Majesty of the Seas for Family Vacation?Refurbished?Also considering Celebrity Summit

Hello all!

I'm considering booking the Majesty for our Spring Break next year (kids will be ages 3 and 9). My husband and I sailed on this ship 6 years ago, and I remember it being rather small, dated, and not a lot to do.

We're pretty chilled cruisers. Don't require much in terms of entertainment, etc.

I'm now considering the ship again because: 1) it's a steal during our vacation period 2) it seems to have been completely refurbished and now includes an aqua park for children 3) the times/dates/ports all would work great for us.

I'd love to hear of your experiences on this ship, especially if you've sailed with children recently!

We're also considering the Celebrity Summit. It's a longer, more exotic itinerary that would be quite port-intensive but a bit more expensive and sailing out of San Juan. Basically, I'm torn between choosing two different sorts of vacations and would love your feedback!

Will Majesty still be doing the Cuba run Spring Break next year? We sailed Majesty in January before drydock and again in April after drydock. The only difference we saw was new carpet in some areas. Were not on pool deck so can't answer first hand but have seen posts here. We have sailed Summit and hands down my vote is for Summit or any Celebrity ship going my way. We do not have small children so someone else will have to address that for you. Majesty seemed to be the same old girl she was in January.

I don't know about that "completely refurbished" thing.

Was on in December and the January before that and it looked the same to me.

Well worn.

I seriously would recommend the Celebrity cruise even if Royal Caribbean is more of a family brand.

Majesty and Empress are only around because of the size limitations for Cuban ports. The Majesty is a poor representation of the Royal Caribbean portfolio at this point. The staterooms are absolutely tiny, especailly for a family vacation and the offerings are limited. Little has been changed in the past 6 years. They added a poolside movie screen and a very small kiddie pool, but the bulk of the ship is essentially the same outdated Majesty.

The itineraries that exclude Cuba are bargain priced for a reason! There are a lot of fans of Majesty of the Seas, but most of them are for sentimental reasons. We decided a few years ago that there were too many better options these days to waste vacation time on the Sovereign class ships. I’d shell out a little for money for Celebrity of a bigger RC ship. Best of luck!

Thanks everyone for the feedback! Ack. Not what I was hoping to hear, but I definitely appreciate the honesty so I can make an informed decision...

Now to keep researching...

I am one of those who love the Majesty, however having young children on a spring break cruise, I wouldn't. There will be a lot of young adults there drinking all they can. We did a spring break cruise once, never again.

Will Majesty still be doing the Cuba run Spring Break next year? We sailed Majesty in January before drydock and again in April after drydock. The only difference we saw was new carpet in some areas. Were not on pool deck so can't answer first hand but have seen posts here. We have sailed Summit and hands down my vote is for Summit or any Celebrity ship going my way. We do not have small children so someone else will have to address that for you. Majesty seemed to be the same old girl she was in January.

Were there any major changes after drydock? Do you know if the cabins on deck 9 are still superior oceanview since they changed the description?

Summit.

Unless your cruise includes Cuba and you want to see that, which would sway me towards Majesty.

Were there any major changes after drydock? Do you know if the cabins on deck 9 are still superior oceanview since they changed the description?

No major changes to the ship or the staterooms.

I am one of those who love the Majesty, however having young children on a spring break cruise, I wouldn't. There will be a lot of young adults there drinking all they can. We did a spring break cruise once, never again.

Thanks for your feedback! We usually always sail during Spring Break, and for the most part, have had great luck! This year we did the Holland America Rotterdam - it had a great vibe and we saw zero public drunkeness. I think our chances would be much higher if we book a Carnival ship...;p

Summit.

 

Unless your cruise includes Cuba and you want to see that, which would sway me towards Majesty.

Thanks! Majesty is actually doing Costa Maya and Cozumel during our dates. We were also considering Cuba, but the only ship going when we can travel is the Carnival Paradise...

Thanks for your feedback! We usually always sail during Spring Break, and for the most part, have had great luck! This year we did the Holland America Rotterdam - it had a great vibe and we saw zero public drunkeness. I think our chances would be much higher if we book a Carnival ship...;p

If you enjoyed the vibe on Rotterdam, I think you'll definitely enjoy the Summit.