luvmydogs
<font color=blue>and my cat, too<br><font color=re
- Joined
- Apr 30, 2001
- Messages
- 7,046
Hello all--just returned last Thursday from a 4-night cruise on Royal Caribbean's Sovereign of the Seas. Last May, we cruised the Wonder. Just thought I'd write a little comparison for those of you who may be interested, since they have basically the same itinerary out of Port Canaveral. Please know that the following are just my humble opinions, and should probably be taken with a grain of salt!
We had originally planned to be on the 6/1/02 sailing of the Magic, but due to the tragic events of Sept. 11, we had to cancel (husband could not be guaranteed our planned vacation time beacause of the nature of his job). In May, we found that he would have some time off after all, and booked the Sovereign at the last minute. Like I said, pretty much the same itinerary as our Wonder cruise last year: Sunday: depart Port Canaveral, Monday: Coco Cay-Royal Caribbean's private island in the Bahamas, Tuesday: Nassau, Wednesday: At sea, Thursday: arrive Port Canaveral.
I must admit, that we booked this ship, and not the Wonder, because of the price--the SOS being almost $900 less at time of booking (an explanation to follow later). The first thing I must say is that it is almost impossible to compare the ships themselves--the SOS is 14 years old, and when we were on the Wonder, it was only two. Kind of an apples to oranges comparison, I guess, and do keep that in mind. I did a lot of research on the SOS, and geared my expectations accordingly, but I had to keep elbowing my grumbly husband, who expected the SOS to be the Wonder's twin.
Embarkation on both ships I found to be very smooth. We got onboard and directly to our cabin by 12:30. We had a Cat. C room, which is a cabin a bit smaller than Disney's, with three large windows. This ship has no balconies, and we found we really missed it after having one on the Wonder. Now when I said the price difference between ships was $900, it was between the cabin we had on the SOS, and a balcony stateroom which we would've booked on the Wonder. A comparable porthole cabin on the Wonder would've made the price difference much less. Our cabin itself was OK. As clean and well-maintained as an older ship could be, and everything in working order. Tons of shelf space. Another note: our cabin was much larger than an average SOS oceanview cabin, therefore bathroom was bigger, we had more general roomspace, etc... One thing we did miss was the split bathroom! We met our room steward--Samson from the Phillipines--who was as professional and friendly as could be. Always a "Hello, and how was your day?" We found the other staff to be as helpful and friendly, just as we did on the Wonder. The food was a tossup. More varied offerings on Disney's embarkation buffet, breakfast buffets, etc...The dining room fare I'd rate the SOS a little bit better in preparation and quality. Actually, those are my husband's opinions--I'd be happy with a Pizza Hut on board.
The one thing Hubby enjoyed was the buffets that were served throughout the day and night on the SOS. In fact, one day we ate "dinner" at their Afternoon Snack buffet (spaghetti, fries, chicken, hot dogs, tacos, desserts, etc...)around 4 pm. We were tired from our day at the Atlantis, ate when we returned, then crashed in our room by 9:30. It was nice to have this available in a cool restaraunt environment. We also ate at their casual restaraunt, the Windjammer Cafe, the night they had made-to-order Pasta Night, and enjoyed it a lot. So overall, I'd say Disney had a greater quantity of food at the specified dining times (as well as the pizza, chicken tenders, etc. available), and the SOS just seemed to have food ALL of the time!
This ship did not have separate adult facilities, nor did their private island. We didn't see many children onboard, and the ones we did were very well-behaved. There was a senior class trip with a bunch of teens from Rome, GA, and I must admit that I rolled my eyes with dread at the possibility of sharing a ship with them, but they sure did prove me wrong. Those that I encountered were well mannered and respectful. In fact, they made me a little nostalgic for my own high school days, as I overheard one girl crying to another about her "boy problems." A smack upside my head and a sincere apology for my generalizing and stereotyping ignorance.
My opinion of the private islands is that Disney's was much more beautiful. Coco Cay was nice, and I'm certainly not complaining about being on ANY beach in the Bahamas, but I don't think it can compare to the white sand and gorgeous blue water of Castaway Cay. Once again, only my opinion. We had to tender into Coco, which was not a problem. Pretty much the same watersports and activities offered on both islands, and the BBQ lunches were comparable.
Disembarkation on Disney was handled in a much more organized and efficient manner as far as we were concerned. On the SOS you wait on the ship--anywhere you can find room--until your tag color is called. (You receive specific colored baggage tags the night before disembarking to attach to your luggage). Then you go to the terminal and pick up your luggage in the matching colored area. People were getting riled up because of the long wait and the crowds, and there seemed to be some confusion as to if and when and where you could eat breakfast. There was a lot of huffing and puffing, and irritated passangers. I'm not sure if this is typical of Royal Caribbean disembarkation--the long wait and disorganization, or if something was wrong and had to be corrected before we could leave. I just felt that Disney's disembarkation is much easier. Once again, I read up on and researched RCI's procedures beforehand, and knew pretty much how disembarkation and the colored-tag system worked. Some of people's confusion may have come from not knowing what to expect.
Overall, we had a great time, and although I wouldn't discourage anyone from sailing her, I don't think I'd sail the SOS again. I'm sure I'd give another of Royal Caribbean's newer ships a try--maybe a Southern Caribbean or Alaska route. The staff was friendly and professional, the ship and rooms well maintained considering her age, and the food always available. My personal preference is for Disney, though. I just loved the Wonder, and do admit that when her horn blew "When You Wish Upon A Star" in port (she was docked right behind us), my heart did sink a little bit (OK, A LOT)! They say you never forget your first
, and the Wonder will always be very special to us. What I think is the most important thing though, is RESEARCH RESEARCH RESEARCH, and know what to expect.
Just thought I'd share my very humble opinions. I hope I haven't offended anyone. I do realize that there are those out there who may feel the exact opposite! Just find out what you like, read about your options, plan accordingly, and take along a good outlook! We're looking forward to our Magic cruise next May! Happy sails to all!
We had originally planned to be on the 6/1/02 sailing of the Magic, but due to the tragic events of Sept. 11, we had to cancel (husband could not be guaranteed our planned vacation time beacause of the nature of his job). In May, we found that he would have some time off after all, and booked the Sovereign at the last minute. Like I said, pretty much the same itinerary as our Wonder cruise last year: Sunday: depart Port Canaveral, Monday: Coco Cay-Royal Caribbean's private island in the Bahamas, Tuesday: Nassau, Wednesday: At sea, Thursday: arrive Port Canaveral.
I must admit, that we booked this ship, and not the Wonder, because of the price--the SOS being almost $900 less at time of booking (an explanation to follow later). The first thing I must say is that it is almost impossible to compare the ships themselves--the SOS is 14 years old, and when we were on the Wonder, it was only two. Kind of an apples to oranges comparison, I guess, and do keep that in mind. I did a lot of research on the SOS, and geared my expectations accordingly, but I had to keep elbowing my grumbly husband, who expected the SOS to be the Wonder's twin.
Embarkation on both ships I found to be very smooth. We got onboard and directly to our cabin by 12:30. We had a Cat. C room, which is a cabin a bit smaller than Disney's, with three large windows. This ship has no balconies, and we found we really missed it after having one on the Wonder. Now when I said the price difference between ships was $900, it was between the cabin we had on the SOS, and a balcony stateroom which we would've booked on the Wonder. A comparable porthole cabin on the Wonder would've made the price difference much less. Our cabin itself was OK. As clean and well-maintained as an older ship could be, and everything in working order. Tons of shelf space. Another note: our cabin was much larger than an average SOS oceanview cabin, therefore bathroom was bigger, we had more general roomspace, etc... One thing we did miss was the split bathroom! We met our room steward--Samson from the Phillipines--who was as professional and friendly as could be. Always a "Hello, and how was your day?" We found the other staff to be as helpful and friendly, just as we did on the Wonder. The food was a tossup. More varied offerings on Disney's embarkation buffet, breakfast buffets, etc...The dining room fare I'd rate the SOS a little bit better in preparation and quality. Actually, those are my husband's opinions--I'd be happy with a Pizza Hut on board.
The one thing Hubby enjoyed was the buffets that were served throughout the day and night on the SOS. In fact, one day we ate "dinner" at their Afternoon Snack buffet (spaghetti, fries, chicken, hot dogs, tacos, desserts, etc...)around 4 pm. We were tired from our day at the Atlantis, ate when we returned, then crashed in our room by 9:30. It was nice to have this available in a cool restaraunt environment. We also ate at their casual restaraunt, the Windjammer Cafe, the night they had made-to-order Pasta Night, and enjoyed it a lot. So overall, I'd say Disney had a greater quantity of food at the specified dining times (as well as the pizza, chicken tenders, etc. available), and the SOS just seemed to have food ALL of the time! This ship did not have separate adult facilities, nor did their private island. We didn't see many children onboard, and the ones we did were very well-behaved. There was a senior class trip with a bunch of teens from Rome, GA, and I must admit that I rolled my eyes with dread at the possibility of sharing a ship with them, but they sure did prove me wrong. Those that I encountered were well mannered and respectful. In fact, they made me a little nostalgic for my own high school days, as I overheard one girl crying to another about her "boy problems." A smack upside my head and a sincere apology for my generalizing and stereotyping ignorance.
My opinion of the private islands is that Disney's was much more beautiful. Coco Cay was nice, and I'm certainly not complaining about being on ANY beach in the Bahamas, but I don't think it can compare to the white sand and gorgeous blue water of Castaway Cay. Once again, only my opinion. We had to tender into Coco, which was not a problem. Pretty much the same watersports and activities offered on both islands, and the BBQ lunches were comparable.
Disembarkation on Disney was handled in a much more organized and efficient manner as far as we were concerned. On the SOS you wait on the ship--anywhere you can find room--until your tag color is called. (You receive specific colored baggage tags the night before disembarking to attach to your luggage). Then you go to the terminal and pick up your luggage in the matching colored area. People were getting riled up because of the long wait and the crowds, and there seemed to be some confusion as to if and when and where you could eat breakfast. There was a lot of huffing and puffing, and irritated passangers. I'm not sure if this is typical of Royal Caribbean disembarkation--the long wait and disorganization, or if something was wrong and had to be corrected before we could leave. I just felt that Disney's disembarkation is much easier. Once again, I read up on and researched RCI's procedures beforehand, and knew pretty much how disembarkation and the colored-tag system worked. Some of people's confusion may have come from not knowing what to expect.
Overall, we had a great time, and although I wouldn't discourage anyone from sailing her, I don't think I'd sail the SOS again. I'm sure I'd give another of Royal Caribbean's newer ships a try--maybe a Southern Caribbean or Alaska route. The staff was friendly and professional, the ship and rooms well maintained considering her age, and the food always available. My personal preference is for Disney, though. I just loved the Wonder, and do admit that when her horn blew "When You Wish Upon A Star" in port (she was docked right behind us), my heart did sink a little bit (OK, A LOT)! They say you never forget your first
, and the Wonder will always be very special to us. What I think is the most important thing though, is RESEARCH RESEARCH RESEARCH, and know what to expect. Just thought I'd share my very humble opinions. I hope I haven't offended anyone. I do realize that there are those out there who may feel the exact opposite! Just find out what you like, read about your options, plan accordingly, and take along a good outlook! We're looking forward to our Magic cruise next May! Happy sails to all!
