Today is the final day of my 3 consecutive cruises, it’s been a great vacation but I thought to myself it’s not over yet I have one more day.

Today I woke up around 7:30am to the Captain making an announcement that we would not be going to their private island of Coco Cay. Due to the storm front moving down from Florida, we would spend the day at sea. I was sad we couldn’t go to over to the island because I love it so much, but I was okay with a sea day too. 

Morning on board 

First I started off my morning in the dining room and it was busy. Many of the guests were just taking the morning slow since it’s a sea day. I discovered my love for their toasted raisin bread.

Of course, when you ask for some they bring you the whole plate to enjoy. I went with my standard morning omelet and bacon and off I went. 

After breakfast I just wanted to explore the ship to see what all was going on.

First, I saw they were doing trivia in the Schooner Bar, so I joined in on that action for a while. I’m not going to lie, these questions were pretty hard, I think the best score was 9 out of 20 right and it wasn’t me!

They also had some line dancing going on in the Centrum hosted by the assistant cruise director, Moe. He works so hard, every event on that ship he’s either hosting or involved in.

I don’t think I went more than two hours a day without seeing him. He’s become a real friend of mine over the years from Enchantment and now on Majesty. 

Afternoon on board 

This afternoon I had planned to enjoy the pool deck but the wind was so high it was almost not enjoyable to be outside.

I walked the outside decks to take some pictures and talk about windy, I was holding on to everything I had on me. At this point the captain made his second announcement of bad news, that we were headed back to Florida tonight. I suppose it’s not really bad news because we could still enjoy the ship that evening docked.

A few hours later they issues another update that we would be arriving sooner than planned. With that being said, all the stores, casino, photo shop would be closing at 9pm. 

Evening on board 

Tonight we went to the show at 7:30pm and it was their first time performing the show. The name of the show just can’t come to me, but it’s the main show from the Enchantment they have brought over to Majesty. It was a good show; I’ve seen it many times and last for around an hour. 

My final meal tonight was back in the main dining room and I ordered the lasagna and tiger shrimp. I asked for my lasagna to be made with their red sauce to change it up, since I’ve had it three times this week.

The service was outstanding and I couldn’t have asked for better dining service. 

Everyone on board kept talking about this amazing piano player in the schooner bar, so I had to go check it out. And I’m glad I did, he was one of the best I’ve ever seen. The bar was very busy since all the shops/casino was closed. This was very different than past players, he had the crowd up dancing all over the bar and singing. In fact, at one point he left the piano and walked around signing with guest around the bar.

My best comparison of this experience is an evening in dazzles, very loud music and everyone dancing. It was the perfect way to end my vacation, and I’m so excited he will be on board through May so I can see him again. 

Recap of the Majesty 

The Majesty of the Seas is not the newest ship in the fleet, it’s not the largest ship in the fleet, but she’s the friendliest ship in the fleet. Often you will hear the hotel director saying that, but it’s true. The crew on Majesty is what makes her different than any other ship I’ve been on. Yes, we have all had great service across the fleet, but on Majesty the crew is almost like family. I can’t tell you how many hugs I gave this last day and thanks for everything. I’ll give you an example; their loyalty ambassador on board Shane has won officer of the year two years in a row. I was surprised the same person won two years in a row, but now I understand it. Last night, I saw him in the Diamond area, the show, the schooner bar and again this morning at 7am; he came to the diamond holding area to wish everyone a safe trip home. I’ve never seen this type of exposure from officers on any cruise I’ve taken before. 

I’m sad my journey has come to an end, but I’m happy it happen, and made memories from this cruise for a life time. Thank you so much for following along with me these 10 days! Until next time, I’ll see you at sea…

Today we are in Nassau, Bahamas from noon until midnight. I woke up early (7:30am) and I hope you are sitting down when you read this…I went to the gym. They only have 5 treadmills, so I waited 10 minutes until one of them opened up. Not a big deal, but I did hear the staff ask someone to get off because she was over their 30 minutes limit. After the gym I showered up and headed down for breakfast in the main dining room. I kept telling myself I was going to skip breakfast this morning, but since I was skipping lunch off I went. I was sitting next to a couple we had met and he informed me to order a fresh made to order omelet with un-opened eggs. Wow this really made a difference from the omelets I’ve been eating previously. 

At 10:45am they had the Crown and Anchor welcome back party. Let’s just say I’m getting this party down since it’s my third time, but they do hand out free drinks.

This was the first time I have officially heard Royal Caribbean say the name of Oasis IV, Symphony of the Seas. This is the 4th Oasis Class ship launching in Spring 2018. They talked about when she comes out she will start sailing in Europe and then to her homeport in Florida. 

Around 12:30pm I left the ship for my afternoon in Nassau. We had a small group of 4 from the ship that decided to explore the island.

First up we headed to the Queen’s Staircase.

My last time here was on my live blog on Enchantment of the Seas in October. I wanted to go back to see how the area looked post hurricane damage. If you have never been here the walk is about 15 minutes and it is completely free to explore. The staircase is directly behind the Nassau hospital by the pier. After we left the staircase we headed over to the Greycliff Hotel.

This is a very old hotel and they let you just walk through it to explore. They offer day passes here also around $100, however it does not come with any food/beverages. Many famous people come to stay here because of how luxury it is. When you walk through their hotel you end up at the chocolate factory. They always have a free sample, so you have some chocolate to taste.

After exploring the hotel we headed back to the pier area to explore. We noticed they had a live band going on the sidewalk and just seemed like there was so much going on. Of course, I had to stop into my favorite pub again to grab a beer and use their free Wi-Fi. 

Evening on board

Tonight we went up to the Diamond event and I was able to take some great photos as the sun was setting. I know, you must be thinking well by day 9 how many more pictures can you take! But sometimes these just never get old.

They also had some snacks up in the lounge but I passed to safe room for dinner. 

For dinner tonight I was lucky enough to get invited to the Captain's Table again.

We met in the Schooner bar at 8pm for happy hour and then walked down to the dining room.

The experience at this table is hard to describe, but it is unlike any service I have ever had before.

The Hotel Director talked about the upgrades coming to the Majesty of the Seas during her next dry dock in January 2018. This leads me to believe, The Majesty of the Seas is not leaving the fleet anytime soon. The meal lasted a little over two hours and just great conversation all around. 

Well that is it for my full day in Nassau, Bahamas. Tomorrow we are headed to Coco Cay!

Groundhog Day may be a few weeks away, but it has come early on Majesty of the Seas. We are back in Florida for another turnaround day for my third and final cruise.

I got up early to pack up my cabin and received a phone call from guest services that my on board account needed to be paid. On my pervious cruises I have always had my credit card roll over to the next cruise. However, on this ship you must go down and provide the card each time. Not a big deal, because he said I could come right up to the desk and settle the account. 

At 9am I decided to go move my belongings from one cabin to the next. This time I was going from deck 4, back up to deck 9-ocean view cabin. I didn’t take pictures, but it looks just like the cabin I day from day one blog post. At 9:30 they have all us back-to-back cruisers to meet down by guest services to receive our new SeaPass cards.

This time there were 23 guests staying on board for the next cruise. After going through customs, with a completed form, off to Grills I went. I had this bacon, egg, cheese bagel to the day and I just had to get another one.

I had some friends join me today that are local, few crew friends I’ve made, and even one guest on board. So I had quite a few friends for lunch today, and we stayed until 2pm. It was weird not getting on board until the afternoon hours. 

There were no lines in the new beautiful Terminal 1. This terminal is one of the best designs I’ve seen at any port. There are no escalators just ramp-style hallways that you can easily role down your luggage.

Once on board we quickly went to Johnny Rockets for lunch, are you getting the theme here just food, food, and more food! On the first day they offer 20% off, so it comes up to $5.64 and that includes all you can eat plus a soft drink. I did not really want anything but when on a cruise… I got a single patty burger and at around half. Now my friend Nick, he can’t say the same. He ordered two burgers and stacked them on top of each other. Let’s just say he at every single bite. 

Muster drill was right after our lunch, so at this point I felt like we were going quite a bit. But muster drill today was kind of fun because we had so many dolphins out in the water. They just kept signing back and forth beside the ship, so everyone was taking pictures.

Directly after muster drill we headed to the spa raffle, but sadly no free spa for me – maybe one day I will win. This is a raffle for 5 spa treatments for free, and they pitch many sales during the cruise.

I would say it’s not the most entertaining sail away, but someone has to win. 

Evening onboard 

Tonight we decided to see the comedy show in the main theater. Surprisingly the theater was packed, almost every seat was taken. We went to the 7:30pm show and let out at 8:20pm. It was a nice way to spend some time before dinner and some really good laughs. The comedy was for families and most of the jokes were at first time cruisers and their experience day 1 on board. The comedian was recommending that we all come back to his adult late-night comedy, however we didn’t make it. 

Dinner was in the main dining room, and I had the same waiters from this past week. So that was fun that they knew me and excited to have me back at their table. I ordered the Prime Rib, this is by far my favorite meal the whole cruise in the dining room.

Followed by carrot cake and maybe some ice cream too! 

Well that recaps my full day for turnaround. What an action packed day from start to finish. I went straight to bed after dinner, so that I was well rested for my day in Nassau, Bahamas tomorrow.

These days are just flying by, but today is my seventh day on board Majesty of the Seas and it is a sea day. Sea days are always my favorite because you can sleep in and nap every few hours. 

This morning I woke up and had breakfast in the main dining room again. It is funny, usually I just grab a quick bite in the Windjammer on my past cruises, but the service is so great I just keep going back. They have a table setup in the center of the dining room where you can grab fresh fruits while you are waiting for your meal.

I went with the ham and cheese omelet, my waiter said, “same thing again?”

After breakfast I just walked the ship to explore areas perhaps I haven’t seen and walk off some of that big breakfast I just ate. I noticed they had the drink of the day starboard madras for $8 + 18% - not a bad price if you don’t have the drink package. 

In the Centrum they had their final day big sale items. Most of the items were on sale for $10 and buy 4 get 1 free.

I tend to try and avoid these type of activities, but for blog purposes I explored the area and took some photos. I noticed this sales last all day and even another set-up of these items up on the pool deck. 

Afternoon on board 

This afternoon I relaxed on the pool deck and surprisingly it wasn’t that hard to grab a pool chair, event at noon. I enjoyed the poolside live music for awhile until the men’s belly flop contest.

This was a fun contest with 6-8 men jumping in the pool belly first. I wanted to actually join the contest today, but let’s just say I got cold feet! 

After a few hours in the pool I went inside for my first drink of the day in the Schooner Bar.

The average beer price is $6.95 + 18%.

I spent around $50 the whole cruise on drinks, so I’m starting to question my value of the drink package. I did try to purchase the drink package for just today since it’s the last day and was told they don’t offer it. That’s probably the best, because I’m starting to experience drink fatigue from my free drinks in the evening. If you are diamond member they give you 3 drinks per night, and you can request more than 1 (beers not open) and enjoy them at a later time. 

Evening 

I went straight up to the Diamond lounge at 5pm so I could watch the sunset inside. I am so glad I did, because the views were simply amazing.

I was chatting with some other people in the lounge for a while and they just could not believe I am staying on board for the next cruise.

This evening they had the headliner event in the theater. Since, I haven’t gone to a show since the last cruise I decided to go check it out. The gentleman was singing a lot of Latin songs and was doing a great job at it. However, this just was not my style of entertainment, so I left after about a half hour.

The headliner always changes from cruise to cruise, so I would not worry about this if you are coming on board the Majesty of the Seas. 

Dinner was back in the main dining room and it was Matt’s favorite lasagna night! The quality of meat, sauce, cheese has greatly improved because this lasagna was outstanding! It reminded me of my favorite lasagna from Giovanni’s Table, so I am officially a fan. 

Tonight was the Quest at 11pm, and since I was in no rush to get up tomorrow I wanted to go. I talked to some friends around me and no one had ever been to the show before, so I tried to give them a crash course. I will not go into details of the game in case you haven’t been before, but this is a must do if you are on a Royal Caribbean cruise. My team got first place, I think I’m a streak of last 7 cruises getting first place in the game. 

After the game I went straight to the cabin it was almost midnight and I was ready for some sleep for my 3rd cruise. See you tomorrow for turnaround day.

Today we are in Nassau, Bahamas from 8am – 5pm. My plan today was to just relax and take it easy in Nassau.

I started my morning with some breakfast in the main dining room at 9:30am. They have most of the same options as the Windjammer, but without waiting in lines at the buffet. I enjoy the main dining room because I’m able to sit with my same dining room waiters. I ordered an omelet with ham and cheese and a side of bacon.

Something about eating bacon on a Royal Caribbean cruise that’s so good. The service in the dining room was outstanding, the headwaiter even came over to ask how my service was been going this cruise, very impressive. 

Around 11am I decided to get off the ship and head over to my favorite pub.

I could likely not put the name and many of you would know where, but it’s Pirate Republic Pub.

I had a few flights and met some first-time cruisers beside me. I love talking to people who are on their first cruise to get their feedback on how it’s going.

If you ever venture off to this pub, order the coconut porter it is one of their signature beers.

After I left the pub around 1pm I did not want to head back to the ship, but also did not want to venture off too far.

Well you know the sayings, you learn from your mistakes? Well today, I was reminded how much I dislike Senor Frogs. I went into the bar for 1 beer; the cost was $8 for their local sands beer that’s $1.50 at the sidewalk shops. So I was already wishing I’d stayed down at Pirates or headed back to the ship. I stayed around a half hour and got out of there. They were doing the games, blowing the whistle, just not my scene anymore. 

Back on board I headed up to the windjammer for my afternoon lunch. I had some corn mix that I love and some chicken and fish. The lunch did not look so great, but I actually thought this was one of my best lunches so far.

The quality of the food has started to greatly improve over the last few months. 

Evening on board 

Tonight I watched us sail out of Nassau, so I could take my lighthouse photos, which never get old.

The seas were so calm it almost looked like glass or something in the horizon. I was happy with the pictures I was able to get and headed inside for the evening. As usual, went to the Diamond section of the Viking lounge and it was empty; in fact I was the only one there! Let’s just say I had great service since it was just me. 

At 7:30 they had the welcome back party for their Crown and Anchor members.

Some are curious on the number of passengers on board in each tier, so I wrote them down: Gold 454, Platinum 107, Emerald 59, Diamond 71, Diamond Plus 43, and Pinnacle 4. They also mentioned the Crown and Anchor membership has over 6 million members and 1.5 million sailed within the last 18 months. 

Dinner tonight was in the main dining room. I had met some friends on board and invited them to sit with me tonight, so it was a table for 4. I ordered the French onion soup, scallops, and duck. It was all very good the meat on the bone just fell off with my fork.

For dessert I went with the classic ice cream, almost said nothing but who can pass up ice cream?

Our dinner was a little over 2 hours, but we were all in great conversation that it did not feel long. One thing I’ve noticed with the dining room staff is if you want it to speed up/slow down, just tell them.

After dinner I went straight to bed, no pass go to any areas of the ship straight to my cabin.

Tomorrow is my last day on the leg 2 of 3 and it’s a sea day!

This morning I woke up at 6am; no idea why, I am on vacation but I figured since I’m up I should go watch the sunrise. I am happy I did because it was so beautiful and I took some great pictures. 

 At 8:30am I decided to head over to Coco Cay. They actually start the tender process at 8am and usually invite all guests down around 9am. If you are looking to avoid lines, I would suggest getting down there early. I was doing a Periscope and could not believe how the Voom Internet held from the ship until we pulled up to Coco Cay. 

The weather was perfect today and I was able to walk around and take some great photos. I walked the whole island and really enjoyed the island so empty that early in the morning.

The cabanas facing the ships are different from when I had one in July, so those are also new from the storm.

I also explored down to the beach beds are which is past the floating bar.

The beach beds are the furthest point down the south side of the island. If you were looking for a quite day, these would be perfect. The whole area is all brand new and very nice looking beach beds and beach cabanas. 

For lunch I went over to the VIP party, they had fruit and my favorite shrimp. I met a lady cruising solo for the whole year, so we talked quite a bit. I grabbed my favorite island drink Coco Loco! 

I spent most of my afternoon down at the floating bar.

This was added last year and now a little closer now it used to be. Before you would have to swim out, but now it’s not in such a deep area. The bar holds up to 35 people and you must be 21 to enter.

At 4pm I decided to head back over to the ship to nap before dinner. 

Evening on board 

Tonight was the flag ceremony in the centrum in between the two dinners, so all guest could join. If you have never seen it before, they honor the countries of the crew members. They also have some doing a dance from their culture back home.

For dinner tonight, I was invited to the Captain’s Table. The meal was outstanding, and again I had the filet. I felt so lucky to be apart of such an amazing meal.

 After dinner I enjoyed the ship a little and called it a night. The sun in Coco Cay was getting to me.

Today we are docked in Port Canaveral, Florida offloading passengers and picking up new ones. I ended up waking up pretty early, so I watched us pull into the pier. If you have never done this I highly recommend it. I think it is a different way to end the cruise; it's peaceful and a nice way to end the cruise.

My friend Nick decided to do express disembarkation at 7:30am. If you want to get off the ship first, I recommend getting down to the Centrum between 7am-7: 15am.

Once he left me it was time to pack up for me cabin change. I have sailed back-to-back sailings before and they have always provided me with a one-pager of information on the process. This sailing, I didn't get anything, so I asked the Loyalty Officer and he said to show up at his desk at 9:30am. My cabin change process was uneventful but the hallways were packed with everyone trying to depart.

My new cabin is on deck 4, standard Ocean View cabin. This cabin is a great location because it’s right beside the Centrum, #4098. I did have them put the beds together, but as you can tell there is plenty of room with them apart. I like that there is space by the window for storage, a built in shelf against the wall for more storage.

Around 10am they walked the six of us off to US Customs. I decided to leave the group and head over to grills for breakfast once we were cleared. Grills is only a 3-5 minute walk from terminal 1. The restaurant is a lot of fun because it's right beside the ship and they often have live music.

At 12:30, I headed back to the ship to enjoy the perfect weather we were having.

Once I went through security, I just headed right to the gangway since I already had my sea pass card in hand. I grabbed a 20% off Johnny Rockets coupon at their table in the centrum and off I went. I went with the same smoked house burger I got the other day. Again the restaurant was empty and the service was great.

Sailaway party was great because the weather was so perfect and everyone was out on the top decks. I didn’t go to the spa raffle today, because I wanted to enjoy the views as we sailed away. 

Evening on board 

For dinner, I had My Time Dining, which lets you eat whenever you want. However, if you do not want to wait you can request a time you will come each evening. I sat at a small table that was for two. The table was very close to the table beside me, so I ended up talking to them the whole meal.

For tonight, I just went for the main course, no starters or desert. And it’s a good thing, because look at the size of this prime rib! It was almost the same size as my plate!

They wanted to bring me desert, but I just couldn’t eat anymore. 

Tonight was the 70’s party, and I had thought it would be in the centrum, but it was actually held in the boleros lounge. The party was epic, the activity’s director Moe was the host and seeing him dressed up like that was so funny! I’ve known Moe for many years now; he used to be on Enchantment but switched over to Majesty last year. 

Well that’s a full day, and after the 70’s party it was almost midnight so off to bed I went. Tomorrow we are back in Coco Cay! This is one island I’ll never get tired of visiting.

 No matter how many times I have been to Coco Cay, I just never get tired of it. Coco Cay is Royal Caribbean’s private island, which requires a tender ride to get there.

Majesty of the Seas was ready for tenders around 8:00am, and were off the ship by 8:30am. The tender process is not as painful as many report. I think the key to avoid all the crazy lines is go early right when they start the process.

For those that have never been over to Coco Cay before they have a towel station right before you get off, so that you are able to check-out (with sea pass card) some beach towels.

They also have a full lunch set-up on the island that you can enjoy, so that you don’t have to go back to the ship for lunch. 

Once we arrived over to the island all we did was explore and check out all the new changes that are happening. Coco Cay is undergoing quite a bit of changes if you compare it to a few years ago. They have added beach cabana beds for rent and the floating bar has returned since the recent hurricane.

If you are wanting to spend a lot time at the floating bar, I would recommend renting the beach shells for $45, as they are right in front of the floating bar now.

We ended up laying in a beach cabana for around an hour, since we were over there so early. I really enjoyed them and these might be really great for families so the kids have some shade.

Lunch on the island 

We were invited to have lunch on the patio over beside the jet skis and boat area. They had some lite options, which is good since I’ve felt like all we have done is eat! I had 8 or so shrimps and that’s about it, they were so yummy.

I also enjoyed my favorite island drink, a Coco Loco. If you ever visit the island they have a signature frozen drink on the island called a Coco Loco. After some snacks we deiced to head back over to the ship and enjoy some pool deck sunshine. 

Afternoon on board 

Once we were on board I experienced my first issue with Voom internet. They were conducting some maintenance and it was offline for around an hour. I suppose they conduct these maintenance when most of the guests are off the ship. Since we are talking about Voom Internet, this is the fastest internet I’ve ever experienced on a ship. 

The pool deck ended up being very busy as the afternoon went on. Everyone was watching the football games in the water. The Majesty of the Seashas a new pool deck TV that was installed during her last dry dock. The quality of the TV looked very clear just like watching HD at home, so they are using an upgraded TV now compared to other ships. 

Evening on board 

Tonight we started our evening in the Crown and Anchor Diamond event like every evening.

I went early so I could watch the sunset from the Viking lounge. This ship is the only ship in the fleet that has wide-open 360-degree views that’s open for all. We talked with a lot of new friends about their day and experience on board since it was the last night of the cruise.

At 7:30pm we decided to see our first show on board called Boogie Wonderland. This is the longest running show in the fleet and was outstanding. It was the singers and dancers last performance of the ship, as a new crew boards tomorrow. They even had the CD get up there and dance with them as a farewell. 

Tonight in the dining room it was Italian night, so you know what that means… Lasagna! We asked them to use a red sauce on the lasagna vs their standard white sauce and it made it taste that much better. We also ordered chicken marsala and this was a first for me.

The chicken was very tender and gravy on top really brought the flavor out. I think I’m still stuff as I write this, no breakfast for me tomorrow. 

 After our dinner we said our goodbyes to the staff and I let them know I was staying on board the next sailing too. 

Random Thoughts on Majesty of the Seas

• Ship is in great condition: new carpet everywhere, new chairs in schooner bar, and doesn’t have that “older” feeling like Monarch did when I was on her.
• Voom Internet works great, no issues at all, stayed connected throughout the day.
• Crew: They really make this ship, everyone always smiling and always looking happy.
• Entertainment was great; my only wish is there was a venue to listen enjoy the centrum music in the evenings. 

 This wraps up my first 3-day cruise, but we still have 2 more to go. My next cruise leg is the 4 days sailing going back to Nassau and Coco Cay!

Morning on board 

Today was our first stop in Nassau, Bahamas from noon-midnight. So this morning we had our “sea morning” as we made our slow approach into the Bahamas.

I started my day in the main dining room with breakfast. I am sad to report I forgot my camera in the cabin, so no food porn of my ham & cheese omelet. We sat in the Diamond section, which the only real perk does not have to wait for a table; you just simply walk in and seat yourself. Breakfast was fast and we were on our way to start enjoying our day. 

After breakfast, we attended the top-tier Crown and Anchor event, which started at 10:30am. The on board officers introduced themselves and what their role was on the ship.

They also presented some guests receiving their loyalty cruise block. Once you reach 140 C&A points, you receive a crystal block and again every 70 points after. During the event they have free cocktails, champagne, and wine so that’s reason enough to attend right? 

Nassau, Bahamas 

At 11:45am we made our approach to the pier in Nassau. I noticed while we were docking a tug boat was pushing us, so the high wind didn’t take us off course.

Around 12:30pm we made our way down to exit the ship for our day in Nassau.

I was really looking for something new while we were here, since I’ve been coming here a lot recently. We walked past Senor Frogs, down to McDonald’s to catch the local city bus. For $1.25 per person each way this public transportation will take you all over the island.

My friend Nick wanted to visit one of his favorite places called The Daiquiri Shack over on Cable Beach. The bus ride over took 8-10 minutes and was a unique experience to say the least. Once we arrived we quickly noticed the shack was closed down for a few days. We were so excited by the time we arrived it was a little let down. That being said, we were across the street from a beautiful resort Melia. We decided to walk over to the resort to check it out, since we already made our way out here. The resort was absolutely breathtaking when we walked in.

We inquired about their day passes and it seems it’s $45, but doesn’t include anything with it just access to the property and their free Wi-Fi (which works great). 

After we explored the resort we decided to head back to the port area and visit one of my favorites Pirate Republic Pub. If you have read my live blogs recently you know I’ve been coming here every visit in Nassau. It’s the only craft brewery on the island and it’s the first thing you see coming off the ship. We had a few beers before we got back on board, average price here for beers are $5-$8 each.

As we were walking back to the ship we decided to check out this restaurant we have been hearing a lot about. The place is called Café Matisse and I’ve often heard about it from crew members eating here. They were very inviting and let me come in to take pictures. 

Evening on board 

Tonight around 5pm I watched the Empress of the Seas and Enchantment of the Seas dock in Nassau. I really love both of those ships and the excitement level was pretty high watching them dock during sunset.

Dinner this evening is at the Captain’s table at 8pm. I was lucky enough to get an invite due to my friend going, so a new experience for me. 

Our invitation for dinner said to meet at 8:15pm at the Schooner Bar. Once we arrived they had a section reserved for us, with card note that said VIP on the tables.

I have never been called a VIP before but I will pretend I am one! We had a round of drinks with the hotel director and then headed to our table at 8:30. During dinner I actually thought, "how am I going to explain this dinner in the blog post."

Of all my dinners at sea, I will remember this one forever. The level of service was outstanding. Even when they brought our food over it we always received it at the same time. I ordered the filet, think Chops Grille but better! I won’t go on and on about the dinner, but I felt so lucky to experience that meal. 

After dinner we went up to the pool deck party for our sail away out of Nassau. I can’t remember a sail away party this packed before, but I had a blast. 

Well friends, that was my full day in Nassau, tomorrow we tender in Coco Cay.

Pre - Cruise 

My cruise day is finally here, and as much as I wanted to sleep in that just did not happen. I always wake up very early on cruise morning with so much excitement, usually watch the ships pull in on webcam.

Since I live in Tampa, Florida now, I decided to drive the 120 miles over to the port the morning of the cruise. My travel over to the port was uneventful, I arrived at 10:00am and many people were still getting off the ships.

I was in no rush really, so I drove through the drop-off section and dropped my one backpack off. Then I parked at the terminal for $64 (you pre-pay when you park here). After parking I walked over for some pre-cruise drinks at Grills, which is right beside the terminal. Once I sat down, I thought to myself that was the easiest arrival I’ve ever had, from dropping bag off, to parking and my walk over all took less than 10 minutes. 

Embarkation 

At noon I decided to walk back over to the terminal, which was almost the same distance as walking to your car from leaving a restaurant.

The line to check-in for security was extremely long, however the Diamond and up Crown and Anchor line was completely empty, so off I went. Since I am on board for 3 sailings, I could have brought on board up to six bottles of wine. After thinking about it, I decided to only bring four bottles. When I went through security they question me a little, called a supervisor over, but he said no problem taking them all now! 

Lunch 

I explored around the ship for an hour then off for some lunch at Johnny Rockets. On Majesty of the Seas they have Johnny Rockets in the back of the Windjammer. Here is a tip, when you arrive they have a table set off handing out 20% off the cover charge, it will save you a few dollars. The standard cover charge here is $6.95 per person and that covers everything you would want to eat.

The service was outstanding, but to be honest we were the only ones in there. They showed us some card tricks that just blew us away, just really enjoyable lunch.

The food was also great, they put so much bacon on my burger, need I say more! 

 Cabin 

For the first leg, on deck 9 superior ocean view cabin - #9500. This cabin is all the way forward and very quiet. I have never stayed in a larger ocean view cabin and it’s quite nice. Often I will see them for a little more than the standard ocean view cabins, and always wondered if it was worth the few extra dollars, after now I would say so.

I had pre-purchased the bottle of rum and cokes for $40 online in the cruise planner and it was in my cabin waiting for us. 

Sailaway 

For sailaway we went to the spa for the raffle they hold to give out prices. My cruise count is at 33 now, and this was the first time I’ve ever been in the spa for sailaway. It was actually pretty fun to see people win prizes, though we only won a NextCruise bag.

If you are ever looking for a different activity or if you have a rainy sailaway, I’d recommend this as an option, hey someone has to win! 

Evening 

This evening we went up to the Diamond lounge, which on Majesty is the Viking Crown Lounge. They had new large menus at the table explaining what was included for free diamond drinks and what is not included.

Since I did not have a drink package on this cruise, I made sure to take full advantage of this benefit. Tonight was a full moon and we just looked at the moon for quite some time, really a beautiful site to see at sea. 

 Dinner 

We have my time dining for dinner, and reserved a table for 6:45pm each evening. Dinner was fun because my friend is on this ship almost every weekend, so people kept coming up to him to say hello. The quality of the food seems to have greatly improved since my recent sailings. The prime rib was so tender, just an amazing cut of meat.

For desert for had the carrot cake and it reminded me of the cake in Chops Grill. 

That wraps up day one on board Majesty of the Seas. Tomorrow we are in Nassau from noon-midnight.