rccl-majesty14

Note - this page contains multiple reviews.

Name: John Martindale
Email: secondaddress@hotmail.com
Age: 33
Occupation: n/a
NumberOfCruises: 1
TravelAgent: No
Ship: RoyalCaribbean-Majesty
SailingDate: 3/25/00
Itinerary: Southern Caribbean
Cabin: Balcony - deck 10
FoodDiningRoom: 85
CruiseDirector: 85
CabinComfort: 85
FoodRoomService: 75
CruiseStaff: 85
CabinAmenities: 80
FoodLidoDeck: 70
DiningRoomService: 90
CabinQuietness: 85
FoodMidnightBuffets: 75
CabinSteward: 95
ShoreExcVariety: 100
FoodVariety: 60
DeckService: 85
ShoreExcValue: 80
GoodForHoneymoon: 60
CasinoStaff:
PrivateIsland:
GoodForFamilies: 90
LoungeService:
TenderService: 80
GoodForSeniors: 75
BeautySalonStaff: 80
EntertainmentLounges: 90
WheelchairAccess:
ExerciseFacilities:
EntertShowLounge: 72
OverallPortsofCall: 80
BeautySalon:
EntertainmentPoolside: 75
CruiseActivities: 90
Casino: 60
AirSeaProgram: 85
MedicalFacilities:
ShipCleanliness: 90
EmbarkDisembark: 75
DiscoNightclubs:
DeckSpace: 90
Stabilization: 95
ShopsOnBoard: 85
SpaceRatio: 85
OverallCruiseValue: 75
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 02 Apr 2000
Time: 03:05:47
Remote Name: dhcp31188203.columbus.rr.com
Remote User:

Comments

First time cruiser alert! This cruise visited Aruba, Curacao, San Maarten, and St. Thomas, beginning
and ending in San Juan.

THE SHIP:

Functional but not beautiful. Dining room food was usually very good. However, Windjammer (casual
food) was poor, basically a floating Golden Corral without the redeeming variety of that chain. As you
entered Windjammer, you got an instant whiff of that unappetizing buffet "trough" odor - you know, that
smell that you always notice when entering a Ponderosa or Golden Corral. Sometimes you just want
some pizza or a burger, but you couldn't get it because they were serving leftovers from the dining room.
Also, Windjammer charged for sodas - that's kind of cheap when you're paying several thou for a cruise.
Personally, I hate it when cafeterias try to serve fancy food and get cute. Just keep it simple and
accessible. People wanting the fancier stuff can hit the dining room. Instead of chocolate mousse with
raspberries, how about some chocolate cake!

Other than Windjammer's food and variety, my other serious gripe was the lack of 21+ areas. There
were too many kids running around. The romantic element was largely ruined. We saw numerous
occasions of groups of adolescents (12yr olds) running about unsupervised on the ship. In one
instance, 6-7 were in the Viking Lounge (a bar!) at 12:30, and making a lot of noise. Same was true at
the midnight buffet. Later at night, we also had to deal with teens and noisy college kids all over the
decks, in the stairwells, out at the dark front deck (there goes a romantic moment under the stars in one
of the few unlit areas). They were forver taking seats in the good spots, getting drunk and talking about
their crushes. If you think I'm a crank, well, hey, I'm an old 33, but sheesh... How about a curfew for
these people? Get 'em out of there so the people who PAID for the cruise can enjoy themselves. If you
value quietness and elegance, you may find few areas of the ship for it. Eether avoid this ship during
spring break or find ones that have more 21+ areas.

Also, this is probably unsurprising, but slot machine fans will find it more entertaining to dump their
money into the Caribbean. The slots are as tight as can be. We play solely for entertainment but they
don't even give you any suspense. They just eat metal.

Big show entertainment on board was mixed but several nights were simply lousy. We really enjoyed
some of the live music elsewhere though, particularly in the Blue Skies Lounge. Good ballroom dancing
opportunities there. Several other bars provided other varieties of music and seemed to provide good
variety for different tastes.

Overall ship impression- good, functional, probably overpriced. We had a balcony (I am an amateur
astronomer), don't think we'll do that again. It's darker at the front of the ship (windy and
teenager-heavy, alas), and a balcony adds a lot to the price. Noise levels were ok where we were,
although we could hear running kids above our ceiling (maybe you notice a pattern here...).

THE STOPS:

Aruba- Very nice, large beaches with very few hucksters like you see on other islands, but we received
an incorrect impression that this was some type of wealthy wonderland. It had as much poverty and
garbage laying around as anywhere, although the areas near the ship and the major beaches were very
attractive. On recommendation of a tour guide, we rented a jeep and drove all over the island -
generally, this was our biggest mistake of the trip. Road signs are awful just about everywhere on the
island, and traffic in Oranjestad is horrible. Most streets are marked poorly throughout the island. It
didn't help that our map was dreadful. If you still want to rent a jeep, I'd get it from one of the American
companies like Avis - be prepared for some hassle by local operators when you step into the rental
area. They will be persistent and they will ding you upon car return if they can. (We are experienced
travellers and this was about the most frustrating experience we've ever had). Yes, we made it
eventually to most places and it was fun to drive a stick jeep and see cacti, but it involved a lot of lost
time and frustration. The actual sites we found - Baby Beach, Natural Bridge - were ok, but not worth the
time. I'd spend it snorkeling or hanging out at one of the western beaches.

Curacao - We didn't find the shopping deals to be that good, generally, and the town didn't excite us...
so we went snorkeling on the ship tour. It was well done and a good intro to something that is quite fun.

San Maarten - Our favorite port. The jewelry deals were better than anywhere else and you can bargain
heavily. Great beaches, too.

St. Thomas - Kind of a letdown pricewise from San Maarten. It also lacked a certain charm that was hard
to describe. Took the helicopter tour, wasn't really worth the money. We snorkeled at Coki - lots of fun.
The fish will eat out of your hand. We saw different types than at Curacao. If you don't want to haul over
to St. John, Coki is a nice, albeit somewhat crowded, spot for a $10 cab ride. You'll also have to go
through the usual nonsense with the hucksters trying to rent you $5 beach chairs and other such items,
but once that's through it's a fine spot. Stopped by Magens Bay just to see it, but for whatever reason
we liked Coki better despite its relatively small size. BTW, a word on something I have extensive
knowledge of... electronics. I thought the deals on all islands were poor for just about everything -
phones, shavers, radios, etc. Unless you can bargain down at least 50% off listed prices, I'd forget it.
You'll do better at circuit city and it's easier to return stuff. Great deals possible on jewelry, but take time
to understand what you're buying. For example, with diamonds, always understand the quality of the cut
- a good cut will do more than anything else to bring out the brilliance of a diamond (talking about table
length, depth, etc. here). I wish these places were AGS affiliated, but few of them were. Also, negotiate
heavily - don't just give in, make them work on deals for you. We found that they will start really coming
down when they realize you're serious. Package deals where you buy several pieces also afford good
buying opportunities and give you some leverage. Nibble at the end, too, get some free gold hoops and
such.

Name: Andrea Franke
Email: awnie90@hotmail.com
Age: 31
Occupation: Sr. Admin Asst.
NumberOfCruises: 1
TravelAgent: No
Ship: RoyalCaribbean-Majesty
SailingDate: 1-22-00
Itinerary: Southern Caribbean
Cabin: Level 7
FoodDiningRoom: 99
CruiseDirector: 90
CabinComfort: 90
FoodRoomService: 70
CruiseStaff: 80
CabinAmenities: 90
FoodLidoDeck: 60
DiningRoomService: 99
CabinQuietness: 99
FoodMidnightBuffets: 99
CabinSteward: 60
ShoreExcVariety: 80
FoodVariety: 80
DeckService: 85
ShoreExcValue: 75
GoodForHoneymoon:
CasinoStaff: 85
PrivateIsland:
GoodForFamilies: 80
LoungeService: 80
TenderService: 85
GoodForSeniors: 80
BeautySalonStaff:
EntertainmentLounges: 80
WheelchairAccess:
ExerciseFacilities:
EntertShowLounge: 80
OverallPortsofCall: 95
BeautySalon:
EntertainmentPoolside: 80
CruiseActivities: 80
Casino: 95
AirSeaProgram: 100
MedicalFacilities:
ShipCleanliness: 80
EmbarkDisembark: 100
DiscoNightclubs: 80
DeckSpace: 80
Stabilization: 80
ShopsOnBoard: 85
SpaceRatio: 85
OverallCruiseValue: 90
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 12 Apr 2000
Time: 15:02:44
Remote Name: 63.69.85.2
Remote User:

Comments

The trip was wonderful. I had never seen the ocean and it was so magnificent!

1st Day – Arrive in San Juan The first day was a little hectic since we had five people to keep track of. I
cruised with my mother, father, sister and my daughter who is ten. When we booked our cruise we went
through RCCL and their air to sea program. It was great. We didn’t have any problems with our flights or
boarding the ship.

We arrived in San Juan about noon and took a taxi to the pier. When you got off the plane, a RCCL
representative was waiting with a sign and had you join a group until they were ready to take you to the
bus. The airport was nice at your gate but then it turned into something out of a bad dream. From what
we understand, they are remodeling and hadn’t gotten to that area’s by the front entrance yet. So don’t
be shocked when you see the difference. We then boarded the bus for a short ride to the pier.

Once at the pier, the process went very smooth. You check in with one of the RCCL people and get your
super card. This is a card you use for EVERYTHING on the ship, even the stores. You can either put
money up front or use a credit card. After this is done you get your first picture taken before they let you
enter the ship. We wanted to find our rooms first so we could do some duty free shopping before the
stores closed. We bought all of our liquor and goodies at the duty free shops to snack on or drink while
on the cruise.

My sister and I had an inside cabin on the promenade deck. It was great. We had plenty of room for two
females. We each had 2 suitcases, 2 carry ones and tons of JUNK! When we first arrived at our cabin,
they had the beds made into a queen so we left our room stewart a note to change them into twin beds.
My daughter stayed with my parents in a Superior Ocean View Room with a balcony. Their's was plenty
big enough for 3 people or even 5 for that fact when we were visiting. The balcony was the best part. It
was so refreshing to set on the chairs and watch everything happen around the ship.

That night we were suppose to leave at 10:00 p.m. but didn’t ending up leaving until 1:00 a.m. I guess
250 pieces of luggage hadn’t made it to the ship yet. The U.S. had lots of travel problems at that time
with snow storms just about everywhere. They had a big party on the pool deck that started around
10:00 and went on until way past midnight.

2nd Day – Day at Sea

Our first day at sea was good. We had brought plenty of Dramamine for the trip and took one everyday,
even if we didn’t feel sick, which we never did. The wind was ferocious! Lot’s of people were sick and
staying in their cabins. The ship was rocking pretty good. We finally made it up to the pool deck and
tried to find a place to sit. ALL the lounge chairs were full. We found three by the stairs and sun bathed
next to the railing on the top deck. It was so neat to feel the spray from the ship and watch the beautiful
blue water pass by!

This was also our first formal night. We had all bought new dresses to wear for the occasion. We had
dinner at the first seating and shared a table, by a large window, with a family from New York.

After we ate dinner, we went to the casino. No it’s not Vegas but it was still fun. So much fun that my
sister won $7500 on a dollar slot machine!

3rd Day – Aruba

We were not impressed with Aruba. The dock area was ok and so was the shopping. We had decided
the night before to take a snorkeling package to De-Palm island. We boarded the bus for a short ride to
the fairy that would take us out to island. We were VERY disappointed. They boasted about these
pristine white beaches. De-Palm island was across from the water desalination plant and that’s what you
looked at. They took you over to the island and dropped you off for 3 hours with nothing to do except lay
on a deck with broken lounge chairs or try snorkeling . My daughter and I decided to snorkel. Given we
had never done it before, we had nothing to compare it to but we had a great time anyway. My daughter
had fun collecting shells on the extremely rocky beach while we sat on the broken chairs.

3rd Day – Curacao

We woke up the 3rd day expecting to be docked in Curacao but we were still out to sea. The winds were
so powerful that the ship couldn’t tether. We finally got docked and made our way to the bottom of the
ship to get off. The pier we were at was new and nothing really had been built yet. They did have really
neat rock people sitting on boulders around the pier. You could either take a taxi into the city or walk.
The shops were neat and colorful. We didn’t stay but a few hours because the humidity was
overwhelming and my mother kept going into asthma attacks, so we went back to the boat. It’s defiantly
an island I would like to return too and explore more.

Later after dinner, we saw one of the Broadway shows. I thought it was pretty good. After that everyone
hit the casino again. It always stayed busy when it was open.

4th Day- Day at Sea

Pretty much the same as the other day at sea. This time we got up on the pool deck at 9:00 a.m. We
went to several lounge chairs that looked empty only to find someone had tied a scarf on them. We
asked one of the pool attendants if they could ‘reserve’ a chair in this manner and they said no. So we
took what chairs we needed. Almost 2 hours later the people showed up and wanted their chairs. We
just told them sorry that they were not allowed to reserve chairs and to take it up with the RCCL people.
They just grumbled and took the rest of the chairs that no one had the nerve to take.

This was the 2nd formal night dinner. We had our pictures taken and watched another show.

5th Day- St. Maarten

This island was beautiful! You take a tender into the island from the ship. This was the island that I
bought a lot of my jewelry. Just about every shop was filled with jewelry. The street vendors were a little
annoying because they are tying to hock everything to you. The ones who wanted to braid your hair
were especially bad. We went past this same lady 4 times and each time she would practically attack my
daughter so she could put corn rows in her hair. After the 4th time I had to get nasty with her and she
left us alone. My parents had been on several cruises before so had no interest seeing the island so we
stayed in the shop areas. My sister and father decided to go back early so we took the last tender back
to the boat. We had been tethered next to the Grand Princess and watched from the balcony as she left
the port. It got pretty exciting as we saw a boat pull up next to the Princess and watched as they pretty
much threw this lady across the water to make it into the boat before they closed the door and took off.
Everyone started to cheer and yell across the water at each other’s ships. The sun was just setting and
made for a spectacular show!

6th Day – St. Thomas

St. Thomas was by far my favorite island! It was so lush and green. The streets where clean and we did
a lot of damage in another jewelry store! St. Maarten and St. Thomas each have a RCCL building to
use. Only RCCL passengers are welcome. It’s air conditioned with cool drinks, phones and clean
bathrooms. They also had a TV so we watched the weather channel for the new approaching snow
storms we would have to worry about when we went home the next day. Once again my father and sister
decided to go back to the boat so we found a taxi and took it to Megan’s Bay. It’s rated one of the top 10
beach in the world. It didn’t disappoint us. We had the taxi wait while we took pictures and played in the
water a few minutes before we had to be back to the ship.

This was the last night out at sea. We went to dinner as usual and then went back to our cabins and
started to pack our bags. You had to have them outside your door by midnight so they could get them
off the ship. You also couldn’t charge anything on your Super card after midnight. They stuck a copy of
our bill under the door around ten and we went through the charges. We found a few discrepancies and
so I made my way down to the purser desk. I guess everyone had the same idea because the line was
long. We had previously asked for a copy of our bill the night before so I knew exactly what I was looking
for when I reviewed it the 2nd time. The rest of the night they would call people over the intercom to
come and settle their bills. A lot of them had found out that they spent more then they had put down
originally and had to come up with the money some how. I’m glad that wasn’t me!

7th Day- Back to San Juan

You have to be out of your room by 8:30 a.m. We took all of our bags and waited in the Schooner
Lounge. Since my parents had done this before they also knew that you didn’t have to wait until your
flight was called to leave the ship. We waited for about 30 minutes then we got up and walked off the
ship. When you departed, all your luggage is in this large open area. You have to pick through other
luggage until you find all your pieces. They are not together. You then go through customs. We had no
problem. They did ask my sister some questions, but she had nothing to hide. Now if they would of
asked me...:) Outside the pier, there is trucks from each airline checking your luggage. DON’T do this!
Check you luggage at the airport. Our luggage wasn’t on our flights home and finally arrived two days
later because it had never left San Juan. My parents had decided to stay two extra days so we went to
their hotel room until our flights left later that afternoon. They soon discovered that the bell boy guy
didn’t get all their luggage at the pier so they had to make a return trip to get it and fight with customs.
Make sure they get all your luggage on the cart before you leave the pier!

Majesty of the Seas The ship was huge and beautiful. However, it was showing age in many areas. In
June of this year it’s suppose to be dry docked and refurbished.

Service The service was great except for our room Stewart. He wasn’t bad, we just hardly saw him. If we
need something we would leave him a note on our mirror. Sometimes we got it, sometimes we didn’t. My
parents room Stewart catered to their every need. But they also stayed in a more expensive room then
we did.

Room The room was plenty big enough. It was beaten up pretty bad with lots of wall marks and large
stains on the floor. The bathroom was fine and had plenty of water pressure for showers. Closet was big
also.

Dinning Room The dinning room was wonderful. The meal each night was 5 stars. Our waiter’s where
shy but very attentive. They catered to your every wish. If you didn’t like something on the menu they
would find you a replacement.

Breakfast/Lunch The Windjammer Café was a joke. We pretty much only ate breakfast there. The food
was cold and reheated from the day before.

Room Service The room service food was ok. Some things were better then others.

Some words for the wise Don’t take a lot of clothes. We found ourselves wearing the same shorts over
and over again! If you’re a smoker (like my sister was) the promenade deck is great. You just walk out
some doors and your on the deck. If you are below you have to walk up many flights of stairs. The
elevators where a joke also. They didn’t work half the time or would ignore your floor and zip on past.
The drinks are very expensive. The Bahama Mommy’s where the best. The internet service was great to
keep in touch with friends and family. However, watch the time you are on. It costs 50 cents a minute and
it adds up. Take an extra plug for curling Irons and such. Also take a night light. You can’t really leave
the bathroom door open because the ship is rocking so much it bangs shut. Next cruise we won’t take
evening wear also. You can still come to dinner in a nice dress on those night. We liked to dress up but
found ourselves putting back on our shorts for the rest of the night to be comfortable. They are always
taking pictures but make sure you get the one’s you want quickly because they don’t keep them up all
the time like they say they do. If you buy jewelry on the islands... take blank envelopes so you can mail
the receipts home, if you think you will go over your limit. All in all it was a wonderful cruise and I will go
on another one with RCCL.

Name: Jane Westcott
Email: wwcott@aol.com
Age: 45
Occupation: RN
NumberOfCruises: 1
TravelAgent: No
Ship: RoyalCaribbean-Majesty
SailingDate: June 26,2000
Itinerary: Nasssau, CocoCay, Key West
Cabin: 2540/ I
FoodDiningRoom: 92
CruiseDirector: 95
CabinComfort: 92
FoodRoomService: 88
CruiseStaff: 98
CabinAmenities: 92
FoodLidoDeck: 80
DiningRoomService: 96
CabinQuietness: 78
FoodMidnightBuffets: 88
CabinSteward: 98
ShoreExcVariety: 88
FoodVariety: 92
DeckService:
ShoreExcValue: 85
GoodForHoneymoon:
CasinoStaff:
PrivateIsland: 92
GoodForFamilies: 95
LoungeService: 95
TenderService: 95
GoodForSeniors:
BeautySalonStaff:
EntertainmentLounges:
WheelchairAccess:
ExerciseFacilities:
EntertShowLounge: 85
OverallPortsofCall: 90
BeautySalon:
EntertainmentPoolside:
CruiseActivities: 92
Casino:
AirSeaProgram:
MedicalFacilities:
ShipCleanliness: 92
EmbarkDisembark: 92
DiscoNightclubs:
DeckSpace:
Stabilization: 95
ShopsOnBoard: 90
SpaceRatio: 90
OverallCruiseValue: 92
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 03 Jul 2000
Time: 12:27:56
Remote Name: spider-tn054.proxy.aol.com
Remote User:

Comments

This was our first family cruise experience, and we truly had a wonderful and memorable vacation.
We felt it was great value, service was excellent, and we were amazed at how much we could pack
into four days! Due to airplane mechanical problems, our flight to Miami was delayed for almost six
hours! We called RCI, and they were most helpful and reassuring that they would do their best to
help us hurry through the Miami airport, onto the transfer bus, and aboard ship, which they did.
Flying to Miami the day before would have been a good plan, in retrospect. We finally boarded the
ship at 4:45 PM. The meet and greet staff were all very efficient. We showed a credit card to activate
the SuperCharge Card system to buy beverages, shore excursions, and photos onboard. We also
stored keys, money, etc. in a safe deposit box at the purser's desk. Our outside, B deck quad cabin
was tight but adequate for our family of two adults and our 16 and 19 year old daughters. We liked
our porthole for views of the ports and of the ship sailing along the ocean. We felt that there was
efficient use of the small space, with ample closet room, hangers, and shelves in the closet. We
tended to have a water back-up in the shower which overflowed to the bathroom floor, so we learned
not to put anything down on the bathroom floor while we were in the shower.

We took along a clock,
night light, and a 3-way plug, since there are only two outlets in the stateroom. Our clock had a nice
‘white noise' feature that helped mask any surrounding noise. One of six different sounds can be
selected, such as wind, a brook, an ocean sound, etc. to play for a specified time or continuously.
Since some people tended to be noisy or to slam doors at night, this feature was helpful. We
purchased ours at Bed, Bath, and Beyond, but Brookstone had a nice compact travel size. We also
took walkie-talkies to keep track of each other on land and sea. We had smooth sailing, calm seas,
no rain, and we barely felt the ship moving. Meals were very good, and we preferred the food and
atmosphere in the dining room to the Windjammer buffets. One of our daughters was determined to
try some new foods, and even managed a little caviar and escargot. We were seated at a very nice
table by the window, which we had requested. We really enjoyed our dinner companions, and felt that
our table for eight was just the right size. We had fun comparing notes on our daily experiences. Our
waiter, Isaac, from the Philippines, was excellent. He was efficient, friendly, and learned our names
and food preferences quickly. We also liked the ‘afternoon tea' in the Windjammer, which seemed to
be an extension of lunch. This was a good snack after the shore excursions, and we especially liked
the fries and frozen yogurt machines.

Our cabin steward, Peter, was also excellent. Unfortunately for
us, the people in the neighboring cabins were heavy smokers, and the smoke tended to filter into our
cabin through the ventilation system. Peter scrubbed down our cabin twice daily with scented
disinfectant to help eliminate the lingering smoke scent. Perhaps RCI could help this situation by
designating certain groups of cabins as non-smoking, as hotels do. Peter also provided fun towel
animals and a spotless room and bathroom. In the future, however, I would probably try to find a
smoke-free cruise, since many of the lounges and the casino were also smoky. There was a smoking
area next to our dining room entrance also. Entertainment on the Majesty was fine. We enjoyed
entertainers El Gaucho, Levant, and Billy Fellows, the Not So Newlywed Game, and we thought that
the Wave Revue Singers and Dancers' ‘Escapade' show was fair. We would rate some of the material
in the shows PG-13. We didn't go to the Majesty Quest since it was adult humor, and we had our
teens along. Our shore excursions worked out quite well. At Nassau, our girls went by themselves on
the afternoon Catamaran Reef Snorkeling trip, and had a great time. They had never snorkeled
before, and found the process easy. They took lots of photos with their underwater disposable
cameras.

My husband and I took a ($6 per person round trip) water taxi to the Atlantis Resort. It was
a long hot walk from the dock to the hotel, so perhaps a regular taxi would have been better. The
Atlantis is impressive and somewhat overwhelming. We didn't go to any beaches on Paradise Island;
we just wandered around the Atlantis and gambled a bit. The marine habitat exhibit at the Atlantis
was $25 per person, and since we didn't feel we had enough time, we did not see this attraction. In
the morning we had all gone to the Straw Market for 3/$10 T-shirts, straw bags, and coral jewelry. No
hassles here, just not too much that appealed to us. We talked with a woman who loved the Dolphin
Encounter, and said it was worth every penny of the $80 fee. Our newlywed table companions found
the SCUBA diving to be difficult without previous training, and regretted signing up for that excursion.
CocoCay was beautiful. Our girls rode a Waverunner (Jet-Ski) together- $85 for one or two people
for 50 minutes. They thought the ride was quite bumpy, and it took a little while to get the hang of it,
but overall they enjoyed it. Minimum age to drive is 16 with a valid driver's license. Younger riders
must be 10 years old and ride with a parent. They also parasailed there- $65 each. A group of about
10 or 12 people went out on a boat together, and usually two people at a time went up about 400
feet. The girls said it was such a smooth and relaxing ride- not scary at all. They loved it. Minimum
age for this is 12, and anyone under 16 must fly tandem with a parent. We rented two floating mats
(flexible rubber water mats), which were nice. We were glad to have aquashoes because of all the
rocks in the water, although most people were barefoot. The tenders (two-level ferry boats that hold
about 200 people) were smooth, and ran often. Two of us had the beach BBQ, and two of us went
back to the ship to cool off and have a quieter lunch in the dining room. I tried to eat as many
ShipShape meals as possible, and only gained one pound- the desserts were just too tempting to
resist! CocoCay did get somewhat hot and crowded, but we could have ventured off to some less
crowded areas if we had wanted to. Many people loved the snorkeling at CocoCay (mask, fins,
snorkel and vest could be rented for $26, which includes orientation and instruction on the best
areas for snorkeling near a sunken airplane or ship), and my daughter liked relaxing in a hammock in
the shade. There were also rentals for kayaks for $10 for a half hour, sailboats for $35 per hour, and
banana boat rides for $8 per person. Key West was very hot- mid 90's with little breeze. We docked
at 10 AM, but couldn't get off the ship until 11 because of a few non-citizens not coming forth to clear
customs as early as they should have. We toured the (un-air-conditioned) Hemingway House, which
was very interesting. Enjoyed seeing some of the 62 resident cats there. It was too hot to do the
other shore activities we had planned, so we shopped, but didn't see much to buy. Our dinner table
companions were very disappointed with Ripley's Believe It or Not. We talked to other people who
loved the Mel Fisher Maritime Heritage Museum, which had treasures from Spanish galleons. The
midnight buffets were good, especially the Gala Buffet on Wednesday night. We took photos at
11:15, and lined up early for the buffet at midnight. We also made use of room service. This was
handy before our 8 AM Waverunner time slot. Free drinks at the Captain's Welcome Aboard
Reception were good. The girls found the hot tubs relaxing, but we didn't have time to use the pool
much. I had planned to use the fitness center, but didn't have time. I was disappointed that the ship
library was also the meeting place for Cigar Aficionados, and the room was so smoky that I couldn't
stay in long enough to look at the books. But then again, we were so busy we didn't have much time
to read anyway. We gave the recommended tips, and gave tips on shore excursions. The cruise
photos we bought were about $10 each. We received our SuperCharge final bill by 6 AM Friday
morning on the outside of our stateroom door (not slipped under the door, as we had expected). The
bill was correct, so all charges were automatically charged to our credit card. A couple at our dinner
table were celebrating their 43rd wedding anniversary, so they invited the four of us and the
newlywed couple to join them at the Champagne Bar on Deck 7 for a pre-dinner glass of champagne
and hors d'oeuvres. This is a quiet and uncrowded lounge that we would recommend for a special
toast. Debarkation was surprisingly easy. We had our luggage outside our stateroom door on the last
night, taking care not to pack airline tickets, transfers, and ID. We had to be out of our stateroom by
8 AM. Debarkation is done by groups, designated by an assigned color. We were the fifth color
called, and were off the ship at 8:15 AM. Colored yarn we had attached to our luggage made them
easy to spot on the off-ship baggage carousel. All went smoothly, through US Customs, and there
were plenty of RCI people to direct us to baggage and the transfer buses. We then arrived at the
Miami airport about 9 AM.

Name: Aleece Bradd
Email: leecabug2@webtv.net
Age: 34
Occupation: data entry/computer help
NumberOfCruises: 1
TravelAgent: No
Ship: RoyalCaribbean-Majesty
SailingDate: July 7, 2000
Itinerary: Bahamas, 3 night
Cabin: 2106
FoodDiningRoom: 95
CruiseDirector: 80
CabinComfort: 98
FoodRoomService: 80
CruiseStaff: 95
CabinAmenities: 95
FoodLidoDeck: 90
DiningRoomService: 98
CabinQuietness: 99
FoodMidnightBuffets: 85
CabinSteward: 98
ShoreExcVariety: 93
FoodVariety: 95
DeckService: 90
ShoreExcValue: 90
GoodForHoneymoon: 95
CasinoStaff: 95
PrivateIsland: 95
GoodForFamilies:
LoungeService: 98
TenderService: 95
GoodForSeniors:
BeautySalonStaff:
EntertainmentLounges: 99
WheelchairAccess:
ExerciseFacilities:
EntertShowLounge: 95
OverallPortsofCall: 90
BeautySalon:
EntertainmentPoolside: 95
CruiseActivities: 95
Casino: 95
AirSeaProgram: 99
MedicalFacilities:
ShipCleanliness: 95
EmbarkDisembark: 99
DiscoNightclubs: 90
DeckSpace: 95
Stabilization: 99
ShopsOnBoard:
SpaceRatio: 95
OverallCruiseValue: 95
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 11 Jul 2000
Time: 15:24:09
Remote Name: proxy-686.public.rwc.webtv.net
Remote User:

Comments

We took the air/sea program offered by RCI and had absolutely no problems. We didn't have to wait
in lines anywhere and had good seats in the plane. The cruise representatives were waiting right
where we got off the plane and took us immediately to the bus. We got to the pier and walked right to
the counter to check in and within five minutes, we were boarding the ship. What a big surprise that
was!

We were not happy with the elevator service when we boarded but it got better after all the bags
were aboard ship and delivered to the rooms.

The lunch buffet the first day was excellent. Once again, we didn't have to wait in line for more than a
few minutes. Watch our for the guy at the door shoving drinks in your hand! He takes you by surprise
and may make you think that the drink is a free welcome aboard drink...but, you have to pay! The
drink was excellent, however.

Dining- Our meals were great and filled with variety in the main dining room. Order as much or as
little as you want and it will be happily brought to you. Our wait staff did a great job in making sure
everything was as you liked it. The breakfast menu was the same each day but still offered variety
and had something for everyone. The meals in the cafe were also good. Not exactly the same quality
as the main dining room but still had variety. The casual dining aspect of it would be particularly nice
for people with small children who would be hard pressed to sit still through the meal in the main
dining room.

Room service- Our food from the room service menu was good but we were disappointed that one of
the meals ordered was cold when it was delivered. The other one was still warm. We didn't try to get
a new meal so I don't know how that would have been handled.

Cabin- Our cabin was a porthole room. We loved it. While the cabin was small, we thought it made
good use of space and we never felt cramped or crowded. That was a surprise to us because before
we went, we kept hearing how small the rooms were. We had plenty of storage space and our bags fit
perfectly under the bed. Our cabin stewart always kept the room clean and provided us with the pop
and chocolates we asked for.

Activities on board- There seemed to be something for everyone on board. The various lounges had
entertainment each night. Examples: piano tunes, rock, soft rock such as Jimmy Buffett and Neil
Diamond, kareoke, latin music, poolside Calypso music. The daily cards telling what was going on
each day didn't do a very good job of describing the types of music available in each lounge so we
walked around and checked them all out.

Shows- The shows we attended were good. There were comedians and musicals. These probably
could have been better but were well worth attending.

Ports of Call- Nassau was great for those who like to shop. The straw market has plenty of vendors
and items to choose from. They like to barter so be ready to tell them what you would like to pay.
Sometimes they will take it and sometimes they won't. The shore excursion we took here was the
Yellowbird Party boat. The free rum punch was pretty bad but we all drank it anyway...after the first
one the rest didn't taste as bad! This was a fun thing to do. We were taken to a beach which had
plenty of lounge chairs, music, and a bar for those looking for something else to drink. We stayed
here about an hour and then boarded the boat again. On the boat was continuous music and a limbo
contest. The winner was chosen by who got the most applause- in our case, an older woman who
had the 'courage' to try to compete against the younger and more flexable! CocoCay was also a fun
trip. Here, we didn't do as much as we would like but we had so much fun snorkling that we decided
that the rest of the island would have to wait for another time. There were other beaches, places to
walk, shop, and eat available for those who wanted to make time to do it all. Beware: someone stole
our beach towel and we heard someone else say that his wallet was stolen. The experience here was
great but don't forget you are still amoung strangers...some of which aren't as honest as you might
like.

Disembarking- We got up and ate breakfast early. We were to wait in the public areas in the ship until
our luggage tag color was called.(These were provided to us the night before) The wait wasn't too
bad. We sat on some steps to wait rather than stand. Once our color was called, we just got in line
and walked out. Once off the ship, there were two lines..one for US citizens and one for everyone
else. At this time we walked through customs and showed them our ID and declaration forms (given
to us the night before to fill out). That was fast and then we picked our bag up from the conveyor belt
and checked it with the airline while still at the pier. (We flew Continental but I guess there were about
five airlines that had representatives available to check bags.) After that we just got on the bus to the
airport and away we went.

Pictures- Pictures were taken everywhere. This only took a little time and some of them turned out
quite well. The ones as we left the ship at each port were not as nice as I would have liked but were
nice to have taken in case we wished to purchase them. It seemed to me that the line could drop the
pirate pictures in the dining room. It appeared as if few people bought these and I was glad not to be
disturbed by a 'pirate' while I was trying to eat and talk with my table mates. The pirate seemed to
take a lot away from the atmosphere. My thoughts were that the pictures were overpriced and many
more would have been purchased for a more reasonable price. It seemed very wasteful to take so
many pictures just to have them thrown away due to lack of interest.

Other comments- We thought the embarking and disembarking process would be very long and
frustrating from everything we had heard. Maybe we were lucky but we had no problems at all and
not much of a line anywhere. We are not very patient with lines and were thinking that this would be
very unpleasant so we were very happy about this. Also, be sure to bring plenty of sunscreen for the
trip or you will be burned which would probably make the trip less enjoyable.

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