Monarch of the Seas Feb 9 to Feb 13

[ckirby]

Hello all just returned from a 4 night cruise on the Monarch with my DH (Feb 9th to Feb 13th) This is a long review, but please feel free to ask questions.

 

Day Prior to Cruise:

Our plane arrived early at Orlando International Airport on Sunday, Feb 8th. Shortly after getting of the plane, and walking to get our luggage from baggage claim, my cell phone rang. It was our shuttle transportation service, Beachline Transportation. Beachline was aware of our early arrival without any contact from us, and they wanted to confirm our pickup location. We used Beachline throughout our stay, and I would HIGHLY recommend them. www.beachlinetransportation.net I located the service after completing a search of transportation companies in the Florida area. More on the specifics of Beachline as we go on, they are FANTASIC!!!

 

Beachline took us by an air conditioned van from Orlando International Airport to the Comfort Inn and Suites in Cocoa Beach, Florida. A 45 minute drive from the airport.

www.comfortinn.com/hotel-cocoa_beach-florida-FL521?promo=gglocal The cost of this transfer was $24.50 per person for me and my DH. This is a steal!!! The hotel offers a transportation package, as well as other packages, yet when I told them the rate I got with Beachline, they said I had a great deal and I should stick with Beachline instead of using their package. I choice the hotel for the location, as well as the cost. I had read reviews and found that many pre-cruise travelers have stayed at the location prior to the cruise. Now the hotel is not the Ritz by any means, yet it is a clean, comfortable, and an economic facility that I would recommend to others. The hotel stay for a standard room with tax was $71.92 (AAA rate and on-line rate). The location of the hotel was great for an overnight stay, as there are lots of shops and restaurants with in a short walking distance from the facility. The hotel is also only 300 feet from the beach itself. The hotel amenities for those with kids/teens include a game room, outdoor pool, hot tub, volley ball court, ping pong tables, and an outdoor jungle gym. There is also a lounge and fitness center for adults. After checking in, my DH and I, choice to tour the hotel, as well as nearby shops. I recommend going to Ron Jon Surf Shop just next door. We then ate at The Shark Pit, also recommended, right next door to the hotel. www.cococbeachsurf.com If you aren’t in the mood for a sit down restaurant, there are plenty of fast food restaurants all within a short walking distance from the hotel.

Cruise Day 1

Beachline picked us up from the hotel at 11 a.m. and took us to the port. Only about a 10 to 15 minute drive from the hotel at $5.00 per person. I know the closest hotel is the Radisson, yet for the price, you can’t beat the Comfort Inn. Upon arriving at the Port, we had already completed our on-line check in, so it was smooth, fast sailing! We went through Security, checked in and obtained our Sea Passes, took our welcome aboard photos, took pics for the cruise line ID, and we were on the ship all in less then 20 minutes.

My DH started out with a yummy cocktail, and then we were off to the Windjammer for lunch. We have cruised before with Carnival, and I have to be honest, I enjoyed many things about Carnival much better then the Monarch, but we did have a great time. The food served for lunch on the first day of the cruise in the Windjammer was the same items served throughout the 4 day cruise during lunch times. Carnival’s food quality, as well as selection was better. Expect grilled items such as hamburgers, hot dogs, french fries, as well as other buffet style dishes such as lamb stew, roast chicken, fried rice, mashed potatoes, salads, pasta, etc… Deserts are also limited on the Monarch in comparison with Carnival. Not to say deserts aren’t available, but once again, the selection and quality aren’t there. Free drink items include ice tea, water, and lemonade for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. For breakfast you can also find orange juice. Also an assortment of teas and coffee are available throughout the day and night.

 

Beware: Food is not always readily available on the Monarch. There are set times for breakfast, lunch and dinner, in both the assigned dinning rooms, as well as in the Windjammer and Jade Restaurants. As a result, there were times where the only food item available to eat was pizza from Sorrento’s, unlike Carnival where food is constant and plentiful. Sorrento’s is also not always open, so watch for those available dinning times and eat accordingly. P.S. the pizza was very good!

 

Rooms were available as promised by 1 p.m. We booked a guarantee ocean view room. This was the first time, we booked a guarantee room, and we were not disappointed, even by being on the front end of the ship room 7002. The room was small, yet fit DH and I just fine. Our room steward was also very attentive, as were ALL the staff of the Monarch, they are extremely friendly, welcoming, and helpful from the room steward to the bar staff, to the waiters to the activities crew everyone made the trip a memorable experience! Top Notch crew!!!! A couple of notes about the room however, there are no room safes, and unlike Carnival, you are only provided with bars of soap and a shampoo shower dispenser. Carnival offers both a free room safe, as well as showers with dispensers full of Shampoo, Conditioner, and liquid soap. The bed on the Monarch was very comfortable. The sail away party was fun and lively with singing and dancing by the members of the entertainment staff, as well as the passengers.

One note I would like to make with regard to the make up of the passengers of our sailing. The majority of the passengers were 60 plus years of age. My DH and I are in our early 40s, and the age make up was a little disappointing for us; however we still had a wonderful time.

 

Our dinner assignment was the late seating 8:30 p.m. in the Vincent Dinning Room. We sat at a table with one other couple, which was pleasant. Our waiter was full of jokes, as well as games, which made dinner nice. Please note that many of the same menu items can be found on the menu nightly. There isn’t much of a variety. Menus are posted at the entrances of both dinning rooms daily. We only ate in the dinning room on the first and 3rd nights of the cruise. The 2nd night was formal night, and the couple we were sitting with had just been married, and we decided to let them enjoy that night on their own. We didn’t mind, as we have cruised before and experienced several formal nights in the past. I will say though that passengers on this Monarch sailing were truly dressed for formal night from wearing tuxedos to long formal gowns. It was lovely to seat back and watch. Dinner for those not participating in formal night was served in Jade instead of the Windjammer, as the Windjammer was closed for the evening. Jade did offer table clothes and nice centerpieces on the tables. (I note this as; I previously read a question from someone on cruise critic prior to our departure, if table clothes were provided on formal night in the Windjammer) A buffet style meal was served to guest in Jade. We were even able to dine with many crew members that night, which included the cruise director. P.S. the cruise director on the Monarch is GREAT!!! He was also very visible and extremely friendly and

approachable throughout the cruise even if games/activities were not going on.

 

The Shows:

The nightly shows were good, and we enjoyed them, along with the comedian. I would recommend that you attend the shows. I have read some negative reviews on the entertainment, however we enjoyed it.

 

Nightly Activities:

There were times that the cruise activities were slow to non-existent, other than going to the casino or sitting in a lounge. However, when there were games/activities to participate in they were fun. Don’t miss the Love and Marriage Show on night 3, the Quest Show on night 4, or the 70’s Dance Party. All of these activities are VERY entertaining!!! The Monarch also offers short lessons in Swing Dancing, and Salsa Dancing in Baleros, this added a nice touch.

 

Day 2:

Coco Cay. My DH and I didn’t head out to the Island until 12:30 p.m. or 1:00 p.m., as we continued to hear from other passengers that the Island was cold and windy that day, and you needed a wet suit to get into the water, as the water temperatures were very cold. However, by the time we arrived on the island, the weather was GREAT! The sun was shinning, it was a little winding but it was nice. Remember the food warning from earlier? Well, lunch is only offered on the Island from 12 noon to 2:00 p.m. It is a BBQ lunch with limited selections of hamburgers, hot dogs, ribs, chicken, salad (2 types of salad dressing), one pasta, cold slaw, and fruit. Free beverages are served, along with bar selections. My suggestion: Don’t just sit on the beach, walk the island as well, along with the nature trail, it is nice and relaxing. Activities such as jet skis, parasailing, snorkeling, etc… are all available at a price.

Day 3

Nassau Bahamas: My DH and I headed off the ship to walk around the shops, yet we, as everyone else, were approached by tour guides who wanted to offer you various tours available on the island. After saying no to several of the guides, we were approached by one last guide, “Mr. Boe Jangles.” Mr. Boe Jangles offered to take us on a tour of the island at $25 per person, payable in cash at the end of the trip. This was a GREAT deal, and it was far less expensive then the tours offered through Royal Caribbean, and offered not only the stops provided in the tour given through the cruise line, but many others such as two public beaches, Bob Marley’s residence, inside The Atlantis, Caves of the Bahamas, the burial site of Anna Nicole Smith and her son, residential neighborhoods both rich and poor, and many many more!!! We road in an air conditioned van along with two other ladies, who were very nice!!! The guide provided not only the transportation, but also narration, and allowed us to get out and enjoy the sites. He also was a great photographer, who encouraged us to take pics, and also used our camera to take pics for us as well. It was a very enjoyable day!!!! Thanks Mr. Boe Jangles!!!!

Day 4:

Full day at Sea

We relaxed pool side and were able to enjoy the games and activities at the pool. Other activities were also offered throughout the day in various lounges, yet I wanted to soak up the sun and did!!!

 

Debarkation:

Once again easy as 1 2 3!!! We ate breakfast in the Windjammer. The food is taken away by 9:00 a.m., so make sure you eat early. Following breakfast, we stood in line on Deck 4 waited our turn to leave the ship, went through immigration, and Beachline was once again there to take us to our next destination, The Kennedy Space Center. Beachline charged us $20.00 per person to transport us from the ship to the SpaceCenter. The cruise line offers a tour from the ship to the SpaceCenter and then to the airport, however this was far less expensive through Beachline. We enjoyed our day at the SpaceCenter, however it is not possible to do and see everything in just one day. Beachline then picked us up, and drove us to the airport. The total cost of the Beachline transportation for the entire trip was $148.00. You can’t beat that when you look at everywhere they took us. They were prompt, friendly, and just GREAT!!!! Thanks Glen, owner of Beachline, for your WONDEFRUL SERVICE!!! We will use you guys again!!!!

Pictures available for review at:

http://community.webshots.com/album/570102416nxuvnU?start=0

[Baja20]

Thanks for the review.. Heading on the same cruise next week... do you recall the pricing for jet ski rentals in cocoa cay?

[birdylady]

Thanx for the great review. We look forward to our turn on the Monarch in May. You said you did a tour with Mr. Jangles. Were there places you asked to stop at that or did you stop at places he thought you would want to go? How long did the tour take?

 

We are also planning the Space Center after getting off the ship. Is there anything you would recommend not missing? Things you think aren't worth the time if we were to run short on time? Any advice is greatly appreciated.

Thanx,

Erika

[ckirby]

I know there were 2 seperate prices for the driver of the jet ski and the passanger on the jet ski. The passanger rate was $29.00 and the driver I believe was $95.00.

 

You will have a GREAT time!!!

[ckirby]

With regard to the tour, Mr. Jangles had his own route, but it was wonderful!!!! The tour was suppose to be 2 hours, however we were with him for about 3 1/2.

 

The Kennedy Space Center was nice. Like I said early in the review there is no way to do everything in one day. We only had time to complete the bus tour, which took you to 3 seperate locations on the campus of the Center.