which Ship for 15-Day Australia/New Zealand - Sun Princess or Majestic Princess

The itinerary is the same. Both cruises are in March 2019 with the identical itineraries. I know the Sun Princess is a smaller and older ship but it has been refurbished and cabins added from what I've read.

I have never sailed on the Majestic. I am leaning towards sailing on it. Your thoughts, please.

Majestic. Newest ship, lots of public space and entertainment.

Check that the ports are the same on both cruises. If they are the same, then the choice would come down to personal preferences. I haven't cruised on the Majestic. You already know that she is brand-new and much larger than the Sun Princess. The Majestic was designed for the Chinese market with several high-end shops and some smaller karoake rooms. She has fewer bars than we are used to. The Sun has a walk-around outside promenade deck, but I don't believe that the Majestic does. I suggest checking out the deck plans and details for the Majestic to help make your decision. I would probably choose the Majestic because everything is bright shining new.:)

Check that the ports are the same on both cruises. If they are the same, then the choice would come down to personal preferences. I haven't cruised on the Majestic. You already know that she is brand-new and much larger than the Sun Princess. The Majestic was designed for the Chinese market with several high-end shops and some smaller karoake rooms. She has fewer bars than we are used to. The Sun has a walk-around outside promenade deck, but I don't believe that the Majestic does. I suggest checking out the deck plans and details for the Majestic to help make your decision. I would probably choose the Majestic because everything is bright shining new.:)

Recently sailed on Sun Princess and it is getting run down and in need of a through refit. The day we left the ship a pipe burst and flooded 10 on staterooms on deck 11. Although they managed to mop it up and dry the carpet that musty smell lasts a long time.

I would definitely say Majestic.

Our first cruise was on the Sun. It was really new, huge and beautiful. Of course that was 23 years ago.

Out of the 10 Princess ships we've sailed on, the Sun was our least favorite. I'd choose the Majestic.

We have sailed on the Sun a few times (it was our first Princess ship) and enjoyed every cruise. But when it is a choice between the Sun and the Majestic, if everything else is similar (itinerary and price), I would choose Majestic.

Majestic. Newest ship, lots of public space and entertainment.

I totally agree. My vote goes to Majestic mainly because it new.

Tony

The itinerary is the same. Both cruises are in March 2019 with the identical itineraries. I know the Sun Princess is a smaller and older ship but it has been refurbished and cabins added from what I've read.

I have never sailed on the Majestic. I am leaning towards sailing on it. Your thoughts, please.

The only thing I thought about was whether a really big ship like that could get into the Fiordland National Park. So, I googled it. Ovation of Seas managed it so Majestic probably could.

I'd go on the Sun, but then I preferred the old decommissioned Regal to the newly launched one.

But it really comes down to personal preference. The Majestic will be newer and more impressive. Its buffet will be superior. The casino will be bigger and you'll probably have more lounge offerings. It will also be noisier and more crowded in certain areas.

I place a high value on the ability to go for a calm stroll on the promenade deck after dinner. I recognize that others don't. Although I enjoyed the cruises I've taken on their new megaship class, I'll avoid them in the future, other factors being equal.

The previous poster mentioned the casino. If this is of interest to you, then this is a good point. When Princess brought ships from North America to Australia, they reduced the size of the casino. Even then, there will usually be a couple of people playing the poker machines but no-one at the tables. They also removed some of the sun lounges because not many Aussies and New Zealanders lay out in the sun. On the Majestic I understand that the casino is larger, but I a not sure about the sun lounges. I feel they are probably at the reduced level of the Australian-based ships.

Booked two suites on the Majestic for New Zealand, and the South Pacific. Excited to be sailing on a new ship. Don't care about the casino or bars because we don't use them. Am excited to try the Harmony speciality restaurant and the noodle bar. The Concierge Lounge sounds nice too.

I'd go on the Sun, but then I preferred the old decommissioned Regal to the newly launched one.

 

But it really comes down to personal preference. The Majestic will be newer and more impressive. Its buffet will be superior. The casino will be bigger and you'll probably have more lounge offerings. It will also be noisier and more crowded in certain areas.

 

I place a high value on the ability to go for a calm stroll on the promenade deck after dinner. I recognize that others don't. Although I enjoyed the cruises I've taken on their new megaship class, I'll avoid them in the future, other factors being equal.

i agree. i've been on the majestic and yes, it was big and beautiful. it had the huge buffet but i was disappointed in it. the same items were in many places, so there wasn't much variety. this was in may/june. i'm sure the buffet would improve with different crew in charge.

my personal preference is for a smaller ship and a promenade deck.

I had the same two choices for ships for our Oz/Fiji cruise next year. I was leaning towards the Majestic as I sailed on the Regal last year and loved the Royal class ship, but upon reading about how the Majestic is set up (larger casino, game tables in the Vista lounge, high end shops, fewer watering holes) we opted for the Sun instead.

I want to thank everyone for their thoughts on the 2 ships. I really appreciated it and learned some things to check on. Thanks again.

Personally we prefer the smaller ships with fewer guests so, unless there was a financial reason for taking the Majestic we would take the Sun.

I place a high value on the ability to go for a calm stroll on the promenade deck after dinner. I recognize that others don't. Although I enjoyed the cruises I've taken on their new megaship class, I'll avoid them in the future, other factors being equal.

I agree with you, in my opinion - if you choose to spend the majority of your cruise in the casino on a cruise ship you are not just circling the drain of life faster than me, you are closer to the big drop than me! ..... end of rant

Also don't forget the arrangements for when you get to disembark of a few of the smaller South Pacific islands and the wait for tenders. It may be great if you are Elite .....

When you decide to come back 'new' onboard, if you are Elite, you are just another 'sweaty T-shirt' in line with the rest of the pax .... no priority lines.

I does make a BIG difference when you compare ships like Sun and Majestic just due to pure numbers.

I must add personally that I like the Sun class ships for that reason so my opinion may be biased

Majestic, the sun needs some work. Only been on the Sun once and it was that noisy, sleep was not good.

I don't like the mega ships, but then not a big fan of sun class either, but still I'd go sun if that's the choice before me.

The itinerary is the same. Both cruises are in March 2019 with the identical itineraries. I know the Sun Princess is a smaller and older ship but it has been refurbished and cabins added from what I've read.

I have never sailed on the Majestic. I am leaning towards sailing on it. Your thoughts, please.

The ship is beautiful you"ll have no regrets