Norwegian Majesty Review, 02-05-2005 to 02-12-2005

[Mikey8Ohio]

After reading the great review by Salty Dingo, I will add my thoughts about the same sailing from perhaps a slightly different perspective. Of course, any day spent on a cruise is far and away better than a day at work, so please do not assume that I am complaining about anything. I am simply offering my view of a week aboard the Norwegian Majesty.

 

The Drive

I felt that 750 miles could be negotiated in one drive, and calculated that it would take about 12 hours to complete. Accordingly, I made a reservation at the Howard Johnsons hotel in Charleston for Friday evening. They offered a “Cruise Special” that included free breakfast, and free parking for the week of the cruise. With this in mind, I set the alarm for 3:00 AM Friday morning and tried to get some sleep before the journey. On the road at 4:00 AM, it was a bit of a struggle to stay awake until sunrise. Strong coffee and Dean Martin songs saved the day, and the only other complaint was the fog through some of the mountains and winding roads of West Virginia.

 

The Hotel

This hotel has seen some better days, but provided what it promised; a large bed with a TV and a location close to the pier. The room was basically clean, though the bathroom looked like it only got a quick touchup. Some joker set the alarm clock in the next room to go off at 11:00 PM, and it rang until I called the desk to ask for someone to turn it off. They did so promptly, and I was able to go back to sleep. At 1:30 AM the phone rang, and the desk clerk said that someone was complaining about the noise coming from our room. I answered that I found the complaint hard to believe since we were sleeping, with no TV or radio in use. She apologized after I insisted that we were making no noise, and once again I went to sleep. The day dawned bright and sunny, and we proceeded to the dining room for our free breakfast. The buffet was “truck stop quality” with scrambled eggs, bacon, grits, hash browns and biscuits and gravy. Overall, at $59.00 plus tax, it was worth the money.

 

Embarking on our adventure

A taxi took us and another couple to the pier, even though the driver kept ruminating that it was probably too early to do anything but wait. As he approached the main gate, a police officer confirmed his suspicions, and directed him to a back entrance. Out of the cab, we dragged the luggage down a dirt road to a check in area, where a luggage handler took our bags. After some pointed exclamations and comments about how much my girlfriend had jammed into one bag, he extended his hand for compensation. We had 4 bags, so I offered $3.00 and he seemed satisfied. Next we got onto a minibus to await a ride to the terminal. Once there, it was a breeze. It turned out that we were the first bus to arrive, so there was no possibility of waiting. We walked to a check in attendant, and after a few minutes of checking in and checking documents, we were issued our keycards and directed to the gangway. As luck would have it, we were the very first to board the ship, and entered the greeting area with a full complement of ships crew smiling at us. Quite an experience!! After everyone welcomed us aboard, we were escorted to our cabin.

 

The Stateroom

We opted for a superior outside stateroom, and were awarded room 474. The room was very clean, with a mat on the foot of the bed to put the luggage on once it arrived. The furniture was scuffed and scratched, and was showing its wear and tear, but uniformly clean and functional. The TV was a very small affair, but it did have A/V inputs in the rear. There was a refrigerator in a cabinet below the TV, and a safe in the top drawer in the center closet. The closets were most adequate, though the life vests took up most of the room on the top shelves. The reading lamps were designed for use with the beds in the “single” configuration, and were basically useless with the beds pushed together in the center of the room. The window was nice and large, but somewhat dirty on the outside and never cleaned during our voyage. I found the bed to be very comfortable, but the pillows were of the foam variety that I don’t personally prefer. Again, however, minor complaints, and easily overcome and forgotten. The bathroom was excellently designed, and though very small, was fabulously functional. I am a rather large man, 6’4” and over 250 pounds and was able to easily use all of the facilities. I especially liked the shower with the removable wand. Never had a plumbing or sewage problem, and never smelled anything bad the entire cruise. Eva was our attendant, and she was efficient and unobtrusive. She always had a friendly smile and pleasant conversation whenever we passed her in the hall. The bags easily fit under the bed, and the drawer space (4 each on the night stands, 1 in the desk, 4 in the closet, and one cupboard beside the refrigerator) was more than anyone would need. Overall, the room was perfectly fine and comfortable, clean and more than sufficient for our needs.

 

The Service

Outstanding, excellent, exquisite, fabulous. In EVERY case, with no exceptions, the crew was uniformly pleasant, helpful, eager to please, and a delight to be around. This included any maintenance workers or officers who happened to be walking by. Everyone offered a pleasant greeting, always with a bright smile, and any request was soon complied with. Every waiter that served us, in the main dining rooms, made an effort to make that meal the best one we would have on the ship. The staff at Le Bistro, however, took it up several notches. We were lucky enough to have Grace as our server, and absolutely loved her and the quality of her service. She became a regular “joker” with me whenever we would see her on the ship, and always had a bright beautiful smile on her face. The staff at the Pasta Café were also in this superior group of servers. They did everything they could to make sure that this small intimate dining spot was a highlight of everyone’s cruise. The roaming drink waiters in the casino and showrooms were efficient without being overbearing. If you were not interested in something, they would smile, and leave you alone unless you called them back. The other waiters somehow seemed to know if you were not interested and I was surprised that I never had to repeat the “No thanks, not right now” reply. The waiters made an effort to remember the customers, and a familiar face would ask if I wished a gin Martini, straight up. I truly appreciated the fantastic service that we received from everyone on board the entire week.

 

The Food

For me, the food fell into four basic categories. They are detailed below:

Main Dining Rooms: The presentation was always excellent, with a lot of thought going into the design of each dish. It was always served hot, and any steak was always cooked exactly to order. The quality, however, was not what I had hoped for. Nothing was bad, but nothing was excellent either. The soups were pretty uniformly excellent, especially the cold ones (according to my girlfriend..). The portions were pretty small, especially the appetizers. Now, understand, I usually ordered so much that I was stuffed even with the smaller portions, and maybe that is by design, but no matter, the crostini and bruschetta breads were the size of fifty cent pieces. Again, nothing was bad, just minor problems; overcooked lobster and shrimp, overly salty French fries, food that seemed to have been under a hot lamp a bit too long. I freely admit to being a gourmet, and somewhat of a food snob, so please take that into consideration when reading this.

Buffet: I did not partake in many meals in the buffet, preferring to be waited on hand and foot in the main rooms; however, I did make a couple of trips through the lines for breakfast and lunch. Other than the omelet station and crepe station, the rest of the items were uninspiring. The bacon was greasy and stuck together in the tray, the sausages were a bit overdone, the potatoes were ordinary. There was always a nice assortment of breads (always excellent!!) some cold cuts, and lox, salmon and herring for fans of those items. Lunch items were slightly above average, with some of the pork and seafood items actually pretty good. The salad bar items were fresh and crisp, and the dressings were all good. There was always a theme to the foods, and the ones I tried were not too bad. The outside buffets offered “Indian style food” and “Mexican style food” the two times I went up there. The Mexican looked fair, with tacos and tortillas available to wrap around a variety of meats. I never went upstairs for dinner, so I will omit any comment about those meals.

Miscellaneous: The San Marcos Grill at the rear of the ship offered hamburgers, pizza, hotdogs, chicken fillet sandwiches and fries all day long. There was also a salad bar there, and usually a couple of pasta salads as well. The burgers and pizza were always very good, and the fries were cooked perfectly as well. This was a nice spot to grab a quick snack, though it was always very windy back there, even in port. On the first day I visited, my French fries blew away and hit someone at the next table. I guess he realized what happened and that I was not being a wise guy. Room service would be okay in a pinch, but I wouldn’t want to live on the variety and quality of food they bring. We only used it once, so maybe I got a bad day, but it was not a highlight of the trip. The big barbecue that was set up upon leaving Grand Cayman was excellent. The ribs were succulent, the chicken wings superb, and the accompaniments great. The Chocoholic buffet, sadly was missed by us as we fell asleep waiting for it to begin. I know, I know, use an alarm clock for something that important, but what can I say, I blew it.

Specialty Restaurants: Le Bistro is as good as dining gets. I have eaten in many gourmet restaurants, in many different cities, states and countries, and this place ranks right up there with the best of them. The food was beautifully presented, cooked to order and preference rather than mass prepared. The escargots are not to be missed. The perfect blend of garlic, butter and cheese came together to make this a real taste treat. I chose the “Surf & Turf” for my entrée, the additional $5.00 charge seemed reasonable enough to me. The lobster was cooked perfectly and melted in my mouth. The filet mignon with fois gras and truffle was magnificent. The steak was perfectly cooked, and the combination of flavors from the demi glace, fois gras and truffle were a match made in heaven. My girlfriend tried the chicken breast with prawn mousse and wild rice. She loved it, and proclaimed it to be one of her favorites. I couldn’t risk trying a bite and not be able to eat something on my plate, so I declined. She also ordered the Chocolate fondue and fell in love with chocolate all over again. I have never seen such looks of pleasure on her face, and frankly, it began to worry me. This item is served with a variety of fruit pieces in a pineapple boat and a vat of deep rich gooey chocolate. What is not to love??? We enjoyed this meal so much, that against our plans, we ate there again two nights later. Again, every bit as good, though this time I didn’t get the lobster. The nicoise tuna salad is another standout item on the menu. The Pasta Café offers two different items every night, and at our visit, had tortellini with cream sauce, and spaghetti carbonara. I make a pretty good carbonara, so I was interested in tasting their version. I also wanted the tortellini, so to resolve this dilemma, our server suggested having both. The chef prepares the items to order in a corner of the room, so everything is fresh and delightful. Overall, I give very high marks to the Majesty in the category of Specialty Restaurants.

 

On Board Activities: I am easily satisfied while onboard a cruise, I frankly don’t care if there are no activities, no ports of call and no entertainment. As long as I can go outside, watch TV and visit the restaurants, the rest is all just gravy for me. Having said this, I must admit that there were many times when a few more activities could have been scheduled. The game shows were poorly attended by the passengers, and maybe this contributed to the lack of “free” entertainment. Bingo was much advertised, and other than the aforementioned game shows, a lot of time was left empty. We made it a point to take part in as many activities that we could between meals and naps, and had a great time at all of them. We won a few trinket prizes for our efforts, and had fun getting to know our fellow passengers. The karaoke nights were great fun, but again, not well attended. It ended up being a select few passengers and the host doing most of the singing. Still, overall, no complaints, we spent some time in the library playing cards and enjoyed that as well.

 

Entertainment: The shows we attended were all excellent. Rudi Macaggi is a genius and should not be missed. He is remarkably talented, a gifted athlete and a very funny man. You will always remember “I LIKE you” once you have seen his show. His pre-show antics, acting as an usher was also a very funny routine. If I had even half of his energy, I would never be tired again as long as I live. Ted Holcum, the traditional comedian, was also a very funny guy. He has kind of a “Seinfeld” like humor, making observations about things going on around him. The dancers, singers and production company folks were very good at what they do. The shows we saw were executed flawlessly, and even on a moving ship, I didn’t see any missteps. The singers were fine, and the girls pretty, what more could you ask for? Sonny Rose, the “Mafioso” style singer was a real treat. You kind of expected to see him sitting with Tony Soprano and Paulie between sets, but as a singer he was excellent. He has a great voice, and a charming style that lets you know he is there to entertain you. Overall, the entertainment was top-notch and very enjoyable.

 

The Ports: I will not have much to say here, I am posting a review of Paradise Beach on the Cozumel board, and we did not do much in Grand Cayman or Key West. We had been to each of these ports before, and found what we expected in each of them.

 

The Sad Return: I hate luggage tags. I hate the debarkation briefing. I hate the thank you letter. I hate the comment cards. All of these things mean that my week in paradise is about to end and I just don’t like it. Post Cruise Depression Syndrome begins to set in and I will be unpleasant for about a week. The system for debarking is pretty similar to that of all cruise ships, with one exception. Norwegian offers an “Express Debarkation” that allows you to leave before anyone else if you are willing to carry all of your luggage yourself. Obviously with my girlfriend’s tendencies toward overpacking, this was not a viable option for us. As such, with no NCL travel arrangements, we were assigned yellow tags, which were one of the last to be called. Coupled with a late arrival (due to some strong headwinds) we did not get off the ship until 10:30 AM. Once through customs, we dragged our bags to the curb where it was a bit difficult to find a taxi. A lot of shuttles to the airport were available, but they had no interest in going anywhere else. When we saw a taxi, we flagged him down, and he said he would be happy to take us to the HoJos. I found it interesting that his price was almost double that of his counterpart who brought us to the pier, I didn’t feel like I was in a position to bargain. We ended up sharing the cab with another couple, and the lady kept up a running dialogue of complaints about the fact that we were going to our hotel first and about the price. Well, if you are reading this, whiny lady, “You’re welcome!! We could have refused to share with you. After all, I got the taxi first!!” Once we got to the hotel, it was just a few minutes of loading the car, and we were on our way back to the real world.

 

Conclusion: As with every cruise I have been on, (with the exception of a non-luxury trip aboard the USS Kitty Hawk while in the Navy) I had a magnificent time. I don’t know that I will cruise with Norwegian again, but I would not hesitate to recommend it to someone else. I think I prefer the assigned seating for meals to the freestyle concept. I place a lot of importance on the food, and I think this contributes to my decision. However, I still had a fabulous time; I have no regrets, and am very sorry to be back on dry land. Please feel free to ask any questions, I will be delighted to elucidate any points not covered.

[LenaDaLlama]

Wow, you were quick to get your review done!! And now I have to go find Salty's....it will be a day or two before mine is done, which will be slightly different....may not even bother, actually!! Had way too much to do with my children and animals when I got home....We were very happy to be home and I wouldn't sail on the Majesty in February ever again....sorta like a "nursing home" atmosphere!! sorry

[Mikey8Ohio]

Hi Lena,

 

I just had to laugh at your comment. I don't disagree with you, and completely understand what you are saying. I probably should have included it in my review. I think I saw just about every style and type of walker, motorized cart and cane known to man. It was definitely an older crowd, maybe that was why there was such little participation in the games and such. Also, I think they must have offered a discount to anyone from the South, for the first time in my life I felt like I had an accent. Oh well, sorry you didn't enjoy the trip; maybe your next one will be better.

[BooBooMonkey]

Hi Mikey. Thanks for the review! We are very much looking forward to our cruise on March 12th. We're driving from Columbus. Did you end up having the expected 12 hour drive? Mapquest said like 11 hours from here, but you never can be sure. Any major construction or anything? What about highway tolls?

I like the idea of the HoJo. Is it close to the historical attractions? How much was the taxi fare?

 

Glad you had fun! We can't wait. I packed my clothes yesterday already! All stuff too summery to wear here any time soon!

 

Chantal

[DLH]

Even though the cabby said that you were too early you seemed to get on the ship without any trouble. What time did you arrive at the pier for embarkation?

[salty dingo]

Great review! I agree with all your comments. I forgot to mention in my review that the sunflower seed bread was the best bread I have ever had. It was served at lunch one day, perfectly fresh, and I looked for more the rest of the cruise without success. Overall, the breads were fresh at first but less so as the week went by. I wonder if they bake all at once and not every day?

 

The chocoholic buffet was the one late-night event I did make, though by myself after a good run in the casino. I picked out a plate of morsels and woke Kathy up to enjoy them with me. They were dipping strawberries in white and dark chocolate, and had an incredible assortment of sweets. It was a lot of fun just to see.

 

The pistachio ice cream was good also, and I had a year's worth of good desserts that week!

[Mikey8Ohio]

Thanks for the kind words everyone. Salty, your review was also excellent, and I agreed with everything you had to say as well. I forgot about the sunflower bread, yes it was great. Also the pistachio ice cream; the coffee ice cream was also very good.

 

DLH: We left the hotel at 11:00 AM and arrived at the pier at about 11:15 AM. You are correct, we had no problems getting onboard, however, due to the ship's late arrival on our return, I expect the folks that boarded yesterday did not have the same good luck. As we were leaving, there were still a lot of people waiting to be called to disembark. I guess it depends on what time the ship arrives in port.

 

BooBoo, Yes, the drive was more like 12 and a half hours. At about 10:30 PM last night I wished I lived in Columbus. There were a few areas of construction, but nothing that delayed us any measurable time. A couple of times you had to slow down to 55 for a mile or two. There are three toll booths on the West Virginia Turnpike, at $1.25 each. Also two tunnels as you enter Virginia (but no charge for these). The HoJos worked out well for us, but be aware, it is not a 5 or even 4 star hotel. It was perfect for what we wanted, and I have no real complaints. The car was safe and sound when we returned, I understand that the police station is right next door, perhaps a bit of a deterent. I didn't ask about proximity to historical attractions, I was more interested in getting some much needed sleep. The taxi to the pier was $5.00 for each couple (another couple came with us) and on the return trip it was $10.00. I was tempted to mention the disparity to the driver, but it was a seller's market, no other cabs in sight. I wish you both a most happy and pleasant cruise, I know you will have a ball!!!

[tallblonde]

**LOL**

Seriously, Hubby had a great time - was in Cabin 462 - (outside) - and can't say enough good things about his cruise. We've both been on the Majesty several times (once on one of the Inaugural cruises before it was a part of NCL) and he was very impressed with everything on this cruise. He's a Le Bistro diner as well and ate there twice - dining rooms the rest of the evenings and even enjoyed the "rock and roll" on Friday!

 

For those going on upcoming cruises and travelling by car - I drove him to the cruise terminal and we got there about 11:20am and sat in traffic about 10 minutes - Kudos again to Absolutely Charleston (special hello to Bobby Sullivan !!) and the embarkation process - Hubby says it was flawless and quick.

 

Now - if only I didn't have to watch his video over...and over...and over....*LOL*

[LenaDaLlama]

Mike....

 

Oh don't get me wrong we still had a very good time!! I felt sorry for one lady and her hubby in the wheelchair....I got to the point where I was watching for her so I could help her get him into their cabin....All those little humps in floor...she must have been exhausted at night....

 

We had absolutely no trouble boarding the ship...arrived at the airport at 10:20...hired a van at $10 each....and we were driven right up to the gate....unloaded and tagged our luggage and boarded a shuttle bus around a little block right to the ship...there was no line...(they found my bottle, which they took and brought back to me Friday nite, lol)....and it was about a 15 wait in the line to get our key card and on board we went.....hassle free...

 

whew Friday the ship definitely rocked and rolled....seriously you couldn't hardly walk...the gift shops had the shelves taped up!!

[wackes1]

hi great review my wife and myself are taking the majesty on the 16th of april for the upcoming repo cruise for 15 nights we are looking forward to it your review as very helpful thanks a lot

[TheBadSeed]

thanks for all of the good info. do they have a movie theater on board?

[Mikey8Ohio]

Hello Seed,

The ship does not have a movie theatre per se onboard, however, I did notice that a couple of times while inport they did show movies in the Palace Theatre. Otherwise, two channels on the TV were dedicated to movies each day. All were fairly recent and shown without commercial interruption.

[beachnut]

Mike,

 

Thanks for the great review. We are sailing on the Majesty on April 16th and since this is our first cruise on NCL, were wondering what we were in store for. We are really looking forward to setting sail, the days just don't go by fast enough when one is waiting.

[cruisin2000]

Check out the roll call thread about the Majesty Repo cruise on 4/16 and meet some of your fellow cruisers.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=64003

[funbobbymucha]

RE: no movie theater on the Majesty--yeah, they do show movies on the two tv channels, but we observed that the movies would often stop mid-way, change to another movie without warning, etc. Very weird in that regard, but if you are going on the Majesty to watch TV, do me a favor and come house-sit, I'll take the cruise for you.

[SCDockman]

Great review !

Interestingly, we were on the same cruise and I share a lot of the opinions. I ate at the Bistro twice as you did and reading "Grace" brought her smiling face to mind. She asked our neighbor what he wanted for dessert. "Nothing" was his one-word reply. When we all got our desserts, Grace brought back a plate with "Nothing" written out in chocolate. THAT made him laugh. I agree about the escargots being the best I ever had. I ordered them in one of the two main restaurants a few days later and they just were not the same. The six at our table agreed the Bistro dinner was the best meal we ever had for the food and atmosphere combination. Once we found the omelette bar by the pool, we went there every day for breakfast. I agree with another poster that the age of the crowd was a cause for the low game turnout. I was "drafted" to be in the "Weakest Link" contest (and won!) after the cruise line woman threatened to cancel it if no one entered. If you had attended the chocolate affair, you would have seen some SERIOUS participation by the older crowd. They literally pushed us out of the way to get to the door when it opened. Concerning Rudi, I agree that he was amazing. How in the WORLD did he do jumping, one-arm handstands; WHILE telling jokes while the ship was rolling like that? It would be worth telling others to bring an alarm clock. I forgot about that. We nearly missed an excursion when the wake-up call service didn't work (twice).

[CRUISERG]

Where can i find saltydog's review?