Royal Caribbean to Retire Monarch OTS

Final Year 3&4-Night Bahamas Cruises Sailing Now Thru March 31 2013
	Royal Caribbean International Monarch of the Seas®
Monarch of the Seas, will be leaving the Royal Caribbean fleet to sail for sister line Pullmantur. Tue ship is the oldest in the fleet, having sailed its maiden voyage in November, 1991. It will continue sailing 3 & 4-night Bahamas cruises thru it's final 3-night voyage March 29, 2013. The ship currently sails from Port Canaveral in Florida. The 2,390-passenger, 73,941-ton ship will enter service for Pullmantur after a significant refurbishment. It will join its sister ship Sovereign (formerly Royal Caribbean's Sovereign of the Seas), which transferred over in 2008. Gonzalo Chico Barbier, president and CEO of Pullmantur said "The transfer of Monarch of the Seas will reinforce Pullmantur in our Latin American growth strategy, and help us become one of the most widely recognized brands."  Cruisers on the West Coast will remember Monarch as a main-stay serving San Diego with short weekend cruises to Ensenada, Mexico and Baja California. Many Crown & Anchor members frequently the ship which served as a training ground for crew members. Often the Monarch was the first ship to try something new, so it was a favorite ship of those travelers. It will certainly be missed by those that have fond memories of cruises gone by.
Ship Profile | Itineraries & Pricing | Deck Plans | Dining Menus | Wine Lists | Kids Programs | Ship Reviews | 360 Tours | Photos Ship Profile & Stats Maiden Voyage 1991 (Refurbished: 2003) Passengers (dbl) 2,766 Tonnage 73,937 Tons Normal Crew Size 858 Length 880 feet Crew Nationality International Beam 106 feet Nationality of Officers Norwegian Draft 25 feet Nationality of Dining Staff International Speed 19 knots Registration Country Norway

STS-129 Returns Home

STS-129 Crew onboard International Space Station - Photo Courtesy Nasa

Back to Kennedy Space Center

Port Canaveral, Florida

Monarch of the Seas has a front-row seat for the Landing of STS-129. Since it will be docked in Port Canaveral on Friday, November 27th prior to the scheduled landing, passengers still onboard will be able to see the STS-129 approaching the Kennedy Space Center.

Once again traffic might be a little congested as it was when the shuttle took off, so be sure to plan accordingly if you are departing the ship or arriving for the next departure.

For more information about the space shuttle mission, see STS-129 Mission on Nasa's website.

If you've allowed extra time after your cruise, you might want to take a tour of Kennedy Space Center.

STS-129 Atlantis Mission a Go for Launch Monday

STS-129 Mission a "Go" for Launch - Photos Courtesy NASA

Space Shuttle Atlantis

Launch Monday, November 16

Launch countdown operations are on schedule with no issues to report, according to officials at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida during the STS-129 prelaunch briefing. With the unfortunate scrub of the Atlas rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station today, space shuttle Atlantis is cleared for launch at 2:28 p.m. EST Monday.

Why am I blogging about a Space Shuttle Launch?

Have I upgraded from Cruise Ship to Space Shuttle?

NO, I've not changed fields or unfortunatley, I'm not "cruising" on the space shuttle next week. There is a cruise connection, however ...

The space shuttle launch could impact YOUR plans ... if you are on the Royal Caribbean Monarch of the Seas cruise that departs Monday from Port Canaveral, Florida.

As of now, weather is predicted to be perfect for launch, so barring any unforseen problems, the shuttle should take off at 2:28 PM Eastern time Monday.

Monarch of the Seas is scheduled to depart Monday, November 16, on a 4-Night Bahamas, Port Canaveral R/T. The cruise is scheduled to depart at 5 PM. That means that guests will start boarding the ship mid-day.

Allow extra time for heavy traffic

Due to the shuttle launch, traffic will be quite busy in the Port Canaveral area. Passengers should allow extra time to get to the pier. Also, if you are on the ship prior to launch, you might have a bird's eye view of the shuttle launch. This could be a once in a lifetime experience that you don't want to miss.

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