Amalia Glacier, Chile on Veendam, November 22, 2009  by Judy Hackstaff,  2009-10 Travel Leaders of Palm Coast  Grand Prize winner of $500 of travel.

 TRAVEL LEADER'S TRAVEL COLUMN

MONARCH OF THE SEAS SHIP INSPECTION by Lindsay Monell, CTS, ACC, LCS
My recent visit to the Monarch of the Seas was a pleasant surprise. Once onboard I jumped from floor to floor sneaking peaks at each cabin type. As we all know, the cabins are quite small on this ship, however, they seem to get the job done on the short 3 and 4 day sailings. I would highly recommend passengers to take a Superior Ocean view for the extra 30 square feet. The Obstruction is not too bad in most places but who really stand there looking out their window? Ok, maybe for a few minutes but, the action out on deck is much more entertaining. Category I, oceanviews on deck 8 are my second favorite oceanview. The cabin seemed to have a few more square feet than the F categories. The Junior Suite is similar to the balcony cabins on the Freedom. The Grand Suite is very spacious, sitting area with couch and cocktail table, wet bar area, vanity and a tub in the bathroom. The Owners Suite was very nice as well. The room has large bed, breakfast table, living area, a curtain that separates the bed from the sofa bed and a tub. The largest stateroom onboard is the Royal Suite. This is the grandest of all the suites. The room has everything you could want, nicely decorated, marble tub/shower/dual sink, sectional sofa, wet bar and a large verandah. The verandah is equipped with two chaise lounge chairs and two standard chairs. This cabin is a very special cabin and would be fantastic for a honeymoon or someone planning their wedding onboard. The ships color scheme was nice and refreshing, nothing too glitzy or tacky. The dining room was nice and spacious as well as the theater and Windjammer café. The pool area was nice, the water in the pool was a bit cloudy but that could just be the water filter. I feel very comfortable selling the Monarch and I give it two thumbs up!!!