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Majesty Cruise Line

SS Ocean Breeze

Your Rating:
Reviewed by: Cb and Cg
# previous cruises: 5
Date of Trip: May 31, 2003
Itinerary: Bahamas

The majority of the reviews of this ship seem harsh and unfair in comparison with the experience we had on the Oceanbreeze during the weekend of May 31st. The ship was smaller and less crowded than the other cruises we have been on before, but we enjoyed the fact that we did not have to fight for a lounge chair or a spot at the bar. We actually were able to sit in the hot tub for several hours during the middle of the first day by ourselves. Pretty nice, considering our last NCL cruise in April had wall to wall kids climbing in and out anything with water in it. For the WAY cheap price we got on this cruise - it was definitely a GREAT time.

Several reviewers stated that the ship was deteriorated and dirty; we found that not to be the case at all. The lounges were very clean, the dining rooms and bars were well kept. The furnishings in some of the areas were outdated, not bad just a little like being on a "Three's Company" set. The outdoor areas were also pristine, and everything seemed to be freshly painted - the blue hull is especially cool looking. The outdoor seating is plastic lawn furniture - Wal-Mart stuff, and the chairs in the Mayfair lounge were uncomfortable. The casino is cool - it was not busy enough for me though ( I like to play blackjack with a full table). The ship is a little hard to navigate, as the saying goes " You can't get there from here" really does apply here at times. The elevators and staircases don't go to all floors and the hallways have a good number of intersections and turns.

The disco is in the bowels of the ship and was a little hard to get to. Music was hip-hop, dance and some disco. It was fun, but if there had been more people on board I think it could have been better.

Let me say one more time that this ship was VERY clean and well kept. I would say that it was just as clean as NCL or Carnival.

Food was very inconsistent. Grouper at dinner was great, then the appetizer and desserts sucked. Midnight buffets (one Italian and one Mexican) were awesome. Room service was fast, but with not much selection. The buffets were ok - Shoney's does it better - but still not bad. Food is not available at all times like the bigger ships - we missed our 3 am pizza and salad bars.

DO NOT DRINK the liquor drinks that the servers push!!!! From what we were told (neither of us drink fru-fru drinks) by other passengers, these drinks were watered down badly. Always go to a bar and order from the bartender, at least you can watch him turn up the bottle and judge for yourself how much liquor you're getting for 3.95 - 4.95 a drink. There are multiple "happy hours" which was a nice treat. Let me take this time to tell any prospective Imperial Majesty cruisers about the absolutely worst part of this cruise in our opinion. Mind you, we are both BIG drinkers, so getting us to buy a cocktail is no big feat. However, these servers are like Cozumel shop owners on crack when it comes to pushing drinks. They border and sometimes surpass being rude and obnoxious. The minute you hit the carpet on the ship they hand you a big pretty glass and never stop. I am not kidding you when I say that 9:35 am on Sunday morning they were hitting us up to drink a BAHAMA MAMA. Some of the servers had difficulty accepting no for an answer, but if you are firm and say LEAVE ME ALONE they will back down. I left this as my one complaint on the comment card. Do not back down as I saw many passengers do - and take a drink just to get rid of the server. Have a beer instead, at least they can't water it down.

We were in a "deluxe oceanview" cabin, next to the hair salon. It was clean, comfortable - plenty of drawers and closet space. This is only a 2 day trip how much space could you need?!?! The cabin was about the size of an inside Carnival stateroom. No TV - which was a surprise, since we were in the next to the best cabin available. It was really no big loss we spent little time in the room. Again the bathroom was standard size cruise ship ( maybe a little bigger ). If you're a plus size you will have a little trouble in any cruise ship shower, this one is no different.

We saw both shows, entertainers worked hard....costumes were great...rendezvous lounge height is too small for them to really go all out. Overall they did a good job. The cruise director/MC (we could never quite figure out which he was) was a comedian on th NCL Majesty cruise we took in April. He was very good. The best entertainment on board was the karaoke.

Karaoke was awesome!!! Bingo is not usually our speed...but it was a bargain and was pretty fun. We both work out and the gym was the pitts! No weights or machines - only a few old stairmasters and a treadmill. In their defense though - who really works out on a 2 day cruise???

We took the excursion to Blue Lagoon island and a snorkeling add on ...the weather was beautiful, the water was crystal clear and warm. Lots of fish were on the reef. It was a great time - the excursion operators were professional and I felt very safe. The entire excursion cost 52.00 for equipment, boat ride, a day at the Blue Lagoon and a lunch. The same price that the other cruise lines charge.

One bad thing about taking the Sat- Mon cruise is that everything in the Bahamas is closed on Sunday and the Oceanbreeze is the ONLY ship in port. If you wanted to shop you are out of luck.

The ship holds 900 passengers and we were told that on this cruise there were only 360. If it there had been at least 500- 600 passengers this would have been a lot more "fun". We still had a great time and like I said for the money - this would be a hard deal to beat.

We are in our 30's (party like 21) LOL...sad but true. We found that there were quite a few passengers our age on board, but I think we were the minority. There was a church group of teenagers with their parents. The kids were all very well behaved....the parents of the kids were a little too conservative for our tastes and I do not think they would enjoy a festive dinner party at our house. We met some nice folks from California and Missouri - they are welcome anytime to dinner.

I think most of the passengers were booked to this cruise through a Ramada Resorts scam, leaving them a little bitter as the package seems to have misrepresented the cruise. Stay away from that deal. book through the cruise line for some GREAT rates.

I would do this cruise again and probably will soon. If you are cruising for the first time ...choose a big ship. Wait a while, then do this cruise with a couple of days in Miami or Ft Lauderdale. Remember to always see the glass half full and enjoy life to the fullest.