Majestic Princess Jan 22 and Feb 19, 2022 live report

[BlueFish2000]

@dhanakorn  so glad that you found writing out your experience interesting - good job and great descriptions. Totally agree with you about the buffet having less variety. There use to be tons of food and fancy fruit carvings along with tons of people. I think this is one of the places they have had to cut back to not waste lots of food. I miss the crab shack that doubles as part of the buffet on some of the princess ships. Love crab legs. Really appreciate your tip about the international café and their pastries - good pastries are absolute heaven but not so good ones are an awful waste of calories that are easily spent else where on those MDR deserts or on, one of my favorites, an Alaskan Mud Slide (a cocktail milk shake). Wishing you many more great cruises!

[BlueFish2000]

@caribill - When we were on the Majestic for that first sailing in Alaska this past year the maitre d' told us he was bringing on fresh crab in Juno - he brought on other fish too and it was amazing. They had fried fish and I know they can't fry things -any one know how they do that?? 

[nini]

23 hours ago, caribill said:

Have you been on any of the newer Celebrity ships?

We were on the Celebrity Reflection in 2018. I do not know how old it was then.

[caribill]

11 minutes ago, nini said:

We were on the Celebrity Reflection in 2018. I do not know how old it was then.

 

Launched: August 12, 2012

[arizonaperson]

dhanakorn- enjoyed reading your live report and the photos are great.

[capriccio]

@dhanakorn I am adding my appreciation for your review and especially for your photos. When the Royal Class ships debuted in 2013 they were the first to have photos on the walls of the cabin corridors.  That tradition has continued and expanded to older ships.  All of those photos were taken by passengers.  Watch for the email from Princess announcing the annual photo contest.  From the photos you included in your review you certainly have some that would qualify.

[Level six]

Thanks for the review. 

[highloyo]

@dhanakornthank you for such an informative report and taking the time to allow us to enjoy your adventure. I’ll be on the same cruise March 5 but I don’t think it will be the reverse itinerary. You’ve given me many ideas about the ports and the whole ship experience aboard the Majestic.

[DANCING GRANDMOMMY]

Thank you so very much for all of the useful information you have shared. 

 

[dhanakorn]

While many parts of the country are still buried under snow, it’s sunny 70 degree here in the Bay Area. I went for a hike at Lands End trail. Views of sunset were so incredible I want to share some photos here. 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[smillerholmes]

Thank you so much for doing this.  I too am previously NCL only.  I am on Princess for the first time 02/19 then on the Bliss 02/27 with similar itineraries.  I too could not resist the single supplement.  I had only planned the Bliss, but it costs so much to get to LA I thought why not stay an extra week?

[seagunthera]

1 minute ago, smillerholmes said:

Thank you so much for doing this.  I too am previously NCL only.  I am on Princess for the first time 02/19 then on the Bliss 02/27 with similar itineraries.  I too could not resist the single supplement.  I had only planned the Bliss, but it costs so much to get to LA I thought why not stay an extra week?

I also couldn't resist the single supplement and am headed out on the 2/19 sailing.  We have a group getting together for a sail away cocktail and winemakers and Chef's Table suppers if interested. 

[seagunthera]

@dhanakornthanks so much for the review and glorious pics!

 

[susancruzs]

Thanks for the great review and awesome photos!  I'm on the Majestic for a Grand Adventure next year, Sydney to LA.  I love the Royal class ships!  Initially booked the Grand but couldn't resist getting a better cabin on a newer ship for the same price!  

[smillerholmes]

On 2/8/2022 at 9:13 AM, seagunthera said:

I also couldn't resist the single supplement and am headed out on the 2/19 sailing.  We have a group getting together for a sail away cocktail and winemakers and Chef's Table suppers if interested. 

I am definitely interested - thanks for the invite!

[trishbk]

On 2/8/2022 at 12:50 AM, dhanakorn said:

While many parts of the country are still buried under snow, it’s sunny 70 degree here in the Bay Area. I went for a hike at Lands End trail. Views of sunset were so incredible I want to share some photos here. 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks for sharing. We also live in the Bay Area and enjoying the nice weather. We are booked on the Majestic Princess Feb 19th cruise thinking we needed to go someplace warm and away from the typical February rainy season in Northern California. Thank you again for all the wonderful photos and narration from your cruise. I have been to all those ports over 20 times, but thanks to you, I now have some new ideas. All these years, I never knew that I could simply walk off the ship in Puerto Vallarta and walk to the beach just south of port. 

[dhanakorn]

I couldn’t resist this great deal so I’m back again. Flight wasn’t cheap since it’s a long weekend but still cheaper than flying to Miami for Caribbean cruise. Weather is great in LA. It’s warm 70deg but actually feel hot like summer. 

I landed at LGB around 10am and it’s very crowded. There’s a long line for passengers waiting for transfer bus to Carnival Panorama. Uber has huge price surge to $75 from LGB to the pier. Lyft had more reasonable price at $25. 

 

 

 

Terminal 92 was much more crowded than the January trip. Around 11:20am, they stopped check-in anyone due to the overcrowded and there’s no chair available to sit. So we waited in line in front of the check-in counter. The boarding for suite guests and Elite started around 11:30am and they resumed the check-in a little later. I was waiting in the crowded line for about 20 minutes, not a pleasant experience. I was told that we have over 2,000 guests on this cruise (we had less than 900 on my Jan cruise). While I enjoy the peaceful and quiet time during my last cruise, I’m very happy that the ship is getting crowded again. Cruise company won’t be able to survive at 25% capacity. 

 

[dhanakorn]

I normally head up to the buffet for lunch on the first day. But I don’t feel like fighting the crowd at the buffet line so I opt for lunch at MDR. 
 

Menu has limited options but they all look pretty good. 

The salmon is very tasty. Seafood on Majestic is pretty good. 

 

I got soufflé for dessert. It’s served warm/hot and not too sweet. 

 

Espresso ice cream is ok. Ice cream is only available in MDR, I don’t see any in the buffet line. 

[dhanakorn]

I walked over to Terminal 93 to take photos of the ship from the bow side. Apparently you’re not allowed to wander around the Terminal 93 building although there’s no sign or rope to prevent you from walking over there. 
 

 

To exit the harbor, the ship has to make 360deg turn in this tight space under Vincent Thomas bridge. It’s in interesting maneuver to watch during the sail away. 

[KLM3164]

Enjoy your trip! I love hearing how people just book these cruises at the last minute. 

[dhanakorn]

We’re backing out into the harbor this time, instead of making 360deg turn under the bridge. New captain and new CD and many new crews compared to Jan cruise. With many people onboard, it feels like we’re almost back to normal. Wearing mask indoor is still required although most people take the mask off in the outdoor area. 
 

 

 

 

 

 

[dhanakorn]

The sun is setting later now. Picture below was from the sail away during my Jan trip. 

[mlgb]

Good for you booking again. I did read that this trip was much more crowded. It was about 1300 for the Feb 5 Trip.

 

I did make a point of going to the MDR for lunch even if it was just for ice cream. There is no ice cream in the buffet.

The last sea day I tried all 4 flavors

 

[dhanakorn]

I booked a regular balcony room this time. The room is slightly smaller than deluxe balcony room and has no loveseat sofa. There’s only one chair in the room. I’m traveling solo so there’s plenty of room for me. I actually prefer this setting instead of having a loveseat sofa.

 

 

Bathroom looks the same with the shower curtain. I hope one day Princess replace this shower curtain with more sanitized glass wall. 

 

Balcony size is the same as deluxe balcony room. 

 

View from the balcony. Rooms two deck below (on deck 9) have huge balcony. Deck 9 is still blocked off as a quarantine space for new crews. 

[MamaFej]

31 minutes ago, dhanakorn said:

 

Bathroom looks the same with the shower curtain. I hope one day Princess replace this shower curtain with more sanitized glass wall. 

 

 

 

 

On our September Majestic Princess cruise, we implemented a tip we learned here on CC and brought a plastic shower curtain from the dollar store. 

It made using the shower more pleasant, and we bought several more, since. We will bring two this spring for our Azamara cruises.