First Class on R.M.S. MajesticA solid, opulent elegance marks the Majestic's great public rooms and perfect private apartments, while the daily life of an ocean voyage on the super-liner de luxe goes on in a social atmosphere reflecting in essence the polite manners of bright Continental cities. As their 56,000 ton flagship at the head of 'The Magnificent Trio', the White Star Line showed little restraint in emphasizing the splendor and comfort of Majestic's First Class accommodation throughout their advertising. Extended over the area of 400 eight-room houses, her accommodations served to maintain the highest luxury, setting her clearly apart from the generally more modest forms of the 'Cabin' class era.
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First Class Smoking Room
A Steward serves gentleman drinks in the Smoking Room. "Majestic: The World's Largest Ship" brochure. c.1922.
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The First Class Smoking Room was located at the forward end of the Sun Deck (Deck A), reached from the Promenade Deck (Deck B) below from the sweeping forward-staircase. Perhaps the best location for observation anywhere aboard ship, the room's large front windows provided passengers with stunning views over the bow and the sea ahead. The decorative scheme of this spacious room was based upon the great halls of Tudor mansions. The walls were panelled in carved English oak and hung with large paintings. A rafter ceiling was supported by oak panelled pillars and the decorative frieze surrounding the room was hung with the arms of the colleges of Oxford and Cambridge universities. Turning back towards the entrance, passengers would directly face an imposing stone fireplace complete with a real log-burning fire. Models of English crusaders dressed in chain mail sat on either side of the fireplace overlooking the large settees beneath. The room was furnished with heavy oak and mahogany tables accompanied by leather-covered chairs. Stained glass designs adorned the inner panels of the windows and doors. This impressive apartment created the atmosphere of an exclusive private members' club and it was principally used by gentleman for smoking, drinking, and playing cards.
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First Class Drawing Room
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Located forward of the Lounge and directly beneath the Smoking Room was the Drawing Room, sometimes also referred to as the 'Library' or 'Reading & Writing Room'. This apartment was decorated in an 18th century style reminiscent of the stylistic features of Wedgwood porcelain. Its walls and ceiling were decorated with delicate plaster detailing which was painted in ivory white and soft blue tones. The wall panelings were decorated with large paintings and the room was furnished with plush armchairs, settees, and library chairs in the Queen Anne style.
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Drawing Room. "Majestic: The World's Largest Ship" brochure. c.1922.
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Passengers relax in dignified atmosphere of the Drawing Room after dinner. "Majestic: The World's Largest Ship" brochure. c.1922.
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Forward of the Lounge on the Majestic is the Reading and Writing Room, combining the quiet of a library with the elegance of a drawing-room [...] much favored by passengers seeking more seclusion than is found in the Lounge or Palm Court. White Star Line Brochure; "Majestic: The World's Largest Ship"; circa 1922Large individual writing desks were provided around the Drawing Room, supplied with a plentiful supply of stationary and writing paper. The room was also fitted with large glass-fronted bookcases from which an extensive number of books could be browsed and borrowed by passengers. Lighting was provided by tall floor-standing lamps fitted with blue silk shades as well as small frosted glass light fittings on the ceiling. Natural light was provided by the large windows, providing views out onto the enclosed promenade deck. The overall impression of the room was like an elegant drawing room or library in a private mansion.
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First Class Lounge
The main Lounge for First Class passengers was certainly one of the most impressive public apartments aboard Majestic. Lofty and spacious, the room extended two decks at a height of twenty-six feet (eight meters) topped with a wrought iron dome extending over an area of thirty-six-hundred square feet. The dome was filled with crystal panes and brightly illuminated at night by concealed light fixtures behind. The walls were panelled in oak adorned with hand-carved decorations in French style. Extending around the room were tall French windows which allowed plentiful natural light to flood the room during the day. The room was accessed from the foyers on either side through large wrought iron and glass doorways. The main foyer aft of the Lounge allowed access to the sweeping main staircase. Two impressive mezzanine galleries looked down from the Sun Deck above and electric elevators provided access to every deck of First Class accommodation.
This splendid apartment of fine panelling, paintings, luxurious furniture and tall windows, holds the intimate dignity of a room of distinction in some famous mansion ashore.
White Star Line Brochure; "Majestic: The World's Largest Ship"; circa 1922
Unbroken by any walls or pillars, the view from one end of the Lounge to the other was that of a grand hall, arranged in perfect symmetry. The forward end wall was fitted with a large stage which was easily visible from anywhere in the room. Music and dancing were especially popular pastimes on Majestic and an impressively sized grand piano was placed on the stage for the entertainment of passengers. The Lounge was also fitted with a dance floor which filled the middle of the room. The plush carpets were rolled back each evening to allow the room to be used as a dance hall after dinner. Almost five-hundred passengers could be accommodated in the room for concerts, the dance floor having space for one-hundred couples.
First Class Palm CourtThe lofty heights of Majestic's First Class public apartments continued aft on the Promenade Deck (Deck B) through the foyer into the Palm Court. This large room was located forward of the Á La Carte Reataurant and connected to it by a wide staircase, creating a sweeping view through both rooms. The ivory white ceiling of this room was supported by imposing plaster Corinthian pillars. The entire apartment was exceptionally bright and airy. It was decorated with great palms and furnished with cane seating arranged intimately around small tables. The windows extended almost the full height of the ceiling and were draped in light muslin fabric. After-dinner coffee was served in this room both for the connecting Restaurant and the main Dining Saloon. During the day, the Palm Court served as a winter garden where passengers could while after the afternoon in conversation or take light refreshments.
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Palm Court looking towards the Restaurant. "Souvenir of a Visit to a White Star Liner." c.1932.
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First Class Staterooms
The stateroom accommodations offered to Majestic's First Class passengers were unsurpassed in their comfort and spaciousness. The two 'Regal' suites, located slightly forward of amidships on Deck C, were the largest of the numerous suite arrangements available. Embracing eight rooms in total, these two suites each comprised two large bedrooms with connecting bathrooms and toilets, a living room with private sun verandah, an additional bathroom, a wardrobe room, and a maid's room. The bedrooms of these suites were decorated handsomely with inlaid wall panelling. The White Star Line boasted that each bedroom was fitted with luxuries seldom found at sea such as vanity cabinets with full-length triple mirrors, spacious wardrobes fitted with electric lighting, and modern bathroom amenities. Every room in the apartment communicated with the private verandah extending to the side of the ship. It was fitted with paved flooring and furnished with cushioned cane furniture. Flower gardens were fitted along the windows which opened directly onto the sea, proving an idyllic sheltered space away from the promenade decks.
Broad windows looking directly on the sea admit the sun to a paved apartment that is furnished like a summer garden.
White Star Line Brochure; "The Magnificent Trio: Majestic, Olympic, Homeric"; circa 1925
A typical two-berth stateroom with private bathroom. "Majestic: The World's Largest Liner" Brochure. c.1922.
The Majestic was fitted with an impressive number of suites in different arrangements. Further aft of the 'Regal' suites were two 'Parlour' suites comprising two bedrooms, sitting room, private bathroom and toilet, and wardrobe room. These were located adjacent to two smaller suites, almost identical except that they embraced only one bedroom, providing a suitable suite option for couples or free-spending single passengers. A further six of such suites were available on Deck D. In anticipation of the growing demand for private bathroom facilities, a further twenty staterooms on Deck D were fitted with en-suite bathrooms, including two single berth rooms, a rare feature even in First Class travel. Comfortable fitted bedsteads were installed in every room and Pullman berths were fitted to only four of the staterooms on the upper decks. On Deck E, an additional twenty-eight staterooms on for one, two, or three passengers were fitted with private bathroom facilities. All staterooms were furnished with full-height wardrobes, capacious sideboards and dressing tables, upholstered armchairs, and washstands fitted with hot and cold running water. The decorative scheme in most staterooms comprised walls covered in elegant dark wood panelling complemented by bedroom linen and soft furnishings in lighter colour tones.
First Class Restaurant
In addition to the main Dining Saloon, passengers in First Class could purchase some of the finest food at sea in a seperate Á La Carte Reataurant. The Restaurant was located on the Promenade Deck (A-deck), directly aft of the Palm Court and connected to it by a curved staircase. This open plan arrangement provided a two-hundred-and-fifty feet long vista in total from the forward end of the Lounge to the farthest aft wall of the Restaurant. The decorative scheme of the Restaurant was Empire style, the walls being decorated in cedar mahogany panelling with gilded detailing. Corinthian columns supported the ceiling. The room was crowned by a dome adorned with delicate plaster detailing. Tall windows draped in rose and green silks provided the room with natural light as well as sweeping views across the deck outside. The floor was covered in plush carpets in rose and olive colours whilst the tables were laid out in intimate arrangements of two, four, or six seats. Individual table lamps provided diners with softer lighting.
Restaurant. "White Star Line: Olympic, Homeric, Majestic" Brochure. c.1928.
The Restaurant accommodated one-hundred-and-thirty-three diners. As meals taken in the Restaurant were not included in the price of a ticket, passengers were expected to arrange a table reservation by contacting the company office or restaurant manager. If the passenger elected to take all meals in the Restaurant rather than the Dining Saloon, an allowance ($25 in 1928) was taken from the passage rate. It was expected that the passenger would arrange this prior to boarding or, provided that adequate space was available, with the Purser no later than twenty-four hours after sailing departure. Meals in the Restaurant could be obtained at any time between 8am and 11pm.
First Class Dining Saloon
A colour rendering of the Dining Saloon showing the decorative scheme. "White Star Line: Olympic, Homeric, Majestic" Brochure. c.1928.
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The First Class Dining Saloon was located on F-deck. Like most of Majestic's principal public rooms, it was an extremely spacious room with noticeable height and airiness. The room could seat six-hundred-and-fifty-four diners (1928) at tables accommodating anything from two to eight persons. Dining was arranged across a single deck but the room extended in height into a lofty open-well above the middle of the room. This central hall was supported by a series of imposing Ionic pillars which extended into large archways surrounding the room, creating a gallery on the upper-deck. A musicians platform was fitted at the aft end of the gallery from which the ship's orchestra played for the benefit of the passengers dining below. The gallery was fitted with green metal balustrades and surrounded with generously sized curved windows allowed additional lighting to enter the room from the adjoining corridors.
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The impression is irresistibly that of the banquet hall of a great hotel. The dining saloon of the "Majestic" has indeed the distinction of being the most lofty room of its kind on shipboard.
White Star Line Brochure; "The Big Three: Olympic, Homeric, Majestic"; circa 1928
The decorative scheme employed in the room was fresh and dignified. The walls are plastered in white and cream. Large windows hung with rose silk surrounded the room, providing diners with plenty of natural light during the day. The most impressive decorative feature was the fresco-painted dome which took the total height of the apartment to 31 feet from floor to ceiling. Electric lighting was abundant throughout the dining saloon to ensure a bright and airy atmosphere at all times of day. In addition to light fixtures around the ceiling, numerous tall lamps with soft pink shades were fitted to the dining tables. The dining chairs were upholstered in floral patterns in light shades of pink and green whilst crisp white linen was adopted as part of the table service.
First Class Gymnasium
A fully equipped gymnasium was provided for the use of First Class passengers. This was located further aft on the Sun Deck (Deck A), accessed across the stunning mezzanines at the top of the main staircase. The use of the appliances was free of charge and it was open from 6am until 7pm with distinct opening hours for gentlemen, ladies, and children. A trained athletics instructor was available for the assistance of passengers during opening hours. The gymnasium was complemented by the outdoor sports facilities on the Sun Deck, including large squash racket courts.
First Class Swimming Baths
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The grandeur and spaciousness of the Majestic's public apartment were no less pronounced in her leisure facilities. Her Swimming Baths were located in a double-height apartment entered from the main foyer forward of the First Class Dining Saloon. Evoking the atmosphere of Roman baths, this apartment was decorated in a Pompeian style using a series of rich marbles and elegant red mosaics. The room was supported by impressive Doric columns whilst the gallery on the upper-level was surrounded by green metal banisters topped with gold handrails. Passengers entered the Swimming Baths from the upper-deck and descended to the pool level down a sweeping staircase. The lower landing of the staircase was adorned with an impressive water fountain carved from white marble.
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The Pompeian Swimming Baths showing their impressive decorative scheme. "White Star Line: Olympic, Homeric, Majestic" Brochure. c.1928.
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Lake Nemi's Imperial galleys in their first beauty could not have outvied the colourful freshness and luxurious equipment of "Magestic's" Swimming Bath .... so light, so cool, so airy, that almost you may preserve the illusion of the out-door "dip".
White Star Line Brochure; "The Big Three: Olympic, Homeric, Majestic"; circa 1928
The pool itself extended over eight-hundred-and-twenty square feet, with its depth varying between three and nine feet. As was customary for ship design of the age, the pool was filled with warmed salt water pumped from the sea. The total volume of one-hundred-and-twenty tons of water could be filled in approximately twenty-five minutes. Large light-fixtures on the ceiling, secured behind a vast glass panel, flooded the pool with generous amounts of light despite the absence of any natural source. Dressing rooms for passengers were located around the side of the pool itself. The Swimming Baths were also complimented by a wider range of leisure facilities including a suite of Turkish and electric baths. A barber's shop and ladies' hairdresser were located on Deck C. The services of a masseuse, manicurist, and pedicurist were also available to First Class passengers adjacent to the Swimming Baths.