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Name: Robert Rasch
Email: rasch@ils.nwu.edu
Age: 30
Occupation: Army
NumberOfCruises: 1
TravelAgent: No
Ship: RoyalCaribbean-Sovereign
SailingDate: 23-27 Mar 98
Itinerary: Nassau, CocoCay, Key West
FoodDiningRoom: 100
CruiseDirector: 95
CabinComfort: 96
FoodRoomService: 95
CruiseStaff: 98
CabinAmenities: 93
FoodLidoDeck:
DiningRoomService: 100
CabinQuietness: 92
FoodMidnightBuffets: 90
CabinSteward: 95
ShoreExcVariety: 90
FoodVariety: 95
DeckService: 100
ShoreExcValue: 90
GoodForHoneymoon: 100
CasinoStaff: 90
PrivateIsland:
GoodForFamilies: 90
LoungeService: 95
TenderService:
GoodForSeniors: 90
BeautySalonStaff:
EntertainmentLounges: 95
WheelchairAccess:
ExerciseFacilities:
EntertShowLounge: 85
OverallPortsofCall: 93
BeautySalon:
EntertainmentPoolside: 95
CruiseActivities: 98
Casino: 88
AirSeaProgram:
MedicalFacilities:
ShipCleanliness: 95
EmbarkDisembark: 99
DiscoNightclubs:
DeckSpace: 96
Stabilization: 92
ShopsOnBoard: 95
SpaceRatio: 97
OverallCruiseValue: 98
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 30 Mar 1998
Time: 17:46:38
Remote Name: 129.105.100.140
Remote User:
Comments
This being my wife and my first real cruise, we were not quite sure what to expect other
than that we sure needed the
vacation. Overall, we had a really great time, and I offer big kudos to the crew of the
Sovereign of the Seas. Since many
others reading this may be as inexperienced as I was, I will tailor my comments to those
individuals. The Sovereign of
the Seas is a beautiful ship. It was also much, much bigger than the others located in the
Miami port on our embarkation
day. It is funny though, there we were with over 2300 other people, and I never felt
crowded. We arrived at the docks at
about 2:00 (one hour after embarkation had begun), and were on the ship drinking our first
Pina Colada by 2:20. I was
really pleased with the whole embarkation process. We were immediately shown to our room
and our bags arrived a few
hours later (in plenty of time to change for dinner). If you plan on getting right in the
pool upon embarkation, I would
recommend bringing a bathing suit in a carry-on. Otherwise, shorts are quite appropriate
for roaming the ship those
first few hours to get the feel of where everything is located. Our room was much bigger
than I had expected and was
more than enough room for the two of us (although it would be crowded with a family of
four). There were several
information sessions regarding shopping at ports and excursions during that first
afternoon in the Main Follies Lounge
that were quite beneficial to my wife and I since it was our first time on a cruise and
first time going to Nassau. They
provided maps of downtown Nassau and recommended stores for shopping. The maps were
useful, but I am not so sure
about the recommended stores. It seemed that the prices in these stores were a little
overpriced (maybe an RCCL
kickback?) but they still proved to be good places to start. I had read negative comments
about the Straw Market in
Nassau (especially the locals), but we found the people to be extremely nice, as long as
you are willing to haggle and
say no to their offers on merchandise. But, more on that later. After spending the first
few hours sampling the drinks, we
prepared for our first of many enjoyable dining experiences. Dress varied (this was a
smart casual dinner) from slacks
and a sports shirt to coats for men, and many women wore summer dresses. I had read so-so
comments about the food
on the Sovereign in previous reviews, but I do not know what some people expect. My four
days on board provided the
most gluttony I have ever experienced. Every meal was delicious and the service was
impeccable. We had main seating
for dinner (6:00-7:30) and we felt the timing was great. Our table waiter was excellent
and the assistant was incredible
as well. We had a unique table, having the only female table waiter on the ship (Mary),
and she served us well. My hats
off to the whole dining room staff. What made our dinners even better was the great group
of people we had at our table.
We met some really nice couples on board and spent a lot of time with them throughout the
cruise. The only person that
kind of annoyed me was the wine steward. After deciding early that I wanted a bottle of
wine with dinner every night, the
wine steward then proceeded to try and push the most expensive bottle of wine every night.
I am not a wine expert, so I
figured that I wouldn't know the difference between a $100 bottle of wine and a $30 bottle
of wine, so we chose the latter
and were happy. Our first night at sea was a little rough (high winds) and you could feel
the ship rocking a little, but the
free Bonine tablets offered at the pursers desk did the trick and I didn't skip a beat.
The next morning we were at
Nassau and we took the 9:00am snorkeling excursion ($38 per) and took off on a one- hour
sail. Having never snorkeled
on a coral reef, it was a great experience and the fish and coral were beautiful. I
believe it was a contracted boat, but
our crew of two (local Bahamians) were very nice and loosened us up nicely with some good
jokes. The water was cold,
but the trip was worth the price (and the free rum punch didn't hurt it either). We got
back to the ship at about 11:45am
and that gave us plenty of time to grab lunch and then head into Nassau for shopping. We
enjoyed walking around
Nassau, even though it was a little crowded. We purchased our fair share of T-shirts and
straw hats and headed back for
dinner. My only complaint about Nassau is that we spent too much time there. Nassau was
our late night (we were
docked until 3:00am the next morning), but I don't know anyone who actually went into town
at night. Everyone I talked
to stayed on the ship because they were unsure where to go or were afraid to go. My
recommendation to RCCL is to
make the Key West the late night stop, because more people would feel comfortable spending
time there at night, but I
am sure they won't change it because they made a lot of money on the ship that night that
wasn't spent in town. There
was plenty to do on the ship. The casino was fun, but we didn't win anything. We both made
a $20 contribution each
night to help us wind down and get ready for bed. My wife and I really enjoyed the
"Howl at the Moon" shows that had a
couple of great piano players doing sing-alongs. The karaoke was also fun to watch. There
were always pool activities
during the day with a great Reggae band at poolside. The main show entertainment was kind
of weak at the first of our
cruise, but the show the last night was entertaining. Although we had every intention of
participating in the ship-shape
programs offered, we ended up passing on them because the lure of Margaritas was always
too great. Anyway, there
isn't much chance to get bored, but I would say that a majority of the entertainment was
aimed towards a crowd our age
or younger (I am 30, my wife is 25). Our trip to CocoCay was cancelled because the seas
were to rough for the tenders
to safely make the passenger exchange, so we were disappointed in that, but kudos to the
captain for making a tough
choice in regards to safety (even if it was an unpopular decision). Additionally, they
made it up with a free hour of
bloody-marys and screwdrivers. So, we spent most of that day lounging around the pool. It
was a little crowded but there
always seemed to be open lounge chairs if you were willing to walk up to the sun deck. Our
Key West stop was nice as
well. It was a nice island with a lot of history. We opted to forego any excursions, but a
couple we met did the kayaking
trip and said they had a great time. We spent most of the day walking around looking in
the stores, then headed back to
the ship to catch more sun out by the pool. That night we prepared for our last night at
sea and for disembarkment. It
took no time, and their only requirement was to fill out one small customs form and have
your carry-off luggage outside
the room by midnight. We accomplished this quickly and then were able to spend the rest of
our last night with our new
friends. Disembarkation went smoothly. They announced that people needed to clear their
rooms by 8:30 so that they
could begin prepping for the next cruise, so we went up on the pool deck and enjoyed our
last few hours on board
talking with friends. They allow passengers to leave by colors (they assign you a color
the night prior and you tag your
baggage with that color) and then we disembarked when they called us. Disembarking began
at about 9:30am, and
everyone was off the ship by 10:30. Not to bad for 2300 people. We found our luggage
relatively easily, and although one
of our bags had a broken handle, an RCCL representative was right there on the spot to
handle the problem and to fill
out the damaged-bag form. Haven't tried to get reimbursed yet, but e-mail me and I will
tell you how that went. Overall,
we very much enjoyed our trip and would recommend it to others in a heartbeat.
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