Bahama Cruise….and offshore adventures

Author: PoohNP
Date of Trip: August 2007

Majesty of the Seas- Royal Caribbean, August 2007

What can be said for beautiful travel, good food and entertainment all under 1 roof, or should I say 14 different roofs. Royal Caribbean’s Majesty of the Seas is a great 4 night Bahamas/Key West vacation. We went at the end of August and I purchased trip insurance just incase with it being hurricane season, and luckily did not need it. We flew into Ft. Lauderdale, which was cheaper the Miami International and had a town car ride to Port of Miami for $60.00. Getting on the ship was fast and easy since we prepared all our documents ahead of time. Upon entering you are able to go right to the Windjammer Cafe for lunch while everybody gets on ship and your luggage gets loaded on. Food is plentiful and pretty good for a buffet as well as a good variety. We ate and then walked around taking pictures and learning where things were located. This was my second time here and C’s first cruise, however Majesty had undergone a renovation since my last trip. We went outside on the deck as we departed from Miami and took some photos. In regards to the dining I was curious as to how things would work at dinner since I have a special diet. The dining room staff was great, Gopal from India and Fitzroy from Jamaica took care of us during our trip. They had gluten free bread for me at the table and told me each night what I was able to order and/or modify. They also had my bread available for me during breakfast at the Windjammer every morning. Also available for dining options were Johnny Rockets, Sorentos Pizza and the Compass Deli. Lets just say going hungry would not be an issue.

Our first stop the next morning was Nassau, Bahamas. I had a sailing & snorkeling tour booked independent of the cruise @ 12:15. So we spent the morning shopping and getting some good deals! We left our finds back at the ship and then got in the van for the sailing & snorkeling tour thru Barefoot Sailing. We did the 1/2 day sail and snorkel. We had a nice cruise with 9 other people on approximately a 40ft yacht. This was not “touristy”, it was a relaxing sail with a bahama native who discussed the island with you when asked, it was not a narrative cruise. This was fine for us as we learned about the island from a native’s perspective and could also quietly converse with each other while listening to some music. We anchored near a live reef and had 1 1/2 hours to swim/snorkel at our leisure. It was just the 11 of us left to explore 2 live reefs. We brought an underwater camera and got some nice pics as well. The reason why I am trying to emphasize numbers and this not being “touristy” is because while we were anchored we had 2-3 of those large boats with 50 plus people on them go by us and anchor all together in a small area, not only were they loud but I swear they were snorkeling into each other. The intimate atmosphere our tour provided was welcomed by us, as well as the exceptionally good rum punch. So enough about every detail as you can see for much of it for yourself on the pictures page. Our beach day in Coco Cay was next and we relaxed swam and ate. There were numerous activities you could participate in but we just relaxed, it was gorgeous.

Next we went to Key West and did a Trolley tour I again booked independently thru Old Town Trolley Tours and we learned about the island, this was narrated, and saw the famous sites. We spent the rest of the day shopping and ate lunch at Sloppy Joe’s. I did not want to leave as I knew we were on our way back to Miami. The entertainment on the ship was non-stop and we went to pretty much every show, did the “Quest” gameshow, listened to music and explored the shops on board. This was a great vacation for all ages. I highly recommend taking a cruise at least once in your life. Additional reviews and photos: http://riptideg.googlepages.com/majestyoftheseas-royalcaribbeanreview