40,876 tons
680 feet long
90 feet at beam
9 passenger decks
built 1992
stretched by 112 feet and fully refurbished: 1999
passengers: 1,462
crew: 630
Quality Rating:
Value Rating:
Best For People Who Want:
Plenty of alternative dining options; An older, small, convivial ship with intimate cabins, a lively atmosphere, and bargain fares.
Should Be Avoided By People Who Prefer:
Large cabins with balconies, plenty of onboard diversions and activities, the imaginative decor of Carnival or luxurious surroundings of Princess.
Norwegian Majesty Experience:
Following Norwegian Cruise Line's "stretch" - which added a new 112' midsection containing two new restaurants, 203 passenger cabins, 33 crew cabins, another swimming pool, two whirlpool spas, a new deck bar, a coffee bar, a new casino, two elevators and a stair tower -- Majesty's suitable for a wide range of vacationers seeking a non-glitzy mainstream cruise experience. A virtual antique (she was launched in 1992) in today's sea of bells-and-whistles-laden megaships.
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Norwegian Majesty was converted to NCL's "freestyle cruising" style, August 20, 2000. This means there are extensive, open seating dining options, open seating dining in the main restaurant and Le Bistro (open at 5:30 p.m. to closing); Cafe Royal (6:00 to 1:00 a.m.) and the Royal Observatory (6:00 to 9:30 p.m.). The ship's new dress code is 'resort casual' eliminating the ship-wide "formal nights." Passengers who wish to dress in formal attire during the one optional formal night are welcomed to do so at specific restaurants. NCL has increased the number of crew members by 60 aboard the Norwegian Majesty to offer passengers a higher crew-to-guest ratio. The recommended gratuities are automatically added to each passenger's onboard account, with the option to add to or deduct from the gratuity, depending on their personal experience. And, instead of disembarking from the ship the moment it docks the last morning, passengers may depart the ship at their leisure.
Decor:
Norwegian Majesty's paneling produces a muted effect in public spaces, in which beiges and pastel colors blend handsomely. Overall, the interior offers a nice respite from the glare of the Caribbean. The illuminated domed ceiling of the white marble central purser area, Crossroads, sets it apart from other areas of ship. A bit more artwork and more flowers would be welcome.
Public rooms:
Above the bridge, the Royal Observatory is a magical place for a pre- or post- dinner drink. There's a small dance floor and a bar. The rather lo-tech disco, Frame 52, is located aft on Deck 7, near where the intimate Polo club offers piano music. The Art Deco casino is a new addition. By day the Palace Theater, the principal show lounge, is used for port lectures and bingo. By night, it has lots of support columns ruining lots of sight lines and a inhibitingly low ceiling for dancers. The much more intimate Royal Fireworks Lounge, forward on Deck 5, presents cabaret, while the Rendezvous Lounge offers cocktails and large screen TVs. The latter two abut each other in the bow and attract few patrons, as there isn't much reason for anyone to visit that end of the ship. There are also a jewelry store, a very small sundries shop, and a logo/clothing shop.
Service:
Service in the main dining room can be iffy, but bar service is lightning-fast, and room service quick and efficient..
Cuisine:
As part of NCL's partnership with Cooking Light, the menus in the main dining rooms offer 160 of the magazine's favorite recipes.
Restaurants:
Both the two main dining rooms, the Seven Seas and the slightly nicer Four Seasons, have ocean views, but it's alternative dining room Le Bistro that simply mustn't be missed, as it's very much superior to the main dining room. Freestyle cruising provides for extensive open seating dining options: open seating dining in the main restaurant and Le Bistro (open at 5:30 p.m. to closing); Cafe Royal (6:00 to 1:00 a.m.) and the Royal Observatory (6:00 to 9:30 p.m.).
While Cafe Royale offers buffet breakfast, lunch, and tea time snacks, do note, it has only 112 seats inside.
Cabins:
She was intended for quick jaunts from Miami to The Bahamas, Key West, and Cozumel - so it's no surprise that her cabins aren't very big in any category. Now doing 7-night Bermuda cruises from Boston in summers, and 7-night Caribbean cruises out of Charleston, South Carolina, in winter, she's not for the claustrophobic. She has no balconies either, but there's adequate storage space for a seven-day cruise provided you don't bring your whole wardrobe; original cabins have a small collapsible ironing board built into the desk, but no iron is provided. Inside cabins are slightly smaller, but similar in layout and can accommodate two in relative comfort, but are a bad idea for three or more. The highest category cabins have a king size bed, a marble bathroom with tub, and a bay windowed sitting are. Suite passengers are also offered the services of a concierge.
There are 10 categories, with staterooms handsomely furnished in soft tones and featuring two lower beds that convert to queen, a small bathroom with shower, hairdryer, cabin-controlled thermostat, duvet, TV, and radio. Inside cabins measure 140 sq. ft.; standard outsides 152 sq. ft; superior deluxe suites are 176 sq. ft. Owner's Suites come with such goodies as living room, separate bedroom, picture windows, refrigerator, stereo with CD library, and both tub and shower.
Apart from the suites, the best cabins are the category C ones on the Majesty Deck, especially those in the bow with windows through which you can admire vistas of the sea yet to be traversed.
Fitness/Spa:
Bodywaves, the health spa, has a full complement of treadmills and Nautilus- type exercise machines, as well as a separate aerobics and a free weight room. The inescapable Steiner of London operates the Vanity Fair Beauty Salon, which offers facials, massage, manicures, body wrap, pedicures, and aggressive sales pitches for their products. A separate quarter-mile jogging track is located on Deck 7. A golf pro's aboard NCL's Tee-Up Golf cruises to Bermuda. The Dive-In Snorkeling program is featured on all Caribbean cruises.
Entertainment:
NCL's Las Vegas-style revues and staged Broadway musicals have been keeping Jean Ann Ryan Productions in chocolate and nylons for years. JAR shows generally feature themes like "Salute to Hollywood" or Broadway, or the Fifties. Whatever they are saluting, the shows offer ongoing medleys of popular songs, lively dance-steps, costumes that look like costumes, unusually tall dancers, and an adagio duet who perform beautiful pas de deux. If you like cruise ship production shows, you'll like these.
Low key piano music is available in the Polo Club and Royal Observatory Lounge. The disco stays open late, but starts turning older teens away half an hour before midnight. The casino's got slot machines, black jack, roulette, and Caribbean stud poker. Such as old standbys as bingo, passenger talent shows, bridge, dance lessons, ice carving demonstrations and pool games are all dutifully trotted out.
Kids:
The children's' facilities on Majesty are adequate, the principal center of action being Kid's Korner, which separates kids into three different age groups 2-5, 6-12, 13-17.
Only group sitting is available; evenings from 10 p.m. - 1 a.m.; in port from 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. at a cost of $5 per hour for the first child, $3 per hour for the second. There's no port sitting for parents whose children aren't yet potty-trained.
Attire:
Those who prefer to have everyone dressed up at the same time, or who are likely to be discombobulated by others' slovenliness, should think twice before booking these ships. Passengers can wear pretty much what they please at night, provided they don't want to wear T-shirts and bathing suits.
Tipping:
NCL automatically adds a fixed service charge of $10 to the shipboard accounts of passengers over 13 to make service personnel feel appreciated; children between three and 12 are charged $5. Those under three get off scot-free.
While further tipping is not compulsory, NCL recommends a 15 percent gratuity for bar service and urges the beneficiaries of concierge or butler services to come up with a little something extra. All else is at the passenger's discretion.
