VERY LONG! - RCCL Monarch of the Seas Review
Kevin and Terry Quinn
archive - hope that someone finds this worth reading!
Kevin
Cruise Review - Monarch of the Seas - RCCL
Sail Date: 12/24/00 7-Day Southern Caribbean Cabin #5061
Ports: San Juan, St. Thomas, St. Martin, Antigua, St. Lucia, Barbados, San
Juan
Kevin G. Quinn tandk...@mindspring.com
SUMMARY
Overall Rating: 9.5/10.0
Value: 10.0/10.0 Service: 9.5/10.0
Food: 9.0/10.0 Ship: 10.0/10.0
Cabin: 9.0/10.0 Shore Excursions: 9.5/10.0*
Ports: 9.0/10.0 Airport Transfers: 10.0/10.0
Fellow Passengers: 7.5/10.0 Entertainment: 8.0/10.0
* We took two excursions, St. Martin Pinel Island Snorkel (10.0/10.0) and
Barbados Catamaran Snorkel (9.0/10.0, but weather prevented us from going to
the intended site). Other passenger comments regarding their excursions
generally were quite favorable.
COST
$3800 for two passengers, Category K inside cabin including airfare from
Chicago. Our bar bill $350 including $125 for "Wine and Dine" Program
(includes standard $15% bar tip), plus approximately $1300 in other wanton
spending and shopping. Recommended budget for this trip for "no money
worries" vacation: approximately $5500 (you mileage may vary depending on
your own spending habits. I believe that we spent in a fashion that was
fairly typical of the passengers on this cruise.)
TIPS ON SHIP
We tipped a total of $275, which is approximately double the recommended
levels - $100 for cabin steward, $100 for waiter, $50 for assistant waiter,
and $20 additional for wine steward. We also tipped $5 to the head waiter,
who did nothing but interrupt our dinner each night to annoyingly mug for
tips - we were sufficiently irritated as to give him an amount that we hope
was more insulting than stiffing him. We also believe that we may have
committed a bit of a faux pas - we did not tip the room service staff when
they brought food to the cabin - there was nothing in the information we
were provided that indicated that we should do so, and no envelopes
available for this purpose. In retrospect, we now think that perhaps we
should have given a little cash for each meal, but we are not entirely sure
about this.
OVERALL EXPERIENCE
This cruise is a great experience if you want an active vacation and want to
be pampered a bit, but don't want to have to do much planning yourself.
RCCL is very customer service oriented, and is clear about their mission to
provide "mass with class;" this is consistent with what I have read in other
reviews. This particular itinerary is port-intensive (only one sea day at
the end), so shopping and shore excursions are its main features. We sailed
Christmas week, so the ship was full (and full of families), but for a very
few occasions, we did not feel particularly overcrowded. This particular
cruise was great for couples 30-60+, and families with teens.
There are better options than this cruise if you are single, have small
children, are a gourmand, expecting elegance and extravagance, or seeking
nonstop partying action. If you have reasonable expectations about what
your cruise will be like - don't expect to be the only one on a ship
carrying 2700 passengers! - you most likely will be pleased with this
cruise.
VALUE
My wife and I are of relatively modest, but probably upper-middle class
means - she is a V.P. of a 100+ employee manufacturing company and I am an
economics professor - so this trip represented a significantly more
expensive (about twice so) week-long vacation than what we would consider an
average annual jaunt. Hence, we were keen on feeling afterwards that we had
spent our dollars wisely. We feel that we did, and are planning another
RCCL cruise in the near future.
SERVICE
Almost without exception, the service on this cruise was outstanding. Our
cabin was kept immaculate by our phantomlike steward. We could always find
him when we wanted something, but he was not the least bit intrusive -
perfect! The pursers' staff was usually patient and helpful, although there
were lines in front of the desk a bit more often that I would have
preferred. The dining room staff was generally attentive, but a little bit
rushed at times. The service in the Windjammer (buffet meal area) was not
nearly as good, but it didn't really need to be. Breakfasts and lunches in
the dining room were more or less open seating, and the wait staff was not
nearly as good as it was at dinner, but certainly was more than adequate.
One is never wanting for a drink waiter or waitress, but they are not at all
pushy. The pink-vested staffers are everywhere, and one only needs to look
thirsty to be asked if a drink is desired. Drinks aren't a bargain, but
aren't insanely expensive either. Figure on about $5-$7 each with tip,
depending on what you order, but there are nightly specials, so look for
those.
I have heard nightmare stories about sullen staff on other lines, but have
read excellent reviews of RCCL's service. We agree with this assessment,
and are extremely pleased with our choice. Although there can be some
improvements, are quite satisfied with the service we received given the
money that we spent.
FOOD
While plentiful and generally pretty good, the food on this cruise would not
satisfy a cruiser searching for outstanding gastronomy. It's about
quantity as much as quality.
The food in the dining rooms is very good and dinners are quite the show, as
there is a different theme each evening. Generally, the chef does an
amazing job of preparing excellent dinners for a mass of people. Breakfasts
and lunches in the dining rooms are also quite good - a varied selection and
good quality. The buffets and the snacks are okay to marginal. (We didn't
sample the fabled midnight buffet). Room service brings rather horrible
food, but does so quickly - it is sustenance in a hurry.
WINE AND DINE PROGRAM
We opted for the Wine and Dine program that we had read about in other
reviews, although we had to ask for it as our wine stewardess didn't mention
it. The program allows one bottle with each dinner (7 total, of course)
from a limited wine list. The list includes a few reds, a few whites, and a
couple of sparkling wines, all ok, but not the best labels or years. If you
just like wine and aren't terribly fussy, this is a great deal. If you are
a knowledgeable fan of the grape, and consider wine a central part of your
dining experience, then order off the regular wine list. Wines there are
surprisingly reasonable, although not cheap.
ATTIRE
During the day, pretty much anything goes anywhere on the ship - provided it
fits the American definition of "decent," I guess. I didn't see any
toplessness or overly skimpy bathing suits on board, but this was a
Christmas week cruise - your mileage may vary. The dining rooms do not
allow bathing suits for breakfast or lunch, but everything else was
extremely casual.
There were two formal nights, one "smart casual" night, and four casual
nights during this cruise. Formal means at least dark suit and tie for
men - there were a lot of tuxes (35% or so?) - and long dresses for women.
While some deviated from this, the majority of passengers dressed
appropriately. Children got a bit more slack, but were also expected to
wear similar attire. I rented a tux via the tux program (see below) and
felt more comfortable doing so.
"Smart casual" meant jackets and ties for men, and skirts or upscale
pantsuits for women, but this wasn't so well-adhered. Casual nights meant
sports shirts and khakis for guys, and pants or skirts with nice tops for
women (ok, I am not an expert on women's fashions, but you get the idea!).
No shorts, t-shirts or tanks, and most seemed to follow this.
After dinner, those that didn't retire to their cabins in food comas left
their dinner clothing on without changing.
SHIP
This ship was built in the early 1990s and I believe was refurbished not too
long ago. The decor is "brass and fern" hotel lobby-ish rather than garish
Las Vegas neon or museum quality antique vase-ish. The ship is incredibly
well-designed, and gives neither the feeling of confinement that many
first-time cruisers worry about, nor of hugeness. One doesn't really sense
the largeness of the ship unless climbing up several flights of stairs (on
those fairly rare occasions when the elevators are overcrowded) or when
looking down at the pier while in port.
The focal point of the ship is the Centrum, a several-story atrium that
includes a number of shops, the main dining rooms, the pursers' and shore
excursion desks, and the photo gallery. Before and after dinner seatings
(especially between the early and the late) this area gets pretty crowded -
exacerbated by the entertainment that is provided.
As described in the brochures, there are a number of different lounges - all
comfortable - and lots of places to sit or eat. The pools are small, but
the pool area is quite nice, and the pool staff makes sure that children
stay out of the adult pool. Other amenities include a cinema, a show
lounge, a teen hangout, a disco, a gym, a jogging track around the ship
(although running pounds the hell out of the outside cabins underneath it),
and a casino. You don't need cash onboard, but are issued a "blue card"
upon embarkation with an initial credit card imprint. The card is presented
for all shipboard purchases - easy as pie.
With the exception of the casino, the ship is identified as "primarily
nonsmoking," meaning that smoking is allowed in designated areas only
(mostly lounges). I like the occasional cigar but try to be very careful
not to bother others with it (the library is a great place to enjoy cigar,
an after dinner drink, and conversation with other cigar smokers). However,
I find cigarette smoke quite obnoxious. Only rarely was I subjected to
unwanted cigarette smoke - something I find a real plus. If you are a
cigarette smoker, you might find the ship's rules on smoking to be a little
onerous, but I didn't hear any complaints. Of course, when the weather is
nice, you can always go outside.
We had great weather and generally calm seas, so ship motion was not really
a problem. The motion is noticeable, especially at higher cruising speeds,
but I would rate it as less bouncy than the average plane or train ride. I
only heard one or two complaints, but from only those who complained about
everything else too. Naturally, the motion was more apparent while leaving
or entering ports, and when up high, particularly in the Viking Crown
Lounge. At night, I actually enjoyed the little rocking while I slept,
although I think it woke me up once or twice - but it was not unpleasant.
One last personal thing - I prefer to be cooler rather than warmer. In
general, I found the ship to be too warm, especially in the cabin and the
dining room. I thought the dining room to be nearly unbearably hot at
times, although I suspect that the average person would have just thought it
a bit uncomfortably warm. This had a small, but noticeable negative impact
on my experience.
CABIN
As is well-known, RCCL cabins tend to the very small side, but are generally
not considered to be a problem for two adults. My biggest pre-cruise
concern was whether or not our cabin was going to be big enough to hold us,
our vast quantity of luggage, and all that we purchased, without causing
terminal claustrophobia in our inside cabin. We had no problems, although 7
days is about my limit. We had a couple of room service snacks during the
trip - suffice it to say that these cabins are not really made for dining.
That noted, the cabins are design marvels. Storage space under the bed is
adequate, but be sure to bring luggage that is less than 12" or so wide, or
it won't fit. There was enough closet space for our week's worth of
clothing, but the drawer space was very limited. The bathroom has more
storage than I expected, but if you are a cosmetics and hair products hound,
you will probably find it pretty cramped. There are little ledges and
shelves throughout the cabin that proved to be quite useful, and there are
mirrors everywhere.
The bathrooms have good ventilation and an adequately-sized shower, although
we had some hot water shortage problems - this is something that I didn't
find acceptable. They sport TVs with CNN, ESPN, several movie channels
(including one in Spanish), a ship information channel (very useful for
debarkation), and a surprisingly interesting "infomercial" about the new
RCCL behemoth Voyager of the Seas. The bed was more comfortable than I
expected given that it was pushed togther to make a queen - we had no
problems sleeping on it, and we are a bit fussy about this sort of thing.
Generally speaking, the soundproofing was good. We never heard anything in
the hallways or in other cabins, with one major exception. We had the
misfortune of being down a main hallway from a couple of families with a
number of young and pre-teen children. All damn afternoon, EVERY afternoon,
these kids spent hours running up and down the halls. This may sound
innocuous, but it pounded heavily on the cabins, and was extremely
disturbing if one seeks a nap or afternoon quiet. I asked the kids nicely
to stop once. They didn't. I asked again the next day, a little less
nicely. They didn't. I called security about the fourth day; they came
IMMEDIATELY and told the kids in no uncertain terms to cut it out. They
didn't. (Sadly, I believe that I was one of several that was forced to
resort to calling security about this problem). I called security again
later that night (around 10pm or so) because the same kids were STILL
running - at this time, my wife and I began to speculate with our
across-the-hall neighbors that the kids simply were being defiant. The
purser's desk called back later to tell us that they had again reprimanded
the children, and spoke to the parents, but the next day they were at it
again, with gusto. I gave up at this point, and tried not to fume about it.
No point in making this unpleasantness a focus of our trip.
I apologize for the excessive detail on these episodes, but the bottom line
is that two sets of parents' indifference to their children's ill behavior
had a highly negative impact on the cruise experience of many other
passengers. Parents: Kids will be kids, and have a right to a good time on
their vacation, but so do other passengers. PLEASE make sure that your kids
are playing in areas away from where people sleep - there are lots and lots
of programs, babysitters, and opportunities for them to run and shout and
have a good time without disturbing scores of other paying guests. The
hallways are not playgrounds.
TUX PROGRAM
Information about the tux program was included with our cruise documents. I
rented a tux and shoes, which along with two shirts were in the room upon
our arrival. While not the highest quality tux, it wasn't bad, and both
added to the experience and removed the hassle of packing my own. It was
somewhere around $80-$100 and was worth it to us.
PORTS
We stopped in St. Thomas, St. Martin, Antigua, St. Lucia, Barbados, and San
Juan. The only place we required a tender was St. Martin; the rest we
docked at the pier. On the typical day we docked around 8, just as we were
waking up, had a quick breakfast in the Windjammer, and were on shore by 9
or 10 am. We were typically back on the ship about an hour before it sailed
at 5 or 6 pm. Note that shore excursions and sailings are at the times
indicated. If you are late, you will miss the excursion or the ship, and
that is YOUR problem, not theirs. If you tend to be temporally challenged,
take special care to be on time, or you will S.O.L.
All the ports featured shopping to a greater or lesser degree in the
immediate pier area and in the town area closest to the pier. With the
exception of some small degree of discomfort in St. Lucia, we did not fear
for our personal safety, but we are city folk that have a natural wariness.
We always secured our wallets and purse, didn't flash money, and carried
relatively small amounts of currency ($100-$200 each) in case of theft.
Basically, safety didn't seem a major issue to us.
Taxis are easy to hire in each port - they make themselves known to those
exiting the ships. We had no problems with any drivers, nor did we hear of
any from other passengers. On each island, there seem to be more or less
fixed prices for various rides/tours, but it is prudent to make sure that
you agree on prices before you get into the taxis.
In general, we found that locals are quite welcoming and friendly toward
cruisers. This isn't a great surprise - I would estimate that each ship
represents somewhere between $200-$600K per visit for each of the ports.
These islands are not large, uniformly wealthy, or populous (with the
exception of San Juan and to some degree Barbados). Tourism in general and
cruise ships in particular are very important elements of these local
economies.
Here is the port-by-port rundown of our own experiences and impressions:
St. Thomas: SHOPPING. Great deals on booze, jewelry, and perfume. Bring
your money. We shopped in the morning, had lunch in the ship's dining room,
then hired ourselves a taxi to Magen's Beach on the other side of the
island. Great beach! One note - it had more than its share of loudmouthed
and obnoxious New York-area folks sporting more cash than class - you know
the type :) Ok, I was born and raised in Chicago, and have biases! I of
course realize that not everyone from the Northeast is loud and obnoxious,
but there were more than a few who were at the beach.
St. Martin: We enjoyed this island the most, but cruisers should note that
there is quite a bit of poverty evident throughout the island. Many of our
fellow passengers were disturbed by this, and it detracted from their
experiences.
We took a taxi in the morning to Marigot on the French side to do a little
shopping. We avoided the very upscale shops - plenty of these on Michigan
Ave, Fifth Ave, and other places we can visit frequently - and focused on
the street market along the waterfront. Some great deals on interesting
local merchandise available there. We had lunch at a café across the
market, with a view of the old fort. Very pleasant morning.
We took the afternoon Pinel Island snorkeling excursion. It was about a 30
minute bus ride to the Orient Beach area, then a water taxi to the
French-side island. They outfitted us with everything we needed, and turned
us loose to do a little snorkeling. They keep a fairly good eye on things,
but you need to take your own precautions and not be dumb. You are not in
the Land of Liability Suits and you will not see the same safeguards as you
would here in the U.S. After about 45 minutes of snorkeling, most everyone
had enough and retired to the beach. It is a "top-tional" beach, so be
warned that there are a few folks forgoing the bikini tops, although they
were in the minority. I decided to go topless myself, but my wife didn't
and was kind enough not to notice my occasional peeks around the beach. All
kidding aside, all were well-behaved and respectful, and it was an
interesting adventure for a couple of landlocked overly conservative
Midwesterners.
Antigua: After a little morning shopping, we had lunch on the ship, then
hired a taxi to Runaway Beach. The driver dropped us at a resort and helped
us get a staffer to set us up with a beach tent (highly recommended
considering the hot sun!) and was there to pick us up as we had
pre-arranged. We had two or three hours of relaxation, only pleasantly
interrupted a few times by entertaining beach vendors, then back to the ship
for our usual afternoon nap before our late dinner seating.
St. Lucia: We exited the ship in the morning, as was our routine, to do a
little shopping in Castries, the port town. There is a small outdoor
somewhat upscale mall right at the terminal, a duty-free area, and then a
large, covered "craft" market. As soon as we left the mall area, we were
harangued by taxi drivers and street vendors - much more so than on any of
the other islands. We found this to be rather unpleasant. Crossing a busy
street, we entered the craft market area. Lots of booths in aisles crowded
with middle-aged local women plying their wares. If you like haggling and
interacting (on our part, this mostly meant saying "no, thanks" in a firm
way) you will love this. Lots of good buys on all kinds of things, but you
have to bargain. Worth the trip, but I found it to be a somewhat tiresome
experience - my wife really liked it, however. We took the afternoon to
relax on the ship - we had been going nonstop for most of a week, so the
downtime was welcomed and needed.
Some of our fellow passengers took excursions on this island and were
pleased with their experiences. You can exhaust the interesting
opportunities in Castries in less than half a day, so we would recommend
that cruisers do an excursion on this island.
Barbados: Bridgetown is a working city, and a financial center for much of
the Caribbean, so you will be disappointed if you are looking for quaintness
here. We found that a quick taxi ride and a brief walk through town
satisfied us. We took a peek at the Mount Gay rum distillery, but didn't
have time for the tour. There is some pretty decent duty-free shopping
right around the ship terminal - definitely worth a look.
In the afternoon, we took the snorkeling catamaran excursion. It was worth
the money and time, although the seas were a little rough so we had to go to
a secondary location - along with about 4 other snorkeling outings. Very
crowded, but it was still fun. Following that, we sailed around the island,
enjoying the free rum punch and beer. My wife and I didn't have very much
of this as we were bouncing pretty heavily and we were feeling a little
queasy. However, many of our fellow catamaraners imbibed heavily - I have
never seen so many people get so loaded so fast in my life. They were
clearly having a great time, singing and dancing (despite little room!) The
Jolly Roger outing was the better excursion for this sort of thing, though.
Our cat sailed near them, and oh boy! were they ever hammered. Great time,
but if you don't want to lose the rest of the day, be very careful with the
rum punch!
FELLOW PASSENGERS
My wife and I felt as though we were quite typical of the passengers on this
cruise. We are from the American Midwest, are both 39, have been married
for 16 years and as indicated above, think of ourselves as middle-class
professionals. To our eye, we were a little younger than most of the other
couples - average age of 45 or so? - but not overly so. I would estimate
that about 85% of passengers were American.
Most, but hardly all, of our fellow passengers seemed to be upper middle
class economically and socially. With few exceptions, they were more
reserved than not, and friendly and polite. There were a few folks that
would best be described as inappropriate (e.g., overly loud, crude,
impolite, or frequent complainers), but they were most notable because of
their relative rarity.
This being a Christmas cruise, there were a large number of families,
including extended families. I suspect that there were more than a few
Grandmas and Grandpas that took some of their recently acquired stock market
wealth and treated the kids and grandkids to a great vacation. There were
lots of teens who seemed to be having a grand time with each other, and did
not at all bother their adult shipmates. As indicated above, a few of the
younger children and their parents were not as considerate. It appeared
that most of the families - especially those with small children - availed
themselves of the early rather than late dinner seating.
There seemed to be very few singles on this cruise, and I would not
recommend this particular sailing as an opportunity to meet that special
someone. Other cruises, itineraries or cruise lines might be a better place
for this.
Few passengers - aside from the teens! - seemed to want to stay up very
late. The majority of folks took advantage of early shore visits, and were
crashed by midnight. I know that we certainly were!
ENTERTAINMENT
There was always plenty to do on board, regardless of your interest. Each
evening featured a different show and main event. The shows were
well-scheduled around dinner seatings, and were better than I expected,
although not quite Las Vegas quality. The headliner was John Davidson, of
70s fame (oh, how the mighty have fallen). I skipped this, but my wife had
a good time despite his show's kitchiness - something that Davidson himself
alluded to. Aside from him, there were several variety shows - dancing,
singing, comedian, magician, ventriloquist - during the week that I enjoyed,
although I am not a big fan of this sort of thing. Somehow, the milieu of
relaxation provided by the cruise made these shows more fun than I would
have found them anywhere else. Then again, maybe it was the Guinness I
quaffed during the shows.
AIRPORT TRANSFERS AND DEBARKATION
We went with the air-cruise deal offered by RCCL, which meant that we
checked our bags in Chicago, and didn't see them again until we were in our
cabin. Upon arrival at the San Juan airport, we were met by the RCCL rep
holding up a big "Monarch of the Seas" sign, and whisked to a bus to the
ship. We got off the plane around 6:45pm, and were able to make our 8:30
dinner seating.
Passengers were expected to have their luggage outside their cabin by
midnight before debarkation, with the provided color-coded luggage tags
filled out. (I wonder how many forget to leave a change of clothes out for
the next day!) You should also fill out your customs form the night before
or after breakfast the day of debarkation.
Breakfast is served until 8am or so, and cabins are to be vacated by 8:30am.
Passengers wait in the common areas - there is coffee in the Windjammer, CNN
in the show lounge, and other things to do in other lounges. Despite the
frequent notices about not waiting in the Centrum area and clogging traffic,
a number of people did anyway. When your flight is called, you may exit the
ship. Approximately 2/3 of the ship had debarked by the time our flight was
called, but we only had to wait until about 10am or so.
Passengers then pick up their bags in areas separated by color tags. (We
heard one pinhead the night before debarkation trying to convince the purser
that he should have white luggage tags - first off - despite the fact that
his flight was later. He blustered "Are you calling me a liar? Do you
question my integrity?" The purser wasn't buying it.) From the luggage
collection area, you are whisked through customs. Despite identifying on
the form that we were a little over our liquor limit, the agent just waved
us through - not worth his hassle for less than $20 of duty, I guess.
Once through customs, you are directed to a spot on the pier with your
airline. You can get a porter to take your bags to a truck, and then you
check onto your flight. Then you are done until you board the plane - very,
very convenient. Then you either board a bus to the airport, or can knock
around San Juan for a bit. If you have a later flight, you can also take a
San Juan shore excursion.
RCCL operates a Crown and Anchor Club a few blocks from the pier. Show your
blue card, and you are in. They have a bar, light sandwiches, and an
airconditioned place to wait. We opted to pay for a taxi to the airport for
about $15 rather than going back to the pier to catch the bus.
Our experience was that the San Juan airport is a disorganized mess - more
Third Worldish than what you might expect in another American airport. Part
of this is because the United terminal was under construction, but there
were no postings of departure gates in the terminals, and close to no
announcements of gate changes. It would have been very easy to miss our
flight, but we paid close attention and pestered the (rather uppity) United
staffers and were able to get home. Quite a change from being on board!
FINAL COMMENTS
Our travel agent, Adventure Travel of Green Bay, WI, did approximately
nothing to help us with our trip. This perhaps was due to unfortunate
circumstance - the person who we have worked with on other trips quit not
long after we booked in March, 2000. Even so, we had to ask her replacement
for everything that we required, with the exception of that actual cruise
documents, which she got to us on her own. We had done our homework prior
to sailing, so the agency's lack of help was not really a problem, but they
surely didn't earn their commission. Bottom line: use a cruise specialist
that you trust. Also, it is worth the money to arrive a day early to your
embarkation port, to use the fly-and-cruise program, and to buy the cruise
insurance. The extra money is worth the piece of mind and convenience.
Happy Cruising!
Kevin and Terry Quinn
Lee Schwartzberg
<tandk...@mindspring.com> wrote:
>
> COST
>
> $3800 for two passengers, Category K inside cabin including airfare from
> Chicago.
Does anyone else think this sounds really expensive for an inside cabin -
even with the air?
Lee
emmy
about cruising especially for the first time.
Emmy
dian...@home.com
Hi Lee, I did at first, then I realized that it was Christmas week, and
out of San Juan. Air from Chicago to San Juan (if cruise line air)
would probably be at least half the cost of the cruise. Many friends
have had to resort to cruise line air to San Juan over the holidays. In
particular, if you booked late, bargains were not to be found.
Christmas week also seems to be 1 1/2 times the price of other weeks.
--
Diane
Sent via Deja.com
http://www.deja.com/
Pinelands3
>> Chicago.
>
>Does anyone else think this sounds really expensive for an inside cabin -
>even with the air?
>Lee
Lee, I thought the very same thing when I read the review. Even with air from
Chicago to San Juan, an inside cabin at $3,800? Did we miss something? Maybe
it included the Sail and Sign charges? Usually sailings from San Juan are
offered at bargain prices, and even though this was Christmas week, it does
seem awfully high. But I certainly enjoyed the review. Almost made me fel
like I was there...instead of here in Jersey with snow still piled up!
Jo-Ann
Charles
"Lee Schwartzberg" <l...@campmor.com> wrote in message
news:lee-120101...@whitefish.campmor.com...
> Does anyone else think this sounds really expensive for an inside cabin -
> even with the air?
Yes.
Kevin and Terry Quinn
I think that the cost was $1200/person plus air, plus insurance, etc. It
was Xmas week, and we did try to get a better airfare on our own via the
net, but no dice. That being said, I was not particularly thrilled with our
travel agent, and may have paid a little more than necessary.
Kevin
Kevin
Kevin and Terry Quinn
> > Does anyone else think this sounds really expensive for an inside
cabin -
> > even with the air?
>
> Yes.
What would be appropriate to pay Xmas week, air from Chicago to San Juan,
and all the rest? We kept checking on the net the months before we sailed,
and up until the time it sold out, the price never moved even $100 from what
we paid for the cabin itself.
Ray Goldenberg
<tandk...@mindspring.com> wrote:
>What would be appropriate to pay Xmas week, air from Chicago to San Juan,
>and all the rest? We kept checking on the net the months before we sailed,
>and up until the time it sold out, the price never moved even $100 from what
>we paid for the cabin itself.
Hi Kevin & Terry,
Do not be concerned. Air to San Juan from the mid-west and the west
is expensive. This is more likely during the holidays than at any
other time IF you can even get space. Many do not understand that air
lift into SJU is very limited especially when contrasted with the
demand on weekends.
Best regards,
Ray
LIGHTHOUSE TRAVEL
800-719-9917 or 805-566-3905
http://www.lighthousetravel.com
Charles
"Kevin and Terry Quinn" <tandk...@mindspring.com> wrote in message
news:93nuet$et5$1...@slb7.atl.mindspring.net...
> I think that the cost was $1200/person plus air, plus insurance, etc. It
> was Xmas week, and we did try to get a better airfare on our own via the
> net, but no dice. That being said, I was not particularly thrilled with
our
> travel agent, and may have paid a little more than necessary.
I overlooked that it was Xmas week. That does make a difference. Re your
comments about kids running up and down the halls. You gave a good
explanation on why that is disruptive. Some parents here disagree, they
figure the kids paid too so they should be allowed to run up and down halls
and stairs.
Gregory C. Read
I very much enjoyed your review. The Monarch was our first of 10 cruises
(so far) in January of 1996. Sounds like you'll be on many more also.
--
Greg
xxxg...@voicenet.com
(Remove the 'xxx' to send Email)
"Kevin and Terry Quinn" <tandk...@mindspring.com> wrote in message
news:93nk4s$11g$1...@slb6.atl.mindspring.net...
nevi...@webtv.net
whom it seems in your opinion, did nothing,) who do you think trains the
waiters to give you the service you expect???
JLeary256
Pinelands3
>
>
>I think that the cost was $1200/person plus air, plus insurance, etc.
I still say $1,200.00 pp excluding air for an inside cabin on a relatively
older ship out of San Juan (even though it WAS Christmas week) still sounds
high. I've noticed that most of the cruises out of San Juan are lower priced;
I figure that is because air is more costly. Am I mistaken?
Jo-Ann
Ray Goldenberg
>I still say $1,200.00 pp excluding air for an inside cabin on a relatively
>older ship out of San Juan (even though it WAS Christmas week) still sounds
>high. I've noticed that most of the cruises out of San Juan are lower priced;
>I figure that is because air is more costly. Am I mistaken?
Hi Jo-Ann,
Christmas week is always priced high. The only time the price is
dropped is if the cruise line is having a difficult time selling space
on a particular ship. Royal Caribbean usually maintains their high
pricing during Christmas in part due to the many families that prefer
RCI. This is not always the case. Since I did not have anyone on
this particular ship this past Christmas, I can not say for certain
what the pricing was. The List price for this category was $1599 PLUS
a holiday SURCHARGE. FWIW, $1200 for an inside cabin was not an
unusual price on their other ships when you consider that this is
around $1000 per person when you back out port charges, taxes, and
fees.
George in NY
Enjoyed your review very much, extremely descriptive and totally attention
getting. The only question I have is whether you checked drivers licenses at
Magens Bay to verify the residences of those loud mouth and obnoxious people
claimed to be from NY? Although I don't wish to dispute the apparent fact
that all loud mouthed and obnoxious people come from NY I do wish to point
out that they all do reside in a 1 square block area of NY and exist merely
to give the rest of us bad a name.
I will also take time to point out some minor facts about NY.
There are 37,000 farms in NY on 8 million acres.
Dairy is most important farming activity.
NY ranks in top ten for production of potatoes.
3rd on production of grapes
In top 4 for apples
NY competes with Vermont in Maple Syrup production.
Now I don't live on a farm, I do live in NY City Metro area 35 minutes from
downtown Manhattan. I am not overly fond of NY City but do recognize that NY
City is but a very tiny portion of the State of New York, a State that takes
8 hours to drive from City to upstate border on Canada. Outside my window or
immediate area is the Hudson River, Bear Mountain, and West Point Military
Academy.
Now I also know that some of you will never be convinced. Okay I admit it.
All New Yorkers are issued a switchblade ( they did tell me this is Georgia
when I was in the Army, I didn't respond then because I also knew that they
all hung people from trees and carried axe handles to beat people with ) at
birth. Yes on our 16th birthdays we are given saturday night specials. Yes
if we have not shot or stabbed someone by age 18 we are forced to relocate
to gentile Conn. If you get in our way on a buffett line we will simply
smack you in the head or break a bone or too while yelling curses at the top
of our lungs.
All this said, it was a great review. ;) Would you please send me some of
that cheese that every Wisconsin person makes all day. ;)
Thank you in advance.
George in NY - glad you had a great cruise - and please forgive my tongue
and cheek.
"Kevin and Terry Quinn" <tandk...@mindspring.com> wrote in message
news:93nk4s$11g$1...@slb6.atl.mindspring.net...
Pinelands3
>and cheek.
Forgive it???????? I loved it!!!!!!!!!!!!
Jo-Ann>---------still laughing
Mildred Marino
in NY. and we are within half an hour of each other. Both destined for
Connecticut.
Millie
Firefighter Pete
"George in NY" <geor...@bellatlantic.net> wrote in message
news:WYh86.10306$CN6.1...@typhoon2.ba-dsg.net...
> If you get in our way on a buffett line
Did someone say "Buffett?"
--
Pete L.
"I used to go crazy for days at a time, now I'm taking my time with the days
." J. Buffett"
Karen Segboer
George, you've once again done your homework and are tellin' it like
it is!
Karen, whose uncle was a NY state dairy farmer and took her to
Cooperstown every summer for baseball Hall of Fame games
__ /7__/7__/7__
\::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
http://www.cupcaked.com/reviews
(...and leave off the "potatoes" to e-mail)
George in NY
I have to stay out of Connecticut. Every time I go there the Injuns scalp me
:) Mohegan Sun warrior. I am in Peekskill, where are you located?
George
"Mildred Marino" <mma...@frontiernet.net> wrote in message
news:3A61D260...@frontiernet.net...
Debra Schroeder
LOL - enjoyed your review "mass with class."
Debbie Schroeder MCC
Days Off Travel
http://www.daysofftravel.com
Mildred Marino
Lee Schwartzberg
<mma...@frontiernet.net> wrote:
> Right near Goshen. Hello neighbor.
> Millie
I'm also a neighbor - I live in Warwick!!!
Lee