Majesty to Bermuda review for 7/19 - 7/26/08

[DeltaOne]

We're just back from the 7/19 to 7/26 Baltimore to Bermuda run, on the NCL Majesty. A quick review:

 

Arrived at the terminal at 10:30 am, checked in by 10:35 am. We were allowed on the ship at 11:30 am. Lunch was being served, the rooms were ready at 1 pm. We made reservations for Le Bistro for that night.

 

The safety drill was at 3:30, over by 3:40. Sail-away was 4 pm prompt. We sailed under the Chesapeake Bay Bridge at 6 pm. We docked in St. George on Monday at 2:30 pm, folks were going ashore by 2:45 pm.

 

Our dinner in Le Bistro was excellent, as was each dinner in either of the other large dining rooms (Four Seasons and Seven Seas). Don't feel you have to pay extra for Le Bistro.

 

We can't really comment on the buffet, we had made a decision to eat more meals in the main restaurants. When we did eat at the buffet, it was either an omelet or sticky bun from the omelet station (breakfast) or a sub sandwich or wrap from the sandwich station (lunch). My wife didn't like the hamburger from the grill, but I had several hot dogs/french fries from the grill -- they're excellent. And you can put together a great caesar salad at the grill too.

 

The other breakfast and lunches were in either the Four Seasons or Seven Seas and the food and service was excellent. We eat late (lunch 1:30 to 2:30, dinner 7:30 to 9:00 pm) and never waited for a table.

 

We also ate at the Swizzle Inn (excellent fish sandwich and rum swizzle). And the Frog & Onion at the Dockyard (great fish and chips). This was our first trip to the Dockyard and we were pleasantly surprised by how nice it was -- there is lots to see and do. We did the Segway Tour (highly recommended) and did some shopping.

 

We went to Church Bay beach after hearing about good snorkeling there. Church Bay beach is beautiful and the snorkeling is pretty good. However the bottom is rocky and slipppery and the surf was up a bit so we didn't stay long.

 

We attended several shows and they were good. The magician/comedian guy was excellent. We didn't care for the other comedian so we skipped his shows. The cruise director, Ered Matthew, gave two presentations -- one on ocean liners, one on the SS Norway. Both were excellent -- be sure to attend if you have the chance. Ered sings during the Crew Show -- he's actually quite good. The Crew Show was nice, also highly recommended. At first we didn't know what to think of Ered as a cruise director, but attending his presentations made us think highly of him. It's him and one assistant -- quite a small activities staff.

 

The St. George street fair is Tuesday night. The Town Crier gives quite a show at 7:30 pm when he punishes (dunks) the "town wench" for being a "nag and gossip." It was a lot of fun. There are many vendors selling crafts too.

 

We left St. George a few minutes late, the captain waited for a family of three. They were paged, then five minutes later the captain blew the ship's horn -- a few minutes later the three were seen sprinting for the ship. We pulled away from the dock around 11:10 am.

 

If you'll be traveling around the island be sure to get the three-day bus/ferry pass ($28 pp). Take the ferry whenever possible -- it's much more pleasant than the buses -- and there's a ferry stop just a short walk from the ship.

 

I checked our bill on Thursday afternoon and Friday night -- no errors. It's quick and easy to get a preliminary bill print-out at the reception desk on deck 5.

 

We had great weather -- it was in the mid-80's and sunny every day except Friday (at sea on the way back to Baltimore). Friday was a bit cooler and we had about two hours of intermittent rain.

 

All in all it was an excellent cruise. You can't beat a few days in Bermuda in July.

[Cruizer_J]

Thanks Paul! Glad to hear that your sailing went well.

[maryln]

Thanks for your review. Do you remember when the CD's 2 presentations were?

[FIRELT5]

We're just back from the 7/19 to 7/26 Baltimore to Bermuda run, on the NCL Majesty. A quick review:

 

Arrived at the terminal at 10:30 am, checked in by 10:35 am. We were allowed on the ship at 11:30 am. Lunch was being served, the rooms were ready at 1 pm. We made reservations for Le Bistro for that night.

 

The safety drill was at 3:30, over by 3:40. Sail-away was 4 pm prompt. We sailed under the Chesapeake Bay Bridge at 6 pm. We docked in St. George on Monday at 2:30 pm, folks were going ashore by 2:45 pm.

 

Our dinner in Le Bistro was excellent, as was each dinner in either of the other large dining rooms (Four Seasons and Seven Seas). Don't feel you have to pay extra for Le Bistro.

 

We can't really comment on the buffet, we had made a decision to eat more meals in the main restaurants. When we did eat at the buffet, it was either an omelet or sticky bun from the omelet station (breakfast) or a sub sandwich or wrap from the sandwich station (lunch). My wife didn't like the hamburger from the grill, but I had several hot dogs/french fries from the grill -- they're excellent. And you can put together a great caesar salad at the grill too.

 

The other breakfast and lunches were in either the Four Seasons or Seven Seas and the food and service was excellent. We eat late (lunch 1:30 to 2:30, dinner 7:30 to 9:00 pm) and never waited for a table.

 

We also ate at the Swizzle Inn (excellent fish sandwich and rum swizzle). And the Frog & Onion at the Dockyard (great fish and chips). This was our first trip to the Dockyard and we were pleasantly surprised by how nice it was -- there is lots to see and do. We did the Segway Tour (highly recommended) and did some shopping.

 

We went to Church Bay beach after hearing about good snorkeling there. Church Bay beach is beautiful and the snorkeling is pretty good. However the bottom is rocky and slipppery and the surf was up a bit so we didn't stay long.

 

We attended several shows and they were good. The magician/comedian guy was excellent. We didn't care for the other comedian so we skipped his shows. The cruise director, Ered Matthew, gave two presentations -- one on ocean liners, one on the SS Norway. Both were excellent -- be sure to attend if you have the chance. Ered sings during the Crew Show -- he's actually quite good. The Crew Show was nice, also highly recommended. At first we didn't know what to think of Ered as a cruise director, but attending his presentations made us think highly of him. It's him and one assistant -- quite a small activities staff.

 

The St. George street fair is Tuesday night. The Town Crier gives quite a show at 7:30 pm when he punishes (dunks) the "town wench" for being a "nag and gossip." It was a lot of fun. There are many vendors selling crafts too.

 

We left St. George a few minutes late, the captain waited for a family of three. They were paged, then five minutes later the captain blew the ship's horn -- a few minutes later the three were seen sprinting for the ship. We pulled away from the dock around 11:10 am.

 

If you'll be traveling around the island be sure to get the three-day bus/ferry pass ($28 pp). Take the ferry whenever possible -- it's much more pleasant than the buses -- and there's a ferry stop just a short walk from the ship.

 

I checked our bill on Thursday afternoon and Friday night -- no errors. It's quick and easy to get a preliminary bill print-out at the reception desk on deck 5.

 

We had great weather -- it was in the mid-80's and sunny every day except Friday (at sea on the way back to Baltimore). Friday was a bit cooler and we had about two hours of intermittent rain.

 

All in all it was an excellent cruise. You can't beat a few days in Bermuda in July.

 

 

TNX for the review, How well was the Majesty maintained ????

[Radio]

Wow ! Great review Paul ! It sounds like you had a great time ! !

 

I thought the CD was very good also. . . He is quite the Cruise Ship Historian. He knows alot about the history of ships !

 

Radio

:rolleyes: :rolleyes:

[DeltaOne]

Thanks for your review. Do you remember when the CD's 2 presentations were?

The first, on ocean liners, was Monday @ 10 am (sea day). The second, on the SS Norway, was Thursday @ 5 pm (at sea heading back). Both are in the Palace Theater. As I mentioned, both were excellent.

[DeltaOne]

TNX for the review, How well was the Majesty maintained ????

 

The Majesty was beautiful and clean.

 

However, it's 16 years old (and was stretched in 1999). It's not hard to find rust spots here and there, worn carpet occasionally. Layers and layers of paint on external surfaces.

 

I don't mean any of the above as criticism, the Majesty is a beautiful old ship. The internal spaces were spotless -- we wouldn't hesitate to book a cruise on her again. We probably won't get the chance, she only has about a year left in the NCL fleet.

 

We'll miss docking in St. George and Hamilton, but our visit to the Dockyard has changed our mind about ruling out sailings to that port -- the Dockyard was quite nice -- with close-by bus and ferry locations to get you around the island.

[Philly Steve]

Thanks for the review. Just wondering...

 

If you had it to do over (and hopefully you will!) would you dine at Le Bistro, given the additional fee?

 

Was there a CC Roll Call gathering during the cruise? If so, what did NCL provide?

 

Did you order from room service and if so, how prompt was the delivery?

 

How did debarkation go?

 

Thanks again! :)

[Philly Steve]

I'm curious as to whether the NCL rep answered any questions and/or talked about the future of the SS United States during the presentations.

 

Thanks again.

[DeltaOne]

I thought the CD was very good also. . . He is quite the Cruise Ship Historian. He knows alot about the history of ships !

He certainly does, and his passion for the subject comes through in his two presentations.

 

He certainly didn't hide his feelings when comparing the beauty of the SS Norway and the new (big, boxy) ships. I liked his story about the captain of the Jade (a big, boxy ship) asking passengers if they'd found the bow. And that they put a short, pointy bow on the Jade so passengers could tell the bow from the stern.

[DeltaOne]

Thanks for the review. Just wondering...

If you had it to do over (and hopefully you will!) would you dine at Le Bistro, given the additional fee?

Was there a CC Roll Call gathering during the cruise? If so, what did NCL provide?

Did you order from room service and if so, how prompt was the delivery?

How did debarkation go?

We'd skip Le Bistro next time, the food in the Seven Seas and Four Seasons was just as good. There are "extra cost" options in Le Bistro (above the $15 pp fee) but we didn't consider those. We always dine in the specialty restaurants, sometimes multiple times -- but Le Bistro wasn't "more better" to make it worth the fee. And when we exited Le Bistro I was surprised to see Le Bistro diners at tables along the corridor. I would have objected to eating an extra cost meal in the hall way...sheesh.

 

I don't think our sailing had a CC gathering. There was a roll call here, but it died out and was, I think, eventually deleted. I couldn't find it a few days before our departure.

 

We didn't use room service.

 

We used the Express Walk-off debarkation. Express Walk-off was supposed to be from 8:30 to 9:30, called by descending deck order. Around 8:45 am we left our room and went to the Palace Theater -- it was supposed to be a waiting place with CNN on the big screen. We found the theater empty and no CNN on the big screen. We lucked out and got an elevator that took us and our luggage from deck 6 to deck 3. Then we walked down to deck 2. There was an officer there, I said we might be early -- we hadn't heard any decks called. She said no problem -- we could leave immediately. We did -- we were off the ship at 9 am. A customs official glanced at our declaration form and passports, then welcomed us home. Forty-five minutes later we were home. Gotta love sailing from Baltimore.

[DeltaOne]

I'm curious as to whether the NCL rep answered any questions and/or talked about the future of the SS United States during the presentations.

Yes. I believe he said it was in Philadelphia, but I don't remember more.

 

I wondered if he'd talk about Alang, India and he did. He had a picture of the SS Norway in Alang, run aground on the beach and said it was currently being cut apart. He implied NCL had been a bit underhanded in the way it handled the SS Norway -- that rather than send it to Alang they sold it to someone else to do the dirty work (send it to Alang).

 

He talked about the workers in Alang, there's a phrase "one day, one ship, one life" meaning that on average one Alang worker dies each day while cutting the ships apart. He talked about how they first cut off a small piece of the bow during a ceremony. Once done, it's not a "ship" but just a hunk of steel -- and they begin cutting it apart.

 

My guess -- the SS United States will end up in Alang.

[DeltaOne]

He certainly didn't hide his feelings when comparing the beauty of the SS Norway and the new (big, boxy) ships. I liked his story about the captain of the Jade (a big, boxy ship) asking passengers if they'd found the bow. And that they put a short, pointy bow on the Jade so passengers could tell the bow from the stern.

I meant the Pride of America, not the Jade. The new NCL F3 series is also big and boxy with a short bow.

[Cruizer_J]

Paul,

 

A couple of questions, please. You mentioned (and we had also read about previously) the tables for two in the hallway at Le Bistro. Were there many tables for two inside the restaurant as well? Just wondering if we would stand a strong chance of being “bumped” outside by advance reservations from passengers in suites, etc. Also, about the transportation passes in Bermuda: Are they printed to be used on certain days, or are they marked somehow on the first day of use? If possible, we might want to buy one-day passes on Monday for use on Tuesday. Thanks.

[DeltaOne]

Were there many tables for two inside the restaurant as well?

Also, about the transportation passes in Bermuda: Are they printed to be used on certain days, or are they marked somehow on the first day of use?

 

I don't know how many, but yes -- there are tables for two inside Le Bistro. We sat at one. I would advise mentioning that you want to be seated inside the restaurant when you make your Le Bistro reservation. I didn't, because I didn't then know about the hallway seating. It wasn't a problem, we were seated inside Le Bistro.

 

The bus/ferry passes are punched upon their first use, so buying a pass on one day and not using it until the next should be fine. We purchased our three day passes on the 22nd and used it that day. The bus driver punched out the 22, 23 and 24. We would have been denied boarding on the 25th.

[Cruizer_J]

Thanks Paul. What was your impression of the number of people who ate dinner on land while in port? I'm thinking of having lunch on land, dinner on the ship and wondered if dinner times seemed less busy while docked.

[Carnac767]

Thanks for the review, Paul. My son and his girl friend were on your cruise and said they had a great time, too.

[Boston Birder]

Great review and quite helpful!

 

Did any member of your group use Majesty's library? I want to avoid packing books but would like some idea of what's available on board.

 

Thanks!

[Jeniceves]

Paul,

 

A couple of questions, please. You mentioned (and we had also read about previously) the tables for two in the hallway at Le Bistro. Were there many tables for two inside the restaurant as well? Just wondering if we would stand a strong chance of being “bumped” outside by advance reservations from passengers in suites, etc. Also, about the transportation passes in Bermuda: Are they printed to be used on certain days, or are they marked somehow on the first day of use? If possible, we might want to buy one-day passes on Monday for use on Tuesday. Thanks.

We were on the July 12 Majesty to Bermuda and ate at Le Bistro. I did not want the tables for two in the hallway simply because that is a major throughway for folks coming and going to the Seven Seas dining room. When I made the reservation I told them we wanted to be inside and we were. The configuration allows them to push together or separate tables to make them any number they need. We loved Le Bistro and found the service as well as the selection to be wonderful. Although, we loved the Pasta Cafe, too, and that did not have a $15 pp charge.

[eks1954]

I am considering booking a last minute cruise on the Majesty from Baltimore or Philly. I am traveling with my son who is handicapped. He walks with a brace and uses a manual wheelchair that Ii push for long distances. I know I will not be able to get a HC cabin at this late date but I was wondering if you know if the men's shower for the gym has a HC shower so that I could assist my son with bathing. Also would like to know how HC accessible the ship might be...were there others in wheel chairs or scooters on board....if so did they get around ok? Thanks for any assistance!

[DeltaOne]

I am considering booking a last minute cruise on the Majesty from Baltimore or Philly. I am traveling with my son who is handicapped. He walks with a brace and uses a manual wheelchair that Ii push for long distances. I know I will not be able to get a HC cabin at this late date but I was wondering if you know if the men's shower for the gym has a HC shower so that I could assist my son with bathing. Also would like to know how HC accessible the ship might be...were there others in wheel chairs or scooters on board....if so did they get around ok? Thanks for any assistance!

Does the manual wheelchair fold up or collapse in some way? Otherwise it won't fit though the cabin door (they're very narrow).

 

Sorry, I don't know any details about the shower in the gym. We did walk in the gym, I even took two pictures there -- and now that I think about it I don't think there is a shower in the gym. It was pretty small.

 

We did see other wheelchairs and scooters on board. There are 3/4 inch high metal strips in a lot of places (transitions between rooms or hallways) that you'll need to "bump" over.

 

My son uses a power wheelchair and he cruised with us once on a Princess cruise and he had a handicap cabin. The cabin had a very wide door, lots more space -- and a huge wheelchair accessible bathroom. My advice would be to look for another cruise where you can get a handicap cabin.

[Cruizer_J]

We were on the July 12 Majesty to Bermuda and ate at Le Bistro. I did not want the tables for two in the hallway simply because that is a major throughway for folks coming and going to the Seven Seas dining room. When I made the reservation I told them we wanted to be inside and we were. The configuration allows them to push together or separate tables to make them any number they need. We loved Le Bistro and found the service as well as the selection to be wonderful. Although, we loved the Pasta Cafe, too, and that did not have a $15 pp charge.

Good to know that they can adapt the seating for different party sizes. We will ask for inside seating. Le Bistro has been a favorite of ours also after a couple of memorable dinners at the Sun’s version of the restaurant, where the food and service were excellent. We'll be sure to try the Pasta Café, also.

[bluesea777]

We left St. George a few minutes late, the captain waited for a family of three. They were paged, then five minutes later the captain blew the ship's horn -- a few minutes later the three were seen sprinting for the ship. We pulled away from the dock around 11:10 am.

 

LOL :D LOL :D