2/26 Monarch of the Seas Trip Review

[panzafit]

Recently my family and I (husband, in-laws, and 11 year old daughter) went on our first cruise on the 3 day Monarch of the Seas cruise to Nassau and Cococay (which we did not go to). Unfortunately we were not impressed and my husband has informed me he will never cruise again. Even my daughter is not sure about going on another cruise. Anyways, here is my review.

 

Getting on and off the ship:

This was the best part of the trip. Getting on was very easy and we boarded around 2:15pm. Getting off was even easier. We left our room at 7:45am and were in the car by 8:10am.

 

Room:

We were in room 3579 and I must say that I really liked the location. We had 3 people in the room so we had the beds pushed together and 1 pulldown bed. Although a little squished it was not that bad at all.

 

Weather:

Cold, Cold, Cold. I think the highest it got while we were there was 69, but the wind chill was incredible. The upside, it was very easy to find a lounge chair by the pool - in my jeans and jacket. It rained the second night so the midnight buffet was inside. I was not impressed with the midnight buffet at all. Seemed to be basically the same food that is usually in the windjammer, just with ice sculptures (2) and a bread table. There was no one outside any of the days we were there. In fact the last night we sat out by the pool and we were the only people out there...as we watched all the water go out of the pool and overboard due to rough waters.

 

Adventure Ocean:

I cannot even describe my disappointment with this program. All over this forum you read "make sure your kids go the first night so they can form their clicks". Not 1 child over 6 was in this program (well atleast not before 11:30pm). So what do they do if you show up with an 11 year old and there's no one else there but 6 and under aged kids. They tell the 11 year old she will have to play with the little kids. So I ask the counselors about the video games and tv and such, why can she not play with that stuff for a little while. Nope, she had to play with the little kids. So I ask about moving her up to the 12-14. They were fine with that but there was no one up in the teen area either. I went back and checked every hour from 8pm til 11:30pm since I had talked up the kids program to get her interested. Nope, only 6 and under and they wouldn't let her play with the video games/tv and such. So, first night, my daughter is highly disappointed that she can't even just go and watch tv. Needless to say we did not check the rest of the time as I was begged "please mom don't make me go play with the little kids". So....my husband and I did not get to go to any of the adult places or have any alone time.

 

Ok, so since there was no one in the teen area, it's freezing cold, we are with my in-laws, and to bring my daughters spirits up we told her we would go play ping pong (which is right outside the 12-17 age group club, Fuel). So my husband, daughter, and I start playing ping pong and the in-laws go into Fuel to watch through the window since there is no one in there and it is cold. THEY KICKED MY IN-LAWS OUT!!!!!!! They told them it was only for 12-17 year olds. THERE WAS NO ONE IN THERE! Which we already knew due to the experience with Adventure Ocean. So they explained that we were playing ping pong since my daughter was so disappointed and they wanted to watch out the window since it was cold and there was no one in there. They asked if they could stay in there until some kids showed up and then they would leave. They were told no, they had to leave. I was so mad. So now not only could my daughter not be included in the kids group but now they're kicking my in-laws out of an empty club.

 

Dinner:

I was ok with dinner all three nights. It was food and I was hungry. We had mishap here as well though. We were at table 38. So we are seated only to get yelled at by a staff member telling us we are sitting at the wrong table. We tell them it was were we were seated. They go off in a rush. (oh and the table # on the table is 38) 3 more people come and tell us we are in the wrong place. We told them we would be happy to move if someone would tell us where. So finally they move us to table #22 and tell us this will be our table the rest of the time. Fine. So....night 3, we go to sit at table #22 (the table we had been using) only for the head waiter to come over and give my in-laws a hard time and starts yelling and making a big scene that we are at the wrong table. That we should be at table 38. We try to explain to him what happened and that we are at the right table. Again, he starts making a big scene that we are at the wrong table. Finally the assistant waiter comes over and clears it up. So 2 nights out of 3 at dinner we were humiliated.

 

Ports:

We were able to stop at Nassau, which was ok if you like cramped flea markets with pushy vendors. We went over to Paradise Island but only briefly as the ferry's last ride was at 5:30 (we got there around 2:30).

We were really looking forward to Cococay....which we did not stop at.

 

Revised Day at Sea:

Ok, so I cannot even count how many parents I saw that had to talk down their crying children who were ready for Cococay. They come over the speaker saying that the anchored and tryed to tender at Cococay but it wasn't going to be possible. (Hmmmm.........I went out around 7:45am and could bearly make out land mass.....exactly how long did they anchor?) So we gave the itinerary to my daughter to find activities. The family feud thing was cute. The family outburst was just the bartended leaving out the game board at the end of the bar. The trivia games was them handing out sheets of paper so you could write the answers. They moved the adult comedian from nightime to 3pm. It reminded me of when it rains on the weekend. Basically, it sucked. We could not find anything to do after 6:30 as the posted compass signs said "see original compass for evening activities"....why would they not change these out. So we walked around. No one by pool, Windjammer closed, no one in Baleros, people in the casino but my daughter and I were told atleast 5 times in 2 minutes that kids were not allowed in the casino. (we were walking from Sound Of Music to the Centrum, which at that time thought you had to go through the casino-so we were just walking through and were told 5 times kids were not allowed, which we knew, just didn't know how to go the other way yet) So once again, my daughter is left to feel "unwanted" and embarrassed once again and she started making the "why do they even tell kids they can come on the cruise if they won't let them go anywhere".

 

Anyways.....this was my family's first cruise and we were not impressed and will probably never cruise again based on this experience.......atleast definately NOT with Royal Carribean.

[panzafit]

I forgot one part: on formal night, my daughter and I want to get our picture taken together. There was no line in front of the metal statue thing and we asked the photographer what we had to do. We were told to wait a few minutes and he would be with us. So we did. 15 minutes later we are still the only ones in line, he is standing over joking with one of the other photographers. So I walk over and remind him we are waiting for our picture to be taken. He tells me "in a few minutes". So we wait 5 more minutes. No change in situation, so my daughter and I get in front of the statue and I ask my husband to take the picture. The photographer runs over to my husband, grabs the camera and tells him that he has to delete the pictures. So my husband explains that we have been waiting there 20 minutes for him to take the picture and he hasn't so he though he would just snap one (it wasn't a back drop, the same statue is there whether the photographer was or not). He hands the camera back to my husband and tells him to delete the pictures he took. Stands over his shoulder while he does it. The photographer takes pictures of me and daughter (they came out blurry to the point you can't really even recognize us). Then we see people on the stairs taking pictures of their friends getting the sunset picture in the centrum. So my husband asks the photographer that took our picture why they were able to take pictures but he had to delete his. We were told that they can't stop everyone.

[cruisebunnies]

I was on the Monarch 3day Jan.29/10.For what i paid my wife and inlaws would have considered it a good cruise if they made us sleep on the floor and fed us leftovers.We did not make Coco Cay either but RCCL does not make the weather.

It has always been my experience that people get treated they way they treat others.

I am rethinking cruising not because of the cruise lines or the ships crew but , because every cruise i have been on (16) many of the passengers think that for a few hundred dollars they should be treated as royalty on the royal yacht Brittania.

When i am fed and someone cleans up after me i am happy ,a bad vacation is sure better than a good day at home.

Hopefully the unhappy cruisers will start to stay home and i will be able to cruise again one day with people who appreciate how lucky we all are to be able to go on holidays.

[panzafit]

I wish this cruise only cost a few hundred dollars. We paid a little over $1300 for the 3 of us for 3 days (just for the cruise and 2 pictures, this does not include souveniers, ferry cost, excursions). It is one of the most expensive vacations we have ever had, only to get "yelled at" by the staff the entire time and for the staff to make my daughter feel as though she didn't belong. Which, we are a very quiet family and never complain, cause a scene or anything. But when we got home and started thinking how much we paid, what we got and how we would have been happier just staying home. And then we really got mad when we heard my daughter (age 11) telling her friend that the trip wasn't that great, she doesn't know why people are always braging about cruises and she would have rather gone to Wild Adventures (a theme park she goes to all the time).

[wolfcathorse]

I'll be on Monarch March 19 and now I'm worried! I was on her 2 years ago and it was wonderful. I hope you posted your dissatisfaction on the comment cards, they do read them. Perhaps everyone, including the crew, was cranky because of the cold weather.

[jlocole]

I'm sorry your cruise was a disappointment. I am taking my husband on his first cruise on the Monarch on March 29 and I hope he has a better time than your family did.

 

We have taken our son on vacations and it is always hit and miss whether he finds a buddy to play with; often times it was in Mexico and the kids spoke Spanish and he didn't.

 

Fingers crossed we make Cococay; I need some vitamin D on my old white body.

[PH8]

I'll be on Monarch March 19 and now I'm worried! I was on her 2 years ago and it was wonderful. I hope you posted your dissatisfaction on the comment cards, they do read them. Perhaps everyone, including the crew, was cranky because of the cold weather.

I dont know how to respond to the OP,but wanted to tell you,I have never been yelled at by any crew............I just can't picture that happening.....

 

and I do think its a little dramatic :rolleyes:that the op said "Ok, so I cannot even count how many parents I saw that had to talk down their crying children who were ready for Cococay" Really??

 

so go enjoy your cruise........the MN staff and crew are fabulous,at least in MY BOOK..:)

[panzafit]

Most I have spoke to have a great time on cruises on the Monarch. I know that my cruise was a little strange (as the security guard at customs told me on the way out and several others who have done this cruise before who enjoyed it before but not this time) and yes, I definately heard the staff complaining about the cold and wondering when it will warm up. This was just my and my family's experience. I actually have video of the "big commotion" the third night at dinner, but do not feel the need to post it. Our room was kept clean and our food was brought and taken away. I guess this was just our Murphy's Law vacation (if it can go wrong it will).

[panzafit]

I dont know how to respond to the OP,but wanted to tell you,I have never been yelled at by any crew............I just can't picture that happening.....

 

and I do think its a little dramatic :rolleyes:that the op said "Ok, so I cannot even count how many parents I saw that had to talk down their crying children who were ready for Cococay" Really??

 

so go enjoy your cruise........the MN staff and crew are fabulous,at least in MY BOOK..:)

 

Yes, really. I counted atleast 20 kids crying that were in bathing suits and floaties (not sure how many before I started counting) One parent told me they didn't realize they were not stopping until after the kids were ready as they were ready at 8am (since we were suppose to get off around 8am) and the announcement was not made until 8am.

[PH8]

Yes, really. I counted atleast 20 kids crying that were in bathing suits and floaties (not sure how many before I started counting) One parent told me they didn't realize they were not stopping until after the kids were ready as they were ready at 8am (since we were suppose to get off around 8am) and the announcement was not made until 8am.

I just dont know what to say......:rolleyes:

[panzafit]

I just dont know what to say......:rolleyes:

 

It's ok. Like I said before, cruisers who have been on this cruise before (which my in laws have been twice before) were surprised with how bad this particular sailing was, the customs guard stated it was odd how many came off of it angry, and I'm just considering it my "murphy's law" vacation.

[Shooraq]

It's ok. Like I said before, cruisers who have been on this cruise before (which my in laws have been twice before) were surprised with how bad this particular sailing was, the customs guard stated it was odd how many came off of it angry, and I'm just considering it my "murphy's law" vacation.

 

I responded to your other thread regarding Monarch.

 

I will agree that the weather was bad, cancelling CocoCay and making it a rough day at sea, but that is the challenge of travelling durin hurrican season or winter.

 

I cannot respond to the issues you may have had with your daugther and Adventure Ocean or the photographer. It will always be unfortunately that kids are disappointed with not making the beach as planned.

 

Here's my thoughts - you gotta make the most of your vacation. My thought was, my family barely made it on the ship because NJ had over 32" of snow and barely made our flights. I will take windy cold weather on a cruise ship than be stuck in a blizzard. My mom, sister and I drank, listened to great bands on the ship, and really got to bond. That's all that mattered. This paricular cruise may have had its snags, but I don't think it was that bad - we still had a fun time and I'm going back in May! :)

[cb at sea]

While I can't address anything but the weather, let me say I understand. I know we don't have control over it, and it has been a sucky winter, so I get how disappointing it is to be ready for warm weather and it doesn't happen...that can (and does) affect the way I will view my vacation.

Our 1st cruise was rough and rainy with little sun....I'm actually surprised that we attempted a 2nd cruise, because I was totally frustrated with the weather...I mean, you're SUPPOSED to come home with a tan! However, the staff were wonderful, so we didn't have that issue at all.

We did cruise again, and the 2nd one is the one that "hooked" us...perfect weather, smooth seas....

So, I get where you're coming from, as far as the weather is concerned.

[Working 2 Cruise]

Recently my family and I (husband, in-laws, and 11 year old daughter) went on our first cruise on the 3 day Monarch of the Seas cruise to Nassau and Cococay (which we did not go to). Unfortunately we were not impressed and my husband has informed me he will never cruise again. Even my daughter is not sure about going on another cruise. Anyways, here is my review.

 

Getting on and off the ship:

This was the best part of the trip. Getting on was very easy and we boarded around 2:15pm. Getting off was even easier. We left our room at 7:45am and were in the car by 8:10am.

 

Room:

We were in room 3579 and I must say that I really liked the location. We had 3 people in the room so we had the beds pushed together and 1 pulldown bed. Although a little squished it was not that bad at all.

 

Weather:

Cold, Cold, Cold. I think the highest it got while we were there was 69, but the wind chill was incredible. The upside, it was very easy to find a lounge chair by the pool - in my jeans and jacket. It rained the second night so the midnight buffet was inside. I was not impressed with the midnight buffet at all. Seemed to be basically the same food that is usually in the windjammer, just with ice sculptures (2) and a bread table. There was no one outside any of the days we were there. In fact the last night we sat out by the pool and we were the only people out there...as we watched all the water go out of the pool and overboard due to rough waters.

 

Adventure Ocean:

I cannot even describe my disappointment with this program. All over this forum you read "make sure your kids go the first night so they can form their clicks". Not 1 child over 6 was in this program (well atleast not before 11:30pm). So what do they do if you show up with an 11 year old and there's no one else there but 6 and under aged kids. They tell the 11 year old she will have to play with the little kids. So I ask the counselors about the video games and tv and such, why can she not play with that stuff for a little while. Nope, she had to play with the little kids. So I ask about moving her up to the 12-14. They were fine with that but there was no one up in the teen area either. I went back and checked every hour from 8pm til 11:30pm since I had talked up the kids program to get her interested. Nope, only 6 and under and they wouldn't let her play with the video games/tv and such. So, first night, my daughter is highly disappointed that she can't even just go and watch tv. Needless to say we did not check the rest of the time as I was begged "please mom don't make me go play with the little kids". So....my husband and I did not get to go to any of the adult places or have any alone time.

 

Ok, so since there was no one in the teen area, it's freezing cold, we are with my in-laws, and to bring my daughters spirits up we told her we would go play ping pong (which is right outside the 12-17 age group club, Fuel). So my husband, daughter, and I start playing ping pong and the in-laws go into Fuel to watch through the window since there is no one in there and it is cold. THEY KICKED MY IN-LAWS OUT!!!!!!! They told them it was only for 12-17 year olds. THERE WAS NO ONE IN THERE! Which we already knew due to the experience with Adventure Ocean. So they explained that we were playing ping pong since my daughter was so disappointed and they wanted to watch out the window since it was cold and there was no one in there. They asked if they could stay in there until some kids showed up and then they would leave. They were told no, they had to leave. I was so mad. So now not only could my daughter not be included in the kids group but now they're kicking my in-laws out of an empty club.

 

Dinner:

I was ok with dinner all three nights. It was food and I was hungry. We had mishap here as well though. We were at table 38. So we are seated only to get yelled at by a staff member telling us we are sitting at the wrong table. We tell them it was were we were seated. They go off in a rush. (oh and the table # on the table is 38) 3 more people come and tell us we are in the wrong place. We told them we would be happy to move if someone would tell us where. So finally they move us to table #22 and tell us this will be our table the rest of the time. Fine. So....night 3, we go to sit at table #22 (the table we had been using) only for the head waiter to come over and give my in-laws a hard time and starts yelling and making a big scene that we are at the wrong table. That we should be at table 38. We try to explain to him what happened and that we are at the right table. Again, he starts making a big scene that we are at the wrong table. Finally the assistant waiter comes over and clears it up. So 2 nights out of 3 at dinner we were humiliated.

 

Ports:

We were able to stop at Nassau, which was ok if you like cramped flea markets with pushy vendors. We went over to Paradise Island but only briefly as the ferry's last ride was at 5:30 (we got there around 2:30).

We were really looking forward to Cococay....which we did not stop at.

 

Revised Day at Sea:

Ok, so I cannot even count how many parents I saw that had to talk down their crying children who were ready for Cococay. They come over the speaker saying that the anchored and tryed to tender at Cococay but it wasn't going to be possible. (Hmmmm.........I went out around 7:45am and could bearly make out land mass.....exactly how long did they anchor?) So we gave the itinerary to my daughter to find activities. The family feud thing was cute. The family outburst was just the bartended leaving out the game board at the end of the bar. The trivia games was them handing out sheets of paper so you could write the answers. They moved the adult comedian from nightime to 3pm. It reminded me of when it rains on the weekend. Basically, it sucked. We could not find anything to do after 6:30 as the posted compass signs said "see original compass for evening activities"....why would they not change these out. So we walked around. No one by pool, Windjammer closed, no one in Baleros, people in the casino but my daughter and I were told atleast 5 times in 2 minutes that kids were not allowed in the casino. (we were walking from Sound Of Music to the Centrum, which at that time thought you had to go through the casino-so we were just walking through and were told 5 times kids were not allowed, which we knew, just didn't know how to go the other way yet) So once again, my daughter is left to feel "unwanted" and embarrassed once again and she started making the "why do they even tell kids they can come on the cruise if they won't let them go anywhere".

 

Anyways.....this was my family's first cruise and we were not impressed and will probably never cruise again based on this experience.......atleast definately NOT with Royal Carribean.

 

Sorry to hear about your experience. I sailed on Monarch and loved every minute of it. There is nothing that could be done regarding weather conditions. Also, have you thought of going during spring break? A lot of children would be there at that time... I hope this does not discourage you from cruising...

[pcutrone]

To the OP - I understand that a disappointed child and lousy weather could upset a vacation. It happens. I truly hope you will give cruising another chance. It is really a wonderful and fun vacation. I would take a longer cruise on one of Royal's much bigger ships and go at a time where more kids might be on it (school breaks, summer, etc.). The Bahamas, being off the coast of Florida, are a risk in the winter. Florida has had frigid temperatures this winter, which nobody could have predicted. It has upset many people's vacations. Read the Disney boards if you have some time. Those people pay through the nose to go to the best private island ever created, Castaway Cay, and they've been missing it on some sailings due to weather. Many Royal sailings are missing CocoCay as well. It's a bummer, for sure. You plan for something and are excited about it and then it doesn't happen. It's my nature to make the best of any situation, but I understand the OP's point. Let's just hope the great people on these boards can convince her to try it again!

[yogimax]

So we are seated only to get yelled at by a staff member telling us we are sitting at the wrong table.

 

So someone came up to your table and "yelled" at you? How loud were they?

[panzafit]

So someone came up to your table and "yelled" at you? How loud were they?

 

It caused a pretty big scene. Especially since other people are trying to get to their tables and there we were standing there blocking the way cuz it got louder when we would try to sit.

 

Thank you everyone for your comments. My daughter and I have decided to give cruising one more shot, but not for atleast a year and she says she will not ever try the youth club again. My husband, unfortunately, has said he will never step one foot on another cruise ship. Between the weather, the Adventure Ocean staff, the photographer, and the dining staff (other that the assistant waiter) he said he is done with cruises.