B2B Monarch/Brilliance with A SOY DAIRY GLUTEN CORN SUGAR FREE KID*ALLERGIC TO CRAB*

[foxesden1]

 

More of a FYI photo.. :rolleyes:

 

 

 

 

Okay, just a sidenote.. not a fan of someones drinking class being left on the tray. IMPO its like leaving you plate half done in the buffet line.. LOL

 

[cruisequeen10]

First of all, you have a very lovely family. I know how you feel. My niece has allergies to all nuts and shellfish. My mother is celiac (no wheat, rye, oats, barley, dairy). You should be awarded a medal for what you have to go through. We went on the Disney cruise last year and my niece (age 24) actually went to the kitchen in the non dining room venues and had them cook something especially for her. Very impressed. Keep up the review.

[foxesden1]

 

 

[foxesden1]

 

 

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Found in the Spa, early AM - on a table top. Not sure why or what for, but I can only guess they were giving a glass of champs with a Spa treatment?

 

[foxesden1]

**SORRY I am trying to pound away on this report, to get as much done as I can today..**

 

I am reading your comments - and thank you very much.. :) BUT I wanted to say, I do NOTHING beyond what ANY PARENT would do for their own child. Anytime your kid does not "fit in the box" you have to make the box fit for you.. hammer, nails, tape, what ever it takes right? ;)

 

And I did send out a WOW card for two staff members on Brilliance.. they were FAB.. none needed for me!

[foxesden1]

 

 

 

 

 

[foxesden1]

 

 

One of two? I think broken windows in the dining room.

 

 

 

Seaday.. 6:30am

 

 

 

But I have to say, the chair hogs were few and far between. What ever Royal is doing, its working!

[foxesden1]

 

 

Deck four, by the Guest Services washrooms.

[foxesden1]

Back to the trip report.. :D

 

We found my IL and headed up for the sail away party.. and dam* it was cold!

 

 

 

 

SNACK!

 

 

All in all, RCI does a lame Sail Away. Disney is tops, CCL is bottom and RCI is.. well.. lame.

[foxesden1]

We headed in, and started to get ready for dinner.

 

 

 

 

 

PLEASE NOTE.. FOOD PORN WILL SHORTLY FOLLOW THIS POST.. PLEASE AVERT YOU'RE EYES.. ;) QUICKLY!

[foxesden1]

I was THRILLED that Monarch still had the old menu, and I was looking forward to enjoying a few of the meals what we had on our TA in 2011.

 

 

 

 

 

We went to the show- and I have to say I **LOVED THE CD** Best one EVER! Marc Walker, from the UK - he has a Facebook page that I am now following. We grabbed Miss Em from Kids Club - and headed off to bed.

 

What a crazy night that was.. S E A S I C K kid.. not nice. We woke up, pills kicked in and Miss Em was ready to go!

[foxesden1]

 

The weather was grey when we arrived at the island. We took a quick walk to find some chairs by the kids club - we had some issues in getting a deck phone for my daughter when we boarded. (first cruise we have had to forcibly request one.. all over lines we have traveled on *including RCI epipen = deckphone. In the end we were issued a pager. (who the hell remembers how to use those?) Needless to say, with all the wacky stuff going on with my daughter over the past month.. closer was better IMPO.

 

Once again the staff at Kids Club thought I was C R A Z Y... :rolleyes:

 

 

 

I found a great location, close to the bar, WC and kids club.. only to find out the bar did not have electricity.. :eek:

 

WHICH MEANT NO BLENDED DRINKS!

[foxesden1]

 

Where we set up camp for the day.

 

 

 

 

We were first on the waitlist for a Cabana but they were unsure if they would be able to provide a special needs meal for us - and the Explorations! desk did not bother to follow up to inquire. So when it came around to 4:30 I did not bother going to check if all the cabins were taken or not. So, I saved $200 and did not book it.

 

[foxesden1]

 

Whoops, forgot this was on this setting.. for the next two photos.

 

 

 

 

 

Nurse station had some handy items outside. DH and I got some killer bites when our DD went Zip Lining - so this was a wonderful surprise!

[foxesden1]

 

 

 

 

 

https://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash4/406118_10152453834510065_1598944876_n.jpg

 

Now, having stood at this location for well over an hour waiting for my daughters lunch.. I noticed a few things.. the food came in from the ship, pre cooked, burgers, ribs, you name it. It was put into the buffets and the lines were opened.. but for ONE STATION. (The main one at the back where the GRILL IS). They seemed to be BBQ burgers and ribs at that station and setting them out only at that line. (now, I can't say what happened after 12:30 - but from 11:30 to 12:30 that is what happened. So make sure you go to the MAIN BUFFET LINE for that char grilled flavor!

[foxesden1]

 

We noticed this on our way BACK to the ship.

 

Also the giant slid by the kids club is broken, so no need to budget for that one.. LOL From what I understand someone "popped it". But who knows?

 

 

We headed back to the ship, and started to get ready for dinner..

 

 

 

 

[foxesden1]

 

 

 

 

 

[foxesden1]

 

 

 

BED TIME!

 

 

No, we just dropped of some stuff in our cabin. Most nights we went out to the shows - we like guest performers, *comedians are our favorite. We saw a few production shows, so much better then CCL - but not as good as Disney..

[foxesden1]

We headed off to the Captains reception.. made it on his video (lord we looked bad.. )

 

 

It was in the Sound of Music lounge..

 

and then it was bed time! ;)

 

 

Breakfast.. well.. you learn something every day.. seems the Eggs Benny* used to be made fresh daily - but people complained about the wait.. so they moved to a mix.. please. I will happily wait 30 plus min for REAL EGGS BENNY* made from SCRATCH!

 

*Hollandaise sauce

 

Now, I am sharing this tidbit with you because of what happened in the dining room.. I went in to order Miss Em's and my breakfast - it was someone who I had never meet before. He was directed over to me, and he was holding Miss Em's paper work. He gave me the UP and DOWN look - ladies - you KNOW the look I am speaking off.. and then he proceeded to say.. "you don't look like you have any troubles with food" (yes I am pooh sized thank you very much.. :eek: I don't need your views on my body, and what I can or can not eat).

 

So the meals come, and I look at the eggs benny, and all I can think is that SOB made me a lowfat Eggs Benny! (The sauce was thin, thin thin with out much rich color to it). It was not until the next cruise when the wait staff told me about the change - I realized it was not low fat, it was just CRAP!

[foxesden1]

I took some photos, but deleted in error.. :rolleyes:

 

We then headed up to the deck, and hung around till lunch time. We did not bother to get off the ship in Nassau, there was no way to eat for my daughter - and its kinda a been there done it, got the tee shirt type of place.

 

My daughter was in the kids club - and my husband was due to pick her up at 12noon. He miss understood, and missed them buy 30 min. They were in the Windjammer eating! I was in a panic and flew in to see where she was, what she had eaten, expecting the worse. But my lovely 7 year old DD was eating a plate of lettuce with some shredded carrots. She told them that that was what she had the day before, and she had better have it again. She was very much in control of her diet, and what she was able to eat. (please keep in mind these changes are VERY new to our family)

 

I went to see if her patty which I had ordered for pick up at 12 noon had arrived.. and was cooked.. it was of curse not. Once again, a handy hard boiled egg comes out of Moms pocket to the rescue. No effort was made from the Kitchen manager to make the beef patty after that. He really did not seem that concerned that my daughter was eating a egg, lettuce and carrot for lunch.

 

This is why I stress once again, the dining room wonderful for special needs, but once you hit the Windjammer, it all falls apart :(

[foxesden1]

Miss Em went back to kids club, happy as a lark and DH and I had lunch poolside.

 

 

I then went on a ships tour and took photos.. it was warm out, so I needed to have a drink at Schooners.. to help me keep hydrated. ;)

 

[foxesden1]

It was family Gaga ball at 5:15 so we made a point of hitting that.. no one else showed up.. so it was a sure win.. and I was able to take photos!

 

 

 

 

Got some of that swag I was seeking.. but not enough.. LOL we hit family Bingo (no pix as three families show up) and family Wii Bowling.

 

A note on the prizes.. as much as I was on a misson to get Miss Em some Swag, I am first and foremost a mother. Four families showed up for Bingo - Once family with a Autistic daughter - who left early due to a comment about the child disrupting the game. (the staff member had no way of knowing this child was Autistic and she really tried to get the family to stay. She handled the situation well. But maybe if she had not made the comment in the first place.. it would not have happened.. :rolleyes:

 

So three families left at this point, and 3 first place prize packs, as well as 3 2nd place prize packs.. (can you see where this is going?)

 

Once family had two daughters, under 7 years or so I would guess. The 2nd family had a Mother and a daughter over 15 - well over even. And us.

 

Bingo was won first by the older girl - 15 to 17 years. She took the water bottle. And left the lunch box.

 

Everyone kept playing.

 

Bingo was then won by my daughter, who won the water bottle/lunch pack.

 

My DH and I looked, and said lets keep playing but if we win we will pass the card to the other family. (there was a time limit on the game and I would have hated to see the children leave with out a prize. Yes, its life but hey. Its Bingo. :rolleyes:. Get over it.

 

So we play the last hand - and the MOTHER of the teenager won. AND KEPT THE PRIZE! I mean, three families three prize packs.. one per family.. not to hard to understand..

 

:eek:

 

Not something with some children that my DH and I would have chosen to do.

 

The staff member put away the left over prizes (because each game might have had two winners.. ) and walked away. The little girls were assume and did not make a fuss at all. I think DH and I were just shocked that a adult would take a prize for a childrens game, when they had already won something. Too each their own I guess!

[mwood0612]

Great review so far!! We will be on the monarch in about 3 weeks so I love all the pics as well!!!

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[foxesden1]

 

 

 

 

 

 

Now, having stood at this location for well over an hour waiting for my daughters lunch.. I noticed a few things.. the food came in from the ship, pre cooked, burgers, ribs, you name it. It was put into the buffets and the lines were opened.. but for ONE STATION. (The main one at the back where the GRILL IS). They seemed to be BBQ burgers and ribs at that station and setting them out only at that line. (now, I can't say what happened after 12:30 - but from 11:30 to 12:30 that is what happened. So make sure you go to the MAIN BUFFET LINE for that char grilled flavor!

 

added / to missing HTML

[emanddee]

We travelled on Monarch last year with a family member who has severe shellfish allergies. Our cabin was two floors up from the main dining room and on lobster/surf & turf night, our relative had some trouble coming to our cabin because the hallways were filled with the smell and "steam" of the lobster in the dining room. The cabin itself was fine. It was just while moving about the halls around the dining room. If you get caught in a crowd when a show is letting out, you could be breathing lots of shell fish air. Keep an eye on the menus and the dining room location if you have this kind of sensitivity.