Majesty info please

[frogfuzz]

Majesty out of Charleston is a driving to port for us. We were thinking of sneaking an easy cheaper vacation to a warm climate this winter. 7 days W. Caribbean. I know this is a really small ship in camparison . Any opinions .comments, advice etc on this ship.

Our only other cruise was the small RCI Empress of the Sea , I know Majesty is a little smaller so in our minds we are comparing that. We would do a outside /window cabin. My husband;s main concern is food ;). I just want warmth & a book :cool:

 

Thanks for any help.

 

p.s. I did read Sarah's review, but would like all the info and opinions I could get.

[SerenadingSarah]

If all the two of you need is warmth, a book, and good food, you should be good to go! I just returned from the Majesty to Bermuda a week ago! Check out my review....

[SerenadingSarah]

Hello, everyone! I've got to get this review out so I can stop thinking about it and get on with my life! You know how it is....the post-cruise blues, and I've got 'em. Big time. I don't have much time to make this more organized - it's kind of random, so bare with me.

 

Living 1.5 hours away from Boston, I decided to drive to the dock and park there Sunday morning. I got the directions from NCL's website, and they were fine. I was surprised at how smooth it was getting in -sometimes Boston can be crazy with construction and detours, but it went off without a hitch. $84 to park there for the week, covered garage, they take credit cards or cash. It was a short walk to the ship, over cobblestones most of the way - be sure your rolling luggage can take the beating.I walked into the terminal - there were people ready to assist at every turn. As a Latitudes member, I was directed to a special line, and honestly folks, from that point, it was only about 20 minutes until I was walking into my cabin. (This was the ONLY privilege I noticed as a Latitudes member.) I was really pleased about that. P.S. I had read a good tip on these boards before about bringing a case of bottled water on board! I was told to put a luggage tag on it and check it. Well, I would suggest carrying it on yourself. I put a tag on it, gave it to the guy at the curb, and never saw it again.

 

My cabin was fine - an inside one on Deck 4. Tiny, yes, but I was travelling alone so it was never an issue. The stewards kept it immaculate. That morning was the one and only time there was toilet trouble (I had read a lot of complaints about that before), but it was fixed within an hour. Just a side-note, try to be aware of where your cabin is when you book. Mine was directly below the stage of the Royal Fireworks lounge. I could hear pounding music until about 11pm. It wasn't every night of the week, though, but still worth noting. Showers: Try to take a shower when you think no one else on the ship is. That's tricky, I know. I only had ONE hot shower, one lukewarm shower and the rest of the week they were cooler than lukewarm to downright FREEZING. The warmest showers I noticed were when we were in port. Food: Very good. No complaints here! For breakfast, I did the buffet - hot and cold cereals, eggs, bacon, pancakes, yogurt, fruit, etc. There is a 24hr buffet of pizza, hotdogs, fries, that sort of thing in the back of the ship on Deck 10 - also very good. The dining rooms were okay. I like the freestyle seating. Travelling alone, I looked forward to meeting as many people as possible, and this was a good way to do it. I was really nervous the first time, but everyone was SO welcoming and kind and always accepted me at their table. (This was my first time cruising solo.) The wait staff was SUPERB - professional, fast, friendly. Crew: The Cruise Dircetor Pedro Serra was one of the best I've ever seen. I could be slightly biased here because he also happens to be the BEST-LOOKING one, very charming, funny.....delicious, yes, all of that. I had originally thought I was going to have Ricky Matthews, who I have cruised with before, but he was headed to another ship a few weeks before this cruise. It was a welcome change. Pedro was so much better - much more CALM - not annoucning useless crap on the P.A. System every 5 minutes - sorry, Ricky. Anyway, Pedro was knowledgable, fun, just perfect for the job. Oh, and did I mention, he's a Portuguese GOD. ???

Candi, the Asst. Cruise Director did a fine job. This was her first week as Asst. She was okay. I didn't see her much around the ship, but when she was in charge of activities (bingo), people seemed to enjoy her a lot.

Shipboard activities: Because I was alone, I really found myself relying on activities on board to keep me occupied. I really wasn't disappointed. There was arts and crafts that was fun - a great time to meet fellow passengers and unwind doing stuff that sometimes seemed silly (fish keychains), but that's what makes it fun sometimes! The casino was okay - pretty small, and quite smoky. I only spent about 15 minutes there, and that was just enough time for me to feed a machine 20 bucks. Haha.

Entertainment: A lot of the activites were REPEATS from when I was on board 3 years ago - the "Miss Majesty" Contest and the Liar's Club always fun and good for a laugh, but it was pretty much the same, word-for-word. Come on, NCL, let's switch it up a bit! The comedian, Ted Holum was also on my last Majesty cruise. Nice guy, but his comedy was kind of lame. He was MUCH funnier when he was off-the-cuff, picking someone out from the audience and joking around with them. Paul Emmanual was a singer we shared with the Crown which was also docked in Bermuda - he was FANTASTIC! A mix between Stevie wonder and Nat King Cole, a GREAT performer, very entertaining and funny - got the audience involved and we had a blast. Don't miss him! The Majesty dancers were AWESOME! The shows were good. The singers were weak at best. Rama 111 was the band who played for the shows, and for ballroom type dancing and they were SO so good. I wish I could hire them out. Carribean Wave is the reggae band who played poolside and they were VERY GOOD also. Rudi, comedian, acrobatic, all around LUNATIC was AWESOME, too!! DOn't miss this guy. I promise you, you've never seen an act like this!!

Bermuda: This island is just so beautiful. I was up in time to be on the top deck as we sailing in, and it was breath-taking! You won't believe how NARROW the passge is in between these two little islands (Bermuda is made up of MANY tiny islands)..I think it was about 7am or so. Try to be up top for that - great photo opportunites! Actually, every square inch of Bermuda is a gorgeous picture. I took lots. We had some cloudy days, and at least one quick shower that passed through every day, but mostly it was sunny and warm.

Excursions: I only did one, and it was the BEST. The 5hr Island Tour. I HIGHLY HIGHLY recommend it!! It was $59, and worth every cent. Buses pick you up right on the dock and take you over the entire island! Our tour guide Walter was incredible - so knowledgable! At one point, he stooped the bus and got out! No one knew what he was doing, and traffic started to back up, WAY up, and suddely he bent down and was picking flowers! We though this dude was off his rocker, but as he was driving, he had spotted the Bermuda National flower and wanted us to see it. Now that's service! I forget the name of it now, small purple blooms - all the girls wore them in their hair. It was really nice. Anyway, Walter took us all over, letting us get out every now and then and stretch and take pictures - the big lighthouse, nice beaches. We made a QUICK stop at the botanical gardens and I want to go back someday! It looked AWESOME! The last stop before heading back to the ship was the Royal Navy Dockyard. This was really fun! GOOD SOUVENIR SHOPPING HERE!! SO MUCH CHEAPER THAN ST. GEORGE'S!!!! So, anyway, book this excursion if it's available. It's so relaxing and fun. The busses are great, too. Set up like stadium-seating. I sat in the very last row and could see over everyone's heads and all around! It was just beautiful.

Bar service: Do not bother with mixed drinks. They are SO overly priced and had NO alcohol in them! I'm not a big drinker, so when I do have one, I can totally FEEL it. Not with these drinks. I switched over to bottled beer and was much happier. I didn't find the waiters to be annoying at all, which is something I had read here once, too. They seemed to be right there when you needed them, but not overly so.

Demograhic: a lot of people ask about this so let me throw it in. Most of the people were obviously from the New England area. I met LOTS of people from Maine. Some from Connecticut, mostly from Massachusetts. I did meet a couple from Kentucky, which was a nice change! Most of the passengers were couples in there 50-60s. The next biggest group would be couples in their late 30s-40s. (This is my best guess, really.) Some families with children. I believe there were about a dozen kids in the Kid's Crew. I counted about 3 toddlers. I did meet a younger couple in their 20s. This isn't the cruise for singles to go on if they're looking to meet other singles!!!!! It wasn't my intention, so I was glad, but you would have been very disappointed if you were hoping for that. I think I noticed one other person travelling alone. There was an attempt by the crew to have a singles dinner, but no one showed up. That's par-for-the-course for NCL, I think. At least that has been my experience. I was happy to just hang out and relax, alone or with whomever, so I didn't have any issue with that, but solo travellers, be forewarned!

 

Random Thoughts: Many broken deck chairs, be careful!! Pool was crowded on sea days so get up early and reserve! I know, you're not supposed to, but please, what else are you going to do?? Oh, on the Cabin TV - I was actually surprised at how many channels I had! One that I missed though that I have seen on other ships is a channel telling the temperature - air temp and pool temp! I had no window so I was clueless about what to wear each morning. Had to go back and change just about every day...too chilly, too hot...etc.

 

Oh, I forgot about the Chocoholic Buffet! This is famous on NCL. It has been better on other ships....this one was kind of lame. I mean, where do you go to a Chocolate Extravaganza and NOT have chocolate-covered strawberries? Seriously! I got the feeling they had run out of all kinds of things on this cruise...perhaps they stock up in the beginning of the month...? Anyway, there was still plenty of chocolate to be had. It's a minor complaint, really.

 

Disembarkment: I decided to try the Express Disembarking, which meant you carry ALL of your own luggage off of the ship. It worked out fine. I was walking off of the ship at 8am. Not bad.

 

Okay, let me see if there is anything else...oh, this cruise had a theme of country line dancing..now let me say I'm a HUGE country fan..but the dancers (sorry, you guys, nothing personal) got SERIOUSLY annoying after awhile. Also, I don't know, but when I'm on a cruise, I like Reggae/Caribbean music by the pool....instead they played a lot of country, which I listen to everyday. Tip: Bring headphones. I wish I had. Oh, the seas going down were relatively mild. Some first-timers had a hard time, but I thought it was calm. On the way back, the sea was like GLASS. I kept thinking we were still docked. Yes, THAT smooth. Which was a bummer. I like to rock and roll a bit when I cruise...I wear the patch, so I never have a problem..only minor side effects.

 

I don't really have any major complaints about this cruise as a whole. It was a great vacation for me! So convenient to not have to fly. Oh, this was my second cruise on the Majesty, fourth overall, and all have been on NCL. I'm looking forward to trying out a different cruiseline for my next one. Any suggestions? I got lots of info here when I was planning my cruise - lots of helpful reviews and people willing to answer questions. I'm extending the same offer! I'm open to answer question, give advice, whatever! Thank you for staying with me!! :-)

 

P.S. Pedro Serra ROCKS MY WORLD!

[Don Haynes]

I enjoyed my cruise to Bermuda on the Majesty. I even found a quiet place to read the new Harry Potter book. The ship is spotless, well taken care of by the crew, they were cleaning it all the time. While the Majesty may not be Norwegian's best ship, you wouldn't know that from the crew, they treated the ship and her passengers as it was NCL's best.

[Maddie444]

Majesty out of Charleston is a driving to port for us. We were thinking of sneaking an easy cheaper vacation to a warm climate this winter. 7 days W. Caribbean. I know this is a really small ship in camparison . Any opinions .comments, advice etc on this ship.

Our only other cruise was the small RCI Empress of the Sea , I know Majesty is a little smaller so in our minds we are comparing that. We would do a outside /window cabin. My husband;s main concern is food ;). I just want warmth & a book :cool:

 

Thanks for any help.

 

p.s. I did read Sarah's review, but would like all the info and opinions I could get.

 

We've done the Bermuda Cruise, on the Majesty, cruising out of Boston. Next year will be our 4th time. We love the Majesty. It's a small ship but very comfortable and relaxing. We have always booked cabins 660 & 661. These cabins are bigger than most other cabins in the C Cat. They are next to the casino. (Never heard the machines)It is conveinient to everything. I know cabin 660 is facing the port when docked in St. George. You can see everything from your window. Freestyle dinning is great. You can go eat when you want. We never ever had to wait. They have tables next to the pool which is nice if you want to sit instead of lounging. Lounge chairs are up one deck over looking the pool. I have cruised the bigger ships, and enjoyed them, but have always come back to the Majesty. More of a relaxing cruise. It's nice staying in port for 3 1/2 days instead of jumping around to different ports. The beaches are wonderful ,the people are so friendly and the Island is beautiful and clean.

Enjoy your cruise.

Maddie

 

PS. I just read you post again. I though you were going to Bermuda...Sorry. Well. I'll post this anyway.

[GregInCharlotte]

1. The ship is a bit smaller but how much of it can you occupy at once?

2. The food is better on the Majesty than the 4 RCI ships I've been on. Your husband will be pleased.

3. It's a good balance of ports and sea days. The cruise begins and ends with a full day at sea - for your book reading.

4. The cruise down the coast - watching Florida go by - is very pleasant.

5. The casino is better than most big ships.

6. The ice is as cold as big ships.

7. Charleston is an easy park and leave your car port.

8. Soon after you arrive back in Charleston you'll be snug in your OWN car - not a taxi going to an airport or a crowded plane.

 

What the Majesty (honestly) lacks:

1. Fancy spa.

2. Big production shows. (Majesty's are smaller but quality is good)

3. Huge 'attractions' onboard (rock climbing, roller skating)

 

Book it, Dan-o!

[frogfuzz]

Thanks all. I really don't care so much about the bells & whistles of big ships and just wanted to hear clean, good food. Movie theater would have been nice. A little clastrophobic so a little concerned about small cabin. going to try for superior ocean view, thanks for the heads up on the cabin numbers good to know.

 

Right now a beer by the creek in a tent sounds good , so Majesty here we come

 

 

Greg, hi neighbor , I'm to the far west of ya. umm........that is if you mean NC

[frogfuzz]

Oh yeah , one more thing, on the non formal nights what is fancy dining room dress attire. I felt way over dressed on the EOS, with lace top and capri's & silk pant suits they were more 1 step above a t shirt kinda dress & non jean pants. Hubs was ok with Khaki & golf shirt sans blazer

[Aliann]

Attire on freestyle is a great thing! Resort casual... no pantyhose and all the garb that goes with it. I've always worn nice capri's and tops, nice summer cotten capri sets and the like. Hubby has always been fine with what seems to be the men standards, khaki and golf shirt. I sailed the Majesty to Bermuda and love her. Also wanted to comment that the movies in the room over the tv were great, they were recent popular movies. Have fun!

[Lisa63]

Good call on getting the superior outside stateroom. The extra 40 square feet or so really does make a difference. (BTW, there are also superior inside cabins, which are roomier than standard outside cabins, for those interested.)

 

We are also returning to Norwegian Majesty next summer -- it will be our 4th time. The crew is among the best we've ever encounted in our years of cruising. Many have been with the line for years. On our most recent trip, we recognized our maitre d' the first night as he had been our waiter on another NCL ship 10 years ago! From that point on, he always stopped by our table, even if we weren't in his section, to see how we were doing, and to let the waiters know to take special care of "his passengers."

 

My favorite place on Norwegian Majesty is the wall of windows on Deck 5, which have built-in window seats. My usual routine is to borrow a book from the library for the week, and sit in this spot to read.

 

As for dress on the non-formal nights, I usually wore a nice pair of pants (such as what I'd wear to the office) with a knit top or sweater -- or a lightweight dress with sweater. (Ship can be cool in the evening.)

 

Happy to answer any other questions. This is not a fancy ship, by any means, but it is highly comfortable.

[Surfdancer]

I read many posts reassuring us that it is OK to dress "down" a bit during the week (capris, dress pants etc, instead of cocktail dresses and gowns). What about those of use who want to dress "up" - this is my only chance to "put on the dog". Will I be out of place in my snazzy dresses and gowns in the PM? Should I rethink my garment bag? Please help! My ship leaves this Sunday!

[SerenadingSarah]

Surfdancer.

 

on non-formal regular evenings, you are going to stick out in your gowns, even just a plain dress. Every night I wore nice slacks with a fancy blouse and was WAY over-dressed. I was surprised at just how casual it was, but some people love that. I still had fun being dressed up.! Just be you! And have fun! Tell Pedro I love him.

 

-Sarah

[Surfdancer]

Thanks...we had packed 2 gowns each and several very dressey dresses. Tonight we'll go through and re-do that bag. Yes, we would have stood out like sore thumbs. Again, thanks!

[cool man]

if your taking majesty of the seas its alot bigger then empress.--empress is

692 feet and majesty id 880 ft.i have been on both of them.they are nice ships with very good help.

[scm200]

The majesty being asked about is the NCL Majesty not the Majesty of the Seas...

Length: 680 feet

 

Breadth: 91 feet

 

http://www.ncl.com/fleet/19/deckplans.htm for more info

[Lisa63]

Surfdancer, I wore a gown on the one formal night and so did many other passengers. Not all of the ladies, of course, but I'd estimate about 30%. This is very likely one of those things that changes from cruise to cruise. You can always pack one gown and then decide that night if you're going to wear it. I wore a sequined business suit on the second-to-last night, which was not officially a formal night, and I did not feel overdressed. That's a great aspect of Freestyle -- dress how you'd like and you won't be out of place. :)

 

I hope you enjoy your cruise as much as we did.

[chief d]

SCM200,

 

The Majesty is the old Majesty of the Seas. The name change came after NCL purchased her and stretched her by 100 feet. Sailed on her under both names. And your right about her length, 680 ft. That's why she can get in to ST. George's harbor thru the town cut.

[Lisa63]

Some understandable name confusion here...

 

Norwegian Majesty was once Royal Majesty for the then-Majesty Cruise Line (which was a division of Dolphin Cruise Line). Royal Majesty did the seasonal Boston-Bermuda run starting in 1994, and the route was maintained when NCL bought the ship three years later and changed the name to Norwegian Majesty. The lengthening came roughly a year after that.

 

Majesty of the Seas is, and always was, a Royal Caribbean ship. She's much larger -- about 74,000 gross registered tons, almost twice that of Norwegian Majesty.

 

BTW, if that's not confusing enough, both ships debuted in 1992.

 

There have also been ships named Majestic... I won't go into it here. :)