The good the bad and the ugly, need info on the Majesty

[Batch5]

Hello, I would like some info, a group of friends is thinking about a cruise out of Philly on the Majesty. The group will consist of about 18 people, adults early 40’s and children from about 4 -14, most of us have cruised prior on different lines but none of us has ever cruised on NCL. We are a laid-back group and understand the size of the ship does not make the vacation it who you are with but I am getting mixed reviews on the Majesty either you love it or hate it, there is no gray area and that it seems the bad out weighs the good. I understanding the food is a matter of opinion and that he ship is on the older side, I want to understand why all the negativity. Is it that people do not do there homework before choosing a cruise. Anyway the first question is will the kids be happy and second is about dinner, since there is different restaurants will it be a problem for all us to eat together, can we get a set dinner time at a particular restaurant I know we need to be flexible.

Oh and before I get flamed I tried to do a search for the ship but it was temporality down

Thank you

[*Wink*]

LOL.. no flames!! We are a couple who happen to love Majesty. Why? The service is fantastic. Very nice ship, yes older, but clean and easy to navigate. There's a great kids program, however, there's less for them to do on their own like many of the bigger ships. We don't have kids, so you'll get better feedback on that issue from others.

You should be fine with your large group at dinner. Luckily, both restaurants will take reservations for a party your size. That's a plus!

It's definitely a small ship, but that can be fun. If you go into it with that frame of mind, you'll have a blast. If you fear the kids may be bored, it may not be a good trip.

You've asked all the right questions. I hope you do go because I think you all would end up really enjoying it.

[rxlowry]

We LOVE the Majesty! So much in fact we sailed her in July and again in August. My Mom sailed on the July cruise and loved it as well. Our daughter had a blast both trips. She is five and had a great time with the Kid Crew.

We think the service is excellent. Lots of crew remembered us from July and we got to know more this past trip last week.

The ship itself reminds me of when I cruised in the 80s with my family before the megaships. I think you get a more intimate experience getting to know other passengers since you see people around more.

The bad..or ugly....well I don't have much to say. Yes...seating around the pool and indoor buffet is limited. We usually went down one deck and ate inside and it was not a problem for us. We tend to go to the dining rooms more. There should be no problem eating together in the dining room. You can make reservations for a large party.

Are there dents, scratches, some bad carpet? Yes but this doesn't bother me. I don't search these things out as others seem too. In fact, I'd never want some of these reviewers to step foot in my home. My carpet isn't perfect and some of my walls have marks!!! The horror!

 

Lisa

[rolloman]

Hello, I would like some info, a group of friends is thinking about a cruise out of Philly on the Majesty.

Oh and before I get flamed I tried to do a search for the ship but it was temporality down

Thank you

 

Do not waste your money. You have other options in your area for this trip. Small, cramped, unkept, , boring. Buffet is a joke. Unless you are broke and looking for a cheap cruise, you won't be happy. Water is rough from Philly to Bermuda, since you are bringing children in my opinion you should seek out something other than this ship with a history of mechanical problems. Hats off to NCL as they are soon to dump this tugboat from their fleet.

[jhgramma]

Cruised on the Majesty Aug. 9th and had a very good time. True the ship is one of the oldest NCL ships, but the cabins were comfortable and kept very neat and clean with plenty of storage. The bathroom on the Crown Princess, a newer mega ship was just as small as that on the Majesty so I think you will find bad and good with all lines if you look hard enough. NCL does not charge for specialty coffees, like cappuccino and espresso with your meals. Princess did. The freestyle dining is their best feature, because I don't like being told when I should be hungry. The restaurants were on the slow side, but whose in a rush, your on vacation. They will make reservations for larger parties so you won't wait long for a table. We were a party of two who chose to wait for a single table and not share and the longest we waited was 40 minutes. That was on formal night when most people dressed up and went to the restaurants. Other nights the wait was not more than 10 minutes.

Had a very smooth sailing to Bermuda. Slept like a baby. Some rough seas on the return trip but experienced the same thing on the return trip on Princess. Can't control the weather or the seas. We never felt unsafe. Captain actually changed course to help ease the rocking. Dings and scratches don't bother me as long as the ship sails me to where I want to go and there is plenty of sun.

Hope you enjoy your trip.

[watchdiva]

Read Coka's recent "review" about her cruise 2 weeks ago on the Majesty. Her posts will tell you what you need to know (from her perspective) about the Majesty. She is honest and talks about the good and the not so good - it's very balanced and contains a lot of information.

[catey]

I also sailed on the Majesty on the 9th out of Baltimore with a group of 10. We selected this ship for the 3 days in Bermuda and proximity to home (we live in Balt so did not have to fly) rather then the ship itself. The rooms were comfortable with plenty of storage. Staff was friendly the service was mostly good.

Dining was slow on most nights but -hey- you're on vacation. The service in the Seven Seas was exceptionally slow( 2 hours one night and 2 1/2 the next). After the 2nd night we made reservations in the Four Seasons and never had a problem. Its the same food as the Seven Seas but the Four Seasons is smaller.

Food was good - some things better then others but you will always find that. La Bistro was amazing - if we had gone there the first night or two we would have gone back (ended up there the last night). There is a surcharge but worth every penny.

Bermuda was wonderful and being able to spend so much time there was a huge plus.

Can't comment on the Kids Club - we were childless for this trip.

 

Take a chance and enjoy.

[Mayzir]

We have been on the Majesty three times. The first time our daughter was 4, the cousins were 7 &9 and loved Kids Crew. She also went at 6 and 8 (this June the most recent). We ate as soon as the dining room opened for dinner, so we were able to take the kids to nighttime Kids Crew activities. It gave us from 7-10 to take in a show, have a drink and enjoy ourselves.

We live in Charleston an convenience of the port is a huge selling point.

We enjoy the small ship as it is easy to find everyone in your party during the sea days. Food was great... but I wasn't cooking or cleaning up!;)

If your party is interested in 5 Star, this is not the ship for you. That being said, we loved all three cruises we took!

Let me know if you have any questions.

[lolafromcumbola25]

Read Coka's recent "review" about her cruise 2 weeks ago on the Majesty. Her posts will tell you what you need to know (from her perspective) about the Majesty. She is honest and talks about the good and the not so good - it's very balanced and contains a lot of information.

 

 

How do you find this review? I am new to cruise critic and can not seem to find this. Thank you for your help. :)

[lolafromcumbola25]

We have been on the Majesty three times. The first time our daughter was 4, the cousins were 7 &9 and loved Kids Crew. She also went at 6 and 8 (this June the most recent). We ate as soon as the dining room opened for dinner, so we were able to take the kids to nighttime Kids Crew activities. It gave us from 7-10 to take in a show, have a drink and enjoy ourselves.

We live in Charleston an convenience of the port is a huge selling point.

We enjoy the small ship as it is easy to find everyone in your party during the sea days. Food was great... but I wasn't cooking or cleaning up!;)

If your party is interested in 5 Star, this is not the ship for you. That being said, we loved all three cruises we took!

Let me know if you have any questions.

 

 

I hope you do not mind If I ask you some questions...I was just wondering what type of room you stayed in? When did you travel? summer, winter, spring, fall?? Are the cruises always packed? Do people decorate the doors? what was your favorite thing to do on the ship?

[DeltaOne]

We are a laid-back group and understand the size of the ship does not make the vacation it who you are with but I am getting mixed reviews on the Majesty either you love it or hate it' date=' there is no gray area and that it seems the bad out weighs the good.[/font']

We sailed in mid July on the Majesty and loved it. The ship is older, if you look hard enough you'll see layers of paint on external surfaces and worn carpet.

 

The good? The service, food and shows are great. The buffet is a buffet, what can you say? But you can choose to skip the buffet (that's what we did). You can choose to eat all your meals in the Seven Seas or Four Seasons restaurants. Other great options are made-to-order omelets or waffles for breakfast, salads or sandwiches for lunch (from stations up by the pool). And great hot dogs, hamburgers and salads from the aft grill.

 

Large groups like yours can be a challenge at meal times -- on any ship. My advice - split up in to three smaller groups and you won't have any trouble at all. Rotate the three groups as the week goes by and everyone will get to eat/visit with everyone else.

[Batch5]

Thanks for responses and info about the ship. I am sure if decide we will have a great time it is not about the ship it is about the friends you are with. As for the kids, well they don’t have the choice and since there is a kids program I am sure they will not be bored. Since we all live in the Philly area it is about the convenience. I rather no fly if I don’t have too. Thank again.

[ejdl4]

We live in New York. We were 10 people last Christmas, 4 adults and 6 kids ages 4 - 16. never saw the kids. we are going back again for the new years cruise this year with another family. we are also driving again to South Carolina so it must be worth the trip. We also have been on the big ships with all the bells and whistles. hope this helps.

[x-press]

I've also written a review under the "reviews" section of the board.

 

I think it comes down to why are cruising at all. Do you (and the kids) like ships? Being on the ocean? If so, you'll be fine on the Majesty. If you want rock climbing walls, ice bars(!), water slides, fireworks, and WII competitions on large screens, you'll be in the wrong place.

 

Only complaint I have is the lack of seating on the promenade, as I'm not a big fan of baking myself in the sun for hours on end. And even that, I understand, as it has been designated the ship's "jogging track."

 

Jon

[madelinerose]

The links below are from a recent Majesty cruiser and CC member, Radio. Great stuff here! ;)

 

 

http://public.fotki.com/Radio88/norwegian-majesty--/

 

http://video.fotki.com/Radio88/

[EMess]

I have posted a rather lengthy letter that I sent to NCL regarding my group's (14 people 16-75) negative experience on the Majesty. The search feature does not seem to be working or I would past the link.

 

However, if you have other cruising options available to you, I would say go with one of them. If it is the Majesty or nothing (and the price is right) then do the Majesty. Our expectations were in line with it being an older and smaller ship. We researched it and new what to expect. What we did not expect was the poor quality of food, lack of selection, and the poor service. And, we were not the only ones with these complaints. The members in our group have a lot of cruising experience (both on newer larger ships and smaller older ships). The Majesty was sub-par all the way around. The only things that were fine were the cabins and casino.

 

Bermuda itself was great so the Majesty can be looked at as cheap transportation and hotel.

[*Wink*]

How do you find this review? I am new to cruise critic and can not seem to find this. Thank you for your help. :)

To do a search, you can go to the NCL's main thread page. Near the top right hand corner you'll see "search this forum." I put in "Coka" and all the things she's posted come up. Here's the actual thread you're looking for:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=824807&highlight=Coka