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Name: Tim Walker
Email: walker@cybertron.com
Age: 36
Occupation: US Air Force
NumberOfCruises: 2
TravelAgent: No
Ship: RoyalCaribbean-Sovereign
SailingDate: September 12, 1997
Itinerary: Miami-Nassau-Coco Cay-Miami
FoodDiningRoom: 99
CruiseDirector: 95
CabinComfort: 95
FoodRoomService: 99
CruiseStaff: 95
CabinAmenities: 95
FoodLidoDeck: 99
DiningRoomService: 99
CabinQuietness: 90
FoodMidnightBuffets:
CabinSteward: 99
ShoreExcVariety: 93
FoodVariety: 99
DeckService:
ShoreExcValue:
GoodForHoneymoon: 95
CasinoStaff:
PrivateIsland: 99
GoodForFamilies: 90
LoungeService: 97
TenderService: 97
GoodForSeniors:
BeautySalonStaff:
EntertainmentLounges: 99
WheelchairAccess:
ExerciseFacilities:
EntertShowLounge: 99
OverallPortsofCall:
BeautySalon:
EntertainmentPoolside:
CruiseActivities: 95
Casino:
AirSeaProgram:
MedicalFacilities:
ShipCleanliness: 95
EmbarkDisembark: 90
DiscoNightclubs:
DeckSpace: 95
Stabilization: 99
ShopsOnBoard: 95
SpaceRatio:
OverallCruiseValue: 98
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 16 Sep 1997
Time: 20:43:36
Remote Name: 206.27.92.74
Remote User:
Comments
From the moment I stepped on this vessel, I told my brother, "I know I'm going to
like this." The atmosphere was relaxing. The ship's staff was
there to greet you at the gangway, waiting to assist you in any way. The dining room staff
was OUTSTANDING and the cleanliness was great,
other than a stain on the table cloth the first night. The variety and freshness of the
food was OUTSTANDING!!! After the first night, the waiter
knew I wanted a scoop of ice cream with whatever desert I ordered. The head waiter stopped
at the table to assist people with peeling shrimp
and lighting the cherries jubilee, which didn't take place on the cruise I had taken the
weekend before (on Carnival's Ecstasy). The shows on
the ship were also OUTSTANDING, especially Rick Starr, Jeff Taveggia, and the end of
"Night of the Stars." The only negative parts of the cruise
was the presence of children in the bar while alcohol was being served and the amount of
time that it took to disembark. We had to vacate the
rooms before 8:30am and didn't get off the ship until nearly 11:30am. This was primarily
because of the process, but partially due to the
passengers being in areas they were not suppose to be in. After having cruised on Carnival
the weekend before, I will never cruise on another
line other than Royal Caribbean. Thanks for a pleasant, enjoyable, and relaxing time.
Name: Micki Ball
Email: mick1@airmail.net
Age: 38
Occupation: Financial Analyst
NumberOfCruises: 1
TravelAgent: No
Ship: RoyalCaribbean-Sovereign
SailingDate: 10/13/97
Itinerary: Miami-Naussau-Coco Cay-Key West-Miami
FoodDiningRoom: 95
CruiseDirector: 90
CabinComfort: 90
FoodRoomService:
CruiseStaff: 95
CabinAmenities: 90
FoodLidoDeck: 75
DiningRoomService: 95
CabinQuietness: 50
FoodMidnightBuffets:
CabinSteward: 99
ShoreExcVariety: 90
FoodVariety: 85
DeckService: 99
ShoreExcValue: 95
GoodForHoneymoon:
CasinoStaff:
PrivateIsland: 99
GoodForFamilies: 85
LoungeService: 99
TenderService: 99
GoodForSeniors:
BeautySalonStaff:
EntertainmentLounges: 95
WheelchairAccess:
ExerciseFacilities:
EntertShowLounge: 95
OverallPortsofCall: 95
BeautySalon:
EntertainmentPoolside: 95
CruiseActivities: 95
Casino:
AirSeaProgram:
MedicalFacilities: 90
ShipCleanliness: 95
EmbarkDisembark: 90
DiscoNightclubs: 95
DeckSpace: 95
Stabilization: 99
ShopsOnBoard: 90
SpaceRatio: 90
OverallCruiseValue: 95
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 19 Oct 1997
Time: 16:28:06
Remote Name: 206.66.11.46
Remote User:
Comments
This was mine and my husband's first cruise and we were extremely happy with the entire
experience. The staff (all
areas) were very attentive at all times. Our cabin was located at the most forward section
of the ship and at every
morning arrival in port, either the bow thrusters or the anchor were extremely loud and
jarring. The fact that we had
an inside cabin was not an issue at all since the cruise line made excellent use of the TV
to keep us informed of the
day's activities and schedules, as well as the bridge camera which allowed us to view live
pictures of the outside. For
the first 3 days of the cruise, the winds were running 12-18 knots and there was
difficulty in boarding the tenders, but
by day's end, the winds had layed a bit. The entertainment shows were excellent, the
dining room food and service
was outstanding, but the food served on deck was adequate. There were a few individuals of
the staff who were quite
memorable (Kim, Noel, Sergio) and the overall cleaniness of the ship was excellent. Would
have preferred more time
in Key West and less time in Naussau.
Name: Bob Stolte
Email: n0rtn@oasiskc.net
Age: 45
Occupation: Service Manager
NumberOfCruises: 3
TravelAgent: No
Ship: RoyalCaribbean-Sovereign
SailingDate: Sep 15 1997
Itinerary: Nassau, CocoCay & Key West
FoodDiningRoom: 90
CruiseDirector: 10
CabinComfort: 60
FoodRoomService:
CruiseStaff: 90
CabinAmenities: 85
FoodLidoDeck: 25
DiningRoomService: 75
CabinQuietness: 90
FoodMidnightBuffets: 75
CabinSteward: 60
ShoreExcVariety:
FoodVariety: 25
DeckService: 85
ShoreExcValue:
GoodForHoneymoon:
CasinoStaff: 60
PrivateIsland: 75
GoodForFamilies:
LoungeService: 90
TenderService: 90
GoodForSeniors:
BeautySalonStaff:
EntertainmentLounges: 90
WheelchairAccess:
ExerciseFacilities:
EntertShowLounge: 70
OverallPortsofCall: 90
BeautySalon:
EntertainmentPoolside: 90
CruiseActivities: 60
Casino: 75
AirSeaProgram: 85
MedicalFacilities:
ShipCleanliness: 75
EmbarkDisembark: 90
DiscoNightclubs: 80
DeckSpace: 90
Stabilization: 90
ShopsOnBoard: 90
SpaceRatio: 85
OverallCruiseValue: 45
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 21 Oct 1997
Time: 22:01:30
Remote Name: 207.239.194.42
Remote User:
Comments
The values chosen that we rated this ship was in reference to the prior experiences we've
had. The food other that at
the evening main dining was awful. There was no variety, the food was dried out & very
little. One time in particular
this lady asked for a tuna sandwich & was told that they had no tuna on board &
sure enough later on that evening
there were tuna sandwiches. The remote control in our room was broken & repeatedly we
asked for one that worked
& the day before we left we got one that was whole, but the batteries in it were dead.
The Cruise Director was either
so full of himself or he just refused to admit he didn't have his activities together, he
stole most of the show time,
either with him singing or trying to tell bad jokes and continued on & on, then the
show came, the shows weren't bad,
not much time given though. There was a fantastic comedian, Rick Starr, he was hillarious,
& most of all his act was
totally clean. This was a cruise you could have taken children on & there were a few,
but more teenagers & older
persons. The staff on the whole were good, especially the outside staff, Most didn't speak
real good english, but there
effort to communicate with everyone was exceptional. The ship is beautiful & big no
doubt, but its not enough to
make me want to subject myself to going with them again.
Name: Mary Payton
Email: jungljil@mindspring.com
Age: 45
Occupation: Occupational Safety Professional
NumberOfCruises: 1
TravelAgent: No
Ship: RoyalCaribbean-Sovereign
SailingDate: October 24
Itinerary: Bahamas, CocoCay
FoodDiningRoom: 88
CruiseDirector: 90
CabinComfort: 80
FoodRoomService: 85
CruiseStaff: 95
CabinAmenities: 75
FoodLidoDeck:
DiningRoomService: 97
CabinQuietness: 80
FoodMidnightBuffets: 90
CabinSteward: 90
ShoreExcVariety: 85
FoodVariety: 90
DeckService:
ShoreExcValue: 80
GoodForHoneymoon:
CasinoStaff: 82
PrivateIsland: 86
GoodForFamilies: 87
LoungeService: 90
TenderService: 85
GoodForSeniors:
BeautySalonStaff: 95
EntertainmentLounges: 85
WheelchairAccess:
ExerciseFacilities: 86
EntertShowLounge: 88
OverallPortsofCall: 85
BeautySalon: 90
EntertainmentPoolside:
CruiseActivities:
Casino: 87
AirSeaProgram:
MedicalFacilities:
ShipCleanliness: 89
EmbarkDisembark: 85
DiscoNightclubs:
DeckSpace: 88
Stabilization: 86
ShopsOnBoard: 85
SpaceRatio: 85
OverallCruiseValue: 90
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 29 Oct 1997
Time: 13:00:17
Remote Name: 168.121.12.130
Remote User:
Comments
This was our first cruise, and I took my two daughters, aged 9 and (almost) 12. We were so
excited and didn't
know what to expect, but we were not disappointed. Embarkation was pretty painless, and we
were onboard
within 10 minutes of the gates opening. We got on board early because we wanted to have
lunch onboard. We
spent our time becoming familiar with the layout of the ship, and, we able to enter our
cabin immediately.
The cabin was small, but we were prepared for that, and it didn't bother us too much. We
were disappointed
about the closet...our closet had no shelves, so we kept everything that didn't need to be
hung up in our
suitcases. For a long trip this would have been a problem, but for a 3 day tour it was
tolerable. The things my
children liked the best were the movie theater, the basketball court and the freedom they
were allowed on
the ship. For me, I liked the quality of the food, the pleasantness of the spaces on the
ship, and the fact that
there were people from every part of the world on this ship, and so socializing was great.
The food was very
good, and was not often disappointing. When you consider that they are feeding 2400 people
three or four
meals every day, it's amazing!
I can't think of anything that I didn't like on this cruise.....I was totally
satisfied,
although I now have a new appreciation for the term gluttony! There are two things that
stand out in my mind
that were excellent: first, the quality of the staff, especially the dining room staff,
was outstanding. Staff in the
halls was friendly, a worker carrying a wrench would stop to pick up a piece of trash, and
everyone seemed to
watch out for my children. If my girls asked a question, no one treated them like kids,
but they were treated
like people. They appreciated it, and so did I. Especially the dining room staff...they
learned their names the
first day, and greeted them personally, even in other parts of the ship.
One day my oldest daughter changed
her mind about joining us for breakfast. When she got to the dining room, there was no
room at our table.
Our regular waiter, Yucel, saw her, and took her to his table, telling me he would take
care of her personally. I
can't say enough good things about the staff. The other excellent activity I participated
in was a facial. My
daughters decided against a particular shore excursion, so I used that money for a very
pricey facial. It was
incredible! The young woman who did the facial, Nicole, was a trained 'beauty therapist,'
and specialized in
massages and facials. It was the most wonderful hour I have spent in ages! If you visit
this ship, be sure and
check out the Beauty Therapists! We had the best time, and are already planning our next
cruise!
Name: Jerry McCain
Email: schwestan@rocketmail.com
Age: 32
Occupation: Hotel Manager
NumberOfCruises: 1
TravelAgent: No
Ship: RoyalCaribbean-Sovereign
SailingDate: 10-13-97
Itinerary: nassau/cococay/key west
FoodDiningRoom: 99
CruiseDirector: 95
CabinComfort: 85
FoodRoomService: 100
CruiseStaff: 99
CabinAmenities: 90
FoodLidoDeck: 75
DiningRoomService: 100
CabinQuietness: 85
FoodMidnightBuffets: 99
CabinSteward: 99
ShoreExcVariety: 85
FoodVariety: 90
DeckService: 95
ShoreExcValue: 80
GoodForHoneymoon:
CasinoStaff: 95
PrivateIsland: 99
GoodForFamilies:
LoungeService: 99
TenderService: 85
GoodForSeniors:
BeautySalonStaff:
EntertainmentLounges: 95
WheelchairAccess:
ExerciseFacilities: 85
EntertShowLounge: 100
OverallPortsofCall: 90
BeautySalon:
EntertainmentPoolside: 90
CruiseActivities: 99
Casino: 100
AirSeaProgram:
MedicalFacilities:
ShipCleanliness: 99
EmbarkDisembark: 90
DiscoNightclubs: 90
DeckSpace: 99
Stabilization: 95
ShopsOnBoard: 95
SpaceRatio: 95
OverallCruiseValue: 95
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 31 Oct 1997
Time: 03:45:30
Remote Name: 153.34.118.217
Remote User:
Comments
This was my first cruise ever. I did not know what to expect. The moment I walked into the
centrum area I was
quite impressed. The ship is huge and it is quite lovely. The carpeting in some areas does
need to be
replaced but all in all it was immaculant. The food was superb and our waiter and
assistant waiter were
superb!! The only disapointment in the main dining area was the head waiter. We saw him
one evening for
about 3 minutes. He was at the table behind us every evening for a good 20-30 minutes. Our
table kind of felt
left out!
The ship board activities were great. Plenty to do. I was quite dissapointed in Nassau.
Very dirty and
the natives are quite rude!! The cabin was very small but the cabin steward kept it
spotless!! We could count
on coming back after dinner and our beds pulled down and a mint on the pillow. Room
service was excellent.
Very prompt!! The shows were very entertaining. One of my favorite parts of the cruise was
the evening I won
$400.00 on a slot machine!!!!!!!! My hats off to Gordon the cruise director and Brian who
was a Fitness
Director! It was a memorable experience and I will definitely be going on a 7 night cruise
next year with
R.C.C.L.
Thanks for a wonderful vacation!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Name: Pat Casadei
Email: casadei@rci.rutgers.edu
Age: 49
Occupation: Teacher
NumberOfCruises: 5
TravelAgent: No
Ship: RoyalCaribbean-Sovereign
SailingDate: October 20, 1997
Itinerary: Nassau - CocoCay - Key West
FoodDiningRoom: 90
CruiseDirector: 90
CabinComfort: 79
FoodRoomService:
CruiseStaff: 90
CabinAmenities: 80
FoodLidoDeck: 85
DiningRoomService: 90
CabinQuietness: 85
FoodMidnightBuffets: 80
CabinSteward: 90
ShoreExcVariety: 85
FoodVariety: 89
DeckService: 90
ShoreExcValue: 79
GoodForHoneymoon:
CasinoStaff: 90
PrivateIsland: 95
GoodForFamilies:
LoungeService: 90
TenderService: 95
GoodForSeniors:
BeautySalonStaff:
EntertainmentLounges: 90
WheelchairAccess:
ExerciseFacilities:
EntertShowLounge: 85
OverallPortsofCall: 80
BeautySalon:
EntertainmentPoolside: 80
CruiseActivities: 79
Casino: 90
AirSeaProgram:
MedicalFacilities:
ShipCleanliness: 95
EmbarkDisembark: 95
DiscoNightclubs: 89
DeckSpace: 95
Stabilization: 85
ShopsOnBoard: 90
SpaceRatio: 90
OverallCruiseValue: 88
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 09 Nov 1997
Time: 15:55:50
Remote Name: 128.6.59.59
Remote User:
Comments
The Sovereign is a beautiful ship and is well-maintained. I would definitely cruise on
this ship again, but only if it goes back to
doing longer cruises. (4 nights was just not long enough for me -- my other cruises were
all longer).
The only real disappointment I had (which is MINOR) is that the food was not presented in
a "pretty" way -- with nice garnishes
like I've seen done on other cruises and cruise lines. In all other areas, though,
everything was either very high in the FAIR
category or well up into the GOOD and EXCELLENT ranges, so you can't expect much better
than that!! Service throughout the
ship was exceptional. Overall, a very nice ship on which to spend a few relaxing
days....especially if the weather cooperates like
it did on our cruise the day you go to CocoCay. THAT made the whole trip seem like
paradise!
Name: Nancy C. Reynolds
Email: reynolds@magicnet.net
Age: 33
Occupation: Employee Communications for Lockheed Martin
NumberOfCruises: 1
TravelAgent: No
Ship: RoyalCaribbean-Sovereign
SailingDate: Dec. 1, 1997
Itinerary: Nassau, CocoCay, Key West
FoodDiningRoom: 90
CruiseDirector: 92
CabinComfort: 89
FoodRoomService: 88
CruiseStaff: 95
CabinAmenities: 88
FoodLidoDeck: 88
DiningRoomService: 95
CabinQuietness: 90
FoodMidnightBuffets: 88
CabinSteward: 95
ShoreExcVariety: 90
FoodVariety: 90
DeckService: 90
ShoreExcValue: 90
GoodForHoneymoon: 95
CasinoStaff: 89
PrivateIsland: 100
GoodForFamilies: 95
LoungeService: 90
TenderService:
GoodForSeniors: 95
BeautySalonStaff:
EntertainmentLounges: 89
WheelchairAccess:
ExerciseFacilities: 95
EntertShowLounge: 90
OverallPortsofCall: 95
BeautySalon:
EntertainmentPoolside:
CruiseActivities: 90
Casino: 90
AirSeaProgram:
MedicalFacilities:
ShipCleanliness: 90
EmbarkDisembark: 79
DiscoNightclubs: 90
DeckSpace: 88
Stabilization: 90
ShopsOnBoard: 88
SpaceRatio: 89
OverallCruiseValue: 90
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 11 Dec 1997
Time: 16:04:23
Remote Name: 192.31.86.35
Remote User:
Comments
I sailed on the Sovereign with my three sisters, my sister-in-law and my Mom. (Our
wonderful husbands all stayed home to
watch the children.) We spent 7 months anticipating the trip. All but one of us had never
cruised before, so we really didn’t
know what to expect. Overall, we had a fantastic experience and there are plenty of good
things to say about the Sovereign
and one bad thing that left a sour taste in all of our mouths.
Embarkation was quick and painless (debarkation was another story) and from the moment
that we began to set sail from
Miami, we were approached by a delightful bartender named Patrick Sawyers. We told him we
weren’t ready to order
anything yet but when we were, we’d find him. We kept our promise and from that
moment on Patrick became our personal
bartender. He found us everywhere and treated us like royalty. When our party would get
separated on the ship, Patrick
would tell us that they were in the Follies Lounge near the back on the left. He even
interrupted his own lunch on CocoCay to
see if we were ready for a reorder. He treated us with genuine courtesy and not simply as
an overeager employee out to
serve the most drinks among his staff. We were so pleased with Patrick that we all chipped
in some money at the end of the
cruise and tipped him personally, not just for his impeccable service but also for his
endearing personality.
Our dining room staff, Ober and Miguel, were first-rate. (I don’t know why the head
waiter gets paid the most because ours
did very little and did not get to know us the way our servers did.) Ober and Miguel
always greeted us with a smile and
kidded with us throughout the meal. They became our friends as well as our servers. At the
end of the cruise, we all agreed
that if the Kismet Dining Room had been a local establishment, we would go back frequently
and it was sad to think that we
can’t.
Overall, my impression of the staff is that they were very friendly, helpful and
hardworking. I have never been so pampered in
all my life.
We had two winners in the casino with one sister collecting $92 on the first night and
another collecting $121 on the last
night (with her last quarter).
The shows were very entertaining. I mostly enjoyed The Newlywed Game and the Top 10
Dumbest Questions that Guests Ask.
The food was more than plentiful and certainly satisfying but not as great as the
grapevine (made up of people who have
cruised before) would lead you to believe. And there are not very many chocolate-lover
desserts.
Nassau was fun and I found the natives warm and receptive toward travelers. We thoroughly
enjoyed the Yellowbird tour, but
it should leave earlier to allow for more time on the beach.
CocoCay was the highlight of the trip for me. It was beautiful and relaxing and the
barbecue was delicious (but could use
more desserts). I would like a longer day on CocoCay, so that we could have a luau or
something like that in the evening.
It rained in Key West, but the R.C.C.L. can’t do anything about that and there was
plenty to do on the ship or in town with an
umbrella.
We had three to a room, so I worried that the small rooms would drive us crazy. Because
the cabin steward cleans
straightens it twice a day and because we spent very little time in our rooms, it never
became claustrophobic. A bigger room
would be luxurious but certainly not necessary.
Surprisingly, a group of construction workers spent the entire trip (I guess because it
was off-season) replacing carpet, which
somewhat detracted from the ambiance of the beautiful ship. However, I can appreciate the
fact that R.C.C.L would lose a lot
of money by docking the ship for a week to complete this task. This wasn’t overly
offensive.
I have one other gripe and I consider it MAJOR. When my sister received her bill on the
last day, she had been charged three
times for the same purchase. The overage amounted to $40. Passengers were instructed to
meet in the lobby to rectify any
bill discrepancies between 7 and 8 a.m. She got in a long line just after 7 a.m. with
others experiencing the same problem
(which is not good). By 8 a.m., they still had not been able to help her. The employee cut
off the line and told my sister that
they would not be able to help her because she needed to rectify her bill between 7 and 8
a.m. This is ridiculous since she
had been in line in plenty of time but do to the large number of people experiencing the
same problem, the employees
simply didn’t get to her. They instructed my sister to write a letter to the company
when she got home. A better way to have
handled it would have been, first, to apologize for the inconvenience, but due to the
tight turnaround between cruises, direct
her to a customer service desk located off the ship. It’s aggravating and stressful
enough to be billed incorrectly, but even
more so to be sent home to write a letter. I am VERY surprised that R.C.C.L. would let
that be the last impression that a
passenger would take away from an otherwise enjoyable vacation. My sister vowed never to
use the cruiseline again. That’s
unfortunate since we would like to turn this into an annual event among our sisters.
What’s even more interesting is that in order to be eligible for a prize drawing, all
comment cards were required by 8 a.m.
the morning of debarkation. When all of the unhappy customers (who were told to go home
and write and letter) requested
their comment cards back, they were told that none existed and they couldn’t get
their original cards back. That’s when it
became apparent to me that ratings from surveys must be somewhat skewed. It left us with
the impression that once R.C.C.L.
had squeezed as many purchases as possible out of us on our SuperCharge, the focus on
customer service disappeared.
So hats off to those Sovereign employees who set the standard for customer service and
shame on R.C.C.L. for not
implementing processes to deal with its mistakes in a suitable fashion.
Above all, promote that Patrick Sawyers and give him a raise. I’ve never seen anyone
better!!!!!! If I ever win the lottery, I’ll
hire him as my personal assistant!!!!! If you sail on the Sovereign, seek him out right
away.
Name: Phoebe Hankins
Email: phankins@umich.edu
Age: 36
Occupation: Meeting Planner
NumberOfCruises: 1
TravelAgent: No
Ship: RoyalCaribbean-Sovereign
SailingDate: Dec. 5-8, 1997
Itinerary: Miami, Nassau, Coco Cay, Miami
FoodDiningRoom: 95
CruiseDirector: 95
CabinComfort: 90
FoodRoomService: 85
CruiseStaff: 95
CabinAmenities: 95
FoodLidoDeck: 95
DiningRoomService: 98
CabinQuietness: 98
FoodMidnightBuffets: 95
CabinSteward: 98
ShoreExcVariety: 100
FoodVariety: 90
DeckService:
ShoreExcValue: 90
GoodForHoneymoon: 95
CasinoStaff: 95
PrivateIsland: 100
GoodForFamilies: 100
LoungeService: 95
TenderService: 90
GoodForSeniors: 95
BeautySalonStaff:
EntertainmentLounges: 90
WheelchairAccess: 95
ExerciseFacilities:
EntertShowLounge: 95
OverallPortsofCall: 95
BeautySalon:
EntertainmentPoolside: 98
CruiseActivities: 100
Casino: 100
AirSeaProgram:
MedicalFacilities:
ShipCleanliness: 98
EmbarkDisembark: 95
DiscoNightclubs: 90
DeckSpace: 95
Stabilization: 90
ShopsOnBoard: 95
SpaceRatio: 95
OverallCruiseValue: 98
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 16 Dec 1997
Time: 08:45:08
Remote Name: 141.214.156.99
Remote User:
Comments
This was the first cruise for me my husband (ages 36 & 41) and our two children ages
11 and 7. After many hours of review
reading, email to previous cruisers, and Internet searches, we took the 3-day cruise to
the Bahamas on Royal Caribbean's
Sovereign of the Seas. I will not go into detailed descriptions of the ship as this
information is found in many other reviews.
However, I will give my impressions and make note about the areas that were important to
us.
I made all the arrangements because this was a surprise birthday gift for my husband. I
chose the cruise only option
because I wanted to fly Northwest and choose my seats on the plane. We did purchase a
pre-cruise night through Royal
which worked out very nicely. We stayed at the Hyatt Regency in Miami Thursday night and
departed for the Bahamas Friday
afternoon around 5:00 pm. We arrived in pouring down rain so going to South Beach was out
of the question. We did manage
to go to Bayside (the mall complex near the pier) in the evening to walk around and get
some dinner. With all the food
courts there, our children had a difficult time deciding what to eat! Friday morning, I
went down to the lobby early to process
our cruise documents. There was only one person in front of us, so everything went
quickly. At 11:00 am we met again in the
lobby to wait to take the bus over to the pier. The weather was cool for Miami (70s) and
cloudy. We didn't care though
because it was 35 degrees in Michigan!
We breezed right through, took the customary boarding photograph, and entered the ship. We
were given directions to our
cabin which we found easily enough. Because I had done so much research about the ship, I
felt very much 'at home' even
though this was our first time aboard. I knew what floors everything was on and we got
around very easily. The crew was
busy dressing Christmas trees all over the ship and new carpet was being installed
throughout the main lobby on most of
the floors. Our cabin #9580 was the next to the last cabin aft. It was 15'x9' and quite
comfortable. Everyone talks about RCI's
small cabins, but it wasn't bad at all, not even for the four of us. There was a safe in
this cabin which we found to be very
handy. The kids liked their bunk beds and we asked for rails just in case they might roll
during the night. Our cabin steward,
Elias Zambrano, did an excellent job straightening up every day. He kept the ice bucket
full which was nice. I've read many
questions on r.t.c. about cabins in the back of the ship not being very good, but we found
this not to be a problem with
motion.
The dress for the three days were two 'smart casual' nights and one formal night. I didn't
see any tuxes on formal night, but
the women wore everything from floor length gowns to sequined cocktail dresses to black
pantsuits. It was very elegant.
We chose early seating because that's when we eat at home. The meals were all good. The
presentations were done nicely.
The fish choices were the best as well as the prime rib. I tried lamb one night which was
good, not great, but filling. The
salads and pastas were always wonderful. The soups could improve a bit. The french onion
was a bit weak and the clam
chowder a little watery. The children's menu was o.k. Our kids did a combo most nights.
Main course from their menu and
desserts from ours! Our waiter, Umet from Turkey and Mohammed from Morocco, his assistant,
did an excellent job. We sat
in the GiGi Dining Room at a rectangular table #22 with a family of four from Maryland.
Their children were ages 13 and 11,
so the match-up was very good. I missed the first night's dinner because I foolishly did
not take my Bonine before leaving
Biscayne Bay, and due to the storm the night before, the seas were very, very rough. My
husband said a lot of people were
sick that night! I went back to the cabin, took the Bonine and felt considerably better by
10:30 that night. I managed to eat a
small ham and cheese sandwich from room service along with a Ginger Ale. From then on the
I took the Bonine daily. It
worked great! The seas did eventually calm down and remained so until Sunday.
We looked over all the excursion info we were sent and decided to take the Coral Island
Marine Park tour. This was very nice.
The kids enjoyed it a lot as did we. The hands-on exhibits of stingrays, nurse sharks,
huge turtles and starfish kept us busy
for 2-1/2 hours. This park also has a 20ft underground observatory which was wonderful.
It's like scuba diving without getting
wet! The cost was $84 for the four of us, but we didn't mind because we learned a lot
about marine life and had budgeted for
it anyway. We went back to the ship for lunch and the kids decided to go the Children's
Program while we went back into
Nassau to shop.
Now for the those who have children and are wondering about the program on the ship, we
found it to be wonderful. They
kept the kids busy with games, videos, scavenger hunts, face painting, T-shirt painting,
Nintendo, etc. All the children in the
program came away with T-shirts, hats, autograph books, etc. They had a pizza party one
night which was fun. They are
open at good times and charged $4/child/hr after 10 pm or during non-scheduled open times.
When we arrived in Nassau, five other ships were docked there too. Another Royal ship,
Carnival Ecstasy, Cunard, QE2, and
NCL, I believe. Needless to say, shopping in Nassau was very crowded. We bought the usual
3/$10 T-shirts, baseball caps for
my husband's friends, and some jewelry. We saw a few of the sights, but not on a formal
tour. The temp was in the low 80s
so it was a pleasant day. Even though the ship didn't leave Nassau until 2:30 am, we
decided to stay on board when we
returned.
Coco Cay on Sunday was also very nice. Getting to the island was a bit rough with high
seas. The tenders were really rocking
and took extra long to go back and forth between the island and the ship. Once we arrived,
we staked out our spot in the
sun, because it was very cool in the shade and a bit breezy. The customary barbecue was
very good. They made chicken,
ribs, cheeseburgers, a tossed salad, two pasta salads, fruit, cakes and cookies, and fruit
punch. The water was cold where we
sat, but the kids got in anyway. There were a few people snorkeling, but mostly everyone
was laying in the sun, reading or
sleeping. We walked along the beach which was nice and got back to the ship around 3:15pm.
We visited Finian's Rainbow Lounge, the Casino of course, and the Viking Crown Lounge. The
farewell revue show was very
good. I thought Gordon Whatman, the Cruise Director, had a great voice. The finale, 'If I
Were Not Upon the Sea' was
hysterical, at least for us newbies. The ship looks excellent for it's years. There were
worn areas, but nothing to speak of and
that's not what we were looking for anyway. We really got our money's worth and would
highly recommend this cruise to
others. There were many people of all ages on board. I saw about 3-4 infants, about 60
children under 18, and a number of
couple celebrating their 40 and 50th anniversaries. Special thanks to Mike Brodlieb at
Cruise Connections in Connecticut, Lori
Cunningham at Skyscraper Tours in Arkansas and many previous cruisers who emailed me with
answers to my questions.
Thanks again and happy cruising. If you have specific questions about our experience, feel
free to email me.
Name: Jocelyn Eisenberg
Email: jocelyn_eisenberg@torho.xc.xerox.com
Age: 38
Occupation: Marketing Manager
NumberOfCruises: 4
TravelAgent: No
Ship: RoyalCaribbean-Sovereign
SailingDate: 12/13/97
Itinerary: 11 night circle the Caribbean
FoodDiningRoom: 80
CruiseDirector: 80
CabinComfort: 92
FoodRoomService: 85
CruiseStaff: 86
CabinAmenities: 92
FoodLidoDeck: 86
DiningRoomService: 70
CabinQuietness: 60
FoodMidnightBuffets:
CabinSteward: 88
ShoreExcVariety: 85
FoodVariety: 85
DeckService: 80
ShoreExcValue: 85
GoodForHoneymoon:
CasinoStaff: 75
PrivateIsland:
GoodForFamilies:
LoungeService: 75
TenderService: 60
GoodForSeniors:
BeautySalonStaff: 75
EntertainmentLounges: 60
WheelchairAccess:
ExerciseFacilities: 85
EntertShowLounge: 65
OverallPortsofCall: 88
BeautySalon: 75
EntertainmentPoolside: 85
CruiseActivities: 80
Casino: 75
AirSeaProgram:
MedicalFacilities:
ShipCleanliness: 96
EmbarkDisembark: 90
DiscoNightclubs:
DeckSpace: 78
Stabilization: 95
ShopsOnBoard: 80
SpaceRatio: 85
OverallCruiseValue: 95
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 27 Dec 1997
Time: 22:17:22
Remote Name: 208.140.33.4
Remote User:
Comments
Although our fourth cruise, it was our first on RCCL. The ship is absolutely gorgeous. The
itinerary was great for us because we scuba dive.
There were scuba excursions, as well as a good variety of other activities for the ports.
Bad weather caused us to miss our first port, Key
West, so we had three days at sea to start off the cruise instead of two. The glass
enclosed solarium with pool and hot tubs was a great
reprieve during those rainy days, until many of the 200 largely unsupervised children
discovered it and invaded our space. The average
cruiser on this ship sure appeared to be in the retirement age group and the entertainment
was definitely geared for that crowd. An act that I
would describe as gymnastics was billed as a comedy. There was some great entertainment,
with an incredible pianist who performed a
couple of times, but offset by a lot of bad to mediocre entertainment. There were no
comedians, no late night entertainment, short of a dj or
lounge piano. Our dining room waiter had a bad attitude, and his assistant purportedly had
a family emergency and left the ship mid-way
through the cruise. The assistant had been absent during breakfast and lunch as he was
assigned to the Windjammer cafe, leaving our waiter
shorthanded, and of course, the service lacking. We found his replacement to be much
better. The food was okay, but the menu started
getting repeated toward the end of the cruise. The presentation of the food was poor. The
pleasant surprise was that we had an inside cabin
for the first time, and were quite happy with it. Although a little smaller than the
outside cabins, there was plenty of storage space, and being
able to tune the tv to the bridge camera allowed us to check the weather without leaving
our room. Overall, since we took this cruise
primarily for the ports, we very much enjoyed it. As for the RCCL experience however, I'd
go back to NCL or try another cruise line for better
food and entertainment geared to those of us still in the workforce.
Name: Patricia Popka
Email: trespasr@peganet.com
Age: 32
Occupation: Retail Management
NumberOfCruises: 5
TravelAgent: No
Ship: RoyalCaribbean-Sovereign
SailingDate: July 18, 1997
Itinerary: Bahamas
FoodDiningRoom: 79
CruiseDirector: 88
CabinComfort: 79
FoodRoomService:
CruiseStaff: 75
CabinAmenities: 79
FoodLidoDeck: 75
DiningRoomService: 80
CabinQuietness: 80
FoodMidnightBuffets: 70
CabinSteward: 79
ShoreExcVariety:
FoodVariety: 75
DeckService:
ShoreExcValue:
GoodForHoneymoon:
CasinoStaff: 88
PrivateIsland: 90
GoodForFamilies:
LoungeService:
TenderService: 90
GoodForSeniors:
BeautySalonStaff:
EntertainmentLounges: 85
WheelchairAccess:
ExerciseFacilities:
EntertShowLounge: 90
OverallPortsofCall: 80
BeautySalon:
EntertainmentPoolside:
CruiseActivities: 82
Casino: 88
AirSeaProgram:
MedicalFacilities:
ShipCleanliness: 70
EmbarkDisembark: 89
DiscoNightclubs: 72
DeckSpace: 80
Stabilization: 95
ShopsOnBoard: 74
SpaceRatio: 85
OverallCruiseValue: 80
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 07 Mar 1998
Time: 10:13:03
Remote Name: 206.100.65.37
Remote User:
Comments
For someone who has been on several cruises I'd let this 3/4 day sail right on by. I found
it to be overpriced for what I got out of it. Go on another
line or spend the extra money for the 7 day cruise. I would be willing to give RCCL the
benefit of the doubt and try one of their other newer ships for
a 7 day.
Embarking and Disembarking was a snap. No major lines to contend with. But we live in
Florida and get to the port before all the Cruise Connection
buses arrive. I liked how the let you on the ship early in the afternoon instead of close
to departure time.
Unfortunately, I was disappointed as soon as I got to my our cabin to use the bathroom. It
was horrible. There was body hair all over, in the shower,
sink, and toilet. Yuck! Meanwhile my husband wanted to catch a quick nap. Not in that bed.
The sheets had hair in them too. We had a third person
with us. And the third bed was not made up at all. I found the cabin steward and explained
our situation. She said the bathroom was already
cleaned but she would do it again. That consisted of drenching the entire bathroom with
water from the shower hose. No cleaner. Bring your Lysol to
disinfect. Now I asked about the third bed not being made up. She said they are not made
up until we go to dinner-RCCL policy. Well that's one they
need to change. What if you had a long flight from somewhere else and you wanted to rest
before dinner? I also found it annoying that there were
three people booked in our room and only two towels, etc. That didn't change any time on
the cruise- even after we told her about it.
We requested late seating for dinner and were happily rewarded with that. My
disappointment continued with dinner. I found the food was generally
lukewarm, of poor quality, and rather unexciting. The midnight buffets were the worst I've
seen afloat so far. They were on deck in the humid night
air. The food was less than cafeteria quality and alot of it was leftovers for lunch and
dinner! The choices were very limited. I literally saw some lunch
meat that looked like Spam! My husband and I stuck to the cheese and fruit. The service
was fair overall. I imagine it's hard to get top notch service
when the waiters have so many tables in their sections. Our waiter was a very nice and
friendly guy. However, don't expect the wine steward to have
the wine to your table before you finish dinner. We ordered a bottle and it came at
dessert. We sent it back at that point. So if you'd like a drink with
dinner go to one of the bars and get one yourself before you sit down. I did like the fact
that all sodas were included in the cruise price. Not all are
that way.
We really enjoyed the private island, Coco Cay. There was alot to do there. I liked the
idea that you could snorkel right of the beach. There were also
a few shops set up there selling t-shirts, crafts, etc. During the day they had a cookout
for everyone on the island. It was nice and no lines to my
amazement.
In the evenings we hit the disco for alittle excitement. We like top 40 music so this is
generally a good hangout. The layout of the disco was good as
well as the sound system. But they really need to update their CD's. It was more like the
bottom 40 not the top 40. Everything we requested he didn't
have.
At night we also saw the shows they had on board. We saw Grease while we were onboard and
it was well done. The show lounges were done very
nicely. And I was surprised that you didn't have to get there early to get a seat.
I've heard alot of good things about Sov. of the Seas. Unfortunately, we just didn't seem
to experience them on this cruise. I think RCCL needs to do
alittle revamping. The ship needs cleaned up a bit. It was too dirty(stained carpets) for
only being less than 10 years old. They might start thinking
about hiring more staff to accomadate the number of cruisers they get. Something must be
done about the food choices and quality. Perhaps
adding the filet and lobster tail back to the menu would be a good start. Until then I'd
much rather cruise with NCL or Celebrity. Any further questions
feel free to e-mail me.
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