We had a great time, but I couldn't help making comparisons between this ship and RC's Rhapsody of the Seas that I cruised the Caribbean on just a year ago. Our oceanview stateroom on the Monarch was 32 sq ft smaller than the one I was in last year on the Rhapsody. I know this doesn't sound like much, but when you're talking the difference between 122 and 154 sq ft, it's significant. The Rhapsody oceanview staterooms are 26% larger, which was used for a sitting area with a love seat. Don't get me wrong, our stateroom on the Monarch was still habitable. But when the rooms are tiny to begin with, every little bit helps.
Many of the amenities were the same: the rock climbing wall, Schooner Bar, ShipShape Day Spa, Centrum, Viking Crown Lounge etc. However, the Rhapsody had an additional pool and hot tub area underneath a sliding glass ceiling called the Solarium that the Monarch didn't have. I did miss not having that alternative, especially since the Solarium pool and hot tubs were for adult use only. Except for a brief dip we took in the Monarch pool when we immediately got onboard (very early in the day before other passengers started arriving), we never used the pool again as both it and the hot tubs were completely packed at all times.
As far as the itinerary goes, the San Diego waterfront area was very nice. Easy to walk around, clean, with things nearby to look at and visit. We both fell in love with the town of Avalon on Catalina Island. I had always wanted to go there and it certainly lived up to my expectations. I'd love to go back again when I could spend more time -- rent a cottage for a few days or something. Shari and I both agreed that Ensenada was a disappointment. I was prepared 'somewhat' for the experience, having been to Mexico and other lower-income countries before. However, the number of street beggars and vendors shoving their merchandise into our faces wanting us to buy, buy, buy made us both very uncomfortable. And the town was just kinda ugly. We did have a bite to eat and a margarita at the (in)famous Pappas&Beer establishment, and have the bumper stickers to prove it (mine will have to go in a scrapbook since I won't sticker either of my cars).
Both on the drive to and from L.A., and while on the cruise, we were able to hunt for a few geocaches (for those who don't know about geocaching go to http://www.geocaching.com). We both were able to log our first find in Mexico, which was also Shari's first international find. Sweet!
We have lots of photos uploaded to a KodakGallery.com page. Friends can email us to request the link.
