twangster

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.  

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.

Lazy day in Key West.  When at the NAS pier there is a shuttle used to get "downtown".  I stayed on the ship like a few others did today.  It's my 3rd visit in a month so I decided to skip it this time.

Soon enough it was the Diamond event.  Service has been great, long before my drink is empty another one magically appears.

Sunset from the aft section of the VCL.

Maybe I've been at sea too long, I'm seeing faces in the sunsets now.

Or a Jack o' Lantern... 



In Boleros there was live music.

Viking Crown Lounge when it's not hosting the nightly Diamond event.






There is a bar but I've never seen it used.  When waiters are present they use the area behind this as a service bar for serving drinks during the Diamond event but also I saw them serving non-Diamonds in the aft section of the VCL (paid using a SeaPass card). 

I'm a rule breaker, sorry can't help myself.

Fitness Center






There is a steam room in the change room.  I'm assuming the ladies change room has one as well.

Since I booked this cruise with the intent of capturing Majesty in photos here are some of the Schooner Bar.




You don't get views of the sea like this on the big ships.

I’m on the Matt Hochberg Appreciation Cruise in 7 days on Navigator. 

Day 5 - Key West
An early start to the day to watch as the Starship Majesty came in for a landing in Key West.  Just kidding, the channel markers strobe every few seconds so I did a 30 second exposure as we made our way through the channel.

Today we'll be at the NAS pier.



Looks like the Carnival Sensation snagged the better spot closer to Mallory Square.  

Day 4 continued...
Majesty has the old style TV's and map displays.  Our progress...

Getting my steps in before...

... heading up to the VCL for the Diamond event.

Like most Diamond events there are finger foods every night.

The bridge crew did their best to avoid the downpours as day turned into night.

Day 4 - Sea Day
On our way to Key West tomorrow.  First an Ocean View sunrise.

Bridge tour this morning.





Bridge wing.




Not a bad break room.




Best view on the ship.

On my way to my cabin after taking the stargazing pictures I came in off of deck 7 and saw...
So which way is the exit?  Maybe it's just me in my happy hour induced state that found this humorous.

Speaking of drinking, they're multiplying.  Jorge the GSM who followed me over from Empress sent me a bottle of wine.  Combined with the two from Crown and Anchor I've got a lot of drinking to do starting tomorrow, day 4 of a 5 night cruise.  

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.

Here is the aft section of the Viking Crown Lounge that's open to the public while the forward half is used for Diamond happy hour.  A rain storm was just moving off so the ship and any guests who didn't see it coming while on CocoCay had the salt washed off them.

Navigator arrived first and left first to the two ships following along on their whistles.  Shortly after it was our turn to depart.  

Having been sitting for a while enjoying bottomless drinks at the Diamond event I was motivated to get up and move.  I saw a hint of a sunset so decided to check it out.






Again not much of a sunset but there is always tomorrow.

Back to the ship to change and get my good camera.




I tested Voom on CocoCay and once again the speeds were very good for satellite internet.

Always good to avoid scaring the mermaids away.

Back to the Snack Shack for a Shack Crispy Chicken Sandwich, a Greek salad and fries.  The mango fruit drink is surprisingly additive.

Yum.

The floating bar remains popular.


The pool was hopping again.  Having been several times to the new CocoCay I couldn't imagine it now without the pool.

One last trip back to the ship.
Someone's not going to have a Perfect Day when they get charged for leaving a pool towel behind...

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.

Day 3 - Perfect Day at CocoCay
Not much of a sunrise here early on the morning of day 3.

We join Navigator again today after leaving her last night in Nassau.


I spot a new addition to CocoCay.  Can you see them?

Definitely something new since my visit last week.

This view never gets old.

Café Latte-tudes menus


 

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.  
 

If Freedom is too costly plus the higher airfare out of San Juan then Vision class has a lot going for it including Rhapsody.  
I love Empress but I'm not a solarium dweller on most days.  Empress is great but she has no solarium and cabins are smaller.  
If it comes down to Empress vs. Rhapsody and the itinerary is better for one that maybe be a big factor as you decide what to do.  

It is stealing.  No matter how you attempt to console yourself, it is wrong and you are stealing.

Where do you draw the line?  When is stealing okay versus stealing is bad?  Pay hundreds for a hotel room and steal mini-bottles from the bar or refill them will apple juice because you paid for the room?
I'm sorry, stealing is never okay and hopefully you'll remember that when karma bites you really hard in the rear end.  It's because of people like you that causes the rest of us to pay higher rates.  It's not okay to steal, period.

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.  
 

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. 

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.