Going Over to RCL-Temporarily

[Ships R Great]

Well, I did it. I booked a very short---4 night---cruise on Monarch of the Seas. We have not sailed RCL since 2001 (on Monarch). This is a "carry-over" cruise to help me wait until our Mercury cruise in Dec. DH has a high school reunion in jacksonville so it willbe a short drive to Port Canaveral. Anybody been on Monarch lately. Any advice from these boards? I have posted on RCL.

[greydog]

Well, I did it. I booked a very short---4 night---cruise on Monarch of the Seas. Any advice from these boards?

 

I wanted to do similar 'appetizer' cruise but wife's balky about heat, been-there-done-that. SOOOO JADED

 

Arrange prior to trip to get your Celeb loyalty level matched on RCL's C&A system. Then be sure to learn the RCL perqs you qualify for, which are better on RCL than X. I believe my TA told me Monarch was refurbished within last year and it was attractive. On the other hand, standard cabins are small and I don't think there is a specialty restaurant onboard, but liquor can see you thru those hardships. HAPPY SAILING

[Ships R Great]

Thnks, greydog. I understand RCL is cutting back on perks 9/1 so I am glad we are sailing before that. When I log onto RCL I am listed as a "Diamond" so I hope that won't be a problem. I will call ahead just to be sure. Thanks for that tip.

 

Tell your DW to hop on board. A short cruise is better than no cruise!

[Bridge Maven]

Well, I did it. I booked a very short---4 night---cruise on Monarch of the Seas. We have not sailed RCL since 2001 (on Monarch). This is a "carry-over" cruise to help me wait until our Mercury cruise in Dec. DH has a high school reunion in jacksonville so it willbe a short drive to Port Canaveral. Anybody been on Monarch lately. Any advice from these boards? I have posted on RCL.

 

 

My only advice is not to compare Royal Caribbean with Celebrity based on Monarch of the Seas. It provides a very different experience and has much smaller cabins than Royal Caribbean's newer ships. My least favorite ship was Soverign of the Seas, which is a sister ship to Monarch, while my favorite ship to date is Royal Caribbean's Brilliance of the Seas. As a basis of comparison, we have sailed on Celebrity's Century, Mercury, Millennium, Infinity, and Constellation, as well as Holland America, Norweigian, Carnival, and the defunct Italian Line.

[unicorn63]

I have not been on the Monarch since it was refurbished. Used to go every year with girlfriends for a long weekend and we would cruise to Ensenada. We liked the smaller and more relaxed atmosphere. Normally I do not do any spa treatments on a ship due to the cost.....but as you board the spa crew are there offering very good specials that are only offered as you board. It is something to check out.

[Aquahound]

Thnks, greydog. I understand RCL is cutting back on perks 9/1 so I am glad we are sailing before that. When I log onto RCL I am listed as a "Diamond" so I hope that won't be a problem. I will call ahead just to be sure. Thanks for that tip.

 

The cutback in perks is actually a benefit on Monarch. Monarch doesn't have a concierge lounge, but the free cocktail hour is being added to all the ships, including Monarch. So with cruising before 9/1, you are actually losing a benefit. No biggie though...the RCI benefits are still much better than what X currently offers

 

There are a couple recent Monarch reviews on the RCI board. Both are favorable.

[Ships R Great]

The cutback in perks is actually a benefit on Monarch. Monarch doesn't have a concierge lounge, but the free cocktail hour is being added to all the ships, including Monarch. So with cruising before 9/1, you are actually losing a benefit. No biggie though...the RCI benefits are still much better than what X currently offers

 

There are a couple recent Monarch reviews on the RCI board. Both are favorable.

 

Well, shoot. Isn't that just the luck! Oh well.

[JanineM]

We were on Monarch about 3 weeks ago for a 3-nighter (weekend). My review is posted. The cabins are teeny tiny, as are the televisions. We were in an oceanview and there is no fridge, and the cabin we had this time (an el cheapo on deck 3) did not have a safe. We have had o/vs on deck 8 before and they did have a safe.

 

The dining room is fine - service is good but nothing like on X or a 7-nighter. The buffet doesn't have as many choices as some of the larger ships, but there is a good sized Asian section. Here's a tip - go past the first buffet section & to the back, especially on embarkation day.

 

The staff is very friendly ... but they are busy! I don't recall there being a martini bar, but could be wrong. We tend to go up to the Viking Crown Lounge area for drinks, and had good martinis up there.

 

We received the old Royal Caribbean C&A booklets (they were dated 2007), and great RCI beach bags. There was a really good C&A Platinum & above reception with the Captain & senior officers on day 2. It was held in the morning, up in the Viking Crown Lounge, and there was actually a nice selection of appetisers and trays of drinks served ... wine, champagne, rum punch. They served for a good hour while we headed towards Nassau.

 

If you're just looking for a quick getaway and time on the sea, I think you'll be happy with Monarch.

 

EDIT to add ... a lot of people on these short cruises have never sailed before, so we find that we have to be prepared for that. Lots of exuberance ... but you'll find that the buffet can be an exercise in frustration as people cut in, get lost, and just try to figure out how it all works. I've found that I need to remind myself of this, and pack a bit more patience! :)

[Ships R Great]

My only advice is not to compare Royal Caribbean with Celebrity based on Monarch of the Seas. It provides a very different experience and has much smaller cabins than Royal Caribbean's newer ships. My least favorite ship was Soverign of the Seas, which is a sister ship to Monarch, while my favorite ship to date is Royal Caribbean's Brilliance of the Seas. As a basis of comparison, we have sailed on Celebrity's Century, Mercury, Millennium, Infinity, and Constellation, as well as Holland America, Norweigian, Carnival, and the defunct Italian Line.

 

Oh, I would not compare them. I know the cabins are very small and there are no bells and whistles. We have always liked the older smaller ships. Celebrity Zenith was our all-time favorite. this is just a quick, last minute thing to add to my DH's HS reunion weekend.

[Ships R Great]

We were on Monarch about 3 weeks ago for a 3-nighter (weekend). My review is posted. The cabins are teeny tiny, as are the televisions. We were in an oceanview and there is no fridge, and the cabin we had this time (an el cheapo on deck 3) did not have a safe. We have had o/vs on deck 8 before and they did have a safe.

 

The dining room is fine - service is good but nothing like on X or a 7-nighter. The buffet doesn't have as many choices as some of the larger ships, but there is a good sized Asian section. Here's a tip - go past the first buffet section & to the back, especially on embarkation day.

 

The staff is very friendly ... but they are busy! I don't recall there being a martini bar, but could be wrong. We tend to go up to the Viking Crown Lounge area for drinks, and had good martinis up there.

 

We received the old Royal Caribbean C&A booklets (they were dated 2007), and great RCI beach bags. There was a really good C&A Platinum & above reception with the Captain & senior officers on day 2. It was held in the morning, up in the Viking Crown Lounge, and there was actually a nice selection of appetisers and trays of drinks served ... wine, champagne, rum punch. They served for a good hour while we headed towards Nassau.

 

If you're just looking for a quick getaway and time on the sea, I think you'll be happy with Monarch.

 

EDIT to add ... a lot of people on these short cruises have never sailed before, so we find that we have to be prepared for that. Lots of exuberance ... but you'll find that the buffet can be an exercise in frustration as people cut in, get lost, and just try to figure out how it all works. I've found that I need to remind myself of this, and pack a bit more patience! :)

 

Thanks for the encouraging words, Janine. (Except for the editing!) But I will enjoy seeing people elarn how wonderful it is to cruise.