My Sovereign Review

[kruise66]

I put this review on the Review site, but thought I would include it in the boards also:

 

My husband and I went on the Sovereign for a quick get-away. This was my ninth cruise, husband's second. Let me just say that after the hassles of travel and a little sea sickness, 3 nights is too short! We were just feeling comfortable and it was time to go!

 

Embarkation was very fast and efficient. We flew into Orlando and rented a car, and it was very easy to park and find out where to go. We got on board at around Noon, and were told rooms would be ready by 1 (which they were.) We used that time to explore the ship and eat in the Windjammer.

 

We had a room on Deck 6, and it was fine--small, but very clean and there is a lot of storage space. No safes on Deck 6. We had a little water overflow after showers, but it went away quickly. We heard some jogging from the promenade deck above once or twice, but it was mid-day, so no problem.

 

The ship is extremely clean for its age, though you do see some wear and staining here and there. The crew is very friendly, and there were tons of activities for such a short trip. The deck party on the night we were in Nassau was very fun--tons of food and dancing. I do sort of wish they would switch and do Cococay first then the party after that, because we wanted to enjoy some nightlife in Nassau, since we were there so late. Quest was HILARIOUS, and the Love and Marriage game show was good. We also saw the late-night comedian who was very funny, but his show was short. The cruise director was Chris Northey and he was the best one I have ever seen--very funny, and made a point to mingle with the guests.

 

The seas were pretty rough the first night and despite taking Meclizine, I got seasick. I heard the next day that many people did, and the crew even mentioned that it was rougher than normal. The seas were calm the rest of the time, though, and like glass in Cococay. We barely felt any motion while anchored. I felt better in the room than on the higher decks where there was some side-to-side motion.

 

The food was very good, but I thought it was much better in the dining room than in the buffet. The variety of the buffet was amazing. We didn't try Sorrento's, but it looked good. Didn't try Johnny Rockets, either...I have a problem paying for food when I've paid for a cruise, and who wants to eat hamburgers when there is so much to try in the buffet or dining room???

 

At first, they had us at a table for 10, but we went to the dining room after boarding and they moved us to a table for 2, no problem. We thought the dining room service was great--very fast. Our waiter was wonderful, and actually wanted us to order more than one dinner. Maybe we looked hungry...

 

In Nassau, we did the Blackbeard's Cay Beach Break through the ship, and it was fantastic. It was a beautiful secluded island with just a snack bar, shop, bathrooms and bar with very strong drinks! The Goombay Smash is to die for! After that, we walked around town a little and asked the locals where to eat. They sent us to the Bahamian Kitchen for conch, which was amazing. At night, we went to Senor Frog's, but there was a $10 cover charge, so we tried a small bar called Bambu, right across from the cruise terminal, which was very nice.

 

I think Cococay is one of the most gorgeous islands in the Caribbean! We didn't do much that day but walk a little, and sat in lounge chairs under a palm tree. There seemed to be plenty of chairs for everyone. The coco loco drinks are the best! The buffet was very good, and there never seemed to be a big line.

 

Debarkation was not good, in my opinion. Everyone seemed to stand around, waiting for their luggage tag color to be called. We were the last group to get off, so we enjoyed a nice breakfast in the dining room, but the customs officials were kind of rude...they were on board directing people, but it just caused "traffic jams." We were trying to get to the dining room, and kept getting caught in crowds. Then once off the ship, the lines for clearing customs were very long. We felt kind of rushed to leave the ship.

 

All in all, it was great, but too short!

[barbarah33]

I'm glad you enjoyed your cruise.

[jbrambach]

Thanks for the review. We will be on her soon and I can't wait. One question, do you remember if they did the wooden horse racing? I know they use to but I haven't seen it (or just missed it) on my last few cruises.

[pmfan]

Enjoyed your review, we will be sailing on her in September.

[karena1]

Thanks for the review. We will be on her soon and I can't wait. One question, do you remember if they did the wooden horse racing? I know they use to but I haven't seen it (or just missed it) on my last few cruises.

 

I haven't seen horse racing on any of the ships in a very long time. We did SOS in Jan and they did not have it and they did not have it on Liberty 2 weeks ago. I don't think they do it anymore. I bet it has been at least 3 or 4 years since I have seen it on any of the ships we have been on.

[Gator0178]

Thanks for the review. We went on her for the last time in April. We love her.

[cjgtigger]

We were on the ship at the same time. We had Beige 2 luggage tags and were off the ship and out of customs by 7:45. Maybe being called early was a good thing.