Majestic Princess bad reviews?

[Beachiekeen]

We are preparing to book a Canada/New England (Quebec to Boston) cruise for 2025 on the Majestic Princess.  The itinerary looks fabulous and we absolutely loved our one-way Alaskan cruise on the Coral Princess. 

 

However, I am now wondering about this choice as I am reading that Majestic is big (which as a Royal class ship I knew already) but also noisy (with loud music playing both indoors and outdoors all the time) confined (with few open areas or quiet places either indoor or outdoor to view the scenery) and smoky (with most quiet outdoor areas reserved for smokers and also that the casino and surrounding areas are also very smoky/unusable).

 

Can anyone shed any light on this?  Of course I know bad reviews exist everywhere for every ship and line but now I am a bit worried.  We are going with friends, one of which is very sensitive to smoke, and who prefer open areas.  I have no doubt we would all prefer a smaller class ship (like Coral), however it isn't an option for the date and itinerary we want. Thanks for any insight.

Edited August 17 by Beachiekeen

[Kay S]

If you dislike the Royal class ships, you won't like Majestic.  The problems there are the same as the problems on the others of that class: loud in the Piazza, smoke in the casino, no real ousside promenade, etc.  I, myself, never noticed smoke outside the casino, but I know others have.  One outside area is reserved for smokers, but I don't remember which one it was.  

 

My opinion of the Majestic is doubtless colored by the fact that we sailed her right after the reopening of cruising, and everything was a disorganized mess.  I'm sure they have gotten their act together since then.

[DUCHESSRN]

I am sailing Majestic in 4 weeks , I have been on her before and the ship is different in a few ways . 

The big enclosed pool area Hollywood Conservatory at the front of the ship used to be relaxing and child free but I heard that kids are allowed in there now.

I think ship goes into dry dock before your sailing .

Our last few sailings on Regal and Emerald they were nice quiet spots you could find on deck 7 ...Piazza seems noisier that it was in the past .

[Beachiekeen]

Yeah the problem is I don't know if I like a Royal class ship or not.  It is similar in size to two ships I have been on before (Liberty of the Seas and Carnival Vista) that I liked fine so I figured this would be similar. 

[Donwoods123]

We have been on 20+ Princess cruises, both on Royal Class (including the Majestic) and Grand Class ships. Each class of ship has its good elements and its "not so good" elements.  The Royal Class ships are bigger with more passengers, but they don't seem as crowded as the Grand Class to me.  The  Piazza on the Royal Class ships seems a bit bigger and louder than those on the Grand Class ships, but they are acceptable to us.  I avoid the casinos on all ships because I don't like the smell of smoke. While the Grand Class ships are fine, we enjoy the Royal Class ships because they are "newer" in condition and amenities.

 

The Royal Princess is our favorite ship.  We just got off a cruise on the Ruby which was fine,  and have one coming up on the Regal.  I think all Princess ships are fine and feel you will have a great cruise on the Majestic.

[memoak]

Royal class ships are noisy around the piazza area due to its construction and placement of lounges and restaurants. This being said the aft penthouse suites are incredible and have massive balconies. We prefer grand class burnt due sail Royal if the itinerary suits. We are actually booked in the Majestic for 20 days Boston-Quebec-Boston in 2025

[Beachiekeen]

Thank you. This is a port heavy cruise so hopefully it will be ok. We love to sit and talk and have a drink and watch the scenery so hopefully there will be places where we can do that. 

[NCMtnBoys]

1 hour ago, DUCHESSRN said:

I am sailing Majestic in 4 weeks , I have been on her before and the ship is different in a few ways . 

The big enclosed pool area Hollywood Conservatory at the front of the ship used to be relaxing and child free but I heard that kids are allowed in there now.

I think ship goes into dry dock before your sailing .

Our last few sailings on Regal and Emerald they were nice quiet spots you could find on deck 7 ...Piazza seems noisier that it was in the past .

We are also sailing Majestic in four weeks, and it will be our first Princess cruise (although my 36th cruise overall). Hoping for a great experience!

[LACruiser88]

We have cruised on the Majestic many times.  The most recent was this past April, 33-days, Sydney to Seattle.  The ship was in great condition and we had a fantastic time.  For more details, check out my "Live" blog link down below.

 

We are also cruising on the Majestic on Dec 1st for 51-days. The Majestic crew is FANTASTIC!  I'll be doing another "Live" blog here for that voyage also, stay tuned!  🙂

[DUCHESSRN]

21 minutes ago, LACruiser88 said:

We have cruised on the Majestic many times.  The most recent was this past April, 33-days, Sydney to Seattle.  The ship was in great condition and we had a fantastic time.  For more details, check out my "Live" blog link down below.

 

We are also cruising on the Majestic on Dec 1st for 51-days. The Majestic crew is FANTASTIC!  I'll be doing another "Live" blog here for that voyage also, stay tuned!  🙂

My evening reading Thank You.

[Wishing on a star]

As mentioned, the Majestic is going in for a major dry-dock, next Spring.

Harmony will be no more... ( it was designed when the ship was built for the Asian market )

I believe that there could be other major changes in areas and venues... how they are used.

It is true that the Piazza, and the Hollywood pool and the Conservatory are all completely enclosed.  And, that could make a real difference.  

You might consider making your booking, with just the deposit, and then making your final decision when reviews start coming in after the dry-dock.

It is always a good idea to get your cabin and onboard reservations set up as early as possible.

It seems that fares are only going up and up after early booking.

 

I haven't looked at other options for the Canada Northeast itineraries.

Are there any others that you could also consider?

[Beachiekeen]

Thank you for that info. We really love this itinerary. I just wish it was a different class ship. It’s my friend’s retirement cruise so it will be her final decision, but good to know if we go choose the Majestic what to expect so this is all very helpful. 

[LACruiser88]

41 minutes ago, Beachiekeen said:

. I just wish it was a different class ship

I would not worry about those that cast a negative light on the Royal class ships.  We have cruised on all the ship classes.  You will have a great time on the Majestic.

 

 Book your cruise based on the itinerary, not the class of ship.  You will have a great time!  Enjoy!!!

[Steelers36]

4 hours ago, memoak said:

Royal class ships are noisy around the piazza area due to its construction and placement of lounges and restaurants. This being said the aft penthouse suites are incredible and have massive balconies. We prefer grand class burnt due sail Royal if the itinerary suits. We are actually booked in the Majestic for 20 days Boston-Quebec-Boston in 2025

IMO, the Royal Class ships are very noisy around the Piazza zone because of the build-up in entertainment there begun by a certain ED back in 2018/2019.  The venue was not built for loud rock type entertainment and yet this has been the trend.  So the sound booms all over the place - up high and into surrounding open areas on three decks - and even up to deck 8 mid-ship.  Many other entertainment events get held there and sometimes it seems like non-stop from morning to night. 

 

PS - This doesn't stop me from booking RC ships.  We'll just avoid the area if something is going on not interested in.  

 

Edited August 18 by Steelers36

[Murray's Pop]

On 8/17/2024 at 3:00 PM, Beachiekeen said:

We are preparing to book a Canada/New England (Quebec to Boston) cruise for 2025 on the Majestic Princess.  The itinerary looks fabulous and we absolutely loved our one-way Alaskan cruise on the Coral Princess. 

 

However, I am now wondering about this choice as I am reading that Majestic is big (which as a Royal class ship I knew already) but also noisy (with loud music playing both indoors and outdoors all the time) confined (with few open areas or quiet places either indoor or outdoor to view the scenery) and smoky (with most quiet outdoor areas reserved for smokers and also that the casino and surrounding areas are also very smoky/unusable).

 

Can anyone shed any light on this?  Of course I know bad reviews exist everywhere for every ship and line but now I am a bit worried.  We are going with friends, one of which is very sensitive to smoke, and who prefer open areas.  I have no doubt we would all prefer a smaller class ship (like Coral), however it isn't an option for the date and itinerary we want. Thanks for any insight.

We are also booked on the Majestic for the Quebec to Boston cruise (Sept 29th sailing).  We are not fans of the big ships and prefer ships in the "under 2000 pax" category.  We have sailed before on the Regal Princess and thought it was crowded (a Caribbean itinerary, the pool deck was impossible!).

I have read a number of articles and reviews on the Majestic, and apparently it is not the same as the other Royal Class ships. Remember, it was originally built to the China cruise market and is not "identical" to the other Royal class ships.  We are looking forward to this cruise and are hopeful/optimistic that the Majestic will be just fine. 

[OccasionalSanta]

On 8/17/2024 at 3:00 PM, Beachiekeen said:

However, I am now wondering about this choice as I am reading that Majestic is big (which as a Royal class ship I knew already) but also noisy (with loud music playing both indoors and outdoors all the time) confined (with few open areas or quiet places either indoor or outdoor to view the scenery) and smoky (with most quiet outdoor areas reserved for smokers and also that the casino and surrounding areas are also very smoky/unusable).

I have been on the Royal and Discovery and next week will be on the Majestic.

 

One of the things I didn't like about the Royal (and also the Regal according to the deck plans) is that it has a spiral staircase in the middle of the casino up to deck 7. This means that the smoke will rise up and you can't avoid it by not going through the casino.

 

See the circled area in the deck plans below.

 

The Discovery (as well as the Enchanted and Majestic according to the deck plans) does not have this staircase. Thus, I preferred the Discovery (and hopefully the Majestic) over the Royal

 

[Cruise Raider]

28 minutes ago, OccasionalSanta said:

I have been on the Royal and Discovery and next week will be on the Majestic.

 

One of the things I didn't like about the Royal (and also the Regal according to the deck plans) is that it has a spiral staircase in the middle of the casino up to deck 7. This means that the smoke will rise up and you can't avoid it by not going through the casino.

 

See the circled area in the deck plans below.

 

The Discovery (as well as the Enchanted and Majestic according to the deck plans) does not have this staircase. Thus, I preferred the Discovery (and hopefully the Majestic) over the Royal

 

The Majestic is the only Princess ship I’ve seen (I haven’t been on them all) that has glass doors on either end of the casino to trap the smoke inside.  It doesn’t make for any better conditions within the casino but it sure keeps the smoke from wafting out into all the other public areas of the ship. 

With that being said, the Majestic is one of my all time favorite ships in which I’ve cruised.  The only thing I would change is to have the Ocean Terrace bar have sushi like how they have it on the Discovery vs a pop up on port days only.  The Majestic also does not have a Crooners but musicians playing at the Crown Grill bar.  
I understand they will be changing Vines into an O’Malleys and of course, getting rid of Harmony and adding a Sabatini’s.  
The big difference on the Majestic is that she has the Hollywood Conservatory instead the Sanctuary. As of now, I understand they have no plans to change that during their remodel/refurb in March 2025 but you know, it still could happen.  
 

[jimlouisesophie]

1 hour ago, Cruise Raider said:

The Majestic is the only Princess ship I’ve seen (I haven’t been on them all) that has glass doors on either end of the casino to trap the smoke inside.  It doesn’t make for any better conditions within the casino but it sure keeps the smoke from wafting out into all the other public areas of the ship. 

With that being said, the Majestic is one of my all time favorite ships in which I’ve cruised.  The only thing I would change is to have the Ocean Terrace bar have sushi like how they have it on the Discovery vs a pop up on port days only.  The Majestic also does not have a Crooners but musicians playing at the Crown Grill bar.  
I understand they will be changing Vines into an O’Malleys and of course, getting rid of Harmony and adding a Sabatini’s.  
The big difference on the Majestic is that she has the Hollywood Conservatory instead the Sanctuary. As of now, I understand they have no plans to change that during their remodel/refurb in March 2025 but you know, it still could happen.  
 

Just got off the Majestic.  It is very large, but I had no problem with it, besides a few broken seats in the theater.  The food was excellent, although I just ate in the buffet.  There is two sections to the buffet and different types of sitting.  Never had a problem finding a seat, although the window seats were at a premium.  Loved the seafood, especially the marinated shrimp, which were available all the time, as well as smoked salmon.   Most of the food was not hot, but very tasty.  All of the bars had non alcoholic beer and the Piazza had white sparking non alcoholic wine, a bonus for me and they kept it in stock.  I walked through the casino to get to the other side, and could not smell smoke. The crew were amazing and very friendly.  One odd thing, though, nobody was tipping at the bars, and there were not even any containers for tips.  Very unusual.  The theater entertainment was very good as well as the live music thorough out the entire ship.  Lots of activities during my 5 day cruise from Vancouver to Los Angeles.  It was hard to hear the announcements depending on where you were located on the ship.  Beds were very comfortable in my balcony cabin, with a small but doable balcony with two chairs and a table.  Lots of storage in the open closet and lots of hangers.  I asked for and received a one size fits all house coat..not really suitable for larger cruisers, lol.  The piazza was wonderful...so much light and the focal point of the ship.  The international cafe charges for all coffee, even regular, which surprised me.

Lots of bars.   I found it difficult to find the wash rooms, as they were not signed very well....had to keep track of where they were located.  The Swirls ice cream was a regular treat for me, with long hours, starting in the late afternoon till late at night.  The wifi was extremely good.  There were only a few tv channels to choose from:  Fox, but not CNN and included Nat Geo.  There were several movies which I did not watch.  There was always something to do, and the Medallion was so very helpful as the door opens once you approach it.  All elevators did not go to the main Piazza level 5, so I had to make sure I took the correct one, the one beside the Piazza, of course, was the best and I had to remember where it was when I left my deck 14.  It was very convenient to be two levels below deck 16, the buffet, as I walked the stairs to it at all times...good exercise. There were no bbq or outdoor cooking during my 5 day on board.  I walked off with my carry on only and took the Princess shuttle....not a problem at all although the time allocated for my disembarking was not to my liking, so went to customer service, deck 5, and they said just to take an earlier shuttle...no reservation or new ticket required, so anyone could choose which shuttle they wanted to take.  The instructions were a little bit vague regarding disembarking.  Hope this helps others to have a great cruise.  Go with the flow and make the best. 

[Bobpell54]

On the Majestic soon looking for a chaise lounger in an area outside.

Is there a location not covered over?

[ldtr1]

14 hours ago, Murray's Pop said:

We are also booked on the Majestic for the Quebec to Boston cruise (Sept 29th sailing).  We are not fans of the big ships and prefer ships in the "under 2000 pax" category.  We have sailed before on the Regal Princess and thought it was crowded (a Caribbean itinerary, the pool deck was impossible!).

I have read a number of articles and reviews on the Majestic, and apparently it is not the same as the other Royal Class ships. Remember, it was originally built to the China cruise market and is not "identical" to the other Royal class ships.  We are looking forward to this cruise and are hopeful/optimistic that the Majestic will be just fine. 

Pretty much the same as other Royal class layout with the exception of an indoor pool where the retreat pool is on other Royal class ships and the indoor Hollywood Conservatory replacing where the Sanctuary would normally be. No Sanctuary on Majestic.

 

Some minor differences in casino and dining venues.

[jimlouisesophie]

2 hours ago, Bobpell54 said:

On the Majestic soon looking for a chaise lounger in an area outside.

Is there a location not covered over?

Yes, for sure, on Deck 16...lots there

[Captain k]

The Majestic is one of our favorite ships.  Indoor pool and conservatory are perfect for a cool weather cruise.  Sad to hear they are doing away with the noodle bar on the pool deck.  

[EDDY0827]

9 hours ago, jimlouisesophie said:

One odd thing, though, nobody was tipping at the bars, and there were not even any containers for tips. 

Drink tips are included in your drink price and I'm sure that containers for tips are verboten. Very tacky look.

[Oscar13]

We did the little 2 nighter from Seattle to Vancouver recently.  Never had been on one of the bigger ships and wanted to try one.  Found it almost too big for us; too many people.  Crew were fantastic and very friendly.  We ate mostly in the buffet, found lots of interesting new things to try.

 

The one thing that really surprised us was the use of venues for games.  Princess Live really isn't set up for trivia teams or other games where you have a group of people working together.  Vista Lounge would have been more suitable.

 

Happy cruising

 

K2

[memoak]

1 hour ago, EDDY0827 said:

Drink tips are included in your drink price and I'm sure that containers for tips are verboten. Very tacky look.

I have never ever seen a tip jar on any cruise ship. If you have a package tips are included up to your drink limit price. If you cruise standard you are paying 18% on top of the drink price   We do tip out our favorite bartenders extra at the end of the cruise. My only issues with the Majestic are the noisy atrium and the specialty restaurants. Harmony is like the Panda Express and the Catch was so bad they refunded our cover charge