MAJESTY Cuba Cruise - Thoughts and PIcs

[eroller]

I recently returned from my second cruise to Cuba, this time on MAJESTY OF THE SEAS last month (January 2019).  The last visit was a couple years ago on fathom, which was a great experience and more immersive than this one, since we hit 3 Cuban ports in seven days.  Onboard MAJESTY we had an overnight in Havana, and a day in Key West.  There was also a day at sea where we basically floated around.    

 

Having sailed on MAJESTY’s sister ships (MONARCH and SOVEREIGN) I can now cross off the last of the trio.  I thought the ship was in very good shape especially considering her age.  To think when SOVEREIGN came out she was the largest and most sought after ship in service.  Times have changed.  Now this class of ship almost feels quaint.  I still love the Viking Crown Lounge and I think the Windjammer Buffet is probably the best in the fleet.  Larger and better outfitted than even the Oasis Class.  Cabins are tiny and spartan but fine for 5 days.  It’s the smallest cabin I’ve been in in many, many years!  Brought back some old school memories when cabins were more typically this size.  I was sharing with a friend so the beds got separated if you can call it that.  They were still so close together you could barely walk between them!  It was really rather humorous.  The bathroom was fine and surprisingly these cabins have decent storage space (no refrigerator).  There were 12 of us and we shared a table at fixed second seating.  Our waiter and assistant waiter (Charles and Charlie) were beyond awesome.  Our cabin steward was excellent too.  Food was average, which is fairly typical on mass-market ships these days.  We didn’t do any speciality restaurants.  Being Diamond I loved the complimentary drinks (and food spread) up in the Viking Crown from 4:30pm-8pm and also the 3 drinks that were loaded into my Seapass card to use at any bar.  I think Royal Caribbean has the best past passenger program in the industry, and I sail on all the lines so I can really compare.  I also received one free day of unlimited internet and a discount in the gift shop.  Embarkation and disembarkation were a piece of cake, and disembarkation was probably the easiest ever.  I simply walked off the ship (no line), collected my luggage, and let them know I had Global Entry.  They escorted me to the front of the line and to the next agent.  If looks could kill!  LOL.  My only major complaint is that we missed a nice quiet cocktail bar to hang out in after dinner.  The Schooner Bar was always packed and super noisy, and the other options (casino bar, Boleros, Spectrum Lounge) were equally noisy.  The logical answer was the Viking Crown, but after 8am when the C&A gathering is over, the lights are turned up and it’s not staffed.  What a lost opportunity.  I know in the past this space was used as an after dinner cocktail bar, and it was a perfect one at that.  Unfortunately no more.    

 

In Key West we enjoyed a cool but sunny day, walked the strip to the other end and enjoyed a great lunch at Louie’s Backyard.     

 

Havana was just as fascinating as my first time a few years ago.  There are a lot more American tourists now that its become a big cruise port for many cruise lines.  The Cubans are still very charming, but they are a bit more savvy and not as naive as the first visit.  I don’t think they had much choice to be honest but to evolve.  I’m still amazed at what another world Havana is yet it’s so close to where I live (Fort Lauderdale).  It’s like going back in time 50 years.  Unfortunately buildings are literally crumbling down all over the city, and you have five or more families living in large houses that used to have one wealthy family living there.  There are very few resources so if something goes wrong with your car (unlikely you even have one) or in your house, you rely on your friends and neighbors for a trade.  There are no stores to buy parts.  The Cubans have become experts at keeping things running for decades in a makeshift manner.  The only buildings in good shape are some government buildings, foreign embassies, some hotels, and many old buildings in Old Havana that are undergoing restoration.  In some parts of Havana the scene looks like war torn Beirut as you often see half a building fallen down, and the other half barely standing.  The classic cars are abundant but the odor from fumes is overpowering.  You could actually smell it coming through the AC on the ship as we pulled in.  It’s a smell I remember well and I never got used to.  It actually made me a little sick to my stomach.  One night in Havana we all went to the world famous Tropicana, operating since 1939.  It’s an outdoor dinner theater with an old school Vegas style show.  Quite entertaining.  During the afternoon we hired a classic car, and our driver was Ronaldo.  During our stop at the Hotel National I bought him a drink at the world famous bar where the rat pack used to frequent.  The others in my group toured the hotel and bar but I enjoyed sitting with Ronaldo and finding out more about his life.  He has never left Cuba and just had a surprise daughter at almost 50 years old!  He said it’s the best thing that ever happened.  His first child.  We had such a nice connection that Ronaldo came back that evening to take us to the Tropicana then waited over two hours to bring us back.  That is the kind of hospitality that still exists in Cuba.  They don’t have much, but they are VERY proud of their country and like to show it off.  As I mentioned before there is a certain naivety to them, although not quite as pronounced compared to a few years ago.  Ronaldo showed us much more of Havana compared to last time, like entire neighborhoods influenced by Americans (think Miami in 1950) and others influenced by Spain, the Caribbean, and the USSR.  All really fascinating but also sad since everything is in decay.  I highly recommend visiting if you have the opportunity, and the Cubans will welcome you with open arms!  

 

 

 

Pictures Link:   194 Photos and 4 Videos

 

https://www.flickr.com/photos/eroller/albums/72157703087848392

Edited February 5, 2019 by eroller

[Paulette3028]

I would love to hear from anyone else who has sailed to Cuba on Majesty and the type of excursions that you took.   The pictures that ERoller put up in his link are marvelous and it was very nice to read about his experience.....I would love to hear about the experiences that others had.  We are considering cruising to Cuba on Majesty in January 2020.  We know the ship very well, having sailed on her a dozen times and more interested in the time off the ship in Cuba and what various people did there.

Edited February 5, 2019 by Paulette3028

[twccruiser]

Great info, thanks for sharing! We sail to Cuba on Majesty this Thursday. The part about the VCL is disappointing as it is normally my favorite ship venue and it sounds like I won't be able to utilize it from 4:30-8 and then after that it is pointless. To pour salt in the wound, this 5 day will make me Diamond status by 2 cruise points, but I believe that doesn't take effect until my next full cruise anyway. 😞

[HOSKI]

Great pictures, we sail on the Empress in May to Cuba and I cannot wait.  I have wanted to go there since I was a child a very long time ago. 

[tinkr2]

Those pictures are stellar. Thanks so much for sharing.

[papaflamingo]

On 2/5/2019 at 12:06 AM, eroller said:

I recently returned from my second cruise to Cuba, this time on MAJESTY OF THE SEAS last month (January 2019).  The last visit was a couple years ago on fathom, which was a great experience and more immersive than this one, since we hit 3 Cuban ports in seven days.  Onboard MAJESTY we had an overnight in Havana, and a day in Key West.

Thanks for the great review and pictures!  I have a question.....we are considering Cuba and are torn between a cruise like you Majesty cruise with one day in Havana, or a cruise with multiple stops in Cuba.  I was wondering if you thought that a multiple stop in Cuba cruise was worth it or was it "too much" Cuba?  

Thanks.

Edited February 6, 2019 by papaflamingo

[Paulette3028]

10 hours ago, twccruiser said:

Great info, thanks for sharing! We sail to Cuba on Majesty this Thursday. The part about the VCL is disappointing as it is normally my favorite ship venue and it sounds like I won't be able to utilize it from 4:30-8 and then after that it is pointless. To pour salt in the wound, this 5 day will make me Diamond status by 2 cruise points, but I believe that doesn't take effect until my next full cruise anyway. 😞

Majesty does not have a separate Diamond Lounge, which is true.  They use PART of the VCL for the nightly Diamond Event, but only a PART of it.  They rope off a section of it for the DL, and the other sections are open for other cruisers to enjoy.

 

I look forward to hearing about your experience in Cuba and the excursions that you take off the ship.

 

Edited February 6, 2019 by Paulette3028

[gatour]

Nice review and pictures.

 

It looks like the room steward didn't take the time to move the nightstand to between the beds.  When a friend and I took the Sovereign when she was brand new, both beds were against their respective walls with the night stand in the middle.

[twccruiser]

 

1 hour ago, Paulette3028 said:

Majesty does not have a separate Diamond Lounge, which is true.  They use PART of the VCL for the nightly Diamond Event, but only a PART of it.  They rope off a section of it for the DL, and the other sections are open for other cruisers to enjoy.

 

I look forward to hearing about your experience in Cuba and the excursions that you take off the ship.

 

 

Excellent, thank you! I will definitely let you know how it does. I am on a 3rd party tour for the day.

[finz2u]

Thank you!  The photos are great.  We are sailing on the Majesty in a little over 20 days -- the 4 night Havana and Nassau.  Now I am more than excited.

[eroller]

3 hours ago, Paulette3028 said:

Majesty does not have a separate Diamond Lounge, which is true.  They use PART of the VCL for the nightly Diamond Event, but only a PART of it.  They rope off a section of it for the DL, and the other sections are open for other cruisers to enjoy.

 

 

 

 

 

I'll mention they rope off more than half of it for the Diamond Event.  The best half.  The entire forward section that has the best views over the pool area.  The back section (overlooking the rock climbing wall) is open to everyone.  

[billsgal]

3 hours ago, gatour said:

Nice review and pictures.

 

It looks like the room steward didn't take the time to move the nightstand to between the beds.  When a friend and I took the Sovereign when she was brand new, both beds were against their respective walls with the night stand in the middle.

We also just returned from this cruise and what looks like a nightstand is an immovable shelf.  

 

We loved this Majesty cruise to Cuba, also did the old car tour of Havana (booked privately, not thru RC) and did the Tropicana show (well worth the cost).

 

This was our second trip to Cuba and would love to go back again and see more of the island.  RC does have an itinerary that visits 3 ports, as does Azamara, so we will look at both and see what works best for us.

 

I agree with all the points in erollers post  Service was outstanding everywhere on the ship, Schooner Bar was fun and usually crowded (good servers and bartenders) WJ was outstanding. I did miss the specialty restaurants and the special breakfast venue for suites and pinnacles.  There was a special dining room section for diamonds, and higher C&A levels along with suites, but service was very slow, so we only went one morning and used the WJ the other mornings, which was fine.  

 

Rita

[eroller]

3 hours ago, gatour said:

Nice review and pictures.

 

It looks like the room steward didn't take the time to move the nightstand to between the beds.  When a friend and I took the Sovereign when she was brand new, both beds were against their respective walls with the night stand in the middle.

 

 

Actually that nightstand/shelf thing does not move.  It's fixed to the wall.  Originally when these ships came out, the beds were in an L-shape.  They were made into sofas by day, and beds by night.  This was considered a pretty good solution to the fact the cabins are so small.  At some point Royal abandoned that idea and no longer converted the beds to sofas by day, and also no longer put them in an L-Shape.  I'm guessing because making and unmaking those beds to couches everyday was too much work for the cabins stewards (or they cut back the ratio of cabin stewards per cabin so a time issue).  

 

What the cabin steward could have done is placed the one single bed behind the fixed nightstand, and the other flush against the outer wall.  The beds would still be parallel but not aligned which is not a big deal.  It would have provided a little more space between them (see pic).  Maybe he didn't know they would fit that way?  

Edited February 6, 2019 by eroller

[eroller]

4 hours ago, papaflamingo said:

Thanks for the great review and pictures!  I have a question.....we are considering Cuba and are torn between a cruise like you Majesty cruise with one day in Havana, or a cruise with multiple stops in Cuba.  I was wondering if you thought that a multiple stop in Cuba cruise was worth it or was it "too much" Cuba?  

Thanks.

 

 

So my first cruise to Cuba was a few years ago on fathom and it was awesome.  It was a very different experience because the entire cruise was about Cuba and very Cuba immersive.  It was a smaller ship (perfect size - now sailing as AZAMARA PURSUIT) and although food and service were not great, no one cared because everyone was onboard for Cuba.  Many had never taken a cruise before and were not "cruise people", but the Cuba immersion lured them.  The 3 ports in 7 days were excellent, and in no way did I feel it was too much Cuba.  Each of the ports were quite different (Havana, Santiago de Cuba, and Cienfuegos).  I really learned a lot about Cuba during that cruise.  It was truly educational.  Also being the only US based ship at the time permitted to enter Cuba made it quite special.  

 

I very much enjoyed MAJESTY as well, but I'm glad my first Cuba experience was more immersive and special.  This cruise felt more like a typical cruise that happened to stop at Cuba.  The entertainment offerings, food, music, etc. were typical Royal Caribbean.  Not that that is a bad thing, just very different from fathom where everything revolved around Cuba from the food, to lectures, and even the music around the ship.  Since fathom isn't around any longer, that type of experience no longer exists, but there are still some lines that have multiple stops in Cuba that are probably more immersive and Cuba-centric.  I would absolutely recommend them.    

[LBumb]

Great job

[papaflamingo]

On 2/6/2019 at 12:53 PM, eroller said:

 

 

So my first cruise to Cuba was a few years ago on fathom and it was awesome.  It was a very different experience because the entire cruise was about Cuba and very Cuba immersive.  It was a smaller ship (perfect size - now sailing as AZAMARA PURSUIT) and although food and service were not great, no one cared because everyone was onboard for Cuba.  Many had never taken a cruise before and were not "cruise people", but the Cuba immersion lured them.  The 3 ports in 7 days were excellent, and in no way did I feel it was too much Cuba.  Each of the ports were quite different (Havana, Santiago de Cuba, and Cienfuegos).  I really learned a lot about Cuba during that cruise.  It was truly educational.  Also being the only US based ship at the time permitted to enter Cuba made it quite special.  

 

I very much enjoyed MAJESTY as well, but I'm glad my first Cuba experience was more immersive and special.  This cruise felt more like a typical cruise that happened to stop at Cuba.  The entertainment offerings, food, music, etc. were typical Royal Caribbean.  Not that that is a bad thing, just very different from fathom where everything revolved around Cuba from the food, to lectures, and even the music around the ship.  Since fathom isn't around any longer, that type of experience no longer exists, but there are still some lines that have multiple stops in Cuba that are probably more immersive and Cuba-centric.  I would absolutely recommend them.    

Thanks so much Eroller.  We are looking at an immersive cruise on a different cruise line and I was concerned that it'd be too much Cuba.   Really appreciate the insight.  

[eroller]

23 hours ago, LBumb said:

Great job

 

 

Thank you!

[eroller]

3 hours ago, papaflamingo said:

Thanks so much Eroller.  We are looking at an immersive cruise on a different cruise line and I was concerned that it'd be too much Cuba.   Really appreciate the insight.  

 

 

Glad you found it helpful and good luck with cruise selection!  

[kcbookworm]

Thanks for your post!  We are doing the 5 night Key West/Cuba itinerary on Majesty April 8th.   We are trying to set the time for our car tour.  What time were you actually off the ship?

[Sailor_Sally]

I have done the Majesty to Cuba twice . The first time we used Fer tours and had an excellent tour . The second time we used "Old Time Car " tours and had an even better experience on that tour we saw more of day to day Cuba. It takes a little while to get off the ship because of immigration and money exchange . I would suggest read up on Cuba so you can tell your guide what you are interested in.

[eroller]

2 hours ago, kcbookworm said:

Thanks for your post!  We are doing the 5 night Key West/Cuba itinerary on Majesty April 8th.   We are trying to set the time for our car tour.  What time were you actually off the ship?

 

 

Shore excursions booked through the cruise line got to disembark first.  I think we were off by 9:45am.  We met a friend who gave us a walking tour around old Havana.  Anyway it was all very organized and easy, disembarking in Havana.  

[LBumb]

This is high on my radar. Thanks

[Pauser]

Thanks so much for your thoughts and wonderful photos! We are on this cruise in March. Really looking forward to it!

[coaster]

Love your posts eroller!  Remember you from the days of the newsgroup rec.travel.cruises.