them we would take care of his problem by letting
people know that they will lie to
get a picture.....
All in all we had a great time,the ports of call were great,the islanders were great
just wish we had
the interior of the Carnival ship along with us!!!!!! Carnival did give us nice little
things like postcards of the
Inspiration,several decks of cards to take home,placemats that were lithograph quality
that we took home and had
framed for our little nephews....Lots of little brochures about each port were also
provided in the rooms which we
missed but then we like the maps that the Monarch provided of each island with the
shopping areas highlighted and
street maps,would we all do it again????? YES!!!!!!
Name: Rose & Bill Bncivenga
Email: billben1@home.net
Age: 48
Occupation: Electrician
NumberOfCruises: 1
TravelAgent: No
Ship: RoyalCaribbean-Monarch
SailingDate: May 23 1999
Itinerary: So. Carribean
FoodDiningRoom: 95
CruiseDirector: 95
CabinComfort: 90
FoodRoomService: 98
CruiseStaff: 92
CabinAmenities: 92
FoodLidoDeck: 90
DiningRoomService: 95
CabinQuietness: 95
FoodMidnightBuffets:
CabinSteward: 98
ShoreExcVariety: 98
FoodVariety: 98
DeckService: 95
ShoreExcValue: 90
GoodForHoneymoon:
CasinoStaff:
PrivateIsland:
GoodForFamilies:
LoungeService: 95
TenderService: 98
GoodForSeniors:
BeautySalonStaff:
EntertainmentLounges: 95
WheelchairAccess:
ExerciseFacilities:
EntertShowLounge: 95
OverallPortsofCall: 88
BeautySalon:
EntertainmentPoolside: 90
CruiseActivities: 90
Casino: 90
AirSeaProgram: 90
MedicalFacilities: 95
ShipCleanliness: 98
EmbarkDisembark: 98
DiscoNightclubs: 95
DeckSpace: 98
Stabilization: 99
ShopsOnBoard: 95
SpaceRatio: 95
OverallCruiseValue: 98
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 31 May 1999
Time: 11:07:33
Remote Name: proxy1-external.bnapk1.occa.home.com
Remote User:
Comments
We had a excellent experience with RCCL. The only weak link was the air travel to and from
the ship. The service
was excellent, food varied and was well prepared. Food theme nights included French,
Italian, Carribean and
international. Menu had such entries as Lobster, filet mignon, crab, duck., each course
was presented with great
style. Our table service was quit nice. The waiter and assistant were quick to remember
our preferences for the way
we like our food and our prefered drinks.
The overall itenary is very nice except for Martinique. If they change to another port the
trip would be all but
perfect.Shopping was good in St. Thomas and Barbados, but best in St. Maarten. If you want
local type crafts and
tee shirts definetly hold out till St. Maarten.
We really enjoyed the cruise the ship was completely sold out and had over 2600 passengers
of which 185 couples
were honeymooners. Even with that number of people we never felt overcrowded and it was
not difficult to get to a
place where we could be relatively alone to watch the moon and stars on deck...
Name: Eileen Lutan
Email: eileen.lutan@compaq.com
Age: 41
Occupation: Software developer/test engineer
NumberOfCruises: 0
TravelAgent: No
Ship: RoyalCaribbean-Monarch
SailingDate: 5/30/99
Itinerary: St Thomas Martinique Barbados Antigua St Maarten
FoodDiningRoom: 95
CruiseDirector: 95
CabinComfort: 95
FoodRoomService: 90
CruiseStaff: 95
CabinAmenities: 95
FoodLidoDeck:
DiningRoomService: 98
CabinQuietness: 95
FoodMidnightBuffets: 95
CabinSteward: 98
ShoreExcVariety: 95
FoodVariety: 98
DeckService:
ShoreExcValue: 95
GoodForHoneymoon: 98
CasinoStaff:
PrivateIsland:
GoodForFamilies: 95
LoungeService: 95
TenderService: 95
GoodForSeniors:
BeautySalonStaff:
EntertainmentLounges: 90
WheelchairAccess:
ExerciseFacilities: 90
EntertShowLounge: 90
OverallPortsofCall: 95
BeautySalon:
EntertainmentPoolside:
CruiseActivities: 90
Casino:
AirSeaProgram:
MedicalFacilities: 90
ShipCleanliness: 95
EmbarkDisembark: 95
DiscoNightclubs:
DeckSpace:
Stabilization: 95
ShopsOnBoard: 90
SpaceRatio: 90
OverallCruiseValue: 95
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 17 Jun 1999
Time: 17:57:44
Remote Name: inehou-pxy04.compaq.com
Remote User:
Comments
This is my first cruise. I was totally pleased - it was much more than I ever expected. I
have prepared
myself for line at embarkation. I got there at 3:00 pm and there was hardly any wait. The
embarkation was
basically divided up into several lines by alphabet of the last name and there were only a
few people in
each line. When I got on the ship, I went to our level (level 6) where I was given the
room key. I went to our
cabin (outside cabin) and was very pleased to see our luggage already waiting in front of
our door - very
quick service. Our cabin was small but there were shelves everywhere to put stuff on. The
cabin space
was very smartly utilized. The only things I would want changed in our cabin would have
been more room
under the beds for our suitcase (we have 26 inch suitcases with the large ez wheels and
they do not fit
under the bed) and a steam iron in the room. At St. Thomas, we had to buy a travel steam
iron because
we needed it.
This would have come in very handy as a lot of our clothes in the suitcase were
wrinkled and
we do not want to pay the expensive laundry service prices. By the way, if you want
massages, facials,
manicures, etc. during the cruise, book them as soon as you get on the ship. The time
slots fill up very
quickly. We went to see what was available on Sunday night right after dinner and there
were only very
few slots available. For the formal days (Monday and Friday), there were not any time
slots in the
afternoon. The cabin service was exceptional - our room was always clean and towels
changed anytime
we needed it throughout the day. There were already beach towels in the room so we don't
have to even
ask for it and these were changed to after use.
By the way, there are plenty of towels by the pool so we
don't have to use the ones in the room. Each evening, the next day's program was dropped
off in our
room when the beds were turned up (with mints on the pillows). Needless to say, I was
impressed. I have
never been to a hotel that does this. I was also impressed with breakfast, lunch, and
dinner (especially
dinner). Again, I have never been to a restaurant with service as good - even for
breakfast and lunch. We
always got seated and served right away, no waiting. We could basically order anything on
the menu,
which was very comprehensive, a lot of variety. There was always a beef, chicken,
vegetarian, and
seafood entree. I thought that the food quality was exceptional - tasted very good and
fresh. Also, the
waiters always accommodated special requests such as deleting part of an entree or having
extra of an
part of an entree (extra mushroom, etc.).
At breakfast, the melons were sliced and scored into bite sized
pieces so that a knife was not needed to cut it. One waiter even cut our melons at our
table. The lobster
that was served one night is not to be missed - several people on our table had more than
one. All the
waiters we had spoke English and understood English very well. There was never any
problems with their
accents or with them understanding us. They are also very easy going and can be very funny
- this sets
up a very relaxing and nice atmosphere. They are very easy to talk to. I hated to leave
the ship at the end
of the cruise - it was like a dream that you wish could keep going on. This sailing was
completely booked,
but you would never know it. Most of the time, we didn't notice a lot of people or feel
crowded. When we
went on deck, there was always plenty of chairs available. I thought that the shore
excursions were fairly
priced and handled well for the most part. There were a few rough edges that could have
been handled
better.
At St. Thomas, we took the snorkeling excursion tour to St. John and was very pleased.
The trip
there and back was very relaxing as well as beautiful. The snorkeling could not have been
better
organized - there were plenty of snorkeling gear in various sizes for everyone and more.
There were
plenty of life vests that were very easy to use and can be blown up to each person's
desired flotation. The
water, beach, and snorkeling was beautiful. The only thing I would have wanted would have
been more
time snorkeling and lunch there instead of going back to the ship for lunch. The morning
on the way to
Martinique, I too enjoyed the beautiful scenery before the ship docked. At Martinique, we
took the bus
island tour. There was a lot of people taking this tour and a long line of people to get
on the various
busses. Needless to say, each bus was packed. However, once the tour got started, it was
very nice. The
tour operator spoke very good English and even though has an accent, she spoke slowly
enough for
everyone to understand.
I enjoyed the trip on the road along the rain forests and the various scenic stops.
At Barbados, we took the Harrison caves tour. Although this was very nice, it was too
brief. It seems that
we probably spent just as much time at St. John's church after leaving the cave. We didn't
plan anything in
the afternoon - wished we had taken the Jolly Rogers tour - that looked like a lot of fun.
At Antigua, we
went to one of the beaches. Again, a lot of people took this tour and there was a long
line while people
were loaded onto buses. The beach was beautiful and the water very nice. They provided
everyone with
beach chairs, which was very nice. We did horseback riding from one of the operators on
the beach and
thoroughly enjoyed it. We got to go to another beach nearby, which was not very crowded
and very
beautiful. We could do whatever we felt comfortable with the horses such as walk them or
run them if we
wished. The horses were very nice and never gave us any problems. They had lunch for us at
the beach,
which was very nice. The food was very good. At St. Maarten, we did the beach rendezvous
at Orient Bay
beach. Again, there was a long line to load up taxis this time - very crowded and hot.
Once we got on the
beach, however, we thoroughly enjoyed this - the beach chairs were padded and very nice.
The beach
and water was beautiful. The lunch there was very good. It rained for about 15 minutes
while we were
there - but it didn't really ruin anything. We went shopping in the afternoon after the
tour dropped us off at
the port - the shopping was excellent. By far, this was the best shopping site we had -
the prices were
cheap and selections were excellent. Overall, I was very pleased and this was a very good
first cruise.
Name: Mike Harrington
Email: SPIKER1234@aol.com
Age: 47
Occupation: Pharmacist
NumberOfCruises: 2
TravelAgent: No
Ship: RoyalCaribbean-Monarch
SailingDate: 06/13/99
Itinerary: Southern Caribbean
FoodDiningRoom: 89
CruiseDirector: 90
CabinComfort: 85
FoodRoomService:
CruiseStaff: 90
CabinAmenities: 85
FoodLidoDeck: 80
DiningRoomService: 95
CabinQuietness: 90
FoodMidnightBuffets:
CabinSteward: 90
ShoreExcVariety: 95
FoodVariety: 95
DeckService: 95
ShoreExcValue: 85
GoodForHoneymoon:
CasinoStaff: 90
PrivateIsland:
GoodForFamilies:
LoungeService:
TenderService: 95
GoodForSeniors:
BeautySalonStaff:
EntertainmentLounges: 95
WheelchairAccess:
ExerciseFacilities: 90
EntertShowLounge: 95
OverallPortsofCall: 95
BeautySalon:
EntertainmentPoolside: 100
CruiseActivities: 90
Casino: 95
AirSeaProgram: 80
MedicalFacilities:
ShipCleanliness: 95
EmbarkDisembark: 95
DiscoNightclubs:
DeckSpace: 95
Stabilization: 90
ShopsOnBoard: 90
SpaceRatio: 90
OverallCruiseValue: 90
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 22 Jun 1999
Time: 23:37:34
Remote Name: spider-tn051.proxy.aol.com
Remote User:
Comments
The overall cruise experience was very good, although we sailed on the Majesty of Seas 5
years ago and I
feel the level of service has declined somewhat. The food is good, presented in very good
fashion. Our
wait staff in the dining room was excellent, more than willing to do what ever it took to
make sure we were
happy with our selections, even if it meant bringing more than one item. The ports of call
were good,
although after a few islands it seems as if you are visiting the same one over and over.
We enjoyed
Barbados and St. Martin the most. The people seemed happy to see you and were cordial. On
St. Thomas
and Antigua the people were indifferent to us and on Martinique they were downright rude.
RCCL is
discontinuing Martinique as of April 2000 we were told and will visit St. Lucia instead, a
good switch. I do
believe that the shore excursions on board are overpriced and you can get a better deal by
going on your
own. I know it is intimidating to some people but every island we visited had plentiful
cabs and drivers that
were very willing to take you where you wanted and would pick you up at an agreed upon
time, just don't
pay until they return you to the ship. I would not recommend RCCL air/sea package. Better
arrangements
are available on your own. Overall I am very happy with our cruise and would sail again in
a heartbeat if
time permitted.
Name: Gary Suttle
Email: gsuttle@hotmail.com
Age: 41
Occupation: Executive
NumberOfCruises: 4
TravelAgent: No
Ship: RoyalCaribbean-Monarch
SailingDate: 3/99
Itinerary: S. Carribean
Cabin: Suite
FoodDiningRoom: 93
CruiseDirector: 92
CabinComfort: 90
FoodRoomService: 80
CruiseStaff: 93
CabinAmenities: 90
FoodLidoDeck: 85
DiningRoomService: 95
CabinQuietness: 85
FoodMidnightBuffets: 90
CabinSteward: 93
ShoreExcVariety: 92
FoodVariety: 90
DeckService: 85
ShoreExcValue: 92
GoodForHoneymoon:
CasinoStaff: 85
PrivateIsland:
GoodForFamilies: 90
LoungeService:
TenderService:
GoodForSeniors:
BeautySalonStaff:
EntertainmentLounges: 90
WheelchairAccess:
ExerciseFacilities: 90
EntertShowLounge: 90
OverallPortsofCall: 90
BeautySalon:
EntertainmentPoolside: 92
CruiseActivities: 90
Casino: 89
AirSeaProgram: 95
MedicalFacilities:
ShipCleanliness: 90
EmbarkDisembark: 99
DiscoNightclubs: 90
DeckSpace: 92
Stabilization: 92
ShopsOnBoard: 90
SpaceRatio: 94
OverallCruiseValue: 92
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 19 Jul 1999
Time: 21:32:39
Remote Name: 1cust102.tnt2.baytown.tx.da.uu.net
Remote User:
Comments
First, overall I'd say this was a great cruise and vacation! This was our first cruise
with RCCL and we were very
pleased. The weather was fabulous, the ship was great and the destinations were, for the
most part, very nice!
We took our 2 children (9 and 11) with us and stayed in a large stateroom which had a
great balcony on the
Bridge Deck, and that was more than enough room for us. The kids had a great time -
however, they did not
participate in the ship directed activities for children - we looked into these when we
first arrived and were shocked
at the lack of coordinated activities available for them. But, as I earlier mentioned they
had a superb time; with the
pool, ping pong, basketball, non-stop food, etc. on the boat and then the excusrsions,
they were in heaven.
I'll make a few comments about the boat itself and some recommendations, but I'll focus
more of my review on the
excursions, as this is also an important aspect of the cruise experience. I read the
reviews prior to my trip and they
were extremely helpful. The food in the dining rooms was very good (great on some
nights!), food in the
non-dining room areas was OK. Limited room service menu, although the kids thought it was
great, and the top
floor cafe was fair, but a great place for a quick breakfast or snack around lunch- time.
We only ate in the dining
room for dinner, as it seemed we were always on the go. Service was great all the way
around. I would recommend
showing up early for the shows as folks tend to accumulate at least a half hour before the
show, and ANY good
seating is hard to come by. The comedy shows were a riot, I was almost in tears - so don't
miss those (I was very
shocked how good they were, and I've been to a few comedy clubs), and some of the dance
routines were quite
entertaining - the cruise director is quite entertaining himself.
Excursions: There are some great islands and then there are ones I wouldn't ever go back
to... St. Maarten/Martin
is fabulous - these are some of the most beautiful waters and beaches imaginable - I could
not believe it - and
there is not enough time to do everything I wanted to do there. I will definitely go back
to St. Maarten. The French
side is the best - Marigot is great shopping, great Cajun-like food, beautiful... we took
the tour (private taxi) and
then stayed at the beach for the better part of the day. I was a little concerned about
the potential nudity, but it
wasn't a problem. Shopping downtown on the Dutch side is also great there, much more
urban.
Second best island for me was St. Thomas. Gorgeous island, great people, great shopping.
Must see Magens
Bay. We spent a quarter of the day touring the island, a quarter at Coral World Marine
Park (pretty cool) and half
day snorkeling and lounging at the beach next door to the Park. Great snorkeling - get
some dog bones from the
place on the beach, and you will absolutely be astonished by all the fish that quickly
surround you - in the
beginning my wife and kids had a coronary, but afterwards they spent hours feeding
millions of assorted, colorful
fish of varying sizes. This was another great day, and we would definitely revisit St.
Thomas!
The worst place was Martinique - it is actually very beautiful viewing it from the ship.
My wife and I went on the
land/sea excursion to see the ruins from volcano, which was OK. The island itself was very
3rd world though - very
poor with rundown shacks, pollution, etc. It's a shame because the island has natural
beauty, but the people have
a bad attitude and have really run it down. I heard from several cruise friends, however,
that the snorkeling
excursion was fabulous.
Antigua and Barbados kind of fell in the middle - Antigua was kind of 3rd world and the
taxi driver was less than
cordial - but they have some pretty nice beaches. Barbados was pretty nice, and they have
some pretty good
historical tours we tried (the kids got bored), but I couldn't compare it favorably to St.
Thomas or St. Maarten.
Well I didn't do this review the justice it deserves, but perhaps it gives you some
insights. I used this review site as
well as picking up Fodor's Carribean, and they were a big help. You will not be
disappointed with this cruise if you
get good weather - RCCL was great, the destinations were really overall very nice, and it
was great fun in the sun!
We're going to Alaska on Princess in Mid-August, so I'm looking forward to the comparison,
and will be out here on
this site looking for some ideas - so keep putting them reviews out there!
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