Majesty Review--Jan 9-13

[bluegirlum]

I just got back from a trip on the Majesty of the Seas (Jan 9-13). It was my 3rd time on the ship, and she's showing her age a bit, but she's still a great ship with a great crew. Warning: I am perhaps the world's most boring cruiser. I went by myself and didn't really do much. But this is what I thought of the trip:

 

Monday

I flew in to Miami the day of the cruise (I know, I know…I didn’t have a choice). I got in to MIA at 9:45, hopped in a cab, and was at the pier at 10:18. The baggage guy told me that I was really early but that I could wait inside. When I got inside, there were probably 75 people there already. All the chairs were taken, so I sat on the floor and found a plug to charge my phone. People were allowed to go through security to go to the bathroom—I think they had to show ID but not sure if they had to leave anything.

At about 10:45, the guy in charge started calling people up by level: Diamond Plus (or whatever's highest), on down to Platinum. There were only about 10 of us total, and we were allowed to the front of the security line. I really appreciated this! After that it was just kind of a mad dash to get in line. At 10:54, they opened up the security lines and I breezed right through. Check in took about 2 minutes—my Coke package was noted on my card--then I went to a separate area for Platinum and above. I waited there for about 15 minutes, then was allowed to board. I was on the ship at 11:20.

I wanted to reserve a cabanette on Coco Cay, so I waited for the Explorations desk to open at 11:30. Claudio behind the desk put me on the wait list and asked me to come back around 5 to check on availability. After that, I walked around a bit, then went to the Compass Deli when it opened at noon. I had a wonderful tuna melt and some chocolate chip cookies and felt like I was home. I dropped off my raffle card at the spa and went to my room at 1pm.

My cabin was on deck 9, starboard, and was fine. My Coke cup was in there waiting for me, but no robe—I had to ask for it. Also, I had to request ice, which I think is new—I thought that it usually was brought automatically. Neither of these were big deals, but just observations. I met my cabin attendant, Samson, and then my bag arrived right as I walked in, so it was great timing.

I unpacked, took a nap, since I’d been up since 3am, and then went to the muster drill. One of the people in my group showed up in snorkel gear and was causing quite a scene. It was funny at first, but I felt kind of bad for the poor guy leading the drill since no one was paying attention. We didn’t have to bring our life vests, which was new to me on Majesty. (Note to self: after what just happened in Italy, pay attention at muster drill!)

After the muster drill, I decided to head to the spa for the raffle—what the heck. You have to be present to win, and I had time before sailaway. A bunch of names were called, and they weren’t there, so they went through some more, and voila—I won a $125 credit to the spa! It was a nice start. I then went out to the pool deck, grabbed a drink of the day and watched us sail away.

I decided in advance not to eat in the MDR for dinner. I was on my own and just wanted to do my own thing. The first night I ate in the Windjammer and it was very good. They had everything that they had in the MDR, including the Vidalia onion tart, which was excellent.

After that I was so tired, I fell asleep. I had planned to watch the National Championship game in the Schooner Bar, but I totally missed it.

 

Tuesday--Nassau

Because I went to bed so early, I was able to wake up equally early and see the sunrise when we were pulling in to Nassau. It was amazing. We docked around 7:15, and there were 3 other ships (all Carnival) that came in right after us. I ate breakfast in the WJ around 7:30 and it was not crowded, so I had an omelette from the omelette bar, which was very good.

I was off the ship at 9, and went to the welcome center. I had read that there is free wifi so I went off to the right and grabbed a seat on a bench to check it on my iPod. There was a Carnival crew member there who wasn’t having any luck getting on, and she told me that the best service was back towards the entrance. Sure enough, I went back towards the entrance, and noticed about 30 filipino men sitting on the floor with their computers. They were all crew, and most of them were skyping their families back home. The free wifi was great, and I used it for about 30 minutes. I then walked around downtown for a little bit, went to the “new” straw market and some other stores, then came back, had a Kalik and checked email again, and was back on the ship and at the pool by 11.

The pool was empty, which to me was wonderful. The poor guy in charge of the bean bag toss couldn’t get anyone to play, so he left. I had lunch from Sorrentos and stayed until around 2:15.

I scheduled a massage using the spa credit I won for 3 that day. I was only allowed to choose from the most expensive massages on the menu—I picked the cheapest, the 50 minute hot stone that cost $149. The spa is aft on deck 9, if you’re not familiar with where it is. I was taken into a room, and the masseuse immediately started in on the hard sell. I told her I’d think about it and she said ok. I laid down on my front and started a wonderful massage.

Halfway through, I flipped over on to my back and the room started shaking. Weird, since we were docked. Then it felt like a herd of elephants was running over my head. And it didn’t stop. For the next 20 minutes. I was so distracted and annoyed that I almost made her stop. Well, after about 5 minutes of this, I realized that Adventure Ocean was literally right over my head!!!! I could not believe it! Who was the genius who put the kids’ club over the spa? I was furious.

So after the massage, she tried to sell me over $200 worth of stuff, and I just wanted to get out of there. They gave me the bill, and I signed and left. I got some snacks in the WJ, then took a nap. I then went back to the WJ for dinner, and they had a “create your own risotto” bar. It was fantastic. I had shrimp and scallops with mushrooms. I wish they had this every night because it’s one of the best things I’ve had (the other nights were “create your own pasta” and “create your own asian soup”). It was also formal night, so the WJ was extra crowded, and there wasn’t much room to sit. I actually ate out by the pool, which was very pleasant.

 

Wednesday—Coco Cay

I was able to secure a cabanette on Monday night, so I hopped on the first tender to Coco Cay around 8:30. We were in a private area by the lighthouse, and got a wristband, 2 bottles of water, a fruit plate, use of the floating mats, and a private buffet. It was definitely worth it to me. There was also a bathroom right there. I had to walk a little bit to go in the water, but that didn’t matter. I have been to Coco Cay at least 3 times, and this time I finally walked around most of the island. I discovered Barefoot Beach—wow, beautiful. I would’ve spent the day there had I not gotten the cabanette. The lunch was the same bbq as they have in the big one, but also had skewers with shrimp and chicken, and it was just nice not to have a huge crowd. I went back to the ship around 4, and had dinner at the WJ again. I was not really impressed with dinner that night—I can’t remember anything that I ate.

There was a Crown and Anchor event that day on Coco Cay, but I did not go. It was only from 11-11:45, which I thought was a weird time, and honestly I just didn’t want to get up from my chair and my book. I would’ve gone had it been on the ship and at a different time, but I guess this is what they’re doing now.

I realized during the day that due to my spa credit, the masseuse had only been given a $3 tip. I had been so flustered by the noise and everything that I just had signed my name in a hurry and left, so I didn’t even look at the bill. I went back to the spa and asked to add an additional tip. I filled out the form and then later that night, asked for a copy of my bill (I had used the internet as well and wanted to make sure my Platinum coupon was applied) and it was on there.

 

Thursday---Key West

We went really fast overnight from Coco Cay to Key West, but still got in around 9:30. I ordered room service that morning to come between 8:30 and 9, and sure enough, my phone rang at 8:32, and it arrived at 8:35. I wish that there were more options for breakfast—like at least eggs and bacon or something. I feel like we had that option on Oasis. That’s one of my few complaints.

When we docked, Captain Per told us that there was a delay with the immigration folks coming aboard, but we all had to go through immigration and that we should go to Deck 5 to start the process. What a mess! I got there and there was no rhyme or reason to the line—I lucked into getting at the end of the line. I got in the line at 10:10 and an elderly couple got in line behind me. Yes, it was unorganized, but this couple was ridiculous. They were in line for 5 minutes and decided that they were never going back to Key West because of this huge intrusion on their lives. True, there was no RC crew member there to even tell us where to go—this really surprised me—but I was done by 10:38, and on land at 10:50. Now that I think about it, I probably should’ve just waited until about 11, so everyone who was in a rush for excursions could wait in the long line, but again, it wasn’t horrible—just disorganized.

I walked around, down to the Southernmost Point, had some conch fritters, key lime pie, stopped at a few bars, and was back on board at 3:30. We set sail around 5:40, and unfortunately it was cloudy, so we didn’t see the sunset. I had dinner from Sorrento’s and grabbed dessert from the WJ, then used my casino coupons (I didn’t win) and called it a night.

 

Friday—Miami

We pulled in to the Port of Miami around 6:15. I had decided to take my own bags off since I had a 10:15 flight out of MIA. Platinum and above were invited to meet in the dining room at 7 for early departure. I was ready to go at 6:55, when I opened my door to see if Samson was out there so I could say goodbye. I saw that my bill was in my door, and I looked at it and I saw that the spa had charged my extra gratuity twice! :mad: They added the second charge late Thursday night. So instead of being able to go to the dining room to have breakfast before getting off the ship, I had to go down to the Guest Services to deal with my bill.

When I got down there, there were about 7 people in front of me in line. It went fairly quickly and when it was my turn, they told me that they could not change the bill because someone from the spa had to authorize it. They called the spa 3 times and no one answered. They then called and woke up the manager, who told them to call back in 10 minutes! So I had to wait another 10 minutes while someone got out of bed to go to the spa to delete the extra charge. It was so absurd. This credit that I won was nothing but a hassle. I will not be using the spa on any ship ever again.

I finally got off the ship at 7:45, and by then the general line was moving as well. Immigration ran very smoothly and I grabbed a taxi and was at MIA at 8:30.

 

Overall, it was a great cruise, as all my RCCI cruises have been. There could have been an improved immigration process in Key West, I could’ve been happier with the spa, I wish we went somewhere instead of Nassau, and I wish they could find a way to make the desserts better, but I think those are pretty petty complaints in the grand scheme of things. My cabin attendant was wonderful, the other crew members were friendly and it was a relaxing vacation. I can’t wait for my next cruise. Let me know if you have any questions.

[kruzerci]

Glad you had a good trip. We love the Majesty

[Shanafan]

How much is and what exactly is the cabanette?

[amybeth4]

Thursday being a "mess" is just RIDICULOUS to me. This ship goes to Key West every single week and has for years and they still can't make it organized?! They can't have someone from RCCL there? Ridiculous.

 

The spa "error" annoyed me as much as it annoyed you. Again, they've been doing this for YEARS.

 

What the heck's a cabinette? Never heard of such an animal. Is it a little private cabana? And how much?

 

I'm glad your trip overall was great. Would you travel alone again? That's my biggest question to you! :) :) :)

[bluegirlum]

Thursday being a "mess" is just RIDICULOUS to me. This ship goes to Key West every single week and has for years and they still can't make it organized?! They can't have someone from RCCL there? Ridiculous.

 

The spa "error" annoyed me as much as it annoyed you. Again, they've been doing this for YEARS.

 

What the heck's a cabinette? Never heard of such an animal. Is it a little private cabana? And how much?

 

I'm glad your trip overall was great. Would you travel alone again? That's my biggest question to you! :) :) :)

 

Yeah, the Key West thing was really surprising. I could not believe that they didn't even have someone directing traffic. They had about 20 people down on the 2nd deck for exiting the ship. They could've taken a few from there to keep the line in order.

 

I'm still worked up about the spa. I sent an email to Adam Goldstein. :mad:

 

A "cabanette" is just their fancy term for a clam-shell thingy (one of those blue things that folds over about half-way and protects you from the sun). I need shade, but you could move them around if you wanted sun. It was $50, but I didn't have to pay for my checked bags for some reason, so I thought it evened out. :)

 

I think this ship and itinerary is a perfect one for traveling alone--especially since I've done it before. I felt perfectly safe and people were super nice, and if I had wanted to be social and make new friends, I definitely would have. ;) I would do it again in a heartbeat.

[TBR]

I love the Majesty,great for short getaways. I sailed on her twice in 2011,once in Sept,and again in Nov 2011. One the Sept sailing we did not have to go thru immigration before disembarking in Key West. In Nov we had to line up outside the show lounge and proceed thru immigration which by the way was very organized and took less then 15 minutes. The non us citizens had to go to a different area for immigration.

[bluegirlum]

I love the Majesty,great for short getaways. I sailed on her twice in 2011,once in Sept,and again in Nov 2011. One the Sept sailing we did not have to go thru immigration before disembarking in Key West. In Nov we had to line up outside the show lounge and proceed thru immigration which by the way was very organized and took less then 15 minutes. The non us citizens had to go to a different area for immigration.

 

It's interesting that you mention that...there were quite a few people who said that on previous sailings on Majesty, they didn't have to go through immigration in Key West either. I seem to recall having to do so previously on both occasions, but I can't be sure.

 

The non-US citizens were on Deck 6. I don't know if they were any more organized than we were.

[sbridgeman]

Thanks for the great summary - we're going in on our first trip on the Majesty in April and the summary helps for sure.

 

Any strategies on how to ease the immigration fiasco in Key West? Can we show up late or is it a general thing where everyone has to go to deck 5 when called down there?

 

We're also looking for any Nassau tips, this will be our first stop there and are undecided on what to do.

[bluegirlum]

Thanks for the great summary - we're going in on our first trip on the Majesty in April and the summary helps for sure.

 

Any strategies on how to ease the immigration fiasco in Key West? Can we show up late or is it a general thing where everyone has to go to deck 5 when called down there?

 

We're also looking for any Nassau tips, this will be our first stop there and are undecided on what to do.

 

Thanks! Glad it was helpful. I think you'll really enjoy the ship. Be sure to try out the Compass Deli.

 

I think that if you don't have any specific plans for Key West, I would just show up late. If I had gone an hour later, I don't think I would have waited in a line at all. I could've spent that hour at the pool or something. The issue is that everyone--even those staying on the ship--have to go through immigration.

 

As for Nassau, I think it depends on what you want to do and what your budget is like. I've been to Nassau so many times, once for a week at a resort, and then on cruises, and I'm sort of sick of it. But I know many people like going to Atlantis, and there are many options there. There is also the Blue Lagoon beach stay, or you can get day passes to beaches at the Colonial Hilton, which is near town, or to some resorts on the other (Cable?) beach. Or you can just walk around downtown, which is pretty small, and then go to the Straw Market and Senor Frogs. I would check out the Bahamas-specific board for tips. I know a lot of people love Nassau and have great ideas.

 

Just so you know, Nassau is usually when they have formal night, so if you want to take part in that, keep that in mind. There is also a captain's reception around 7 or 7:30, where he speaks and there's champagne.

 

Have fun!

[gelo7]

Thanks for taking the time to share your thoughts.

[Sunkissed Mommy]

Thanks for the feedback/review. I'm itching for a short cruise on Majesty again. I loved it!

[kruzerci]

Thanks for the feedback/review. I'm itching for a short cruise on Majesty again. I loved it!

 

I am too. I think a 3 nighter is in order soon.

[Shanafan]

I am too. I think a 3 nighter is in order soon.

 

Me too.....but I booked the 4 nighter to go to Key West. :D

[siMAGICde]

I'll be on the Majesty in February. My first cruise ever. Really looking forward to it :)

[Merion_Mom]

Thursday being a "mess" is just RIDICULOUS to me. This ship goes to Key West every single week and has for years and they still can't make it organized?! They can't have someone from RCCL there? Ridiculous.

 

The spa "error" annoyed me as much as it annoyed you. Again, they've been doing this for YEARS.

 

What the heck's a cabinette? Never heard of such an animal. Is it a little private cabana? And how much?

 

I'm glad your trip overall was great. Would you travel alone again? That's my biggest question to you! :) :) :)

 

Wow! You're back! :)

 

It's interesting that you mention that...there were quite a few people who said that on previous sailings on Majesty, they didn't have to go through immigration in Key West either. I seem to recall having to do so previously on both occasions, but I can't be sure.

 

The non-US citizens were on Deck 6. I don't know if they were any more organized than we were.

 

Having to go through immigration at Key West depends on the order of ports.

 

If you go after the Bahamas then, YES, you are re-entering the U.S.

[Merion_Mom]

Friday—Miami

We pulled in to the Port of Miami around 6:15. I had decided to take my own bags off since I had a 10:15 flight out of MIA. Platinum and above were invited to meet in the dining room at 7 for early departure. I was ready to go at 6:55, when I opened my door to see if Samson was out there so I could say goodbye. I saw that my bill was in my door, and I looked at it and I saw that the spa had charged my extra gratuity twice! :mad: They added the second charge late Thursday night. So instead of being able to go to the dining room to have breakfast before getting off the ship, I had to go down to the Guest Services to deal with my bill.

When I got down there, there were about 7 people in front of me in line. It went fairly quickly and when it was my turn, they told me that they could not change the bill because someone from the spa had to authorize it. They called the spa 3 times and no one answered. They then called and woke up the manager, who told them to call back in 10 minutes! So I had to wait another 10 minutes while someone got out of bed to go to the spa to delete the extra charge. It was so absurd. This credit that I won was nothing but a hassle. I will not be using the spa on any ship ever again.

I finally got off the ship at 7:45, and by then the general line was moving as well. Immigration ran very smoothly and I grabbed a taxi and was at MIA at 8:30.

 

 

P.S. I would have just given my masseuse the additional tip in cash and would have avoided any potential SeaPass problems. :)

[bluegirlum]

Wow! You're back! :)

 

 

 

Having to go through immigration at Key West depends on the order of ports.

 

If you go after the Bahamas then, YES, you are re-entering the U.S.

 

I know we were re-entering the US--that wasn't the issue at all. It was just the lack of organization that was surprising. I am happy to go through immigration if I have to.

 

I guess I didn't realize I could give the tip in cash. That's good to know!

[bluegirlum]

I'll be on the Majesty in February. My first cruise ever. Really looking forward to it :)

 

You'll have a great time!!! Have fun!

[sbridgeman]

Thanks! Glad it was helpful. I think you'll really enjoy the ship. Be sure to try out the Compass Deli.

 

I think that if you don't have any specific plans for Key West, I would just show up late. If I had gone an hour later, I don't think I would have waited in a line at all. I could've spent that hour at the pool or something. The issue is that everyone--even those staying on the ship--have to go through immigration.

 

As for Nassau, I think it depends on what you want to do and what your budget is like. I've been to Nassau so many times, once for a week at a resort, and then on cruises, and I'm sort of sick of it. But I know many people like going to Atlantis, and there are many options there. There is also the Blue Lagoon beach stay, or you can get day passes to beaches at the Colonial Hilton, which is near town, or to some resorts on the other (Cable?) beach. Or you can just walk around downtown, which is pretty small, and then go to the Straw Market and Senor Frogs. I would check out the Bahamas-specific board for tips. I know a lot of people love Nassau and have great ideas.

 

Just so you know, Nassau is usually when they have formal night, so if you want to take part in that, keep that in mind. There is also a captain's reception around 7 or 7:30, where he speaks and there's champagne.

 

Have fun!

 

Thanks again for the great info - we'll be in no hurry in Key West so we'll find an activity other than waiting in line that morning ...

 

Also appreciate the tips on formal night and Compass deli.

 

For Nassau, I've spent some time on the other thread and haven't found anything too inspiring. We've been to Freeport a few times and frankly after the second trip there we were pretty done with it. Hopefully Nassau isn't too similar, but if it is we'll just have a great day on the ship!

[SzaSza]

Thanks for the review. Will be on Majesty next month and am looking forward to it. :)

[Susie51]

Thank you for your review. Would you cruise solo again?