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Monarch or Majesty

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newtravelers

newtravelers

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We are planning to go to the Bahamas in September to celebrate our 20th anniversary. We would save about 100 dollars if we went on the Monarch vs Majesty. We have never cruised. Looking for recommendations. Monarch has one more day at sea. Not sure if that is good or bad.

Which would be better for 40 something couple who likes to party some, relax some, exercise some?

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Cruiserccl

Cruiserccl

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We are planning to go to the Bahamas in September to celebrate our 20th anniversary. We would save about 100 dollars if we went on the Monarch vs Majesty. We have never cruised. Looking for recommendations. Monarch has one more day at sea. Not sure if that is good or bad.

Which would be better for 40 something couple who likes to party some, relax some, exercise some?

The ships are almost identical so really it comes down to if you want that extra day at sea. Also i want to Welcome You To Cruise Critic! :D No matter what ship you pick im sure you will have a GREAT time!

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PrincesScuba

PrincesScuba

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The ships are almost identical so really it comes down to if you want that extra day at sea. Also i want to Welcome You To Cruise Critic! :D No matter what ship you pick im sure you will have a GREAT time!

 

The ships are sister ships, so other than the deco there is not much difference in them. I would go with the Monarch. Port Canaveral is easier to navigate than Miami, in my opinion.

While they are structurally the same, they are not identical at all.

 

Have the two of you been on both ships?

 

Majesty has had a much more thorough and recent update.

 

The public bathrooms are particularly nice.

 

Deck 12 on the Majesty consists of Johnny Rockets, Sorrento's and the Compass Deli. Of these three, Monarch has only Sorrento's. It also has Jade, pay-by-the-piece sushi at dinner time.

 

Itineraries are different. The 3 night, or weekend cruises, are the same: One day in Nassau, one day in CocoCay. But the 4 night, or weekday cruises, are different.

 

Monarch goes to Nassau and CocoCay again, with a sea day.

Majesty goes to Nassau, CocoCay and Key West.

 

So, weigh those facts, newtravelers, when making your reservations.

 

You put Las Vegas in your profile. You may want to consider whether there is any difference in cost or ease of flying for Orlando airport vs Miami or Fort Lauderdale airport. (Majesty goes out of Miami, but many people use FLL)

 

Whichever you choose, I am sure that you will enjoy your cruise: the crews of both ships are top-notch.

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cer10lee

cer10lee

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we've been on both ships. Port Canaveral is an easier port yes, but IMHO, Majesty has a much better "feel" to it. The itinerary is great, and the staff is wonderful.

 

I just like the Majesty better. I'll be back on her in 11 days.

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martinchem

martinchem

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Youir post is really well thought out. I think the Majesty itinerary and ship seem better, but the convenience and price of the Monarch make that very attractive too!

 

While they are structurally the same, they are not identical at all.

 

Have the two of you been on both ships?

 

Majesty has had a much more thorough and recent update.

 

The public bathrooms are particularly nice.

 

Deck 12 on the Majesty consists of Johnny Rockets, Sorrento's and the Compass Deli. Of these three, Monarch has only Sorrento's. It also has Jade, pay-by-the-piece sushi at dinner time.

 

Itineraries are different. The 3 night, or weekend cruises, are the same: One day in Nassau, one day in CocoCay. But the 4 night, or weekday cruises, are different.

 

Monarch goes to Nassau and CocoCay again, with a sea day.

Majesty goes to Nassau, CocoCay and Key West.

 

So, weigh those facts, newtravelers, when making your reservations.

 

You put Las Vegas in your profile. You may want to consider whether there is any difference in cost or ease of flying for Orlando airport vs Miami or Fort Lauderdale airport. (Majesty goes out of Miami, but many people use FLL)

 

Whichever you choose, I am sure that you will enjoy your cruise: the crews of both ships are top-notch.

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PH8

PH8

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I go on the MN quite often,due to its proximity to my home and I LOVE the staff/crew and have come to know them quite well.......

 

HOWEVER,if both ships were at Port Canaveral,I would take the MJ......I prefer the Compass Deli and Johnny Rockets to Jade............

 

and for the 4 nighter,I would like to go to Key West...........

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cruiseREF

cruiseREF

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Posted
I go on the MN quite often,due to its proximity to my home and I LOVE the staff/crew and have come to know them quite well.......

 

HOWEVER,if both ships were at Port Canaveral,I would take the MJ......I prefer the Compass Deli and Johnny Rockets to Jade............

 

and for the 4 nighter,I would like to go to Key West...........

 

I Agree...

We have been on both ships in this year, and did like them both.

I do agree that Majesty has a better "feel" to it. The refurbishment made a huge difference. It looks better and newer. I also prefer the Johnny Rockets over the kind of useless Jade area on Monarch.

I have to say though... For us, the food on Monarch was ALLOT better than on Majesty.

We loved the extra port of call to Key West. It was our first time there and that probably contributed.

At the end of the day, they are not THAT different, and the extra day at sea instead of Key West is not the end of the world.

With a difference of a $100, I personally would go with Monarch. If the prices between the two ships are the same, I would go down to Miami for the Majesty.

:)

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KTMay1917

KTMay1917

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Never been on Monarch so I'm a bit biased. We could not get enough of Majesty earlier this year.

Majesty has had a very nice overhaul and reconditioning a few yrs back. All rooms have been updated as well as many common areas. Its an older ship and tip top shape and the crew is great. We did not feel crowded on our 4 night cruise and itnerary was great. The itenerary will be run backwards next year and there have been some recent discussions about that on CC. Just weigh out what you want to do and where you want to depart out of.

Enjoy!

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Grannycb

Grannycb

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We took a family cruise on Majesty last year and loved it so much we did a second family cruise a few months later. Majesty has a comfortable feel and both her captains were great. Keep an eye on the prices. Both cruises frequently drop in price close to sailing. Don't be shy about requesting the lower price.

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HB Cruiser

HB Cruiser

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Is the $100 savings calculating in airfare into Orlando vs Miami/Ft. Lauderdale.

 

Personally never been on Monarch but have been on Majesty and Sovereign both pre/post refurb. If the $100 is all you would save including ALL EXPENSES, I would have to recommend Majesty. As others have stated, Majesty is wonderful. I thought I had found a piece of heaven with Sovereign until I sailed on Majesty. Great staff. The flow of the ship from the refurb is wonderful as well. There seems to be no "lines" to get into the way the traffic flows throughout the ship.

 

Really cannot put into words the flow thing, it just does.

 

Tim

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KTMay1917

KTMay1917

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We took a family cruise on Majesty last year and loved it so much we did a second family cruise a few months later. Majesty has a comfortable feel and both her captains were great. Keep an eye on the prices. Both cruises frequently drop in price close to sailing. Don't be shy about requesting the lower price.

 

This is a very key point. If you call RCCL any decent lenght of time b4 the cruise they will tell you that a such thing as a "suite guarantee" does not exist on this cruise. However, if you are patient they will open them and they are not much more than a higher class outside (window only) room.

The initial asking price for suites on these ships are kind of sticker shock to most. However, a suite is worth it on these ships as you will have much more room. There are good deals to be had and honestly we thought a 4 night cruise would seem short but it was a very nice length and we did not feel cheated.

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amybear912

amybear912

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If you are flying into port the price difference may be a wash anyway... Keep in mind that transportation from the airports to the departure port has its' own costs involved...

 

You may save on the cruisefare but make it up in airfare to Miami... Also, remember than transportation from Orlando airport to Port Canaveral has to be figured in too...

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temple1

temple1

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AmyBear made a very important point about the ground transportation costs. That is the main reason we're doing Monarch rather than Majesty in December. I can get a really cheap flight to Ft Lauderdale, but the rental car drop off has gone up substantially in the past few years. So we will drive to Port Canaveral and park at the hotel.

 

I really enjoyed Majesty more than I did Monarch. Don't know if it was the great itenerary - Key Weet and Coco Cay, plus the Deli and Johnny Rockets, but we had a great time. Although, DH and I had a great time on Monarch.

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amybeth4

amybeth4

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If all things are equal (except the $100) then I'd simply ask myself if I wanted a day in Key West or at sea. I LOVE days at sea and did miss that on the Majesty. But I also ended up loving Key West, especially the kayak excursion I took.

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amybear912

amybear912

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Thank you all for the good information. I will check prices yet again (they change). Does anyone know if shuttle from Orlando would compare to shuttle from Ft. Lauderdale to port of Miami?

 

Distance is the key... Orlando to PC takes about 45 minutes to an hour...

 

Orlando is further from Port Canveral than Ft. Lauderdale is to Miami... Check the East Coast Departures forum for more detailed pricing information... I am in the process of making the same decision you are... We did Monarch in March and enjoyed it very much... We used Around the Clock shuttle company (I absolutely DO NOT recommend them) and we paid $130 RT for the two of us... we looked into renting a car and it would have been about the same... The flight, however, to Orlando was about $40pp RT less than a flight into Miami or FLL would have cost us... We tend to fly AirTran or Southwest, always a good deal... In the end we chose Monarch for itinerary because we absolutely needed to be in Nassau on a particular day and Monarch was the only ship that had the match... this time around we are considering Majesty...

 

For really good info on shuttles and rental car agencies from Orlando to PC, try http://www.portcanaveral.org - lots of companies listed there... SpacePort Transport was good...

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amybear912

amybear912

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Thanks again. Do you know if there is a fee to use fitness center? Is there a fitness center on both? Thinking about priceline. Has anyone used them. What are the pros and cons?

 

 

You don't pay for the fitness center and they are on all ships... You will pay extra for certain classes (yoga, pilates, etc)...

 

Priceline...

 

Pros - great prices if you can travel whenever... once got RT to Europe for $335pp...

 

Cons... you have to take what they offer and you are committed to the flight BEFORE you know when the flight is... sooooo, you could end up committed to a flight that arrives after departure... Seriously, give AirTran and Southwest a look... never paid more than $200 RT (coming out of Indy)... Southwest doesn't charge for baggage either...

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HB Cruiser

HB Cruiser

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Nice thing about Southwest is if you have to cancel or the price drops, they will carry a ccredit with them. No you will not get a refund but at least they will credit you the amount you spent. You only have one year to use the credit though.

 

Tim

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