Very sad about change in Majesty itinerary

[flashdog_1]

Bonnie, I was raised in Virginia, too (Arlington, and went to school at W&M in Williamsburg) and of course that makes no difference. Just trying to relate!

 

Understanding not wanting to fly, financial restrictions for a large family etc. yet willingness to drive to Miami!! shows me you really want to make this work!

 

As others have suggested, perhaps a 5 night cruise to make up for land travel time will be necessary. I know you have looked at everything that is out there. However, there is something that doesn't always pop up on the regular searches. That is an old Carnival ship stationed here in Mobile, Alabama. It's Holiday. It's an old ship like Majesty, which means LOW prices. It does 4 and 5 night cruises to Mexico (Cozumel and Cancun I think). However, this ship was used for Katrina workers and has been totally revamped, so should be in good shape on the interior.

 

One thing we don't know and that is why you picked Norwegian. Was it just Majesty's easy location and price? Or did you have your heart set on freestyle? Holiday will not be freestyle of course.

 

Let us know what you choose!

[coaster]

Bonnie, I was raised in Virginia, too (Arlington, and went to school at W&M in Williamsburg) and of course that makes no difference. Just trying to relate!

 

Understanding not wanting to fly, financial restrictions for a large family etc. yet willingness to drive to Miami!! shows me you really want to make this work!

 

As others have suggested, perhaps a 5 night cruise to make up for land travel time will be necessary. I know you have looked at everything that is out there. However, there is something that doesn't always pop up on the regular searches. That is an old Carnival ship stationed here in Mobile, Alabama. It's Holiday. It's an old ship like Majesty, which means LOW prices. It does 4 and 5 night cruises to Mexico (Cozumel and Cancun I think). However, this ship was used for Katrina workers and has been totally revamped, so should be in good shape on the interior.

 

One thing we don't know and that is why you picked Norwegian. Was it just Majesty's easy location and price? Or did you have your heart set on freestyle? Holiday will not be freestyle of course.

 

Let us know what you choose!

 

 

I am also trying to help a fellow Virginian as I grew up in Stafford, VA and moved to the Shenandoah Valley when the Washington suburb prices took over... Transferred to Florida only because it was the only choice to keep my job. I like the choices I have for all the close by ports, but I miss home. You really have to decide what is best for you personally and sort out all the information from all the helpful posts here.

[coaster]

The Inspiration out of Tampa which sails to Cozumel and Grand Cayman has also been recently renovated. New children clubs, water slide/water park area and mini golf. Carnival has a long term plan to keep and reinvent their older ships that entered service around the same time as the Majesty. NCL wants to keep their catch phrase as the youngest fleet in the industry. NCL is trying to distinguish itself for those folks who only want to sail on newer ships. Older ships at a better price is maybe what interests you though. Nothing wrong with that...

[hawkshoe]

We had something similar happen to us. Our itinerary was changed an we were not happy. We jumped ship and booked a RC cruise instead. Our ship leaves from Ft. Lauderdale in June and goes to the ports you were originally scheduled to go to. Maybe that is an option for you too.

[coaster]

Holy cr*p, you hit the nail RIGHT on the head. Yes, this is not just a vacation or sightseeing trip ... it is a FAMILY experience. I am SO looking forward to exploring WITH my boys & learning - together - things none of us have yet to experience ... food, cultures, music, language, scenery, wildlife, cruising (!), & on & on. This is not something I want to spend a bunch of money on & then just find "stuff" to do to fill time. I do understand that the space center & other things are educational but WE CAN GET THERE WITHOUT HAVING TO TAKE A CRUISE. I want my cruise time & money to be spent on things that we can't easily access w/ our car. I want this to be a cultural learning experience.

 

And, no, my kids hardly ever miss school so I agree that this would not be unreasoanble to take them out for a few days, not to mention that I'm doing my darndest to take a cruise over Thanksgiving so they only miss a few days instead of a whole week.

 

Out of curiosity, what happened between your first post & your post a few minutes later that brought you to this understanding?

 

We learned long ago if we want to cruise, we have to take our children out of school. Summer and holiday cruises are something we can't afford. Most of our cruises have been in September as a result and many have been less than a week. We make sure they take their makeup work with them. They learn more visiting foreign ports than the book work at school. We don't cruise every year, but to take our children out of school every two or three years is something I am comfortable with.

[BonnieVA]

One thing we don't know and that is why you picked Norwegian. Was it just Majesty's easy location and price? Or did you have your heart set on freestyle? Holiday will not be freestyle of course.

 

You guys are all so geat! My spirits are lifted & I can focus on finding the right cruise instead of lamenting our loss. Maybe this was meant to be.

 

The reason I chose NCL was mostly because of location & price. It was a do-able distance & definitely a good bargain. Freestyle DID help influence my decision ... we're not formal at all & dressing my boys up & having a set time to eat doesn't really work for our family. Unfortunately, I think NCL is the only line that you can eat dinner whenever you want. So I'll have to give in that area.

 

Right now (I still have more searching to do) the frontrunner is on Carnival Liberty from Miami - it spends ALL day in Cozumel (how awesome is that?)& stops in Gr Cayman & Ocho Rios. I now want to look at non-holiday weeks to see what's available & summer also which I was origianlly trying to avoid.

[coaster]

You guys are all so geat! My spirits are lifted & I can focus on finding the right cruise instead of lamenting our loss. Maybe this was meant to be.

 

The reason I chose NCL was mostly because of location & price. It was a do-able distance & definitely a good bargain. Freestyle DID help influence my decision ... we're not formal at all & dressing my boys up & having a set time to eat doesn't really work for our family. Unfortunately, I think NCL is the only line that you can eat dinner whenever you want. So I'll have to give in that area.

 

Right now (I still have more searching to do) the frontrunner is on Carnival Liberty from Miami - it spends ALL day in Cozumel (how awesome is that?)& stops in Gr Cayman & Ocho Rios. I now want to look at non-holiday weeks to see what's available & summer also which I was origianlly trying to avoid.

 

 

Glad to see you are being open minded and looking at other options. NCL is going to see many future cancellations for this drastic change because of itinerary. Sorry to see it though as the Majesty is a wonderful ship and many other lines would be proud to have her in their fleet.

[coaster]

You guys are all so geat! My spirits are lifted & I can focus on finding the right cruise instead of lamenting our loss. Maybe this was meant to be.

 

The reason I chose NCL was mostly because of location & price. It was a do-able distance & definitely a good bargain. Freestyle DID help influence my decision ... we're not formal at all & dressing my boys up & having a set time to eat doesn't really work for our family. Unfortunately, I think NCL is the only line that you can eat dinner whenever you want. So I'll have to give in that area.

 

Right now (I still have more searching to do) the frontrunner is on Carnival Liberty from Miami - it spends ALL day in Cozumel (how awesome is that?)& stops in Gr Cayman & Ocho Rios. I now want to look at non-holiday weeks to see what's available & summer also which I was origianlly trying to avoid.

 

I wouldn't worry about dressing up children. They are fine in a nice shirt and khaki pants from our experience. Children outgrow formal clothes very fast and as long as they are not in jeans and a worn out t-shirt they are fine. A set time to eat may not be the best option, but you have to look at the larger picture. The ports that you want to go to are a large factor. You can eat at the buffet on other lines if you don't feel the need to dress up for the one or two nights of formal dress. There are many choices out there besides freestyle.

[torybruno]

Check out this thread on Grand Bahama Island:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=496059&highlight=gail811