Not Majestic at all...

[HappyCruiserettu]

Regarding the tender issues the OP had in Port Arthur. As has been mentioned, that is a function of the port. We had a similar experience on RC's Ovation in Lahaina in May. Almost an hour in the line to get on a return tender/shuttle. 

We were on the Majestic in the Med for 14 days during it's time before heading for Asia. We just didn't care for the changes from the Royal/Regal that had been made to appeal to the Asian market. Our overall experience was still good. 

I have complained on the comment card about the over use of loud music in the Piazza. I agree with the distraction while eating at the IC or Alfredo's. Does it have to be going on all day and evening?

 

 

 

 

[BRANDEE]

22 hours ago, SinbadThePorter said:

 

Pescado Amarillo, who just finished blogging a long cruise on Majestic a few days ago, was fighting awful ship internet to get her blog out for the entire voyage. She gave up and used shore based wifi instead.

 

She said that there was a rumour that the company that maintains the satellite link on all Princess ships had lost the contract and that as a result there was nobody who cared what happened to the internet connectivity on board.

Has Jean posted since last (super bowl) sunday..concerned she has not been heard from since..Sorry off topic

[MJSailors]

BRANDEE

       Check out post #25 that I wrote on page 1 of this thread.

Pescadoamarillo responded 

to many inquires about her absence from her blog in a thread on the Princess forum.

      Both she and G are on the Majestic cruise that began on  Feb 4 and ,according to her, having a wonderful time.

Apparently, lack of internet speed on the ship is detaining her from posting updates to her blog.

[getting older slowly]

11 minutes ago, leck57 said:

 I have not experienced these problems on any Princess cruise but I have avoided the Majestic after it's Asian style fitout and less than great comments.

 

It does beg the question if you fit a ship out for a specific market....

 

wouldn't you leave the ship in that market.....

 

or will Princess give the Majestic  a refit so it matches the other royal class ships....

 

which do not seam to get anywhere near same the flak as the Majestic . 

 

as for myself I am in no hurry to book any cruise on the Majestic.... 

[Stevej88]

Hi All!

 

Thanks for all your engagement on the post.

We just got off Majestic this morning and are currently in our hotel in Sydney for the night.

Getting off the ship this morning was very smooth and speedy. We did the express walk off option and didn’t even need to wait for our walk off time. 

 

Regarding my review, I still stand by my comments however, obviously everyone has a different experience when cruising. There has been other cruises I’ve been on where we found service amazing and yet others we spoke to said it was horrible. It really just depends on which staff you’re interacting with and at what times I guess. 

 

Personally, I found my interactions with most staff on Majestic to be below standard not just for cruising but regarding just general politeness in a civilised society which is why I felt so compelled to leave this review. 

To those implying that Australians are deserving of sub standard treatment due to the ‘tipping situation’, I say that is ridiculous. Customer service is customer service. I myself work in a customer focused role and my workplace would never accept poor behaviour or service at any time but also I myself would never give poor customer service to begin with because I have pride in my job and also the fact that I am a kind person...

 

Anyway, the original review is long enough. I’ll just end on, we wouldn’t cruise on Majestic Princess again and will probably give Princess a break for a while based on our experience. 

[boeckli]

To the OP - sorry to hear that you and your parents found this cruise not to your satisfaction.

 

I also disembarked this morning from what I felt was a reasonably enjoyable cruise. It was my third on Majestic and while I do not like some of the layout and the resultant limitations, I try and make the most of what there is to have a pleasant time.

Maybe you should have researched the ship's layout a little more before you went.

 

Aside from a particular waiter one evening in the Concerto dining room, all my experiences with members of the ship's staff and crew were entirely friendly, helpful and on a level that I expected (have cruised not only on Princess - Elite -  but also various other lines).

 

I have to agree on a less than acceptable tendering situation in Port Arthur though - I went ashore at 9 am without any delays but found myself for around half an hour in a long line that did not move for quite a when on returning to the ship (around noon). At the time they were trying to fit two tenders at the dock - and I heard comments from pax who had sat waiting in a tender for over 1/2 hour apparently).

 

As to the appearance of the ship (paintwork) - Majestic is leaving Sydney tonight on her way to Singapore where she will enter drydock, so clearly certain things will be left until then.

[PescadoAmarillo]

22 hours ago, getting older slowly said:

...or will Princess give the Majestic  a refit so it matches the other royal class ships....

Goodness, I hope not. The Majestic Princess is the only Royal Class ship I have any interest in sailing on. As for being fitted for the Chinese market, the only readily evident difference is that there is no pizza on the Lido Deck. However, we found the pizza at Alfredo’s to more than make up for that, and the noodle bowls that are available on the Lido Deck where pizza is usually served were wonderful in the cooler temps of New Zealand. 

[Just_Westy]

Wife and I did an Oct sailing Syd Nz Syd and found Majestic Princess pretty good for the most part.  We had a Mini Suite and thought it comparable to other mini suites we've had in the past the food and entertainment was excellent.

 

Wife wanted to do another Cruise on the Majestic a few months later but personal issues prevented this but I wouldn't hesitate to cruise on it again.

 

Alfredo's Pizza's were a highlight 🙂

[Ombud]

I'm on the Majestic Princess in August and hoping that it will still have music constantly in the Piazza. I can't understand why it's sometimes dead there. Do they have high tea there with string musicians like on the Royal? 

 

I do have 1 tender port & might have a long wait to get back onboard. Forewarned but still going. Wish there wasn't one but Royal Class ships are huge

Edited February 12, 2020 by Ombud

[AF-1]

So did someone say that Majestic is not the same as the other royal class ships?

[BarbinMich]

Some friends of ours were on the Majestic when it was fairly new and serving the Asian market.  The quirkiest thing about the ship was the number of private rooms for poker (I think) as that's apparently very popular in that market.

[MISTER 67]

For some reason getting a drink in the bars or on deck is like pulling teeth, this is the case on the 3 other lines that we sail on, not just Princess. I dont know how many times we have had the wait staff in a lounge walk right by us like we weren't there. It gets very frustrating and more than a few times I had to go to the bar to get our drinks and bring them back to our table and I'm charged with a 15-20 % gratuity. 

As far as the atrium is concerned, I have to disagree, it's the heart of the ship for the passengers, it's centrally located with all the shops, Passenger Services, Tour Desk, international Cafe and Crooners. We enjoy stopping there for some entertainment after dinner or the main theater after a show. 

That veranda is a complete joke.

No excuse for all those rust stains on the side of the ship.

We are Elite with Princess and have always thought the food was great except on our last cruise on the Caribbean Princess, except for our 1 Carnival cruise it was the worst food we've had on a cruise. There had to be some cuts to the food budget, this was 2 years ago and we decided to  sail with other lines but we are giving Princess another chance as we are sailing on the Regal on March 29.

Edited February 12, 2020 by MISTER 67

[susancruzs]

I haven't sailed on the Majestic, going on the Sky this year, Enchanted Spring 2021.  I wouldn't hesitate to cruise Majestic if the itinerary were of interest.  Comparing the deck plans, Majestic doesn't have Crooners, there is a VIP gaming area in the casino instead of the Club 6 on Regal and Royal.  A Chinese restaurant instead of Sabitini's.  I don't see anything major.

[Ombud]

3 hours ago, AF-1 said:

So did someone say that Majestic is not the same as the other royal class ships?

It is touted as being geared towards Chinese market in layout (private casino rooms / specialty restaurants), patter (Chinese / Japanese / English), and focus. An 'immersion experience'

[Ombud]

On 2/10/2020 at 9:01 PM, getting older slowly said:

 

It does beg the question if you fit a ship out for a specific market....

 

wouldn't you leave the ship in that market.....

 

or will Princess give the Majestic  a refit so it matches the other royal class ships....

 

which do not seam to get anywhere near same the flak as the Majestic . 

 

as for myself I am in no hurry to book any cruise on the Majestic.... 

On the August 29, 2020 voyage Majestic Princess leaves Asia for downunder. August 28-29, 2020 it goes through some kind of update. 

[PrincessLuver]

2 hours ago, susancruzs said:

I haven't sailed on the Majestic, going on the Sky this year, Enchanted Spring 2021.  I wouldn't hesitate to cruise Majestic if the itinerary were of interest.  Comparing the deck plans, Majestic doesn't have Crooners, there is a VIP gaming area in the casino instead of the Club 6 on Regal and Royal.  A Chinese restaurant instead of Sabitini's.  I don't see anything major.

 

We sailed on the Majestic from Rome to Singapore her first year in service and she was a beautiful ship.  Ship was great and cruise was too.  The only major difference we noticed at the time was instead to the Sanctuary they had the Hollywood Beach Club which was fantastic and they did not charge to use.  Pool was covered, a number of private cabana rooms where there was no charge, and at night it had more of a club atmosphere.  We love Royal class ships much better then the Grand  class ships so again I am sure everything is subjective when you cruise which can enhance or detract from a passengers cruising experience.

[susancruzs]

Sounds good to me, I like Royal class ships, too.  I was responding to someone asking about Majestic not being the same as others, so I decided to look at the deck plans closely.  The differences to me would not make me change my mind if there was an itinerary I wanted to do.  I'm looking forward to my Sky cruise in August and the fact there isn't a Crooners isn't important.  I see it mentioned quite a bit, but everyone has their likes and dislikes, expectations, what they want in a cruise.  I just want to travel as long as I can and many of the annoyances people complain about do not matter to me.  Cruising isn't what it was when I took my first one in 1982, I accept the changes and still enjoy cruising.

[OzKiwiJJ]

3 hours ago, Ombud said:

On the August 29, 2020 voyage Majestic Princess leaves Asia for downunder. August 28-29, 2020 it goes through some kind of update. 

They turn the VIP Gaming Room into a pop-up Crooners, plus they remove the mahjong tables from the Vista Gaming Lounge and replace them with extra seating.

[OzKiwiJJ]

3 hours ago, PrincessLuver said:

 We love Royal class ships much better then the Grand  class ships so again I am sure everything is subjective when you cruise which can enhance or detract from a passengers cruising experience.

Very subjective. After cruising on both Royal and Majestic we much prefer the smaller ships and are choosing not to book cruises on Royal class ships in future. We love Sea and Sun, znd are looking forward to trying Pacific in 2021.

[icat2000]

I love the Majestic Princess. Cruising again in September. 

[MrPantsOz]

This could have been a review of my Tassie trip on the Majestic. I went on her when she first came down to Australia for cruises. They hadn't really made any effort at that stage to make it more appealing to the Aussie market. The layout is awful, the staff were downright miserable. Nearly impossible to get a drink anywhere. Food choices were lacking, desserts in buffet consisted of 6 cakes with different coloured creams but all of the same, almost tasteless "flavour". The party band played once, daily entertainment was mostly seminars and opportunities to by stuff. This ship has all the bells and whistles but lacks everything that to me makes a Princess cruise/ship. I love Princess and have only ever cruised with them but you couldn't pay me to get back on the Majestic.

[Skai]

45 minutes ago, Aus Traveller said:

This is a report from one family who were on the Majestic. Others report the opposite.

 

We've also experienced a notable decline across the entire fleet as well in recent years.  Perhaps it's the combo of ever increasing passenger loads coupled with decreasing/overworked staff.  One can't logically expect the declining trend of the staff to passenger ratio to allow for maintaining a higher level of quality service.  

 

Princess is a mass-market line.  I often question the thinking of those that can afford to pay 1000s of dollars for suites aboard Princess.. when for a similar cost, they could lose a handful of sq ft. of cabin real estate, and sail on a premium line -- where the service and quality of fare is as good as (or better) than what Princess may have ever offered in the past.

Edited February 13, 2020 by Skai

[AF-1]

ombud;  thanks for the explanation.  Cheers

[Stevej88]

Just to confirm for those wondering the VIP gaming lounge next to the casino has been turned into Crooners. In fact, it’s actually one of the most beautiful looking public spaces on the ship, we loved the decor scheme which was very elegant and luxurious. This is also the only spot still in action after 11pm as there is a DJ there, however no dance floor or ‘disco’ lighting so don’t expect Skywalkers night club. 

 

The ship interior itself is beautiful looking, it’s certainly a step up style wise for Princess but we felt the ship lacks Princesses usual warm and friendly atmosphere. It feels like a nice shopping centre ashore? Speaking of, there is a lot of shopping space onboard with some high end options geared towards the Asian market and well out of most people’s price range. I will note that out of all the cruises I’ve taken, this one was the most ‘pushy’ regarding retail sales. Everyday there was ‘events’ happening in the shopping area, every night we received retail advertisements in our daily cabin mail. They are very retail focused on Majestic. 

 

Someone above mentioned the cakes in the buffet! This made me laugh as it’s true, every second night they seem to only have cake options for dessert in there and it’s always the same 6 cakes that are just an odd concoction of sugary multi coloured cream and different flavourings. Very bizarre and almost childish as they look and taste like set pieces from Willy Wonka? It baffles me that any real chef could create and serve them. 2 decent ‘real’ cakes would be fine with other options available as well. Bread and butter pudding was also a nightly regular but again, this was mostly just sugary scrambled eggs with baked bread on top. One does get the feeling of quantity over quality in Majestics buffet.

 

I also want to point out that when we left Hobart on the second last day, the captain mentioned that we would come into some rough seas and high winds which we hadn’t had any of the whole cruise. He was right, later that night it was a rough swell, high winds and rain. The ship does handle swells very well, I was actually surprised at how stable she still was as cruise ships normally don’t take bad weather too well. However, the next morning they had closed of the outside decks with signs saying ‘high winds’ on 17 which is the level above the outdoor pool. They had also packed all the deck chairs away. But the day by mid morning was actually lovely, the seas were calm and the winds were no more than what I would consider normal ocean breeze that we had been blessed with for most of the voyage. In fact this was one of the best weather days of the whole trip but these signs stayed up all day and well into late night. A few people, ourselves included disregarded the signs and still used the areas as the sun was out and deck 17 is great for sunbathing or using the two spas up there. That’s just laziness that they didn’t want to go around and take all the signs down and put the deck chairs out. Like I said it was our last sea day before the end of the cruise the following morning and the weather was great.. 

 

The whole cruise just had so many ‘little’ things wrong with it that they all added up to a bigger picture and as somebody who has enjoyed many cruises, it’s hard to not compare to what you have experienced before and I can definitely say that there was a lot of laziness from staff on this cruise all round compared to all past cruises I’ve taken. Scrolling through the reviews of Majestic, they are a mixed bag some shinning and others quite similar to mine I guess it all comes down to what you consider is ‘good’ service. I trust my judgment as an experienced cruiser and someone who managers in a customer focussed role myself that there is definitely a bad culture onboard this ship and they certainly do not have the customer focussed mindset that should be standard practice in any decent customer service based industry. Don’t forget, general politeness, attentiveness and thoughtfulness costs the company nothing and yet makes all the positive  difference for the customer. That would my advice to the team on Majestic.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited February 13, 2020 by Stevej88