What Travel Advisors Should Know About Majestic Princess

Majestic Princess might not be new to the Princess Cruises fleet, but it is new to the North American market. Having previously sailed in Asia, it’s a ship not many travel advisors paid attention to. But with a deployment that’s North America-based through much of 2022, it’s time for advisors to take a closer look. 

Technically part of the line’s Royal-class of ship, Majestic Princess features several attractions that no other vessel in the Princess fleet has, making it truly one-of-a-kind.

“Guests onboard Majestic have an array of dining options including two specialty restaurants – Harmony and Bistro Sur La Mer – with menus crafted by Michelin-star chefs,” says Jan Swartz, Princess Cruises president. “Unique to Majestic Princess is The Hollywood Conservatory, an indoor garden located 150 feet above the ocean, and the Hollywood Pool Club, a covered pool area. And the Shops of Princess have the largest retail space of any ship in our fleet, which makes Majestic extra special.”

Here are several ways Majestic Princess differs from the rest of the Princess Cruises fleet and how travel advisors can position it with their clients.

The Only Chinese Restaurant in the Princess Fleet
Majestic Princess launched in 2017 in Europe but headed straight to Asia. From the beginning, the cruise line intended the ship to serve the mostly Chinese cruise market. As such, the ship was built with two Chinese restaurants onboard. Though Majestic Princess is now in North America, the line has kept the restaurants in place – the only Chinese restaurants in the fleet. (Diamond Princess, which only sails in Asia, has a specialty sushi restaurant onboard.)

Harmony
Go big or go home. That’s the stance Princess took when selecting a chef to work with on their first specialty Chinese restaurant. The line selected Chef Richard Chen, the former chef of Wing Lei (the first Chinese restaurant in North America awarded a Michelin star) to partner with. The result is Harmony and a menu of upscale classic Cantonese dishes that foodie clients will love.

For $29 (lunch or dinner), diners choose one item each from the starter and specialties menus, as well as one soup, one vegetable, rice or noodle dish, and one dessert. Choices include spicy marinated chilled jellyfish, braised pork belly ribs casserole, wok-tossed diced sausage and calamari, diced salty fish fried rice, and steam choy sum with roasted garlic, among many others.  

Chopsticks Noodle Bar
This complimentary eatery is located outside on Deck 16 and offers up freshly prepared noodle soups and classic wok-fried noodle dishes. Standard items are wonton soup and vegetable miso ramen, along with a rotating menu of daily specials that include mushroom & chicken noodle soup, and tom yum seafood noodle soup. The chef can add fried onions, dried pork, bean sprouts, coriander, and a hot spice mix.

NBA Star-Backed Wine Collection
If Carnival has Shaq and his chicken on Mardi Gras, Princess has NBA star Yao Ming and his wines. Yao Family Wines is a Napa Valley brand of vintages created by retired NBA Hall of Famer Yao Ming. You’ll find several varietals from the winery on Majestic Princess, including its award-winning Cabernet Sauvignon. (Its 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon received a silver medal in the 2021 Sommeliers Choice Awards.)

A Garden at Sea (But No Sanctuary)
What would a ship in Asia be without a spot for Zen tranquility? On Majestic Princess, you get that with the inaptly-named Hollywood Conservatory. (There’s no glam or glitter one might expect from a space named after Tinseltown.

Described by Princess as an “indoor garden,” the Conservatory takes the place of the Sanctuary on other Princess ships. It features an indoor pool and bar, as well as a solarium-style lounge that wraps around the front of the ship. It’s lined with floor-to-ceiling glass windows, making it prime real estate for glacier viewing on an Alaska cruise.

Seating in the lounge is plush and plentiful and includes armchairs and chaise lounges. There are several private cabanas, as well, which on Alaska sailings are first come, first served.  

“It’s a very inviting area and does not feel crowded at all,” Pam Cheek of Globe Getaways tells Travel Market Report. “It feels very intimate.”

Best of all, says Cheek, who sailed on Majestic Princess in late July, you don’t have to pay anything to enter and nobody is excluded, a strong selling point for cruisers who want the intimacy of the Sanctuary but didn’t like paying for it.

Late at night, the quiet of the Hollywood Conservatory gives way to a party vibe when the DJ takes for a few hours of all-requests dancing.

Which Clients Will Like Majestic Princess Best?
Because many Princess devotees love the older, small ships, Cheek says she believes Majestic Princess will appeal more to new cruisers to Princess, as well as younger people in general.

“Some people absolutely love going into an older home and seeing a lot of woodwork on the walls and the darker feel,” she says. “Others just love walking into something that’s bright and white and shiny with all the updated kinds of things. That’s what they’re going to find on Majestic.”

Cheek also says clients who appreciate a variety of fine-dining options will like Majestic because of the specialty dining choices.

In addition to Harmony, the ship also features Bistro Sur La Mer, created by 3-Michelin star chef Emmanuel Renaut. The only other ship in the fleet with a Bistro Sur La Mer is Sky Princess. (Enchanted Princess also will feature the French brasserie when it debuts later this fall.)