Empress of the Seas - March 3, 2017 - comments

Hell All -

I finally made some time to share some thoughts about our March 3, 2017 sailing on the Empress of the Sea out of Miami and sailing to Cozumel and Key West.

FIRST OFF -

The cruise director - Carlos Torres - was one of two BEST directors. For me, he tied with Matt Mitcham on Carnival. The cabin steward Manuel for our cabin was outstanding.

THANK YOU to all the talent and performers. The live music was abundant and appreciated. Created such a nice vibe. Loved the performers and entertainment.

The food was average to poor.

Quick thoughts:

The ship felt understaffed but the people on this ship all worked very hard. The quality of the entertainment was phenomenal. The food was not good. I am curious to see if the newer larger ships offer better food quality. I am curious but hesitant to book another Royal Caribbean ship. I understand this is an older ship and the reason for the ship in the fleet is to travel to CUBA but the ship needs some TLC. We affectionately nicknamed it "The floating fart" ... the odors of the ship were often overpowering. The other maintenance issue was the large amounts of water that would periodically flood the pool deck from the base of the stair cases that led up to the open air deck. The people who were laying on the deck due to the lack of available chairs would have to get up and the workers would wet-vac the area.

Ship is very small and we were grateful that it did not rain. If it rained, there is really no place to go except the inside lounges and stare at each other. As compared to a lot of the Carnival ships which offer a pool towards the back of the ship with a roof that closes to shield you from the rain.

So .... We choose this ship because it landed on a birthday and went to the ports we enjoy and feel safe exploring on our own.

We are a couple in our 50's and have been on other cruises:

- MSC Poesia

- Carnival Glory (x2)

- Carnival Splendor

- Carnival Freedom

- Carnival Victory

- Norwegian Breakaway (x2)

- Royal Caribbean Empress (this review)

- and my prior cruises before marriage were Holland and Norwegian

We had a good time. Please do not misinterpret my comments as totally negative. Despite the 1300 spring breakers on board (out of 1800 passengers) and 900 of the 1300 bought drink packages which made it a little tough to get a drink but I fought my way into the bar. The ship felt understaffed on this cruise. I am guessing they staff the ship for the typical cruise - not a spring break "booze-up". The bar staff worked VERY HARD and did their best. We did not have a drink package. It was about 60.00 per person and I think my total bar bill was about 105. - or 16 beers total for the 5 day trip. It is worth it to note that Royal allows one person to buy a package as compared to Carnival which makes BOTH people per cabin buy the package. My husband does not drink so I never buy the package. I find it is cheaper - for me - to just order what I want - when i want and not worry about the cost.

The staff worked their asses off and were amazing. They truly did their best under the circumstances.

To be fair to the spring breakers - they really were well behaved and just having fun. They were polite and dressed well for dinner and made conversation. Some even "apologized" for their overwhelming presence on board. We just laughed and let them know all their "antics" were providing us with a lot of entertainment. We heard a young man say to his friend "hey - LANGUAGE" when his bro was using profanity. It was surprising and impressive to us.

CABIN -

We were on the 3rd floor and had an inside. The first time for us. I would not want to book an inside again. I feel I need a window at minimum.

Cabin was very small but we managed. And it was in very good condition. Seriously - no complaints. The only challenging thing was the shower. Very small. The joke from the cruise director (amazing and talented man - top notch) was to soap the walls of the shower and spin around to get clean. So true.

ENTERTAINMENT -

Outstanding. A large amount of gratitude to the performers and musicians. The live music in the lounges was lovely. What was new and surprising to us on this cruise was the variety of entertainment. In addition to the standard stage reviews, this ship offered a las vegas and America's Got talent people - and comedians. Granted - on larger ships I have sailed they have a separate comedy lounge. On this ship, there is none. Too small.

And a big SHOUT OUT to the DJ. It was so refreshing to hear an actual well balanced mix of music as compared to Carnival which seems to play the same over-aggressive 6 songs. I once spoke to a DJ on Carnival who commented they were only allowed to play the songs that Carnival bought a license to play. If that is true - I beg them to license more songs or hire new DJ's that will USE the song library.

SPA and FITNESS -

Ship is small and the the fitness "area" is really an overhang in the disco. So ... you are on a treadmill staring at a disco ball. No locker areas with showers, steam or sauna to use either. The spa downstairs from the fitness area has a small locker room with one shower they will let you use (ask nicely).

Again - back to if the weather is bad. Other ships have some type of steam / sauna areas to purchase. Co-ed areas with heated stone lounges, etc .... Not here on this ship.

FOOD -

Loved the Salad Bar options. Thank you. Saved us. Otherwise - Good to poor. The food was not really cooked well and the quality was not good. What the hell kind of lunch meat was offered? There were two loaf-like versions offered that I could not identify. What is wrong with having a deli sandwich station? Seriously.

One day in particular was a new low. The soup container offered FISH BROTH. Really? Who east THAT? And to make matters worse, the chocolate rice pudding dessert (looked like fried beans or worse) was next to the FISH BROTH. I think I walked out.

We appreciated the hamburger and hot dog station the ship would set-up by the pool area during lunch to alleviate the crowds in the buffet. Well done. And the ice cream machine was not self serve. They had a person stationed there at all times to dispense. The ice cream quality was better than Carnival.

In the main dining room I would have appreciated some standard choices - like a pasta dish. The "roasted chicken" was always on the menu and came out like a roof shingle. Would not order that again. It was a very tough over-cooked breast - nothing roasted about it. What I did appreciate in the min dining room was the ability to be served a drink in a timely manner. Thank you Iryvna (sp?) ... on Carnival, it is near impossible to get a drink on any of the ships I have sailed.

The late night snacks were embarrassing. This ship needs to do better.

FELLOW PASSENGERS -

As always - I love meeting the people of the cruise ships and this ship was even friendlier I think due to spring break. The people on the ship who were NOT part of the spring breakers seem to bond more than usual :) ! We needed to band together - lol

One disappointing note: No LGBT meets listed in their daily activities. Most other ships seem to list an LBGT meet.

EMBARK - IMMIGRATION - ETC

The easiest on this ship than any other. They do a phenomenal job.

In conclusion, we had a very good cruise. Was it my favorite? no.

But it met our needs to timing, ports, cost and a good time !!

The only reason for me to sail her again would be to visit CUBA.

Thank you Empress

Hell One disappointing note: No LGBT meets listed in their daily activities. Most other ships seem to list an LBGT meet.

Usually on a small 3x5 card on an announcement board by guest services.

Thanks for your review. Will be on Empress next month. Just curious what food they had for late night snacks and if you happen to recall how late food is available?

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Thanks for your review. Will be on Empress next month. Just curious what food they had for late night snacks and if you happen to recall how late food is available?

 

 

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Hello -

the buffet area called the Windjammer Café offers late night snacks from 10:30pm to 12:30am

The selections were -

- big salad bar

- fruit

- plain pizza squares

- peperoni pizza squares

- hot dogs

- breads

- chicken wings

- tacos

- desserts

- lobster (one night) must have made too much from that evenings dinner

- Sweet and sour chicken (one night)

- meat stuffed dumplings (one night)

Then the late night sandwich bar is 12:30am to 1:30am

- bad lunch meat - some loaf type stuff

Afternoon snacks are from 3:30pm - 5:00pm

Main dining room is until 9pm

Specialty dining is until 9:30pm

coffee bar open until 9pm in the Baleros Lounge (the BEST lounge - don't miss it !!! )

Room Service menu on the TV and I heard small portions is available from 6am to 2am

Usually on a small 3x5 card on an announcement board by guest services.

hysterical ... thanks for the info.

I never thought to ask Guest Services. I will keep that in mind.

Loved your review....very entertaining!!

Hello -

 

the buffet area called the Windjammer Café offers late night snacks from 10:30pm to 12:30am

The selections were -

- big salad bar

- fruit

- plain pizza squares

- peperoni pizza squares

- hot dogs

- breads

- chicken wings

- tacos

- desserts

- lobster (one night) must have made too much from that evenings dinner

- Sweet and sour chicken (one night)

- meat stuffed dumplings (one night)

 

 

Then the late night sandwich bar is 12:30am to 1:30am

- bad lunch meat - some loaf type stuff

 

 

Afternoon snacks are from 3:30pm - 5:00pm

 

 

Main dining room is until 9pm

 

Specialty dining is until 9:30pm

 

 

coffee bar open until 9pm in the Baleros Lounge (the BEST lounge - don't miss it !!! )

 

Room Service menu on the TV and I heard small portions is available from 6am to 2am

Thanks for the info. I'm used to the 24 hour late night snacks on the bigger ships so was curious to hear how Empress did it. Will definitely have to spend some time in boleros to have a drink or 2. Will have the drink package--assuming the coffee there is included.

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Loved your review....very entertaining!!

Thank you for the kind words !

We never were able to use the pool or hot tub due to the Spring Breakers. It was like The Lord Of The Flies. They also seem to drink non-stop and never GET OUT of the hot tub.

The comedian who performed in the big theater joked about the crowd on the ship and nicknamed the hot tub "Chlamydia Soup"

Thanks for the review! I was on Empress a couple of weeks before you and am amazed at how similar our experiences were. I also had the sense that the ship was understaffed. Although the crew worked very hard, you could still tell that they were overwhelmed at times. I am a drinker but I just cannot make the math work to justify the drinks package. I did not see anyone falling down drunk but lets just say that people on the drinks package clearly got their monies worth!

It was interesting to me how many first time cruisers were on Empress and I could not help but think that Royal Caribbean was hurting itself in the long run by not "hooking" these people with a great product that would bring them back over and over again.

I admire your attitude concerning the Spring Breakers. We had lots of young people on our cruise but not the numbers you reported. Like you, we enjoyed Empress despite some of the negatives and would cruise on her again if the price was right.

Thanks for your review! I'm a first time cruiser booked on the Empress for May 25-29 with my daughter to celebrate her college graduation. Reviews like yours help me manage my expectations!

Very nice review considering so many Spring Breakers. Empress is one of our favorite ships!!!

FWIW, She was not understaffed. Since she is a small ship, crew quarters are quite small and they are filled to capacity. There is no room for additional crew when the ship is at max occupancy. They do a great job, don't they?

Thank you for the kind words !

 

We never were able to use the pool or hot tub due to the Spring Breakers. It was like The Lord Of The Flies. They also seem to drink non-stop and never GET OUT of the hot tub.

 

The comedian who performed in the big theater joked about the crowd on the ship and nicknamed the hot tub "Chlamydia Soup"

Oh, dear God!!! That's too funny! I wish I'd been there to witness the soup!! And had I been there, you would have had a 3x5 card in your room about the sub-group my mom and I invented...it's called "Friends of Friends of Dorothy". We just lurk in the shadows of the planned FOD get-togethers to choose who our new cruise friends will be! [emoji8]

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Oh, dear God!!! That's too funny! I wish I'd been there to witness the soup!! And had I been there, you would have had a 3x5 card in your room about the sub-group my mom and I invented...it's called "Friends of Friends of Dorothy". We just lurk in the shadows of the planned FOD get-togethers to choose who our new cruise friends will be! [emoji8]

 

 

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We would have hung out and laughed our asses off the whole cruise :')

Thanks for the review! I was on Empress a couple of weeks before you and am amazed at how similar our experiences were. I also had the sense that the ship was understaffed. Although the crew worked very hard, you could still tell that they were overwhelmed at times.

This surprises me. I really thought the understaffed feeling was due to spring break.

Thanks for your review! I'm a first time cruiser booked on the Empress for May 25-29 with my daughter to celebrate her college graduation. Reviews like yours help me manage my expectations!

You will have a GREAT time !!! :D Sounds like you will roll with the good and "eh" and enjoy yourself. Experiencing a newer (and bigger) ship is very different experience. I hope this cruise will make you want to cruise again.

And congrats on the graduation. So exciting.

My husband was married before we met and has three daughters. The youngest graduated four years ago. We have hopes that one day all the girls and their families to agree to a big family cruise.

Very nice review considering so many Spring Breakers. Empress is one of our favorite ships!!!

FWIW, She was not understaffed. Since she is a small ship, crew quarters are quite small and they are filled to capacity. There is no room for additional crew when the ship is at max occupancy. They do a great job, don't they?

Thank you for the perspective. The staff was so impressive.

We would have hung out and laughed our asses off the whole cruise :')

I think we would have!!![emoji12]

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Empress will always hold a very special place in my heart since she was my honeymoon ship 13 years ago. But objectively speaking, I look back and I realize that she would not be able to compete with today's newest and largest ships.

Still, id love to sail on her again, even if it's for sentimental reasons. Thanks for your review.

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Great review. Thanks.