Rambling Observations from Majesty cruise 1-8-18

After a busy holiday season with sons and grandkids visiting, we decided to book a 4 day on Majesty. We had just cruised on Majesty back in October, a cruise in which we experienced a few oddities so I had been debating whether to book when I saw the same cabin, 9510 Ocean view, was available and since we had really liked this cabin and it was a great price, I decided it was an omen so book it I did! :)

Embarkation was just as easy as the last time, I think we were off the shuttle and walking on the ship within about 15 minutes of arriving. Even after 46 cruises, it's still a thrill for me to walk on to a ship and I love the Centrum area on Majesty. We went up to the WJ for our traditional lunch, food is pretty much the usual WJ display. Previous Majesty cruises have had a small seafood bar on the first day but none this time.

Rooms were ready right at 1pm and everything was good in our cabin. Bed was great, there seemed to be some type of padding on it, but then, we've never had any problem with the beds on Royal. My only issue with our cabin is the safe which is located in a dark corner of the closet and is almost on the floor but I managed.

We were told cruise was sold out but the only time it felt crowded was on the last day when everyone was out enjoying our only day of sunshine. Weather was an issue on this cruise as our day in Cocoa Cay only lasted for a little over an hour due to rain. Our original thought was to stick it out for a while but some pretty strong thunder changed my mind! It rained until about 2pm, the sun came out briefly for a few minutes before hiding again. I think that was the last time we saw sunshine until our last day.

Nassau was gloomy and rainy for the entire day. We walked around the downtown area for about an hour and returned to ship. It was also kind of chilly, so we decided to try the hot tubs, or, as we called them, the lukewarm tubs, but it was difficult as all were full of kids. Don't get me wrong, I don't hate kids, but I do have a problem with them snorkeling and diving in the tubs. We did manage to snag a seat in the afternoon with 6 other adults but after a few minutes 5 kids came and were being a little rowdy so we left. Not sure why parents allow their young children to be in the tubs or pool without supervision but it seems they do!:rolleyes:

Our last day was a sea day and we had sun! Pool deck and upper deck were packed but we easily found two chairs on a higher deck forward which was quiet and very relaxing. Had a lovely afternoon! Around 2pm or so, an announcement was made that there had been an "incident" in the pool so pool had to be drained and cleaned. First time I've ever seen this occur on any cruise but it shut down the pool for a good 2 hours which was sad since this was our only good day.

MDR food was the same as usual, some items excellent, some good and a few not so good. We did MTD with reservations each night for 8pm. We had a table for two with the same wait staff each night and all was good. We did do Chef's Table one night which was excellent, probably the best filet I've ever had on any cruise ship! Also, kudos for the pizza in Sorentos. I am usually not a fan of the pizza on Royal's ships but this is actually pretty good.

The Diamond event/lounge had a little better service this time than our cruise in October. I had written then that it was difficult to find a waiter (even with tipping!) and that our cards were scanned with each drink, resulting in a charge that I had to dispute in GS. This time, different waiters who were a little more available and no scanning! Majesty always puts out a nice selection of appetizers (one night they had shrimp at least 6 different ways!) but, like last time, they seem to have a shortage of napkins and plates.;)

Back to Cocoa Cay: In October, you could see a few pilings for the new dock. This time, I don't think there were any more pilings, but the first few close to shore had some mesh forms on them to pour concrete into. So, a little progress, but I would be surprised it dock is done by summer. There are signs that construction of some of the new "enhancements" are being started on the island.:(

Disembarkation on our October cruise was a bad experience with a long slow wait in line. Majesty was late getting in due to weather so everything seemed to back up quickly. There were long lines of people doing self assist snaking up the stairwells and around the common areas and seemed like a lot of confusion. This time it was totally different. No long lines for the self assist and it seemed much more organized. We do not do self assist but had tag #1. I kept waiting for a line but we kept moving! Our only glitch was a missing suitcase, but they had a least 3 carts of suitcases with no tag and I spotted ours on one of them. How did so many suitcases end up with no tags?:confused: Once we got our suitcases it was an easy walk through customs and we picking up our car by 915!

There were possibly two changes in the disembarkation process I noticed this time that may also have made a difference. This time people doing self assist were called by deck number and I don't remember them doing that in October so maybe that prevented the long lines. Also, when we got into the luggage area a terminal employee was stationed at the entrance asking people for their tag number. If you weren't #1, you were sent out of line to stand against the wall until your tag was called. I've never seen anyone doing that! And I was amazed at the number of people who had not been called yet!:rolleyes:

Anyway, despite the weather, we had a really good cruise! I will miss Majesty at Port Canaveral!

Sherri

The Diamond event/lounge had a little better service this time than our cruise in October. I had written then that it was difficult to find a waiter (even with tipping!) and that our cards were scanned with each drink, resulting in a charge that I had to dispute in GS. This time, different waiters who were a little more available and no scanning! Majesty always puts out a nice selection of appetizers (one night they had shrimp at least 6 different ways!) but, like last time, they seem to have a shortage of napkins and plates.;)

Sherri

Hello again Geographical neighbor, will you be trying Enchantment this year and Mariner next year? You may remember I was on in Sept, my 5th time on Majesty, and noted the same thing in the Diamond event. Glad to hear they have stopped the scanning, at least for now, but maybe the point is mute. Royal tried to trick me into a 6th cruise on Majesty, but I wouldn't hear of it! I booked Empress out of Tampa and they changed the ship to Majesty for cruise #6, but they also took away Key West in favor of Costa Maya, so I switched to trying Enchanment.

... We did manage to snag a seat in the afternoon with 6 other adults but after a few minutes 5 kids came and were being a little rowdy so we left. Not sure why parents allow their young children to be in the tubs or pool without supervision but it seems they do!:rolleyes: ...

One of the biggest reasons I miss having the adult Solarium when cruising on Majesty.

Also, kudos for the pizza in Sorentos. I am usually not a fan of the pizza on Royal's ships but this is actually pretty good.

 

 

Sherri

Amazing...my last trip on Majesty (September) I was shocked at how bad the pizza was. It was absolutely pathetic. Going by what you wrote, apparently someone gave them the message and they resolved the issue.

Amazing...my last trip on Majesty (September) I was shocked at how bad the pizza was. It was absolutely pathetic. Going by what you wrote, apparently someone gave them the message and they resolved the issue.

I've heard it mentioned that Royal was doing something about this, and I noticed an improvement on Adventure, which was my first time on that ship. I think I noticed it as well on my Sept Majesty cruise. I THINK they have just added more tomato sauce which addresses much of the evil in their pizza. Back in the early 21st century ;) Some event caused tomato prices to go up. Many land based pizzas cut back on the sauce. What I found for my land based pizza cravings the reheated pizza the next day wasn't nearly as good as it was dry. Now with Majesty, I've always looked at the pizza and waited till they put a new one out, so it wasn't quite as bad. Now it will never been comparable to the NY or Chicago pizzas, at least it was good enough to satisfy for a quick snack at midnight, or to hold us over till late seating dining.

Hello again Geographical neighbor, will you be trying Enchantment this year and Mariner next year? You may remember I was on in Sept, my 5th time on Majesty, and noted the same thing in the Diamond event. Glad to hear they have stopped the scanning, at least for now, but maybe the point is mute. Royal tried to trick me into a 6th cruise on Majesty, but I wouldn't hear of it! I booked Empress out of Tampa and they changed the ship to Majesty for cruise #6, but they also took away Key West in favor of Costa Maya, so I switched to trying Enchanment.

You’ll like Enchantment a lot!😀 Mariner seems a bit large to me to do the Bahamas itinerary, especially Cocoa Cay.

I’m sure we’ll probably sail on both. Canaveral is just to easy a port to cruise out of when we are at Satellite Beach.

Sherri😀

One of the biggest reasons I miss having the adult Solarium when cruising on Majesty.

Yeah, we miss it too, especially since the weather was so crummy on this cruise! 😀

Sherri😀

I've heard it mentioned that Royal was doing something about this, and I noticed an improvement on Adventure, which was my first time on that ship. I think I noticed it as well on my Sept Majesty cruise. I THINK they have just added more tomato sauce which addresses much of the evil in their pizza. Back in the early 21st century ;) Some event caused tomato prices to go up. Many land based pizzas cut back on the sauce. What I found for my land based pizza cravings the reheated pizza the next day wasn't nearly as good as it was dry. Now with Majesty, I've always looked at the pizza and waited till they put a new one out, so it wasn't quite as bad. Now it will never been comparable to the NY or Chicago pizzas, at least it was good enough to satisfy for a quick snack at midnight, or to hold us over till late seating dining.

This sailing I thought the crust was better since usually it’s like a dry cracker😳 Also, there seemed to be more sauce & cheese.

Sherri😀

You’ll like Enchantment a lot!😀 Mariner seems a bit large to me to do the Bahamas itinerary, especially Cocoa Cay.

 

I’m sure we’ll probably sail on both. Canaveral is just to easy a port to cruise out of when we are at Satellite Beach.

 

Sherri😀

I'm 5 for 5 making it to Coco Cay, each time was on Majesty. Once back in 2007 Majesty and Soverign where there and I thought the buffet areas seem crowded. When I go on Mariner maybe I'll pay the $150 or whatever it is in 2019 as it never gets crowded on the "Southbeach side". I'm hoping the new pier is ready in September so I can keep my perfect record of making it there.

Thanks for your review of your cruise on Majesty last year. My wife and I are going to Cuba on the same ship in June. Your review and a few others have us very excited about the ship. You mentioned that you enjoyed Chef's Table. We've done that on two different Royal ships and although the food was terrific on both, the venue wasn't ideal on our last Freedom cruise. It seems like it's held in the main dining room on Majesty. We are concerned about being in a noisy area and not being able to hear the chef and sommelier. Can you tell us about how the location was for you?

Thanks,

D and T

Thank you for sharing your trip report.

Keith

Thanks for your review of your cruise on Majesty last year. My wife and I are going to Cuba on the same ship in June. Your review and a few others have us very excited about the ship. You mentioned that you enjoyed Chef's Table. We've done that on two different Royal ships and although the food was terrific on both, the venue wasn't ideal on our last Freedom cruise. It seems like it's held in the main dining room on Majesty. We are concerned about being in a noisy area and not being able to hear the chef and sommelier. Can you tell us about how the location was for you?

 

Thanks,

 

D and T

Chef’s Table was held in a small room closed off from the MDR. It was very quiet, no problem hearing the chef or sommelier. The table took up most of the room, we had five couples seated and I don’t think they could have fit anymore in.😀

Sherri😊

Thanks for the feedback.

Chef’s Table was held in a small room closed off from the MDR. It was very quiet, no problem hearing the chef or sommelier. The table took up most of the room, we had five couples seated and I don’t think they could have fit anymore in.😀

 

Sherri😊

Thanks, that sounds just right for us!

Where is the Diamond Lounge located on this ship. I was on her last May and I can not remember. Getting old.

Where is the Diamond Lounge located on this ship. I was on her last May and I can not remember. Getting old.

There is no actual Diamond lounge. It's a roped off area in the VCL.

If the "hot tub" is full of adults, someone should have said, "kids...it's full, you'll have to wait your turn".