Just back from RCL Monarch -- ?'s
 

Just back from Monarch of the Seas Southern Caribbean -- St. Thomas, St. Maarten, Antigua, St. Lucia and Barbados. It was my first 7 day cruise and I am happy to report it was a great experience all the way around. Feel free to ask me questions about the cruise or the ports.

We LOVE RCCL! Have sailed on the Monarch. I have just checked it out on line. For an older ship it looks great! <BR>Our last cruise was on the Enchantment which was truly enchanting. I LOVED it. How was the food and entertainment? Was there plenty of room at the pool? What cabin and deck were you on and how was it? Thanks for any info you can share.

Would you recommend it with a 9-year old?

We were in cabin 2144 on Deck 2, all the way in the back of the ship. I guess this is not a very desirable location but since we were upgraded from an inside to outside cabin we didn't care. There was some rocking but didn't really bother us, in fact I think the motion made me sleep better. I actually liked Deck 2 because it was only 1 - 2 flights down from main area and dining room so we did not have to spend all our time waiting for elevators. Also, at each port you exit on Deck 1 so that was convenient as well. The food was very good and most of the entertainment was great - The Miracles were the headline act, great comedian, singer/impressionist/magician. The only shows we did not love were the Royal Caribbean singers and dancers variety show -- kind of cheesy. The pool was crowded on the day at sea and midday it was hard to find chairs, you do have to get there by about 11 on the day at sea. I would recommend it for a 9 year-old (in fact I have a 9 year old daughter who stayed home but I would take her next time) they have a great kids program called Adventure Ocean and lots of activities. There weren't tons of kids on the ship (it seems like they are all on either Disney or Carnival) but there were enough to entertain each other and have fun.

Did you do any of the shore excursions? Did you find good things to do on your own? I am trying to figure out what to do on each island (going Sept 2)