Monarch Review 1/19-1/22 Longest Ever

[billylen]

Monarch Review

 

Purpose

 

Well the obvious is another opportunity to take a cruise and get away from it all, but this trip was special. I invited my big sister to join me so she could share in my love of cruising, get away from all our kids and have some time to catch up with each other.

 

The Itinerary

 

This was the 3- day cruise to Ensenada. I have been on 5 day, many 7 days, but I thought that a 3 day would be best because I did not know how my big sis and I would get along on a cruise. Yes we love each other, but you know, it can be interesting at best when all the old family stuff comes up in conversation…add to that she had never been on a cruise and I figured 3 days would be a good test run for possible future cruises.

 

Embarkation

 

We arrived at the port about 11:30 and boarding was smooth. Parked the car at LA Port (San Pedro) and we were on the ship in about 30 minutes. The rooms were not ready yet, so like any good pigs opur first stop was the Windjammer for some lunch.

 

Our room was ready at 1PM and we checked in and got ready to explore the ship. When we got to the room there was one bed. I told our cabin steward that we loved each other, but could he please separate the beds. He said he would do it in a couple of hours and true to his word he did so.

 

The Monarch

 

This was an interesting trip for me on many levels. The Monarch was the first ship had ever sailed on. My first voyage was back in about 1992 when she was relatively new. I have made a silent deal with myself that I will sail on every ship in the RCCL fleet without repeating. So this was my first time going against my own deal, but she is the ship that sails the 3-day out of LA, so Monarch it was!

 

She really looks good. I mean considering her age. I think she has done quite well for herself. My biggest complaint would be the size of the cabins. Pretty tight, but I have sailed primarily D1 category for the past several cruises so this was pretty tight. My son and friends sailed on the Mariner in August and it would be unfair to compare the two, but let’s just say that my last cabin was a suite in comparison.

 

Ensenada

 

I have never visited the city. That was a pretty big Mexican flag in the harbor. We did nto book any excursions. My sis has difficulty walking long distance so I thought it best to catch a shuttle into town and walk around and look in some shops. This worked well for us, but I would liked to have visited some bazaar outside the city to look for some deals. (maybe next time) There were many children and others that were attempting to sell items for a dollar. Some even just asked for a dollar. I realized quickly that you can’t stop for each pitch or story, so I put my shades on and just kept walking…not rude, but just kept walking. My sister would stop at each story she heard until she say that it could take an hour to walk one block! (slight exaggeration)

 

Formal Night

 

Nothing much to say here, but this leads up to the next part of the story. We were seated by the door on the 4th floor dining area. We were at a table for 8, but there were only 4 of us seated. I always get leery when it comes to table mates because you never know what you will get (maybe they think the same) There great and we shared some interesting stories. (I like that part). My sister and I dined on snails (escargot), featured steak…(never again) and Souffle’. It was a good time

After dinner we went to the show and then stopped by the casino. ( A quick comment about the shows…I thought the comics were good. I had a brief chat with one about his act and he was very cool and the conversation. I enjoyed their sets and would like to see them again. My complaint would be about the singers and dancers…well not so much about them, but the shows. I know they have to cater to the masses, but some of the plastic nature of their performances and so on really annoy me….I remember once a few years back there was a singer on the vision who knew how to tell it! These folks especially the singers are painting by the numbers and do nto show themselves…at least I hope not…in their performances…this is my opinion, and that and $5 will buy a cup of coffee at Starbucks) Yes, all was well..until…

 

The Incident

 

My sis and I went to bed about 1AM. We had had a pretty fantastic couple of days. We laughed, shared stories about our families, and rehashed old stuff from childhood. It was very good for both of us. We were winding down for the night when all of a sudden my sister jumped out of bed, ran to the bathroom and started vomiting violently. I remember I thought, well, hell, seems like she would have been sick a day earlier, but I guess you never know.

 

I will skip most of the gory details, but let me say this lasted all night long. I went to guest relations and they were cool and provided seasick pills, but nothing worked. The poor thing suffered so much I decided to take her to the infirmary the next morning. This began a trip within the trip…

 

They examined her and put her in bed immediately. Poor thing she was doubled over and quite ill…add to that had become dehydrated. They started an IV drip, ran blood work and began tending to her needs. The way my sister was carrying on I was concerned, but I know that the best way to handle an emergency is to try to not become a part of the problem. I was there for her, but fairly useless when it came to providing information about her health history and so on.

 

I figured it could be one of three things, seasickness…food poisoning or norovirus. I also knew that it could by symptomatic of something else, but that would be more than they could handle on the ship. Bear in mind that this was now Sunday morning and we had another day at sea. I stayed and helped in any way I could but really it was the medical staff that would handle this situation best. (let me just add that I was always curious about the medical facilities and always wanted to see them, but NOT UNDER THESE CIRCUMSTANCES!)

 

After a while I spoke with the doctor. He advised me that if it was determined that she had the dreaded bug that once she was released she would be quarantined. I asked the question that I already knew the answer to…”would that mean me too doc?” He said unfortunately…yes. (I want to use some language here, but let your imagination fill in the blanks) We both agreed that until it was determined what was gong on that I was free to move about.

 

I stayed for about an hour and tried to go back to the cabin to get some sleep. I was pretty trashed by this point. My sister was completely undone.

 

I could go on and on, but let me say that I went back every couple of hours and it was (in my opinion) determined that she was having an ulcer attack that really hit her hear. It was a combination of rich food and maybe activity that hit her just the right way. It was scary. Later that night guest relations called to offer help and also let me know about the ambulance that was being arraigned to take her to the hospital. I did not know about this and understood that if that was what was needed, then that is what we would have done, but I convinced the medical staff to release her to me the next morning and they kept her overnight.

 

I packed for both of us and they wheeled her out to the port and I drove up and took her to the hospital near her home in Lancaster. She was admitted this evening and is receiving care for her condition.

 

My sister and I had a GREAT two days together. I would have preferred that we could have enjoyed the entire cruise without incident, but that was not meant to be. In a weird way this whole experience may provide more memories than I thought imaginable for future family discussion

 

Acknowledgements

 

I have to give special thanks to the entire medical staff. Billyanna (sp) was the main nurse that was professional and the one I had the most direct contact with. The doctors (Dr. George is the only name I obtained) were professional and willing to have frank discussions about care and next steps, but allow me to say that everyone on the medical facility was wonderful to me and my sister. I say they were wonderful to me because they allowed me to provide a familiar voice and provide loving care and hopefully a calming voice to my sister. I have nothing but praise for them. I find that as I write these words I am moved with emotion, but the truth is that they were wonderful.

 

One other name I want to mention is Rosa of guest services. She called me to discuss how I wanted to handle dimembarkation and she was for lack of a better word…loving. That may sound weird, but I really got that sense. Yes she was professional and I could tell she knew her job, but her compassion for the circumstances was really appreciated. I know some may say that these were attempts to minimize any liability and that would be prudent, but everyone was really great during our ordeal and my hat is off to them all.

 

Funny Stuff

 

I was going to take my cell phone charger one this trip but I thought that I wouldn’t need it for a 3-day cruise. Well after all that was going on, my phone was about to go dead. I asked Rosa if they could help me with a charger. An assistant (sorry I do not have his name, but thanks to him) said that he had one down in his cabin and allowed me to charge my phone at the guest relations desk…now that was great!

 

One other funny moment…there was a large Iranian group on this cruise. There were having various parties. My sister and I were dressed up for formal night and one of the women from the group grabbed us and pulled us inside the room to Dance! Now let me tell you that was totally unexpected and she was showing us how to dance the way there were doing. I felt clumsy and stupid, but you know what? That was soooo cool of her to invite us in to join them.

 

It just confirms that people can be so great!

 

Final Thought

 

I have read on these boards time and time again the debate about travel insurance. I will admit that I have cruised without it, but whenever I travel with someone else’s kids or in the case of cruising with my sister, I buy it. So yes, I did have insurance. I had to pay upfront and hope to have no problems with reimbursement, but I would say to anyone who reads this to make sure you weigh carefully the decision not to purchase the coverage because you never know…you just never know

 

Ok, I guess I have spilled enough for one night. If anyone has any questions…and if you actually read all of this, I would be happy to reply

[Merion_Mom]

Wow. Bill........what can I say? That's quite a report! Your attitude throughout is commendable, and I thank you for sharing ALL of this with us.

 

How is Sis doing now?

[billylen]

She was admitted into the hospital last night and is resting comfortably. Thank you for asking.

 

One other thing I forgot to mention.

 

When we arrived at the port we asked the pier coordinator if we could upgrade to a JS. His response was, "We haven't had any upgrades since 9/11!"

 

My response to him was, "So that means you don't have any today?"

 

I realize that he may get this question all the time, but a sign saying no upgrades, or a simple no would have been sufficient.

 

Guess we all have our moments.

[Piepkorn]

Bill,

 

Your story cements my faith with RCCL. On every RCCL cruise we have ever taken, we have always found the staff willing to do anything to make the people happy. We have been on about 20 RCCL cruises and have found service levels consistent regardless of length. The last cruise we took a friend on his first cruise (Monarch), and he went into diabetic shock, and was cared for by medical staff....then the dining staff was right there, helping adjust his dinner selections for his condition. We had the misfortune of sailing on Celebrity Millennium over the summer in Europe, and our 3 day trip on Monarch ironically was much more pleasurable than 12 days on Millennium....simply because of the staff.

 

My wife and I hope your sister is doing well now.

 

Dave

[MissKise]

I hope your sister is recovering and will be full speed soon.

 

Thank you for a great review, and for letting me know that one of my favorite crews is still GREAT.

 

We love to be able to drive down, especially in the off season, jump on the ship and relax with some "friends" and crew members.

[critterchick]

Bill, wow, I'm glad to hear that your sister is on the mend! It sounds like she at least had a good time up until her attack. Did she by chance get to meet the wonderful Captain Hakan on formal night?

 

Rosa is an absolute gem. She took care of us two weekends ago (it was all good stuff) and I got the same sense of loving from her that you did. She's been on the Enchantment (I think that's her ship, or was it Grandeur) for 5 years and is just subbing for Trudy, the usual GRM. As much as we adore Trudy, Rosa is just as wonderful, IMHO.

 

I have often opined that the crew on Monarch sets the bar very high for the rest of the fleet. Your story keeps me thinking that way!

[wolfcathorse]

Did you have Capt Hakan or Capt Teo?

[wolfcathorse]

Did you have Capt Hakan or Capt Teo?

 

Never mind! Finally got to access my Current Captain thread where someone had posted the answer.

 

BTW, in spite of your sister's medical emergency, did she say she enjoyed her cruise?!

[Happy ks]

I certainly hope your sister is feeling better very soon, thank you for writing and telling us about the incident. It makes me feel better about purchasing insurance for every cruise, you never know when illness can strike!

[tinkerme1]

Hello Bill.

 

Like others who love the Monarch, I'm glad that your experience with the medical staff was a good one. It is very sad when cruising is interupted by a sudden medical problem, but it is also great to know that the staff bellies up to the bar to help in any way possible.

 

My daughter had a problem on the Monarch and the staff was fabulous to her and to her family as well.

 

For all those deciding about insurance, this is one of the most important reasons to "just do it"! I bet that bill from the Medical Center aboard the Monarch was high. Thank goodness Bill, you had insurance.

 

I'm glad your sister is doing well and I sure hope she will cruise with you again in the future.:D

[NancyIL]

Thanks for your review, Bill. Your cruise turned into quite the adventure!

 

My daughter and I were on Monarch's 4-day cruise last March, and we really enjoyed the cruise - tiny cabin and all! The 4-day has a very nice itinerary - especially going to San Diego and Catalina Island. We did the winery tour in Ensenada, then walked around downtown - and that was fun, too.

[billylen]

My sister is still in the hospital, but it appears that she will be discharged tomorrow. She is finally holding down solid food!

 

I asked if her first meal was snails

 

We both had a good laugh over that... :)

 

All is well