SEMI-LIVE: Majestic - Sydney to New Zealand, December 22

[JSandage]

We will be on Majestic Princess next month for a South Pacific cruise. We usually tip extra to our cabin steward, for room service etc. Does anyone know if the crew prefers tips in Australian Dollars or US money? 

[charliedalrymple]

17 minutes ago, JSandage said:

We will be on Majestic Princess next month for a South Pacific cruise. We usually tip extra to our cabin steward, for room service etc. Does anyone know if the crew prefers tips in Australian Dollars or US money? 

 

We're tipping in Australian dollars since that is the onboard currency and we are round-trip from Sydney.  Does your cruise originate in Sydney?  I think the crew would be thrilled with tips in any currency, since they aren't common in Australia.  

[JSandage]

23 minutes ago, charliedalrymple said:

 

We're tipping in Australian dollars since that is the onboard currency and we are round-trip from Sydney.  Does your cruise originate in Sydney?  I think the crew would be thrilled with tips in any currency, since they aren't common in Australia.  

Yes we start and end in Sydney. I figured Australian Dollars would be best but thank you for confirming it! 

[Yehootu]

1 hour ago, JSandage said:

We will be on Majestic Princess next month for a South Pacific cruise. We usually tip extra to our cabin steward, for room service etc. Does anyone know if the crew prefers tips in Australian Dollars or US money? 

 

42 minutes ago, charliedalrymple said:

 

We're tipping in Australian dollars since that is the onboard currency and we are round-trip from Sydney.  Does your cruise originate in Sydney?  I think the crew would be thrilled with tips in any currency, since they aren't common in Australia.  

April the Majestic sails a 30+ day cruise ending up on the west coast to start the Alaska season. Maybe USD would be good so crewmember  is not left  holding too much AUD at end of Australia season.

[PescadoAmarillo]

On 1/1/2024 at 4:15 PM, charliedalrymple said:

January 1 - PORT CHALMERS / DUNEDIN

 

We followed a designated trail to the "Lady Thorn Dell" and lookout point, past a historic graveyard, and then a wide loop down the hill back and to the dock area.

Were the rhododendrons in bloom?  I love the gardens off of that trail. 

[charliedalrymple]

54 minutes ago, PescadoAmarillo said:

Were the rhododendrons in bloom?  I love the gardens off of that trail. 

 

Alas, they were not--but lovely nonetheless.

[charliedalrymple]

January 3 - SEA DAY

 

Not much new to report aside from the AMAZING production show, Encore!  This was definitely my favourite of the four, and I enjoyed the 7:30 show so much that I went again at 9:30.  It's a more traditional, elegant show with classical elements.  The obvious highlight was a guest opera singer from the Sydney Opera who performed, among other things, a flawless rendition of the Queen of the Night aria from the Magic Flute.  She was definitely an audience favourite. I do need to mention, however, that all four of the lead singers are exceptionally good, and each of them had the chance to show off their vocal prowess during a featured solo in Encore.  I was particularly impressed by Vicki, the singer from China who did not speak English when she went to the United States at the urging of her voice teacher in China so she could pursue a career in musical theatre.

 

I submitted a "crew appreciation" note to the front desk praising Nikki, the adorable Cruise Director. She actually called our cabin to thank me personally for it, saying that most of the feedback they get is negative and that very few passengers take the time to recognise good performance.  I find that rather sad.

 

The amount of hacking and coughing around the ship increases every day, and there seem to be fewer people out and about--either because they are sick or just getting a bit weary of the constant sensory overload around the ship.  The incessant din from the Piazza is out of control.  I really wish there were other venues for all the inane activities currently being staged in the Piazza so that one could actually have a conversation while sitting there.  I don't know whether I'm just older and crankier, but the noise level on this cruise seems much worse than ever before.

 

Note to self:  When I have mobility issues and go on a cruise later in life, I will remember that there are people behind me who walk more quickly.  I will not walk arm-in-arm with my beloved in the middle of a hallway and prevent everyone else from passing.

[charliedalrymple]

January 4 - SEA DAY

 

I feel the overall mood of the passengers slumping a bit by now after the festivities of Christmas and New Year's Eve, which is not helped by the fact that so many people are sick. 

 

Our final day was unremarkable except for two culinary highlights:

- Beautiful chilled prawns in the buffet at lunch!  These were real cocktail shrimp, not the limp little creatures they advertise as shrimp cocktail on the dinner menu.  Quite a treat!

- Prime rib at dinner, with lots of jus and horseradish!  Yum!  Another unexpected treat.  (Yes, they did have the parade of Baked Alaska, but I just find it a bit silly after seeing it many times.  I will say that most of the diners were loving it and waving their napkins with abandon.)

 

The farewell variety show was pretty lame, and I was a bit sorry I squatted in a prime seat 45 minutes in advance for it. However, I had a very interesting conversation with the woman next to me, whom I had not met before on the cruise.  The only real highlight was the return of the opera singer from Sydney.

 

So, let's review, shall we?  Here is my highly subjective list of the pros and cons of this cruise.

 

PROS

Almost everything, really.  Great service, excellent food in the MDR and even in the buffet (despite chaos), amazing production shows, guest performers, and incidental music, fantastic events and ambiance for Christmas and New Year's Eve, lovely ship.

 

CONS

Only two, but they are significant ones:

- Noise, literally everywhere. All music was too loud, and everything that happened in the piazza made it impossible to enjoy any venue adjacent to it--which is almost all of the bars.

- Children.  We learned that children sailed free on this holiday cruise, which explained a lot. Now, let me clear that I am not anti-children, but I am definitely anti-ill-behaved children, which applied to nearly all of the little darlings on this cruise. I blame the parents for not controlling them, and I also wish the crew were empowered to enforce order when the parents won't.  

The two above issues mean that we are likely going to try one of the higher-end cruise lines with smaller ships next time to see whether it makes a difference.  Recommendations welcome!

 

And to close out my post, let me add a few photos (which I wasn't able to do during the cruise for some reason).  They are, in order:

- My first frozen margarita (of many), moments after boarding.

- DH and I at Rudi's enjoying the sushi lunch special.  It looks a bit odd because the chef in the kitchen took the photo through the plexiglass screen.

- Me at balcony dinner.

- DH at balcony dinner.

- Sail-away with the couple who cruised with us.

- DH and I on New Year's Eve.

- Adrian, our favourite server in the Crown Grill Bar.  He made sure I was never without a frozen margarita for more than five minutes for the entire cruise.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[ozcruizier]

On 12/31/2023 at 5:23 PM, KruzPrincess said:

I’m planning to book a cruise on the Majestic in 2024. I am planning to book a mini suite on the Lido deck under the Hollywood pool area. I’ve tried to research this location for opinions on whether this would have a lot of noise from above. Up until now I’ve mostly heard that these cabins are quiet and nothing much happens in the Hollywood pool area, especially at night. In this thread I read that they’re having loud (deafening) parties up there. I’m looking to confirm and get opinions about booking Lido deck cabins below the Hollywood pool. Does anyone have a Lido cabin? I appreciate your opinions. Thanks in advance. 

 

Hi there, well, we had our room (L102) right under the Hollywood conservatory (the quiet space after the pool) and were pleasantly surprised that it was sooo quiet. We only heard one or two bangs from something falling (a table or a chair?) on the holywood floor, but other than that is was very peaceful, definitely recommend it. 

[nzrainbow]

I'd just about mirror the comments and reviews of Charliedalrymple.  Advertising the Hollywood Conservatory as a "Quiet Area" certainly wasn't true on this cruise! 

Unfortunately we've both left the ship with a hefty dose of Covid as did many, many others..... 😞

We found the Internet worked well for the entire voyage.

We enjoyed the majority of our meals. The service was hit and miss at times..... often seated at an un-set table, some long waits for service, pepper only offered occasionally, we had made a reservation each evening although not at a set table.

Our Cabin steward was amazing!

The App is a bit of a disaster..... both the old and the new 😞

The Medallion worked well once it was replaced part way through the Cruise.

We found the Spa pools were only luke warm early am.

There are insufficient general public seating areas indoors which makes the Buffet etc unbearable during inclement weather.

 

 

I'll be interested to see if we receive a survey by email, on my last Princess Cruise it arrived prior to departure from the ship.

[charliedalrymple]

Thanks, NZRainbow. I asked someone on board whether he was NZRainbow, but it turns out I was mistaken--so your identity remains a mystery. 

 

We honestly didn't experience the service issues you describe, but I agree with everything else you say as well. We found the buffet unbearable in all types of weather.

 

39 minutes ago, nzrainbow said:

Unfortunately we've both left the ship with a hefty dose of Covid as did many, many others.

 

So sorry to hear that. We were aware of quite a few COVID cases. I think the leadership team on board should have acknowledged that and urged everyone to take precautions.  Fortunately, we escaped unscathed so far.

[charliedalrymple]

1 hour ago, nzrainbow said:

I'll be interested to see if we receive a survey by email,

 

I just received it via email!

[nzrainbow]

9 minutes ago, charliedalrymple said:

 

I just received it via email!

Ha, we did too..... and I just so happen to have several hours layover at the airport waiting for the next flight so I'll be able to give a VERY detailed survey review! 🙂

[charliedalrymple]

9 hours ago, nzrainbow said:

I'll be able to give a VERY detailed survey review!

 

I intend to spend a long time on it today.  I think we all need to speak up about the noise levels, which would be an easy fix if enough people complain.

Do you happen to recognise me from the ship after seeing my photos?

[leck57]

14 hours ago, charliedalrymple said:

CONS

Only two, but they are significant ones:

- Noise, literally everywhere. All music was too loud, and everything that happened in the piazza made it impossible to enjoy any venue adjacent to it--which is almost all of the bars.

- Children.  We learned that children sailed free on this holiday cruise, which explained a lot. Now, let me clear that I am not anti-children, but I am definitely anti-ill-behaved children, which applied to nearly all of the little darlings on this cruise. I blame the parents for not controlling them, and I also wish the crew were empowered to enforce order when the parents won't.  

The two above issues mean that we are likely going to try one of the higher-end cruise lines with smaller ships next time to see whether it makes a difference.  Recommendations welcome!

 

 

Thanks for your reports, I really enjoyed them.

I do not really worry about the noise but that's just me. I can just blank noise out - ask my wife!

I agree with your comments about kids and my golden rule is never cruise in school holidays, never. Personally I find the smaller high end ships a little boring as the lack of passenger numbers means that there aren't enough to have many activities. It is certainly quieter, largely due to the lack of people and the fact that you travel with perhaps even an older demographic. If you can I'd try Princess again other than school hols as well as places like the Med where the cruises can be longer and less kids. 

Edited January 5 by leck57

[charliedalrymple]

1 hour ago, leck57 said:

If you can I'd try Princess again other than school hols

 

I couldn't agree more.  Unfortunately, DH is a teacher and we are tied to school holidays for the time being.  That will change when we retire!

[nini]

4 hours ago, charliedalrymple said:

 

I couldn't agree more.  Unfortunately, DH is a teacher and we are tied to school holidays for the time being.  That will change when we retire!

Does your wife not have other vacation time that she can take during the school year? I don't know how it is set up where you live, but here in the states, teachers have other times they can take leave that is paid.

[KruzPrincess]

19 hours ago, ozcruizier said:

 

Hi there, well, we had our room (L102) right under the Hollywood conservatory (the quiet space after the pool) and were pleasantly surprised that it was sooo quiet. We only heard one or two bangs from something falling (a table or a chair?) on the holywood floor, but other than that is was very peaceful, definitely recommend it. 

Thank you for responding. I appreciate it. We were thinking of cabins that are more under the pool area, but it’s good to know that you a had quiet space. 

[charliedalrymple]

2 hours ago, nini said:

Does your wife not have other vacation time that she can take during the school year? I don't know how it is set up where you live, but here in the states, teachers have other times they can take leave that is paid.

 

Even the time we take for cruises during the holidays is counted as annual leave--so we tend to use all of it during school breaks.

[trvlwrld]

Teacher for 35 years…any time you are absent other than a holiday break or summer vacation, or sick days, you are deducted from your salary prorated at 1.5 times your daily rate of pay…so hardly no one takes unpaid days off!!!!

[nini]

3 hours ago, trvlwrld said:

Teacher for 35 years…any time you are absent other than a holiday break or summer vacation, or sick days, you are deducted from your salary prorated at 1.5 times your daily rate of pay…so hardly no one takes unpaid days off!!!!

 

That has changed and/ or is different in each state or country. When I taught, it was not like that. It s not like that in Oregon either.

[wallyj]

17 hours ago, nini said:

Does your wife not have other vacation time that she can take during the school year? I don't know how it is set up where you live, but here in the states, teachers have other times they can take leave that is paid.

The OP did not correct you, but if you read and looked at a few previous posts and pictures, you probably would not have used ‘wife’. Since the OP ‘liked’ your post, and did not comment about ‘wife’, will assume he had a nice giggle.

[charliedalrymple]

5 hours ago, wallyj said:

The OP did not correct you, but if you read and looked at a few previous posts and pictures, you probably would not have used ‘wife’. Since the OP ‘liked’ your post, and did not comment about ‘wife’, will assume he had a nice giggle.

 

Indeed he did!  😁

[ExPhotog]

On 1/5/2024 at 7:36 PM, charliedalrymple said:

 …

Children.  We learned that children sailed free on this holiday cruise, which explained a lot.

…

 

Does anyone know of a way to check for such ‘promotions’? It's a great deal for some, but a deal-breaker for others.

 

—

 

I've loved reading through such a detailed account of your adventure. I'm travelling this itinerary next year so always good to get a preview.