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twangster

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  1. Like
    twangster reacted to IslandBoundMama in Navigating Our Way To Allure - 8/12-8/25   
    Our next port was Puerto Rico which is one of my favorites.  We did the Rainforest Drive excursion.  We had an excellent guide and the Rainforest is breathtaking.  Guess what???? I even had time for my pina colada at Barrachinas!!! 
    Hubs and lil guy continued back to the ship while I browsed for souvenirs.  Suddenly a torrential downpour came and I was soaked.  It was so heavy it was hard to see. 









  2. Like
    twangster reacted to CruisingKat(Kathy) in Navigating Our Way To Allure - 8/12-8/25   
    They were in the Table right next to us in the MDR!!! ☺️
  3. Love
    twangster got a reaction from CruisingKat(Kathy) in Navigating Our Way To Allure - 8/12-8/25   
    Keep an eye out for @CruisingKat(Kathy) she is also on board Allure this cruise (she co-runs the RC Periscopers Group).
  4. Like
    twangster reacted to Nikkoo in A noobs view from on board   
    Hi guys,
     
    We have been on Explorer for a week now, just starting day 8! I thought I’d give you my point of view on some stuff coming from a very first time cruiser and somebody who swore by all inclusive holidays on land. 
    Its good. Very good in fact. 
    The food is the best we have ever had on holiday. We went to Chops last night and it was easily the best meal we have ever had whilst on holiday. Even in windjammer I find the food to be a step or two above all inclusive buffets on land. 
    The drink... wow. I’m not a big drinker but we have loved having a drink on board. The staff in the Crown and Kettle, Errol and Nower, are great. The live music in the most night is cool too. 
    The entertainment is also several steps ahead of land based resorts. We usually go to the first half of one, realise it’s crap and never bother again! This last week has been really good every night. Not sure tonight’s ballroom and latin dance is for us but I’m sure it will be top quality. 
    Everything everywhere is clean and tidy. I suppose as you’re mostly out at sea that’s why there are no flies, ants or other bugs, which is another plus point!
    The staff everywhere can’t do enough for you, they are so so helpful. Eric our stateroom attendant is also amazingly helpful ?
    A few negatives? The surf and stream WiFi is pants. We are in Marseille today but with it being a Sunday most of everything is closed apparently so we stayed in the boat.  The drinks are expensive and we have zero issue hitting the break even point of the package. 
     
    We have booked 1 more cruise already and looking at 2 more. We are hooked!!
  5. Like
  6. Love
    twangster got a reaction from Srp431 in The Magic of Majesty. August 2019 and then again in October   
    There is a lot going on around the ship but I'll be back soon enough so I'm not doing the ship's entertainment staff justice.  I'll post the Cruise Compasses once I get home to scan them in properly.
    Outside for a walk on the Promenade deck there were a lot of stars visible.  That made me pull out my night sky photography app and see where the Milky Way might be tonight. Sure enough...
    Majesty has these shelves along the forward section of the Promenade deck that worked great for my little tripod.

    While we were well past sunset the long exposure catches enough light coming over the horizon to make it look like a sunset.  The lights of a city were on the horizon to starboard.
    The big dipper was very prominent tonight.  It stood out more with the naked eye compared to this 10 second exposure.

    In this one I caught a passing airplane with it's strobe light flashing every second.

    For this one I setup on the floor of the deck trying to get into the shade of those Windjammer lights.  In the darkness of the forward deck I got some strange looks as random guests walking past were wondering what I was doing crouched down low in the dark.  Oh well, all in the name of taking a picture.

    All in all not bad.  Majesty like Empress is also a good ship for stargazing with it's dark forward Promenade deck.
  7. Like
    twangster got a reaction from Skigoofy in The Magic of Majesty. August 2019 and then again in October   
    I thought I'd start the day with a morning snorkel.  
    I asked about the submerged plane at the Snorkel Shack.  It's "Permanently cordoned off, for now." 
    The water was a little rough and the currents had stirred up more stuff to reduce visibility so it wasn't the best conditions today. 




    More jellies on this visit.



  8. Like
    twangster got a reaction from Baked Alaska in The Magic of Majesty. August 2019 and then again in October   
    After a quick bite in the WJ for dinner I noticed a hint of sunset in the stormy clouds.


    The aft of Majesty has a series of public decks at various levels.

    You can see why this was a very popular class of ship in her day.





    Maybe not a full sunset but quite dramatic tonight with the clouds.

  9. Like
    twangster got a reaction from SweetHomeLady in People With Unpopular Opinons?   
    I for one have stopped trying to promote the cruise industry and agree wholeheartedly with everything they said.
    The last thing I need is more people to book cruises (driving up the cost for me).  
    It's terrible out there folks.  The sea was 90' yesterday (away from the Promenade deck).  I hear that 99% of all cruise ships got stranded (away from a boring existence) yesterday.  Everyone on board is sick (of being on land).  I went missing (and none of my clients know I'm on a ship).  There were 75 mph winds (for anyone driving on the interstate with their hands out the window in Florida). 
    Yep, it's not a life for the faint of heart.  Avoid cruising (so I can book cheaper cruises).
    If they don't want to go, please don't try to correct them.  
     
  10. Like
    twangster got a reaction from Srp431 in The Magic of Majesty. August 2019 and then again in October   
    Cruise Summary
    My biggest complaint is the 5 night duration.  Even though I came off another ship before hand it's a lot of unpacking and you just get into cruise mode when it's over.  I feel like I didn't have enough time to really experience the ship properly.   I have a B2B booked in the fall so hopefully that will solve this problem.
    Majesty definitely feels like a bigger ship than Empress (the ship I was on before this) but it is a bigger ship so it had better feel bigger.
    Majesty is dated in places such as decor and the outdoor carpets on the upper decks.  You can tell some new carpeting has been installed in places but in certain areas or staircases the carpet is older.
    Crew was fantastic and I only experienced great service.  
    It was great to visit CocoCay again and I look forward to my next cruise when I have the water park and zipline booked.  
    O3b Voom was great and I really wish Royal would upgrade more ships to O3b.  
    This was a relatively inexpensive cruise and there is great value at the price point I paid.  Majesty has a lot to offer and I'm looking forward to going back to spend more time on her. 
  11. Thanks
    twangster reacted to SMOKEY0202 in The Magic of Majesty. August 2019 and then again in October   
    i can say actually meeting the "celebrity" behind the camera on majesty was such a honor on this sailing.  another great live blog with some awesome pictures too.  overall experience can say was good and even if sailing a "baby" ship, she may not have all those bells and whistles but the service received from crew is well worth it.  crew is extremely passionate and truly takes time to bond with passengers.  friendly greetings by crew around ship and being in bars having those bartenders remember passengers by name and drink of choice is uplifting when think how many passengers sailing to sailing.  each ship has its own identity and for value to go to CocoCay in my books is a win win when i could in turn be at home not on a cruise ship at all having those cruise dry dock blues.............. safe travels and cant wait to the next live blog. 
  12. Like
    twangster reacted to Lovetocruise2002 in The Magic of Majesty. August 2019 and then again in October   
    SMH...
    Thanks for another great live blog!  Safe travels home @twangster!
  13. Like
    twangster got a reaction from Sarah in The Magic of Majesty. August 2019 and then again in October   
    Cruise Summary
    My biggest complaint is the 5 night duration.  Even though I came off another ship before hand it's a lot of unpacking and you just get into cruise mode when it's over.  I feel like I didn't have enough time to really experience the ship properly.   I have a B2B booked in the fall so hopefully that will solve this problem.
    Majesty definitely feels like a bigger ship than Empress (the ship I was on before this) but it is a bigger ship so it had better feel bigger.
    Majesty is dated in places such as decor and the outdoor carpets on the upper decks.  You can tell some new carpeting has been installed in places but in certain areas or staircases the carpet is older.
    Crew was fantastic and I only experienced great service.  
    It was great to visit CocoCay again and I look forward to my next cruise when I have the water park and zipline booked.  
    O3b Voom was great and I really wish Royal would upgrade more ships to O3b.  
    This was a relatively inexpensive cruise and there is great value at the price point I paid.  Majesty has a lot to offer and I'm looking forward to going back to spend more time on her. 
  14. Like
    twangster got a reaction from JLMoran in The Magic of Majesty. August 2019 and then again in October   
    A note about Voom.
    Majesty uses the new satellite technology that the newer ships use.  Consequently it works very well.
    Typical results for Surf and Stream:

    I asked a Voom person on board and he reported that Majesty has 120Mbps down and 100Mbps up for total bandwidth.  This is shared but individual Voom accounts are rate limited to what you see above so that no one guest can hog all the bandwidth. 
    The cap also forces streaming application to work within 4Mbps of throughput otherwise a user streaming something like Netflix could go way over that consuming even more expensive usage while 4Mbps offers very reasonable streaming results. 
  15. Like
    twangster got a reaction from Kerry in People With Unpopular Opinons?   
    I for one have stopped trying to promote the cruise industry and agree wholeheartedly with everything they said.
    The last thing I need is more people to book cruises (driving up the cost for me).  
    It's terrible out there folks.  The sea was 90' yesterday (away from the Promenade deck).  I hear that 99% of all cruise ships got stranded (away from a boring existence) yesterday.  Everyone on board is sick (of being on land).  I went missing (and none of my clients know I'm on a ship).  There were 75 mph winds (for anyone driving on the interstate with their hands out the window in Florida). 
    Yep, it's not a life for the faint of heart.  Avoid cruising (so I can book cheaper cruises).
    If they don't want to go, please don't try to correct them.  
     
  16. Thanks
    twangster got a reaction from Coronadogal in Empress B2B 14 nights On The Biggest Little Ship July 2019   
    Formal nights on Empress are not unlike most ships in the fleet but with fewer guests the ones that wear a tux or gown will stand out in the crowd more.
    I've seen pictures of the Hotel Director's table where a pinnacle was wearing short sleeve polo type shirt standing beside another guest in a tux.  As long as you don't mind being "that guy" you are fine, just know there will be people more formal than you in the MDR.
  17. Like
    twangster got a reaction from Srp431 in The Magic of Majesty. August 2019 and then again in October   
    A last breakfast with the WJ opening right at 6am on the final morning.


    There is another forward section with additional food station that was closed on this morning.
    Upstairs where there is more seating, the Compass Deli and Sorrento's.

    Freestyle drink dispensers for those with a beverage package.

    For a small ship Majesty has a lot of big ship features.

  18. Like
    twangster got a reaction from J_Keeble in The Magic of Majesty. August 2019 and then again in October   
    Cruise Summary
    My biggest complaint is the 5 night duration.  Even though I came off another ship before hand it's a lot of unpacking and you just get into cruise mode when it's over.  I feel like I didn't have enough time to really experience the ship properly.   I have a B2B booked in the fall so hopefully that will solve this problem.
    Majesty definitely feels like a bigger ship than Empress (the ship I was on before this) but it is a bigger ship so it had better feel bigger.
    Majesty is dated in places such as decor and the outdoor carpets on the upper decks.  You can tell some new carpeting has been installed in places but in certain areas or staircases the carpet is older.
    Crew was fantastic and I only experienced great service.  
    It was great to visit CocoCay again and I look forward to my next cruise when I have the water park and zipline booked.  
    O3b Voom was great and I really wish Royal would upgrade more ships to O3b.  
    This was a relatively inexpensive cruise and there is great value at the price point I paid.  Majesty has a lot to offer and I'm looking forward to going back to spend more time on her. 
  19. Like
    twangster got a reaction from Skigoofy in The Magic of Majesty. August 2019 and then again in October   
    Our scheduled start of self-assist was posted to be 7:30am.
    I joined the line around 50 people back at 6:45am.  It is routed into the MDR on deck 4 to keep it orderly.

    At 7:12am we started moving.  
    Through the terminal to CBP where they were making queues for the normal post cruise CBP check.  Some people were already doing the thing with an CBP officer.  As I was getting closer they just opened the lane in the middle and told everyone to walk out.  I guess because we cleared immigration in Key West they decided to go easy on us.  
    Out to the waiting taxis where a lady following after me just threw her luggage into trunk of my cab without asking where I was going.  Hmmm.  So I confirmed she was heading to FLL airport.  Why not split a cab?  
    Dropped off curbside at airport terminal at 7:28am.  
    I had a 4:45pm flight booked because it was the cheapest flight of the day when I booked it.  Being A-List on Southwest I can standby for free so my strategy is to often book a later flight then take my chances at the airport.  I lucked out, seats were available on the 8:45am direct flight.  Through security and at the gate by 7:40am.
    Soon after boarding in my window seat I looked out and saw my bag going into the belly of plane.  Twenty five minutes later my luck continued when the door of the plane closed with the only empty middle seat on the whole plane being right beside me.  Phew.  
  20. Like
    twangster got a reaction from Skigoofy in The Magic of Majesty. August 2019 and then again in October   
    The pre-dawn arrival into Port Everglades isn't nearly as interesting as arriving into the Port of Miami.  I thought I spotted another ship in the distance.

    It was the Celebrity Equinox arriving just before us.

    A final sunrise was in the making as I headed down to gather my stuff, vacate my cabin and prepare to join the self-assist line.

  21. Like
    twangster got a reaction from Guy Gadwa in The Magic of Majesty. August 2019 and then again in October   
    A last breakfast with the WJ opening right at 6am on the final morning.


    There is another forward section with additional food station that was closed on this morning.
    Upstairs where there is more seating, the Compass Deli and Sorrento's.

    Freestyle drink dispensers for those with a beverage package.

    For a small ship Majesty has a lot of big ship features.

  22. Like
    twangster got a reaction from cobra614 in Royal Caribbean Beach Towel from Cruise Planner   
    Towel clips.  I think thieves are less likely to want to spend time messing with clips versus a quick grab and dash towel sneak.
  23. Like
    twangster got a reaction from Ken23 in The Magic of Majesty. August 2019 and then again in October   
    Our scheduled start of self-assist was posted to be 7:30am.
    I joined the line around 50 people back at 6:45am.  It is routed into the MDR on deck 4 to keep it orderly.

    At 7:12am we started moving.  
    Through the terminal to CBP where they were making queues for the normal post cruise CBP check.  Some people were already doing the thing with an CBP officer.  As I was getting closer they just opened the lane in the middle and told everyone to walk out.  I guess because we cleared immigration in Key West they decided to go easy on us.  
    Out to the waiting taxis where a lady following after me just threw her luggage into trunk of my cab without asking where I was going.  Hmmm.  So I confirmed she was heading to FLL airport.  Why not split a cab?  
    Dropped off curbside at airport terminal at 7:28am.  
    I had a 4:45pm flight booked because it was the cheapest flight of the day when I booked it.  Being A-List on Southwest I can standby for free so my strategy is to often book a later flight then take my chances at the airport.  I lucked out, seats were available on the 8:45am direct flight.  Through security and at the gate by 7:40am.
    Soon after boarding in my window seat I looked out and saw my bag going into the belly of plane.  Twenty five minutes later my luck continued when the door of the plane closed with the only empty middle seat on the whole plane being right beside me.  Phew.  
  24. Haha
    twangster got a reaction from cruisestuff in ? What Will The Oasis Get During Dry Dock ?   
    Not this week ? 
  25. Wow
    twangster got a reaction from DJsMrs in Be Disrepectful, Get Kicked Off Ship!!   
    On Anthem an out of control kid ran into the Staff Captain, literally.  This brat had been punching random guests waiting near elevators while the parents did nothing.  Small kid like 5 or 6 so not a death punch but still, you don't do that.  He's running around and slams into the Staff Captain who walks into the area by coincidence.  
    Staff Captain grabs kid and tells him to slow down, calm down, etc.  Father doesn't like a crew member admonishing his kid so he starts getting into it verbally with Staff Captain.  Along the way the father escalates it into "I know where you live and I'm coming for your family".  Boom - cabin arrest.  Next morning the whole family was put off in San Juan.  Around eight of them including grand parents who all got to fly home at their own expense.  
    Big tough Jersey attitude didn't fly with the Staff Captain.  Threatening his family was the last straw.  I'm sure this guy went home and told his friends "I didn't do nothing, we were just kicked off" and maybe by New York or New Jersey standards that's just friendly banter but it didn't work on the ship.  That was our first stop on a 11 night cruise after one sea day coming down from Bayonne.  Nice way to lose what must have cost several thousand for the cruise plus then having to buy plane tickets same day to fly home. 
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