Mike A

You are welcome. I just saw your thread. I'm jealous. Iceland and Greenland are the only ones left on my Bucket List. I will be following you too. 🙂

Thank You very much @Cruise Raider🙂

My family and I (total 6) are sailing in adjoining Reserve Collection Mini-Suites on the 10 Night voyage from Rome - Trieste on April 21, 2025. As this is a special occasion (DW 65th birthday and DGD Sweet Sixteen) I have booked the Premier Package for everyone 🙂. Given the fact that the Majestic was built for the Chinese market I know that there are some differences between the Majestic and the other Royal Class ships. Therefore, I have some questions: It appears that there is only one Casual Dining Restaurant, Alfredo's. Can you use the unlimited Casual Dining anywhere else? Since Gelato is not on this ship, can you get Specialty Desserts at the International Cafe or only at Scoops? I had heard that since there is not an Ocean Terrace Seafood Bar, Sushi is available in the afternoon at The Catch by Rudy. If so, is the cost available as part of the Unlimited Casual Dining included with Premier? Are the Lobster Rolls included w/Premier at the Burger and Lobster Grill or $15.00? Is there any truth to the possibility I have read here on CC of eliminating Harmony and adding Sabatini's, which we love, in its place? In the past on Princess, I could open the divider between balcony's. Is this still available? We were unable to do so on NCL or RCCL. What is the best bar for Champagne? Is it Vines Wine Bar or elsewhere. Which Restaurant is currently being used for Reserve Dining? Is it Concerto, as it is off the Center elevators where the Reserve Collection Mini-Suites are located? I thank everyone and look forward to their responses. Also feel free to add your comments about the ship. Have a Great Day and Smooth Sailing 🙂 Mike A

Thank you @EDDY0827

We will be sailing on the Majestic Princess, departing Rome on April 21, 2025. This will be our 1st cruise on Princess since 2016. We booked Reserve Collection. Does anyone know which restaurant is used for Reserve Collection. I assume they use Concerto. I appreciate your assistance and look forward to sailing on Princess once again.

I have an iPhone and AT&T. Mine works exactly as t&atraveler said

Just to add to this, we have terrible cell service in my house. As a result I use Wi-Fi calling at home. I do not switch on Airplane Mode When I leave the house it automatically switches back to 5G when it does not have a Wi-Fi signal.

I have done Exactly as stated by Rick and Jeannie on my last 4 Cruises. I buy the Wi-Fi. While on the ship, turn on Wi-Fi Calling and go on Airplane Mode. While in a foreign country I get the AT&T Day Pass. While off the ship I turn off Airplane Mode and use the cellular service that AT&T allows. Works like a charm and I believe Verizon offers a similar service.

I did the same exact same thing with my Hilton Gold membership card on Thursday and received Gold Status from MSC.

I just received it yesterday on my AMEX Platinum Card. I have also received offers in the past but I did not receive the last one a few weeks ago however I received one for HAL. I have no idea how they choose who and when you receive the offer.

I meant to say St George’s not St John🙁 I could not edit.

Boy does this bring back memories. As stated above up until about 15 years ago NY/Bermuda cruises always spent 3 full nights in Bermuda. It didn’t feel right when we were on the Joy in 2022. That being said I also miss docking in Hamilton and walking right into town. Funny thing was on my previous 3 cruises to Bermuda (1981,1984 and 2000) we were also supposed to go to St. John but could not dock due to weather so we did the full 3 nights in Hamilton.

Amen to that!!! Off topic, I thank you for jumping in on this while on your cruise. I hope you and the Bird Family are enjoying the day in Bermuda, and your Live From thread is fantastic as always. Have a safe trip home!!! 🙂

First off, I feel terrible for the OP and hope that they are able to work things out. I have been on other lines and at on-line check in they all do the same thing as NCL. The only thing that really needs to be changed is when you get to the Proof of Citizenship section, a disclaimer should be added that an Optional Birth Certificate will be acceptable for a US citizen ONLY on a Closed Loop cruise which starts and ends at the same US Port. Frankly, it is just a coincidence that the letter went out when it did, and it would be even worse if the OP showed up at the pier and was denied boarding. The letter and the subsequent article are a great reminder to people who would assume that a cruise that starts and ends in the US and NOT at the same port is not Closed Loop.

In fact you can even keep the same stateroom if available. All you have to do is disembark and re-embark. If the same stateroom is not available the steward will move your belongings during the turnaround.

The Great Outdoors is my favorite place on ANY ship I have ever been on. The second is the Observation Lounge on the Joy. When on the Gem out of NY in 2017 My wife and I were with 2 couples. We sat there every morning for breakfast and for all Sail Aways. It has comfortable cushioned seats w/tables both under cover and without, facing aft. Wonderful place to eat breakfast and look at the wake. Great Bar and access to the buffet. The Spinnaker Lounge is also very good. It is large and enclosed, with great views from the bow.

If Football is showing in the channel 30+ range then NCL is as stated above, getting the game from a different satellite. When I was on the Joy last year Sport 24 was on channel 28. Sport 24 had NHL and NBA playoffs, In fact we watched the NY Rangers playoff games with a large group of fans in the Local as we sailed from NYC. There was no Baseball to be found. FWIW, ESPN International has the Baseball but NCL does not subscribe. However, Carnival Corp and Royal Caribbean does. As a huge football fan, I hope the games are shown.

When we upgraded to a Club Balcony Suite from a Balcony on the Joy last year we lost the extra points promotion. It was well worth it however as the upgrade price was only $20 in total for 2 Club Balcony Suites. This was cancel and rebook. It was not an upgrade advantage.

NCL ships obtain their Sports TV from a service called Sports 24. They have a separate service for International Air Flights and a different one for Cruise Ships. According to the schedule on their website, sport24live.com, the Lions vs Chiefs game is only on the Flight version. On the Ship version they are showing the Semifinals of the US Open. Bear in mind this is 3 weeks from now and is subject to change. NCL may also make arrangements to obtain from a different source. I would continue to check the website for updates.

We were in the front corner M108 on the Royal which is the same Mini Suite as on the Majestic. In my opinion , the best cabin I have ever had including full suites. The balcony is HUGE. Great for sailaways as you get the view of both the front and side of the ship as you are on the bridge roof with the extension off the side. The balcony door was never locked, but you could not have the light on the balcony and had to keep curtains closed if lights were on in cabin. Room Steward told me the only reason it was not categorized as a suite was there was not enough room for a suite sized bathroom. However, the bed room and sitting room were large. At sea it could be windy, however as stated above you can usually find a place where the wind is broken.

According to Brooklyn Cruise Guide.com you will be going out of Brooklyn. FWIW well over 90% of Princess cruises out of NYC leave from Brooklyn. The ones that go out of Manhattan are usually Port stops rather than cruises that begin in NY.

Either way you cannot go wrong but my vote for a winter cruise out of NY would be the Gem. I totally agree with everything mjkacmon says. The Gem and Jewel are our favorite ships. My favorite place on the ship is the Great Outdoors. Another great place to hang out is the Bridge Viewing Room which is only on the Gem and other Jewel Class ships. We were on the Joy in May (similar but not the same as Getaway). It was very nice but did not have the same feel as the Gem. We did Jewel (Basically the same ship as Gem) in Winter out of NY and it handled the sailing to the Caribbean very well. Regardless of what you choose, you will have a great cruise!!! M

Our experience with the Platinum Amex and Club Balcony has been exactly the same as Graphicguy’s. BTW the large bathroom with the wall jet shower makes the upgrade worth every penny compared the standard balcony.

If you were on the May 29th sailing of the Joy, I was with you at the M&G. Yes, I can confirm there was a large # of Officers and I got to speak to the CD for 10 minutes. In fact, he confirmed to me that there were 2933 passengers (approx.75% Double Occupancy) and 1677 crew on the ship.

My wife took her Hair Flat Iron onto the Joy in May with no problem.