“It’s Been a Lovely Cruise!” Majesty of the Seas 4-Nt Bahamas Review & Pics May 6 '13

[LuckiStac13*Majesty*]

Thank you so very much for your commentary and especially the pics of Majesty of the Seas----she was the first shp we tried with Royal and we are now officially "Royal Rules !" fans. The crew was great and when a number of them transferred over to Monarch, we followed them there with a "surprise, we're here".

 

Loved the pics of Key West especially since we use to live in Philly and spent every Memorial Week, either on Majesty for a day or the entire week at at guest house on Fleming Street, it was tradition. Heaven forbid they gave our room to someone else or our regular cabin on Majesty :mad:.

 

Glad to hear you all had a good time.

 

You are welcome, it is my pleasure.

 

I know, how very rude of them to sell your cabin/house to someone else. Ha!

[LuckiStac13*Majesty*]

Hi, hope everyone is enjoying their weekend. Sorry for the delay, I had a game on Friday night and was busy doing yard work all day yesterday. It’s been a nice weekend, very warm here!

 

OB-you have me hooked on the Chesney CD. Great one.

 

Okay, our Ft. Lauderdale stay...

 

We grabbed our rental car at the Ft. Lauderdale Airport and headed to our hotel, the Bahia Mar on Seabreeze Blvd. in Ft. Lauderdale Beach. We chose this hotel for its location and proximity to the beach. We have stayed at many places in FLL and this is now one of our favorites.

 

I have been to the area many times so I knew where I was going. The Bahia Mar took us about 10 minutes to reach from the airport, quick and easy with only one turn the entire way. It is right across from the beach and houses a walkway over to the beach so you don't have to cross the super busy street.

 

We drove up to the front doors and they immediately helped us with our luggage and a bellman came over with a luggage cart. We were led inside (we chose to do Valet parking which was $21 a day-regular parking is $21/day) to check in but were expecting to wait for a room as it was very early (10-ish). We were pleased to be given a room right away in the building across the drive from the main hotel. I didn't spend much time in the Main Hotel Lobby but they did have a nice restaurant, bar, and store/gift shop right there.

 

We were escorted, with the luggage cart, across the drive where we went in to find a small lobby, and took the elevators up to Floor #2. Our room was #205 and very nice--kind of small, but nice. We had a GREAT view out of our window which overlooked the marina (Bahia Cabana was right across the marina) where we were able to watch several pelicans in the water. The only disappointment was that there was no balcony (I missed the RFS), but it was fine for 2 nights. The room had a fridge, a microwave, a safe and a coffee maker. We got settled and were hungry so we headed out for lunch.

 

Some initial shots of the Bahia Mar:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The walkway from the pool to the beach:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[LuckiStac13*Majesty*]

We have eaten at so many places in Ft. Lauderdale, but we weren't sure where we wanted to go. All 3 of us wanted to go in different directions. My dad told me to make a left leaving the hotel and I knew where he wanted to go--Lauderdale By The Sea. If you go right on Seabreeze Blvd, you'll make your way back onto 17th St, over the bridge (Oasis or Allure on your left!!) and again near many restaurants. But we went left so we began traveling right along Ft. Lauderdale Beach. There are many places to eat along the beach there on the way in case you're interested. We decided on (ha) Lauderdale By The Sea (LBTS) and soon we were parking at Anglin's Fishing Pier and being seated for lunch at Aruba Beach Cafe. Took us about 10 minutes to get to LBTS from where we began. It's a straight shot going North on A1A. Aruba Beach Cafe sits directly on the beach so you can dine on the water. Great place with really good food.

 

We had a very good lunch at Aruba and while we were eating, a steel drum player began setting up to play. He was good and we enjoyed him, but for a very short time, as we were done eating and were sitting outside in the hot sun. We left and walked across the road to Scot's, a really neat souvenir shop right there by the pier/water. We really enjoy this place and always get things for our nautical-themed collections. There are a few shops here including some other souvenir shops, a sunglass store, Kilwin's Ice Cream (very good) and a few other restaurants including our favorite for breakfast, The VIllage Grille.

 

Some LBTS shots:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[LuckiStac13*Majesty*]

Aruba Beach Cafe, where we had lunch:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[LuckiStac13*Majesty*]

 

 

 

[Ocean Boy]

!

 

OB-you have me hooked on the Chesney CD. Great one.

 

 

I'm glad. People have such different tastes in music and I always worry that when I make a recommendation that the person won't like it.

[LuckiStac13*Majesty*]

After making a few purchases, we felt tired and hot, so we drove back to the hotel and spent the rest of the day at the pool. I was not expecting the pool area to be as nice as it was, we really liked it. Of course, nothing really beats the Crowne Plaza's pool in Hollywood, but this one was very nice. They had pool towels right there and 2 kinds of ice water, one with lemon and one with cucumbers and strawberries. I'm a big water drinker so I enjoyed that option being there at the pool. There were plenty of lounge chairs and the pool was pretty big and clean and very warm. There is also a nice little bar/grille right at the pool. Food/drinks are quite expensive, but that's nothing new for this area so I was not surprised. We swam, laid out, and relaxed. I missed the Majesty already!! But it was nice to be relaxing and not on a plane going back already.

 

Couple more pics of the pool and the view from the pool area:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[LuckiStac13*Majesty*]

 

 

 

 

 

 

View of the hotel from the Pool/Beach walkway:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For some reason, I took absolutely no pics of our room. Here is the view though, from our windows:

 

 

 

[LuckiStac13*Majesty*]

That evening we decided to go to 15th Street Fisheries, a place we had never been, for dinner. In hindsight, we should have done Pelican Landing at the Hyatt Pier 66 instead. 15th St Fisheries was just okay. I had blackened Mahi which was very good, but the rest of the experience was just okay. Everyone elses food and even my side dishes were just average. It was nice to sit outside on the deck and the atmosphere was nice. We had a great waitress. I probably wouldn't go back, but you never know. I think there are other, better places to eat in the area.

 

After dinner, we drove back over to the beach, parked in the open lot at Las Olas and A1A (we paid around $4), and walked to Beach Place as there is a cool surf shop there that I like to go to. I bought some things to bring home with me, we visited the CVS right there as well, then walked to the Courtyard Ft. Lauderdale Beach for a couple of drinks up on their deck. We do this at least once when we're down there, we like it a lot. They are right across the street from the beach as well with a full ocean-view from their pool/sun deck. They have a nice grille/bar as well there and it's really pretty all lit up at night. We sat up on the deck on some couches with a fire pit in the center. At this hotel, you literally walk down the steps from the sun/pool deck, and you are on A1A/Seabreeze Blvd., just steps from Las Olas and Beach Place. You are right along the beach where all the restaurants and bars are. Absolute perfect location. Bubba Gumps is right underneath the hotel, though the food is just average there, IMO.

 

Some pictures of Ft. Lauderdale Beach:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[LuckiStac13*Majesty*]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[LuckiStac13*Majesty*]

Some earlier pictures of Beach Place:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Courtyard Ft. Lauderdale Beach:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[LuckiStac13*Majesty*]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[LuckiStac13*Majesty*]

We winded our evening down and pretty soon were back at the hotel watching the NBA playoffs. The next morning, we were up early and driving again to LBTS for breakfast at The Village Grille. We had a really nice breakfast outside overlooking the ocean. I highly suggest this place for anyone going to the area and looking for a nice breakfast (or lunch or dinner! place. They are great, very good food, nice service and reasonably priced. They get busy though, so if you go at a peak time, be prepared to wait a bit.

 

We stopped back into Scot's, then headed west on Commercial Blvd to go to the shipping store--we bought too much and wanted to ship most of the souvenirs home. We have done this before here and it really worked out for us. As I was waiting in the car while my parents were shipping things home, it got dark quickly and started to pour. This was the first drop of rain I had really seen all vacation long. We were so lucky with the weather. I was hoping it would clear up though b/c we were going to the beach later.

 

I did clear up, became hot and sunny again and we walked over to the beach using the hotel's walkway from the pool to the beach. We wanted to get 3 loungers and an umbrella, and I was a little surprised to learn that it would cost us $56 for that. I thought that was a bit steep, but paid it. The water was a little rough that day, but we had a great and relaxing time at the beach. We spent about 2 hours, then headed back to the hotel pool where we relaxed for the remainder of the day.

 

Here are shots of the beach:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[LuckiStac13*Majesty*]

Sorry for the duplicate pic up there...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[LuckiStac13*Majesty*]

One of my favorite things about this hotel is a little store/cafe that is attached to the annex part of the hotel that we were staying in. It was right outside the lobby doors to our building. It's called "All About Food" and a really cool place. They have everything in there--any kind of cold drinks you need, beer/wine, snacks, plus many freshly-prepared items such as fresh fruit cups, yogurt parfaits, veggies, salads, hummus, sandwiches, juices, etc. They had homemade ice cream. They also had an area in the back where you could order what you wanted. I saw full breakfasts, sandwiches, burgers, veggie burgers, fries, grilled cheese, etc. etc. They had everything in there and it was very nice and clean. It was very busy, being right across the street from the beach, and we bought several items in there during our stay including snacks that we took with us to beach.

 

Some additional shots of the hotel:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[LuckiStac13*Majesty*]

For our last evening's dinner, we walked to the Oasis Cafe. I had seen this place a million times but never stopped. Kind of wish I hadn't. The location was great, right across from the beach, tables are swings--but food was just not very good and neither was the service. We also had a group of drunk girls near us that were continuously spilling drinks and even flipped the entire table on purpose spilling all the food and drinks everywhere. So that sort of skewed things for us and we left quickly after eating. I would not recommend this place.

 

After dinner, we took a stroll along the beach, and basically went back to back and get ready for our flight home the following day. It was an uneventful flight home and we arrived to about 45 degree weather. Back to reality :(

 

Here are the final shots of one of the best vacations I've had in my life. We were very fortunate that everything worked out this time and we all had a great time. We are already looking to book Majesty for the same time next year, this time for a B2B. Want to sail on her at least one more time before she leaves the fleet.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[LuckiStac13*Majesty*]

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks again to everyone for reading about my journey and for taking the time to post. I appreciate it very much! If anyone has any questions or comments, feel free to post them. Happy Cruising!!

[KeywestK]

Stacey.....I loved all your pics of Ft. Lauderdale. I really enjoy that area a lot and have spent many wonderful vacations there. I totally agree with you about 15th St. Fisheries. We ate there in February, and the best I would say it was mediocre. Oh well, live and learn. If you've never been to Rustic Inn, it's a very authentic seafood house about 10 minutes east of FLL airport. I think you'd enjoy it.

 

My favorite pic from Ft. Lauderdale is your flip flops on the beach. That just speaks to me.

 

Thanks again for your great review and pics. I will look forward to your next review....hopefully that B2B on Majesty next year:)

Edited May 19, 2013 by KeywestK

[LuckiStac13*Majesty*]

Stacey.....I loved all your pics of Ft. Lauderdale. I really enjoy that area a lot and have spent many wonderful vacations there. I totally agree with you about 15th St. Fisheries. We ate there in February, and the best I would say it was mediocre. Oh well, live and learn. If you've never been to Rustic Inn, it's a very authentic seafood house about 10 minutes east of FLL airport. I think you'd enjoy it.

 

My favorite pic from Ft. Lauderdale is your flip flops on the beach. That just speaks to me.

 

Thanks again for your great review and pics. I will look forward to your next review....hopefully that B2B on Majesty next year:)

 

Hi Karen,

 

Thanks--I really love Ft. Lauderdale, too. I could easily go just there for a vacation. The problem is that I always want to get on the ship!!

 

You know, I have always wanted to try Rustic Inn and I think next time I will. I keep trying these other places due to location, but none of them are especially good, just okay. We tried Kelly's Landing in February and did not care for that, either.

 

What other restaurants do you like in the area?

[LuckiStac13*Majesty*]

I'm glad. People have such different tastes in music and I always worry that when I make a recommendation that the person won't like it.

 

I know what you mean.

 

Have you ever listened to Brandi Carlile? I just recently began listening to her and I really like her cd "Give Up The Ghost." Not sure what you like, either, but I think the CD is great.

[KeywestK]

Hi Karen,

 

Thanks--I really love Ft. Lauderdale, too. I could easily go just there for a vacation. The problem is that I always want to get on the ship!!

 

You know, I have always wanted to try Rustic Inn and I think next time I will. I keep trying these other places due to location, but none of them are especially good, just okay. We tried Kelly's Landing in February and did not care for that, either.

 

What other restaurants do you like in the area?

 

Hi Stacy (got the spelling right this time...lol),

 

Rustic Inn is one of my favorite places for authentic seafood. It's a super casual restaurant--shorts and flip flops. For burgers and/or light fare, we like Quarter Deck (Las Olas near the beach,) and for a splurge meal, we like Chima Brazillian steak house (Las Olas more inland.) Also, Opa Greek Taverna is super fun.

 

We always have a rental car when we're there as we like to drive to SoBe (sometimes we stay in SoBe,) and have tried many restaurants there, with our favorites being Cuban food. Our favorite Cuban restaurant is Havana1957 on Espanola Way. Puerto Seugo on Collins Avenue is good too.

 

Those are just a few off the top of my head. Hope you will try some of them!

Edited May 19, 2013 by KeywestK

[LuckiStac13*Majesty*]

Hi Stacy (got the spelling right this time...lol),

 

Rustic Inn is one of my favorite places for authentic seafood. It's a super casual restaurant--shorts and flip flops. For burgers and/or light fare, we like Quarter Deck (Las Olas near the beach,) and for a splurge meal, we like Chima Brazillian steak house (Las Olas more inland.) Also, Opa Greek Taverna is super fun.

 

We always have a rental car when we're there as we like to drive to SoBe (sometimes we stay in SoBe,) and have tried many restaurants there, with our favorites being Cuban food. Our favorite Cuban restaurant is Havana1957 on Espanola Way. Puerto Seugo on Collins Avenue is good too.

 

Those are just a few off the top of my head. Hope you will try some of them!

 

Hi Karen, don't worry about the spelling :)

 

Thanx for the suggestions. I have eaten at quarterdeck-that is a good place. I will try a couple of the others you mentioned the next time I'm down there. Rustic Inn for sure.

 

I see you're sailing on the Grandeur in August? I love that ship. Have a great cruise!!! It will be here before you know it.

[KeywestK]

Hi Karen, don't worry about the spelling :)

 

Thanx for the suggestions. I have eaten at quarterdeck-that is a good place. I will try a couple of the others you mentioned the next time I'm down there. Rustic Inn for sure.

 

I see you're sailing on the Grandeur in August? I love that ship. Have a great cruise!!! It will be here before you know it.

 

Hi Stacy,

 

Thank you! We have had Bermuda on our 'must do' list for years, but just never followed through. With ships sailing right from Baltimore (the cruise terminal is 25 minutes from our house!) we decided to just book it and do it. This will be our first time on Grandeur, and we're looking forward to it a lot, especially since we prefer the 'smaller' ships that don't have all the bells 'n whistles;)

[LuckiStac13*Majesty*]

Hi Stacy,

 

Thank you! We have had Bermuda on our 'must do' list for years, but just never followed through. With ships sailing right from Baltimore (the cruise terminal is 25 minutes from our house!) we decided to just book it and do it. This will be our first time on Grandeur, and we're looking forward to it a lot, especially since we prefer the 'smaller' ships that don't have all the bells 'n whistles;)

 

I haven't been to Bermuda yet. Good choice for you since you live so close to the port! That is awesome.

 

My family prefers the smaller ships, too. Grandeur is a great ship, you will really enjoy her.

[telecruiser]

Stacy, thanks for the Ft. Lauderdale write up and pics. Lots of good information.