Majesty Bermuda 5/8-5/15 Review

[Tomct]

Again, thanks for the great info in the daily schedules!

 

My thanks as well; I just printed them out for easier reading, and note taking.

[rodrigs4]

I have so many questions. I am taking my first cruise in July on the Majesty out of Boston.

 

-I have read so many reviews and some of them are so bad. Is the Majesty really as bad as some people are making it out to be?

 

-What is the story with the Soda sticker. I thought non-alcoholic drinks were included in the price? Help what is really included and what are extras?

 

-Has any one parked their car at falcom pier for the week? What did you think of this?

 

-How early do I really need to get to the pier?

 

-How do dinners work, do we need to make a reservation? I am going with a group of 13 people?

 

-How about when we are in Bermuda, are the excursions really worth it, they seem a bit pricey when you add it up by the number of people we have.

 

-what are the alternatives to the excursions?

 

 

Any help anyone can offer is greatly appreciated.

[Swizzle v2.0]

-what are the alternatives to the excursions?

Many visitors just buy bus passes (two day, three day or one week), or rent scooters, and explore the island on their own. Bermuda is a very affluent country and aside from a beggar or two in Hamilton you shouldn't be bothered by anyone - no one approaches you in the street/beach to sell you stuff. (A downside to being affluent is that everything is also more expensive than in ports in poorer nations, which is why the excursions are pricey.)

 

Some excursions, such as to the Aquarium/Zoo are better on your own, as the excursions do not give you enough time to explore the facility at your own pace.

 

Bermuda is a very safe country, just take the same amount of precautions that you would visiting any US city of 100,000 that you're not familiar with. (Ladies, there have been a couple of purse snatchings along the South Shore beaches in the past three weeks so keep valuable documents somewhere else other than in your purse. Hopefully the police will catch him soon.)

[Manugit]

Hi Rod,

I had so many ??? a month ago, the board really helps so go through some forums and click on Bermuda, NCL, 1st time cruisers...etc. anything that pertains to your adventure...heres what I got so far..

SODA STICKER: $40.25 buy it at a bar once you board... I have read if you buy your soda sticker once your ay sea, there is no tax...but Im not sure...Soda is not free...

 

BOARDING AT FALCON: Boarding begings approx. 11:30, thats when I want to be there, so to get more time on the ship to acclimate myself. not sure of parking, I have relatives local and will do a limo from Newton. I read a great deal of chatter about bringing booze, soda and water on board...to smuggle or not to smuggle that is the ...

DINNER: free style ( go when you want and order anything from the menu) with the exception of "Bistro" you have to pay for this french fancy shmancy. 13 eating all at once may be difficult, you want to seek more board help with large parties.

Excursion: There is enought time on Bermuda to make your own reservations.. My family wants to do a helmet dive , but have heard from many that the NCL Helmet dive excursion, is not as good as "Hartleys Hemet Dive...I dont sail until Sept, and made my reservation already.. Also Horshoe bay and area coves Ive read are another must do...Tabacco bay is crowded and down the road a bit further is St. Catherenes bay, less crowded... Hamilton sounds like alot of pricey shops and doesnt appeal to me...but still researching...The mention of "GREAT RUM SWIZZLERS" in Hamilton sounds terrific. I hope this rookie cruiser helped

[basketballmom]

The soda card is $5 per day for adults ($35 for a 7-day cruise) or $16 for children 12 and under. Pre-pay for them off of the NCL website before you cruise. All purchases at the bar are charged the 15% service charge. The card is just a soda card, nothing else. You can buy a smoothie card which will get you smoothies and virgin drinks.

 

The Swizzle Inn is the place to go for rum swizzles! The best on the island. It's located near Grotto Bay and Crystal Caves.

 

Tour on your own. Bermuda is so easy to navigate by their bus system. You can buy a 3-day pass at the welcome center in St. George's square. Snorkeling in Tobacco Bay is very good, especially if you go beyond the coral formations. Horsehoe Bay and Elbow Beach are great beaches to go to.

[rodrigs4]

You can buy a smoothie card which will get you smoothies and virgin drinks.

 

 

I have never heard of a smoothie card on the Majesty, can someone give me more information on this. I think I would like this better than a soda card.

 

Also, can someone tell me what is included and what has to be paid for. I know that Bistro is an additional expense if we choose to eat there. Anywhere else? What about Coffee or Ice Cream, things like that.

 

Help, I am truley clueless about this as it will be my first cruise and I am trying to uderstand as much as I can ahead of time.

 

Thanks in advance

[Fam of 5]

This is actually a coupon book with 20 vouchers for pre paid smoothies. I don't remember the price. They can be purchased at any bar as soon as you board or I believe you can pre purchase them at NCL.com. These are used for all virgin "Margaurita style" drinks. These are put in a regular glass, so be sure to specify that you are using a voucher and you don't want the novelty glass of the day.

[Manugit]

BBMom, please fine tune ncl web site to buy soda card, i cant find it

[toothfairy]

TEEN PASSPORT PROGRAM

Includes:

• Passport booklet with 20 non-alcoholic drink tickets, including non-alcoholic smoothies: $34.50

• Afternoon dance party for teen and a guest with D.J., pizza and unlimited non-alcoholic drinks

• “Farewell Frat Party” on the last evening of the cruise Available only to teens age 13-17.

 

KID’S CREW BACKPACK WITH UNLIMITED SODA PROGRAM

Includes:

• Backpack with unlimited soda program: $39.50* NCL’s sturdy Kid’s Crew backpack

with luggage tag includes a T-shirt, baseball cap and a souvenir cup with free soda fountain fill-ups good throughout the cruise.

• Unlimited beverage program: $16.00*

 

*Price based on a 7-day cruise. Available only to kids up to 12 years of age.

[basketballmom]

Here is the link: http://www.ncl.com/more/bon_voyage_list.htm - when you get there scroll down about 3/4 of the way down and you will see it.

 

On boarding day, there will be tables set up all over the ship that will be selling soda cards and teen smoothie passports. They usually don't ask if you have someone between the ages of 13-17 for the book. We bought one last cruise and had no problem using it.

 

Don't forget you can also get virgin daiquiri's and virgin pina coladas:)

[quilts4cb]

All of the reviews and tips are so helpful - thank you!

 

My husband and I have booked the Boston to Bermuda cruise on the Majesty for July 17. We are both first-time cruisers and are so excited - don't know how we will be able to wait through the next 5 weeks!

 

I have one concern: After we had already booked, we were searching the website and discovered the "2005 Patriots to Parliaments Cruises" section. The theme for our week is "Kid's Star Seeker Extravaganza Cruise". We are celebrating our 25th wedding anniversary, and will want a romantic cruise. We realize that there will always be more kids during the summer vacation months, but are afraid we will not be able to find any quiet places on the ship. We are also concerned about the entertainment being different from other cruises.

 

Can anyone tell me anything about these theme weeks and what to expect?

 

Thanks!

[BellaOnline]

If you think of the ship as your transportation, once you get to Bermuda, you can go into bars and high end restaurants to have the most romantic experience you can dream of :) On the ship? If you aim for the piano lounges instead of the pool, you'll find fewer kids :)

[quilts4cb]

Good advice ~ thank you Bella! We're counting down the days!

[Manugit]

heard bad review on magesty, see new thread please

[Manugit]

Hello Majesty lovers, I found the following review of the Majesty to be of interest, and had to share it with this board. is there truth to some of the verbage. Please let me hear from you,

 

QUOTE:

QUOTE:Cruise Line: Norwegian

Ship: Majesty

Sailing Date: May 15th, 2005

Itinerary: Bermuda

 

On May 15th, 2005 my husband and I set off for a one week cruise out of Boston MA on the Norwegian Cruise lines Majesty and headed to Bermuda. Check in was easy and flawless. The people were friendly and efficient. Upon boarding the ship we were told that we could go to our room and wait for our luggage or go up to the top deck for a drink/snack. We decided to check out our room. Upon entering our room we just stood there stunned. What was supposed to be an outside stateroom was a glorified walk in closet. Every time either my husband or I needed to dress, one of us had to sit on the bed because there was not enough room for two people to stand in what open floor space there was. This opinion was not our own. Everyone on the ship who had not cruised with NCL before said the room was the smallest they had ever seen on a ship. Thank goodness for the window because those who didn’t have a window said their room was pitch black 24/7.

Once the shock of the room wore off we decided to head up to the 10th floor/top deck. That was a walk we got use to – the six flights of stairs were well traveled by many because the small elevator seemed to be dysfunctional the entire week. In fact one passenger who was an elevator repair tech couldn’t even figure out why it didn’t stop on certain floors or failed to run consistently. Once on the top deck it was like being at the open market in Cancun Mexico. We asked repeatedly if we wanted to have/buy a drink. Within the first 15 minutes we were approached no less than 20 times. I will say for the first three or four days the drinks were well worth the money and the container in which it came was ours to keep (that we found out a bit later). The last three days I believe there was nothing but fruit juice and ice. Back to the room – The same sheets were there for the week. The mattress pad underneath was stained. The linens were old and well worn. At one point I had to lift up the mattress to retrieve my cell phone and who knows when the last time it was vacuumed. The bathroom that was the size of a phone booth had missing tiles off the walls and an old stained sink. I will say that fresh towels were brought every day. They were well bleached/cleaned. The hallway with it's busy red carpet had smells that varied by the day. One day it was a strong smell of urine and the next day the septic must have been not functioning well.

 

Food: The food for the most part was good but I thought the food on a cruise from what I understood should “wow” a person. Meals were obviously prepared as cost effective as possible. Only one night was there lobster, a lobster tail that had been frozen. Not until the end of the week were we told by one waiter to order whatever we wanted and if we didn’t like something to order something else. The portions for me were fine but my husband thought they could have been more generous. He was so looking forward to many nights of surf and turf and that didn’t happen. Many nights the wait staff suggested the fish of the night that when served equaled about the size of a hash brown patty. The only other seafood was “jumbo” shrimp and I use the work jumbo loosely and that was served on a skewer (about four), with spicy rice.

 

Staff: The staff was composed of many young people from all over the world that were very polite and friendly until the last day when all the friendliness went away.

 

Back to the ship - Being our first cruise we expected to see this beautiful ship as presented on the website. Instead we saw a rusty, dirty, very old and not well kept vessel. All around the windows we saw rust. Encountering a storm on the way home that sent 15 foot waves up the side of the ship we noticed that there was actually a hole, the size of a nickel in the glass of an outside wall that let water from the sea seep in and soak the carpet outside the Seven Sea’s restaurant. Who knows, maybe it was an added feature. There were many activities on the ship to keep oneself busy. The entertainment at night was very, very good and went to about 1:00 am. But during the day such things as Bingo and exercise classes were an additional costs. Five games of bingo could run as high as 50.00 and yoga was 10.00 for a 30 minute class. The fact that each guest is charged 10.00 per day to cover gratuities and such I think 50.00 is a bit much for a half hour of bingo. Also, each time you signed your name to a charge for even a single can of soda (1.50), a 15% service charge was automatically added to the bill whether the service was good or not. The check out was as easy and quick as check in. Tags are brought to you room the day before and it is requested that all luggage except for carry-on’s are put outside the door before 2:00 am for pickup. Each floor is called separately and departure is a breeze. We were outside awaiting our ride within 20 minutes of leaving our room. Even though we reached port at 6:30 am the last day, we were given a full breakfast and did not get off until 9:30 am. Overall I will say that my first cruise ship experience was not the best considering the cost for two was 2500.00 (add another 500.00 spent on board). This of course will not stop us from cruising again. This time it will be a bigger, cleaner and nicer ship than NCL’s Majesty. I can’t say that I would recommend this cruise line to anyone.

[william]

Hi quilts4cb,

We are also traveling on the Majesty July 17. This will be are 5th time on this ship. Please do not let the last review ruin your upcoming trip. Yes the majesty is an older ship, but the service and food is good. We are from Boston and love Bermuda and we look at the ship as are transportation to Bermuda . I also did not know the theme of the cruise that week. In fact I just found out from reading your post. There are places on the ship were kids are not allowed after a certain hour. Please let me know if you have any questions about the cruise or Boston. Only four weeks to go.

[smeyer418]

Nice review and responses thank you for taking the time to do so! how did you get more than one set of dine-a-shore tickets?

[tigerlilycruiser12]

I agree with William. You will have a great time. Yes the the majesty is an older small ship, but it is clean, fun and has a wonderful crew. I know food is subjective, I never had a bad meal on the majesty. We have been on the majesty 8 times and always had a blast. Great deck parties.

 

A cruise is what you make it. So go and enjoy your cruise and don't sweat the small stuff. ;)

 

marie

[MePlus3]

nice review, Sept. is our 1st and we are on deck 3, Do you think the lower the deck , less service is given? A twenty to our cabin steward may help ?

[hotspur]

nice review, Sept. is our 1st and we are on deck 3, Do you think the lower the deck , less service is given? A twenty to our cabin steward may help ?

I'd be amazed if you'll get "less service" because you're on deck 3. I've never seen reason to "bribe" a cabin steward with cash before he's done anything for me. Enjoy the cruise and don't feel you have to grease someone's palm in order to get good service.

[quilts4cb]

William and Tigerlilycruiser,

 

Thanks for the reassuring comments! We have been reading reviews and the message boards about the Majesty for a few weeks now, and the reviews range from loving it to hating it! We choose to believe the repeat cruisers ~ people have such different likes and dislikes, and unfortunately, I am convinced that some people will not be happy, no matter where they are or what they are doing!

 

I don't remember who said it, but they said: the cruise is going to be what you make it - and we intend to have a wonderful time - so we will!

 

I read the message boards every day and am learning so much! Thanks to all!