Royal Caribbean Sovereign of the Seas Cruise Review
Other innovations are Johnny Rocket's and Sorrento's Pizza on Deck 12. Accessing these two can be a problem for the physically challenged. From the Windjammer there are centrally located stairs, which we saw on day one. The forward elevators only go to Deck 11. Two days later, we located a chair lift by the pool exit of the Windjammer (near the Pool Bar, starboard side), but we were told it was not functioning.
Hotel Director Michael Prasse stated that we were misinformed and that it is functioning. By the time that we got the correct information, we had already walked to the aft elevators which go to Decks 12 and 14 and then walked again forward on the jogging track to access Johnny Rockets. At least we worked up an appetite for the good old American favorites: hamburgers, French fries, onion rings, etc.
For the physically challenged there are a few other areas to consider: Not all elevators go to all decks; those in the the centrum, the great brass birdcages, only service Decks 3 to 7, since this area is only four decks tall; the forward elevators are difficult to access from Decks 5 & 6 at the centrum, one must use a small set of stairs or take the Centrum Birdcage elevators and cross over on Deck 4 or Deck 7. In comparison to other ships we have known, this one has an unusual deck plan.
There is a new Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream shop, Lattitudes Coffee Shop, and a reconfigured "Shops on Board" with a nice horseshoe shaped set up.
The dry dock upgrades have improved the Sovereign immensely; She now looks like the nicely preserved lady she once was. She does three and four day cruises to the Bahamas and many passengers we encountered sail her often. Thus, it seems the lady has a following!
Major structural changes include the balconies added to Deck 10 and new cabin units on Decks 1 & 2--- upgrading the crew and inside cabins. There is new carpeting everywhere, which makes it difficult for wheelchairs. The newer RCI ships are more friendly to wheelchair users by extensively using in public areas hard floors. Progressively, the Vision, the Radiance and the Voyager class ships have more tile and marble flooring than their predecessors. RCI has improved wheelchair accessibility with each new class of ships.
FOOD & SERVICE
We found the friendliness of the staff to be a major plus. Captain Brearley has a long history of sea experience and an affable personality. As Captain of one of RCI's senior ships, he shows true thoughtfulness for the comfort and safety of the passengers. The close knit staff include the capable Hotel Director Michael Prasse; Loyalty Ambassador Inga Supranaviciene, who was helpful with future cruise information and specific knowledge about the Sovereign's revamping; We also had the expert services of Chief Purser Hector Bryan. Cruise Director Chris Armas paid special attention to us as the passengers on board with the most RCI cruises. He sent us a lovely bottle of Asti Spumante ---- Vincent's favorite.
The Dining Rooms Illusions and Mirage under Maitre D' Carlos Monteiro are very well organized. Our waiter Ignatius Gomes had been our waiter five years ago, what a reunion we had. He is just as efficient as ever, and his assistant Teresa was excellent. Head Waiter Bhanu Bahuguna was kind enough to send us up a special delicious breakfast, served in our cabin. We really appreciated it.
RCI has standardized menus and offerings across the fleet. We feel the new smaller sized menus and more select varied offerings make ordering and dining easier. Lunch in the Main Dining Rooms is equal across the RCI fleet --- soup du jour, Cobb salads, individually prepared pastas, and entrees including beef, fish and chicken are all very good. Desserts are large and interesting including Creme Brulee`, fresh apple pie, hot chocolate cake, tiramisu, etc.
We especially liked the bread selections, which included tiny savory pyramids, ciabatta, French rolls and even rye and corn breads. Main courses were exactly like those on the Explorer of the Seas three weeks ago. This effort on RCI's part has produced parity in quality. Dinner with Captain Brearley on Wednesday, September 7th was very enjoyable: cordial staff members, new friends, and fine food all contributed to a wonderful evening. Captain Brearley knows how to entertain.
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Hotel Director Michael Prasse stated that we were misinformed and that it is functioning. By the time that we got the correct information, we had already walked to the aft elevators which go to Decks 12 and 14 and then walked again forward on the jogging track to access Johnny Rockets. At least we worked up an appetite for the good old American favorites: hamburgers, French fries, onion rings, etc.
For the physically challenged there are a few other areas to consider: Not all elevators go to all decks; those in the the centrum, the great brass birdcages, only service Decks 3 to 7, since this area is only four decks tall; the forward elevators are difficult to access from Decks 5 & 6 at the centrum, one must use a small set of stairs or take the Centrum Birdcage elevators and cross over on Deck 4 or Deck 7. In comparison to other ships we have known, this one has an unusual deck plan.
There is a new Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream shop, Lattitudes Coffee Shop, and a reconfigured "Shops on Board" with a nice horseshoe shaped set up.
The dry dock upgrades have improved the Sovereign immensely; She now looks like the nicely preserved lady she once was. She does three and four day cruises to the Bahamas and many passengers we encountered sail her often. Thus, it seems the lady has a following!
Major structural changes include the balconies added to Deck 10 and new cabin units on Decks 1 & 2--- upgrading the crew and inside cabins. There is new carpeting everywhere, which makes it difficult for wheelchairs. The newer RCI ships are more friendly to wheelchair users by extensively using in public areas hard floors. Progressively, the Vision, the Radiance and the Voyager class ships have more tile and marble flooring than their predecessors. RCI has improved wheelchair accessibility with each new class of ships.
FOOD & SERVICE
We found the friendliness of the staff to be a major plus. Captain Brearley has a long history of sea experience and an affable personality. As Captain of one of RCI's senior ships, he shows true thoughtfulness for the comfort and safety of the passengers. The close knit staff include the capable Hotel Director Michael Prasse; Loyalty Ambassador Inga Supranaviciene, who was helpful with future cruise information and specific knowledge about the Sovereign's revamping; We also had the expert services of Chief Purser Hector Bryan. Cruise Director Chris Armas paid special attention to us as the passengers on board with the most RCI cruises. He sent us a lovely bottle of Asti Spumante ---- Vincent's favorite.
The Dining Rooms Illusions and Mirage under Maitre D' Carlos Monteiro are very well organized. Our waiter Ignatius Gomes had been our waiter five years ago, what a reunion we had. He is just as efficient as ever, and his assistant Teresa was excellent. Head Waiter Bhanu Bahuguna was kind enough to send us up a special delicious breakfast, served in our cabin. We really appreciated it.
RCI has standardized menus and offerings across the fleet. We feel the new smaller sized menus and more select varied offerings make ordering and dining easier. Lunch in the Main Dining Rooms is equal across the RCI fleet --- soup du jour, Cobb salads, individually prepared pastas, and entrees including beef, fish and chicken are all very good. Desserts are large and interesting including Creme Brulee`, fresh apple pie, hot chocolate cake, tiramisu, etc.
We especially liked the bread selections, which included tiny savory pyramids, ciabatta, French rolls and even rye and corn breads. Main courses were exactly like those on the Explorer of the Seas three weeks ago. This effort on RCI's part has produced parity in quality. Dinner with Captain Brearley on Wednesday, September 7th was very enjoyable: cordial staff members, new friends, and fine food all contributed to a wonderful evening. Captain Brearley knows how to entertain.
Page 3 > > More Cruise Review of the Royal Caribbean Sovereign of the Seas > >
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