Majestic princess quick review...sept ...sydney to fiji....

[boeckli]

Thanks everyone for the prompt responses.

 

What a pity - so I still won't get to meet the (in)famous gbenjo :loudcry:;)

[boeckli]

Question for those who have just been on Majestic - someone in our roll call wants to know if there are any "themed nights" other than the formal ones??

 

 

TIA

[S&D]

Question for those who have just been on Majestic - someone in our roll call wants to know if there are any "themed nights" other than the formal ones??

 

 

TIA

 

Not exactly a theme night, but there was an on deck latin party with the band, no island night or country n western, or black n white night etc, like we used to have back in the day on some of the earlier cruises! cheers S&D

[martin jenkins]

we had anytime dining got in straight away, I always found plenty of deck chairs around even in the Hollywood pool area, food was good alround except for harmony, staff were awesome esp in crooners and wakeview bar.

[boeckli]

Not exactly a theme night, but there was an on deck latin party with the band, no island night or country n western, or black n white night etc, like we used to have back in the day on some of the earlier cruises! cheers S&D

 

Thank you :)

[S&D]

we had anytime dining got in straight away, I always found plenty of deck chairs around even in the Hollywood pool area, food was good alround except for harmony, staff were awesome esp in crooners and wakeview bar.

 

yes...staff were very good everywhere. but the dining was disappointing for us this time....cheers :)

Edited September 28, 2018 by S&D

[gbenjo]

Gbenjo doesn’t have the privelege of doing Princess, just think if he did he would get to see me and Mrs Gut more often.

 

That's the main reason I don't ......Mrs Gut is OK .....but Mr Gut 😱😱

[Thorpe]

I did anytime and 4 out of 5 nights I got a table by myself around 7pm. The only night I didn’t was about the third night where everyone wanted to eat at 7, I didn’t bother with a pager and went and ate elsewhere, the buffet [emoji1]

I also ate at Harmony and Le Mer, and found the food at Le Mer just wonderful and delicious , not too big a serving. I felt the servings in Harmony were a little on the large size for me.

As previously stated you needed to get in early for seats for the early shows but you adjust your schedule to account for that or go to the later shows.

I really liked the ship but I’m easily pleased. I’ve only been on the 3 Sun class girls and Diamond and Golden and find all can get crowded with seats hard to get at the popular places, like the IC or theatres.

I can concur with everyone that the high end shops are a total waste of space . Hopefully they will look into remedying that.

The Enclave was relaxing but needs some tweaking, I prefer the Japanese Baths on The Diamond.

I already had the repo cruise booked from Shanghai next year before I went on this cruise and am really looking forward to sailing on her again.

And finally those extra large balconies on the bump out are a gem. Especially the ones on Emerald that are classed as obstructed, no obstruction at all on mine. But keep that a secret haha

Last thing unlike the shortened promenade on Royal and Regal , deck 7 goes nearly the whole length of the ship and only on the 2nd last day did I discover it actually goes to the back a bit where you can view the wake and someone had moved two padded loungers there. It was a nice comfortable very private view from there. Keep that a secret as well.........

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

[boeckli]

I did anytime and 4 out of 5 nights I got a table by myself around 7pm. The only night I didn’t was about the third night where everyone wanted to eat at 7, I didn’t bother with a pager and went and ate elsewhere, the buffet [emoji1]

I also ate at Harmony and Le Mer, and found the food at Le Mer just wonderful and delicious , not too big a serving. I felt the servings in Harmony were a little on the large size for me.

As previously stated you needed to get in early for seats for the early shows but you adjust your schedule to account for that or go to the later shows.

I really liked the ship but I’m easily pleased. I’ve only been on the 3 Sun class girls and Diamond and Golden and find all can get crowded with seats hard to get at the popular places, like the IC or theatres.

I can concur with everyone that the high end shops are a total waste of space . Hopefully they will look into remedying that.

The Enclave was relaxing but needs some tweaking, I prefer the Japanese Baths on The Diamond.

I already had the repo cruise booked from Shanghai next year before I went on this cruise and am really looking forward to sailing on her again.

And finally those extra large balconies on the bump out are a gem. Especially the ones on Emerald that are classed as obstructed, no obstruction at all on mine. But keep that a secret haha

Last thing unlike the shortened promenade on Royal and Regal , deck 7 goes nearly the whole length of the ship and only on the 2nd last day did I discover it actually goes to the back a bit where you can view the wake and someone had moved two padded loungers there. It was a nice comfortable very private view from there. Keep that a secret as well.........

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

 

Tks for the further info - will definitely check out the deck 7 layout ... ;)

[NSWP]

S&D/Thorpe, did they enforce the jacket and tie thing in the MDR's on Formal nights? :o

[S&D]

S&D/Thorpe, did they enforce the jacket and tie thing in the MDR's on Formal nights? :o

 

Hi Les, no..not that we saw, lots of nice shirts and pants though....but we did see a lot of jackets and ties too...I ended up going to 2 maitre'd people to get a table for formal night, the first one we were in the pizza place as we couldn't get a time other than 5.15.... or 8....sad...:o oh well...looking fwd to the next cruise now.... cheers S&D

[judithann423]

We were also on this cruise and thoroughly agree with comments made. We arrived at about 1.30 and have preferred boarding. Didn't need it, the terminal was virtually empty, just walked up, through and on. Never experienced an embarkation like it. Whatever they are doing, I hope they keep it up. Disembarkation was just as efficient.

 

 

The ship was great, yes quite large, but quite easy to navigate. Some complained about the size but we found the spots and bars that we liked and gravitated to them most days. We avoided the Piazza area as it was always so very busy and so very loud.

 

 

 

Service and staff very friendly and efficient. Ship exceptionally clean and well run. Captain was great, very informative and his midday updates were a delight.

 

 

We had anytime dining and arrived at the Concerto Restaurant most nights at about 7 - 7.15 and never had to wait for a table. I think before this it was for the early traditional sitting - could be wrong??

 

 

Food was a bit hit and miss. We had breakfast in the buffet each morning, lunch was from the Noodle Bar on deck, there should be one of these on every ship and dinner in the Dining Room. Room service once which was very good also.

 

 

Production shows were fantastic - best I have every seen.

 

 

Would go on Majestic again in a heartbeat.

 

 

Judy

[NSWP]

Hi Les, no..not that we saw, lots of nice shirts and pants though....but we did see a lot of jackets and ties too...I ended up going to 2 maitre'd people to get a table for formal night, the first one we were in the pizza place as we couldn't get a time other than 5.15.... or 8....sad...:o oh well...looking fwd to the next cruise now.... cheers S&D

 

Thanks Sandy. I have been looking at a lot of Majestic reviews here on CC, they are very ordinary.:o As I said before, like you I prefer the Grand Class rather than the Royal Class.

[S&D]

Thanks Sandy. I have been looking at a lot of Majestic reviews here on CC, they are very ordinary.:o As I said before, like you I prefer the Grand Class rather than the Royal Class.

 

Yes Les, we will also try Ruby when she arrives, as we did like Emerald (Diamond, Sapphire etc_...) :) and the food was great on those too... cheers S&D

[NSWP]

Yes Les, we will also try Ruby when she arrives, as we did like Emerald (Diamond, Sapphire etc_...) :) and the food was great on those too... cheers S&D

 

Ruby Princess was good in 2010, we did 3 weeks on her Rome to Fort Lauderdale. I just hope they don't drop the standard for Australia, as they tend to do sometimes.

[boeckli]

We were also on this cruise and thoroughly agree with comments made. We arrived at about 1.30 and have preferred boarding. Didn't need it, the terminal was virtually empty, just walked up, through and on. Never experienced an embarkation like it. Whatever they are doing, I hope they keep it up. Disembarkation was just as efficient.

 

 

The ship was great, yes quite large, but quite easy to navigate. Some complained about the size but we found the spots and bars that we liked and gravitated to them most days. We avoided the Piazza area as it was always so very busy and so very loud.

 

 

 

Service and staff very friendly and efficient. Ship exceptionally clean and well run. Captain was great, very informative and his midday updates were a delight.

 

 

We had anytime dining and arrived at the Concerto Restaurant most nights at about 7 - 7.15 and never had to wait for a table. I think before this it was for the early traditional sitting - could be wrong??

 

 

Food was a bit hit and miss. We had breakfast in the buffet each morning, lunch was from the Noodle Bar on deck, there should be one of these on every ship and dinner in the Dining Room. Room service once which was very good also.

 

 

Production shows were fantastic - best I have every seen.

 

 

Would go on Majestic again in a heartbeat.

 

 

Judy

 

Thanks for sharing your experiences :)

[Holiday Junkie]

I am not sure if I am in the correct posts here, but I was wondering if Majestic offers Wifi. We will be going on Jan. 21 from Sydney to Fiji and I can't find any package deals for either Wifi or Drinks. On our previous cruises with Princess, we had an option to prepay these packages.

[Holiday Junkie]

Found the beverage package and I guess there is no Wifi on Majestic until April 2020.

[rabbit1971]

1 hour ago, Holiday Junkie said:

I am not sure if I am in the correct posts here, but I was wondering if Majestic offers Wifi. We will be going on Jan. 21 from Sydney to Fiji and I can't find any package deals for either Wifi or Drinks. On our previous cruises with Princess, we had an option to prepay these packages.

Hi Holiday junkie,

 we were on majestic in feb this year, and found could only purchase internet packages on board, no pre pay available.

 Hope that helps

[rabbit1971]

I have to agree with S&D with most of what was said. we had an extended family group  aged 75-16 . The older ones quite liked the ship, its certainly fitted out well, and is relatively easy to navigate ( one of our party is wheelchair bound). and we found the service wonderful with the staff very helpful, although some night in the main dining room drinks service was a bit slow. we booked traditional dining so our party of 10 could be seated together, and this worked well for us.But as with previous comments, seating was hard to find particularly in the piazza,. The younger ones in our group said that they would have to think twice about sailing on a princess cruise, as there were not a great deal of evening entertainments for their age group ( they really liked the comedy clubs on carnival), although this could have been a reflection on the itinerary ( new zealand) with an older demographic, when compared to our previous sailings in the south pacific.

 Any way just my 2 cents worth

[MicCanberra]

cheers.

[Bpos]

I always thought that "anytime" dining is just that,  you rock up at the gate and wait to be seated.. We have always done anytime on all cruise lines for a number of years now and never had to wait more than 10 minutes at the most.

 

[OzKiwiJJ]

21 minutes ago, Bpos said:

I always thought that "anytime" dining is just that,  you rock up at the gate and wait to be seated.. We have always done anytime on all cruise lines for a number of years now and never had to wait more than 10 minutes at the most.

 

Yes, that's what we did on Sea Princess.

[OzKiwiJJ]

This thread reminded me that during our recent Sea Princess cruise I started thinking about why I like some ships more than others. I’ve been on Sea, Sun, and Dawn before she went to P&O, Golden, Diamond, Royal and Majestic. I’ve realised that what helps to make a cruise great for us - apart from decent cabins, good food and wine, and the Sanctuary for sea days. It’s the lounges and bars where we enjoy pre and post dinner drinks and music, or coffee, or just a quiet place to read, and the entertainment venues. We rarely use the outdoors bars in the evenings, nor MUTS.

 

So I decided to analyse those aspects of the ships.

 

Sun Class ships:

• Crooners that extends right around the Atrium, with a dance floor (my favourite style of Crooners).
• Large Wheelhouse Bar, with a dance floor, and extra seating outside the bar if you want a quieter spot.
• La Patissiere (Sea) / International Café (Sun) for coffee or a quiet drink.
• The Nook (Sea only) for a quiet drink.
• Legends sports bar which also doubles as the nightclub.
• The Vista Lounge has its own bar.
• The Princess Theatre is a decent size for the number of passengers.

Grand Class ships:

• Crooners is smaller, only one side of the Atrium with no dance floor, so becomes a true piano bar.
• The Wheelhouse Bar is still a decent size – the one on Diamond is bigger and better than Golden – and has a dance floor.
• The Explorers Lounge is large, has a dance floor, and tiered table seating so good for shows as well as dancing.
• The Lobby Bar (Diamond) and International Café (Golden) for coffee or a quiet drink.
• Vines is only open in the evenings and, on the two ships I’ve been on in this class, isn’t very busy.
• Skywalkers only has service in the evenings, and turns into a nightclub later in the evening. It’s a great place to sit and read during the day but it’s shame they don’t have it set up as an alternative coffee bar.
• The Vista Lounge has its own bar.
• The Princess Theatre is over two decks and a decent size for the number of passengers.

Royal Class ships.

• Crooners. On Royal it’s one side of the Atrium but doesn’t function well as a Piano Bar as the Piazza on the lower Atrium level is used for most of the musicians including dance bands. On Majestic it’s an afterthought - a pop-up in an area also used as a VIP Gaming Room. It has TV screens around the walls showing sports and is oddly partitioned.
• The Wheelhouse Bar / Crown Grill Bar is now a very small bar outside the Crown Grill restaurant. No dance floor but usually good music, often jazz.
• Princess Live. Possibly the worst public space ever designed on a cruise ship. It’s uncomfortable and the seating is awkward. It’s OK for game shows but no good for trivia.
• The Princess Live Bar on Royal is a small, quiet bar, good for a pre-dinner drink. On Majestic it’s the Gong Cha Bar but does serve coffee during the day.
• The Piazza Bar / International Café is a busy hub during the day, usually crowded and hard to get a seat. At night it’s party central. It’s the only big entertainment area but the music takes over the whole atrium making the bars and restaurants on the upper levels unpleasant at times.
• Vines was overshadowed by the Piazza music.
• The Bellini Bar is tiny and also subject to the Piazza music.
• Club 6 on Royal is the nightclub, and on Majestic it’s around the Hollywood Pool.
• The Vista Lounge doesn’t have its own bar.
• The Princess Theatre is over two decks but, even so, is too small for the number of passengers so it pays to get there an hour before for popular shows.

The other thing I’ve noticed is that the number of shops has increased significantly over the classes, but they are usually not very busy in our region.

• On Sea and Sun they are only around the Atrium on deck 6.
• On Golden and Diamond they are on one half of the Atrium on deck 7 as well as all around the Atrium on deck 6.
• On Royal they moved the Photo Gallery to Deck 6 and the shops to around and forward of the Atrium on deck 7, plus there is a gelato and a chocolate shop on deck 5.
• On Majestic they are also on deck 7, in the Atrium and forward, and on deck 5.

 

My Conclusions:

I think the Sun Class ships have the best arrangement of bars and lounges, given the size of the ships and the number of passengers. The Grand Class ships also have good public spaces for the number of passengers but it doesn’t work as well for some reason, although Diamond was better than Golden in this respect, and Skywalkers is an underutilized gem. However the Royal Class ships just don’t have good bars and lounges, and what there are are often crowded. I doubt that I will cruise on another Royal class ship again, I just didn’t enjoy them as much. If Princess intends bringing more Royal Class ships to Australia (Regal is also coming down late 2020) I’ll be looking for alternatives for our cruises.

[MicCanberra]

It is why we always go Anytime, or whatever the cruise line calls it.