Royal Caribbean International
Monarch of the Seas Cruise Review
Ensenada

Aliya R.
Age: 24
Occupation: Merchandiser
Number of Cruises: 3
Sailing Date: February 1st,, 2008

This was my 3rd cruise. The other two ships I’ve sailed on were Grandeur of the Seas and Mariner of the Seas. My boyfriend and I decided to go on this trip last minute and we actually found a good deal that was under $200 per person. We both agreed that this was a very good value for the price – a 4-night cruise which included lodging, most meals and entertainment. I wouldn’t say that anything about this cruise was outstanding. I am judging this sailing against the standards that I have become used to with RCI.

Getting to the Harbor:
We arrived at LAX and took the Super Shuttle to San Pedro Harbor. I would highly recommend Super Shuttle because there was no hassle and it was the best price we were able to find. Embarkation was relatively quick, as we had registered our information for our Sea Passes in advance. We didn’t want to deal with the fuss of having the porters deliver our luggage to our rooms so we did it ourselves. No problems there.

Other passengers:
Clientele consisted of mostly people in their mid-thirties… Not many families - mostly couples and some singles. A good deal of people were locals who drove down to the harbor. It was a racially diverse crowd. Most people were very friendly… though at shows we attended, we noticed groups of people would congregate inside the doorways of the theater and talk sometimes very loudly while shows were in session.

Staff:
The crew members were not as gracious and helpful as I had remembered on other RCI Ships. Our waiter didn’t warm up to us until the last night. On other ships, I recall crew members going above and beyond their duties. It seemed like they were just doing their job, which is fine for me, just different from what I’ve experienced in the past.

The Ship:
Our rooms were much smaller than the staterooms we’ve had in Grandeur and Mariner. There was a queen-sized bed, desk with a mirror and chair and a foldaway bed. It would have been nice to have a nightstand and a safety deposit box. The bathroom seemed just fine other than the sink getting clogged. As with the other reviews, I agree that the ship was pretty outdated in some areas and I think it’s due time for a renovation. One downer was that there wasn’t an indoor pool area. Since the temps were at the mid-60s for a high, the outdoor pool area was rarely used.

Port of call:
Ensenada, Mexico was fine. We paid $3 for a roundtrip shuttle that took us to the downtown area. It really isn’t necessary to take this shuttle; it’s an easy 10-minute walk from where the ship is docked. We wound up doing this since there was a parade that blocked most of the streets in the downtown area. From there, we took another bus ($15 roundtrip) to La Bufadora, which is the open air market. The ride was about an hour long and it gave us about 1-1/2 hours of free time to eat or shop.

You need to come in knowing that people are going to try to get you to buy things for more than its worth. Haggle and have fun with it. I only wound up buying a ring. They tried to sell it to me for $280 originally, but I got it down to $30, which was more reasonable. I would be wary of the “Cuban Cigars.” We ate at Habana Banana which was pretty decent.

On board activities:
The rest of the trip was uneventful. They didn’t have much onboard activities for the last day at sea which was pretty disappointing. We spent much of the day in our stateroom just watching movies. The casino was small, but was fine. I’m not much of a gambler. They have yoga, Pilates, and various aerobics classes. The fitness center was adequate. I considered the spa, but much of the services looked overpriced.

Departure:
This was a hot mess. It was highly unorganized. It took us an hour and 15 minutes to wait in line to get off the boat and get through customs. We had express departure, and it seems that if you don’t get off before 6:30 AM, you’ll be waiting just as long as we did. People were crowded throughout deck 4 all morning.

Overall:
Sailing with Monarch was fine. It’s had to complain with how little we spent on the vacation. It was a relaxing trip and nice for a long weekend, but I’ll definitely stick with the newer ships from now on out. I’m looking to book a cruise next year, and I’m considering Princess and possibly one of RCI’s Freedom Ships.
 

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