Sunfinder Vacations

Majesty of the Seas is a clean and comfortable vessel with some surprisingly contemporary features, considering she debuted in 1992. These include a modern Internet center, a large casino, and an excellent children's program complete with a teen disco and two saltwater pools with Jacuzzis.

If the ship shows her age anywhere, it's in the cabins. Inside cabins are small by industry standards. A larger cabin is worth the extra splurge if space is an issue, but don't be surprised to find signs of age, including stained upholstery and broken tile, even in the higher cabin categories. Overall, Majesty is a great value. Food, service, and a convivial atmosphere compensate for any discrepancies in accommodations.

There are 732 oceanview cabins, 62 with balconies. If space is an important amenity, grab one! The inside cabins below category D are small for industry standards, and although the highlight of any cruise is the time spent outside the cabin, cramped quarters can be very uncomfortable. Each cabin has two twin beds that convert to a queen-sized bed, color interactive television, hair dryer, in-room controlled air conditioning, radio, and telephone. There are four wheelchair-accessible cabins available.

Majesty's two dining rooms, Mikado and Maytime, serve dinner in a traditional two-seating program. The dining staff is friendly and attentive, and the food is good with a changing theme each night, including seafood, steak, pasta, vegetarian, and low-fat choices. The Windjammer Café, located on Deck 11, serves a breakfast buffet with fruit pastries, fluffy cheese omelets, pancakes, and crisp bacon; a great alternative to room service, which offers a disappointing selection of juice, rolls, and cereal. The Café is open until 4 AM for late-night snacks.

Soda/juice packages
Royal Caribbean offers a fountain soda/juice package for both adults and children. Packages are available for purchase at all bars and lounges the day of embarkation. Stickers are placed on boarding cards and allow consumption of unlimited fountain sodas (no cans) and juice (orange, grapefruit, pineapple, and cranberry) at all restaurants, bars and lounges, and private destinations (CocoCay and Labadee). Purchasers also receive a complimentary Coca-Cola® souvenir cup.

Drink packages are currently priced at $6 per day for adults, $4 per day for children, and are applicable to the total days of the cruise. Gratuities are not included in the price. Alcoholic drink packages are no longer offered on Royal Caribbean cruises.

The Centrum atrium is the heart of the ship. The boutiques are located here, along with the Steiner-operated spa, which offers everything from a standard haircut to full-body seaweed wraps. You'll also find the Casino Royale here, featuring slot machines, video poker, blackjack, American roulette, craps, and Caribbean Stud Poker.

The Internet center overlooks the atrium on Deck 4 and offers e-mail and Internet access for 50¢ a minute, plus copying and faxing services.

A Chorus Line Lounge, the two-story main showroom, has seating available for couples and groups. Most passengers have to pass through the casino to reach A Chorus Line; however, the Schooner Bar also leads to the lounge and can be just as tempting, with mahogany leather seats, wood and brass tables, and large panoramic windows that offer stunning views of the ocean.

The best nightlife can be found in the Viking Crown Lounge, which encircles the smokestacks 14 decks above the water and offers pre-dinner drink specials and late-night karaoke and dancing. Blue Skies Lounge is open 24 hours a day for coffee, and the Paint Your Wagon Lounge offers some fun disco nights.

A variety of cruise activities are offered during the day, from the standard Bingo to the downright laughable belly flop competitions in the pool.

For those who over-indulged at the midnight chocolate buffet, don't worry: The ShipShape Fitness Center on Deck 10 is complete with recumbent Life Cycles, stair steppers, and treadmills. Personal training sessions, yoga, and kickboxing classes are also offered; check the Daily Compass for times.

An open-air basketball court is located on the sports area on Deck 11.

Majesty has a good children's program called "Adventure Ocean," for kids ages three (or when toilet trained) through 17. The children are broken up into four age groups: Aquanauts (ages 3-5), Explorers (ages 6-8), Voyagers (ages 9-12), and Navigators (ages 13-17). A teen disco is popular with the 13-18 set.

Group babysitting is available from the youth staff 10 PM–1 AM nightly, and on port days from noon until departure. The rate is $4 per child, per hour, and children must be at least three years old and potty trained. In-cabin babysitting is available through the purser's desk and must be booked at least 24 hours in advance, based on availability. Minimum age is one year old. The charge is $8 per hour, in cash, for up to two children within the same family, and $10 per hour for a maximum of three children in the same family.

Royal Caribbean will not accept pregnant guests in their third trimesters.

Royal Caribbean typically appeals to couples and singles in their 30s to 50s, as well as families of all ages. The median age on seven-night cruises is in the low 40s, and in the 30s on three- and four-night cruises. Passengers 50 and over tend to dominate 10-day and longer cruises. Royal Caribbean attracts passengers who are looking for affordable, active vacations.

Royal Caribbean recommends $3.50 per person, per day to your cabin attendant; $3.50 pp/pd to your dining room waiter; and $2 pp/pd to your assistant waiter. Gratuities for the head waiter are left to guests' discretion.

One option is to have a charge of $9.75 per person, per day automatically charged to your account and distributed among the dining room and in-cabin service staff.

Expect two formal nights each cruise. Most men opt for dark suits instead of tuxedos, and women choose cocktail dresses rather than lavish gowns. The remaining nights are casual, with sports shirts and slacks recommended for men, and sundresses and khakis for women.

• Cruise line - Royal Caribbean
• Ship name - Majesty of the Seas
• Type of cruise - Casual
• Total cabins - 1176
• Private balcony cabins - 63
• Decks - 14
• Total crew - 822
• Passenger capacity - 2350
• Ship size - Large
• Officers nationality - Norwegian
• Year entered service - 1992
• Registry - Bahamas
• Ship length - 880
• Tonnage - 73,941

Copyright 2005, The Independent Traveler, Inc. All rights reserved.