Norwegian Majesty: Perfect Weekend Getaway
Written: Feb 25 '03
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Excellent service, delicious food, reasonable price, a good value
Cons: There was some vibration in the aft of the ship
The Bottom Line: This was a great weekend trip for Valentine's Day. We enjoyed good food, very friendly service, a nice cabin, and ease of getting around the ship.
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| diverpam's Full Review: Norwegian Majesty |
If you're looking for a long weekend to get away, relax, and enjoy yourself, then the Norwegian Majesty might be a good option for you.
The Majesty sails from Miami twice a week. My husband and I took the 3-day Bahamas cruise which sails on Fridays and returns on Monday morning.
Embarkation
The process was pretty painless. As soon as our taxi pulled up to the Norwegian terminal we were greeted by a very friendly porter who took our bags for us. Then a young lady with a clipboard greeted us and checked our name off the passenger list.
Because we arrived so early we had to wait outside for a while until the departing passengers had cleared through and they were ready to let us in. The weather was beautiful and it gave us time to inspect the ship a little from the outside and try to determine where our cabin was.
As we entered the terminal we were asked for our passports and tickets, then took an escalator upstairs. There we were asked to complete a form for the Bahamas, then stood in line quite briefly to be checked in. The whole process took less than 10 minutes.
There were plenty seats for waiting, and of course restrooms and snack machines were available.
There were announcements made advising us that we would begin the boarding process around 12:30pm and they were right on time. We had to send our bags through a scanner and walk through a metal detector, much like the airport.
While in line we received the first of our daily activity newsletters which detailed restaurant information, hours, and included all available activities, as well as information on ports. This information was very helpful and I used the newsletters as a reference throughout the cruise.
Settling In
As we made our way onto the ship, we quickly found our stateroom. It was clean and fairly spacious for a cruise ship.
We had a category CC cabin (the highest level below a suite). Unfortunately, there are no balconies on this ship, but we did have a convenient cabin with a good size window on the Promenade Deck.
Our cabin had a queen size bed, nightstand on each side of the bed (with several drawers), a refrigerator and 13-inch television. There was also a vanity area in the bedroom with good counter space and a large mirror with fluorescent lighting.
The closet was small but quite adequate for a short cruise and contained a safe and several storage drawers.
The overall dimensions of the cabin were probably about 11 x 14. There was plenty of room for two very large suitcases and two carry-ons. (We were in the Miami area for a couple of weeks and also had our dive gear!)
The bathroom had a well-lit vanity area with a small sink. The shower was fairly small, since the bathroom area was compact. However, having the vanity area in the bedroom made it easy for my husband and I to get ready for dinner at the same time.
The bed was actually two twins pushed together with a foam insert in the middle to cover the join. The mattresses were comfortable and the linens clean and crisp.
There were a multi-color pastel coverlets on the bed, with a rose bed skirt that matched the draperies. The carpet was patterned, with a rose background. It was pleasant color scheme and everything was very clean and fresh. in fact, the draperies and carpet both looked pretty new.
The ship went into service in 1992 and first sailed for Norwegian in 1997. It was stretched about 110 ft and they they refurbished most of the ship. I noticed constant cleaning and painting and other maintenance work taking place while in dock. The ship was very clean and well-maintained.
Food
There are several restaurants aboard the Majesty. having Freestyle Dining allowed us to dine when and where we pleased. We usually ate in the Seven Seas dining room, the main dining room on the fifth level aft. There was a menu for each meal with several options.
For lunch and dinner there were hot and cold appetizers, soups and salads, several entrees (including a "Light Fare" and a vegetarian option), as well as several different desserts each day.
Some of our favorites were Oysters Rockefeller, Escargot, French Onion Soup, Beef Wellington, Steak Diane and of course, the heart-shaped cheesecake we had on Valentine's Day.
We had the option of choosing a table for two or sharing a large round table by the window. The service was very polite and professional. With the exception of one waiter our service was exceptional.
It almost became a joke about how many times they added utensils and moved them around for us. Everything was very precise, proper and just formal enough to be a nice change from our usual casual dining.
We had breakfast one morning in the Four Seasons dining room, a smaller room near the main dining room. They were a bit less formal here -- my morning yogurt was served in its plastic container, but placed inside a silver dish. (In the other dining room, the yogurt was removed from the plastic and placed into the dish.)
The waiters seemed a bit less experienced here. We conjectured that they worked their way from the Four Seasons to the Seven Seas.
There are also a couple of casual outdoor restaurants on the Sun Deck (level 10) -- shorts are allowed here for any meal.
In the other restaurants, no shorts or jeans are appropriate for dinner. Resort casual was fine for any evening and there was one evening that was optional formal. Attire that evening ranged from sundresses to sparkly formals and sport coats to suits and tuxedos.
There was a small, very upscale restaurant called "Le Bistro" which serves French Mediterranean cuisine. Passengers wishing to dine here needed to make reservations and paid a $10 cover charge per person.
I noticed one evening they were serving steak and lobster tail, but we liked the food in the Seven Seas so well, we saw no reason to try it.
It was nice to go to have a choice of where we ate and when. The only drawback we saw for not having assigned tables was that you didn't really get to know your waiter. All the meals that I had onboard were very good.
Shops and Services
Body Waves is the ship's fitness center. There are treadmills, bicycles and several different types of weight resistance machines available. We were there the first evening and it seemed like everyone was taking a tour.
There were several different exercise classes offered in the aerobics room across the hall. We were almost tempted to take the introduction to yoga class, but got otherwise occupied.
After riding bikes for a while, we decided to go outside to the Promenade Deck to get our walking/running in. Four laps around the ship equals one mile. I made it around three times, running when the wind was at my back. This was my pitiful excuse for eating throughout the cruise, "But, honey, I exercised!"
There is also a beauty salon and a spa. There are a variety of massages and treatments offered. They were a bit too pricey for me to try but some of the body treatments sounded wonderful.
There are a couple of gift shops and duty free items are offered when the ship is not docked.
There is also an internet room for those who can't bear to tear themselves away from a keyboard and don't mind paying 75 cents a minute for the privilege. There are about 10 computers with flat panel monitors.
There are also several lounges throughout the ship and a disco, Frame 52. Even when no one was in the disco it reeked of stale cigarette smoke (it is right next to the Fitness Center).
The Monte Carlo casino has several slots, as well as some table games. I had no luck at all there, but stood next to one lady who won $900 and another who hit a jackpot as we walked by. There are a pretty good selection of slots from which to choose.
Other Activities
There are two pools on the Sun Deck, as well as two whirlpools. One pool and one whirlpool are restricted to adults only.
There are plenty of deck chairs and lounges in which to enjoy the sun, or shady areas for those who was rather just watch.
Children
There were quite a few children on board. They had a Kids Korner, with splash pool at the aft of one deck where the younger children could have supervised activities while their parents were enjoying themselves.
There is also a video arcade that always seemed to be emitting a variety of electronic noises when we passed by.
Itinerary
We left Miami at approximately 4pm and docked the next morning at Nassau. By about 9 am everyone was free to go ashore until 4:30 pm.
There were several options offered here - city tours, trips over to the Atlantis Hotel & Casino, museum tours, snorkeling and diving.
We signed up for a two-tank dive with the ship and about 8 others from the ship were on our dive. There were lots of snorkelers that went out on a larger boat to explore.
After a nice lunch on board, we decided to go the The Atlantis and gamble for a while. But then I got lazy and took a nap, instead. I had already donated a couple of hundred dollars to The Atlantis on my birthday trip to Paradise Island, so my husband didn't complain at all.
The following morning we arrived at Great Stirrup Cay, Norwegian's private island. We were taken over by tender (with boats shuttling back and forth all day). There were lots of beach chairs and umbrellas available for those of us who wished to lounge about.
There were large floats that could be rented for $5 for all day, snorkel gear was available for $15 per person, and small sailboats could be had for $30 an hour. (We waited too late to sign up and missed out on the sailing.)
Employees walked up and down the beach with a variety of tropical drinks that can be charged to your cabin. They also sold large bottles of water for $3.
A lunch of hot dogs, hamburgers, french fries, cole slaw and baked beans was served on the island. Lunch was also served on the ship for those who chose to remain.
There are several picnic tables, where you can watch the impromptu volleyball tournaments that develop.
Several local vendor had stalls on the island where they sold handicrafts, t-shirts, and other souvenirs.
There were "sand wheelchairs" available. They were made of PVC pipe and had very large plastic wheels that allowed them to be pushed through the sand.
Ways to Lose Money
The Majesty offers a variety of ways for me to lose money. (Hopefully, you will be luckier!)
In addition to the Monte Carlo Casino, there were games of Bingo played each day. The size of the jackpots depended on the number of people playing. The day we played, the largest jackpot was about $75. The cost was $29 for 6 cards for each of the games. 12 cards per game cost $39, and for $49 they gave you an electronic device that allows you to play 24 cards per game.
They also have something called "Krack-Its" -- cards in which you have six changes to win a prize. You "crack open" the back of the cards to review the combinations of symbols to determine if you won. They guarantee you will win at least once a card. The cards were $5 each and the minimum payout was $1. Guess what I won??
The grand prize was a cruise for 2 and there were some nice cash prizes, $1000, $200, etc. No one won anything big that I saw. We all just dutifully cashed in our $1 cards.
Speaking of cash... none is required -- everything is billed to your cabin. Sometimes that makes it just a bit too easy to overspend. That certainly explains why my husband never let me out of his sight.
Disembarkation
The night before arrival back at dock, everyone received a packet explaining the process and was given colored luggage tags. Passengers would be called by color to leave the ship. The order was determined by flight times and cabin location. It was nice having the list to know when we would be called.
We were in the yellow group -- third to depart. By 9:30am we had claimed our bags and were getting into a taxi.
Be forewarned that the U.S. Agricultural Department does not allow you to bring any food into the country. If they find you with anything there is a $50 fine per item.
I didn't see them catching anyone, but there was a lot of partially eaten fruit left on the ship on the way out.
Final Note
Yes, the requisite photographer was here, there and everywhere and photos were displayed throughout the cruise for purchase.
They were not so intrusive that they would take your picture if you waved them away. (I once offered a cruise ship photographer $20 if he promised NOT to take my pictures any more.)
There were several backgrounds offered for those of you who like to commemorate your trips with portraits.
Overall Recommendation
This ship is 680 feet long and 89 feet wide. It looks pretty large until it is docked next to some of the 1000 foot ships.
It was large enough to have everything we needed, yet small enough to find our way around and recognize some of the folks we bumped into throughout the course of the cruise.
It think it would be a good choice for someone who has never cruised, to get a feel for things. It would also be great for people who can only get away for a weekend.
I was very impressed at the smiles and friendly attitudes we experienced throughout our cruise.
Recommended:
Yes
Best Suited For: Couples
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Epinions.com ID:
diverpam
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Member: Pam
Location: Collierville, TN
Reviews written: 263
Trusted by: 350 members
About Me:
~~~~So many oceans...so little time!~~~~
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