Above and Beyond all Expectations!
Written: Oct 29 '03
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Wonderful staff, great food, fun in the sun!
Cons: Coco Cay's jellyfish!
The Bottom Line: This cruise was beyond fun! It's a great length if you aren't sure you'd like cruising, and if you try it once, you'll be back!
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| babbling78's Full Review: Royal Caribbean Majesty of the Seas |
I don't even know where to begin... its well over a month since my cruise and I'm still overwhelmed with excitement.
Bare facts:
Ship: Majesty of the Seas
Date: September 12-15, 2003
Price: $239.00 for an inside state room
Making Arrangements:
I was invited by a friend to join her large group of friends on a 3 night Bahamian cruise. I eagerly jumped at the chance. One woman had made all the arrangements, and then each of us had to call up and leave our own deposits, etc. Overall, a very confusing process, most of us had only minimal details, but the helpful people answering phones were above and beyond helpful. We all managed to complete our reservations without a hitch. We all arranged our own air as it was much cheaper than going through Royal Caribbean, however; if you do choose to go through Royal Caribbean, I believe they offer some sort of reimbursement if you plane arrives too late.
Arriving:
Finally the day arrived, September 12, 2003 (yes, just as Hurricane Isabel was jetting across the ocean toward Miami.) So, we arrived in Fort Lauderdale at about 11:30 in the morning. We were hungry, so, we easily found the Royal Caribbean desk near baggage claim (where we were greeted by name) and asked if there were restaurants near the pier, or if we should get something at the airport. One cheerful woman looked at us and grinned "you don't need to worry about food, we have an buffet set up for you on board" Seconds later we were comfortably hurtling down a Miami freeway towards the pier. If you've never seen a cruise ship up close, its an amazing thing! We were shaking with excitement as we caught our first glimpse of Majesty of the Seas, complete with a brand-spanking new rock wall! Embarkation was quick and easy, and after throwing our carry-on luggage into our rooms, we headed for the buffet.
Accommodations:
My friend and I were in stateroom 3505, an inside state room right near the front of the ship. It was small, but, had everything we needed for the minimal amount of time we spent in it. Two small beds (and one extra fold-out bunk that we luckily didn't need- 3 people in that room would've been pushing it!) that were actually quite comfortable. A closet that was more than ample for our 4 days worth of clothes. A small bathroom and shower. The highlight of the room was definitely our cabin steward. We arrived back at our room nightly to find a delightful array of clean towels playfully arranged into animals on our beds. He was always greeting us with a smile or a joke, and was always close at hand if we needed something. The only drawback to our room was that when ever the ship was docking, it was a bit loud. I'm not sure how a ship docks, but we must have been located near gears that were involved.
Food:
Oh my, so much to say about this! First, we heard a statistic claiming that the average guest on our 3 night cruise would leave the ship 10 pounds heavier. I wholeheartedly believe that! There is non-stop food! There is no possible way we could've gotten the combination of quality and quantity of food that we ate over that weekend on land, for as little as the price of our cruise, we MORE than ate up the price! The windjammer cafe has a nearly constant buffet running. Several times we ate there very late at night. Their breakfast buffet is a typical breakfast buffet, not astounding quality, but really quite good with loads of choices. The food available in the afternoon isn't gourmet quality either, but very good snacking food. The main dining room is where we actually ate the majority of our meals. Our waiter was as much fun as our cabin steward. I was very impressed with the quality of the food. I'm not a gourmet critic by any stretch, but I thought the food was so good. The portions are a little small, but it really isn't an issue because you can have as many things as you want. The men in our group each at 4 helpings of escargot one night! My best advice is to order several starters and at least 2 entrees. The food is so good it'd be a shame to not try anything that sounds interesting! Oh, and the second night of our cruise, they set up an amazing buffet around the pool, don't miss that! Superb!
Drinks:
We tried to stick with the included drinks (tap water and juice) so that we could afford a few cocktails at night. They're very expensive!
Ship:
Our ship was great. I believe it's one of the older ships (I could be wrong though) but really didn't show the age. Everything was clean and orderly, although I never did see anyone cleaning general areas. There was lots to do. The salt water pools (2 of them) are so nice, there's a ledge around the edge that is about 6 inches into the water, so you can lounge in the water without having to actually swim. There are also two hot tubs at the perfect temperature for the climate, warm, but not stifling hot. I didn't climb the rock wall, but several from our group did. Based on their opinions it was worth it. There's so much to do, everything from nightclubs to shopping. It would've been easy to spend the entire cruise just enjoying the ship itself.
Ports:
Nassau, Bahamas:
Thanks to a "shopping seminar" the night before, we had an idea of where we wanted to go. We disembarked (quickly and easily) into the hot sun of the Bahamas. We spent some time hiking around town, but really did little more than window shop. After a buffet lunch on the ship, several of us took a taxi to Paradise Island (where the Atlantis hotel is) and headed to a beach just past Atlantis. Wow! I've never seen anything like it. The water was completely clear and wonderfully warm. The locals are a bit aggressive in trying to get you to buy their wares (from pina coladas to turtles made from coconut shells) but it was fun none the less. On our way back, we popped into Atlantis to look around, very impressive hotel, but we couldn't afford to pay to see the aquarium (although we heard great things about it.) Two from our group went on a catamaran champagne cruise that night and had a really great time (music and and endless flow of champagne.) We also talked to a couple who did one of the snorkeling side trips and said they absolutely loved it. I myself didn't take any side trips, so I can only report what I heard.
Coco Cay:
Coco Cay is Royal Caribbean's private island. When we first made our way off the ferry onto the beach, I was impressed. The clear blue waters are gorgeous. We set our stuff down on several of the multitude of lounge chairs and started to explore. We quickly discovered that the farther you get from the fairy, the better the island becomes. Obviously, the areas closest to the ferry are crowded. Each inlet we walked past or through had fewer and fewer people. If you walk to the far side of the island, there's a point with loads of hammocks and uncrowded stretches of beach. We paid the exorbitant price for snorkel gear and spent the day relaxing, swimming and snorkeling. It truly felt like paradise. Well, aside from one thing... the jellyfish. This was my one actual con on the trip. No one mentioned that the waters were infested with jellyfish. If you're very careful, you'll come out unscathed, but they are nearly transparent (just a faint purplish tinge) and sting like... I'm sure you can imagine. It was easiest to see them snorkeling, but occasionally you'd miss the smaller ones that have even less of the faint purple. Other than that, I highly suggest either renting snorkel gear, or buying your own. The underwater views are just as magical as the above water views. We saw loads of living creatures, fish, sea urchins, conch shells galore. Just be sure to slather on the sunscreen every hour or two. We all had solid base tans and came back burnt to a crisp.
Well, I think that about covers the basics. I would highly recommend this cruise to anyone! I'm looking into more cruises in the future. For the price you pay, you really get a lot. If you're looking for luxury, there are more expensive cabins available (although, we spent so little time there, I can't see how it'd be worth the money) Our price was considerably cheaper as the weekend we went is considered the absolute peak of hurricane season, but we experienced none of the effects (the ship did rock a bit the first night thanks to a storm in the area, but a little Dramamine kept us all very comfortable)
Recommended:
Yes
Best Suited For: Families
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Epinions.com ID:
babbling78
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Location: Wisconsin
Reviews written: 7
Trusted by: 2 members
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