Back from Monarch....

[rclcruzer]

Just thought if anyone wanted any general info or have any questions I would be happy to tell you (the best I can anyway!)

[dirtgirl]

Hope you had fun! :) My buddy critterchick was on the same cruise.

[rclcruzer]

Hope you had fun! :) My buddy critterchick was on the same cruise.

I know I know!!! Her and Janabelle were hard to find! I looked everywhere we said we would all meet and could not find them. I hope they had a good time, the weather was so much better than expected. Coming in Sunday overnight was really rocky, but I have been in worse. I was really sick the whole weekend, but dealt with it the best I could! (sinus/chest cold etc...) nothing a little drinkie poo couldn't temporarily fix!

[dirtgirl]

That would be a drag being sick on a cruise. Been there, done that! Glad you had a good time regardless!:) Drinkie poos sure do help! At least they make you temporarily forget that you are sick.;)

[Sue L]

That would be a drag being sick on a cruise. Been there, done that! Glad you had a good time regardless!:) Drinkie poos sure do help! At least they make you temporarily forget that you are sick.;)

 

 

 

Carol, you don't forget that your sick with the drinkie poos....you just don't care:D

[rclcruzer]

Carol, you don't forget that your sick with the drinkie poos....you just don't care:D

Yep, you really just don't care at that point. I almost didn't make it off the ship on Saturday, Ensenada. I got really emotional at breakfast with all our friends talking about what we were going to do, blah blah blah and then it hit me I don't think I can make it off the ship. So I went to the cabin and had a choice to make. Either deal with it and drink it away, or stay in the cabin and watch the same movie over and over again! So I took the higher road and had a great day, but made up for it when I got home yesterday! Went to the Doctor after I got home and diagnosed me with Pneumonia! YIKES! So my advice to you all that think you can "drink" your sickness away......DON'T!:p

[dirtgirl]

Yep, you really just don't care at that point. I almost didn't make it off the ship on Saturday, Ensenada. I got really emotional at breakfast with all our friends talking about what we were going to do, blah blah blah and then it hit me I don't think I can make it off the ship. So I went to the cabin and had a choice to make. Either deal with it and drink it away, or stay in the cabin and watch the same movie over and over again! So I took the higher road and had a great day, but made up for it when I got home yesterday! Went to the Doctor after I got home and diagnosed me with Pneumonia! YIKES! So my advice to you all that think you can "drink" your sickness away......DON'T!:p

 

 

Oh dear - I thought it was just a cold.:eek: Get better soon!

[rclcruzer]

Oh dear - I thought it was just a cold.:eek: Get better soon!

I thought it was just a cold too! OMG do I feel horrible. If it weren't for Tivo and CC I would truly be one very bored puppy! Thanks so much for the good thoughts, I need them! :)

[hunnypot1]

Just thought if anyone wanted any general info or have any questions I would be happy to tell you (the best I can anyway!)

 

I have a question.

I cruised on the Monarch in Jan 2007 and again on Jan 14, 2008. Our family had an absolute blast and it was a fabulous value for our $. I am even thinking of booking the Monarch again before she leaves.

However, I really thought the food quality in the dining room had really fallen since my Jan 2007 cruise. For example, I tried three soups (all of which I had previously enjoyed) but they tasted so bad I sent them back unfinished. Even the beef dish on formal night lacked flavor - compared to my prior experiences. The stuffing with the turkey dish appeared to be made from shredded dinner rolls...and it was not seasoned well.

The only dish that exceeded my expectations was the Vidalia Onion Tort - that rocked!

Is it just me, or has the Monarch's dining room food really gone down a notch?

What was your dining room experience like?

[rclcruzer]

I have a question.

 

I cruised on the Monarch in Jan 2007 and again on Jan 14, 2008. Our family had an absolute blast and it was a fabulous value for our $. I am even thinking of booking the Monarch again before she leaves.

 

However, I really thought the food quality in the dining room had really fallen since my Jan 2007 cruise. For example, I tried three soups (all of which I had previously enjoyed) but they tasted so bad I sent them back unfinished. Even the beef dish on formal night lacked flavor - compared to my prior experiences. The stuffing with the turkey dish appeared to be made from shredded dinner rolls...and it was not seasoned well.

 

The only dish that exceeded my expectations was the Vidalia Onion Tort - that rocked!

 

Is it just me, or has the Monarch's dining room food really gone down a notch?

 

What was your dining room experience like?

funny you ask.....there is a thread I just posted on about RCL needing new food.

We (hubby and friends) thought the food was less than appetizing. It needs revamping. It's so blah and luke warm. The puff pastry/mushroom thing was the best I had. We skipped Formal Night, we had pizza at Sorrento's, friends ate at Jade. For the first time in my 8 RCCL cruises, I have to say I am not happy with the food. Same ol' same ol'. ALmost the same menu as what was on my Serenade cruise to AK this past July. Hubby say's he wants to try a new cruise line to see what other foods are out there. Can't say I don't blame him. We don't cruise for the food, but wow.....time for a change!! I did enjoy the family style spinach/mozarella(sp) cheese salad with the jumbo croutons. That was very yummy!! Usually have the ceasars family style salad, so that was a nice change.

Looks like RCCL should listen up!!

[emilygrace]

I was just on the Monarch last M-F for our 3rd Annual Chick Cruise. When I got home I told DH I sure hoped they got some new items on the menu before our Serenade cruise in May.

 

I did try the onion tart for the first time and I liked it. I usually order the chilled soups and they didn't disappoint, but the rest of the menu......the food was good but just the same stuff as our last 3 or 4 cruises. This is also the first time I've tried the turkey dinner and I thought it was good. Let's face it, how exciting can a turkey dinner be?

[rclcruzer]

I was just on the Monarch last M-F for our 3rd Annual Chick Cruise. When I got home I told DH I sure hoped they got some new items on the menu before our Serenade cruise in May.

 

I did try the onion tart for the first time and I liked it. I usually order the chilled soups and they didn't disappoint, but the rest of the menu......the food was good but just the same stuff as our last 3 or 4 cruises. This is also the first time I've tried the turkey dinner and I thought it was good. Let's face it, how exciting can a turkey dinner be?

true about the turkey, but when you see the same things on the menus from cruise to cruise, on different ships it gets to be boring and blah!! (JMHO of course!) I guess we were getting on when you guy's were getting off! :)

[rclcruzer]

I was just on the Monarch last M-F for our 3rd Annual Chick Cruise. When I got home I told DH I sure hoped they got some new items on the menu before our Serenade cruise in May.

 

I did try the onion tart for the first time and I liked it. I usually order the chilled soups and they didn't disappoint, but the rest of the menu......the food was good but just the same stuff as our last 3 or 4 cruises. This is also the first time I've tried the turkey dinner and I thought it was good. Let's face it, how exciting can a turkey dinner be?

true about the turkey, but when you see the same things on the menus from cruise to cruise, on different ships it gets to be boring and blah!! (JMHO of course!) I guess we were getting on when you guy's were getting off! :)

[critterchick]

We only at in the dining room on formal night - I had the shrimp cocktail, pear soup (no cranberries in it; wonder if that's a budget cut item:rolleyes: ), caesar salad and filet. It was all quite good, but my filet was a bit overcooked. We were at the Hotel Director's table, so I just ate the pink bits and let it go.

 

We found that the food in the Windjammer was very good, far better than our last couple of times in the dining room. They will cook several items to order (Mongolian BBQ on Friday, Indian on Saturday and antipasto on plus a pasta station on Sunday) and the turkey they served on the last night was freshly carved and piping hot. The sides looked good, too. DH said that it was better than the DR. The onion soup was great. I didn't have dessert (another plus), so I can't report on those.

 

Although I like having full table service, I'm willing to trade it for better food and being able to eat at 8:00 and only take an hour to do so. We did stop by the DR on Sunday to drop off our tip envelopes and it was chaos in there.

 

So we're now WJ converts on Monarch. Maybe we'll go back to the DR if they change the menus, but I think they've had the same ones for 2-3 years now, so I've had enough.