SEMI-LIVE: Majestic - Sydney to New Zealand, December 22

[charliedalrymple]

A quick update:  There was another medical evacuation in the early morning hours today (January 31), this one at sea via helicopter. The water is quite choppy and the captain informed us this morning that it was a very difficult maneuver.  He also said that a number of people had to vacate their cabins while it was underway, which I don't fully understand.

[charliedalrymple]

3 hours ago, nini said:

Please know that the time frame of your current cruise would have more kids onboard than usual.

 

Thanks, Nini.  I'm sure you are correct.  Unfortunately, DH is a teacher, so we are tied to school holidays.  I look forward to both of us being fully retired so we can cruise during the off season.  My comment about doing adults only cruises in the future was (slightly) tongue-in-cheek.

[nini]

5 minutes ago, charliedalrymple said:

 

Thanks, Nini.  I'm sure you are correct.  Unfortunately, DH is a teacher, so we are tied to school holidays.  I look forward to both of us being fully retired so we can cruise during the off season.  My comment about doing adults only cruises in the future was (slightly) tongue-in-cheek.

 

Actually, that is possible on some cruise lines; even during the school breaks; Viking Ocean and Virgin are two that I know of.

[charliedalrymple]

A quick note about gluten-free options on board, which several people have asked about.  (I am coeliac, so this matters to me.)

 

I have found them very limited in the buffet.  There is a gluten-free station at breakfast that features wheat toast, raisin bread and either pancakes or french toast.  It is the first station after one of the entrances, so many people take those items (probably not realising they are gluten-free).  As a result, it is often out of one or more items.

 

The gluten-free dessert options in the buffet are limited to two types of muffins and Jello.  Rather disappointing, although the chocolate chip ones are quite good.

 

There are no specifically gluten-free options in the International Cafe, although a couple of things are naturally gluten free (such as chocolate mousse).  Somebody mentioned at one point that one or more of the elaborate layer cakes were gluten-free, but that's not the case on our cruise.

 

They are very good about catering to coeliacs in the MDR and let me order from the next day's menu in advance. They seem to know what I've ordered even if we sit in a different dining room, so the system seems to work.  Unfortunately, the gluten-free bread in the MDR is basically just white toast, which is not terribly appealing.

 

Overall, I wouldn't rate the gluten-free options on Majestic very highly.

[PacnGoNow]

21 minutes ago, charliedalrymple said:

A quick note about gluten-free options on board, which several people have asked about.  (I am coeliac, so this matters to me.)

 

I have found them very limited in the buffet.  There is a gluten-free station at breakfast that features wheat toast, raisin bread and either pancakes or french toast.  It is the first station after one of the entrances, so many people take those items (probably not realising they are gluten-free).  As a result, it is often out of one or more items.

 

The gluten-free dessert options in the buffet are limited to two types of muffins and Jello.  Rather disappointing, although the chocolate chip ones are quite good.

 

There are no specifically gluten-free options in the International Cafe, although a couple of things are naturally gluten free (such as chocolate mousse).  Somebody mentioned at one point that one or more of the elaborate layer cakes were gluten-free, but that's not the case on our cruise.

 

They are very good about catering to coeliacs in the MDR and let me order from the next day's menu in advance. They seem to know what I've ordered even if we sit in a different dining room, so the system seems to work.  Unfortunately, the gluten-free bread in the MDR is basically just white toast, which is not terribly appealing.

 

Overall, I wouldn't rate the gluten-free options on Majestic very highly.

Just ask at the IC mgr or server

if they could get GF items for you.  
 

The bakery is usually on deck 5

and just recently, I saw the IC mgr run back to the pastry area and get GF items for the guests, every day.

 

Some wanted GF pastries and others asked for GF bread for the lunch sandwiches.  This was on the Sapphire.

[Ian Paul]

3 hours ago, charliedalrymple said:

A quick update:  There was another medical evacuation in the early morning hours today (January 31), this one at sea via helicopter. The water is quite choppy and the captain informed us this morning that it was a very difficult maneuver.  He also said that a number of people had to vacate their cabins while it was underway, which I don't fully understand.

Hi Charlie, I found your post after the Captains announcement this morning. I was wondering if you’d been asked to vacate your cabin. My people and I all slept through all the drama. The seas seem so much calmer now than they were this morning. Hopefully all of the people removed from the ship are doing the best that they can! 

[charliedalrymple]

3 minutes ago, Ian Paul said:

Hi Charlie, I found your post after the Captains announcement this morning. I was wondering if you’d been asked to vacate your cabin. My people and I all slept through all the drama. The seas seem so much calmer now than they were this morning. Hopefully all of the people removed from the ship are doing the best that they can! 

 

Hi, Ian.  No, we were not asked to vacate our cabin.  However, the helicopter did wake us up during the evacuation. 

[charliedalrymple]

1 hour ago, PacnGoNow said:

I saw the IC mgr run back to the pastry area and get GF items for the guests, every day.

 

Some wanted GF pastries and others asked for GF bread for the lunch sandwiches.

 

I will admit that I have not requested anything special, just taken whatever is out.  Perhaps I need to take a bit more initiative.

[nzrainbow]

We have definitely decided that the Majestic is just not the ship for us..... although essentially we have enjoyed the majority of our cruise to date.

Our MDR experience has improved a little from the first few days and we have certainly enjoyed the variety of the food we've been served. Hot dishes have been hot and cold dishes cold and steaks cooked to perfection.

Our cabin steward is outstanding, we would happily keep him forever, nothing is too much trouble and we enjoy the fact he greets each new day with such enthusiasm:)

On the minus side there just seems to be far too little comfortable, quiet seating areas around the ship for the numbers onboard. Public areas tend to have excessively loud music or events happening that are not conducive to a relaxing environment. 

I am aware it's a holiday season Cruise and as a result there is an excessive number of children onboard... unfortunately many are not being supervised in any way and are essentially running riot.... 😞

Deck attendants, Barstaff and servers are few and far between and those that are available are run off their feet although they are doing their best 😞 Tables and public spaces aren't being cleared or cleaned in a timely manner.

Basic Hygiene practices are seriously lacking in the Buffet area, only a few passengers wash or sanitize their hands when entering the buffet area and touching shared serving utensils etc.  So many continue to fill personal drink bottles etc directly from water spigots despite very clear signage asking them NOT to do this. Children and a few adults are handing food items and returning them to the buffet when they see more appealing items...

Unsurprisingly we have noticed an increasing number of people suffering obvious respiratory issues and there are certainly an increasing number of confirmed Covid cases. 

I'm sure if the weather conditions enabled more people to spend time outside on the open decks the overcrowding and noise wouldn't be such as issue but this is a New Zealand cruise so that's not a viable option much of the time.

My Medallion was finally replaced at Guest Services when it refused to work at all while disembarking and embarking in Picton. It's obviously been faulty right from the start as the new one works perfectly! Wish I'd had it changed early on to avoid a bit of extra frustration lol.

Obviously these are just my opinions but hopefully this information will assist others in making choices that will best suit them 🙂

 

Edited December 31, 2023 by nzrainbow
Additional information:)

[Ian Paul]

1 hour ago, nzrainbow said:

<snip>

Our cabin steward is outstanding, we would happily keep him forever, nothing is too much trouble and we enjoy the fact he greets each new day with such enthusiasm:)

On the minus side there just seems to be far too little comfortable, quiet seating areas around the ship for the numbers onboard. Public areas tend to have excessively loud music or events happening that are not conducive to a relaxing environment. 

<snip>

The staff are great and our cabin steward is much like yours in that he is always happy friendly and ready to help. 

For us, the seating was really only an issue on those really cold and nasty days. As a previous poster had mentioned, the library leaves a lot to be desired. We’d previously sailed on the Sea Princess and talked up the library to a new cruiser. They went off to find it themselves and were pretty shocked by what they discovered. We decided to put them to rights and were soundly embarrassed when we decided to retire there on the first day of poor weather. 
The Sea Princess also had more troughs for washing hands on the way into the buffet. It was a smaller ship and the handwashing stations were not as pretty as the big glass bowls on Majestic but it worked better to have all passengers washing on their way to the food. I hadn’t noticed too much poor behavior in regard to hygiene in the buffet but I had already taken to washing, sanitizing, collecting my food and then sanitizing again before eating. (I think this was something that was suggested here on the forums some time ago).

[nzrainbow]

37 minutes ago, Ian Paul said:

As a previous poster had mentioned, the library leaves a lot to be desired.

 I had already taken to washing, sanitizing, collecting my food and then sanitizing again before eating.

Agree wholeheartedly regarding the Library lol, I'd be a little embarrassed to even call it that!

We try to avoid the Buffet where possible but sometimes it's the only realistic option. I've washed and sanitized so much my skin is starting to fall off....

I swim at 0600 to 0630am which has proved to be nice and quiet but I'd probably prefer to sleep in while I'm on holiday. Enjoy the remainder of your Cruise.   We will return to the likes of the Grand and Diamond for our next cruises as we've really enjoyed them 🙂

[KruzPrincess]

I’m planning to book a cruise on the Majestic in 2024. I am planning to book a mini suite on the Lido deck under the Hollywood pool area. I’ve tried to research this location for opinions on whether this would have a lot of noise from above. Up until now I’ve mostly heard that these cabins are quiet and nothing much happens in the Hollywood pool area, especially at night. In this thread I read that they’re having loud (deafening) parties up there. I’m looking to confirm and get opinions about booking Lido deck cabins below the Hollywood pool. Does anyone have a Lido cabin? I appreciate your opinions. Thanks in advance. 

[nini]

2 hours ago, Ian Paul said:

The staff are great and our cabin steward is much like yours in that he is always happy friendly and ready to help. 

For us, the seating was really only an issue on those really cold and nasty days. As a previous poster had mentioned, the library leaves a lot to be desired. We’d previously sailed on the Sea Princess and talked up the library to a new cruiser. They went off to find it themselves and were pretty shocked by what they discovered. We decided to put them to rights and were soundly embarrassed when we decided to retire there on the first day of poor weather. 
The Sea Princess also had more troughs for washing hands on the way into the buffet. It was a smaller ship and the handwashing stations were not as pretty as the big glass bowls on Majestic but it worked better to have all passengers washing on their way to the food. I hadn’t noticed too much poor behavior in regard to hygiene in the buffet but I had already taken to washing, sanitizing, collecting my food and then sanitizing again before eating. (I think this was something that was suggested here on the forums some time ago).

 

Sadly, libraries on ships are basically a thing of the past. The older ships still have them but they really aren't stocked well with books. They house many games though.

[Lanwood]

On 12/25/2023 at 11:25 AM, charliedalrymple said:

 I wish I could say the same for the Hollywood pool area, which reverberated with the shrieks of hundreds of children between the ages of 5 and 7.  (That's only a slight exaggeration.). I have no intention of getting in the water with so many kids who probably don't bother to leave the pool to pee.

Yeah, that is a shame.

I remember on my first 2 cruises on the Majestic the Hollywood pool club and conservatory was an Adults only area. Very much liked having somewhere to go in lieu of no Sanctuary. Unfortunately on my last 2 cruises on the Majestic (B2B), they had opened it up to kids, and they totally overrun the place. Left us with no where to go to relax on deck. And was the main driver for us to booking other cruise lines again since.

 

Getting back on Majestic in 90 days was hoping they had gone back to keeping the Hollywood pool club adults only. ☹️

[nini]

8 hours ago, Lanwood said:

Yeah, that is a shame.

I remember on my first 2 cruises on the Majestic the Hollywood pool club and conservatory was an Adults only area. Very much liked having somewhere to go in lieu of no Sanctuary. Unfortunately on my last 2 cruises on the Majestic (B2B), they had opened it up to kids, and they totally overrun the place. Left us with no where to go to relax on deck. And was the main driver for us to booking other cruise lines again since.

 

Getting back on Majestic in 90 days was hoping they had gone back to keeping the Hollywood pool club adults only. ☹️

 

There are some Princess ships that do have Adult only pools. I do know of one on the Sky on the Sun deck which appears as though it is part of the Sanctuary. But it is open to all adults and is a nice and quiet there.

[charliedalrymple]

December 31 - AT SEA

 

Happy new year!  It was indeed festive and extremely noisy on board today.

 

There were two major highlights.  The first was a magnificent surf and turf item on the dinner menu in the MDR. It was very similar to the steak and lobster we had on our balcony dinner, just a bit smaller portions and without all of the fanfare. As usual, the steak was cooked perfectly. 

 

It was a formal night, and most people made a real effort since it was New Year's Eve, but I was pretty shocked at some of the things I observed in the MDR, including a woman in bare feet and a man with athletic shorts, a sleeveless t-shirt and flip-flops. I understand that not everyone wants to go all out on formal nights, and I'm fine with long pants, a decent shirt and close-toed shoes. However, I honestly think these two should not have been admitted to the MDR. I said as much to the hostess, which elicited a bored shrug.  

 

The production show was Fierra, which was in my opinion the best so far. It was technically dazzling, with extremely complex (and well-executed) choreography, and it had a nice mix of up-tempo numbers and slow ballads. It also told a story of sorts, which someone had asked about before.  As I have mentioned, this is the most talented cast we've ever seen at sea, and I have to single out lead singer Vicki from China.  She is a force of nature.

 

DH and I both got manicures and pedicures in the afternoon. We knew we would pay more than on land, which is fine. However, the manicurist was really aloof and seem annoyed that she had to take time out of her busy schedule to serve us.  And the quality was pretty mediocre.  Oh, well.  I did see a couple of women getting their hair done for the evening, and their stylists were extremely friendly and seemed to be taking their work seriously. 

 

The festivities--or at least the drinking--started at around 3:00 p.m. By 9:00 there was no space on the piazza level or any of the other bars and common areas, and the noise level rose exponentially throughout the night as the drinks continued to flow.  The house band was doing a lovely jazz set in the Crown Grill Bar, but there was no hope of a seat there.

 

We finally managed to find a place for all four of us in the Vista Lounge by lurking in the shadows and swooping in when someone left, and that turned out to be the perfect venue in which to ring in the new year.  The Glam Quartet was performing and was very good, but way too loud (like everything else on this ship).  However, we settled into the vibe and ended up having a great time, including joining in the dancing.  There was technically no drink service in the Vista Lounge (except for passengers in a roped-off VIP section who had purchased a NYE package), but I was able to order with my favourite server in the Crown Grill Bar and have him deliver our drinks to the Vista next door.  The $50 I discreetly slipped him probably didn't hurt.

 

We escaped the pandemonium shortly after midnight and headed back to the serenity of our cabin.

 

[nzrainbow]

 

1 hour ago, charliedalrymple said:

 

There were two major highlights. The first was a magnificent surf and turf item on the dinner menu in the MDR. 

The production show was Fierra, which was in my opinion the best so far.

We agree wholeheartedly, the Surf and Turf meal in the MDR was lovely, beautifully cooked and a generous portion 🙂

We also really enjoyed the Production Show "Fierra". I could happily watch it over and over and see new things on each occasion. 

Didn't stay up to see in the New Year as we were unable to find anywhere that was quiet enough to be enjoyable for us but imagine it went well for others as there seemed to be plenty out and about.

[azbirdmom]

11 hours ago, charliedalrymple said:

There was technically no drink service in the Vista Lounge (except for passengers in a roped-off VIP section who had purchased a NYE package),

 

They sold a NYE package?  I've never heard of that before but I'm glad that you were able to find seats with that section roped off.  And no drink service in the Vista Lounge?  Another puzzler....

[PacnGoNow]

4 hours ago, azbirdmom said:

 

They sold a NYE package?  I've never heard of that before but I'm glad that you were able to find seats with that section roped off.  And no drink service in the Vista Lounge?  Another puzzler....

I’d like to know what the NYE package entailed and price?

[Ian Paul]

1 hour ago, PacnGoNow said:

I’d like to know what the NYE package entailed and price?

There were a few tiers from what I remember. I listened to be polite but my crew are cheap, we don’t really drink champagne, and we don’t normally make it to midnight anyway. 
 

Table for four in a prime location with canapes and two bottles of Dom Perignon for a bit more than $1000. There was a lower tier for around $700 but the seats weren’t as good and the bubbly would have been less impressive. We were told that the number of people per table was flexible (ie between four and six) if that would help us decide to participate. 
 

As mentioned, I wasn’t really interested/engaged in the sales pitch so I may have got some things wrong but I think that was the general idea. 

[PacnGoNow]

32 minutes ago, Ian Paul said:

There were a few tiers from what I remember. I listened to be polite but my crew are cheap, we don’t really drink champagne, and we don’t normally make it to midnight anyway. 
 

Table for four in a prime location with canapes and two bottles of Dom Perignon for a bit more than $1000. There was a lower tier for around $700 but the seats weren’t as good and the bubbly would have been less impressive. We were told that the number of people per table was flexible (ie between four and six) if that would help us decide to participate. 
 

As mentioned, I wasn’t really interested/engaged in the sales pitch so I may have got some things wrong but I think that was the general idea. 

Wow!  Seems steep.  For that price, I would have to stay up until midnight!🤣

Thanks for the info.

🥳 Happy New Year!🎈 

[charliedalrymple]

1 hour ago, Ian Paul said:

Table for four in a prime location with canapes and two bottles of Dom Perignon for a bit more than $1000. There was a lower tier for around $700 but the seats weren’t as good and the bubbly would have been less impressive.

 

Thanks, Ian.  

 

We were sitting directly behind the VIP section in the Vista Lounge, so I'm glad I didn't pay $700 for a "prime" location.  I noticed that they had Veuve Cliquot.  I leaned over and asked one of them whether they were suite guests, and that's when I learned they had bought a package.

 

7 hours ago, azbirdmom said:

And no drink service in the Vista Lounge?  Another puzzler....

 

Yes, I also thought that was strange. However, we noticed that every bar server was being run ragged in other parts of the ship that evening, so perhaps they just didn't have enough crew to cover it.  I felt sorry for them.  

[charliedalrymple]

January 1 - PORT CHALMERS / DUNEDIN

 

Like most of the passengers, we slept too late for breakfast in the MDR and headed to the buffet instead. It was chaos. After roaming around for about ten minutes, we spotted an empty table for four. We were walking toward it when a woman literally raced us and got there first. We decided to sit down anyway and pull up an extra chair. Her husband came about ten minutes later and yelled at us for taking "his" seat.  Happy new year.  I'm sick of the buffet--not the food, which is surprisingly good, but the hoards of people who have no regard for anyone around them and children shrieking in that high-pitched whine as only they can do.

 

Rant over.  We had been to Dunedin before and decided to stay in Port Chalmers. The Royal Princess was also in port, and it appears to be essentially identical to the Majestic (perhaps someone can confirm this). Port Chalmers is not much bigger than Picton, and we had no intention of competing for sidewalk space with thousands of other cruisers in town, so we decided to walk through the hills around town.  It was a good call. We followed a designated trail to the "Lady Thorn Dell" and lookout point, past a historic graveyard, and then a wide loop down the hill back and to the dock area. We had hoped to stop in a historic pub and hotel outside of town, but it was closed for the holiday.  However, it looked quite charming from the outside and would probably be worth a visit in the future.

 

The Princess Theatre featured a hypnotist, but I gave it a pass and opted for jazz by the house band in the Crown Grill Bar and karaoke at Princess Live. The singers at karaoke ranged from passable to truly awful, which was entertaining.  (I would like to think that yours truly was in the former category.)  Otherwise, it was a slow and relaxing day.

 

Before I forget, I want to mention that the service everywhere on the ship has been truly outstanding in my opinion. I've seen comments on this forum about substandard service and low staff levels on other ships, but that's not the case at all on Majestic.  The crew seem very happy and really take pride in their work. 

Edited January 1 by charliedalrymple

[azbirdmom]

16 minutes ago, charliedalrymple said:

The Royal Princess was also in port, and it appears to be essentially identical to the Majestic (perhaps someone can confirm this).

 

Yes it is.  The main differences are that there's no covered pool, there's a Sanctuary instead of Hollywood Observatory, there's a pizza place instead of a noodle bar on Lido deck, and there's Sabatini's instead of Harmony.  We were just on the Royal in early December for a round trip cruise from Sydney to New Zealand and back.  Pretty much the same ports as you've had...

[charliedalrymple]

January 2 - AT SEA

 

I simply can't bear the chaos and cacophony of the buffet at breakfast any more, so we tried the MDR for breakfast for the first time. Breakfast finishes at 9:00 and we arrived at 8:50. Our server was clearly annoyed that we had dared to arrive so close to closing time and let us know it by being surly and rude. I just commented yesterday on the great service on board, and this was the first time we experienced a crew member with such a negative attitude.

 

Today was all about scenic cruising in the sounds, and it was spectacular as anticipated. The weather was a bit overcast, but that actually added to the experience. The low-lying clouds clinging to the hills made for a moody and dramatic view. We stayed on our balcony and thought it was the perfect spot from which to observe the scenery.

 

It was Italian night in the MDR and for me the most disappointing dinner of the journey so far. I had barramundi with "smokey aubergine sauce."  The fish was dry and a bit tough, and the sauce was barely noticeable. Still, one disappointing meal among so many good ones is a pretty good track record.

 

I haven't mentioned my frozen margarita fetish in a while, for the simple reason that our drinking has steadily decreased as the cruise progresses. At first I felt pressure to get my money's worth from the Plus package, and as a result I was drinking more than I really wanted to (or should). For that reason, I don't think I would go with Plus in the future.  That's just me, and I don't want to open a pandora's box of cost/benefit arguments.  You do you.

 

A quick note about the clueless, annoying adults and shrieking children I mentioned earlier. People from certain countries tend to be much more irritating than others, and I have to assume that is due to cultural differences more than individual personalities. I'm not going to get any more specific than that.

 

Two more sea days to go!