Live from Majestic Princess February 19

[californiagirl]

Hello all!  I really enjoy the live from threads so I thought I would begin one for this voyage.  We are sailing from LA to the Mexican Rivera with stops in Cabo San Lucas, Mazatlan and Puerto Vallarta.  

 

I had a relaxing morning and arrived at the port at 11:30. As a side note I have NEVER seen the port of LA like this.  (I have lived in SoCal most of my life.)  Mountains of shipping containers stacked in areas I didn’t know they could use!  I’m not sure if these are full containers waiting to be loaded onto trucks for dispersal or containers full of American goods waiting to be shipped to other parts of the world or door number 3, empty containers waiting to be sent back to Asia to pick up goods to bring back.  Any of the three are not good.  

 

Back to the cruise.  I waited in a line outside, under a tent for about 20 minutes.  Then I went through the security checkpoint.  Followed by being directed to the Elite/Platinum blue lane.  (I’m platinum for one more cruise.) The reason I was blue and not green was because the app would not accept my credit card.  The message was that I needed to contact me for authorization to attach the card! Yet another glitch of the app.  Anyway I was second in line and it went quickly.  The green line was much longer…go figure.  After the agent attached my same credit card I walked to the gangway.  There was a short line there as well.  No clapping or welcoming back as in November.  The only reason I mention it is because someone may be expecting it.  There are definitely more people on this sailing than our cruise in November and most likely more than were on this cruise last week.  The numbers floating around our roll call are anywhere from 2050-2300.  Monday is a holiday which may have added to the numbers but also I think the reason there are more passengers is a combination of bargain basement prices and omicron appearing to have peaked.  At any rate it will be interesting to see how it feels as we all spread out to our favorite spots onboard.

 

I am in a balcony cabin on Marina deck.  On this class ship we usually book a deluxe balcony.  But I’m traveling solo this cruise and didn’t need the sofa.  My husband likes another sitting area inside besides the bed.  He did not come because we leave for Hawaii 10 days after I return.  We will be there for 2 weeks.  He didn’t want to leave our (his) dog for that length of time back to back.  I on the other hand could not pass up the fare.  I paid $403 for this room.  It was not an upgrade and I paid no single supplement.   

 

There have been questions on the boards about the variety of the buffet.  I walked through to check it out and I was surprised.  Only one section of the buffet is being used.  No bistro or bake shop area at all.  The choices were significantly reduced.  But they have pizza by the slice!  I hope they have it all week.  There were two different choices.  I love getting a piece of pizza and sitting by the pool.  There was a small section of the world fresh marketplace dedicated to desserts but honestly there was a better variety in the international cafe.  In November on Regal, with far fewer passengers, the full buffet sans bistro was provisioned in addition to the full bake shop.  It will be interesting to what breakfast will be like.

 

I went to the dining room for lunch.  The menu was identical to our Regal cruise in November.  If you like filet mignon it is served sliced at lunch on embarkation day.  It’s very good too.

 

Our medallion app did not work until the last day on our cruise in November.  Once I was onboard it has been working beautifully.  My onboard credit from pre-purchasing the internet was on my account as soon as I boarded.  My pre-purchased enclave was there as well.  Speaking of which, I’m going to go after dinner tonight.  On another thread someone said it could not be used on embarkation day.  That is not correct.  It can be used right away.

 

I’m a social person but I enjoy my alone time too.  I brought lots of books to read.  I’m not sure how many group activities in which I will participate this week.  However I’d be happy to answer any questions and check out venues anyone has questions about.

[oregonian123]

Thank you for the great update. We embark on Feb 26. I will be following this for all of your info, tips and advice.

 

[Level six]

Thanks, have fun. 

[enfuego4cruising]

I am curious what the current situation is on any quarantined decks on the Majestic. In particular, the status of the aft facing cabins on the Dolphin deck, as we are booked in one for late March. I do realize that the status could certainly change between now and then. Appreciate any intel that you can offer on this. Thank you in advance...Enjoy your cruise.

[dhanakorn]

 

2 hours ago, enfuego4cruising said:

I am curious what the current situation is on any quarantined decks on the Majestic. In particular, the status of the aft facing cabins on the Dolphin deck, as we are booked in one for late March. I do realize that the status could certainly change between now and then. Appreciate any intel that you can offer on this. Thank you in advance...Enjoy your cruise.

Deck 9 is still blocked off for new crew quarantine on this cruise.

Edited February 20, 2022 by dhanakorn

[enfuego4cruising]

17 minutes ago, dhanakorn said:

 

Deck 9 is still blocked off for new crew quarantine on this cruise.

 

[enfuego4cruising]

Thanks for that info. Are you currently on board?

[californiagirl]

Day 2

 

Good morning!  The day began with a note under my door asking me to go to guest services to add a credit card to my account. 🤨 It was quick and easy.  The woman who helped me said that frequently when a credit card is added at the pier it doesn’t sync with the ship’s system.  My guess is that this is another flaw of the medallion app.  I asked about passenger count and guest services said there are 2030 passengers onboard.  Today the ship does not feel crowded even though no one is out by the pool because of the cool temperature.

 

Enfuego I will check out the aft section of dolphin deck later today.  

 

Update on dinner last night.  It was a total mess!  It is the topic of conversation this morning throughout the ship. There were long lines to get into either dining room.  Concerto had two different lines, one for those with reservations and a line for those without reservations.  Allegro had one very long line.  It didn’t matter about reservation status.  Seating was done by moving along to the front of the very long line.  I think part of the problem lies in the increase in passenger count and because of the very limited options in the buffet.  I also wonder if the staff have become comfortable with a slower pace in the dining room.  That would be understandable.  Almost like an athlete getting out of shape.  The other problem was that dine my way on the phone app was out of service yesterday.  There were many people in line who just showed up at the dining room stating they could not make a reservation.  Their understanding was that they could make a reservation the day of throughout the cruise.  (Obviously they are not part of the CC community!)  When I went back to my cabin, if using the app on my phone, dine my way was out of service.  But when I tried on my iPad it worked perfectly.  I could make or edit all of my reservations.  I had a light dinner because I was still fairly full from lunch. It tasted good.

 

This morning for breakfast the dining room was running smoothly.  I walked up to the buffet to check it out and both sides of the buffet were open and busy.  Lots of breakfast options.  The bistro section was not in use still but it did not seem necessary.  I think the powers that be got together last night and made some necessary adjustments.  BTW dine my way is still down when using my phone but working fine using my iPad.

 

Bistro Sur La Mer is interesting.  It doesn’t feel like a separate restaurant.  It feels like an extension of the public areas in the atrium area.  It is not what I expected for an upsell dining option.  I wonder why they didn’t enclose it like Harmony restaurant.  They could have done a glass enclosure to maintain the light into the atrium.  

 

Majestic is a beautiful ship.  She has many unique spaces.  I LOVE the Hollywood Conservatory and pool.  The chlorine smell is much milder than I expected after reading other reviews.  Once my breakfast settles I will go do a workout in the pool.  I’ve heard the pool water temperature is cool.  I prefer a cooler pool when working out.  

[enfuego4cruising]

Thank you Cali-girl

[amypete]

Following! We will be on this ship April 30th, and have not been on this class of ship before. Looking forward to you sharing your experiences!

[jean s]

Enjoying your posts.  We board Majestic on March 26th for a California coastal cruise.  If you visit Harmony restaurant I would love to hear your thoughts.

[cruzsnooze]

I got off this ship yesterday. There were 1488 Passengers so your sailing is about 600 - 700 more passengers.

I ate at Sur La Mer and didn't care for it. We also went to Harmony and would go back there. The buffet was limited choices and the pizza was so so. Alfredo's is a better option for Pizza. 

  The shows were so loud we didn't make it past the half way point. Although Encore was good it was more Opera and Italian then I cared for and so LOUD. I forgot my ear plugs. 

 The crew were exceptional and accommodating. I hope the weather warms up because our sailing was cold and windy although in ports it was mild. 

  I'm interested in how you found the bed and pillows. The pillows were flat and mush and the bed not so comfortable compared to other ships I've sailed on. 

[duffinvt]

 Booked on Majestic July 9 Alaska  M 500 something!  

[spingal]

Wow!  $403!  There are 5 of us going on the 2/26 sailing and we paid a lot more for our cruise.  I am contacting Princess tomorrow to ask them to re-fare us.

[Level six]

44 minutes ago, spingal said:

Wow!  $403!  There are 5 of us going on the 2/26 sailing and we paid a lot more for our cruise.  I am contacting Princess tomorrow to ask them to re-fare us.

You should call, but I think that pricing for only for new bookings.  I tried to reprice a different cruise and they said no.  We lucked out and got a balcony for March 5th on the Majestic for the same as an interior $299. 

[geoherb]

1 hour ago, spingal said:

Wow!  $403!  There are 5 of us going on the 2/26 sailing and we paid a lot more for our cruise.  I am contacting Princess tomorrow to ask them to re-fare us.

 

It took me 9 hours on the phone last month to get a better fare. That included talking with nine different reps and one of them screwing up by canceling my first booking. I ended up getting 50% refunded and 50% as a future cruise credit that has to be used within a year. I'm still waiting to hear back from Princess. I sent a detailed letter a month ago.

[californiagirl]

I’m back from the pool and sitting eating my lunch in the buffet.  I’m happy to report there are more options available in the buffet than yesterday.  More open areas.  I had a piece of pizza and it was ok.  The crust is thicker than on Regal.  I may try Alfredo’s.  
 

The pool is warm!  Which is nice for the majority of passengers.  Everywhere else is chilly inside.  It may be me.  I’ve lost 20 lbs since Thanksgiving and find that I’m cold more often.  
 

Springal I paid more than double initially.  In January I read the thread about getting a refund after final payment.  I used the “chat” feature on the website.  The rep did not argue at all.  Within a few minutes she had done the refund.  Within 24 hours the money was back on my card.  I was shocked!  I told her I would be happy with onboard credit.  The $403 INCLUDED port charges and taxes.  The prices are reminiscent of immediately post-9/11.  I would definitely try the chat feature first.  I booked through a Princess PVP.  I’m not sure what would have happened if I had used a TA.  I hope you are successful!

[coastcat]

Please take good care of the ship - I'll be boarding on the next sailing.

 

I remember being somewhat unimpressed with the limited buffet when I sailed on Majestic Princess in September. At least it sounds like the crew adapted quickly to the increased numbers by opening more of the buffet! The Bake Shop was open but the items at the International Cafe tasted fresher.

 

Hard to resist that solo price, eh? I booked with a solo supplement of around 9%: $686 for an unobstructed balcony AND Princess Plus. Wish I could have gone earlier in the month when prices were even lower but eh, still an amazing deal.

 

I had booked dinners at Harmony and then Bistro Sur La Mer; after seeing the setting for the latter (yeah, it just feels like a corridor) and tasting the former, I cancelled the second reservation and went back to Harmony. 

 

Who's the cruise director now?

Edited February 20, 2022 by coastcat

[memoak]

4 hours ago, amypete said:

Following! We will be on this ship April 30th, and have not been on this class of ship before. Looking forward to you sharing your experiences!

Same here 

[cruzsnooze]

58 minutes ago, coastcat said:

 

 

Who's the cruise director now?

It is a lady Natalie who wears old lady dresses.

[dockman]

go see leo rossi the enrichment speaker...he does interesting shows re his days as tour manager of fleetwood mac, the who, diana ross, beachboys and many others.....

 

i was on for 3 weeks jan 21 til feb 12 and never any problem re dining room but you have quite a few more passengers than we did...we had a low of 848 to a high of 1300 i believe

[KamAZ]

My husband and I are on this sailing too, and things have been a bit weird for us. We were assigned a cabin that was nowhere near where we wanted, but we were advised to go to Guest Services once on board to request a different cabin. We did, and we opted to pay for an upgrade to a mini-suite - which was great. 

 

But word of warning - if you change rooms on the first day, expect things to be a little wacky. The system did not update to our new room location until late last night, which created some problems. We couldn't get an ice bucket if our lives depended on it. Asked the room steward, he forgot (but apparently he was rather preoccupied looking for his master key that he somehow lost). We then ordered through the app, to the point where we saw that it was delivered, but it never arrived. Tried again, also showed delivered, never showed up. Called Guest Services, who said she would call and have someone deliver it. Nope, not delivered. This morning, tried again, since the app was showing our room as correct now. Showed as delivered, but no ice. Same thing when my husband tried. Finally got it after going to guest services. There were some other weird things too, like ordering a couple of things from room service last night (pizza and chocolate cake, via the phone, not the app), and they didn't send any utensils to eat the cake with. 

 

My spa appointment for 8:45am was also messed up - their system had it for 8:45 tomorrow, even though the print-out placed in my room showed 8:45 today. They had an available slot at 12:45pm that they offered me, since they didn't have any openings at the time I booked. 

 

Then I'm at tea and my husband sends me a message that our excursion tomorrow was cancelled (technical issues). We were really looking forward to snorkeling, husband even bought corrective-lens snorkeling goggles. They have another snorkeling option, but that only had 1 spot left, so now I'm searching for a non-Princess snorkeling option (and not having much luck, given its less than 24 hours away). 

 

I don't mean to be a negative nelly, but after our messed up Alaskan cruise last fall (2 of 3 ports cancelled due to weather) I was hoping this one would make up for it. And on that cruise (same ship) we didn't have other issues like this, just the weather. This one seems more like Princess is missing a beat. Anyone else on now think that things are just a bit off? 

[spingal]

3 hours ago, californiagirl said:

I’m back from the pool and sitting eating my lunch in the buffet.  I’m happy to report there are more options available in the buffet than yesterday.  More open areas.  I had a piece of pizza and it was ok.  The crust is thicker than on Regal.  I may try Alfredo’s.  
 

The pool is warm!  Which is nice for the majority of passengers.  Everywhere else is chilly inside.  It may be me.  I’ve lost 20 lbs since Thanksgiving and find that I’m cold more often.  
 

Springal I paid more than double initially.  In January I read the thread about getting a refund after final payment.  I used the “chat” feature on the website.  The rep did not argue at all.  Within a few minutes she had done the refund.  Within 24 hours the money was back on my card.  I was shocked!  I told her I would be happy with onboard credit.  The $403 INCLUDED port charges and taxes.  The prices are reminiscent of immediately post-9/11.  I would definitely try the chat feature first.  I booked through a Princess PVP.  I’m not sure what would have happened if I had used a TA.  I hope you are successful!

Thank you so much!!!

[c-boy]

3 hours ago, cruzsnooze said:

It is a lady Natalie who wears old lady dresses.

[milogurd]

4 hours ago, cruzsnooze said:

It is a lady Natalie who wears old lady dresses.

If it is Natalie Costas, I don't remember her wearing old lady dresses. She was always stylish.