Live Majestic Princess 3 Night Launch of California Coastal season

[3kidsncats]

The Enclave

 

We really enjoyed our experience in the enclave.  There were a few things we would suggest being changed/improved, but the facility itself is really wonderful.

 

Thanks to the Medallion, check is in super easy.  You walk up to the desk, they hand you a keycard (for actual access into the locked enclave area) and a stretchy bracelet lock for the lockers.  The number for the locker is written on the back side.  Each locker is supplied with a robe and slippers.  

 

The facility has plenty of towels, as you enter the main room.  There are 12 heated tile loungers, and we never had trouble finding two together.  There was no issue with lounger hogs on our sailing (we’ve had this on other lines, where you couldn’t get a tile lounger as people spent the day —or their belongings did — on them).  The pool is a nice temp, between hot and warm, and has numerous bubble/jet options.  There is a dry sauna, a Turkish Hammam and Roman Calderium.  We mostly used the Calderium.  

 

The cons for us were simple things.  Hooks.  There aren’t any in the women’s locker room and hubby indicated he didn’t see any in the men’s.  Even inside the lockers, there are no hooks.  You have to jumble everything on the floor of the locker.  There is limited seating in the locker rooms, and just generally it felt frustrating compared to most others I’ve been in.  

 

Water — they offer no water, juice, etc in the Enclave.  It’s the first time Ive ever seen that.  I asked, and was told I could order on the app.  Yeah, not so much.  A) app doesnt work for me for ordering.  B) I’m paying for the Enclave, and water for consumption is a standard feature of spas.  Really not in the mood to pay for water in addition to the spa fee, plus a auto gratuity to have it delivered (If I could actually access that functionality) plus having to wait upwards of an hour for delivery (what I heard from others).  AND…. I don’t take my phone or medallion into the spa area, so would have to go back to the locker room and wait?? Is the delivery guy going to come into the ladies locker room??  

 

Drainage - there was a fair amount of water pooling on the floor, and it made it slippery.  A safety issue that should be addressed.  Staff was also 100% missing from the enclave on every trip there.  Just seemed weird to me that they had zero presence there.

 

 

[3kidsncats]

Alfredo’s food porn 🙂

 

 

[3kidsncats]

Embarkation day lunch — 

 

Avocado and Bay Shrimp salad

Beef tenderloin

Tuscan Chickpea Soup

Orange Soufflé 

[3kidsncats]

MDR dinner food Porn

 

Garlic Shrimp

Ceviche

Linguine and Clams

Crawfish

 

Surf and Turf

Love Boat Dream

[3kidsncats]

Afternoon Tea — we particularly liked the two different tomatoe/cheese sandwiches (one day was buffalo mozzarella with tomatoes, the other day Brie and tomato), and the prosciutto sandwich as well.  The scones with jam and cream were also very yummy.  There were maybe 8 different sandwich options, the scones, and then a tray with little cakes.  They came in waves, and the trays didn’t all have the same options, so worth waiting for follow up deliveries.

 

 

[3kidsncats]

Cabin — we had a standard balcony, which was quite a bit smaller than our previous Princess balcony on the Ruby Princess.  We found it perfectly cozy for a three night trip, but if I was doing a 7 day, would probably spring for the deluxe balcony.  Storage was minimal, bed was a tad firm for me.

 

 

[farsight]

5 hours ago, 3kidsncats said:

Unfortunately for me, for now, the issues with the app were in the areas I most want functionality.  We already have …..4 other cruises already booked between Royal and NCL, and will be Diamond on Royal, Platinum on NCL after each next cruise, respectively.  So for now, we will stick with those lines, and wait to book Princess again until they get the app fixed.  We like the product, but we are fine mixing it up between lines.  We also want to try Celebrity once we are officially Diamond on Royal, since they status match.  I will be writing a detailed recap of my pros/cons in my Princess survey.  

 

I need to adjust my signature — we were actually on the Starward (I couldn’t remember which it was, after so many years, but recently we looked at our honeymoon pics and saw that it was Starward).  We loved that cruise, and as I mentioned, our honeymoon as well.  1993 — and we thought the ship was big until we were docked next to the Monarch of the Seas, which at the time was the largest at sea.  

 

I relayed your message to Hiren, and got a big smile.  🙂

I had a much longer response to this post but it got lost in submitting and I'm tired. However, the most important parts of the post were:

 

Thanks for seeing Hiren and getting back to me. I can see his smile! Also, thanks for starting this Live thread. I was wondering whether anyone would see the value in a 3 day live and elect to be the OP. You have certainly answered that question in the most positive way. DW and I have become "Live From" thread zealots for the ships we are most interested in. The Majestic and the Alaska cruise restart set us on this path thanks to @HaveDogWillTravel.

 

I think you will really like Celebrity. We love it. Brand loyalty is great, but trying different cruise lines is a way for us to maximize our enjoyment of cruising. We are especially interested in trying Royal Caribbean and Viking Ocean cruises.

[DUCHESSRN]

I also found lack of water in Enclave very frustrating ..ZERO staff seen in there . 

The massage I had was also not the usual standard either , I was below the Theatre and could hear things being moved around ..no water at all in Spa waiting area and the water I was brought at the end of the massage  was not cold and had what tasted like a squirt of Jiff Lemon in it ....all clocks have been removed from Spa area .I dont think I got my full time but was using OBC so didnt feel as upset as if I had paid . .  My previous experiences have been just wonderful .

That being said it was a great cruise.

[rj59]

Nice review, but the mention of tables crammed together is making me stressed over my Majestic Mexico trip next weekend. I was on Ovation of the Seas a few weeks ago, and after several lunches and dinners being crammed next to other people at 2-seat tables, feeling unsafe and uncomfortable, I finally started asking for a physically distanced table. I would never let anyone seat me that close to another table in a restaurant or bar, and it's ridiculous to make people distance and wear masks in a line or elevator where they'll be around someone for a few minutes, but then cram them within reaching distance for over an hour without a mask, with talking and open mouths eating and drinking, with chatty people wanting to engage other tables in conversation. The lines talk about safety, but they still do things that no restaurant on land would do, like offer to seat strangers together or have tables with no distance. Nobody has ever caught Covid from a handrail, so all the crew relentlessly wiping things down is just hygiene theater, but there have been many superspreader events in restaurants, so that's exactly where distancing, ventilation, and quick service is important. I was hoping that the Princess dine anywhere concept would extend to the HAL ability to order from the MDR menu as room service, but that doesn't seem to be an option--it looks like just a way to push drinks and specialty dining delivery, while adding more complexity to the app. 

 

I was also hoping for some good buffet Indian food, which was great on Royal and NCL, and is a nightly option in the MDR on Carnival. Fortunately, though, I love ramen and Princess pizza, so the noodle bar and Alfredo's will be seeing me a lot. 

[Steelers36]

3 hours ago, 3kidsncats said:

Cabin — we had a standard balcony, which was quite a bit smaller than our previous Princess balcony on the Ruby Princess.  We found it perfectly cozy for a three night trip, but if I was doing a 7 day, would probably spring for the deluxe balcony.  Storage was minimal, bed was a tad firm for me.

 

 

 

 

 

Wish they would get rid of that old gold carpet with the circles.  There is a much nicer, modern, gray carpet I have seen in some cabins, but I guess they are waiting until it really needs to go due to wear and tear (we were last on the CROWN I think where I saw it.  We were also on REGAL in June 2019).

[farsight]

 

1 hour ago, DUCHESSRN said:

I also found lack of water in Enclave very frustrating ..ZERO staff seen in there . 

The massage I had was also not the usual standard either , I was below the Theatre and could hear things being moved around ..no water at all in Spa waiting area and the water I was brought at the end of the massage  was not cold and had what tasted like a squirt of Jiff Lemon in it ....all clocks have been removed from Spa area .I dont think I got my full time but was using OBC so didnt feel as upset as if I had paid . .  My previous experiences have been just wonderful .

That being said it was a great cruise.

The waiting room between the main desk and the locker rooms on the right of the hallway had two lemon infused water dispensers last week on the Alaska cruise. However the sliding door to the room was almost always closed. I was fortunate the first time I used the Enclave. I spent a long time in the Thalosotherapy pool and two 10 minute plus stints in the steam room (the HOT one with the black tile and virtual stars in the ceiling) then showered in the locker room. I was in dire NEED of re-hydration. As I exited the spa, the waiting/relaxation room door was open. I tossed down about 6 cups to re-hydrate and then asked the staff on my way out whether it was for Enclave Patron use. I was assured that it was. Every other time I got a drink I had to open the door and felt a bit weird about it. I found it very unwelcoming. The thermal spa on the Ruby had a great waiting room with water that felt comfortable and welcoming.

 

While the Spa staff is OK, they are not customer oriented. The whole spa enterprise needs a super high intensity customer service immersion training. Maybe the exorbitant prices they command and receive with no competition and a captive audience has jaded their perspective. I certainly found Princess crew and staff to be more accommodating, friendly and welcoming. They exuded great customer service and provided the starkest of contrasts.

 

However, the Enclave was a very good value for our 7 day pass and we thoroughly enjoyed it.

[3kidsncats]

13 hours ago, farsight said:

I had a much longer response to this post but it got lost in submitting and I'm tired. However, the most important parts of the post were:

 

Thanks for seeing Hiren and getting back to me. I can see his smile! Also, thanks for starting this Live thread. I was wondering whether anyone would see the value in a 3 day live and elect to be the OP. You have certainly answered that question in the most positive way. DW and I have become "Live From" thread zealots for the ships we are most interested in. The Majestic and the Alaska cruise restart set us on this path thanks to @HaveDogWillTravel.

 

I think you will really like Celebrity. We love it. Brand loyalty is great, but trying different cruise lines is a way for us to maximize our enjoyment of cruising. We are especially interested in trying Royal Caribbean and Viking Ocean cruises.

I so know how that goes (posts disappearing into the ether).

 

Someone asked for a live thread, then it was brought up in the roll call as well — but most seemed to want to do post cruise comments, so I went ahead and started (and hope more roll call members will join in).  Most 3/4 nighters would get kind of lost, but I think since this one was the start of the California Coastal season post covid, there was interest.  They are hard to do, primarily due to poor internet.  We don’t often get the internet package, but knew this time I would have at least some service each port.  Glad you enjoyed it 🙂

 

We are looking forward to Celebrity, especially since being docked next to the Edge.  Being brand flexible gives a lot more date/itinerary options if you are looking for something specific.

Edited October 10, 2021 by 3kidsncats

[3kidsncats]

13 hours ago, DUCHESSRN said:

I also found lack of water in Enclave very frustrating ..ZERO staff seen in there . 

The massage I had was also not the usual standard either , I was below the Theatre and could hear things being moved around ..no water at all in Spa waiting area and the water I was brought at the end of the massage  was not cold and had what tasted like a squirt of Jiff Lemon in it ....all clocks have been removed from Spa area .I dont think I got my full time but was using OBC so didnt feel as upset as if I had paid . .  My previous experiences have been just wonderful .

That being said it was a great cruise.

There is one clock over the pool, that you can see from the tile loungers if you crane your neck.  They had 3 empty refrigerators in the Enclave that I assume used to have water and/or juice in them.  I think it was a cost cutting choice, and the assumption is people will just use the delivery, as I was told to do.  But instead it just reads as a downgrade, and negative aspect of what would otherwise be quite a perfect experience.  

[3kidsncats]

11 hours ago, farsight said:

 

The waiting room between the main desk and the locker rooms on the right of the hallway had two lemon infused water dispensers last week on the Alaska cruise. However the sliding door to the room was almost always closed. I was fortunate the first time I used the Enclave. I spent a long time in the Thalosotherapy pool and two 10 minute plus stints in the steam room (the HOT one with the black tile and virtual stars in the ceiling) then showered in the locker room. I was in dire NEED of re-hydration. As I exited the spa, the waiting/relaxation room door was open. I tossed down about 6 cups to re-hydrate and then asked the staff on my way out whether it was for Enclave Patron use. I was assured that it was. Every other time I got a drink I had to open the door and felt a bit weird about it. I found it very unwelcoming. The thermal spa on the Ruby had a great waiting room with water that felt comfortable and welcoming.

 

While the Spa staff is OK, they are not customer oriented. The whole spa enterprise needs a super high intensity customer service immersion training. Maybe the exorbitant prices they command and receive with no competition and a captive audience has jaded their perspective. I certainly found Princess crew and staff to be more accommodating, friendly and welcoming. They exuded great customer service and provided the starkest of contrasts.

 

However, the Enclave was a very good value for our 7 day pass and we thoroughly enjoyed it.

I saw that area, and the lemon water coolers, but was led to believe that was not for Enclave.  I liked the Ruby spa area as well — more open feeling, and brighter.  I don’t love that the Enclave is so dark. Yes, it’s intended as subdued, relaxed lighting, but feels like being in a box.  A few cruise ship spas I’ve been in have the floor to ceiling ocean view windows, which I love. 

 

The staff issue is definitely related to the spa contractor, and is the same across all cruise lines, in my experience.  I think they are trained (or personally focused on) money making services and sales, over customer service.  The spa areas like the Enclave tend to be ignored by staff.  I have had much better experiences related to staff, at land based hotel spas, where they seem less intent on selling you stuff.

[awhcruiser]

12 hours ago, rj59 said:

Nice review, but the mention of tables crammed together is making me stressed over my Majestic Mexico trip next weekend. I was on Ovation of the Seas a few weeks ago, and after several lunches and dinners being crammed next to other people at 2-seat tables, feeling unsafe and uncomfortable, I finally started asking for a physically distanced table. I would never let anyone seat me that close to another table in a restaurant or bar, and it's ridiculous to make people distance and wear masks in a line or elevator where they'll be around someone for a few minutes, but then cram them within reaching distance for over an hour without a mask, with talking and open mouths eating and drinking, with chatty people wanting to engage other tables in conversation. The lines talk about safety, but they still do things that no restaurant on land would do, like offer to seat strangers together or have tables with no distance. Nobody has ever caught Covid from a handrail, so all the crew relentlessly wiping things down is just hygiene theater, but there have been many superspreader events in restaurants, so that's exactly where distancing, ventilation, and quick service is important. I was hoping that the Princess dine anywhere concept would extend to the HAL ability to order from the MDR menu as room service, but that doesn't seem to be an option--it looks like just a way to push drinks and specialty dining delivery, while adding more complexity to the app. 

 

I was also hoping for some good buffet Indian food, which was great on Royal and NCL, and is a nightly option in the MDR on Carnival. Fortunately, though, I love ramen and Princess pizza, so the noodle bar and Alfredo's will be seeing me a lot. 

How do you know tables are crammed together on the Majestic?  The ship is at reduced capacity

[CineGraphic]

12 minutes ago, 3kidsncats said:

The spa areas like the Enclave tend to be ignored by staff.

 

Out of curiosity, why would spa staff need to be in the enclave?

[3kidsncats]

12 hours ago, rj59 said:

Nice review, but the mention of tables crammed together is making me stressed over my Majestic Mexico trip next weekend. I was on Ovation of the Seas a few weeks ago, and after several lunches and dinners being crammed next to other people at 2-seat tables, feeling unsafe and uncomfortable, I finally started asking for a physically distanced table. I would never let anyone seat me that close to another table in a restaurant or bar, and it's ridiculous to make people distance and wear masks in a line or elevator where they'll be around someone for a few minutes, but then cram them within reaching distance for over an hour without a mask, with talking and open mouths eating and drinking, with chatty people wanting to engage other tables in conversation. The lines talk about safety, but they still do things that no restaurant on land would do, like offer to seat strangers together or have tables with no distance. Nobody has ever caught Covid from a handrail, so all the crew relentlessly wiping things down is just hygiene theater, but there have been many superspreader events in restaurants, so that's exactly where distancing, ventilation, and quick service is important. I was hoping that the Princess dine anywhere concept would extend to the HAL ability to order from the MDR menu as room service, but that doesn't seem to be an option--it looks like just a way to push drinks and specialty dining delivery, while adding more complexity to the app. 

 

I was also hoping for some good buffet Indian food, which was great on Royal and NCL, and is a nightly option in the MDR on Carnival. Fortunately, though, I love ramen and Princess pizza, so the noodle bar and Alfredo's will be seeing me a lot. 

I agree, it is a very puzzling decision to utilize their dining space this way, right now.  It would have bothered me a lot more if my husband hadn’t already gotten his booster shot two weeks ago, and if Moderna (which I got) data was showing waning efficacy numbers after 120 days like Pfizer.  

 

There was plenty of open table space for them to have utilized in order to spread people out.  But instead they crammed everyone together in very small areas.  Definitely ask for a more spaced location.  For Alfredos, I suggest going early — so 11 am was great for lunch since few people were there, and probably 4:30-5 if you want dinner there.  The food here did not disappoint at all 🙂

 

I was very, very surprised about the Indian food.  While on Adventure of the Seas in August, I had some of the best Indian food I’ve ever had, and each day there were 4 complimentary dishes that created a full Indian meal, plus naan and condiments.  On Majestic, they had plain rice and one “entree” dish - which the night we went was a mediocre chickpea masala.  That’s it. Honestly, the frozen masala we get at Trader Joe’s is much better.  I was so disappointed.  

[3kidsncats]

14 minutes ago, CineGraphic said:

 

Out of curiosity, why would spa staff need to be in the enclave?

Maybe to address the inch of water on the floor?  Make sure no one needs assistance?  Do you need help finding the very hard to find button to turn on the jets in the pool?? Remove the towels that some people insist on just leaving where ever?  Offer some water to drink??  Give the impression that you give a …. About customer service?

Edited October 10, 2021 by 3kidsncats

[3kidsncats]

21 minutes ago, awhcruiser said:

How do you know tables are crammed together on the Majestic?  The ship is at reduced capacity

Tables are crammed together on the Majestic.  I said so in my review.  Often times we were seated next to people at a table with about 5 inches between tables.  It was very difficult to get to the bench seat having to shimmy thru the small space.  

 

Some tables, if there was access to the chairs on the other side, were about 4 inches from the table next to them.  If there was a bench/couch as part of the seating, then the space between tables was in the 5-6 inch range.

Edited October 10, 2021 by 3kidsncats

[ebeluga]

14 minutes ago, 3kidsncats said:

Tables are crammed together on the Majestic.  I said so in my review.  Often times we were seated next to people at a table with about 5 inches between tables.  It was very difficult to get to the bench seat having to shimmy thru the small space.  

 

Some tables, if there was access to the chairs on the other side, were about 4 inches from the table next to them.  If there was a bench/couch as part of the seating, then the space between tables was in the 5-6 inch range.

I know.  I didn't like about the lack of distancing table arrangement.  If I got contact traced because of someone turned up positive or vice versa, we would end up being quarantined on a longer. cruise!

[DUCHESSRN]

20 minutes ago, 3kidsncats said:

Tables are crammed together on the Majestic.  I said so in my review.  Often times we were seated next to people at a table with about 5 inches between tables.  It was very difficult to get to the bench seat having to shimmy thru the small space.  

 

Some tables, if there was access to the chairs on the other side, were about 4 inches from the table next to them.  If there was a bench/couch as part of the seating, then the space between tables was in the 5-6 inch range.

Yes they are close I am not huge just in fluffy category , my rear end knocked over the flowers on the next table trying to get back to the bench seat !!!! A bit embarrassing luckily the table was empty .

The Spa staff seemed not too interested when I asked girl doing my massage what the noise was she said " I do not have control of what is happening in the theatre above us"...the Spa manager offered me a bottle of wine which I declined .

Did not let it spoil my cruise I believe Steiner runs the Spa .

[Mary Ann 2]

On 10/7/2021 at 11:36 AM, 3kidsncats said:

There was long line for security, and took about 30-40 minutes in a rather warm tent. Once we got inside the terminal, another 20 minutes for check in.  The actual process was easy and as soon as we finished, we were moved about 8 feet to the counter to pick up our medallions (booked last minute).  That took about a minute, then we were immediately directed to board.

Why are they using a tent?  The terminal has a security area.  Was that area being used for something else?  Did they use the usual check-in desks in the terminal or did they do what they did in Seattle and just have 2 or 3 queues leading up to someone with some kind of tablet who checked passports, vaccination, pre-COVID test and checked you in?

[3kidsncats]

13 minutes ago, Mary Ann 2 said:

Why are they using a tent?  The terminal has a security area.  Was that area being used for something else?  Did they use the usual check-in desks in the terminal or did they do what they did in Seattle and just have 2 or 3 queues leading up to someone with some kind of tablet who checked passports, vaccination, pre-COVID test and checked you in?

No idea, but they started using it before covid, as we went thru it on our January 2020 cruise out of San Pedro.  It gave me miserable hot flashes then too, 😜. Inside the terminal, they ask if you are priority (suite, loyalty level) and then direct you to the correct line.  We were green path, so went to a cordoned queue for green designation that leads to little stations with scanners for the medallion or QR code.  The staff used iPads if I remember correctly, to check you in after reviewing your documents.  Behind them is the regular counter, which is where they have the medallions for pickup.

[Island wannabe]

17 hours ago, Steelers36 said:

 

Your post note above reminds me of the original "mega ship", Sovereign of the Seas, slightly smaller and launched in January, 1988.  We were in St Thomas the week of its first call and it was quite a sight to see this "monster" come sailing in to the dock.  Now, it would be called a "small ship", compared to the typical more modern ships of today.

 

wow that brings back memories.   My very first cruise was on Sovereign and had me hooked on cruising ever since.  But back then you were greeted as you entered the shop by staff wearing white gloves, and they would escort you to your cabin and carry your carry on!!

 

[3kidsncats]

Ok, volume on for this one 😊. One of my favorite moments of the cruise.  We were watching the sea lions dodge the cables being released prior to departure and I just happened to start recording.

 

My husband is a decade older than I, so not a child of the 70s Saturday night tv viewing.  He didn’t recognize it, but I did, lol.  Loved it!