NCL Sky vs RCL Majesty ?

[steviek49]

I"M in the final stages of booking a 4 day Bahamas cruise out of Miami.

Our family of 4 have done 8 cruises, so far, 4 with NCL, 2 w/ Carnival and one each with Princess and HAL.

We had a great time on all 8 cruises. I liked HAL's current Westerdam alot but kids (then ages 17 and 14) found it a bit too tame. My two girls are now 21 and 18 (young adults).

The 3 ships that go out during 2011 easter break (April) are Carnival's Imagination, RCL Majesty of the Seas and NCL Sky.

I ruled out Imagination because we cruised her before (1997) when she was less than 2 years old.

So it's between RCL Majesty and NCL Sky.

Each 4 day cruise itineray has it's private island and Nassau. Port times are alittle better on Sky in Nassau (8am-6pm vs 1pm till midnight RCL)

RCL has Key West from 7am-3pm while SKy has Grand Bahama from 8am to 5pm.

A peice of me wants to try RCL but I know that Majesty is one of her oldest ships and people would say don't judge the cruiseline by her (no promenade, no ice rink, no surfboarding etc).

We tend to like NCL because of freestyle and have cruised on Crown (no freestyle) Dawn, Spirit and Gem).

Does NCL or RCL have a day at Atlantis (w/ use of slides, pools, beach)? If so- does anyone know the cost per person?

Thank, as always, for any assistance.

[Mr. Luckytoo]

Hey I've one the Sky twice in the past 18 months and twice on RCCL's sister ship Monarch as well.

 

Comparing ship to ship - I preferred the RCCL. The buffet on the SKY is just a cluster**** at times.

 

RCCL has anytime dining - pretty much the same as Freestyle

 

the BIGGEST plus is Key West over Grand Bahama.

 

Also Majesty has a Johnny Rockets - love that place.

 

Also disclaimer I'm doing the Majesty myself in November so...

 

NCL Sky - Bigger than RCCL but not my fav NCL ship.

 

Have a great time!

[rjm11]

I have been on both and preferred the Sky. I thought there was more to do on the ship, and I loved that there were so many choices for restaurants (we like specialty restaurants). I also love freestyle.... especially on a short cruise I prefer to eat with just my family, whenever I want.

 

Another big factor for me was the balcony cabins.... we typically sail in a balcony and the only ones available on the Majesty are suites. I just thought that the overall feel on the Majesty was much older, quieter.... the Sky was more fun (we are in our 30s).

 

Both private islands are nice.... RCCLs has more to do, but that's changing. Great Stirrup Cay (NCL's) is being renovated so it should have a few more amenities by the time you go. I thought the swimming/snorkeling area on GSC was nicer than RCCL's island... more soft sand whereas RCCL's was rockier.

 

I'm sure you'll have a great cruise regardless of what you choose!

[horseymike]

If you want to go to Atlantis (especially the waterpark) the Sky may work better for you.:D

[Hunwolf]

RCCL definitely offers the Atlantis excursion. We did it last year on the Monarch. It's expensive though. Off the top of my head...I believe it was about $130 per person. Having said that...it was by far the highlight of the trip for our daughter.

 

As the Sky will be in port earlier that might be a consideration...but we really enjoyed the Majesty's sister ship (Monarch). Easy to get around and big enough to have really what you want. The only downside with the Sovereign Class ships is that the cabins are SMALL!

[asylum575]

We've been on both and we had a great time on the Sky last August.

 

With pricing being equal, we would lean towards the Monarch. We are Platinum on RCCl, but more importantly is the Key West stop. It's one of our favorite stops.

 

The Monarch may be older, but she is very well cared for. Sky received a dry dock renovation last year.

 

I don't think you can go wrong on either. We were in the Inspiration's sister ship, Fascination. It was OK, it would be my third choice.

 

We have a great time on all our cruises, we refuse to let little things ruin family vacations.

[buffy9678]

I'm also between the same two ships for a 4-night Bahamas in December. Anyone have an opinion on which ship is better for an almost-2-year old? I'm not looking for babysitting services, rather family activities and port fun. The grandparents will also be with us, so I'm looking for something of interest to a toddler, early-30s and 60 y.o. I am leaning toward Sky b/c of the Bahama port time and freestyle dining. I've sailed RC in the past, pre-baby, and loved it (Navigator). :) thanks.

[steviek49]

RCCL definitely offers the Atlantis excursion. We did it last year on the Monarch. It's expensive though. Off the top of my head...I believe it was about $130 per person. Having said that...it was by far the highlight of the trip for our daughter.

 

As the Sky will be in port earlier that might be a consideration...but we really enjoyed the Majesty's sister ship (Monarch). Easy to get around and big enough to have really what you want. The only downside with the Sovereign Class ships is that the cabins are SMALL!

 

Thanks for the information.

Although I also prefer Key West over Freeport, I'm more interested in going to Atlantis with my family. We've been there before (2X) and love it.

Also I was able to lower my price on the Sky considerably since I first posted this thread so NCL is now about $600 less for 2 cabins for my family.

Sky's time in port (nassau) is better than RCL as far as enjoying a day of fun in the sun.

I was able to book Comfort Suites for the day @$225 + tax for the 4 of us.

Does anyone know what the Atlantis excursion cost per adult?

If it's about the $130 pp that you estimate then I'll be paying about $520 for the 4 of us vs about $300 by booking Comfort Suites.

I assume that the $130 pp price includes all slides/waterpark and beaches as well as digs.

Thanks for any and all information

[leslierx]

The Atlantis Aquapark excursion is posted on ncl's website and is $149 per person. Comfort Suites is a way better deal! We are going the week between Christmas and New Years and Comfort Suites and Atlantis has a 5 night min to rent a room or we would be doing the same thing. We are just going to take a cab to Atlantis (alot quicker and easier than bus or ferry) and will walk around and possibly buy an aquapark pass $110 from Atlantis, if available for those in our group that want to use pools/waterslides. We have been twice before and just walked around, went to casino and checked out the hotel/grounds etc.. It is beautifull!

[kitty1]

We are loyal Royals (platinum) who went on our first NCL cruise on the Sky last week. We have been on RCI Majesty of the Seas twice in the past. The Sky is a newer ship and the cabins are bigger than on Majesty. We thought the overall appearance of the Sky was better (maybe because it is not as old and the cabins were bigger?). We could walk around the bed on the Sky, on the Majesty we could not. Don't get us wrong.... We had a great time on the Majesty too.

 

The entertainment on both ships was about the same. We thought that the Majesty seems smokey in many of the public areas. We did not notice that on the Sky.

 

We thought Coco Cay was better than Grand Stirrup Cay (at least as of now.... NCL is putting a lot of money into renovating it). The swimming area at Coco Cay is rockier, but the snorkeling was better at Coco Cay than GSC. The beach area at GSC is sandy, and smooth. GSC has a lot of construction going on for improvements, and the island is much larger than Coco Cay, but the beach is limited to the front part of the island. Coco Cay has a nice beach areas on both sides of the island. There are more activities on Coco Cay, but that may change after the improvements on GSC. The BBQ lunch setup was similar on the two islands.

 

We liked the freestyle dining concept because we were a large group of 9 and were able to switch it up and go to dinner when ever we felt like it. We have not tried the My Time Dining on RCI yet.

 

We were disappointed with the dinner service in the MDR on the Sky. They did not seem to be as attentive as RCI. The water glasses were empty during dinner and it took forever to get them filled or to order a second round of drinks. We have never experienced that before on a cruise. The first night we thought it was a fluke, but it happened each night. We even switched dining rooms later in the cruise and had the same experience with the dinner service (especially the drink server). The first night our server never even introduced herself to us, she just handed us the menu and took our order. At least the other nights, the server introduced themselves before they started. Was this due to the DSC??? It just seemed like they were getting tipped no matter what so they didn't care. The food for dinner in the MDR was about the same as what we've experienced on RCI. However, there was a lack of variety at the Garden Cafe and outdoor grill for lunch. Seemed like they had the same selections for lunch every day. It would have been nice to have some variety for lunch.

 

We didn't let this deter us from enjoying our cruise and we had a great time. The price of the 4 night on the Sky was much less than what the Majesty cost for the same time period. Overall, for the price we paid the Sky was a great value.

 

Before we went on the Sky, I read the reviews and the pros and cons and RCI Majesty vs. Sky. I did not let that sway my decision, or ruin my vacation. You have to take the reviews with a grain of salt because people have different expectations and some things bother some people that might not bother you. One of the things I read about before we went was the dinner service, so I was prepared when it happened to us, and we just went with the flow and tried not to let it bother us.

[steviek49]

We are loyal Royals (platinum) who went on our first NCL cruise on the Sky last week. We have been on RCI Majesty of the Seas twice in the past. The Sky is a newer ship and the cabins are bigger than on Majesty. We thought the overall appearance of the Sky was better (maybe because it is not as old and the cabins were bigger?). We could walk around the bed on the Sky, on the Majesty we could not. Don't get us wrong.... We had a great time on the Majesty too.

 

The entertainment on both ships was about the same. We thought that the Majesty seems smokey in many of the public areas. We did not notice that on the Sky.

 

We thought Coco Cay was better than Grand Stirrup Cay (at least as of now.... NCL is putting a lot of money into renovating it). The swimming area at Coco Cay is rockier, but the snorkeling was better at Coco Cay than GSC. The beach area at GSC is sandy, and smooth. GSC has a lot of construction going on for improvements, and the island is much larger than Coco Cay, but the beach is limited to the front part of the island. Coco Cay has a nice beach areas on both sides of the island. There are more activities on Coco Cay, but that may change after the improvements on GSC. The BBQ lunch setup was similar on the two islands.

 

We liked the freestyle dining concept because we were a large group of 9 and were able to switch it up and go to dinner when ever we felt like it. We have not tried the My Time Dining on RCI yet.

 

We were disappointed with the dinner service in the MDR on the Sky. They did not seem to be as attentive as RCI. The water glasses were empty during dinner and it took forever to get them filled or to order a second round of drinks. We have never experienced that before on a cruise. The first night we thought it was a fluke, but it happened each night. We even switched dining rooms later in the cruise and had the same experience with the dinner service (especially the drink server). The first night our server never even introduced herself to us, she just handed us the menu and took our order. At least the other nights, the server introduced themselves before they started. Was this due to the DSC??? It just seemed like they were getting tipped no matter what so they didn't care. The food for dinner in the MDR was about the same as what we've experienced on RCI. However, there was a lack of variety at the Garden Cafe and outdoor grill for lunch. Seemed like they had the same selections for lunch every day. It would have been nice to have some variety for lunch.

 

We didn't let this deter us from enjoying our cruise and we had a great time. The price of the 4 night on the Sky was much less than what the Majesty cost for the same time period. Overall, for the price we paid the Sky was a great value.

 

Before we went on the Sky, I read the reviews and the pros and cons and RCI Majesty vs. Sky. I did not let that sway my decision, or ruin my vacation. You have to take the reviews with a grain of salt because people have different expectations and some things bother some people that might not bother you. One of the things I read about before we went was the dinner service, so I was prepared when it happened to us, and we just went with the flow and tried not to let it bother us.

Thank you Kitty for your information!

In sum, we decided to cruise on NCL Sky instead of Majesty mostly due to $$.

After shopping both ships for the Easter break in April, 2011, I was able to get two inside cabins on Sky for my family of 4 for almost $700 less than Majesty.

Cabin size on Sky was a very small 122 sq ft but Majesty was 119 sq ft.

I would have loved to visited Key West instead of Freport but not for $700 more.

I figure Coco Cay and GSC to be about the same and the port time at Nassau was better on Sky (8am-6pm) than Majesty (1pm till midnight) especially since we booked Comfort Suites for a day at Atlantis with the slides/pools/beach and digs.

I guess I will try RCI at a different time.

Funny, I've been waniing to try RCI for a while now but it always seems to be priced considerably higher than the competition- at least on the weeks I've tried.

[DiverDude305]

Having been on both - Sky is a vastly superior ship.

 

Majesty simply feels old and musty compared to the Sky.

[kitty1]

The overall appearance of the ship was much better on the Sky than the Majesty. There are also several specialty restaurants (additional fee required) to choose from for different dining options.

 

We had an OV room and were able to walk around the bed and had a small sitting area (1 chair that was a pull out bed). On the Majesty, I had to climb over my husband to get in and out of bed, we had no safe and no mini bar (just an ice bucket). The SKY had a safe and a mini bar and the bathroom was not as cramped as the one on the Majesty.

 

We had a great time on both ships.... that's all that counts.

[newmexicoNita]

I would have to say the Sky hands down. Of all our cruises, I think the worst ship was the Majesty of the Sea. Well no, actually the worst was the Chandris (spelling) ships, but in moderan day, The Majesty just wasn't a good match for hubby.

 

Nita

[charrox10]

Wow we are doing the same cruise for the 2011 spring recess. It is about 25+ of us.It is our first cruise. So very glad you posted this to see the reviews. I will definitely tell my family and friends who are going with us about the comfort suite deal.

[SnootieTootie]

DH and I did back to back cruises on the RCL Majesty. I believe we did a 5 day and a 4 day if memory serves e correctly.

 

I must say, we couldn't wait to get off.

 

It just wasn't for us either.

[DiverDude305]

DH and I did back to back cruises on the RCL Majesty. I believe we did a 5 day and a 4 day if memory serves e correctly.

 

I must say, we couldn't wait to get off.

 

It just wasn't for us either.

 

Was it the soggy carpeting? :p

[steviek49]

Wow we are doing the same cruise for the 2011 spring recess. It is about 25+ of us.It is our first cruise. So very glad you posted this to see the reviews. I will definitely tell my family and friends who are going with us about the comfort suite deal.

 

Yes, it's a good deal if you have a group of 4 or more.

Comfort Suites allows you to book 4 per room so if it costs $149pp for Atlantis through ship excursion you can save quite a bit of money. I booked at $225 + taxes and fees (around $300 total for the 4 of us or half price) Just grab a cab to Comfort suites as soon as you get off the ship. It's like a 10-15 minute ride.

Go to the front desk and sign in. They probably will not have a room for you yet but they will register you and will give you papers you need to get your bracelet at Atlantis which is directly across the street. Get your bracelet and your towels and you are set for an amazing day. If you want to shower before heading back to the ship, I'm sure your room will be available by 3pm.