rccl-monarchnp071998

Name: Nancy Pang
Email: pangt@sympatico.ca
Age: 29
Occupation: teacher
NumberOfCruises: 1
TravelAgent: No
Ship: RoyalCaribbean-Monarch
SailingDate: Sunday July 19, 1998
Itinerary: southern carribean
FoodDiningRoom: 90
CruiseDirector: 90
CabinComfort: 85
FoodRoomService: 90
CruiseStaff: 90
CabinAmenities: 85
FoodLidoDeck: 90
DiningRoomService: 90
CabinQuietness: 95
FoodMidnightBuffets: 90
CabinSteward: 100
ShoreExcVariety: 95
FoodVariety: 95
DeckService: 95
ShoreExcValue: 85
GoodForHoneymoon: 100
CasinoStaff: 90
PrivateIsland:
GoodForFamilies: 85
LoungeService: 90
TenderService: 90
GoodForSeniors: 90
BeautySalonStaff:
EntertainmentLounges: 100
WheelchairAccess: 90
ExerciseFacilities: 90
EntertShowLounge: 90
OverallPortsofCall: 95
BeautySalon:
EntertainmentPoolside: 90
CruiseActivities: 90
Casino: 90
AirSeaProgram: 85
MedicalFacilities:
ShipCleanliness: 95
EmbarkDisembark: 90
DiscoNightclubs: 95
DeckSpace: 95
Stabilization: 90
ShopsOnBoard: 90
SpaceRatio: 90
OverallCruiseValue: 95
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 01 Aug 1998
Time: 21:40:56
Remote Name: 206.172.192.227
Remote User:

Comments

My husband and I recently returned from our honeymoon aboard the Monarch of the Seas. We booked this cruise in October '97 and needless to say, it
was a long awaited and much anticipated cruise. We chose RCCL because of the wonderful reputation and reviews that we have heard, and we chose
the Monarch because of its' southern Caribbean itinerary to 5 ports of call.

Our cruise experience upon the ship itself was fantastic and memorable. Our air experiences to and from San Juan were nightmarish. We chose the
air/sea option through RCCL, however, I won't include the air travel as part of the overall rating of the ship itself and the itinerary.

SUNDAY: We left Toronto International airport promptly at 7:10 am after only 4 hours of sleep the night before. We were delayed in Miami for two and a
half hours due to a landing gear problem. We had to wait on the plane while they determined what was wrong with the landing gear, then they had to find
the part, and then they had to fix it! We finally arrived in San Juan at around 4:30. It took about half an hour to get on the bus that took us to the pier.
Once we were there, we waited in one very long line for the embarkation process. It was actually only 40 minutes long. Also, being a non US citizen, our
passports were taken from us and held by the cruise line for the duration of the cruise. We stopped off at the duty free shop to get some sodas and
alcohol. Something I recommend, especially if you're a pop drinker (they charge $1.50 per can on board). We were shown to our cabin as soon as we
got onto the ship. We had a cabin on the Tween deck with a window (category F). Staterooms with windows are highly recommended. It makes the room
appear a little bigger and it's nice to see what the weather is like as soon as you wake up. We were ready for the extremely small size of the cabin, but
you still can't help but be a little shocked upon first look! We dropped off our carry on bags that we had with us and went out to have a quick look before
going into the dining room for the main dinner seating (6:00) which had already started. We sat a table of 6 which is a comfortable size if you are
travelling as a couple. Our dinner companions consisted of 2 couples who knew each other and were quite older than my husband and I. We were a little
apprehensive about this originally, but we ended up having an amazing time with them. They made us feel very comfortable and dinner conversations
were a blast. After dinner, we signed up for our shore excursions for the entire week (a good time to do it so you don't have to wait in line and risk the
excursion being sold out during the week). Then we went to an informational meeting/show in the Sound of Music lounge where all the shows are held.
Then we checked to see if our luggage arrived and thankfully they both had by 10:00 that night. Our cabin steward, Powell, introduced himself to us too.
(He proved to be extremely friendly, and helpful throughout the entire cruise. Our cabin was spotless and he created neat structures with our pillows
every morning after making the beds!) Our lifeboat drill was help promptly at 10:00. And finally we went to the pool deck to watch the ship leave San Juan.

MONDAY: ST THOMAS Today was an overcast day and I was incredibly disappointed that the sun was not out. We had breakfast at the Windjammer Café
(a great place for a quick buffet breakfast). We decided to take a cab,(which are mini vans that can hold 10-12 people at a time) with a lot of other
people, into town (Charlotte Amalie)for shopping. This is a highly recommended port for duty free shopping. The cab ride was $2.50 /person. We took the
cab back to the ship for lunch afterwards. Then we took another cab ride to Megan's Bay. This cost us $3.50/person. The ship provided a shore
excursion to this incredibly beautiful beach for $50, but I'm guessing that included a lunch, and lounge chairs. You are much better off at taking the cab
ride down at your own leisure. It cost $1/person to enter the beach too. It was very quite at the beach and hardly anyone was there. I'm assuming this
was the case because the weather continued to be overcast. But the water was incredibly warm and tranquil. There were plenty of cabs at the beach
ready to take us back to the ship. They crammed 10 of us in the van before the driver would leave. It's to their benefit to have as many passengers as
possible per trip since you pay by the person. We walked around Havensight Mall, which is right beside the cruise dock for a bit before boarding the ship.
Tonight was our first formal dinner night. (We had main seating, which was great for us. It gave us plenty of time to relax after dinner, and attend the
midnight buffets! We had plenty of time before dinner too after coming back from port to get ready for dinner. So don't worry if you get main seating, or
even request it.) We took formal pictures done by the ship's photographers in the Centrum area too. A lot of people line up to get these done, so go
early or else you'll be in line forever! Tonight's show was a tribute to the Beetles and it was amazing. If you desire a good seat in the lounge it is highly
recommended that you go early (as early as 30 minutes prior to the show) to grab a seat with a good view.

TUESDAY: MARTINIQUE We had a leisurely morning as we were not due to arrive in Martinique until noon. We sat at the top deck at the front of the ship
to watch the ship arrive in port. We chose not to explore this island and we stayed on board all day. We had heard/read so many negative things about
this island and how expensive it was, so we stayed on board. Today the sun came out and I wanted to enjoy the sun by the pool deck. There were quite a
few other people who had the same sentiment as we did and the pool deck was quite busy all day. We made it to dinner and the show (another fabulous
show with the Wave Revue Singers and Dancers. My husband wasn't too keen on this type of show though. Tonight's midnight buffet had a Chinese
theme to it and it was held in the galley. We were still full from dinner but we wanted to see the galley itself. They had a separate line if you just wanted to
walk through the galley. It was HUGE!!! Make an effort to view the galley if you can.

WEDNESDAY: BARBADOS Today was our first shore excursion on the Malibu Beach Break ($16 per person). Several cabs took us to Brighton Beach
where the Malibu Rum distillery is located. We were provided with lounge chairs and umbrellas. A tour of the distillery was also provided if you wished. The
smell of molasses was very strong! The beach was nice and calm. I'm sure Barbados has much nicer beaches in the area, but it was convenient for us.
We went back to the ship for lunch and then we decided to walk to Bridgetown (about 20 minutes) to do a little shopping. I don't recommend this at all.
Barbados is NOT a great place to shop, and the walk to Bridgetown was difficult in the strong sun and heat. If you must go, take the cab ride in. If all you
want are some souvenirs, then just shop in the cruise terminal. We were so exhausted from our afternoon in Bridgetown that we took a nap and slept
through dinner! Room service was great this evening, and very efficient! Tonight's show featured 2 comedians, and they were hilarious! There was also a
game going on in one of the lounges called Monarch Mania. This was a hilarious game! You had to put yourself into a group of 4-6 people and you got a
number. The cruise director would say come up to the front of the room with your number if you have ……. And you would receive a point(s) for having
that item with you. The first person up would get 5 pts, 2nd person would get 4 pts, 3rd person would get 3 pts, and everyone else after that would get 1
point. It started off pretty tame, like showing something that has a picture of the White House, something with teeth, a man in a woman's shoes, and two
belts. Then it got risque: two pairs of pants, a pair of pantyhose, a man wearing lipstick, two men skipping and holding hands, and finally two brassiers!
This was a great activity to watch and or participate in.

THURSDAY ANTIGUA: We had signed up for the Jolly Roger Pirate boat excursion.($33/person) Barbados had the same excursion and they say that is
the best excursion to go on if you're looking for a wild party. We decided to go on the Antigua one. However, we signed up for the morning boat (not a
good one if you really want to party and drink). Rum punch at 9 o'clock am is not a good combination! We enjoyed the cruise out to an inlet (Deep Bay I
think). We had the choice of staying on the pirate boat and swinging off a rope or going over to the beach. All but a few people went to the beach. The
beach was beautiful once again. However, the water surrounding the pirate boat was infested with jellyfish. This made me nervous and apparently there
were some jellyfish near the beach! I was told these jellyfish were harmless (hard to believe!). We returned to the ship around noon and had lunch. Then
we walked into Heritage Quay to look around. Again, Antigua is not the ideal shopping port, nothing worth buying except souvenirs from the street
vendors.

FRIDAY ST.MAARTEN: We went on our last shore excursion today on the St Martin Beach Rendezvous ($39/person). There were a lot of people who
signed up for this excursion. There were 3 bus loads. The bus took us to the French side of the island to Orient Bay Beach. Each bus went to a different
restaurant section of the beach. There are many bars/restaurants along the beach with their own lounges and umbrellas. Orient Bay is also known for its
nude bathing. So if this offends you, stay away from this beach. A lounge chair and lunch is provided on this excursion, but if you want an umbrella you
have to pay an additional $3 (well worth it). We stayed until 1:45 and the bus took us back to the pier. This was the only island that we need the tender
service and the line-ups weren't as bad as I thought they would be. We shopped along Front Street. This island is a great place to shop too. We took the
tender back to the ship. Halfway to the ship a huge rain storm hit us. It was kind of scary because we were on a double decker ferry and a lot of people
on the lower level moved to one side of the ferry to avoid getting wet. We were on the top so it didn't matter where we were. The captain of the ferry
came out and screamed for us to move over to the other side to balance the ferry to prevent it from capsizing. The waves were really rough and the
winds strong from the sudden storm. Tonight was the Captain's gala buffet and final formal night. We only saw the captain once at dinner….I guess he
only eats at the late sitting! The midnight buffet was amazing. It was opened up for picture taking an hour before it could be consumed.

SATURDAY AT SEA: We had a leisurely morning. We went to the disembarkation talk in the lounge to find out what to expect when we leave the ship.
Then we played a game of BINGO in the lounge too. A lot of money could be won on this day, with final jackpots in the thousands of dollars! We had lunch
in the dining room too. That's when we discovered that our ship had veered off course for 2hours to rescue a small motor boat that had broken down in
the middle of the ocean! There were8 people hiding in the deck below and 2 people above. Needless to say, they weren't out fishing for the afternoon! A
tour of the bridge was also offered this afternoon. That was interesting too. That night, suitcases were packed and placed outside our room by midnight
to be taken away until morning.

SUNDAY: We had to go to a customs/immigration meeting to get our passports back at 6:00 am in one of the lounges. We waited in line for a good 30
minutes too! Then we went to breakfast in the Windjammer since we missed our seating time of 6:30 am in the main dining room. We were packed and out
of our cabin by 7:30. We went to the Schooner Bar to wait until we were allowed to get off the ship. We waited for 3 HOURS!!!!!!! This was the WORST part
of the cruise. We had extended our stay in San Juan for 3 extra nights following the cruise, so I think we were the last group to get called off.

If you plan on staying in San Juan pre or post cruise, I HIGHLY recommend staying at the Ritz Carlton Hotel and Casino in Isla Verde. This hotel was just
built last winter, and it is located right on Isla Verde Beach. It's right beside the airport, but the airplane noise isn't too distracting. We had an incredible
room with a private balcony overlooking the beach/ocean. Highly worth the money we paid ($179 /night - we got the VISA special promotional offer). Isla
Verde is also a beautiful beach. I also recommend renting a car to tour San Juan/Puerto Rico. We had an amazing time overall and I would highly
recommend this cruise and itinerary to anyone. Any questions/comments please feel free to e-mail me!

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