Royal Caribbean International
Monarch of the Seas Cruise Review
San Diego, Catalina, Ensenada

Jen & Mike
Age: 34 & 31
Occupation: Teacher & Law School Student
Number of Cruises: 2-Jen, 1-Mike
Sailing Date: October 23rd, 2006

We had an amazing time on this cruise! It definitely surpassed all of our expectations!! I had cruised before on Carnival and it was good, but this was so much better!!

I can't believe people would complain about this cruise! Everyone was so nice, the food was terrific, and we had beautiful weather. Plus, it was cheap--only $560 for the two of us!

The boarding process could have been a bit better (we waited for about an hour before our group number was called, but were told it was because customs took a long time that morning with the departing guests). Once we were on, we went to the lunch buffet and wandered around the ship. When we went to our stateroom (around 1:30), our luggage was waiting for us outside.

We were in stateroom 4521. I was worried at first because it's on the "main" ship level and also towards the front of the ship. But it was a great location--no hallway noise and the ship didn't rock a lot. The room itself was small, but cozy--and very dark at night. The best part was the bed--it was so comfortable, like a hotel bed. On my last cruise, I barely slept because of an uncomfortable bed. I slept like a baby this time!

Our stateroom attendant was terrific--always cheerful, cleaned our room as soon as we left, gave us extra towels and ice for our champagne bucket, and made cute towel animals.

Our waiters were great, too. We had the late seating at Vincent's, which I highly recommend. The food was INCREDIBLE! You could literally order one of everything on the menu if you wanted. My husband ended up buying the Royal Caribbean cookbook because the food was so good. The Chocolate Buffet was overwhelming--make sure you go hungry and get there early!

We tried to attend many of the activities on the ship, but there were so many and we couldn't get to them all, especially since we went on excursions. It would have been nice to have one extra day just to hang out on board. I went to the 7 am yoga class every morning (you have to pay $10 extra) and my husband worked out in the gym. It was really crowded that early in the morning!

Some activities/events I recommend: sunrise yoga, rock climbing, sailaway party, ice sculpture carving demonstration, belly flop contest, chocolate buffet, cooking demonstration, "showtime" in the sound of music lounge, boleros, and the dueling pianos

When we wandered around the first day, we saw a lot of the "kid/teen" areas--at first I didn't think I'd bring my kids on a cruise, but I changed my mind after seeing all the activities they offer for them!

San Diego: My only complaint was that the Old Town Trolley Tour does NOT stop at every stop--it's a "special" tour that only drops you off at Coronado, the zoo, Balboa Park, and Old Town. I would have liked to have stopped in the Gas Lamp District, but they only did a "drive-by." The tour guide was good, though--very informative about San Diego history.

In Catalina, we rented bikes and rode around the island for a couple of hours. Many people rented golf carts, but we wanted to be a little active and burn off some of that yummy food! Plus, it's cheaper.

In Ensenada, we went on the La Bufadora tour. Our bus driver was great--drove very safely. Our tour guide was as informative as could be, but it was clear she was getting "kick backs" from the shops and restaurants she was recommending us. La Bufadora is basically a blowhole at the end of a marketplace. They were very aggressive, which I didn't like (I've been to Mexico many times). We did eat at this nice restaurant--cheap & yummy fish tacos & margaritas!

I was dreading the debarking process because of my past experience, but this went so smooth! We left our cabin at 8:00am and went to the breakfast buffet. Our color (yellow) was called around 8:45 and we were in our car leaving the parking lot at 9:00am!!

So, obviously, I would highly recommend this cruise to anyone of all ages!

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