Just back from Majesty of the Seas

[LizzieTrowbridge]

We sailed on Majesty to the Bahamas over 4th of July weekend and had a great time! This is an older ship, but we were very impressed with how great she looked. Everything was clean and well kept. We especially loved the pool deck-two very large pools and plenty of deck space. We stayed in an outside cabin on deck 2-lots of walking up the stairs to deck 11 where everything is, but the room was comfortable for three of us. The inside cabins looked tiny so I was glad we payed a bit more for an outside cabin. The food was just OK, but edible, and the wait staff was great. Our teens loved FUEL, the teen club. We were very impressed with embarkation and debarkation, both at the start and end of the cruise, and at each port. This was the easiest time we have ever had getting on and off a ship. All in all it was a great time. I am happy to answer anyone's questions about Majesty.

[barbie5401]

We were on the same cruise - have been on her many times but this time seemed special. Crew was excellent, service was wonderful - we just had a wonderful time. We were #3 and #4 off the ship? Were you in the Platinium/Diamond Lounge?

[LizzieTrowbridge]

We were on the same cruise - have been on her many times but this time seemed special. Crew was excellent, service was wonderful - we just had a wonderful time. We were #3 and #4 off the ship? Were you in the Platinium/Diamond Lounge?

 

I agree that the service was excellent. We were not in the Platinum/Diamond Lounge. We actually traded in our beige debarkation tags for later tags as we were given the 8 am departure and the teens wanted to sleep in a little later. Were you awake as we sailed into Miami Monday morning? It was beautiful!

[HB Cruiser]

Noticed by your sig that you have been on both RCCL and Carnival. Would you please be so kind as to give me a comparison of this cruise vs. either of your Carnival cruises?

 

We have never been on Carnival but with the prices that RCCL is asking, we might be trying in the not too distant future.

 

Thanks in advance.

 

Tim

[LizzieTrowbridge]

Noticed by your sig that you have been on both RCCL and Carnival. Would you please be so kind as to give me a comparison of this cruise vs. either of your Carnival cruises?

 

We have never been on Carnival but with the prices that RCCL is asking, we might be trying in the not too distant future.

 

Thanks in advance.

 

Tim

 

We had fun on both the RCCL and Carnival cruises. We are the kind of people that want to enjoy our vacation and are not overly fussy about things. It is always more enjoyable to go with the flow and focus on what there is that you like, rather than spend time criticizing the things you don't like. That said, I think I liked Carnival better than RCCL. Read on for my long winded answer!

 

To give you some background, we are in our mid 40's with three children (16,13,9) In our experience, the food was much better on Carnival, both in the selection and quality and the availability. On Carnival there were always several options for eating or snacking, but we felt like the food was somewhat limited on Majesty. For instance on Carnival Valor, which we sailed on in March, there was a burger/fries/chicken fingers grill by the pool that seemed to be open all afternoon and evening-even late night sometimes. the Pizzeria on Valor was also better as it offered far superior tasting pizza, and they had Caesar salads and calzones, and were open 24 hours a day. the dining room food was also far superior on Carnival-everything seemed like it was tastier and better quality. There were several items on the Majesty cruise that really were not very good. This may be because I am comparing a much older RCCL ship, with two newer carnival ships, but this is my only comparison.

 

Another thing I liked better about Carnival was the cabin. We have stayed in both an interior and a balcony cabin on Carnival, and an outside (porthole) cabin on RCCL Majesty. The cabins on Carnival were much more comfortable-much bigger, better bedding, more nicely decorated, more storage space, and lots of nice sample toiletries in the bathroom. Our RCCL room was very small and a bit tight on storage.

 

One thing we liked better about RCCL Majesty, however, was the pool deck. There were two nice large pools and plenty of chairs surrounding the pool- a nicer set up (we thought) that the carnival Valor, which had three very small pools. I guess it depends on what you are looking for.

 

The two Carnival ships we sailed on had better night club options, but this is probably because the RCCL Majesty is such an old ship.

 

Overall I felt like the ambiance, and the crowd were pretty equivalent on Carnival and RCCL. Carnival ships tend to be a bit flashier-more over the top decor, while RCCL Majesty was more subdued, almost plain.

 

So, since you asked, we would have to say we preferred Carnival, but I will not solidify that opinion until I sail on one of the bigger, newer RCCL ships.

 

In any case, we loved all three cruises we have been on, had a splendid time on all of them, and would definitely sail again on either line.

 

Happy to answer any specific questions I didn't cover!

[hmsdos]

We had fun on both the RCCL and Carnival cruises. We are the kind of people that want to enjoy our vacation and are not overly fussy about things. It is always more enjoyable to go with the flow and focus on what there is that you like, rather than spend time criticizing the things you don't like. That said, I think I liked Carnival better than RCCL. Read on for my long winded answer!

 

To give you some background, we are in our mid 40's with three children (16,13,9) In our experience, the food was much better on Carnival, both in the selection and quality and the availability. On Carnival there were always several options for eating or snacking, but we felt like the food was somewhat limited on Majesty. For instance on Carnival Valor, which we sailed on in March, there was a burger/fries/chicken fingers grill by the pool that seemed to be open all afternoon and evening-even late night sometimes. the Pizzeria on Valor was also better as it offered far superior tasting pizza, and they had Caesar salads and calzones, and were open 24 hours a day. the dining room food was also far superior on Carnival-everything seemed like it was tastier and better quality. There were several items on the Majesty cruise that really were not very good. This may be because I am comparing a much older RCCL ship, with two newer carnival ships, but this is my only comparison.

 

Another thing I liked better about Carnival was the cabin. We have stayed in both an interior and a balcony cabin on Carnival, and an outside (porthole) cabin on RCCL Majesty. The cabins on Carnival were much more comfortable-much bigger, better bedding, more nicely decorated, more storage space, and lots of nice sample toiletries in the bathroom. Our RCCL room was very small and a bit tight on storage.

 

One thing we liked better about RCCL Majesty, however, was the pool deck. There were two nice large pools and plenty of chairs surrounding the pool- a nicer set up (we thought) that the carnival Valor, which had three very small pools. I guess it depends on what you are looking for.

 

The two Carnival ships we sailed on had better night club options, but this is probably because the RCCL Majesty is such an old ship.

 

Overall I felt like the ambiance, and the crowd were pretty equivalent on Carnival and RCCL. Carnival ships tend to be a bit flashier-more over the top decor, while RCCL Majesty was more subdued, almost plain.

 

So, since you asked, we would have to say we preferred Carnival, but I will not solidify that opinion until I sail on one of the bigger, newer RCCL ships.

 

In any case, we loved all three cruises we have been on, had a splendid time on all of them, and would definitely sail again on either line.

 

Happy to answer any specific questions I didn't cover!

 

 

We have cruised both lines. Think you gave a very "fair and balanced" assessment. We happen to prefer RCCL, but we have been on many of their ships... hope you keep cruising and experiencing both lines:D

[HB Cruiser]

THANK YOU for your comparison.

 

I hate it when someone compares ABC Cruises to XYZ Cruise Line and they say they like one over the other with no explanation. You stated your likes and dislikes with good and valid reasoning.

 

Again thanks for taking the time to answer me.

 

Tim

[SillyTrix]

Thanks for your post. I was just wondering what to avoid on the Majesty of the Seas. You had mentioned that some things were bad ...

 

Thanks in advance!

[LizzieTrowbridge]

Thanks for your post. I was just wondering what to avoid on the Majesty of the Seas. You had mentioned that some things were bad ...

 

Thanks in advance!

 

Really the only thing I would say that was outright "bad" was the steak off the dining room menu on the first night- it was tough and almost inedible. There is a special chops steak offered for an extra $14, but I ordered the regular steak. The second night (formal night) there was a fillet on the menu that was absolutely delicious, so if you like steak, wait for formal night to order it. The rest of the food was just OK, the soups (lobster bisque, french onion, bullion) were not very tasty. We certainly ate everything, had a lovely dinner with our tablemates, and did not complain to the wait staff, but I simply was not very impressed with the food.

 

So other than the steak on the first night, there is nothing I would avoid-just don't expect gourmet food and you will have a great time!

[mykiddiewinks]

Thank you so much for your comparison of Carnival and RC this is exactly what I was looking for.

 

We have cruised Carnival 3 times and this will be our first RC, the only reason for choosing this was the price and it fit in with the time the grandparents are visiting from the UK so it gives us a chance to get away for a few days without the children. ( Don't get me wrong I love our kids but we have only had 3 nights in the last 2 years without both of them so we are ready for a little break.)

 

I think for what the 4 nights is costing us $269 each and we have been assigned deck 8 I don"t think we can go wrong and it gives us a chance to see which we prefer without paying out $$$$.

 

I had 2 questions one has been answered with regards to formal night the other is what was the entertainment like?

[LizzieTrowbridge]

Thank you so much for your comparison of Carnival and RC this is exactly what I was looking for.

 

I had 2 questions one has been answered with regards to formal night the other is what was the entertainment like?

 

Are you sailing on Majesty? Because it is a small ship, there are fewer venues for entertainment, but there was plenty to keep us entertained for a few nights. We missed the big farewell production show in the theatre, but heard it was pretty good. We did catch the late night comedian who was very entertaining. There was a good reggae band (Tropical Impulse) that played on deck several afternoons, and there were various music and dancing options in the evening. I am sure you will find something to entertain you! One thing we have loved on Carnival is the rock bands, which Majesty did not have. Anythig else you are curious about?

[mykiddiewinks]

Are you sailing on Majesty? Because it is a small ship, there are fewer venues for entertainment, but there was plenty to keep us entertained for a few nights. We missed the big farewell production show in the theatre, but heard it was pretty good. We did catch the late night comedian who was very entertaining. There was a good reggae band (Tropical Impulse) that played on deck several afternoons, and there were various music and dancing options in the evening. I am sure you will find something to entertain you! One thing we have loved on Carnival is the rock bands, which Majesty did not have. Anythig else you are curious about?

 

Yes we are booked on the 8/31 sailing. that sounds good, we like watching the evening show and the comedians, we are very easy going.

 

On the website it states that it is recently refurbished, how was it?

 

There is nothing else I can think of at the moment but that may change in the next few weeks. :)

[LizzieTrowbridge]

Yes we are booked on the 8/31 sailing. that sounds good, we like watching the evening show and the comedians, we are very easy going.

 

On the website it states that it is recently refurbished, how was it?

 

. :)

 

You could tell the Majesty was refurbished-she really was in great shape. I was impressed with how well kept everything was-no sings of aging at all that we could see. We had a fantastic trip and enjoyed every minute of it!

 

By the way, we decided to make the most of our three day trip and boarded the ship at 11:00 am on Friday. We must have been one of the first groups on. There was zero wait-we went straight through security, checked in at the desk, and were on the ship within about 15 minutes of when we entered the terminal. We had lunch at the Windjammer buffet, and spent the afternoon at the pool. Our cabin was ready by 1 pm. This was a great way to squeeze in a little extra R&R rather than wait until later in the day to embark.

 

Enjoy your cruise-I expect you will have a fantastic time!

[amybeth4]

Yes we are booked on the 8/31 sailing. that sounds good, we like watching the evening show and the comedians, we are very easy going.

 

On the website it states that it is recently refurbished, how was it?

 

There is nothing else I can think of at the moment but that may change in the next few weeks. :)

 

Mykid...I was on Majesty for a B2B in Feb. I had never been on her so I can't compare her to "pre-refurb" but she's in GREAT shape (minus a few stains on my bathroom wall in Cabin #1 and the somewhat rusty bathroom garbage pail). The non-cabin parts of the ship were in beautiful condition. Lovely ship. Just...small.

 

AMAZING how we can say a ship that comfortably holds TWENTY-FOUR HUNDRED PEOPLE is...small!!!! :)

[barbie5401]

The best thing to avoid on the Majesty is not to compare her to the larger ships, because you can't. She is a beautiful ship for a long weekend, or a couple of days. Having been on this past weekend, we just relaxed and went with the flow of the day.

 

MDR - Food is okay, not bad but not great.

WJ - for breakfast OMG!! so many people, we did WJ one night for dinner and it was very nice (formal night) large selection of food.

 

Enjoy your cruise, wish I was going again this weekend.