NCL Majesty vs. RCI Sovereign?

[boxstertyson]

I have booked a cruise with NCL and have no clue what to expect. I sailed on the Sovereign of the Seas through RCI in March despite several negative reviews. Immediately I feel in love with the ship. The cruise was very relaxing and for the price, unbeatable.

 

Now, I have booked the NCL Majesty over New Years and as before, have read many negative reviews. Obviously I enjoy the smaller ships much more than the larger ones. I mostly want to hear from someone who has been on both ships before, how they compare. I will make the best out of any situation, regardless of the ship. But beforehand, I would like to have a personal comparison of these two ships. Also, if you can, compare service, food, etc. (Activities and the Casino arent really important).

 

Thanks!

[Barb Nahoumi]

I have never been on the Sovereign, but I can vouch for the Majesty. I cruised on it twice, from Boston to Bermuda.

 

The crew & Staff work hard to make your cruise memorable. The food is good, and well presented.

 

State rooms are tiny but functionable. We had outside cabins both times. Our room stewards were wonderful.

 

I enjoy some activities aboard the ship, such as shows, music in lounges, etc., but like you, I don't care for the casino. It just gobbles my money.

 

Hope this helped a little bit.

 

Barb

[electricron]

Sorry I can't help with personal comparisons. I enjoyed my cruise to Bermuda on th eMajesty last year. You'll soon discover that this cruise vacation is all about Bermuda, not the ships.

 

Here the ships' stats:

 

Sovereign of the Seas

Year Built 1988

Tonnage 73,200 tons

Length 880 feet

Beam 106 feet

Passenger Capacity 2,850

Crew Size 840

Inside Cabins 418 > 119 sq.ft.

Outside Cabins 722 > 122 to 157 sq.ft.

Cabins & Suites w/ verandas 67

Suites 67 > 382 to 670 sq.ft.

Maximum Occupancy per room 4

Restaurants 3

Cafeteria 1

Bars/Lounges 10

 

Norwegian Majesty

Year Built 1992

Stretched 1999

Tonnage 40,876 tons

Length 680 feet

Beam 91 feet

Passenger Capacity 1,462

Crew Size 620

Inside Cabins 250 > 108 to 145 sq.ft.

Outside Cabins 479 > 145 sq.ft.

Cabins & Suites w/ verandas 0

Suites 22 > 235 sq.ft.

Maximum Occupancy per room 4

Restaurants 4

Cafeteria 1

Bars/Lounges 9

[boxstertyson]

I apologize, I should have made my itinerary clearer. On Sovereign of the Seas it was a simple cruise from Port Canaveral, FL to the Bahamas (3 Nights). The cruise aboard the Norwegian Majesty will be to the Western Caribbean out of Charleston, SC (7 Nights). Nonetheless, is the size between the two ships as much as it seems?

[electricron]

I apologize, I should have made my itinerary clearer. On Sovereign of the Seas it was a simple cruise from Port Canaveral, FL to the Bahamas (3 Nights). The cruise aboard the Norwegian Majesty will be to the Western Caribbean out of Charleston, SC (7 Nights). Nonetheless, is the size between the two ships as much as it seems?

 

The Sovereign of the Seas is sized more like the Norwegian Spirit and Norwegian Sun than the Majesty. Yes, it's almost twice the size of the Majesty, with almost twice as many passengers. The Majesty was originally around 10,000 tons smaller, as it was stretched by 33.6 meters (110 feet) in 1999. You can see photos of the stretched job at this web site.

http://www.lloydwerft.com/e/auftraege/index.html

 

But, both the Sovereign and Majesty have similar sized cabins, as they were both built before the trend for cruise ships ships to have balconies, and before squeezing more than two passengers into a cabin.

[KINGBOBOFTHENORTH]

I've sailed on both Sovereign of the Seas and Norwegian Majesty. Both were 3-night cruises to Nassau and a private island. (Norwegian Majesty was used by NCL in the competitive 3/4-day Bahamas market a few winters ago.)

 

Frankly, Sovereign is a far better ship, particularly with the recent refurbishment. Far bigger with much more to do. The buffet on the Norwegian Majesty was relatively tiny and the disco was a small room. I'm a fan of NCL (did the Sun to Alaska earlier this year) but I can't recommend the Majesty. I can't imagine sailing on Norwegian Majesty on a 7-night cruise.

 

BobK/Orlando

[iceman991]

Just got off the Majesty last week...we loved the ship. The food was good, service throughout the ship was excellent, and the entertainment all over the ship was good. We have cruised on the RCCL Voyager and the Disney Magic and the size of the Majesty is so much smaller. But for the price and the service it was great. Bermuda was awesome on top of that. The only negative is it is not a ship for children ages I would say 10-16 because of the lack of sports activities because of size.

[coka]

I have sailed the Majesty twice and the Sovereign of the Seas once. One week western Caribbean before stretching and a three night Bahamas after the stretching (I think it was January, MLK weekend 2002 or 2003). I sailed the SOS four nighter in April of 2002 or 2003. Either way, it was the same year.

 

For me, the ships seemed similar in size. The cabins seemed similar in size. I had inside and window cabins. I remember the bars on the SOS were far away from the lounge areas...therefore they were not conducive to sitting at. This may have changed. I remember a similar sized disco dancefloor on both ships.

 

I remember having a great time on both ships. I remember enjoying the set times for dinner on the SOS (but I was traveling solo). I thought the food was the same. I remember their private islands being totally different from each other. I know I wrote a cc review on the SOS sailing but I do not know where to find it. I had written it under Lemanja, prior to knowing I could not have two screen names...

 

Coka

[hotspur]

Sounds like there are others who, like me, have sailed Majesty for seven days, and can "imagine" doing so quite enjoyably.

[Welove2cruise2]

I can't speak to the RCI ship, but we are currently booked on our 7th cruise on the Majesty and absolutely LOVE this ship and crew! Yes, the cabins are smaller than other ships, and no balconies, but the crew is the friendliest we've met on any NCL ship! And there are wonderful places to relax on this ship -- check out the window seats on deck 5!

 

Whatever you decide, have a wonderful cruise!