1st cruise EVER.. Majesty of the Seas

[becca3711]

Hello,

 

This is my boyfriend and I's first cruise ever. We are traveling to the Bahamas on the Majesty of the Seas and we went the cheap route and are staying in the Interior cabin. My thinking is really, how often are we going to be staying in the cabin? Not much other than for sleeping, right?

 

So I guess I have some basic questions....

 

I see these soda and juice cards on the RCCL website for advance purchase... I thought beverages EXCEPT for alcoholic beverages are included. Do we get juice, teas, maybe some virgin strawberry daqueris etc? How does this work, can we walk down to the resturants and just request it at anytime?

 

I have been doing some research, and yes, about smuggling alcohol on board. I know some people are against this, and I am aware it is against the rules. But I have a fail-proof plan! I am planning on doing this and am just wanting to know what exactly I should bring on board to mix the drinks with once inside the cabin. It's not that I'm not going to purchase alcohol on board, because that is not the case at all. I know it's overpriced, and am just wanting to cut costs a little if possible.

 

How about snacks if we're hungry when it's not meal time? Can we just request snacks via room service or at one of the other resturants at any time?

 

How about any info for a first timer that you guys can reccommend?

 

Thanks in advance!

[becca3711]

Also, I have been told it's best to plan off boat excursions once you're actually on the island, or wherever we may be. I heard RCCL overcharges you if you pre-pay and many times you can find excursions or entertain yourself by finding things to do when you arrive?

[AMommyof2]

If you have a while until your cruise, keep an eye on the price. If it goes down, you can get the price adjusted. I did Majesty in January, and got a price drop and then an upgrade to an obstructed oceanview for less than the price I had originally booked an inside for.

 

Water, tea, and lemonade are free. Other drinks must be paid for. If you don't want to buy the soda package, you can purchase sodas by the can. You can order room service at any time, but they have enacted a surcharge, for midnight to 5:00 AM (I think those are the hours). There is also a surcharge in Johnny Rockets and you have to pay for milkshakes there, and soda if you don't have a soda package. Other food options are available throughout the day, other than just standard meal times. You will never go hungry.

 

Independent excursions are usually less pricey, but you are on your own to get back to the ship on time. I found the drink prices on Majesty to be pretty reasonable. If you drink beer, you can get discounts on some buckets.

 

Have a great cruise and be sure to come back and share your experience with us. Majesty is a beautiful ship and I think you guys will really enjoy it.

[RADICALBURN]

Just back yesterday from Majesty. Lemonade and ice tea are free at dinner and the windjammer. Orange juice and apple juice are free at breakfast. Strawberry daq are $9.75 and i only had one. If you get there early stop at a store and buy pop to carry on. Coke is about $1.75 a can and a 20 oz on shore is $2.00. A bottle of water in stateroom is $4.00. So stick to the juices at breakfast and lemonade, ice tea and water the rest of the time. They do have daily drink specials and free champane at the captains party and the art show. The coke with the sticker is mostly fountain and watered down but is the best value if you drink a lot of coke. Just be careful its easy to run up a big bar bill as they push and push you to buy drinks.....................................RADICAL

[bluegirlum]

Are you stopping in Key West? There is a CVS close to the pier where you can stock up on water and pop when you're there if you need extras. We always get one soda card for the two of us--the soda card gives you a sticker to put on your Seapass and also gives you a bottle that you can use to put your drinks in and bring to the pool, dinner, etc. (if you do a search, you can find a picture of it).

 

Also, depending on where you're stopping, you may not need an excursion. If you go to Coco Cay, it's RCCL's island, and a great beach day. Key West, you can do on your own. Nassau offers some excursions too, and I would check out the Nassau forums for tips (These were the stops on our Majesty cruise, so sorry if you're going to other ports!).

 

Majesty is great! Have a wonderful cruise.

[RADICALBURN]

A taxi ride to Paradise Island is $4.00 per person and the tour of the digs will cost another $35 per person. You don't get the beach but you get the casino and walk the shops. A medium pepsi is $4.00 with unlimited refills and you can sit on the patio. Check out the port of call boards you can also take a bus to cable beach and spend a day at a resort...........RADICAL

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

paradise

[BadBoysDriveAudi]

Hello,

 

This is my boyfriend and I's first cruise ever. We are traveling to the Bahamas on the Majesty of the Seas and we went the cheap route and are staying in the Interior cabin. My thinking is really, how often are we going to be staying in the cabin? Not much other than for sleeping, right?

 

So I guess I have some basic questions....

 

I see these soda and juice cards on the RCCL website for advance purchase... I thought beverages EXCEPT for alcoholic beverages are included. Do we get juice, teas, maybe some virgin strawberry daqueris etc? How does this work, can we walk down to the resturants and just request it at anytime?

 

I have been doing some research, and yes, about smuggling alcohol on board. I know some people are against this, and I am aware it is against the rules. But I have a fail-proof plan! I am planning on doing this and am just wanting to know what exactly I should bring on board to mix the drinks with once inside the cabin. It's not that I'm not going to purchase alcohol on board, because that is not the case at all. I know it's overpriced, and am just wanting to cut costs a little if possible.

 

How about snacks if we're hungry when it's not meal time? Can we just request snacks via room service or at one of the other resturants at any time?

 

How about any info for a first timer that you guys can reccommend?

 

Thanks in advance!

 

You'll be fine with an interior. If you're anything like us, you were only in there to crash or shower/change. Although it would've been nice to see what the day looked like when you woke... But for the price of the interior over an outside with no balcony, it was an easy decision.

 

I've never smuggled alcohol so I can't speak to this. Thought about it, yes, but never did it.

 

As I understand it, soda is available for free during meal times but you need a card to drink it at other points in the day. I don't drink much soda so it's an unnecessary expense for me. I'd rather have a cup of water or some form of alcoholic beverage, at breakfast/lunch it's either water or the passionfruit juice, and dinner is water and wine.

 

Snacks are pretty easy. You have the pizza place Sorrentos, you have a cafe and you also have room service - although there is now a charge for RS after a certain hour. I don't recall offhand the time...maybe 12 am - 5 am? This was implemented after I last sailed the Majesty so I haven't experienced this charge...yet.

 

Have a blast! You'll soon discover why I'm hooked on cruising. Are you doing the 5 day or 4 day sailing?

[BadBoysDriveAudi]

Just back yesterday from Majesty. Lemonade and ice tea are free at dinner and the windjammer. Orange juice and apple juice are free at breakfast. Strawberry daq are $9.75 and i only had one. If you get there early stop at a store and buy pop to carry on. Coke is about $1.75 a can and a 20 oz on shore is $2.00. A bottle of water in stateroom is $4.00. So stick to the juices at breakfast and lemonade, ice tea and water the rest of the time. They do have daily drink specials and free champane at the captains party and the art show. The coke with the sticker is mostly fountain and watered down but is the best value if you drink a lot of coke. Just be careful its easy to run up a big bar bill as they push and push you to buy drinks.....................................RADICAL

 

Strawberry daqs are now $9.75?!? I wonder what my fav - the Love Connection - now runs for?

 

Oh, I managed to bring on bottles of water without issue if people are interested. I think I had about 20 bottles in with my shoes. No complaints.

[BadBoysDriveAudi]

Are you stopping in Key West? There is a CVS close to the pier where you can stock up on water and pop when you're there if you need extras. We always get one soda card for the two of us--the soda card gives you a sticker to put on your Seapass and also gives you a bottle that you can use to put your drinks in and bring to the pool, dinner, etc. (if you do a search, you can find a picture of it).

 

Also, depending on where you're stopping, you may not need an excursion. If you go to Coco Cay, it's RCCL's island, and a great beach day. Key West, you can do on your own. Nassau offers some excursions too, and I would check out the Nassau forums for tips (These were the stops on our Majesty cruise, so sorry if you're going to other ports!).

 

Majesty is great! Have a wonderful cruise.

 

But if you're doing the 5 day tour, isn't Key West the last stop before you return to Miami the next morning? Seems like a waste to buy supplies there unless you're doing a B2B. I should've thought of that the last time! :o

[BadBoysDriveAudi]

A taxi ride to Paradise Island is $4.00 per person and the tour of the digs will cost another $35 per person. You don't get the beach but you get the casino and walk the shops. A medium pepsi is $4.00 with unlimited refills and you can sit on the patio. Check out the port of call boards you can also take a bus to cable beach and spend a day at a resort...........RADICAL

 

paradise

 

Or you could book with the Comfort Inn Suites that's right across from Atlantis and get a full access pass to Atlantis for far less cash. We booked a room, got our pass cards and headed across the street to Atlantis. Spent the whole day there.

 

Came back to Comfort Inn (I gotta check to see if that's the name), showered, changed and headed back to the ship for dinner right before it sailed away.

[ehfl]

Coffee, tea, water, lemonade and fruit punch are the only free drinks (I may have missed something). Soda, fruity drinks (virgin or not), and alcohol are extra.

 

You can get snacks throughout the day at Windjammer, the Compass Deli or Sorento's Pizza. Room service is also available.

 

I think you'll have a great time. Just remember that Majesty is one of the oldest and smallest ships. It's not fancy, but I always have a great time.

[AMommyof2]

As I understand it, soda is available for free during meal times

 

 

DD is always asked for her soda sticker when she orders a soda with dinner in the MDR. I don't think they are free even then.

[Lil Davy]

DD is always asked for her soda sticker when she orders a soda with dinner in the MDR. I don't think they are free even then.

 

Agreed. Soda is not free anytime. You need to purchase individually or get the Soda Card package.

[jen-ja-fer]

Careful with assuming you'll get the alcohol on. Whatever you're doing, it's probably already been done. Vodka in water bottles, rum in mouth wash containers, etc.

 

Royal is getting really strict and doing more thorough searches, so just be prepared to be caught. From what I've read though, they just take it from you, make you claim your bag in a different area and give it back at the end of your cruise. It's up to you if you think it's worth the risk.

 

Although larger cabins are nice, you're probably right about not missing much. Do realize, the interior cabins are quite small, and the showers are even smaller. Very little room to move around and you may have trouble shaving your legs. Just look at it as an adventure!

 

Getting excursions not provided by RCCL is risky as there's always going to be the potential you'll miss the ship. The ship will not wait on you unless you've booked your excursion through them and the entire exursion is late due to some unforseen circumstance (injury, broken bus, etc).

 

I think I covered it all as did the others. Ask more questions as you think of them.

 

Enjoy your crusie!

[cb at sea]

Soda is NOT free with meals...You can buy a soda card, if you drink more than the equivilent of 4 cans per day, or you can buy it by the can ($2.24 per). You can bring soda onboard, if you want....they only care about alcohol.

"Virgin" drinks are NOT included on the soda card.

The ship's water is fine to drink---you don't need to buy bottled. After all, the food is prepared with it, the ice is made with it, the tea/lemonade/coffee is made with it....

 

If you do smuggle liquor, put it in your LOCKED, CHECKED bags--don't try to carry it on the ship with you.

[grod19]

I agree with what everyone has said so far, inside is perfect for you, soda is never free, if you plan to drink a lot of soda (including mixer if you get the liquor onboard), then get the soda card.

 

Speaking from experience it is so much easier to pour a huge glass of alcohol in your room and carry it with you and ask them for sodas as you need them then hiking back and forth every 30 mins to make a drink with the soda and alcohol in your room.

[cravingacruz!!]

as far as snacks during the day...you won't go hungry! part of the cruising experience is all of the food! :D There's free ice cream, plenty of food at the wind jammer all day, and of course room service!

[PHXscuba]

We didn't buy the soda cards because we were in port every day and had some for lunch often. I did buy one on CocoCay while sunbathing. It does not cover virgin drinks that I remember.

 

An inside cabin will be very dark at night. My MIL's advice to pack one of those little blue/green nightlights was one of the best things I did!

 

PHXscuba

[lovetocruise75]

Just a suggestion. Don't try to smuggle the alcohol. It's all been tried. Is it really worth your bag not showing up, and you having to do the "walk of shame" to the "naughty room" to fetch your luggage later in the evening?

 

Save a bit extra each month to cover your bar bill ;)

[becca3711]

So here is my plan as to how I am going to smuggle etOH onboard. :) Tell me if you guys don't think it will work.

 

 

I work at a pharmacy. I made myself some fake RX labels and affixed them to prescription bottles. It has my name, a name of a drug, and directions as to how it is taken. For anyone that knows anything about drugs, it's for a clear liquid medicine called lactulose. It's used for constipation and is taken in large quantities daily (ie. take 15-30 ml 4-6x per day for a bowel movement) so I will need a lot of this "Medicine" to get me through the cruise. And correct me if I'm wrong, but if I were a crew member not knowledgable about drugs and I was having to search through luggage for smuggled alcohol, if I saw "for a bowel movement" on the Rx label, I really doubt I would want to open and smell the "medicine". hehe.

 

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What is the ships policy about passengers sharing a soda card? How will they know who is truly drinking the soda? My boyfriend and I rarely EVER drink soda regularly, so I think it would be a waste if both of us do the soda card. I think it would only come in useful as a mixer... as long as maybe juices are included in the soda card fee (not just soda)? Does anyone know?

 

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Is Coco Cay best for having a "beach day?" That seems like it would be the best day to do that considering it is a RCCL owned property, so anything they offer on the island will probably be "touristy" and I probably wouldnt miss much if we didn't wander around the island?

 

 

 

thanks everyone for your help so far!

[Saintsfan007]

Sorry I didn't get to post before, but it's wise not to publish your methods of smuggling on these boards, because some cruiseline employees read these boards to stay abreast on new techniques. Ever heard of rumrunnerflasks? Google that name, and read about them. Enjoy your cruise, and have a wonderful time.

[kapcruiser]

How is alcohol not spotted in those flasks?