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The 'New' Majesty of the Seas: 2nd Time Around Is a Charm

Fifteen long years ago, we spent the night with the brand new Majesty of the Seas for the first time. With her breathtaking seven-story atrium, Majesty was starting a brief reign as queen of the seas -- largest cruise ship afloat.

But for all of her strongpoints, in 1992 we did not fall in love. Over the years, many cruisers have told us we were missing something special. But we never looked back -- never even once revisited the aging ship we had spurned.

So it was with some trepidation that a gazillion cruises later, we let ourselves be talked into a blind date with Majesty, who had just returned to the cruise scene after what can only be described as a 28-day extreme makeover.

Well, we have to confess: the second time around was a charm.

Majesty -- the youngest of the three Sovereign class sisters -- is no longer queen of the seas. Time really flies, and she is now only the 73rd largest cruise ship afloat.

But Majesty emerged from her bow-to-stern renovation in drydock in the Bahamas "revitalized," as Royal Caribbean executives describe it -- looking really, really good -- and we suspect she will have the steady company of a host of new admirers in the years just ahead.

"I believe we got it right this time," said a proud Peter Fetten, Royal Caribbean vice president for Newbuilding and Fleet design, as he led reporters on a tour of Majesty on February 11th.

The challenge in updating Majesty, Fetten said, was that even though the ship is 15 years old and "what was right then is not necessarily right now, you can't simply gut and rebuild. You have to focus on what is important."

One example of this focus on the interests of today's cruise passengers was the relocation and enhancement of Majesty's previously small spa and fitness center.

Moved during the revitalization from deck 10 to deck 9, it now has new treatment rooms, new fitness equipment, much better space -- and more closely resembles the spas on Royal Caribbean ships up to twice Majesty's size.

Another huge change was the transformation of the Windjammer Cafe, where buffet lines are now "out" and food islands are "in." Also added was an upperlevel expansion to include a Compass Deli, a Johnny Rocket's burger-and-shake place and a Sorrento's Pizzeria.

But the "revitalization" involved more than adding new features. A major focus was to open up the aging Majesty, installing more glass to bring in more light.

"This ship had a certain flair -- a certain appearance -- that we did not want to destroy," Fetten said. But the added light has greatly enhanced the ambiance of both the Windjammer Marketplace and the atrium.

The changes also have been very much for the positive in the stateroom areas. Beyond the bright, attractively patterned carpeting, the hall sightlines are softened by the new faux wood and chrome trim on stateroom entryways.

The one thing that could not be changed, of course, was the size of most staterooms. While Majesty does have larger suites that since the revitalization are as contemporary as any afloat, the size of a standard stateroom is smaller than those found on most new ships.

(The cabins wouldn't seem all that small if people could resist dragging along their entire life's accumulated possessions on three-night cruises, but that's another story.)

"We couldn't change the cabin size," Fetten said. "But we could -- and did -- try to make it more optimal."

New flat-panel televisions mounted on the wall provide more room at vanity desks. Virtually everything else in the staterooms is new as well.

And in a move that at least briefly will make Majesty of the Seas the belle of the Royal Caribbean fleet, 30 miles of cable was installed during the renovation to provide Wi-Fi and cellular access in every cabin -- an aid to connectivity found until now only on Freedom of the Seas.

So have we fallen in love? Are we ready to make a commitment? Well, now that we are back with Majesty, we certainly are hoping to give love another try.

Whether it was enjoying a "wet" cappucino in the Cafe Latte-tudes (so new and innocent that we had to explain what a "wet" cappucino was), or a late-night drink in the redecorated Schooner piano bar, spending time with the "revitalized" Majesty was indeed special.

"She's as innovative as possible, capturing the latest from things we already know," Fetten said.

We would state it more simply. For a three and four night romp from Miami to the Bahamas, Majesty of the Seas is now the best.

--The Savvy Cruiser