Royal Caribbean Majesty of the Seas Review
One thing is true about the shorter cruises; they’re usually done with older and oldest ships in a cruise line’s fleet. Majesty of the Seas is one of those ships.
Royal Caribbean’s Majesty of the Seas has seen quite a bit of ocean. Majesty of the Seas now sails seven-night cruises from New Orleans to Key West, CocoCay (Perfect Day) and Nassau, Bahamas. Following the ship’s recent refurbishment, I needed a new look at this old ship. I sailed out of Port Canaveral, not New Orleans, as the ship just was repositioned to the Big Easy. But nothing’s changed on board since I cruised Majesty, except the sailaway scenery. In fact, cruising out of New Orleans is a unique experience in itself.
Ship Facts:
Built: 1992
Refurbished: 2016
Passengers: 2,744
Crew: 827
Self-Serve Launderette: No
Outdoor Movies: Yes
Embarkation experience
Since I live near Port Canaveral, it was easy to arrange for a ride to and from the port – parking is getting more and more expensive. This alleviated the need to walk from the parking structure to the terminal, with a carry-on. I didn’t check any luggage. Embarkation from drop-off point to boarding the ship was quick and efficient. I arrived near 2pm and found little to no crowds. The welcome aboard crew was very helpful in directing guests to their staterooms.
First impressions
I am happy to report that my first impression upon boarding the Majesty of the Seas was that this 25-year old ship looked good. Because it was a Sunday – Thursday cruise, the demographics were a little different than a typical Friday – Sunday weekend getaway cruise; less kids and slightly older passengers.
Stateroom
Unfortunately, our corridor’s room attendant didn’t begin his shift until 3pm. Plus, with a seemingly new luggage delivery system, everyone else’s luggage sat at the end of the corridor stacked on the trolleys until their room attendant clocked in to begin to sort through it all. Their luggage arrived just after sailaway, so not too bad. I only had a carry-on so the delay didn’t affect me.
My stateroom was “clean and fresh” and because I’m a Diamond Plus member, there were some toiletries in the bathroom. The recent refurbishment added new bedding and flat screen TVs. There was very little drawer space so I relied on mainly shelves for clothes. That’s how it is on older ships. The biggest issue was using the in-room safe. Apparently it’s located on the lowest possible shelf level and to open it meant sitting on the floor and using my phone’s flashlight to see inside.
Dining
Dining room service was attentive and the menu offered a good selection and…great desserts. On the down side, my tablemates all thought that there was virtually no atmosphere or oomph to the decor. Because of the low ceiling (again, an older ship feature) the dining room was noisy and felt over-crowded. Dress codes were not enforced in the main dining room at dinner, so jeans, shorts and baseball caps were common. But hey, great desserts!
Following a recent refurbishment, Majesty of the Seas now has Johnny Rocket’s hamburger and milkshake diner plus Latte-tudes cappuccino and coffee bar.
Lido buffet
Even on boarding day, there were hardly any lines at the buffet. Throughout the cruise, everyone I spoke with agreed that the Lido food was good and there was a nice variety to choose, in every course. They also agreed that it was very clean.
Pool area
Despite it being very noisy and a lot of “homesteaders” on the first day staking out their chairs, there still seemed to be available lounge chairs even at sailaway time. On port day, the ship and the pool area were empty. The outdoor movie screen was a nice addition.
Entertainment
The main production numbers with singers and dancers scored an “Excellent” rating. I thought the other shows were very good, too. Since I don’t make a habit of sitting through the evening shows, I had to do it for this review. I’m glad I did.
Ports
Currently, Key West, Nassau and CocoCay. I opted to stay onboard and enjoy the afternoons when in port at Nassau and CocoCay. With nearly the entire ship gone ashore and several massive ships already docked, you can bet that there were some crowds in downtown Nassau. Shore excursions for Nassau are plentiful while CocoCay makes for a fabulous beach day.
Final thoughts and advice
Deviating from my usual habit, I opted for early walk-off which began at 7am (time can vary depending upon when the ship is cleared to debark passengers.) Early walk-off was speedy as was immigration. There was a bit of confusion looking for my ride, but nothing remarkable.
Royal Caribbean’s Majesty of the Seas makes for a very nice three- or four-day getaway. I’d do it again without hesitation.
Hi Carol,
Thank you for your comment – always appreciated. If you remember the Sovereign, the Majesty cabins are also tiny but not impossible. My daughter and I shared an inside cabin on the Majesty last November and it was fine for a four night cruise. Have a wonderful cruise and a very Happy Birthday to you and your twin sister!
Sherry
Going on the Magesty on Mon. 8/19/19
Cabin 2124 assigned. Terrified that this tiny footage will be horrible to navigate.
My twin sister and I, are celebrating our 75th Birthday.
Was on the Sovereign maiden voyage. Loved that ship!
Hopefully, we will enjoy this ship!
Here’s to a great cruise!
Hi Lyn,
Thank you for your follow-up comments. I agree with your 1 -6 points. Using a travel agent can avoid these issues, except of course, the butter and strep!
Happy cruising!
Sherry
I want to address a couple of Angie’s complaints.
1. Cruisers are always advised to arrive early and warned there may be lines. Rule of thumb, the bigger the ship, the longer the lines.
2. Cabin descriptions include square footage, so you were aware of this before hand.
3. Every cruise ship serves bread differently. You can always ask to have your bread and butter warmed. I personally never saw cold, hard butter or cold bread.
4. Veteran cruisers know you do not have to book shore excursions through the ship, but those are the safest. If the transportation the ship arranges breaks down, the ship will not leave you behind. A lot of cruisers get left behind when they secure their own transportation and the vehicle they’re in breaks down.
5. Why did you not research the weather before you booked? Some cruisers love the rainy season.
6. Strep has a two (2) week incubation period. You were exposed, and contagious before you sailed. You should have filled out a health questionnaire before boarding. This is to prevent the spread of illness. You most likely exposed other cruisers, causing them to contract steep and become I’ll after their vacations.
While first time cruisers would be scared away, veteran cruisers know these complaints are fruitless and you just are an unhappy person in general.
First time cruisers, please do your research before sailing and accept responsibility for your own decisions.
Prior to the Cuba trip, we had been on 1 celebrity cruise, 1 NCL cruise and 3 Carnival cruises. This was our first experience with Royal Caribbean. It is a complete disaster!
First was the long line at Tampa port. Took us two hours to get on the ship, even slower than the much bigger Port of Miami!
Then come the small cabins….no not small, they are TINY! We had the ocean view cabins on the fourth floor, which is very convenient, close to everything. However, it’s only 120sf, extremely difficult for three people to maneuver. But since it’s either that or double priced suites, we did not have much choice.
Next surprise was the cold bread and chilled butter in the plastic square box. On Carnival we always had warm bread and soft butter. After I complained they finally gave us warm bread on the last night.
More disappointment was the shore excursion in Cuba. We were led to believe that without a Cuban guide, we could not wander on shore. So we booked a city tour. It was mostly in the bus, and the few stops were boring government appointed “revolution pride” kind of places that no one wants to see. Of all the well built Spanish style buildings, we stopped at NONE of them. Many of these buildings are close to be “ruins” due to disappear in recent decades.
We also arrived at the Rainiest Month of May, which no one bother to tell us, so it rained both afternoons we were in Cuba.
LAST BUT THE WORST was, we went as a party of 12. Four (4) of us got ill on board, with fever and sore throat that hit us pretty quick. Two (2) of us had sore throat but did not get sick while on the ship. It was Strep Throat, I came to find out after we got off the ship. It’s been 3 days since then, and I am STILL COUGHING. (NO ONE got sick on any of the other cruises we had been on in the last 3 years.)
If there is anything I could suggest, is that DON’T go on this ship. ALSO don’t book their shore excursions, just go there and hire a vintage car taxi or horse carriage to take you around the city, and stop where YOU want to stop, not where THE GOVERNMENT wants you stop. Plus it would be a LOT cheaper!
Hi Jub,
Thanks so much for your positive comments. I’m glad all went so well for you aboard the Majesty of the Seas. Like its predecessor, Sovereign of the Seas, the ship really does have a heart and soul. Thanks for sharing your thoughts. Happy sails to you and yours.
Sherry
We just came off this cruise, the weekender. We found our cabin, junior suite, spotless and comfortable. All staff were attentive and pleasant. We also stayed on board during Nassau/CocoCay days. There were a lot of kids on board even during those days. Many more than we’re typically used to on longer and during the week cruises. There were also many first-time cruisers on this ship, which was kind of cool. We ate all of our meals in the Windjammer, and were pleasantly surprised at the variety and quality of the food. Also very endearing was the enthusiasm and loyalty of the staff to their ship. They know it’s small and offer few of the amenities of larger ships. This ship had heart, and we will return.
A cruise down memory lane! Thanks for sharing.
Sherry
I was on this ship for my honeymoon, 22 years ago.