Majesty - 2/25/06 - 3/4/06 Just Got Back

[Havgun Wiltravel]

Hello All - Well, we arrived back in Charleston at around 6 a.m. We can still feel the "motion of the ocean." :) We were in an outside deluxe on deck 8 - unobstructed view.

 

Nothing glaring to report from the cruise. Just a few observations on the week.

 

As I wrote on my comment card - having cruised on one of the mega-ships (RCCL Explorer of the Seas) I would describe the NCL experience as the "Motel 6 of Cruises" The Majesty isn't bad, it's just a bit small and a great deal worn. The two pools are just large steel tubs with no elegance, and the two (yes, just two, hot - actually barely warm - tubs are just big enough for 6 guests.) The deck furnishings are absolutely shameful. Oh, btw the embark and disembark are easy, but the NCL port setup is like a trip to the third world...SHABBY is the operative term. Thank goodness everyone is friendly and exceptionally helpful.

 

The service and food in the main "sit down" restaurants is outstanding - Le Bistro is also nice - just very cramped. We celebrated our 31st anniversary there last night.

 

The buffet is not even up to Golden Corral standards - the selection is mundane, with absolutely no attempt to do anything but sling out the maximum amount of food at the lowest cost.

 

The Piazza San Marco is not bad...but one can really tell that the grind of pushing out hamburgers, hot dogs, fries and mediocre pizza 7-days a week really gets to the folks working back there.

 

Didn't use room service - so nothing to comment about that.

 

Excursions - hideously overpriced. We took the Island Tour and Stingray City trip ($59 pp) and had the misfortune of the stingray encounter being scrubbed due to high winds - was probably a good call given that the folks who did make it out there said it was miserably rough. Was taken aback that NCL only refunded $25 when the stingray encounter was the main reason for taking this one. At Cozumel we took a taxi ($12) to Paradise Beach...a 15 minute drive...the beach is free - beautiful, but for $8 bucks you get to use all the water fun toys (snorkling, rafts, etc.) It was absolutely fabulous. Forget the excursion to Playa Mia (in my opinion). EVERYONE in Cozumel was friendly and helpful - we felt very safe and at ease. Key West was nice - we just took the trolley (free) from the ship to downtown and went where we wanted. The sunset festival (happens everyday) was fun and free.

 

The casino is not bad...we actually probably left a couple hundred bucks ahead (my wife loved the "Little Green Men" slot machine.)

 

The shows weren't bad at all...as others say - get there early for a good seat. The cruise director's staff ("Soozy" and all) were pretty low speed - they all reminded me a bit of little fish in a tiny pond - trying hard to impress everyone as mini-celebrities - and not making the grade.

 

Reception desk staff - outstanding. Excursion staff - not so. Housekeeping/wait staff ... overall MARVELOUS - they worked their tails off.

 

As you have already read in other posts, make sure you have a good budget for alcoholic beverages (if you drink) - outrageously overpriced...except beer isn't too too bad.

 

I saw some folks disputing their $10 pp daily service charge...I thought about doing so in protest of the generally overpriced other "stuff" but wouldn't dream of shorting the staff that took such great care of us.

 

Room TV has CNN/ESPN/2nd run movies and TNT going all the time (the movie selection wasn't bad at all).

 

No cell service generally, once you get out of sight of land (no surprise there). The internet service is great, if you don't mind being robbed at the rate of .75 per minute at first...of course you can buy package minutes and save, and past mid-cruise they drop the rates substantially. If the rates were truly reasonable, I would have posted a running commentary everyday of the trip.

 

Bingo - highway robbery - 'nuff said.

 

All that said, we had a pretty decent time. Being totally at sea from Saturday departure until Tuesday morning - means the Majesty is a bit small and limited in options. So one can quickly run out of things to explore - take a couple of good books and relax on deck.

 

We chose this cruise since it is right out of Charleston (went out of Miami last time). We will not let a convenient embark point steer us toward a cruise again. We'll go wherever we need to for the best overall cruise experience. Having been on RCCL as our first cruise, this one seemed a step down in quality - a fairly big step at that.

 

To wrap it up - the "worker bees" on the ship were the highlight of the cruise. The customer service staff was marginal (depending on who you talked to about an issue), and would quickly revert to "you'll have to take that up with NCL after the cruise" when pushed on an issue.

 

Probably won't cruise NCL again - unless it's a really great deal on a newer ship.

 

Drop me a note here if you have specific questions. No kid questions please, there weren't many on our trip - so I have not much to contribute there.

 

HGWT

 

RCCL Explorer of the Seas 9/15/2001 (yes, the week after 9/11)

NCL Majesty of the Seas 2/25/2006

[cantwaitt]

I felt the same when I took the Majesty out of Boston.

 

Try the Dawn out of NYC and you'll see a big difference.

[Havgun Wiltravel]

Might try that...not sure NY is "my kind of town" :p

[Writeratsea]

:) Havgun, We are going on the Majesty from Boston to Bermuda for the third year in a row this September 17. The main reason is the people who work on board this ship work so hard to please every passenger. Of Bermuda itself is so special that it is difficult to go elsewhere. I know that the ship is smaller than the Dawn out of NYC but I am more comfortable with the size of the Majesty. I don't feel overwhelmed or lost as on the larger ships. I think the price of the fares is so reasonable especially compared to trying to fly and stay at the hotels in Bermuda. Despite all my countless hours surfing the net I could not beat the cruise price compared to the fly and stay package. And that didn't include the cost of dining which has to add at least another $100 a day. If you are willing to pay noticeably more, than the other cruise lines are better quality. But for what we paid, I felt the Majesty was a bargin and enabled us to cruise every year rather than now and then,

[Havgun Wiltravel]

Writeratsea-

 

You hit the nail on the head. The operative term for the Majesty is "bargain" or maybe a better term is "convenient." If the ability to drive to the port and save on travel to the Florida ports is a key - then the Majesty is a viable, low-end option. On our other cruise experience (RCL) the staff worked just as hard - and the ship was fabulous.

 

We went on this trip determined to relax and have a good time in spite of what I read from previous Majesty passengers - we did - there were really no surprises. We'll just do it on another carrier next time.

 

I only want to make sure folks know what they are getting - a nice, entry level/budget cruise. The service almost makes up for the venue.

 

Oh, and all this talk about "freestyle cruising" I never quite got it - since on our other cruise we could do essentially the same thing, or have structured seatings with a wait staff that we saw each evening, who saw to our every need. IMO "Freestyle" = strap on the feedbag and gorge low to medium-quality grub from a trayline and save NCL some megabucks in the main dining rooms. BTW, my DW preferred the buffet because it didn't take as long as the main dining rooms. :) Oh well.

 

P.S. If you order Surf and Turf in Le Bistro...the 2 lobster tails are in reality one and half...when we and the other couples nearby asked the m'aitre-d he just laughed it off. I left the meal in Le Bistro totally satisfied - another half lobster tail would have likely thrown me into pure misery. :rolleyes:

 

HGWT

[Ralphinsc]

Thanks for the review. I was down there last week when you guys embarked, just happened to be in the neighborhood. I hated for all the rain and generally miserable weather when you guys left. I was the only fool standing out on the observation pier to see you guys off, LOL! :D I know to take the Majesty with a grain of salt but as I don't have anything to compare her to, I'll likely be impressed nonetheless. BTW, Carnival does run a couple of Bermuda dates out of Charleston as well and hopefully NCL will continue to run iteneraries out of there when the Majesty is shipped off to Star cruises in the next couple of years. I'm leaving in less than a week and hope that it is as fun as I imagine it to be. My in-laws will be cruising two weeks after we come back on her and have a dozen or so cruises under there belt, mostly from Celebrity. I think they'll notice the descrepancies much more than me and my DW on our first cruise.

[Writeratsea]

Ralphinsc

 

The Majesty was our first cruise and we had a great time. Much better than we expected. Because of the reasonable size, you can find you way around and start feeling comfortable very quickly. Again as Havegun stated, the staff is just terrific and friendly. I would suggest using your dine around coupon if you have the chance but check out the sample menu's pertaining to each individual restaurant in the dine around brochure. That way you know what to expect from the restaurant and won't be disappointed. FreeStyle dinning to me is eating when I feel like it in the main restaurants or the buffets. You can also eat by yourself or choose to take a chance and be seated with a group. It just seemed that everytime we choose the group, we also got one or two talkaholics who dominated the conversation. I tried to include everyone at the table in the conversation, but to no avail. I also tend to talk too much, so I probably deserved my fate. LOL

We did met a compatable couple on the way off the ship and have had a fun dinner with them recently and will be traveling on the same cruise with them this year. That is nice, to meet and befriend someone on the cruise. Be open to talking with people and just relax and have a good time. Don't sweat the small things. Everytime I talk to someone, they always agree that the first cruise is the best experience because you don't know what to expect. Remember it is your vacation, throw the clock away. Have fun.

[Havgun Wiltravel]

My wife and I have decided to try and cruise with friends next time...will be a lot more fun we are sure.

[tstruth]

Havgun,

Thanks for the review.

I will be on my first cruise in April on the Majesty.

Going with family (29 in all)

I think we will have a great time no matter what:)

Just courious how were the shows:confused:

And also how was the pool, deck (crowded:confused:)

How much was the Bingo?

Anything we should def. do or not do?

Thanks

[dodiebird]

We will be sailing on the Majesty with our 18 yr old daughter (and her friend) and our 15 yr old son. Our daughter is very social and we were wondering what is onboard for her to do? What is the age requirements for the clubs/discos etc.... My son is a little more reserved what is available for him to do? How about the island? We will be sailing out of Boston to Bermuda.... what should we see and not miss? Any ideas would be greatly appreciated. This will probably be our last "family" vacation before my daughter goes off to college. Any suggestions??? Thanks in advance!

[Writeratsea]

:) First of all I recommend a bus pass. You can get it at the Visitor's Bureau right outside where the ship docks in St. George's. $28 person for 3 days. You can use it all over the island, to Hamilton all the way to the Dockyard. A major plus is that it is also good for the ferries. You can take the ferry from St George to the Dockyard in the AM and then back to Hamilton in the PM before taking the bus back to St George. The view from the ferry on both of these trips is as good as any boat excursion you could take and best of all already paid for. In St George, you can visit Fort St Catherine and it has a great beach. It is a mile walk or a short cab ride.

Take the #10 bus to the Swizzle Inn, lot of fun. Rum drinks such as the Rum Swizzle or the Dark and Stormy, made with Black Rum and Ginger Beer. If you take the #1 or #3 bus you can go to the Crysal Caves. I like it better than the caves at Grotto Bay, more organized and accessible. You can also take the #10 to Flatts Village which has the Aquarium and Zoo, which I liked. Nearby is Devil's Hole, which is an former cave whose top collapsed in a long ago storm to create a neat open pond, enclosed by coral walls. Lots of fish and large sea turtles (at least 200 pounds) that have entered the pond but now can't escape.

Hamilton. Take the #10 bus. They have a festival on Wednesday night, where the stores are open until 9 PM. Many local people and business set up booths and sell various items such as food, clothes and especally artists with their paintings and prints. Plenty of stores and Restaurants to see.

Dockyard. You can take the ferry from St George or from Hamiltion. The bus ride is a long one, but it goes right along the South shore to the Dockyard and you could also stop at Gibbs Lighthouse along the way. The dockyard has the Bermuda Maritime Museum and swimming with the dolphins (Dolphin Quest) which the kids might really enjoy. It also has a rum cake factory, a glass blowing studio, an ice cream shop, a crafts market and some restaurants.

We ate at the Purple Onion in Hamilton on the dine around program. The food was excellent and the atmosphere fun. The cost was only an extra $5 for lunch or $10 for the dinner coupon. This year I am going to try Tom Moore's Tavern, a pricey restaurant made affordable only by the dine around program. It is located near the Crystal Caves and Swizzle Inn.

There is also incredible although expensive golf courses. Beaches such as Horseshoe Bay. Snokling excusions. Hawkins Island is a BBQ, booze cruise combo. I almost forgot, St George's has their own version of the Wed nite festival of Hamilton. It is a lot lower key, but it is opposite the ship. If you get bored you can just go back to the ship. That is on Tuesday night when you arrive. Hopes this helps. There is just too much to do on Bermuda, so just pick the things that interest you the most and go with them. A guide book such as Frommers for $20 has a lot of reviews on restaurants, and places to go and is worthwhile. Hope this helps.

[seeweed]

I agree with much of what Havegun says about this cruise. Just to addsome.

 

The ship is small and so are the cabins. We had a superior interior and it was little and so was the bathroom, but that can be expected from the older ship. The ship is showing it's age in many places.

 

Embarkation and debarkation were very smooth. I think this is handled very well at Charleston. I especially like the feature of the shuttle from terminal to parking when you disembark. The past cruise from Charleston didn't have this.

 

The crew members we met were very friendly, to the point of remembering our names. I'll name a few - Tina and Daviemarie waitresses in Renevous Lounge; Mae Ann, Victoria wiat staff in restaraunts and "Ganda" Asst. Matre'd.

 

We thought the production show's were very good but you do have to arrive early to see them because seating is a problem in the Palace Theater.

 

I think drinks are expensive so be prepared if you have alcohol from the bars. I'm don't know much about wine but we had wine each night at dinner and the choices suit my taste and I think the selection was good.

 

The food was good; the portions adequate and if you wanted more you could get what you wanted. The dining in the Le Bistro was a pleasant experience with very good food although it is cramped. Well worth the $15 surcharge. We also tried the Pasta Cafe and liked what we had but it is also cramped.

 

What didn't I enjoy: My wife and I and the couple we traveled with like to dance(ballroom/social dancing) and the was very little oppurtunity for this. The band in the Palace Theater did play for 30 minutes most nights for dancing on the stage and we took advantage. The disco-Frame 52- offered some dancing choice but 'Disco'- blah, blah, blah. The two piece group in the Fireworks Lounge was a waste of time for us. They were pretty good for what they did, but many nights people just set around listening if there was anyone in the lounge. They should be replaced with a group that can play for dancing and listening.

 

Morning wake up room service was good.

 

Sent clothes to the mid-week laundry and got them back the next day folded or hanging - nice service.

 

Both ships tours we selected one in GC and one in Cozumel were both cancelled. In GC this wasn't a big problem because we have done the same tour before but we wanted our friends to go to Stingray City. In Cozumel there wasn't enough interest is the one we chose, not the ships fault.

 

All-in-all an enjoyable trip but we will not go on this ship again eventought Charleston is very convenient for us.

[Kar313]

We were also on this sailing and while I agree w/ many of the things Havgun Wiltravel said, we had a great time.

 

Can't say enough about the service we rec'd from the wait staff to bartenders to room attendants. All wonderfull!! We also had a few stand out, Chaeril and Nenette, bar staff and Johnson, waiter. If anyone is headed on the Majesty soon and can tell them Karen & Terry and Mike & Kim from MD say "Hello" that would be great.

 

Food - was good in dining rooms, always seemed to be something for everyone in our party of 4. Didn't have one meal that any of else didn't like. We ate in main dining rooms every night, didn't do Le Bistro or Pasta. Never waited long in any of the dining rooms for a table or for the food. The wait staff seemed to be right on top of things bringing next selections as soon as everyone had finished that course.

Buffet has some good selections and some just OK, didn't really have anything bad. Loved the side areas on pool deck for lunch offerings, pasta grill, sandwich bar, skewers and rice, potatoe bar, etc. We at there most days for lunch w/ salad or fruit, etc from buffet.

 

Did breakfasts at buffet first few days but once we started going to main diningroom for breakfast we did this rest of the time. I think the last 4 days. It was terrific.

 

We did room service few late night snack. Great selection for this but not so sure you could have gotten by on these selections for dinner. Sandwich platter great, although they are very small.

 

Excursions - we didn't do any ship excursions and didn't have anything "planned" at each port.

In Grand Cayman we got off ship and booked Stingray/snorkel tour right there, never really did find out name of the tour company, although waters were rough we did go out and had a great time. Only had about 15-16 on our boat and the crew were terrific. Got to feed, touch and even kiss the stingray.

 

In Cozumel we shopped for a bit when we first got off ship then we rented a jeep, drove to Paradise Beach and had lunch. Didn't spend to much time enjoying the wonderful beach as we would have liked. (A few of us were a little sunned-out from our day in Grand Cayman.) Then we went back to turn the jeep in and spent the rest of the time at Carlos and Charlies - all I can say about this place is it's WILD!

 

In Key West we took the trolley to town and shopped for a bit then did our own "pub crawl" Starting w/ Margaritaville then on to Irish Kevin's, Blue Iguana, Sloppy Joe's, Hogsbreath,

Watched the sunset and then went back to Irish Kevin's. Great place, had two great live singers, Jeff Harris and Matty Q.

 

Ship is older and showing wear but was always clean and we did see them doing upkeep, painting, fixing deck boards, etc.

 

This was mine and DH's first cruise so we didn't have anything to compare it to. But the other couple we were with have cruised w/ RC and Carnival and they had nothing but praises for this ship and NCL. We are booked on RC Freedom of the Seas in December for almost 2x the price of this cruise so we will see how that compares.

 

Sorry this post is so long, I was going to do my own review but then found this thread already started.

[Worfiedoodles]

Just wanting to join this thread -- we are going on the Majesty Boston to Bermuda at the end of August. Our other family cruise experience was on the Disney Wonder.

 

Here's my question for other past Boston to Bermuda cruisers -- did you find that because the ship docks in one port for the entire cruise, you really didn't need a balcony or more amenities?

 

Our thought was that we would spend our days off the ship and our nights after the show in the room w/our little one, so we wouldn't need rock climbing walls, ice skating rinks, etc., since we wouldn't have days that had to end by 4 or so to be back on the ship for departures.

 

I'm also thinking this will be a more relaxing trip -- I feel compelled to try to do as much that is offered as possible, and if there are fewer options, I will have to relax more! :)

 

Thanks for any thoughts.

[cruisedolly]

To all you Majesty people, I sailed on her in 1993 when she was a brand new ship. She was sailing for the Royal Majesty Cruise Line. Althought she was small, she was just beautiful. The dinning room food was outstanding. Our table mates where Bess Myerson's sister and the "Concert Master" of the New York Philharmonic. One afternoon I was seated by the pianist in the POLO Lounge. She heard me humming and asked me to come up and sing with her. Then she asked me to come back that night. We put on a two hour concert (I do sing!) and the lounge was filled by the end. Then the pianist said "I suppose none of you have realized that this is not a staff person but one of your fellow cruise passengers. It is a wonderful memory.

 

 

I wish you could have seen the Majesty then. I would be saddened to see her now.