Majesty in Nassau (photos and video)
Majesty of the Seas Goes to the Bahamas (photos)
​Majesty of the Seas at Sea (video)
Majesty of the Seas menus
​Majesty of the Seas daily programs

CRUISE REVIEW


MAJESTY
OF THE SEAS

Bahamas Cruise


Winter 2019/2020

By

Richard H. Wagner

 This was a four night cruise to the Bahamas from Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Originally, the itinerary would have taken the ship to Cuba but that port was cancelled due to the change in U.S. foreign policy. Key West, which was also on the itinerary, was cancelled due to unfavorable weather conditions. Coco Cay was substituted in its place. The ship also called in Nassau.

Majesty of the Seas is the last Sovereign class ships sailing for Royal Caribbean. When she entered service in 1992, she was one of the world's largest cruise ships. Now, she is one of the smallest ships in the Royal Caribbean fleet.

Royal has spent millions of dollars over the years to keep Majesty viable in the North American market. She may not have all the bells and whistles of her larger fleetmates but she is clean and well-maintained. Furthermore, she is able to provide the intimacy of a small ship experience and she is able to get into ports that larger ships cannot.

Inside, Majesty is not shock and awe. Rather, she has a late 90s glamour. Her central atrium has better proportions than on later ships. The art collection in the public areas is mostly restrained abstract prints, which blend in nicely with the rest of the décor.

Her pool deck features a large pool and hot tubs as well as a children's area. Further aft, she has Royal Caribbean's signature rock climbing wall - - actually, two walls as you can climb either the front or the back of this free-standing structure. Another nice outdoor feature is a promenade that circles the superstructure.

Probably Majesty's best feature is her crew who we found to be friendly and enthusiastic.

Passengers

Most of the passengers on this cruise were from North America. However, there were several international guests who were combining this short cruise with a trip to Florida or a cruise on another Royal Caribbean ship.

The passengers ranged in age from children through to retirees. Because the cruise was only four nights, two of which were weekend nights, the cruise was attractive to young people who did not have to take much time off from work in order to take the cruise. Similarly, parents did not have to take their children out of school for an extended period in order to take this cruise, so it was attractive to young families.

This short cruise also offered people who were not used to cruising an opportunity to “test the waters.”. In contrast, there were relatively few guests who are in the upper levels of Royal Caribbean's loyalty program the Crown and Anchor Society.

Short cruises to the Bahamas have something of a reputation as party cruises. While there was some drinking on this voyage, the passengers were well-behaved and not obnoxious.

Dining

Majesty has two main dining rooms. Both are similar in arrangement and décor. They both use the same menus.

The Starlight Dining Room offered an open-seating breakfast and lunch (sea day only). The Moonlight Dining Room was open for breakfast for Diamond-level and above members of the Crown and Anchor Society. (Majesty does not have a Diamond Lounge so breakfast for upper tier Crown and Anchor guests is provided in the main dining room and the evening social gathering is in the Viking Crown lounge).

For dinner, the Moonlight followed the traditional fixed-time system with passengers assigned to a specific table at either the early or late seating. The Starlight offered Royal's flexible dining system, which allows the guest to choose when to come to the dining room.

We selected the flexible dining system. Although not guaranteed under this system, Royal makes an effort to seat guests at the same table or at least in the same section every night. As a result, we had the same team of waiters each evening who quickly got to know our preferences. The service was good and we enjoyed the food.

Majesty does not have specialty restaurants per se. However, it does offer a Chef's Table experience in which a small group of guests are guided through a multi-course banquet and wine pairing.

In addition to the buffet restaurant, Majesty has several casual dining venues. There is a small additional charge for Johnny Rocket's but we found it well-worth it. We enjoyed the 50s/60s American diner atmosphere with its jovial staff. The burgers and the milkshake were first rate.

We also enjoyed Sorento's pizza, which is nearby. Although the pizzas are placed on a counter so that guests can help themselves, the pieces we had were still moist and flavorful, not dried out by the warming lamps.

Majesty also has a venue that we had not encountered on other Royal Caribbean ships - - the Compass Deli. This venue had a salad bar and a select of pre-made sandwiches, which the staff will heat for you if so requested. These were tasty but the venue would be enhanced if there were more variety.

Entertainment

A Chorus Line Theater is Majesty's main entertainment venue. On the first night, it offered a “welcome show” with the ship's production cast and a visiting comedian. There were productions shows on the second and fourth nights. The comedian also returned for an adult comedy show on the fourth night.

The most impressive performance, however, was on the thrid night when singer Bryan Cheatham took the spotlight. Normally, a little taste of a show by Las Vegas-type singer is enough for us but Mr. Cheatham's personality and enthusiasum made this a show worth watching all the way through.

In addition to the shows in the theater, Majesty had a number of activities in other venues including the Crazy Quest, a 70s disco theme party, a Majority Rules game show and a silent disco.

We had a very good experience with the Voom Surf and Stream internet package. We were able both to do projects for work and to stream movies for entertainment. (Note: Majesty offers two speeds of internet connection. We purchased the high speed connection.)

Accommodations

We had an ocean view cabin during this voyage. (Majesty has very few balconies and none were available when we booked). The cabin was smaller than oceanview cabins we have seen on newer ships. However, it was well-arranged and comfortable. Interestingly, the shower was substantially bigger than the showers on Royal's much larger Freedom class ships.

Nautical

Majesty appeared to be in good condition. There were no visible signs of rust.

The ship encountered some adverse weather. There was a storm on the second night, and the ship experienced some movement. Approaching the new pier at Coco Cay, the ship struggled against high winds to come along side. In contrast, the Voyager-class Mariner of the Seas, which was also at Coco Cay, was able to dock more easily. It simply has more power.

Overall, we enjoyed our cruise on Majesty. As we have said in the past, one of Royal Caribbean's most attractive qualities is that it offers a variety of cruise experiences within the one brand. You have the vast cities at sea of the Oasis class, the elegance and technological sophistication of the Quantum class, and the active adventure of the Freedom/Voyager classes. You also have the more intimate small ship experiences, variations of which are provided by the Radiance class, the Vision class and by Majesty of the Seas. At the same time, all of these various experiences are united by a common approach to cruising including common standards and staff training. Thus, Majesty remains an enhancement to the Royal Caribbean brand.

Above: Singer Bryan Cheatham
Below left: An oveanview stateroom.
​Below: A burger in Johnny Rocket's.

Cruise ship review - - Royal Caribbean International - - Majesty of the Seas - - Bahamas