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Note - this page contains multiple reviews.
Name: Alexander Sosnin
Email: sosnin@integral.spb.su
Age: 26
Occupation: software support manager
NumberOfCruises: 1
TravelAgent: No
Ship: RoyalCaribbean-Sovereign
SailingDate: 3 August 1998
Itinerary: Miami, Nassau, CocoCay, Key West
FoodDiningRoom: 85
CruiseDirector: 95
CabinComfort: 95
FoodRoomService: 90
CruiseStaff: 95
CabinAmenities: 95
FoodLidoDeck: 90
DiningRoomService: 90
CabinQuietness: 40
FoodMidnightBuffets: 95
CabinSteward: 99
ShoreExcVariety: 100
FoodVariety: 85
DeckService: 90
ShoreExcValue: 70
GoodForHoneymoon:
CasinoStaff:
PrivateIsland: 80
GoodForFamilies: 97
LoungeService: 95
TenderService: 100
GoodForSeniors: 80
BeautySalonStaff:
EntertainmentLounges: 98
WheelchairAccess: 100
ExerciseFacilities: 98
EntertShowLounge: 99
OverallPortsofCall: 95
BeautySalon:
EntertainmentPoolside: 90
CruiseActivities: 90
Casino:
AirSeaProgram:
MedicalFacilities:
ShipCleanliness: 92
EmbarkDisembark: 97
DiscoNightclubs: 98
DeckSpace: 97
Stabilization: 60
ShopsOnBoard: 92
SpaceRatio: 90
OverallCruiseValue: 92
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 03 Mar 1999
Time: 10:12:48
Remote Name: 195.242.9.17
Remote User:
Comments
This year I decided to spend the first week of my holiday to visit my friend and his wife
who live in California and
to make a short cruise to Bahamas. I chose between Carnival Fantasy and Royal Caribbean
Sovereign of the
Seas, and at last I decided to try Sovereign because RCI proposed more interesting ports
of call and the ship
itself was rather famous. I didn't take air-sea arrangements because I wanted to explore
New York and Miami for
1 or 2 days. So I had a flight from Moscow to New York and spent two days in New York.
Then I had a flight from
Newark to Miami the day before the cruise start and spent some free time in Miami. I came
to Royal Caribbean
terminal at 1.30pm and was surprised with absence of any crowd. Twenty minutes later I had
a dinner on board.
There were no problems during the embarkation.
THE SHIP. It is not the newest ship of Royal Caribbean, but it is
rather big and has anything you need on board. The real highlight of the ship is the
Centrum. It was the first
thing I saw on board after the embarkation, and it impressed me. I couldn't imagine
something like that on board
of any ship before. There is no noise or vibration in any place of the ship. But I don't
think that stabilizers on
Sovereign are very effective. It was stormy after ship had leaved Miami, and I felt it
very good. THE CABIN. My
cabin was K-6531 inside. It was not large, but rather comfortable and cosy. My cabin
steward was very friendly
and did his job very good. I never saw him in my cabin, but it was always accurately
cleaned, and every evening I
found the little chocolate on my pillow (last evening - two chocolates).
THE FOOD. I used to have the breakfast in
the Windjammer Cafe, and lunch and dinner in Gigi dining room. Our steward was friendly,
but not familiar. He
learned my favourite drinks at once and never confused. He knew some Russian words (to
tell the truth, some of
them were indecent, but I'm not sure he understood their meaning). On the second day of
the cruise he
introduced to me some of his colleagues who knew Russian. They were from Bulgaria and
Lithuania. As for the
cuisine, it was different. I didn't like the salads, but most of other food, especially
steaks and fish, were tasty. The
wines and cocktails were very expensive. The desserts were mediocre. The thing I liked
very much was that
every evening the stewards made a little show for us with dancing and singing. And it's a
pity I didn't take my
camera to dining room last evening of the cruise because it was something extraordinary.
THE PORTS OF CALL.
Nassau is a shopping centre, but there was a number of shore excursions and attractions.
Cococay, the private
Royal Caribbean island, is usually described as a paradise, but it was too hot for me
there. There is no dock, so
passengers use tenders to reach the shore. I explored the whole island, and most of it was
not very interesting.
But the company had done its best to make a fascinating rest for everybody and there was a
great number of
attractions including the flights on the plane around the island. I enjoyed tropical
coctail Cocoloco. I think
Cococay is the only place you can taste it, but I'm not sure. Key West is the real
highlight of this cruise. I did not
expect so much from this city. There are many museums, and I visited some of them. Coach
transfer from ship to
city centre was remarkable.
ON BOARD THE SHIP I really enjoyed the shows! They vere of high level. Another
impressive event was captain's cocktail. Captain Gunnar Oien presented the chiefs of ship
departments and told
about the ship and the company. It was another good show and I enjoyed it. I would highly
recommend this cruise
for the first-time cruisers and everyone who want to spend few days for the good rest. As
for me, this cruise was
one of the best vacations I ever had. But for the next time I prefer a 7-night cruise, not
4-night. Should I choose
Royal Caribbean? Yes, because they didn't dissapoint me. I think that my next Royal
Carribean ship will be
Voyager of the Seas (the first Eagle-project ship, innagural sailing in November 1999).
And I also want to try
other lines, such as Celebrity, Princess and Carnival. If you have any questions about
this cruise or maybe about
scenic cruising by Russian rivers, don't hesitate to e-mail me: sosnin@integral.spb.su.
Name: Jean
Email: j.pehl@lsc.mnscu.edu
Age: 48
Occupation: College Registrar
NumberOfCruises: 6
TravelAgent: No
Ship: RoyalCaribbean-Sovereign
SailingDate: 11/3/98
Itinerary: bahamas
FoodDiningRoom: 85
CruiseDirector: 60
CabinComfort: 75
FoodRoomService:
CruiseStaff: 90
CabinAmenities: 85
FoodLidoDeck: 75
DiningRoomService: 100
CabinQuietness: 90
FoodMidnightBuffets:
CabinSteward: 85
ShoreExcVariety:
FoodVariety: 85
DeckService: 90
ShoreExcValue:
GoodForHoneymoon:
CasinoStaff: 80
PrivateIsland: 95
GoodForFamilies:
LoungeService: 95
TenderService: 95
GoodForSeniors:
BeautySalonStaff:
EntertainmentLounges: 75
WheelchairAccess:
ExerciseFacilities: 80
EntertShowLounge: 75
OverallPortsofCall: 75
BeautySalon:
EntertainmentPoolside: 80
CruiseActivities: 80
Casino:
AirSeaProgram:
MedicalFacilities:
ShipCleanliness: 95
EmbarkDisembark: 20
DiscoNightclubs: 80
DeckSpace: 90
Stabilization: 95
ShopsOnBoard: 95
SpaceRatio: 95
OverallCruiseValue: 95
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 13 Mar 1999
Time: 12:17:51
Remote Name: 199.199.107.1
Remote User:
Comments
Booked this cruise at the last minute as I would be in Florida vacationing at the time
anyhow. Embarkation was the
worst. Can't the cruise lines find a way to computerize some of this stuff?
The ship was lovely, well cared for and quite spacious until you get to your cabin. Cabins
were small but
comfortable and efficient. The movie theater was a nice addition, it only laced butter
popcorn! The Schooner bar
was also quite nice and the shops had an excellent selection of merchandise.
We were supposed to go to Coco Cay and Key West. We made our scheduled stop at Coco Cay,
which was great.
However, Hurricane Mitch came back for one last hurrah and cancelled our stop at Key West.
We were re-routed to
Nassau but could not dock due to 60+ mph winds so the day was spent at sea. RCCL did their
best and was good
about keeping passengers informed about our destination changes. Some people complained,
but weather cannot
be controlled and personally I'd rather seem the cruise line consider passengers safety
FIRST.
Food was good but not spectacular throughout. Entertainment could stand some improvement.
After 6 cruises in 5
years, I am probably a little jaded. There did seem to be a lot of first time cruisers on
this ship who were all quite
impressed. That is BEFORE we hit the 60 mph winds and they got seasick!
The highlight of the cruise was our waiter and assistant waiter, Manuel and Eddy. They
kept us well entertained.
Another highlight was our tablemates from Maryland, who we have remained in touch with and
become good
friends with.
In spite of the weather problems, this cruise was a very good value for the dollar. If I
ever took another 3 day
cruise, however, I would try to do it on a much smaller ship.
Name: James Wolan
Email: jwolan@mciworld.com
Age: 36
Occupation: Telecom Network Services
NumberOfCruises: 1
TravelAgent: No
Ship: RoyalCaribbean-Sovereign
SailingDate: March 26, 1999
Itinerary: Miami, Nassau, Coco Cay
FoodDiningRoom: 95
CruiseDirector: 100
CabinComfort: 90
FoodRoomService: 95
CruiseStaff: 98
CabinAmenities: 100
FoodLidoDeck: 75
DiningRoomService: 100
CabinQuietness: 80
FoodMidnightBuffets: 95
CabinSteward: 100
ShoreExcVariety: 75
FoodVariety: 100
DeckService: 98
ShoreExcValue: 40
GoodForHoneymoon: 95
CasinoStaff: 90
PrivateIsland: 80
GoodForFamilies: 90
LoungeService: 95
TenderService: 90
GoodForSeniors: 95
BeautySalonStaff: 80
EntertainmentLounges: 100
WheelchairAccess: 95
ExerciseFacilities: 90
EntertShowLounge: 100
OverallPortsofCall: 80
BeautySalon: 80
EntertainmentPoolside: 100
CruiseActivities: 100
Casino: 75
AirSeaProgram: 100
MedicalFacilities: 100
ShipCleanliness: 90
EmbarkDisembark: 95
DiscoNightclubs: 100
DeckSpace: 100
Stabilization: 90
ShopsOnBoard: 70
SpaceRatio: 90
OverallCruiseValue: 100
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 01 Apr 1999
Time: 21:07:56
Remote Name: 1cust119.tnt15.chi5.da.uu.net
Remote User:
Comments
How wonderful that there is a ship such as the Sovereign of the Seas. My wife Pamela and I
took our first cruise
aboard her with no doubt in mind that we will sail with her again. For first time cruisers
not knowing what they are in
for, this ship is the perfect benchmark in deciding whether you will like cruising or not.
Most likely aboard this one
you will. I can almost guarantee it. The staff on board including the captain represented
over sixty countries.
Definitely a four day packed adventure with first class amenities that can not be matched
at most resort hotels. I
suggest to anyone who cruises to always eat in the dining room for all of your meals
except for the midnight buffet.
That can be almost anywhere on board. Our headwaiter, waiter and assistant waiter provided
for an extreme
elegant dining experience that made us feel like royalty. Our stateroom was small but very
comfortable. In fact, we
felt snuggled in at night. Our room attendant seemed to make sure of our comfort twice a
day sneaking in while we
were out and making up the room. At night we found it to be of ambiance to return to our
room with the bed turned
down and the lights dimly lit creating a wonderful feeling that someone is taking care of
us. The entertainment on
board was first rate It was great to have a cruise director very organized, informative
and a great sense of humor.
Kind of like myself. Buy the cruise in review video at the end of your cruise. It is a
treasure. The casino was fun but
I lost money. I guess I should have quit gambling when I was forty dollars ahead. Lounge
service and bar staff was
fantastic. The drinks were pricey but I think they made up for that in strength. Another
Long Island Iced Tea
please! Speaking of Islands, what a blast we had on Coco Cay . While we did none of the
organized shore
excursions, we set out on our own and explored the sun on our backs while eating a list of
food that we can not
mention because it will only make you and me hungry again. I’ll have another slab of
ribs please! Nassau was a
great place for shopping for souvenirs, cigars and tee shirts to buy to prove you actually
went on the cruise when
you get home. We suggest you take the horse and buggy tour of Nassau. Islanders were
extremely friendly. The
two swimming pools on board were a great place to swim, sun and take a Jacuzzi. I did not
care for the green
carpeting around the pools. I just got the feeling that it was harboring a lot of
bacteria. I suggest that Royal
Caribbean replace the carpeting with slip resistant decking. Someone please let us know if
they plan too replace or
do in the near future. I’ll be glad to help if I can get a free cruise out of it. I
almost forgot to mention the music on
board was outstanding utilizing great talent. This is what really set the mood for dining,
dancing and the midnight
buffet. I would give anything to play a violin as beautiful as the talent on board. The
stabilization of the ship was
nothing to worry about. I did have a fear of seasickness before the cruise only to find
that this ship is so big that
there was minimal motion if any at times. Our overall rating speaks for itself. We can not
wait until we book our next
one. I think we will try the five-day cruise next time. Bon Voyage!
Name: Lewis & Cynthia Del Vecchio
Email: loudbmw@erols.com
Age: 47
Occupation: Engineer
NumberOfCruises: 4
TravelAgent: No
Ship: RoyalCaribbean-Sovereign
SailingDate: 4/05/99
Itinerary: Nassau, Coco Cay, Key West
FoodDiningRoom: 90
CruiseDirector: 80
CabinComfort: 50
FoodRoomService:
CruiseStaff: 80
CabinAmenities: 60
FoodLidoDeck: 60
DiningRoomService: 95
CabinQuietness: 80
FoodMidnightBuffets:
CabinSteward: 90
ShoreExcVariety:
FoodVariety: 80
DeckService:
ShoreExcValue:
GoodForHoneymoon:
CasinoStaff: 80
PrivateIsland: 90
GoodForFamilies: 95
LoungeService:
TenderService: 80
GoodForSeniors:
BeautySalonStaff:
EntertainmentLounges:
WheelchairAccess:
ExerciseFacilities:
EntertShowLounge:
OverallPortsofCall: 80
BeautySalon:
EntertainmentPoolside: 70
CruiseActivities: 70
Casino: 50
AirSeaProgram:
MedicalFacilities:
ShipCleanliness: 90
EmbarkDisembark: 80
DiscoNightclubs:
DeckSpace: 80
Stabilization: 90
ShopsOnBoard: 80
SpaceRatio: 80
OverallCruiseValue: 90
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 11 Apr 1999
Time: 12:57:08
Remote Name: 207-172-63-182.s182.tnt3.rcm.va.dialup.rcn.com
Remote User:
Comments
4 Day Sovereign of the Seas Cruise With Kids
This was our 4th cruise, the others being seven day Caribbean cruises with Royal Caribbean
and Carnival. We chose a 4
day cruise as it was the first time with our kids ages 8 and 11. We were pleasantly
surprised that even a short cruise met our
expectations in almost every respect.
The Sovereign is 11 years old but is well maintained. Only the floor carpet in our cabin
showed wear and tear. Most of the
public areas are in good shape. As mentioned in some earlier reviews, the cabins are very
small compared to other cruise
ships, especially for four in a room. As the ship is large, it was quite smooth while at
sea. We never felt crowded despite the
2500 fellow passengers.
We arrived in Miami via our own car at 1:00 PM after a few days at Universal Studios and
parked at the pier only a few feet
from the loading area. Parking was $10 per day. Check in took about a half hour and we had
our luggage delivered in our
room by 3:00 PM. After a buffet lunch, we spent the afternoon at the pool until the muster
drill.
At dinner, we encountered our first and only problem. As we didn’t want to subject
our fellow passengers to our kids (they
can behave well for only so long), we had requested a table for four at the early seating.
We got to the dining room just as
they opened and were seated at a table for eight. To make matters worse, the table was
situated between not one but two
busboy stations. At that point my wife complained in a rather emotional manor. The head
waiter immediately corrected the
situation and reseated us at table for four. I immediately tipped him $10 for his quick
resolution of the problem. From that
point on, the head waiter was our best friend, he checked in on us multiple times at every
meal, took our meal order when
our waiter was busy, picked up dirty dishes and cut our children’s meals for them.
The lessen to be learned, if you have a
problem, raise it to the attention of a management individual immediately. An early tip
can also get you fantastic service.
The kids programs were wonderful. Every evening, we dropped off the kids for their program
which lasted until 10:00 PM so
we could have some time to ourselves. You could leave your kids there longer for $4.00
each per hour. Our kids loved being
there so much they couldn’t wait to finish dinner each night. There was also a free
morning kids program until noon at Key
West. The highlight of the kids program was when they dressed them all up as pirates and
paraded them through the ship.
As for the ports of call, Nassau is typical of what you find in any of the islands. We
caught a cab right after breakfast for $12
for the four of us and spent the morning at the Atlantis resort in Paradise island. Only
15 minutes away by cab, it’s worth the
trip. The marine habitat consists of a large aquarium that you walk through. The brochure
says admission is $25 for adults
and $19 for ages 3 to 12. We went through it but I didn’t see anyone selling tickets
when we were there, but it was early.
Definitely worth the cab fare to visit, $88 bucks for the family to see the habitat seems
a bit steep.
Coco Cay was nice. Our son wanted the ship bridge tour which started at 10:00 am the same
day. By the time we got to the
island via tender, it was past 11:00 am and most of the beach chairs were taken. We had
our own snorkel gear but life vests
are mandatory. They were only $5 to rent for the day. Lunch at Coco Cay is burgers,
chicken and ribs, about what you
expect for a beach cookout. There is not much good snorkeling close to shore.
Key West was great if you are into bars with entertainment and neat shops. Leave the kids
in the free morning program at
the ship and pay to have them there until 4:00 PM. A free shuttle takes you into town and
runs every 10 minutes. The only
thing bad at Key West is that you don’t have very long there. The last shuttle to the
ship leaves at 4:30 PM.
We arrived at Miami at 8:00 AM and unloading started at 9:00 AM. Since we had our own car,
we were given the last time
slot to exit the ship (Miami tours and early plane flights get off first). Still, we were
in our car by 10:00 AM and on our way
back to Virginia.
We found that bottled alcohol aboard the ship was very reasonable. If you bought two
bottles of the same, the second bottle
was $3.00 off for a lot of brands. This made the ship prices very close to what you found
on the islands and you didn’t have
to lug your purchases around town. Wine at dinner was also reasonable with some below $20
per bottle.
In summary, Royal Caribbean has always been our favorite cruise line and we enjoyed this
one also. The 4 day cruise was
about 80% first timers, most appeared to be in their thirties and forties. There were less
than 100 kids on board and the
child care area was never packed. Dinners were very good, breakfast only fair. The staff
was excellent in every respect and
this opinion was shared by everyone else we spoke to. Looks like we will be sailing with
kids again next year - this time for a
week.
Name: Louis Leal
Email: loumar164@aol.com
Age: 31
Occupation: Teacher/Coach
NumberOfCruises: 1
TravelAgent: No
Ship: RoyalCaribbean-Sovereign
SailingDate: March 26-29
Itinerary: Nassau/CocoCay
FoodDiningRoom: 98
CruiseDirector: 93
CabinComfort: 90
FoodRoomService:
CruiseStaff: 99
CabinAmenities: 95
FoodLidoDeck: 90
DiningRoomService: 100
CabinQuietness: 96
FoodMidnightBuffets: 90
CabinSteward: 99
ShoreExcVariety: 99
FoodVariety: 89
DeckService: 89
ShoreExcValue: 85
GoodForHoneymoon: 93
CasinoStaff: 89
PrivateIsland: 95
GoodForFamilies: 95
LoungeService: 95
TenderService: 95
GoodForSeniors: 95
BeautySalonStaff:
EntertainmentLounges: 100
WheelchairAccess:
ExerciseFacilities:
EntertShowLounge: 98
OverallPortsofCall: 90
BeautySalon:
EntertainmentPoolside: 92
CruiseActivities: 96
Casino: 90
AirSeaProgram: 99
MedicalFacilities:
ShipCleanliness: 99
EmbarkDisembark: 95
DiscoNightclubs: 100
DeckSpace: 100
Stabilization: 100
ShopsOnBoard: 93
SpaceRatio: 93
OverallCruiseValue: 97
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 11 Apr 1999
Time: 14:40:05
Remote Name: spider-wd064.proxy.aol.com
Remote User:
Comments
I won this trip on a local radio station. Needless to say my wife and I were very excited
about going on our first cruise.I could
not say enough good things about our first experience. We checked our bags in at our home
airport and didn't see them
again until we went up to our cabins where they were waiting for us outside our cabin
door. Everything was so smooth and
so worry free. Everything is taken care of. All you have to do is sit back and enjoy all
the pampering you will receive on
board.Once you leave you room a cabin stewart comes in and cleans up even if it doesn't
need it. You almost have to
wonder where these guys are to see you leave your cabin to come in so quickly to
straighten things up. Our waiter and
assistant waitress were awesome. If you see them say hello for us. They were Paulo and
Imelda. Paulo was from Portugal
and Imelda was from the Phillipeans. Both provided awesome service.Our cabin stewart also
deserves congratulations for
his awesome service. Ernesto from Costa Rica, thank you! I'd have to admit being our first
cruise we were both very nervous
not knowing what to expect or what to do. As soon as we arrived in Maimi everything fell
in place. Someone was ther to greet
us and tell us where to go and what to do. We checked in at the airport, which was also a
plus. The bus took us to the port
where we got on the ship and everything else was taken care of. My wife enjoyed ourselves
so much that we are planning on
taking another cruise in July. The only problem with that is we dont know what itinery to
choose from, but we are definatly
going with Royal Caribbean. Thanks to all the people on the Soveringn of the Seas for
making our first cruise a most
memorable one. We'll be back!!!
Name: Jim McKittrick
Email: mckittri@bellatlantic.net
Age: 36
Occupation: Technician
NumberOfCruises: 1
TravelAgent: No
Ship: RoyalCaribbean-Sovereign
SailingDate: 4/5/99
Itinerary: 4 day Nassau-Cococay-Key West
FoodDiningRoom: 90
CruiseDirector: 90
CabinComfort: 85
FoodRoomService:
CruiseStaff: 90
CabinAmenities: 95
FoodLidoDeck: 85
DiningRoomService: 100
CabinQuietness: 95
FoodMidnightBuffets: 85
CabinSteward: 100
ShoreExcVariety: 100
FoodVariety: 100
DeckService: 90
ShoreExcValue: 80
GoodForHoneymoon:
CasinoStaff:
PrivateIsland: 90
GoodForFamilies: 95
LoungeService: 90
TenderService: 100
GoodForSeniors:
BeautySalonStaff:
EntertainmentLounges: 90
WheelchairAccess:
ExerciseFacilities:
EntertShowLounge: 90
OverallPortsofCall: 90
BeautySalon:
EntertainmentPoolside: 85
CruiseActivities: 90
Casino: 90
AirSeaProgram:
MedicalFacilities:
ShipCleanliness: 90
EmbarkDisembark: 80
DiscoNightclubs:
DeckSpace: 90
Stabilization: 100
ShopsOnBoard: 85
SpaceRatio: 90
OverallCruiseValue: 90
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 11 Apr 1999
Time: 18:34:43
Remote Name: client-151-199-125-236.bellatlantic.net
Remote User:
Comments
My wife,two sons and I departed for the cruise terminal at 11:30 am and arrived there at
11:45 only to wait till 12:30 to board
the ship. After that everthing went great. The first thing we did when we arrived at our
room(5559) was pull down the pullman
beds for our children and make the two doubles into a queen. Yes the rooms are small, but
we didn't spend much time there.
We explored the ship together and visited the welcome buffet (chicken, roast beef and the
fixins). That night we went to
dinner and met our two great waiters (Ercan from Turkey and Pedro from The Philippines).
What made this truely unique
was that my wife is from the Philippines and I had spent 20 months in Turkey. We talked
back in forth in their foreign
language which made dinner even more fun than it already was. The kids received their own
menus which also doubled as a
coloring book. Even though we asked for a table for 4, we sat at a table for 8 with
another family which was from Atlanta and
very friendly. They had been on other cruises and told us some of their experiences.
Dinner was New York strip for me and
Shrimp Scampi for my wife which our waiter peeled for her(what a good life). After dinner,
we dropped the kids off at the
childrens programs and went to the Casino for some contributions to the ships till.
Tuesday we started off the day with
breakfast at the Windjammer (scambled eggs,pancakes,ham,bacon,sausage,grits and all the
rolls you could think of). After
that we dropped the kids off at the childrens programs and went into Nassau. We did a lot
of shopping and picked up some
pearl earrings for my wife along with some touristy items. We went back to the ship,
picked up the kids,ate lunch and went on
the afternoon Crystal Cay tour (it was OK, nothing fantastic but the kids enjoyed it quite
a bit). My wife and I both agreed it
would be a good experience for the kids to go down to the straw market and haggle with the
vendors. The got to see how
the natives make their living and had some fun haggling. They didn't make that great of
deals, but it was their money and I
felt as long as they were happy that's what counts. We got back to the ship and proceeded
to dress up for the Captains
dinner. I saw everthing from a tux to a nice dress shirt and slacks. I opted for a suit
and the wife wore a black cocktail dress
with her pearls. I had Filet Mignon and the wife had poached Salmon (both were excellant).
I never went thirsty with our asst
waiter always bringing more drinks than we could devour. We dropped the kids off again and
opted for leaving them after
hours as we wanted to go see a comedy juggling act called on the edge. The show was
excellant and when we picked the
kids up at 1200 midnight they to had a great time away from us (the charge for after hours
childrens programs is
$4/hr/child). Wednesday was CocoCay day. We got to the tender at approx 945 and got right
on, waited about 5 minutes for
other guests and off we went (no lines, no hassles). My older(11) son and I rented the
fins and vests (we had our own masks
and snorkels),and proceeded to snorkel around the island. They sunk a plane and a replica
of an old pirate ship and the
fish were a plenty. I saw a stingray, a rather large grouper and an emoree eel. Other
people saw the local barracuda out
deeper but we didn't get that far. The BBQ was good and as with going there the tender
service back was also top notch.
One thing to mention is that you will be asked at least a dozen times if you want to buy a
Coco Loco. We arrived back at the
boat, changed for dinner and off we went again for another fine dining experience. After
dinner it was off to the childrens
program for the kids again and off to the shows again for the wife and I again. Thursday
was Key West. Ate breakfast and
again dropped the kids off opting for them to stay late(past 12 noon). We took the free
trolley to town without waiting more
than 5 minutes. We walked around, bought the kids some neat shirts, bought the wife a nice
sun dress and ate at the Planet
Hollywood. Key West is really laid back and it was a refreshing stop even though it was
quick (10am to 5pm). We arrived
back around 3pm, picked up the kids, spent some time at the pool and then headed for our
last great meal in the dining
room. I had both Prime Rib and rigitoni. The wife had a Japanese dish which I can't even
spell. Kids went back to the
childrens programs after supper, the wife and I went to the Casino and then picked up the
kids @ 10:00 pm for an early
night. Friday we awoke and I found out they had messed up my supercharge acct by charging
me for 5 sodas in my room
instead of three(big deal). I went down to the pursers desk(around 745am)and again was
greeted with no lines and many
smiles. The woman took my information and told me to come back at 830am. I gathered my
family and brought them to The
lounge on deck 7 where our Miami Highlights city tour was departing from and went back to
the pursers desk and given back
my amended statement fixing the problem. All of us on the tour were allowed to leave
before everyone else so getting our
bags was a little easier. The tour took us around Miami and got us to the airport around
1215pm. It was very interesting.
They showed us some of the prettier places in Miami. The cruise was a wonderful experience
with a few minor setbacks but
very memorable. The kids are begging to go back. Be prepared to have your picture taken
numerous times and plan to
bring $500-$1000 extra spending money. We tipped according to the guidlines because we
were very pleased with the
service provided. Any questions? Feel free to E-mail me.
Name: Melanie and David Simpson
Email: 4-of-us@msn.com
Age: 34/36
Occupation: nurse/supply clerk
NumberOfCruises: 1
TravelAgent: No
Ship: RoyalCaribbean-Sovereign
SailingDate: April 26,1999 thru April 30, 1999
Itinerary: Bahamas
FoodDiningRoom: 95
CruiseDirector: 95
CabinComfort: 85
FoodRoomService:
CruiseStaff: 97
CabinAmenities: 85
FoodLidoDeck:
DiningRoomService: 99
CabinQuietness: 95
FoodMidnightBuffets: 85
CabinSteward: 85
ShoreExcVariety: 90
FoodVariety: 94
DeckService: 95
ShoreExcValue: 95
GoodForHoneymoon:
CasinoStaff: 90
PrivateIsland: 95
GoodForFamilies: 95
LoungeService: 95
TenderService: 95
GoodForSeniors:
BeautySalonStaff:
EntertainmentLounges: 95
WheelchairAccess:
ExerciseFacilities:
EntertShowLounge: 95
OverallPortsofCall: 95
BeautySalon:
EntertainmentPoolside: 95
CruiseActivities: 92
Casino: 85
AirSeaProgram:
MedicalFacilities:
ShipCleanliness: 85
EmbarkDisembark: 90
DiscoNightclubs:
DeckSpace: 90
Stabilization: 95
ShopsOnBoard:
SpaceRatio: 90
OverallCruiseValue: 97
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 01 May 1999
Time: 19:35:38
Remote Name: 1cust179.tnt2.columbus.ga.da.uu.net
Remote User:
Comments
First of all, I'll talk about the positive things on the ship. We have two children, ages
13 and 11 and we were both worried
that they would become bored on the ship, both are active children. We met two of the
ship's counselors for children just
minutes after we boarded the ship. They were very friendly and put us, as well as the
children, at ease right away. The
program for the kids turned out to be excellent and the kids both loved it, in fact, our
son who is eleven couldn't wait to get
with the other kids every evening, and it was a nice break for us as well. I was a little
skeptical about the meals, wondering
what they would be like, I've read so many different things (positive and negative)about
the meals. We were very impressed
with the food in the dining room. Our waiter (Jantapa), and assistant waiter (Ziggy), were
absolutely wonderful. They made
each and every meal eaten in the dining room a great experience. We never had to wait for
anything, they really pampered
us. The entertainment was great. There was a hilarious comedian (I think his name was
Smith), and the other things offered
were great too. The Not-So-Newlywed game is a must for everyone. In fact, we enjoyed all
of the shows. Alright, now the
negative. I have very little to say negatively. The number 1 thing would be the tea. It
was horrible. We prefer brewed tea, this
was instant and it was so bad it could curl your toenails, so we drank water with our
meals. The food in the Windjammer cafe
wasn't always great, but I have to say, it was edible the few times we did eat there. If I
wanted to be picky, I'd have to say the
cabins were a little small for 4 people, but we managed, just fine. Overall, it was great.
I do have to warn you, don't ever think
you'll take a cruise to relax, we just got back last night, and we are exhausted. Every
night we went to bed exhausted. There
is so much to do, and we didn't want to miss a thing. This was one of the best vacations
we have ever had, but we need a
week to recuperate. By the way, try the snorkeling on CocoCay. Lots of fish, stingrays,
starfish, crabs, etc. Well, I could go
on forever, those are just the highlights. If you have any questions, in particular, feel
free to email us.
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