Just arrived home from our 3 day weekend getaway cruise on the Monarch. I know that the weekend cruises are typically "the party" scene and that was OK, it was a quick anniversary getaway for me and my husband. This was by far not what we were looking for. First night, dinner was awful, my husband became ill after eating a shrimp dish and did not really ever fully recover for the remainder of the trip.Air conditioning in our room was not functioning properly and it was SOOOO hot that night that neither one of us really slept. I reported the A/C to guest relations. Only after a second call did anyone arrive to "fix" it, he messed with the thermostat and then looked at the air vent to no avail. No other rooms to move us to so too bad for us, we were hot all weekend. Asked for a couple of extra pillows only to be told there were no extras on board (???). Nassau was what it always is, on our day there, there were 5 other ships in port causing chaos throughout the area around the port. Day 2 we were supposed to be at CocoCay but thanks to Mother Nature we had to skip that port of call and were on the boat all day. The staff did what they could to keep us entertained and it was not too bad even though it was disappointing to miss that port of call. All that being said, this ship shows her age! The interior staterooms do not have safes. The mattresses were horrible. The shower did not appear clean although this could have just been from wear and tear. Under the faucet in the bathroom sink there was some really disgusting black growth of mold/mildew. The carpets are worn and have a musty smell. The buffet was just OK. The dinners at night lost points after my husband became ill. The theater where the shows are have the MOST uncomfortable seats ever. The casino was filthy. Unfortunately our first sailing on a Royal Caribbean ship has left a bad taste in our mouth and I am not sure that I am willing to spend the money for the Oasis or Allure to give them a second chance.
