Review Empress of the Seas 8 night.

Just got back from the 8 night cruise on the Empress of the Seas 9/4 to 9/12.

This review is geared more towards giving information to future cruises on the Empress.

If you plan on using your Visa/Mastercard in Bermuda, you may want to consider calling your credit card company and let them know. One of our tablemates had difficulty using his card---he actually called the credit card company and was told that they need to be notified ahead of time if the card will be used outside the USA.

We had previously sailed on the Voyager, so this ship seemed like an "itty bitty" ship in comparison. One thing I did notice about the smaller ship was that you see the same people over and over--I mean that as a positive note.

The crew were phenomenal. I can't say enough nice things about our dining room staff--they were extremely attentive, efficient, and friendly. We had been on six cruises, and our waiter/assistant waiter on the Empress were the best so far. We hardly ever saw our room steward but our room was always clean, and there was always ice in the ice bucket. We had towel animals on our bed on five nights.

Don't pay attention to the weather forecast--I checked the Bermuda weather on CNN.com and before we left and it was rain, rain, rain, and more rain. We had a drizzly, overcast day on our first day at sea, but the remainder of the time was picture perfect. We had a few really brief showers in Hamilton, but they always gave way to sunny blue skies. The water temperature was 83 degrees. The trip over was a little rough due to Hurricane Frances but I used a transderm patch and had no queasiness, etc.

When you get to Cape Liberty Pier, you will pass through a guard both and then proceed down a long road in between warehouses--you will actually pass the ship on your left. Once you round the corner, you drop your luggage off and then proceed around the block to park your car. For first time cruisers, have a few bucks easily available to pay the porter who takes your luggage. When you park, you pay for parking up front for the whole week.

We were there early so the check in process was pretty quick. We upgraded to an owner's suite at the pier---only to find out that they made an error because no Owner's Suites were available. We didn't find this out until we got to our new cabin--the pier coordinator gave us a cabin that she thought was an owner's suite when it was actually just an oceanview. This was a real hassle for us because we had to leave the ship and take the shuttle back to the checkin area at the pier. Phone calls were made back and forth between the pier coordinator and the ship before they finally let us keep the cabin at no extra cost--we were originally an oceanview on deck three and ended up with an oceanview on deck nine.

The check in area in set up so you sign in by deck--the lines are labelled as deck three, deck four, etc. As your enter the check in area, you are given a number for the shuttle bus. Once your documents are completed, they have you sit in a large waiting area--there are plenty of tables and chairs, and there is also water and lemonade available. They also have soda machines --$1.25 for a 20 ounce bottle. I bought a couple to take on board with me---the soda card is $48 for the week, but since we were in port for five days, I figured I would never drink enough soda to pay for the card. If you buy a can of soda in the ship's bars, it is $1.50 plus automatic 15% gratuity. They sell 20 ounce bottles of soda for $2 in the gift shop but they only had regular coke and sprite.

While waiting in the waiting area of the pier, keep an eye on the sign that says "boarding shuttle bus number ____." I just happened to glance over and see our shuttle bus number posted. Also, if you have children, there is a table in the waiting area to sign your kids in and obtain a wristband.

When you get to the ship, you have to climb 5-6 short flights of stairs--you enter on the fifth deck. They do have an alternative entrance for those who are unable to climb stairs.

When you board, they tell you that you cannot access your cabin until after 3 pm. The Windjammer is open---they had a good selection of food available.

The safes in the cabins are digital--if you want to set the combination to use it, you need to call the purser's desk. Within 15 minutes of our phone call, a crew member came up and set up the safe so we could enter our own 6 digit combination.

The dining rooms are open if you want to check out your table before dinner.

You can also make table change requests starting at approx. 1 pm. We requested to be changed to a table for two and had no problem. Breakfast and lunch are open seating in the dining room, so with these meals you sit with and meet new people with each meal. We've always had a large table at dinner on our previous cruises, but since this was an anniversary cruise, we decided to try for a table for two----we always eat all our meals in the dining room, so we knew we would still be meeting people at breakfast and lunch.

Another dining room note . . . as you leave the port of Bayonne, there is a horrendous vibrating noise as the ship turns around 6:45 pm--we were eating dinner at the time, and we actually had to physically hold our silverware, cups, etc. down to keep them from jumping off the table. Our waiter said that the vibration was normal---if you aren't expecting it, it can be a little startling.

If you bring your own wine, they charge you a $12 corkage fee to open it at dinner. They had two Wine and Dine programs available----I think it was $109 for six nights and $135 for 8 nights--you can sign up for this in the dining room and also make your wine selections at that time.

The pursers desk has Bonine available for "free" to those who need it--you can get an envelope with six tablets by just asking. Also, on deck two, there is a vending machine dispenser for common medical products--I think it was 50 cents--they had tums, cepacol, bandaids, antibiotic ointment, tylenol, Ibuprofen, and even condoms.

The sixth deck is the sport deck--has shuffleboard, pingpong tables, etc. The walking track is also on this deck---one complete lap is equal to 1/4 mile. We preferred to walk on the deck instead of using the treadmills.

The deck chairs by the pool were filled by 12 noon---but there were chairs readily available at other locations---upper deck etc. If you are looking for quiet time, there are a few lounge chairs located on deck six---very quiet and relaxing.

There is a Ben and Jerrys on board, but it is an additional charge---$2.50 for a small, $3.25 for a medium, and $4 for a large. Milkshakes are $3.95.

We have Verizon cellular phone service--we actually had phone service while in Bermuda, but it was at a roaming rate. When you get off the ship at the Dockyards, there is a table set up with phone cards to call the USA--$10 for 20 minutes and $20 for 41 minutes. Pay phones are right there as you get off.

If you are a Crown and Anchor member, you get a coupon for 10 minutes free internet service on the ship--the ship's connection is really slow, and they charge 50 cents a minute. There is a store in the Clock Tower building at the Dockyard that advertises $5 for 30 minutes--but I don't know how quick the connection is. While in Hamilton, we used an internet "store" near the ship---was $3.50 for 15 minutes--connection was DSL and very quick.

If you are planning on buying any of the ship's photos, wait until later in the week---the Day 3 Compass had a promotion where you got a free folio and free 8 x 10 picture of the ship if you purchased 3 portraits ( 8 x 10 size). Also, if you are a Crown and Anchor society member, there is a coupon in your booklet--I don't remember what the purchase requirement was, but you did receive a free 5 x7 of the ship. On the formal nights, there are three different "mini studios" with different backgrounds set up to have your picture taken. They also had a casual picture night, and a black and white picture night. We took a picture of our waiter and assistant waiter so they could send them to their families---the digital prints were 40 cents and they were really good quality.

To be continued . . .

Review continued . . .

First stop . . . St. George. You may want to consider standing on deck at the front of the ship as you enter St. George---there is a narrow section of the port that the ship has to navigate through---almost looks like it is too small for the ship to fit.

We decided to make St. George a beach day. When you get off the ship, if you walk straight up the hill and head towards the right, you will eventually come to Tobacco Bay--it is a hilly walk so those who have difficulty walking or have young children may want to consider a taxi. I personally was disappointed in Tobacco Bay--it was crowded and wasn't very big. If you run into a similar situation, St. Catherine's and Achilles Bay are only a short walk from Tobacco Bay. If you leave Tobacco Bay and go up the small driveway, turn left on the road. This road will take you right to St. Catherine's. If you want to go to Achilles Bay, follow the road behind St.

Catherine's---the road will split--take the left road and this will dead end at Achilles Bay. If you take the right split, you will end up going up a steep hill to the fort. Achilles Bay has a narrow beach but the snorkeling was great along the fort wall.. St. Catherine's has a larger beach and amenities--bar, rentals, etc--was less crowded than Tobacco Bay..

Second stop . . . Dockyard. Once you get off the ship, everything is within walking distance. They also have a courtesy bus that makes the Dockyard circuit every 15 minutes. There are directional arrows to point you in the right direction if you are looking for a specific site--Frog and Onion Pub, museum, etc. Snorkel Park just opened so there is no signs for it---when you get off the ship, follow the directional arrows to the right for the Frog and Onion Pub---Snorkel Park is just beyond the pub tucked in the corner. Snorkel Park is not fully completed yet--they 're still working on the restaurant. There is no charge for admission. They have ocean kayaks, paddle boats, snorkeling gear etc for rent. There are two kiddie water slides and a floating raft out in the water. We thought the snorkeling was good here---we saw a good selection of fish by snorkeling along the fort wall on the right and out in the large rocks in the center. Snorkel Park has a rock jetty along one side and the fort wall along the other, so it makes for calm protected waters for kids to play in.

If you want to rent a scooter, Oleander Cycles has a store at the Dockyard--just follow the road from the pier and walk straight--you'll walk right to their storefront. If you decide to rent scooters, you can print a coupon out from their own website and also a coupon from airseago.com. We had the airseago.com coupon--the sales clerk had never seen one before but she still took it (15%). The original price was $80 for a double scooter for a 24 hour period--it gets cheaper if you rent it longer. The price breakdown is $55 for the actual rental and $25 for insurance. If you rent it for several days, they will transport your scooter to the next port for you. FYI--RCL discourages passengers from renting scooters because of the high accident rate. We rented to scooter for one day and went to Gibbs Lighthouse and Horseshoe Bay---if you have clear blue skies, Gibbs Lighthouse has a great view of the ship and surrounding area--admission is $2.50---it does involve climbing

stairs (approx. 183) but there are landings along the way so you can rest.

Horseshoe Bay is accessible by bus from the Dockyard---I believe it was the #7 bus.

There is also a little convenience store at the Dockyard--follow the road from the pier and go straight---it is located on your right. Also, there is a visitor's center next to the Convenience Store---there is a post office located inside the Visitor's Center--Visitor's Center opens at 8:30 and the post office opens at 10 am if you need stamps for postcards, etc.

The ClockTower building has little shops inside--I'm not much of a shopper so we didn't spend much time in there. There is a glass blowing studio and rum cake bakery in the Dockyard--follow the main road from the pier and go straight until you reach Oleader Cycles and then turn right. You can actually watch them blow glass at the studio--some of their finished products are beautiful. The rumcake bakery has samples set out---the small rumcakes were $9.95 or buy 5, get one free.

If you don't rent scooters, the bus and ferry system are easy to navigate. You can buy a three day bus and ferry pass and this will give you access all over the island. As soon as you get off the ship at the Dockyard, you can buy the bus/ferry passes at the visitor's information center--the woman there was very helpful and explained to us how the buses operated,etc. If the dock's visitor center is closed, you can also purchase them at the other visitor's center near the convenience store. We rented the scooter for one day, and then got the bus/ferry pass. On the day (Thursday) that the ship leaves the Dockyard at 12:30 and moves to Hamilton, we took the ferry over to Hamilton in the early morning and met the ship there---got some great pictures as the ship was docking in Hamilton.

Hamilton . . . On the corner of Queen and Front Street in Hamilton, there is a "cage" where a Bermudian policeman directs traffic---he was only there for a limited time so if you see him, take your pictures then---he's obviously used to being photographed because he gave us a vigorous wave when he saw the cameras come out. He was there the first day (Thursday) that we were docked in Hamilton, but then I never saw him again on Friday.

While in Hamilton, we walked to Fort Hamilton, which is located on a hill---had a clear day so we got some great pictures of the ship and area below. If you go to Fort Hamilton, make sure you don't miss the underground section of the fort--there is a whole underground area with ammunition rooms, etc. Also, the moat surrounding the fort is now actually a garden with tropical plants--if you walk the path through the moat, you will eventually come to a little drawbridge which leads you to another underground area. Admission is free.

We took the #3 bus to Devil's Hole from Hamilton--we were both disappointed in this attraction. It was advertised as being nature's aquarium--admission was $10 per person. I expected a large lagoon with turtles, etc---it merely consisted of two platforms around a very small area of water--sea turtles were easily visible, but I thought the price was steep for what we saw.

We also walked to the Bermuda Underwater Institute--about a 20 minute walk from the ship. If you come out of the ship, go right on Front Street and follow it straight--you will pass a gas station on your left and then the road will split--take the right split. Admission was $10.50---the displays involve a lot of reading---it was an "okay" attraction--but wasn't great.

One of our tabletmates went to the aquarium outside of Hamilton and loved it.

If you are interested in snorkeling, I highly recommend Jessie James--got his name off the cruise critic boards. The ship charges $59 for a snorkeling excursion to one shipwreck----and there are lots and lots of people in the group. Jessie James Snorkeling charged $55 and you had several snorkel stops--Mangrove Bay for a practice run, and then two shipwrecks--Montana and Constellation--and then finally a stop at a reef. A guide actually gets in the water with you to tell you what you are looking at as you snorkel over the shipwrecks--the one ship was wooden so there wasn't a lot left---could see the paddle wheel, large cargo containers, and an abundance of bags of cement.

If you are going to be in Hamilton on Thursday, Sept. 23, there is a supposed to be an international bike race on Front Street--from the advertising I've seen, it sounds like this is a big event.

One of the elevators on one end of the ship was nonfunctioning---which only left one elevator---during peak dining room times, there was often a wait, so we just took the steps (needed the exercise anyway). On the last night, there was a water pipe break in the Schooner Lounge, so 2/3 of the area was closed off---they just moved the piano player out to the Centrum.

I'm not going to comment on food or entertainment because everyone has different preferences. We ate all of our meals in the dining room and we were very happy with the quality of food--plus as I said before, we had a wonderful waiter and assistant waiter. I'm not a picky eater, and I am happy if I don't have to cook or clean up.

We had a tragedy while at the Dockyard. The crew was doing a lifeboat drill when one of the lifeboats on the sixth deck broke loose and plunged into the water. Seven crew members were injured--one had to be flown to the States for a neck injury, and another was a near-drowning and was in ICU in Hamilton. The remaining five had non threatening injuries. We bought a newspaper (Royal Gazette), and the article said that a representative from the lifeboat company was flying in along with other officials to investigate the mishap. On our return home from Hamilton, we made a slight detour so we could pick up the damaged lifeboat.

To be continued . . .

The Crown and Anchor Returning Guest party is at 7:45 on Wednesday night--in between the two dinner seatings. They served Manhattens, Yellowbirds, and fruit punch--also had some appetizers--fried mushrooms, chicken wings, miniature quiches, and some triangular pastry thingies.

The Captain's reception is held at 7:45 on Sunday night--once again in between dinner seatings. It's held in the Centrum--they serve champagne, and you also have the opportunity to have your picture taken with the Captain.

I am not trying to start a controversy . . . but my biggest complaint was that Royal Caribbean has rules and guidelines but they don't enforce them. One night an adult male showed up in the dining room with a tropical print bathing suit and a "muscle" shirt. I saw quite a few people wearing shorts in the dining room even though Royal Caribbean specifically states this is not appropriate attire--"Please be advised that shorts, tanktops, and bathing attire are not allowed in the Carmen Dining Room at any time." (from the Compass).

Also, the hot tubs have a sign that states that children under age 16 need to be accompanied by a parent. At one point, there were 14 elementary/middle school aged kids crammed into one hot tub. Unfortunately at that time, there was a poolside demonstration going on, but no one could hear because of the noise the kids were making. Some of the moms were taking pictures of the kids--totally oblivious to the sign and the disruption this was causing. A pool attendant did eventually tell them to evacuate the hot tub, and shortly thereafter a group of adults got in.

The Compass said that the Quest game was for "adults" . . . but yet one mom brought her daughter (approx. 10 years old)---they sat right in front of us. As part of the game, men do end up in their underwear, and this child's mother was trying to take her bra off as part of the game.

Fan-ta-sea

Thanks you for your great review! I'm not going to Bermuda, but to the S. Caribbean on the Empress. I appreciate the info on the ship and activities! :D

Wow, great review. Leaving in 19 days and appreciate all the detailed information.

I was also on this cruise. This I would mostly agree with this review.

One thing I was pleased with, buses. From Dockyard they have new a bus now that says SPECIAL on the sign. It goes directly to Horseshoe Bay with no stops. It returns the same. I don't know if it has a real schedule, oe leaves when there is a group at the stop. It is convenient for all the toursits sho dominantly go there, and helps the locals get a seat on the bus.

Also note the cab fares recently increased. Not all meters have been adjusted. So you may see a reading of $13.00, then the driver pulls out a chart and says it is $16.00.

All the staff were very friendly and helpful. This year I booked all my activities off the ship so I can't comment on how they were run.

Portofinos has a seperate restaurant on the ship now. It is $20 per person + a tip. They have their own chefs and waiters and food. People at my table went twice and gave it lots of praises.

I was on the cruise as well, and do have one beef with RCCL. On Monday, while docked at St. George, I made a tee-time at St. George Golf Course(in my opinion, a waste of money, but that is not my beef) for Tuesday morning. I left the ship at 6:30 am(Empress repositioned to Dockyard at 7:00 am) and played my round of golf, intending to catch the direct ferry from St. George to the Dockyard in the early afternoon. Apparently, there was a bus and ferry strike going on Tuesday, and after waiting until 2:00 to catch the 1:30 ferry, I took a cab from St. George to the Dockyard that cost $53.00. We purchased our three day transportation passes through the cruise line, yet no mention was made on board regarding the strike or possibility of a strike. The strike must have ended sometime Tuesday afternoon because by the time I got to the Dockyard buses were running again. I think RCCL has an obligation to keep abreast of local activities and inform passengers about situations like strikes. If I knew there was a possibility I was going to have to pay $53 on top on the $35 for the bus/ferry pass, I would have made different plans.

Side note--St. George Golf Course is nice enough for a short, mostly par 3 course, but at $60 a round(which I'm willing to pay) plus $28 per cart PER PERSON(a little higher if you book it through the ship) the course is not worth it. You don't have to get the cart, but the whole course is uphill)both ways) and the walk from the 1st green to the 2nd tee is at least 1/4 mile.

We were iln the same boat you were in with the ferry and bus strike. Evidently it was a work slowdown, and all of the ferry operators and bus drivers attended a rally/meeting. We bought our ferry tickets as soon as we got off the ship--bought them at the visitor's center--because we had a private tour booked in Hamilton that morning. While waiting for the ferry, someone came over and told us that they weren't running. So back to the visitor's center we went--the woman there didn't even know that they weren't running. She was very gracious and apologetic--gave us back our money without any problem. We did end up buying the tickets later in the day when the transportation system started running again at 1 pm.

Same cruise- great review. I would add a few comments:

Do bring a clock- there is nothing in the cabin.

The bathroom is very small but it has a surprising amount of storage- never used my over the door shoe rack.

Do bring a light jacket- the ocean was very windy on the passage to and from Bermuda.

The convenience store in the Dockyard was not only convenient I found it surprisingly inexpensive- $1 for a bottle of water.

We had a safe in our inside cabin on deck 9

The dining room staff was excellant and very accomadating.

The 8 night wine package was $150 including tip- very reasonable and the selection although not very exciting was acceptable.

Took the bus from Boston to Bayonne- great and easy trip down diaster back. Only regret is that we didn't board until after 3- but it was convenient and free.

We did alot of snorkeling- Achille bay, somerset, Daniel's head, church bay. and spent a day at Horseshoe. ALso went to the light house, 3 forts- St. Catherine's, Hamilton and Fort Scaur and the Underwater museum in Hamilton. We also went to the service at the Heydon trust Chapel which was very nice.Did not eat lunch on the boat because we were never there but found lots of reasonable deli's and conveyance stores.

We were planning on buying a bus pass on Tuesday but were told about the strike from the Pursar. Ended up renting a scooter for 2 days and really loved it. Allowed us to go to places in Somerset that we'd never been able to get to before and really gave us a whole different feel for Bermuda (third trip but first scoooters).

I got caught by the strike also, but I don't blame RCCI. I was a ta dive shop at Somerset Bridge and waited 45 minutes for the ferry with my 3 day pass. Locals called for me and gave me the info that there was a stoppage for a meeting until 1pm.

Had I been at a different place on the island I may have just went sightseeing to kill the time. But there was nothing around me, so I jumped in a minibus. The locals called it for me and it was cheaper than a cab. I just had to share the ride with others.

If the strike stayed I would have asked for my pass money back. But, I don't blame RCCI for a local problem which seems to be a constant in Bermuda.

For $53 I would have waited it out or sought others stranded with me to split the fare.

Blueberry2 and Cram33:

Did any of you hear of any updates on how the injured crew members were doing? We saw one of them on the pier being treated--I would guess he was probably the one that was airlifted out for the spinal cord injury. One of our lunch tablemates said that the guy in critical condition was their cabin steward.

Thanks all for taking the time to write reveiw and comments. We are on the 9/18-8 night. The weather is iffy at best. We will let you know about our trip, I am sure it will be great-Harry

No updates. Nothing in the local papers (boston) I would like to know Our Stewart was quite upset

Thanks for the link to the Royal Gazette. I hope the guy that they airlifted to Boston makes a full recovery.

HarryO--our weather was really "iffy" too when we left---I checked a couple of different websites---CNN,etc---and it was rain, rain, rain, rain, and more rain. Yuck. I was worried because it looked like we were going to be stuck in the outskirts of Frances. The only weather site that gave a little hope for nice weather was the weather station at the Bermuda airport. Turns out we had great weather--had overcast, drizzly weather the first day at sea enroute to Bermuda. Once we got to Bermuda, it was great. Twice we woke up to overcast, misty skies, but they very quickly turned into sunny days. Had a few quick showers in Hamilton---very brief and then the sun was out. We have some great pictures of 3 different rainbows while in Hamilton.

One suggestion I didn't put in my review---I thought the ship itself was overall "cool." I didn't bring enough sweaters.

Another thing I forgot to include in my review---we bought two cheap beach towels at CVS for 75% off before we left ($2.50 each)---used them to pack two bottles of win, and then used them to go to the beach. Royal Caribbean supplies you with two towels to use on the pool deck and shore excursions---they charge you $20 each if you lose them. That made me nervous--didn't want to have to worry about leaving my towel unattended and then have someone rip it off. I don't know if they would actually would charge you if you lost it, but I didn't want to find out the hard way.

Bring lots of suntan lotion--I used it liberally and still came home looking like a lobster.

oops--that's wine, not win in my previous post

A couple of more things from our Empress cruise . . .

If you are doing any beach activities, the online gift shop sells waterproof cases to hold your money, seapass card,etc. They have rectangular plasatic boxes on a thin rope with an adjustable slide---they have one that says Bermuda and one with the RCL logo. These are $5.50--we bought one, and it easily fit in two credit cards, two sea passes, and some dollar bills.

The onboard liquor store also sells a different tyle of waterproof case--it is a slimmer version and different shape--they are $7 and are located on a corner display as you enter the store.

If you bring your own wine, the gift shop and liquor store sell small corkscrews.

Also, forgot to mention "seaglass beach" in my earlier review. This is not marked on any maps---is a small, narrow beach and it does have some trash on it so you really can't swim here. But there is lots and lots of seaglass if you are into collecting this. We brought home a small plastic bag full--got home and bought a small desk lamp with a glass jar base and filled it with the glass. I'm not into buying trinkets on our trips, but the lamp is useful and brings back lots of happy memories whenever I turn it on.

If you rent scooters, you can easily stop here on your way back to the ship. When you're on the main road, you'll pass the Royal Naval Dockyard and a blue/green church on your right . . . then you'll come to a section of turquoise/blue/green row houses (connected houses) on your left--at the end of these houses there is a one way road called Cochrane. Turn left here--as soon as you enter Cochrane, it bends to the right--DON'T take the bend--go straight onto the grassy area, which is the Convict Cemetery. The beach is at the back of the Convict Cemetery. When you leave, if you follow the one way road out it will take you right to the entrance to the Dockyard.

What is seaglass beach near?

Sounds interesting.

Seaglass beach is in a residential area at the back of the Convict Cemetery. I had read about it on this message board, but then lost the directions while on the ship but another passenger was able to help me out in finding the place. As I said . . . the sole purpose for going there would just be to collect some seaglass. It is not a nice beach--has trash strewn on it--but there is lots and lots of seaglass. It is fairly close to the Dockyard---when you leave, you have to take the one street (Cochrane), which ends on the main road somewhat near the entrance to the Dockyard.

Thanks, ill have to check that out when we are in dockyard next week.

Since you can never find shells in Bermuda, this might be the next best thing.

Great review. Just in time since we are leaving tomorrow. Thank you. Tony

I had read somewhere that you can buy beautiful seashells from fisherman near Hamilton. I have no idea where I read it but if anyone knows feel free to reply before we leave.

P.S. What is seaglass?