Four Day Sovereign of The Seas Review

[Tanker4]

First, A Caveat:

 

We've sailed Sovereign quite a few times beginning with a 7 day out of Miami in 1989 when she was still the newest and largest cruise ship in the world (hard to believe that now) so she doesn't really have any surprises for us. Also, we chose this cruise because our DD and family had never cruised before so we thought it would be a good first cruise for them.

 

Sunday 7/22/07:

 

Picked up DD and family at Orlando airport and drove over to Pt. Canaveral. (30/40 minutes from MCO). If you are leaving the airport get into the right hand lane as you exit the airport and take the first main exit to the right. The "Beachline Expressway," Rt. 528 East. It's well marked and is a toll road with one toll booth. The toll is $1.25 for standard sized vehicles. As you get To PC and the end of the Expressway, if you are going directly to the ship, take the exit for Terminal "A" RCCL's, Disney and the Carnival piers are at this exit and if the ships are in port, you will see them off to the left from the Expressway.

We were staying at the Radisson and arrived in the area about 1:00pm with a 3:00pm check in time so we stopped by Fish Lips for lunch. Good food while sitting outside by the channel that the ships use to enter and leave the port. Mariner was sitting along side her pier as were the Disney and Carnival ships and we had a nice view of them from the restaurant.

Checked in at the Radisson after lunch. We had two rooms with a pool view. The pool was really nice and huge. It wasn't very crowded and our 7 year old DGS loved it. We had planned to go back to Fish Lips for dinner but decided to eat at the hotel instead. Surprisingly, the food was very good. The rooms were nice, what you might expect from Radisson and the beds were "sleep # s." The hotel is not more than 5 minutes from RCCL's pier so it's pretty handy. They also offer free parking for your vehicle for the duration of your cruise and a shuttle service to and from the ship. We didn't utilize this service as we knew that we would be eligible for early debarkation when we got back. (Available for C&A members Platinum and above). We own a business and had scheduled a meeting in Tampa the day our cruise ended so we wanted to get back as early as possible.

 

Day One: Monday 7/23/07:

 

We've sailed out of PC quite a few times (both Sovereign and Mariner) and from past experiance knew that arriving at the pier before 10:30 or so would probably get you mixed up in the debarking passengers traffic so we had a leisurely breakfast at the hotel and left for the pier about 10:30. Drove straight in and were directed to the luggage drop off area in front of the building. Very few people arriving at that time of the morning and plenty of porters to unload luggage. I've seen questions asked on this forum about how much to tip. The amount will probably vary depending on who's answering the question. I tip as I would at and airport or hotel. $2.00 or so a bag.

After your bags have been unloaded, drive out of the one way exit until you reach the head of the pier. Make a "U" turn at the sign for parking and drive back down the entrance road to the entrance to the parking lot. Parking cost is $12.00 per day in cash or credit card. They have a 5 or 6 level parking garage across from the terminal with additional outdoor parking, all of which is fenced in.

Upon entering the terminal a security guard will check your cruise papers to insure that you are supposed to be on the ship then will direct you to the security area which is similar to the security process at airports. All hand carried baggage and personal items go through and x-ray machine and each passenger passes through a scanning device. From there, it's up and escalator to the second level check in area where an RCCL person will direct you to the proper line(s). Priority check in (C&A Platinum level and above and suites including JS's) are directed to a separate check in area. After check in everyone joins the same line for boarding.

Boarding began about 11:15 am. You cannot go to your cabin before 1:00pm as they are busy getting them ready so we stopped by the dining room to check out the location of our table. We were at first seating at 6:00pm (second seating is at 8:30) at table # 119 in the Illusions Dining room on deck # 3. We were at a table for 10 (there were 5 in our party) and as it turned out our table mates were a really nice couple with their two young sons. We then headed up to the Windjammer for lunch. They had a buffet set out and it was pretty good with a lot of choices available.

After lunch we went to our cabins. We were in a JS # 1052 and met our cabin attendant named Betty. She was a real jewel.:) She knew that we were C&A members and welcomed us back to RCCL. We had robes in our cabin along with quite a few amenities in the bathroom, and our C&A coupon booklets. Our luggage arrived shortly thereafter so we unpacked and got settled in. The cabin was very clean and in good shape.

At this point I want to comment on Sovereign's cabins. By today's standards they are small. That's why we always book a JS when sailing on her. The JS's are almost as large as some of the newer ships but their layout (mostly in the storage areas is circa 1980's). Enough room but not as convienent as RCCL's newer ships. The balconies are really nice. Sovereign's JS balconies are 74 sq. ft. and as a comparison, Mariner's are 65 sq. ft.

At approximately 4:15pm they announced the Muster Drill so we put on our life jackets and headed to our muster stations. Our 7 year old DGS was staying in our cabin and Betty already had a childs life jacket in the cabin for him. The muster Drill took about 20 minutes or so and by the time we got back to the cabin Sovereign was making preparations to sail. We met our DD and SIL and went up to deck #11 for the sail a way. Good music, lot's of drinks flowing, a real party atmosphere as the ship sailed at 5:00pm. At 6:00 we went down to the dining room for dinner. Our waiter was named Anthony. Asst. waiter named Gregory. Anthony was top notch through out the cruise. Gregory did fine but seemed to struggle at times keeping bread on the table and drink glasses full but he made up for it with his personality and the three kids at the table loved him. The "HH Family" were on this cruise the week before us (in our cabin):) and they have already posted the menu's for every night in the dining room on this forum so I won't repeat them here.

At 8:00pm we took our DGS up to Adventure Ocean and signed him up for the youth program. They have a great facility and staff. DW and I had a couple of drinks in the Schooner Bar (our favorite) then picked him up at 10:00pm. Perfect ending to a perfect day!:D

 

"Continued later"............

[lin712]

Tanker we were also on this cruise, also stayed at the Raddison, had a pool view (room105) and also had Anthony and Gregory at the 6pm seating in fact you must have been at the table right in front of us we were at 125 there were 4 of us and I rememeber there being some small boys at the table in front of us.

We had a great time, It was our first cruise.

Linda

[sudsy141]

Keep it coming, Tanker! I'm on the Sovereign in October and the Mariner at Christmas. You've already answered several of my "little questions" through your descriptive narrative. I'm being driven in for the October Cruise but we will drive in for Christmas.

 

I'm enjoying your review.

[Tanker4]

Day Two Tuesday:

 

Arrived at Coco Cay at 7:30 am. Weather was great. Tender operations started at 8:00. Be sure to take your Sea Pass as you will need it to get off of and back onto the ship (and to pay for those famous "Coco Loco's" that they have on the island). Also some cash if you want to buy any of the items that the locals have for sale.

 

We had breakfast in the dining room then tendered over about 9:30 after the crowds thinned out. This was our third visit to the island and it is a great place to spend the day. You can do as much or as little as you like and there's plenty of room to get away from the crowds.

 

As you leave the tender dock, straight ahead is the snorkel shack where you rent snorkeling gear and beyond that is the beach for snorkeling. We had brought our own gear so only needed to rent a vest (required to snorkel). If you snorkel closer in to the beach you probably need to get there early as most folks tend to stay in that area and the water gets a little cloudy. We went out as far as they will let you go and the water was much clearer. Saw quite a bit of marine life including a manta ray that must have been four feet from one wing tip to the other and also the sunken ship and the sunken airplane. A couple of folks said that they saw some barracuda but I didn't see any.

 

To the right of the tender dock you can follow the path through the area where they serve lunch and beyond there, the path continues along the beach all the way to the end of the island. The further you go, the more the crowds thin out until some areas of the beach are practically deserted and along the way, there are plenty of chairs, lounges, hammocks and shade trees. Also a couple of open air bars which have the famous Coco Loco's, or about any other libation you might want.:D

 

Lunch was good. BBQ ribs and chicken along with burgers and hot dogs with all the trimmings and a variety of salads and desserts. The only glitch was that they ran out of ice later in the day.

 

As you get back to the tender dock they have a security checkpoint before you board the tender and all hand carried items are x-ray scanned. The tenders run aproximately every 20 minutes or so and the last one ran at 4:30. The ship sailed at 5:00pm.

 

Tonight was formal night in the dining room. At our seating (early) I would estimate that about 60% or so of the men were in coats and ties or suits, and the balance in slacks and collared shirts. Didn't see a tuxedo anywhere except on the crew.

 

After dinner we saw the show in the Follies Theater. Flashback. Songs from the 50's through the 80's with the Royal Caribbean Singers and Dancers. After that, another trip to our favorite watering hole, The Schooner Bar for a night cap, then to our cabin to sit on the balcony and watch the ocean go by.:) They had a Chocolate Buffet in the dining room beginning at 11:45pm but we passed on it as it had been a pleasant but tiring day on Coco Cay.

 

Day Three Wednesday:

 

Arrived Nassau at 7:30am. Had coffee and pastries delivered by room service then sat on the balcony and watched the ship dock. Gangway opened at 8:00am. You will need your Sea Pass and a photo ID in order to go ashore. We were the only ship in Nassau for the day (never had that happen before) which made for a pleasant day in town.

 

Let our DGS do the rock climbing wall then checked him into Adventure Ocean as he didn't want to go ashore.

 

Our DD and SIL had booked an excursion so they left early. We've been to Nassau a lot and to be honest, there's not much there that we wanted to do so my DW and I almost didn't leave the ship. Glad we did though as we ended up taking the # 10 Jitney (small buses that cover the island) to The Fish Fry for lunch. It's a collection of restaurants along the waterfront about a five minute ride by taxi or Jitney, or a 20 minute walk (not recommended as it's too hot). Had lunch at The Two Brothers and ate the best cracked conch we've ever eaten and we've eaten a lot over the years.:D Stopped by the straw market on the way back to the ship and also Senor Frogs for Margaritas.

 

Continued (more later)

 

Tanker 4

[Tanker4]

Tanker we were also on this cruise, also stayed at the Raddison, had a pool view (room105) and also had Anthony and Gregory at the 6pm seating in fact you must have been at the table right in front of us we were at 125 there were 4 of us and I rememeber there being some small boys at the table in front of us.

We had a great time, It was our first cruise.

Linda

Small world huh? Hope that you guys enjoyed your first cruise and decide to keep "Getting Out There."

 

Happy Cruisin............

 

Tanker 4

[Tanker4]

Keep it coming, Tanker! I'm on the Sovereign in October and the Mariner at Christmas. You've already answered several of my "little questions" through your descriptive narrative. I'm being driven in for the October Cruise but we will drive in for Christmas.

 

I'm enjoying your review.

Howdy sudsy,

 

Sovereign's got a little age on her but she's still a grand old gal and we love her. I think you will enjoy sailing her. As for Mariner, what can I say? We've been on her and she's huge! RCCL is moving the Granduer to Tampa for the winter and we're trying her out in Dec 07. Be interesting to see a ship decorated for Christmas. I'll bet that the Mariner will be beautiful..........

 

Happy Cruisin.............

 

Tanker 4

[Mouse Skywalker]

Tanker - Your review is fantastic! Thanks so much for taking the time to write this detailed review. I'm taking my family (me, DW, DD6, and DD9) on the 4 day SOS cruise on 8/27. It will be our first cruise, and we're so very excited for it.

[Tanker4]

Tanker - Your review is fantastic! Thanks so much for taking the time to write this detailed review. I'm taking my family (me, DW, DD6, and DD9) on the 4 day SOS cruise on 8/27. It will be our first cruise, and we're so very excited for it.

Morning Mouse,

 

Thanks for the kind words about the review. Glad you are enjoying it. I've read so many threads on CC from folks just starting out cruising. Thinking back to when we first got the urge (many moons ago) it can be confusing maybe even intimidating, so I thought I'd try to let folks experiance a typical cruise through my eyes. The Sovereign has always been special to us and all though we have done other ships, we still like to go back to her every now and then. You will have a great time.

 

Happy cruisin.....................

 

Tanker 4

[UGA Fan]

Thank you Tanker for writing such a detailed review. I have enjoyed reading it. We are going on the Sovereign Dec. 20 for a short cruise. We have never been on her before and we are looking forward to going. We have been to Cococay and Nassau before but just wanted to take a short cruise to a warm region after going to Alaska in Sept. Please write more suggestions of things to do in Nassau if you have time. We only did the boat tour and then walked through Atlantis. We also went to the straw market which I think we will skip this time. We went in July the year we went and it was really hot and overcrowded so I don't think I can get my husband to go back to it again.

Thanks again and please keep your review and suggestions coming!:)

[kcdallas72]

Tanker, thanks for what you've written so far. Sovereign was our first and only cruise (so far) and you're bringing back lots of fun memories from last year!

 

Keep it coming!!!

:D

[Tanker4]

Thank you Tanker for writing such a detailed review. I have enjoyed reading it. We are going on the Sovereign Dec. 20 for a short cruise. We have never been on her before and we are looking forward to going. We have been to Cococay and Nassau before but just wanted to take a short cruise to a warm region after going to Alaska in Sept. Please write more suggestions of things to do in Nassau if you have time. We only did the boat tour and then walked through Atlantis. We also went to the straw market which I think we will skip this time. We went in July the year we went and it was really hot and overcrowded so I don't think I can get my husband to go back to it again.

Thanks again and please keep your review and suggestions coming!:)

Hi UGA Fan,

 

Glad you're enjoying the review. Don't know what other ships you all have been on but assume you know that the Sovereign is the oldest and smallest ship in RCCL's fleet. Not a bad thing but she can't be compared to a Voyager or Radiance class at least in terms of all of the bells and whistles they sport. In fact, that's one of the things we like about her. Kind of laid back without the hustle and bustle we seem to experiance on the bigger ships.

 

As for Nassau, we're certainly not experts on what to see and do though we've been there quite a bit. As with you, we've done Atlantis, the boat tour, straw market, etc and it's kind of like, ok, been there done that. Also we're not into laying on a beach soaking up sun. Living in Florida we get enough sun just working in the yard and spending a little time on the golf course. We've rented a taxi and toured the island which was interesting and of course DW likes to shop, but that's about it for Nassau, at least for us. If you go to the "ports of call" thread and click on "Bahamas" you can find a lot more information that may interest you. There's a lady who posts there frequently named Scubagirl that can give you a lot of information about Nassau as she lives there.

 

Hope you enjoy your cruise to Alaska. That's one we've never done though all of our cruising buddies tell us it's a great trip. Our problem is that our business is like raising kids (which we've already done), it doesn't give us much time to take extended trips. Maybe one day.........

 

Tanker 4

[Tanker4]

Tanker, thanks for what you've written so far. Sovereign was our first and only cruise (so far) and you're bringing back lots of fun memories from last year!

 

Keep it coming!!!

:D

Thank you for taking the time to read it and I'm glad that it brought back some good memories. I'll try and finish it up tonight (didn't start out to write a novel but it seems to be turning out that way). Are you planning another cruise in the near future? As RCCl says, "Just Get Out There"

 

Happy Cruisin........

 

Tanker 4

[derrick22]

Tanker,

Thanks for the memories and the detailed review. We where also on the Sovereign in 1989. Haven't returned to her yet but one never knows.

[Tanker4]

Tanker,

Thanks for the memories and the detailed review. We where also on the Sovereign in 1989. Haven't returned to her yet but one never knows.

Hey Derrick,

 

Glad you had the same experiance we did to sail Sovereign in 1989. Will never forget the first time I saw her sitting at the pier in Miami. I thought, **** what a ship! Had never seen anything that big much less walk onboard her. When we docked in St. Thomas there was another cruise ship in front of us and also one astern and from the pool deck we had to look down to see the tops of them. Interesting how things change.

 

Happy Cruising and BTW, we're also "balcony snobs" Once you try one there's no going back.

 

Tanker 4

[UGA Fan]

Hi UGA Fan,

 

Glad you're enjoying the review. Don't know what other ships you all have been on but assume you know that the Sovereign is the oldest and smallest ship in RCCL's fleet. Not a bad thing but she can't be compared to a Voyager or Radiance class at least in terms of all of the bells and whistles they sport. In fact, that's one of the things we like about her. Kind of laid back without the hustle and bustle we seem to experiance on the bigger ships.

 

As for Nassau, we're certainly not experts on what to see and do though we've been there quite a bit. As with you, we've done Atlantis, the boat tour, straw market, etc and it's kind of like, ok, been there done that. Also we're not into laying on a beach soaking up sun. Living in Florida we get enough sun just working in the yard and spending a little time on the golf course. We've rented a taxi and toured the island which was interesting and of course DW likes to shop, but that's about it for Nassau, at least for us. If you go to the "ports of call" thread and click on "Bahamas" you can find a lot more information that may interest you. There's a lady who posts there frequently named Scubagirl that can give you a lot of information about Nassau as she lives there.

 

Hope you enjoy your cruise to Alaska. That's one we've never done though all of our cruising buddies tell us it's a great trip. Our problem is that our business is like raising kids (which we've already done), it doesn't give us much time to take extended trips. Maybe one day.........

 

Tanker 4

 

 

Thanks, Tanker for your quick reply. We have been on small ships before and like them as well as the larger ones. I agree with you that they don't have all of the bells and whistles but they are unique in their own way. We have been on the Enchantment of the Seas before they expanded it and have been on the Legend of the Seas twice. However, we have been on the larger ones such as the Mariner and Explorer and Carnival's Conquest but I know each one is different and we always enjoy whichever one we are on. We will be on the Vision of the Seas in Sept. Do you know if it is a lot like the Sovereign?

I appreciate you giving me the heads up on checking on the Bahamas site and I will try to read some of Scubagirl's post. We do love the beach and like to snorkle so we might try to do that this time in Nassau. Do you have any suggestions as to which one?

Again, thanks for your input.:)

[kcdallas72]

Thank you for taking the time to read it and I'm glad that it brought back some good memories. I'll try and finish it up tonight (didn't start out to write a novel but it seems to be turning out that way). Are you planning another cruise in the near future? As RCCl says, "Just Get Out There"

 

Happy Cruisin........

 

Tanker 4

 

 

Last year was our first-ever cruise (honeymoon) and I became addicted immediately. I wanted desperately to go on another this year, maybe Mariner............but I got outvoted. We're doing a week at Disneyworld instead. :mad:

 

 

HOPEFULLY next year. And every year after that. Or twice a year. Or every month. :D

[Javalava]

Thanks for such a detailed review Tanker. We are booked on the Mariner (again) for Nov. 2008, but I've been thinking about doing a shorter cruise before then. Sovereign is the natural choice because Port Canaveral is so convenient, but I've been hesitant because it is an older ship. Size doesn't concern me because we love HAL's ships which at 1,200 passengers, are considerably smaller. After reading your review I think I just may go ahead and plan another trip. :D

[justloud]

Tanker: I'm lovin your story. My DH and I and our sons 17, 14, and 13 are sailing on the 20th of Aug. Realy appreciate all the info. Was it really hot in the Bahamas?:confused:

[Shanafan]

Tanker.......great review! Counting the days until we leave. We are going into Cape Canaveral and are also staying at the Radisson. Any suggestions for some good places to get good seafood? We are renting a car at the airport and driving to the hotel so we will have transportation the 2 days we are there prior to the cruise. Any must see shows?

[Pia1913]

Thanks Tanker. Looking forward to the next installment. We're on the ship August 20th.

 

Pia

[medfordgirl]

I was so happy to read your review, my parents are going on the same cruise next month. I will tell my dad not to bring his tux so he doesn't stick out like a sore thumb. You didn't happen to bring back the Daily Compass that you can share with us?

[lunyma]

Great review, Tanker. It's been years since I was on Sovereign, and I too, along with Pia and justloud will be on the Aug 20th sailing. I can't wait!

[piercetc4]

thanks for the review tanker- we are on the 4 nighter in a month and are really looking forward to trying this size ship - can't wait to read the rest of the review-

:)

[cherylhaha]

Hey T.......

 

I just love Sovereign too. She's an oldie but a goodie.

 

Medfordgirl - check out cruisedailies.com. They have compasses for almost all cruises.

[dontpanik]

** dontpanik pops up some popcorn, puts on her pj's, and jumps into her beanbag**

OK Uncle Tanker...tell us about your day at sea!!

 

I can't wait! We live about 1/2 hour south of the port and I go out most mondays to Jetty Park to watch "our" ship depart.