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Note - this page contains multiple reviews.
Name: Marilou Mancuso
Email: mancuso@ac.marywood.edu
Age: 56
Occupation: Manager, Telephone Services
NumberOfCruises: 3
TravelAgent: No
Ship: RoyalCaribbean-Sovereign
SailingDate: 05/28/00
Itinerary: Nassau, Cocoa Cay
Cabin: 2569
FoodDiningRoom: 95
CruiseDirector: 95
CabinComfort: 80
FoodRoomService:
CruiseStaff: 95
CabinAmenities: 95
FoodLidoDeck: 95
DiningRoomService: 98
CabinQuietness: 90
FoodMidnightBuffets: 95
CabinSteward: 70
ShoreExcVariety:
FoodVariety: 95
DeckService: 95
ShoreExcValue:
GoodForHoneymoon:
CasinoStaff: 95
PrivateIsland: 95
GoodForFamilies: 95
LoungeService: 95
TenderService: 95
GoodForSeniors: 95
BeautySalonStaff:
EntertainmentLounges: 95
WheelchairAccess:
ExerciseFacilities:
EntertShowLounge: 95
OverallPortsofCall: 90
BeautySalon:
EntertainmentPoolside: 95
CruiseActivities: 95
Casino: 95
AirSeaProgram:
MedicalFacilities:
ShipCleanliness: 95
EmbarkDisembark: 90
DiscoNightclubs: 95
DeckSpace: 95
Stabilization: 80
ShopsOnBoard: 95
SpaceRatio: 75
OverallCruiseValue: 95
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 08 Jun 2000
Time: 18:18:28
Remote Name: 199.234.208.228
Remote User:
Comments
this was our 3rd cruise and a spur of the moment trip. I picked Sovereign of the Seas because it priced out
the best between Carnival Fantasy and Disney Wonder. Since we were going to Disney World it had to be a
ship that left from Port Canaveral. This was the first time this cruise was leaving from Port Canaveral.
Embarkation went very smoothly. The lines were long but the number of agents made the process move
along smoothly. We went on board around 12:15 pm. Our cabin was ready and I was really surprised it was
so small. It was a cabin for 4 but lucky for us we were only 2. I can't imagine 4 people in that cabin. We did
have a problem with the shower head. It kept falling off and flooding the rest of the bathroom. The beds
were comfortable. I did request a extra pillow but never did receive it.
The buffet at the Windjammer was very good, but I preferred eating in the Gigi Dinning room. The service
and presentation was wonderful. I also enjoyed the selection on the menus. I love cold soups and it was
wonderful to see such a selection on the menu every day. If you order the Shrimp Scampi you should order
a double portion as they only give you 4 shrimp. The beef choices were wonderful make sure you order
them medium well if you don't want them red.
The shops were wonderful and I think the prices were comparable to other cruise shops.
I loved the shows and the midnight buffets. We were never able to eat at them because of having late
seating for dinner and being stuffed. I do wish they would have a 24 hour drink station for coffee. If the
Windjammer was closed you had to order your coffee from room service. I also wish they had real ice cream.
Cocoa Cay was a beautiful Island but I found the swimming area to be very rocky and I mean big rocks. I
almost twisted my ankle several times. The water was beautiful and it was very congested. I didn't explore
the island so there may be less congested areas.
I enjoyed the cruise and would go again if the price was right. You can do as much as you like or as little.
The casino was big enough I wish they had nickle machines. The ship is elegant, all of the lounges are
beautiful and it is well kept. I also like the pools which are much deeper then the pools on the other ships we
were on.
Name: Steven Reed
Email: CmputerWiz@aol.com
Age: 22
Occupation: Senior Network Architect, homebytes.com, Inc.
NumberOfCruises: 1
TravelAgent: No
Ship: RoyalCaribbean-Sovereign
SailingDate: 06/11/00
Itinerary: Bahamas 4dy
Cabin: 8066F
FoodDiningRoom: 100
CruiseDirector: 95
CabinComfort: 95
FoodRoomService: 85
CruiseStaff: 95
CabinAmenities: 90
FoodLidoDeck:
DiningRoomService: 100
CabinQuietness: 100
FoodMidnightBuffets:
CabinSteward: 100
ShoreExcVariety:
FoodVariety: 100
DeckService: 90
ShoreExcValue:
GoodForHoneymoon:
CasinoStaff: 100
PrivateIsland: 95
GoodForFamilies:
LoungeService: 95
TenderService:
GoodForSeniors:
BeautySalonStaff: 100
EntertainmentLounges: 95
WheelchairAccess:
ExerciseFacilities: 90
EntertShowLounge: 95
OverallPortsofCall: 95
BeautySalon: 100
EntertainmentPoolside: 90
CruiseActivities: 90
Casino: 100
AirSeaProgram:
MedicalFacilities:
ShipCleanliness: 95
EmbarkDisembark: 90
DiscoNightclubs: 95
DeckSpace: 95
Stabilization: 100
ShopsOnBoard: 95
SpaceRatio: 100
OverallCruiseValue: 98
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 19 Jun 2000
Time: 15:49:38
Remote Name: 63.82.147.191
Remote User:
Comments
This was our first cruise, myself and my girlfriend of 3 years (fiance). First off let me say this was a
spectacular cruise, I wish only that they had not changed the ports of call. The boat no longer leaves from
Miami, which means it no longer goes to Key West. Only Nassau and Coco Cay are visited. This of course I
found out AFTER the cruise, so it was not a 'downer' for me! This cruise was amazing! The food, ship,
entertainment, drinks, casino, everything! Here's the low-down...
First day, Port Canaveral. I decided to get the cruise and airfare seperate, as I'm an internet junkie, I figure I
could get better prices than they would offer. YES! With www.priceline.com, I purchased plane tickets from
Washington, DC to Orlando International for $80 each, and this was with only 14 days notice! AMAZING!
The cruise I purchased from www.mytravelco.com, an online travel agency. They were very helpful thru the
entire process, and I will for sure use them again! I arrived a day early into Orlando, and stayed at the
Holiday Inn Select (which I got the night for $35 at www.priceline.com). The next morning I went back to the
airport and took Royal Caribbean's shuttle over to Port Canaveral. I highly reccommend this, as it makes the
entire boarding process VERY easy. There was a LOOONG line to board, but it went very fast, as they
make sure everyone has papers ready BEFORE they get to the desk. Upon entering our cabin, (which I
purchased the lowest grade inside cabin), I noticed that we have an outside cabin with a window! With a little
checking, this cabin is in the same class because it has an 'obstructed' view. This 'obstructed' view
consisted of a lifeboat that hung outside the window, just enough to block the sun from shining in.
Obstructed?! I think not! I would prefer a room with a sunshade as such! We had a total view of the ocean
and any ports we were at. Of course I didn't expect much else from the room, being the lowest available
rate, but I was very satisfied with it. The cabin steward was great, he grabbed me as I was walking down the
hall and asked if there was anything he could help with. I asked for a couple extra chocolate mints, and
when we got back he left like 20 of them. :) Ahh, the little things help. We ate a quick lunch at the
Windjammer Cafe, and the food was pretty good, especially for a buffet. Much better than the 'Shoney's'
type buffet. We ate outside on the deck, which I would only reccomend if you can stand LOTS of wind!
(hence the name Windjammer?) We walked around the ship for the next few hours until we left port at
5:30pm, crowds of people were up on deck waving goodbye to nobody. We followed the Carnival Fantasy
and the Disney Discovery(?) out of port, all which paled in comparison to the Soverign. Save the best for
last I say! Dinner that night was great! We sat at a table with two other couples, one lived about 5minutes
away from the port, another from Colorado. The Colorodians(sp?) were also on their first cruise, the other
couple said it was maybe their 14th cruise (and yes they enjoyed it, that says a lot). One thing that many
people did not know, is you can order AS MUCH FOOD AS YOU WANT!! Three appetizers, two entrees, two
desserts, that was my first night. Some people said the food portions were a little small, but when you can
order all you can eat, who cares! It only took 2 minutes to get my second entree! Our waiter, Joao
(pronounced like Joe) deserves a paragraph all to himself. I wish he could be my waiter at every resturaunt I
have ever been to! His service, along with his assistant waitress, was far better than I have received at many
upscale resturaunts. On the second day, they had already memorized our names, what we drank, and who
would want more than one entree or dessert! I really cannot say enough about our waitstaff to properly say
how helpful they were! The show that night was pretty good, although I prefered the casino. The casino is
awesome! I just wish that they would NOT let you buy chips with your credit card, that put me under the
table. :) We missed the midnight buffet, we were in the casino for far, FAR, too long.
Day two: Nassau (you know, at first I was reading other reviews wondering how people could write so much
about their trip, but now it all makes sense.) I woke up and there was no land in sight. Odd. Thought we
were going to be in port in Nassau in 30 minutes. We ate breakfast at the Windjammer cafe again, and boy
did that land sneak up on us! I looked up from my plate and there was the island! I think people should sign
up for excursions on Nassau, so as to miss the straw market and the such. There really isn't much to be
missed. The deals aren't all that great, although you can get some pretty cool little souveniers to take home
for cheap. People I spoke with that took the excursions were happy with them. We did take a taxi over to
Paradise Island to the Atlantis hotel. WOW! That's the only thing I can say. WOW! It's is truly amazing, a
MUST SEE if you're on the island. The taxi is $5 a person (4 plus 1 toll). Also there is a FREE public beach
over behind the Sheraton hotel (beside Atlantis) with CHEAP jetski rentals, so make sure to hit that place for
the beach. Water is wonderful, blue, and clear. The people are very pushy on the island. As soon as you
get off of the boat, you'll have lots of people trying to put these little bracelets on your wrist. They'll say
they're 'free' but they want a donation for them. I was going to give the guy $2, but when he said he had no
change, he started to turn away, very, very fast. Let me tell you, I'm not one that's nice to someone stealing
money from me, even being $3. Before he had the chance to take the 3rd step, i had caught his leg with my
foot and he fell flat on his a**. The police showed their face VERY quickly. They don't take kindly to the
locals attempting to bother the countries only source of incime, tourism. They dragged him away, all the
while we got to keep the 'free' bracelets. Hardly worth the trouble. Ladies, you will be asked if you want your
hair braided a million times. Best thing is to get one small braid on the side where they'll see it, so every
single one of them won't ask. And when haggling in the straw market, you can always get a better price than
any of them will offer. One wooden box I wanted was $28. But...for me it was $20. Then she said it's a slow
day, so it's only $15. This is before I said a word. I offered $8 for it, after she said no I started to walk away,
and she said MISTER, WAIT! $8 it is. I could've gone cheaper I think. If you start to walk away, they'll offer a
better price. And every vendor has what every other vendor has. So look around. After tiring of that island,
back to the boat and the casino! (I spent way too much time in the casino!). It was formal dinner night, and
the food was Caribbean. Formal?! Uh oh, all I had was a button up shirt. Not to worry, only a few people
actually wore suits or tuxedos. Most were in shirts with no tie. The Mahi Mahi wasn't too good (only becuase
I dislike spicy food), so I ordered something else, which was much better. I'm thinking it was prime rib. We
Missed the show that night, but we heard it wasn't all that great afterwards. Midnight buffet? Excellent! Also
we watched a movie in the theatre, pretty cool to have one of those on the boat. There is so much more to
do than what I'm writing, but hey, we were there to relax! :) Supposedly the boat left port at 3am, I never
heard a peep! I'm a light sleeper and still never knew I was on a boat.
Day three: Coco Cay. We were pulling up to the island as I woke up, what a cool thing to see! This island is
a tropical paradise. We kind of walked around it for a while (which I don't think we were supposed to go out
of the regular 'limits', but oops, nobody said anything) I would reccomend everyone to snorkel on Coco Cay,
don't waste the time at Nassau. Nassau you're on a time limit, whrereas on Coco Cay we had the snorkling
gear from 9am until 3pm when we left. The next day I sure felt it in my legs that I swam all day! Make sure to
check out the cannons that are in the deep water, and the ship and wrecked plane in the shallow parts. We
also saw a couple ray's and even some live conch's in the water! Cool!! As for fish, there were too many to
count. Every color and size imagineable! That day was all relaxation and snorkling. It's better to get to the
island early to snorkle, by noon the water was all stirred up from people swimming, so it was much harder to
see and take pictures. Also the food wasn't the greatest. It was what I would expect from an outdoor bbq grill
kinda thing. Better would be to get there early, go back to the ship at noon for lunch, and go back to the
island until 4pm. Dinner that night was the best yet! Filet Mingon was soooo good. I had three. :) Again, the
waiter was the greatest, but I couldn't seem to offer him enough money to come work at my house! ;) By the
way, we were in the Gigi dining room, which was on the lower floor of the two. The Kismet was a floor above
us. The Gigi didn't seem as 'extravagant' as the Kismet, but hey, I wish my dining room at home looked like
that! I don't remember too awful much the rest of this day, the drink of the day was only $2.95 so after a
dozen or so I don't remember everything! The one unforgettable thing from this evening was one of the
games they played....You've never seen so many guys wearing bras, high heels, and wearing lipstick.
Day four: At sea. They open the casino early, open all the stores early, and have most of the activities this
day. Horse race, belly flop contests, all kinds of stuff. Again I don't want to cover much that I've already
talked about so here goes. Food was on par with every other day, great. Service was still excellent. Now the
night show... It was GREAT! I laughed so hard my side hurt for hours. They had a great comedian/juggler,
and the show after that was a blast. All I'll tell you is imagine the cruise director (Tim Sievert) in a tutu with
48EE boobs. And the casino. The dealers are on par with Las Vegas, they have pit bosses, cameras, the
whole enchilada. My only real gripe with this entire cruise, was while playing roulette, one waitress, every
night, asked me like every 5 minutes if I wanted a drink. They push that 'get drunk spend more' rule a lot!
The farewell dinner was great, waiters/waitresses all sang for us, lots of cool stuff at dinner. This is also 'tip
night'. They all get their tips this night. Tip the head waiter?? I only saw our head waiter once a night, and
he never did a thing except say hi, is everything ok. The waiter and his assistant did work their butts off, but
they have lots of fun doing it! Then it was off to pack, as you have to have your bags out by midnight to be
picked up, all but your carry-on.
Day five: back to port. Sad to go, but all things come to an end. Getting off the ship was a breeze, just go
grab a good seat in the Follies lounge until they call the color of your tags (you'll understand then). Customs
takes but a second (I wouldn't exactly call it a customs check, I could have had Fidel Castro in my carry-on
bag and they wouldn't have known! Farewell to all on board, as your back to the USA.
Since I got my plane tickets seperate, I figured I would stay a few extra days, do I didn't have the flight out
until Sunday. This was Thursday. I had also aquired the same Holiday Inn Select for $35 a night thru
priceline. Guess what's right there near Orlando airport... Disney World!! What a great thing, to be able to
go on a cruise AND then go to Disney. IT was a wonderful vacation. (no I wouldn't take a Disney cruise, I
hear they're PACKED with kids.) Overall I am VERY glad I went on Royal Caribbean as my first cruise, and I
plan to use them from now on! Next is the Voyager of the seas, the BIGGEST boat out there! One last small
thing I forgot to mention, there is room service in your cabin. And it's free. All food is free on the cruise, it's
amazing. The cheese cake the room service brought wasn't the best, but oh well, stuff happens!
I must again send my thanks to my waiter Joao, and hopefully someone from Royal Caribbean will read this
and he will be recognized. Also his assistant waitress, whose name I cannot remember at this moment, she
was most helpful too!
Name: Barbara Bisel
Email: bbisel1954@yahoo.com
Age: 45
Occupation: Administration
NumberOfCruises: 2
TravelAgent: No
Ship: RoyalCaribbean-Sovereign
SailingDate: June 18, 2000
Itinerary: Nassau, Cocoa Cay
Cabin: 7020
FoodDiningRoom: 85
CruiseDirector: 90
CabinComfort: 90
FoodRoomService: 85
CruiseStaff: 75
CabinAmenities: 85
FoodLidoDeck: 85
DiningRoomService: 90
CabinQuietness: 80
FoodMidnightBuffets: 90
CabinSteward: 90
ShoreExcVariety: 85
FoodVariety: 85
DeckService: 90
ShoreExcValue: 80
GoodForHoneymoon:
CasinoStaff: 80
PrivateIsland: 85
GoodForFamilies: 90
LoungeService: 90
TenderService: 90
GoodForSeniors: 90
BeautySalonStaff:
EntertainmentLounges: 80
WheelchairAccess:
ExerciseFacilities: 85
EntertShowLounge: 90
OverallPortsofCall: 85
BeautySalon:
EntertainmentPoolside: 90
CruiseActivities: 85
Casino: 85
AirSeaProgram:
MedicalFacilities:
ShipCleanliness: 90
EmbarkDisembark: 95
DiscoNightclubs: 85
DeckSpace: 85
Stabilization: 90
ShopsOnBoard: 80
SpaceRatio: 80
OverallCruiseValue: 80
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 28 Jun 2000
Time: 07:18:15
Remote Name: 208.5.23.20
Remote User:
Comments
First off, the embarkment was smooth, quick and very organized. The staff at Port Canaveral was excellent.
We drove down from Atlanta and unloading the luggage and parking was a breeze. Once we got on the ship
and began looking around, visiting the different floors and seeing what the ship had to offer, I was surprised
by the lack of enthusiasm from most of the staff on board. I had a question to ask at the Purser's Desk and
the women behind the counter was very rude and condescending. This is my second cruise, the first one
was on Carnival Ecstasy, and I think the staff on that ship was much friendlier and more enthusiastic about
their jobs. Even though the ship is older, you would never know. Very clean and very elegant ship. Easier
than the Ecstasy to find your way around.
I heard horror stories about the cabins on Royal's ships but I think they were a lot nicer, cleaner and more
comfortable than what was on the Ecstasy. Sure they're small, but so are all ship cabins. Our cabin steward
was very nice and very accommodating. My one complaint was we were originally booked on the third floor
and they upgraded us to the 7th. Had we stayed on the 3rd we would have been able to look straight out to
the water, on the 7th we had a deck and life boats in the way of our view.
Unbelievably smooth trip. Actually felt the ship move only twice the entire cruise - nothing dramatic - just a
little sway.
Didn't visit Nassau cause it rained all day so most people stayed on the ship. They really should have made
some type of activities since there was no pool nor casino and very limited bar service. No entertainment at
all. Cocoa Cay, private island, was beautiful. The BBQ they had for everyone was fantastic and we enjoyed
that outing tremendously. Plenty of lounge chairs and beaches to enjoy. Great Cocoa Loco - do not miss
out on this island drink!!!!
The shows in the Follies Lounge were very entertaining, funny and enjoyable. The comedian was great and
the Not so Newlywed Game was hysterical!!!! Our cruise director was great!
The entertainment in the lounges definitely needed help. One lounge had a gentlemen playing guitar - we
would have preferred listening to CD's. Finnian's Lounge had a group that was not very good. Obviously
others felt the same way since these lounges very rarely had more than a few tables occupied and you
never saw anyone dancing at Finnian's.
Disco was fun, usually crowded, had different 'theme' parties. The lounge next to the casino was nice,
always crowded and had a piano player who was very good.
The casino was very small and I was disappointed because the blackjack tables were minimum $10.00 bets.
Poolside entertainment was, of course, Caribbean music and was great. The pools were very nice and
poolside service was very good. The Midnight Buffet was unbelievable. So much food and it all tasted great.
Only problem, there was no place to sit and eat. On 'Fun Day at Sea' go put a towel down on a lounge chair
by the pool very early in the a.m. or you will end up on the upper deck. We went out by 10:00 a.m. and had
trouble finding chairs.
The breakfast buffet in the Windjammer Cafe was always good. Lunches were okay, desserts were usually
left over from dinner the night before! The main dining room was very nice, beautiful view and the wait staff -
very attentive. The food was good and there was always plenty.
Disembarkment - it was a breeze!! We actually disembarked a half an hour before we were scheduled and it
literally took minutes. On the Ecstasy, we were an hour and a half late and it was a zoo!!!!
All in all I would say that we enjoyed the cruise, it was very relaxing and we were waited on hand and foot.
We went to relax, enjoy ourselves and have someone take care of us and this was definitely accomplished.
If you want a 'party ship' go for Carnival, if you want pampering - go for Royal Carribean!
Name: Dave Noble
Email: djnoble1@yahoo.com
Age: 46
Occupation: Manager
NumberOfCruises: 4
TravelAgent: No
Ship: RoyalCaribbean-Sovereign
SailingDate: 6-15-00
Itinerary: Nassau
Cabin: 6352
FoodDiningRoom:
CruiseDirector:
CabinComfort: 60
FoodRoomService: 75
CruiseStaff: 85
CabinAmenities: 60
FoodLidoDeck: 70
DiningRoomService:
CabinQuietness: 80
FoodMidnightBuffets:
CabinSteward: 80
ShoreExcVariety: 80
FoodVariety: 70
DeckService: 70
ShoreExcValue: 50
GoodForHoneymoon:
CasinoStaff:
PrivateIsland: 95
GoodForFamilies:
LoungeService: 90
TenderService: 95
GoodForSeniors:
BeautySalonStaff:
EntertainmentLounges: 90
WheelchairAccess:
ExerciseFacilities:
EntertShowLounge: 80
OverallPortsofCall: 90
BeautySalon:
EntertainmentPoolside: 80
CruiseActivities: 90
Casino: 90
AirSeaProgram:
MedicalFacilities:
ShipCleanliness: 70
EmbarkDisembark: 95
DiscoNightclubs: 90
DeckSpace: 90
Stabilization: 90
ShopsOnBoard:
SpaceRatio: 90
OverallCruiseValue: 50
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 08 Jul 2000
Time: 05:01:52
Remote Name: btefw1.bowne.com
Remote User:
Comments
This was our fourth cruise, first with RCCL. We booked about six months in advance and only
required an inner cabin. All in all we were VERY disappointed compared to the other cruises we've
been on. Previous cruises include Carnival Fantasy, Carnival Destiny, Grand Princess and now the
Sovereign. We had high expectations for Royal Caribbean after being on the other cruise lines. We
had heard they were a bit more upscale than Carnival and were excited about trying RCCL. We
thought we'd finish out a week of vacation in Florida by taking a little three day cruise. The ports of
call weren't that important to us as we've been to Nassau before and just wanted the fun of cruising
and snorkling.
Day One started out fine. They got us on board with truly amazing speed -- very impressive. We
made our way to our cabin which was very small and cramped -- MUCH smaller than the other ships
we've been on. Carnival has the largest cabins by far. The size of the cabin wasn't the issue as much
as the lack of storage. We only had two normal sized suitcases and had a hard time stowing them.
After getting unpacked we made our way to the Windjammer for some lunch. The food was decent
but again, not as good as the other cruises we've been on. Also, the food court just wasn't as nice as
we expected. There was one lonely, intricately carved watermelon on the top shelf of the food line
that looked pretty pathetic. The walls of the food court were filthy (smudged fingerprints and greasy
smears). We made the decision before we got on board not to eat in the dining room because we
didn't want to pack extra clothes and because from past experience, we felt we could eat almost as
well in the food court. We came to regret that decision. Basically, most of the food in the food court
was no better than cafeteria food (which wasn't the case on Carnival and Princess). There were
some exceptions, but overall we were not impressed. Also, there didn't seem to be any rhyme or
reason to the way they had the lines. You have to get in as many as three lines that should have all
been in one. Also, and this was a first for us, at dinner in the Windjammer, they escort you to a table,
get you a glass of iced tea (or whatever you want to drink), you help yourself to the food, and then
you're supposed to tip them. We had never run into that before. Not that we minded the tipping, but
we just didn't expect it.
We saw very few people doing cleaning around the ship. Also, many of the public restrooms were
either mostly out of order (only one or two stalls in operation) or not properly stocked (no toilet
paper, paper towels).
The entertainment was decent, the casino was roomy and lively and friendly staff awaited us
wherever we went on the ship, and the lounges were very nice. There just didn't seem to be enough
staff to keep up with the maintenance. The ship itself is beautiful with plenty of places to get away if
you felt like it.
Another complaint was that many times when you just wanted a snack or a cup of coffee, the food
court was closed. We had to resort to ordering room service and waiting half an hour just for a piece
of dry cake and a cup of coffee (there was no menu, you just called and asked if they had what you
were looking for). Again, on the other cruise lines there was food and drink available at all hours.
Also, when ordering room service on the others, we were actually discouraged from tipping the
delivery person. They wouldn't take our money.
Coco Cay was beautiful. Plenty of room to find a spot in the shade and relax and enjoy the island.
Tendering was painless.
As you can see, we did not have as great a time on this ship as we had hoped. Maybe we had
unrealistic expectations, but I don't think so. If this had been our first cruise, we probably would have
loved it. However, in comparison to the other cruise lines, we were sadly disappointed. Needless to
say, we will never cruise with RCCl again. For our money, the cabins, food, availability of food,
cleanliness and overall cruise experience was so much better on Carnival and Princess.
Name: Jeff Thornburg
Email: gin-tonic@home.com
Age: 32
Occupation: Marketing Manager
NumberOfCruises: 4
TravelAgent: No
Ship: RoyalCaribbean-Sovereign
SailingDate: 7/2/00
Itinerary: Port Canaveral / Nassau / Cocoay
Cabin: 5519
FoodDiningRoom: 0
CruiseDirector: 95
CabinComfort: 95
FoodRoomService: n/a
CruiseStaff: 100
CabinAmenities: 95
FoodLidoDeck: 0
DiningRoomService: 99
CabinQuietness: 95
FoodMidnightBuffets: 0
CabinSteward: 95
ShoreExcVariety: 75
FoodVariety: 0
DeckService: 85
ShoreExcValue: 65
GoodForHoneymoon: 75
CasinoStaff: 85
PrivateIsland: 75
GoodForFamilies: 95
LoungeService: 100
TenderService: 90
GoodForSeniors: 95
BeautySalonStaff: n/a
EntertainmentLounges: 75
WheelchairAccess: n/a
ExerciseFacilities: 75
EntertShowLounge: 100
OverallPortsofCall: 75
BeautySalon: n/a
EntertainmentPoolside: 90
CruiseActivities: 90
Casino: 90
AirSeaProgram: n/a
MedicalFacilities: n/a
ShipCleanliness: 100
EmbarkDisembark: 95
DiscoNightclubs: 100
DeckSpace: 99
Stabilization: 95
ShopsOnBoard: 95
SpaceRatio: 95
OverallCruiseValue: 85
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 10 Jul 2000
Time: 16:23:11
Remote Name: spt-pm3-159.innova.net
Remote User:
Comments
I'll preface my comments with the fact that I've cruised with Carnival and Disney on three previous
occassions ... this was my first experience with Royal Carribean. This was also my first visit to
Nassau.
I was concerned with the age of this ship (1988), but was pleasantly surprised. Sovereign underwent
a very recent refurbishing, which provided for a modern decor. This ship has been well maintained
and the refurbishing only enhance her beauty!
As the other reviews share, the state rooms are quite small. However, they are large enough for the
limited amount of time you'll be spending them. The beds are comfortable. I did miss having the
ability to review my on board spending via the television (as provided on Carnival). I also missed the
ability pre-order a bottle of wine for dinner via the television (as provided on Carnival). In Royal
Carribean's favor, they have a better and broader selection of state room movies.
The entertainment on board Sovereign is excellent (with the exception of a fill-in piano/vocal act in
the lounge). The regular guy will be back by the time you take this cruise - I hope! Very talented
performers have put together very creative song and dance reviews for the evening shows. I was
also VERY impressed with the disco lounge's band, L.M.N.O.P -- these guys and gal have got it
going on. They performed a wide variety of dance music that appealed to teens and those fond of
the 80s dance music.
My one and only complaint is the food -- both in the Windjammer and the dining room. Of the two,
you'll need to avoid the Windjammer all together. Seriously, I was concerned with the safety of eating
some of the food in that cafe. Lunch was typically left over from the previous evening's midnight
buffet -- which wasn't much to speak of either. I'm realistic. So, I don't expect gourmet on a ship
carrying 2600 passengers. But at least serve quality, upcale banquet food. The menu itself had a
decent selection. But the quality of all food on this ship was simply unacceptable. This was a BIG let
down!
As bad as the food was, the dining room staff (waiters and back waiters) was great! If you are up on
dining etiquette, you'll be pleased that serving from the left and removing from the right is still taught
to those seeking to provide quality service. Small touches - such as crumbing the table between
courses - were a nice touch.
Not much to say about Nassau - because there is not much to Nassau. The shopping is much better
in other ports I have visited, such as Grand Cayman. The snorkeling is okay - not as many topical
fish (or variety) as expected. Still, it's a pleasant way to pass a morning or afternoon. Defininetly grab
lunch and dinner in Nassau -- some good alternatives to the ships food - found a great little pub!
Cococay has a very narrow beach with plentiful, but jam packed, lounge chairs. You won't find coral
here. If it were there, having 2600 passengers twice a week trample over it has killed it. The fish are
also scarce with so many people around. You'll have to swim quite far out to see any real ocean life.
If you are considering combining this cruise with an Orlando vacation, I'd recommend the 3-day
version, which omits the day at sea.
I did have a great time on the cruise thanks to the cruise staff and great entertainment...but what a
let down with the food! I'll be checking back to this website to read future comments. Hopefully Royal
Carribean will address the food quality aboard Sovereign (at least I hope it just Sovereign and not
the entire fleet.)
Go - you'll have a good time. Just don't expect much from the kitchen.
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