Majesty 1/5-1/12 LONG Review - Lots of info!

[gotksgirl]

Well we just got off the Majesty on Saturday. It was a very good trip for us. Our group included myself, my husband, my 4 year old daugther, my 19month old daughter, father, mother, and brother. We had 2 cabins next to one another. We had outside cabins on Deck 6 (618 and 620).

 

Our room was small but decent. The carpet has seen better days. Our room had two bunks on the walls and 2 lower beds. We put ours together on one side ourselves to get settled faster. Later the room steward put on one queen sized sheet, but combined the duvets to make it look sort of like one. There are no flat sheets. You only get the duvet. They put the bedspread in the windows at turndown behind the curtains. We all had 2 pillows a piece. Our toddler slept with us. We asked for railings for the bunk for the 4 year old, we did receive one but it was not that great. It was 2 boards making a 90 degree angle about 4 feet long.

 

We had 2 larger dressers. My parents room had only 1 bunk above and 1 large dresser and one half size. I think their room was slightly smaller. We had 2 windows and my parents only had one in the middle. The bathroom is small and there is little storage. The rooms did have small refridgerators. The closets were decent with full length mirrors and 3 sections. There was a safe in the closet (ours above a cabinet my parents was in the cabinet) along with a small cabinet about the size of a file cabinet. There were plenty of hangers.

 

The bathrooms had a separate shower gel and shampoo dispenser as well as a hand soap dispenser. There was a shower cap and some sort of shoe cloth (not sure) provided. I do not recall seeing any bar soap. The washcloths were thick, so if you want to use the shower gel bring a baby washcloth or a loofah or something else similar. We had plenty of hot water and never saw brown.

 

The TV had TNT, CNN, AMC, 2 onboard movie channels, and I am sure other stations besides the NCL ones.

 

Our weather was good. The first day was a little cool in Charleston. We had no rain except for the final Saturday morning but it stopped before we got off the ship.

 

The food was good but not spectacular. The 24hour place is not the buffet as we thought, but is in fact the Pizza and burger place on deck 10 aft (Piazza Del Marco). They had burgers, hot dogs, fixings, pasta salad, potato salad, etc. If you go at off times you must ask for the pizza. We loved it! They typically only had cheese or pepperoni and it only took 5 mins to cook. A couple of times we got old pizza that they kept in the oven to keep warm and it was past edible. We just threw it away and went back if we wanted more. The regular buffet was fair. For lunch and dinner (maybe not all dinners?) they had a regular buffet line (sometimes two) and then a pasta station, and stir fry station. Lunch also had a sandwich station. Breakfast had fruit, waffles, and omelet stations. Juice of orange, cranberry, and apple was only for breakfast. The trick is to fill up a water bottle (not directly from the machine) in the morning if you like juice and save it for later. Also kids can get juice in the dining rooms any time for free. They switch over to water and iced tea after breakfast.

 

We did not use room service.

 

We hit the main dining rooms 5 out of 7 nights and lunch 2 out of 7. We never saw Baked Alaska or Cherries Jubilee on the menu. I will try to post them soon, but they will not be great as they were often snapshots of the menu through the glass case. We preferred the larger more casual (jeans allowed) restaurant called the Seven Seas for our group of 7. They had some bench style seats with bigger tables than the Four Seasons. The wait was hit or miss. The last night was horrible. We were told between 30 and 50mins at around 6:15pm. If we went between say 5:45 and 6pm we would be seated almost immediately. The last night had only 1 show for the onboard dancer/singing group (Radio Waves) at 7:30pm so I think many were trying to eat early. The kids really loved the macaroni and cheese in the dining rooms (not really obvious on the kids menu). Kids under 12 CAN wear shorts to either dining room. The optional formal night was Sunday night. High chairs were clean and always available in the dining rooms.

 

The kids program for my 4 year old was fantastic. She had a blast. There were anywhere from 1-12 kids in her age range in each session (2-5 year olds). The most they are there is from 9am-noon, 2-5pm, and 7-10pm. Days in port or special activities like the pizza making shortened the sessions. She had her face painted, watched videos, made crowns/head things (like blues clues ears, etc.), and lots of other crafts, games, stories, and songs. The last night she colored a tshirt to take home. I believe there were 3 women working there and all were from Canada (Turkey, Waffles, and Crazy were their names).

 

The pictures were so overpriced. 5x7 were $20 and 8x10 were $25 or so I hear. It was very disappointing and the package deals were terrible.

 

We were disappointed about the smoking policy. The entire port side on Deck 10 (pools, buffet, 24hour pizza/burgers) was smoking, as well as the casino (the easiest way to get from our room to the shows was to go through it), and in the cabins! We could not believe it. It is probably standard on other ships, but it was pretty gross to smell it everywhere.

 

The weather in Grand Caymen was a bit rough. The water made it hard to tender and delayed our excursion. We had no time to shop or do anything else there except for our Island Tour/Stingray City tour. The Stingray City sandbar was rougher and thus deeper than we thought. The waves scared my daughter and the life vest provided did not hold air nor help her float. We regretted not bringing our own.

 

In Cozumel we did the Xcaret tour. Please note that even though our tickets and the online receipt (prebooked) said $59 we were charged $69. The excursion person was very rude to my parents and would not refund. So they went to his boss. We did not get a refund but that man probably got in trouble for his rudeness. Luckily my 4 year old only had to get the transfer to Playa Del Carmen and Xcaret was free. I am not sure of the ages, but children were supposed to be the same price as adults. Xcaret was great. We did not have enough time there. The lagoons were great and my 4 year old loved the underground 62F river! It was cold but we got used to it quickly. The turtles, butterflies, and other animals were fun to see too.

 

For Key West we ended up in the Navy port late afternoon. It was a PAIN to get off. We had to show our passports to official on board before leaving. Then you take a trolley bus/tram to Mallory Square. You must take one back as well. They also got on the bus as we entered the Navy area to check IDs again! It was a very short stop. We finally got to shop a little. We were so thankful to see a CVS on Front Street as I miscounted the days for the diapers!

 

I was the only one in our group that really felt sick on the boat. The weather was never really bad. The ship is on the small side, so maybe I would do better on a bigger ship. You definitely could feel the rocking the first day and Friday.

 

Hand santizers are EVERYWHERE! As soon as you step on the boat they ask you to do it. In the buffets, restaurants, theatre, kids korner, etc. They will not hand you a plate on the buffet unless you do it in front of them.

 

The shows by the Majesty singers/dancers were good. They did a Broadway and a Radio show as well as an intro show the first night. The theatre is only one level with an 8 foot ceiling, but they did well with what they had. The juggler, Aaron Bonk was great. We did not go to see the feature singer (Lorraine Brown) nor the comedian (Sam Griesbaum). Don't miss the end of the Crew show on Friday. They will do Fountains for you. That is actually the only part we saw since the passenger talent show ran over and we left to do something else.

 

The food workers were good. There were many woman waiters which was surprising - mostly from the Philippines. We never had the same waiter twice. Sometimes they were a little slow on clearing Deck 10 tables by the pools. We did get asked to buy drinks a fair amount, but just said no thank you and they left.

 

We received towel animals 5 out of the 7 days (none the first and last night) in our rooms. The room stewards were fine. Sometimes we got 3 mints and sometimes 4. I am guessing they did not realize we had 4 since we never used one of the bunks.

 

Embarkation was silly. We did have to board a shuttle to go a very short distance. I guess it was a security thing. We were allowed to walk out to the street at disembarkation. The Latitudes line had no wait for embarkation, but this is after the security lines.

 

Soozy Atkins was the cruise director. I did not care much for her. She seemed a little full of herself and kind of snotty. Maybe I am misinterpreting her sense of humor.

 

I will post pictures, dailies (will be scanned), and menus soon. We are still getting settled back here. Feel free to ask any questions you have. There is so much to tell, but I am not sure what would be of interest to most of you. I hope I covered a lot for those that wanted more info.

 

-Kristen

[salty dingo]

Thanks for the excellent, detailed review! I enjoyed reading it. Sounds like you had an overall positive experience!

[saywhut]

So glad you all had a wonderful time! Thanks for all the info as I am set to sail Feb. 9 from Charleston. Looking forward to your pics and other scans relating to the Majesty and your trip. Thanks bunches !!!!;)

[gotksgirl]

I will edit the main review once we have a website set up with pics to post the link. We are working on it now. The first will probably be the cabin pics.

 

I wanted to add that there are in fact 2 outlets in the cabins. One in the main room and one in the bathroom (hidden behind a cap saying not to use when using water). I had read that there is only 1. So I wanted to let you know about this.

 

Also you get onto the ship from a long, steep ramp onto Deck 5 right next to the Internet Cafe. (between that and the Boardroom). For tenders and ports it was Deck 2. Also wheelchairs get on and off at deck 2 in Charleston.

 

-Kristen

[mortimerM]

Hi & so glad you had a good time! We will be on her on the 26th....You mentioned they had waffles at breakfast...Are they already made or do they make them for you right there? Also what's the difference between the four seasons & seven seasons restaurant other than the size?

 

Thanks & looking forward to seeing your pics.:)

[gotksgirl]

Hi & so glad you had a good time! We will be on her on the 26th....You mentioned they had waffles at breakfast...Are they already made or do they make them for you right there? Also what's the difference between the four seasons & seven seasons restaurant other than the size?

 

Thanks & looking forward to seeing your pics.:)

 

For the waffle, omelet, pasta, and stir fry stations they are all made to order. The waffles are very popular and there is often a long line. They have two waffle machines. The pasta is bowtie or penne style with marinara, alfredo and I think some other sauce as well as shredded parmesan if you want. The stir fry is white rice, rice noodles, or ramen with stir fry sauce, mushrooms, peppers, onions, pork, etc. You just pick what you like. The omelet station we never did, but you do pick what you want in it as well.

 

The cereals were hit or miss. We grabbed cheerios when we saw them for my toddler. They had Product 19, Frosted Flakes, Raisin Bran, Rice Krispies, Corn Flakes, etc all in those little boxes. We did see milk cartons in the beginning of the cruise, but never saw them at the end. I believe I did see some chocolate milk, but it was never out when we were in the buffet line.

 

As far as the restaurants there is not much difference. My impression is that the smaller 4 seasons one is a little darker and they had mints on the way out. There are only windows on one side and they are usually closed at night. The Seven Seas has windows on the side and back, and my mom thought it was prettier with a bluish theme. The Seven Seas is the restaurant open for breakfast and lunch if you want the full service meal. If you did not realize, the galley is the same for both. They are connected via the galley. Like I said the 4 seasons did not have any bench seats, and the largest table they used was a 6 seater. There was I believe 1 bigger one seating maybe 8 in the way back but they never used it when we were there. I liked the host at the 4 seasons better, but we liked the waiters at 7 seas better. All the young women (waiters and jr. waiters) loved our little one so we often got extra attention because of her. 4 seasons was closer for us from our cabin, so in the beginning we just went there out of convenience. I think the line at 7 seas was longer at opening since it is a bigger restaurant and it took a while to seat everyone. My suggestion is to go 15-30mins after opening for the shortest wait time, but I might be wrong for how your cruise works out.

 

Sorry they are not ready yet, but the pictures will come soon. Hopefully tonight my husband can work on it more as he is back at work today.

 

-Kristen

[mortimerM]

Kristen...Again Thanks so much for the vaulable information. I love getting my omlettets made to order & Fresh waffles!:) Also thanks for the insight on the 2 restaurants.....

[1particularharbor]

Great review...we are going on the Majesty in May

 

Several questions ..

 

Do you have any idea what is on the room service breakfast?

 

Obstructed view cabins ...do you have any info on them?

 

Which restaurants can you make reservations in advance ?

 

Was the lounge/deck music good?

 

Did they have any bbq options on deck?

 

Any information on the NCL program that you can go thru them to eat at restaurants onshore?

 

Thanks again for your review ..look forward to seeing your pictures..

 

1ph

[ReeRee47]

We will be on the Majesty 1/19/08 and have a few questions, did your room have a hair dryer, did you take an iron or steamer, will my 15yo be able to wear nice shorts in the dinning room at night? Also did your room have robes in them? Thanks so much, we're very excited!! Oh...almost forgot was there any night you had lobster?

[gotksgirl]

We will be on the Majesty 1/19/08 and have a few questions, did your room have a hair dryer, did you take an iron or steamer, will my 15yo be able to wear nice shorts in the dinning room at night? Also did your room have robes in them? Thanks so much, we're very excited!! Oh...almost forgot was there any night you had lobster?

 

YES Hair Dryer, but it was very weak as I had heard. YES iron Board (built into a desk drawer), NO iron. I am sure you can ask for one. NO Robes.

 

NO your 15year old should not wear shorts. The first night it seemed like everyone got away with whatever. I saw shorts and jeans in the 4 seasons. But after that I doubt they would let you in to either dining room. I asked after a few days if my kids (19months and 4) if they could wear jeans and she said under 12 (or 12 and under?) was allowed.

 

YES we had lobster. My 4 year old wanted it! It was a bit rubbery for me. I should have gotten the butter with it. A rice risotto was served with it if I recall. We are working on the menu pics. One did not come out, but we should have 6 of the dinners tonight.

 

I should add that if you want an egg crate mattress topper, ask for it. We did not, but we saw a storage closet open at one point with a few rolled up in there.

 

-Kristen

[cruiserssandr]

We have been on the Majesty 10 times and I would say bring your own hair dryer. My hair is short and fine and there is no why it would work for me. We also ALWAYS bring a shoe organizer to hang on the back of the bathroom door. It keeps things so much neater. A power strip is also always in our luggage. We just plug it in at the vanity. I think the plug in the bathroom is just for an electric razor. With the power strip it makes it easy to use my hair dryer, keep the camera charged, curling iron if you need that. The ironing boards are in the older section of the ship. I have never heard of anyone being able to get an iron. They consider an iron a huge fire hazard. Room service is a very limited menu. We have never ordered room service on the Majesty.

[Cruisetini]

Just like cruiserssandr said......weak is a polite word for the hairdryer attached to the wall! We were in Cabin 4028 and the beds were "tired" so the first night they put the egg crate on for us. Then the next night they took the bunk mattress from each side above and put the egg crate on top. This was my first NCL bad bed experience but most relaxing cruise to date. We did order room service for breakfast and it was cereal, juice, coffee, danish, toast also fruit and yogurt. If you use this service you need to be specific on what you want - such as milk or skim milk for the cereal - we always ask for 6 cups of coffee that way you get enough for 2 mug size cups. Also ask for butter or jelly(comes in a small container they serve to order) toast will come dry if you don't ask.....also when you put the time requested we found that on Majesty the food arrived 5 minutes prior and immediately after the phone call that they are on the way. Might have been because we were on the 4th level? No problem with the tight bathroom if you bring the clear shoe organizer, & extension cord is a must. Have a great cruise!

[gotksgirl]

http://flynn.tregay.net/majesty/menus/ menus are up! Make sure you click the pics to see the full size. Sorry that Sunday was too blurry. That was lobster night (optional formal). I will add this to my first post once all the pics are up and ready.

[gotksgirl]

Dailies http://flynn.tregay.net/majesty/freestyles/

Chocolate Buffet http://flynn.tregay.net/majesty/ChocolateBuffet/

Ship Pics http://flynn.tregay.net/majesty/ShipPictures

Towel Animals http://flynn.tregay.net/majesty/Towels

Menus http://flynn.tregay.net/majesty/menus/

 

Finally got it done. Enjoy!