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Note - this page contains multiple reviews.
Name: Brenda Macomber
Email: cruzegal@aol.com
Age: 44
Occupation: Insurance adjustor
NumberOfCruises: 14
TravelAgent: No
Ship: RoyalCaribbean-Majesty
SailingDate: May 17, 1998
Itinerary: Western Caribbean
FoodDiningRoom: 98
CruiseDirector: 90
CabinComfort: 95
FoodRoomService: 98
CruiseStaff: 90
CabinAmenities: 94
FoodLidoDeck: 97
DiningRoomService: 100
CabinQuietness: 95
FoodMidnightBuffets:
CabinSteward: 100
ShoreExcVariety: 96
FoodVariety: 93
DeckService: 99
ShoreExcValue: 94
GoodForHoneymoon: 98
CasinoStaff: 100
PrivateIsland: 100
GoodForFamilies: 95
LoungeService: 100
TenderService: 94
GoodForSeniors: 93
BeautySalonStaff:
EntertainmentLounges: 90
WheelchairAccess:
ExerciseFacilities:
EntertShowLounge: 90
OverallPortsofCall: 99
BeautySalon:
EntertainmentPoolside: 97
CruiseActivities: 94
Casino: 98
AirSeaProgram: 99
MedicalFacilities:
ShipCleanliness: 100
EmbarkDisembark: 93
DiscoNightclubs: 96
DeckSpace: 98
Stabilization: 100
ShopsOnBoard: 98
SpaceRatio: 97
OverallCruiseValue: 97
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 30 May 1998
Time: 22:31:38
Remote Name: 152.163.207.136
Remote User:
Comments
Majesty of the Seas is indeed a beautiful vessel. She is considered 'older' by many cruise
passengers, but we should all be so lucky to hold our age as well as
Majesty does.
The Centrum is a breathtakingly beautiful location which serves as the 'hub' of many
activities and dining areas on the ship. Here one will find shops offering
everything from liquor (at prices rivaling any port-of-call) to fine perfumes, jewelry,
and T-shirts. (A quart of Absolut vodka was only $8.99 with a second bottle
offered for $6.99.)
The May 17th sailing of Majesty was so smooth that it was necessary to remind yourself
that you were actually at sea, as opposed to being on a land-based
resort.
Our ports-of-call - Labadee, Ocho Rios, Georgetown, and Cozumel were all equally
wonderful. A climb up Dunn's River Falls in Ocho is a must do! Quite a
challenge but worth the effort! Labadee is just a wonderful place to 'kick back' and enjoy
life at it's sweetest! This is a fantastic day to sun, swim, and eat! You
might want to check out the soccer game at which your cabin steward or favorite bartender
may be a star! We were booked to do Stingray City in Georgetown,
Grand Cayman, but overslept! We heard it was wonderful.
The stateroom two of us shared on 'Tween Deck (Cat. F) was compact, but once we were
unpacked the cabin suddenly grew larger! Two females in the room
had no trouble at all becoming 'gorgeous' for the two formal nights. LOL (Incidentally, we
are STILL best friends!)
We ate all dinners in the Formal Dining Room. Service, as well as the food, was
impeccable. Most mornings, we either enjoyed breakfast in our cabin or in the
Windjammer Cafe. No complaints about either. Room service was available 24 hours a day,
and we took advantage of this commodity. In no case did it take more
than 15-20 minutes for our orders to be delivered. The food arrived hot, and the drinks
arrived cold.
If you should cruise Majesty, don't fail to visit the Schooner Bar. This is a perfect
place to chat and enjoy your favorite potent potable. The service here is
excellent and the music is at a level which makes conversation possible.
The Viking Crown Lounge, IMHO, has considerably lost some of the ambience and intimacy it
once had on older RCCL ships, primarily because of it's size. It's still
a nice place to visit, but it is not the charming nook it was on Song of Norway and Sun
Viking, for instance.
The main show lounge, A Chorus Line, is beautiful, but it is not quite true that there is
'not a bad seat in the house.' Get there early for shows. My companion
and I had bad seats a couple of times, our view obstructed by support posts. We were not
really that impressed by the shows offered on the nights we were
there anyway, so we left before the shows were over.
Casino personnel were friendly, knowledgeable, and always willing to teach (and accept
your money!). We did not come away 'rich', but certainly enjoyed the
time we spent there.
There is always fun to be had Poolside! The bartenders play that wonderful reggae &
Caribbean music and most are always willing to laugh with you, dance for
you, and just make you feel good!
Majesty of the Seas is definitely an E-Ticket Ride! Do her at least once!
Name: Chris Fulmer
Email: d029202c@dc.seflin.org
Age: 38
Occupation: teacher
NumberOfCruises: 2
TravelAgent: No
Ship: RoyalCaribbean-Majesty
SailingDate: May 24, 1998
Itinerary: Western Caribbean
FoodDiningRoom: 95
CruiseDirector: 90
CabinComfort: 88
FoodRoomService:
CruiseStaff: 95
CabinAmenities: 92
FoodLidoDeck: 90
DiningRoomService: 99
CabinQuietness: 80
FoodMidnightBuffets: 97
CabinSteward: 100
ShoreExcVariety: 90
FoodVariety: 98
DeckService: 93
ShoreExcValue: 80
GoodForHoneymoon:
CasinoStaff: 90
PrivateIsland: 95
GoodForFamilies:
LoungeService: 95
TenderService: 95
GoodForSeniors:
BeautySalonStaff:
EntertainmentLounges: 75
WheelchairAccess:
ExerciseFacilities:
EntertShowLounge: 95
OverallPortsofCall: 98
BeautySalon:
EntertainmentPoolside: 97
CruiseActivities: 95
Casino: 85
AirSeaProgram:
MedicalFacilities:
ShipCleanliness: 85
EmbarkDisembark: 98
DiscoNightclubs:
DeckSpace: 92
Stabilization: 90
ShopsOnBoard: 95
SpaceRatio: 95
OverallCruiseValue: 95
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 31 May 1998
Time: 19:49:50
Remote Name: 199.227.192.38
Remote User:
Comments
We are local to Miami (40 minutes south) so we arrived at the port at 11:30, and were on
board, in and out of the cabin and eating in the Windjammer at 12:31.
We went on a guarantee rate and got a cabin on Deck 5 forward, inside. It was not large,
but with the beds put together it had enough room to turn around, 4
drawers, lots of underbed space and a shelf in the closet, and lots of hangers. Horance,
our cabin steward, was great. Our bathrobes (which we bring just to
have them folded) were made into turtles, seahorses, crabes and some things we laughed at
but couldn't figure out. We slept late because there was no
ambient light. The only problem with the cabin was that we heard, really well, all the
anchor drops and thruster maneuvers each morning as we arrived at port. It
was not bothersome to us, but I could see where some would no like it. We spent very
little time in the cabin, and we had no complaints. The food, as always, was
excellent. The variety of desserts and salads seemed sparser than our trip on the
Sovereign in 1993, but the quality was good and the presentation was
beautiful. Jose, our waiter, and Davor, his assistant, took great care of us. I was
concerned that Allison, the assistant from the next table, was going to steal my
4-inch flamingo earrings, but she restrained herself. Our table mates were not adventurous
at meals, and they were always accommodated with plain salad or
grilled chicken breast, or desserts without sauces, with no problem. Another table mate
craved strawberries, which became the joke of the cruise, and
Sebastiano, our head waiter, made sure she had some chocolate covered strawberries at her
table the morning after the gala midnight buffet. The Windjammer
had pretty good food - we never had lunch or dinner there, and only 2 breakfasts, but the
line moved quickly and service was good. The midnight buffets (we
made 6 of 7) were worth waiting up for. The entertainment ws pretty good. Our favorite
part, actually, was sitting in the Crown Lounge with a drink as we left port
each afternoon and waiting for the captain to speak - 'this is your captain speaking, from
the bridge'. I'm sure he did not intend to be funny, but he alwasy
simply stopped talking - no signoff of goodbye or ciao, just 'we hope you have a pleasant
afternoon or evening, whatever you plan to do', followed by laughter
throughout the lounge. Wait staff in all the lounges were very good, and there was no
pressure to buy drinks, even if you were taking up space in the Crown
Lounge. The Cruise Director, Kyle, had lots of passable jokes with good delivery. The Wave
Revue was pretty goo - not spectacular. The main shows were the
Coasters (Yakkety-yak), comic Nick Corso, another comic and a comedy juggler - he was too
funny! The lounge band was unfortunately pretty flat, and there was
never a crowd up there. The Majesty Quest game, a kind of scavenger hunt, is a MUST. Most
deck and lounge games were worth the trip out of the dining room,
and winning a plastic key chain became the goal of most people we met. The karaoke and
sumo wrestling was pretty good. There was enough to keep us busy
whenever we chose to join. our ports of call - Labadee, the private island, was beautiful.
The snorkelling was decent, the food good and the dragon's breath is
not to be missed. The native market had some good bargains, but some high pressure sales
that were not hard to fend off but took me by surprise. Ocho Rios,
once again, had some intense competition for taxi drivers. We only did shopping and
returned to the ship - none of the tours looked good to us. Most people
liked Dunn's River Falls but found it overpriced. We were teh only ship in port - it would
have been VERY crowded with another ship. Grand Cayman was beautiful
- we didn't hear one complaint. We took the Atlantis submarine - fantastic! Cozumel was
very nice - the Internaional Pier is very well-designed, with more
construction started. We took a snorkelling tour and enjoyed it immensely. Again, we were
the only ship in port. our friends went horseback riding and were a
little disappointed that they did not get to run more. Altogether, the ports were good.
Our only complaints were that the ship is starting to look old - stained
carpet and stained upholstery in the lounges. The ship was CLEAN, but looked worn. The
only other problem was two groups of high schoo seniors - from an
Episcopal and a Catholic high school - that were everywhere - they were chain-smoking,
swilling drinks, taking over the karaoke and the deck dance floor, only
saw chaperones one time. We were quite sure that their parents did NOT know what they were
doing! Altogehter a great cruise - I want to go again tomorrow!
Name: Ken Snavely
Email: PostalK@aol.com
Age: 36
Occupation: Manager
NumberOfCruises: 4
TravelAgent: No
Ship: RoyalCaribbean-Majesty
SailingDate: May 24, 1998
Itinerary: Labadee,Ocho Rios, Grand Cayman, Cozumel
FoodDiningRoom: 86
CruiseDirector: 90
CabinComfort: 65
FoodRoomService:
CruiseStaff: 90
CabinAmenities: 75
FoodLidoDeck: 75
DiningRoomService: 98
CabinQuietness: 88
FoodMidnightBuffets: 84
CabinSteward: 95
ShoreExcVariety: 90
FoodVariety: 85
DeckService: 95
ShoreExcValue: 78
GoodForHoneymoon:
CasinoStaff:
PrivateIsland: 98
GoodForFamilies: 98
LoungeService: 96
TenderService: 95
GoodForSeniors:
BeautySalonStaff:
EntertainmentLounges: 90
WheelchairAccess:
ExerciseFacilities:
EntertShowLounge: 88
OverallPortsofCall: 98
BeautySalon:
EntertainmentPoolside: 98
CruiseActivities: 92
Casino:
AirSeaProgram:
MedicalFacilities:
ShipCleanliness: 94
EmbarkDisembark: 85
DiscoNightclubs: 90
DeckSpace: 98
Stabilization: 98
ShopsOnBoard: 90
SpaceRatio: 94
OverallCruiseValue: 90
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 01 Jun 1998
Time: 19:39:22
Remote Name: 152.205.90.252
Remote User:
Comments
Accomodations- Rooms are near claustrophobic, especially with two young children sharing
the cabin with upper berths. This has to be the one glaring negative
about the ship. However, our cabin steward faithfully restored our room from it's chaotic
appearance twice daily!
Dining- Outstanding service accented the well prepared meals which were, at times,
excellent, but mostly very good. In the Windjammer cafe the food was
cafeteria grade, but entirely edible, and very convenient. Lines were generally not a
problem. Don't miss the ice cream cones up here.
Activities/Entertainment- Poolside was very active, yet there was always a chair
available. Great Caribbean band gave great background to this relaxing deck.
Evening entertainment was highlighted by the Coasters, several enjoyable comedians, and an
outstanding juggler.
Children's Program- Adventure Ocean! Both children gave it a big thumbs up. Pagers were
provided to parents with kids under 5. This program kept the kids as
busy as they wished to be.
Excursions/Ports:
Labadee- Beautiful private island. All aquatic activities are available. We opted for the
floatation mats and drifting in the smooth waters off the beach.
Ocho Rios- Dunn's River Falls was fantastic. The vendors near the exit are a bit
aggressive. Save money and take a taxi to the falls. The cost is $5 RT per
person, and entrance to the falls is $6.
Grand Cayman- Stingray City is a must. An incredibly unusual and unforgetable experience.
Swim with the Stingrays!
Cozumel- Beautiful island. we did Carlos n' Charlies for lunch. Many shopping
opportunities are here.
It never felt like there were 2600 passengers on this ship. It was always easy to find a
quiet spot. The ship is quite large, and yet it is easy to get around. This
cruise was a great combination of ports and on board activities.
Name: Jose & Sandra Lopez
Email: lopez.vega@worldnet.att.net
Age: 39 & 32
Occupation: Systems Support & Medical Assistant
NumberOfCruises: 1
TravelAgent: No
Ship: RoyalCaribbean-Majesty
SailingDate: August 30, 1998
Itinerary: Western Caribbean
FoodDiningRoom: 96
CruiseDirector: 90
CabinComfort: 90
FoodRoomService: 89
CruiseStaff: 95
CabinAmenities: 90
FoodLidoDeck:
DiningRoomService: 100
CabinQuietness: 90
FoodMidnightBuffets: 90
CabinSteward: 97
ShoreExcVariety: 90
FoodVariety: 95
DeckService: 95
ShoreExcValue: 80
GoodForHoneymoon:
CasinoStaff: 90
PrivateIsland: 90
GoodForFamilies: 95
LoungeService: 92
TenderService: 95
GoodForSeniors: 95
BeautySalonStaff:
EntertainmentLounges: 90
WheelchairAccess: 80
ExerciseFacilities: 90
EntertShowLounge: 93
OverallPortsofCall: 95
BeautySalon:
EntertainmentPoolside: 90
CruiseActivities: 97
Casino: 95
AirSeaProgram:
MedicalFacilities: 95
ShipCleanliness: 95
EmbarkDisembark: 90
DiscoNightclubs: 95
DeckSpace: 90
Stabilization: 95
ShopsOnBoard: 90
SpaceRatio: 90
OverallCruiseValue: 100
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 06 Sep 1998
Time: 22:50:10
Remote Name: 12.70.21.97
Remote User:
Comments
We just came back from our first cruise. To resume this experience in few words, it was
GREAT! We book a cabin guarantee package. We did not receive
our cabin location until we got our tickets. We got cabin 2087 on deck 2, inside cabin.
When we did the check in, surprise, we have been upgraded to
room 8552 on deck 8, outside cabin. What a way to start a cruise! The down side to this
was that our luggage was missing until 8:00 PM and we missed
the first dinner, so we have to order room service. After that it was smooth sailing for
the rest of the cruise. Before booking our cruise, we check this
review page and read all the reviews for the Majesty of the Seas and read everything that
we could about Royal Caribbean Cruise. I have to say that
everything that we read was true. The service was excellent, the food was incredible, the
activities where too many and for all tastes. The shows did not
have to envy anything from Las Vegas. Even the bad reviews where right, like the Mega 4
band on the pool. They played the same song everyday twice a
day for 7 days. I found it hilarious!
There was a lot of excitement aboard the ship in a couple of occasions. Sailing from
Cozumel, the Captain turned around because of a medical
emergency. The next day a navy helicopter had to airlift another guest because of another
medical emergency. In both occasions the crew acts very
professional.
What really made our experience unforgettable was the service at the dinning room and the
people on our table. Our Waiter, Alex, and Assistant Waiter,
Joao, did a superb job. Alex was always very friendly and always offering his suggestions
about what was good and what was not on the menu. He was
always on a great mood that makes you feel that you were special. I feel that he was
enjoying his work very much. Joao was a kind soul, he always had all
drinks ready when we arrive without even asking what we would like. He was a mind reader.
I feel that RCCL has two great employees on Alex and Joao.
Jose, the headwaiter was very friendly. He always stop and say hello every where he sees
us no matter how busy he was. We notice that he was very
strict supervisor with his waiters, so we put a good word for Alex and Joao with him.
I believe that the one of the keys to have an unforgettable experience on the cruise is to
have good people on your table. We were blessed with the
people on our table. We all became friends and enjoy the evenings together talking and
joking.
Labadee was a relaxing experience. We just sat there and enjoy the sun all day.
We did not disembark in Ocho Rios because my wife was not felling well.
Grand Cayman is a very beautiful place. We decide to do some shopping and found out that
most of the duty free store had very high prices than your
average store in the States and really did not offered anything different. After much
walking my wife found was she was looking for at a good price.
Cozumel was much more interesting, first because our first language is Spanish, and also
because there was a lot more variety items to shop. I found a
good deal on watches, handcrafts and cloth. A nice gentleman suggest to us to, instead of
buying liquor on the duty free shops, to go to a near by
supermarket. We found more brands of tequila than in the duty free shops and with much
lower prices.
In all we think that it was a great experience and I hope I could do it again very, very
soon.
Name: Mike Payne
Email: Mike99@mci2000.com
Age: 39
Occupation: Service rep
NumberOfCruises: 2
TravelAgent: No
Ship: RoyalCaribbean-Majesty
SailingDate: May 31, 1998 thru June 7, 1998
Itinerary: Labadee, ocho rios, grand cayman, cozumel
FoodDiningRoom: 99
CruiseDirector: 100
CabinComfort: 95
FoodRoomService: 99
CruiseStaff: 93
CabinAmenities: 95
FoodLidoDeck: 95
DiningRoomService: 99
CabinQuietness: 90
FoodMidnightBuffets: 95
CabinSteward: 99
ShoreExcVariety: 90
FoodVariety: 100
DeckService: 90
ShoreExcValue: 80
GoodForHoneymoon: 100
CasinoStaff: na
PrivateIsland: 100
GoodForFamilies: 100
LoungeService: 95
TenderService: 95
GoodForSeniors: 95
BeautySalonStaff: NA
EntertainmentLounges: 100
WheelchairAccess: 60
ExerciseFacilities: NA
EntertShowLounge: 100
OverallPortsofCall: 90
BeautySalon: na
EntertainmentPoolside: 100
CruiseActivities: 95
Casino: 75
AirSeaProgram: 90
MedicalFacilities: 100
ShipCleanliness: 95
EmbarkDisembark: 90
DiscoNightclubs: 90
DeckSpace: 95
Stabilization: 95
ShopsOnBoard: 90
SpaceRatio: 95
OverallCruiseValue: 100
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 08 Jun 1998
Time: 00:05:04
Remote Name: 166.55.54.216
Remote User:
Comments
This was our second Royal Caribbean cruise, the first three years ago on the Nordic
Empress. This was much, much better for one main reason..space. the
Majesty of the Seas is huge! There were over 2800 people on board and there was
practically no lines anywhere, plenty of room on the pool deck, and seats
aplenty at the shows. I'll begin by saying the Air-sea program can indeed be more
expensive than booking your own flights, but you save yourself a lot of
frustration by letting RCL handle this for you. Plus if your flight is delayed, they know
about it and will wait for you. This happened to four people on our cruise.
Ok, lets get to the really important stuff..Food!. This was the finest food we have ever
had. There were 5 of us, three adults (ages 39,41,and 54) and 2 kids
(boys, ages 8 and 11)and we all agree wholeheartedly on this. A suggestion would be to eat
in the dining room every chance you get, the food is great
throughout the ship but incredible in there. Also you get totally spoiled and pampered by
waiters that will become your true friends by cruise end. The service
you will get is unequaled anywhere. Both my boys were ready to cry when we left, saying
goodby to the waiters was almost to much for them! The food at the
private Island, labadee, was fair at best for some reason. That was the only
disappointment we had food-wise. Service. The cabin steward for my wife & I was
excellent but kudos must really go to the steward that served my sister and our 2 boys.
The boys were regularly ordering room service (also top notch!)and
spilling stuff and making a general mess of things. Their steward was always smiling and
quick to take care of any situation. Our cabin smelled of smoke when we
arrived. I mentioned it to our steward and within 30 minutes the cabin was completely
cleaned and ALL furnishings exchanged! Yes the cabins are very small,
but very well organized. You will have no trouble with the size I promise you. The Kids
program is very good although ours preferred to hang out by the pool on
most days. If they had a program for them after 10.00 it would be better, instead you have
to pay $4.00 an hour after that time. Excursions-I checked the net
and read all the reviews I could find so I could make the best decisions, so heres my
opinion on what you should do on the excursions: YES you'll pay about
double if you book your shore excursions on the ship. I booked one on the ship, the others
I decided to book them on my own using vendors located on the
dock, or take a cab to the site itself. Heres what happened: Climbing the falls at ocho
rios (you GOTTA do that, its awesome) was booked thru the ship and we
had no problems there and back. I decided to book my own stingray city snorkeling tour at
grand cayman. We left the ship and walked right up to a vendor
holding up a sign for $25.00 per person. Thats about half what the ship costs. However,
they took us to about 12 feet of water, too deep for beginners to
comfortably snorkel the first time. My 11 year old and I were fine, but my wife &
youngest freaked and stayed on the boat. My understanding was the ship
stingray excursion took you to shallower water, much better for beginners. A great
experience anyway, I highly recommend this tour. In cozumel, we wanted to
do the jeep safari tour, but thru the ship it was $60.00 per person. So, thought I, I'd
book that when I got off the ship with a vendor, just like grand cayman. Well,
guess what, all the jeeps were taken when we got off the ship, and no other vendors or
tours of any kind in sight. The look I got from my otherwise loving and
devoted wife ran chills down my spine. We had great fun, however by renting a car for the
day and just riding around looking and shopping.That'll cost you
about $70.00 and its worth it. Large fun! Please feel free to email me on more details on
anything. Also, my sister suffered from sun poisoning. She's a diabetic
and was afraid that she was having a siezure of some kind. The medical staff was
wonderful, had her medicated, reassured, and ready to go the next day. Stay
away from alcohol (good luck, I had about 15 pina coladas)and gambling and you'll save
money. You might consider bingo, lots of people won lots of $$$! Plus
its fun, but DO NOT miss ANY of the shows. They are superb, the comedian/juggler was the
best I'd ever seen. You'll laugh til you hurt. DO NOT miss the
newley-wed and not-so-newlywed game, it is hilarious!!!.
In summary, this was a lifetime unforgettable vacation for us, we'll never forget it and
can't wait to do it all again. Email me if you wish and I'll give you more
information. One more thing, I noticed a handicapped person in a wheelchair complaining
about lack of space on elevators. This is indeed a problem, they were
crowded most of the time, certainly no room for wheelchairs. This person had to wait as
long as 20 minutes for an elevator with room for him.
Name: C. A. Radzik
Email: Bermudalvr@aol.com
Age: 38
Occupation: Human Resources
NumberOfCruises: 4
TravelAgent: No
Ship: RoyalCaribbean-Majesty
SailingDate: 5/31/98
Itinerary: Labadee, Jamaica, Grand Cayman, Cozumel
FoodDiningRoom: 85
CruiseDirector: 90
CabinComfort: 90
FoodRoomService: 89
CruiseStaff: 90
CabinAmenities: 85
FoodLidoDeck: 85
DiningRoomService: 90
CabinQuietness: 90
FoodMidnightBuffets:
CabinSteward: 95
ShoreExcVariety: 95
FoodVariety: 95
DeckService: 95
ShoreExcValue: 80
GoodForHoneymoon:
CasinoStaff:
PrivateIsland: 80
GoodForFamilies: 90
LoungeService: 95
TenderService: 89
GoodForSeniors:
BeautySalonStaff:
EntertainmentLounges:
WheelchairAccess:
ExerciseFacilities:
EntertShowLounge: 80
OverallPortsofCall: 79
BeautySalon:
EntertainmentPoolside: 89
CruiseActivities: 85
Casino:
AirSeaProgram: 90
MedicalFacilities:
ShipCleanliness: 95
EmbarkDisembark: 80
DiscoNightclubs:
DeckSpace: 80
Stabilization: 90
ShopsOnBoard: 80
SpaceRatio: 89
OverallCruiseValue: 90
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 08 Jun 1998
Time: 20:51:21
Remote Name: 152.163.195.217
Remote User:
Comments
Let me begin by saying that this is my 4th cruise (my 3rd with Royal Caribbean), so some
of my comments may seem a bit more critical than those of a first time
cruiser. The Majesty of the Seas is a beautiful ship. You enter on Deck 4 into a large
atrium filled with glass, brass and 2 glass elevators. The entire ship reminds
me of a Hyatt Regency or some other first class hotel. All public areas are spotless. On
this cruise my husband and I had an outside cabin on Deck 6. The cabin
was roomier than others we had in the past and was decorated in pastels. The bathroom was
small, but this one seemed a little larger as the shower curtain
didn't'hug you' when you took a shower. I would definitely recommend an outside cabin,
Deck 4 or higher if you can afford it. Staterooms below this level are
prone to engine noise and vibration. (I learned that the hard way!)Also when choosing an
outside cabin, make sure nothing obstructs your view (like a lifeboat),
there are no elevators next to your room (noise), and you're not situated under the
disco(feel the beat all night long!)
Each morning when we went to breakfast our cabin steward made our bed, changed our towels
and straightened up the room if needed. Each evening when we
went to dinner, he turned down the bed and placed a chocolate on the pillow. We rarely saw
him, but we knew he had been there!
Food - as everyone knows you can eat 13 times a day on a cruise ship. We tried to limit
ourselves to 3 meals. On this cruise we never ate breakfast in the dining
room as our early seating time was too early for me. We ate at the buffet in the
Windjammer (Deck 11). Just a note here, the Windjammer has one side which is
air conditioned and one that is not. Take your pick! Breakfast buffets consisted of
everything you could think of (eggs, pancakes, fruit, cereal, yogurt,baked
goods, etc.) By the end of the week I was getting a little tired of the sameness. Lunch
was usually eaten by the pool (the Windjammer again) and consisted of
hamburgers, fries, salads, etc. At lunch you get free iced tea or fruit punch. Sodas on
deck cost $1.50 with a 15% gratuity automatically added on. A glass of
wine $3.50 plus tip. Dinner is usually a highlight of the day. You get to meet up with
your tablemates and are entertained by your waiter and assistant waiter.
Service and food quality are usually excellent on RCCL, but I have to say service was a
bit slow at times and our table had numerous food problems during the
week which were unheard of on my previous cruises (dead fly in salad, overcooked steak,
appetizer that was ice cold) All problems were corrected immediately
and they went out of their way to make sure you left the dining room happy and satisfied.
(The dead fly earned our table a free bottle of wine on the last night.)
If you're still hungry after your daily 5 course meals, there's always the midnight buffet
and late night buffet!! We were usually stuffed from dinner so we never
indulged...on this cruise at least!
Entertainment - This is where my opinion will vary quite a lot from other cruisers. Once
you've been on one cruise and then go on another,it gets so repetitious.
Each cruise has a comedian, then there's the juggler (I joked to my husband 'I wonder if
this guy does the bowling ball and knife trick...and guess what...he
did!!)It's all the same, the cruise directors jokes are the same, the games are the same,
even the questions in the 'Not So Newlywed' game are the same. (If you
want to win this game, e-mail me and I'll send you the questions!!) I can best describe
the entertainment as Las Vegas lounge act style. If you like that, great. But
I'm in my 30's and would prefer more modern up to date stuff, top 40 singers, Broadway
show reviews, etc. First time cruisers - you'll love the whole experience,
you'll go to every show. Repeaters are more selective. We did have 2 highlights in the
entertainment area - Actor/Singer Ben Vereen performed one night. He
was in good voice, very animated, and connected with the audience and comedian Kelly
Monteith was very good also.
Itinerary/Shore Excursions I have cruised to Bermuda (2X) and St Thomas/Nassau/San Juan
previously. The Majesty's itinerary was my least favorite to date.
First stop Labadee, Haiti. Private island. Beach lined with Palm trees. Jellyfish in the
water. Poor Haitians hawking their wares. The Banana Boat ride looked fun
though. Jamaica - we took the Yacht Cruise which included a trip to Dunns River Falls as
well as as time for snorkeling. After looking at the 600 ft falls and the
rushing waters we decided not to climb, but walked up a path along side. (If you climb,
you're crazy...but hundreds did!!) Snorkeling was OK, mostly dead reef.
Cost of trip $62, overpriced in my opinion. Shopping in Jamaica meant dealing with the
'agressive' cab drivers, but we had 'no problems mon'. Grand Cayman -
this was my favorite stop on the trip. The area is much wealthier than the others and it
shows. It reminds me of Bermuda. We took the trip to Stingray City and
swam with and fed the Stingrays. It was awesome! Getting there however was a 60 minute
ordeal and really a hassle. Get a seat in the shade on the boat
over...your skin will thank you for it...we learned the hard way!! (ouch, sunburn!)The
shops in Grand Cayman are nice and no one bothers you or follows you
around as they do in Jamaica and Mexico. Last stop, Cozumel. We chose the snorkeling
excursion here and were disappointed. There wasn't much of a beach
and it was a 'guided' snorkel meaning they didn't want you swimming off to explore on your
own. They put food in the water so you got to see a bunch of fish for
a few minutes...but then not much after that. Some nice coral, yellow tail snappers,
parrot fish, sargeant majors, the usual but nothing exciting. If you choose
NOT to do the Stingray City tour in Grand Cayman, snorkel there!! People at our dinner
table loved it. Also words from the dinner table, if you decide to do the
horseback ride, do that in Jamaica, not Mexico.
Days at sea are fun - but scope out a chair early and keep it all day!! It gets crowded!!
Last words to the wise HOT! HOT! HOT! It was 95 degrees and humid all week long (no rain
either!) so dress cool and comfortable.
We enjoyed our trip and hope you do too! The Majesty is a beautiful ship! Bon Voyage! (If
you want further info e-mail me at Bermudalvr@aol.com)
Name: Lisa Dahlstrom
Email: gonyea.dahlstrom@att.worldnet.net
Age: 38
Occupation: Teacher
NumberOfCruises: 1
TravelAgent: No
Ship: RoyalCaribbean-Majesty
SailingDate: June 7, 1998
Itinerary: Caribbean
FoodDiningRoom: 98
CruiseDirector: 95
CabinComfort: 98
FoodRoomService: 90
CruiseStaff: 98
CabinAmenities: 99
FoodLidoDeck: 92
DiningRoomService: 100
CabinQuietness: 100
FoodMidnightBuffets: 95
CabinSteward: 90
ShoreExcVariety: 100
FoodVariety: 98
DeckService: 100
ShoreExcValue: 90
GoodForHoneymoon:
CasinoStaff:
PrivateIsland: 100
GoodForFamilies: 100
LoungeService: 96
TenderService: 94
GoodForSeniors:
BeautySalonStaff:
EntertainmentLounges:
WheelchairAccess:
ExerciseFacilities:
EntertShowLounge: 95
OverallPortsofCall: 100
BeautySalon:
EntertainmentPoolside: 100
CruiseActivities: 92
Casino:
AirSeaProgram:
MedicalFacilities: 100
ShipCleanliness: 98
EmbarkDisembark: 94
DiscoNightclubs:
DeckSpace: 96
Stabilization: 99
ShopsOnBoard: 93
SpaceRatio: 96
OverallCruiseValue: 99
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 21 Jun 1998
Time: 21:24:32
Remote Name: 12.65.131.74
Remote User:
Comments
This was my first cruise and I absolutely loved it! I traveled with my 12-year-old son,
who enjoyed it as much as I did. First--we did not use the air/sea
program because we made our reservations too late. But it really wasn't a problem. We
landed in Miami, walked right outside the doors by baggage
claim, and got a shuttle right to the pier for a few bucks! We arrived at 11:00 a.m.,
which meant we had to wait a while before we could board. At 11:30,
they started embarkation and it really went fast. We were in our cabin by 12:15! The only
concern we had was our luggage--it didn't arrive to our deck
until after 5:00, which had us a little concerned.
This ship is beautiful! We were amazed at the amount of brass and glass at first, but it
quickly became quite comfortable. Even though she is such a big
ship, we never found ourselves lost or crowded! Our cabin was on deck 8, just a few cabins
away from the elevators. The cabin was extremely
comfortable--plenty of space for our clothes. We never felt closed in, but we did have a
window. However, we spent so little time in our cabin that I think
I'll do without this next time. Our cabin was incredibly quiet! I never heard a sound from
outside except for an occasional toilet flush from next door. The
promenade deck was immediately outside our window, but we didn't hear a sound!
The dining room service was fabulous! Our waiter, Bala, was from India and really
charming. Our table only sat six though, and we were seated with
another mother and her three daughters. After the second day, the mother began to spend
all of her time in the casino and would leave only long
enough to pick up her kids from the children's program and run them to the Wiindjammer
Cafe to eat. This left us alone at the table and it bothered Bala
tremendously. By the fifth night, the head waiter, Joseph, was so upset about our being by
ourselves! But, my son and I had a terrific time anyway. Bala,
Joseph, and Richard, our assistant waiter, took extra time visiting with us each night.
The food was really wonderful! Bala would give us his
recommendations each night and he was always right! The servings were plentiful, yet my
son didn't hesitate to ask for seconds. On Caribbean night, he
sent Bala back four times for more lobster! The waiters performed almost every night,
soing dances and singing songs. The napkins were always folded
in amazing ways to entertain us, and several of the waiters juggled for our amusement. We
enjoyed our time in the dining room so much that we ate
almost every meal there! The Windjammer Cafe, on the pool deck, is very convenient for sun
worshipers. However, I never found their food near as good
or as various as the dining room.
The Chorus Line Show Lounge was a great place for us to go together each night after
dinner. The shows were really quite good! We loved the juggler
and the magician tremendously. On the last night, my son was chosen from the audience to
help with the juggling act. It was hilarious! He got to spend a
good 15 minutes on the stage and was totally enamored by the experience. Afterwards,
everybody on the ship would say 'Hey Will, good job!' He was an
instant celebrity! There were two special nights when musical groups performed. The first
night was the Coasters, and we really enjoyed them. The
second night was a singer who was really tremendous. I was a little embarrassed by the
departure of some of the guests during his performance, and
really suprised as well because he really was good! Our least favorite nights were those
presented by RCCL's Wave Revue performers. They weren't bad,
but some of their stuff wasn't exactly appropriate for younger passengers. The worst night
was when the cruise staff did a skit that was totally
inappropriate for youngsters which included the men grabbing the womens breasts
repeatedly! But hey, that was the worst thing that happened on the
whole cruise! The Mega 4 band, which performs poolside, is terrific! I loved their music!
The programs for kids varied. If the kids were under ten or older than thirteen, the
programs were really great. But, the 10-13 year olds just didn't fit in
to the programs well. It really worked out great for us because it meant we got to spend a
lot more time together. On sea days, we mainly hung out by
the pool. They had horse racing, which was really a blast, and lots of pool games. When I
wanted to go to an activity, my son usually just played
ping-pong, videos, or basketball. It never was a problem. One evening, we were up on the
pool deck waling around and we got to see some of the teen
program. The kids really appeared to be enjoying themselves. This program was real
boy/girl oriented, and my son just wasn't ready for that.
Our first stop, Labadee, was one of our favorites. The island is absolutely gorgeous!
Definately plan on not doing any excursions here. The snorkling
wasn't that great--but the beach was wonderful! Great day to just play in the water, float
around, lull on the beach, build sandcastles, and just relax! The
next stop was Jamaica, our other favorite. I read many reviews which said Jamaica was
dirty and the people swarmed them, but nothing of the sort
happend to us. I highly recommend the horseback riding excursion here. You take a bus into
the center of the island to one of the most beautiful polo
farms I have ever seen! Then, we went on a trail ride for about 45 minutes to the other
side of the island, arriving at a little cabanna. Here the guides
took off our horses' saddles and we changed into swimsuits. Then we went swimming with the
horses! I don't mean riding along the beach--I mean
swimming! It was incredible! It is an expensive excursion, but there wasn't a single
person who wasn't exhillerated by the experience! We got back to the
ship close to one, ate lunch in the dining room, and then left again to explore Ocho Rios
on our own. We caught a taxi with no problem and went to the
shopping mall. Here we had a blast talking to the taxi drivers who hovered around, the
townspeople hawking their wares, and shopping in the stores. I
really got a grat deal on a diamond, emerald, saphire, and ruby ring. The store had it
priced at $250, but I got it for $53! Don't believe that thier prices
are realy--even in the mall! This store was one of the recommended gem stores, and I still
talked them way down! The Grand Cayman was breath taking!
The water is absolutely incredible! We went snorkling with the stingrays and it was
absolutely awesome! The water was so clear--and the stingrays were
sooo big! It was a little scary, but well worth the experience. One guy got 'sucked' by a
stingray and ended up with the biggest 'hickey' I've ever seen!
But this was definatley an excursion to take. The island, while beautiful, was too
Americanized for me. Seeing Burger Kings and Taco Bells just seemed
out of place. The prices in the stores were much higher here and little bargaining took
place. Cozumel was cool. Although I've been here several times
before, it was my son's first visit. Of course, snorkel or dive here. But also hit the
town. Great buys on quartz and silver still exist. But--beware of Planet
Hollywood! We ordered two drinks (non-alcoholic), a cheeseburger and fries and our tab was
$22! Ouch! You're much better off at Carlos 'n Charlies!
On the ship, we were lucky enough to see two cool sites. First, we had a family of
dolphins follow us around. They would perform for us, jumping and
twisting. It was really fun. Second, we got to see a water spout! It was really awesome
watcing it suck up water! But it disappeared before it got to our
ship. We never had a bit of rain and everything was absolutely wonderful! Go! You will
have the time of your life! We are definately cruising again, and I
can't imagine our choosing anything but RCCL. They topped everything I'd heard about any
of the cruiselines! Happy sailing!
Name: PJ from PA
Email: panzaldi@usaor.com
Age: 44
Occupation: System Consultant
NumberOfCruises: 2
TravelAgent: No
Ship: RoyalCaribbean-Majesty
SailingDate: 6/14/98
Itinerary: Labadee, Ocho Rio, Grand Caymen, Cozumel
FoodDiningRoom: 89
CruiseDirector: 98
CabinComfort: 80
FoodRoomService: 75
CruiseStaff: 96
CabinAmenities: 92
FoodLidoDeck: 80
DiningRoomService: 75
CabinQuietness: 98
FoodMidnightBuffets: 85
CabinSteward: 100
ShoreExcVariety: 97
FoodVariety: 95
DeckService: 90
ShoreExcValue: 87
GoodForHoneymoon: 95
CasinoStaff: 95
PrivateIsland: 90
GoodForFamilies: 100
LoungeService:
TenderService: 90
GoodForSeniors:
BeautySalonStaff:
EntertainmentLounges:
WheelchairAccess:
ExerciseFacilities: 80
EntertShowLounge: 96
OverallPortsofCall: 95
BeautySalon:
EntertainmentPoolside: 95
CruiseActivities: 98
Casino: 90
AirSeaProgram:
MedicalFacilities:
ShipCleanliness: 89
EmbarkDisembark: 75
DiscoNightclubs: 90
DeckSpace: 90
Stabilization: 95
ShopsOnBoard: 90
SpaceRatio: 90
OverallCruiseValue: 90
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 26 Jun 1998
Time: 08:48:04
Remote Name: 166.73.110.2
Remote User:
Comments
This was our second cruise with Royal Caribbean. The first was for our 20th anniversary,
four years ago. We selected the Southern Caribbean on the
Monarch, which I must say has a much more attentive wait staff. We put together a group of
34 including my brothers, sister and all their children ranging
in age from 7 to 23. In order to make the numbers work and keep the cost down, we decided
to put four in our room. BIG MISTAKE. My oldest daughter
and my niece stayed with us, and even though we had an EXTRA LARGE STATEROOM, it was no
bigger than a standard room except it had four beds.
Two on the floor, and two on top. To say it was cramped would be an understatement. We
couldn't move, in fact all the luggage would not fit in the room
and we ended up playing musical luggage when it came time to get ready for dinner.
However, on positive note, our room steward, Oliver, was
exceptional. He cleaned this mess up twice a day and made it palatable to live in for the
week. I was not as impressed with this ship as I had been on the
Monarch.
It appeared that the Monarch was cleaner and the wait staff was definitely more
attentive. We had to constantly try to track down our waiters to
get served. The glasses were forever empty, rarely did they ask if we needed anything and
on numerous occasions brought the wrong dinners or
messed up the order somehow. Some of this may have been caused by the head waiters, as
they had the waiters folding napkins, sorting silverware and
a hundred other things while they were trying to serve us. Overall the food quality was a
little less than on the Monarch. I returned three lobster dinners
because they were mushy. The beef was rarely delivered to the table as requested and some
of the food was served cold. These may be isolated
incidents as the table next to us seemed to not have as many problems. The cruise staff
aboard these ships works their buns off. They did an excellent
job, from the cruise director to the bartenders.
The activities were numerous and they did an incredible job taking care of the
children. If you are
debating on whether to take the kids along, they will have a great time and you'll hardly
see them. Even the teens had a great time. They wanted to know
when we were going back! We really enjoyed the ports we visited. Some notes on these.
Labadee - Excellent private beach. You may want to take a few
$1 bills with you to tip the locals who will help you carry the lounge chairs around for
you. The barbecue wasn't bad, but not up to par. It was typical
burgers and stuff. I brought snorkel equipment and found a good place to snorkel on the
third beach from the pier. They will rent you equipment for $10,
but will not split up the pieces. I only needed fins and they still wanted $10 for them.
There were a couple of plane wrecks about 100 yards off shore and
we snorkeled out to one of them, it was very interesting and worth doing. Everyone seemed
to have fun, especially those riding the banana boats.
Ocho
Rio - I didn't go into town, I opted to take the boat trip to the falls. The falls were
great. One tip, buy a pair of aqua shoes, they made the biggest
difference climbing the falls. Some people in sandals and flip-flops couldn't climb. Again
bring a couple $1 bills as everyone has their hand out. Half-way
to the top a local was in the water trying to put flowers in the ladies hair and taking
their pictures, after which he wanted $5. On the way down from the
top of the falls we were approached several times to purchase some recreational
pharmaceuticals, but quickly declined their offer and moved on. DO NOT
GIVE YOUR CAMERA TO ANYONE EXCEPT YOUR GUIDE. enough said on that subject.
Grand Cayman - I'd live here if I could afford it. Nice island, nice
people, clean. We went on the Stingray City tour and it was the highlight of the cruise.
Some of the girls had a problem when the rays were swimming all
around them, but noone had anything happen. They were very docile and this is a once in
lifetime experience I would recommend to everyone. Bring an
underwater camera. The only bad thing about it was that there was too many people in the
water and the water began to get clouded up as the rays
swam around. The girls went to seven mile beach and said that it was the nicest beach they
had ever been on.
Cozumel - I did the snorkel tour rather the
advanced as this tour allowed me stay for as long as I wanted. I stayed for almost 6
hours. It was the most incredible snorkeling I have ever done.
Visibility was up to 200 feet and the marine life was awesome. The only negative here was
that my wife returned to ship early and the taxi was supposed
to be prepaid by RCCL. Well, instead of paying the cab driver. Roger the RCCL rep at the
site gave my wife the $4 and told her to pay the cabby. When
she got to the ship the cabby wanted $7 and was going to have her arrested if she did not
pay. One tip here, make Roger pay the cab driver before you
leave. She ended up paying the $7. The entertainment aboard was great with a couple
exceptions. On Monday they had a very good comedian named
Gary Muledeer and a singer that could knock your socks off, her name was Dolores Parks.
Don't miss this show. Another show not to miss is called
Double Trouble. They are jugglers and put on a very entertaining and funny show. The
Not-So Newlywed game was a riot. They choose a newly-wed
couple, a couple married between 5 and 50 years, and a couple married over 50 years. Some
of the things they said were incredible, it was a lot of fun.
The highlight of the entertainment was a comedian by the name of James Stevens III. He was
without a doubt the most talented, funny comedian I have
ever heard. If he's on the ship, do not miss this one. The whole ship was talking about
it. Do not waste your time going to the show they called
Dream-Away. It featured their own dancers and was the worst show I have ever seen. Go see
a movie or take a nap, you'll enjoy it more. The same
troupe did another show called Bee-Bop and Hop and this was supposed to be 50's music.
However, they did several songs from the 70's which didn't
seem to fit. Overall this one is worth going to.
One final note on Embarking/Disembarking. Getting on the ship was easy, getting off was
a mess. Our flight
out got bumped back to 11:00 am and we knew we would be in trouble, when at 9:15 we were
still waiting to clear customs. It took 15 to 20 minutes to
locate our bags, even though we had bright orange markers on them. We found the right bus
after asking 5 or 6 reps and sat at the ship until they filled
the bus. By then it was after 10:00! The bus driver told us it would take 1/2 hour to get
there. We arrived at the airport at 10:25. and ran to get our
baggage checked in. Luckily they took our bags that close to departure. We ran to our
gate, and the plane was boarding just as we got there. It was a
close call. All in all, it was a nice vacation and worth the price. And on a final good
note, I only gained 2 pounds!
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