Royal Caribbean Cruises

Ok, I think this is a first - rating a cruise line on Dine.com. But, hey, the food was incredibly excellent and so here we go. First, all of the food, 24-7, is included in the price of the cruise, so the "Average entree price" is mor ... more

Ok, I think this is a first - rating a cruise line on Dine.com. But, hey, the food was incredibly excellent and so here we go. First, all of the food, 24-7, is included in the price of the cruise, so the "Average entree price" is more of a guess of what the meals would have been priced at had they been in a normal restaurant. When they actually serve a 12 oz New York strip done perfectly rare with all the goodies, I would have no problems whatsoever paying $50 or better (and have done). Anyway, on to the cruise. Our ship was the "Monarch of the Seas", one of the older ships in the fleet but recently remodeled, on a three-night trip from LA to Ensenada and back. Lunch was served buffet-style while we were waiting for our cabin to be made ready, and most people queued up for the burger bar (which was pretty impressive in itself) but there was, partially hidden, a carving station with one of those prime rib roasts usually only seen in a Vegas casino restaurant. And a paella! and boiled shrimps! and! and! and! Those poor slobs who filled up with burgers and dogs and THEN saw where the good stuff was...oh well. There are two main dining rooms, Vincent's and Claude's. We had Vincent's, and an excellent 6-person table next to a port window. Our tablemates were two cute moms each with a 16-year old son, and I was with my 16 year old daughter, which made for interesting conversation. The first night was Italian themed, the second night was formal night (Duck l'orange, and very good!) and the third night was the Dancing Waiters and that excellent NY steak. There was also a sushi bar (filled with drunken college kids, because that is where the karaoke was), a coffee/ice cream kiosk, and the place where most of the eating takes place, the Windjammer Cafe which is where all of the buffet tables are laid out. And of course, room service 24 hours, which we really wanted to test out by ordering an egg-salad sandwich at 3:00 AM but never got around to doing. When cruising, beware the alcohol and soda drinks because you will be slammed with a bill on the last day of the cruise. The dining areas all have coffee, tea, lemonade and water out for free, pretty much 24 hours, and thats what I stuck to, except for the ocassional mongo-colada or Bombay Sapphire. We returned with quite a collection of glassware, though. Royal Caribbean does an excellent job; this is my second cruise with them and I will highly recommend their services, even on the short cruises (I paid a ridiculously low amount for this trip) less