Majesty of the Seas Cruise Review: 11 May 2007
Written: May 25 '07
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Beautifully refurbished ship!
Cons: Three days is too short!
The Bottom Line: Awesome introduction to cruising!
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| Suzi's Full Review: Royal Caribbean Majesty of the Seas |
Majesty of the Seas
Sail Date: May 11, 2007
We sailed on the newly refurbished Majesty of the Seas on May 11, 2007 – a three night voyage to the Bahamas. It was a very pleasant experience and we would not hesitate to sail again if the opportunity presented itself in the future.
Because we received a special invitation to a two night Pre-Inaugural sailing of the Liberty of the Seas on May 14th out of Miami, we made the decision to combine this voyage with a weekend cruise aboard the Majesty. We are from Northern California, and it just didn’t make much sense to fly out to the east coast for a two night cruise. So our vacation included three nights aboard the Majesty and two nights aboard Royal Caribbean’s newest ship, the Liberty of the Seas. If you'd like to read my review of the Liberty Pre-Inaugural, please go here:
http://www.epinions.com/content_365885230724
Embarkation
We booked this cruise on the Majesty about three weeks prior to our sail date, so we had to scramble to get airfare. We made the decision to take the red eye out to Miami and hook up with the cruise line’s shuttle to the pier. Although we were an hour late, the cruise line reps knew they were short two people on the manifest – and immediately after getting our checked bags, we were ushered over to a large truck who took our bags to the ship and onto a bus that dropped up off at the pier. All in all, I would venture to say, we waited no more than 5 minutes on the bus before we left the airport. I have used cruise line shuttles in the past, and have found them to be more trouble than they are worth, but in this instance, it worked out well. Since we normally fly out the night before, I thought it was safer to take the cruise line bus to the pier in the event we were cutting it close. As it turned out, we arrived around 1:15pm.
I would recommend anyone taking a cruise out of the port of Miami to arrive early – the check-in counters usually open up around 10:30am, and boarding often starts at 11:30am. When we arrived, there were long lines everywhere. We are Diamond members of the Crown & Anchor Society (Royal Caribbean’s past guest program) so we got into a shorter line and were processed very fast.
We booked this cruise directly through the cruise line, so we received both luggage tags and a document packet. When we go through a travel agent, we usually get e-docs and no luggage tags. Knowing this, I opted to book this cruise directly with the cruise line so we would not have to hassle with aggressive porters in Miami – we placed our pre-printed luggage tags on our bags and saw them in our cabin around 3pm. I realize you can pick up tags at the airport or from a porter, but as we were flying in the day of the cruise and knew we were not going to get to the port before noon, I thought this was the best way to go. My TA charges for hard copies and luggage tags – yours may not. I’d do this again if we ever had to fly out the day of the cruise.
We have been on the Majesty before – many years ago when it was doing a 7 night Western Caribbean itinerary. In January 㤏, the Majesty underwent a comprehensive refurbishment – new carpets, new furnishings, new everything! At first glance, it looked very much as I had remembered it, but the entire ship sparkled – it was clean with no signs of wear and tear you see on older ships. As we searched for our stateroom, we found the ship’s interior to be warm and inviting.
There were glass elevators in the Centrum, lots of marble and shiny brass everywhere. Although I never encountered any problems, the minimal contact I had with Guest Relations (to pre-pay for our tips) was pleasant. Actually, all staff I encountered was pleasant, including our room steward.
Accommodations
Our stateroom was a high-end outside cabin on Deck 9. Although I would have loved a balcony, this class of ship has very few, and with only three weeks prior to our departure, we were lucky to get any cabin! It was Mother’s Day weekend, so the ship was sailing full.
Our stateroom had a large window just above a lifeboat. Our view wasn’t obstructed, but if you looked down, you did see the top of the lifeboat. The room was in a great location – mid ship down a quiet hallway. The cabin was outfitted with a brand new pillow-top mattress and European style bedding, complete with duvet and crisp white sheets as well as a small flat screen TV. We had a loveseat and a coffee table in the room, plenty of storage that included a small closet, and with the addition of extra drawers and cabinet space, we found we had more storage than was needed (and I unpacked our bags!!).
The bathroom was updated with new fixtures and tile; it had plenty of vanity storage for two or more people. The cruise line provides shampoo and soap. As an extra bonus, we also had small bottles of shower gel, lotion and a shower cap. The quality is typical of standard hotel brands – I was not too impressed with the shampoo, but it was there if you need it. The towels were really my only complaint – motel quality small, thin white towels. We were only given two sets of towels daily, so I asked for extra bath towels and got them.
The water pressure in the shower and the air conditioning worked exceptionally well. I prefer a cool room when I sleep with a duvet. All in all, I found our accommodations exceeded our expectations. We didn’t spend much time in our cabin, but it was great to come back to such a nice room at night.
Dining
I can’t remember the last time we had main seating, so when I learned we had to eat dinner at 6:15, I made every effort to change our dining time. No luck! The wait staff said there was not changing! I was a little taken aback by this comment, but they were right. Thankfully we had two very nice couples at our table at dinner, which made the early dining time a bit more bearable. The cuisine is no where near four star quality, but I always found something off the menu I liked. Our wait staff was entertaining and very efficient – it seemed like our table was always among the first to get food. The hot items were generally warm to hot – I didn’t care for the onion soup, but the escargot and fillet were very good. Salads were uninspired and the deserts were a bit bland, except the soufflé, which fresh out of the oven.
We found the Windjammer buffet at breakfast and dinner to fit the bill, though it was somewhat basic. As with dinner, I always found items I liked. But here is where I comment on Royal Caribbean’s food quality: it ain’t what it used to be! There is more to a cruise than food, and because in general I do like Royal Caribbean’s overall product, I can be somewhat forgiving of their food. If food is a big reason why you cruise, you will be very disappointed – Celebrity will be more to your liking. To me, entertainment, ship amenities, and the ports of call are more important than the cuisine.
Entertainment
I found the entertainment on this short weekend cruise to be quite varied. We went to couple of shows, visited the casino and enjoyed the music around the ship in the evening. Bolero’s was awesome – we really enjoyed the Mojitos made with rum and mint while listening to Latin music. All in all, I found enough to keep us entertained at night.
I found having early seating at dinner, you have more time in the evening to enjoy the various entertainment venues on the ship. I for one prefer the less hectic pace of eating later, but I did find we did a lot more in the evening this cruise than what we usually do.
Ports of Call
Yellowbird in Nassau
We had two ports of call. We spent one day in Nassau, Bahamas and another in Coco Cay, a private island also in the Bahamas. In Nassau, we did the Yellowbird tour, a boat and island beach tour in the afternoon with free rum punch while on the boat. We would have like to have spent another hour or two on Blackbird Cay, the island beach stop. The beach on the island was a little crowded, but the sand and water were oh, so inviting! We had perfect weather – temps in the 80’s with lots of sun. We spent the afternoon swimming and enjoying the beach along with other tour groups. There were virtually no waves and lots of shallow areas so this place is a great for young kids.
Scuba Diving in Coco Cay
The next day we called on Royal Caribbean’s private island, Coco Cay. My husband and I went scuba diving around 9am – a one tank dive from shore. We saw a little grey reef shark and a few fish around some corals – we maxed out around 30 feet. Water temps were around 84 degrees and we had maybe 50 feet visibility. It wasn’t what I would call the best dive, but it was something to do. The dive master who accompanied us as well as the safety patrol on the wave runner was a little annoying. I surfaced with nearly 1800psi as did most people – it was a very short, conservative dive. Being this was a Royal Caribbean excursion, the cruise line was very conservative. It was more on par with a discover scuba class. There were 8 divers in the group.
The island is actually very nice, but very crowded. We were there with the Sovereign of the Seas, and because we had gone diving first thing in the morning, there were no lounge chairs to be found ANYWHERE! I was so disgusted – we plopped down by some bleachers and then had some lunch – a bbq that was just okay. Later in the afternoon, there was a volleyball tournament – the Majesty vs. the Sovereign – my husband was on the winning team! All in all, it was a nice day. But the beaches were too crowded – get there early if you want to find a lounge chair.
Please note that you can come and go as you please. In Nassau, you simply walk off and on the ship. Don’t forget you’ll need a picture ID to get back on the ship in Nassau. In Coco Cay, you tender in on small boats. The ship is nearby, so the ride is maybe 10 minutes.
Final Thoughts
The Majesty is like a new ship; I know that cycling through two groups of passengers every week can take its toll, but for anyone planning to sail in the near future, you are in for a treat! Every passenger I came into contact with on the ship was in awe how nice and clean everything was. We met the captain one afternoon – he’s a large and imposing figure from Canada (also a scuba diver) and very personable. He told us about the refurbishment and how proud he was of his staff. I found the service all over the ship to be quite good. On such a short cruise, just when you begin to feel comfortable on the ship, it’s time to disembark! I can’t say I would do another three night cruise – four nights is better, but 7 nights is best! If you sail the four night itinerary, you’ll make a stop in Key West.
I have no problems recommending this three night cruise to anyone. For us in California, it’s not practical. But like I said, we were heading to Liberty’s Pre-Inaugural on the May 14th, so it worked out well for us. Those of you who don't have to change planes and have only a one or two hour flight, these short weekend cruises are awesome!
Good luck!
Recommended:
Yes
Best Suited For: Couples
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Epinions.com ID:
Suzi
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Location: California
Reviews written: 190
Trusted by: 147 members
About Me:
Suzi is an aspiring travel writer who enjoys scuba diving and volleyball.
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