FennoExpress Posted July 12 #1 Share Posted July 12 We are planning to book a Mediterranean cruise on Majestic Princess in March 2025. Having previously cruised on Cunard and Royal Caribbean, how is Princess compared to them? We would be staying in mini-suite category and will purchase the Princess Plus-package. Another question regarding disembarkation in Civitavecchia, Italy. The ship is scheduled to dock at 0600AM. If we self-disembark and have a private transfer booked, can we take a 1050AM departing flight from FCO airport? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wishing on a star Posted July 12 #2 Share Posted July 12 I can't compare the cruise lines. But I will start out here and try to help. Majestic is the one Princess ship that is different than all other Princess ships in this class. There is no Sanctuary adult area. On Majestic, this area is all fully enclosed... (non-retractable roof) and is called the Hollywood Pool and Conservatory. And, has not been adult-only. You are cruising right before a major dry-dock, where they will certainly change the dining venues around, and there will no longer be a Harmony. I am not sure if they might change these restaurants before the dry-dock??? or do it all at that time. I am not sure how possible Spring Break will affect this European Cruise. Except for Spring Break, Summer, Holidays, Princess cruises are usually more adult and less geared for kids, as compared to Royal Caribbean. You might be happy with the Plus Package. The wine selection included in Plus is not impressive. If you like better wine, and the special cocktails that would cost a bit more, you might consider Premier. Premier will also include Two specialty dining, unlimited visits to the casual dining onboard. (they now have a $14.99 upcharge for a full meal, or you can just order and pay ala carte.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
muffydawg Posted July 12 #3 Share Posted July 12 @FennoExpress I echo the opinion of the previous commenter in that I lack the knowledge to compare the two lines to Princess. During our recent 7-day Enchanted Princess voyage hubby and I found satisfaction and value with the Plus Package. The wine, non-alcoholic & cocktail offering met our needs and "the math" made sense to us for such a short voyage once we factored in crew appreciation ( we booked a full suite) and wifi. We will "pay as we go" however on our upcoming Princess voyage; b/c with such a heavy excursion/ port extensive itinerary "the math" doesn't work for us. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cruzsnooze Posted July 12 #4 Share Posted July 12 The plus package duplicates service I don't need like 2 internet packages, and dictates the gratuity amount which I disagree with. RCL and Princess are more alike then different. RCL doesn't require a drink package because their higher tier gets several drinks complimentary. If you like RCL you will like Princess which is more sedate without the disneyland/six flags entertainment. The mini suite category is what I would recommend so that you will enjoy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
imescaping Posted July 12 #5 Share Posted July 12 Warning very subjective opinionated post…..Honestly, I have cruised 6 times with princess. 1 Sapphire, 1 Royal, 1 Coral, 2 Golden and just returned from the Majestic. A bunch of Holland America, a few Carnival, a few RCCL, 2 Disney, a Celebrity, an NCL and a couple of ultra luxury lines. On Princess we’ve been in a mini suite on all but 1 Golden Princess cruise. The Majestic was our least favorite by far. We did not care for the layout. The piazza was very noisy and the noise spilled into Alfredo’s and The Catch by Rudi Making it difficult to enjoy the company of dining companions. But we could have been jaded by it being woefully understaffed and the service all the way around was pretty bad. Service can vary from sailing to sailing, but never in 28 cruises, regardless of cruise line, have I been told if you want a bowl there are some by the salad bar. ( which was a ways away from the dessert area and I was asking because there was rice pudding as the hot offering. The attendant said “we just use plates.”Really, for runny-ish rice pudding?) The balcony even in the mini suite is very small and shallow. The public areas are not adequate for the number of guests this ship carries. It was often difficult to get seats for more than 2 people in the buffet, This was an Alaska cruise and it was cold and breezy on the open decks, so this may be less of an issue in a warmer climate where tables in the pool area and on the aft open air deck would add some options. Shows and games were often standing room only if there was even room for that. Just our experience and we have loved Princess prior to that. Perhaps our previous Royal class sailing wasn’t full, our recent majestic sailing had well over 4000 passengers. But we didn’t experience the same over crowded feeling on the Royal Princess. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare JGmf Posted July 13 #6 Share Posted July 13 @FennoExpress you may want to ask your question about the Civitavecchia to FCO timing at disembarkation on the Italy board https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/464-italy-ports/ We're doing a Med cruise next month out of Civitavecchia; and I did similar research. Your 10:50am flight time may be cutting it close. In our situation, we selected a 12:45 flight (along with a private transfer) just to be safe. Good luck! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
memoak Posted July 13 #7 Share Posted July 13 34 minutes ago, JGmf said: @FennoExpress you may want to ask your question about the Civitavecchia to FCO timing at disembarkation on the Italy board https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/464-italy-ports/ We're doing a Med cruise next month out of Civitavecchia; and I did similar research. Your 10:50am flight time may be cutting it close. In our situation, we selected a 12:45 flight (along with a private transfer) just to be safe. Good luck! The port is not very close. I agree a later time would be preferable. I would just stay over a few days and enjoy Rome Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Esprit Posted July 13 #8 Share Posted July 13 21 hours ago, FennoExpress said: We are planning to book a Mediterranean cruise on Majestic Princess in March 2025. Having previously cruised on Cunard and Royal Caribbean, how is Princess compared to them? We would be staying in mini-suite category and will purchase the Princess Plus-package. Another question regarding disembarkation in Civitavecchia, Italy. The ship is scheduled to dock at 0600AM. If we self-disembark and have a private transfer booked, can we take a 1050AM departing flight from FCO airport? It’s an hour from Civitavecchia to the airport so you would be cutting it fine. Personally I wouldn’t attempt it in case of traffic delays. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
riffatsea Posted July 13 #9 Share Posted July 13 Definitely take a later flight!! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phabric Posted July 13 #10 Share Posted July 13 18 hours ago, Wishing on a star said: I can't compare the cruise lines. But I will start out here and try to help. You are cruising right before a major dry-dock, where they will certainly change the dining venues around, and there will no longer be a Harmony. I am not sure if they might change these restaurants before the dry-dock??? or do it all at that time. When is Majestic going into dry dock? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare LACruiser88 Posted July 13 #11 Share Posted July 13 (edited) 25 minutes ago, phabric said: When is Majestic going into dry dock? March of 2025, in Palermo. We were told that all of the restaurant changes will occur during the dry dock. We will be on Dec 1st for 51-days and we will definitely find out what the dry dock changes will be by then. Edited July 13 by LACruiser88 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phabric Posted July 13 #12 Share Posted July 13 Thank you, I was on her Aug 2022 Alaska and again will be her Aug 2025 Canada/New England. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare JordanF Posted July 14 #13 Share Posted July 14 The 10:50 flight would make me nervous. Everything would have to work just right. I would take a later flight or spend time in Rome, or at least have a Plan B. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phabric Posted July 14 #14 Share Posted July 14 On 7/13/2024 at 12:16 PM, LACruiser88 said: March of 2025, in Palermo. We were told that all of the restaurant changes will occur during the dry dock. We will be on Dec 1st for 51-days and we will definitely find out what the dry dock changes will be by then. I hope they don’t cancel or change my dining reservations for August 2025. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phabric Posted July 14 #15 Share Posted July 14 On 7/12/2024 at 1:25 PM, FennoExpress said: We are planning to book a Mediterranean cruise on Majestic Princess in March 2025. Having previously cruised on Cunard and Royal Caribbean, how is Princess compared to them? We would be staying in mini-suite category and will purchase the Princess Plus-package. Another question regarding disembarkation in Civitavecchia, Italy. The ship is scheduled to dock at 0600AM. If we self-disembark and have a private transfer booked, can we take a 1050AM departing flight from FCO airport? I had a choice of a 11am flight from Rome. I decided to take a Princess post cruise excursion (disembarkment excursion) and stay overnight at the Hilton Airport which is attached to Rome (FCO) and take the same 11am flight the next day. After touring Rome, the excursion bus dropped people off at the Rome train station or the airport departure area. We picked up luggage carts, took an elevator up to a covered walkway to an elevator down to the entrance of the Hilton Airport. The next day we did the reverse to the airport for our flight. Rome airport is big. Why rush at the end of your cruise to try to make your flight, what happens if your ship is late coming in or there is traffic getting to the airport. Another time, I used Rome Cabs, a private car service pre and post cruise. English speaking drivers, clean cars, on time, replied to my emails on a timely matter. www.romecabs.com 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FennoExpress Posted July 19 Author #16 Share Posted July 19 Thank you for all the comments. A few additional questions. What kind of toiletries they privide in the bathrooms? Is there a single washing gel or separate shower gel, shampoo and conditioner? Do they have bathrobes and slippers in ME-grade cabins? Is it allowed up bring a bottle of bubbly onboard to enjoy in our cabin? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Desert Cruisers Posted July 19 #17 Share Posted July 19 We have sailed Princess and Cunard a lot. There are significant differences between the 2 lines. Whether these differences are good or bad really depends upon your personal preferences. For example: Cunard attracts a more international mix of passengers than Princess. The majority of passengers on Princess, even in Europe, will likely be from North America. Food and entertainment will be geared to American/Canadian tastes. Princess is more casual and laidback. Princess staff are more approachable while Cunard staff are more formal. Princess has better technology. Cunard is definitely behind the times. Cunard provides a lot more opportunities for ballroom dancers. Cunard's speakers are overall of a higher quality. Cunard still has an evening dress code although it is fraying around the edges. Most passengers expect to follow the dress code on formal nights. On Princess, it's usually "dress as you please". Cunard has better toiletries and a kettle with supplies [including wonderful cookies/bisquits] in the cabins. Plus there are slippers provided in all cabins. TV options are better on Princess. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedJessi Posted July 19 #18 Share Posted July 19 I have to say, some of the things mentioned here about Majestic are....troubling. Especially after my previous experience with Princess being less than stellar. Unfortunately, it was literally the only option for the itinerary we want on the dates we need. 😬 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wishing on a star Posted July 19 #19 Share Posted July 19 Which particular things are concerning????? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
john watson Posted July 19 #20 Share Posted July 19 The ship docks at 06.00, this is never a definite and could be a bit later. The drive to the airport is an hour unless traffic is heavy. Assuming you locate your driver in a timely manner you also have the "how long are the lines to check in for security" at the airport. I think a 12.00 flight would be my absolute limit. Regards John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wallyj Posted July 19 #21 Share Posted July 19 (edited) 6 hours ago, FennoExpress said: Thank you for all the comments. A few additional questions. What kind of toiletries they privide in the bathrooms? Is there a single washing gel or separate shower gel, shampoo and conditioner? Do they have bathrobes and slippers in ME-grade cabins? Is it allowed up bring a bottle of bubbly onboard to enjoy in our cabin? It depends on which ship because I believe the newest ship ‘Sun Princess’ has Beekman 1802 products in all cabins. All other Princess ships will have pump containers for liquid hand soap and lotion and in the shower, pump for shower gel and separate pump for Shampoo/Conditioner combo in one. On my last few sailings, the liquid soap, shower gel, shampoo were ALL a clear color and another passengers said it was all the same product. I bring my own travel size products. Some ships have ‘aqua/greenish’ colored shampoo/conditioner product. I asked the HGM on the Enchanted last month, if the Beekman products will be coming to the entire fleet. He said yes, but not until current supplies of existing inventory is used up. Bathrobes are available to use while on ship, if not already in cabin, ask your steward. I think slippers used to be provided to ‘full’ suites but think no longer? Princess allows one 750 ML bottle of wine of bubbly per passenger so 2 per cabin, to bring on without corkage fee to be enjoyed in your stateroom. You can fill a glass in your cabin and take to a dining room or other venue if you choose. Bringing on more than 2 should incur $20/bottle charge. YMMV. Edited July 19 by wallyj Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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