4-Night Monarch of the Seas - Suite Life - Picture Review

[LittleMissMagic]

Hello, CCers!

 

I recently returned from the 4-night June 4 Monarch of the Seas sailing. After the popularity of my last picture review (8-Night Christmas Cruise on Adventure of the Seas), I've decided to post another!

 

Before we get started, I figure I should start with a disclaimer: This will be a very detailed, very picture-filled trip report. It is very unlikely that I will have one long-winded post reviewing the cruise in its entirety. I am a very visual person, so I take lots of pictures in attempt to share my perspective with others. There may, at some times, be more pictures than words.

 

Now that we're talking about cameras, I'll go ahead and let you know that I use a Nikon1 J1 which is a compact DSLR camera, and I just bought a Nikon aw100, a waterproof, shockproof point-and-shoot digital camera, for my sister. My father uses a Canon EOS Rebel, a DSLR camera.

 

Backstory: Cruise Planning Drama

 

For all of high school, my sister had wanted to go on a graduation cruise with her best friends. This is something they had talked about for a while, and this past fall, my sister and her best friend sat down and chose a cruise - a 7-night mother/daughter cruise on Royal Caribbean's Freedom of the Seas. They confirmed it with the group and everyone gave it the thumbs up to us.... apparently everyone knew that this cruise wasn't going to happen, but they didn't tell us. They let us book this mother/daughter cruise onboard our Christmas cruise so we could get onboard credits for the rooms (a promo when you book while onboard). Well, as soon as we get home and tell them the good news - oh, no - that's not the cruise we're going to do. They want to do a 4-night on the Monarch of the Seas (this ship is retiring in April) so that all of their families can come to. It was a big mess of whose-side-am-I-on? game playing. In the end, Rachel agreed to do the big cruise with all of the families because she did want to go on a cruise with all of her friends. So, we were left to cancel and rebook the cruise (yeah, we get stuck with all of the dirty work... or actually I did because my Dad was back at work and booking vacations isn't my mother's strongsuit) for everyone.

 

Well, in the whole cruise-planning fiasco, the compromise was that they would do the 4-night cruise, then go to Disney afterwards. Hearing this, my Dad and I booked 2 nights at the Beach Club Resort following our cruise. Well.... exactly one week before we leave, we learn that no one is going to Disney anymore. They were going to Universal Studios (should've known!). So Rachel was in tears. It was too late to cancel Disney, but I did convince Mom and Dad to offer for Rachel to go to Universal with her friends.

 

In the meantime of all of this vacation rearranging, when we switched from a 7-night to a 4-night, the cruise departed a day later. So, we decided to stick with our original plan of driving the night and instead go to Magic Kingdom that day. We also got to bring Rachel's best friend with us.

 

Now let the adventure begin!!!

[LittleMissMagic]

Saturday, June 2, 2012

 

Rachel graduated Valedictorian.

 

DSC_4555 by vshingl, on Flickr

 

And we went back to the house to eat cake with a few close family friends.

 

DSC_5154 by vshingl, on Flickr

 

We then rushed to leave so that we could get to Disney in time for our 8:10 Chef Mickey's ADR. We were seriously running around the house, frantically packing and loading things in the car. Our entire week had been chaotic with house guests and graduation celebrations, and we hadn't had much time for packing beforehand. Luckily, I had already laid all of my clothes out on the bed.

[Kteacher]

love your reviews :). How did you like the Beach Club at WDW? I'm stsaying there for the first time next October.

[frommichigan]

My husband and I really enjoyed your last review. Looking forward to this one:)

 

Amanda

[DonnaK]

Valedictorian! WOW!

 

I love photo reviews, and I'm looking forward to the rest of yours.

Edited June 12, 2012 by DonnaK

[LittleMissMagic]

We were making great time to Disney until we ran into construction on Florida. Close to 7:00, we realized that we were either going to have to go to Chef Mickey's just how we were (in our pajamas with our hair all tangled) or arrive at Chef Mickey's late. We stopped at the nice travel plaza along the Florida turnpike to get ready, and Dad called Disney dining to let them know we were arriving late - which they told us was fine, and that as long as we arrived within thirty minutes of our ADR, they would seat us fairly quickly - otherwise, we might have to wait fifteen to twenty minutes.

 

Now, I'll only post a few photos and descriptions about Disney, since this is a cruise forum. We enjoy Disney and visit several times a year (we had already been in March this year). If you're curious about our time at Disney, check out my Disney trip report!

 

The Contemporary Resort, home of Chef Mickey's Character Breakfast:

 

DSC_5163 by vshingl, on Flickr

 

DSC_5168 by vshingl, on Flickr

 

DSC_5170 by vshingl, on Flickr

 

The girls were given cupcakes to celebrate their graduation -

 

DSC_5177 by vshingl, on Flickr

 

We were visited by Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Goofy, and Pluto

 

DSC_5208 by vshingl, on Flickr

 

Yum! (Sorry, Royal lovers, Chef Mickey's beats the Windjammer anyday!)

 

DSC_5238 by vshingl, on Flickr

[LittleMissMagic]

love your reviews :). How did you like the Beach Club at WDW? I'm stsaying there for the first time next October.

 

LOVED the Beach Club! I wasn't sure how much I'd like it since I lean towards the monorail resorts, but this resort was a destination in itself. We spent our entire first day back from the cruise just relaxing back at the resort (okay, that was partly due to the fact that Rachel decided to pull an all-nighter the last night of the cruise and collapsed in bed as soon as we arrived). Stormalong Bay is wonderful, and all of the pools are sand-bottom, which is really unique and made us feel like we were actually at the beach. We also loved the proximity to Epcot and Hollywood Studios. The first night, we watched IllumiNations from the Yacht Club pier, but I'd actually recommend watching it a little closer along the bridge near Epcot (links the Boardwalk to Epcot) so you can hear the music better - we could hear it faintly in the rain from the pier. We will definitely return here, and are curious to try out the Yacht Club (which is basically the same resort, just different decor).

[LittleMissMagic]

We were surprised to find that Magic Kingdom wasn't crowded at all. Entering after 10:00 in the morning usually means that all of the popular attractions are already clogged with people in stand-by lines and distributed FPs, so we weren't expecting to get to do much. However, we got to do all of our favorite attractions multiple times! It was a great day!

 

DSC_5293 by vshingl, on Flickr

 

DSC_5315 by vshingl, on Flickr

 

DSC_5324 by vshingl, on Flickr

 

DSC_5327 by vshingl, on Flickr

 

DSC_5329 by vshingl, on Flickr

[chipq]

So far very good...keep it coming.

 

 

http://luv2cruise.blogspot.com

[LittleMissMagic]

DSC_5360 by vshingl, on Flickr

DSC_5364 by vshingl, on Flickr

 

DSC_5365 by vshingl, on Flickr

 

DSC_5369 by vshingl, on Flickr

 

DSC_5394 by vshingl, on Flickr

 

DSC_5410 by vshingl, on Flickr

[LittleMissMagic]

We surprised Rachel and Meredith (if you haven't picked up on it, Meredith is the blonde, my sister's best friend since kindergarten) with the Tomorrowland Terrace Fireworks Dessert Party.

 

The girls had wanted to ride Splash Mountain a second time, and Dad was nervous because the FastPasses weren't until 8:00, which was cutting it close to our dessert party, including ride time and walking across the park. So after Splash Mountain, we booked it to Tomorrowland because I had read online to show up 45 minutes beforehand. So Dad was leading the way and Rach and Mere were trailing behind, griping that we were passing up perfectly good parade spots. They didn't catch on to what was going on until we stopped in line to check into the dessert party. They were surprised, for sure, but still weren't quite sure what was going on.

 

We were about three families back in line, and we had a good table in the center (second row back, which is the best a large party can do - the front row is reserved for families of 3).

 

But as soon as Meredith and Rachel saw the desserts, they went crazy! Meredith especially - "This is so awesome!!! I want one of everything!"

 

DSC_5412 by vshingl, on Flickr

 

DSC_5418 by vshingl, on Flickr

 

DSC_5431 by vshingl, on Flickr

 

DSC_5491 by vshingl, on Flickr

 

Wishes by vshingl, on Flickr

 

Untitled by vshingl, on Flickr

[LittleMissMagic]

For the hour-long drive to Port Canaveral, Rachel, Meredith, and I said that we weren't going to sleep.... and we all woke up an hour later at our hotel in Port Canaveral.

 

We booked a 2-bedroom/2-bath at the Residence Inn by Marriott. We are Marriott Rewards members, so we got a good deal on the room. We actually received a voucher for a free room, but when my dad tried to redeem it, they said that was only good for 1-bedrooms. Oh, well.

 

We got in the room, and Meredith says, "I guess I'll sleep on the couch." Rachel - "Uh, actually, Meredith, I think you can sleep in the bed!"

 

DSC_5747 by vshingl, on Flickr

 

Both rooms had a king-size bed. It was essentially two master bedrooms (which is funny because Mom walked in one room, saw the big bed, and was quick to claim the room, unaware that our bed was just as big).

The kitchen was a good size.

 

DSC_5749 by vshingl, on Flickr

 

As was the living room.

 

DSC_5750 by vshingl, on Flickr

 

Here is the bedroom Mom claimed:

 

DSC_5752 by vshingl, on Flickr

 

Mom's bath:

 

DSC_5754 by vshingl, on Flickr

 

Our bath:

 

DSC_5756 by vshingl, on Flickr

Edited June 12, 2012 by LittleMissMagic

[LittleMissMagic]

DSC_5759 by vshingl, on Flickr

 

DSC_5762 by vshingl, on Flickr

 

Meredith, Rachel, and I slept together in the king bed with no problems. It was very large and very comfy. Seriously, I don't think I moved. It probably helped that we were all seriously sleep-deprived, too.

Getting ready in the morning was a breeze with two bathrooms. We were glad that we kept Meredith for the night because otherwise, we would've been returning her to a hotel room with one bathroom and five people (her little brother was already sleeping on the floor).

 

It really bothered me that these pictures weren't centered with the couch...

 

DSC_5765 by vshingl, on Flickr

 

Meredith did not want to wake up.

 

DSC_5771 by vshingl, on Flickr

 

Are you noticing that my pictures look funny? If you zoom in really close, they look like paintings. I'm so mad at myself - I had forgotten to change the settings of my camera from high ISO, aperture-priority after shooting the fireworks and castle at night. And the incorrect settings went unnoticed by myself for two days!!!! Grrrrrr!!!!! :angry:

[Ander026]

Great review so far. Love the pics. Congrats to the new Graduate. I am glad that you have enjoyed the Beach Club. The BC is one of my favorite Resorts. I am lucky I get to drive thru the Beach Club with my bus many times a year.

 

Looking foreward to what you think of the Monarch. The Monarch is one of my favorite ships in the fleet. I have sailed on her 4 times and will be sailing this Christmas on the Monarch with my Family.

[alexkrn46]

I am enjoying your review looking for more.

[LittleMissMagic]

While we were waiting to leave the hotel, Meredith and I (Meredith has a Canon EOS Rebel... however, she's a busy girl, so I don't know if I'll be able to add her photos to the report) taught Rachel how to use her camera, a Nikon aw100 that I got her for graduation.

 

The first photo:

 

DSCN0001 by vshingl, on Flickr

 

Oh, the second is even better!

 

DSCN0003 by vshingl, on Flickr

 

Meredith and I got super excited about the camera because it was so cool... we were much more excited about it than Rachel. Meredith read the manual aloud to us while I followed along with the camera. It's a really good "dummy camera" because it switches settings automatically and everything is preset so you don't have to adjust ISO or exposure (There are settings for everything from landscape, portrait, underwater, fireworks, you name it! It even has a pet portrait setting!). However, there are some cool features for people who are more experienced with photography, too. For example, it shows your shutter speed on the display after each shot. Also, you can manually adjust your exposure and shutter speed. It's a really cool camera.

 

And I was glad to find a friend to nerd out with me:

 

DSCN0013 by vshingl, on Flickr

 

This automatically went to "portrait" mode:

 

DSCN0014 by vshingl, on Flickr

[donnaman43]

Love your reviews.

[LittleMissMagic]

We went to the pool to try out the underwater feature of Rachel's camera...

 

DSC_5772 by vshingl, on Flickr

 

It was a pretty large, nice pool.

 

DSC_5773 by vshingl, on Flickr

 

DSC_5774 by vshingl, on Flickr

 

With colorful umbrellas:

 

DSC_5775 by vshingl, on Flickr

 

Meredith volunteered to be the model:

 

DSC_5776 by vshingl, on Flickr

 

Voila! It works!

 

DSCN0016 by vshingl, on Flickr

[Melodya1002]

Yay! Another LittleMissMagic Cruise! Can't wait to see the rest!:D

[board57796]

You were in my second home! (I work at MK :))

[LittleMissMagic]

I almost forgot to mention that there was another cool feature to Rachel's camera that we discovered - quick and easy video documentary!

 

So in case you were curious, this will confirm the fact that we are indeed southerners. :D

 

Cruise Day 1: Camera Tutorial

 

Cruise Day 1: Locked Out

 

 

My dad had debated for a while whether to take the shuttle from the Residence Inn to the airport (which would've saved us around $30) or just drive there. Finally, for convenience sake (since we were going straight to Disney after getting off the ship), we decided just to drive there and pay for parking.

 

We got in the car and headed to Port Canaveral.

 

DSC_5779 by vshingl, on Flickr

 

Our ship from afar:

 

DSC_5780 by vshingl, on Flickr

 

There it is again:

 

DSC_5782 by vshingl, on Flickr

 

DSC_5783 by vshingl, on Flickr

 

We also have a lovely video documentary on the ride over:

 

Cruise Day 1: To the Ship!

[LittleMissMagic]

It was very uncrowded when we arrived to port at 11:00 AM.

 

DSC_5784 by vshingl, on Flickr

 

Meredith had a random duffle bag with her without a bag tag which she was planning to carry with her, but I remembered that she could just tag it like Rachel's, since they were going to the same room. Dad actually had spare bag tags for Rachel, but he had already gone to park the car, but the porter said that he could do it. I won't lie, I was a little uneasy leaving Meredith's bag since at that point, Rachel's was already on the cart and he'd have to go find the right bag to make the tag for. However, Meredith's bag arrived at her room, so I'm guessing he didn't have any problems locating Rachel's bag.

 

Meredith was super excited: (and I'm killing myself for the high ISO)

 

DSC_5785 by vshingl, on Flickr

 

She's getting the hang of it...

 

DSC_5786 by vshingl, on Flickr

 

Where are the cruisers?

 

DSC_5787 by vshingl, on Flickr

 

DSC_5788 by vshingl, on Flickr

 

We had to wait there for Meredith's family and the rest of the gang who were on the shuttle from the Marriott Courtyard. They called and updated us that first they had to stop at the Norwegian ship, then the Carnival ship, then they'd be at the Royal Caribbean ship. So we waited and waited. Everytime the Comfort Inn & Suites shuttle drove by, we jumped, "They're here! ... oh, no..." That shuttle came and went four times in the time it took the Marriott Courtyard shuttle to come. It must have a different shuttle for each cruiseline.

 

Finally, a big bus came and we saw everyone waving. However, the bus let them off at the other end, so we figured we might as well walk over there since we were going to have to wait on them to get their bags.

[LittleMissMagic]

So for the check-in process, we were ushered to Priority Check-In as suite guests and platinum C&A members. We went straight to the desk. I had to sign off on the onboard charges which were covering everyone in my family since we put them on my Disney Visa (we are steady racking up the Disney points). That was no problem.

 

The rep did say something about our crazy, mixed-up reservations. "Wait, Rachel is in a room with Charles Jr and Charles III, but Kimberly is in a room with...." Dad - "Yeah, don't even worry about it." The rep accepted that answer (we had to do room-rearranging in order to get around the 21 and older in a stateroom rule by putting Rachel in the room with Meredith's dad and brother, her Mom in one adjoining stateroom, and Meredith in the other - because a parent can have their legal child in the neighboring stateroom if they are a minor... that way we only had to swap one adult). We were all checked into our stateroom and our cards were printed... but Rachel couldn't get her card printed until Meredith's dad, Chip, was checked into his stateroom. We were waiting there, but eventually, realizing this would take a while, went over to the desk where Chip was checking in.

 

It took forever. Because he was checking in 6 different people into four different staterooms. His daughter had brought a friend (who they forgot a waiver for) who was directly across the hall. Like I said before, his wife, Kim, was the swap with Rachel. They had problems with their 13-year-old son because the rep had accidentally entered him in as 18. It was a lot of chaos, and her mind was blown by how we were all connected. We joked about all of Chip's sister wives.

 

When Chip was finally checked in, our rep brought Rachel's card over to her. How sweet!

 

What I don't understand, though, is that Chip's family was the last family checked in - but his wife was the adult necessary for two other girls to check in and get their SeaPass cards. My only guess is that he had checked Kim in first, which allowed the girls to go ahead and check in and get on the ship, but his check-in got held up when he had to check in the unrelated minor who they had forgotten the waiver for.

 

FINALLY we all boarded the ship. Everyone else had left us!

 

Cruise Day 1: Checked in... FINALLY!

Edited June 13, 2012 by LittleMissMagic

[mommaof 3]

You guys are just too cute! I hope you had a great time celebrating in spite of the drama, and congrats to your sister, she must have worked really hard to be valedictorian! We'd love to do this for our son when he graduates in two years.:)

[foxesden1]

Can't wait to read more!