October 22, 2004

by Tim Larison, CLIA Master Cruise Counsellor (MCC)

I thought this ship was in EXCELLENT shape for an older ship. A RCCL representative I talked to said the ship had recently undergone a 25 million dollar renovation and you could tell - the ship looked like it was new! I sailed on the much larger Mariner Of The Seas earlier this year and I could see a scaled down version of many of the Mariner features on this ship like the Adventure Ocean Kids program, teen club, Windjammer buffet, spa, rock climbing wall, nice dining area, etc.

I was very impressed with the Monarch. For a short 3 or 4 day cruise out of LA I would recommend the Monarch over a similar Carnival cruise. I sailed on the Carnival Ecstasy earlier this year on a 3 night cruise out of LA and while we had a fun cruise I liked the look and features of the Monarch better. I think the Monarch is better for families - it had a larger kids area. The Carnival Paradise (similar to the Ecstasy) is still a good option for people on a tight budget as I find it often prices less than the Monarch