The Majesty of the Seas is the last ship in the Sovereign class still sailing with Royal Caribbean. Built in 1992, it is an older ship, and a historic one. The Sovereign class was the first of the megaship cruise ships, and the class that beat S.S. Norway for the title of largest cruise ship in the world at the time, a title the Norway stole back with a refit. The Majesty is also the first major cruise ship captained by a woman.
The Majesty of the Seas is now set to be one of the ships leading the way into the future. A refit will equip the ship with onboard amenities like new restaurants, waterslides, and a poolside movie screen. Most intriguing is the promised upgrade to communications which will see the Majesty equipped with VOOM high-speed internet. Royal Caribbean’s high bandwidth satellite package that the Crown and Anchor promises will allow cruisers to stream video while aboard. Royal is also promising free Wi-Fi to everyone aboard after the Majesty of the Seas has completed its 2016 upgrade. This is a package normally only found on Royal Caribbean’s new Quantum and Oasis class ships, and only for a price.
The Majesty of the Seas hasn’t completed its scheduled refurbishments. Following their installation, the ship will move to Port Canaveral to replace the Enchantment of the Seas on its 3 and 4-night sailing to the Bahamas in mid May 2016.
Majesty of the Seas: Deck by Deck
The Majesty of the Seas is on the small side for a modern ship, and its staterooms are a bit cramped for twenty-first century sensibilities. There are only 63 balcony rooms aboard, and those are all suites, and all on a single deck. The ship hails from an age when premium televisions were trimmed with wooden cabinetry, and many of the Majesty’s styling cues come from that era.
Her past passengers really love the ship. The Majesty of the Seas was originally slated to be transferred to Pullmantur cruise lines, but popular demand kept the ship with Royal Caribbean. That is an abnormality in cruising where ships are transferred, sold, and scrapped with a lack of sentiment. The aforementioned S.S. Norway actually being an example of budget prevailing over sentiment. There is something in the intangibles that sets this ship apart.
What exactly will happen with the Majesty’s upcoming renovations, and whether she’ll be able to keep the magic afterwards when she’s moved to Port Canaveral after cruising out of Miami for 24 years does remain to be seen.
Deck 2 is the lowest passenger level on the ship, and only the forward two thirds of the deck are given over to passenger staterooms. Oceanview and interior staterooms are smaller than what you’ll find on the decks above. The dual twin beds they come equipped with convert into a queen, rather than a king bed. There is a risk of noise from machinery and crew areas from towards the rear of the ship and below.
Deck 3 is also only partially a stateroom deck. The aft of this deck is given over to the Moonlight Dining Room, a photo gallery, and a bar. Approximately half the staterooms on this level are slightly larger than those on the deck below, and their twin beds convert into a “royal king” upon request. This size of bed is actually more like a shortened California king bed than an actual king sized bed. This slightly larger sized stateroom is the standard for most of the rest of the ship.
Deck 4 is the lobby deck. The forward part of the deck has interior and oceanview staterooms. Aft of these is the Centrum, a seven story atrium encircled by shopping, dining, and lounges. At the bottom of this is the guest services desk. Farther back is the Starlight Dining Room.
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Deck 5 Has the same stateroom layout as Deck 4, with more to do aft. The fifth deck is the rough equivalent to the promenade deck on newer Royal Caribbean ships. To the rear past the Centrum is Schooner Bar and Lounge, the Casino Royale, and the multi-level Chorus Line Lounge at the very rear of the ship.
Deck 6 is a short deck with nothing but forward staterooms. These are interior and oceanview staterooms equipped with the Royal King beds, and private bathrooms. The forward rooms on this level are oddly shaped, and cabins 6002 and 6004 have obstructed views possibly netting cruisers more space, an exterior view, and a lower price.
Deck 7 largely repeats the layout found on Deck 5, but with interior staterooms in the minority. There are only 9 interior staterooms on this level. The rest are oceanview. Forward are staterooms 7504 and 7004 which are oddly shaped, and have obstructed views. Aft are conference rooms, Boleros Lounge, and the upper level of the Chorus Line Lounge.
Deck 8 is the deck where the lifeboat hangs. Staterooms on this level are all oceanview, and they all have an obstructed view with the lifeboats hanging in view. Towards the rear of the ship is the Spectrum Lounge, which is an entertainment venue.
Deck 9 has superior oceanview staterooms. They’re larger than the standard staterooms found throughout the rest of the ship, and offer unobstructed views of the ocean. At the rear of the ship on this level is the Vitality at Sea Spa and Fitness Center, making this a good deck for those who are at sea to relax.
Deck 10 is home to suites. This is the only deck with staterooms equipped with balconies, and they line each side of the ship. The most affordable room on this deck is a junior suite, and the most luxurious is a single Royal Suite forward and starboard (to the right). The Adventure Ocean play area is at the rear, making this the best choice for family sailing. The Lido Deck is directly above making noise a potential issue on this deck.
Deck 11 is the Lido Deck. Forward on this deck is the Windjammer Café (the buffet on Royal Caribbean ships) and the Pool Bar. Amidships are two pools and two whirlpools. Aft is the sports deck and teen area of the ship.
Deck 12 has Johnny Rockets and Sorrento’s Compass Deli forward, a second pool bar, the mast bar in the middle of the ship, the jogging track amidships, and the Viking Crown Lounge which is built around the funnel and offers panoramic views of the ship. Aft of this is the rock climbing wall.
The Majestic Life
It is hard to say what cruising aboard the Majesty of the Seas will be like when it comes to Port Canaveral. It isn’t like any other ship in Royal Caribbean’s fleet, nor like any ship that remains in any of the other cruise lines’ North American fleets. At present, it has been upgraded slightly, but in a less thorough way than the Enchantment of the Sails was, which is on a similar route. The Enchantment was actually split in half and lengthened. The Majesty of the Seas is scheduled for a more thorough renovation this year, and how extensive it is, and what the ship will be like afterwards is hard to say.
When that’s completed, the Majesty still won’t be quite like any other ship. It will have features that are normally only found on the newest ships like the Oasis of the Seas, and the Quantum of the Seas, and will in fact have some features they lack. An onboard waterpark is one of the promised upgrades, and something the Oasis class of ships only have onboard the Harmony of the Seas. It will be equipped with Royal Caribbean’s VOOM internet when it arrives in May, and unlike any other ship in any line’s fleet Wi-Fi access will be free. The Majesty has been a favorite of cruisers sailing out of Miami for decades, and the conditions are right for it to become similarly loved when it begins sailing out of Port Canaveral in May.
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